PROPOSALS FOR A FUND OF A Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds per Annum.  
The First Fifty Thousand Pounds per Annum of which, is Proposed to be raised by and from a Real Improvement of the RIGHTS and PREROGATIVE of the CROWN.  
The other Hundred Thousand Pounds per Annum, to make up the said Fund, is proposed to be Raised by such, who before they pay it, will be gainers, in happening to be the Persons charged herewith, and therefore may with more reason afford to pay it, and think it no Burden for being so Charged.  
Most Humbly Offered to the Consideration of the KING'S Most Excellent Majesty, and both Houses of Parliament.  
By THOMAS HOUGHTON.  
Lime-street, December the 4th. 1694.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1694.   

PROPOSALS FOR A FUND Of a Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds per Annum. etc.  
THAT His Majesty would be Graciously Pleased, to give, or cause it to be given in Charge, through all his Kingdoms of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Dominion of Wales: That the Laws be exactly observed, and put in Execution, against all Felons and Criminals whatsoever; and that all such as shall be Convicted by due course of Law (Murder and Cases of Life only excepted) be by His Majesty spared, and their Lives Granted them upon these Conditions, Viz.  
That they and every of them, do and perform Seven Years Service to, and for the Managers, Patentees, or their Assigns, or to and for such as shall Raise Money for the King upon this Fund; which Service to be done, either at Sea or Land, on this side or beyond Sea, as the Managers, Purchasers, or Owners of them think fit, and shall have occasion to use them.  
Or that these Felons and Criminals, may Fine off this Seven Years Service, at such Rates and Prices as their Quality, Crimes, and other circumstances may merit or require. And that none be admitted to pay less than a Ten Pounds Fine, but as much higher as the Managers shall think their Crimes may deserve; and that as often as any Felons, and Criminals are committed; or such as fly for any Crime, or Accusation (Murder, and Cases of Life only excepted) That all such and every of them, that do confess, and own themselves to be Guilty, of what they shall be accused of, or stand Charged with, may have Liberty, and be admitted to Fine off their Seven Years Service, without coming to a Trial, at such Prices as they and the Managers can agree of; they finding good Security, & giving Bond for their honest & peaceable Living, afterwards, by which means, if the Felons or Criminals, renew their Faults, there will be Fresh Fines, and Forfeited Bonds, and the greater Fines paid, in Regard they come not to be exposed to a Trial.  
That the Felons and Criminals in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, are at least Four Thousand Persons per Annum, which Fined off at Ten Pounds a Head, Raiseth Forty Thousand Pound a Year; and considering that: a great number of these, will be able to Pay greater Fines, (Viz.) Some from a Hundred, to a Thousand Pounds a piece, and more: You may very well conclude, that Fifty Thousand Pounds will be Yearly raised by them, in regard there will be more Fines paid at and above Twenty Pounds a Head, than at Ten.  
That all such who are not willing, or are unable to pay their Fines, be Sold, and Transported, to Africa, America, East-India, or committed to any other Service, by Sea, or Land, for the full Time and Term of Seven Years: and that the Purchaser pay after the Rate of Ten Pounds a Head, for their Seven Years Service; and no less, but as much more as the Managers can get, or they may deserve.  
That a Mark be put in the Cheek of all such as are Transported, to distinguish them from other People; and if any Master of a Ship, shall bring any of them back, or remove them to any other place, before they have served their Seven Years, without a Warrant from their Master, or the Governor of the place signifying the same, that such Ship and Cargoe shall be Forfeited to the Managers, and the Master Fined a Thousand Pounds, to be paid to the said Managers, or their Assigns: And when any of them have served the full Time and Term of Seven Years, that all such may be discharged from their Service, and made Free, with full power and liberty, to use all endeavours for the good of themselves, as any other of the King's Subjects hath, or can have.  
