CORRESPONDENCE. Although an adequate and fatisfactory difcuffion of the points infifled on by the Author of the following Letter, would involve us in a controverfy which might trefpafs more on our time as well as on the limits of our publication, than we can poffibly allow at present ; -yet, to manifeft the regard due to a Correfpondent who writes with fo much fenfe and decency, as well as to the importance of the fubject, we shall print his Letter entire; leaving our Readers to their own Remarks and inferences. To the AUTHORS of the MONTHLY REVIEW. GENTLEMEN, In the to, you very july remark, That men of letters are N the review of Effays on the Spirit of Legislation, Dec. 1772, in many refpects, unequal to the minute inveftigation of the fubjects contained in them;-for they cannot always obtain that information which practice communicates to the man of bufinefs." I defire to be confidered as one who addreffes these lines to fuch men of letters (whom I highly esteem for their ingenuity and skill in their profeffions) juft to intimate to them that it does not feem fuitable to their characters, as candid Reviewers, to determine pofitively on any point whilft it is kept in agitation by good writers and good fpeakers; and I am prompted to this because it appears to me, that your opinion has been too hastily and decifively given on the dispute about the effects of the old bounty plan on the prices of corn. The writers and speakers against the bounty on exportation are at least difinterested (except their concern for the intereft of the poor) how much foever they may be mistaken,-But landholders and traders may poffibly be biaffed by felfifh views to promote bounty expedients; there feems therefore to be a harfhnefs of expreflion in calling the oppofers of bounties "the enemies to plenty and com-.. merce" (Review for March 1770) and haftiness and severity in faying" they are deluded or deluding writers." Men of letters too are often inattentive to matters of trade, and this may account for an overfight of the Monthly Reviewers in an inftance wherein the legislature had been grofly impofed upon and mifled, or had been fcandaloufly partial; for a pamphlet which detected the deception paffed through their hands, and gave them a good opportunity to expofe to the world the fhameful impofition or the legal extortion. The pamphlet I allude to was published by Kearfly in 1766, and entitled, Obfervations upon the fetting the Alize of Bread; wherein was pointed out that fhameful alteration in the tables of aflize, which, through the influence and artifice of the bakers and mealmen, was obtained from government about fourteen years ago, and which has been lately laid open to parliament, and engaged much of its attention. This pamphlet, which firft divulged a difcovery of this impofition on the poor, was coldly recommended in the Review as a guide to magiftrates in letting the affize of bread. • The The grand question concerning the expediency of bounties being now revived, as the determination of the legislature thereon is expected in this feffion of parliament, the extracts from the Essays on the Spirit of Legislation, which are given in the laft Monthly Review, feem to be defigned (as fome curfory readers think) to favour the opinion that bounties are advantageous to Great Britain. It is pity, however, that fuch readers as will not give themfelves time to think much on the fubject, were not informed, that all thofe extracts, which were intended to extol the bounty fcheme, relate to the original bounty laws, which are now exploded and done away. That original bounty-plan was projected at a time when we were "capable of entering into a rivalry with our neighbours upon the price of this faleable commodity ;" for as the effayift obferves, "the exportation of corn is not proper (much lefs a bounty) in ftates where they cannot fuftain, at proper markets, the competition of ftrangers." As a proof that Great Britain cannot fuftain such com petition, exportation is not now permitted when corn is at a market price even below that at which government ufed to allow a bounty; and it is the intention of the bill now depending, to ftop exportation of wheat at 44 s. though before the corn trade was ruined, the bounty was granted up to 48 s. and, as Dr. Price obferves, exportation went on up to 60 s. per quarter without clamour. Yet at that time we had not half the money in the kingdom in currency (real and ideal) that we have at prefent: the general opinion has been (though I think it erroneous) that the bounty to 48 s. encouraged a profitable commerce at higher rates; and the Authors of the Monthly Review have remarked, "that the bounty operates only to the fending to foreign markets the furplus of our grain under limited prices, leaving natural caufes to their own operation above them :" and Mr. Young, as he is quoted in the Monthly Review in the next article (viz. Article 13, March 177c) is confiftent in his praife of the valuable bounty law (for fo he deems it to be) and he feems therein to have the approbation of the Reviewers, though he differs widely from the prefent Houfe of Commons; for he infers, from the advance in price of every mercantile commodity, that though in 1688, forty-eight fhillings might be a proper bounty price, it should now be higher; how wifely, the legislature muft judge." 