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A Scorpion. The Lobster. A Prime Crutch. The Opossum. Black Rats. Rat-Bait. A Cadge-Anchor. A Water Scorpion. Dirkpatrick. Music The Bloodhound. The Doctor. Booby. A Twopenny Flat. The Sloppail. My Eye. The Legitimate Vampire.

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Londen: printed for William Hone, 45, Ludgate-hill, and sold by all Booksellers throughout the Country.

Just published, by the same Author, The RIGHT DIVINE of KINGS to GOVERN WRONG, price ls. Also,

The SPIRIT, of DESPOTISM, a suppressed work, and the ablest of the present century, (containing as much in quantity as a volume of Gibbons's Rome,) price 1s. 6d.

New editions of the Wood Cut Works, price Is., each, viz. The Political House that Jack Built; Man in the Moon; Queen's Matrimonial Ladder; and (price 6d.) Non mi Ricordo! N. B. Orders, with remittances, punctually executed; and Bills for doors and shop-windows, enclosed.

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POLI

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CORRUPTION'S GLOSSARY, Dedicated to LORD CASTLEREAGH. Published this Day, price 2s. in boards, or in four parts, 6d. each, A OLITICAL DICTIONARY; or, POCKET COMPAMembers of Parliament, Whigs, ToNION: chiefly designed for the use of ries, Loyalists, Magistrates, Clergymen, Half-pay Officers, Worshipful illustration and commentary on all Aldermen and Reviewers: being an Words, Phrases, and proper Names in the Vocabulary of Corruption agreeably to the approved readings of the most celebrated Divines, Dignitaries of the Church, Sinecurists, Placemen, Lawyers, Heads of Colleges, and other -Learned Persons. With Biographical Illustrations from the Lives in Church and State, By the Editorof the most celebrated Corruptionists of the "Black Book."

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So it does, for without such help FOURTH EDITION. how can people comprehend the deluThis day is published, price 1s. sive jargon of Hireling Writers, TimePEEP into ILCHESTER serving Priests, Mock Representatives, GAOL, in the county of Somer-and Corrupt Lawyers. The Grammar set, containing Facts and Illustrations of Mr.. COBBETT is an excellent maof the Barbarities, the Oppressions, nual, but it wants a Political Dictionthe Extortions, and the Indecencies, ary for a companien. This desidecarried on in that sink of iniquity; with an ENGRAVING of the different modes of Torture practised therein. To which are added, the Petitions of Hillier and Hill (two unfortunate men confined in that Gaol) to the House of Commons; and a Letter from Henry Hunt, Esq. to Thomas Fowell Buxton, Esq. M. P. Dedicated, without permission, to William Hanning, Esq. High Sheriff, and the Magistrates of the county of Somerset.

"Tell it not in Gath-proclaim it not in the streets of Askalon."

OLD TESTAMENT. Published by T. Dolby, 299, Strand, and 34, Wardour-street, Soho.

ratum, it is hoped, the present performance will supply, and every word and phrase in the Vocabulary of Corruption be so fully explained, that neither man, woman or child, nor even an insane person can be hereafter misled by Social Order, Blasphemy, Im morality, Sedition, and other bugbears devised by Boroughmongers and Sinecurists, to alarm the ignorant and timid part of the community.

Number I. is reprinted, and may be now had.

Published by T. Dolby, 299, Strand, and 34, Wardour-street, Soho.

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Printed by C. CLEMENT, and Published by JouŃ M. CORRETT, 1, Clement's Inn.

VOL. 39.-No. 6.] LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 12, 1821. [Price 6d.
Published every Saturday Morning, at Six o'clock.

ΤΟ

LORD MILTON;

which, in itself, is unworthy of

notice. It does, too, give us a

specimen of what is passing in

On his Circular Letter to the the minds of persons of your de

Bull-Frog Farmers

Kensington, May 9, 1821.
MY LORD,

scription. It contains some confessions, some hints, and some curious enough notions. All which, just at this ticklish moment, ought, coming from such a source, to be commented on.

