EDINBURGH MAGAZINE, JANUARY-DECEMBER, 1851. EDINBURGH: SUTHERLAND AND KNOX; SIMPKIN, MARSHALL AND CO., LONDON; AND JOHN ROBERTSON, DUBLIN. MDCCCLI. Carlisle, Lord, on Pope. By T. de Quincey, Esq. 229, 311 Little Difficulty in French Literature, A Carlisle, Lord, Pope and Mr. de Quincey Cathedral Trusts and their Fulfilment 482 Louis Kossuth Coal-mines, How to put in Air and put out Fire in 660 535 713 Craigallan Castle 11,71, 134, 197, 277, 330, 398, 457, 525 Curiosities of Cowel's Interpreter 514, 578, 643, 707, 767 249 653, 718 80 220 738 762 55, 117 216 Philosophy of Murder, The . 193 Decline of Pauperism Discourse on Sunday, A Dissolving Views of Life Early Rising, An Essay on Fate and the Alphabet Fine Arts-British Institute, The Pigs and Pig-worship, An Essay on 435 Places I have Seen. By Peregrine: The Pre-Raphaelites 170 Popinjay Vindicated, The TAIT'S EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. JANUARY, 1851. BUREAUCRACY AND MILITARY SYSTEMS OF FRANCE AND GERMANY.* In our two previous notices of this work, we con- government, and have more or less political liberty; fined our attention to the sub-division of landed but they have no more civil liberty, and no more property, and its operation on the economical, sense or feeling of it, than when they had no consocial, and political condition of the European stitutions at all. They live, act, and have their nations among which it prevails. We now pro- being under a system of interference in every ceed to investigate the second of those peculiar man's movements and doings, precisely as in features which distinguish the social structure of Austria, Prussia, and States without any constitucontinental countries from that of Great Britain, tions or political liberty. . . . The reality of civil and which we have called bureaucracy: Mr. liberty in the free use of time, industry, and Laing calls it functionarism, which is, perhaps, a capital, and in the free action of the individual, is better name. This is a difference which, even unknown to the continental man. It is amusing more than that connected with the partition of the to hear a German or a Frenchman discussing consoil, pervades the daily and domestic life of the stitutional forms of government, universal suffrage, nation, and modifies its whole aspect as presented the qualifications of representatives, the equal to the eye of the passing stranger. In England rights of citizens; and, when he has settled all the civil servants of the Government are few, un- these points to his satisfaction, in a theory which connected, and unobtrusive; on the Continent they proves very clearly that we enjoy no real liberty are innumerable, omnipresent, and constitute a in England, and do not understand its first prinseparate, organised, and powerful class. In Eng- ciples, to ask him to take a jaunt with you to Tours land they confine themselves to absolutely neces- or Marseilles, Cologne or Leipsic. 'Oh,' says he, sary functions; on the Continent they interfere in I must run to the bureau for our passports. I every transaction and event of life. In England, must get them signed by the proper authorities, as a general rule, a man is only reminded of their countersigned by other proper authorities, viséed existence by the annual visit of the tax-gatherer, by the proper authorities in every town we stop at unless, indeed, he has to appeal to the law, or has on our journey, in order to prevent trouble with rendered himself amenable to it; on the Continent the police; and I must get this done before the scarcely a day passes, scarcely an operation can be bureaux are shut for the day, or we shall have to concluded, without coming into contact or collision wait till to-morrow. To be free and independent with one or other of their number. Many of the in the sense that the common man in England is duties performed by officials on the Continent are free and independent, seems not to be a want in here performed by elected parish or municipal the mind of the continental man, even of fortune functionaries, many are left to individual discre- and education. The English traveller in France tion, many more are not performed at all. With or Germany, who has gone himself to the Hotel de us a man's free-will is limited only by his neigh-Ville or the passport-office, to have his passport bour's free-will or his neighbour's rights; in viséed and signed, instead of leaving it to his valet France and Austria it can be exercised only subject to Government permission previously obtained. Restriction is the exception here, it is the rule there. Throughout the Continent a citizen cannot engage in business, build a house, or take a journey, without leave; and leave is only obtained through an established routine of tedious and annoying formalities. "In France, Switzerland, Belgium, and the constitutional States of Germany," says Mr. Laing, "people call themselves free, because they enjoy more or less of the forms of representative de place, and who has seen the crowd of tradesmen, country dealers, travelling artisans, and peasants from the neighbouring villages, who have been at the fair, standing for hours to have their papers examined and signed, will return with a pretty distinct idea of the difference between political and civil freedom, between the mind, spirit, character, and social state of the English, and of the continental people." In order to make the operation of this system of bureaucratic supervision and interference intelli * Observations on the Social and Political State of the European People in 1818 and 1849; being the second series of “The Notes of a Traveller." By Samuel Laing. London: Longmans. 1850. VOL. XVIII.-NO. CCV. B |