118 
TJrdahl—Historical Survey of Fee Systems. 
the protection of New London, and again during the French 
and Indian War for the maintenance of a war ship. These port 
duties were also collected for the maintenance of lighthouses, 
and other maritime improvements or equipments. 
The positions of searchers, surveyors, collectors, and the like, 
in the more important harbors, were early known to be very 
lucrative. Under the government of the province of New Neth¬ 
erlands and the colony of New York, the collectors of the port 
of New York received a salary of 55£, surveyors and searchers 
60£, comptrollers 55£, land waiters 50£, tide waiters, 30£; in 
addition to which each received a large amount of fees. 1 In 
many harbors wharfage fees were also collected. In Massachu¬ 
setts these were graded in amount according to the nature of 
the commodity placed upon the wharf. 2 In 1752 Virginia col¬ 
lected lighthouse fees at the rate of 2d. per ton from all vessels 
entering the Chesapeake, for the maintainance of her light¬ 
houses. 3 
Many other kinds of fees were .from time to time collected, 
but their importance lies mainly in the fact, that they are in 
many instances the forerunners of later charges. As an ex¬ 
ample, may be mentioned the fees for assessing and collecting 
taxes, which in the early period formed part of the perquisites 
of the sheriff or other judicial officer. 4 
G. COLONIAL FEES AND POLITICAL LIBERTY. 
The inhabitants of the English Colonies of America did not 
suddenly become conscious of their political rights in 1766. 
The doctrine that “ taxation without representation is tyranny” 
had in its essence been discussed and asserted for nearly a cen¬ 
tury. The stand which was taken in 1765 was the result of nu- 
1 Civil List , N. Y., 1887, p. 179. In 1679, Miller, the collector of customs 
of North Carolina, is said to have collected $5,000 in cash and thirty-three 
hogsheads of tobacco in six months. J. W. Moore, History of North 
Carolina , p. 23. 
2 Colonial Laws , Mass., 1647, p. 147. 
3 Statutes , Henning, VI, 228. 
4 The Attorney General of the province of New Netherlands acted in the 
double capacity of attorney general and sheriff. Civil List , N. Y., 1887, 
p. 176. 
