BOOK-KEEPING. 
245 
From what has been said it is evident that 
j the terms debtor and creditor are nothing 
! else hut marks or characteristics stamped 
upon the different ports of transactions in the 
: journal, expressing the relation of these parts 
to one another, and shewing to which side of 
their respective accounts in the ledger they 
i are to be carried. 
I ' Having thus far explained the meaning of 
the terms debtor and creditor, we shall now 
I proceed to the ledger, or principal book of 
I accounts. 
Of the ledger. The ledger is the principal 
j book wherein all the several articles of each 
particular account that lie scattered in other 
' books, according to their dates, are collected 
| and placed together in spaces allotted for 
, them, in such a manner that the opposite 
| parts of every account arc directly set frout- 
1 ing one another, on opposite sides of the 
same folio. 
The ledger’s folios are divided into spaces 
] for containing the accounts, on the head of 
| which are written the titles of the accounts, 
: marked Dr. on the left hand page, and Cr. 
j on the right; below r which stand the articles, 
with the word To prefixed on the Dr. side, 
and the word By on the Cr. side ; and upon 
the margin are recorded the dates of the ar- 
ticles, in two small columns allotted for that 
purpose. The money columns are the same 
j as in other books: before them stand the fo- 
lio column, which contains figures directing 
j to the folio- where the corresponding ledger- 
I entrance of each article is made ; for every 
thing is twice entered in the ledger, viz. on 
I the Dr. side of one account, and again on the 
Cr. side of some other account; so that the 
I figures mutually refer from the one to the 
pother, and are of use in examining die led- 
J ger. Besides these columns, there must be 
J kept in all accounts, where number, measure, 
! weight, or distinction of coins is considered, 
inner columns to insert the quantity; and for 
j the ready finding any account in the ledger, 
if has an alphabet or index, wherein are writ- 
1, ten tlie titles of all accounts, with the number 
[of the folio where they stand. 
llow the ledger is. titled up- from the jour- 
nal. 1. Turn to the index, and see whether 
tlie Dr. of the journal post, to be transported, 
is written there : if not, insert it under its 
proper letter, with the number of the folio 
to which it is to be carried. 
2 .. Having distinguished the Dr. and the 
Cr. sides, as already directed, recording the 
dates, complete tlie entry in one line, by giv- 
ing a short hint of the nature and terms of 
tlie transaction, carrying the sum to the mo- 
ney columns ; and inserting the quantity, if 
it is an account of goods, &c. in the inner 
columns, and the referring figure in the folio 
column. 
3. Turn next to the creditor of tlie journal- 
post, and proceed in the same manner with 
it, both in tlie index and ledger; with this 
difference only, that the entry is to be made 
on the Cr. side, and the word By prefixed to 
it. 
4. The post being thus entered in the ledg- 
er, return to the journal, and on the margin 
mark tlie folios of the accounts, with the 
folio of the Dr. above, and the folio of the 
Cr. below, and a small line between them 
thus These marginal numbers of the 
journal, are a kind of index to the ledger, 
and are of use in examining the- books, and 
on other occasions.. 
5. In opening the accounts in the ledger, 
follow the order of the journal ; that is, be- 
ginning with the first journal-post, allow the 
first space in the ledger for the Dr. of it, tlie 
next for the Cr. the third for the Dr. of the 
following post, if it is not the same with some 
of those already opened, and so on till the 
whole journal be transported : and supposing 
that, through inadvertency, some former 
space has been allowed too large, you are not 
to go back to subdivide it, in order to erect 
another account in its stead. 
Though these rules are formed for 
simple posts, where there is but one Dr. and 
one Cr. yet they may be easily applied to 
complex ones. 
As an example how articles are to be enter- 
ed in tlie ledger, take the two accounts of 
Cash and William Pope, so far as mentioned 
in the above waste-book and journal.. 
JOURNAL. 
1 806. 
Casli Dr. 
Eo. 
l. 
s\ 
d. 
1806. 
Contra Cr. 
Eo. 
/. 
s. 
d: 
July 
4 
To port-vine re- 
ceived in part for 
four pipes, at 27 1. 
10 s. per pipe. 
