Difference in Employing our own Ships and those of other Nations.And this is farther to be noted in our Trade with Foreign Nations, that where they fetch from us our Product and Manufactures, and make their Imports to us, in their own Ships, we get less by the Trade we drive with them, than if we did it in ours, because that doth also encourage our Navigation; and Freights are a great and profitable Article in Trade; therefore we get more by theSpanishTrade, because we generally drive it in our own Bottoms; and we lose more by theFrenchTrade, when they bring us their Wines and Brandy, than when we fetch them ourselves; and accordingly we may take our Measures in judging of all other Trades.
Whether a true Judgment may be made of the Ballance of Foreign Trade.It hath been a great Debate how the Ballance of our Foreign Trade shall be Computed, and what Methods we should take whereby to know it, and it has been thought, that the most proper way to make a true Judgment therein is, by taking an Account from the Custom-house Books of our Exports and Imports; but if this Method would do, yet I do not think there can be any Certainty, either of the one or the other, drawn from thence; for, as for our Imports, the Bullion, and such Things of Value, are not entered there, and seldom presented; and as to the Exports, seeing our Woollen Manufactures go out Custom-Free, the Entries there made of them cannot be depended on; but suppose a more exact Account of our Exports and Imports could be had, yet, since so great a part of the Trade of this Kingdom is driven by Exchange, and such vast Quantities of Commodities are Imported from our Plantations for Account of the Inhabitants there, the Produce whereof they leave here as a stock at Home, and that they are supply’d hence with so many Things for their own Consumption, I cannot see how any moderate Computation can be this way made of our general Trade, much less of that we drive with any particular Nation, the Commodities which we receive at one place, being often carried to another; thus we transport toItalythe Sugars we receive for our Manufactures inPortugal, and bring thence Silk and other Things to be manufactured here, and yet we must not conclude we lose by thePortugalTrade, because the Returns thence fall short by the Custom-House Books, or that we get more by theItalianTrade, because it doth not appear by those Books how we exported Commodities to pay for what we Import thence; and as to the Profits we make by the Freights of our Ships, it doth not at all appear from them, nor at what Rates our Product and Manufactures are sold Abroad, or our Plantation Goods to Foreigners at home; so the Thing must still remain doubtful; and I know no more certain way to Judge of it, than by the Increase the Nation makes in its Bullion, which always arises from the over Ballance of our Foreign Barter and Commerce.
Committee of Trade.And for the better Encouraging the Trade of this Kingdom, I think it well worthy the Thoughts of a Parliament, whether a standing Committee, made up of Men well verst therein, should not be appointed; whose sole Business it should be to consider the State thereof, and to find out Ways to improve it; to see how the Trades we drive with Foreign Kingdoms, grow more or less profitable to us; how, and by what Means we are out-done by others in the Trades we drive, or hindered from enlarging them; what is necessary to be prohibited, both in our Exports and Imports, and for how long Time; to hear Complaints from our Factories Abroad, and to correspond with our Ministers there, in Affairs relating to our Trade, and to represent all Things rightly to the Government, with their Advice, what Courses are proper to be taken for its Encouragement; and generally to study by what means and Methods the Trade of this Kingdom may be improved, both abroad and at home.
If this was well settled, the good Effects thereof would soon be seen; but then, great Care must be taken, that these Places be not fill’d up with such who know nothing of the Business, and thereby this excellent Constitution become only a Matter of Form and Expence.
In the Management of Things of much less moment, we employ such who are supposed to understand what they undertake, and believe they cannot be carryed on without them; whilst the general Trade of the Nation (which is the support of all) lies neglected, as if the Coggs that direct its Wheels did not need skill to keep them true: Trade requires as much Policy as Matters of State, and can never be kept in a regular Motion by Accident; when the Frame of our Trade is out of Order, we know not where to begin to mend it, for want of a set of experienced Builders, ready to receive Applications, and able to judge where the Defect lies.
Such a Committee as this, will soon appear to be of great Use and Service, both to the Parliament in framing Laws relating to Trade, and also to the Government in the Treaties they make with Foreign Nations.
As to the first, it hath sometimes been thought, that when that great and glorious Assembly hath medled with Trade, they have left it worse than they found it; and the Reason is, because the Laws relating to Trade, require more time to look into their distant Consequences, than a Session will admit; whereof we have had many Instances.
To begin with theFrenchTrade; in the 22dCar.II. a new Import was laid on Wines,viz.Eight PoundsperTon on theFrench,and Twelve PoundsperTon onSpanishandPortuguese: This Difference (with the low Subsidies put on their Linnens by former Acts, in respect to those of other Places) was a great Means of bringing the Ballance of that Trade so much against us, that the Parliament in the 7thand 8th ofGul.III. thought fit to make an Act, (and is continued by this present Parliament for a longer time) which in Effect, prohibited all Trade with that Nation for One and Twenty Years, by laying a great Duty on the Importations thence, in order to prevent a Correspondence, till the Trade should be better regulated.
In the 14thCar.II. Logwood was permitted by Act of Parliament to be imported, paying five PoundsperTon Duty; the same Act repeals two Statutes of QueenElizabethagainst Importing and Using it in Dying here, and sets forth the Ingenuity of our Dyers, in finding out Ways to fix the Colours made with it; and yet at the same time gave a Draw-back of three Pounds fifteen ShillingsperTon on all that should be Exported, whereby Foreigners use it so much cheaper in their Manufactures than ours can here; which proceeded from a too hasty making that Law, and being advised, or rather abused, by those, who regarded more their own Interest, than that of the Nation.
By an Act made 1Ja.II. an Impost of Two Shillings and Four Penceper Cent.was laid on Muscovado Sugars imported from the Plantations, to be drawn back at Exportation; the Traders to the Plantations stirr’d in this Matter, and set forth, That such a Duty would discourage the Refining them here, by hindering the Exportation of refined Sugars, which was then considerable, and carry that Manufacture toHollandandFlanders; but the Commissioners of the Customs prevailed against them, and the Bill past; the fatal Consequences whereof soon appear’d; for the Exporters of Muscavado Sugars, drawing back two Shillings and Four-penceper Cent.by that Act, and Nine-penceper Cent.by the Act of Tunnage and Poundage, foreign Markets were supplied with refined Sugars from other Places cheaper, by about Twelveper Cent.than we could furnish them hence, by which means we were beat out of that Trade: and though the Duty of two Shillings and Four-penceper Cent.was not continued on the Expiration of that Act, by the Parliament 2dW.andM.(as they did the Three-penceperPound on Tobacco) the bad Effects thereof being then apparent, yet ’tis Difficult to retrieve a lost Trade, trading Nations being like expert Generals, who make Advantages of the Mistakes of each other, and take care to hold what they get.
