1797-) 
«+ Arabian pirates ;”” if, “ we have never 
yet heard of one real man of honour that 
could fupport the thought, or would even 
condef{cend to difcufs a queftion fo inimi- 
cal to morals and good policy ;”” and if, 
notwithftanding all this, ** he who for a 
moment, by his filence, encourages the 
difcuffion of fucha fubjeét,in fuch a country 
as this, is nearly as guilty of the projected 
wrong as the profligate who firtt ftarted 
the difhoneft idea,” it would appear, that, 
in the opinion of G. C. it is a fubjeét on 
which every individual is called upon to 
declare his fentiments; but upon condi- 
tion that he fpeaks only to reprobate the 
idea... Although I can by no means ap- 
prove of this reftri€tion, in the difcuffion 
of any fubjeét whatever, I thall not, at pre- 
fent, claim a greater degree of liberty ; my 
intention being only to offer a few reafons 
for thinking the alarm of your corref- 
pondent groundlefs, and the declaration 
which he requires totally unneceffary. 
1. The national debt is divided among, and 
_forms the chief property of, a large body of 
proprietors ; who, being attached to the prefent 
ftate of things by the powerful tie of intereft, 
and, in general, coming within Mr. Burke's 
definition of the political citizens, who com- 
pofe the Britifh public, form a permanent ma- 
jority * perfeétly found, of the beft poffible 
difpofition to religion, to government, to the 
true and undivided intereft of their country,” 
which is one of the beft fecurities for the con- 
tinuance of our internal tranquillity and national 
profperity. 
2. The national debt is not only the princi- 
pal wealth of the prefent proprietors, but alfu che 
foundation of the hopes of a greater number of 
heirs and expectants, who would unite with 
the former in depreciating and oppofing the pro- 
jeét of its annihilation. 
3. The regularity with which the dividends 
have hitherto been paid, has induced foreigners 
to inveft a confiderable capital in our public 
funds, which, though it may in other refpeéts 
be a difadvantage, ftrongly attaches them to 
the interefts of this country, 
4. The national debt has been formed bya great 
mumber of public loans, which have, at differ. 
ent times, afforded thofe who had the negoci- 
ating of them, opportunities of conferring par- 
ticular favours on their connections and fup- 
porters ; a prerogative which it cannot be fup- 
pofed the prefent or future minifters will be in- 
clined to relinguih. ~ 
5. The colleétion of the permanent revenue, 
of which nearly the whole is abforbed by the 
intereft of our funded and floating debts, cre. 
ates places and. appointments for a legion of com- 
‘miffioners, comptrollers, infpectors, receivers, 
accomptants, é&c, &e. with their affiftants, de- 
puties, and clerks, who being ‘difperfed all over 
National Debt....Monodies on Chatterton 
427 
the country, have many opportunities of pro- 
pagating and defending the orthodox political 
faith. 
6. The iffue of this part of the revenue to . 
its legal proprietors, alfo gives employment. to 
a contiderable number of paymatters, tellers, 
cafhiers, auditors, &c, who though they are 
lefs numerous than the former, and, from refid- 
ing chicfly in the metropolis, have fewer op- 
portunities of fhowing their gratitude for the 
order of things on which their income depends, 
may, however, be found ufeful members of the 
community, at leaft once in feven years. 
7. Any attempt to do away, or even to in 
fringe upon the property of the public credia 
tors, muit deftroy, at once, the funding fyftem, 
without the aid of which it will be found im- 
poflible to carry on civilised war on an ex- 
tenfive fcale, except by having conftant re- 
courfe to requifitions and military power. 
_ Thefe confiderations, I. apprehend, 
will be thought by ftockholders in gene 
ral, to afcertain their fecurity much,bet- 
ter than the propofed minifterial decla- 
ration, er recognition, of rights; they 
fhow, that although the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer begins to regret that the 
funding fy{tem was ever adopted, it can= 
not be fuppofed he will ever go fo far 
as even to wi/b the debt annihilated ; 
and that, if ever government fhould be 
induced to think of fuch a defperate exe 
pedient, it will not be asa matter of de= 
liberate choice, but of imperious necef~ 
fity. 
Dec. 9, 1797: 
G. 

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SER, 
I OBSERVE, with aftonifhment, the 
following fentence in your Mifcellany, 
for Odtober, 1796: ‘* There were, at 
leaft, two monodies written on Chatter- 
ton fuperior,to the poem in queftion, in 
the three great requifites of feeling, de- 
{cription, and harmony; and thefe written 
by two of the beft poets this century has 
given birth to.” (1 fuppofe Warton and . - 
Amwell). Now, fir, notwithftanding this 
{trong decree of Crito, I will venture to 
affirm, that Mr. COLERIDGE, in his mo- 
nody, eminently excels his competitors. 
That he is fuperior to them in harmony, 
no one can entertain the leaft doubt; and 
few, who have compared the poems, will 
hefitate to pronounce him equally fuperior 
in feeling and defcription. 1 hope, fir, 
your candour will allow me to pay this 
fair tribute to poetical merit. . 
I remain, fir, your's, &c. 
A. B.C. D. 
For 
