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Front Page arrow Titles (by Subject) arrow CHAP. V.: That the King's Revenue in England and in Ireland, supposed to be 2070 Thousand Pounds, will be increased to above ⅕ Part more (vizt) to 1 above 414 Thousand Pounds; and even to 450 Thousand Pounds: So as to be in all 2520 Thousand Pounds. - The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, vol. 2

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CHAP. V.: That the King's Revenue in England and in Ireland, supposed to be 2070 Thousand Pounds, will be increased to above ⅕ Part more (vizt) to 1 above 414 Thousand Pounds; and even to 450 Thousand Pounds: So as to be in all 2520 Thousand Pounds. - Sir William Petty, The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, vol. 2 [1681]

Edition used:

The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, together with The Observations upon Bills of Mortality, more probably by Captain John Graunt, ed. Charles Henry Hull (Cambridge University Press, 1899), 2 vols.

Part of: The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, 2 vols.

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CHAP. V.

That the King's Revenue in England and in Ireland, supposed to be 2070 Thousand Pounds, will be increased to above ⅕ Part more (vizt) to1 above 414 Thousand Pounds; and even to 450 Thousand Pounds: So as to be in all 2520 Thousand Pounds.

FOr if in England the Duties of Excise, Customs, and Hearths be above 1400 Pounds; then by the Addition of one Million of People to the 7 which are already, the said 1400 Thousand Pounds, must be above 1600 Thousand Pounds, or 200 Thousand Pounds more than at present.

Moreover if the Produce of 1500 Thousand Milch-Cows, at 24 Shillings each, be 1800 Thousand Pounds, and of the 1200 Thousand Slaughter'd Beeves, be 1800 Thousand Pounds more, in all 3600 Thousand Pounds, Out of which 2 Millions of Pounds are to be pay'd as Wages to the 300 Thousand Servants, and 80 Thousand Pounds to the Land-Forces and Civil Government of Ireland, and 20 Thousand Pounds to the Clergy; in all 2100 Thousand Pounds, then the Remainder sent into England will be 1500 Thousand Pounds: Which added to the 3½ Millions arising from the Improvement of the Land in England (as aforesaid) will make the whole to be 5 Millions; the image Part thereof is 250 Thousand Pounds: Which, with the 200 Thousand Pounds Increase from the Customs, Excise, and Hearths, makes up the 450 Thousand Pounds above-mentioned. I here add that if, by the like Transplantation out of the High-Lands in Scotland, into the Low-Lands of the same, or into England, the 130 Thousand present Revenue of Scotland should increase ⅕ Part, and become 156 Thousand Pounds2 : So the Revenue of the 3 Kingdoms would be 2676 Thousand Pounds.

Now if the Charge of England could be defray'd for 1300 Thousand Pounds per Ann. in Times of Peace, and that of Ireland with 200 Thousand Pounds, and that of Scotland with 68 Thousand Pounds (the ⅓ of Ireland) in all with 1568 Thousand Pounds per Ann. the Overplus would be 1108 Thousand Pounds. Now for as much as in England there has not been found, for these many years, more than one Year of Warr to 3 of Peace, the said Overplus of 1108 Thousand Pounds for three Years of Peace would be 3324 Thousand Pounds: Which added to the Yearly Revenue of 2676 Thousand Pounds will make a Stock of 6 Millions for the Year of Warr: Which is thrice as much as has been spent in any late Year of Warr, and consequently sufficient for all Uses in View. We further say that because the King's Revenue in Ireland is at present 270 Thousand Pounds neat; and because but 80 Thousand Pounds thereof is by this New Model to be spent in Ireland; It follows that 190 Thousand Pounds more must be paid him in England out of the 1500 Thousand Pounds above-mentioned to be sent thither.

And moreover because the Church-Benefices of Ireland are 120 Thousand Pounds per Ann. whereof onely 20 Thousand Pounds, by this new Model, is to be spent by the Clergy in Ireland; It follows that the remaining 100 Thousand Pounds be transferred to Church Uses in England: And consequently when 290 Thousand Pounds of 1500 Thousand Pounds shall be paid to the King and Church, there will remain 1210 Thousand Pounds payable to the Owners of Irish Lands and Stock, who live in England.

[1]? a slip for ‘by.’

[2]On p. 579 Petty revises this calculation.