66 'Mr. Young however is ftill of opinion (as appears by his letter in the public papers, dated Dec. 12, 1772) that "the bounty act, and the general prohibition of foreign corn, are the most valuable acts relating to corn affairs that ever paffed the legislature of this kingdom; it is therefore wonderful that fo ready a writer fhould, at this time, fo little beftir himfelf, when his favourite plan is likely to be entirely fubverted; for the general prohibition is not only to be recalled or new modelled, but the bounty price is intended to be fet lower than in 1688. Mr. Young is indeed every way confiftent in his objections upon the plan which is framing by parliament; for though he wonders that" Gentlemen fhould be fo very folicitous for altering our valuable corn laws," yet to fhew his compliance with the fpirit of reformation which is now in vogue, he formed a plan from which Mr. Pownal's feems to be partly taken: but he very properly propofes to allow fix 7 months months certain for importation, under a duty whenever importation fhall be admitted; and he would establish it as a rule that exporta tion fhould never be fufpended; but by the bill now depending it is to be fufpended when prices run high, and people are clamorous, and foreign corn may (if the law takes place) be brought hither when our ports fhall have been opened to invite ftrangers to our markets, yet after the expence, fatigue, and risk of the voyage, the corn may be refufed, and the importer be told there is no market for him here; nor fhall he unlade his veffel even to take in British merchandifes; for by the arrival of others before him, the market price has happened to drop low enough to keep the people here from mobbing and mutiny; and it is a maxim in this government to fubvert every rule of commerce, and refufe that hofpitality to fuch ftrangers which they would otherwife be entitled to by the law of nations, for the fake of buying provifions dearer than our rivals have them, and thereby keeping up the nominal value of our lands. And though the wisdom of other governments has been exercised in laying open trade, and providing in the most effectual manner for the fupply of provifions; and, after framing laws against frauds and deceits, thofe governments have left the buyers and fellers to settle the prices of all things between themfelves, according to the old maxim, "No matter what the price is, so the buyer and feller agree upon it;" yet in Great Britain, the principal and leading members of both houfes being poffeffed of much landed property, have chofen to raise contributions on their fellow fubjects, by giving exclufive rights to the landholders, and thereby enhancing the price of all the products of our lands; therefore our laws operate according to the rate of market prices here (if that can be called a market which is not freely reforted to) without any regard to the general price abroad. I am, Gentlemen, with all due deference and refpect, Jan. 12, 1773. AMICUS. P.S. Dr. Price, in his laft pamphlet, remarks (from Bishop Fleetwood's Chron. Præt.) that though labour in husbandry is raifed but from one to four or five, and corn to feven or eight, yet meats are raifed up to fifteen, which proves the exclufion of cattle and meats to be even more hurtful than the old pernicious bounty.' IN N anfwer to our friendly Correfpondent, A. F. who dates his letter to us from Northampton, and who appears apprehenfive of dan ger attending the ufe of the Eolipile, lately recommended by us, as a convenient fubftitute to the blow-pipe, in the examination of certain mineral fubftances; we need only to refer him to the article where that inftrument is described † ; and where he will find, from a confideration of its very small fize, that no danger or inconvenience can poffibly attend even the most unguarded ufe of it. As to his re queft refpecting the continuation of our General Index, to the present time, it is a point under contemplation with us; but as it is, by no means, a lucrative article, our Correspondent will not wonder that the Proprietor is in no hurry about it. See our Review for December laft, page 461. THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For FEBRUARY, 1773. ART. I. A View of the Rife, Progrefs, and prefent State of the Eng lifh Government in Bengal: Including a Reply to the Mifreprefentations of Mr. Bolts. By Harry Verelit, Efq; late Governor of Bengal. 