within the memory of some living; of which the pleaders for Drink-taxes may be regarded as lineal descendants. Drink and be mad, then; 'tis your country bids; Her cause demands the assistance of your throats; LOUIS XII. permitted spirits to be distilled on a large scale in France, but so sudden and great were the evil effects, that, only twenty-two years after, FRANCIS was obliged to promulgate a series of severe prohibitory enactments, to restore the country to its comparatively happy state. § 68. It is a self-evident fact, requiring no elaborate disquisition of the Political Economist to make plainer, that as drinking, on the one hand, is a rapid consumption of capital for transient gratification, inevitably followed by loss of time, labor, and strength, and by the cost of disease, pauperism, and crime (in short, by the loss of Productive Power); so the absence of drinking permits fuller and surer play to all the elements of National Progress, minimizing waste and maximizing wealth. But it happens that we have, in the History of the last century, two or three remarkable illustrations of the fact, and of the bearings of real, though partial prohibition, on the material interests of the people and the financial resources of the country. First, however, let us see what contemporary observers declared to follow the drinking consequent on the cheapness of Gin and other strong liquors. The Gentleman's Magazine for 1732 (vol. ii. p. 603), states that in consequence of their addiction to spirits, the industry and economy of the Poor had been materially repressed. "Throughout the Bills of Mortality, the poor housekeepers have not one quarter of the household goods they used to have, and small farmers in the neighborhood of London, can scarce show a clean suit of clothes to go to church" in. Now, in contrast with this fact, showing how drinking swallows the fund out of which Produce and Revenue must ultimately come, and the development of which in Reproductive Labor and Rational Expenditure constitutes true Commerce and Industry,-we will examine another page or two of British history. $69. The year 1757 was a year of scarcity; if not of famine. RUTTY says "The great scarcity of corn in Ireland and England, in 1757, was not owing entirely to a failure of the crop, but more to a consumption of grain in the distilleries." However, the Distilleries were stopped in March, 1757: with what results SMOLLETT shall tell. + "The bills relating solely to the supply being discussed and explained, the house proceeded, as usual, to enact other laws for the advantage of the * Natural History of the County of Dublin, vol. ii. p. 411. 1772, + History of England. Oct. Ed. vol. xv. community. Petitions having been presented by the cities of Bristol and New Sarum, alleging that since the laws prohibiting the making of low wines and spirits from grain, meal, and flour had been in force, the commonally appeared more sober, healthy, and industrious; representing the ill consequences which they apprehended would attend the repeal of these laws, and, therefore, praying their continuance: a committee of the whole house resolved that the prohibition to make wines or spirits from any sort of grain, meal, or flour, should be continued to the 24th day of December, in the year 1759. Before the bill was formed, petitious arrived from Liverpool and Bath, to the same purport as those from Bristol and Sarum; while, on the other hand, a remonstrance was presented by a great number of the malt-distillers of the city and suburbs of London, alleging that, it having been deemed expedient to prohibit the distilling of spirits from any sort of grain to the 24th day of December, then instant, some of the petitioners had entirely ceased to carry on the business of distilling; whilst others, merely with a view to preserve their customers-the compound distillers-and employ some of their servants, horses, and utensils, had submitted to carry on the distillation of spirits from molasses and sugars under great disadvantages, in full hope that the restraint would cease at the expiration of the limited time, or, at least, when the necessity which occasioned that restraint should be removed. That it was with great concern they observed a bill would be brought in for protracting the said prohibition, at a time when the price of all manner of grain, and particularly of wheat and barley, was considerably reduced and, as they humbly conceived, at a reasonable medium. They expatiated on the great loss they, as well as many traders and artificers, dependants upon them, must sustain in case the said bill should be passed into a law. They prayed the house to take these circumstances into consideration, and either permit them to carry on the distillation from wheat, malt, and other grain, under such restrictions as should be judged necessary, or to grant them such other relief, in respect of their several losses and incumbrances, as to the house should seem reasonable and expedient. This petition, though strenuously urged by a powerful and clamorous body without doors, did not meet great encouragement within. It was ordered to lie on the table, and an instruction was given to the committee, empowering them to receive a clause or clauses to allow the transportation of certain quantities of meal, flour, bread, and biscuit, to the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, for the sole use of the inhabitants; and another to prohibit the making of low wines and spirits from bran.' Much more attention was paid to a petition of several farmers in the county of Norfolk, representing that their farms consisted chiefly of arable land, which produced much greater quantities of corn than could be consumed within that county; that in the last harvest there was a great and plentiful crop of all