The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal

et la division des taxes de la contribution fonciere, sur le revenu commun des Proprietaires de Biens Fonds en France, &c. Par MR LE Duc de GAETA, Membre de la Chambre des Dém

putés. 1818. 7. Reflexions sur l’Organisation Municipale et sur les Conseils

Generaux de Departemens et les Conseils d'Arrondissemens. Par Mr DUVERGIER DE HAURANNE, Deputé de la Seine

Inferieure. 1818. 8. Considerations sur la Politique et sur les Circonstances ae

tuelles. 1820. 9. Petit Catéchisme à l'Usage des François, 8c. Par MR DE

Pradt, Ancien Archevêque de Malines. . 1820.
WHERE is nothing so common as to mistake a knowledge of

the recent events in a nation's history for a knowledge of VOL. XXXIV. NO. 67.

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its true state and condition. But there can scarcely be a greater delusion. Where the events have been numerous and important, it is generally extremely difficult to ascertain what has been their general result, even in what is called a political point of view, or as to the parties and principles immediately concerned so much and so variously do they modify and balance and neutralize each other—and so frequently do parties change their names, and qualify their principles in the alternations of success and defeat that occur in a protracted struggle. This, however, is a kind of equation for which, at all events, a diligent study of the history will furnish the necessary terms-and to which a reasonable approximation may generally be made by proper pains and precaution. But it is a thousand times more difficult, and in fact often impossible, to gather or infer from the modern annals of any country, what is the actual condition of its people, or even what are the changes which the events there recorded have wrought in its condition. The practical results of political innovations are often so different from what had been contemplated, either by their advocates or opposers-the collateral effects of all exclusive changes are generally so much greater than the direct, and the new interests that are silently generated from the contention of old ones so often of far more importance than those to which they have succeeded, that events which would have been of the greatest moment in the former state of things, become altogether insig. nificant in the present, and men centinue fighting and debating about measures which can no longer exert much influence on their fortunes.

All these remarks, we think, are eminently applicable to the recent history and present situation of France. For the last twentyfive years, the world have been occupied almost exclusively with the grent events of which that country has been the theatre and the spring—and yet there are very few, we are persuaded, even among its own politicians, who are thoroughly aware either of the changes which these events have produced on the bulk of the population, or of the effects which these changes must still have on the institutions which are now on their trial. We have all beard of its Revolution-of its long and unexamplel successes in war-of its reverses of the fate of its ambitious rulerof restoration the first and restoration the second-of charters of chambers of deputies and chambers of peers-of ministries and parties and laws of election. But it has seldom been considered of what elements those things were compounded, or in what way the changes in the state of the nation rendered other changes indispensable or insignificant. Our travellers indeed

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The Edinburgh Review: Or Critical Journal, المجلد 34