VI. A SIXTH branch is the duty upon houfes and windows. As early as the conqueft mention is made in domefday book of fumage or fuage, vulgarly called smoke farthings; which were paid by cuftom to the king for every chimney in the house. And we read that Edward the black prince (foon after his fucceffes in France) in imitation of the Englifh cuftom, impofed a tax of a florin upon every hearth in his French dominions. But the first parliamentary establishment of it in England was by ftatute 13 & 14 Car. II. c. 10. whereby an hereditary revenue of 25. for every hearth, in all houses paying to church and poor, was granted to the king for ever. And, by fubfequent ftatutes for the more regular affeffiment of this tax, the conftable and two other fubftantial inhabitants of the parish, to be appointed yearly, (or the furveyor, appointed by the crown, together with fuch conftable or other public officer) were, once in every year, empowered to view the infide of every houfe in the parish. But, upon the revolution, by ftatute 1 W. & M. ft. 1. c. 10. hearth-money was declared to be "not only a great "oppreffion to the poorer fort, but a badge of flavery upon "the whole people, expofing every man's houfe to be en"tered into, and fearched at pleasure, by perfons unknown "to him; and therefore, to erect a lasting monument of "their majefties goodness in every houfe in the kingdom, "the duty of hearth-money was taken away and abolished." This monument of goodness remains among us to this day: but the profpect of it was fomewhat darkened, when in fix years afterwards by ftatute 7 W. III. c. 18. a tax was laid upon all houfes (except cottages) of 25. now advanced to 35. per annum, and a tax alfo upon all windows, if they exceeded nine, in fuch houfe. Which rates have been from time to time & varied, being now extended to all windows exceeding fix; and power is given to furveyors, appointed by the crown, to infpect the outfide of houfes, and alfo to pafs through any houfe two days in the year, into any court or f Mod. Un. Hift. xxiii. 463. Spelm. c. 22. 2 Geo. III. c. 8. 6 Geo. III. Gloff. tit. Fuage. c. 38. [and 24 Geo. III. feff. 2. c. 38.] Stat. 20 Geo. II. c. 3. 31 Geo. II. yard, Book I. yard, to inspect the windows there. A new duty from 6d. to Is. in the pound, was alfo impofed by ftatutes 18 Geo. III. c. 26. and 19 Geo. III. c. 59. on every dwelling-houfe in habited, together with the offices and gardens therewith occupied which duty, as well as the former, is under the direction of the commiffioners of the land tax. VII. THE feventh branch of the extraordinary perpetual revenue is a duty of 21s. per annum for every male fervant retained or employed in the feveral capacities fpecifically mentioned in the act of parliament, and which almost amount to an univerfality, except fuch as are employed in husbandry, trade, or manufactures. This was impofed by ftatute 17 Geo. III. c. 39. amended by 19 Geo. III. c. 59. and is under the management of the commiffioners of the land and window tax [E]. Car. VIII. AN eighth branch is the duty arifing from licences to hackney coaches and chairs in London, and the parts adjacent. In 1654 two hundred hackney coaches were allowed within London, Westminster, and fix miles round, under the direction of the court of aldermen ". By statute 13 & 14 II. c. 2. four hundred were licensed; and the money arifing thereby was applied to repairing the ftreets. This number was increased to feven hundred by ftatute 5 W. & M. c. 22. and the duties vested in the crown; and by the statute 9 Ann. c. 23. and other fubfequent ftatutes for their governmenti, there are now a thoufand licenfed coaches and four hundred chairs. This revenue is governed by commissioners of it's own, and is, in truth, a benefit to the fubject; as the expense of it is felt by no individual, and it's neceffary regula b Scobell. 313. i Com. Journ. 14 Feb. 1661. c. 15. 7 Geo. III. c. 44. 10 Geo. Ill. c. 44. 11 Geo. III. c. 24. 28. 12 Geo. j 10 Ann. c. 19. §. 158. 12 Geo. I. III. c. 49. [E] By ftatute 21 Geo. III. c. 31. the fame is again much altered, and brought under the management of the commiffioners of excife; [and now by 25 Geo. III. c. 43. under the management of the commiffioners for the affairs of taxes.] tions have established a competent jurifdiction, whereby a very refractory race of men may be kept in fome tolerable order (). IX. THE ninth and laft branch of the king's extraordinary perpetual revenue is the duty upon offices and penfions; confifting in an annual payment of 15. in the pound (over and above all other duties *) out of all falaries, fees, and perquifites, of offices and penfions payable by the crown, exceeding the value of 100l. per annum. This highly popular taxation was imposed by statute 31 Geo. II. c. 22. and is under the direction of the commiffioners of the land tax. THE clear neat produce of these several branches of the revenue, after all charges of collecting and management paid, amounts at present annually to about feven millions and three. quarters fterling; befides more than two millions and a quarter raised by the land and malt tax. How thefe immenfe fums are appropriated, is next to be confidered. And this is, first and principally, to the payment of the intereft of the national debt. In order to take a clear and comprehensive view of the nature of this national debt, it must first be premised, that after the revolution, when our new connections with Europe introduced a new fyftem of foreign politics, the expenfes of the nation, not only in fettling the new establishment, but in k Previous to this, a deduction of 6d. in the pound was charged on all penfions and annuities, and all falaries, fees, and wages of all offices of profit granted by or derived from the crown; in order to pay the intereft at the rate of three per cent. on one million, which was raised for discharging the debts on the civil lift, by statutes 7 Geo. I. ft. 1. c. 27. 