NEW-YORK, AUGUST 31, 1776.
PAY-BOOK
OF THE
State Company of Artillery,
COMMANDED BY
Alex’r Hamilton.
Specimen of Notes scattered throughout this Pay-Book.
- Rousseau’s Emilius.
- Smith’s History of New-York.
- Leonidas.
- View of the Universe.
- Lex Mercatoria.
- Millot’s History of France.
- Memoirs of the House of Brandenburgh.
- Review of the characters of the principal Nations of Europe.
- Review of Europe.
- History of Prussia.
- History of France.
- Lassel’s Voyage through Italy.
- Robinson’s Charles V.
- Present State of Europe.
- Grecian History.
- Baretti’s Travels.
- Bacon’s Essays.
- Philosophical Transactions.
- Hobbe’s Dialogues.
- Plutarch’s Morals.
- Cicero’s do.
- Orations—Demosthenes.
- Cudworth’s Intellectual System.
- Entick’s History of the late War.
- European Settlements in America.
- Ralt’s Dictionary of Trade and Commerce.
- Winn’s History of America.
- Montaigne’s Essays.
The Dutch in the Greenland fishery have from 150 to 200 sail and ten thousand seamen.
It is ordered that in their public prayers they pray that it would please God to bless the Government—the Lords—the States and their great and small fisheries.
Hamburgh and Germany has a balance against England—they furnish her with large quantities of linen.
Trade with France greatly against England.
The trade with Flanders in favor of England.
A large balance in favor of Norway and Denmark.
Rate of Exchange with the several Nations in 52, viz.:
To Venice, Genoa, Leghorn, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hamburgh.
To Paris—Loss, Gain.
Postlethwaite supposes the quantity of cash necessary to carry on the circulation in a State one third of the rents to the land proprietors, or one ninth of the whole product of the lands.
See the articles Cash and Circulation.
Messagers in his Secret Memoirs says, that when he returned with an account to Lewis XIV. that the Spaniards would not come into his project for attacking Jamaica, the Monarch was much chagrined at their refusal, and said, “They were the most stupid wise people in the world.”
The par betwen, land and labor is twice the quantity of land whose product will maintain the laborer. In France one acre and a half will maintain one. In England three, owing to the difference in the manner of living.
Aristotle’s Politics, chap. 6, definition of money, &c.
The proportion of gold and silver, as settled by Sir Isaac Newton’s proposition, was 1 to 14. It was generally through Europe 1 to 15. In China I believe it is 1 to 10.
It is estimated that the labor of twenty-five persons, on an average, will maintain a hundred in all the necessaries of life.
Postlethwaite, in his time, supposes six millions of people in England. The ratio of increase has been found by a variety of observations to be, that 100,000 people augment annually, one year with another, to——. Mr. Kerseboom, agreeing with Dr. Halley, makes the number of people thirty-five times the number of births in a year.
Extracts from Demosthenes’ Orations.
Philippic 1. “As a general marches at the head of his troops, so ought wise politicians, if I dare use the expression, to march at the head of affairs; insomuch that they ought not to wait the event, to know what measures to take; but the measures which they have taken ought to produce the event.”
“Where attack him? it will be said. Ah, Athenians—war, war itself will discover to you his weak sides, if you seek them.”
Sublimely simple. Vide Long. c. 16.
Are the limits of the several States and the acts on which they are founded ascertained, and are our ministers provided with them? What intelligence has been given to Congress by our ministers of the designs, strength by sea and land, actual interests and views of the different powers in Europe?
The Government established (by Lycurgus) remained in vigor about five hundred years, till a thirst of empire tempted the Spartans to entertain foreign troops, and introduce Persian gold to maintain them; then the institutions of Lycurgus fell at once, and avarice and luxury succeeded.
He (Numa) was a wise prince, and went a great way in civilizing the Romans. The chief engine he employed for this purpose was religion, which could alone have sufficient empire over the minds of a barbarous and warlike people to engage them to cultivate the arts of peace.
Doctor Halley’s Table of Observations exhibiting the probabilities of life; containing an account of the whole number of people at Breslau, capital of Silesia, and the number of those of every age from one to a hundred. [Here follows the Table, with comments by A. H.]
When the native money is worth more than the par in foreign, exchange is high; when worth less it is low.
Portugal trade—Spanish trade—Artificers—Money—Exchange—Par of exchange—Balance of trade—Manufactures—Foundry—Coin—Gold—Silver—Naval power—Council of trade—Fishery.
Money coined in England from the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Short rule to determine the average interest per annum, for any sum of money for a given term of years, at a given rate—discharging annually an equal proportion of the principal. Example.
Quere. Would it not be advisable to let all taxes, even those imposed by the States, be collected by persons of Congressional appointment; and would it not be advisable to pay the collectors so much per cent. on the sums collected?