L O N D O N. 
24 'J 
IX. That the amount of bank-notes, in February 1787. 
was 8,688,000!. and, in February 1791, 11,699,000!. and 
that during the fame period, the fum of 10,704,000b was 
Oomed in gold ; and that the exchange with Hamburgh 
rofe about 3 per cent. 
X. That, between the 25th ot February, 1795* an ^ the 
*5th of February, 1797, the amount of bank-notes was 
reduced from 13,539,000b to 8,640,0001. during which 
time the exchange with Hamburgh fell trom 36 to 35, 
being about 3 per cent, and the laid amount was increaled 
to 11,855,000b exclusive of 1,542,000b in notes of ib and 
ah each, on the ift of February, 1798,- during which 
time the exchange rofe to 38. 2. being about,9 per cent. 
XI. That the average price of wheat per quarter in Eng¬ 
land, in the year 1793, was 50s. 3d. in 1799, 67s. sd. in 
1800, 113s. yd. in 1801, 118s. 3d. and in xSoa, 67s. sd. 
.Amount of Bank.notes, of 51. ond upwards. Under 51. Total* 
In 1793 about 11,527,000b 1,810,800b 13,337,000b 
In 1799 12,408,500b 1,653,800b 14,062,300b 
In 1800 13,421,900b 1,831,800b 15,253,700b 
In 1801 13,454,300b 2,7x5,100b 16,189,500!. 
In 1802 13,917,906b 3,136,400b 17,054,3001. 
That the exchange with Hamburgh was, in January 1793, 
38s. 2d. January 1799, 37s. 7d. January 1800, 32s. Ja¬ 
nuary 1801, 29s. 8d. being in the whole a fall of above 22 
per cent. In January 1802, 32s. 2d. and December 1802, 
34s. being a rife of about 13 per cent. 
XII. That, during all the periods above referred to, 
previous to the commencement of the war with France in 
1793, the principal dates of Europe preferved their in¬ 
dependence, and the trade and colre/pondence thereof 
were carried on conformably to the accuftomed law of na¬ 
tions ; and that, although from the time of the invafion 
of Holland by the French in 1795, the trade of Great 
Britain with the continent was in part circumfcribed and 
interrupted, it was carried on freely with feveral of the 
moft confiderable ports, and commercial correfpondence 
was maintained at all times previous to the fummer of 1807. 
XIII. That, iince the month of November 1806, and 
efpecially fince the fummer of 1807, a fyftem of exclufion 
has been eflablifhed againft the Britilh trade on the con¬ 
tinent of Europe, under the influence and terror of the 
French power, and enforced w ith a degree of violence and 
rigour never before attempted ; whereby all trade and cor¬ 
refpondence between Britain and the continent of Europe 
has (with fome occafional exceptions, chiefly in Sweden, 
and in certain parts of Spain and Portugal) been hazardous, 
precarious, and expenfive, the trade being loaded with 
cxceflive freights to foreign fnipping, and other unufual 
charges; and that the trade of Britain with the United 
States of America has alfo been uncertain and interrupted j 
and that, in addition to thefe circumflances, which have 
greatly affefted the courfe of payments between this 
country and other nations, the naval and military expen¬ 
diture of the united kingdom in foreign parts has, for 
three years pall, been very great; and the price of grain, 
owing to a deficiency in the crops, higher than at any 
time, whereof the accounts appear before parliament, ex¬ 
cept during the fcarcity of 1800 and 1801; and that large 
quantities thereof have been imported. 
XIV. That the amount of currency neceflary for car¬ 
rying on the tranfaiitions of the country mult bear a pro¬ 
portion to the extent of its trade, and its public revenue 
and expenditure ; and that the annual amount of the ex¬ 
ports and imports of Great Britain, on an average of 
three years, ending 5th January, 1797, was 51,199,141b 
official value; the average amount of revenue paid into 
the exchequer, including the profit on the lottery, 
1 9 >+ 95 > 945 1 - and the average amount of the total expen¬ 
diture of Great Britain, 42,855,111b and that the ave¬ 
rage amount of bank-notes in circulation (all of which 
were for 5b or upwards) was about 11,262,000!. and that 
57,274,617!. had been coined in gold during his majefty’s 
reign, of which a large fum was then in circulation.— 
That the annual amount of the exports and imports of 
Voi.. XIII. No. 904. 
