30 On Religious Fanaticism, and Employment of the Poor. [Aug. 1, santry, are able to curb and overawe such as encroach on their rights; and, on the other hand, they can discern how to frustrate the artifices that would render them instruments to overturn institutions under the mask of redressing grievances. the tendency of a line of conduct before it shall be adopted, the uprightness of their hearts would correct the errors of their understanding. Fanaticism makes frightful strides in Great Britain, and some regular clergymen, through pious, yet erroneous zeal, encourage the delusion. They collect crowds in churches and private houses to join in worship, or to hear instruction, when they ought to be labouring in the actual duties of their callings, or superintending their children: poverty to themselves, and perversion to their families, is the frequent conse quence. To me, Sir, it appears presumption, if not ostentation, to set their own character above others, by offering to the Great Creator services he hath not prescribed. Our devotion is at best unprofitable, and cannot be acceptable, when performed intrusively, and to the neglect of positive claims on our exer tions. Let us turn to the page of History, and we must tremble at superadding to national establishments any, the least invention or innovation of our own, whether in church or state. Those works of supererogation first corrupted the Christian doctrines; and if once permitted, to what point can we ensure they shall proceed, and no further? The fanaticism of philosophy produced the French Revolution, and overwhelmed in ruin its champions and abettors. Southern Europe now bleeds beneath monkish fanaticism. Oh let not the sanctuary of rational faith and freedom hazard destruction, which insidiously approaches under the guise of amendments! Every true patriot will seek to moderate the passions by invigorating and expanding the reason of their friends, associates, or dependents, when fair occasions offer; but they will guard against all pretensions of a questionable nature. The clergy who believe they are inspired by superior holiness, in leading their people from their trades and labours to pray and hear preaching, at seasons not appointed by the church, will do well to examine their own consciences, lest selfimportance may not have usurped the place of purer motives. Their activity may be employed to promote at once the piety and usefulness of their people, by affording practical instruction in fulfilling the humblest minutiae of their part in common life. Knowledge, rightly imbibed, is not only power, but wisdom and virtue, and the genuine spirit of liberty. A wellinformed yeomanry, an intelligent pea The fanaticism of economy would have Great Britain in the case of the old lion, who submitted to have his teeth drawn when the foxes invited him to rule over them. They made him their bondman to hunt down the game, which they devoured, and threw him bones he could no longer crush, having parted with the armour of his jaws. Offensive war cannot be vindicated by any principle of humanity or justice; but peace must be maintained by preserving in their own element our panoply of maritime and military heroes. We have quays to erect, harbours to deepen, and roads to make; and our defenders can be so employed, and yet devote certain periods to their respective tactics. Permit me, Sir, to observe, that the numbers now out of employment might advantageously cultivate the waste lands in our country, and the products could be preserved for supplying the deficiency of other harvests. There are numerous facts to demonstrate, that grain may be laid up many years without having its salutary qualities impaired. Monopolizers will keep their corn from one season to another in a slovenly manner; that creates some measure of corruption; we should, therefore, seriously investigate the means by which the stores may be accumulated with all their nutritive properties fixed and undiminishing. No modern discovery can contribute more essentially to the health and comfort of individuals, or to the national welfare and prosperity. To be independent of other countries for subsistence is a grand desideratum. If this little essay is acceptable, you shall hear more at large on the subject A SYBIL. from Auchterblair, N. B. MR. EDITOR, I SO much admire the honest and generous sentiments of your correspondent MISERICORS, in the last number of your valuable work, that it is with very great pleasure I find it in my power to gratify the request contained in his postscript. The epicedium annexed was given to me some years ago in manuscript. The au 1816.] Infidelity of the Editor of the Old Monthly Magazine. thor is the learned Dr. BUTLER, of Epicedium on the Death of Admiral Lord NELSON. While notes of triumph swell the gale, Why sits Britannia sad and pale In the hour of victory? She mourns her gallant hero dead; She weeps that matchless Nelson bled; And pensive bows her laurel'd head, In the hour of victory. "O chief!" she cries, " to Britain dear, For thee be shed Britannia's tear In the hour of victory! Chief of the Lion's dauntless soul! From Egypt's shore to Norway's pole, 'Twas thine to bid my thunders roll In the hour of victory! "For thee shall spotless Honour grieve, And cypress 'midst her laurels weave In the hour of victory; On thee shall grateful Mem'ry dwell, And ages yet unborn shall tell How Nelson