and Manufactures, which They fénd It will be faid, perhaps, that if all This be true, what renders the Country poor muft of Course make the City rich; and I confefs it is natural enough to fuppofe fo, upon first Thoughts; but if We confider the Matter a little more strictly, it will appear otherwife; for nothing can fupport a great trading City in Opulence, for any Length of Time, but a rich and flourishing Country; efpecially, fuch a City as This, which depends fo much upon domeftick Trade, or the Confumption of Commodities in this Kingdom, which are imported from abroad. Suppofing therefore, for Argument's Sake, that the City of London now in as good a Condition as ever it was, fince its first Foundation; how long will it last so, if the Coun try fhould be totally exhausted of Money, and obliged to live upon the natural Produce of their Lands? But is This really the Cafe, at prefent? — I am ready to grant that there are feveral Men, of great, overgrown Fortunes, ftill in the City. But who are They? Do they confift of honeft Merchants and fair Adventurers, who endeavour to enrich the Nation, as well as Themselves, by exporting our Manufactures, and turning the Ballance of Trade in our Favour? Or are They compofed of Ufurers, Stockjobbers, and Managers of great Money'd Companies; who live, like Drones, upon the Labour of the industrious Hive, and are fo far from advancing or encouraging Trade, that They have already dry'd up fome of its most beneficial Springs, and turn'd others into their own iniquitous and deftructive Channel ? I leave Thofe, who are beft acquaint ́ed with the prefent State of the City, to decide this Question. It is very far from my Thoughts to fuggeft that all the rich Gentlemen in this City are of this Kind; fince I have the Pleasure to know that feveral worthy Merchants have poffefs'd Themfelves of confiderable Wealth by great Industry and good Fortune; for which They ought to be look'd upon as Benefactors to their Country, instead of being envy'd, or calumniated. But alas! how few are Thefe, as to Number or Value, in Comparison with the Others! If We defcend to the inferior Class of Traders, and ask them, how Buf nefs goes on; I am afraid they will anfwer, never worse; and give us fome fubftantial Arguments to prove that They do not complain without Reafon. There are likewife many Perfons at prefent, even of this Rank, who have have acquired handsome Fortunes in Trade, and are able to leave a plentiful Provifion to their Families. But, to ask the fame Queftion again, how vaftly fuperior is the Number of Thofe, who are either ftarving, or under the greatest Difficulties to pick up a mean and penurious Livelihood, without any other Caufe than the Want of Trade? — As to Thofe, who ruin themselves by Luxury and Extravagance, They are quite out of the prefent Difpute. In fhort, I believe it will appear, upon the leaft Enquiry, that there never was a greater Scarcity of Money, in this Town, than at prefent; excepting what is lock'd up in private Coffers, or circulated amougft Bankers and Brokers in the Funds, which hardly ever comes into Trade. . Befides thefe Obftructions to the Circulation of Money, there are other Reafons for the Want of it, through the whole Kingdom, which require only to be just mentioned. The firft, and greatest of all, is the continual Draught, which Foreigners are making upon us, for the Intereft of Money in our Funds. I think, it is generally computed that They have about TEN MILLIONS there; the Intereft of which, at 4 per Cent. is FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS per Annum. This is an Evil, which was entirely. brought upon us by our Debts: 's; and I don't fee how it can ever be prevented, without paying them off, or fomething worse. Another great Drain of Money out of this Kingdom, is occafion'd by the modern Vogue, fo prevailing among our young Nobility and Gentry, not only of Travelling for a Year or two, as was formerly the Custom ; but even taking up their Refidence in foreign Countries, and fpending the greatest Part of their Eftates there. I have heard this Article computed at above ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS per Annum, which I am afraid is too moderate a Calcu lation; and if the Expences of fome greater Abfentees are added, it would amount to a prodigious Sum.