11 Geo. 1. c. 17. and 12 Geo. I. c. 2. This million, being charged on this particular fund, is not confidered as any part of the national debt. () [By ftatute 26 Geo. III. c. 72. it is enacted, that from and after the 1ft Auguft 1786, the proprietors of hackney-coaches fhall be intitled to, and may demand and take, for the hire of any hackney-coach, the following rates and fares; that is to fay, for one mile and one-fourth, 15.; for three-fourths of a mile further, 6d.; for half a mile beyond the former three-fourths, 6d. ; and for every half mile further, 6d.; for three-fourths of an hour, Is.; between three-fourths and an hour, 1s. 6d. ; between an hour and an hour and twenty minutes, 25.; and for every twenty minutes afterwards, 6d.; for a day of twelve hours, 145. 6d. By §. 2. the penalties for exacting more than the above mentioned fares, are to be recovered as heretofore.] maintain maintaining long wars, as principals, on the continent, for the fecurity of the Dutch barrier, reducing the French monarchy, fettling the Spanish fucceffion, fupporting the house of Auftria, maintaining the liberties of the Germanic body, and other purposes, increased to an unusual degree: infomuch that it was not thought advisable to raise all the expenses of any one year by taxes to be levied within that year, left the unaccustomed weight of them should create murmurs among the people. It was therefore the policy of the times to anticipate the revenues of their pofterity, by borrowing immense fums for the current fcrvice of the state, and to lay no more taxes upon the fubject than would fuffice to pay the annual intereft of the fums fo borrowed: by this means converting the principal debt into a new species of property, transferable from one man to another at any time and in any quantity. A fyftem which feems to have had it's original in the state of Florence, A. D. 1344: which government then owed about 60000l. fterling: and, being unable to pay it, formed the principal into an aggregate fum, called metaphorically a mount or bank, the fhares whereof were transferable like our flocks, with intereft at 5 per cent. the prices varying according to the exigencies of the ftate'. This policy of the English parliament laid the foundation of what is called the national debt: for a few long annuities created in the reign of Charles II will hardly deserve that name. And the example then fet has been fo clofely followed during the long wars in the reign of queen Anne, and fince, that the capital of the national debt (funded and unfunded) amounted at the close of the feffion in June 1777, to about an hundred and thirty-fix millions (m): to pay the intereft of which, together with certain annuities for lives and years, and the charges of management, amounting annually to upwards of four millions and three quarters, the extraordinary revenues juft now enumerated (excepting only the land-tax and annual malt-tax) are in the first place mort 1 Pro tempore, pro spe, pro commodo, minuitur eorum pretium atque augefcit. Are tin. See Mod. Un. Hiit. xxxvi. 116. (m) [And at the clofe of the feflion in July 1786, to about two hundred and thirty-nine millions.] gaged, gaged, and made perpetual by parliament. Perpetual, I fay; but ftill redeemable by the fame authority that impofed them: which, if it at any time can pay off the capital will abolish thofe taxes which are raised to difcharge the interest. By this means the quantity of property in the kingdom is greatly increased in idea, compared with former times: yet, if we coolly confider it, not at all increased in reality. We may boast of large fortunes, and quantities of money in the funds. But where does this money exift? It exifts only in name, in paper, in public faith, in parliamentary fecurity: and that is undoubtedly fufficient for the creditors of the public to rely on. But then what is the pledge, which the public faith has pawned for the fecurity of these debts? The land, the trade, and the perfonal industry of the subject; from which the money must arife that fupplies the feveral taxes. In these therefore, and these only, the property of the public. creditors does really and intrinfically exist: and of course the land, the trade, and the perfonal induftry of individuals, are diminished in their true value just so much as they are pledged to answer. If A's income amounts to rool. per annum; and he is fo far indebted to B, that he pays him 50l, per annum for his intereft; one half of the value of A's property is transferred to B the creditor. The creditor's property exists in the demand which he has upon the debtor, and no where else; and the debtor is only a trustee to his creditor for one half of the value of his income. In fhort, the property of a creditor of the public confifts in a certain portion of the national taxes: by how much therefore he is the richer, by fo much the nation, which pays thefe taxes, is the poorer. THE only advantage, that can refult to a nation from public debts, is the increase of circulation by multiplying the cash of the kingdom, and creating a new fpecies of currency, affignable at any time and in any quantity; always therefore ready to be employed in any beneficial undertaking, by means of this it's transferable quality; and yet producing fome profit even when it lies idle and unemployed. A certain proportion of debt feems therefore to be highly useful to a trading people; but what that proportion is, it is not for me to |