COBBETT’S FOUR LETTERS TO THE CHANCHLLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER. 
f this country talks as humour suggests; 
and all parties look to him as their patron. 
To the Bpavine spirits he carries himself, 
as he well expresses it, ina * wild, extra- 
vagant, and chivalrous excess.’ And while 
he is in this humour, ‘ he will deplore nei- 
ther the destruction of commerce, nor the 
decay of manufactures, nor the loss of re- 
sources, nor the total annihilation of wealth.’ 
—Mr. Windham, 1707. Nor will he have 
any objection (if he is pushed upon the ques- 
tion) to hold out to his brave countrymen, 
the inviting prospect of a never-ending war, 
if the country should be so fortunate as to 
have him for first minister ! 
« It is asked, Are we, on the principles 
I haye laid dowa, to wage an erernal war? 
—I answer, ‘ that, on the principles I have 
stated, it is clear that there is an eternal re- 
solution on the part of France, to destroy 
Arr. XLVIII. 
349 
this country: and I am unable to see any 
other alternative !—Mr. Windham, Nov. 7, 
1801. But, in a moment, this high strain 
shall stop, and to the money getters it shali 
be proclaimed, that the beginning and the 
end of all wars, is interest alone; for ‘ ho- 
nour, when rightly understood, is nothing 
more than interest :’ and the nation may give 
up any thing, when it is net ‘ disadvanta- 
scous te the national interest’ to part with its 
Who does not see, from all this, that Mr. 
Pitt has great reason to be ‘ jealons of the 
ascendancy of Mr. Windham,’ and that the 
one gentleman, who ‘alone is proper for the 
station of first minister,’ is far exceeded by 
the other gentleman; who “ lends the weight 
of his talents,” and to whom < all the sound 
part of the nation Jook, at this crisis, for 
their opinions’ concerning honour, and in- 
terest, and everlasting hostilities.” 
Four Letters to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sc. By Wirtiam 
CoseETT, 8vo. pp. 72, 
IF we were members of parliament, 
- andas hearty in our opposition to minis- 
ters as the noted author of these Four 
Letters, we should not pursue the same 
line of criticism. Far from attempting 
te invalidate any flourishing statements 
of the revenue, we should not only ad- 
mit, but corroborate, them. We should 
endeavour to indicate those items, which 
had produced more to the public than 
was accounted for by office. We should 
endeavour to detect these private sub- 
tractions from the receipt, which sup- 
ply a criminal expenditure. We should 
hold up the increasing abundance of 
revenue asa reason for alleviating the 
harsher clauses of money-bills, and for 
“Selecting very critically the less grievous 
rojects of taxation from among the 
superfluous claims of ministerial pre- 
caution. We should object to levying 
_ more within the year than the yearly de- 
.mand requires. We should found on 
_ the boast of repletion, the expediency of 
abstinence. But discontent has always 
‘its routine; and ministers so well under- 
‘stand it, that the line of opposition ex- 
pected is, in fact, a convenient hostility. 
By representing their resources as un- 
roductive, they are assisted in heavier 
ortion : by announcing that their esti- 
_ Mates of expenditure are deficient, they 
are propped in extravasrant provision 
for them: by mapping the progressive 
scale of our outgoings, the public mind 
is prepared for the continuation of the 
habitual augment. The art of embar- 
rassing cannot consist in repeating that 
catechism of objection, which has been 
said these twenty years, without pro- 
ducing embarrassment. The result of 
Mr. Cobbett’s dissection of the financial 
statements of the minister is thus given: 
«© Total income of the Consoli- 
dated fund, in the year which 
ended on the 5th of Jan. 1803, 
including arrears of income- 
tax, &c. &e. - - ° £32,493,605 
« Add, for further produce of 
new taxes, which were im- 
posed Jast year, but which 
were under collection only part 
» of the year as - 2,000,000 
34,423,005 
s* Deduct arrears of 
voluntary con- 
tributions 
«© — arrears of addi- 
tional assess- 
ed taxes 
*¢ — income duty * 
«© — convoy ds ty 
‘© corn bounties 
not paid out 
ofthe customs 
of last year, 
and, therefore, 
not to be in- 
eluded in the 
income of that 
year - 
£5,000 
47,125 
2,305,207 
49,143 
_ “"€ ® Besides the three sums of arrears stated in the recapitulation of the preceding ar- 
count, there are three other sums, stated nnder the detailed heads of income arising from 
the sources of 1798, 1799, and 1800. These make together 809,S1g1. which, added to 
the total of three sums specified in the recapitulation, produce a total of 2,805,267]. 2a ia 
here stated. 
Ysa 
