Liberty advocate., 1838-07-28
From the Boston Courier.

From the Boston Courier.
GoLD HUMBUG NINETY YEARS AGO.
E There seems to be nothing new under the
E sun. The follies Lof modern block-head;
are but a repetition of the folles of block
heads OF old, who were almost as great
blockheads as their imitators. 1t may not
perhaps be known to many people, that in
the year l748, gold humbug was set on
foot by certain wiseacres of the British
government! ,!who have been blessed by the
bounty Of nature with the same thickness
of skull and muddy brains that have fallen
to the lot Of Jackson, Benton, Van Buren,
q Co., made choice, with the true instinct
of dullnesS, of precisely the same scheme
for running the country, that has been de-
vised by the wisdom Of these wooden head
ed Legislators, On the Sd of March 1748,
a bill was brought into the House Of Com
mons "to regulate and restrain paper
bills of credit in the British Colonies and
plantations in America and to prevent the
same being legal tenders for money, &c.
This bill in the language Of the public
journals ofthat day, raised general op-
position from our colonies and plantations
upon the continent Of America, and petit
tlons were presented against it by the a.
gents for Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island Massachusetts Bay, South Caroli-
ma and New York, and likewise from
great many merchants and traders of
London, concerned in the trade to our for.
eign colonies" The bill passed third
reading nthe lst of May in the same year;
and the next day the agents Of the several
colonies appeared at the bar Of the house
and with the assistance of their counsel,
made their remonstrances against the bill.
The British Cabinet were not so stupid as
Jackson and his abettors, for they showed
a glimmering Of sense by listening to the
people upon whom they were practicing
their fool hardy experiments. The bill
was very much altered in consequence of
this opposition, and a new attempt was
made to geti through parliament, but the
House of Commons had the wisdom to re-
sist it, and the scheme was dropped.
In the London magazine for 1748 may
be found tolerably good quiz of this un-
dertaking, which came out originally
while the matter was under discussion in |
parlament.-It appears to be the produc-
tion of some Boston wag, if we may Judge
by the date.
MASSACHUSETTS BAY, March, l748.
y n
81 have bought small parcel of ground,
where, after some secret cultivation of
mine bestowed upon it, intend to plant a
tree, whose trunk and limbs shall consist
of fine copper, which shall in few weeks
shoot up and flourish in very rich and
ample manner This useful vegetable,
when it comes to perfection, is to blossom
all in silver; the fruits to be gold, and the
leaves will shade "a weary traveller with
so many five poundlbills. Il cannot but
please myself TO imagine what flocks Of
people will come to view my grove as soon
as 1t begins to sprout, and in little time
10 see them obtain branch or two of me
70 transport into their own land, where
hey will spread abroad with a luxuriance
hat will cover the whole country.
Methinks it will be very pleasant to see
| piece of-eight in the bud, or a ripe gum |
"a drop mellow upon the grass. How {
Welcome will the fall of the leaf be, after {
have made this mystery common! And d
With what rapture shall we hear tenn /
'est whistling through the woods when it q
My shakes us down money! A man who |,
hooses walk in my forest may have his c
cad broke by crown dropping on it and |
expect to have my windows often shat
cred by stones and brickbats flung up.at
killings and sixpences. Ii will be very
retty, when cart rumbles by door,
'r man 10 run out to buy wood, and r.
'me in muttering "'Tis nothing bu; a y,
'rd Of copper" But, dear sir, | am in ~ =,
lch haste about this business, that must b.
'eak off abruptly, and style myself II II
Your friend and faithful servant, -
ALEXANDER WINDMILL.
Thus it appears that the laundering sir
hemes of Jackson and histroop Of politi. So
! quacks, have not even the poor excuse an
novelty, but turn out to be nothing more
an limitations Of the blunderings Of old.