226 
nions of the present day. Even with 
this abatement, it is impossible to pe- 
ruse, without impatience and disgust, 
his self recorded humiliation, and his 
ignoble appeals to those who triumph- 
ed over the fallen judge, and forgot, 
or were unable to appreciate, the ge- 
nius destined to immortality. It is 
curious to observe how philosophically 
Bacon analyses the subject of judicial 
bribery, with which he seems quite 
familiar, and how candidly he mea- 
sures out his own degree of delin- 
quency. This shameful blot upon the 
judgment-seat is now removed, we 
‘trust, for ever ; and for our own parts, 
we could be well content that our chan- 
cellors, like our other judges, should 
intermeddle neither with politics, nor 
with bribes. ‘These stumbling blocks 
apart, the unfortunate Bacon ‘“‘ had 
then stood happy ;” and matters would 
not proceed with less satisfaction and 
dispatch in that honourable court, if 
his successors had as little to do with 
the one as they have with the other. 
=e 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
SKETCH of a PLAN to afford complete 
RELIEF and great IMPROVEMENT to 
the AGRICULTURAL, MANUFACTURING, 
and COMMERCIALINTERESTS, combined 
with highly important FINANCIAL AD- 
VANTAGES, 
Y a comprehensive, provisional, 
legislative enactment, promptly 
carried into effect, to reduce in value, 
by one-half, the paper currency, the 
funds, taxes, duties, rent of houses and 
land, tolls, debts, salaries, wages, prices 
of corn, and almost all things except 
gold and silver, with other requisite 
exceptions and adjustments. 
Among the varions regulations, the 
fundholder, actually a foreigner by 
birth and residence, to be exempted, 
with the reserve that he should not 
transfer his stock for its primary 
amount sooner than seven years, giv- 
ing him the option of them, taking the 
value it bore just previous to the pro- 
mulation of the law, or of selling out, 
in the mean time, for whatever he 
could obtain. Provisions and compen- 
sations to be made to the merchant 
under engagements with foreigners, 
&e. Ke. 
The amount of stock held by fo- 
reigners is by no means so great, nor 
would many other objections, when 
duly considered, present any insuper- 
able obstacle; but, on the other hand, 
Plan for the Relief of the Agricultural Interests. 
[Oct. 1 9 
the benefits attainable would infinite- 
ly outweigh those objections and diffi- 
culties. 
Among the prominent beneficial 
consequences,— a very large sum 
would be immediately derivable from 
the Bank, because only one-half of 
the bullion or hard money, which the 
Bank ought to possess, would then be 
required. The other half, (whatever 
number of millions it might be,) would 
become disposable national property, 
and then be twice its present value. 
Only half the gold and silver now re- 
quired would then be wanted, to se- 
cure a metallic currency, and preserve 
the solvency of the Bank. 
The great reduction in the value of 
manufactured goods would confer the 
power of extending the old, and open 
new and extensive, channels of trade 
andcommerce. Agricultural produce 
being at half the present value, the 
grower would be enabled to export; 
and could find a remunerating price 
abroad, if he could not obtain it at 
home. The agricultural, manufac- 
turing, and trading classes, by acqui- 
ring additional activity and prospe- 
rity, would reciprocally benefit each 
other. 
Most of those who have gone, and 
are daily going, abroad to live cheap, 
and many others partly actuated by 
motives of pleasure and economy, 
would return, or not go,—as the chief 
cause of their going abroad would 
cease ; and the mere diffusion of their 
expenditure in this country would, un- 
der the present circumstances, be 
gaining a point of no small national 
importance. 
Foreigners who, in consequence of 
the high rate of all expenses in this 
country, can neither visit nor reside 
among us, nor avail themselves of our 
highly advanced state of the arts, 
sciences, our seminaries, or other de- 
sirable objects,—would then, by more 
generally resorting here, contribute to 
our improvement and prosperity. 
The cheapness of our products 
would not only tend to increase the 
import of foreign articles of commerce, 
and render the duties on them more 
effective, but enable us to supply other 
countries with a greater quantity of 
British and many additional foreign 
exportable articles; cause an in- 
creased influx of the precious metals; 
and férce a passage for our goods and 
trading, even where they are prohi- 
bited. 
ee 
