That they are of opinion, that the great fuccefs of Meff. Suttons is to be attributed to the advantages arifing from the expofition to colder air, from a judicious treatment, and the due obfervance of fome other rules, which have ufually been followed in this country before; and not to any peculiar noftrum, or specific remedy.

That they have no doubt, but that the method of inoculation practifed in England with fuch univerfal fuccefs, would be as fuccessful at Vienna, provided the inoculation was performed with the fame skill and prudence, and the patients were equally fubmiffive to the rules directed.

In answer to Sir John Pringle's letter, they beg leave to obferve, that on the whole body of a patient inoculated by Sut ton, though it will very frequently happen that the number of puftules will not be more than a dozen, yet fometimes, though very rarely, they will greatly exceed two hundred.

They are not able to afcertain the number that he has inoculated, but be lieve he has not been always fuccefsful, though he has failed fo very feldom, that they do not think that it ought to be confidered as an objection to his method. Sir John Pringle mentions, that when Sutton is called to people in the natural fmall pox, who are in danger, and at the height, the first thing that he does to relieve them is, to expose them to the open air, to carry them into it if it be poffible, and this even in the winter; and if they are not in a condition to be removed, he orders all the windows and bed-curtains to be thrown open. They apprehend this practice has been found unfuccefsful. The Suttons are undoubtedly in fome respects improvers in the art of inoculation, but by applying their rules too generally, and by their not making a proper allowance for the difference of contitutions, have frequently done harm. All their improvements have been adopt ed by other inoculators, and in the hands of these the art seems to be carried to a very great perfection.

SIR, London, Jan. 1768. THE national debt is now computed to be about one hundred and fortyfive millions of pounds Sterling. Many people know this, and it is often mentioned in converfation; but I believe few have formed an idea of the bulk of such a sum, that is in any degree adequate to it. A man may talk of a thousand pounds (if he has often seen it in cafb) with some idea of the space it takes up: but when he comes to talk of fums he has never feen, as for inftance, of millions, the image grows indiftinct, and there is very little difference between the idea of a million, and that of ten millions, an hundred, or a thousand millions. I make no doubt therefore that there are people, who, if they were asked the question, would tell you they conceived that the national debt in cash might be contained in a very large cheft; others, who would laugh at that idea, might conceive that it would scarce exceed forty or fifty waggon loads. Few would imagine that fuch a line of waggons, reaching from the Exchange to Highgate, with a tun weight in each, would not contain it; and fewer ftill, that fuch a line, extending to St Alban's, would ftill be infufficient. And yet I think as much money as fuch a line of waggons would carry has been given by the C-s of Ed in one f—n, and looked upon as a thing fo much of course, and of fo fmall importance, as to be done in a very thin h where the S could hardly mufter half a dozen m―rs to attend him with the grant to the the.

In order to help my own conceptions in this matter, I have made the calculation following, which, if you please, you may communicate to the public.

To avoid fractions, I fuppofe a troy ounce of filver worth but five fhillings. Twelve ounces make one pound troy weight, which pound troy weight is then worth three pounds Sterling money.

Taking then one third of the number of pounds Sterling contained in our na tional debt, we have the number of pounds of filver in troy weight, 48,333,333 lb.

Thele reduced to avoirdupois weight, by the ingenius Mr Ferguton's table, make 39,771,427 lb. of filver in avoirdupois.

Allowing one tun, or 20 hundred pounds weight avoirdupois, to be a proper travelling load for a waggon with four hor

Les,

S

Farther, if we allow to each waggon in the line a length of eighteen yards to move in (and the allowance cannot well be lefs to keep the nofe of the fore horse from being hurt by the tail of the preceding waggon), I fay, then, that at 1760 yards the mile, this train of waggons would reach two hundred and three miles; that is, from London to York, and farther.

A merchant of note being once reproach ed with the debts he owed, replied, "Yes, Sir, I owe more than you are worth; and you cannot be trusted for half the money." This perhaps we might say to fome of our neighbours: and I would have our countrymen reflect, by way of confolation, that if they are much in debt, it is a fign they are much in credit, upon which I congratulate them.

But in the mean time I hope this idea of the largeness of our debt will tend to make us a little more careful how we increase it, and put us upon seriously endeavouring to diminish it; that the invaluable credit we at prefent have in the world may be always maintained as a fure fource of strength in time of need. Perhaps you may ask me, how we can diminish it faster than we do?

But as this method of demonstration (during the present scarcity of hard money) cannot well be taken, I with, however, that the acute Mr Almon, in his next edition of the Red Book, would diftinctly, against the names of placemen, give us an account of their falaries and perquifites, computed in pecks, bufhels, and waggon-loads of filver. Such an account, I believe, would make us all stare, and fome of us, perhaps, alhamed. And who knows but fome future patriot, alarmed by fo ftriking a demonstration of our prodigality, may undertake (on condition of being well paid himself) to think of ways and means to remedy the evil. An ECONOMIST.

