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lof, little lefs than four millions, muft yearly fall 
on the trading intereft, the landed intereft, and the 
revenue of Great-Britain. To pretend, fays he, to 
fhew which of thefe three are the ledft fufferers, 
would bea poor confolation: be it fufficient to ob- 
ferve, they muft all jointly fuffer. 
His ftatement of the fuppofed annual lofs, it is 
_ to be obferved, related only to the number of dram- 
drinkers a/ive at that period, which, though very 
great, perhaps did not exceed thofe of the prefent 
day. But if to this we add the damage which the 
nation fuftains by the premature and untimely 
deaths of fo many fellow-creatures, how fhall we 
eftimate the lofs!—Suppofing for the prefent, how- 
ever, we only confider the lofs of time, the lofs of 
labour, and of money misfpent in publick-houfes; 
can we wonder that our parifhes are overburthened 
with poor; that our prifons overflow with info- 
lent debtors; or that our poor-rates, which long 
ago amounted to the enormous fum of two millions 
a year, fhould be rapidly increafing? 
But is it not ftill more mortifying to obferve the 
miferies of the poor, inftead of being diminifhed, 
proportionably increafed, and keeping pace with 
this daily increafing tax; while the poor of the 
furrounding nations are fupported wholly without 
it! Is it not high time then, that fome effectual 
check fhould be given to this alarming abufe of 
fpirits, and that fome more efficient, or ceconamical 
plan 
