1. The number of nobles in 1789 was unknown. The genealogist Chérin， in his "Abrégé chronologique des Edits， etc." (1789)， states that he is ignorant of the number. Moheau， to whom Lavoisier refers in his report， 1791， is equally ignorant in this respect. ("Recherches sur la population de la France，" 1778， p. 105)； Lavoisier states the number as 83，000， while the Marquis de Bouillé ("Mémoires，" p.50)， states 80，000 families； neither of these authorities advancing proofs of their statements. - I find in the "Catalogue nominatif des gentilhommes en 1789，" by Laroque and De Barthélemy， the number of nobles voting， directly or by proxy， in the elections of 1789， in Provence， Languedoc， Lyonnais， Forez， Beaujolais， Touraine， Normandy， and Ile-de-France， as 9，167. - According to the census of 1790， given by Arthur Young in his "Travels in France，" the population of these provinces was 7，757，000， which gives a proportion of 30，000nobles voting in a population of 26，000，000. - On examining the law and on summing up the lists， we find that each noble represents somewhat less than a family， inasmuch as the son of the owner of a fief votes if he is twenty-five years of age； I think， accordingly， that we are not far out of the way in estimating the number of noble families at 26，000 or 28，000， which number， at five individuals to the family， gives 130，000 or 140，000 nobles. - The territory of France in 1789 being 27，000 square leagues，[1] and the population 26，000，000， we may assign one noble family to every square league of territory and to every 1，000 inhabitants.
2. Concerning the clergy I find in the National Archives， among the ecclesiastical records， the following enumeration of monks belonging to 28 orders： Grand Augustins 694， Petits-Pères 250， Barnabites 90， English Bénédictines 52， Bénédictines of Cluny 298， of Saint-Vanne 612， of Saint-Maur 1，672， Citeaux 1，806， Récollets 2，238， Prémontrés 399， Prémontrés Réformés 394， Capucins 3，720， Carmes déchaussés 555， Grands-Carmes 853， Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean de Dieu 218， Chartreux 1，144， Cordeliers 2，018， Dominicans 1，172， Feuillants 148， Genovéfains 570， Mathurins 310， Minimes 684， Notre-Dame de la Merci 31， Notre-Saveur 203， Tiers-Ordre de St. Fran？ois 365， Saint-Jean des Vignes de Soissons 31， Théatins 25， abbaye de Saint-Victor 21， Maisons soumises à l'ordinaire 305. Total 20，745 monks in 2，489convents. To this must be added the Pères de 1'Oratoire， de la Mission， de la Doctrine chrétienne and some others； the total of monks being about 23，000. - As to nuns， I have a catalogue from the National Archives of twelve dioceses， comprising according to "France ecclésiastique" 1788， 5，576 parishes： the diocèses respectively of Perpignan， Tulle， Marseilles， Rhodez， Saint-Flour， Toulouse， le Mans， Limoges， Lisieux， Rouen， Reims， and Noyon， in all， 5，394 nuns in 198establishments. The proportion is 37，000 nuns in 1，500 establishments for the 38，000 parishes of France. - The total of regular clergy thus amounts to 60，000 persons. - The secular clergy may be estimated at 70，000： curates and vicars 60，000 ("Histoire de l'Eglise de France，" XII. 142， by the Abbé Guettée)； prelates， vicars-general， canons of chapters， 2，800； collegiate canons， 5，600； ecclésiastics without livings， 3，000 (Sieyès). Moheau， a clear-headed and cautious statistician， writes in 1778 ("Recheches，" p. 100)： "Perhaps， to day， there are 130，000 ecclesiastics in the kingdom." The enumeration of 1866 ("Statistique de la France，" population)， gives 51，100 members of the secular clergy， 18，500 monks， 86，300 nuns； total， 155，900 in a population of 38，000，000 inhabitants.
_________________________________________________________________________Notes：
[1] In 1998， 550 000 square kilometers. (SR.)[2] Archives nationales， G. 319 ("Etat actuel de la Direction de Bourges au point de vue des aides，" 1774).
[3] Blet， at the present day， contains 1，629 inhabitants. (This was around 1884， in 1996 it remains a small commune and a village of 800people on the route nationale N76 between Bourges and Sancoins. SR.)[4] The farms of Blet and Brosses really produce nothing for the proprietor， inasmuch as the tithes and the champart (field-rents)， (articles 22 and 23)， are comprehended in the rate of the leases.
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ON FEUDAL RIGHTS AND ON THE STATE OF FEUDAL DOMINION IN 1733.
The following information， for which I am indebted to M. de Boislisle， is derived from an act of partition drawn up September 6， 1783.
It relates to the estates of Blet and Brosses. The barony and estate of Blet lies in Bourbonnais， two leagues from Dun-le-Roi. Blet， says a memorandum of an administrator of the Excise， is a "good parish； the soil is excellent， mostly in wood and pasture， the surplus being in tillable land for wheat， rye and oats. . . . The roads are bad， especially in winter. The trade consists principally of horned cattle and embraces grain； the woods rot away on account of their remoteness from the towns and the difficulty of turning them to account."[1]