Great Britain, on an average of three years, ending 5th 
of January, 1810, was 70,554,719b the average amount of 
duties paid into the exchequer, 59,960,525b and the ave 
rage amount of the total expenditure of Great Britain” 
77,802,674b and that the amount of bank-notes, above 5I* 
On an average of the years 1808 and 1809, was 13,763,0001* 
and of notes under 5b about 4,500,000b and that the- 
amount of gold coin in circulation was greatly dimi- 
nifbed. 
XV. That the fituation of this kingdom, in refpeft of 
its political and commercial relations with foreign coun¬ 
tries, as above ftated, is fufficient, without any change ill 
the internal value of its currency, to account for the un¬ 
favourable flate of the foreign exchanges, and for the 
high price of bullion. 
XVI. That it is highly important that the reftriflion on 
the payments in cadi of the bank of England fhould be 
removed whenever the political and commercial relations 
of the country fhall render it compatible with the public 
intereft. But, 
XVII. That, under the circumflances affecting the po¬ 
litical and commercial relations of this kingdom with fo¬ 
reign countries, it would be highly inexpedient and dan¬ 
gerous, now to fix a definite period for the removal of the 
reftridtion of cafh-payments at elm bank of England, prior 
to the conclufion of a definitive treaty of peace. 
In May, the public was ftfrprifed with the introduction 
into parliament of a fubjedt of peculiar delicacy—a pro- 
pofed alteration in the adt of toleration. It may be pro¬ 
per to mention, that for feveral years paft the eflabliflied 
clergy had manifefted confiderable uneafinefs at the rapid 
growth of methodifm. The readinefs with which licenfes 
for preaching could be obtained, according to the ufual 
interpretation of the toleration-adt, had favoured the mul¬ 
tiplication of preachers of a kind whofe manners and 
language peculiarly fitted them for acquiring influence 
over the inferior ranks ; and by their means numerous 
congregations had been formed, to the great diminution 
of the frequenters of parifh-churches. How far the mea- 
fure now to be mentioned was the refult of any clerical 
confutation is not known ; but it is affirmed that the no¬ 
ble mover was warmly encouraged to proceed in his de- 
fign by letters from perfons of eminence in the church. 
Lord Sidmouth, a nobleman once at the head of hi* 
majefty's councils, on the 9th of May moved in the houfc 
of lords for leave to bring in a bill for amending and ex¬ 
plaining the adts of William and Mary, and of the 17th 
of Geo. III. as far as they applied to proteftant diflenting 
minifters. Thefe adls, he faid, within the laft thirty or 
forty years had received a novel interpretation. At moft 
of the quarter-feffions where the oaths were taken, and 
the declarations made, requifite for enabling a perfon to 
officiate in a chapel or meeting-houfe, it was now under- 
flood, that any perfon, however ignorant or profligate, 
was at liberty to put in his claim to do thofe adls before 
the jufiices, and to demand a certificate which authorifed 
him to preach, and exempted him from the militia, and 
from many civil burdens to which his Tllow-fubjedts were 
liable. In fome counties, however, the magifirates ad¬ 
mitted no perfon to qualify, unlel's he fhowed that he was 
in holy orders, or pretended holy orders, and the preacher 
or teacher of a congregation. This he conceived was ac¬ 
cording to the real meaning of the toleration-adl; and it 
was in this way that the bill he intended to introduce 
would explain that act. He lhould propofe, that, in or¬ 
der to entitle any perfon to a qualification as a preacher, 
he fhould have the recommendation of at lead fix repu¬ 
table houfeholders of the congregation to which he be¬ 
longed, and that he fhould actually have a congregation 
willing to liften to his inltruftions. With regard to 
preachers who were not flationary, but itinerant, he 
would propofe that they fhould be required to bring a tes¬ 
timonial from fix houfeholders, dating them to be of So¬ 
ber life and character, together with the belief of fucii 
atteflors that they were qualified to perform the function 
of preachers. 
3 S 
Wheat 