- I dare not take upon myfelf fo ungrateful a Tafk as to propofe laying a Tax, or any other Reftraint, upon all Perfons, who abfent their native Country above fome limited Time, with out a legal Call for fo doing. But it is certainly an Evil of a very pernicious Nature; and if it should continue to grow upon us, as it hath done for fome Years paft, may prove fatal to the Kingdom.` Whilft all thefe Incumbrances lie upon us, how can it be expected that Trade, Induftry, and Manufactures fhould flourish; or that the Nation fhould not decline in Riches, Glory, and Power? That This is, at prefent, our unihappy Cafe, both in Town and Country, is at laft confefs'd by one of the Writers in the Gazetteer; of whom I should not take the leaft Notice, as. much as He begs for it, had He not fallen directly in my Way, whilft I was writing upon this Subject. Speaking of national Difcontents, He hath the following, remarkable Paffage. To fay that We have now no fuch Complaints, or that there are no real Caufes at all for them; that We are a thriving, flouribing People, as well or better able to pay Taxes as ever; and that all Suggeftions to the contrary are owing to the Malice of ill-defigning Men, and Enemies to the Government, would be denying the plaineft Fats, and afferting Things against all Senfe and Experience. Having made this Conceffion, He very angry with me, < for laying all the Blame of This, as He is is pleafed to charge Me, on the PRESENT ADMINISTRATION, as if They had been the SOLE and • CHIEF AUTHORS of this growing Evil, while the true Caufes of it are conceal'd from the People. It is not very ingenuous to charge Me, in fo plain and open a Manner, with laying the whole Blame upon the prefent Adminiftration; becaufe I am not at Liberty either to own the Charge, or to juftify it; but This is one of the old ftale Articles of the minifterial Fraternity. However, I venture to give my Opinion, in general, that the People cannot be at any great Lofs to know the true Caufes of their Misfortunes, and who have been the chief, if not the fole Authors of them. - But let us obferve Him a little farther. The Queftion, fays He, is not whether We are growing rich, or powerful or whether We are not finking in our Trade and Intereft; but, fuppofung This to be true, what the real Caufes are, and what Remedy ought to be apply'd. Now, by his Leave, the Queftion between Me and his worthy Fellow Labourers (for I don't know that I was ever concern'd with Him before) hath always been, whether We were really finking in our Trade, Intereft, Power, Glory and Riches, or not. They maintain'd the Negative; which He calls denying the plaineft Facts, and afferting Things against all Senfe and Experience. It is therefore hard very that I fhould be obliged to argue with Men, who maintain both Sides of the Question, though They are all known to be retain❜d on the fame. But I hope I have ben fo happy as to give this Gentleman fome Satisfiction, in the preceding Part of my Paper, as to the real Caufes of our Misforttmes; and I think nothing more obvious than the Remedy, which ought to be apply'd. He adds, that the Craftsman's • Catholicon is changing the Miniftry. This one Recipe is to cure all political Difeafes; to mend every Error in our Conftitution; and to make us all as found and healthy, in our civil Capacity, as We could wifh to be. But, for God's Sake, in what Paper of the Craffman did he meet with this Recipe? For my Part, I remember no fuch, and hope the World does not believe me to be fo much a Quack. A Complication of Diftempers, and a decay'd Conftitution, are not eafily cured; but I think that Alteratives are generally efteem'd the beft Remedies, in thefe Cafes; and, to quit the Allegory, it is not meerly a Change of the Miniftry, but an Alteration of Meafures, on which We muit depend for Relief, whenever national Misfortunes fall upon us. Whether a Change of the Miniftry would produce fuch an Alteration of Measures, it is impoffible for any Body to promife; and therefore how impertinent is it for this Writer to expect that I fhould lay myfelf under any Penalties for the Security of it? I can only fay, there are very good Reafons to believe that it would be attended with fome Confequences of this Nature; but I defire to be excufed from explaining them; efpecially, at this Time. He then thinks to puzzle Me with a long String of filly Queftions, to the fame Purpofe; upon which I fhall be very fhort. What Good, quoth He, could a Change of the Miniftry do us, and in what Refpects would This mend our Conftitution? Would