Note (LXVIII.)--Page 151, line 19. ADVANTAGES ENJOYED BY THE GÉNÉRALITÉ OF PARIS. This _Généralité_ was as much favoured in charities bestowed by the Government as it was in the levying of taxes. An example may be found in a letter of the _Contrôleur-Général_ to the _Intendant_ of the _Généralité_ of the Île-de-France (dated May 22nd, 1787), in which he informs the latter that the King had fixed the sum, which was to be employed upon works of charity during the year, in the _Généralité_ of Paris, at 172,800 livres; and 100,000 livres, moreover, were destined for the purchase of cows, to be given to different husbandmen. It may be seen by this letter that the sum of 172,000 livres was to be distributed by the _Intendant_ alone, with the proviso that he was to conform himself to the general rules already made known to him by the Government, and that he was to lay the account of the distribution before the _Contrôleur-Général_ for approval. Note (LXIX.)--Page 152, line 27. The administration of the old monarchy was made up of a multitude of different powers, which had been established at different times, but generally for the purposes of the Treasury, and not of the Administration, properly so called, and which frequently had the same field of action. It was thus impossible to avoid confusion and contention otherwise than by each party acting but little, or even doing nothing at all. As soon as they made any efforts to rise above this sort of languor, they hampered and entangled each other’s movements; and thus it happened that the complaints made against the complication of the administrative machinery, and the confusion as to its different attributions, were very much more grievous during the years that immediately preceded the Revolution than thirty or forty years before. The political institutions of the country had not become worse--on the contrary, they had been greatly ameliorated; but the general political movement had become much more active. Note (LXX.)--Page 157, line 30. ARBITRARY AUGMENTATION OF THE TAXES. What was here said by the King respecting the _taille_ might have been said by him, with as much reason, concerning the _vingtièmes_, as may be seen by the following correspondence:--In 1772 the _Contrôleur-Général_ Terray had decided upon a considerable augmentation (as much as 100,000 livres) upon the _vingtièmes_ of the _Généralité_ of Tours. It is evident that this measure caused M. Ducluzel, an able administrator and an honourable man, both sorrow and embarrassment; for, in a confidential letter, he says: ‘It is probably the facility with which the 200,000 livres’ (a previous augmentation) ‘have been given, that has encouraged the cruel interpretation and the letter of the month of June.’