The local administration and the revenues of each commune are placed in the hands of a municipal body, which consists of a mayor and one or more assistants (adjoints), and a certain num ber of councillors. The number of ad joints and of councillors varies with the population. In the larger communes the mayor and his assistants were appointed by the king, and in those of smaller size by the prefect; but they must be selected from among the councillors elected by the inhabitants. This gave the central go vernment the nomination of about 90,000 functionaries. In a commune which con tains a population not exceeding 500, the number of councillors is 10 ; and when the population is 30,000 and upwards, the number is 36. The term of office for mayors and adjoints is three years ; and though they may be temporarily sus peuded in their functions by the prefect, they can only be dismissed by the king. The members of the municipal body are elected by the inhabitants who pay the largest amount of direct taxes, and, con sequently, there is no fixed qualification. In communes with a population not ex ceeding 1000 inhabitants, one-tenth are eligible as electors, which proportion is increased 5 per cent. for communes ex ceeding 1000 and not exceeding 5000 population ; and by 4 and 3 per cent. according to the further extent of the population. The number of communal electors in France is 2,795,000, and they elect 426,000 communal coun cillors. In communes with a less po pulation than 2000, the council are elected by the voters assembled in one body; but those of larger population are divided into sections as nearly equal as possible, and each section returns its own councillors, as in this country where a town is divided into wards. In com munes of 500 inhabitants and upwards, near relations, as a father and brothers, cannot be at the same time members of the communal council. Provision is made by the law for the meeting of the council four times a-year, and each sitting may be continued for ten days. On the requi sition of the mayor, or of one-third of the council, the prefect or sub-prefect may call an extraordinary meeting. Com munal councils are prohibited from cor responding with other councils, or issuing protestations, proclamations, or addresses. The king may dissolve a municipal coun cil, but the ordonnance must make pro vision for a new election. According to the terms of the law of 21st March, 1831, 1 the mayor acts under the authority and surveillance of the prefect or sub-prefect. The duties which devolve upon him may be compared generally to those which are severally discharged by the overseers of the poor and the churchwardens and over seers of the highways in an English parish ; but as he is a ministerial officer of the prefect, and executes the orders of the prefect or those which are transmitted through him by the central government, the mayor has duties for which there is no analogy in the administrative system of the rural parts of England. The mayor of a French commune has the absolute right of appointing local officers in some cases ; but in others he must have the approbation of the council and the sanc tion of the prefect. The municipal council "determines" matters relating to the pub lic property of the commune, and executes its decisions, provided that within thirty days they are not annulled by the prefect as contrary to the law or to the routine of the administration. The council " deliberates" on a variety of other sub jects affecting the immediate interests of the commune ; gives its "advice" on a number of others ; and is authorized to express its views and wishes generally on all objects of local interest. The sittings of the council are not public, and its dis cussions cannot be published officially without the sanction of the prefect. On the demand of any three members the votes may be taken by ballot. The budget of the commune is open to inspection, and in the communes which have a revenue of 10,000f. and upwaids it is required to be printed. A certain class of expenses, which are enumerated in the municipal law, are obligatory ; such as the payment of municipal officers, the keeping in repair the town-hall, a portion of the expenses of public instruction and the national guard, the cost of foundlings, of public cemeteries, &c. Every commune is bound to maintain a primary school, or to unite with another commune for that pur pose. These schools are supported by a government grant and by a com munal tax. A law of 25th June, 1E41, gives to the prefect of a department , the power of fixing, with the advice of the council of arrondissement, the mini mum of the monthly contributions of a commune to the primary schools, and a maximum for the number of free scholars.
All other expenses are "optional." In case of a council refusing to provide for the discharge of obligatory expenses, the necessary sum may be constituted a part of the communal budget by a royal ordonnance for the larger communes, and by an arret of the prefect for the smaller communes. By the same authority an extraordinary contribution may be levied, the proportion of which is, however, limited by the law of 25th June, 1841.
A department consists of several arron dissements, usually four or five : some departments have only three arrondisse ments; others have as many as six. There are eighty-six departments. These departments have been divided into 363 arrondissements, 2835 cantons, 37,021 communes.
A canton is a division consisting of several communes (the average is nearly fifteen) ; over each a judicial officer entitled juge de pair (justice of the peace) is ap pointed. These functionaries receive a small salary ; they decide civil suits if the amount in question is under 50 fr. : and all suits whatever must be heard by one of them (in order that he may if possible bring the parties to an agreement) before the cause is carried into a higher court. The number of juges de pair is 2846. They are appointed by the government, but are not removable at pleasure. Each juge has a greffier (clerk), and to each court are attached one or two huissiera (bailiffs).
An arrondissement (circle) compre hends several cantons, seven on the aver age of France. The arrondissements may be compared to the Hundreds or Wapen takes of English counties. Each arron dissement is under the administration of a sous-prdfet (sub-prefect), subordinate to the prefect of the department, to whom he addresses a memorial on anything of importance to the arrondissement, assign iug the reasons on which his opinions are founded. He receives and settles the ac counts of the maires of the several com munes. He is assisted by a conseil d'ar rondissement (council of the arrondisse ment), which consists of not fewer than nine members, and otherwise as many as there are cantons in the arrondissement. They are elected for six years, and their qualifications consist in the payment of 150fr. a year direct taxes. The electors are the highest taxed inhabitants of the canton, in the proportion of 1 to 100. This council, like that of the department, meets at a time fixed by the government. It holds two ordinary sittings annually, one before and the other after the sitting of the Council general of the department. In the first of these sittings the Council deliberates on the allocation of the con tingent of direct taxes for the arrondisse ment and listens to the claims of com munes who ask for a reduction of their proportion. In the second part of its sittings the Council apportions the amount of direct taxes amongst the different com munes. Should it fail to do this, the pre fect is authorized to supply the omission on the basis of the preceding repartition. The sub-prefect has the right of speaking at the sittings of the council. Councils of arrondissement are authorized to make a report to the prefect of the wants and condition of the arrondissement, similar to that which the departmental council addresses to the minister of the interior. As the capital of the department is also the chief place of an arrondissement, the prefect and the prefectorial (not the de partmental) council discharge in that arrondissement the duties which in the other arrondissements are assigned to their respective sub-prefects and councils.
At the head of each department is an officer entitled prefet (prefect), who has alone the administration of the local go vernment. His usual residence is at the departmental capital ; but he makes every year a circuit of inspection through his department, and gives an account of the result of his circuit to the minister of the interior. The prefect is assisted by a conseil de prefecture (prefectorial coun cil), consisting of three, four, or five members, which decides upon individual appeals for an entire exemption or a re duction of the direct taxes ; and upon questions arising from the execution of public works, whether between the go vernment and the contractors as to the particulars of the contract, or between the contractors and parties who complain of injuries sustained at their hands, and upon the indemnity due to individuals whose possessions have been required for carrying on public works. The prefect when present at the sittings of this coun cil acts as chairman, and in case of an equal division has a casting vote.