116 
Both thefe jaft were printed after 1600. 
I am concerned to remark that, the edi- 
tion of Troyes, in the hands of T.J. is 
the worft of all, and of little comparative 
value, as the Janguage is altered, and the ro- 
mance in other re{pects much deteriorated. 
The Monthly Reviewers, in their ac- 
count of Wieland’s Oberon, have, witha 
magifterial importance peculiar to their 
clafs, afferted, that Huon de Bourdeaux 
was © one of the romances which the fair 
of Troyes, in Champagne, diftributed 
among the reading world in the firft cen- 
tury of printing.’ No edition, however, 
is known to have been printed at Troyes 
fo early, nor probably ever was ; not more 
than three or four books appear to have 
been printed in that city before the year 
soo, nor even fhould it be contended that 
the firft century of printing extends to the 
middle of the fixteenth century, will it be 
poffible to produce any edition of this ro- 
mance printed at Troyes during that pe- 
riod. ‘The fame critics are as unlucky in 
maintaining that Huon de Bourdeaux tur- 
nifhed Shakefpeare with the name of O- 
beron. 
With refpect to the Englith tranflation 
faid to have seen made by Lord Berner 
in the reign of Henry VIII. the proba- 
bility isin favour.of the affertien; but I 
believe no printed copy of that time is 
known to exift, and it might be difficult 
to produce any other edition, before that 
printed by T. Purfoot, 1603, qto. b. 1. 
It is to be hoped, that in the event of 
a new edition of Mr. Sotheby’s elegant 
verfion of Oberon, the talents of a Barry, 
a Fufeli, or a Flaxman, may beexcited to 
embeliifh it ; and even a detached feries of 
plates from this romance would be a moft 
acceptable prefent to the lovers-of the pic- 
turefque and beautiful. _ 
March 13, 18co. — . D.F. 
———E 
To the Editcr of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N the ftatement of the property of the 
Bank of England, which was made 
public at the time they ftopped paying in - 
cafh, the whole amount of the capital 
flock of the Company was-excluded from 
the account, the permanent debt from Ge. 
vernment to the company, being confi- 
dered as a fufficient pledge for the debt 
due from the Company to the proprietors 
of Bank-ftock. The inipropriety of this 
ftatement, which was formed on a fuppo- 
fition that a capital bearing ¢bree per cent. 
intereft is of equal value with a capital of 
nearly the fame amount, bearing /even 
“pany of £.7,236,727. 
Omiffion in the Statement of the Eaft-India Company. [April 1, 
per cent. intereft, and which then fold at 
the rate of 130 per cent. is obvious, and 
was fo frongly pointed out at the time re« 
ferred to, that it might have been ex- 
pected it would not have been continued 
in other inftances. 
mode in which the fiatements of the pro- 
perty of another great Company are made 
up, and it may eafily miflead fuch pro- 
prietors as pay but little attention to the 
affairs of the Company, which is the cafe 
with the majority of the ftockholders of 
public contpanies. | 
According tothe official account of the 
effects of the Eaft India Company, on the’ 
rft of March 1799, the whole of their affets 
amounted to £.19,979,;236, and their 
debts of various kinds to £,125692, 5095 
making a balance in favour of the com+ 
‘The capital of the 
proprietors is wholly left out of the account, 
although in this cafe there is not, as with 
refpect tothe Bank, any debt from govern~ 
nent, to afford evena celour for this omif- 
fion, as the debt of £.4,200,000 formerly 
due from government tothe Company was 
cancelled on the lafi-renewal of the char- 
ter. This is proceeding exactly upon the 
fame principle asa tradef{man, who, hay- 
ing begun bufinefs with. a borrowed ca- 
pital, fhould -everyyear, in forming his 
balance, Jeave this original debt unno- 
ticed, and fetting off only his other debts 
again his ftock and credit, pleafes him- 
felf with the idea that the difference fhews 
his gains. The prefent capital of fix mil- 
lions has been railed at various fates, part 
at 155 percent. part. at 170, and the laft 
million at 200 percent. and the money ad- 
vanced on the whole hasi been at leaf 
£-8,140,000, fo that from the above ftates 
ment it would appear, that, fo far from 
having acquired any furplus, the whole 
property of the Company amounts to con- 
fiderably lefs than the fum tha thas been 
actually advanced by the proprietors, and 
that upon the fuppofition of a divifion of 
their property, every £.100 ftock, which 
at prefent fells for upwards of f£.200 
would be entitled to only £.121. 
The concerns.of the Company involvean 
immenfe amount of property, and thon- 
{ands of individuals are in different ways 
interefted therein, their real fituation ought ~ 
therefore to be known; and from the juft 
reputation of the Company for honour and 
liberality in.their mercantile tranfaGtions, 
it cannot be fuppofed that they would with 
their accounts to convey an improper idea 
of the ftate.of their aifairs, 
March 7, 1800, , Crvis. 
For 
This, however, is the. 
=e Tei 
