180 



sliillinp?!, which had b&fore been wortli but five sl/il- 

 lings and nine-pence. The assembly thereupon raised 

 them l)y law to six sliillinirs. As the dollar is now like- 

 ly to become the money-unit of Ameri<:a, as it passes at 

 this rate in some f)r our sister states, and as it facilitates 

 their conij)utation in pounds and shiliinirs, &n:. convcrso, 

 this seems to be more convenient than its former de- 

 nomination. Tiut as this particular coin now stands 

 hiiiher than any other in the pro))ortion of \?>S ]-3 to 

 125, or ]G to 15, it will be necessary to raise the others 

 in proportion. 



QUERY XXII. 



The public income and expenses? 



The nominal amount of these varying constantly and 

 rapidly with the constant and rapid deju'eciation of our 

 pjiper money, it becomes im[)ractii-able to say what 

 they are. VVe lind ourselves cheated in every essay by 

 the dejireciation intervening between the declaration 

 of the tax and its actual receipt. It will therefore be 

 more satisfactory to consider what our income may be 

 when we shall find means of collecting what our people 

 may spare. I should estimate the whole taxable pro- 

 perty of this state at an hundred millions of dollars, or 

 thirty millions of pounds our money. One per cent, on 

 this, compared with any thing we ever yet ])aid, would 

 be deenied a very heavy tax. Yet I think that those 

 who manage well, and use reasonable economy, could 

 pay on© and an half percent, and maintain their house- 

 hold comfortably in the mean time, without aliening 

 any part of their principal, and that the people would 

 subnnt to this willingly for the })urpose of supporting 

 their present contest. We may ssy then, that we could 

 raise, and ought to raise, from one Uiillion to one million 

 and an half of dollars annually, tliat is from three hun- 

 dred to four hundred and fifty thousand pounds, Virgi- 

 nia monev. 