That an Office be set up here for the Management of these affairs, and that his Majesty be Addressed that the same may be done in Ireland, and Scotland, with full power given to the Managers, to agree for, and to remit the Fines as aforesaid, whereby many Felons and Crimina's, will be brought to raise great Sums Yearly, and the Nation Rid of Rogues, or their Purses Punished for their Roguery. For if you please to consider, the hanging of them is a great loss to the Nation several ways too long to be here inserted, when as the preservation of their Lives, this way, doth not only produce a present profit, but the sending them abroad will also increase the power and strength of the English in Foreign Parts, and will occasion a greater expense, and demand of the English Manufactures to be sent abroad, whereby Trade would be increased, Foreign Places strengthened, Present Money raised, their Owners abroad enriched, and they themselves preserved.  
And as an Addition to make up the said Fund, I propose that the same Managers may have full power given them, to treat and and agree with, any person or persons, that will undertake and Contract, for the Coinage of Copper or Brass Money, in any or all the following Colonies of America, (Viz.)  

Newfoundland.  
Carolina.  
New-England.  
Bermudas.  
New-York.  
Monserrat.  
Pensilvania.  
Dominica.  
New Jersey.  
Antego.  
Mary-Land.  
Mevis.  
St. Christopher's.  
Barbadoss.  
Jamaica.  
St. Helena.   
Or in any part of East-India, or Africa, where the English have any Colonies; for it would be no difficult thing, to persuade the Natives to take Brass or Copper Money, in some of these places, provided, the English do satisfy them they will take it again, for any English Commodities, and deal faithfully with them, and do so; however, the English, and all Europeans, may use it amongst themselves, and promote it amongst the Natives, in all places as much as they can.  
All which I humbly submit to the consideration of this present Parliament, and hope You will Address the KING'S Most Excellent Majesty, for what is to be Granted on His part, and also, that You, in Your Great Wisdom, will Ratify, Confirm, and Establish, all things necessary to be done on Yours; which is, what offers at present upon this Subject, for Improving the Rights and Prerogative of the Crown, Fifty Thousand Pounds per Annum.  
For Raising the Hundred Thousand Pounds per Annum, to make up the said Fund;  
I Propose, That all and every Heir, Heiress, and Coheirs, Executor, and Executrix, Aministrator, and Administratix, and every of them, together with all Legatees, that shall happen so to be, unto any Person or Persons, Dying after the 26th of March, 1695, that they and every of them, Pay one Twentieth Part to the King, of what shall descend, or be given to them by the Deceased, or of what He, or She Died, Seized of, or was possessed of, any time in Three months' last' before his or her death, and shall not be publicly and well known to be sold, and conveyed for a valuable consideration, by a good conveyance, under Hand and Seal, with sufficient Witness, done and Executed according to Law; and such a Conveyance as shall be free from all Suspicion, and Colour of Fraud, to defeat the Payment hereof; the Just Debts & Funeral Expenses, of the Deceased, being first paid.  
And that every Heir, Heiress, and Co-Heir, Executor and Executrix, Administrator, and Administratix, or some of them, shall within twenty days time, next after the death of the Deceased, make and give in, a true Inventory and Appraisement, of the whole Effects, Goods and Chattels, Estates Real, and Personal, of the Deceased, unto the next Justice of the Peace, or unto the Vicar or Minister of the Parish where the Deceased Dyed, and make Oath of the same to be true; which Appraisement the Justice of the Peace, Vicar or Minister, shall return in twenty days time next, after Oath so made, into Their Majesty's Exchequer, or to the Managers of this affair, or to such as shall be appointed for the Receipt hereof. And if any Heir, Heiress, Co-Heir, Executor Executrix, Administrator or Administratix, neglect or refuse, to make such Inventory or Appraisement, and to make Oath for the Truth thereof, and return it as aforesaid, every one so failing, to pay one Tenth Part to Their Majesties, of what shall Descend, Fall, or be given to them, or come into their Possession by the Death of the Deceased.  
For if You Please to Consider, The Estates which descend and devolve to and upon Successors, by the death of their Predecessors, in England and Wales, is Yearly, and every Year above Three Millions per Annum, so that one twentieth part will fully answer, and raise a Hundred Thousand Pounds per Annum, which makes up the Hundred and Fifty Thousand Pounds per Annum, as above proposed for a Fund; and for a further supply, I propose as Followeth.  
