An estimate of the comparative strength of Britain during the present and four preceding reigns; and of the losses of her trade from every war since the Revolution ... To which is added an essay on population / by the Lord Chief Justice Hale.
- George Chalmers
- Date:
- 1782
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An estimate of the comparative strength of Britain during the present and four preceding reigns; and of the losses of her trade from every war since the Revolution ... To which is added an essay on population / by the Lord Chief Justice Hale. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![[ 13° ] There were moreover borrowed during the foregoing reign, at an intereft of fix and feven per cent — of which there were repaid during the fame reign Debt contradled by King William, due at Lady-day 1702 Add to this the bankers debt, contradted by Charles II. 1 which was afterwards liquidated by Parliament at ° J National debt at the accellion of Queen Anne If we take the average of the whole fum of — — raifed during the reign of King William, we fliall acquire a pretty exa^I idea of his annual income? — Deduft King James’s annual income^ The balance fhews how much more the people of T England were burdened with taxes in King X - William’s reign, than they had ever been before ' 44,140,801 3 3li 34,134,024 6 2 10,006,776 n I — 664,263 0 0 £■ 10,671,039 17 12 L- 58,698,688 19 8, 4>Si5»36o 13 9I 2,061,856 7 9x- £■ 2,453^504 6 0) It has neverthelefs been Ihewn, that manufactures flourifhed in the mean time; that there was a great demand for labour; that the fpreign traffic and navigation of England doubled from the. peace of Ryfwick/ to the acceffion of Queen Anne: at the fame time that DoClor Davenant ’ ftunned every coffee-houfe with his declamations on the decay of commerce : fo different are the de- ductions of theory from the informations of experience. A new war enfued, Itill more bloody and glorious than the former, which may have again interrupted the purfuits of in- duftry, by impofing new burdens, and checked the progrefs of population, by the interpofition of the various miferies refulting from hoftility. Yet, both public and private men derived con- fiderable * MSS. Harley. ® Hift. of Debts and Taxes, p. 7. ? The revenue of King William, during the years of peace, may be ftated at only £. 3,355,000 j of which one million was to ceafe before 1700. ^ Hift, of Debts and Taxes, p. 6, ' See before, p. 6. * See his works every where. Yet, Davenant thus deferibed the ftate of the nation about the peace of Ryfwick : The great export England has had during this war, has given a good price to all commodities of our own growth; upon which fcore rents have been all along well paid. Till laft year [1696-7] in the country manufadlures proceeded brifkly : wages have been very high \ and, generally fpeaking, tenants, and, the whole middle rank of men, were much at their eafe; (peradventure we may fay, in great plenty for thefirft feven years of the war).—The decays in trade, which the war may have occafioned, have beeij moft fenfibly felt in London, which de- pends upon foreign traffic, profeffions, and handicrafts, which cannot flourjih in a](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28757671_0144.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
