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TI1E NATURE AND CAUSES OF

revenue which they levy upon the people even in peaceabletimes. The ordinary revenue of Great Britain , for example,including not only what is necessary for defraying the cur-rent expense of the year, but for paying the interest of thepublic debts, and for sinking a part of the capital of thosedebts, amounts to upwards of ten millions a year. But theland tax, at four shillings in the pound, falls short of twomillions a year. This land tax, as it is called, however, issupposed to be one-fifth, not only of the rent of all the land,but of that of all the houses, and of the interest of all thecapital stock of Great Britain , that part of it only exceptedwhich is either lent to the public, or employed as fanningstock in the cultivation of land. A very considerable partof the produce of this tax arises from the rent of houses, andthe interest of capital stock. The land tax of the city ofLondon , for example, at four shillings in the pound, amountsto 123,399/. (is. Id. That of the city of Westminster, toG3,()92/. Is. 5 d. That of the palaces of Whitehall and St.James’s, to 30,754/. Gs. 3 d. A certain proportion of theland tax is in the same manner assessed upon all the othercities and towns corporate in the kingdom, and arises almostaltogether, either from the rent of houses, or from what issupposed to be the interest of trading and capital stock.According to the estimation, therefore, by which Great Bri-tain is rated to the land tax, the whole mass of revenue arisingfrom the rent of all the lands, from that of all the houses,and from the interest of all the capital stock, that part of itonly excepted which is either lent to the public, or employedin the cultivation of land, does not exceed ten millions ster-ling a year, the ordinary revenue which government leviesupon the people even in peaceable times. The estimationby which Great Britain is rated to the land tax, is, no doubt,taking the whole kingdom at an average, very much belowthe real value; though in several particular counties anddistricts it is said to be nearly equal to that value. The rentof the lands alone, exclusive of that of houses, and of theinterest of stock, has by many people been estimated attwenty millions, an estimation made in a great measure atrandom, and which, 1 apprehend, is as likely to be above asbelow the truth. But if the lands of Great Britain , in thepresent state of their cultivation, do not afford a rent of morethan twenty millions a year, they could not well affoi’d thehall, most probably not the fourth part of that rent, if they all