money answers all things-第37部分

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ears；　but　I　think　England　is　not　capable　to　sustain　double　its　present　Number　of　Inhabitants；　because　it　is　undoubtedly　at　present　above　half　cultivated　and　improved；　yet　I　think　I　have　made　it　evident；　we　have　not　near　Land　enough　in　Use　to　support　its　present　Inhabitants。　　　　　Dr　John　Lawrence　in　his　new　System　of　Agriculture；　Page　45；　says；　'tis　believed　that　almost　one　half　Part　of　the　Kingdom　is　Commons。

19。　If　we　take　the　Rents　of　good　Lands　in　England；　at　a　Medium；　to　be　about　10　Shillings　per　Acre；　and　the　Rents　of　bad　Lands；　at　a　Medium；　to　be　about　two　Shillings　and　Sixpence　per　Acre；　and　that　their　Quantities　are　near　equal；　then　the　Rents　of　Lands　will　be　about　6　Shillings　per　Acre　now　at　a　Medium；　and　as　far　as　I　can　learn　6　or　7　Shillings　per　Acre　at　Medium；　is　as　much　as　the　Lands　of　England　are　now　worth；　and　I　believe　I　may　be　bold　to　say；　the　Lands　of　England；　at　a　Medium；　have　not　let　for　less　than　one　Shilling　and　Six…pence　per　Acre　for　four　hundred　Years　backwards。

20。　Money　is　the　Tradesman's　working　Tools；　without　which　he　can't　proceed　in　Trade　at　all；　therefore；　since　the　Increase　of　Money　amongst　the　People　will　increase　the　Price　of　Things　in　greater　Proportion　than　the　Rents　can　be　raised；　the　more　Money　circulates　in　Trade；　the　more　must　the　Traders　have　in　their　Hands　to　carry　it　on；　and　this　will　necessarily　raise　Tradesmen　so　much　nearer　the　Rank　of　Gentry；　as　the　Quantity　of　Cash　they　circulate　is　greater　in　Proportion　to　the　Rents；　than　it　would　be　if　the　Price　of　Things　were　kept　lower；　the　Way　above　suggested。

21。　I　would　by　no　means　have　us　follow　their　Example　of　burying　our　Money；　any　further；　than　that　every　Man　should　be　his　own　Banker；　that　is；　I　would　have　no　publick　Banking　any　ways　encouraged；　nor　any　Companies　ever　incorporated；　because；　besides　many　Evils　that　necessarily　adhere　to　all　trading　Corporations；　their　Stock　and　Bonds　have　the　same　Effects　as　Banking；　viz。　operating　two　Ways　at　the　same　time；　in　their　Trade；　and　in　our　Markets；　so　that　any　thing　can　always　be　bought　with　them；　just　as　if　such　Paper　were　Gold　and　Silver；　I　say；　I　would　therefore　have　none　of　these　Things　encouraged；　and　then　if　Property　were　but　sufficiently　diffused　amongst　the　People　in　general；　we　might　sleep　very　safe　with　large　Sums　under　slender　Fastenings；　for　it　is　Necessity　which　makes　Thieves。　　　　　Now　if　every　Man　were　his　own　Banker；　and　Trade　put　on　so　good　a　Foot；　as　to　diffuse　Property　so　effectually；　that　every　industrious　and　prudent　Tradesman；　though　his　Circumstances　were　not　great；　might　get　Money；　there　would　soon　be　Millions　locked　up　in　the　Hands　of　the　People　of　this　Kingdom；　and　as　this　is　the　fit　and　natural　Way　of　burying　Money；　so　this　would　reduce　the　Price　of　our　Goods　below　the　Rates；　which　the　Cash；　if　it　were　all　afloat；　would　support　them　at；　and　which　now　by　Banking　and　other　artificial　Moneys；　i。e。　Paper　Effects　having　the　Operation　of　Money；　are　certainly；　vastly　above　the　Rates　which　the　real　Specie　itself；　which　we　have　now　amongst　us；　would　support　them　at。　　　　　But　perhaps　the　Merchants　may　object；　they　can't　do　so　much　Business　without　more　Hands；　if　there　were　no　Banking　at　all；　to　which　I　answer；　that　such　as　have　so　much　Business　as　to　require　a　Hand　the　more　on　that　Account；　must　employ　one；　yet　I　will　mention　a　Practice　in　Holland　well　known　to　many　of　our　Merchants。　The　Merchants　in　Holland；　frequently　make　large　Payments　in　a　coarse；　and　therefore　a　bulky　Sort　of　Specie；　called　Sea　d'Halve；　which　they　deliver　each　other　in　Bags　unopened；　containing　375　Guldens；　and　numbered；　or　ticketed　without　Sides　so　many；　and　also　weighing　so　much；　which　they　may　tell　over　at　home　if　they　please；　and　if　any　thing　is　found　short；　the　merchant　that　paid　it；　on　telling　him　how　much　it　fell　short；　immediately；　without　any　Questions；　makes　it　good；　and　if　there　be　an　overplus；　they　always　reckon　themselves　obliged　to　carry　that　overplus　to　the　Owner。　This　honourable　Way　of　dealing　in　the　valuable　Article　of　Money；　may　possibly　seem　strange　to　us；　who　are　not　used　to　it；　but　I　believe　if　we　had　no　Banking；　and　our　Specie　were　as　coarse　and　bulky　as　theirs；　the　Merchants　would　soon　find　it　convenient　to　introduce　this　Practice　amongst　them；　and　no　doubt　would　discharge　it　as　honourably；　and　then　large　Payments　might　be　made　almost　as　quick　as　Draughts　on　the　Bankers　with　the　Entries　they　occasion；　and　the　necessary　Settlements　with　the　Bankers　about　them　afterwards；　besides；　that　the　vast　Damage　arising　by　Failure　of　Bankers；　would　this　Way　be　intirely　prevented。