By a Statute 4th and 5thW.andM.twenty ShillingsperTon was laid onLapis Caliminarisdug here and Exported, on an Information given to the House of Commons, that it was not to had any where else; the Merchants concerned in exporting that Commodity, made Application, and set forth, that such a Duty would bring in nothing to the Crown, but be a total Bar to its Exportation; yet the Act past, and we were like to have made a fatal Experiment; for till the Statute of the 7th and 8th of the same King, which reduced the Duty to two ShillingsperTon, the Exportation ceased; and in the mean Time, those Places which had been discouraged from digging, and calcining it, because we undersold them, set again to work, and supplied the Markets where we vended ours.
What Injury was done by the Act made in the 9th and 10thW.III. for the more effectual preventing the Importation of Foreign Bonelace, &c. doth sufficiently appear by the Preamble of that made in the 11thand 12th of the same Reign, for repealing it three Months after the Prohibition of our Woollen Manufactures inFlanders(which was occasioned by it) should be there taken off; but I don’t understand that is yet done, and it may prove an irrecoverable Loss to the Nation.
Imention these Things with great Submission to the Judgment of that glorious Assembly, the Wisdom and Strength of the Nation; to whom I only presume with all Humility to offer my Thoughts, that it would very much tend to the putting Matters of Trade into a true Light before them, if they were first referred to a Body of Men, well versed in the true Principles thereof, and able to see through the Sophistical Arguments of contending Parties, to be by them considered, and well digested, before they received the Sanction of a Law.
And as to foreign Treaties; I do not think our Trade hath been so much bettered by them as it might have been, for want of such a Committee; the Representations made by private Merchants, (who generally differ according as their Interests clash with each other) tending rather to distract, than to inform the Government; which would not be, if their first Applications were made to an experienced Committee, who had Judgment enough to substract out of them what was proper to be offer’d; by which means, our Demands might be rendered short and comprehensive.
We have natural Advantages in Trade above other Nations, besides the Benefit of our Situation, the Foundation of our Woolen Manufactures being as it were peculiar to our own Growth, and may be retained amongst ourselves; an Advantage theFrenchhave not, whose Wealth arising chiefly from the Exportation of their Wines, Brandy, Salt, Paper, Silks, and Linnens, both we and other Nations, have made such a Progress in them all since the War began, as to render theirs less sought for; whereas, nothing but our own Neglects, and ill Managements, can let our Neighbours into our Manufactures, which we may soon put a stop to, by securing our Wool at Home.
Insurance.I cannot close this Discourse without speaking something of Insurance. The first Design whereof, was to encourage the Merchants to export more of our Product and Manufactures, when they knew how to ease themselves in their Adventures, and to bear only such a Proportion thereof as they were willing and able to do; but by the Irregular Practices of some Men, this first Intention is wholly obviated; who without any Interest, have put in early Policies, and gotten large Subscriptions on Ships, only to make Advantage by selling them to others; and therefore have industriously promoted false Reports, and spread Rumours, to the Prejudice of the Ships and Masters, filling Mens Minds with Doubts, whereby the fair Trading Merchant, when he comes to insure his Interest, either can get no one to underwrite, or at such high Rates, that he finds it better to buy the others Policies at advance; by this means these Stock-Jobbers of Insurance, have, as it were, turn’d it into a Wager, to the great Prejudice of Trade: likewise many ill-designing Men, their Policies being over-valued, have (to the Abhorence of honest Traders, and to the Scandal of Trade itself) contriv’d the Loss of their own Ships: On the other Side, the Underwriters, when a Loss is ever so fairly proved, boggle in their Payments, and force the Insured to be content with less than their Agreements, for fear of engaging themselves in long and chargeable Suits.
Now, if the Parliament would please to take these Things into their Consideration, they may reduce Insurance to its first Intention, by obliging the Insured to bear such a proportionable Part of his Adventure, (the Premio included) as to them shall seem fit, and also the Insurers, when a Loss is fully made out, to pay their Subscriptions without Abatement, which will prevent both; and if any Differences should arise, to direct easy ways for adjusting them, without attending long Issues at Law, or being bound up to such nice Rules in their Proofs, as the Affairs of foreign Trade will not admit.
Wilful casting away Ships by the Owners.I know, that by a Clause in a Statute madeprimo Annæ, the wilful casting away, burning, or otherwise destroying a Ship, by any Captain, Master, Mariner, or other Officer belonging to it, is made Felony, without Benefit of Clergy; but that Statute is so qualify’d, that it is difficult to convict the Offender, because the Fact must be done, to the Prejudice of the Owner, or Owners, or of any Merchant or Merchants that shall load Goods thereon, else he doth not come within its Penalty, so it doth not reach the Evil I here mention,viz.the abominable Contrivance of the Owners to have their own Ships destroyed, in order to make an Advantage by their Insurances; (a Crime so black in itself, that it cannot be mentioned without Horror.) These Men, when they frame their dark Designs, will take Care, for the Security of those they employ, that none besides themselves shall load Goods on the Ships they intend shall be thus destroyed, and it cannot be supposed that they receive Prejudice thereby themselves, so the Prosecution on that Statute is evaded; but if the Insured were bound to make out their Interests, and to bear a Proportionable Part of the Loss themselves, this would, as it were, naturally prevent such scandalous Practices.
Whether the Price of Labour is a Hindrance to Improvements in our Products and Manufactures.Before I enter on the Business of the Poor, I will consider of a Question that hath arrisen, and I have heard sometimes debated by Men of good Understanding, which is, Whether the Labour of the Poor being so high, does not hinder Improvements in our Product and Manufactures; which having some Relation to the Subject Matter of this Discourse, I shall offer my Thoughts thereon, with Submission to better Judgments,viz.That both our Product and Manufactures may be carried on to Advantage, without running down the Labour of the Poor.
As to the first, our Product, I am of Opinion, that the running down the Labour the Poor, is no advantage to it, nor is it the Interest of that part of the Kingdom calledEnglandto do it, nor can the People thereof live on so low Wages as they do in other Countries; for we must consider, that Wages must bear a Rate in all Nations according to the Price of Provisions; where Wheat is sold for one ShillingperBushel, and all Things suitable, a labouring Man may afford to work for Three-pence a Day, as well as he can for Twelve-pence, where it is sold for four Shillings; and this Price of Wheat arises chiefly from the Value of the Land; for it cannot be imagined, that the Farmer who gives twenty ShillingsperAcre, can afford it as low as he whose Lands cost him but five ShillingsperAcre, and produces the same Crop, nor can Labour be expected to be so low in such a Country, as in the other; this is the Case ofEngland, whose Lands yielding great Rents, require good Prices for the Product; and this is the Freeholders Advantage; for supposing Necessaries to be the Current Payment for Labour, in such Cases, whether we call a Bushel of Wheat one Shilling, or Four Shillings, it will be all one to him, for so much as he pays, but not for the Overplus of his Crop, which makes a great Difference into his Pocket; you cannot fall Wages, unless you fall Product; and if you fall Product, you must necessarily fall Lands.
