Beside this, they had pretty early, even in the time of the republic, duties upon mines and salt; and in order to levy the former more easily, they forbid all mines in Italy. Their mines near Carthagena yielded them 25,000 drachms a-day. _Burman de Vict. Rom._ In the time of the monarchy, the kings had the sole power of imposing taxes. In the time of the republic, 'tis strange to see this power belonging sometimes to the magistrates, sometimes to the senate, or to the people. We learn from Livy, in the second Punic War, that the senate could contract debt alone. Polybius says, that all money matters belonged to the senate. The censors levied all the taxes, and farmed them out to the Roman knights. The Romans could be no great politicians; since the senate could not gain the sovereignty, nor the censors the supreme magistracy, notwithstanding these advantages. All French projectors take it for granted that 'tis equally dangerous to make the people too easy as to oppress them too much. _Comte de Boulainvilliers._ The charter governments in America, almost entirely independent of England. Those north of Virginia interfere most with us in manufactures, which proceeds from the resemblance of soil and climate. Gustavus Vasa is perhaps the only instance of a prince who humbled the clergy while he aspired to arbitrary power. From 1729 to 1730, imported of corn into Ireland to the value of £274,000,--ascribed to the want of a drawback by the Irish House of Commons. The exchange to Holland always against us. _Craftsman._ Not true. Our exports no rule to judge of our trade: masters enter more than they export, to persuade others that their ship is near full. The East India Company have offered to pay all the duties upon tea, provided it may be sold duty free. The interest the crown has in seizures thought to be the cause why they were refused.--Never asked; because afterwards they cannot expect the execution of the laws against foreign tea. The government of England perhaps the only one, except Holland, wherein the legislature has not force enough to execute the laws without the good-will of the people. This is an irregular kind of check upon the legislature. Men have much oftener erred from too great respect to government than from too little. The French sugar colonies supplied entirely with provisions from our northern colonies. 15000-20000 Hogsheads of tobacco exported to France at £20 a hogshead; at £5. The gross produce of the English customs £3,000,000 a-year; the neat produce £1,800,000. In all the British Leeward Islands, the muster-roll exceeded not two thousand five hundred men a few years ago, and yet there are twenty thousand blacks in Antigua alone. The French fish on the coasts of Newfoundland in the winter, which gives them an advantage above us. Our bustle about the Ostend company, the cause of the great progress of the French company.