The La7id Taxation and the Economists. 173 



weight with statesmen ; for this duty, first imposed in 1696, 

 was reintroduced by Pitt in his Commutation Act as an equi- 

 valent for the abohshed portion of the disastrous tea tax. 



The system of imposing duties in seaports and frontier towns 

 was deprecated as inimical to the best interests of trade. All 

 the advanced writers of the age traced the prosperity of the 

 Dutch to the low customs imposed by the Government of 

 Holland. Imposts such as these, they said, prevented this 

 country from becoming an universal storehouse. They caused 

 our navigation to stagnate, and lessened mercantile capital ; 

 encouraged the consumption of foreign luxuries, put a pre- 

 mium on smuggling, and were ruining the woollen manu- 

 facturers. The fallacy that was at the root of this difficulty 

 was the widespread supposition that a nation's prosperity was 

 measured by the excess of its exports over its imports. Pro- 

 hibitions and heavy duties therefore impeded importation, 

 while bounties encouraged exportation. But deeper still 

 lurked the old mischievous belief that bullion was wealth, and 

 must not therefore be sent abroad. 



Even the stamp duty ^ did not escape adverse criticism. 

 Though an exception might be made with regard to the 

 stamping of bonds, deeds, etc., in order to prevent forgery, and 

 though gambling might be kept in check by the duty on 

 cards and dice, it was a great hardship that honest people, if 

 defrauded by knaves, should be deterred from seeking redress 

 by the heavy nature of this impost. 



The practice of taxing native coal - was considered particu- 

 larly unjust. It was a commodity in general use, and the 

 hardships of the poor in such a winter as that of 1739-40 were 

 immensely increased by so heavy an addition to the price of 

 this necessary combustible. Coals brought to London paid a 

 duty of Vds. per chaldron, those water-borne to other parts of 

 the kingdom 5s., while such as were exported abroad were only 

 charged 3s. Such a system unduly favoured the foreigner, 

 and enabled him to undersell the Londoner in ironware. 



' First imposed 1694. 



- The new duty on coals, culm, and cinders was imposed in 1695, and 

 added to in 1708. 