And as for the second, our Manufactures, I am of Opinion, that they may be carried on to Advantage, without running down the Labour of the Poor; for which I offer,
1. Observation, or Experience of what hath been done; we have and daily do see that it is so; the Refiners of Sugars sell for Six-penceperPound, what yielded formerly Twelve-pence; the Distillers sell their Spirits for one half of what they formerly did: Glass Bottles, Silk Stockings, and other Manufactures (too many to be here enumerated) are sold for not much more than half the Price they were some Years since, without falling the Poor.
But then the Question will be, how this is done? Truly it proceeds from the Ingenuity of the Manufacturer, and the Improvements he attains to in the Ways of his Working: Thus the Refiners of Sugars go through that Operation by easier Methods, and in less Time, than their Predecessors did: Thus the Distillers draw more Spirits from the Things they work on, than those formerly did who taught them the Art. The Glass-Maker hath found a quicker way of making it out of Things which cost him little. Silk Stockings are wove; Tobacco is cut by Engines; Books are printed; Deal Boards are sawn with Mills; Lead is smelted by Wind-Furnaces; all which save the Labour of many Hands, so the Wages of those employed need not be fallen.
Besides which, there is a Cunning crept into Trades: The Clock-Maker hath improved his Art to such a Degree, that Labour and Materials are the least Part the Buyer pays for. The Variety of our Woollen Manufactures is so pretty, that Fashion makes a Thing worth twice the Price it is sold for after, the Humour of the Buyer carrying a great Sway in its Value. Artificers, by Tools and Laves, fitted for different Uses, make such Things, as would puzzle a Stander-by to set a Price on, according to the worth of Mens Labour. The Plummer by new Inventions casts a Tun of Shot for ten Shillings, which might seem to deserve forty.
The same Art is crept into Navigation; Freights are much fallen from what they formerly were at, and yet Sailors Wages are still the same: Ships are built more for Stowage, and made strong enough to be loaden between Decks, and Voyages are performed in less Time. Wool is steved into them by such proper Instruments, that three or four Bags are put, where one would not else lye; Cranes and Blocks help to draw up more for one Shilling, than Mens Labour without them would do for Five.
New Projections are every Day set on Foot to render the making our Woollen Manufactures easy, which should be rendered cheaper by the Contrivance of the Manufacturers, not by falling the Price of Labour: Cheapness creates Expence, and gives fresh Employments, whereby the Poor will be still kept at Work.
The same for our Product; Mines and Pits are drained by Engines and Aquæducts instead of Hands: The Husbandman turns up the Ground with his Sullow, not digs it with his Spade; covers his Grain with the Harrow, not with the Rake; brings home his Harvest with Carts, not on Mens Backs; and many other easier Methods are used, both for improving of Land, and raising its Product, which lessen the Number of Labourers, and make Room for better Wages to be given those that are employed.
Nor am I of their Opinion, who think the running down the Price of our Growth and Product, that so they may buy Provisions cheap, an Advantage to the inland Trade of this Kingdom, but of the contrary.
To understand this rightly, let us begin with the Shop-keeper, or Buyer and Seller, who is the Wheel whereon the inland Trade turns, as he buys of the Importer and Manufacturer, and sells again to the Country; suppose this Man spends two hundred Poundsper Annum,in all Things necessary for himself and Family, as Provisions, Cloaths, House-Rent, and other Expences, the Question will be, what Part of this is laid out in Flesh, Corn, Butter, Cheese, &c. barely considered according to their first cost in the Market? I presume fifty or sixty Poundsper Annumto be the most, whereon the Advance to him will not be so much, by keeping up our Product to a good Rate, as the Profits which will consequently arise in his Trade will amount unto: For by this Means the Farmer will be enabled to give a better Rent to his Landlord, who may then keep a more plentiful Table, spend more Wine, Fruit, Sugar, Spices, and other Things wherewith he is furnished from the City, suit himself and his Family oftner, and carry on a great Splendor in every Thing; the Farmer according to his Condition may do the same, and give higher Wages to the Labourers imployed in Husbandry, who may then live better, and buy new Cloathes oftner, instead of patching up old ones; by this means the Manufacturers will be encouraged to give a better Price for Wool and Labour, when they shall find a Vent as fast as they can make; and a Flux of Wealth causing a Variety of Fashions, will add Wings to their Inventions, when they shall see their Manufactures advanced in their Values by the Buyer’s Fancy; this likewise will encourage the Merchants to encrease their Exports, when they shall find a quick Vent for their Imports; by which regular Circulation, Payments will be short, and all will grow rich; but when Trade deadens in the Fountain, when the Gentlemen and the Farmers are kept low, every one in his Order feels it: It being most certain, and grounded on the Observation of all Men who have lookt into it, that in those Countries where Provisions are Cheap, the People are generally Poor, both proceeding from the want of Trade; so that he who will give a right Judgment in this Matter, must not consider Things only as they offer themselves at the first Sight, but as they will be in their Consequences.
As to the other Part ofGreat Britain, calledScotland, I can say little with Relation to this Matter, my Knowledge of that part of the Kingdom being not sufficient to enable me to do it: But I am apt to believe, that the same general Maxim must hold good there also,viz.That the Rates of Labour must be according to the Prices of Provisions, and those according to the Rents of the Lands.
The Poor.Having thus gone through the State ofthe Nation with respect to its Trade, I will next consider it with respect to the Poor.
And here it cannot but seem strange, that this Kingdom, which so much abounds in Product and Manufactures, besides the Imployment given in Navigation, should want work for any of its People; theDutch, who have little of the two former, if compared with us, and do not exceed us in the latter, suffer no Beggars; whereas we, whose Wealth consists in the Labour of our Inhabitants, seem to encourage them in an idle way of Living, contrary to their own and the Nations Interest.
The Curse under which Man first fell, was Labour;That by the Sweat of his Brows he should eat his Bread: This is a state of Happiness, if compared to that which attends Idleness: He that walks the Streets ofLondon,and observes the Fatigues used byBeggars, to make themselves seem Objects of Charity, must conclude, that they take more Pains than an honest Man doth at his Trade, and yet seem not to get Bread to eat: Beggary is now become an Art or Mystery, to which Children are brought up from their Cradles; any thing that may move Compassion is made a Livelyhood, a sore Leg or Arm, or for want thereof a pretended one; the Tricks and Devices I have observed to be used by these People, have often made me think, that those Parts, if better employed, might be made useful to the Nation.
