(It must be understood that the registry is repeated every month.)
It has been asserted that Paris was the rendezvous of all debauched women in France, and that out of every ten thousand immodest women in the kingdom nine thousand at least are to be looked for in the capital. “Not only,” wrote Restif de Bretonne, “will you find in Paris ‘Lyonnaises, Picardes, Champenoises, Normandes, Provencales, Languedociennes,’ &c., but foreigners, Germans, Swiss, Poles, Saxons, Spaniards, Italians, and even English, have resorted there, so that we may even denominate Paris the worst place in Europe.”
At the time that Restif wrote, it may be almost supposed that Parisians were not to be found among the prostitutes of the capital.
Among 12,707 women inscribed at Paris since April 1816, up to April 1831—that is to say, during 15 years—24 were not able to tell what country they were born in, 31 came from different countries foreign to Europe, 451 belonged to European countries foreign to France, 12,201 were born in French departments.
Among the 31 strangers to Europe were—
| 18 | Americans. |
| 11 | Africans. |
| 2 | Asiatics. |
During the years 1845 to 1854 Great Britain contributed 56 women to swell the ranks of the prostitutes in Paris, of which
| London sent | 30 |
| Bristol | 1 |
| Brighton | 3 |
| Liverpool | 1 |
| Southampton | 1 |
| Sundry Villages | 14 |
| Ireland | 4 |
| Scotland | 2 |
| Total | 56 |
From the 16th March, 1816, up to the 31st April, 1831, the total number of girls inscribed on the registers has been 12,607, of which Paris has furnished 4469, the chief towns 6939, and the others have come from various places. These statistics we consider sufficient to prove the fact of the emigration of prostitutes to Paris.
It has been supposed that almost all prostitutes are natural children. That this is not the case is abundantly proved by a careful analysis by M. Duchatelet, in which he evidences the contrary; out of 1183 children born in Paris not quite one-fourth were illegitimate.