I suppose that many of them live on what they raise in their gardens， or on their small farms； others are helped by their relations， neighbors and companions； in any event， it is clear that the human body is very resistant， and a few mouthfuls suffice to keep it going a long time. - At Ervy，[113] in Aube， "not a grain of wheat has been brought in the last two market days." "To morrow，[114] Prairial 25， in Bapaume， the main town of the district， there will be only two bushels of flour left (for food of any sort)." "At Boulogne-sur-Mer， for the past ten days， there has been distributed to each person only three pounds of bad barley， or maslin， without knowing whether we can again distribute this miserable ration next decade." Out of sixteen hundred inhabitants in Brionne， "twelve hundred and sixty[115] are reduced to the small portion of wheat they receive at the market， and which， unfortunately， for too long a time， has been reduced from eight to three ounces of wheat for each person， every eight days." For three months past， in Seine et Marne，[116] in "the commune of Meaux， that of Laferté， Lagny， Daumartin， and other principal towns of the canton， they have had only half a pound per head， for each day， of bad bread."In Seine et Oise， "citizens of the neighborhood of Paris and even of Versailles[117] state that they are reduced to four ounces of bread."At Saint-Denis，[118] with a population of six thousand， "a large part of the inhabitants， worn out with suffering， betake themselves to the charity depots. Workmen， especially， cannot do their work for lack of food. A good many women， mothers and nurses， have been found in their houses unconscious， without any sign of life in them， and many have died with their infants at their breasts." Even in a larger and less forsaken town， Saint-Germain，[119] the misery surpasses all that one can imagine. "Half-a-pound of flour for each inhabitant，" not daily， but at long intervals； "bread at fifteen and sixteen francs the pound and all other provisions at the same rate； a people which is sinking， losing hope and perishing. Yesterday， for the fête of the 9th of Thermidor， not a sign of rejoicing； on the contrary， symptoms of general and profound depression， tottering specters in the streets， mournful shrieks of ravaging hunger or shouts of rage， almost every one， driven to the last extremity of misery， welcoming death as a boon."Such is the aspect of these huge artificial agglomerations， where the soil， made sterile by habitation， bears only stones， and where twenty， thirty， fifty and a hundred thousand suffering stomachs have to obtain from ten， twenty and thirty leagues off their first and last mouthful of food. Within these close pens long lines of human sheep huddle together every day bleating and trembling around almost empty troughs， and only through extraordinary efforts do the shepherds daily succeed in providing them with a little nourishment. The central government， strenuously appealed to， enlarges or defines the circle of their requisitions； it authorizes them to borrow， to tax themselves； it lends or gives to them millions of assignats；[120] frequently， in cases of extreme want， it allows them to take so much grain or rice from its storehouses， for a week's supply. - But， in truth， this sort of life is not living， it is only not dying. For one half， and more than one half of the inhabitants simply subsist on rations of bread obtained by long waiting for it at the end of a string of people and delivered at a reduced price. What rations and what bread！ "It seems，" says the municipality of Troyes， "that[121] the country has anathematized the towns. Formerly， the finest grain was brought to market； the farmer kept the inferior quality and consumed it at home.
Now it is the reverse， and this is carried still further， for， not only do we receive no wheat whatever， but the farmers give us sprouted barley and rye， which they reserve for our commune； the farmer who has none arranges with those who have， so as to buy it and deliver it in town， and sell his good wheat elsewhere. Half a pound per day and per head， in Pluvi？se ， to the thirteen thousand or fourteen thousand indigent in Troyes； then a quarter of a pound， and， finally， two ounces with a little rice and some dried vegetables， "which feeble resource is going to fail us."[122] Half a pound in Pluvi？se ， to the twenty thousand needy in Amiens， which ration is only nominal， for "it often happens that each individual gets only four ounces， while the distribution has repeatedly failed three days in succession，'' and this continues. Six months later， Fructidor 7， Amiens has but sixty nine quintals of flour in its market storehouse， "an insufficient quantity for distribution this very day； to morrow， it will be impossible to make any distribution at all， and the day after to morrow the needy population of this commune will be brought down to absolute famine." - "Complete desperation！ There are already "many suicides."[123] At other times， rage predominates and there are riots.