to their respective parishes, and superintend the distribution of the relief afforded to the poor.

"Farmers should be warned to take in their wheat stacks, and millers to keep no large quantities of corn or meal in their mills. And all should be apprised, that the best of all charities is the finding work for every man, woman, and child, who want work.

"The volunteer corps should be exercised, and shewn to be in readiness, in case of any tumult. And in stationing the regulars and militia, attention should be paid to those populous manufacturing towns where disorders are most likely to arise.

"Newspapers should be watched, and mischievous paragraphs about artificial scarcity, combinations to keep up the price of corn, &c., be punished, if punishable; and counteracted by other paragraphs calculated to sooth the minds of the populace.

*

"There is often great oppression in the manner of paying the common people. Either they are not paid regularly, or they are compelled to go to a public house to be paid, and so are tempted, if not compelled, to spend some of their money in liquor; or, instead of being paid on Saturday evening (as they always should be) they are obliged to walk a mile or two on Sunday morning to receive their money, and are kept waiting, till they are prevented buying their Sunday's food, or going to church. Sometimes two or more are paid by one bank note, which they cannot divide without paying somebody for changing it.

* Mr. Bowdler's custom was to pay his labourers on Friday Evening; and this has been introduced in some places with manifest advantage to the poor.

Lastly, unless some effectual measures be taken to check the progress of vice, all our other efforts must be ineffectual.

"The non-residence of the clergy :

"The profanation of the Lord's day; "Lotteries and gaming houses;

"Too many public houses;

"The publication of trials for adultery, and other lewd pamphlets, or prints;

"The vast number of beggars and idle vagrants, who live by pilfering;

"All these call loudly for the attention of our governors and legislators."

It may be pleasing and instructive even when the state of the country is extremely different, to read the opinions of a sensible man, who was distinguished by a remarkably practical and useful turn of mind. With the same view, some hints are here added respecting loans and taxes, which were committed to paper about the same period.

66 NEW COINAGE.

"If the intrinsic value of any coin be greater than its nominal value, it is obvious that such coin will not remain long in circulation, since it is the interest of individuals to melt it. If the intrinsic value of our coin be greater in other parts of Europe than its current value in Britain, it is equally obvious that such coin will not remain long in Britain. The English gold and silver coins, being liable to both these objections, are not well calculated for a per

M

manent circulating medium. This inconvenience might be remedied by altering the standard of our gold and silver coin; but this would have an ill effect on our exchange with foreign countries, where the standard of our coin is well known, and where it is bought and sold by weight. The same end may as easily be obtained by lessening the weight of our coin. The guinea, when coined, now weighs 5 dwts. 9 grs., and passes current weighing 5 dwts. 8 grs., for 21 shillings. Fix a time by act of parliament, after which the present guineas and half-guineas shall not pass current ; and in their stead, coin similar pieces, to be called pounds and half-pounds, let the pound weigh when coined 5 dwts., and pass current for 20 shillings; let the half-pound weigh 2 dwts. 12 grs., and pass current for 10 shillings; let crown pieces be coined of silver, weighing 18 dwts.; half-crowns weighing 9 dwts.; shillings weighing 3 dwts. 14 grs.; and sixpences, 1 dwt. 19 grs. By making the pound piece or guinea pass for 20 shillings, and the half-pound or halfguinea for 10 shillings, all accounts would be much simplified, and the changing gold for siver rendered more easy.

66

By altering the weight as proposed above, a saving would be made to the public, which would pay all the expences of the recoinage, &c. Especially if the fees of the officers of the mint were reduced, or commuted for a fixed sum; which they ought to be, if they are as great as commonly supposed."

Mr. Bowdler was, as has been before observed, an excellent arithmetician. He was particularly fond of decimals, and often regretted that this mode of calculation was not more in use. This led him to suggest that all our weights and measures

should be divided in this manner, which has actually been, at least in some degree, effected in a neighbouring country. The simplicity and uniformity which might be thus introduced, would undoubtedly be very desirable. But long esta

blished custom is too strong to be subdued even by absolute power.

"LOAN.

"Let money be borrowed upon annuities, of which as many as possible should be for one, two, three, or four lives in being; the rest for different terms of years, none longer than 80. Thus, this debt would pay itself off in that space, except perhaps a very few of the life annuities. Let offers be made to the present stockholders, of turning their stock into such annuities, giving them their option of the various kinds of annuities, and a small advantage in the exchange. By these and similar means a great part of the national debt would be put into a course of self-payment. Let all ministers be prohibited by act of parliament, or a standing order of the House of Commons, from bringing in any bill for the future, to borrow money on a perpetual annuity, or one for any longer term than 100 years.

"In a short time, the 5 per cents. will be redeemable. Should that event take place in time of peace, the funds must then be at such a price as to make it worth while for government to redeem them. This would probably raise the other stocks so much, as to make it worth while to redeem the 4 per cents. also; as these events must produce a considerable rise in the 3 per cents., it is obvious that any debt may be funded then, at less expence to the nation than now. For this reason I would not fund now

more than is unavoidable. But an annual income must be provided, sufficient to pay the interest of the unfunded debt. Let the bank be induced to advance as much as it can with propriety, by giving it liberal terms; agreeing to pay its advances by instalments, or to pay a certain part at any time, upon six months' notice. I would also issue exchequer bills to the largest possible amount, carrying 3d. a day interest for each 1007. payable at six months' notice, after the end of a year from their date, and make a proportion of these for 50l. each, if not smaller. By so doing, when they became known, a vast quantity of them would be kept in the country, by bankers, tradesmen, farmers, servants, and others, who know not how to employ their money. Let the interest of these exchequer bills be reducible on six months' notice.

"All the money that could be raised by the means above

mentioned would be geous to the public.

redeemable at the time most advantaAnd as this would lessen the bulk of the permanent loans, it would tend to raise its credit. "Keeping the same object in view, I would throw as much of the loan as possible on 4 per cents., which would be reducible like the other 4 per cents. And some part might be raised by annuities, either for lives or for different terms of years.

"I would suffer no lottery of any sort, either in England or Ireland; and would renew and enforce the laws against every species of gambling.

"Unless the morals of the people can be mended, this country must fall. Nothing tends more to corrupt their morals than gaming. It must therefore be checked, cost what it may to check it. But the fact is, that the gain by lotteries is fallacious. Place on the other side, what it costs government to prosecute the crimes which the lotteries