REVENUE. 



ances, drawbacks, and charges of manage- 

 ment, to 24,169,716/. 13s. 0d. 



3. Stamp Duties, laid on deeds and do- 

 cuments of almost every description. 

 This mode of taxation was introduced 

 into England in the year 1671, and reviv- 

 ed in 1694, when a particular set of com- 

 missioners were first appointed for ma- 

 naging these duties; the produce was 

 at first of small amount, bat new duties 

 being imposed, to which numei'ous addi- 

 tions have been since made, it has gra- 

 dually increased, and in the year ending 

 5th January, 1808, the gross amount was 

 4,543,971^. 17s. 5%d. This amount is sub- 

 ject to various deductions, as, the charges 

 of management, discounts, and other par- 

 liamentary allowances, the cost of parch- 

 ment and paper for the country distribu- 

 tors, an allowance to the two universities 

 on almanacks, and other incidental ex- 

 penses, which reduced the net produce 

 to 4,458,738/. 14s. Of </. 



4. Land and Assessed Taxes. The land 

 tax for many years differed from all other 

 branches of the public revenue (except 

 the old mak duty) in being granted an- 

 nually ; it was, however, regularly conti- 

 nued from year to year, never being 

 wholly taken off, but it varied with re- 

 spect to the rate at which it was impos- 

 ed, having been usually reduced during 

 peace, and increased again in time of 

 war, to answer in part the increased ex- 

 penditure. From 1776 to 1798, it was 

 regularly continued at 4s. in the pound, 

 at which rate it was supposed to produce 

 1,989,673/. 7s. I0$d. for England, and 

 47,954/. Is. 2d. for Scotland, making in 

 the whole 2,037,627*. 9s. 0%d. ; there was, 

 however, a constant deficiency, to the 

 amount, at an average, of about 235,000^. 

 per annum, varying according to the re- 

 gularity with which the tax was collect- 

 ed, and the amount of the different 

 charges to which it was liable. In 1799 

 a scheme was adopted for the redemp- 

 tion of the land tax, for which purpose 

 an act was passed, making the tax per- 

 petual; it was then offered for sale to the 

 proprietors of the lands upon which it 

 was charged, or, if they declined it, to 

 any other person who chose to become 

 a purchaser. The consideration to be 

 given in either case was not to be in mo- 

 ney, but in three per cent, stock ; the ob- 

 ject of the scheme being to absorb a 

 large quantity of floating stock, and thus 

 facilitate the raising of new loans. It was 

 estimated that this measure would trans- 

 fer about eighty millions of stock to go- 

 vernment, but the terms offered were by 



VOL. V. 



no means such as to induce a general ap- 

 proval of it, and the total amount of stock 

 transferred for land-tax, redeemed on 

 the first, of February, 1808, was only 

 22,976,829/. 10s. 4f/., of course a very 

 considerable portion of the tax still re- 

 mained unredeemed. The assessed taxes 

 consist of the duties on houses, windows, 

 servants, carriages, horses, and horse- 

 dealers, dogs, hair powder, and armorial 

 bearings. The gross produce of the land 

 and assessed taxes, in the year ending 

 January 5th, 1808, was 6,909,190J. 12.?. 

 9|c/. ; and as the balances in hand at the 

 beginning of the year exceeded the 

 charges of management and other pay- 

 ments, the total net amount, applicable 

 to national purposes, was 7,073,530/. 10s. 

 8J4 



5. The Post Office. King James I. ori- 

 ginally erected a post office for the con- 

 veyance of letters to foreign parts, pre- 

 viously to which an establishment of this 

 kind had existed for the conveyance of 

 inland letters. Some improvements were 

 made in the management of it during the 

 time of the commonwealth, and soon af- 

 ter the restoration a new general post 

 office was established, the revenue de- 

 rived from which was at first of small 

 amount, but has since gradually increas- 

 ed, both from the increase of tiommercial 

 intercourse, and the additional rates of 

 postage which have since been imposed. 

 In 1715, the gross produce of the inland 

 office was 145,227/. ; in the year 1744, it 

 amounted to 198,2267.; and the gross 

 amount of both the inland and foreign 

 offices, to 235,492J. In 1764, it amounted 

 to 281,535/. ; at which time an act was 

 passed for preventing abuses of the pri- 

 vilege of franking, which, with a further 

 restriction at a subsequent period, has 

 considerably improved this source of re- 

 venue. The total gross produce for the 

 year, ending January 5th, 1808, was 

 1,493,490Z. lls. 9d., and the net produce 

 1,277,538*. lls 4|d. 



6. Sixpence in the pound on pensions 

 and salaries. This deduction originated 

 from a debt of the civil list in the reign 

 of George I. To satisfy this debt an act 

 was passed for raising half a million at 

 five per cent, interest, to be charged 

 upon a deduction of sixpence in the 

 pound on all salaries, fees, and wages, 

 payable in respect, of offices of profit 

 granted or derived from the crown. 

 About three years after it was found ne- 

 cessary to raise, half a million more, for 

 the same purpose, and the former sum, 



4E 



