If materials of foreign growth were at an easy
rate, a high price might be the better borne in things of our own
product, but to have both dear at once (and by reason of the duties
laid upon them) is ruinous to the inferior rank of men, and this
ought to weigh more with us, when we consider that even of the
common people a subdivision is to be made, of which one part subsist
from their own havings, arts, labour, and industry; and the other
part subsist a little from their own labour, but chiefly from the
help and charity of the rank that is above them. For according to
Mr. King's scheme -
The nobility and gentry, with their families and retainers, the
persons in offices, merchants, persons in the law, the clergy,
freeholders, farmers, persons in sciences and liberal arts,
shopkeepers, and tradesmen, handicrafts, men, naval officers, with
the families and dependants upon all these altogether, make up the
number of 2,675,520 heads.
The common seamen, common soldiers, labouring people, and out-
servants, cottagers, paupers, and their families, with the vagrants,
make up the number of 2,825,000 heads.
In all 5,500,520 heads.
So that here seems a majority of the people, whose chief dependence
and subsistence is from the other part, which majority is much
greater, in respect of the number of families, because 500,000
families contribute to the support of 850,000 families. In
contemplation of which, great care should be taken not to lay new
duties upon the home consumption, unless upon the extremest
necessities of the State; for though such impositions cannot be said
to fall directly upon the lower rank, whose poverty hinders them
from consuming such materials (though there are few excises to which
the meanest person does not pay something), yet indirectly, and by
unavoidable consequences, they are rather more affected by high
duties upon our home-consumption than the wealthier degree of
people, and so we shall find the case to be, if we look carefully
into all the distinct ranks of men there enumerated.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110