I, on the contrary, contend, that whatever deprava. tion exists arises entirely out of the monopoly, which, limiting the number of Theatres to two, has rendered it the interest of those Patentees to enlarge the dis mensions of the houses to such a preposterous degree, as to subvert every good consequence that can be pro duced by a well-regulated and properly-sized Theatre. It is notorious, that, except in the pit and dress-boxes, there is no possibility of either seeing or hearing.-The monopolists, with their exclusive privileges, are perfectly indifferent as to the accommodation of the asdience, who, from the want of other places of dramatic amusement, are constrained to frequent these areas for the exhibition of processions and pageantry. Hence arises, not the preference for, but the toleration of, such mummery by the public. No longer able to distinguish the features, or to discriminate the tones, of the actor's voice, they have gradually been tempted into the endurance of melo-drames and such trumpery, which, by music and gesticulation, convey those ideas to the mind, which, in Garrick's time, were communicated by the fire of his eye, the variable inflections of his voice, and the magic of his countenance. Suppose that such a man could again delight and improve the public, and silence the croaking and the bellowing, and the solemn foppery, and measured strut, and affected pronunciation, that now infest the boards, would not his enchanting powers be utterly lost on three-fourths of the audience, from the single circumstance of their distance from the stage? And yet we bear from Mr. Sheridan, that the size of the Theatres has nothing to do with the mummery and disgraceful horsemanship which now contaminate the Theatre!

1 shall, at a future opportunity, trouble you with further remarks on this subject: your columns now are too full of those debatings, which, after a war of words for seven successive days, have left the most im

portant

SIR JOHN SINCLAIR ́Ön the curRENCY.

221

portant question that was ever discussed at the mercy of a Minister, who, in prosecution of his own plans, has brought the existence of the English people into jeopardy, and placed it upon the desperate hazard of the event of war. If Buonaparte be subdued, and if, being subdued, his system of exclusion be disconti nued, and if, being discontinued, the continent is again thrown open to us, then our commerce will revive, and the depreciation of our currency be arrested: if not, we shall be consoled by the escape of our Pilot from impeachment into the upper House, where he can, undisturbed, like the leech after it has done the duties of exhaustion, purge away his political delinquencies in the pickle of a Peerage. I am, Sir, yours,

VERAS

101

WRITTEN BY A LADY ON A WINDOW.

[From the same.]

THE power of Love shall never wound my heart,
Though he assail me with his fiercest dart.

THE ANSWER,

WRITTEN UNDERNEATH BY A GENTLEMAN,

THE Lady has her resolution spoke ;

Yet writes on glass, in hopes it may be broke ondsi

SIR JOHN SINCLAIR ON THE CURRENCY!

[From the same, May 17.]

SPECIMENS of excellence in parliamentary speaking come so rapidly upon us, we have hardly time to recover from the vigour and excursive imagination of

Fuller,

Fuller, when the classic, recondite, and luminous statements of Sinclair dazzle, and at the same time delight, our minds. What can be finer than the dipping the Bullion Committee in any of the three great united rivers? The question of the depreciation being now put to rest, he naturally wishes the Bullion Committee to be composed to sleep, to which nothing is so conducive as immersion in cold water

--ter uncti,

Transnanto Tiberim, somno quibus est opus alto.

His allusion to the Chinese, who have plenty of silver but no coin, is ingenious, and quite in point; but his six advantages are so admirable, that they deserve to be written in gold at the Royal Exchange and the Bank, and be framed, glazed, and hung up in the apartments of every private house.

Advantage 1st.-Paper can be easily procured and secured. This is clear and cogent, and peculiar certainly to paper; for gold cannot now be procured at all, and therefore any endeavour to secure it is evidently superfluous.

Advantage 2d. It may be produced to any amount. In the convenience of this advantage, Mr. Perceval and the Bank Directors will cheerfully concur.

Advantage 3d.-It allows the gold to go out of the country; e. g. to pay our troops in Portugal, who are Jikely to stand much longer in need of guineas, as hostilities are again commencing seriously in that country.

But Advantage 6th is the greatest of all advantages, and was accordingly loudly cheered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer-Public Loans are raised with ease! Excellent advantage!

Now then has Sir John, in addition to the other services done to the country, avowed the intentions of the Ministry-he is their trumpeter, their champion,

SIR JOHN SINCLAIR ON THE CURRENCY.

223

their man in brass armour sitting on a black ram. Be it therefore ordained, that the question of the depreciation is put to rest for ever-war, which can only be carried on through the status quo of our depreciated currency, is the order of the day-therefore not, a single syllable more on the question. So be it, says Perceval, through the organ of Sir John. Then to Sir John will the English people wish, for his services in their cause, Health and Longevity, and a speedy sale to the first edition of it.

The observation on the quartern loaf, and its not being influenced by metaphysicians, is worthy of Frederick and Sir John Sinclair. Metaphysicians, alas! are but small eaters, and their impression upon the loaf is slow and cautious. It was reserved for Pitt, who was no metaphysician, to work this change on that great criterion of real wealth. Before the year 1797, and the Bank restriction, the price of the quartern loaf was 7d.; and since that period, along with every other necessary of life, the price has gradually doubled.So much for the artificial system of finance !!!

Thus then, People of England, after seven days solemn deliberation of your Representatives, the vital question of your circulating medium is determined by the fiat of your Prime Minister. The paper currency is no longer held out to you as a temporary expedient, but as a permanent system, excellent and salutary, involved essentially with your commerce, and indispensable towards carrying on a just and necessary war. Let no man therefore henceforward complain, or ever ask for, or ever dream of, a guinea, under the penalty of being considered a disturber of that grand and por tentous system of salvation concerted for us by Spencer Perceval and his colleagues. In their hands we are; and may God send us a GOOD DELIVERANCE

READ! MARK! AND INWARDLY DIGEST !

[From the same, May 20.] ́

ALL agree that our Bank Paper is depreciated abroad; some contend that it is not depreciated at home, but answers, to all the intents of internal intercourse, the purposes of money. Listen then to me, ye non-depreciators, while I tell you, that I went to buy a quantity of flour-having, upon my arrival in the market, one hundred guineas in one pocket, and one hundred pound notes and one hundred shillings in the other pocket. I happened to meet with Mr. Perceval's valet-de-chambre, and found that I could get precisely the same quantity of flour for my guineas as for my pound notes and shillings, and I was just going to part with the former, as they were really weighing down my pocket, when a little swarthy fellow drew me aside, and whispered, that as he had no objection to the burden of gold, he would not only ease me of it, but give me twenty pounds into the bargain; so that, quicker than thought, I found my guineas gone, and one hundred and twenty-five pounds in my hand in lieu of them. I then returned to the market, bought my flour to the amount I originally intended, 105. and brought home the twenty pounds to my wife, who was as much surprised as overjoyed, and ran immediately to pay her mantua-maker's bill, and purchased a hat and feather for our little Billy, as promising a child for his age as I think I ever beheld. Now, let me ask, is the case of internal depreciation proved, or is it not? If it be, Mr. Perceval is wrong! if it be not, Heaven help the mantua-maker, for I have her receipt in full upon the file!

QUINBUS FLESTRIN.

ALAS!