1811.) 
tions, and they very visibly denote and 
confirm the indolent disposition of the 
Spaniard. 
“Tt is not unusual to see the beggars 
extended in the street, in the agonies of 
death; they surround the churches, the 
convents, and the coffee-houses; in fine, 
wherever you go, they are to be met with 
iu the most disgusting appearances of 
starvation, clothing, aud misery. With- 
out caution in walking, and turning 
the corners of streets, they are liable to 
be tradden on by the passenger, by day 
and at night; so numerous are they. 
Here is also a horde of gipseys, they have 
their abode in adistant part of the place, 
and possess the usual qualifications for 
plundering and murdering, as do their 
community in other countries. There 
is a strange custom here of exposing a 
murderer, previous to his execution. I 
saw one morning, two men led through 
the streets, bound upon asses, with their 
backs naked, attended by a vast crowd 
of people; they were, at certain places, 
flogged with a lash, especially when they 
came to the dwellizg where they had 
perpetrated a murder a few days before: 
the punishment of hanging was to be 
inflicted in the course of the same week, 
and perhaps two more horrid looking 
wretches could scarcely be seen. 
Some of the beggars attract notice by 
playing the bagpipe, which is similar to 
the Scotch instrument, and whose “ in- 
flated pipe, with swinish drone,” is often 
accompanied by a crazy violin: others 
sell newspapers and placards; but they 
often contrive to dispose of the account 
of a victory, &c. which has happened 
long since. The news-boys in London 
are no better; I recollect their selling 
gazettes, Containing the aceount of Nel- 
sou’s battle at Copenhagen, at the time 
that Lord Gambier ‘succeeded in his 
attack on that place, by practising their 
cheat, under the title of the “ Gazette 
Extraordinary for the victory at Co- 
penhagen.” 
uv Ea 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
‘SIR, 
“YN answer to a Correspondent in 
& your lass Number, who says, he is 
at a loss to conjecture why Dr. Knox 
attributes these beautiful verses 
-# Qualis per nemorum nigra silentia, gc.” 
to Dr. Jortin, when they are to be found 
in one of the editions of Vinceut 
Bourne's Poemutiu, I beg leave tu assure 
him that Dr, Jortin humself gave them 
' 9 
Effects of the Scarcity of Silver Coin. 
359 
to the writer of this letter, as his own, 
at the Vicarage-house, in Kensington, 
Dr. Jortin published them himself, as 
his own, in three fine quarto editions of 
the Lusus Poetici; the third of which 
printed by William Bowyer, and dated 
1748, this moment lies before me. Dr. 
Hawkesworth translated them into En- 
glish verse, as from Dr. Jortin; and they 
are known to all scholars who had the 
happiness of being acquainted with Dr. 
Jortin to be his composition. 
Add to this abundant proof, that they 
are not inserted in any of the earlier 
editions of Vincent Bourne’s Poematia. 
The fifth edition of Bourne is now in 
my hands, dated 1764, and they are nos 
to be found there. There was a subse- 
quent edition of Bourne, in a larger 
size, published by some booksellers, who 
probably, deceived by their editor, in- 
serted among other pieces this. poem, 
copied, and perhaps a little altered, te 
facilitate deception, from the Lusus 
Poetici of Dr. Jortin. 
April 10, 1811. Suum Cureus, 
a 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. ' 
SIR, 
HE almost total disappearance of 
our gold, and the great scarcity 
of our silver coin, have justly excited, 
the alarm and apprehension of the 
people of this country, many of whom, 
long habituated to receive in exchange 
for it every article of necessity and 
luxury, and therefore accustomed to re- 
gard it, not merely as the circulating 
mediuin of the country, but as its actual 
riches, forbode from its disappearance 
no less than the certain, speedy, and 
total, ruin of the country. Whether 
their fears are well or ill grounded, cer= 
tain it_is that the greatest and most 
serious inconvenicnce is felt by the’ 
want of sufficient silver coinave, fur the 
cominon transactions of trade: almost 
every individual in the kingdom, whe- 
ther engaged in business or aot, feels 
it; and if its scarcity should encrease 
to a much greatensdegree, all trading 
intercourse, below the amoung of a 
pound, will inevitably be wholly stop- 
ped. . As it is, shopkeepers are frequent= 
ly obliged to forego the opportunity of 
selling their goods, by the impossibiluny 
of giving change to their customers, 
A short time since, having occasion to 
go into the city, and wanting some re= 
freshment, I went into a coffee-house 
to take some soup. When I ordered 
it, the waiter asked me if I had sufha 
cient 
