Star.
London, England, 1801-09-25 00:00:00

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TO THE EDITOR OF TIM STAR.

Sts—lf the cafe which I have fimplified in my
Tail (Vide STAR of the Bth intl.) is founded in multi
it is fur.leiently clear that increafed population can
have noailifttience upon prices ; that prices can
only he affeaed by one of three primary cattle.,
namely—
' ff. When the quantity of exchangeable articles
remain.. liatiunary, and that of the medium of ex-
change incrcatis or dimini(hcs. The exchangeable
value of all articles being invariably governed by
their relative quantity, the lucre-are of quantity ne-
tetwily occations a depreciation of relative value,
or what is vulgarly called, dearreft, but which. fa
tally is never conceived by the multitude to origl•
nate from this castle ; and the diminution of quan-
tity tweefirarily produces the contrary Welt.
idly.'W hen the quantity of reweNdm utexclisaTe
remains flationary, and that of exchangeable smi-
rks increafes or dintinillses. Thefe oppufite tanks
produce the effeus of the firft etre, and' to them
dearnefs and eheapnefs are uniformly imputed
hence the policy of giving bounties on exportation
and importation, ascheapnefs or dearnefs may di-
mkt, and the vain attempt, where money caa be
Coined at pliesthare, of keeping down prices by in-
oreafed cultivation and manufa‘lure. And,
idly. When the increafc or diminution of the
site dues not bear a jolt proportion to the inereafe
or diminution of the other.
The queftinn then is, which of thole cadet go-
verns our cafe, and by increafed eapences, or di-
miniftred comforts," altered the relative condition
of all claffes within the laft feventeen years, on a
ratio more progreffive than the two.lalt centnries
have produced. It is immaterial to know which
gto,xrns if we can but afccrtain that which governs
not. ihere there are butstwo primary caufes to
produce the effect, the negative falling upon the
One, neceffanly puts the affirmative upon the other.
Dr. Clarke's eftimate of our increafed cultivation,
4g during the prefent reign," lives, in my opinion,
a decided anfwer to this Taettion ; and, with re-
fine to the prefent and the paft, lays it fol. ever
at reft. Admitting, for argument's fake, the in-
fluence of population, 2,804,000 acres, allowing,
as before obferved, an acre to yield no more than
a maintenance for 6ne individual, gives provifion
for an increafed population to the face amount,
but at three-quarters of wheat his allowance to the
here, it provides for no lefs than 8,412,000 indi-
viduals, that is, on the principle-on which I reafon,
the increafed cultivation yields 412,000 quarters
more than his own average growth of wheat, or
confumption of the whole kingdom for the laft
eigJit years amounts to ! !I
We muff not, however, be too hard upon the
Doti or, be labours under a malady-4e iNftßion of
Mr. Borer Tooilz original 4artraer. But if own
account of the average growth-of wheat, his efti.
mate of the cultivated land, which is unqueftion-
ably taken from the Statiftical Reports of the'
Kingdom, and the experience of every farmer,
left a doubt as to the fallhood of his emaciation,
and the abfurdity of the fuppofed infufficiency of
any thing for the national confumption, or that
fcarcity had any influence in driving the neceffa.
ries of life out of the reach of the lower clalfes--
his leading (far' My. Pitt, removes it.
On the 27th of laft November, when Mr. Tien
trey moved for an enquiry into the Rate of the na-
tion, he aliened on the evidence of the cuftom.
houfe books, that fince the commencement of the
prefent negatively felecifsful war, " our commerce
bas increafed in more than the proportion of one-
third, and the medium of exchange not near in the
proportion of one-third." According to this con-
fellion, high prices mull be an circa without a
cAufe; for neither fcarcity of exchangeable articles,
nor creels of the medium of exchange prodtited
them, and increafed population, or demand, can-
-not create them ill _

