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THOUGHTS

ON THE

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

OF THE

Prefent High Price of PROVISIONS.

HE high price of provifions, and all the ne

TH

of

ceffaries of life, is an evil fo inconvenient to all conditions of men, and fo intolerable to fome, that it is not furprising that all should fuffer it with much discontent, and many be drove by it into defpair, or into riots, rapine, and all kinds of diforders. The latter, indeed, we cannot but expect, if we confider, that the enemies of all government and fubordination, fo numerous in this country, will not fail to avail themselves of this favourable opportunity, to fpread univerfal diffatisfaction, and inflame the minds of the people to feek redress by fuch infamous and dangerous methods. This they endeavour, too fuccessfully,

to effect, by daily reprefenting in the public papers, that this calamity arifes from the artifices of monopolizers, regraters, foreftallers, and engroffers, encouraged, or at least connived at, by minifters defirous of oppreffing the people, and parliaments unattentive to their complaints. It is hard to fay, whether the ignorance of these writers, or their malevolence, is fuperior; or, whether the abfurdity of their principles, or the mifchief of them, is the greateft: but one may venture to affirm, that our people, notwithstanding the prefent scarcity, are ftill better fed than taught. This undoubtedly makes it neceffary, at this time, that the true caufes of this evil should be explained to them; which, if it leffens not their wants, may in fome measure abate their ill-founded indignation.

To this end I fhall endeavour to fhew, as concifely as poffible, that the prefent high price of provifions arifes principally from two fources; the increase of our national debts, and the increase of our riches; that is, from the poverty of the public, and the wealth of private individuals. From what causes these have been increased, and what have been the effects of that increase, fhall be the fubject of the few following pages.

It will furely be unneceffary to inquire into the caufes of the late immenfe increase of our national debt; whoever remembers the many millions an

nually

nually borrowed, funded, and expended, during the laft war, can be under no difficulty to account for its increafe. To pay intereft for these new funds, new taxes were every year impofed, and additional burthens laid on every comfort, and almoft every neceffary of life, by former taxes, occafioned by former wars, before fufficiently loaded. These must unavoidably increase the prices of them, and that in a much greater proportion than is ufually understood: for a duty laid on any commodity does not only add the value of that duty to the price of that commodity, but the dealer in it must advance the price double or treble times that fum; for he must not only repay hims. If the original tax, but must have compenfation for his loffes in trade by bad debts, and lofs of intereft by his increased capital. Befides this, every new tax does not only affect the price of the commodity on which it is laid, but that of all others, whether taxed or not, and with which, at first fight, it seems to have no manner of connection. Thus, for inftance, a tax on candles must raise the price of a coat, or a pair of breeches; because, out of thefe, all the taxes on the candles of the woolcomber, weaver, and the taylor, must be paid: a duty upon ale must raise the price of fhoes; becaufe from them all the taxes upon ale drank by the tanner, leather-dreffer, and shoemaker, which is not a little, must be refunded. No tax is im mediately laid upon corn, but the price of it

muft neceffarily be advanced; because, out of that, all the innumerable taxes paid by the farmer on windows, foap, candles, malt, hops, leather, falt, and a thousand others, must be repaid: fo that corn is as effectually taxed, as if a duty by the bushel had been primarily laid upon it; for taxes, like the various ftreams which form a general inundation, by whatever channels they feparately find admiffion, unite at last, and overwhelm the whole. The man, therefore, who fold fand upon an afs, and raised the price of it during the late war, though abused for an imposition, most certainly acted upon right reasons; for, though there were no new taxes then imposed either on fand or affes, yet he found by experience, that, from the taxes laid on almoft all other things, he could neither maintain himself, his wife, or his afs, as cheap as formerly; he was therefore under a neceffity of advancing the price of his fand, out of which alone all the taxes which he paid muft be refunded. Thus I think it is evident beyond all doubt, that the increase of taxes muft increase the price of every thing, whether taxed or not, and that this is one principal caufe of the prefent extraordinary advance of provifions, and all the -peceffaries of life.

THE other great fource, from whence this calamity arifes, is certainly our vast increase of riches; the caufes and confequences of which, I will now briefly

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