That I may not be accused of garbling and misrepresenting, as the daily press was accused by Mr. BROUGHAM, merely because

I have before me, in print, a copy of your Circular Letter to those persons who appear to have applied to you to give your support to some measure or other having in view what is called relief to Agriculture. This letter it published documents the predoes, indeed, contain nothing mature promulgation of which “ either rich or rare;" but, it spoiled his game, I will begin by, comes from you, who and whose inserting the whole of your Letfather have been amongst the ter, the paragraphs of which I |shall number, in order to save time in the work of referring. Here,

most bitter and efficient enemies of me and of all those who have

endeavoured to obtain a reform then, is the Letter entire.

in that assembly, under the operation of whose acts have been

Sir,

Milton, Feb. 26th, 1821.

1. It is impossible for me to have as

much communication as I have with the farming interest without perceiving the difficulties under which it labours; but I have very great doubts whether

engendered, fostered and brought to maturity that swarm of evils and difficulties, which now stare us in the face, and for which that Assembly acknowledges that it has no remedy. Therefore, and taken a correct view of their causes, therfore only, I bestow some pa- and I am the more doubtful of this, inper and ink upon a production, asmuch as a very considerable period

those who attribute them to the laws

regulating the import of grain have

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Printed by C. CLEMENT, and published by JOHN M. COBBETT, 1, Clement's Inn' [Price Sixpence Halfpenny in the Country.]

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has now elapsed since any importation even to one so trifling as watches, its
has taken place, and consequently, mischief, as far as it goes, is demon
since the price of corn can by possibi-
lity have been affected by it.

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strable. I should therefore lament extremely the application of this sys2. That the farmers should call out tem to any branch of 'trade in which it for assistance is not unnatural, nor is has not been already adopted, even if it unnatural for them to suppose that I thought it capable of success; but this assistance would be afforded by I have no hesitation in declaring my imposing what are called protecting opinion, that when applied, to the arduties upon the import of the article ticle of corn, its success is absolutely which they are engaged in manufac-impossible. The country contains but turing. Other manufacturers have pro- a given quantity of capital, and a ceeded upon this ́ assumption, and it given quantity of currency, by means has been a favorite doctrine with many of which the commodities which conmerchants and politicians that the com-stitute that capital are transferred mercial prosperity of the country was from hand to hand, and the quantity of founded upon this system of exclu-[currency employed in transferring each sion; but the fallacy of this opinion of these different commodities depends is now beginning to be as generally (with some modifications) upon their acknowledged as it has been long per- total relative value. In the purchase ceived by the more enlightened part of of watches for instance, a very small the mercantile community. proportion of the capital of the coun3. In truth the only effect produced try is expended, and in transferring internally by the artificial enhance-them, a correspondingly small proment of the price of a foreign commo- portion of its currency is employed; dity, is to transfer from the pocket of nothing, therefore, is more easy than him who wants this commodity, into that to keep up the price of watches to a of him who furnishes it a larger sum than level which remunerates the English would be taken if trade was left to pur- maker, but in the purchase and transsue its natural course, and prices to find fer of agricultural produce, and the their natural level. The effect produced articles manufactured from agriculexternally is to check the interchange tural produce, the capital expended, of commodities between nation and and the currency employed, is so nation, and thereby to deprive each of enormous as to bear a very great prothem of some portion of the comforts portion to the total capital and cur-and luxuries produced and enjoyed by rency of the country. the others. Thus are Englishmen deprived of French wines, and Frenchmen of English manufactures. To destroy such a system is desirable, but difficult; to create, to strengthen, to perpetuate it, is mad ness. If the principle be applied to ever so small a branch of commerce,

4. To encrease, in any material degree, this proportion, is, I conceive, impossible. You may force by law the expenditure of one-ninety-ninth, where the natural expenditure would be one hundredth, but where the natural expenditure is one-fourth, you cannot force it up to one-third, for

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though a man may afford to increase of the great problems of the present his expenditure, in any particular day, in as much as it is the first step branch, from 297. to 1007., he cannot towards the adoption of an efficent afford to increase it from 991. to 1321., remedy. which would be the augmentation, in the last case I have stated, of an increase from one-fourth to one-third.

