The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-11-08
Bread Disturbances in Paris.
Correspo ndence Of the N. Y, World.

Correspondence Of the N. Y. World.
PARIS, Oct. ll.-Within the past ten
days we have been nearer to revolution in
Paris than at any time since the coup d'etat
and the cause of it has been the same as one
of the great exciting causes of the first
French revolutiou-the high price OF bread.
The French government, in its paternal
care of its subjects, has not neglected to
provide against the extortionate demands of
the sellers of the staff of life, who, if left to
themselves, might at any time take advan.
tage OF the condition of the grain market
to raise the price of bread to such stand.
ard as to place it almost beyond the reach
of the working classes, and the government
we'll understand, too, that so long as the Ia.
boring population of Paris have plenty of
work and plenty of bread, they will not
trouble themselves about politics, and do
nothing to impede the revolutions of
the great governing machine. Since the
foundation of the empire, in order to regu-
late the price of bread, and keep it in all
the fluctuations of the grain market at
something like standard rate, Caisse de
Bo,ldangerie was established, attached to
the procedures of the different departments
of France. Once every two weeks pla.
card, posted all over Paris, and particular
ly in the shops of the bakers, signed by the
project, announces the price at which bread
of the first and second qualities shall be
sold for the fortnight then ensuing. The
bakers themselves are appointed by the gov.
eminent, and only certain number are al-
lowed, 10 the ratio of one to every eighteen
hundred inhabitants, and regularly fixed
percentage of profit only is allowed.
Although the general rule of the Caisse
de Boulangeris regulates, through the pre-
feet of the department., the price of bread
in accordance with the market value of
wheat, such is not always the case, bread
being sometimes sold at considerable less
than its cost price, the bakers being indem.
niied by the government, which intends to
make up the loss when the -four becomes
cheap. During the Crimean war, for ex>
ample, when grain was very high, the price
of bread remained unchanged. The result of
this, and the subsequent low rate at which
it was kept, was that the municipality
owed the bakers 100000 of francs, which
has since been reduced, by gradual in
crease in the price of bread, to 16, O00,0 900.
AS the city is now spending enormous sums
of money for improvements of various de-
scriptions, it was not considered desirable
to cucumber the finances with an additianal
debt for bread, and as grain is unusually
high, on account of the comparative failure
OF the grain crop in France, on the first
of the month the bread was raised to the
maximum price, fifty centimes the kilo-
gramme (about five cents pound) which
is higher by more than a cent pound than
it has ever been before since the governs
ment took in hand its regulation.
The immediate result Of this was mani-
festation of discomfort and some little dis
order among the working population, which
throDgs the Faubourgs, St. Antoine and
St. Jacques, which have always been the
hotbeds of revolution, and the points at
which barbados have fourished. Excited
men gathered about the bakers shops, and
were dispersed by the police after number
of arrests had been made. Placards were
posted upon the shop windows during the
night demanding q reduction in the price