ring the war than
in peace.[41] An additional duty was also laid in 1795 on tea, another
on coffee, and a third on raisins,--an article, together with currants,
of much more extensive use than would readily be imagined. The balance
in favor of our argument would have been much enhanced, if our coffee
and fruit ships from the Mediterranean had arrived, last year, at their
usual season. They do not appear in these accounts. This was one
consequence arising (would to God that none more afflicting to Italy, to
Europe, and the whole civilized world had arisen!) from our impolitic
and precipitate desertion of that important maritime station. As to
sugar,[42] I have excluded it from the groceries, because the account of
the customs is not a perfect criterion of the consumption, much having
been reexported to the North of Europe, which used to be supplied by
France; and in the official papers which I have followed there are no
materials to furnish grounds for computing this reexportation. The
increase on the face of our entries is immense during the four years of
war,--little short of thirteen hundred thousand pounds.

The increase of the duties on beer has been regularly progressive, or
nearly so, to a very large amount.[43] It is a good deal above a
million, and is more than equal to one eighth of the whole produce.
Under this general head some other liquors are included,--cider, perry,
and mead, as well as vinegar and verjuice; but these are of very
trifling consideration. The excise duties on wine, having sunk a little
during the first two years of the war, were rapidly recovering their
level again. In 1795 a heavy additional duty was imposed upon them, and
a second in the following year; yet, being compared with four years of
peace to 1790, they actually exhibit a small gain to the revenue. And
low as the importation may seem in 1796, when contrasted with any year
since the French treaty in 1787, it is still more than 3000 tuns above
the average importation for three years previous to that period. I have
added sweets, from which our factitious wines are made; and I would have
added spirits, but that the total alteration of the duties in 1789, and
the recent interruption of our distilleries, rendered any comparison
impracticable.

The ancient staple of our island, in which we are clothed, is very
imperfectly to be traced on the books of the Custom-House: but I know
that our woollen manufactures flourish. I recollect to hav