6. That a war of above 20 years, during which the country was urged on to unparalleled exertions, has been one of the most efficient of these causes,

ation would have been severely felt. But when we recollect that from a very early period of that war, the payment of cash was suspended at the Bank of England, and that all checks upon the issue of paper were thereby removed, it must be acknowledged that a financial system of no ordinary character was established. Under this system enormous loans were made, and the greater portion of the national debt contracted. Under this system a curreney was created unlimited in amount, and therefore uncertain in value. The prices of commodities rosé, or more properly speaking, the value of the currency fell, and the bank note which had been worth 20s. fell to 15s.: when worth 20s. the bank note had purchased 4 bushels of wheat, when worth 15s. it purchased only 3 bushels.*

5. To force up the price of an article so extensively used as corn, ap-I think no doubt can be entertained; pears therefore to be impossible, and for, even if no strange financial systo this conclusion we are brought by tems had been adopted in the course of reasoning a priori, but in the parti-that war, the ordinary pressure of taxcular case of corn, the argument] has the advantage of experience, for during the last 6 years the experiment has been tried and it has failed. It has indeed been tried to the fullest extent, for importation has been absolutely prohibited when corn has been below a given price, and yet we know that it has not had the effect of maintaining it at that price. It is true, that at different times during that period, corn has reached and has (as in 1817) far exceeded the import price; but it was perfectly manifest, that its high price in 1817 was produced by causes quite unconnected with the prohibitory law, and it is clear to me that its low price în 1820 and 1821, is produced by causes equally unconnected with it. The variation of seasons is a cause that must always produce its effect; but as it is a variable cause it will not account for 7. The bank note, however, though a permanent depression in the value of really worth only 15s., was still said agricultural produce; and yet that the to be worth 20s., and wheat, which present depression is of a permanent na-in the former state of the currency sold tare I fear there is too much reason to apprehend. I am equaily satisfied that the distress of the farmer is not peculiar to him, but only forms a portion of the distress which is so generally felt by all classes. To ascertain all the causes of these difficulties is one

* These sums are not stated as the actual values and proportional variations, but merely as approximations to them; a statement of the actual values and variations would make still more strongly for my argument.

Your very faithful servant,

.

MILTON.

at ös. a bushel, was said to have risen | encouragement to an expectation of to 6s. 8d. In a currency thus depre-relief by raising directly or indirectly ciated, the greater portion of the na- the price of agricultural produce. tional debt was contracted; but though I remain, Sir, we only borrowed the value of 3 bushels, we engaged to pay, and are paying the value of 4 bushels. The approaching restoration of cash payments at the bank, or rather of the convertibiliy of paper into gold, has forced the value of paper up to its -original standard, and has proportionably encreased the pressure of the interest of the debt; for the farmer who used to pay 3 bushels in interest, is now paying 4 bushels. It follows from this, that the contraction of the

national debt, in a paper currency not worth more than 15s. to the pound, and the present payment of it in a currency convertible into gold, and consequ ntly worth 20s. to the pound, is

Now, my Lord, before I proceed to the matter of this epistle, let me make a remark or two upon the

manner of it. Its style is quite bad enough; but, in a Lord, it might have passed in virtue of privilege. But, when a Lord puts on the Doctor, and talks about his reasoning a priori, thereby giving the clowns to be informed, that he can talk Latin, he should, especially in so short a piece, and so long studied, take care to write correctly; and not, by any

one of the main causes of the distress felt by the farmer. I am happy to perceive by your letter that this truth is be-means, to carry his privilege so ginning to make its way, as I am convinced that the agricultural mind cannot be properly directed till it is satis

far as to take upon him to coin words.

The latter part of the second fied on this point, and on two others paragraph was sufficiently confused and dark; quite enough

which follow from it: . 1st. that the only relief to be obtained by agriculture, is from a diminution of bur-like chaos; the words capital and thens: 2nd. that even relief must in all and currency had been bandied probability be of a trifling nature. I say in all probability, because I see at present no symptom that the public will agree upon any plan for diminishing the pressure of the debt; and it is the debt which constitutes by far the greatest portion of our burthens, 8. This, I must acknowledge, is not a very consolatary view of things, but it is the only one that I can take of this question, and therefore I can give no

about till the reader became dissy, without your "correspond"ingly small proportion," the former of which words seems to have been coined for the occasion, while the phrase makes the sentence almost incomprehensible. "Correspondent quantity" was what you meant. A little lower

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