the origins of contemporary france-4-第151章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
accordingly。〃 (Another letter from the same agent; Germinal 9。) 〃It is
impossible to supply the market of Villarceaux; seven communes under
requisition prevented it through the district of Sozannes which
constantly keeps an armed force there to carry grain away as soon as
thrashed。〃 … It is interesting to remark the inquisitorial
sentimentality of the official agents and the low stage of culture。
(Proces verbal of the Magincourt municipality; Vent?se 7。) Of course I
am obliged to correct the spelling so as to render it intelligible。
The said Croiset; gendarme; went with the national agent into the
houses of citizens in arrears; of whom; amongst those in arrears;
nobody refused but Jean Mauchin; whom we could not keep from talking
against him; seeing that he is wholly egoist and only wants for
himself。 He declared to us that; if; the day before his harvesting he
had any left; he would share it with the citizens that needed it。 。
。 。 Alas; yes; how could one refrain from shutting up such an egoist
who wants only for himself to the detriment of his fellow citizens? A
proof of the truth is that he feeds in his house three dogs; at least
one hundred and fifty chickens and even pigeons; which uses up a lot
of grain; enough to hinder the satisfaction of all the requisitions。
He might do without dogs; as his court is enclosed he might likewise
content himself with thirty chickens and then be able to satisfy the
requisitions。〃 This document is signed 〃Bertrand; Agen。〃 … Mauchin; on
the strength of it; is incarcerated at Troyes 〃at his own expense。〃
'100' Ibid。 Letter from the district of Bar sur Seine; Vent?se 14;
year III。 Since the abolition of the 〃maximum;〃 〃the inhabitants
travel thirty and forty leagues to purchase wheat。〃 (Letter from the
municipality of Troyes; Vent?se 15。) 〃According to the price of grain;
which we keep on buying; by agreement; bread will cost fifteen sous
(the pound) next decade。〃
'101' Schmidt; 〃Pariser Zust?nde;〃 145…220。 The re…opening of the
Bourse; April 25; 1795; ibid。; 322; II。; 105。 … 〃 Memoirs of Theobald
Wolf;〃 vol。 I。; p。200; (February 3; 1796)。 At Havre; the louis d'or
is then worth five thousand francs; and the ecu of six francs in
proportion。 At Paris (February 12); the louis d'or is worth six
thousand five hundred; a dinner for two persons at the Palais Royal
costs one thousand five hundred francs。 … Mayer; (〃Frankreich in
1796。〃) He gives a dinner for ten persons which costs three hundred
thousand francs in assignats。 At this rate a cab ride costs one
thousand francs; and by the hour six thousand francs。
'102' 〃Correspondance de Mallet du Pan avec la cour de Vienne;〃 I。;
253 (July 18; 1795)。 〃It is not the same now as in the early days of
the Revolution; which then bore heavily only on certain classes of
society; now; everybody feels the scourge; hourly; in every department
of civil life。 Goods and provisions advance daily (in price) in much
greater proportion than the decline in assignats。 。 。 。 Paris is
really a city of furnishing shops。 。 。 The immense competition for
these objects raises all goods twenty five per cent。 a week。。。。 It
is the same with provisions。 A sack of wheat weighing three quintals
is now worth nine thousand francs; a pound of beef thirty six francs;
a pair of shoes one hundred francs。 It is impossible for artisans to
raise their wages proportionately with such a large and rapid
increase。〃 … Cf。 〃Diary of Lord Malmesbury;〃 III。; 290 (October 27;
1796)。 After 1795; the gains of the peasants; land owners and
producers are very large; from 1792 to 1796 they accumulate and hide
away most of the current coin。 They were courageous enough and smart
enough to protect their hoard against the violence of the
revolutionary government; 〃hence; at the time of the depreciation of
assignats; they bought land extraordinarily cheap。〃 In 1796 they
