produce only from sixty to seventy millions per day and that the
government was spending daily from eighty to ninety millions. Four
thousand millions of _francs_ were issued during one month, a little
later three thousand millions, a little later four thousand millions,
until there had been put forth over thirty-five thousand millions.
The purchasing power of this paper having now become almost nothing,
it was decreed, on the 22nd of December, 1795, that the whole amount
issued should be limited to forty thousand millions, including all
that had previously been put forth and that when this had been done
the copper plates should be broken. Even in spite of this, additional
issues were made amounting to about ten thousand millions. But on the
18th of February, 1796, at nine o'clock in the morning, in the
presence of a great crowd, the machinery, plates and paper for
printing _assignats_ were brought to the Place Vendome and there, on
the spot where the Napoleon Column now stands, these were solemnly
broken and burned.

Shortly afterward a report by Camus was made to the Assembly that the
entire amount of paper money issued in less than six years by the
Revolutionary Government of France had been over forty-five thousand
millions of _francs_--that over six thousand millions had been
annulled and burned and that at the final catastrophe there were in
circulation close upon forty thousand millions. It will be readily
seen that it was fully time to put an end to the system, for the gold
"_louis_" of twenty-five _francs_ in specie had, in February, 1796, as
we have seen, become worth 7,200 _francs_, and, at the latest
quotation of all, no less than 15,000 _francs_ in paper money--that
is, one franc in gold was nominally worth 600 _francs_ in paper.

Such were the results of allowing dreamers, schemers, phrase-mongers,