fought-how Nelson fell In the hour of victory! "Heir of immortal glory! now Protector of the brave be thou In the hour of victory! Teach thou the valiant, good, and great, Thy high exploits to emulate, And, like thee, fearless smile on fate In the hour of victory." MR. EDITOR, MR. COMMON SENSE, as he calls himself, still continues his pedestrian excursions in the vicinity of the metropolis, as it should seem to glean valuable in formation for the readers of his Magazine, and to propagate sound doctrines, religious and political, among the villagers. In his last number he gives an account of his visit to Mortlake, where the ruins of a building that once belonged to "the chief priests of England," (as the archbishops of Canterbury are liberally denominated,) furnish him with abundant matter for meditation. The pious reveries of this virtuous pilgrim are no doubt very edifying, especially where he finds that religious enclosures are usually now occupied by market gardeners, who have discovered that these sites are most richly manured. By this suppose is meant, that the pampered paunches of abbots, monks, and archbishops, are so exceedingly fertilizing as to enrich the soil for many centuries. This is indeed a scientific discovery I * I would say inspirer. 31 worth attending to, and the hint ought not to be lost upon naturalists, and espe cially horticulturists: though perhaps some epicures and dainty feeders may feel a little uneasy at the thoughts of feasting occasionally upon the trans muted remains of some fat churchmen in the shape of cabbages and cauliflowers. But this contemplative philosopher, whe is himself a disciple of the Pythagorean school, and fearful of eating a slice of roast beef or the wing of a fowl, lest he should gorge some of the corporeal elements of his grandfather, is less scrupulous with regard to the moral reputation of men of eminence than tender to their mortal relics. He calls the munificent Warham and the amiable Cranmer "pliant tools of the tyrant Tudor;" and afterwards he offers as the only apo- . logy that can be made for such pious and liberal prelates, that "they are wheels of a machine which existed before their time;" thus depriving them at a sweep of all moral principle and conscientious resolution. He then proceeds to compare the Christian priesthood to the sages of paganism, who complied with customs which they inwarily despised, and affected to believe a system that they ridiculed; by which he must mean, if he means any thing, that the clergy of the church of England are a set of mercenary hypocrites, who prefer a lucrative theological establishment to truth and justice. In proof that this is the sentiment which the writer intended to convey, I quote a few of his words, where, after dilating upon the order of the Christian hierarchy, he says: "Thus doubtless it was with Cicero and the philosophers. of antiquity; they found theological machinery powerful enough to govern society; and though on the subject of the gods they prudently conformed, or were silent, yet we are not at this day warranted in supposing that they obsequiously reverenced the absurd theology of the romance of Homer." Here the little word "Thus" evidently connects in the way of comparison the complying philosophers of old with priests of modern time, and the mythological fables lation. So much for the intelligence, the of paganism with the doctrines of revemodesty, and charity, of this enlightened patriot, who would fain make the world believe that he is the friend of mankind, and an enemy to all oppression, fraud, and misrepresentation. Of his meekness and virtue indeed he afterwards gives us a notable example in this impudent exclamation, which, as coming from a zea 32 On the Causes of the present Agricultural Distress. [Aug. 1, lous admirer and advocate of Buona- it be his own or another's: the interest parte, must be pronounced a charming specimen of consistency: "Alas! will the golden mean of reason never govern the practices of men? Must we for ever be the dupes of superstition, or the slaves of upstart authority? Are we doomed never to enjoy, in the ascendaney of our benevolent sympathies, a medium between the bigotry of the CROZIER, the pride of the SCEPTRE, and the eruelty of the SWORD." Now really when we reflect that the man who vented this nonsensical rant, has in his own person and conduct invariably blended the opposite qualities of tyranny and sycophancy;-that whereever he could supplant and control, he cared not by what means he obtained and preserved the ascendancy;-that his whole life has exhibited a successive scene of pitiful compliances, subserviences, and adulation, to gain advantages which when once in his possession have been turned to the injury of those who were the dupes of his artifice;--that he has practised every unworthy device to impose upon the credulity of mankind to further his own base interests, and that where he has lain under obligations he has returned the foulest ingratitude; that he has heaped misfortunes upon families by his fallacies, and laughed at the distresses which he has created; that, in short, his "benevolent sympathies," are concentrated in selfishness, and applied solely to his own gratification; when all this and much more is considered, I say it may remain a problem worthy of discussion, whether the American incendiary, who set fire to the dock-yard at Portsmouth, was not a