NATIONAL INCOME AND CAPITAL; POPULA TION.
Of the official surveys of the French territory, by far the most minute and accurate is the Cadastre, a survey which became indispensable, from the time it was determined to exchange the taxes on consump tion for taxes on produce. A return of the rent of land, such as was made under the property-tax act in England, would not have answered, or indeed have been practicable in France, where so many thousand petty lots are cultivated by their proprie tors. At first the Cadastre proceeded on the plan of an estimate par masses de culture, or continuous va luation of extensive tracts; but this proving unsa tisfactory, it has been conducted, since 1807, on a plan of such minute detail, as to give the value of every separate parcelle, or patch of land. At present (1820) it is completed throughout one-third only of each department ; and the inferences drawn from it, in regard to the kingdom at large, are as yet found ed on the assumption, that the remainder is similar to the portion already surveyed. The annual ex pence of the survey is L. 120,000.
It is common to dwell on the advantages of France as situated in the centre of civilized nations, as rai sing within herself a great variety of products, and as capable of conducting her manufactures with com paratively few imports. Those, however, who have studied the subject thoroughly, will pronounce her real advantages to consist in a temperate climate, in a territory on the whole fertile, in a considerable ex tent of sea coast, and the possession of a military strength sufficient to protect her from aggression. As yet neither the capital or labour of the French have been judiciously directed ; but the disposition to industry exists, and stands in need only of a judi cious impulse.
The taxation of France, computed by the indivi dual, hardly exceeds L. 1, lls. (English value) per head, while that of Britain and Ireland is not less than L. 3, 10s. per head. This, however, is a very inconclusive comparison, the question being not the relative number of the inhabitants, but the result of their productive industry. M. Chaptal computes (Vol. 1. p. 225) the value of the land and farming capital of France at fifteen hundred millions Ster ling, to which, making an addition for the dif ference of money, and a farther addition for the capital employed in manufacture and commerce, we arrive at an amount, not unlike the very large sum which Mr Colquhoun gives (see article ENG LAND, p. 149) for the collective capital of Britain and Ireland. But we fix, by preference, the atten tion of our readers on the annual produce.
The commercial calculation is taken from the property-tax return of 1810, deducting 25eer cent., and making an addition for Ireland. Neither the
income from the public funds, nor the wages of la bour, are reckoned in either country.
The balance of income is thus less in favour of France than the balance ofcduce ; and if we go • step farther, and ascertain proportion of income disposable for public purposes, we shall find this the final and conclusive result, in our favour, because the number of (*mons to be supported out of our ca tions' income is far smaller than in France. The productive power of our country and people is, therefore, such as to make us capable of greater po litical exertions than our ancient rival, or any power in Europe What is it, then, which mars this fair harvest, and casts a cloud over our prospects ?—the magnitude of our taxation, and the enhancement of our provisions, consequent on that and on our corn laws. These are the causes of the emigration of an nuitants, and others, in the middle ranks, and of the distress of so many of our countrymen of a humbler class, who remain at home. In France, the lower orders have never known much comfort ; but, from the moderate price of provisions, they are put above distress, by wages 'which, to us, appear very low. Those of the country labourer in France (Chaptal, Vol. I. p. 245) are only Is. or is. Id. a-day ; of ma sons, Is. 3d. and is. 4d. ; of mechanics in towns, Is. 6d., ls. 8d., Is. 10d, the whole without victuals, or any additional allowance. The wages of the women are a full third lower. • The difference in the expence of living be tween France and our country is about a third ; that is, 1..100 in France is equivalent to L. ISO or L. 140 in the southern, and to L.120 or L. 130 in the northern part of our island. The dif ference, as far as regards provisions, is somewhat greater; but it receives a counterpoise in the cheap ness of our fuel. The proportion now mentioned will be found applicable to the expence of the mid dle, as well as of the lower ranks. It will be found equally general in the sense of locality, being appli cable to France and Britain at large, provided the parallel be made between towns or districts at a si milar distance from either capital, Paris being as ex pensive compared to the rest of France, as London to the rest of England. Fortunately for us, the French have not paid much attention to the price, either of labour or fuel, in the places, such as Paris and Rouen, where they have established their rival manufactures. Another remarkable circumstance is, that various kinds of work, when performed by the piece, are nearly as dear in France as in England, so unaccustomed are our neighbours to simplify a task by the application of method, or the division of employment.