This make the People of England wife and virtuous, fober and temperate, laborious and frugal?' — To which I'anfwer, that fuppofing This to be a bad Miniftry, (which I am very far from- afferting) and the next to be a good good one, (for which I am not anfwerable) a Change would in all Probability produce thefe Effects, in a great Measure, by the Purfuit of ho. neft Measures, and wholefome Laws; unlefs our Author will undertake to prove that there is no Difference betiveen a good and a bad Adminiftration; or that the Example of our Superiors hath no Effect on the Minds and Morals of the People. Would This induce Them, fays He again, to fink the Price of their ‹ Labours, and thereby enable Them to underfell their Neighbours in fo<reign Markets?'-As to the Price of Labour, a much wifer Man than He or Me (I mean Sir Jofiah Child) is of Opinion, that, high Wages are commonly a Mark of Riches; whereas low Wages are always the Sign of Poverty, and naturally tend to drive Manufacturers and Artificers into foreign Countries; of which He gives feveral Inftances. I with, indeed, that the high Price of Labour, amongft us, was the Effect of our Riches; but I am afraid it is rather owing to the heavy Duties upon almost all the Neceffaries of Life; and therefore the only Way to reduce Wages, if That is thought neceffary, is to take off, or abate, thofe Duties. He goes on thus. Would This oblige Country Gentlemen to live at home; to employ the Poor; to improve their Lands; and to be mild, hofpitable and generous to their Tenants; or could This make Them faithful and vigilant in the Execu<tion of their Commiffions, as Jufices of the Peace, to fupprefs all diforderly Houfes, and to break up thofe Nurseries of Debauchery, &c. What a Parcel of wife Questions are these?——————Would This oblige Country Gentlemen to live at home? I fhall answer This by asking another Queftion. What is it, that induces Country Gentlemen, to live in Torun fo much? Is it not because the Toron is the great Mart of Places; and that every Gentleman, whofe Eftate hath been impoverish'd by Taxes, is willing to lick Himfelf whole again, as Sir Francis Wronghead expreffes it, by a Share in them? As to Juftices of the Peace, it is in the Power of any Minifter, good or bad, to redrefs that Grievancé, by turning Them out of Commiffion, when They neglect their Duty; and I hope the late glorious Act, for preventing the Retail of Spirituous Liquors, will effectually break up thofe Nurseries of Debauchery. My only Concern, in this Cafe, is for the REVENUE, to which fuch a facred Regard is paid, upon all Occafions; and for that great Bulwark of our Liberties, a STAND ING ARMY. But fee how our Author rifes in his Interrogatories! Could chang ing the Miniftry cure the Ambition of the English Gentry, in struggling with one another, fpending their C Eftates, and inflaming the Nation about Court Prefermemts, and Places under the Government? This Queftion is fufficiently an fwer'd in the preceding Article. I fhall therefore only add, that if Places and Preferments are the Bait, which draws Country Gentlemen into fuch unhappy Contests, remove the Temptation, by leffening the Number of thofe Places, (as may be easily done, without any Detriment to the Nation) and the Cure of this Evil will be greatly advanced. His other Queftions, about the Fees of LAWYERS, PHYSICIANS, and CROWN-OFFICERS, are fuch arrant Trumpery, that I am afhamed to take any Notice of them; and as to his ingenious Apology for BRIBERY and CORRUPTION, by making GOD only the Judge of what is really fo, I must do Him the Juftice to own that He certainly deferves the Thanks both comply, Thus wou'd I chufe to live, and thus to die; And vernal Show'r, fhou'd ope the far ftretch'd Vale, Whilft the kind Naiad from the neighb'ring Hill Pours from her copicus Urn the limpid Rill: Edg'd by a Grove, thou'd roll the gentle Flood, And its clear Bofom wave th' inverted Wood; Gay thro' the Streams the Flow'rs reflected fpread, 1 In milder Glory, and in fofter Shade: Thence thro' my Walks, in vary'd Forms fhou'd stray, Glide a Canal, or in a Fountain play; bow'ring Shade, For ferious Thought and Contemplation made, My favourite Dome fhou'd raife its tow`ring Head, Grac'd with the Labours of the famous Dead: Here from the World, and all its Cares retir'd By Wisdom, and the Love of Truth infpir'd, I'd oft retreat :- Here Pope in tuneful Lay Orbs that now freeze,and now immensely burn. |