22 A. D. 1783. 



The manufa<^ures of flax and cotton, which give employment to great 

 nunlbers of people, being much obflruded by the high duties on foap, 

 ftarch, and other neceflary articles, a drawback of three farthings on 

 every pound of hard or foft foap, and of three halfpence on every pound 

 of ftarch, employed in finifliing and preparing for fale any goods made 

 of flax or cotton, excepting linens (for the bleaching of which draw- 

 backs were already allowed) was allowed by parliament. And the 

 whole duty of cuftom payable on the importation of brimftone and falt- 

 petre was allowed to be repaid to the makers of oil of vitriol. [23 Geo. 

 Ill, c. 77.] 



The inland duties upon coffee and cocoa (rather cacao, or chocolate) 

 nuts were reduced from one fhilling and fix pence a pound to fix pence 

 with an addition of five per cent*. [23 Geo. Ill, c. 79.] 



There being now no further expedations of obtaining any relief from 

 the governments of the United ftates of America for thofe perfons, who 

 had become obnoxious to them on account of their attachment to Great 

 Britain, coramiflioners were appointed to inquire into the lofles they 

 had fuffered in their rights, properties, and profefllons, in order to af- 

 certain the amount of the indemnification, which, it was propofed, to 

 allow them from the public purfe. [23 Geo. Ill, c. 80.] 



The exportation of corn was prohibited till after the enfuing harvefl. 

 \22,Geo. Ill, <7. 81.] 



At this time the Eafl-India company were very much ftraitened for 

 money, chiefly by reafon of the great weight of the bills drawn upon 

 them by their fervants in India. It was therefor again found expedient 

 to grant them a further indulgence with refped to duties, &c. payable 

 to the public ; and alfo to empower the commiflioners of the treafury 

 to lend exchequer bills to the company to the amount of ^^300,000, 

 bearing intereft at four and three quarters per cent. The company 

 were at the fame time empowered to make a dividend to the proprie- 

 tors at the rate of eight per cent per annum. A regulation was alfo 

 made refpeding the debentures given to the exporters of Eaft-India 

 goods for drawbacks of duties, which were ufually given in payments 

 to the company inllead of money, that they fliould henceforth be re- 



* Before the war the planters were enabled by 1787, was under fix milh'ons of pounds. In thf 

 the export to Amtricn to carry on the cultivation ' French colony of S'. Domingo the quantity of 

 of thofe articles, which a continujtiou of the heavy coffee exported has increafed, from five millions of 

 duties mull have forced them to throw up. pounds in the year 1770, to above fevcnty-fix mil- 

 Mr. Edwards rates the dutie-3 and excife on cof- lions of pounds in the year 1789. The prodigious 

 fee previous to this aft at 480 per cent on the difference may in a great meafure be accounted for 

 marketable value, and the annual amount of them from the aow-univerfal ufe of tea in Britain, which 

 at £2,869. In the year 1784, the very firft of the is fcarcely ufed at all in France, 

 operation of the aft, the duties rofe to ^^7.200 ; About a century ago the chocolate^ nut was a 

 ' an Important proof, among others, how frequent- principal article of export from Jamaica. Now, 

 ' ly heavy taxation defeats its own purpofe !' yet it is believed, there is not one plantation of it in 

 with the reduced duty the import of coffee in that ifland. S^Edvjards' s H'lfl. of the Wejl-lndks, 

 Great Britain on aa average of five years, 178^- V. ii, pp. 286, 295, 299, 306.] 



