the price of them are beneath the notice of a wife legisla

ture.

In fine, our prefent dealings at home are like thofe of a fet of fharpers at cards, each fhuffling and cutting for his own advantage, and striving to ruin the rest of the company, until at last, he that holds out the longeft, finds himself tricked as well as the reft, though in a lefs degree, the laft ftake remaining with him, and that all the money is fhuffled away in expences, and probably tranfported into another part of the world; elfe, what is become of our current filver coin? a commodity now extremely scarce and much wanted!

22

Page 10. The author fays, "twenty rich families will "confume ten times as much bread, meat, butter, &c. as twenty poor families of the fame number. I must own I have no conception of this, and think that twenty poor families of the fame number, were they fed as they ought to be, would confume more bread and meat, (the greatest neceffaries) than twenty rich families. This feems to hold good with all animals: thofe who work and take moft pains, require the most keeping. Surely a fat horse, that does little or no work, cannot confume fo much corn and hay as a lean horfe that works daily. As to meat, I believe each person in a rich family eats fome number of times more than each perfon in a poor family; but then each person in a poor family, eats more bread than each perfon in a rich one: I mean to speak here of the country only, and not of the metropolis, where working people can afford to eat meat in plenty, and I dare say, eat more than rich people: and I have often lamented that country people cannot do the fame, for it is very obfervable, that their work is according to their food. The man who eats beef and mutton, and drinks his two quarts of ale every day, will do twice the work in a day, as he can do, who lives upon bread and ordinary cheese, and drinks nothing but water.

As to the great confumption of provifions in general, no harm, but good can accrue from thence: for this kingdom is very able, and always ready to maintain an infinite number of more people than what are now in it; and as a manufacturing kingdom, the better they are maintained, the more spirit and ftrength will they have to do their work, and in general, the better they will do it.

I will fay nothing about foreftallers, regrators, poft chaises, and fome other things much complained of by the ignorant and unthinking, for they deferve no aniwer; but with regard to great corn dealers, and the enlarging of farms, I look up

on

on them to be very beneficial to the public; for if corn was not laid by in great quantities, the public would not be fo well ferved as it is. The small dealers now know where to get it when they want, and the great dealers take it from the farmers, as it fuits them to thresh out and carry it to market. The enlarging of farms, is fuitable to the substantial and underftanding farmer, and fuch a one is capable of producing more from any given quantity of the fame land, than is poffible for the small farmer to do, who, generally, is both ignorant and poor.

The author is pleased to fay, as I understand him, that “it is the cheapnefs of money" (rather of paper credit)" and "not the dearnefs of provifions as is complained of, and that "from thence, thofe who live upon fettled ftipends muft inevitably be ruined, and traders of all kinds will be benefited, and the labourer and land-owner grievously oppref"fed:" Thefe pofitions feem to be true, and eafily proved, if the word PAPER inftead of the word MONEY, may be admitted. For it is plain to all obfervers, that in thefe days, the merchants, and even a very great number of various forts of tradefmen, many of them of very low life and education, fpend annually as much as gentlemen can afford to do, who have landed properties from one to three and four thousand pounds a year; but this is by the ufe of paper credit, a tool, which perfons having only fixed ftipends to live upon, and labourers and land-owners, cannot often make use of. It is true too, that the rents of lands and price of labour, are much rifen; but that is of late only: fo that the labourer and land-owner have long been under an oppreffion; the former in a fmall degree only, for the price of his labour will always rife almost immediately with the price of provifions, but the latter cannot make his rents keep pace with it; for when his Jand is fet upon leafe, he can make no make no alteration until that leafe is expired. However, if country gentlemen will be idle, and come to this town, and enter into and promote its luxuries, fpending as much in three months, as will maintain their family in the country the other nine, it is no matter to the public if traders buy out their eftates. Perhaps traders may inculcate more industry, and parfimony, and retard the growing luxury in the country, for fuch there is, infomuch that it is thought, in fome counties, the farmers drink more punch than ale, and their wives more tea than small beer, to the great difcouragement of the land's produce, and, I believe, to the detriment of their health, for those two liquors in the country are generally of the worst fort.

Pago

Page 23. The author feems to propose a method of cure for the national debt, by taking fuperabundant wealth from individuals, and therewith discharging the debt, but fays, that "Juftice, liberty and law, would obftruct with infur"mountable difficulties." I do not fee any force in this argument, for the fame may be made ufe of against iaying any tax whatever If gentlemens confciences are fo very nice as to run into exceffive refinements upon juftice, law and liberty, I am fure we shall foon have neither the one or the other left; but we have already many taxes, that draw much money from those who fuperabound in it, and yet I hear of no complaints against them.

