第833章

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.