drawn with it are both put upon one file. If the ticket drawn out of the box B be a fortunate ticket, the fum written on it is entered by the clerk into a book, which entry two of the managers fign as witneffes, and then the fortunate and numbered tickets fo drawn together are And fo the put upon another file. drawing continues, every day, (Sundays, Christmas, and faft-days, except ed), by taking one ticket at a time out of each box, by opening, naming aloud, and filing them, and by entering the fortunate tickets, till all the 6500 fortunate tickets, and one more, for the last drawn, be completely drawn. After each day's drawing, the managers caufe the boxes to be locked up and fealed as aforefaid. Afterwards, the numbered tickets, and the fortunate tickets drawn against them, remain in a ftrong box, locked up as aforefaid, under the cuftody of the managers, till they take them out to examine, adjuft, and fettle the property of them. As foon as conveniently may be, after the drawing is over, the managers caufe print and publish the number of the tickets drawn against each fortunate ticket, and the fam written on it ; and if any difpute arife in adjusting the property of any fortunate ticket, the major part of the managers agreeing therein, determine to whom it belongs.

On arts 6. & 7. of the ways and means, for applying part of the finking fund for the fervice of the current year, the following remarks have been made. "It is highly deplorable, that fuch an immenfe fum fhould be taken out of that facred depofit, which was once thought to be inviolably appropriated to the payment of the national debt. How often has it been recommended from the throne to the house of Commons, to think of proper means for reducing this debt, as a point most effential to the welfare of the kingdom! [Befides this, the managers publifh, every evening during the drawing, a lift of the prizes drawn that day, with the numbers of the tickets to which they refpectively belong; and the lottery-brokers regifter, in their books, every ticket when drawn, and its chance, whether a blank or a prize.]

How often have the Commons, in their addreffes, given the strongest assurances of their intentions carefully to improve, and religiously to apply the produce of the finking fund to this wife and good end! But, notwithstanding these repeated recommendations on one hand, and reiterated affurances on the other hand, yet that facred treasure has from time to time been broken into. The violation at firft was made with a fearful and fparing hand, and met with violent oppofition: but what was formerly deemed little lefs than facrilege, is now taken as an appropriation of course. Neceflity perhaps may justify the meafure for the prefent; but if we have any regard for pofterity, let us be careful how we admit that plea for the future.

"As many of our readers may not have a clear idea of the nature of the finking fund, we have extracted the following account from a treatise published in the year 1734, which is equally fuccinct and intelligible.

"The creditors of the public, whose properties conftitute the national debt, lent their money at divers times upon the faith of particular acts of parliament, which impofed feveral taxes for the repayment of their principal and interest, fuch as foap, candles, stamp-duties, excife, fubfidies, &c. Every lender had one or more order or tally, payable at the exchequer in courfe as they were numbered, out of thofe taxes; fome of which were to continue till the money borrowed upon them was repaid; and in fome cafes, as in most of the lotteries, there was what we now call a finking fund, included in the act of parliament itfelf, by the computation of an annual fum, fufficient to pay the principal and intereft of the money borrowed in a certain time. In fuch cafes, the parliament always bound themselves by the strongeft claufes, inferted in the act, to make good any deficiencies of these annual fums out of the next aids in parliament, that the creditor might in all events be fecure of his repayment; and the money, as it came into the exchequer, was referved there till the creditors called for it; all the officers of the exchequer

being fubject to the feverest penalties, in cafe of any mifapplication. The great advantages of this method to the public, as well as the creditor, muft immediate ly be feen. Every 500 1. or lefs fum being fet off for payment, as it came into the exchequer, the intereft then ceased: nor was a million of money, or more, paid off at once, and fent to market for the advantage of stockjobbers, and to the lofs of the poor creditor. This was formerly the cafe of all the public creditors, except the annuitants, whofe principal was to be funk at the end of a certain term of years: and though they were deluded with the hopes of great imaginary advantages to fubfcribe their debts into the South-fea company, upon the credit of that famous act, which may be called the great charter of national faith between the public and their creditors; yet that fubfcription did not in the leaft weaken the right they had to their fecurities, by virtue of those particular acts of parliament, on which they originally lent their money. On the contrary, their properties received a new fecurity from this incorporation, according to the common maxim, Vis unita fortior; nay, in order to give the creditors this fatisfaction, the several acts of parliament on which their debts are founded, are re cited in the South-fea act, and made perpetual, to render the repayment more certain the whole product of the taxes above mentioned being appropriated to the former ufes. The furplus of these taxes, after the interest of the debt is paid, conftitutes the finking fund; which is commonly distinguished under three heads, the Aggregate, the South fea, and the General Fund, with fome additions it has received fince; but it is well known, that the great increase of the finking fund arifes from the creditors confenting to a reduction of their intereft from time to time. [ii. 419.]

"How far it is juft and lawful to break into this facred depofit, may not become us to determine: but no lover of his country can be too earnest in his defires to fee the reduction of the nas tional debt; as the payment of it is the

only method of delivering ourselves from thole grievous and exorbitant taxes we now labour under, which inhance the price of all the neceffaries of life, and endanger the lofs of many beneficial branches of trade, by difabling our ma« nufacturers to work as cheap as other nations." Grand Mag.

