Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1807-01-27
From THE AMERICAN CITIZEN.
COMMUNICATION.

~ me EnSttSR i0UV--l he OOaStSd ma
Wy of England has been the ruin of Eng
llnd. This may appear strange 20 set of
stupid feds who have no more foresight
than mole under ground, or they would
not abuse France as they do but strange
as it may appear, it is nevertheless true,
and little reflection on the case will shew
it
The expense of that navy is greater
than the nation can bear and the defici-
ency is continually supplied by anticipation
of revenue under the name of loans, till the
national debt, which is the sum total of
those anticipations, has amounted, accord
ing to the report OF the chancellor fthe ex-
chequer to the English parliament the 2ath'
of last March, TO the enormous sum oe
603,92f 600 pounds sterling; and the inte-
rest of the debt at that time was $4,000, 600
pounds sterling.
What are called loans are no other than
creating new quantity of stock and send
ing It to market to be sold, aud then lay
ing on new taxes to pay the interest of that
new stock. The persons called loaners, or
subscribers for the loan, contract with the
minister for large wholesale quantities of
this new stock at rs low price as they
can get it, and all they can make by re-
failing it is their profit. This rninous svs-
TEN, for it is certain ruin in the end, began
in the time OF William the third, 11S wears
go.
The expense of the English navy this
year, as given bv the chancellor ofthe ex-
chequer last March, is 1921 600 pounds
sterling, above sixty eight millions of dol
lars. The enormous expense Of this navy,
taken on an average Of peace and war, has
run the nation into debt, upwards of FIVE
millions sterling evcrv year for the 11s
I wears since the system of what arc called
loans began. And il is this annual accu-
mutation of more than FIVE millions sterling
every wear for re years, that has carried
the English national debt to this enormous
sum of Cos, 924,0O0 pounds ste Ring, which
was the amount of the debt in March
last
If it be asked what has this mighty navy
done TO balance this expense? Il may be
answered, that comparatively speaking, it
has done nothing. 1t has obtained some
victories at sea, where nothing was to be
Gained but blows aud broken bones, and it
has plundered the unafIncd vessels Of pcu-
! trail nations, and this makes the short his
tory of its service.
| That the English government does not
! iepend upon the navy TO prevent B0napar-
| c making a descent upon England, is de-
that government puts itsc.f to by land to
repel 1t. And that the navy Contributes
lnothing TO the protection of commerce is
proved by the fact that all the ports on the
continent of Europe are shut by land a.
& inst the commerce of England. Ofwhat
use then is this navy that has incurred
such an enormous debt, and which costs
more than sixtv-eight millions of dollars
annually TO keep it up, which is three times
more than all the gold and silver that the
mines of Peru and Mexico annually pro.
lduce. Such n navy will always keep n ma.
ition poor. No wonder then that every sc.
venth person in Englandis pauper, which
is the fact. The number Of paupers, now i,
100000
Another evil to England attending thi
navy, besides the debt it has incurred, is
that it drains the nation of specie. More
than half the materials that 90 into tn,
construction OF navy in England arc pro
lcured from Russia and Sweden: and a
the exports OF English manufactures t,
Those places are nut small the balanc,
must be paid iii specie. If BonaDartc sue
ceeds in all his plans hope he will put Al
end to navies for the good of the world