The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-03-27
VIEW OF FRAN

VIEW OF FRANCE,
Ex-PRIVATE SECRETARY OF LOUIS PHILIPPE.
THE CONDITION AND ORGANIZATION OF THE PEOPLE.
The French, before the revolution OF l7S9,
were divided into six classes the clergy, the
nobility, the parliaments, the so CALLED haute
bomygeoisie gentlemen, not mobiles, but of indie
pendent o1ane the and a
luton, and of all the other revolutions. which
succeeded one another, has been, the slmplih-
cation OF that division of the people. There are
now but two classes-the persons employed and
paid by the government (about 5OO0OO,) and the
rest of the people, nearly 34,000,000 In the
former state of France, which was certainly bad
enough, each OF the classes, having opposite IN
terests and conflicting pretensions, acted as
check upon the others; and, with the exception
of the peasants, who were the victims of all,
knew pretty well how to resist the encroachment
elements of independence existed in every one
of these classes, and that hostility to the court
was the predominant feeling of all; so that, in
iiact, the absolute power OF the king was con-
fiuedwithin narrow limits, and the public liberties
we're In some sort secured by. party rivalries.
The great evil was, the pride of the aristocracy,
which was principally felt. and resented by
the townsmen of every rank, and by the pea
SAINTS; and the exemption Of the privileged
orders from taxes. At present, nobility and IT,
lies are nothing in the State, The only acknow
lodged superiority is derived from holding office
under governments All that are not employed
dukes, counts, plebelans--are equally crushed
uader the administrative despotism, and equally
helpless in defending either public or private
rights agalns. the encroachnlents OF the govern
ment. Thus, the anarchy of castles, existing
previously to the French revolution, has been
succeeded by their humiliation under the ty-
ranny OF an irresistible and irresponsible power.
STATISTICS OF THE FRENCH POPULATION.
The population OF France is, at present, above
"a, 400 600 INHABITANTS, who are disseminated
over the country; not, as in England, congre-
gated at many points In large masses. With the
exception of Paris, there is but one city, Lyons,
containing 100, 900 Inhabitants; eight containing
from 40 900 to 10, 900; and about twenty five con-
tainlng more than 10000. According to the last
census, 1850, 900 lnh bltants live In z 1874 cities
or towns (reckoning as such, places with popu
iation of l,500 or more Individually, and
26, 600, 900 live in 80, 900 rural communes (vil-
lagos and hamlets).
This obviously indicates, that agriculture is
the employment oil the greater part OF the pOpu-
alton, as will be seen from division of the in.
habitans, according to their occupations -
/. Agricuturists of all ranks with their fa
. Traassmsn Of ali kinds, With their fsmi.
s. manufactured: bankers, merchants, re:
tsers, with their workmen, clerks as
sistants, and families .............. 100000
/. Scientific snd learned professions. ..... 1000
People of independent property, without
trade OF profession, livsg on their in
come. ..................... $40 600
Functionares paid by the government. 1925 900
T. The army the navy, an 4. State pensioners $40 900
g. Paupers. .. Observation-Disclosures. 1856 600
Total. Observation-Disclosures. "a, 600
With this view, proceed to subdivision.
The three. first classes-the agricultursts, the
tradesmen, and the manufacturers and mer
chants, are composed of masters and servants, or
workmen. The following table will show in
what prODOrtlOu thew stand:--
Glasses. Masters. SERVANTS orkmen
Agriculturists 1874 900 l6S66,OO0
iradesmen. 49, 100 oOO ooI1uoO
manufacturers, &c.. $4,000 34260OO
Total. ..3.3260O0 26l04000
The result of this subdivision is, that the
three classes are now reduced to two The first,
composed OF 1926, 000 devoting their capital and
their intelligence to the pursuits of agriculture
and industry, are, IN some sort, independent.
The second, amounting to 26 1O4, 600, have no
other capital than their bodily strength, which
hey let on hire to those who compose the first.
This is the working class, owing their daily |
bread to their daily labor, aud Precluded by their
poverty and their occupations from all participa-
ion in municipal or political action. Adding |
to their number the poor, the INDECENT. estimated |
l, 1856, 600, we have total of 27,s53, 900 indl
vlduas completely shut out from civil life; in |
word, the French helots
Persons living on their income, and those en- |
gagged in learned or scientific Professions form
The superior. class, being more INDEPENDENT, !
Finally, by adding the state pensioners, the army
and the navy, to the paid funclionaries, we OBJ |
tain complete classification OF the population |
OF France, as follows
LIST clsse-The working classes the poor the
ID ola.s-Asrouitarists and ind a,,,ieis.. ssaSCOO
30 ciass-Learnei and scientific professions
and people living on their income. 100000 |
4sh cass-Psld ohcsls, army and navy. Ills 600
Total ..................... "a 400 900 |
power of the French government, and of the |
ethargy of the people, under the uncontrolled |
absoluIism of their rulers We see that the GO
vernment has not 10 contend against 34,00O,0O0 |
subjects. n ,959 900 OF these subjects are of ne
cessity helpless. They have no means of inhu-
epcing the Legislative or ministerial measures; |
they have no time to attend to them; nay, they |
cannot know them. They can, indeed, feel
them; they feel them, in the view of scanty |
meal, surrounded by furnishing children, or at
he 81 ght of he tax-gatherer and ofthe gendarme.
rhe only right they have, ID that OF being salts
fed with their haltraton Pay they must, or go
10 prison curse, many curses, may swell their !
bosoms, but there they must remain entombed.
Resistance is impossible; they are isolated-they |
are disarmed Furor arma minisfrat? True;
but, poor fellows! they know that three glorious |
days and day of magnanimous triumph, leave
their families without bread during tour days,
and, besides, may afterwards leave themselves
without work during many months.
The government; has to contend only with the
second and third classes, amounting to 4726,-
900 individuals; but, besides being supported by |
700 900 iunctionaries, with 500, 900 we'll
loaded muskets, and thousands OF cannons al |
ways prepared for wholesale murder, the French |
rulers have many other means OF preventing all
resistance on the part of those classes. On that
head no fears can for an instant be entertained.
We must remember, that 1t is from amongst |
the members OF these classes that the govern
ment choose the honorary officials, as we'll as
those who, although unpaid by the treasury, de-
rive good income from their Offices or monopo-
al. -I r A.
must be deducted from that numerical force, and |
he enrolled in The opposite ranks. The conflict, |
sss,, is between 3, 900 independents and |
q az, oro dependents, the government having "a |
$3.50, ~ n, 10000.