cultivate and produce a great deal。
'103' Archives Nationales; AF。; II。; 72。 (Letter of the
administrators of the district of Montpelier to the Convention;
Messidor 26; year II。) 〃 Your decree of Niv?se 4 last; suppressed the
'maximum;' which step; provoked by justice and the 'maximum;' did not
have the effect you anticipated。〃 The dearth ceases; but there is a
prodigious increase in prices; the farmer selling his wheat at from
four hundred and seventy to six hundred and seventy francs the
quintal。
'104' Archives Nationales; AF。; II。; 71。 (Deliberations of the
commune of Champs; canton of Lagny; Prairial 22; year III。 Letter of
the procureur…syndic of Meaux; Messidor 3。 Letter of the municipality
of Rozoy; Seine et Marne; Messidor 4。) … Ibid。; AF。; II。; 74。 (Letter
of the municipality of Emérainville; endorsed by the Directory of
Meaux; Messidor 14。) 〃The commune can procure only oat…bread for its
inhabitants; and; again; they have to go a long way to get this。 This
food; of so poor a quality; far from strengthening the citizen
accustomed to agricultural labor; disheartens him and makes him ill;
the result being that the hay cannot be got in good time for lack
of hands。〃 … At Champs; 〃the crop of hay is ready for mowing; but; for
want of food; the laborers cannot do the work。〃
'105' Ibid。; AF。; II。; 73。 (Letter from the Directory of the district
of Dieppe; Prairial 22。)
'106' Ibid。 (Letter of the administrators of the district of
Louviers; Prairial 26。)
'107' Ibid。 (Letter of the procureur…syndic of the Caen district;
Caen; Messidor 23。 … Letter of Representative Porcher to the
Committee of Public Safety; Messidor 26。 … Letter of the same;
Prairial 24。 〃The condition of this department seemed to me
frightful。 。 。 。 The privations of the department with respect to
subsistence cannot be over…stated to you; the evil is at its height。〃
'108' Archives Nationales; AF。 II。; 74。 (Letter of the Beauvais
administrators; Prairial 15。 … Letter of the Bapaume administrator;
Prairial 24。 … Letter of the Vervier administrator; Messidor 7。 …
Letter of the commissary sent by the district of Laon; Messidor。) …
Cf。; I6id。; letter from the Abbeville district; Prairial 11。 〃The
quintal of wheat is sold at one thousand assignats; or rather; the
farmers will not take assignats any more; grain not to be had for
anything but coin; and; as most people have none to give they are
hard…hearted enough to demand of one his clothes; and of another his
furniture; etc。〃
'109' Ibid。; AF。; II。; 71。 (Letter of the Rozoy municipality。 Seine…
et…Marne; Messidor 4; year III。) A bushel of wheat in the vicinity of
Rozoy brings three hundred francs。
'110' Ibid。; AF。; II。; 74。 (Letter of the Montreuil…sur…Mer
municipality; Prairial 29。)
'111' Ibid。 (Letter of the Vervins administrators; Prairial 11 Letter
of the commune of La Chapelle…sur…Somme; Prairial 24。)
'112' Ibid。; AF。; II。; 70。 (Letter of the procureur…syndic of the
district of Saint…Germain; Thermidor 10。) This file; which depicts the
situation of the communes around Paris; is specially heartrending and
terrible。 Among other instances of the misery of workmen the
following petition of the men employed on the Marly water…works may be
given; Messidor 28。 〃The workmen and employees on the machine at
Marly beg leave to present to you the wretched state to which they are
reduced by the dearness of provisions。 Their moderate wages; which at
the most have reached only five livres twelve sous; and again; for
four months past; having received but two francs sixteen sous; no
longer provide them with half a pound of bread; since it costs fifteen
and sixteen francs per pound。 We poor people have not been wanting in
courage nor patience; hoping that times would mend。 We have been
reduced to selling most of our effects and to eating bread made of
bran of which a sample is herewith sent; and which distresses us very
much (nous incommode beaucoup); most of us are ill and those who are