The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-09-26 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN

PAPER AG.IINST GOLD.

• • .
troche Coserres nkatsfee.]
By the fast Price Carrent 1 see that the Odd Coht
is now 51. Bs. the ounce in 13ank-notes. Of course,
a real guinea will sell for about 11. lets. The fol-
lowing article from the Morning Chronicle, of the
15th instaut, contains very curious matter upon this
subject :
" The scarcity of money becomes every day taore
and more inconvenient. Persons, evidently agents,
with great powers of drawing on London Bankers,
have opened accounts with Country Bankers, for the
purpose of getting their local notes ; and with these
they go into shops, fairs, and even farmers' houses,
to buy up guineas, as well as silver. They pay for
them in these country Banknotes, which they may
do lawfully; and thus the specie is collected from
every part of the kingdom. It is suspected that these
agents, unknown even to themselves, are employed
by THE HIGHEST AUTIIORITY.—This is the
natural consequence of the system which has been
pursued ; and the consequence already is, that every
pound sterling which we have to pay, even to our
own troops abroad, costs us thirty shillings. Our
army, however, must be paid, and we are so far
involved that we must go on. As soon as Parliament
meets, which ,whether there isa general election or not,
must be before Christmas,some strong measure must be
adopted for the supply of specie. There is an idea of
calling in, and paying in Bank notes for all the
plate in the kingdom. But that would obviously
afford no relief—since if the price of bullion is the
cause of the disappearance of specie now, it would
equally disappear then; and the quantity of plate in
the island is not great." This cannot be tree ; or,'
at least, I think it impossible that any person in.
trusted with any power above that of a ticket porter,
should entertain the notions here ascribed to the
64 highest authority."—But, as to the state of the
finances of the country, there is no etaggeration
there. This part of our public concerns is fast draw-
ing to a cress. When a guinea is worth 30s. men
ought to look about them. This, though the na-
tural consequenca of war, and though the thing must
be made more and more desperate by the continuance
of war, is one of the grand Imp: diments to peace.
It was, indeed, one of tit • real causes of this pre-
sent war. The paper is in such a state that it cannot
support itself against the effects of a free intercourse
nth France. I do not sae any reason to suppose,
that the depreciation will not proceed as rapidly as
it has done for two years last past. It began to be
sensibly felt and clearly understood very soon after I
was shut shut up in Nowgate. The matter was then
made so very plain, that those began to see who had
been blind all the days of their lives. So that, there
was, at any rate, one good that resulted from my
suffering. I made clowns able financiers; or, at
least, as able as Pitt and his set, if not a little more
so. To return to the matter before us ; the
buying up of the plate would be nonsense.—lt
would disappear the moment it got into circu-
lation. Real gold and silver will not keep company
with our paper, unless one is to be bought and sold
with the other, and then each will fetch its real va-
lue. The Local Token Bill must be repealed before
it goes into operation, or there must he a great issue
of tokens somewhere to supply the place of those
now in circulation ; for, otherwise no trade can pos-
sibly be carried on. Were it not. for the national
debt all would be easily settled ; but, indeed, it is
that debt which has made all the paper. They began
together, and together they will live as long as they
can. What will be done about the pay of the Judges,
&c. &c. who have fixed annual, or daily, sums, I
hardly know ; for, if the gold should get to about
71.145. an ounce, a one-pound note will be worth only
half as much as it used to be; and yet, times will
not be very favourable to the ratting of the
pay of any of the people in public employment.
When people talk of dearness, they forget how the
paper has fallen in value. If a guinea be worth 30s.
a load of wheat, which sells for 301. does, in fact,
sell for only about TOL and so on as to other things.
Hume foretold exactly what is now taking place •
and I would advise the Ministers to read his book:
They wilt derive much more profit from him than the
Morning Chronicle, who now complains of our sys-
tem. Alas! Mr. Perry, it is too late to recover
things. Pitt decided its fate. It may be made to go
on a little faster or a little slower ; but its end will
be the same; and all that is worth talking about is,
what are the consequences that it will produce as to
!the liberty and independence of the nation. This is
VAnxnAt.t. Batocc.—This loutidelayed Bridge indeed a question worthy of being discussed by men
Is at last contracted for and begun upon. Colonel of real wisdom; but the Prince Regent will, lam
Bay mon, in conjunction with Mr. frillier, has tine I afraid, look about him in vain for many men of that
dertaken to complete it, under due securities, for description. If there were a man iii power endued
the sum of seventy-five thousand pounds. One pier with profound insight as to this subject; a man ca-
is already laid, and the manner of doing it Is equally gable of foreseeing what would happen, and of pro.
novel and ingenious, and if successful, will form a I viten accordingly, he would have in his hands more
model for all future bridges, It is to be entirely power to do good than ever before fell to the lot of
finished in two years. All the upper parts of the a human being. One thing is certain, that every
bridge are to be of cast-iron. man in the country thinks that some great change is
Rlotet,rn Acctotter.— Tuesday evening as Mr. at hand. Every man thinks this, except those melt
Benjamin Snell, of Upton, near Southwell, was rew who never think beyond their own particular inte-
turning home from Beaconsfield, accompanied by! rests, and who occupy In the creation a rank little
Mr. Twaley, the chaise was violently overturned superior to that of the badger or the utter. Of men
about midway, by driving down a precipice, and • who do think, who have minds, and who ex-
eras broken to pieces. Mr. Such had both his arms tend their wishes to the well-being of others ;
and his leg broken, and remains in a very precarious who have some sentiment of honour, who know
state; the other gentleman remains in a state of what freedom and what country mean ; of such
stupor from an injury on his head, and is not ea-, men there is not one, who does not expect to see
petted to recover. ;some great event in England ; but, no one has an
A most extraordinary running match took place ; opinion as to what it is to be. It is truly carious to
at Plymouth on Monday forenoon, between two;observe with what eagerness those who still adhere
seamen, for a bet of fire guineas. The wager was, to the twine of Pitt get rid of every topic connected
for one seaman to run from the Market-place, Ply •, with the paper.money. They are afraid to think on
mouth, to the five-mile-stone, in Ridgway, and • the subject. But, their avoiding it will not pteveta
back again ; to the five-mile-stone again, and back what is to happen. The remedy, of which I possess
again to the Market-place—a distance of 50 miles ; the knowledge, would do much; but, I do not flat-
it was to be performed in three hours and a half.— . ter myself that it will ever be called for in a way that
The first seaman started at eleven o'clock, and Shall induce me to divulge it.
finished at half-Last two P. M. not distressed. The I Batley, rtith Sept. MI.
•••••••••■••••••.
second started at twelve o'clock, and performed the
same match in three hours and a half exactly, re. An issue has been made from the Bank, of new
turning at half-past three, P. M. rather distressed; three shilling and eighteen-penny pieces. They are
and what is.remarkable, neither had won the wager. much better executed thaw the other Batik Tokens
But it having been so hardly contested in a hot Sep. in circulation. The head is more prominent, and
tenter day, the Gentlemen who put up the bet, will require considerable force and power to make
gave it to them both fur a supper, and to drink the the impression. The colners, however, will 110013.
King's health ; which the Jacks accepted with three attempt to imitate them, and the first counterfeit
beauty cheers, and marched off naperlas odium,. detected we hope will he clearly described, let the
ing triumphantly. .• i Information Of, the public..

