tion of her expense. In the mode of collecting, and in that of expending the public revenue, though in both there may be still room for improvement, Great Britain seems to be at least as economical as any of her neighbours. The military.establishment which she maintains for her own defence in time of peace, is more moderate than that of any European state which can pretend to rival her either in wealth or in power. None of these articles, therefore, seem to admit of any considerable reduction of expense. The expense of the peace-establishment of the colonies was, before the commencement of the present disturbances, very considerable, and is an expense which may, and, if no revenue can be drawn from them, ought certainly to be saved altogether. This constant expense in time of peace, though very great, is insignificant in comparison with what the defence of the colonies has cost us in time of war. The last war, which was undertaken altogether on account of the colonies, cost Great Britain, it has already been observed, upwards of ninety millions. The Spanish war of 1739 was principally undertaken on their account; in which, and in the French war that was the consequence of it, Great Britain spent upwards of forty millions; a great part of which ought justly to be charged to the colonies. In those two wars, the colonies cost Great Britain much more than double the sum which the national debt amounted to before the commencement of the first of them. Had it not been for those wars, that debt might, and probably would by this time, have been completely paid; and had it not been for the colonies, the former of those wars might not, and the latter certainly would not, have been undertaken. It was because

1

the colonies were supposed to be provinces of the British empire, that this expense was laid out upon them. But countries which contribute neither revenue nor military force towards the support of the empire, cannot be considered as provinces. They may, perhaps, be considered as appendages, as a sort of splendid and showy equipage of the empire. But if the empire can no longer support the expense of keeping up this equipage, it ought certainly to lay it down; and if it cannot raise its revenue in proportion to its expense, it ought at least to accommodate its expense to its revenue. If the colonies, notwithstanding their refusal to submit to British taxes, are still to be considered as provinces of the British empire; their defence, in some future war, may cost Great Britain as great an expense as it ever has done in any former war. The rulers of Great Britain have, for more than a century past, amused the people with the imagination that they possessed a great empire on the west side of the Atlantic. This empire, however, has hitherto existed in imagination only. It has hitherto been, not an empire, but the project of an empire; not a gold mine, but the project of a gold mine; a project which has cost, which continues to cost, and which, if pursued in the same way as it has been hitherto, is likely to cost, immense expense, without being likely to bring any profit; for the effects of the monopoly of the colony trade, it has been shown, are, to the great body of the people, mere loss instead of profit. It is surely now time that our rulers should either realize this golden dream, in which they have been indulging themselves, perhaps, as well as the people; or, that they should awake from it themselves, and endeavour to

awaken the people. If the project cannot be completed, it ought to be given up. If any of the provinces of the British empire cannot be made to contribute towards the support of the whole empire, it is surely time that Great Britain should free herself from the expense of defending those provinces in time of war, and of supporting any part of their civil or military establishments in time of peace; and endeavour to accommodate her future views and designs to the real mediocrity of her circumstances.

INDEX.

A

ABSENTEE tax, the propriety of, considered, with reference
to Ireland, iii, 366.

Accounts of money, in modern Europe, all kept, and the value of
goods computed, in silver, i, 52.

Actors, public, paid for the contempt attending their profession,
i, 145.

Africa, cause assigned for the barbarous state of the interior
parts of that continent, i, 29.
African company, establisment and constitution of, iii, 135. Re-
ceive an annual allowance from parliament for forts and garri
sons, 137. The company not under sufficient controul, 138,
History of the Royal African Company, 142. Decline of, ib.
Rise of the present company, 143.

Age, the foundation of rank and precedency in rude as well as
civilized societies, iii, 97.

Aggregate fund, in the British finances, explained, iii, 397.
Agio of the bank of Amsterdam explained, ii, 275. Of the bank
of Hamburgh, 277. The agio at Amsterdam, how kept at
a medium rate, 286.

Agriculture, the labour of, does not admit of such subdivisions as
manufactures, i, 9. This impossibility of separation prevents
agriculture from improving equally with manufactures, ib. Na-
tural state of, in a new colony, 124. Requires more knowledge
and experience than most mechanical professions, and yet is car-
ried on without any restrictions, 174. The terms of rent, how
adjusted between landlord and tenant, 198. Is extended by
good roads and navigable canals, 202. Under what circum-
stances pasture land is more valuable than arable, 205. Gar-
dening not a very gainful employment, 210. Vines the most
profitable article of culture, 212. Estimates of profit from
projects very fallacious, ib. Cattle and tillage mutually im
prove each other, 305. Remarks on that of Scotland, 308

VOL. III.

Has

On that of North America, 310. Poultry a profitable article
in husbandry, 312. Hogs, 313. Dairy, 315. Evidences of
land being completely improved, 317. The extension of cul-
tivation, as it raises the price of animal food, reduces that of
vegetables, 338. By whom and how practised under
feudal government, ii, 88. Its operations not so much intend-
ed to increase, as to direct, the fertility of nature, 128.
been the cause of the prosperity of the British colonies in
America, 133. The profits of, exaggerated by projectors,
145. On equal terms, is naturally preferred to trade, 148.
Artificers necessary to the carrying it on, 149. Was not attend-
ed to by the northern destroyers of the Roman empire, 153.
The ancient policy of Europe unfavourable to, 168 Was pro-
moted by the commerce and manufactures of towns, 197. The
wealth arising from, more solid and durable than that which
proceeds from commeree, 203. Is not encouraged by the
bounty on the exportation of corn, 318. Why the proper
business of new companies, 465.- -The present agricultural
system of political economy adopted in France, described, iii,

33.

Is discouraged by restrictions and prohibitions in trade,
45. Is favoured beyond manufactures in China, 56. And
in Indostan, 58. Does not require so extensive a market as
manufactures, 60. To check manufactures, in order to pro-
mote agriculture, false policy, 66. Landlords ought to be
encouraged to cultivate part of their own land, 270.
Alcavala, the tax in Spain so called, explained and considered,
iii, 373. The ruin of the Spanish manufactures attributed to
this tax, ib.

Alehouses, the number of, not the efficient cause of drunkenness,
ii, 126, 295.

Allodial rights, mistaken for feudal rights, ii, 189. The intro-
duction of the feudal law tended to moderate the authority of
the allodial lords, 191.

Ambassadors, the first motive of their appointment, iii, 127.
America, why labour is dearer in North America than in England,
i, 93.
Great increase of population there, 94. Common rate
of interest there, 124. Is a new market for the produce of its
own silver mines, 280. The first accounts of the two empires
of Peru and Mexico greatly exaggerated, 281. Improving
state of the Spanish colonies, 282.- -Account of the paper
currency of the British colonies, ii, 78. Cause of the rapid
prosperity of the British colonies there, 133. Why manufac-
tures for distant sale have never been established there, 150.
Its speedy improvement owing to assistance from foreign ca-
pitals, 152. The purchase and improvement of uncultivated
land the most profitable employment of capitals, 198. Com-
mercial alterations produced by the discovery of, 232. But
two civilized nations found on the whole continent, 233. The