good end to deny the truth, and ridiculously to boast of our health when every symptom of a fatal difeafe is manifeft. Some of our markets are loft; others are rendered difficult of accefs; the home confumption is greatly diminished; Ireland, without a proportionate load of debt, will meet our manufacturers of wool at home and at for reign MARKETS; and every one who is accustomed to commercial and political questions knows that one third at least of the value of every piece of goods finished in this nation arifes from taxes; perhaps confiderably more. This is the weight that our manufactures of all kinds have long exifted under. It operates as fo much duty upon the exportation of them. To the abovementioned circumftances we must now add the extraordinary advance of infurance, freight, &c. brought on by the war; and then no man can wonder that their wool lies upon the farmers hands; that rents are not paid; and that all the landed property in the kingdom has funk one third in value. That is, in a few years we have completely undone the bufinefs of a century; money being advanced, and lands lowered to the prices they were at about one hundred years ago!

It must be evident to any perfon who calmly confiders the prefent ftate of things in this country, that our manufactures and all our property muft ftill fuffer more, unlefs fome fpeedy and powerful remedies be applied.

The grand object must be, to remove, as far as is practicable, all the obstructions between us and our old markets; and as Ireland is to share with us in a free trade, if poffible to find new markets, that there may be room enough for us all.

But we can neither fupply old markets nor new ones, if our heavy taxes, and confequently the price of labour, already much too high, fhould daily advance.

There are feveral ways of lowering the price of labour in a country. The first, moft falutary, and most confiftent with true policy, is lowering the expences of government.

The fecond, which would alfo be very judicious, and make our connexions with the Eaft Indies fomewhat lefs alarming, as well as our property more real, to take as much fictitious money out of circulation as pofiible immediately, and gradually to diminish it. The contrary policy is one principal caufe of the prefent deplorable condition of this country. This principle will explain to the intelligent reader why Europe, fo long as its prefent policy exifts, can never fafely have a free trade with the East Indies, into which the riches of Europe have been flowing for ages, without confiderably advancing the nominal prices of labour. Much more might be faid upon this very curious and interefting fubject: but I must leave it to public confideration, and proceed to the third method of reducing the price of labour, which high taxes and expenfive habits of life force manufacturing countries to adopt; and that is the use and conftant improvement of machines, to counterbalance taxes, and shorten labour.

If all these measures were adopted; if the taxes were reduced; if confiderable quantities of paper money were taken out of circulation; and if our manufacturers of wool, in particular, were to adopt

with vigour the use of spinning machines, which I would earnestly recommend to them; nay, if the last measure only was purfued, their manufactures would be made much cheaper and better, and they would have fome chance of forcing their way to foreign markets, of recovering those that have been loft, and of producing demands from new ones but in our prefent involved and intricate fituation, I ap. prehend the only effectual remedy for the alarming decline of our manufactories and commerce, and all our other calamities, will be for us, like men who have recovered their fenfes from a range infatuation, who have opened their eyes upon the brink of a precipice, to tread back our deluded steps with anxious fpeed; and to finish a tragedy of errors, with the happiest catastrophe in our power.'

Few of our Readers, we believe, will be difpleafed with the length of this quotation, which gives a melancholy indeed, but nevertheless a faithful defcription of the prefent fituation and circumftances of Great Britain. The means of retrieving our affairs, as far, perhaps, as human fagacity can discover them, the Author points out with that clearnefs and fimplicity which is well adapted to the practical nature of this fhort but comprehenfive performance. When we meet with a work enriched with fuch fubftantial advice, and deduced from thofe general principles of which the truth is equally fupported by reafon and experience, our admiration is naturally increafed for thofe authors who firft adopted, illuftrated, and confirmed the just theory of national economy. The doctrines which they have discovered and explained, lie ready, as in a magazine of arms, to be employed againft every affault of popular frenzy, or of political delufion. The line of conduct which they fuggeft and advife, is fo congenial to the feelings of men, as well as fo obvious to the unperverted dictates of natural reason, that it is frequently purfued by the people before the principles upon which it is built be fufficiently, or even in any tolerable degree, understood by government. But unlefs thefe principles are unfolded, afcertained, and proved, there is no fecurity that the conduct to which they direct will long be obferved. False refinements may be introduced; paffion and prejudice may interfere; and thus the general intereft of the community may be, and often' has been, facrificed to the low concerns of a few of its most worthless members.