6 ' 
55 
00 
00 
July 
July 
1 
1 
By shalloon, paid in 
part for 100 yards 
at 1 0 d. per yard. 
12 
O 
00 
00 
July 
4 
Wil. Pope, Dr. 
Contra Cr. 
To port-wine, as 
per journal. 
6 
55 
i 
00 
00 
By black cloth, for 
40 yards, at 14a. 
per yard.. 
3 
28 
00 
00 
Cash Book. This is the most important of 
the auxiliary books. It is so called, because 
it contains, in debtor and creditor, all the 
'cash that comes in, and goes out of, a mer- 
chant’s stock ; the receipts on the debtor 
side ; the persons of whom it was received, 
on. what, and on whose account, and in what 
[ sj ecie : and the payments on the creditor 
side ; mentioning also the specie, the reasons 
of the payments, lo whom, and for what ac- 
count they are made. 
Book of debts or payments , is a book in 
which is written down the day on which all 
sums become due, either to be received or 
paid, by bills of exchange, notes of hand, 
merchandizes bought or sold, or otherwise. 
By comparing receipts and payments, one 
may, in time, provide the necessary funds for 
payments, by getting the bills, notes, &c. due 
to be paid, or by taking other precautions. 
Book of numeros or zvares. This book 
is kept in order, to know easily all tlie mer- 
chandizes that are lodged in the warehouse, 
those that are taken out of it, and those that 
remain therein *. 
Book of invoices. This book is kept to 
preserve the journal from erasures, which are* 
unavoidable in drawing up the accounts of in- 
voices of the several merchandizes received, 
sent out, or sold ; wherein one is obliged to 
enter very minute particulars. It is also de- 
signed to render those invoices easier to find 
than they can be in the waste-book or journal. 
Book of accounts current. This book 
serves to draw up the accounts which are to 
be sent to correspondents, in order to settle- 
them in concert, before they are balanced in. 
the ledger ; it is properly a duplicate of the 
accounts in the ledger which is kept to have 
recourse to occasionally. 
The other mercantile books generally in 
use are, the book of commissions, orders, or 
advices \ tlie book of acceptances of bills of 
exchange ; the book of remittances ; the book 
of. expences the copy-book of letters ; the 
book of postage ; the ship-books ; and the 
book of workmen. To these may be added 
others, which depend on the greater ©r lesser 
accuracy of the merchants and bankers, and 
on the several kinds of trade carried on by 
particular dealers. 
Books. By 8 Anne, c. If), tile author of 
any book, and his assigns, shall have the sole 
liberty of printing and reprinting tlie same 
for twenty-one years, to commence from tlie 
day of ihe first publication thereof, and no 
longer -; except that if the author be living at" 
the expiration of the said term, the sole copy- 
right shall return to him for other, fourteen 
years; and if any other person shall print, 
or import, or shall sell or expose it to sale, 
he shall forfeit the same, and also one penny 
for every sheet thereof found in his posses- 
sion. But this shall not expose any person to 
the said forfeitures,. unless the title thereof 
shall be entered in tlie register-book of tlie 
company of stationers. 
By 4l Geo. 111. eleven copies of each 
book, on the best paper, shall, before piibli-- 
cation, be delivered to the warehouse-keeper 
of the company of stationers, for tlie use of 
the royal library, the libraries of the two- 
universities in England,, the four universities 
in Scotland, the library of Sion-college, the 
library belonging to the college of advocates 
in Edinburgh, the library of Trinity-college - 
Dublin, and the king’s inns Dublin, on pain 
of forfeiting the value thereof, and also 5/. 
By slat. 34 Geo. IIL c. 20. and 41 Geo. 
III. c. 107,- persons importing for sale books 
first printed within the united kingdom, and 
reprinted in any other, such books shall be 
seized and forfeited ; and.every person so ex- 
posing such books to sale, for every such of- 
fence shall forfeit tlie sum of 10/. * The pe- 
nalties not to extend to books not having 
been printed for twenty years. 
By the act of union, 40 Geo. TIT. c. 67. 
all prohibitions and bounties on the export 
of articles (the produce and manufacture of 
either country) to tlie other shall cease ; and 
a countervailing duty of two-pence for every 
