The National Register. — London, England, 1814-09-18 00:00:00

- TfL NATIONAL 1 s 4 FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. FRENCH PAPERS. TRENCH HOIJBg O PEER!. 4 . 1111101 OF TUB PRINC! OP BEEETENTG, ON PECIENTING TI BUDGET, THE BTH sIIPTEADER. GeNTLessin—By order of the King we present yo u with the project of the law on the Finances of the Kingdom. " Tu a object of this law is to hi and regulate the public expen cell of the current sear—to provide in advaoce for the services of the ensuing ve4t, and to assign the payment of the arrears anterior to Ist of Apt il last tioio certain fonds at determined periods; and in the mariner most just And least burthensome. gi This projtct of the law, except some amendment, has been already printaand di.trihnted. When, according to your establilli. • ed firms, the House shall have sent it for examination to the Com /Mitres. if forher elocidations are required, the Ministers will be happy to give all in their power. It is !lien ouly that Willie &tails can b entered into, to lender the law Complete. The only object. theretiny, which calls for your attentio , i to day on this subject; is the spirit and outline of the law in question. " You will there see, Gentlemen;- that the intention of the King has b en not only to provide immediately: for the wants of the pnblie service. by establishing a proper balance between the receipts and expenditure, but also to create, in the fistancialadministration, a new regime, both with respect to its object, incense it will found the prosptsrity of France on a real public credit, proportioned to the extent of her,resources. It is new with rospeet to its means. brcou.e they are all adopted in the most perfect sincerity ; it is the drterini 112tinn to.adliere to what has been promised—and fidelity to its en.' gagements, which, this day, become the noble expedients proposed by the candoar of the King to his subjects. " By this simple proceeding, to the intrinsic power of the State will speedily be added the influence of public opinion. These two powers lend each other mutual succours ; and from their nnion, when well understood, will result the whole power of *great national credit. " We do not now mean to enquire if public eredit, considered in the abstract, is in itself a great advantage. j think so, but this is nothing to the purpose. It is sufficient that it does exist elsewhere, and as a great arm of strength to render it nreoisary that it shonld also be found in France. I can only regard it, in , the present state of Europe, with respect to its relative advantages ; and As a weapon of the same kind of which other nations have taken so great advan tage. " The Ministers of the King are happy in this tit Asee7ibly, religiously approaching .the sacred altar oflienotir raised by the glory of the French arms, to he enabled solemnly to abjure and proscribe for ever all those miserable conception., all those dkastrons opera tions. known within the last century by the mines visa; reductions de rents ; suspensions de remboursements ; reductions de valetas ; rem. blarson‘nts ; valetas nominates ; ; inscriptions reAniles au tiers ; liquidations en eakurs dc'finrcies ; recisions ; assortments de r. visions ; rejets de I eat s par preeeription, t!cc. 85-c. tise. France, at peace with the wi 01. universe. ought to aspire to new celebrity. She ought to endeavour to establish in every department of the ad ministration, earldom- and justice in the exercise of its powers. To obtain this great result, it is necessary to hod the means for paying all demand: on t!!e State, and to prove that, with the ability, she possesses the will to do so. " France has now the means of paying all her expencea, all her debts, a will be seen by comparing that which she haa, with that which she owes. The total amonnt of the debt now demandable is 756,000,000. The revenue of the year 181.1 is estimated at 54.0,000,000, and that of 1815 at 618,000,000. This revenue is entirely furnished by taxes, direct or indirect, with the exception of 10 or I'2 Ilia esti mated produce of the Forest Domain. For the year 1814 there Wilt be a deficit of 507,100,000 francs. This is ocewiioncd by the lst of April, and consequently it makes .nOO,OOO, now demandable. The expetices 547,700,000 francs, leave an excess in the '0,500,000 frane9. 