GINGER. 457 



prosperous and its finance seemingly sound. Trade beyond 

 doubt is an excellent thing. It has done more to humanise 

 mankind than any other relation of life. But the dangerous 

 postulate, that governments should provide the means out of 

 public taxes by which private ventures should be able to 

 escape their natural risks, is constantly and impudently 

 affirmed to be an axiom, and has cost commercial countries, 

 notably ourselves, untold and forgotten millions, has beggared 

 the tax-payer, and demoralised the recipient of the boon. 



GINGER. There is only one other principal spice on which 

 I have to comment. It is not frequently found. Its native 

 soil is the East. But soon after the doubling of the Cape 

 passage and the simultaneous discovery of the New World, it 

 was transplanted to the West, and now I believe the principal 

 source of supply is Central America and the West India 

 islands. During the first sixty years, such prices as are 

 recorded give an average of \s. y\d. the pound. In 1697 a 

 purchase in London is made at 6d. an ounce, or 6s. a pound. 

 I suspect that there is an error, not in the price, but in the 

 article, and that it is intended for a candied or preserved 

 produce, which I have occasionally noted. This is rendered 

 the more probable by the fact that in 1698 ginger is purchased 

 by the same person, Johnson, at yd. a pound. As far as spices 

 are concerned, they are almost all of Eastern origin. I have 

 found indeed, in 1698, a single entry of Jamaica pepper, i.e. 

 pimento, at the same price as ordinary pepper, u. $d. the 

 pound. 



I have in the earlier volumes commented on the eager- 

 ness with which our forefathers spiced their viands, often 

 using such condiments for their food as aniseed and fenu- 

 greek, flavours which are I believe now relegated to the 

 farrier. But the explanation is obvious. In all the par- 

 ticulars of what we may call the comforts and the con- 

 veniences, I might also say the familiar inventions of life, 

 England was the most backward and lagging of nations. 

 It developed a constitution when other nations lost th 



