subjected to a duty of sixteen shillings the quarter; and to a duty of eight shillings whenever the price did not exceed four pounds. The former of these two prices has, for more than a century past, taken place only in times of very great scarcity; and the latter has, so far as I know, not taken place at all. Yet, till wheat had risen above this latter price, it was by this statute subjected to a very high duty; and, till it had risen above the former, to a duty which amounted to a prohibition. The importation of other sorts of grain was restrained at rates, and by duties, in proportion to the value of the grain, almost equally high.[1] Subsequent laws still further increased those duties.
The distress which, in years of scarcity, the strict execution of those laws might have brought upon the people, would probably have been very great. But, upon such occasions, its execution was generally suspended by temporary statutes, which permitted, for a limited time, the importation of foreign corn. The necessity of these temporary statutes sufficiently demonstrates the impropriety of this general one.
These restraints upon importation, though prior to the establishment of the bounty, were dictated by the same
- ↑ Before the 13th of the present king, the following were the duties payable upon the importation of the different sorts of grain:
Grain Duties Duties Duties Beans to 28s. per qr. 19s. 10d. after till 40s. 16s. 8d. then 12d. Barley to 28s. 19s. 10d. 32s. 16s. 12d. Malt is prohibited by the annual Malt-tax Bill. Oats to 16s. per qr. 5s. 10d. after 9½d. Peas to 40s. 16s. 0d. after 9¾d. Rye to 36s. 19s. 10d. till 40s. 16s. 8d. then 12d. Wheat to 44s. 21s. 9d. till 53s. 4d. 17s. then 8s. till £4 and after that about 1s. 4d. Buckwheat to 32s. per qr. to pay 16s. These different duties were imposed, partly by the 22d of Charles II., in place of the Old Subsidy, partly by the Now Subsidy, by the One-third and Two-thirds Subsidy, and by the Subsidy 1747.
