The following Notes convey some idea of the extent and resources of the
French capital:--
By the last census, 1827, the _population_ of Paris was 890,000.
_Bread_.--In Paris, 830,000 persons consume 227,760,000 pounds in a year.
_Printing_.--There are in Paris 80 printing establishments; 600 presses
going; and 3,000 journeymen printers in constant employ.
_Deaths_.--The _annual mortality_ is 21,033; average of _suicides_ 200, of
whom the greater number are single persons; and on an average, a death
occurs every twenty minutes. Upwards of 1,100 children die annually from
small-pox.
_Lamps_.--The city is lit with 4,533 oil lamps, with 12,672 wicks.
_The River_.--The river Seine where it enters Paris is 510 feet broad; at
the Pont Neuf 864 feet, and where it leaves the city 400 feet broad.
_Hospitals_.--The income of the hospitals is 9,762,154 francs, or about
£406,756.; the average cost to government for a day in the hospital, is
about 11-1/2_d_. The maniacs from two prisons average 3,000 a year; and
the majority of mad persons are unmarried.
_Lottery_.--The average annual receipts of the lottery is about a million
sterling--of which the treasury receive about £180,000. the remainder
being the adventurers'.
_Marriages_.--The average of marriages is 6,316, or 1 marriage in every
108 persons. Marriages are most frequent in February, and least in
December. There is rather more than an average of three children to each
marriage.
_Births_.--The births average 27,000, or 1 birth for every 12 minutes; of
the number, 8,760 are illegitimate.
_Gaming Houses_.--The annual receipt is £360,000.; the whole expenses
£60,000. Those who lease them clear in 6 years about £83,000.
_Wine Tax_.--The annual revenue is a million sterling.
_Theatres_.--There are 10,000 persons daily at the theatres, Of these, it
is estimated, 6,816 pay for admission. The annual average receipts of all
the theatres is £209,298.
_Tombs_.--The price for a tomb in _Pere la Chaise_, is about £4. without
the right to the grave; some have cost £1,400. Those erected to women
are fewer by half than those for men.
_Travellers_.--The average since the peace of 1814, is 17,676 English
residents or travellers in Paris.
* * * * *