Suppofe now a tax of 2 s. was to be laid upon every playhoufe ticket in London, and I s. for the fame in the country, or 61. additional tax upon every four wheel carriage, and in the fame proportion on two wheel carriages, or one per cent. upon the value of every new built houfe in the metropolis; would not that take from those only who fuperabound in money? For certainly there are no perfons but might amuse themselves, and often to fome advantage without going to a play-house; and very few in fmall circumftances, who can not live fufficiently well without keeping a carriage; and no one ought to build a new houfe in the metropolis, at this time, unless he fuperabounds in money. A great number of other things might be mentioned, equally taxable, and as harmless to the public; but as I mean to write briefly, I fhall dwell no more upon this head, than that if parliament would fet heartily about it, they may lay fuch taxes upon the rich, as would foon lower the national debt, and otherwife rather ferve than hurt the public: But at the fame time I must premise, that these taxes be levied with fome other old ones, without any additional expence, and that they be kept inviolate, and applied to no ufe whatever, but that of reducing

the national debt.

I fhall now endeavour to fhew how provifions may be ren dered more moderate for the future.

I have already faid that encouragement of agriculture will make plenty, and plenty make cheapnefs; this I believe every one will agree to; but the way to that encouragement is little known, feidom talked of, and very rarely touched upon by any of the late writers upon the price of provifions.

As the best and fureft way to cure the difeafed natural body, is first to remove all forts of clogs, oppreffions and obftructions, under any of which the body will often remain imperfect, fo in the political body, often laden with infirmities, we must take the fame method. VOL. III,

Y

With

With regard to agriculture, a first principle to be attended to, towards the profperity of a trading nation, and the fine qua non of plenty of provifions; it has been under fuch a weight and depreffion by tithe laws, that I am amazed how this nation has been able to thrive under them: It must be allowed to have done fo by very flow degrees, and that it now seems to be unable to bear fuch burthens any longer.

I am very clear that the laws of tithes have ever been, and fill are a great weight and depreffion to agriculture, and an obftacle to a plenty of provifions, and am thoroughly convinced, that if they were all entirely abolished, we should foon fee a much greater plenty of corn and cattle, than has ever been in this kingdom before. No gentleman need be ashamed to amufe himself with improving his lands, and with a little attention he might make a fair interest upon his money by it. As matters now ftand, in every country village, when tithes are paid in kind, and being an open field town, tithes, together with a small glebe generally attending them, amount to one fifth part of the rental of the whole parish. What an immenfe load is this upon agriculture in its firft ftage? which above all things in a trading kingdom, ought to bear the leaft burthen. This is an effectual barr against all lasting improvements, for if the farmer or land-owner was to attempt improvement by force of money, and no lafting improvements can be made without money, it would make a certain and immediate accumulation to the tithe, but be very uncertain whether any advantage would in the end accrue to him. Perhaps he might never be reimbursed; for every year's tithe is a multiplication of tithe; that is, it tithes a part of what was tithed the year before; fuch as feed, corn, lambs, &c.

There are many thoufand acres of land in this kingdom of little or no ufe, which by drainage and cultivation may be made prolific; but the process is too long for a farmer or landowner to undertake, while he pays a tithe in kind. He can expect no profit in a lefs time than three or four years, and few farmers or land-owners can wait fo long, it being particularly incident to bufinefs, that the tranfactor, more efpecially if he advances his money, fhould make a profit within the year, for the fupport of his family; fo that neither of thofe perfons dare undertake it, (no other can) because the tithe like the cogged dice at a hazard table, are continually fet against them.

It may be objected that an abolition of laws which have been in force for many ages, and which will affect a great

part

ار

part of the public, will be a bufinefs very difficult to be got through: To this I answer that a refolute and induftrious legislature, can make all feeming difficulties eafy; and I am very pofitive, that unless it interpofes and fets agriculture free, provifions in this kingdom, will always be dearer than they ought to be.

Ás I have proposed to take away fo great a part of the ecclefiaftical revenue, and the private property of many lay-impropriators, I defire the reader to understand, that I do not in the leaft mean to leffen their fubfiftence, or rank among the rest of the public, for it will always be in the power of the parliament to make them ample amends, and I have not the leaft doubt of their doing fo, nay, even of putting the clergy upon a more respectable footing than they are now, or ever will be, under the prefent tithe laws; but if they fhall think otherwife, I must say, that those who will not truft the legislature, deserve not to have its protection.

It is not conceivable without looking very far forward, what numerous benefits would arife to the nation from this abolition of tithe laws, by giving an unlimited freedom to agriculture: I fincerely believe they would be fuch as are not to be exceeded or even paralleled by any other contrivance. This is perfectly adapted to the nature of the British people, and to their trade in general; for provifions cannot be made plentiful and cheap without a difburthened freedom in agriculture; trade cannot increase and be profperous without a plenty and cheapness of provifions, and it is impoffible for this nation, without a profperous trade, to defend itself long against the tyranny of fome neighbouring nation, when it fhall fee us brought low, and a proper object for its conqueft.

What I have here faid, I mean only as hints or outlines for fome better pen, which I hope will foon take up the subject, a fubject very neceffary to be well canvaffed at this time, and fuch as deferves the affiftance of the best of heads, and the best of hearts.