patriot, and more deserving of canonization than a gibbet? JUSTITIA. of that man's capital (if he have any) cannot be considered as gain, but as so much which he is enabled to save on account of his exertions in business or labour. The generality of farmers are in exactly the same case for as they keep no unproductive servants, or superfluous equipage, they ought to be maintained by their business, and to he enabled to save the interest of their respective capitals:-but the whole of the farmer's savings are estimated as profit, derived from a very advantageous profession. Hence a competition has arisen to the most serious injury of the agricultural classes; every one wished to turn farmer;-landlords have raised the rents of their estates so as to be in proportion only to the very highest price of agricultural productions;-agricultural societies have published wonderful things of what it is possible to effect by particular methods of cultivating the land, or of feeding cattle, but without an item of the immense expense attending such experiments;-farms have been let by tender, by which means persons who are but little, or not at all, acquainted with the business, have, by offering enormous rents, been preferred to those who had a competent knowledge; for farming is a business which, although not perfectly understood by above one in three of those who are trained up to it, yet every one fancies he is capable of managing;— tithes have been raised in proportion to rents; and taxes have been increased in a fourfold proportion. From all these causes, (acting at once with the fullest force and effect,) together with the low price of agricultural produce, I conceive the present distress of the farming community has arisen; a distress unparalleled in memory, and I believe in our whole history. It has often been observed, that the farmer ought to have been careful when he had it in his power, and to have been prepared for the present reverses; but those who now complain the most had not that opportunity, as they in general hired during the high price of corn, and when farming was in its most flourishing state. From this observation also arises the proof that the farmer expended his money to an extent nearly equal to that in which he received it. Hence the flourishing state of internal commerce at that period; for whoever has had an opportunity of observing the state of trade in provincial towns, must have remarked the great depression under which it labours at present from the want of encouragement from the inhabitants of the country. The farmer, from inattention to his own concerns, has patiently suffered his horses to be saddled with a tax; which are as much the instruments of his profession as the loom of the weaver, or as any tool of the mechanic. His produce has been taxed to an amount much exceeding its actual value; and he alone, of all the various trades and professions, has till very lately had no advantage in his own market over the foreigner. The abolition of the property-tax, the reduction of the malt-tax, and the relief to be afforded by reducing the tax on horses, will undoubtedly assist in disseminating vigour and energy through the whole internal frame of the country: but there are evils which bear still harder, and which must be removed or ameliorated before the farmer can prosecute his profession with success Relief must be afforded by the reduction of rents, and a relaxation in the system of tithes as generally practised at present. A division of the larger farms would also considerably alleviate the scarcity of money felt at this time, by the employinent in agriculture of a considerable capital which is now unemployed, or employed without any advantage in the crowded ranks of internal traffic. Another evil under which the agriculturist at present labours, is the great increase of rates for the maintenance of the poor. The farmer is not able to employ so many labourers as he usually did, as from the slow circulation of money he cannot pay them; neither has he so much employment for them, for during the several years of unprecedented prosperity the farmers have raised their lands, generally speaking, to the highest 33 possible state of cultivation, and the waste lands have been almost universally enclosed: hence, I am inclined to think, that had the high prices continued, there would have been a scarcity of work in a very few years. Add to these causes, the number of seamen and soldiers discharged, and it will be found that the reduced price of labour is more than equalled by the increase of poor's-rates. Such are my remarks on the state of agriculture, which I conceive? will be found consistent with truth: but from the attention bestowed on the subject by the legislature, and from the increased economy of the farmer, I hope it will in a short time wear a more pleasing appearance, and instead of universal despondence, excite a general and wellfounded hope. A FARMER. June 9, 1816. P. S. In your last Commercial Report (No. 29) I was rather surprised to find it stated, that the late rapid advance in the price of grain has produced the effect, in some degree, of revining the hopes of the agricultural interest. Allow me to state, that in the counties of Cambridge, Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk, which de pend almost universally on their agricultural produce, the effects have been exactly the reverse-the high price