WM. COBRETT.

• .41••••-. As•• .4.1

IV EH' DR UR Y.
•
i'ltE rnrrott OF THE STATESMAIts
Stft,—Although I, perhaps, may be more ronters‘
ant with black letter than with architecture, and al-
though I am not one of those who expect every
thing to be done at once, and therefore, do not
mean to find fault with the Theatre on account of its,
exterior not now being wholly of one celotir ; yet,
I cannot help ojecting to the imperfect manner in
which the front is left, for Want of a Portico. On
the point of utility alone, I submit, it cannot be
dispensed with. The Portico is necessary, as well
for the protection of the person, as of the property,
of the frequenters of the Boxes ; who, without it,
on leaving their carriages must, in their way across
the payee, mix with the passing mobility, and possi-
bly be carried away with the stream. In this situa-
tion, it is not unlikely, my Lady may loose her
diamond sprig, and my Lord his gold repeater with
its appendages ; as once did my late Learned Friend
the famous Mr. ALEXANDER WennzaauaNc, then
Lord Chancellor Loughborough, in his way from the
door of that unfinished building, the Opera House,
to his carriage. Besides, when lam my Lord
Chief Justice, or Sir %VM. WRANGLER, Knt. his
Majesty's Attorney or Solicitor-General, is it to
i be supposed I could trust myself, or permit my Lady
to venture herself across such a stream in those damp
unwholesome nights, especially for delicate tonsti-
tutioes, which we so frequently meet with in the play ,
going months, when my Lady may possibly have, not 1
only to encounter the serious stream alluded to, but
also the pelting of the pityless storm, the effects of
I •
wnielt might,at least, operate as such a damper on my
ILady's spirits, that all the comic powers of a Joe-
-1 DAN, or the humours of a BANNISTER, might not be
able to raise them sufficiently high to produce a smile
the whole evening. Besides, in such a case, the al-
I most certainty of catching a cold, as it is called, fol.l
Ilowed probably with a fever, and that perhaps by
Death himself, whom her Ladyship might not be
prepared to meet quite so suddenly. For these, and
• other as substantial reasons, which will, I have no
doubt, octur to you and many of your Readers, I most
solemnly protest against the non-erection of a portico.
• Before I quit the subject I must add, that I cannot con•
ceise how the four, comparatively speaking, very small
lamps' set upon the massive pillars of the entrance, can
• give any thing like a sufficient light, especially on
those pitchey dark nights we sometimes have in the
• winter season, at such times, if not at others, I think
they can only have the effect of making dmkness
visible. - Tour's,
A TEMPLAR.
From my Office, in the Paper-hnildinrs.

L (NES
oit A Tobias emelt or tour. wietwee, Wito Drib of
VOMID VII gaibrtlrl littP 11M111, AT lartiagh
Zromponc._
Does as kind friehd, with feeling belle,
My Asturr's tomb draw near g
Doi/ no soft eye, with grief IsopSrt,
The tribute of a tear.
When last he lift mews the shore
To tempt the dang'rons wave, •
feat'd, that in the battle's roar‘
Too soon he'd Sod a grave.
13.1 sot in battle glory's bed,
WaS ABEIVe Gte to die;
Where victory's laurels shade the teal,
And cannons rend the sky.
Hut on the told, and distant strand,
Of Thule's naked isle g
Where surly fogs obscure the land,
And cloud the sutnasefstmile.
Tau lhOfe, be drew hi; latest breath t.
Twas there, his heart sn true,
Sled, as he clos'd his eyes io death,
Sly Matta—love— Meth

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