VIRGINIA 57 



the other members, for the most part farmers without 

 clear and refined ideas, with little education or knowl- 

 edge of the world, are merely there to give their votes, 

 which are sought, whenever the House is divided into 

 parties, by the insinuations of agreeable manners and 

 in other ways. 



When the opinion of the House is to be taken regard- 

 ing a question in debate, the Speaker calls first for the 

 Ayes and then the Noes, given together in a loud voice 

 by all the members present, and with a critical ear the 

 Speaker judges from the strength of the noise whether 

 the affirmative or the negative votes are in a majority. 

 But if the votes are so distributed that the ear cannot 

 plainly distinguish them, a ' division ' of the House is 

 demanded, and the members form themselves into two 

 groups and are counted. 



The revenues of this state were at the time estimated 

 at some 230,000 Pds. Current; arising from a levy of 

 2 per centum on property, a wheel-tax of 1 Pd. to the 

 pair of wheels, 10 shillings negro head-tax, a duty of 

 5 per centum on imported goods, (half of this amount 

 is allowed the Congress) &c. Of this the support of 

 the government takes away about 50,000 Pd.; 40,000 

 Pd. go towards the payment of the provincial troops 

 and interest on the amount due them, and the rest is 

 applied chiefly to war debts * and interest-accounts. 



One may freely assert, and without approaching the 

 truth too nearly, that the government of this state (as 

 of most of the others) is in a weak and doubtful situa- 

 tion, and that its present constitution will not avail to 



* Virginia in 1781 was assessed with an annual contribution 

 of 1,307,594 dollars to the general war-expenses. 



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