Code Napoleon, Civil Code, book: I, ch. 1.
“9. Any person born in France, being the child of a foreigner, may, in the year following the time of his attaining his majority, claim French citizenship; provided that, in case of his residing in France, he declare that it is his intention to fix his domicile there, and that, in case of his residing in a foreign country, he promise to fix his domi cile in France, and that he establish it there within one year from the date of making such promise.
“10. Any child of a Frenchman born in a foreign country is French. Any child born in a foreign country, whose father is a Frenchman who has lost his French citizenship, can always recover such citizenship by complying with the formalities prescribed in article 9.
“C, 11, section I.
“17. French citizenship shall be forfeited, first, by naturalization in a foreign country; second, by the acceptance, when not authorized by the King, of public functions [Page 1428] conferred by a foreign government; third, finally, by any settlement in a foreign country without intention to return. A settlement for commercial purposes shall not be considered as having been made without intention to return.
“18. A Frenchman who has lost his French citizenship can always recover it by returning to France with the authorization of the King, and by declaring that he desires to settle there, and that he renounces every distinction contrary to the French law.”
The ninth article of the Code Napoleon was modified by a law of 1851:
“29–29th of January and 7th February, 1851, (10th series, No. 2, 730; Article 9, C. N.,) law relating to persons born in France, and being the children of foreigners who were themselves born there, and the children of naturalized foreigners.
“Article 1. Any person is French who was born in France and is the child of a foreigner who was likewise born there, unless within the year following the time of his attaining his majority he claims foreign citizenship by a declaration made either before the municipal authorities of his place of residence or before the diplomatic or consular agents accredited in France by the foreign government.
“Article 9 of the civil code is applicable to the children of a naturalized foreigner, although they may have been born in a foreign country, if they were minors at the time of their father’s naturalization. With regard to children born in France or abroad, who were of age at the same time, article 9 of the civil code is applicable to them in the year following the date of the aforesaid naturalization.”