,,

say you,

way provided for. The nation ceased to pay no dividends of interest; and, of course, this work of redemption caused none of its taxes to be taken off. Well," but, is it possible, that, after "such a solemn proceeding; after the express and positive declaration in two "Acts of Parliament, that the dividends "of interest should cease to be paid in "1808; is it possible, that, after that, all "the dividends did continue to be paid, just the same as if those Acts had never "been passed?" O, yes! It is not only possible to be so, but it is so. All the dividends have continued to be paid; and are paid to this day. The above-mentioned provisions, in the Acts of 1786 and 1792 were repealed. The Parliament undid what it had before done. It did away the provisions, which it had made in 1780 and 1792. It passed another Act, which said that those provisions should not be carried into effect; or, in other words, that which was law before was no longer

vellers and jacobins, if we ventured to express any doubt at all of the wisdom and justice of any of these successive measures; and, these writers stoutly denied, that it ever was intended to take off any of the taxes in 1808; and, of course, they maintained, that we, who felt disappointment, in this respect, were fools for our pains, and, indeed, they expressed themselves thus, that we were nature's fools," and not the fools of the Minister.

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law.

Never, surely, were any portion of mankind treated with such barefaced contempt as the people of England were, at the time referred to, by the venal writers of news papers, painphlets, magazines, and reviews, who, seeing the people terrified out of their senses, by alternate alarms from within and without, seemed to think that he was the best man, who could showe greatest degree of scorn for their det standing and character. Had not this been their persuasion, would they have dared to tell us, that none but fools ever expected the Sinking Fund to produce a repeal of Taxes, This new Act was passed in the month when it must still remain in the memory of June, 1802, ADDINGTON, the successor of every man, who was then at all conver and the friend of PITT, being then Mi- sant in political matters, that the repeal of nister. This Act (which is Chapter 71 taxes; the lessening of the taxes; the making of the 42nd year of the reign of George of their burthens less, was the promise held III.) is entitled "An Act to amend and forth to the people by the supporters of PITT "RENDER MORE EFFECTUAL two nay, when it is notorious, that PITT owed "Acts passed in the twenty sixth and the establishment of his tremendous power thirty second years of the reign of his to the opinion which the people enter & present Majesty, for the reduction of tained, that he had discovered, and would "the National Debt." This Act which put in practice, the means of reducing the was to render those two Acts more effec- load of their Taxes? This, as the great end tual, sets out by stating, that the said of his schemes, was so much talked of; it two Acts had been by experience found is so well known, that this was so distinc "to be attended with most beneficial conse-ly stated in the speeches in parliament, quences to the public credit of the coun- and so many times repeated, that I am al try" and having made that declara- most ashamed. to trouble you with any tion, it sets to work, and repeals the proof of the fact; yet, considering that the two provisions above-mentioned; and, of point is of great importance, I will put the course, when the year 1808 came; when matter beyond all dispute by a reference the year of expectation arrived, no divi- to a work on the increase of the Resource dends ceased to be paid, and interest upon of the kingdom, published in 1799, under the whole of the Debt was still paid, and the name of GEORGE ROSE, who was then is still paid to this day. a Secretary of the Treasury, and who i now Treasurer of the Navy and a Pri Counsellor, and who, in the execution of the work about to be cited, was, doubt less, assisted by PITT himself. Indeed, this must have been the case; or,

Gentlemen, it is hardly to be believed, that any men, who, like PITT and his as3ociates and supporters, had invented and caused to be passed, the two first mentioned Acts, could propose the last-men-least, it must be believed, that nothing tioned Act, that is to say, the Act of 1802. Not on', however, did they propose it, but the ANTIJACOBIN writers laughed in our faces and called us fools, if not le

upon such a subject, and under the name of his official Secretary, would be pub lished without PITT's previous approba tion. In this work, which is entitled,

"A Brief Examination into the Increase of "the Revenue, Commerce and Manufac"tures of Great Britain, from 1792 to "1799;" in this work the hopeful effects of the Sinking Funds of 1786 and 1792 are pointed out, and the writer says: "By "the operation of these sinking funds, "without any further intervention of Parliament, the one existing before the war, "will attain its maximum (4,000,0007. a "year) most probably, in 1808, in no case "later than February 1811. As the divi"dends due on such parts of the old debt "as shall be paid off after the sinking fund "shall have attained its maximum, and the "annuities which shall afterwards fall in, "will be at the disposal of Parliament, "the period of REPEALING TAXES annually, to an amount equal thereto, cannot "be delayed more than nine, ten, or eleven "years."

