JL
m li
R evenues.
'Po litica l“ Importance
and
^Relations.
't u t as the Polilh M ffto^rkcy^‘^are'fl3l ^ , ^ ^ ^ e d 'againft’ta ^ ls to be de-
-fray id b y themlelves, it is;tb be. prefumed th a t a new and m o re h i',’1 '
'mate"^forth^of"go Vernnient w ill compel them to contribute largely to
the expences o f Tub f ta le ; which, confideriog th e bondage m which
t h e y h a v e held th e peafantry, there will be no haufe to regret. • And
it may expedited, from the-fpirit o f the Pruffian government, th a t the
-fains thus jiiftly exacted from the rich will be in a great mpafure e x pended
in the improvement o f the a c q u ire d ^ ju n try , which may thus
yield a,1 fair revenue proportioned to its 'extent. T h e late great-monarch,
clearly Fdrefeeing the deftru&ive- 'Go'nfequdn'destif th ’e funding
•fyftem, which has been embraced b y f oW 'e th e f European powers,
with his ufual ability purfued th e oppofite plan o f laying A p a 'tre a fu re
to ferve in tim er'.of neceffity, iftftead o f adding the njppyefflon' o f taxv
ation to %hb horrors o f w ar. Thfs trjkTure' is faid to have-been expended
by his im m e d ig i fucceffor ; hut ftill Pruffia has the fupreme
advantage o f freedom from n a tio n a l debt, whence th e fmallnefs o f the
revenue has never been regarded as detradting from) its pofition among
th e chief European powers. -
| TRe-poBtical importance and relatibris k i t i ^ e m 1 have impreffed
the European hiftory o f this century w i t h Aew a n d diftindi fea-
Hires. W h a t Poland would have- been, i f blefled w ith a happier
government, and executive energy, may be conceived from the prefent
appearance o f Pruffia, exclufive only o f one circumftance, th a t o f con-
Trguity with the Ottoman dominions. A n affiance w ith Pruffia would
h e indeed o f fupreme importance to the T u rk ifh empire ; n o r can it be
tM :intereft o f Pruffia -to permit Ruffia to extend h e r aggrandizements.
Yet th e Porte has f e w advantages to /offer, while Ruffia might fecure
th e a l l i a n c e o f Pruffia, by conceding a fu rth er part o f .Poland to balance
any great acceffion o f Tu rk ifh territory.
In regard to th e other chief powers o f Europe, England, Trance,
Ruffia, and Auftria, an alliance o f th e firft with Pruffia has repeatedly -
been enforced b y circumftance^; b u t it c an n o t be difguifed th a t there
is a. more neceflary and important connexion between,, Pruffia and
.France, a s both, have caufe to h e je a lo u s -o f thefAuftrian .power, which
Trance
I
•France can effentially injure, while England is b y mature:debarred from
an y preponderating ; interference. But a chief province o f Pruffian
politics :muft be the defence o f the '<?oohtry againft the arms and in fluence
o f Rtiffiay’ for-' which purp o fe ’a m o ft important ftCp would be
a firm .alliance,'1 cemented by 'every pplitioMf||fte and intereft, Between
Pruffia, Denmark,...and S w e d e n ; which, if,th e Ruffian empire remain
undivided;, will be the foie barrier o f continental independence.*
* T h e fo llowing emrhatef o f “Pruffian
•edit, 180-1: T
populate 1 p 'eompïléd'fiôm the fub.-diviik>ns o f H o e ck ,
940,000
Weftern Pruffia " ‘ . 521.625
Southern Pruffia ,|r ’ :
N ew Eaftera Pruffia '< I
A .part pf Boland incorporated with, fjikfia.
•Pomerania - , . J ä i I?
Brandenburg - ' " t . . , - - W ß W v
.-N ew ^ y c h ;;.;! ..,, ^ \ z m s H .
Magdeburg' 1 .. « i , h 1 4 5 5 ,2 6 2 .
Halberftadt f
Mindén : j . ß l >9$ k
Rajeujburg , , , . > . *. X ' ;8j -,8 i,2
■"’EaM’Frifeland . . ioî',594.
•feUvéS'. 1 J‘ 1? * ’ . . 0 ’îéb jo ü ô
Mvi;« ^ '
M a rk * 1 I21I984
6-elder’ | ' ( '
,T?aklenburg’ • i k p I ’7>23+
Lringen . .
Siieliâ : j y y
An fpa ch . -- - ,2 15 $ 5-6
'Bpi^enthyv , * , L • . s. * ■ . 2 -5 , ta
Neufchatel-and Valengin J
8,021,149,
' revenues he computes fomeiimes in äol3ars,, fometimes jn florins, and-in fu'ch minuté fu b -
-àivifioiii. that the catenation would he very laborious. ■’<
... T h e Pruffian army, accordirigftö.a particular table, amounts*o 178,897 infantry, ajtd 39,867
-cavalry; forming with artillery,, See, a to tal o f 237,089. J . f j , ' - s'
*■ y>he intelligent -author o f L a P r u ß , et fa neutralité, 1800, Syo, ettimate:, pi 15, the popula-
-tton at more than nine million , but he 1 a panegyrtft. T h e revenue Be puts,_p.-19, at above
five millions] fterling», and juftly ;!6bferves that -, this fum mull be èftûsated,■ not in. iAelf,, but. as'
-compared with the tiheapnefs o f provifionSy. &c.'.' fo that it equals a far higher nominal revenue:
and there is no national debt, the '-army ,’ he fays, p. 25, contains 224,144 men : there is no
•marine, -the .army requiring undivided attention.
POLITICAL
I m po r t a
n ce, &c.