The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-10-24 00:00:00

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LTESMAN.

44 capital." He also said, that he meant to declare
by law, that " notes, instead of cash, would be
" taken by the public in payment of the sums due
"6 to them by the Bank." Mr. Alderman Comet
asked him, whether he meant " that Bauk.notes
46 were to be taken only by the receivers of the
" revenue, or, that they were to become a legal
" tender in all money transactions." He answer.'.
ed, that, " in the first instance, he meant only to
" propose, that they should be taken on the tort
66 of the public," leaving future measures to be
decided upon, after the Committee shOuld have
made their report. Mr. Comne asked him" whether
4' it was his opinion, that this measure would be
" resorted to in the end." He answered, that
" ho had no opinion upon the subject."
Fox asked him, " if he disclaimed the opinion."--
He replied, that "ho said nothing about it at all."
Look at him, Gentlemen ! See there the man,
who had the management of the affairs of this coun.
try for twenty years, and during whose administra.
Lion more persons were, I believe, promoted to the
peerage, than during any century before. Look
at him. See him, who, only four months before,
had boasted that our ",tesnurces were untouched,"
and that there was " nothing hollow or delusive in
" our finances." Leak at him now, not able to
say, nay, not able to give an opinion, whether he
shall propose Banknotes to be made a legal tender,
or not! Mr. Nicuor.t.s (of whose great understand_
,tug upon this subject we shall sec many proofs
tly.and-by) 64 pressed him 'for .an answer to
" .the question which had been put to hint, wise.
" ther it was his intention that the notes of the
66 Bank of England should be declared a legal
" tender from the Bank to the public creditor?
61' If so, he was about to proclaim an act of in.
solvency. And, considering it in this light, be
64 reprobated his silence, as an instance of most
46 atrocious arrogance. After animadverting, in the
" severest terms, on the confitlitig majorities in that
6C House, who supported the Minister in every mea •
" sure, however wild, and sanctioned every part of
" his conduct, however insolent, he concluded with
" repeating the question, whether or not Bank.
" notes were to be declared a legal tender to the
66 public creditor." After the treatment which
this gentleman had frequently received at the
hands of Mr. PITT and his adherents, it could
Burrito nobody to see him give way, upon this
occasion, to a degree of asperity, which, with-
out taking these circumstances into view, might
not have been fully justified by the conduct of Mr.
PITT upon this particular occasion, who, in an.
swer to Mr. NICHOLLS, said, that he was 46 per.'
plexed by the observations and questions of the.
" Learned Gentleman, who to an intricacy which
66 it was impossible to unravel, added an exertion
44 of voice much beyond what he was accustomed ,
64 to, and an asperity of language which even ex-
"seeded that of the other Hon.. Gentlemen (Mr.
" Sheridan). He hoped that, he would not persist in
" thinking it attrocions arrogance in him, if he (lid
44 nut attempt toanswer what he conceived it would
" be unpardonable arrogance in him to attempt to
44 understand. When a man obtroded his opinion,
" w As too, much rashness or too ntuck positiveness,
" he might be accused of arrogance ; but he
is -not perceive that the man who altogether de.
Of r ' giving an opinion, could incur the impu.
.4 lei on. But the Learned Gentleman seemed to he
44-1 s ignorant of the forms of the House as of the
44 common mode of business. He might have known
" that though it would be sometimes convenient
44 to ask and to communidate informatioo by
" question and answer, that no discussion 'can re.
64 gularly take place except when a motion was
" before the House."
This was a very poor evasion ; buts in fact, he ,
could give no answer to the question, unless he 1141
been ready to make a full and fair acknowledgment
of his not knowing what to do. Nothing could be,
plainer than the question ; nothing more distinct
nothing more intelligible to any man, who tinder.
.stood the common meaning of the frightful words,
LEGAL TENDER. But, how was an answer to
,be given Even if the Minister had made his,mind
up to go that length. Even if he had screwed his I
courage up to the contemplation of such a measure,
how was he to find face to propose it all at once.
To propose such a measure required time, even
with such a man as Mr. PITT. It at any rate, re-
quired time for him to look round him in the I
House. It required time for him to discover how
his adherents felt, and whether they were still to
•be depended upon. It also required time to break
the matter to the public, and to afford an oppor.
(unity for the press, and for the Minister's monied
friends out of doors, to exert their influence. It
not only required time to see what could be done,
bat what dared to be attempted.
To übtain. this time the scheme of a Committee
of Inquiry was resorted to, the result of which in.
quiry and an account Of the measures adopted:we
shall see in the next Letter. In the meanwhile, I am,
Gentlemen,
Your faithful friend,

COIIBETT.