'e seemed to some persons - to be not stehri of perfeetnesg cannot be 9ati,fied. We tent ourselves w;th approximations; but tied that it bas before it the maximum of REGISTER. rSEPT.:IB. debt, and the minimum of the receipts, so that if there be errors, they will be attended with no danger. If the results are exagge rated,".the surplus, on whatever side it will be, will only be i j vau . tageous, since it removes the inconvenience of a deficit, and gives the State the means of improvement and present credit. France hititeen but little accustomed .to this sort of exactness, which by increasing the difficulties of . the present year, is an alleviation of those of the years which follow. de We do not hesitate to declare, that if In the want of extraordi nary resources we bad been reduced to taxation alone, we should not have the less proposed an emits. liquidation. It might hive been effected by au addition of some centimes to the indirect con tributiont, during a certain number of years, and this eflort,i l i e i favour state. of public credit, would not have exhausted the strength of th e But we are happy to be able to present you with a 1110110 of re payment which dues riot require an increase of taxation,- but leaves room to hope for a diminution. France possesseA yet 1,400,0011 hectares of forest Land. We propose tide sale of ,soo.octo to effect the payment of the arrears without Increasing the buttliens on the nation. The produce of the sale of the property of tTit . Corpora. tiuns, which was previously ordered. and of the other property given up.to the Sinking Fund, will be applied to the same object. If supplementary means be necessary, they will be famed in. the surplus at succeeding Widgets: and that of 1513 presents a snrplus of v applicable to chi. end. Amidst ill the ealcaletions into-which the present discusaion leads us, it will be plea•ine, and perhaps instine live, to remark, in the Motive state of our burthens with those of nations whose prosperity is the most striking, that the situation of • france, idler wimpy storms. is still promising. According to the last crosses the palpitation of France was xo millions. Dividing equally among all the annual almond of the tries which we take at 1500 millions, the quota paid by each is little under 22 francs. In England the produce of the taxes, net including those of Ireland, has risen of late years to at least 00 millions sterling, which, divided among 16 millions of inhabitants, give Ave pounds sterling, or 120 franca as the contribntioti for each individital :-.-that is to say, up wards of five times as much as the .amounts for each individual in !ranee. "In the United States-of America the roctiptA of the Customs, which, previous to the two last years of war, formed _almost - the only revenue. produced annually 16 millions Of =dollars. 'This suns divided among seven millions of inhabitants . glees about It francs It'or each individual; to which must be added the local - taxes peen. , liar to each state, amounting to about •11. franca more, making 2 francs for each in-iividual. Whence it followein all. respects, whe ther in popnlntion, extent of territory or taxable property, the ad. vantage! of France over these natiols are great These relative ap.. Proximations are sufficient to show tis the grounds of confidence which remain for us., and those which should entromrage an active and industrious nation like our own to undertake with ardour all enterprises useful to agriculture. industry. and commerce. Thus is the question respecting our power to discharge our burthens and to deliver ourselves from debts answered. 66 It would seen) necks, to take up your time with the second question, for having shown that we can free ourselves from debt, we have showo that we ought to do it. But, laying asidv for tie present the consideration of those principles of morality and justice from which neither Governments nor iiMividuals deviate with im.. punity. and let n+ examine if sufficient reasons may not be drawn from the interest of the state alone, for the adoption of the piinciple of speedy and entire payment of our debts. " We must acknowledge that the Gnveroment in France has been but little accustomed tb make use of the power arising Irons fidelity to its engageo.eots: and in this re: pert we must rather ac• CUSP the nature of things ,than the men in power : for the theory of a regular and constant credit can mdv be established under a'reure sentative and constituent government, such as that which the bounty of the King v:ables us now to enjoy for the first time. It is because this powerful sprits!.( was wanting, that France, situated in the most happy climate, and posse:sen of the richest soil, cover( d with a WlllierntN, atiive, anl industrious population, heaped id short with all the elements of prosperity, has nevertheless reioained, in some respects, below the level which she might to have attained. Thus arc explained the disadvantieves v, Inch have attended - soma operations of the ;govt rninvtit in Cie times jest p4st, a. well as dur ing former periods. The exa^tuess wit o whirls the present govt rims molt will acquit all its engin:ements, will time France a new pones which has been too• long unknown. The iNlinistets have thought that thee should give the best pledge for the fotnre, he pa?ing at [ pre , ent the rteditovs who have rentraeted bans ,fide o,:ht, ‘s its the last administrA ion, and by ridding the future from the embarrano meats a past thews. ryf is whiciwviecetleff till . oidirisilikt of 7.59,0; .. _ - ar . :;. _ - 4 . ,', qt at .' Ai . ' 7 7 --': - ' •of 71 ' PI ; : , si ,= .•!-, ' . sM ' •-• •" 'l.,' ' . ave Mit 4 .:.- . 4V - e - tro ~ ' Care r 4 . e 4.„......,,, ~... , el,. 're \ . 4 .,. 4..... ' 4 ont No. j' :,.;# aid ' SI azAr Ira,— i