Sk. VIII. 7.

Finances.

V

303

and the diftreffes of the people became intolerable.To this day, the fate of the good vizier is lamented.

We have improved upon Sully’s difcovery, bya bounty on corn exported, which has anfweredour moft fanguine expe&atipns. A great increafeof gold and filver fubfequent to the faid bounty,which has raifed the price of many other commo-dities, mud have alfo raifed that of corn, hadnot a ftill greater increafe of corn, occafioned bythe bounty, reduced its price even below whatit was formerly; and, by that means, our manu-factures have profited by the bounty, no lefs thanour hulbandry. The bounty is ftill more impor-tant in another refpeft : our wheat can be affordedin the French markets cheaper than their own; bywhich agriculture in France is in a languifhingftate. And it is in our power, during a war, todalh all the French fchemes for conqueft, by de-priving them of bread 4 . This bounty, therefore,is'our palladium, which we ought religioufty toguard, if we would avoid being a province ofFrance . Some fage politicians have begun of lateto mutter againft it, as feeding our rival manufac-turers cheaper than our own; which is doubtful,as the expenfe of exportation commonly equals

4 Between the years 1715 and 1755, there was ofwheat exported from Eng and to France twenty-one mil-lions of feptiers , eiiimated at two hundred millions of li.vres. Tne bounty for exporting corn hasfometimes amount-ed to L. 150,000 for a Angle year. But this fum is notall loft to the revenue; for frequently O'.r corn is exchangedwith goods that pay a high duty on importation.