of not more than one fifth upon
all future employment, until it is paid. The workman when travelling
must have his livret _vised_; for, without that, says the law, "he is a
vagabond, and can be arrested and punished as such."

The workman registered and livreted, how does he live, work, and sleep?
He is not a great traveller; for, unless forced into exile, the utmost
notion of travel that a French workman has, is the removal--if he be a
provincial--from his native province to Paris. We pass over the
workman's chance of falling victim to the conscription, if he has no
friends rich enough to buy for him a substitute, or if he cannot
subscribe for the same object to a Conscription Mutual Assurance Company.
When Louis Blanc had his own way in France the workmen did but ten hours'
labour in the day. Now, however, as before, twelve or thirteen hours are
regarded as a fair day's work. I and Friponnet, who are diamond
jewellers, work ten hours only. My friend Cornichon, who is a goldsmith,
works as long as a painter or a smith. Sunday labour used to be very
general in France, but extended seldom beyond the half day; which was
paid for at a higher rate. In Paris seven in eight of us used to earn
money on the Sunday morning. That necessity could not be pleaded for the
act, is proved by the fact, that often we did no work on Monday, but on
that day spent the Sunday's earnings. As for wages, calculated on an
average of several years, they are about as follows:--The average pay for
a day's labour is three shillings and twopence. The lowest day's pay
known is five pence, and the highest thirty shillings. About thirty
thousand of us receive half-a-crown a day; five or six times as many (the
majority) receive some sum between half-a-crown and four and twopence.
About ten thousand receive higher wages. The best wages are earned by
men whose work is connected with print, paper, and engraving. The
workers in jewels and gold are the next best provided for; next to them
workers in metal and in fancy ware. Workers on spun and woven fabrics
get low wages; the lowest is earned, as in London, by slop-workers and
all workers with the needle. The average receipts of Paris needlewomen
have not, however, fallen below fourteenpence a day; those of them who
work with fashionable dressmakers earn about one and eightpence. While
speaking of the ill-paid class of women, I must mention that the most
sentimental of our occupations earns th