1800.] 
come he can make from the money than 
what he agrees to pay for it, as the capi- 
tal, in whatever manner he invetts it, {till 
belongs to the lenter, who, though he 
may not by the laws of the country be 
permitted to take poftffion of the pro- 
perty into which his money has been con- 
verted, may, if neceflary, bring it to fale, 
for the purpofe of reconverting it into 
the fum equivaleot to what he had lent. 
If therefore the whole of the land, houfes, 
cattle, and all other articles compofing the 
wealth of the country, was in the hands 
of one half of the inbabitan's, who had 
borrowed the above fum of 1,298,607,000l. 
from the other half, it is evident that the 
whole real capital of the country would 
in fast be the property, not of thofe in 
pofleflion of it, but of thofe to whom they 
were indebted. This is the cafe with refpect 
to a confiderable part of the capital of 
this country, and the debis of Government 
have greatly eontributed to bring it into 
this ftate ; for though thefe debts are not 
contracted under an obligation to repay 
the principal at any fixed period, they relt 
on the right which the Government pof- 
feffes to claim, if it fhould ever be necefla- 
IV, a portion of the general property fufh- 
client for this purpote, and till that time to 
raife fufficient contributions to pay an an- 
nuity equivalent in value to fuch principal, 
(To be continued.) 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
BSERVING the paragraph by J. N. 
in pages 544 and 545, vol. IX. con- 
cerning the curious inguiry touching the 
origin cf the method of taking the ttand- 
aid for weights and meafures from fome 
portion of the earth’s circuraference, of 
late fo judicioufly adopted and eftablifhed 
in France ; and ob{erving the expreffion 
of J. N.’s defire to know in what part of 
Mr. E. Wiight’s book that method was 
firft propoled and recommended : happen- 
ing to have that book of the date 1610 in 
my pofleffion, I eazerly took it down, and, 
after a fearch cf a few minutes, found the 
placercferred to. It is at p.218 and 219, 
where that ingenious man pretty fully treats 
of the very fame method of meafuring the 
Jencth of the earth’s meridian, which the 
French atronomers have lately carried fo 
fully into effeé&t, and which is. now alfo 
repeating and purfuing in our own coun. 
try by the very ingenious Captain Mudge 
of the royal artillery. 1 found there alfo 
a flrong recommendation of the fame ule to 
“be made of it which has lately been car. 
Quotation from E. Wright on a general Measure. 
17 
ried into’ effect in France, and to which we 
have a prior right of claim for cur own 
country. The whole paflage is fo curious, 
that your readers will doubtlels be pleafed 
to fee it here extraéted verbatim in the 
original orthography, as follows :—** But 
the belt and perteéteft way of all others 
(viz., of exactly meafuring the fize of the 
whole earth), is to obferve fo exactly as is 
polfible the fummer folftitial altitude of the 
funne at two places, fo far ditiant afunder, 
and lying fo near north and fouth each 
from other, fo direct and faire a way be- 
tweene them as conveniently may be 
chofen. Suppole, for example, Portfmouth 
and Burwick, or fome other place in the 
furthef parts of Scotland ; for the turther 
thefe places are from each other, the move 
perfectly may this bufineffe bee performed. 
Then meafure, and plat down fo truly as 
is poffible, all the way betweene thofe two 
places, with all the turnings and wind- 
ings, afcents and delcents, that are there- 
in; cut of which the arch of the great 
circle, or fhorteft diftance betwixt them, 
together with the angle of declination 
thereof from the true meridian line, truly 
found by obfervation at either of thofe 
places, may moit exactly be knowne: 
whereby (with help of the doétrine of 
right-angied {phzricall triangles) the dit- 
ference of the latitudes of thofe two places 
in miles, furlongs, &c., may eafily ap- 
peare; which, comvared with the diffen 
rence of the latitudes of the fame places, 
found by obfervation of the fun in degrees 
and minutes, &c., will thew how many 
miles and furlongs anfwer to one or more 
degrecs of the meridian: and fo the whole 
circumference, diameter, and femi diame. 
ter, of the earth will eafily and more truly 
be found then any other way yet ufed for 
this purpofe. But meanes convenient for 
the triall hereof have hitherto been want- 
ing, and fo I muft omit it till fome better 
Oppartunitie, if any fhall befall hereafter 
by the bountie of any fuch as are of more 
abilitie to beare the charge hereot. Yer, 
befides our purpofe now in hand, this 
would bee the beft grourd that can be, 
both for the making and continuing of a 
ftandard, and all other meafures thereon 
depending, ata certainty for ever 5 info- 
much, that although all the ttandards, 
weights, and meafures, in the world were 
loft, they might, notwithflanding, upon 
record of fuch obfervation and meanes as 
here we mentioned, be againe reltored much 
more perfeétly then by the ordinary way 
of beginning al] our meafures fom a bar. 
ly graine taken out of the midit of the 
eare, 
