5l4 jlfr. Moggridge on the fnabiiiti/ of fjaii. t, 



cwiVPiiicnpcii of the jndiiecf laxcs than of the inability of the conntry longer to 

 jiave recourse to tJie odious and inqnisi- sustain such dreadful loads oftRxatiotr, 

 "tpria! operation of direct taxes, I am a» will enable the minister at once t» 

 ineyrrthelests inclined to believe, if we discharge the e.xpenccR of an Oioimous 

 ^!^,re coniipellcd b^ circumstances in any aiid unprecedented peace estabiishment, 

 .dejiirt'. t.o resort to the latter, that it is -a " 

 ^xpetljeijf, en account of the several ad- 

 Vantages whicli it assuredly does pos- 

 sess, to extend its application so as to 

 siipersedr, as niucli as possible, our pre- 

 sent system of indirect taxation, witfa 

 many grievances are in- 



Vhich 



jiejiarablv eonnccted. G. 



^ Jlyde, IsU of Wight. 



To the Editor of^the Mmithlif Magazine. 



■■ . , SIR, ..... ".;... ■ ■ . , ' 



ITIVPRY- vherp ^ifi pen of the 

 U Iiircliuj^ and the' arts of corruption 

 are at work, to uphold, if possible, that 

 system of mis-rulc which has brought 

 ihc country to the brink of destruction. 

 Throughout the whole of that most la- 

 mentable state of war, waste, and blood- 

 sheil, whicli began in 1793, but more 

 ppUcularly towards the beginning of it, 

 ■^very one who doubted its justice or ex- 

 pediency was libelled as a jacobin, and 

 his arguments, instead of being replied 

 1o, treated as the criminal efforts of dis- 

 affection aad sedition ; till, in process of 

 time, by the establishment of political 

 principles completely subversive of those 

 ■Which placed the House of Brunswick 

 •n the throne of these realms, the grand 

 object of the authors of the war was ac- 

 ronipliohed. Bnt, as tlic Bourbons 

 eoi,iM r.ot l.e restored in Fiance, nor tlie 

 Inqioisition be re-cstablishod iii Portu- 

 gal and £>iiain, nor the Pope in Italy, rtor 

 the Jasiiits in Europe, witliout iiuiaeusc 

 '!|Xptnditnre of blood and tKasure — so 

 these desirable objec/ts, being happily 

 acwunpiislitd. It now becomes the duty 

 of.t^cjijrrliiia;, and the interest, of those 

 whol^uyc actively Mippoj led, /".r profited 

 l^j;, . tl*e, njeasurcs wliiel) have been thus 

 far sHccesslul, to eoiivisicc the dchuled 

 j>eoplti of tliis devoted eoiuitry, thattheir 

 po^uiji*ry sacriliccs are in.si;;tiifirant 

 *s»ii?B;ai«d with tucir ability ; and that, 

 ,>t.a»tY rate, if tliey do at present suffer 

 <«{ v.iiich these tools of corruption affect 

 tultloubt), thiir su(r<TingB :irc not attrl- 

 iHj.tabie to this .(;a!ise. In strict coti- 

 fiaiKiity to these, systematic proceedings, 

 js: the iiUenijjt made Jo mislead, in your 

 last nuiobcx; beginning (in a manner 

 cWfy ^?y. w«'lhy of tite cause it ^iip- 

 portsj by endeavouring to fix^ the cha- 

 racter of stock-jobbers, or tticir paid re- _ .-, , 

 tuiijers. Oil all. such of. your eorrespoti-. ing that defftu{t-w»!4 «»^SUl« In^e pay- 

 ments a^AV* cxprcsscd-'tjjeii convictioa ureifrofiafxcs l/jUw Uiij^caf Jis»«v«ll>.»»S5 



th» 



and the interest of the public debt. 



Mr. Playfair stands, I think, pre-emi- 

 nent in the list of (liose who, in your 

 pages, have endeavoured to enlighten 

 the pidilic on the subject of finance; and, 

 vwthdut reference to others, equally re- 

 spectnble in point of principle, tliough 

 the}' may rank fiir below him as to abi- 

 lities, tl>e applieability of this species of 

 ccHSrire to him, as well as to those 

 others, it behoves your correspondent to 

 prove, or to adnih, tlic falsehood of his 

 assertion. 



Whether the stockholder be intitlcd 

 to the property of the whole country, if 

 less be insullicient to pay the amount of 

 his demands, is not a question 1 ni all 

 meddle with — but of the inabilitii of the 

 cmmtnj to Continue to pay nmcli longer 

 the enornions loads of taxation, in its r«- 

 rious forms, with which it is at present 

 cursed, circumstances (having no con- 

 nection Avilh your correspondcHt's " peo- 

 ple in tlie alley,") proclaim, inlanguagw 

 not to be misunderstood, notwithstand- 

 ing the affected denial of those who liv«f 

 on the produce of the taxes — the at- 

 tempted perversion and ntisrcfirpbcnta^ 

 tion of facts, and the ministerial charge' 

 of " iifnorant inipalieneo of taxation." 

 Still it appears that the public in general 

 are not sufficiently informed on tliis vi- 

 tally important subject; and the attempt* 

 whicli every day witnesses to disguiset 

 the truth, and to pervert it where it can- 

 not be concealed, establishes- tlic-pre- 

 priety of making tlW; presi'nt operatioiu 

 of taxation more fiilly known. 



The nnGisTKATt> or the count.y nt" 

 MoNMOinii, from tbeevideneeuof fa'ctSi 

 passing under their <»v*icjes,lbmjght it-' 

 their dufy 1orepve<'i»l to tbo ininislors,. 

 the innhilitj/ nf th's -piirt i^' fJiif fmmti^tji. 

 lons:er to cndui'e thr ;>/e!.<^(j'e, vit/eont ck-a 

 striivtion to ^reat ■nnmhcn t and thislliejr^ 

 flit themselves fully jxstilied in ttojngr, ' 

 from knowing tliat somO- parishes i»ri 

 their n(igiri)ourhof)d (as thiat of 'Ken W; 

 church lor jnstance.) >vcre now paying-,; 

 in direct taxes (including' tilhe.sX » 

 greatej- sntn than tlw? lands of the whole' 

 palish (;onld be- let" foi'iit this time jr--.': 

 fniui knowing that aboVe one hundred > 

 persons at t)iifc time hafd ticen brought- 

 l)efi)re magistral^te for iiort-payment of' 

 poor's taxes; and, above all, from kirow»; 



