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the neat profits of trade, let the king oblige raders to pay taxes on their saleable commodities.

"As the leech, the suckling calf, and he bee, take their natural food by little nd little, thus must a king draw from his ominions an annual revenue.*

As men versed in cases of tolls, and cquainted with all marketable commoties, shall establish the price of saleable ings, let the king take a twentieth part the profit on sales.

Any seller or buyer, who fraudulently sses by the toll office at night, or any her improper time, or who makes a false umeration of the articles bought, shall fined eight times as much as their value.

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Let the king establish rules for the e and purchase of all marketable things, ving duly considered whence they come, mported; and if exported, whither they st be sent; how long they have been

* Sir Wm. Jones's Works, vol. vii. p. 312.

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kept; what may be gained by them; and what has been expended on them.

"At the close of every half month, according to the nature of the commodities, let the king make a regulation for marketprices in the presence of experienced men. Let all weights and measures be well ascertained by him; and once in six months let him re-examine them.

66

The toll at a ferry is one pana of copper for an empty cart; half a pana, for a man with a load; a quarter, for a beast used in agriculture, or for a woman; and an eighth, for an unloaded man.

"For a long passage, the freight must be proportioned to places and times; but this must be understood of passages up and down rivers: at sea there can be no settled freight.

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Whatever shall be broken in a boat, by the fault of the boatmen, shall be made good by those men collectively, each paying his portion.

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This rule, ordained for such as pass

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une chapter on

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Ets observed, that
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eclared to be five o
"Whatever interest,

Wa. Jones's Works, re, &c. p. 995.

ivers in boats, relates to the culpable negect of boatmen on the water: in the case f inevitable accident, there can be no amages recovered.

66

The king should order each man of the ercantile class to practise trade, or moneynding."*

From personal taxes of every kind, are empted the blind, the lame, and all perns who may have attained the age of venty years.

In the chapter on judicature and law, ere are numerous rules respecting loans, ich distinguish the nature of the loan, ere there is risk, and cases where a dge may be required by the lender;

it is observed, that to stipulate for inest beyond the legal rate, and different n the rules prescribed, is unlawful : ere there is no risk, the legal interest eclared to be five on the hundred. Whatever interest, or price of the risk,

Sir Wm. Jones's Works, vol. vii. chapter on judi e, &c. p. 395.

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shall be settled between the parties, by men well acquainted with sea-voyages, or journeys by land, with times and with places, such interest shall have legal force.”*

In the chapter on slander and abusive language, as well as on some other offences, fines proportioned to the degree of injury are ordained, at the same time mentioning the amount to be paid.

Among the offenders subject to punishment, are receivers of bribes, extorters of money by threats, debasers of metals, gamesters, impostors, and professors of palmistry; and the same chapter contains curious instructions for discovering cheats and preventing mischief, by means of spies and officers of police.

When treating of the duties of different classes, the institutes of Menu enact thus:-"There are seven virtuous means of acquiring property: succession, occupancy or donation, and purchase or exchange, which are allowed to all classes;

* Sir Wm. Jones's Works, vol. vii. p. 356.

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conquest, which is peculiar to the military class; lending at interest, husbandry, or commerce, which belong to the mercantile lass; and acceptance of presents, by the acerdotal class, from respectable men.

"Neither a priest nor a military man, nough distressed, must receive interest on ans; but each of them, if he please, may ay the small interest permitted by law, on orrowing for some pious use, to the sinful an, who demands it.”*

In the Ayeen Akbery there are quotaons from Hindu ordinances, relative to ans, charities, and fines, for offences, in ich different species of what has been derstood to be money, are mentioned

name.

But, after thus stating some of the arguents which may be adduced to supet the belief that money, or regular curt coin, was in use in India at that very note period of its history, there are others ich oppose it, and among these, a pas

Sir Wm. Jones's Works, vol. viii. pp. 76 and 77.

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