17 Essays 153 
now sensible that nothing is to be got by contesting 
with or oppressing us. 
Two circumstances have diverted me lately. One 
was that, being at the court of exchequer on some 
business of my own, I there met with one of the 
commissioners of the stamp office, who told me he 
attended with a memorial from that board, to be al- 
lowed in their accounts the difference between their 
expense in endeavouring to establish those offices in 
America, and the amount of what they received, 
which from Canada and the West India Islands was 
but about fifteen hundred pounds, while the expense, 
if I remember right, was above twelve thousand pounds, 
being for stamps and stamping, with paper and parch- 
ment returned upon their hands, freight, &c. The 
other is the present difficulties of the India Company, 
and of government on their account. The Company 
have accepted bills, which they find themselves un- 
able to pay, though they have the value of two mil- 
lions in tea and other India goods in their stores, 
perishing under a want of demand; their credit thus 
suffering, and their stock falling one hundred and 
twenty per cent., whereby the government will lose 
the four hundred thousand pounds per annum, it hav- 
ing been stipulated that it should no longer be paid, if 
the dividend fell to that mark. And although it is 
known that the American market is lost by con- 
tinuing the duty on tea, and that we are supplied by 
the Dutch, who doubtless take the opportunity of 
smuggling other India goods among us with the tea, 
so that for the five years past we might probably have 
otherwise taken off the greatest part of what the 
15] a