the lowest class of Citizens, to which we belong, is not less enthused of the anticipated happiness than the richest subjects: the gentlest vision of love for our King possesses us completely. We must expect the greatest relief for our misery once we have made our cause known.

If we do not have the ability to demonstrate our sentiments of gratitude in written form, we must then express them by acclamation which, while tumultuous, have more energy than the most beautiful discourse that does not strike the heart: our celebrations better exalt our King than all the beautiful sentences that are addressed to him.

But what charitable Citizen will put his quill at our service & announce us, what protector will bestow upon us his mediation in order for our justified Grievances to reach the Throne? We agree with all the grievances expressed thus far. Are we less attentive to our justified complaints than to those of many other subjects? A single object is of interest to our profession & others have neglected to discuss it.

Let us invite the first who is willing to take on our grievances, for all of the Nation is currently thrilled, each individual has the merit & the ability to convey it well, Patriotism sets us all ablaze, let us express ourselves.

We must complain about an abuse that is itself major, heinous in its practice, costly to

the entire Nation, destroyer of Commerce in that it destroys good faith, vexing the People who are the ones most hurt by it.

It is known to us that the majority of the class that we complain against, more honest than the others, is addressing at this moment the object of our complaint, asking the King for its destruction & punishment. In joining them, we will undoubtedly give more force to their justified complaints: these honest Merchants lament, as we do, the misconduct that is practiced by the few who are engaged in the same commerce.

It is against the manufacturing of white Soap that we have to complain; it is against these wrongdoers who increase its weight, it is against those self-interested souls who, breaking all the boundaries of humanity, have no trouble establishing their fortune by sucking in the innocent blood of the lowest class.

These dishonest manufacturers of white soap increase the weight of the soap by twenty-five to forty percent, by putting in it some light salts of washing soda, & deprive the consumer of the hope of making even the slightest profit from her labor, in that she no longer finds in this tainted soap, the use that she would get were the soap untainted; & the second offense, is that she pays for a pound, & receives but three fourths & oftentimes less.

So many evils result from this fraud & affect Commerce in general, as well as our particular interests, which cannot bear even the lightest vexations without feeling the greatest pain. Must these thieves not be subjected to punishment? Their misconduct founded on impunity reassures them, & in fact, everyday, more & more follow their example.

Most buyers of these soaps acknowledge this fraud; but the temptation of a bargain causes them to overlook it. What is more, they are not buying for themselves, they are but Brokers. It is not they who are robbed, but rather, the Manufacturers of silk, wool & all the Kingdom’s subjects, & even the Foreigner, who suspects us of this fraud.

The Citizen essayist who writes these Grievances, does nothing but follow the impetus that we give him; he sees with regret, the decline of this industry; he bemoans alongside all the great Patriots; he hopes that by shedding light on this fraud, he will be able to contribute to its destruction. It is without intending to attack these people, that he lends his sentiment & his heart to the wish of the commiserating party; it is only with this in mind that he sacrifices a few hours to this pamphlet, he exercises the act of charity that we ask of him which can only be for the greater good of the entire Kingdom &, in particular, for the unique interest of the Industry of Marseille.

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