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The taxes confirt i. of a perfonal tax ; a. of an import on appointments, revenues,and funds producing income ; 3. a tax on windows, luxury, horfes, and carriages, fu-perfluous fervants, filk furniture, gilding, and watches, (thefe latter taxes were laid onby the diet of 1789, and the others at the fame time encreafed ;) 4. on filk* fireflies,fnuff, and tobacco, for the maintenance of the King’s different palaces, the parliaments,and the fund of the college of phyficians.
There exifts a book on the imports, granted by the rtatesat the diet of 1789; theywere granted until the next feffions, without fixing any time. We are ignorant if thatheld at Gefle in 1792 has occafioned any change.
Chap. XX.— Population. — Commerce .
SWEDEN and Finland fill a large fpace of country ; neverthelefs, they contain nomore than three millions of people. The nature of the foil frequently unfit for culti-vation j its numerous forerts, and the feverity of the climate in its northern parts, allconcur to the want of population in Sweden . The frequent ufe of brandy, which webefore have noticed, is another caufe of diminifhing the number of its inhabitants, fromthe great number of viftims who die before they reach maturity, or who, if they live,remain in confequence unfit for procreation. But this is a misfortune which we multbe fatisfied to lament; we confider this fhocking habit too deeply rooted to allow oferadication; it is too inveterate among the nations of the north. We have witnefifedthe diforders of which the populace were guilty, upon the King’s prohibiting the peafan-try from diftilling their own brandy ; nobody can deny that his motive was good,' orthat in a country in want of grain, it isabfurd toconfume a part thereof in brandy ; ne-verthelefs he could not fucceed, and has felt himfelf obliged to leave the abufe uncor-refted.
The commerce of Sweden is very inconfiderable, and for fome years back has been imits dis-favour. Its articles of merchandize are iron, (the moft important,) copper, deals,pitch, herrings, alium, &c. The following tables will give a perfe£t idea of the flateof its trade-
Its annual importation of raw and clayed fugars, amounts to from two to three mil-lion pounds weight; the price regulated by the markets at Bourdeaux, as well as thethe price of refined fugar by that of Hamburgh.
One great abufe exifts in this country, which is the facility that bad-intentioned menhave of becoming bankrupts ; his account once rendered, the infolvent gives himfelfno more uneafinefs ; it will readily be feen how difeouraging this mull be to a certainclafsof men, and for our parts we are at lofs to conceive how an abufe of fuch magni-tude can be fuffered any longer to exift.
* The fumptuary laws forbid the wearing of coloured filk, and are obferved. The common drefs in filkis black, with, in a court drefs, an addition of flame-coloured filk banks. ' The fumptuary laws, with re-spect to the number of difbes allowed to be ferved up at table, are lefs rigoroufly regarded. We have,however, been prefect at entertainments at which they were obferVcd.
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A genera*