Star.
London, England, 1811-08-01 00:00:00

FRENCH PAPERS.

Some days ago we gave a translation of M. REG-
NAVD'S report on the French finances for 1611 ; we
now subjoin the following account of what is cilled
in France the Cat/dart, with which we have been fa-
voured by a Cbrrespondent. It is a mealure, he ob-
serves, which is little understood in this country, but
which is likely to effect an important change in the
fi anCial, system of France :
The Cadasire is a survey by actual admeasurement
of every parish, nay of every field, in France, for the
purpose of ascertaining the exact proportion of land-
tax which etch land-holder or farmer is to pay. The
land is afterwards valued by a kind of jury, taken
from among the parishioners ; and a plan of the pa-
rish, with the valuation of each field, is sent to the
Minister of Finances. One copy of it is given to the
head of the Department, and another remains with
the mayor of the parish.
This c,adart:•e is not an invention of the present go-
vernment of France : the idea originated long before
the Revolution, with a sect of theoretical statesmen,
known under the name of Economist:; and who, al-
though well;meaning men, contributed powerfully
to the fall of the monarchy, by the prevalency their
theories had obtained. A leading tenet of those phi-
losophers was, that agriculture alone was really pro-
ductive to the State ; it followed, of course, that the
State was to look exclusively to it for its support :
but in their romantic notions of justice, the burthen
they thus laid inadvertently on the agriculture they
wished to foster, .would not be equally supported by
all, unless an actual survey and valuation of all the
lands shoUld actually take place. So prevalent were
those ideas in France at the beginning of the Revo-
lution, that most of the cahiers, or written instructions
given to the Deputies of the National Convention by
their constituents, contained a recommendation of the

Cadastre.
Boa/amen thus found the idea thoroughly esta-
blished • and soon discerned the advantages he might
derive from it. The Cadastre will put every acre of
land in France as completely at his disposal, as the
laws of the conscription mark every man for his sol-
dier When in want of supplies he will have only to
calculate how much an additional franc on each acre
will produce, and a decree will settle the business.—
The increase of revenue he will thus acquire will be
as sudden as it will be great ; for It is well known,
that in the parishes already assessed according to the
Cadastre, land has been estimated at the value it had
in 1790, and the tax laid accordingly ; whereai the
fact is, that in those districts the least injured by the
Continental System, the value of land has since that
period fallen one half, and much more in those parts
where the produce of the land was chiefly intended
for foreign market's.
It appears, that this new system, which will afford
such resources to the enemy, is to be put in activity
in the year 1813. At that epoch the French system
of taxation is, as stated by M. Itioraaun, to extend
to Holland ; it may be concluded, therefore, that the
whole empire will be under the same regulations.
The following is M. REGNAUD'S account of the pro-
gress which has been made in forming the Cadattre
66 Since the beginning of the admeasurement by
parcels, which was first adopted in the year 1808, the
Cadastre operation has proceeded in a regular way.
46 On the Ist of April, 1811, the admeasurement .
was completed in 5243 parishes ; in the course of the
current year it will be likewise completed in 2000
more parishes ; and thus upwards of 7000 parishes
will be admeasurcd by the Ist of January, 1812.
This forms a little more than the seventh part of the
territory of France.
46 The valuation of the land is, of course, more
behind-hand than the admeasurement, by which it
must necess irily be preceded. The number of pa-
rishes in which the lands had been valued on the Ist
of April, 1811, was 314.5: that measure will take
take place in 1700 or 1800 more, in the course of
the present year ; and thus, by the Ist of January,
1811, the lands of about 5000 parishes m ill have been
valued.
" One hundred and twenty assemblies of Canton
had bees held in the beginning of 1811. They had
proceeded to examine and to discuss the valuation of
lands in the several parishes of their respective dis-
tricts. The minutes (prove verbaux) of those assem-
blies contain, generally, expressions of satisfaction,
and of the most respectful gratitude towards your
Majesty, to 'Whose parental care they are thus indebt-
ed for the signal advantages which are to result from
that measure.
" Those 120 cantons include nearly 1400 parishes,
Pin which the land-tax for 1812 shall be assessed ac-
cording to their Cadastre-rolls. This will do away
the disproportion in the assessment which formerly
-existed between different parishes, and between the
inhabitants of the same parish. Formerly the pro-
portion of assessment varied between them, from one
hall of the income to one tenth, one twentieth, and
One fiftieth. Uniformity shall thus be introduced in
all the assessments.
" For these three years the land-tax has been al-
ready assessed in 210() parishes, according to the
Cadastre-rolls, formed on valuations made on general
surveys, and which have remedied in part those in-
perfections which the admeasurement by parcels re-
,moves more completely ; and thus nearly 4000 Ca-
dastre-rolls will be put in activity for the year 1812.
The number would have been more considerable, if
experience had not proved that it was fit to await the
rrsolt of the assemblies of canton to settle the rolls
; and this consideration delays the execti-!
tient of the measure, in a great many parishes which
form part of cantons in which there are still some
parlhes where the admeasurement is not yet com-
pleted
The present state of this undertaking, and the
l thanes which will be completed in the course of 1 SI 1,
jell enable me to propose, nett year, to your Ma-
jetty, the first application of the'ultimate results ex-
racced from ;he Cadastre.aperation, as affeeeing the
general ass.lima of the land-tax, to a avne compos
e 4 of a fraction of each department of the empire.—
/ ;re only thing to be done will be to compare the
sononnt of incomes, as ascertained by the Cadastre,
in the parishes forming part of the sone, with the to.
tal amotatt of the present assessments of those same
p ;Tithes ; and to establish a proportion between those
,incomes and the asstssrnents ; which proportion must
Laturidly fit the part of his income which eich land'

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