266 on the coal duties tn Scotland. Dee. £6, 
of our national poverty, and a reason why we never can 
become more wealthy * ? 
* A writer who pretends to be a leader of the public refpeCting af- 
fairs of finance, and to direct the people as to what reforms are wanted in 
government, lately laid before his readers a lift of the public burdens 
of Britain, copied from Sir John Sinclair’s hiftory-of the revenue, part 
Ill. p. 164. with many wnauthorized alterattons, all tending to {well 
the amount of the account, fo that inftead of 17,416,0521. of real public 
revenue raifed.in Britain, including expence of collection, bounties, 
and allowances, as it ftands in the original, he makes it amount to 
31,17552991. which he clofes with this emphatic exclamation, “ Thirty 
* one millions 175 thoufand 299 pounds taken from the profits of the 
“ farmer, manufacturer, artizan, and labourer, is fo heavy a draw- 
“ back upon the induftry of a nation, as to create an abjolute impoffibility 
“ for a people to become rich, while fuchan enormous fum is annually de~ 
ducted from the income of their labour and induftry.” [Edinbargh 
Gazetteer, No. 2.}] This writer, however, had no occafion to ftop at 
31 millions; for, in the prefent ftate of this country, by following the 
fame principles he has adopted in flating that account, he might have 
very eafily made it three hundred millions if he had chofen to do fo.— 
-For example, Turnpiles, navigable rivers and canals, charitable dona- 
tions to the poor, public hofpitals, &c. make fo many items of this ac- 
count. Now, that the amount of the turnpikes is actually paid by thofe 
who travel on the roads, which thefe levies are raifed to-repair, cannot 
be difputed; but it can as little be difputed that the fame public pays 
-the hire of carriages and waggons travelling on thefe roads; why ther 
is the total amount of money paid for the carriage of goods of every 
kind excluded? In the fame manner the lockage dues of canals, and tolls 
on navigable rivers, cannot be more juftly charged than the freight of 
goods that go along them; and the freight of goods on a canal is no 
more a public burden, than the freight of goods to every part of the 
world. If again, the money I give in private charities be accounted a 
public tax, furely the money I pay for labourers, the rent I pay for 
_houfes or land, the expences! muft beftow for maintaining my wife and 
children, and felf, which are articles of much more unavoidable expendi- 
ture than charitable donations are, ought all to be included. In fhort, 
every article of expenditure that can be conceived ought to come into 
this account. And as the total amount of the account, when thus 
ftated, will always be in proportion to the wealth of’ the nation; you 
will thus, by the fame mode of reafoning, be able clearly to demon- 
ftrate that in a wealthy nation it is abfolutely impofible for any one to be 
rich; but that in 2 poor country the people muft all be exceedingly 
wealthy. For example, about fifty years ago there was not a fingle 
turnpike in Scotland , fo that that tax, amounting. to perhaps 100,000d. 
a year, was totally wanting. ‘There were not perhaps ten carriages go- 
.ing between Glafgow and Edinburgh in a year, and now there are up- 
wards of ten thoufand; and fo in proportion in other places, fo that the 
