of Lord H. Petty, a passage to shew that it was the opinion of Mr. Pitt, as well as himself, that great mischief might arise from the extinguishing at once a very large portion of the national debt. He says, that by returning all their capital to the holders of stock, capital itself would cease to be of value and the nation might be nearly ruined.` and with as little prejudice as you please, it is surrounded on all sides with the most glaring disadvantages: whether we are at present laboring under any inconveniences arising from any of the circumstances before noticed, I shall not anticipate; sufficiently clear it is, that the subjects of any power possessing property in a foreign state, must to such power prove extremely pernicious-In order to prove the fallacy of this reain its consequences; and I therefore trust that some early legislative provision, will put an end to so baneful a practice. With respect to the second of the subjects mentioned by me, regarding naval and military commanders, either directly or indirectly engaging in commercial speculations, I shall not enter into any reasoning to shew the impolicy of permitting such a species of traffic, as the observations I have already made on the former subject, are equally applicable to the present. Whether the articles of war, or any regulations affecting our army or navy, prohibit any officer naval or military from becoming a merchant I know not; but if there be any such prohibition, it certainly does not provide against the embarking a sum of money, or being interested in the profits of any mercantile adventure, or such a prohibition is indeed but little attended to, and should be better expressed. That a naval or military commander should be influenced with no interest that may induce even a momentary deviation from the strict performance of those services which his country justly expects from him, is so self evident, that I shall not occupy more of your time, Mr. Cobbett, than to express my earnest wishes, that a regulation to this effect, may also engage the early attention of the ensuing parliament.W. F. S.-Lincoln's Inn, Jan. 18th, 1808. FUNDING SYSTEM. MR. COBBETT,-I take the liberty of suggesting a few hints on the subject of our Public Debt and Sinking Fund, in consequence of the letter of C. S. which appeared in your last Register.I have neither time nor ability to enter into a minute discussion of the various opinions, which have at different times appeared in your Register on this most interesting and important subject; but as I have thought your ideas to have been sometimes erroneous, I shall content myself with a few observations, in hopes that you who are more competent to the task, will pursue the enquiry, and either acknowledge the propriety of my opinions, or endeavour to convince me that I am wrong. Your correspondent quotes from the speech soning, I shall first state that I consider the England notes, whilst the proportion of revenue from such property is lessened, till it shall make corn nominally so much higher here than in other countries, and raise the exchange so much against England as to make bullion bear a higher value in that state than as coin? This would occasion two prices of every commodity, a money price and a paper price, or in other words cause the measure of property to be Bank of England. ndies compared with their value in the qɔr charkit, nådgive to those notes a price of mach silver per pound sterling, insterati saying as we now do, gold and silver are worth so many pound notes per once or larger weight. I conceive this has been hitherto prevented since the restriction on the bank and depreciation in the value of money, by an actual depression in the gene. ral market of the world for bullion, by the encreased quantity furnished from America, and the lessened demand for it in France, &c. since the revolution, when the church plate has been melted down to aid the supply from America in the work of depression. When the relative proportion of the price of bullion to paper money shall be found to alter, will not this be corrected by cancelling a proportion of the debt, that is by taking off a certain quantity of taxes? For as increasing the taxes or the sum to be paid out of the produce of the estates of the Country raises the nominal price of corn, and thus lowers the value of a pound note; I conceive, the price of corn would be reduced, on the value of a pound note be raised by the contrary operation of lessening the taxes. I call it the nominal price of corn, presuming with Dr. Smith, that the real price as measured by labour is always nearly the same. If these ideas be correct, may not the alteration in the price of bank notes as measured by bullion, become the criterion to judge how soon a part of the debt should be extinguished?-As the commissioners only buy stock voluntarily offered for sale, it is impossible they can throw more capital into the hands of the public than shall be actually wanted, and as extinguishing the debt is only annihilating taxes, how can it have the effect to depreciate the value of circulating capital according to Lord H. Petty's statement. He appears to confound the present purchases of the commissioners with the ultimate extinction of the debt, which I have endeavoured to shew must be independent of each other.The purchases by the commissioners must raise the price of stock, that is lessen the interest or revenue from capital-but the extinction of the debt will increase the value in corn, or real value of the interest or money so derived from capital.