Animadversions on a pretended Account of Danmark

CHAP. IX.

Of the Revenue.

LEt us in this Chapter follow the Authors advice, p. 102. and Measure Hercules by his Foot. If what has gone before does not suffice, let us at least from hence take the height of his fancy, and the level of his un∣derstanding.

He does indeed throughout the whole persue his first design, which is to multiply the Taxes, and yet af∣terwards to lessen the Revenue; with what Art he does it, and with what respect to Truth, the follow∣ing Instances may convince the Rea∣der.

Consumption, or Excise upon things consumable, is the first Tax he mentions, p. 100. The Danes perhaps took their pattern for this from Holland. But here the Author to multiply the Taxes makes three of one; for the says (ibid.) There are

besides smaller Ta••es, as thirdly upon Marriages, where every couple marrying pay so much for their ••icence, according to their Qualities; this is pretty ••••gh, and comes in some Cases to 30 or 40 Rixdollars. This is only a branch of the consumption, where it is de∣creed, that every couple that mar∣ries shall pay a small matter to the King; no•• is this pretty high, for i•• seldom amounts among the Commo•• People higher than from half a Rix∣dollar to a whole one; but paying for Licences for Marriage is quite ano∣ther thing. People of Quality that will not have the publick Banes thrice proclaimed in the Churches, and be∣sides desire to be married at home in their Houses privately, buy Li∣cences and commonly pay 10 Rix∣dollars for them. That Tax for Brewing, Grinding, &c. is nothing else but the Consumption paid by Brewers or Millers.

Poll Money, he says, p 101. is some∣times raised twice a year. This is more than the Danes know of (or if it might have happened is extreamly

rare) and in raising this Tax more proportion is observed in Danmark•• between the substance of one and ano∣ther, than any wh••re else, where∣fore it is very far from truth, that it is only guess'd at.

Fortification Tax, or Money raised for, or upon pretence of ma••ing Forti••••∣cations, p. 101. was never raised but once, which was three years ago; nor was it done then upon pretence, but expended upon the Fortifications of Croneborg, Rensborg, &c. and then to ease the Subject, the Pole Tax was not gathered that Year. Marriage Tax for a Daughter of Danmark is raised upon occasion•• (as in ••th••r places•• but that under this Name, oc∣casion is taken to raise more than the Portion, is more than any one can pre∣tend to demonstrate.

Trade-Money, p. 101. where every Tradesman is taxed for the exercising his Trade, and moreover obliged to quar∣ter Soldiers, is a Tax never heard of, except what a Tradesman pays to his Company in the Cities, where he begins to exercise his Trade, and

this is very unjustly called a Tax to the King; and then he is obliged to quar∣ter Souldiers, not as a Tradesman, but a Burgher.

Ground Rent, he says, p. 102. is paid for all Houses in Copenhagen, or any other Towns in Danmark; which are taxed by the King when he pleases. This is called Byskat, or Town-Tax, and is contributed towards the City Stock, and is a very small matter, nothing near 4 per Cent. as he afterwards (p. 103.) would perswade us. In the o••her Cities of Danmark, this Tax was never known to be paid to the King, but in Copenhagen such a thing may have happened once, instead of another Tax which then ceased.

We come next to six very edifying Pages, viz. p. 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108. where any one that is cu∣rious may know the Excise upon Mustard seed, Eggs, Tripe and Cole∣worts; also upon Eels, Soap and Herrings; which sheet of his Book can be no where more acceptable, nor of greater use, than for the more careful Preservation of those Commo∣dities,

when they are to be carried from Leaden-hall, or Newgate Mar∣ket.

Publick Mills, it seems there are, (p. 109.) where all the Inhabitants of Copenhagen are bound to grind, and to pay the Summs above-mentioned for grinding. There are such Mills, but they cause no new Tax; and what is paid for grinding there, is as cheap, as it would be done any where else, they being appointed only, that so the Consumption Tax may not be avoided.

