BRA 



DRA 



hold in his Macbeth the transition from 

 the hero to the villain, and view the aw- 

 ftil retribution, though long withheld, yet 

 finally overwhelm the guilty. Yet who 

 thinks of objecting to so grand a play, 

 because the scene shifts from Inverness to 

 the English court and back again, or be- 

 cause a period of seventeen years elapses 

 from the murder of Duncan to the death 

 of the usurper. 



Hence the rules ought to be subservi- 

 ent to the great end of dramatic repre- 

 sentation, the instruction of mankind by 

 impressive and striking lessons, and we 

 may conclude, with our great critic, that 

 " the unities of time and place are not 

 essential to a just drama ; and that, though 

 they may sometimes conduce to pleasure, 

 they are always to be sacrificed to the no- 

 bier beauties of variety and instruction ; 

 that a play written with nice observation 

 of critical rules is to be contemplated as 

 an elaborate curiosity, as the product of 

 superfluous and ostentatious art, by which 

 is shown rather what is possible than 

 what is necessary.'* 



DRAPERY, in sculpture and painting, 

 signifies the representation of the cloth- 

 ing of human figures, and also hangings, 

 tapestry, curtains, and most other things 

 that are not carnations or landscapes. See 

 PAINTING and SCULPTURE. 



DRASTIC, in physic, an epithet be- 

 stowed on such medicines as are of pre- 

 sent efficacy, and potent in operation ; 

 and is commonly applied to emetics and 

 cathartics. 



DRAUGHT, in trade, called also cloff 

 or clough, is a small allowance on weigh- 

 able goods, made by the king to the im- 

 porter, or by the seller to the buyer, that 

 the weight may hold out when the goods 

 are weighed again. 



The king allows lib. draught for goods 

 weighing no less than Ictvt ; 2/6. for goods 

 weighing between 1 and 2cwt. ; 3/6. for 

 goods weighing between 2 and Scivt. ; 4/6. 

 from 3 to Wcivt. ; 7/6. from 10 to ISctvt. ; 

 9/6. from 18 to 30, or upwards. 



DRAWBACK, in commerce, an allow- 

 ance made to merchants on the re-expor- 

 tation of certain goods, which in some 

 cases consists of the whole, in others of a 

 part, of the duties which had been paid 

 upon the importation. 

 Drawbacks were probably originally 

 granted for the encouragement of the 

 carrying trade, which, as the freight of 

 ships is frequently paid by foreigners in 

 money, was supposed to be a more cer- 

 tain source of wealth than other branches 



of foreign trade. They are granted, not 

 only on foreign commodities which have 

 paid a duty on importation, but also on 

 the exportation of such home manufac- 

 tures as are subject to excise duties. 



Upon vhe exportation of some articles 

 of foreign produce, of which the quantity 

 imported greatly exceeds what is neces- 

 sary for the home consumption, the 

 whole of the duties which had been paid 

 on importation are drawn back. Thus, 

 while the American states were under 

 the dominion of Great Britain, they had 

 the monopoly of the tobacco of Mary- 

 land and Virginia, of which about 96,000 

 hogsheads were annually exported, while 

 the home consumption did not exceed 

 14,000 : to facilitate the great exportation 

 which was necesaary in order to get rid 

 of the surplus, the whole duties were 

 drawn back, provided the exportation 

 took place within three years. 



Drawbacks are paid by the collector of 

 the customs at the port where the goods 

 are exported, on producing a debenture, 

 authenticated by the proper officers, as 

 the authority or voucher for the pay- 

 ment. 



Drawbacks can never, it is probable, 

 be injurious : for they can never turn to 

 any particular employment a greater 

 share of the capital of the country, han 

 would naturally go to that employment. 

 They only prevent the natural tendency 

 of capitals from being deranged by taxa- 

 tion. When the duties paid on the ex- 

 portation of sugar or tobacco are return- 

 ed on their exportation, the trade in those 

 articles is only replaced on the situation 

 it would have been in, if the articles had 

 not been taxed. 



A still more equitable arrangement than 

 that of drawbacks is, to allow the mer- 

 chant, who imports any commodity which 

 he may probably wish to export again, to 

 deposit it in the king's warehouses, giv- 

 ing a bond for payment of the duties, 

 should he dispose of it for home con- 

 sumption. This is called bonding, and is 

 allowed to a considerable extent. 



DRAWBRIDGE, a bridge made after 

 the manner of a floor, to draw up or let 

 down, as occasion serves, before the gate 

 of a town or castle. See BRIDGE. 



DRAWING is the art of expressing 

 with accuracy the outline, or true boun- 

 dary, of objects of every description on 

 any plain superficies. This pleasing me- 

 thod of preserving the forms of persons 

 and places, long after the originals have 

 perished, or entirely changed, has beea 