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sellor. So much of such gross ignorance, in so short a compass, I do not recollect to have met with in the course of my reading, except perhaps, in the Morning Post news-paper or in the British Critic Review. Such a publication would be wholly unworthy of serious notice, were it not pretty evidently the vehicle of the sentiments and views of others. For this reason, some of its prominent absurdities will be noticed, when I come to that part of my subject, to which they more particularly belong. In the mean time, in order to furnish the means of judging of this writer's depth of understanding, take the following specimen, from a former work of his, and compare his theory with the practice now before our eyes. "The

PUBLIC DEBTS of a nation, not only at "tract riches from abroad, with a species of magnetic influence, but they also retain money at home, which otherwise would be exported, and which, if sent to other "countries, might possibly be attended "with pernicious consequences to the "State, whose wealth was carried out of "it. If France, for example, maintained "its wars by borrowing money, and Eng"land raised all its within the year, the ne

66

Need I ask you, Gentlemen, whether you have heard of any repealing of taxes? Whether you have felt your load of taxation lightened? Whether you pay less taxes, than you paid when this placeman wrote his book in 1799? No: These questions I need not put to you; nor need I ask you what are your feelings towards those, who cessary consequence would be that all fed you with hopes of a diminution of "the loose and unemployed money of your burdens; nor need I, perhaps, say "England, would naturally be transmitted One more word upon the subject of the "to France, where it would be placed out Sinking Fund, not to have seen through" to advantage." This is quite sufficient. which by this time would argue a much The next time that SIR JOHN thinks of greater want of discernment than I am dis- writing upon matters of this sort, he will posed to attribute to any part of my coun- do well to go, previously, and take a lesson trymen, and especially to you, whose dis- of MRS. DE YONGE. She will be able to cerning faculties have, as to matters of tell him for a certainty, whether National this sort, been, of late, pretty well sharp- Debts have a tendency to keep money at ened by experience. Nevertheless, with home, to prevent it from being exported, and the hope of leaving no possibility of be- to bring money from abroad. She will also wildering any body in future, with regard be able to give him a lesson upon depreciato the nature or effect of the Sinking Fund, tion, in a way, which, perhaps, will make I shall add some additional remarks; but, the thing comprehensible even to him. as these remarks will open to us quite new views of the matter, and will extend to some length, I shall postpone them to my next; and I remain, in the mean while, Your faithful friend,

SUMMARY OF POLITICS.

"On Thursday a Court-martial commenced at "Bexhill, for the trial of two privates of the 2nd "battalion of the ROYAL GERMAN LEGION, "who deserted a few days ago, and took from the "beach a large boat for the purpose of going out "to the enemy. They were apprehended by a "boatman off Dover." TIMBS NEWSPAPER, Monday, 17 Sept. 1810.

ROYAL GERMAN LEGION.-Look at the Motto, English reader! Look at the Motto! "A cat," they say, " may look at a king;" and, surely we may look at the Deserters from the ROYAL GERMAN LE

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who shall say, how far that may extend? Deserting to France is something quite new in our army: the idea is new: and, an idea it is that may, possibly, prove of extreme danger to the country. Men's minds soon grow familiar with any thing that favours their views. This notion of deserting to the French coast by twos may be improved upon, if not, at once, most decidedly reprobated, and effectual measures adopted for preventing men from attempting to act upon it. Let the reader only consider, for a moment, what must be the natural and inevitable consequence of even the bare fact of two soldiers in the English army, two of "our defenders," making an attempt to desert from England to France.

Let him consider what must

be the effect of this upon the minds of our own soldiers, upon the minds of our enemies, and upon the minds of all other nations.Viewing the thing in this light, I cannot help repeating an expression of my hope, that the proceedings of this courtmartial may be made known to the public at large. Either invasion is thought within the compass of probability, or it is not: if the latter, it is pretty clear that there is no great necessity for any troops at all to be stationed upon our coasts: if the former, it is not, I think, less clear, that we ought to sift to the bottom this attempt to go over to the enemy, made by soldiers appointed to defend that coast. -We are told, and we appear to believe, that we are the most " thinking people" upon earth. We should do well to think a little upon this matter, before it be too late; for, as the saying is, " thoughts are