sorts of grain, the greatest part of which had by unfavorable weather been rendered unfit for sale in London, or other markets for home consumption; that large quantities of malt were then lying at London, arising chiefly from the crops of barley growing in the year 1757, the sale of which was stagnated; that the petitioners being informed the house had ordered in a bill to continue the prohibition of coru exported, they begged leave to observe that, should it pass into a law, it would be extremely prejudicial to all, and ruin many farmers of that county, as they had offered their corn for sale at divers ports and markets of the said county; but the merchants refused to buy it at any price, alleging its being uufit for the London market. The great quantity of corn with which that market was already overstocked, and their not being allowed either to export it or make it into malt for exportation, they therefore prayed this prohibition might be removed, or they, the petitioners, indulged with some other kind of relief. Although this remonstrance was duly considered, the bill passed with the amendments, because of the proviso, by which His Majesty in council was empowered to shorten the date of the prohibition with respect to the exportation of corn during the recess of Parliament; but the temporary restraint laid upon distillation was made absolute, without any such condition, to the no small disappointment and mortification of the distillers, who had spared no pains and expense, by private solicitation and strenuous dispute in the public papers, to recommend their cause to the favor of the community. They urged that malt spirits, when used in moderation, far from being prejudicial to the health of individuals, were in many damp and marshy parts of the kingdom absolutely necessary for preserving field laborers from agues and other distempers produced by the cold and moisture of climate; that if they were debarred the use of malt spirits, they would have recourse to French brandy, with which, as they generally reside near the sea coast, the smugglers would provide them almost as cheap as the malt spirits could be afforded. Thus, the increased consumption of French spirit would drain the nation of money to a considerable amount, and prejudice the king's revenue in the same proportion. They observed, that many distillers had already quitted that branch of trade, and disposed of their materials; that all of them would probably take the same resolutions, should the bill pass into a law, as no man could foresee when the prohibition would cease, should it be continued at a time when all sorts of grain abounded in such plenty; that the very waste of materials by disuse, over and above the laying out of the money, would be of great prejudice to the proprietor. Thus, the business of distilling, by which so many families were supported, would be banished from the kingdom entirely; especially, as the expense of establishing a large distillery was so great, that no man would choose to employ his money for this purpose, judging, from experience, that some further accidental scarcity of corn might induce the legislature to interpose a ruinous delay in this branch of business. They affirmed, that from the excessive use of malt spirits no good argument could be drawn against this branch of traffic, no more than against any other conveniency of life; that the excessive use of common beer and ale was prejudicial to the health and morals of the people, yet no person ever thought of putting an end to the practice of brewing, in order to prevent the abuse of brewed liquors They urged, that in all parts of Great Britain there are some parcels of land that produce nothing to advantage but a coarse kind of barley, called 'big,' which, though neither fit for brewing nor for baking, may nevertheless be used in the distillery, and is accordingly purchased by those concerned in this branch, at such an encouraging price as enables many farmers to pay a higher rent to their landlords than they could otherwise afford; that there are, every year, some parcels of all sorts of grain, so damaged by unseasonable weather or other accidents, as to be rendered altogether unfit for bread or brewery, and would prove a very great misfortune to the farmer, if there was no distillery for the use of which he could sell his damaged commodity. They asserted that malt spirits were absolutely necessary for prosecuting some branches of foreign commerce, particularly the trade to the coast of Africa, for which traffic no assortment could be made up without a large quantity of geneva, of which the natives are so fond, that they will not traffic with any merchant who has not a considerable quantity, not only for sale, but also for presents to their chiefs and rulers; that the merchants of Great Britain must either have this commodity of their own produce, or import it at a great national expence from Holland; that the charge of this importation, together with the duties payable upon it, some part of which is not to be drawn back on exportation, will render it impossible for the traders to sell it so cheap on * Now a days the tables are turned. Mr OLIVEIRA, the wine merchant and M.P., now unites with the political Morning P sters and the litera▾ Champagners, in denouncing malt spirits and 'heavy wet, and in eulogizing 'light-wines.' the coast of Africa as it might be sold by the Dutch, who are the great rivals of Great Britain in this branch of commerce. To these arguments, it was replied, that malt spirits might be considered as a fatal and bewitching Poison, which had actually debauched the minds and enervated the bodies of the common people, to a very deplorable degree; that, without entering further into a comparison between the use and abuse of the two liquors, beer and geneva, it