It would not illuarate my argument to enquire
into the motives of thole who thus, in the fame
breath, prove an orerplus, and impute dearnefs to
fearcity ; had they not calculated on public folly
end credulity, they would not have done fo; !Duc-
ats there is no fueh a thing allowed to trill in the
material world as an effed without a conic, and
as every article of the fill} demand has advanced
above cent. per cent. finee the commencement of
the war, nay, two hundred per cent. farce the be-
Cittg of Mr. ritt's reign, the fall, and theist...-
lie fatt too, is, that the medium of exchange
has increafed in the ratio in which prices have ad-
vanced, thatis, in the proportion of thtet to one
over and above the relative pi oportion to the increafe
Which has fince taken place in our agricultural and
commercial predudions. And how Came this in-
ereafe into circulation ? The limits of a newfpaper
will not admit of a detailed anfwer ; I Mall, there-
fore, briefly hate, that it came into circulation, in
the firft inflance, by means of the facility with
which paper currency can be createdt and, fecond-
iy, by the Minifter's intrigues with the *rather Bank
in Thread necdie-Itrect, and his foncring care of her
illicit progeny, 7 ova and Coynhy Eenli ; the num-
ber of which, according to the halt return, under
the income a,Ft, amounts in about 463. With fuch
number of mnii ih iivj machines, converting into
money the rags whit% the x•./r, dennuir, anti nom-
hare made-, it co,• iftx to be a matter of fiirptifa,
sfPccially as ettr•}' diukr is kit open to fraud, by
the protcCtior. granted to the Bank againfl the jut?
demands of it; crechtor,, that the iiiLreafe or eh-
oulAtion fliould exceed (Eat of tie we„ith which it
Jrcorciatts. You cannot mil-conceive, Sir, tile won-
Jytfnl ear; with which rags make paper, and pa-
p.:l-, by /3,p1,/:',4/ ch...troefs, and monopoly,
rags; -• is as clear at: II:::
6rvitrorai.fird; i .•• ( 1 the reprff Wing and r.747l;ntrd
b<.:rGwers and lcm!ers of thi.s
parte and tqfprirg cf pr serty; nor can yon tic
tmarc tithe ratio . n -Aid) thnfe facir,ies reduce
all Ishii c;.7inut parr..ke of than, to roifery
Irretc7iednell.; !.o-r an ry6:l
err.,p.r:iGull'ic..'!, I br tr.,l- off: f tee merinet oftx-
.anfr aid Mai of txt.-tcrailt fr,?afiion. h would
sltifwer no uf,fill pill poft: to calculate the ratio of
thistitifproporeion, since )cuter reared to be the
too& of exchangi...zlaiauta y but to thole who, by

bounties Ms impbrtation,- tWertritrint• on the grtAvtl
of potatoes, improvements in machinery, and tht
breed of cattle, watte their time and underltanding
in applying remedies which can only give perma
vent relief when real karcity is the evil to be re.
moved. It may be of importance to know its
amount fince the introduCtion of paper currepc;
—to Ihew this will be the ffibjeft of my next.

cowsiiim 'Sufi.

OLL RATLEr.

Yefterday five prifoners were tried, three of
wham were conviited of a znifdemeanour, viz.

