The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-10-01 00:00:00

The UNOBSERVED CAUSE cf the PR FS PNT
DISTRES SEA STATE of the COUA TRY.

,

, .

LETTER

TO THE EDITOR °Frth: STATE/15111N.
• Ste,—llaving in my preceding letter 'shewn that
the revenue now enjoyed' by those 'who trade in the
excess of our currency, aid bOrrow it to trade in
ether things, esceeds' Obi e i lines aterlieg a-year ;
audits• yea are aware that every shilling's worth of
this revenue is made up of the 67 estartero loaves
but of the tf.o which the fundbottlers bye lost, and
the 14 out of .the 21
.leavii filetietr' 'Non the laud.
•. • •
owners sod labourers on the corn value of Weir
pound sterling', rent; Wagei, 'or settsuity., •in the last
124 years, I. bait now tobtet the few rellections pro-
. mitied on thelhirraeter of that:revenue, and ite beer-.
' sings on the rosoorttos of.Goveremant.
With retpect.teilre Character of this revenue, it,
of coarse, cannot be sutb as 'Ought to eicife
ror, at the nature of the ": social order and reli.
Lard
under the cover of which. it is -collected, if
Lord.Stanhope, in, ; Sir J. Sinclair, in
guy bf the langung.s into-which his worts has been
translated ; Mr. A. Youeg, or the silty anthers who
came forward to'prove the unfleprethetrd state of .the
value of motley, MU anti will shew' that a revenue
from forgery. or from counterfeited coin Tantle-
tected) to the same amotint,could occasion a !fresoet
fob to
.the parties from whom it 41 Collected, .than
that to which the -loaves :Rho*, stated clearly amount.
And, on the other hand, if Ildv. Vansittart, and the
Test of thappponents of. t Bullion Cpunnittee, can
land reashew, that a theft to the same amount, a
robbery tothe.stune amount, or p trilwte to the same
amount, given aunually to &menet te as the price of
our liberty to govern ourselve; enalirtrave a worse
on the reso"rees of- (:ovt.omorent—could
eritple the exertions of Government stgaitratthe ene-
ides of Brilail to a greater. *.estent—ur coofil render
It more didieult for the admiaistratort thereof to
procure the supply for the civil a itf military esta-
blishments of the country—then, indeed,-thocre.
venue can only excite our admiration oftlte glorious
Constitution, by the justice of w hkh it is all wed to
be collected—and under the prof. ctiou of which pro-.
pwrty is unassailable and liberty secure.. I •y pro.
petty uhassailitble and liberty secare—for •utuler
reostitutional restraint,. the property above stated,
any u.ore than a theft to the same atunata, could loot
have been, wire impunity, Irony rr*l from the
leaded to toe mottiM int,rest ; and io rber r•onr.(1)• of
that iott•rest who can doubt, but that the pron,rty is
as sere. e as it could possibly be in tf•- itosses•inn of
Lard King, or any of those who, like hiro„may fancy
thentselses to be its. rig!it owners.
• • fir, if the &oodoess of the Constituttoe bo skittle
in this sort of pro,ecticet to liberty a'.d property, its
Itiftlanity lila) less discernible in •he proOsion which
'lt has inaaefor the paupers that foil,•w : pert if we
lwattj
.proofs of its wisdom, we have them in tile'
friers (Alsj?t• Cart•wri4lit have we sot ?) rr/tich it has
places' beirs.xts us .an!l the bastful d'eas of the df,-
predated valuer of asea,-.y, and in the rhect..s and no
.checks width each of its branches holds over the

other:. of -thowhodent of which we knee h d a peso.

'tire! instance in the last• Session of Parliament that
iiuAht not to be-looked over, partirnlarly by the re.
(orders of neliament : for if they be not ready to
"tate, in clear titld'ititelligible terms, the moonier in
which the- 'reform they have in View is to res4:.late
Obese', checks. tptii.no, ctie.cbs, io as to gators! Qs in
future against thee.swindling effects, of the depre.
dated value at toom, they may gain' converts to
theirpolttirat faith, het-they cannot find bread for
the millions who are now en Thom allbwanc,?; nor
employment fee the millions.ninre who are out of
w ark, vet, withotit these objects, w hat is the Con-
ititition but tr tride as light as air 3. or a Parlianien.
tar)s Reform but eiritielf?—ln the last Session of
'Parliament the House of' Commons passed 'an Act to
check:the-foreseen rise which has since taken place
fn itlie,,price of corn, by revetiting the distillation of
spirits from groin ; hot the Heuse of Peers came for-
ward with their check, and threw the. Act out of
doors, and the price. *of wheat has since risen from
about four pounds to above six pounds per quarter.
'The farmers cannot nli:take the wisdom of this check;
far instead of the six quarters which they were then
obliged to carry to market to pay their rent, taxes,
and servants' wages, they are not now under the tie-1
cossity of sending font. The House of Peers them-
selves, as landowners, experience the wisdom of this
check ; for now they are not troubled with four out
of the six quarters of wheat which their money-rent
could then purchase. The consumers have to
speak well of the wisdom of ibis check, because
the' trouble which they had then to lug six quarters
of w heat out of the market, is now reduced. to that
which is required to bring home four; and the poor,
can have, nothing to complain of, because the hu.l
inanity of the Constitution has provided for them in
the ‘Vork-house.

in short, Sir, provided for in this way, as we can
guess, one-sixth wirt•of the population now is, and,
Is we all shalt be by-aud-bye, if is unnecessary for
me to go farther, into a detail of the checks and no
checks, whioth 'render :our Constitution the admire,-4
Non of the wodd; and a hobby-horse which our
Varliamentary Reformers are determined to gallop to
death. I_7nder that imfiression, 1 must conclude witk
-recalling the attention of Earl Stanhope, Sir J. Sin.
clair, Mr. A. Young, .and the rest of the opponents
of the Bullion Committee to the comnarison,.. in its
Character and bearings on the resources of Govern-
neat, if there be any, which there is, between the
*venue of above sixty-eight millions a-year, now ,
4njoyed by the monied interest, at the expence of
The landed interest and others, and a theft or rob-
hen, to the same amount. If you want a stronger
stimelaut than the shame, of the comparison to urge
vou to a decision of this question, keep your eves
•upo. n the paupers ; enter into the feelings of the
mother who tears the infant from her breast to re-
" teiveltirochial relief, as the means of preserving the
Wed both from the overwhelMing pressure of this
Wrifitie : and trace the calamity and disgrace to any
*.othic;cause if you can. -
• tonls:aud Gentlemen if
you wilt say that
"there is no-comparison qt att, either reasoning upon
or judging from the Jest bitidb*ners
'nd oilrrs, of which the revenue ii Aide up; and a
thlffi to the ~time amount, you are called upon, in
reason and houour,'to state the circumstances that