12 s. Boards. Nourse. 1772. 4to. SOLOMON faid, indeed, a wife thing when he obferved, his own his neighbour cometh and fearcheth him *." feemeth but This celebrated dictum was never, perhaps, more remarkably verified than in Mr. Bolts's cafe. That malcontent writer published, about a year ago, a very alarming invective against fome of the principal fervants of the Eaft India Company, efpecially against the gentlemen employed in the administration of the Company's affairs in Bengal; taxing them with the most intolerable infolence of power, accufing them of the most arbitrary acts of oppreffion, in fhort, representing the whole tenor of their conduct as tending directly toward the total deftruction of our Afiatic trade and dominions. His book was fpeciously written; he talked loudly, too, of his own perfonal injuries; and the public lent an attentive ear to his complaints. The work was generally pronounced unanswerable; and, it must be confeffed, that we were among the number of those who paid more regard to it than was, perhaps, ftrictly due, from experienced and cautious readers, to the declamations of a man who might have been fufpected to have written under the too Prov. xviii. 17. + And who, indeed, was fufpected by us, at the time when we drew up the account of his Confiderations: fee Review for March, 1772, p. 237; where it is remarked that allowance was to be made for the refentment which Mr. Bolts must feel for his own perfonal injuries.'-We have now, however, very different idea of the nature of thofe injuries of which he complained. VOL. XLVIII. G powerful powerful influence of his private refentments. Resentments not eafily to be fmothered in the breaft of an ambitious man, who had found himfelf interrupted in his fchemes, and checked in his ardent purfuit of thofe imnrenfe advantages, by which (as a trader) in only fix years, he had gained not less than ninety thousand pounds! That there are many things which cry aloud for reformation, in the direction and management of the affairs of this great commercial Company, is unquestionably true; and it is equally inconteftible that the evils which call for redrefs, can by none be pointed out, with that intelligence and certainty, which may be expected from thofe, alone, who have been perfonally acquainted with their fettlements and governments in the Eat. But, if the men who are thus qualified to give evidence in a matter of fo much importance to the nation, as well as to the Company in particular, are not poffeffed, likewife, of the strictest integrity and honour, how can we ever depend on the information they give us, or place any confidence in thofe reprefentations which, with the faireft femblance of truth, may be chiefly calculated to promote the ends of crafty fpeculation, or to gratify the malice of difappointed ambition, or infatiable avarice? That this has, in fome measure, been the cafe with respect to Mr. Bolts, and his celebrated Confiderations, we have but too much reason to conclude, from the many decifive detections which Governor Vere!ft has here made, of that writer's crafty endeavours to mislead the public, in a great variety of particulars. Mr. Vereift's publication is divided into five chapters; and to these are added, a voluminous Appendix, confifting of original papers, ferving to illuftrate and corroborate the facts advanced in the preceding chapters; and comprehending a complete detail of the Select Committee's correfpondence with the Court of Directors, during Lord Clive's and Mr. Verelt's government in Bengal: together with extracts of other authentic papers, letters, committee proceedings, &c. &c. To the above-mentioned five chapters is prefixed, a large introductory difcourfe, containing "A Refutation of fuch Parts of Confiderations on India Affairs as are not referred to in any general Divifion of this work :"-and a most complete refutation it appears to be, of what the Author terms Mr. Bolts's “Chass of Invective." We here fee an artful man fuccessfully traced through all the intricacies and confufion in which his declamations are fludioully involved, with the unworthy view of being thereby the better enabled to pervert the truth, and m flead the inquiring public; we fee him, on the most unyucitionable evidence, convicted of the groffeft mireprefenta tions |