"Three Hats, value £1, 1s. each, at £1, 14s. 6d. per Ann., delivered as follows. Two on Subscription, the third at the end of eight months, when the two first must be returned, and the third at the end of the year. Four Hats, value £1, 4s. each, at £2, 6s. per Ann., delivered as follows. Two on subscribing, and two at the end of six months, when the two first must be returned, and the other two at the end of the year. The Hats changed as the Fashions vary during subscribing. To remove all prejudices, Gentlemen may call at the Manufactory and see the quality. Old Hats taken in part of the subscription money. Durant and Pitra, Hat Manufactory, middle of Monmouth St."--(_Times, Aug. 25, 1796._) On Nov. 22, 1798, Pitt brought forward his annual statement, relating to public finance--and proposed to raise £7,000,000, by a new tax called a triple assessment--but, eventually, it turned out that it, with the land tax, brought in but about 4-1/2 Millions. A Briton can extract some fun, even out of his misfortunes, so they caricatured this heavy tax. In Dec. 1797 appeared a picture entitled "More visitors to John Bull; or the Assessed Taxes"--showing four little imps coming to John Bull. He naturally asks, "What do you want, you little devils?--ain't I plagued with enough of you already? more pick pocket's work, I suppose?" But the _diablotins_ courteously reply, "Please your honour, we are the Assessed Taxes." On Dec. 3, 1798, Mr. Pitt again made his annual financial statement--and, of course, he wanted more money--and the way by which he proposed to raise the necessary funds--was by imposing a Tax on Income. He proposed that no income under £60 a year should be touched--and from that sum, to £200 per annum, should be on a smaller scale than over £200--past which sum--a full tenth of all incomes would be demanded. The returns were to be made by the person assessed, subject to the inspection of a surveyor, who should lay before the commissioners any grounds he might have for suspecting the return to be false. The commissioners had no power to call for account books, or to examine clerks, &c. But, if the individual did not clear himself, and they thought he had not returned sufficient, they could make such assessment as they thought fit. After a long debate it was carried by 183 to 17, and made law on 18th Mar. 1799. By the accompanying caricature, "A Visitor to John Bull, for the year 1799, or the Assessed Taxes taking their leave," it was evidently the public impression that the Income Tax would supersede the Assessed Taxes. But it was not so, as they were still kept on. The little demons still behave courteously towards John Bull, who looks in undisguised horror at the size of the awful fund (the Income Tax) now taking possession of him.