The National Register. — London, England, 1817-04-14 00:00:00

■ V ■ • Ett No. 479.—V0t. X. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. THE TAXES NOT THE CAVSE OP OUR PRESENT ENIIIIIZRASSMLNTi. IT is a lamentable fact, that distresses to a very great extent prevail over a great part of the United King dom ; but it is, perhaps, as much to be lamented, that the most false accounts are every day published of the causes of those distresses. The enemies of the present Administration are perpetually brawling out, " the Taxes! the Tuxes! These are the cause of the public embarrassments, the scarcity of money, the depression of trade, the sufferings of the working classes." These exclamations proceed also from many well-meaning men, as well as from many more who are not very well meaning. No doubt, however, can exist, that the taxes are heavy, nor that every practicable method should be adopted to lessen their burthen. The public em barrassments existed fifteen months ago ; but since that period, a vary sensible diminution in the general system of taxation has taken place, and numerous plans of re trenchment of the public expenditure have been adopted, to which should be added, the unprecedented extent of charitable assistanco that the poor have received. Yet eur embarrassments generally are not lessened, but ra ther increased, since that time. Now, if the taxes alone were the true cause of oar present distresses, we should have faund those distresses diminish in proportion to the diminution of taxation. It is said that the revenue has fallen short many millions. If this is indeed the ease, then so many millions of taxation have not been paid—yet are the bar rheas of the poor at all lightened by this circumstance ? It was said that the war, by keeping up the price of provisions, almost incapacitated the working classes from procuring the common ne cessaries of life ; and those who said so were very loud, very clamourous, and very impatient for pc.lee—we then should have joy and plenty— peace would do every thing for us—our halcyon days would bear date with the signing of the " Definitive Treaty"—Oh ! " blessed peace !" Oh ! " meek-eyed maid !"—Oh ! the olive branch of amity ! hencefiwth it should bend with the luxuriant fruits and flowers of national riches, and individual happiness. Well, Peace came ; but her lazy sister, Plenty, it seems, lags behind ; and now it is discovered that it was not so much the war, as the war-minister, that was produc tive of misery ; and still the taxes—the taxes—not the war-taxes—but still the taxes are the robbers of our p'nperty, the causes of our difficulties; and the Reformers are almost prepared to petition Parliament for war, with as much earnestness as they before did for peace. The grand secret, after all, is this: that peace has not been procured by the means which those short-sighted politicians preferred. There wants the talismanic touch of '• Buonaparte, by the grace of God." " The Great Captain" was no party to the peace ; and what could possibly succeed that had not the sanction of him who held " the desrinics of Europe" in his right hand? We have before shewn that the grand cause of our emlrarrassments was the system of Country Banking.; and we arc borne out in our opinion by facts, and the following ob►ervations of a very respectable contem porary:— " Six or eight years ago, the prospect of payment in specie by the Bank of England king apparently re mote, and suspicion king east upon Bank of England notes in the country, where they had l.wt I:ttle circu lation, country bankers thought they c ou ld secure ly issue their paper to any extent at the legal interest. They and the attornies knew which firrners and ttades men were thriving, who of the landed gentry possessed property . ; they could calculate what every man was worth, and on that, as a security, they would lend him three or four times the amount. The hankers suggest- alto nit t icittr+ OUt• ititta, eOtiiStfttition ant natug. MONDAY, Al L 14, 1817. ed to others the advantages of purchases, of extending their trade, of increasing their stock, and offered to ad vance whatever money might•bc required. This appear ed most kind add flatteringin the bankers, who took as security a general running►mortgage, riding over the whole effects of the borrower. The banker obtained 5 per cent. en his paper, the attorney his profits on the law deeds ; the gentry were tempted to speculate in the purchase of lands, the fernier to double his stock or buy his farm, the tradesman to extend his business. Specu lation increased on all sides. The country banker lodged the mortgage deeds with his banker in London as se curity for the money he might draw, and the London banker found no difficulty in having his bills discounted at the Bank of England, the fountain head of the whole circulation." Here, then, is the grand cause ; and we had almost said the only cause, of our present embarrassments. It is very justly added, that the pressure would have been gradual and constant if it had arisen from gradual and constant