of provisions has been the cause of serious disturbances; the crops of those farmers who most wanted relief are all sold, and they are unable to advance the wages of labour, which are so low that the poor are half maintained by the rates; the spirit of independence is deserting the lower classes, who no longer wish to earn a livelihood, but are happy to be idle, consoling themselves with the idea that the parish must support them. MISCELLANEOUS INQUIRIES. UNDER THE ROSE-TENTERDEN STEEPLE Is there such a thing as incombustible -CUSTOM OF PLEDGING INCOMBUS wood, and why is it so? TIBLE WOOD. Y. Z. will be thankful for answers to the following questions: THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT. C. E. B. asks on what authority has the APPLE been so generally adopted as the Forbidden Fruit: when no positive Whence did this proverb arise: Under declaration of scripture can be found to the rose be it spoken? What was the origin of this proverb: Tenterden Steeple is the cause of Goodwin's Sands? Whence came the custom of pledging one another when men drink? NEW MONTHLY MAG.-No.51. warrant the supposition? INCREASE OF DISSENTERS. M. J. begs, as the dissent from the established church daily increases, to be informed to what cause this alarming circumstance is to be attributed. F VOL. VI. [ 34 ] ORIGINAL LETTERS. Correspondence of the late JOHN COURTENAY, Esq., with Lord SHELBURNE, Colonel BARRE, the Duke of RICHMOND, Mr. LEES, Mr. BERESFORD, Mr. HAMILTON, Chief Baron EYRE, and Mr. Fox, between the years 1782 and 1792. I. From Mr. COURTENAY to the Duke of RICHMOND. MR. Courtenay presents his respects to the Duke of Richmond, and is extremely concerned to hear that his Grace has the smallest reason to think that Mr. C. either wished or expected to be continued in his former situation in the Ordnance. Nothing but the warmest affection and long personal attachment to Lord Townshend could induce him to submit to that constant attendance which such acquiescing duty requires. If Mr. C. has been recommended to the Duke of Richmond's attention, he trusts to his Grace's candour that he will alone impute it to Mr. Hamilton's partiality and friendship, and not to any suggestion or indirect application from Mr. C.; perfectly sensible, that he has not the least claim to the Duke of Richmond's favour, he has too little presumption on the one hand, and too much pride on the other other, to solicit it. Mr. C. hopes his Grace will excuse this address. If he was wholly indifferent to the Duke of Richmond's opinion, he would not have troubled bis Grace on the subject; but wishing, as he sincerely does, to stand acquitted of any supposed mean impropriety of conduct (which, from circumstances unexplained, might justly perhaps make some impression on his Grace), he begs leave to assure the Duke of Richmond, in the most explicit and unequivocal terms, that he never once flattered himself with the idea, or suggested a hint to any person whatever, to be recommended to his Grace's patronage. Berners-street, May 20, 1782. II. [Aug. 1, ed you to me. Hamilton merely to express his high opinion of you, and not as desiring me to continue you in your employ; for when I told him that it was but natural for me to have for secretary a gentleman I was in habits of intimacy with, he said, that all he meant was, that if I had had the pleasure of knowing you, and had meant you to continue, he could answer that in every respect you would have fulfilled every expectation I could form. Indeed I understood Mr. I therefore consider Mr. Hamilton's speaking to me about you as merely conveying his good opinion, and not as a solicitation either from himself or from you. Had it been otherwise, I should certainly have paid every attention that circumstances would admit to the wishes of a friend I esteem so highly as Mr. Hamilton; and I beg leave to assure you, that, far from thinking unfavourably of you, I am persuaded, had you wished an application to be made for you, you would have taken such a step with consistency to your own character, and have acted up to it. I have the the honour to be, with much esteem, Your most obedient humble servant, Whitehall, May 28, 1782. Lord Townshend was so obliging to inform me this morning, that your Lordship had expressed your permission that I might either call on Colonel Barré, or wait on your Lordship. I am thoroughly sensible of this honour, and beg leave to return my thanks for it. I flatter myself your Lordship will not attribute my declining to avail myself of this indulgence to disrespect; I avoid taking advantage of your Lordship's condescension and recollection of me in this From the Duke of RICHMOND to Mr. instance, merely from an apprehension, SIR, COURTENAY. I should sooner have acknowledged the note you did me the honour of writing to me on the 21st instant, but have been prevented by being out of town, and my time continually taken up. I am very sorry that you should imagine I had formed any unfavourable opinion of you from Mr. Hamilton's having recommend that, both on account of a long attachment, founded on affection and friend ship, and a political opinion (in which I have invariably persevered) my having the honour of waiting on your Lordship would be attended with no other consequence than in taking up your Lordship's time, which is now so much employed, and in giving you unnecessary trouble. I have the honour to be, &c. |