Hist ORM LOOP EAR OP £- 
ftrike every mind with apprehen- 
fion; the taxes being almoit en- 
tirely unproductive, and no means 
appearing for fupplying their place 
with an adequate fubiitute. It 
was inthis ftate of hard and trying 
difficulty, when the greatneis of the 
meceflity feemed almoft to afford a 
-fanétion to any meafure that might 
be purfued for obtaining relief, that 
Neckar ventured to lay before the 
aflembly the fcheme for a fupply, 
which the boldeft minifter that ever 
lived, and. in the moft defpotic go-’ 
vernment, would perhaps have he- 
fitated at adopting. This was the 
extraordinary contribution of the 
fourth part of each man’s yearly 
revenue, to be paid at different af- 
figned periods during the courfe 
[29 
however, neceflary to make the 
decree pafs glibly through the af- 
fembly ; although he took care to 
infinuatepin a manner which could 
not be mifunderftood, that Neckar 
poiicfied neither his confidence ‘nor 
efteem.—It was too late now for 
the affembly to refle@, that much 
of the public diltrefs proceeded 
from their own extraordinary, and 
as it proved'unfortunate declaration, 
which taught the people to conifi- 
der all the prefent taxes as illegal, 
from their not being laid on by their 
reprefentatives. 
Nothing was, however, left an- 
done by the afflembly, ‘whieh 
could tend to render this fcheme 
-of fupply. palatable; and to pre- 
vent its afluming the odious deno- 
) of three years. ‘The eftimate of 
_ each man’s income, and confequent- 
ly the amount of the fum which he 
‘was to contribute to the ftate, being 
 -left to his own honour. : 
mination of a tax, it was repre- 
fented entirely as a patriotic con- 
tribution, or donation. An addrefs 
-to the nation was likewife paffed, 
It was furely a fingular cafe, 
that a tax almoit without example 
in the moft arbitrary governments, 
fhould have been pafied by .a body 
of men, not only highly republican, 
‘but who were the avowed aflertors 
of liberty. The peculiar fituation 
of the affembly will, however, ex- 
plain this circumftance. They-were 
‘already labouring under great and 
ftating the neceflity of her making 
great facrifices in cafes of great 
emergency. But neither thefe meéa- 
res, nor a knowledce tha’ = 
fure © knowledge that “th 
{cheme of this tax originated with 
Neckar, could prevent a great 
number of t#ofe who were expofed 
to its eect from confidering this 
ages ake F ae 
decree, as the refult of a combina- 
tion, formed by men without pro- 
perty, to firip chofe who full re- 
5 general odium on account of the 
failure of Neckar’s firit fcheme for 
_ #aifing money by a loan, which was 
| entirely and juftly charged to their 
Anjudicious and wanton interference 
- inthe bufinefs. At the fame time, 
__inftant bankruptcy, with all its fa- 
_ *tal confequences, were ftaring them 
tained any, of the laf farthing they 
poflefied. For the example being 
once fet, of thus partially taxing 
@ part of the community, and con- 
demning them to bear all the bur- 
thens of the ftate, who could pre- 
tend to define the extent to which 
the injury and oppreffion might not 
be carried under the fanction of fuch 
a precedent; efpecially as all power 
was lodged, and liable to continue, 
in the hands of thofe very men who 
had committed the original wrong ? 
* fall in the face; and if they re- 
: sig the prefent plan, they would 
have made themfelves thereby an- 
eee for all the evils that might 
© follow. Mirabeau’s eloquence was, 
4 