Having gone a second time over his Taxes, and given an account o•• some that had never been, and others that have seldom been, he comes at last, p. 113. to one that had like to have been: For if the Kings only ••augh∣ter had been married to the Elector of Saxony, as she was about ••o be, a Tax had certainly been levy'd. Perhaps there might! in the mean time what does this Tax do here? Especially when (in the very next words) ••e supposes that by this, an English Rea∣der, has taken a Sur••eit of his account

of Taxes: For if he must have sur∣feited us, it might have been with something to the purpose. I confess no Tax the Danes lye under, surfeits me half so much, as the having paid three Shillings for such a Narrative.

After all that he has said, it is ea∣sily imagined, that a Fleet and Army cannot be maintained without Taxes, which are raised either upon Land, by Poll-money or Excise. His present Ma∣jesty has with great Wisdom, caused a v••luation of all Houses in Cities, and an admeasurement of all ••ands in the Country, p. 110. from whence every man pays in proportion to his Estate, and each Farm is tax'd higher or lower, according to the Fertility of the Land. Seasonableness of the Year, or Ability of the Landlord, p••101. so there is an e••uality of the Taxes, and the manner of Taxing, p. 247. This makes the People both willing and able to bear them; and as the contrary, (viz.) unequal Taxation, was the cause of the Alteration of the Government, so this is the Preservation of it.

Were Danmark in a profound Peace, as the Author imagins (p. 114. then he might have cried out with some reason, Pax servientibus gravior est, quam liberis bellum. But when the greatest Princes of Europe are in Arms, during the Noise and Tumult of War, the Peace of Danmark cannot be so profound. And I believe that it is no ill Maxim for a Neuter Prince, to take care, whilst his Neighbours are in War, that the Conqueror shall not be able to hurt him. Danmark endeavours to do this, and accord∣ingly keeps up a Fleet and Army; so that if a War should happen, he need not be in suspence, whether his Subjects could possibly bear a greater Burthen, p. 110. for there would not be a necessity for much more to∣wards maintaining them; and then besides the disciplining of the men, there would be all that charge s••ved, which attends upon the Levying of new Souldiers.

From this account of Taxes, the Author brings us to a Catalogue of other Miseries, The number of trading

Ships is decreased, and does not come up to what it did within these 30 years, p. 116. and the foreign Trade of Norway is considerably diminisht, s••nce their late Quarrel with the Dutch, p. 115. whereas in truth, the Trade never was greater than it is now, and the Dutch can so little be supplied with their Wooden Commodities from Sweden, that they are glad to refix their Commerce with Norway again.

He gives us, p. 117. his computa∣tion of the Ships that Trade thither, and that pass the Sound yearly, but I never lik'd his computations, because I have before found him wrong in his Arithmetick; and at present there is a difference that I cannot easily re∣concile: In his Chapter of the Sound (p. 23, 24, 25.) he recites a Letter from a very Understanding Person, March 31st, 1691. which gives him to understand, that since the Peace with Sweden, the Sound has not yeilded above 80000 Rixdollars per annum, and the last Year past, it did not reach to full 7••000. Now if I should have believed his understanding Friend,

what a mistake I might have run into: For when the Author himself comes to give us his opinion of it, p. 115. he says, that in the years 1690 and 1691, it amounted not to much more than 65000 Rixdollars, at which rate we may judge it likely to continue. See∣ing this disagreement between him and his understanding Friend, what credit can we Strangers give to the Letter of Advice, when there are at Least 4000 Rixdollars in the account between'em; which he will not take his Friends word for.

There is another branch of the Kings Revenue, p 117. which is least consi∣derable, and arises from the Rents of the Crown Lands, and confiseated Estates. The latter are in the Kings hands, either upon account of Forfeiture for Treason and other crimes, or by rea∣son of Debt, and Non-payment of Taxes; but notwithstanding this addi∣tion of Lands, the King is so far from being the richer, that he is the poorer for it. And were the thing true, that Estates fell into the Crown rather than pay Taxes, it would be great pity

that the King should receive no ad∣vantage by them; but such Surren∣ders are as imaginary, as his Con∣fiscations for Treason and other crimes: For Danmark is that happy Country, where, according to his own words, p. 139. You never hear of any Person guilty of the crime of Trea∣son against the King; there are no Clip∣pers and Coyners, no Robbers upon the High-way, nor House-breakers. So that if he, being an exact Arithme∣tician, will put together the Rents of Estates given to the King, rather than pay Taxes; the Rents of Estates confiscated for Treason, Rents of Estates forfeited for Coyning, Rob∣bing and House breaking, to the Money arising to his Majesty, from the Tax which might have been, p. 113. the Summ total will probably be just no∣thing.