Here I will consider,
1. What hath been the Cause of this Mischief of Idleness, and how it hath crept in upon us.
2. What must be done to restrain its going farther.
3. What Methods are proper to be used, in order to make a Provision for those who are past their Labour.
As to the first, we shall find that it hath proceeded, partly from the Abuse of those Laws we have, and partly from want of better; Licences for Alehouses were at first granted for good Ends, not to draw Men aside from their Labour by Games and Sports, but to support and refresh them under it; and as they were then a Maintainance to the Aged, so poor Families had Opportunities of being supplied with a Cup of Ale from Abroad, who could not keep it at Home; great Observation was also made to prevent idle Tipling, our Fore-fathers considered, that Time so spent, was a Loss to the Nation, whose Interest was improved by the Labour of its Inhabitants; whereas, Alehouses are now encouraged, to promote the Income of Excise, on whom there must be no Restraint, lest the King’s Revenue should be lessened; thus we live by Sense, and look only at Things we see, without revolving on what the Issue will be, not considering, that the Labour of each Man, if well employ’d, whilst he sits in an Ale-house, would be worth much more to the Nation, than the Excise he pays.
But above all, our Laws to set the Poor at Work are short and Defective, tending rather to maintain them so, then to raise them to a better way of Living; ’tis true, those Laws design well, but consisting only in Generals, and not reducing Things to practicable Methods, they fall short of answering their Ends, and thereby render the Poor more bold, when they know the Parish Officers are bound, either to provide them Work, or to give them Maintenance.
Now, if we delighted more in the Encouraging our Manufactures, our Poor might be better Employed, and then ’twould be a shame, for any Person capable of Labour, to live idle; which leads me to the second Consideration, What must be done to restrain this Habit of Idleness from going farther.
Here I find, that nothing but good Laws can do it, such as may provide Work for those who arc willing, and force them to work that are able; and for this use, I think Work-houses very expedient, but they must be founded on such Principles, as may employ the Poor, for which they must be fitted, and the Poor for them; wherein Employments must be provided for all sorts of People, who must also be compelled to go thither when sent, and the Work-houses to receive them; and the Materials which seem most proper for them are Simples, such as Wool, Hemp, Cotton, and the like, which may either be sent in by the Manufacturers, or be bought up on a Stock raised for that End; these will employ great Numbers, of both Sexes, and all Ages, either by beating and fitting the Hemp, or by dressing and spinning the Flax, or by carding and Spinning the Wool and Cotton, of different Finenesses; and if a Reward was given to that Person who should spin the finest Thread of either, as they do inIrelandfor their Linnen, to be adjudged Yearly, and paid by the County, or by any other manner as shall be thought fit, ’twould very much promote Industry and Ingenuity, whilst every one being stir’d up by Ambition and Hopes of Profit, would endeavour to exceed the rest; by which means we should also grow more excellent in our Manufactures.
Nor should these Houses hinder any who desire to Work at Home, or the Manufacturers from employing them, the Design being to provide Places for those who care not to Work any where, and to make the Parish Officers more Industrious to find them out, when they know whither to send them, by which means they would be better able to maintain the Impotent.
It seems also convenient, that these Work-houses, when settled in Cities and great Towns, should not be only Parochial, but one or more in each Place, as will best suit it; which would prevent the Poors being sent from Parish to Parish, and provided for no where; and when once the Poor shall come by use to be in love with Labour, ’twill be strange to see an idle Person; then they will be so far from being a Burthen to the Nation, that they will become its Wealth, and their own Lives also will be more comfortable to them.
There are other things which will employ the Poor besides our Manufactures, and are also equally Beneficial to the Nation; such as Navigation, Husbandry, and Handicrafts; here if these or such-like Rules were observed, they might be made more advantagious to all.
As first, Let the Justices of the Peace have Power to assign Youth to Artificers, Husbandry, Manufacturers, and Mariners, and to bind them Apprentices for a Time certain, at such Ages as they shall think ’em fit to go on those Employments, who should also be obliged to receive them; and though this may at first seem hard, as hindring the Masters from taking Servants who may bring them Money, yet after some time it will not, when those who were so bound out themselves, shall only do for others, what was done for them before; and this also may be now made good to them, by such an Overplus of Years in their Apprentiships, as may be an Equivalent to the Money.
And as for those of elder Years, who will rather Beg than Work, let them be forced to serve the King in his Fleet, or the Merchants on board their Ships; the Sea is very good to cure sore Legs and Arms, especially such as are Counterfeits, against which, the Capstern, with the Taunts of the Sailors, is a certain Remedy.
Next, for Ale-houses, Coffee-houses, and such like Employments, let them be kept only by aged People, or such who have numerous Families.
Let Masters of Ships be obliged to carry with them some Landmen every Voyage, which will increase our Seamen; and let the Justices have Power to force them to receive such as are willing to enter themselves, and to settle the Rates of their Wages.
Let young People be prohibited from Hawking about the Streets, and from Singing Ballads; if these Things be allowed, they are fitter for Age.
Stage-Plays, Lotteries, and Gaming-houses should be strictly look’d after, Youth, in this Age of Idleness and Luxury, being not only drawn aside by them, but also more willing to put themselves on such easy ways of living, than on Labour.
These, and such like Methods, being Improved by the Wisdom of a Parliament, may tend, not only to the Introducing a Habit of Virtue amongst us, but also to the making Multitudes of People serviceable, who are now useless to the Nation; there being scarce any one, who is not capable of doing something towards his Maintenance, and what his Labour doth fall short, must be made up by Charity: but as Things now are, no Man knows where ’tis rightly plac’d, by which means those who are truly Objects do not partake thereof; and let it be consider’d, that if every Person did by his Labour add one Half-pennyper diemto the Public, ’twould bring in Seven Millions six Hundred and four Thousand one Hundred Sixty-six Pounds thirteen Shillingsper Annum, (accounting ten Millions of People to be in the Kingdom) so vast a sum may be raised from a Multitude, if every one adds a little.
Nor is the sending lazy People to our Plantations abroad (who can neither by good Laws be forced, or by Rewards be encourag’d to work at home) so prejudicial to the Nation as some do imagine, where they must expect another sort of Treatment, if they will not labour; ’tis true, they give no help in the Manufactures here, but That is made up in the Product they raise there, which is also Profit to the Nation; besides, the Humours and other Circumstances of People are to be enquir’d into, some have been very useful there, who would never have been so here: And if the People of this Kingdom be employ’d to the Advantage of the Community, no Matter in what part of the King’s Dominions it is; many hundreds by going to those Plantations, have become profitable Members to the Common-wealth, who, had they continued here, had still remain’d idle Drones; now they raise Sugar, Cotton, Tobacco, and other Things, which employ Sailors abroad, and Manufacturers at home, all which being the Product of Earth and Labour, I take to be the Wealth of the Nation.
