Original Letters of Dr. Franklin. 363 
1 wish your new law may have the good effect expected 
from it, in extricating your government from the heavy 
debt this war has obliged them to contract. Iam too little 
acquainted with your particular circumstances to judge of 
the prudence of such alaw for your colony with any de- 
gree ofexactness. But to a friend one may hazard one’s 
notions right or wrong. And as you are pleased to desire my 
thoughts, you shall have them in welcome. I wish they 
were better. First, I imagine that the five per cent duty on 
goods imported from yourneighbouring governments, though 
paid at first hand by the importer, will not upon the whole 
come out of his pocket, but be paid in fact by the consumer : 
For the importer will be sure to sell his goods as much dear- 
er as to reimburse himself: So that it is only another mode 
of taxing your own people, though perhaps meant to raise 
money on your neighbours. Yet if you can make some of 
the goods, heretofore imported, among yourselves, the ad- 
vanced price of five per cent may encourage your own man- 
ufacture and in time make the importation of such articles 
unnecessary, which will be an advantage. Secondly, I im- 
agine the law will be difficult to execute, require many offi- 
cers to prevent smuggling in so extended a coast as yours ; 
and the charge considerable: And if smuggling is not pre- 
vented, the fair trader will be undersold and ruined. If the 
officers are many and busy, there will arise numbers of vex- 
atious law suits, and dissensions among your people. Quere, 
whether the advantages will overbalance. Thirdly, if there 
is any part of your produce that you can well spare and 
would desire to have taken off by your neighbours in ex- 
change for something you more want, perhaps they, taking 
offence at your selfish law, may in return lay such heavy 
duties or discouragements on that article, as to leave ita 
drug on your hands. As to the duty on transporting lumber, 
(unless in Connecticut bottoms, to the West Indies,) I sup- 
pose the design is to raise the price of such lumber on your 
neighbours and throw that advanced price into your treasu- | 
ry: But may not your neighbours supply themselves else- 
where ; or if numbers of your people have Jumber to dis- 
pose of, and want goods from, or have debts to pay, to your 
neighbours, will they not, (unless you employ numbers of of- 
ficers, to watch all your creeks, and landings) run their lum- 
ber, and so defeat the law ; or if the law is strictly execu- 
