'The idea persists that the satellite kingdoms were 'robbed' for the benefit of France. one envisions wagons rolling toward Paris with coin for the imperial treasury and revered works of art for the Louvre. To dismiss the latter quickly, many of the paintings and objects were legitimately purchased, and still belong to the French government.* As to treasure wagons, many rolled from France into Spain; few indeed came from the kingdoms to France. The states contributed largely by supporting French troops within their borders; much of the money they supplied was spent locally, either by army buyers or the troops themselves, to the benefit of native merchants and producers. Because of the cost of the Spanish war, the French taxpayer's burden was increased by the holding of the satellite kingdoms. Moreover, the tax rate in France was always higher than in the kingdoms, which added to the general fear of annexation.'-Naooleon's Satellite Kingdoms by Owen Connelly, 341-342.

*Footnote regarding art works on page 341: 'Admittedly, so do many 'stolen' works, however. Louis XVIII did not want to offend the French public by returning them all, and the allies were sympathetic. The conquerors, moreover, could not agree on which works had been 'legally' seized. The czar set a precedent by ignoring the whole problem and buying hundreds of confiscated paintings and objects, most of which are now in the Hermitage, at [St. Petersburg].'

Sincerely,
K