The Querist: Containing Several Queries Proposed to the Consideration of the Public — John Shaqi
The Querist: Containing Several Queries Proposed to the Consideration of the PublicBerkeley, George
Philosophy
The Querist: Containing Several Queries Proposed to the Consideration of the Public
Berkeley, George
Great Britain -- Economic conditions -- 18th century; Great Britain -- Economic policy; Wealth
22. Qu. Whether the same evils would be apprehended from paper-money
under an honest and thrifty regulation?
23. Qu. Whether, therefore, a national bank would not be more
beneficial than even a mine of gold?
24. Qu. Whether private ends are not prosecuted with more attention
and vigour than the public? And yet, whether all private ends are
not included in the pubic?
25. Qu. Whether banking be not absolutely necessary to the pubic
weal?
26. Qu. Whether even our private banks, though attended with such
hazards as we all know them to be, are not of singular use in defect
of a national bank?
27. Qu. Whether without them what little business and industry there
is would not stagnate? But whether it be not a mighty privilege for
a private person to be able to create a hundred pounds with a dash
of his pen?
28. Qu. Whether the mystery of banking did not derive its original
from the Italians? Whether this acute people were not, upon a time,
bankers over all Europe? Whether that business was not practised by
some of their noblest families who made immense profits by it, and
whether to that the house of Medici did not originally owe its
greatness?
29. Qu. Whether the wise state of Venice was not the first that
conceived the advantage of a national bank?
30. Qu. Whether at Venice all payments of bills of exchange and
merchants' contracts are not made in the national or pubic bank, the
greatest affairs being transacted only by writing the names of the
parties, one as debtor the other as creditor in the bank-book?
31. Qu. Whether nevertheless it was not found expedient to provide a
chest of ready cash for answering all demands that should happen to
be made on account of payments in detail?
32. Qu. Whether this offer of ready cash, instead of transfers in
the bank, hath not been found to augment rather than diminish the
stock thereof?
33. Qu. Whether at Venice, the difference in the value of bank money
above other money be not fixed at twenty per cent?
34. Qu. Whether the bank of Venice be not shut up four times in the
year twenty days each time?
35. Qu. Whether by means of this bank the public be not mistress of
a million and a half sterling?
36. Qu. Whether the great exactness and integrity with which this
bank is managed be not the chief support of that republic?
37. Qu. Whether we may not hope for as much skill and honesty in a
Protestant Irish Parliament as in a Popish Senate of Venice?
38. Qu. Whether the bank of Amsterdam was not begun about one
hundred and thirty years ago, and whether at this day its stock be
not conceived to amount to three thousand tons of gold, or thirty
millions sterling?
39. Qu. Whether besides coined money, there be not also great
quantities of ingots or bars of gold and silver lodged in this bank?
40. Qu. Whether all payments of contracts for goods in gross, and
letters of exchange, must not be made by transfers in the
bank-books, provided the sum exceed three hundred florins?
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