98 



A. D. 1785. 



refined in France, amounted to 18,323,500 livres. And the {hips em- 

 ployed in carrying them home to France are eftimated at 600, and to 

 average 300 tuns burthen, and the feamen at 15,000. 



About the end of this year there was a new coinage of louis d'or in 

 France to the vaUie of twenty-feven milhons Iterhng. The ilandard of 

 the gold in the new m.oneywas 21 -|i- carats : and the proportion of filver 

 to gold was fixed at fifteen for one. 



The duty on coaches in Great Britain amounted this year to £ 1 63,988 ^ 

 a proof of the profperity, as well as of the luxury, of the country. 



If the eftimated amount of the poor's rate in the years 1750 and 1774 

 viz. three millioNs, was nearly correct, [fee above, V. iii, p. 560] it muft have 

 fallen much lower afterwards, even in time of war, which is rather im- 

 probable. From the returns made by each parifli to parliament it 

 appears, that the net expenfe of the poor in England and Wales for the 

 year 1776 was _ _ _ £i,S2g,jSo o 1 



that the moneyraifedbyafl^eflrnent in the year 1783 was 2,132,486 12 2 



178+ 2,185,889 7 a 

 1785 2,184,904 18 II 

 and the net money annually paid for the ufe of the 

 poor upon the average of thefe three years was - 2,004,238 5 n 

 the remainder of the money colleded being expended upon vagrants,, 

 militia, bridges, gaols, churches, roads, minifter's falai-ies, attendance on 

 maglftrates, entertainments, law fuits, &c. * 



The parifhes of England and Wales appeared from returns alfo made 

 to parliament, to pofi^efs, in addition to the contributions of the inhabit- 

 ants, funds in land amounting annually to - £2io,4.6y 8 10 



and in money 



48,243 10 5 



^(■258,710 19 3 



The following authentic account of the value of the merchandize ex- 

 ported from, and imported into, Peterfburg in the courfe of this year, 

 ihows, that the Britifh merchants took off above two-thirds of the goods 

 fhipped at that port, while they brought only about one quarter of 

 thofe imported ; whence it appears, that Ruflia receives from Great Brit- 

 ain the money neceflary to pay for the goods taken from other countries. 



By merchants of 

 Kussia 



Great Britain 

 HoUand . 

 Lubeck . 

 Denmark . 

 Spain 

 Portugal 

 France 

 Italy 



Prussia . 

 Sweden . 



* For particular accounts of the expences of the poor in each county, &c. fee the ParHariMntarx 

 <epi/lir, V. .'■•.xx'x,/. 438, or Eden's S!a!t of th: .poor, F. i,/. 370. 



