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(July 19; 1786); of Nimes (July 1; 1786); of the intendant; M。 d'Aine

(March 19; 1786)。



'34' Archives nationales; H; 554。  (Letter of M。 de Bertrand;

intendant of Rennes; August 7; 1785)。



'35' Archives nationales; H; 426。  (Remonstrances; Feb。  1783)。  … H;

554。  (Letter of M。 de Bertrand; Aug。  17; 1785)。



'36' Archives nationales; H; 614 (Mémoire by René de Hauteville;

parliamentary advocate; Saint…Brieuc; Dec。  25; 1776。)



'37' 〃Process…verbaux de l'ass。  Prov。  de Soissonnais〃 (1787) p。

457。



'38' Archives nationales; H; 616 (A letter of M。 De Boves;

intendant of Rennes; April 23; 1774)。



'39' Périn; 〃La Jeunesse de Robespierre;〃 301。  (Doléances des

parroisses rurales en 1789)。



'40' Hippeau; 〃Le Gouvern。  de Normandie;〃 VII。  147…177 (1789)。  …

Boivin…Champeaux; 〃Notice hist。  sur la Révolution dans le département

de l'Eure;〃 p。  83 (1789)。



'41' Théron de Montaugé; p。  87。  (Letter of the prior of the

convent; March; 1789)。



'42' 〃Procès…verbaux de l'Ass。  prov。  de Lyonnais;〃 p。57。  …

Archives nationales; F4; 2073。  Memorandum of Jan。  24; 1788。

〃Charitable assistance is very limited; the provincial authorities

providing no resources for such accidents。〃



'43' Levasseur; 〃La France industrielle;〃 119。  …  In 1862; the

population being almost triple (1 696 000) there are but 90 000

paupers。



'44' Albert Babeau; 〃Hist。  de Troyes;〃 I。  91。  (Letter of the mayor

Huez; July 30; 1788)。



'45' Floquet; VII; 506。



'46' Archives nationales; H; 1453。  (Letter of M。 de Sainte…Suzanne;

April 29; 1789)。



'47' Arthur Young; I。  256。



'48' 〃Correspond。  secrèt inédite;〃 from 1777 to 1792; published by

M。 de Lescure; II。  351 (May 8; 1789)。  Cf。  C。  Desmoulins; 〃La

Lanterne;〃 of 100 rioters arrested at Lyons 96 were branded。



'49' De Bezenval; II。  344; 350。  … Dussault; 〃La Prise de la

Bastille;〃 352。  … Marmontel; II; ch。  XIV; 249。  Mme。  Vigée…Lebrun; I。

177; 188。



'50' Mercier; I。  32; VI。  15; X。  179; XI。  59; XII。  83。  …  Arthur

Young; I。  122。



'51' In the original; pain de Gonesse;  …  bread; made in a village

of this name near Paris; and renowned for its whiteness。  …  TR。



'52' 〃Dialogues sur le commerce des blés;〃 by Galiani (1770)。  〃If

the strong of the markets are content; no misfortune will happen to

the administration。  The great conspire and rebel; the bourgeois

murmurs and lives a celibate; peasants and artisans despair and go

away; porters get up riots。〃













CHAPTER IV。  The Armed Forces。



I。



Military force declines。  …  How the army is recruited。  …  How the

soldier is treated。



  Against universal sedition where is force? … The measures and

dispositions which govern the 150;000 men who maintain order are the

same as those ruling the 26 millions people subject to it。  We find

here the same abuses; disaffection; and other causes for the

dissolution of the nation which; in their turn; will dissolve the

army。



Of the 90 millions of pay'1' which the army annually costs the

treasury; 46 millions are for officers and only 44 millions for

soldiers; and we are already aware that a new ordinance reserves ranks

of all kinds for verified nobles。  In no direction is this inequality;

against which public opinion rebels so vigorously; more apparent。  On

the one hand; authority; honors; money; leisure; good…living; social

enjoyments; and plays in private; for the minority。  On the other hand;

for the majority; subjection; dejection; fatigue; a forced or betrayed

enlistment; no hope of promotion; pay at six sous a day;'2' a narrow

cot for two; bread fit for dogs; and; for several years; kicks like

those bestowed on a dog。'3' On the one hand; a nobility of high

estate; and; on the other; the lowest of the populace。  One might say

that this was specially designed for contrast and to intensify

irritation。  〃The insignificant pay of the soldier;〃 says an economist;