That Proclamation and Public notice be given, through England and Wales, That all and every person or persons, who have any profitable Employment, Commission, or Office, dependent on the Crown or King's Business, for which they receive a Salary, and are not exposed to the danger of the Wars, nor peril of the Seas; That they and every of them return their Names, and places of abode, into the Exchequer, or to the Managers hereof, on or before the 26th Day of March, 1695, upon pain of being suspended from such their Office, and Employ, with an account of what their Yearly Salaries are, and that they make Oath thereof, before the next Justice of the Peace, that the same account is within Five Pounds at a Hundred per Annum Salary, to the best of their knowledge true, and so proportionably.  
That all such persons do Yearly pay, during Your Pleasure, one months' Salary to the King, for continuation Money in His Service. And that all such new Commissioners, Officers, and Servants as aforesaid, that shall enter into any such Station, Office, or Employ, after the 26th day of March 1695, pay the like proportion of one months' Salary, at their Entrance, for Induction Money.  
As also that all persons exercising, or possessing, any Ecclesiastical Benefice, Office, Function, or Employ, worth Fifty Pounds per Annum, or upwards, Pay the same, at such times and places, and to such persons, as You in your great Wisdom, shall think fit to appoint: With this Proviso, That all Bishops, and Judges, sitting in the House of Lords, and all such Members of the House of Commons, as are Commissioners in any Branch of the King's Business, be free and exempted from this Tax, or Month's Imposition, for their Attendance and Service they make the Nation, in both Houses of Parliament: Which Money being added to that before, will supply the Fund, Proposed, if either of the two former Branches should want In their proportions.  
To Conclude, for answer to such Objections as shall be made against any of the beforementioned Payments, I shall not enlarge, but in short say, it is manifest that all Felons and Criminals, that are Guilty, whether Convicted by Law or no, if they had their deserts, aught to be punished, according to the merit of their Crimes, and it appears plainly, by daily experience, that the taking away the Lives of such Offenders, hath not, nor will not, be a sufficient warning to discourage others; therefore it seems more reasonable, that some method should be used to raise a benefit by them, for the use of the King, at whose Mercy their Lives are, rather than to continue the Old way to Hang and Destroy them: and for themselves, they have nothing to say, knowing if they transgress and be taken, they must be punished by Loss of Life, Body or Estate, as the Law now directs; but if this method above proposed, be put in practice, many Offenders after they have paid and fined off their Faults, may reclaim, and become better, and in time prove an industrious and serviceable people, both at home and abroad, and live to produce a better Issue, so that if His Majesty, and You think fit, and Please to make it so, it may be better to raise Fifty Thousand Pounds per Annum, this way, then to destroy them, and yet continue to lose all.  
For the second sort of persons, which I propose to raise the Hundred Thousand Pound per Annum, or the greatest part of it, being the Heirs, Heiresses, Coheirs, Executors, and Administrators, of Deceased Persons, they will have no reason to complain, or grumble, at the Payment of one twentieth part of the whole to the King, in regard there is Nineteen times as much more fallen, descended, or given to them, (and many times unexpectedly procured,) without any trouble, care, or cost of theirs, for where the Deceased leaves but little, they pay the less, and where they leave more, 'twill be the better for them. And for the Donors, or Dying Persons from whose Substance this must arise and proceed, they need not Grieve or Repine, before their Death, at their consenting to give it, for whilst they Live they pay no-nothing, and when they are Dead they will want no more, therefore may more freely comply with this, to support an Industrious and Indefatigable PRINCE, in a Chargeable War.  
For the Third sort of persons who are proposed to be charged with raising a part of this Fund; they are such, who have Commissions and profitable employments under the King, and this Government, and therefore being gainers thereby, have no manner of cause or pretence to be excused; for 'tis but reasonable they should Assist that, which Supports or Mnintains them, etc.  
Having thus proposed, and reasonably proved, the raising of a Hundred and Fifty Thousand● Pound per Annum, for a Fund, in all Humility, and most Dutiful Submission, I leave the further Consideration thereof, to the Great Wisdom and Prudence, of both Houses of Parliament, and Beg leave to Subscribe, and Remain,  
Your Most Humble, and Most Obedient, Servant. Thomas Houghton.