'i'll K WKA1.TU OF NATIONS.

893

of taxation extended to all the different provinces of the em-pire might, produce, it must, no doubt, be altogether impos-sible to ascertain with tolerable exactness. By means of thissystem there is annually levied in Great Britain , upon lessthan eight millions of people, more than ten millions of re-venue. Ireland contains more than two millions of people,and according to the accounts laid before the congress, thetwelve associated provinces of America contain more thanth ree. Those accounts, however, may have been exaggerated,in order, perhaps, either to encourage their own people, orto intimidate those of this country, and we shall supposetherefore that our North American and West Indian coloniestaken together contain no more than three millions; or thatthe whole British empire, in Europe and America , containsno more than thirteen millions of inhabitants. If upon lessthan eight millions of inhabitants this system of taxationraises a revenue of more than ten millions sterling; it oughtupon thirteen millions of inhabitants to raise a revenue ofmore than sixteen millions two hundred and fifty thousandpounds sterling. From this revenue, supposing that thissystem could produce it, must be deducted, the revenueusually raised in Ireland and the plantations for defrayingtheexpenseof their respective civil governments. The expenseof the civil and military establishment of Ireland , together withthe interest of the public debt, amounts, at a medium of thetwo years which ended March, 1775, to something less thanseven hundred and fifty thousand pounds a year. By a veryexact account of the revenue of the principal colonies ofAmerica and the West Indies , it amounted, before the com-mencement of the present disturbances, to a hundred andforty-one thousand eight hundred pounds. In this account,however, the revenue of Maryland , of North Carolina , andof all our late acquisitions both upon the continent and in theislands, is omitted, which may perhaps make a difference ofthirty or forty thousand pounds. For the sake of even num-bers, therefore, let us suppose that the revenue necessary forsupporting the civil government of Ireland and the planta-tions, may amount to a million. There would remain con-sequently a revenue of fifteen millions two hundred and fiftythousand pounds, to lie applied towards defraying the generalexpense of the empire, and towards paying the public debt.But if from the present revenue of Great Britain a millioncould in peaceable times be spared towards the payment of