22。　The　Indians　are　so　politick；　as　to　take　only　or　chiefly　Silver；　because　it's　next　to　impossible　it　should　ever　be　so　plentiful；　as　to　reduce　its　Value　in　respect　of　Gold；　which　to　be　sure　they　know　to　be　continually　growing　so　plentiful　in　Europe；　as　to　lower　its　Value　in　respect　of　Silver；　besides　Silver　being　of　so　much　less　value　than　Gold　can't　be　much　diminished　but　it　will　be　obvious；　nor　is　there　near　the　Temptation　to　counterfeit　it。　　　　　What　is　it　therefore；　which　infatuates　us　and　other　Nations　to　such　a　Degree；　as　to　carry　the　Indians　almost　all　our　Silver？　The　Author　of　the　Plan　of　the　English　Commerce；　2d　Edition　printed　1730；　will　answer　this　Question　for　me；　for　Page　65；　he　says；　China　and　India；　and　other　Eastern　Countries　have　the　most　extended　Manufactures；　and　the　greatest　Variety　of　them　in　the　World；　and　their　Manufactures　push　themselves　on　the　World　by　the　meer　Stress　of　their　Cheapness；　which　causes　their　Consumption；　and　Page　66；　he　says；　the　Wages　of　their　labouring　People　do　not　exceed　two　Pence　Sterling　per　Day。

23。　If　there　were　full　Employment　for　the　working　People；　their　Wages　would　as　certainly　rise　to　the　just　Value　of　Labour；　as　we　know　every　thing　else　doth；　for　which　the　Demand　is　equal　to　the　Quantity；　and　therefore　I　deny　that　there　is　Work　enough　to　employ　the　People；　or　that　Property　is　reasonably　or　sufficiently　diffused；　till　Necessaries　are　rendered　so　plentiful；　and　thereby　so　cheap；　that　the　Wages　of　the　labouring　Man　will　purchase　as　many　of　them　as　the　decent　and　comfortable　Support　of　a　middling　Family　requires　in　that　Station　of　Life。

24。　E。　Phillips；　Page　44；　says；　I　believe　I　shall　be　allowed　to　compute　the　Rents　of　the　Kingdom　at　20　Millions。

25。　All　taxes　on　commodities　of　universal　Consumption　raise；　at　least；　10　per　cent　more　than　their　Rate　on　the　People；　because　the　Dealers　in　those　Commodities　exact　that　Interest　for　the　Money　advanced　for　the　Tax；　If　I　put　this　Exceeding　at　15　per　cent；　I　believe　Experience　will　justify　me。　See　Fog's　Journal　of　February　the　20th；　1732…3。　　　　　If　we　consider　that　Taxes　on　Goods　inhance　the　Charge　of　Living；　and　consequently　of　Labour；　in　some　Degree　at　least；　we　can't　doubt　but　that　the　Taxes　on　Goods　must　inhance　their　Price　to　the　Consumer；　at　least　as　much　as　I　have　supposed；　because　Labour　enters　so　essentially　into　every　thing；　as　to　constitute　the　chief　Value　thereof。

26。　In　a　Mass　of　People；　there　is　not　above　one　half　labouring　or　manufacturing。　For　suppose　we　have　8　Millions　of　People；　and　that　the　Limits　of　the　Age　of　Labour　be　placed　between　13　and　63；　and　that　2/3　of　the　People　are　between　thes