| Retrofpecl of Domeflic Literature—Political Economy. 
metropolis of the Britifh Empire a public 
inftitution for diffufing the knowledge, 
and facilitating the general introdnétion, 
of ufefal mechanical inventions and im- 
provements, &Xc. To the honor of the 
Nation thefe propofals were embraced and 
fupported with a degree of ardor, which 
nothing could have fo generally infpired, 
but a real eagernefs for the propagation of 
fcience, and the application of it to the 
common purpofes of life. A ‘ Profpec- 
tus’? is now printed “+ of the Royal Infti- 
tution of Great Britain incorporated by 
Charter, M,DCUCC., Patron, the King ; 
with a Copy of the Charter; and a Lift of 
Subfcribers.”> This magnificent inftitu- 
tion, which has fcareely been twelve 
months before the public, is already under 
the direétion of nearly 450 proprietors, fub- 
fcribers of 5 guineas each ; 126 life fub- 
f{cribers at 10 guineas each; and‘114 an- 
nual fubferibers at 2 guineas each: soool. 
has been raifed on voluntary loan for the 
conftruétion of a theatre for public lectures ; 
and afplendid and convenient houfe in Al- 
bemarle-{ireet, has already been taken for 
the purpofes of the fociety : under fuch mu- 
nificent patronage and fuch wife dire€tors, 
there cannot beany doubt of the fuccefs and 
profperity of this national eftablithment. 
The 7th, 8th, and gth ** Reports of the 
Society for bettering the Condition, and 
increaftng the Comforts of the Poor” are 
publifhed : they relate a variety of very 
interefting experiments for the relief of 
our fellow creatures in diftre(s, and evince 
the activity and indefatigable attention of 
thofe gentlemen who fuperintend its con- 
cerns. A few pamphlets have been writ- 
ten on the fubjeét of the high price of 
corn, but they do not, in general, poffets 
much information as tothe caules of it; 
or propofe other remedies than thofe which 
have been offered to the public a hundred 
times before. ‘* The Queftion of Scarcity 
plainly ftated, and Remedies confidered, 
with Obfervations on permanent means to 
keep Wheat at a more regular Price, by 
ArtHuR YOUNG.” This writer coufiders 
the fcarcity as real, but not fufficient to 
authorize the high price which has been 
demanded for corn; his propofed remedies 
are to encoilrage the cultivation of pota- 
toes; to prohibit the feeding ot horfes 
kept for pleafure, on oats; to convert 
every ferap of wafte land into little poffel- 
fions for the poor, and to aflign gardens 
and grafs-lands to labourers for onc or two 
cows, Lhe author of ‘“* A Word for the 
Poor, &c. &c. &c.” contends eagerly, and 
we think ignorantly, that the prefent 
fcarcity of bread corn is artificial: he 
6x7 
writes in a pert manner and feems not ve- 
ry competent to impartinformation. | Mr. 
Brooke, in a’pamphlet entitled ‘* True 
Caufes of our prefent Diftrefs for’ Pro- 
vifions, &¢.’” has difeuffed the fubje& with 
more fobriety and good fenfe, than either 
of the authors whofe works we have juft 
mentioned : he confiders the principal 
caufes of the prefent fcarcity in grain of 
every defcription, butchers’ meat, poultry, 
&c. tobe * monopcly of farms ; the im- 
menfe number of horfes kept in this king- 
dom; the neglect in breeding cows, 
horned cattle, hogs, affes, and goats ; the 
almoft difufe of fith, and carelefinefs of 
our fitheries; the prefent method of fup- 
porting the clergy ; too extenfive hop- 
grounds, neglect of orchards, &c.”’ ‘* Ex- 
clufive of thefe general caufes of {carcity,” 
fays Mr. B. ‘there are others which have 
operated in a lefs degree, thefe fecoend 
caufes are cxtenfive parks, and pleafure 
grounds; the common mode of fowing 
grain ; the extravagant manner ufed by 
the poor in dreffing meat ; the ridiculous 
wafte of ftraw, &c.” Mr. B. enlarges oa 
each of thefe topics, particularly the firft; 
namely, the monopoly of farms, which he 
confiders as the great fource of the evil com- 
plained of, and interfperfes a number of 
ufeful hints for the improvement of agri- 
culture and the encouragement of fifheries. 
The anonymous author of * Curfory 
Remarks on Bread and Coals,” difplay's 
much judgment, acutenefs and philan- 
thropy: his obfervations on the unnecef- 
{ary and unnatural fearcity of coals parti- 
cularly merit attention. The laft work 
which we fhall notice under the head of 
Political Economy is, ‘* The Reports” of 
two Committees who were appointed by 
the Houfe of Commons, one in 1798 and 
one 1799, for the purpofe of inquiring in- 
to the beft mode of levying and colleéting 
the duties upon the diftiileries and corn 
fpirits in Scotland: the Right Honourable 
Svlvefter Douglas in the chair. Theie 
Reports contain a mafs of information ré~ 
lative to the diftilleriesof Scotland, which 
does great credit to the induftry and accu- 
racy of the gentlemen who compofed 
them. ‘There are two fyftems which have 
been fuccelfively adopted in the colleétion 
of thefe duties, namely the /icence fyftem 
and the /urvey {vftem : the former of thefe 
leaves the diftiller unmolefted by the ex- 
cifeman, previoufly exaéting the duty on 
fuch a quantity of fpirits as it is calcu~ 
lated the diftiler might pofibly produce in 
a given time ; on the payment of this duty 
the diftiller gets a W/cence to: carry on his 
bufinels. The furvey fyftem confilts in 
an 