—I remain, &c. LASEY. TITHES. SIR,As very great and important business, will in all probability, be agitated and discussed at the ensuing meeting of parlia ment; there is none of a domestic nature of equal weight and importance than the subject of tithes, as the abolition of which is fervently and seriously prayed for by thousands of his Majesty's faithful and loyal subjects, both clergy and laity; and although I much admire, and approve of your remarks and observations upon most subjects upon which you write, yet I am truly astonished at your objections for a commutation, in lieu of this most abominable and detestable of all taxes and imposts, this curse upon industry and agricultural improvements, which nothing can ameliorate but a total abolition. It is far from my wish that the clergy should sustain one farthing loss by any innovation or change in the tithing system, my most ardent wish is to make the church truly respectable, and I am confident every landholder and occupier, will readily and chearfully pay more by commutation than they do at present.-When we consider the manifold disputes, the enmity and hatred which is established and riveted, between the tithe owner and farmer, not only for their lives, but frequently descend to generations; when we see our churches desert. ed, and religion fast declining; when we see in our courts of justice thousands of pounds. spended in law, arising oftentimes from the most frivolous causes, must surely be a con viction how grievous and detestable the present tithing system must be to every one. To illustrate that disputes at law frequently arise from frivolous causes, I beg leave to state the case of a very industrious, honest, worthy friend of mine, residing in the wes tern part of this country. The great bashaws Tythe-Monger, who is a layman, has been! in the practice of taking his tithes in kind! and from an election pique he harboured against my friend, ordered his men whom he sent to collect his tithes, to treat him with every kind of insult and indignity; accord ingly, when they first came to collect their tithes, they let their trace horses loose in a fine field of wheat, to eat and trample my friend's corn, while they, loaded their carts at another time they left open a gate which they passed through, and let a number of cattle into another field which was not ent and did considerable. damage; at another time broke open a gate, and went into ano ther corn field, and carried away what they thought proper before the tithe was set out, and when my friend went to remonstrate, and pray they would discontinue to harrass and injure him in such manner, he received no other apology than the most heinous curses and scurrilous abuse, which was too much for John Bull to take, and he gave one of the fellows who was the most abusive and impertinent a box under the ear; and, I dare say, Mr. Cobbett, you and every reader of your Register, will say, what a pity but he had given him a good threshing. And for this great assault the great tithe-monger has actually instituted a suit against him, which is now pending in a court of law. To enunerate how very grievous and obnoxious the present tithe system is, would fill a volume of your Register. Consider, Sir, how many millions of acres of waste land would be brought into cultivation, if a commutation of tithes should fortunately take place, and how many of hands would be employed in such cultivation, which now is thrown out of employment by the rigorous decrees of Buonaparté. I am persuaded, but few landholders will begin this great national improvement, without an alteration takes place in tithes, for no sooner has the farmer brought his land into an excellent state of culture, at an immense expence, but in comes the tithe an immediately for the tenth of its produce.I beg to state the case of a gentleman who inclosed a part of Mindip Hills near Bristol. He made an excellent fence, ploughed it thrice over, and carried an immeuse quantity of manure; and for the first crop (which I believe was oats) the tithe man's demand was ten shillings per acre the whole value of the land per acre by the year, the gentleman discontinued any farther improvements in enclosing his waste land, from the rapacity of this man's exorbitant demand. Such vultures, such blood suckers are the generality of tithe owners. Whenever the abolition of tithes takes place (and which I hoped shall live to see) what a happy, prosperous, thriving country will Old England be... Our granaries will always be filled with corn, and in case of bad crops, or bad harvest which often occur, we shall always have a store for every emergency, without the aid of any foreign power to supply us. And however dukewarm many people may be about a revolution or change of government, arising solely from the oppression of tithes, if this odious tax could be removed, and an equivalent substituted, we may then bid de-: fiance to Buonaparté and his subjugated vas sals Our churches will again be filled with. thousands of absentees, religion will re-. vive and prosper, and unanimity, cordiality, and brotherly love will be established between all ranks.-I am, Sir, &c.-3. F. D. Taunton, Jan. 8, 1808. TITHES. SIR; Much has been written in your Register lately on the subject of tithes : but amongst the different opinions which have been there advanced, nothing accordingto my apprehension has evinced either knowledge or ability.The learned and the unlearned, the landlord and the tenant; even the merchant, the tradesman and the mechanic, have raised their voices against tithes, as being oppressive but it is to be doubted if a few of these rightly understand what they conside as obnoxious.