(Journey in the north of France and in Belgium with the First Consul, 1803.) "On journeys of this kind he was in the habit, after obtaining information about the public buildings a town needed, to order them as he passed along, and, for this munificence, he bore away the blessings of the people."-- Some time after this a letter came from the minister of the interior: "In conformity with the favor extended to you by the First Consul (later, emperor) you are required, citizen mayor, to order the construction of this or that building, taking care to charge the expenses on the funds of your commune," and which the prefect of the department obliges him to do, even when available funds are exhausted or otherwise applied.] [Footnote 31147: Thiers, VIII., 117 (August 1807) and 124.

13,400 leagues of highways were constructed or repaired; 10 canals were dug or continued, at the expense of the public treasury; 32 departments contribute to the expense of these through the extra centimes tax, which is imposed on them.

The State and the department, on the average, contribute each one-half .-- Among the material evils caused by the Revolution, the most striking and the most seriously felt was the abandonment and running down of roads which had become impracticable, also the still more formidable degeneracy of the dikes and barriers against rivers and the sea.

(Cf.

in Rocquain, "Etat de la France au 18 Brumaire," the reports of Francais de Nantes, Fourcroy, Barbee-Marbois, etc.)--The Directory had imagined barrriers with toll-gates on each road to provide expenses, which brought in scarcely 16 millions to offset 30 and 35 millions of expenditure.