200 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMP^RICAN ACADEMY. 



The wrowth of the rates or annual charges of the government is almost 

 as instructive as the advance of the pay of the legislators, but is of 

 course complicated by causes outside the currency. The changes in tlie 

 pay of the Councillors and Representatives, as laid down in the Province 

 Laws, are as follows. 



It will be seen that the records practically confirm Douglass's table, so 

 far as the per diem pay of the legislators is concerned, the brief varia- 

 tion in 1741 not being of sufficient importance for consideration. The 

 increase in the Governor's pay in 1748, would indicate a probable increase 

 at the same time in the pay of the Councillors and Representatives; but 

 there is no record preserved of any action on this point. The Annual 

 Tax Acts all contain statements of tlie amounts respectively levied for 

 the Province tax and for Representatives' pay and fines. If the service of 

 the Representatives had been uniform each year, we could test the table 

 by a comparison of the appropriations for Representatives' pay for differ- 

 ent years ; but an examination of these amounts from year to year shows 

 that the growth to be found there does not exactly follow the law which 

 would be deduced from the amount of the pe?' diem pay. It is a fact, 

 however, that while the amount assessed in June, 1747, for Representa- 

 tives' pay and fines, was £2878 lis. 6(/., the corresponding amount in 

 the levy next year was £4508 5s. The presumption is that Douglass 

 was correct in the figures which he gave for the pay of the Councillors 

 and Representatives in 1748. 



A variety of circumstances complicates the attempt to analyze the 

 allowances made the Governors during this jieriod, but on the whole 

 Douglass's table fairly represents the changes. Phips had three annual 

 allowances of £500 each. Bellamont, who was very popular, had two 

 allowances of £1000 each. Dudley was allowed £500 in 1702. Sliute 

 was at first allowed £1200, but tliis was afterwards cut down to £1000. 

 Belcher's first allowance was £2400, from 1731 to 1737 inclusive he was 

 allowed £3000, then for three years the sum was fixed at £3G00. From 

 this point Shirley's allowance was advanced by stages to £5400, £5760, 

 £6000, £7600, and finally it was, in 1748, £9600. 