There is a story that one of our kings having ordered five hundred pounds to foine perfon for a trivial fervice, his treafurer thought the reward too great, and to convince him of it, fpread the fum in filver on a table near which his master was to pafs. "Pray" (fays the King) "what is all this money for ?" "It is" (replied the treasurer) "the fum your Majefty has ordered to fuch a one for fuch a fervice."-"O" (fays he) "'tis too much give the knave one half of it." If by this honeft artifice of the treafurer's, the public too could be made to fee, the fums they give, I imagine they might be induced to give with more moderation. Suppofe, for inftance, that the fervices to the ftate yearly performed by mott of the great officers happily inrolled in the Red Book of life, were to be loudly proclaimed in Westminster-hall, and at the fame time the fuins in cafli which they receive for those services, were to be placed in heaps on the floor, expo

SIR,

Edinburgh, Jan. 1768. A Mong the many useful letters which come abroad, none has ever yet appeared, fo far as I have feen, that has proposed a remedy for the clamant cafe of the poor and to prevent, if poffible, their being brought into fuch pinching ftraits for future, it were greatly to be wifhed, that fome able pen (now that the parliament has under their confideration the high prices of all forts of provifions) would digest some fuch method as the following, which might prove effec tual to afcertain the prices of all forts of grain, cattle, butter, cheese, &c.

Suppose there are in G. Britain 12 millions of people, or upwards: allow to each perfon for eating, and drinking, 4 bolls per ann.; this will amount to 48 millions of bolls of the different grains of wheat, barely, oats, and peafe. If the legiflature would be pleafed to tax the buyer of each of the above grains, with one halfpenny per boll, which none would ever grudge, this wonld produce a fum of 100,000 1. Sterling. Let them allo appoint 1200 or 1 500 skilful upright men, to travel through the different counties of the kingdom, during the time of harveft, and to calculate the produce of the above grains, allowing to each county twelve, fifteen, or more, if requifite, where the counties are large, and ten or fewer, where they are fmall. They may eafily finish their account during the harveft-quarter, and return the whole amount of grains to whomever the legiflature hall appoint. The above gen

tlemen

tlemen to have each a falary of 60 1. per annum, out of the above 100,000 1. which falaries, if 1500 be employed, will amount to 90,cool. the furplus to be applied to the clerks of the different parishes, where the farmers refide, for keeping a register of the number of each farmer's family, fervants included, who fhould annually give in the number of his family to the clerk-register, attefted by a jufice of the peace, or another proper magiftrate, and after deducting the landlord's rent, allowing a moderate computing for each of the family's fubfiftence, a moderate fum for the farmer's labour, cloathing himself, his wife and children, (if any); the price of the remainder of his grain may then be easily ascertained: Provided likewife, that he make oath before a judge competent, that he has fold none of his crop, or exchanged it for any goods directly or indirectly. This done for feven years, the medium may afcertain the price for twenty years afterwards, (except when vifited for our fins with a famine from heaven) or else the infpection of the above gentlemen to continue for ever hereafter; and that when there is a call for exportation according to law, the price of grain in Britain never to exceed the medium, or that afcertained from the inspectors amount.

The grafing farms may be inspected and furveyed likewife by able skilful hands, in order to ascertain the value of cattle, theep, and their produce. -I am. &c. PHILO-PAUPER.

Extract of a letter from Mr John Wright, collector of feeds, and gardener at Quebec, to the clerk of the fociety for importing foreign feeds. [xxviii. 614.]

I

Quebec, Sept. 1767. Have the pleasure to inform you, that I have already fome bufhels of the feeds of four new fpecies of plane trees, which are the most beautiful trees I have feen in the fouthern parts of Canada. I have alfo the feeds of two new fpecies of elm, which grow in the wet ground, upwards of 100 feet high. The introduction of these will, I hope, prove beneficial to my native country.

It is needlefs to mention to you the hardships, during fome long journeys I have undergone thefe last three months in the interior deferts of Canada; they were beyond expreffion. I had almoft forgot to tell you, that I have found a species of iron wood (fideroxylon), the finest wood perhaps in the world.

LET it be granted, that a table may

be formed, containing the right afcenfion of every meridian that will be in the zenith, or mid-heaven, of any one place, for every mid-day, every hour, every minute, and every fecond of time, for any defired time to come.

Let the mariner be provided with fuch a table.

Let him likewise be provided with another table, containing the right ascenfion of all fuch fixed ftars as are easily observable by the naked eye.