The Employment of Watermen on the RiverThamesbreeds many Sailors, and it were good to keep them still fill’d with Apprentices; also the Employment of Bargemen, Lightermen, and Trowmen, both on that and other Rivers, does the same, who should be encouraged to breed up Landmen, and fit them for the Sea.
Idleness is the Foundation of all those Vices which prevail among us, People aiming to be maintain’d any way rather than by Labour, betake themselves to all sorts of Villanies; the ill Consequences whereof cannot be prevented, but by encouraging Youth in an early delight of living by Industry, and on what they call their own, rather than by Dependance on others, which will keep up a true British Spirit, and put them on honest Endeavours, and will get them Credit and Reputation, and give them Opportunities of advancing their Fortunes; and if such an Emulation went through the Kingdom, we should not have so many lazy Beggars, or licentious Livers, as now there are; nor is God more honoured among any, than He is among such industrious People, who abhor Vice, on equal Principles of Religion and good Husbandry, Labour being usually a Barrier against Sin, which generally enter at the Doors of Idleness.
The third Consideration is, what Methods must be used to provide for those, who either are not able to work, or whose Labour can’t support their Charge; here I take Alms-houses to be good Gifts, where they are designed to relieve old Age, or educate Youth; not to maintain idle Beggars, or ease rich Parishes, but to provide for those who have been bred up in careful Employments, tho’ not able to stem the Current of cross Fortunes: Two such have been sumptuously founded,Mr. Edward Colson's two Almshouses in Bristol.and suitably endowed, in the City ofBristol,Edward Colson, Esq; a Merchant and Native thereof, who is still living; one of them for twenty-four Men and Women, who had formerly lived well; the other for one hundred Boys, to be educated in the Principles of Vertue, and afterwards set out to Trades, whereby they may get their Livelihoods; a Charity so great in itself, and carried on so free from Ostentation, that the like is not to be seen in any Part of this Kingdom, of the free Gift of one Gentleman in his Life-time; which he hath settled in the Society of Merchants-Adventurers within that City, of whose Care and Fidelity in the well Management thereof, he is fully satisfied.
Another way to provide for those who are true Objects of Charity, is, by taking Care that the Poors Rates be made with more equality in Cities and great Towns, especially in the former; where the greatest Number of Poor usually residing together in the Suburbs or Out-parishes, are very serviceable by their Labours, to the Rich, in carrying on their Trades; yet when Age, Sickness, or a numerous Family, may make them desire Relief, their chief Dependance must be on People but one step above their own Conditions; by which means these Out-parishes are more burthened in their Payments, than the In-parishes are, though much richer, and is one Reason why they are so ill Inhabited, no Man caring to come to a certain Charge: And this is attended with another ill Consequence, the wanting of better Inhabitants making way for those Disorders which easily grow among the Poor; whereas, if Cities and Towns were made but one Poors Rate, or equally divided into more, these Inconveniencies would be removed, and the Poor be maintained by a more equal Contribution.
And that a better Provision may be made for the Relief of Sailors (who having spent their Labours in the Service of the Nation, and through Age and Disasters are no longer fit for the Fatigues of the Sea, ought to be taken Care of at Home) let a small Deduction be made from the Freights of Ships, and from Seamens Wages, to be collected by a Society of honest Men in every Sea-port; this, with what Additions might be made by the Gifts of worthy Benefactors, would be sufficient to raise a Fund, to maintain them in their old Age, who in their Youths were our Walls and Bulwarks; but it must be settled by Law, and no Man left at his Liberty whether he will pay or no; these are generally the most laborious People that we have; I do not mean those scoundrel Fellows, who often creep in under that Name, but the true Sailor, who can turn his Hand to any thing rather than begging, and I am many times troubled to see the miserable Conditions they and their Families are reduced to, when their Labours are done. Alms-Houses raised for them, are as great Acts of Piety as building of Churches, Age requires relief, especially where Youth hath been spent in Labour so profitable to the Public as that of a Sailor; and not only themselves, but their Widows ought to be provided for; in this,Hospital for ancient Sailors and their Widows.the Worshipful Society of the Merchants-Adventurers within the City ofBristolare a worthy Pattern.
And as for those who loose their Lives or Limbs fighting against the Enemy, themselves, or families ought to be rewarded with bountiful Stipends, which if raised by a Tax, I doubt not would be cheerfully paid: ’Tis attended with sad Thoughts, when a Woman sees her Husband prest into the Service, and knows, if he miscarries, her Family is undone, and she and they must come to the Parish; whereas, if this Provision was made, the Fleet would be more easily mann’d, our Merchants Ships better defended, Sailors more ready to serve in both, and their Wives to let them go; but great Care must be taken, that Charity be not abused, by being put into the Pockets of those who are appointed to dispose of it.
These, or such-like Heads, being laid down in a former Discourse on this Subject, the Magistrates of the City ofBristolwere the first that approved of the Scheme, and desired the Substance thereof might be reduced to Particulars, suitable for that Place; whereupon the following Proposals were laid before them,viz.
1. That a spacious Work-house be erected in some vacant Place within this City, on a general Charge, large enough for the Poor who are to be employed therein, and also with Rooms for such, who being unable to work, are to be relieved by Charity.
2. That the Rules of this House be such, as may force all Persons to work, that are able, and encourage the Manufacturers of this City to supply them with Materials to work on; which they will be ready to do, having so good a Security as this will be, for their being returned to them again when wrought up.
3. That all People who are not able to maintain their Children, may put them into this Work-house or Hospital at what Ages they will, where they shall be settled till the Age of ### Years, by which means they may in the end be of no Charge to the said Work-house or Hospital: And the good Effects will be these, Children will be bred up to Labour, Principles of Virtue will be implanted in them early by the good Government thereof, and Laziness and Beggary will be discouraged.
4. Thatthe antient People who are past their Labours, shall have Lodgings, and weekly pay, or be otherwise provided for, according to their Wants, who may still do something towards their mantenance, and the Women may look after the young Children.
5. That the Rates of the Poor of this City, being all united into one common Fund, may be enough to carry on this good Work; by which means the Magistrates will be freed from the Trouble which they daily have about the Settlement of the Poor, the Parish-Officers will be eased, the Poors Stock will not be spent in Law, but they will be provided for, without being sent from Parish to Parish, and their Children will be settled in ways of being serviceable to the Public Good, and not be bred up in all manner of Vice, as now they are.