would be sufficient to observe, that the use of beer and ale had produced none of those dreadful effects which were the consequences of drinking geneva; and since the prohibition of the distillery of malt spirits had taken place, the common people were become apparently more sober, decent, healthy, and industrious; a circumstance sufficient to induce the legislature not only to intermit, but even totally to abolish, the practice of distillation, which has ever been productive of such intoxication, riot, disorder, and distemper, among the lower classes of the people, as might be deemed the greatest evils incident to a well-regulated commonwealth. Their assertion with respect to the coarse kind of barley, called 'big,' was contradicted as a deviation from truth, inasmuch as it was used in making malt, as well as in making bread; and with respect to damaged. corn, those who understood the nature of grain, affirmed that it was spoiled to such a degree as to be altogether unfit for either of these purposes. The distillers would not purchase it at such a price as would indemnify the farmer for the charge of thrashing and carriage. For the distillers are very sensible that their great profit is derived from their distilling the malt made from the best barley; so that the increase of the produce far exceeded in proportion the advance of the price. It was not, however, an easy matter to prove that the distillation of malt spirits was not necessary to an advantageous prosecution of the commerce on the coast of Guinea, as well as among the Indians in some parts of North America. Certain, it is, that in these branches of traffic, the want of geneva may be supplied by spirits distilled from sugars and molasses. After all, it must be owned that the good and salutary effects of the prohibition were visible in every part of the kingdom, and no evil consequence ensued, except a diminution of the revenue in this article; a consideration which at all times ought to be sacrificed to the health and morals of the people." § 70. On other occasions* on which, in consequence of famine, the distilleries were stopped, we have no contemporary evidence; but in reference to the prohibition of distillation in 1796, we have the testimony of Mr COLQUHOUN, given in his Treatise on the Police of London (6th Ed. 1800), page 328 :- "It is a curious and important fact, that during the period when the distilleries were stopped, in 1796-97, though bread and every necessary of life were considerably higher than during the preceding year, the poor were apparently more comfortable, paid their rents more regularly, and were better fed than at any period for some years before, even though they had not the benefit of the extensive charities which were distributed in 1795. This can only be accounted for by their being denied the indulgence of gin, which had become in a great measure inaccessible from its very high price. It may be fairly concluded that the money formerly spent in this imprudent manner, had been applied in the purchase of provisions and other necessaries, to the amount of some £100,000. The effect of their being deprived of this baneful liquor, was also evident in their more orderly conduct; quarrels and assaults were less frequent, and they resorted seldomer to the pawnbroker's * 5th Geo III. cap. 3. From 1st January, 1766, to 1st October, 1766. (Total failure of harvest.) 41st Geo. III. cap. 16. From 25th March, 1801, to 25th March, 1802. shop; and yet, during the chief part of this period, bread was 15d. the quartern loaf; meat higher than the preceding year, particularly pork, which arose in part from the stoppage of the distilleries, but chiefly from the scarcity of grain." § 71. On reference to the Tables of Imports into Ireland, and a comparison of the years of the stoppage of the Distilleries, and the consequent comparative sobriety of the nation, with the years when they were in full activity, destroying food and demoralizing the people, we arrive at the startling anomaly, that a year of Scarcity, with prohibition, is better than a year of Plenty without it! The years 1809-10 and 1813-14, were seasons of scarcity, and the Distilleries were stopped. The average consumption of Spirits in the years 1811-12, and 1815-17, was 7 millions of gallons on the other years, not quite 41. But mark how the saved 31 millions re-appears in the form of an increase of the following articles of comfort, which bespeak not simply the absence of a great curse, but the presence of domestic and personal happinesss, and of a thriving trade. TABLE OF IMPORTS. Extracted and averaged from returns made to Parliament, 1822. See the 4th and 5th Reports of Commissioners of Inquiry. In addition, therefore, to the saving of disorder, crime, disease, and pauperism, and all their cost, it is clear that even the Excise was greatly benefited by the increased consumption of other exciseable articles. What is true of Ireland in particular must be true of the Empire at large. This may be illustrated from the fact, that while the actual decrease in the consumption of spirits, wine, and beer, in the year 1850 as compared with the year 1836, was 524,932 gallons, the increase in the consumption of Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa in 1850, over 1836, was 26,735,914 lbs. Hence what is lost to the excise in one way, is made up in another. This is confirmed by the fact, that in the year of Father MATHEW's greatest Temperance triumphs in Ireland, while the revenue from whisky was vastly reduced, the total revenue had increased £80,000 above its average, besides saving much cost in collection. § 72. The objections to a Maine Law, founded on an affected alarm as to what will become of the revenue ?-on which one stumbles occasionally in the political press, are sheer cant, I |