87 



patron, with the consent of the archbishop (a consent 

 seldom withheld), can remove an incumbent, they 

 are necessarily too dependent to enter into contests 

 about tithes. The secular parochial clergy are com- 

 monly men of slight education, usually the sons of 

 peasants, to whom the somewhat elevated character 

 of priest, with its small emoluments and freedom 

 from hard labour, forms a sufficient inducement to 

 enter on the ecclesiastical profession. I was told, 

 but cannot vouch for its accuracy, or for the extent 

 to which it may be carried, that since the Jews have 

 been prohibited from keeping public-houses, the paro- 

 chial priests have become in the villages the chief 

 retailers of whiskey, and thereby increase their other- 

 wise scanty incomes. 



The other taxes fall no more on the landed interest 

 than on other classes of the community. They are 

 chiefly on consumption ; that on Beer forms a part, 

 and is collected by a monopoly let to farm by the 

 Government, to brewers. All Foreign Commodities, 

 such as sugar, coffee, and wine, have heavy duties 

 imposed. These are collected from all the consumers 

 of them ; and few of the agriculturists can at present 

 afford to purchase such luxuries, but must be content 

 with honey, dried chicory roots, and whiskey, as sub- 

 stitutes for them. 



The whole Revenue, according to the statements of 

 official men, does not exceed two millions sterling. 

 As one-fourth of the population, the tenants and 

 peasants of the Crown, are exempted from paying the 

 tenth Groschen tax, the heaviest of all the imposts, 

 the sum extracted from the rest of the subjects, 

 amounts to los. per head annually. The whole popu- 

 lation of the present kingdom is between 3,800,000 

 and 4,000,000, having increased, since its establish- 

 ment, 250,000. 



The revenues do not pay the expenses of the 

 Government, but the deficiency is made up by remit- 