-To shake the structure on which tithes are founded, needs more than common ingenuity; but to prove that the reasonings and assertions of those who try to raise a clamour against them, are fallacious and absurd, requires not spleudid attainments, but simply a few facts that are growing a little antiquated and almost forgotten, through the supineness of the clergy.-There is a monition (quoted by Lyndwood) from Winchelsey, Archbishop of Canterbury about the year 1300, to the clergy of his province, desiring them “to ad monish and induce their parishioners to "pay fully and without diminution the "tithes of milk, &c. &c. &c."" but if they should fail to obey, let them (the clergy), compel them, Sec. &c." This document sufficiently proves that the law of tithing existed, was recognized and acted upon in those days. Now, Sir, as Winchelsey was Archbishop some few years prior to the year 1300, I shall assume it, as being undeniably 500 years ago, and proceed to ask, whether the Howards, the Russells, the Greys, the Grenvilles of the present day have a more ancient, or can inake out a more honorable and legal claim to their possessions than the parson to his tithes "deny that they can. Then Mr. Cobbett what are those innovators and meddlers about, who wish to overturn this ancient law? Allow me to ask, that, when you are about to purchase a piece of ground, if you do not first of all consider that it is subject to a kind tax and tithes And if you do not pay accordingly? All records convince us that our ancestors did so. Do you think that any one of your engrespondenis knows an instance, where a porchaser has been taken by surprise and has been really ignorant of the tithe laws. You and I may as well say to the butcher f whom we buy a surloin of beef, that it is oppressive to make es pay 93. -a pound for the bone in it, as that a man should in these days declare tithes to be so; we ought to know that there are bones in the beef, and every purchaser of an estate does know that the estate is subject to tithes, if he has not paid an equivalent for its being tithe free.I shall leave it to those who have leisure and inclination to settle whether tithes are due jure divino" or "jure humano," or whether it was a pope or a king who was the first author of appropriations; it is enough for me to have proved their antiquity to be as great or greater than any other Tenure; as in so doing, I humbly presume that my argument in defence of them is ananswerable. I am not so blind and preju'diced as not to discover some hardships in the strict gathering of tithes; but every succedaneum which I have seen proposed, has been inefficient and inadequate; and I am constrained to express my fears that no plan can be adopted, which will be better for the community, and at the same time secure the independence of the clergy, than the old fashioned one, which system-mongers are anxious to annihilate.-I am, &c. &c. -D. X. OFFICIAL PAPERS. BRAZIL TRADE.-Circular Letter from the Portuguese Ambassador to the Governor of the Island of St. Catherine, and Conditions of exporting goods to St. Catherine, until the pleasure of the Prince Regent be known.-London, bearing date the 6th of January, 1808, Concluded from p. 224.) 3dly. Besides, every master and shipper will bind themselves to pay at the custom house of the said port, the same duties that were paid in Portugal upon every such article.or in lieu thereof, such as may have been already established by his Royal High ness the Prince Regent.-4thly. According to your offer, and to ascertain that no contraband goods are exported thither, the manifest of the said cargo sworn, and authenticated as usual at this custom house, will be signed by the agent and consul general, Mr. John Charles Lucena, and by me.-5thly. On these conditions, which contain all that fair trade can wish for at present, I will most willingly provide every captain with a letter of mine to the governor of said port, informing him of what I have done, and requesting him earnestly to require immediate instructions from the Rio de Janeiro, in case his Royal Highness is already arrived; and should his Royal Highness be not yet arrived, requesting him besides not to enforce the existing laws, but to suspend them until he receives the in structions required, which cannot be long in co coming, and in the mean while not to molest, but permit the said ships to wait peaceably for the new orders; unless he should be authorised by his former instructions to admit the entry of such goods, on paying the same duties as in Portugal, and to allow the captains to invest their proceeds in the produce of the country, in which case I will ardently request the Governor to facilitate this trade.-P. S. I need not say, that upon your application with the licence of the privy council, &c. &c. &c. the manifest will be signed by me, and my letter to the governor will be delivered immediately, without the least expence to any of the concerned.N. B. I request their excellencies the viceroy and governor of the different ports of Brazil, which this ship may enter in distress, that they will cause it to be accomnied by a guarda costa to the port of the island of St. Catherine, in order to avoid any unjust suspicion against the captain, of illicit com merce. ENGLAND.