taxation. But, on the contrary, the pressure was sudden and excessive, like a storm, like the deso- lation by a hurricane in the West Indies. The taxes are less by 17 millions than they were a few years ago, when very little complaint was made against them. We hope, however, our disorder has arrived at the crisis—nay, we hope the crisis is past, and that returning convalescence will convince all ranks of people that Eng land is not, as some have mischievously predicted, yet upon the decline. hunbap ltinudnuctiti. _maw - ON DUELLING. IN our last week's REGISTER but one, we had occa sion to notice, with approbation, a volume of ' Dis courses on the Apostles' Creed,' by the Rev. Mr. Stec yens. We have great pleasure, on the present occasion, in having to notice another of that gentleman's works, published prior to the one here referred to. This is the third edition of " Sermons, on our Duty towards God, our Neighbour, and Ourselves ; and on other Subjects." These Discourses are fraught with the same rational piety, the same orthodox consistency, the same elegance of diction, and purity of language, which so eminently characterize the Discourses on the Creed. We have room for few extracts ; and shall therefore confine our selves to what Mr. Steevens ads on the too prevalent practice of Duelling ; or, whit is ridiculously enough called " settling an affair of , honour," or, still inure ridiculously, " giving an ()Tended person the satisfac tion of a gentleman," by blowing out his brains: not that the brains of duellists, in ninety-nine cases out of a thousand, are of any very great use to society ; or that it matters much whether the small portion of that commodity which usually falls to the lot of such gen tlemen arc concealed within their craniums, or arc blown into the empty atmosphere, with which, were it not certain that, although small in quantity, they possess considerable specific gravity, they would speedily eva porate, and become as " less than nothing and vanity." But hear what Mr. Sterver.s advances, in more seri- ' ens moot], on this sinful practice :—.- "Dueiliug is onr of those evil practices, which it is impos !lade to justify upon any ground of deity or precept of reli gion. It is iii direct opposition to the law of God, which says,' Thou shalt not kill." Surely 'says the Lord God, 'at the hand ofs-very maw's brother with require the life of man. bout slieddigh Inati'S blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' It is sin in any way to attempt the life of a fellow-creature; for the life of man is the gift of God. It is sin unnecessarily to risk or throw away our own: for tioil, when he gave as our existence, did not at the same time grant us the liberty to part With it when we please. It is siu to rush out of the world with blood-guiltiness on our heads, and unchari tableness in our hearts. It is sin, the very aggravation of slot, to send a brother violently out of lite, and de prive him of that spisoe to repent. in which be mil:111, per haps, have made satisfaction to find for his utlritee, and have wetked ow at last the salsa of big " We are commanded,' to toy, one another, to five place onto wrath, to enditie patiently, thungh we suttee oronc lolly, to foreive the injuries that hakt b-en done us, and as mock in 114, to live peaceably with all nieti,' When a nun lifts his hand against a brutlicr's lift, dues tie observe thou iiii t eeptsl does he AO% his real of God in submittiog to !.is %ill Most asscreilky aut. Oa the coalsary, PRICE lAA. obeys the word of God ; for although he may pi evinnsly dis avow all malice of heart, and plead in his justification t! at he yields to an imperious necessity, which his nobler feelines will not permit hint to reset, set the commission of th.. pro hibited act is a proof, that the brotherly love, the self-cnn quest, the patient endurance, the forgiving spirit, and the disposition of charity and peace, which the Gospel enjoins, have failed to influence his conduct. God in giving us laws, meant that those laws should be obeyed. It cannot, there fore, he right nor safe, under any circumstances, howevee trying, nor under any provocations, however undeserved, to violate or disregard them. " It is tweed, perhaps, that cases are sometimes of so aggra vating a nature, and the trials so great and overpowering, that there is no possible way to avert the evil, but by sub mitting to a degradation past all !initial, sufferance. But in this assertion there is both impiety and error; impiety, be cause it contains an inf.rence that ('sod will permit us to be tempted above that we are able; and error, because it at taches degredation to a forbearance which 004 has enjoined, and which exalts the creature in Ids sight. Those, who ad vance this plea, should consider, that the stronger the trials, and the greater the privations and sacrifices they require. the richer will be the recompense,' if we faint and dnre unto the end.' " Duelling is likewise contrary to the laws of Irian. It bat ever been considered by wise legislators as an evil of the most dangerous