Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/351

 Ch. 8. port of the kingdom; the commiioners of excie, and their numerous ubalterns, in every inland ditrict; the potmaters, and their ervants, planted in every town, and upon every public road; the commiioners of the tamps, and their ditributors, which are full as cattered and full as numerous; the officers of the alt duty, which, though a pecies of excie and conducted in the ame manner, are yet made a ditinct corps from the ordinary managers of that revenue; the urveyors of houes and windows; the receivers of the land tax; the managers of lotteries; and the commiioners of hackney coaches; all which are either mediately or immediately appointed by the crown, and removeable at pleaure without any reaon aigned: thee, it requires but little penetration to ee, mut give that power, on which they depend for ubitence, an influence mot amazingly extenive. To this may be added the frequent opportunities of conferring particular obligations, by preference in loans, ubcriptions, tickets, remittances, and other money-tranactions, which will greatly encreae this influence; and that over thoe perons whoe attachment, on account of their wealth, is frequently the mot deirable. All this is the natural, though perhaps the unforeeen, conequence of erecting our funds of credit, and to upport them etablihing our preent perpetual taxes: the whole of which is entirely new ince the retoration in 1660; and by far the greatet part ince the revolution in 1688. And the ame may be aid with regard to the officers in our numerous army, and the places which the army has created. All which put together gives the executive power o peruaive an energy with repect to the perons themelves, and o prevailing an interet with their friends and families, as will amply make amends for the los of external prerogative.

, though this profuion of offices hould have no effect on individuals, there is till another newly acquired branch of power; and that is, not the influence only, but the force of a diciplined army: paid indeed ultimately by the people, but immediately by Rh