250 TOTAL AMOUNT OF TAXATION 



becomes a sacred duty of its government to see that the 

 means of instruction be provided for all. 



If the United States do really succeed in getting ahead 

 of us in moral worth, material advancement, and happi 

 ness-giving institutions, it will be as much from the early 

 recognition of this principle, and the general adoption 

 of it, as from any other benefit they enjoy. 



From what I have said as to the large amount of the 

 school-tax in the State of New York, it may be supposed 

 that the total taxation in this State is large; and, accord 

 ing to the published documents for 1849, such i,, to a 

 certain extent, the case. The total taxation of the whole 

 State for 1849 including State, county, and township 

 taxes amounted to 5,500,000 of dollars, which, on a 

 valuation of 666,000,000, is a little more than four-fifths 

 of a per cent. It would be equal to paying in England 

 16s. 8d. for every 100 of property, or to an income-tax 

 of 13^ per cent supposing the property to yield 6 per 

 cent, or be worth 16J years purchase on the whole. 



But this rate of taxation varies in different counties ; 

 for, while the State taxes are the same everywhere, the 

 county and township taxes vary, as with us. Hence the 

 total taxation in some of the following counties is greater, 

 in others less, than the average above given. Thus, it 

 amounts in the counties of 



VALUATION. ON PROPERTY. 

 Dollars. Dollars. Per cent, 



Hamilton, to 8,884 on 332,000, or 2| 



Albany, to 282,000 on 17,393,000, or 1 



New York, to 2,715,000 on 254,000,000, or lh 



Ontario, to 85,000 on 16,747,000, or i 



The average being . . f 



As a tax on property, this average is nominally light ; 

 but were a tax of the same name (four-fifths of a per 

 cent) imposed upon all the property of Great Britain, 

 real and personal, it would produce a much larger sum 

 than we should at first suppose. The fee-simple value 