6. That the Governors of this Hospital, or Work-House, have Power to force all poor People to work in it, who do not betake themselves to some lawful Imployment elsewhere, but spend their Time lazily and idly.
7. That the said Governors have Power to settle out the young People at such Ages as they shall think fit; the Boys to Navigation, Husbandry, and Manufactures; the Maids in Service, and to bind them Apprentices for certain Years.
8. That this will prevent Children from being Starved, by the Poverty of their Parents, and neglect of the Parish-Officers, which is now a great Loss to the Nation; forasmuch as every Person if imployed, would by his Labour add to the Wealth of the Public.
9. That this will encourage Men of Charity to make Endowments, when they shall see their Bounties so well laid out.
10. That Application be made, in order to procure an Act of Parliament, for the better carrying on this Work.
Which Proposals being considered of in several Meetings of the Citizens appointed for that Purpose, were with some Alterations made the Model for an Act of Parliament, which pastAnno Septimo & Octavo Gulielmi Tertii,being the first Act of that Nature, from which sundry Acts for many other Places have taken their Frame; and though the Promoters thereof, met with more difficulties and discouragements in the Execution, than they did expect, yet to the Honour of those Gentlemen it must be said, that they never looked back, but with the utmost Application, prosecuted what they had undertaken, till they brought it to such a State, as to render it plain and practicable to their Successors; and this good Effect it hath had, that there is not a common Beggar, or disorderly Vagrant, seen in their Streets, but Charity is given in its proper Place and Manner, and the Magistrates are freed from the daily Trouble they had with the Poor, and the Parishes they lived in, and are discharged from the Invidious Fatigues of their Settlements, when a great deal of what should have maintained them, was spent in determining what Parishes were to do it.
I wish it could be said so of the two Metropolitan Cities ofEnglandandIreland, where such Swarms of lazy Beggars pester the Streets, that they are not only troublesome, but also nauseous to the Beholders; and the Church Doors are so crouded with them, that you can scarce pass to your Devotion; nor do you know when you bestow your Charity rightly, those who do not deserve it, taking such Methods to move Compassion, that you cannot easily distinguish them from those who do.
And since I have mentioned this Act, and the well executing thereof by the first Undertakers, I think it cannot be amiss to set it forthVerbatim(being never yet printed, save only some Copies for the Use of the Corporation) together with the Steps whereby the first Guardians proceeded, and as it was laid before the ParliamentAnno1700; which I have done in the Appendix, because it may probably be of use to those, who shall be willing to take Pains in a Work of such Service, both to God and the Public.
But because this Act was adapted only for Cities and great Towns, and can’t be a Model for the Counties at large, I will here subjoin such Methods as may be proper to carry on this charitable Design throughout the whole Kingdom, if Power be given by some public Act of Parliament, for all Places to incorporate who are willing (but may not be able to be at the Charge of a private Act) and to build, or otherwise provide, Hospitals, Work-Houses, and Houses of Correction, for the better maintaining and imploying their Poor, under the Management of such Corporations; which in the Counties must be by uniting one or more Hundreds, whose Parishes must be comprehended in one Poors Rate, and each of them contribute to the Charge thereof, not by bringing them to an equal Pound Rate on their Lands and personal Estates, as in Cities and great Towns, but by Taxing every Parish according to what it paid before, there not being the same Parity of Reason for that way of raising Money in the Hundreds, as there is in Cities and Towns; because in the former, the Parishes do not receive an equal Benefit from the Labour of the Poor of other Parishes, as they do in the latter; which Hospitals, Work-Houses, and Houses of Correction, to be provided at the general Charge of the Parshies thus united, according to the Proportion that each of them pays to the Poor.
The Guardians of these Corporations to consist of all the Justices of the Peace inhabiting within the several Parishes thus united, together with a Number of Inhabitants chosen out of each Parish, in proportion to the Sum of Money it pays; which Choice to be made every Year, or once in two Years, when one half of those that were first chosen must go out, and the Remainder stay in, to instruct those who were last chosen; the Electors to be the Freeholders of ###per Annum; and on the Death of any Guardian, another to be chosen in his Room, by the Parish for which he served.
That the Guardians being thus settled, they shall have Power to choose a Governor, Deputy-Governor, Treasurer, and Assistants, Yearly, and to hold Courts, and make By-Laws, and appoint a Common Seal; and also to Summon the Inhabitants to answer to Matters relating to the Corporation; and to compel all People, who seek for Relief, to dwell in their Hospitals and Work-Houses, if they see fit; and to take in young People of both Sexes, and breed them up to work, who they shall also be obliged to teach to Write and Read, and what else shall be thought necessary, and then to bind them out Apprentices; and likewise to provide for the aged and Impotent, and to assist those whose Labours will not maintain their Charges, and to apprehend Rogues, Vagrants and Beggars, and cause them to be set at Work, and also to inflict reasonable Correction where they see it necessary, and to entertain proper Officers, and pay them out of the Stock; with a Clause to secure them from vexatious Suits; and they must be obliged once in ### at least to hold a General Court, where the Governor, Deputy-Governor, or one half of the Assistants, together with such a proportionable Number of the Guardians as they shall agree on, shall be present.
That the Court shall once in six Months agree and settle how much Money will be necessary for maintaining and imploying the Poor for the six Months next ensuing, and certify the same to the Justices inhabiting within the said Hundred or Hundreds, at a Meeting to be had for that Purpose, who shall proportion the same Regularity in each Parish, and grant out their Warrants to proper Persons to Assess the same, and afterwards, other Warrants to collect, and pay it to the Treasurer of the Corporation; with a Power to inflict Penalties on the Assessors and Collectors, if they refuse or neglect to do their Duty, in Assessing, Collecting, and paying the said Money, according to their Warrants.
That each Corporation be one Body Politic in Law, and be capable of Suing and being Sued, and be enabled to Purchase, Take and Receive, Lands, Tenements and Hereditaments, Goods and Chattles, for the Benefit of the Poor.
These, or such like Methods, being rectified by the Wisdom of Parliament, will soon appear to be of great use to the Nation, and also to the Poor who are truly Objects of Relief; and will also put a Stop to wand’ring Vagrants, against whom, every Corporation will then be a Barrier, and none will expect Charity, but from the Parishes to which they belong, and who are the most proper Judges whether they deserve it.
Conclusion.And thus I have gone through what I undertook, and have given my Thoughts of these important Subjects; wherein I have no other View than promoting the Welfare of this Kingdom, by improving its Trade and Commerce and providing for the Poor in a regular Method: Both which will tend to the Honour of His Majesty’s Government, and the advancing the Wealth and Prosperity of the Nation.