Being thus provided, every failor may know at once his latitude, and what meridian paffes through his zenith, every time he observes the culmination of any well-known ftar, elevated at least 35 degrees above his horizon. Or he may know the right ascension of any meridian paffing through his zenith, by obferving, with a line and plummet, when the line cuts any two ftars, which have the fame right afcenfion, and elevated as above.

It is certain, that the longitude fought must be the diftance in degrees, minutes, &c. between the times of the obferved ftars being in the meridian of the two places. And as every fixed ftar's right afcenfion is invariably the fame, whereever it may be seen, the longitude sought must be the distance in degrees, minutes, &c. between the obferved ftar's place, when in the meridian of the observer, and the time and right of ascension affixed to that time, when it shall be, or has been, in the mid-heaven of London (for inftance.) But one of the tables gives the right afcenfion of the observed ftar; the other table gives the time of its coming on the mid-heaven of London, and the right afcenfion affixed to that time, for that day. The diftance between these times, gives the longitude fought, in degrees, minutes, &c. which degrees, minutes, &c. converted into time, gives the time when the obfervation was inade.

By this means, all that the observer has to do, is, to be as fure as he can, that he has the observed ftar, in his midheaven, at the time of making his obfervation. He has the knowledge of every thing elfe, which he wants to know, from his tables.

GWPEAC MEKEOS.

Fan. 1768.

AS the caufe of the prefent ill humour in America, and of the refolutions taken there to purchase lefs of our manufactures [xxix. 691.], does not seem to be generally understood, it may afford fome fatisfaction to your readers, if you give them the following thort hiftorical state of facts.

From the time that the colonies were first confidered as capable of granting aids to the crown, down to the end of the laft war, it is said, that the conftant mode of obtaining those aids was by requifition made from the crown through its governors to the feveral affemblies, in circular letters from the fecretary of ftate in his Majefty's name, fetting forth the occa fion, requiring them to take the matter into confideration, and exprefling a reliance on their prudence, duty, and affection to his Majefty's government, that they would grant fuch fums, or raife fuch numbers of men as were fuitable to their respective circumstances.

The colonies being accustomed to this method, have from time to time granted money to the crow, or railed troops for its fervice, in proportion to their abilities; and, during all the laft war, beyond their abilities; fo that confiderable fums were returned them yearly by par liament, as they had exceeded their proportion.

Had this happy method of requifition been continued, (a method that left the King's fubjects in thofe remote countries the pleature of fhowing their zeal and loyalty, and of imagining that they recommended themselves to their fovereign by the liberality of their voluntary grants), there is no doubt, but all the money that could reasonably be expected to be raised from them in any manner, might have been obtained without the leaft heart burning, offence, or breach of the harmony of affections and interefts that fo Jong fubfifted between the two countries. It has been thought wifdom in a government exercifing fovereignty over different kinds of people, to have fome regard to prevailing and established opi nions among the people to be governed, where-ever fuch opinions might in their effects obstruct or promote public meafures. If they tend to obftru&t public service, they are to be changed, if poffiVOL. XXX.

them; and they can only be changed by ble, before we attempt to act against reason and perfuafion. But if public bufinefs can be carried on without thwart

ing thofe opinions; if they can be, on

the contrary, made fubfervient to it; they are not unneceffarily to be thwart ed, how abfurd foever fuch popular opinions may be in their natures. - This had been the wisdom of our government with respect to raising money in the co lonies. It was well known, that the colonists universally were of opinion, That no money could be levied from English fubjects, but by their own confent, given by themselves, or their chosen reprefentatives: That therefore, whatever mo ney was to be raised from the people in the colonies, muft first be granted by their aflemblies, as the money raised in Britain is first to be granted by the house of Cominons: That this right of granting their own money, was effential to English liberty: and, That if any man, or body of inen, in which they had no reprefentative of their chufing, could tax them at pleasure, they could not be faid to have any property, any thing they could call their own. But as thefe opi nions did not hinder their granting money voluntarily and amply whenever the crown, by its fervants, came into their affemblies, (as it does into its parliaments of Britain or Ireland), and demanded aids; therefore that method was chofen, rather than the hateful one of ar bitrary taxes.

I do undertake here to fupport these opinions of the Americans; they have been refuted by a late act of parliament, declaring its own power; - which very parliament, however, fhewed wifely fo much tender regard to those inveterate prejudices, as to repeal a tax that had militated against them [xxviii. 118.]. And, thofe prejudices are still fo fixed and rooted in the Americans, that it has been fuppofed, not a fingle man among them has been convinced of his error, even by that act of parliament.

The perfon, then, who first projected to lay alide the accustomed method of requifition, and to raise money on America by ftamps, seems not to have acted wifely, in deviating from that method which the colonists looked upon as conftitutional, and thwarting unnecessarily the fixed prejudices of fo great a number of the King's fubjects. It was not, however, for want of knowledge, that what he was about to

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