I5P TRAVELS THROUGH 



into the fecret, and real motives of thofe 

 who were mqft active in the peace of Paris. 

 But the circumftance, after the peace, 

 which has moft favoured the French go- 

 vernment, groaning under the enormous 

 burthen of debt, were the amount of life- 

 annuities, which, as they fall in, become 

 extinguished. This has fo far favoured their 

 finances, with other anticipations only for 

 terms of years, that the fum total of intered 

 paid by government (exclufive of the pro- 

 vincial debts) in the year 1770, was about 

 five millions nine hundred thoufand pounds 

 a year. An amazing fum, and far exceed- 

 ing the intereft paid on the national debt of 

 England. This prodigious burthen will 

 long be fo heavy on France> that her neigh- 

 bours will not have much to fear from any 

 future fchemes of ambition that may arife 

 in the French cabinet, whether peace or 

 war be her choice : if the latter mould once 

 more break out, fuch frefh debts muft ine- 

 vitably be contracted, and fuch new bur- 

 thens laid on the people, without any ca- 

 pability of bearing them, that the efforts, 

 in confequence of them, cannot fail of 

 being weak and unfupported. 



Thefe 



