592 
Sc. with the effeéts belonging to them, 
25,000,000l. If this eftimate be correct, 
our finances cannot be in a very defpe- 
rate flate. 
POLITICAL ECONOMY. 
Mr. Corqunoun has added to the ob- 
ligatioa which his work en the Police of 
‘the Metropolis has already conferred on 
the public, by direéting his atrention to 
the frauds and embezzlements committed 
on the trade of London, 
his moft laborious and valuable invefii- 
gation, he has publithed ina “ Treatife 
on the Commerce and Police of the Ri- 
ver Thames:” containing an Hiftorical 
View of the Trade of the Portof London; 
and fuggefting Means for preventing the 
Depredations thereon, by a Legiflative 
Syftem of River Police. With an Ac- 
count of the Funétions of the various 
Magiftrates and Corporations exercifing 
Jurifdiétion on the River; and a general 
View of the Penal and Remedial Statutes 
connected with the Subject.’” It appears 
from the hiftorical view here given of 
the ftate of the River Thames, that its 
commerce, fhipping, and navigation, 
have progreffively increafed during a con- 
fiderable part of the eighteenth century. 
Mr. Colquhoun ftates the increafe of the 
number of veflels from the year 1700, to 
be 6,547; andthe increate of tonnage, at 
1,327,763: this extenfive navigation 
employs (exclufive of fhips of war, tranf- 
ports, and navy, victualling, and ord- 
nance hoys) 22,500 trading fhips and 
veffels of various fizes and dimenfions, 
which either frequent the river in the 
courfe of the year, or remain ftationary, 
within the limits of the port: the an- 
nual amount of the whole commerce and 
fhipping of the river Thames, in the 
year 1798, is calculated at the enormous 
fum of nearly eighty millions. But it is 
joftly obferved, that commercial riches 
and criminal offences have grown up 
together: a progreffive increafe 
crimes is the never-failing attendant 
on the accwmulation of wealth. That 
the depredations, therefore, committed 
on fuch an immenfe property fhould be 
truly alarming, is not much to be won- 
dered at; ftill, however, any previous 
calculation of the amount of thofe de- 
predations muft fall fhort of the reality; 
nor could any adequate idea be formed 
of their number and complexity. The 
author of the prefent publication has 
taken indefatigable pains to trace and de- 
velope the various frauds thus practifed 
en the commerce of the kingdom, and 
The refult of 
of .. 
Retrofpeét of Demeftic Literature—Political Economy. 
has fuggefted fchemes for the counter 
action of the evil: after having taken 
notice of the wonderful change apparent 
in the habits of the lower orders of the 
community ; and of the recent and per- 
haps too effeétual attempts to undermine 
that fenfe of religion and moral rei- 
tude, which reftrained the mafs of the 
people from minor aéts of delinquency ; 
and after having, in confequence of 
thefe remarks, urged the immediate ne- 
ceility of controlling ‘the ill-direéted 
and tumultuous aétivity of human paf- 
fions,”” of counteratting the infiuence of 
wealth, of preventing it ‘* from difle- 
minating its poifon while it confers its 
bleffings;” Mr. Colquhoun proceeds to 
obferve, that in order “to effeét this 
purpote, ineftimable in a national point 
of view, and benevolent and humane to 
all whofe vices and enormities it tends to 
reftrain; a police muft be reforted to 
upon the broad {cale of general ‘preven~ 
tion—mild in its operations, effective in 
its refults ; having juflice and humanity 
for its bafis, and the general fecurity of 
the fiate and individuals for its ultimate 
object.” We are forry to be prohibited, 
by the limits of our article, from expa- 
tiating on the contents of this valuable 
treatife; but we muft fatisfy ourfelves 
with recommending it as a work which 
abounds with the moft curious and im- 
portant information. 
Mr. Woop has publifhed a new edi- 
tion (the fifth) of his “* Account of the 
Shrewfbury Houfe of Induftry, &c.” to 
whichis now added, a large Introduétion, 
containing General Obfervations on the 
prefent State of the Poor, and the de- 
feGtive Syftem of the Poor Laws. We 
are truly forry to learn, that the eftablifh~ 
ment of which Mr. Wood has been and 
continues to be fo zealous and active a 
fupporter, fhould, from the negleé& of 
fome of the fuperintendants, have fuf- 
fered fuch grofs impofitions, as from the 
prefent publication it appears to have 
done, and fhould have failed fo materially 
in its objet. The principal caufe of 
the abufes which have crept into this exe 
cellent inftizution, appears to be the coms 
plexity and intricate fyftem of labour,” 
which is adopted : more time and a greater 
degree of attention are neceffary on the 
part of the Direétors than it is reafonable 
to expeét that any body of men fhould 
continue to devote to concerns which are 
not immediately their own: in courfe of 
time, the fuperintendance of the differ- 
ent manufactures is, ina great meafure, - 
entruited 
' 