"GION," whom we pay. -What! de- | fact it be; and, that is, the example; and sert! Soldiers of the Royal German Legion desert? Can this be true? And desert with a view of going over to the enemy too? Seize a boat, and actually put out to sea, in order to go over and join "the "vile, base, infamous miscreant usurper," as the Morning Post so eloquently calls Buonaparte? Attempt to go over to join him; to join the very enemy for the express purpose of defending us against whom they were brought into this country? What! in such haste to get to him, that they could not wait for chances to take them near to him, or to take him near to them? What eagerness there must have been in these men of the Royal German Legion to join the enemy of England!But, upon reflection, this, surely, cannot be true. The TIMES News-paper must have been deceived. It must be a Libel upon the Royal German Legion. What! these Royal Legion Soldiers, "whose loyalty "to their sovereign" induced them to leave Hanover when the French approached it, and to enter since into corps for the defence of that sovereign's dominions here, desert; and desert, too, with an intention of going over to the hated Napoleon? Oh! it never can be; and the TIMES news-paper, which must have been imposed upon by some ill-disposed person, will, I dare say, lose no time in thanking me for giving it this timely hint to make that sort of retractation, which is vulgarly, and most emphatically, called, drawing in the horns.If, however, the fact should prove true; if such courtmartial, and for such a purpose, should be now sitting, let us hope, that its proceedings will be made known to us. It is a case which has not before occurred. Deserters enough, from amongst our English and Scotch and Irish soldiers, we have heard of: plenty of deserters from the service: thousands upon thousands of deserters from the service, as the accounts laid before Parliament will tell; but, this is the first, and the very first instance that we have heard of, wherein deserters from our army, at home, have made attempts to get over to the enemy. If a disposition like this exist; and if it exist in so strong a degree as to induce men to put off to sea in an open boat, what must be the consequence, if the same men were in the field, and, perhaps, within musket-shot of the enemy's out-posts, which is very frequently the case?. But, there is a still more weighty consideration belonging to this fact, if a

free" at any rate. -I, for my part, shall keep my eye upon the transaction; and, I shall expect from the TIMES newspaper, either an explicit drawing in of the horns, or, a full account of the proceedings and result of the Court-martial.

BRAZILS.- Either this Number, or the next, will contain "The TREATY of FRIEND"SHIP and ALLIANCE" between our king and the Prince Regent of Portugal, concluded at Rio de Janeiro, in February last, several parts of which treaty call for a little observation; but for the present, at least, I shall confine myself to what presents itself to me, as to the 3d and the 6th articles, the former of which relates to the possession of the Crown of Portugal, and the latter to the building of English ships of war in the BRAZILS.- -As to this pro

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vision for permission for us to build ships of war, the Article says, that the Prince Regent, in gratitude for the benefits he has received from the Royal Navy of England," is pleased to grant to his Bri-"sist her most faithful majesty. And "tannic Majesty the privilege of causing "timber for the purpose of building ships of "war to be purchased and cut down in "the woods, forests, and chases of Brazil "(excepting in Royal Forests, which are "appointed for the use of the Portuguese "navy,) together with permission to cause ships of war to be built, equipped, or re"paired within the ports and harbours of "that Empire, a previous application and "notice being made in each instance (for "form's sake) to the Court of Portugal, "which shall immediately appoint an "officer of the royal navy to assist and "attend upon these occasions. And it is expressly declared and promised that "these privileges shall not be granted to "any other nation or state whatsoever." Let us first look back a little, which may be of great use. The worth of this privilege; the practicability of doing

work, I said: "Already, we are told, "that a hundred thousand pounds, taken "out of the taxes of England, has been "sent off, in specie, to the Brazils, to as

this, after all, is the result of that "glorious event,' which was to produce "so much good to England! When will "this commercial and colonising rage cease "to beggar and enslave us? Never, till "the CORRUPTIONS, which are found to be "so conveniently carried on through the "medium of commercial and colonial as"sociations, are banished by a wholesome "change."t- -Over and over again did I exhort my countrymen not to be deceived by the representations in the Morning Post and the other bragging news-papers. I exhorted them not to suffer any one to persuade them to send their property to the BRAZILS. I assured them, and I proved to them, that the adventure must be attended with ruin. My advice, grounded upon a thorough knowledge of the subject, was scouted, and not without imputations upon my any of the things of the kind contem-"loyalty:" and the advice of preplated, was discussed by me, at the time sumptuous ignorance, joined to hypoof the "PORTUGUESE EMIGRATION," and critical zeal for the royal cause, was folunder that head, in Volumes XII and lowed. The adventurers, and those who XIII of the Register, where I took all trusted them, now feel the consequences possible pains to prevent the effect of consequences the just reward of their crethose delusions, the consequences of which dulity; or, rather, of their perverseness have recently been felt. The news-pa- in preferring falshood to truth.At the pers of the day teemed with triumphant ex- time, to which we are now referring, a ultations at the prospect of opening a great bustle was made about the capacity trade with the Brazils, of which they of the BRAZILS for building ships of war, gave a picture too flattering, alas! for many and supplying our West-India islands with to resist; and thousands, even thousands lumber; and, one of our flattering writers, of families, are now plunged into ruin for whose object was to console us for the having rejected my advice. In com- driving of the family of Braganza out of menting upon an article describing the Europe, asserted that there was already speculations to the Brazils, I said: "There cut down TIMBER sufficient for twenty "needs no assurance, on the part of this ships of the line, whereupon I made the fol"writer, to convince me, that the event lowing remarks, the whole of which are, "has produced great satisfaction amongst at this time, peculiarly applicable. "Tim"the inhabitants of Finsbury Square and ber for twenty sail of the line! What "Thames Street; nor have I the least was it cut down for? And who cut it doubt that the Brazils will soon be-down? The event, which has now taken come a grand out-let for the produce, or "fruits, of the industry of the people of England, having, indeed, shewn in my "former Number, that this would be "the case, But I see, in this, nothing "to give me satisfaction, and nothing "that ought to give satisfaction to any man, who has the good of England at "heart."* Again, in another part of my