-Blockade of certain ports in Spain, notified to the American Minister, in London, by Mr. Canning, 8th Jan, 1808. situated The undersigned, his majesty's princi pal secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has received his majesty's commands to ac quaint Mr. Pinkney, that his majesty has judged it expedient to establish the most rigorous blockade at the entrance of the ports of Carthagena, Cadiz and St. Lucar; and of all the intermediate ports, and lying between the said ports of Carthagena and St. Lucar; Mr. Pinkney is therefore requested to apprize the American Consuls and merchants, re siding in England, that the entrance of all the ports abovementioned are, and must be considered as being in a state of blockade; and that, from this time, all the measures authorized by the law of nations, and the respective treaties between his majesty and the different neutral powers, will be adopted and executed, with respect to the vessels at tempting to violate the said blockade, after this notice. The undersigned requests Mr. Pinkney to accept the assurances of his high consideration. AMERICAN STATES - Mr. Jefferson's Letter to the Assembly of Pennsylvania, de clining the offer of serving again, as President. Dated, Dec. 10, 1807. GENTLEMEN,Treceived in due season, the Address of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, under cover from the and fifty carriages, containing baggage and private property; after which the Etrurians were discharged from their oath of allegiance, and the government declared to be dissolved by the following proclamation: Charles Louis, Infant of Spain, King of Etruria, &c. and on the part of his Majesty, her Majesty Maria Louisa, Infanta of Spain, Queen Regent of Etruria.-- Whereas his Majesty the Emperor of the French and King of Italy has informed us, that, by virtue of a treaty concluded with his Catholic Majesty, other states are appointed for us in exchange for the kingdom of Etruria,, ceded to the most illustrious Emperor by the aforesaid treaty; we consider our reign in Etruria as dissolved from this day, and hence discharge the Etrurian nation from every oath of allegiance towards our Royal Person.-Yet we cannot separate from subjects so dearly beloved, without publicly assuring them of our entire gratitude, and of the memory which we shall at all times retain of the faithful attachment which they have displayed during the time of our government.-Yet if there is a thought which can diminish our affliction at such a separation, it is this, that the king Speaker of the two Houses, in which, with their approbation of the general course of my administration, they were so good as to express their desire that I should consent to be proposed again to the public voice, on the expiration of my present term of office. Entertaining, as I do, for the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, those sentiments of high respect which would have prompted an immediate answer; I was certain, nevertheless, they would approve a delay which had for its object to avoid a premature agitation of the public mind, on a subject so interesting as the election of the chief magistrate.That I should lay down my charge, at a proper period, is as much a duty as to have borne it faithfully. If some termination to the service of the chief magistrate be not affixed by the constitution, or supplied by practice, his office, nomiually for years, will, in fact, become for life, and history shews how easily that degenerates into an inheriance.-Believing that a representative government, responsible at short periods of elections, is that which produces the greatest sum of happiness to mankind, I feel it a duty to do no act which shall essentially impair that principle; and I should unwilling-dom of Etruria-that so obedient a nation ly be the person, who, disregarding the sound precedent set by an illustrious predesessor, should furnish the first example of prolonging beyond the second term of office. -Truth also requires me to add, that I am sensible of that decline which declining years bring on and feeling their physical, I ought not to doubt their mental effect; hap py, if I am the first to perceive and to obey this admonition of human nature, and to solicit a retreat from cares too great for the wearied faculties of age.-For the approbation which the General Assembly of Pennsylvania has been pleased to express of the principles and measures pursued in the management of their affairs, I am sincerely thankful, and should I be so fortunate as to carry into retirement the equal approbation and good will of my fellow-citizens generally, it will be the comfort of my future days, and will close a service of forty years, with the only reward it ever wished. becomes subject to the happy government of a monarch who is adorned with the most heroic virtues, among which the constant care is preeminent with which he labours to assure the prosperity of the people under his authority. AMERICAN STATES.Message of the President to the Congress, relating to an Embargo, Dated, Dec. 18, 1807. Also the Act of Congress laying the Embargo, passed Dec. 22, 1807.. MESSAGE. The communications now made, shewing the great and increasing dangers with which our vessels, our seamen, and merchandize are threatened, on the high seas and elsewhere, from the belligerent powers of Europe, and it being of the greatest importance to keep in safety their essential resources, I deem it my duty to recommend the subject to the consideration of Congress, who will doubtless perceive all the advantage that may be expected from an inhibition of the departure of our vessels from the ports of the United States. Their wis dom will also see the necessity of making every preparation for whatever event may grow out of the present crisis. ACT-Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, that an embargo be and hereby is laid on all ships and vessels in the ports and places with |