FINIS.
THE
APPENDIX.
Anno Septimo & Octavo
An Act for Erecting of Hospitals and Work-Houses within the City ofBristol,for the better Employing and Maintaining the Poor thereof.
WHEREAS it is found by Experience, That the Poor in the City ofBristoldo daily multiply, and Idleness and Debauchery amongst the meaner Sort, doth greatly Increase, for want of Work-houses to set them to Work, and a sufficient Authority to compel them thereto, as well as to the Charge of the Inhabitants, and Grief of the charitable and honest Citizens of the said City, as the great Distress of the Poor themselves; for which sufficient Redress hath not yet been provided: For Remedy whereof, Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons in Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That from and after the Twelfth Day ofMay, which shall be in the Year of our Lord, One thousand six hundred ninety and six, there be, and shall be, a Corporation to continue for ever within the said City ofBristol, and the County thereof, consisting of the several Persons herein after-mentioned (that is to say) of the Mayor and Aldermen for the time being, and of eight and forty other Persons, to be chosen out of the honestest and discreetest Inhabitants of the City and County, by the Eleven Wards in the said City, and the Castle Precincts there, which to all Intents and Purposes, shall be from henceforth for ever a Ward within the said City, (that is to say) Four out of each Ward, and of such other charitable Persons as shall be Elected and Constituted Guardians of the Poor of the said City, in a manner as is herein after expressed: And the first eight and forty Persons shall be Elected at a Court for that purpose to be held within each Ward, by the Alderman of the same, or his Deputy, by the Votes of the Inhabitants of such Ward, paying one PennyperWeek, or more, in his own Right, for and towards the Relief of the Poor of the said City, or of the major part of them then present.
And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that the said Eight and Forty Persons shall be chosen in manner, as aforesaid, the Twelfth Day ofMaynext following, and shall continue in their Office until others shall be elected in their Rooms, according to the Direction herein after-mentioned; and in case any of the said Persons so Elected, or any other Person so Elected in their Room, shall, after their respective Elections, happen to die, That then it shall, and may be Lawful to and for the Alderman of the Ward, for which such Person so dying was Elected, or his Deputy, at a Court to be held within the said Ward for that purpose, within the Space of ten Days next after the Death of such Persons, to Elect others in their Place, in manner, as aforesaid; which Court and Election, such Alderman, or his Deputy, is and are hereby required to Hold and Make: Which said Mayor and Aldermen, and Forty-eight Persons, and such other Charitable Persons, so Elected and Constituted for the Time being, shall be called Guardians of the Poor of the City ofBristol.
And to the intent that the said Guardians so Elected out of the said Wards may have perpetual Succession: Be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said respective Aldermen for the Time being, or their respective Deputies, shall and may, and are hereby required, on the firstThursdayinApril, in every second Year, from henceforth, to hold a Court in their respective Wards, and then and there, by the Votes of the Inhabitants of such Ward, so qualified, as aforesaid, or of the Majority of them then present, to Elect and Choose two of the honestest and discreetest Persons out of the said Inhabitants of the said City, to be Guardians of the Poor of the said City for the said Ward; which Paid two Persons, so Elected, shall be Guardians, and shall succeed the two Persons before that first Elected, and then being Guardians for the said Ward; and the said two Persons so first Elected, shall immediately upon such Election, and Notice thereof given to them, cease to be Guardians.
And be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Mayor, Aldermen, Eight and forty Persons, and such other Charitable Persons elected and constituted, as is herein mentioned and expressed, for the time being, shall for ever hereafter in Name and Fact, be one Body Politic and Corporate in Law, to all Intents and Purposes, and shall have a perpetual Succession, and be called by the Name of The Governor, Deputy-Governor, Assistants, and Guardians of the Poor in the said City ofBristol; and that they shall be enabled to Plead and Sue, and to be Sued and Impleaded by that Name, in all Courts and Places of Judicature within this Kingdom; and by that Name shall and may, without License in Mortmain, Purchase, Take, or Receive any Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments, of the Gift, Alienation or Demise of any Person or Persons, who are hereby, without further Licence, enabled to transfer the same, and any Goods and Chattles whatsoever, for the Use and Benefit of the Corporation aforesaid. And for the better governing of the said Corporation, the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Eight and forty Persons, or the Majority of them, shall have, and hereby have Authority to meet on the Nineteenth Day ofMaynext following, in St.George’s Chapplein the said City, or in some other convenient Place there, and shall on that Day, or any other Day or Time, that to them shall seem convenient, Elect and Constitute out of and from amongst themselves, the several Officers following (that is to say) one Governor, one Deputy-Governor, one Treasurer, and twelve Assistants, to continue in the said Office for one Year, and no longer; and from thenceforth the said Governor, Deputy-Governor, Assistants, Treasurer, and other Officers, shall Yearly, and every Year, by the said Mayor, Aldermen, Forty-eight Persons, and such other charitable Persons as shall be Elected and Constituted as is herein mentioned and expressed, or the Majority of them, be Elected and Constituted out of and from amongst themselves, on the SecondThursdayin the Month ofApril, or any other Day or Time, as they shall think convenient, to continue in their respective Offices for one Year and no longer; and the said Mayor, Aldermen, and Forty-eight Persons, and such other Charitable Persons that shall be Elected and Constituted, as herein mentioned and expressed, for the Time being, or the Majority of them, shall have Power, in case of the Death of any such Officer so Elected and Constituted, before the said Year expired, to Elect and Constitute others in their Room, to hold the said Office for the Remainder of the said Year, and shall have Power and Authority at any Time or Times, for just Cause, to remove, displace, and put out any such Officer out of his said Office, and to Elect and Constitute another in his Room.