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place, could not have been anticipated in the Brazils; and if it had, whence were to come the hands to cut down the timber? The whole of the population does not surpass half a million of souls, scattered over an immense territory. The Europeans do not work, and the African slaves are employed in raising them provisions and in

+ Register, ibid. p. 175. January 30, 1608.

shall have, as long as the banks of the Hudson, the Deleware, the Potomack, the Ohio, and the Mississippi invite to the til ling of a climate more genial." Who does not, upon reading this, see that the 6th Article of the Treaty before us can never have any practical effect. What! Are we to go to the Brazils for timber to build ships with, when we have Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and Canada, all covered with timber of every sort and size, and abound. ing in most convenient places for harbours and docks? For what, I should be glad to know, are we to do this?—Timber! Aye, there is plenty, a great abundance, of timber, without trenching upon " the Royal FORESTS," good God! Oh, yes! There is a vast superabundance of timber; but, whence are to come the Iron, the Cordage, all the means of making Arsenals; and, if all these were found, whence are to come the workmen ?Yet shall we be told: nay, do not laugh, reader; for, as sure as you will be reading this article of mine, the readers of the "fashionable World" will be told, and, I dare say, they will believe, that this 6th Article of the Brazil Treaty will amply make up to us, for the acquisitions which France is making in that mine of naval stores, the shores of the Baltic. And thus another delusion will get afloat, and will be sucked in with full as much confidence as the last. Besides, reader, suppose

working the mines. It would require, I should think, one half of the working population to be employed for a whole year to cut down and rough-hew timber sufficient for twenty ships of the line, supposing a sufficiency of the various sorts of timber to be found in the country, which, I am convinced, is not the case. And, if one half of the working population were employed in this way, is it not evident, that one half of the people must cease to eat; or, that one half of the mines must cease to beworked? This assertion, therefore, respect ing the timber cut down in the Brazils is not less weak than untrue. Still, however, it is, as to both these qualities, far surpassed by the assertion respecting the capability of the Brazils to supply our West Indian colonies" with provisions, lumber, "and every article of necessity." This writer will say, that it is unfair, if I suppose him to include amongst articles of necessity, the clothing and hardware requisite in the West Indies; and, therefore, I will suppose him to mean only the wood necessary for buildings and for cooperage, and the food necessary for the people to live upon. First, as to the wood, the inhabited part of the Brazils is at a distance from the centre of our West India colonies, five times as great as that which divides these colonies from the centre ports of the United States of America, or from Nova Scotia; so that, supposing there to be a spare population in the Brazils, sufit PRACTICABLE for us to build ships and ficient for the preparation of the se- to establish arsenals in the Brazils, have veral sorts of lumber; supposing there those who cry the thing up, reflected to be a sufficiency of saw-mills and of upon the consequences of so doing? If other conveniences under the scorching suns you remove the arsenals of England from of the Brazils; and supposing there to be England, what do you do much short of iron and shipwrights in abundance, in that annihilating the power of England? You country, the lumber must arrive in the take from her her most precious possesWest Indies at an expence which would sion; and, is it to be believed, that Navies soon cause the plantations to be deserted, built and manned almost on the other English sugar necessarily being quite una- side of this globe, would remain long in ble to bear a moment's competition with the service of this island? It was quite that raised by the colonists of other nations. practicable for us to build ships in our fine But, supposing all this to be overbalanced colonies, now the American States; but, byh advantage of getting the lumber we took very good care not to do it; we fror a country other than the American took very good care not to send our States. Yet, what good is this grand event. most valuable artizans to settle out of the to us, in this respect? We have another kingdom, in order to build navies to of our own, Nova Scotia, covered with all eclipse our native navy; we never have, sorts of wood, from the pine to the hazel, I believe, yet had a Royal arsenal even and we have, nevertheless, found, that it in the sister Island; and, therefore, is impossible thence to draw the lumber should like very much to know, necessary for our West India colonies. The reason is, that we have not there a sufficiency of population to prepare the lumber for the West Indies, and we never

whose genius it was that conceived the brilliant idea of sending Iron and Cordage to be wrought up with the timber of the Brazils; to send out English artizans