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THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF

contribution of the whole society. This expense, however,is most immediately and directly beneficial to those whotravel or carry goods from one place to another, and to thosewho consume such goods. The turnpike tolls in England,and the duties called peages in other countries, lay it alto-gether upon those two different sets of people, and therebydischarge the general revenue of the society from a veryconsiderable burden.

The expense of the institutions for education and religi-ous instruction, is likewise, no doubt, beneficial to the wholesociety, and may therefore, without injustice, be defrayed bythe general contribution of the whole society. This expensehowever, might perhaps with equal propriety, and even withsome advantage, be defrayed altogether by those who receivethe immediate benefit of such education and instruction, orby the voluntary contribution of those who think they haveoccasion for either the one or the other.

When the institutions or public works which are benefi-cial to the whole society, either cannot be maintained alto-gether, or arc not maintained altogether by the contributionof such particular members of the society as are most immedi-ately benefited by them, the deficiency must in most cases bemade up by the general contribution of the whole society.The general revenue of the society, over and above defrayingthe expense of defending the society, and of supporting thedignity of the chief magistrate, must make up for the defi-ciency of many particular branches of revenue. The sourcesof this general or public revenue, I shall endeavour to explainin the following chapter.

CHAP. II.

Of the Sources of the general or public Revenueof the Society.

The revenue which must defray, not only the expense ofdefending the society and of supporting the dignity of thechief magistrate, but all the other necessary expenses ofgovernment, for which the constitution ot the state has notprovided any particular revenue, may be drawn, either,first, from some fund which peculiarly belongs to the sove-reign or commonwealth, and which is independent of therevenue of the people; or, secondly, from the revenue ot thepeople.