It was in pursuance of refolutions of this committee, that the acts were pali ed for granting to the King certain fums out of the finking fund, &c. for ena bling his Majefty to raise 800,000). & and for repealing the duty on the making of filver plate, &c, [320.]By the act laft mentioned, the duty of 6 d. per ounce troy, laid, by an að 6o Geo. I. on all filver plate made in G. Britain, is taken off; and in lieu of it, every perfon who trades in or fells gold or filver plate, or goods composed of gold or filver, or goods in which gold or filver is manufactured, and every perfon employed to fell gold or filver plate, or any fuch goods as aforefaid, at any auc tion or public fale, or by commiffion, from and after July 5. 1758, is to take out a licence every year, the licence for every fucceeding year at least ten days before the expiration of that for the year preceding, and to pay 40s. for each licence, under a penalty of 20.1. for each offence. Perfons in partnership, carry ing on their trade in one house or thop only, are obliged to take out only one licence yearly. No licence authorises a perfon to trade in fuch goods in asy place, except in fuch houfes, or places thereunto belonging, as he or the inhabit at the time of granting the licence, of in booths or stalls at markets. Adicence is to be granted to every perfon applying for it, on payment of 40s. Every licence taken out within the limits of the chief offices of excife in London, or Edinburgh, is to be granted under the hands and feals of two or more commissioners excise in England or Scotland refpecti ly, and the duties are to be paid thofe offices refpectively. In other pla licences are to be granted under hands and feals of the collectors and pervisors of excise of the districts respo tively, and the duties are to be paid

confiderable real and perfonal eftate: and having no family, he made a will to the following effect, viz.

"Being anxious for my fellow-citizens of Bern, (who have often fuffered by dearth of corn and wine), my will is, that, by the permiffion of providence, they shall never for the future fuffer a gain under the like calamity: to which end and purpofe I give my eftate, real and perfonal, to the fenate of Bern, in truft for the people; that is to say, that they receive the produce of my eftate, till it fhall come to the fum of [fuppofe two thousand pounds]; that then they fhall lay out this two thousand pounds in building a town-house, according to a plan by me left; the lower story whereof to confift of large vaults or repofitories for wine; the ftory above I direct to be formed into a piazza for fuch perfons as fhall come to the market at Bern, for difpofing of their goods, free from the injuries of the weather; above that I direct a council-chamber to be erected, for a committee of the fenate to meet in from time to time, to adjust my accounts, and to direct fuch things as may be neceffary for the charity; and above the council-chamber as many floors for granaries as can be conveniently railed, to depofit a quantity of corn for the ufe of the people, whenever they fhall have occafion for it. And when this building fhall be erected, and the expence of it difcharged, I direct the fenate of Bern to receive the produce of my eftate, till the fame fhall amount to the fum of [fuppofe two thoufand pounds]; and when the price of corn fhall be under the mean rate of the last ten years one fourth part, they fhall then lay out one thousand pounds in corn, and ftow it in my granaries; and the fame in wine, when under one fourth of the mean rate of the last ten years; and my will is, that none of the faid corn or wine fhall be fold, until the price of corn or wine fhall exceed, at the common market, one fourth of the mean rate for the last ten years; and then every citizen of Bern fhall demand daily (or proportionably weekly) as many pounds weight of wheat, and as many

pints of wine, as he has mouths in his family to confume, and no more; and that for the fame he pay ready money, after the mean rate that it has been at for the last ten years paft; a due proportion being allowed for waste, and that to be fettled by the fenate; and that each householder fhall be fo fuppli ed as long as the price of corn or wine fhall continue above the rate of ont fourth more than the mean rate: and whatsoever increase shall be made of the capital, it shall be laid out, under the fame reftrictions, in adding to the stock of corn and wine: which, under the bleffing of God, will, I hope, in a cer tain time, reduce these two neceffary ar ticles of life to very near a fixed price, to the glory of God, and the benefit of the poor."

This legacy has fubfifted near 200 years, and has had the defired effect at Bern.

An English merchant returning from Aleppo, by Bern, took this hint, and settled a fum of money, for the use of the poor at Kingston-on-Thames, for the purchase of coals in the fame manner. Arthur Onflow, Speaker of the Honourable houfe of Commons, and Ncholas Hardinge, Efq; (lately deceased), were two of the trustees, under whate aufpices the poor were abundantly fup plied, and the fund greatly augmental.

About five years ago the hint was gi ven, and fome gentlemen in Northamp ton collected a fum of money, for purchafing fewel at prime coft, and lelling to the poor at the fame rate; which antwered perfectly well.

Mr Yarranton, in a book called Ergland's improvement, has this propotal. "To have public granaries erected, (which he calls bank-granaries), wherein the farmer might depofit his grain whe it is very cheap, and have a transferable property therein, fo as to be able to raife money thereupon for the payment of his rent, or for any other purpose.The landlord might in that cafe have the fame fecurity and right of feizure upon the crops depofited there, as the law now gives him upon corn growing upon his eftate, or brought into the barns." Gent. Mag.