The Sun.
London, England, 1821-10-03 00:00:00

By a Parliamentary Return it appears, that
the annual constimption of British S'Oirits by each
person, in most of the Northern Counties of Scot-
land,. stands at from one-tenth to two.k.nths-of
a gallon, while in the County of Edinburgh, it
is within a trine of four gallons.

Galiani was not such a violent disputant as the
Abbe Morellet, but a hundred times more ami-
able, and being one day,out of all patience at
the Baron d'lfolbach's with•the observations he
had just heard,. exclaimed, " Gentlemen philo-
sophers, you are going too far. I have no`fiesi-
tation in telling you that if I were the Pope' I
-would send you-to,the Inquisition, and if King
of France, to the Bastille. But, as I am neither
the one nor the other, I will dine ith you next.
Thursday, and you shall hear me with the sanie
-patience that I have listeped to you." Very
well, my dear Abbe, replied the atheists, let it
be Thursday. When this day arrived, the party
assembled, and after dinner the Abbe Galiani
thus addressed them: ".Suppose the individual
amOnst• you who is
.most convinced that the
world- is the work of chance ; suppose my friend
Diderot were playing at dice, and 'his antagonist
should throw not once, twice, ,and thrice, but
constantly sixes, our friend Diderot, who would
thus lose his money, would exelaiM without he-
sitation, ' there is sOme•foul play : the dice are
cogged.' Ah, philosophers !. What, because ten
or a dozen throws of the dice make you lose
your money, can you firmly believe it is the ef-
feCt of some mantruvre, or some- well
planned trick, yetin beholding. such a prodigious
number of combinations in this universe,. a thou-.
times-mere difficult, more coMpricated; and
more useful, have you no suspicion that the dice

•
There are s'ome men who are under great obli-
gations to their stars, among whom is the author
of these Memoirs, though he seems .to doubt it.
Loaded with literary honours, which, by his own
confession, he never dared to expect, he obtained
shortly after, thanks to M. Turgot, the priory of
'Timer, whichhis,Memoirs .will.immortalize. It
iTas indeed .a very charming priory. " A de-
lightful house ;. a revenue of fifteen thoustna
livres, which I soon increased to sixteen thousand,"
says the Abbe .Morellet,•," the:right of hunting,
of.fishing," &c., in short all the rights of a Lord in
feudal times, excepting that which had been

•
MR. EDITOR—WiII yoti ipermit me, through
the medium of your Paper, to put a few ques-
tions, not in the vexatious spirit of angry cont-
tention, but purely for the sake of truth, jUs-'
tice, and humanity ?—Was not the law of cap.,
tal punishment onforgers and utterers of forged
Bank of England notes, though deemed by
and among them the writer of this, uncalled rot'
by the offence, stud not calculated to.check.it„.
enacted for the protection of the Public from
forged- Bank-notes.? Is not this protection, by
the resumption of Cash.-Payments, if the Ptfblic
choeses..to avail itself of it, now attained •
the Public does not:choose:to avail itself Of f
should.. it .not take the consequences of its -.own;
neglect, refusal, or. delay? So far the question..
is viewed in. respect • to- the Public as a 4iod-.F.•
Now as.individualsr—lf.the.Public neglects,.re- -
fuses, or delays tQavail.itself of ,the prolrezed•
security, may .or. may,: not. -any .person, .if- he:
chooses, demand in payment_Cash instead of
Bank,-notes ? If he may, not .and be takes a
'forged Banknote, is it not fair that he, as -a parst
of that Public, should take the consequences of
his own neglect, refusal, or delay ? If he may,
demand Cash: instead of
,Bank-notes, is he not
thus feCured,-if he choOses; and if, in this casee,.
he will. take 'Notes, and is imposed,upon ky
forged Bank-note, can he conscientiously prose..-.
cute the -offender, and by so doing take away his
life, for an' offence *filch he might So easily ,have,
prevented.?lt appears by • the Public Prints„
that the Bank. of England his resolved to cease
from prosectstincr capitally the utterers of . its
forged On Pound Notes;and it is not probable.
that this resolution has proceeded principally, Or
solely, from an assurance that the Public, if it
chooses, is, by the resumption of Cash Payments,
protected from forged Bank-notes; and vould it
not be just that the same forbearance, for the
same reasons which .formed its humane determii-
nation respecting the utterers.. of forged On&
Pound Bank-notes,shoUld extend to the utterers
of -Notes of whatever value, and forgers also
If the Public be protected,- if it- chooses; from
forged
,Bank-notes, by the. resumption of 'Cash
Payments,..would it not be just for.those.Autho..
titles who have the power, to spare from execu-
tion those pffend'ers who have been, or may ,be
convicted or sentenced ,to, death, by a.law,. the
object of which is now -otherwistk..attainfed.; that
is, all forgers and utterers of,.forged
.I.4tnk-notes,
by whomsoever prosecuted ?—lt is hoped that
the friends of htlmnnity will watch over, and save
from death,. if Possible,, all such offenders.—lt
has been remarked,, that, notwithstanding .the
determination Of the. ;Bank- of England to .cease .
from prosecuting capitally the utterers 4ts
forged OtO :Pound Notes, a person has keen
within 'these feW 'days' found .GuiltyL-LDea,44
•
it is not .temernbereds'hy whom
.person was'
prosecitted:'' ' • -

I am, Mr. Editor, your's, &c.
HUMANITAS.