ART. VIII. A Solemn Appeal to the Public, from an injured Officer, Captain Baillie, late Lieutenant Governor of the Royal Hofpital for Seamen at Greenwich; arifing out of a Series of authentic Proceedings in the Court of King's Bench, on Six Profecutions against him, for publishing certain Libels (as it was alleged) in a printed Book, intitled, the "Cafe and Memorial of Greenwich Hofpital, addreffed to the General Governors, in Behalf of disabled Seamen, Widows, and Children;" and the Evidence given on the fubfequent Enquiry, at the Bar of the Houfe of Lords, in confequence of the feveral Profecutions being difcharged with Cofts. Folio. Price 1. 25. fewed. With a fine Engraving of Capt. Baillie, by Watfon, from a Painting by Hone: or feparately, 11. 1 s. for the Book, or the Print. Almon, 1779.

APTAIN Baillie affigns the following reafons for publifhing this Appeal, in his dedication of it to the Duke of Richmond, and other noble perfons:

'Where,' fays he, can a perfecuted and ruined feaman fly for refuge, with fo much propriety, as to thofe illuftrious perfonages who, during the late tedious and intricate enquiry into the management of Greenwich Hofpital, ftood forth the feamen's protectors, and with fuch zeal and abilities pleaded, though in vain, the caufe of the aged and oppreffed?

• Many reafons tempt me to publish the proceedings at large in the court of King's-Bench, and at the bar of the House of Lords.

First, Because my enemies have induftriously circulated, that there did not appear the leaft proof of any abuse in the management of the Hofpital, in either of thofe great inquefts of the nation, and quote the report of the Select Committee of Directors, and fuch other flimfey documents, to authenticate their falfehoods.

After the various and unparalleled perfecutions I have fuffered, it would be giving too great a triumph to my enemies, to let fuch extraordinary tranfactions die away in oblivion, without tranfmitting to pofterity one trace of the oppreffions I have endured, and the caufe for which I have fuffered. This is a Second motive for my leaving an indelible monument of the cruelty of my oppreffors; and though it will exhibit, to future ages, portraits of the most fhocking deformity, yet it will be fome confolation, that the difabled and aged feamen have not been entirely friendlefs; and though the fupport their caufe met with from your Lordships, has been at prefent ineffectual, yet it may give hopes to the defponding feamen, that on fome future day they will be reftored to their rights, and their charter preferved inviolate. To attain this great end, was the favourite object of my life; and if I perfevered in the purfuit with the fpirit of a reformer, and the zeal of an enthufiaft, I am not

even

even accused of any interested motives to myfelf.-Though ruined, and deprived as I am of my honourable and valuable office of Lieutenant Governor, earned by long and faithful fervice, all is not loft in the conteft: my character; I truft, is preferved to me unblemished-.'

That Captain B. perfevered in the purfuit of his plan for remedying the abuses that he conceived had crept into the management of the Hofpital, with the fpirit of a reformer, and the zeal of an enthufiaft,' is indifputable; and it is equally certain that fpirit and zeal are univerfally received as the genuine indications of an honeft intention,-whatever may be deemed of the prudence or policy of the purfuer. But prudence appears to have been little, and policy not at all, regarded by this honeft man in office; who has, in courfe, experienced the common fate of reformers. To men of this defcription, however, the public gratitude is eminently due; for to fuch felf-devoted fpirits it is, that mankind are, generally speaking, indebted for all active and vigorous inquiries into public abufes, and for all great plans of reformation, in matters where the common interefts of nations, or the rights of particular inferior communities are concerned ; nor fhould their failure in fome points (as perhaps, in the prefent cafe of Greenwich Hofpital) preclude them from our acknowledgments, in refpect of the general merit of their ultimate and difinterested views.

