young’s travels in f ranch.
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the government of the kingdom, in too great a degree, to Paris , and to the populaceof every town.
The effed of the revolution, to the fmall proprietors of the kingdom, muft, accord-ing to the common nature of events, be in the end remarkably happy ; and had thenew government adopted any principles of taxation, except thofe of the aconomijles,eftablifhing at the fame time an abfolute freedom in the bufmefs of inclofure, and inthe police of corn, the rei'ult would probably have been advantageous, even at this re-cent period. The committee of imports * mention (and I doubt not their accuracy)the profperity of agriculture, in the fame page in which they lament the depreflion ofevery other branch of the national induftry. Upon a moderate calculation, there re-mained, in the hands of the claffes depending on land, on the account of taxes in theyears 1789 and 1790, at leaft 300,000,000 livres; the execution of corvees was aslax as the payment of faxes. To this we are to add two years tythe, which-I cannoteftimate at lefs than 300,000,000 livres more. The abolition of all feudal rents, andpayments of every fort, during thofe two years, could not be lefs than 1 oc,000,000 liv.,including fervices. But all thefe articles, great as they were, amounting to near800,000,000 livres were lefs than the immenfe fums that came into the hands of thefarmers by the high price of corn throughout the year 1 789 ; a price arifing almoft en-tirely from Monf. Meeker’s fine operations in the corn trade, as it has been proved atlarge ; it is true there is a deduction to be made on account of the unavoidable dimi-nution of confumption in every article of land produce, not effentially neceffary to life :every objedt of luxury, or tending to it, is leffened greatly. But after this difeountis allowed, the balance, in favour of the little proprietor farmers, mull be very great.The benefit of fuch a fum, being added as it is to the capital of induftry, needs no ex-planation. Their agriculture muft be invigorated by fuch wealth—by the freedom en-joyed by its profeffors, by the deftrudlion of its innumerable fhacldes; and even bythe diftreffes of other employments, occafioning new and great inveftments of capitalin land: and thefe leading fadts will appear in a clearer light, when the prodigious di-vifion of landed property in France is well confidered ; probably half, perhaps two-thirds, of the kingdom are in poffeflion of little proprietors, who paid quit-rents, andfeudal duties, for the fpots they farmed. Such men are placed at once in compara-tive affluence; and as eafe is thus acquired by at leaft half the kingdom, it muft notbe fet down as a point of trifling importance. Should France efcape a civil war, fhewill, in the profperity of thefe men, find a refource which politicians at a diftance donot calculate. With renters the cafe is certainly different; for, beyond all doubt,landlords will, fooner or later, avail ihemfelves of thefe circumftances, by advancingtheir rents ; adting in this refpedi as in every other country is common ; but theywdll find it impoflible to deprive the tenantry of a vaft advantage, neceilarily flowingfrom their emancipation.
The confufion which has fince arifen in the finances, owing almoft entirely to themode of taxation adopted by the affembly, has had the effect of continuing to theprefent moment (1791) a freedom from all import to the little proprietors, which,however dreadful its general effedts on the national affairs, has tended ftrongly to en-rich this clafs.
The effects of the revolution, not on any particular clafs of cultivators, but on agri-culture in general, is with me, I muft confefs, very queftionable ; I fee no benefitsflowing particularly to agriculture, (liberty applies equally to all claffes, and is not yet
* Rapport h 6 Dccembre 1790 ,fur les moyens depour-coir aux depenfes pour 1791, p. 4.
VOL. IV. 3 1 ’" f u ffi-