tendency, as an enemy to the peace of civil society, and as the bane of every thing that is good in morals, sod pure in religion. No pious man could ever bring himself to defend it; nu true believer in Chi ist Jesus has ever written upon the subject, without pronouncing it to be neither more nor less than deliberate murder; without condemning it as an act, that impiously attempts to wrest the prerogative of lite and death out of the hands of the Ahuighty. "As a convincing argument, that the general sentiment is directly against this evil custom, and that every heart in its private sense and judgment condemns it, suppose that, in stead of holding it up to reprobation, I were now to preach in its defence, and to justily ohedieuce to it, wheuever a wrong is done us ; what would be the effect I should produce ? It would be this. Every ear that heard me would receive the shock of offence; every good feeling of your .hearts would be outraged; and every voice would indignantly pro claim use the preacher of ourighteolisness, the advocate of evil, the minister of ratan, and not of God. I ask you se riously, if this would not be the effect of such defence alai exhortation? What then must that practice be, the vindica tion of which would do so great violence to the best feelings of your hearts, and draw down so strong an indignation on its advocate? Mug it not be wicked and indefensible is the ex treme? Were I indeed to preach in its justification, or to otter an excuse for it in any case whatever, you alight be angry with me, and yet not sin. " But not only is duelling contrary to the laws of God and man ; it is likewise contrary to the law of honour. Never was there a term so perverted, sn prostituted as this; Dever an exalted principle so often and so ingeniously tortured to serve the worst passions, and answer the vilest purposes of the human heart. Without nobleness of mind there can be no true honour. Rut where, I would irk, is the nobleness ofmind in revenging an injury i Where the nobleness of mind in deliberately spilling a brother's blood? Where the nobleness of mind in suddenly sending a fellow- creature to appear before his judge with all his Sills upon his head? Where the noble. KIS of mind in plunging As bolo families into afiliction and disgrace, and causing the affectionate wife to drink the widow's tears, and the helpless orphan to coil in vain for a father's blessing? Ry attaching honour to deeds, which laws hunian and divine forbid, which the wisdom of ages has con de ... ed, and at which every sense of justice and every feel ing of humanity results, we degrade what is good in attempt ing to connect it with what is evil, and diminish, the turpi tude of an action iii bringing a right principle to justify or palliate sabot is wrong. " He is a man of honour, a man of a truly great and noble mind, who is above committi►rg a bad action, who will not do what God has forbidden, though it be to Isis own temporal detriment, who will not in any way injure his I'ellow•creatures, and who will not surrender his virtue, uor sacrifice his duty, at the call of fashion and custom, nor barter the satisfaction of a gaud conscience before God, for the empty and mistaken applanses of a wicked world. But he who, in defiance of the commands of heaven, yields to the impulse of a siolent passion, and consents to do a wrong action in compliance with a prevailing folly, has no more claim to be ranked ainong Ike sons of honour, tban the unprincipled despoiler of another's property, or the unworthy ealumniatua of du honest fame. " Mulling has also been called a proof of courace. Here again a uoble quality of the soot is pressed into the service of sin. What! is it courtier to do veil, because we dread the reproaches of a misjudging world? Is it courage to murder a fellow-creature, perhaps a fornwr friend, in cold blood, be cause we are afraid of bring culled cowards? Is it courage to be ashamed of Christ and his religion? Is it courage to do that from which nothing but misery and mischief must en. stir, and which never can produce. and nes er has produced, a single benefit to a single mills idnal in Ally view or shape whatever? No, it is not courage, bid cowardice; for lie who surrenders his will to wicked actions in order to escape the censure, and receive the approbation, of the thoughtless and -...- profane, gives proof a little Mlll,l, 1111)41.,e41 by a false shame,. s and incapable of bold exertion iu the trial of duty. He is ..' t—: 'f,. , , the truly courageous man who resists temptations to evil, whet" 11 — - 1 -• • fears God snore than men, and who, whatever may be tho ug hg ' 4, )•. f or sa id of him, nobly resolves, and as nobly dares, to (lifts f . 1—.4 ,r---, ..4 ci charge his (boy, whi titer it lic in action or in anti.-ring, s '',.."— 4 lr t obedience ti) the commando of the Lord his Girt Lik e t , • •i. ••• ~ oak, he stands firm amidst the storm, defies the importglig. , '- blasts that rage around his head, and oodives the lacy tilaj . N. --. Liman:tied to root lane from Liz boil." s - --.:. •.. (,_„.lis