In a prefatory advertisement, our Appellant farther states his reafons for this [large and expenfive] publication. He obferves, that feveral unauthenticated pamphlets have been diftributed, injuriously reflecting on his character and conduct; that the several profecutions against him for a fuppofed libel have been mifreprefented, or but little understood; and that the evidence given at the bar of the Houfe of Lords, in the feamen's cause, has been mutilated, or retailed from memory only;- he therefore feels it a duty which he owes to his own character, to the feamen, and to his country, to ftate and submit the proceedings at large to the candour and difcernment of the PUBLIC: to the end that THEY may know and judge on what ground the Lieutenant-Governor of a national inftitution was turned out of his office. He conceived it to be his indifpenfable duty to lay every fraud and abuse that came within his knowledge, before the general Governors, as foon as he could authenticate the facts, not doubting but a fair and efficient general Board would be held, agreeable to his requeft, that juftice might be done, and a reformation take place. But, inftead of that,' fays he, what has been the confequence? And what is the language now proclaimed to the public? That no abuses exift: and true it is, fome of them do not exist at the prefent moment, because, during the intermediate time of the reprefentation of these ftub

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born facts, and the enquiry at the bar of the House of Lords, one whole year had elapfed, in which time, though the torrent of abuses was politically checked, no permanent remedy was applied, either by the removal of the Landmen*, or the contracting Butcher +,-the two great fources of all the evils, heart-burnings, jealoufies, and difcontents, which grow in that Hospital.'-The Captain here draws this inference As the management of the charity is ftill under the fame influence, in the hands of the fame perfons, is it not rational to fuppofe that fimilar practices will be reiterated on the helpless penfioners? especially, as the man who dared to attack abufes [he dared to attack Lord SANDWICH!] is facrificed, in order to deter others from pursuing fo dangerous a precedent.-A man difabled in the fervice of his country, and placed in Greenwich Hofpital as a reward for thofe fervices, is, at laft, in the evening of his day, -driven out of his office in the face of the nation, without a fhilling in his pocket, his wife and family ruined, his goods and chattels fold by public auction, to pay the expences brought upon him by his mercilefs perfecutors and profecutors, whofe great object was to commit his body to a prifon, after they had deprived him of his office, worth near 10,000 l.-Yet it is fill ta be hoped [the fpirit of our veteran Appellant, we fee, is not yet broken] the hour is approaching when a reform will take place, and that the lazy, luxurious landmen of the Hofpital, who have only fought the battles of the Borough of Huntingdon, will find themfelves removeable by a virtuous minifter, or at least by a public writ of quo warranto, &c.'

The principal contents of this volume, among other origi pal and authentic papers,' are as follow:

Captain Baillie's Letters to the Earl of Sandwich, to the Secretary of the Admiralty, the Court of Commiffioners, and the Select Committee of Directors, with the answers; alfo his Memorial to the general Governors, pointing out abufes, and propofing remedies.

It was one of the principal caufes of the complaint preferred by Captain Baillie, that landmen were provided for in the Hofpital, in prejudice to the rightful claims of the feamen, for whom this moft noble charity was folely inftituted.

This butcher had been profecuted, at the inflance of Captain. Baillie, and was twice convicted in a public court of justice, of ferving the Hofpital with bad meat (i. . bull beef inftead of ox); for which fraudulent offence he was, on his fecond conviction, fined 500l. on fifty penalties. This fum was compounded with the delinquent butcher; and fresh contracts were made with the fame perfon. N. B. Our Author, in another part of this advertisement, Styles him the Huntingdon Butcher.'