Advantages of TEA. 259 
fifty thoufand pounds annually ; which, as a tax on luxury, may 
be confidered of great utility to the ftate. Thefe are advan- 
tages, it mud be confefs’d ; but I apprehend it can be eafily 
proved, that if the cuftom of drinking tea was aboliihed, we 
fhould be able to pay, for the fervice of the ftate, in a dire<ft 
view, at leaft twice as much, and employ twice as many feamen. 
In all fpeculations of this kind, we ought to confider by what 
means we can preferve the ufeful part of a branch of commerce, 
and abolifti that which is apparently ruinous. One feventy or 
eighty gun fhip of war, would breed as many feamen as the 
whole china trade ; and it would be a much lefs burden to the 
nation, to double- man our east-india fhips, efpecially in time 
of war, than to bring home tea from china, merely with a view' 
to breed feamen. And in order to fupport the ftate in health 
and vigor, we had better fubmit to be taxed for the liberty of 
drinking cold water, than fend filver to china, to purchafe fuch 
a dead article of confumption as tea, which is injurious in fo many 
lights. In our prefent circumftances we ought to confider, in 
the firft place, how to promote parfimony, increafe our numbers, 
and quicken useful induftry: and if we mean to be rich and 
powerful, we muft abolifh the trade in queftion, or we fhall 
find ’ere long it will abolifti us. 
It is the opinion of fome politicians, that if the duty 
on tea were taken off, it would prevent the fmuggling of this 
commodity upon us. They alledge that the east-india com- 
pany would be enabled to fell it fo much the cheaper : but it 
admits of a difpute whether they would, or could, confidently 
do it ; for whilft this raging appetite for tea continues, if there 
L 1 2 
was 
