Page:William Petty - Economic Writings (1899) vol 1.djvu/207

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Value of Personal Estates.
107

and Furnitures, may be estimated at 31 millions to make[1] the Ships and Money 40, and the whole 250 millions.

12. The most uncertain part of this Estimate, seems to be rating personal Estates at above 30 Millions, which I make probable thus.

(1) First it is not unlikely that what is contained in all the Shops, Warehouses, Cellars, Barns, and Graineries, together with Household Furniture, Cloaths, Ornaments, &c. should be less worth than Housing it self that contains them.

(2) If the value of all the Cattel, viz. 36 millions, were added to the 31 personal Estates, making 67 together; both will not make up 1¾ years Provision for the whole Nation, whose Expence we estimated at 40 millions per annum; and poorer than so, we hope it is not. |6|

(3.) I find by the particular estimate of the values of all the Plate, Lead, Iron, Copper and Tin, and of all the Timber, Planks, and Woods, and of all Silks, Linnen, and Callicoes; of all Clothes, Stuffs, and Leathers; of all Grains, and Salts, and of all Wines, Oyles, and other Liquids; of all Grocery and Spicery, and Drugs; of Jewels, and Hangings, Beds, and other Ornaments, (too troublesome to particularize) that this general Account may stand.

[2](4.) The City of London being commonly esteemed and rated at the 15th part of the whole[3], which we reckon at 250 Millions, that is 16⅔. I think the sum may be well made up by reckoning 5+16 Millions for the Housing as aforesaid, and 1½ for the Shipping (half the Shipping of the Nation belonging to London) and about the double of the value of the Housing for what is contained in them. The which upon considering many several Houses, I find not unreasonable.

(Lastly,) supposing that in the Houses within the Liberties of London (worth 5 Millions) there be 10 Millions worth of Goods; I conceive that to allow about as much more, viz. 21 Millions) to all the rest of the Houses in the

  1. S, 'which makes.'
  2. This and the two following paragraphs are not in S.
  3. Because London was assessed £4666. 13s. 4d. of the £70,000 per month to be raised in accordance with 13 Charles II., stat. 2, c. 3.