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the origins of contemporary france-4-第151章

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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

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