40 BREWING. [No. 



73. But, look again at the receipt for making por- 

 ter. Here are eight bushels of malt to 180 gallons" 

 of beer ; that is to say, twenty-five gallons from the 

 bushel. Now the malt is eight shillings a bushel, and 

 eight pounds of the very best hops will cost but a shil- 

 ling a pound. The malt and hops, then, for the 180 

 gallons, cost but seventy-two shillings ; that is to say, 

 only a little more than fourpence three farthings a 

 gallon, for stuff which is now retailed for sixteen 

 pence a gallon! If this be not an abomination, I 

 should be glad to know what is. Even if the treacle, 

 colour, and the drugs, be included, the cost is notjive- 

 pence a gallon; and yet, not content with this enor- 

 mous extortion, there are wretches who resort to the 

 use of other and pernicious drugs, in order to increase 

 their gains ! 



74. To provide against this dreadful evil there is, 

 and there can be, no law ; for, it is created by the law. 

 The law it is that imposes the enormous tax on the 

 malt and hops ; the law it is that imposes the license 

 tax, and places the power of granting the license at 

 the discretion of persons appointed by the govern- 

 ment ; the law it is that checks, in this way, the pri- 

 vate brewing, and that prevents jfree and fair competi- 

 tion in the selling of beer, and as long as the law does 

 these, it will in vain endeavour to prevent the people 

 from being destroyed by slow poison. 



75. Innumerable are the benefits that would arise from 

 a repeal of the taxes on malt and on hops. Tippling- 

 houses might then be shut up with justice and propri- 

 ety. The .labourer, the artisan, the tradesman, the 

 landlord, all would instantly feel the benefit. But the 

 landlord more, perhaps, in this case, than any other 

 member of the community. The four or five pounds 

 a year which the day-labourer now drizzles away in 

 tea-messes, he would divide with the farmer, if he had 

 untaxed beer. His wages would fall, and fall to his 

 advantage too. The fall of wages would be not less 

 than 40/. upon a hundred acres. Thus 40/. would go, 

 in the end, a fourth, perhaps to the farmer, and three- 

 fourths to the landlord, This is the kind of work to 