But farther, as for this sort of Land, it generally turns to Forest, and contributes to his Diversion, though little to his Purse, p. 113. It is a sign his Purse needs no supply, when he can afford so much ground for his Diversion. And

then the Royal Palaces run to decay, ib. And so they do in all Countries, when the Prince is better pleased with ano∣ther Scituation. As for several of the King of Danmark's Palaces, they are old uncouth Buildings, used by for∣mer Kings, disused now, and there∣fore not kept in so good order as Fredericksborg, Jagersborg, and others, where the King passes some part of the Year

The Author it seems has met with another understanding Person, p. 119. who has informed him in several things, as first, that it is very difficult to make any rational computation of the running Cash of these Kingdoms, ib. or in∣deed of any Kingdom besides these; and so his Labour might have been superseded; certainly it is but very l••ttle, and not near the hundredth part of that of England, ib. When he is able to give a Rational Computation of the Running Cash of England, then it will be time enough to guess what proportion that of Danmark may bear to it; but till I find that under∣standing Persons agree in the com∣putation

of that of my own Coun∣try, I shall despair of finding them exact, as to that of another. If they have no Cash by them, and are indebted over head and ears to their Creditors at Amsterdam and Hamborough, ib. how comes it to pass, that the Danish Mer∣chants have so good Credit in both those Cities, and how come they to have it in London? But the Officers of the Army transport their Money to other Countries: This may be true in some very few instances; but for the most part these Officers are Danes, or married and settled in Danmark as has before been intimated. That few, or none of the Ministers of State purchase any Lands, p. 118. is as true as other of his Remarks, for there is no pub∣lick Minister, be he Dane, or not, that has not one, two, or more Seats, with Lands appertaining to them in the Country. That these Kingdoms consume more of Foreign Commodities, than their own Product can countervail, ib. cannot certainly be said of Nor∣way, nor of several Provinces of Dan∣mark, as Jutland, Laaland, &c. and

any person who has the least know∣ledge of their Traffick, will easily confute this Aslertion. As for the running of Brass Money amongst the common People, it is as Farthings a∣mongst us: Their Silver Coin is very good, in respect of several other Na∣tions, although not equal to Sterling; but whether the goodness of Coin be a way to preserve Running Cash in a Kingdom, may perhaps hereafter come to be considered by the English.

Under these circumstances, I can∣not think this understanding Person a competent Judge of the Running Cash of Danmark, any more than I take the Author to be of the King of Danmark's Revenue, though he is so very particular as to make it, Two Millions, two hundred twenty two thou∣sand Rixdollars, p. 122. and I am the more confirmed in this opinion, be∣cause the Taxes not being every year the same, the Revenue received by several Officers, and no account given but to the King himself, the calcu∣lation of the Revenue can hardly be made by those, who are most em∣ployed

in these Affairs at the Court, much less by a Foreigner.

To conclude with Norway, the Re∣venue of the Southern part amounts to between five and six hundred thousand Rixdollars, and of the Northern to be∣tween two and three hundred thousand, and so the Total may be communibus annis 800000 Rixdollars, so says the Author, p. 117. But when he comes to sum up the whole Revenue, p. 121•• there all the Revenue of Norway•• comes but to 700000 Rixdollars. Were their Losses in Danmark to be so great, the Natives, p. 120. might well think that it was impossible for the Taxes to conti∣nue, and wish for an Invader, since they have little or no property to lose. For you were pleased, Sir, to drop four thousand Rixdollars in the Customs of the Sound; and here you defalk a hundred thousand Rixdollars more: Might I advise, whatever Foreigners may be preferr'd in the Danish Court, you should never come into the Trea∣sury, if you can make up your Ac∣counts no better.