〃the way in which he is dressed; lodged and fed; his utter dependence;

would render it cruelty to take any other than a man of the lower

class。〃'4' Indeed; he is sought for only in the lowest layers of

society。  Not only are nobles and the bourgeoisie exempt from

conscription; but again the employees of the administration; of the

fermes and of public works; 〃all gamekeepers and forest…rangers; the

hired domestics and valets of ecclesiastics; of communities; of

religious establishments; of the gentry and of nobles;〃'5' and even of

the bourgeoisie living in grand style; and still better; the sons of

cultivators in easy circumstances; and; in general; all possessing

influence or any species of protector。  There remains; accordingly; for

the militia none but the poorest class; and they do not willingly

enter it。  On the contrary; the service is hateful to them; they

conceal themselves in the forests where they have to be pursued by

armed men: in a certain canton which; three years later; furnishes in

one day from fifty to one hundred volunteers; the young men cut off

their thumbs to escape the draft。'6' To this scum of society is added

the sweepings of the depots and of the jails。  Among the vagabonds that

fill these; after winnowing out those able to make their families

known or to obtain sponsors; 〃there are none left;〃 says an intendant;

〃but those who are entirely unknown or dangerous; out of which those

regarded as the least vicious are selected and efforts are made to

place these in the army。〃'7'  …   The last of its affluents is the

half…forced; half…voluntary enlistment by which the ranks are for the

most part filled; the human waste of large towns; like adventurers;

discharged apprentices; young reprobates turned out of doors; and

people without homes or steady occupation。  The recruiting agent who is

paid so much a head for his recruits and so much an inch on their

stature above five feet; 〃holds his court in a tavern; treating

everyone〃 promoting his merchandise:



〃Come; boys; soup; fish; meat and salad is what you get to eat in

the regiment;〃 nothing else; 〃I don't deceive you  …  pie and Arbois

wine are the extras。〃'8'



He pours the wine; pays the bill and; if need be; yields his

mistress。  〃After a few days debauchery; the young libertine; with no

money to pay his debts; is obliged to sell himself; while the laborer;

transformed into soldier; begins to drill under the lash。〃  …  Strange

recruits these; for the protection of society; all selected from the

class which will attack it; down…trodden peasants; imprisoned

vagabonds; social outcasts; poor fellows in debt; disheartened;

excited and easily tempted; who; according to circumstances; become at

one time rioters; and at another soldiers。  … Which lot is preferable?

The bread the soldier eats is not more abundant than that of the

prisoner; while poorer in quality; for the bran is taken out of the

bread which the locked…up vagabond eats; and left in the bread which

is eaten by the soldier who locks him up'9'。  In this state of things

the soldier ought not to mediate on his lot; and yet this is just what

his officers incite him to do。  They also have become politicians and

fault…finders。  Some years before the Revolution'10' 〃disputes

occurred〃 in the army; 〃discussions and complaints; and; the new ideas

fermenting in their heads; a correspondence was established between

two regiments。  Written information was obtained from Paris; authorized

by the Minister of War; which cost; I believe; twelve louis per annum。

It soon took a philosophic turn; embracing dissertations; criticisms

of the ministry; and of the government; desirable changes and;

therefore; the more diffused。〃 Sergeants like Hoche; and fencing…

masters like Augereau; certainly often read this news; carelessly left

lying on the tables; and commented on it during the evening in their

soldier quarters。  Discontent is of ancient date; and already; at the

end of the late reign; grievous words are heard。  At a banquet given by

a prince of the blood;'11' with a table set for a hundred guests under

an immense tent and served by grenadiers; the odor these diffused

upset the prince's delicate nose。  〃These worthy fellows;〃 said he; a

little too loud; 〃smell strong of the stocking。〃 One of the grenadiers

bluntly responded; 〃Because we haven't got any;〃 which 〃was followed

by profound silence。〃 During the ensuring years irritation smolders

and augments; the soldiers of Rochambeau have fought side by side with

the free militia of America; and they keep this in mind。  In 1788;'12'

Marshal de Vaux; previous to the insurrection in Dauphiny; writes to

minister that 〃it is impossible to rely on the troops;〃 while four

months after the opening of the States…General 16;000 deserters

roaming around Paris leads the revolts instead of suppressing

them。'13'









II。



The social organization is dissolved。  …  No central rallying

point。  …  Inertia of the provinces。  …  Ascendancy of Paris。



  Once this barrier has disappeared; no other embankment remains

and the inundation spreads all over France like over an immense plain。

With other nations in like circumstances; some obstacles have been

encountered; elevations have existed; centers of refuge; old

constructions in which; in the universal fright; a portion of the

population could find shelter。  Here; the first crisis sweeps away all

that remains; each individual of the twenty…six scattered millions

standing alone by himself。  The administrations of Richelieu and Louis

XIV。  had been a long time at work insensibly destroying the natural

groupings which; when suddenly dissolved; unite and form over again of

their own accord。  Except in Vendée; I find no place; nor any class; in

which a good many men; having confidence in a few men; are able; in

the hour of danger; to rally around these and form a compact body。

Neither provincial nor municipal

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