And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Governor, or in his Default, the said Deputy-Governor, or in both their Defaults, Six of the said Assistants for the Time being, shall have, and hereby have Power and Authority, and are hereby Enjoyned and Required from time to time, upon the SecondThursdayin every Second Month in every Year, accountingJanuaryfor the first Month, to hold and keep a Court or Assembly of the said Corporation within the said City ofBristol, of one and Twenty of the said Guardians at least, on the Days and Time, and in manner, and for the ends in this Act mentioned; (that is to say) The said Governor shall hold the said Court or Assembly between the Hours of One and Two in the Afternoon; and in his Default, the said Deputy-Governor, or any Six of the said Assistants, shall, after the Hour of Two, hold the same; and also, the said Governor for the time being, shall have, and hereby hath Power and Authority, at any such other time or times as to him shall seem meet, to Summon, Assemble and hold a Court or Assembly of the said Corporation, upon two Days Notice or Warning at the least to be given of such Court or Assembly to be held; and in case any twenty of the said Guardians, upon any Emergency, signifying it under their Hands to the Governor for the time being, That it is their Desire that an extraordinary Court or Assembly of the said Corporation may be called and held, the said Governor shall be bound, and is hereby Enjoyned and Required to call and hold such Court or Assembly at such Time as the said twenty Guardians shall so desire; and on his Refusal, the said Deputy-Governor for the Time being, on such Signification, shall be Bound, and is hereby likewise Enjoyned and Required to call and hold the said Court or Assembly, and on his Refusal, any six of the said Assistants shall have, and hereby have Authority to call and hold the said Court or Assembly; at all which Courts or Assemblies all and every Member and Members of the said Corporation for the Time being, are hereby Enjoyned to appear and be present, and not to depart from the same without the Licence of the said Court or Assembly, on pain to Forfeit such reasonable Sum and Sums of Money, not exceeding Five Shillings, to the Use of the said Corporation, as by the said Court or Assembly, or any succeeding Court or Assembly, shall be Assessed upon them, unless they can shew some reasonable Excuse to be allowed of by the said Court or Assembly; and the said Court or Assembly are hereby Impowered to Summon to appear before them any of the Inhabitants of the said City to answer to Matters relating to the said Corporation, who are hereby required to appear upon such Summons, and answer such Questions, on Forfeiture, to the Use of the said Corporation, of a Sum not exceeding two Shillings and Six-pence for every Default to be Levied as is herein after directed.
And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, Thar the said Corporation, at the said Court or Assembly, shall have, and hereby have Power and Authority from time to time to make and appoint a Common Seal or Seals for the Use of the said Corporation, and to make and ordain By-Laws, Rules and Ordinances for and concerning the better Governing the said Corporation, and the Poor of the said City, and shall have, and have hereby Power to Purchase, Buy or Erect an Hospital or Hospitals, Work-house or Work-houses, House or Houses of Correction, and to provide other Necessaries they shall think convenient for the setting to work the Poor of the said City, of what Sex or Age soever they be, and shall have, and hereby have Power and Authority to compel such idle or poor People begging or seeking Relief, who do not betake themselves to some lawful Imployments, and such other Poor who do or shall hereafter receive Alms of the respective Parishes or Places where they Inhabit or Seek the same, or by any of the Laws now in force ought to be maintained or provided for by any Parish or Place within the said City, to Dwell and Inhabit in such Hospital or Hospitals, Work-house or Work-houses, and to do such Work as they shall think them able and fit for; and to detain and keep in the Service of the said Corporation, until the Age of sixteen Years, any poor Child or Children of the said City, left to be maintained by the said City, or any Parish or Place in the same, or begging or seeking Relief, or which by any of the Laws now in force ought to be maintained and provided for by any Parish or Place within the said City, or the Child or Children of any other Person or Persons, that are or shall be willing or desirous to place or put their Child or Children in such Hospital or Hospitals, until their said Age of sixteen Years; and after they shall have attained their said Age of Sixteen Years or sooner, the said Corporation, by Indenture, shall have Power to Bind and Put forth such Child or Children Apprentices, to any honest Person or Persons within the Kingdom ofEngland, for any Number of Years, not exceeding seven Years, as they shall think convenient; whichIndenture shall be binding to such Child or Children.
And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Court or Assembly so constituted, as aforesaid, shall have, and hereby have Power to inflict such reasonable Correction and Punishment on any poor Person or Persons within the said Hospital or Hospitals, Work-house or Work-houses, House or Houses of Correction, that shall not conform to such Rules, Orders and Ordinances so made, as aforesaid, or misbehave themselves in the same; and that the said Court or Assembly so constituted, as aforesaid, shall have, and hereby have Power to appoint a Committee to consist of One and Twenty of the Guardians at the least, who, or any five of them, of which two shall be Assistants, shall from time to time, or at any time until the next Court, have Power to inflict such reasonable Correction and Punishment, as aforesaid, on any such poor Person or Persons offending as aforesaid.
And for the better carrying on so Pious and Charitable a Work, be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That it shall and may be Lawful for the said Corporation, in their said Courts or Assemblies, from time to time,to set down and ascertain what Sum, or Sums of Money shall be needful for the Building and Erecting of such Hospitals, Work-houses, or Houses of Correction, so that the same do not exceed the Sum of five Thousand Pounds, to be raised within the Space of three Years, or any longer Time, as to them shall seem meet, by such Quarterly or other Payments, as they in their Discretion shall think fit; and also from time to time, to set down and ascertain what Weekly, Monthly, or other Sums, shall be needful for the Maintenance of the Poor in the said Hospital or Hospitals, Work-house or Work-houses, House or Houses of Correction, or within the Care of the said Corporation, so that the same do not exceed what hath been paid in the said City towards the Maintenance of the Poor thereof, in any one of the three last Years; and shall and may, under their Common Seal, certify the same unto the Mayor and Aldermen of the said City for the time being; which said Mayor and any two of the Aldermen, or any Five of the said Aldermen without the Mayor, may, and are hereby required from time to time, to cause the same to be raised and levied by Taxation of every Inhabitant, and of all Lands, Houses, Tythes Impropriate, Appropriation of Tythes, and all Stocks and Estates in the said City and County of the same, in equal Proportion, according to their respective Worth and Values: And in order thereunto, the said Mayor and any two of the said Aldermen, or any five of the said Aldermen without the Mayor, shall have power, and are hereby required indifferently, to proportion out the said Sum and Sums upon each Parish and Precinct within the said City, and by their Warrants under their Hands and Seals to authorize and require the Church-wardens and Overseers of the Poor of each respective Parish and Precinct, to Assess the same respectively; and after such Assessment made, by like Warrant under their Hands and Seals, to authorize the said respective Church-wardens and Overfeers to Demand, Gather, and Receive the same, and for Non-payment thereof (being lawfully demanded) to Levy the same by Distress and Sale of the Goods of the Offender, restoring the Surplusage to the Party so distrained; and if no Distress can be found, then it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Mayor, and any two of the Aldermen, or any five of the said Aldermen without the Mayor, to commit such Offender to Prison, there to remain without Bail or Mainprize, till the same shall be paid: And after the same shall be received, to pay the same unto the Treasurer of the said Corporation for the time being. Provided always, That if any Person or Persons, Parish or Precinct, find him or themselves to be unequally Taxed or Assessed, he or they may Appeal to the Justices of the Peace of the said City and County, at their next General Quarter-Sessions after such Assessment made and demanded, who shall and hereby have full Power and Authority, to take and make a final Order therein.