jabis Smith for uttering, as true, a certain piece
of tafetoin in the shape of a fhilling, and purport-
ing to be a Milling ; and alto for having fcveral
pieces of the fame kind, as well as other bafe coin,
in his polteffion.
Mr. Hoby fisted, that laft rummer he percher-
ed a pottle of ileawbetries from the dekndant, who
appeared to be a dealer in that kind of fruit ; the
pnee he had agreed to pay was 6d. which he save
him in silver. As loon as the defendant received
it he turned ronnd, put it in his mouth, and gave
a fix-pence back to the .priecutor, obferving it
was *bad one, and demanded another initead of
it. the profecutetr, not having another Rzpence,
gave 'him a !hang. • with which the defendant
played the fame trick, aad gave back a Chilling,
laying it was bad. The profteutor then basing
tome fufpicion, took out another fhilling, which
he marked, and gave it to the defendant ; inftead
of this a had one was returned, in the fame man-
ner as had been done vrith the other Milling and
the fixpence. He then had the defendant taken
intb eußody, and whilft the Conftables were tak-
ing him to the Mention Houfe, he dropped fereral
pieces of bad Money...aGaity.
Waste Newsy Mar, Eeldearil and
Bela, were indiaed for rece)ving a quantity
of leather, the property of Richard Crawley.
The defendant James Higgs was a farrier in
Thames-fireet, Henry Higgs was his brother, and
Edward Higgs was them of James, and a ftu-
dent of the Veterinary College. The prifonera
were perfons living in apparent ref tasty, and
dbonfiderable property. The care againft them,
as made out in evidence, was as follows
Robert Groombi, J. friumphries, and J. James,
depofed, that they were fervants to Mr. Crawley,
merrier. tit Camomile-area, Billtopfgate-fireet.-.-
The (aid, that on Saturday the tot& of January
the Map was (hut up, Mr. Cntwky, not living in
the houfe; and 6n Monday morning following
when they reamed to the houfe, they difcovered
it to have been robbed. They lit it about eight
or nine on Saturday evening. but the robbery was
not difcovered until the Monday morning, after
their mailer came to the fhop. When lie went in-
to the counting-hotife, they difcovered that the
leather:was gone. J. Humphries, in particular, de-
pored, that he had brought down the leather from
the warehoufe into the counting-houfe on the Sa-
turday, but when his mailer came to the count.
ing-houfe on the Monday morning, they found
it gone •
Mr. Crawley, the proprietor of the goods, being
a quaker, did not appear to give his evidence, and
on the tellimony of there 'tumefies retied the only
proof of the goods having been flolen.
With refpeß therefore to the evidence againfl
the prifoners,
Thomas Griffiths, a Police officer' depofed, that
from informations received at their once, he was
direaed to fear& the houfe of the prifoner, James
Higgs. He accordingly went on the iii) of
January. early in the mornin, about eight, or
J half pall. He few Brice and J. Higgs together
at the door : he told Higgs his bufinefs. that he
earn. to (earth foe finlenleather. Higgs denied
that he had any, and they proceeded to fearch
the houfe they found none. The witnefs then
told him, that they had fufficient proof the leather
in queLiion had been in thejunde the day before.
and enquired what had become of it ? The pri-
fetter James Higgs replied, that tome had been
brought to be weighed the day before, but that
being unwilling to keep it in his houfe he had di-
retied it to be put in his liable t and then direaed
the witm:fs where he might find it. He accord-
irmly fearched the (table, and found it hid under
fome firaw.

Jobe Noland, another Police officer, who aceom.
panied the LA witneth gave in Cubit:ince the fame
account.

Itedmans and Barnett, two workmen of James
Higgs, faid, that the day previous to that in which
.fearch was made by the Police officers, a man of
the name of Barnett, came to their fhop, and went
up (lairs into the loft and got the fcales ; after
which he brought, at three feveral times, three
lacks, which were weighed. The wcisht of them
was about 3 cwt. hut they di,l not smote what
they contained, when they were weighed. Ed-
ward Higgs gave them a Milling to drink, which
they undeillood was left them by Barnett. The
next morning, the 2al of January, Henry and
James Higgs brought the leather in rpleflion upon
their backs into the fhop ; one parcel was a Pack,
and the other in a green baize. 1 hey then carried
them into the liable, and one of them covered it
up with flriw. Soon afterwards the officers came
and ddcovered the leather, which they carried
away to the Police Office, WhitcehArel. The
witnefles both denied that they fisw Brice at the
time the of eer% came.

The nest whnefs that was produced was J.
Mafon, flo‘emaker. He (hued that Brice, and a
man of the name of Beano, came to his fhop and
offered him a parcel of leather for Pale. He ex-
arrineLt it, and would have nothing to do with it.
He told Benfon that he believed it to be Rolen lea-
ther, old advifed him to return the (ample to
Bike, and to have nothing more to do with it.
lie added, that he had tranfporttd one of his ewn
men the nit4lit before, and that he fhould &terve
boot:int ;flu: dsalt info fulpicious a trimf-
aft', .n

list-fon was then called, faid he was a
bricklayer. He knew Brice, who told him he had
a riatantity of leather *to fell, but as he had been
fulpteled of tome Itnpropa tranfaCtions that way