1805. | Monthly Commercial Report. 507 
fon was attacked by an inflammation of the verfity, to fee the cleareft profpedts of earthly 
lungs, which, after fixteen days, terminated happinefs obf{cured for ever, is- indeed your 
his exiftence. In his genius as an arvift we melancholy lot. Thefe fevere difpenfations 
may venture to aflerct, that he was.excceded of Providence occafionally vifit the abodes of 
by none of thofe whofe profeffional application virtue; and jin our conviction of the jutftice 
to thefe purluits give them every advantage and wifdom of Almighty decree’, we mutt 
over others, who purfue the art mersly as an admit even thefe to be difpenfations of juf- 
amufement. His numerous fketches remain tice and wifdom, ordained for the good of 
to provethe corre&tneis of this affertion, If humanity. In thefe fevere difpenfations, we 
he had faults, they were fuch as genius fre- fhould behold the arm of God itretched out 
quently commits, and which, though they to affift thofe who have deferved his interfe- 
might occafionally impede the progrefs, rence by their virtues, and fhould acknow- 
could not ob{cure the luftre of his great abi- ledge, that Heaven contributes in this way 
lities. Aflliéted parents! beloved: friends! to the purification of its favourites, and their 
to behold, at a yet early period of life, every more complete preparation for a ftate of un- 
fair bloflum of hope rudely torn off by ad- limited happincis whichis te come. 
whos OR ORE. 
MONTHLY COMMERCIAL REPORT. 
TESHE prices of cotton continue to rife. The crops have almoft every where failed. In 
America, the growing cotton was infetted by a fpecies of infect that caufed exceffive havock 
init. That which is called Bow Georgia cotton is fcarcely to be had at any price; and as the 
fcarcity is real, it is not to be conceived but that the prices mult continue to rife throughout the 
featon, 
Remittances from America never came more flowly than in the prefent year. In the South- 
ern American States, the failure of the crops has left the planters and merchants without means 
to fatisfy the demands of their creditors of this country.. One or two honett men. among them 
have written, that, having no produce, they will even fell off their flaves, and remit the prices, 
rather than iuffer their correipondents to be reduced by their. misfortune to bankruptcy. But,y 
if we be not widely mifinformed, it is not in the character of many American traders to act this 
fair and honourable part. The laws of the American States are much too favourable to debtors 
willing to defraud their creditors. A mam who owes more than he chufes to pay, in America, 
may transfer his property, by a fecret affignment, to fome confidential friend, fuffer himfelf ta 
be laid in prifon for debt, then after a few days imprifonment, {wear that he has nothing in the 
world with which to fauisfy his creditors, come out of prifon free from any claims of creditors, 
efume the property of which he had made a truft-transfer, and renew his bufinefs, a richer and 
more flourifhing man than before, This laxity and facility of the laws of infolvency and bank. 
ruptcy in America, have proved fatal to the reputation of American commercial faith, We 
know for certain, that a very large proportion of the bankruptcies in London, are occafioned b 
difappointments of remittances from America, An Englifh merchant-known to trade largely to 
America would, at that moment, be judged to be, even for that reafon alone, of very fufpicious 
folvency. It is aftonifhing that the legiflators of the United States fhould not perceive that it 
is of the greate{t importance to make the commercial credit of their country as good as poflible ; 
and that it is utterly impoffible for any country to be very rich in commercial credit, unlefs its 
laws be fevere againft infolvent debtors, and afford the utmoft facility to creditors, efpecially to 
foreign creditors in the recovery of their debts. Should the merchants of America in general, 
perfiit in giving the fame trouble, as of late, to Englifh merchants intrufting them with their 
property, the necefflary confequence muft be, that, within a very {hort time, no American will 
be able to procure one fixpence worth of goods to be {hipped for him from London, unlefs he thall 
have previoufly paid the price. America will thus be, in effective commercial wealth, fome 
mijilions poorer than itis at prefent. For to the honeft, fenfible, induftrious merchant, and 
{pecially to every great commercial nation, creditis more than even ready money —it is the very 
lever of Archimedes, capable to move the world from its foundations. To the man of confufion, 
to the fpendthrift, to the fwindler, it is amply the means of traud and ruin, We exhort the 
patriots of America to render their bankrupt-laws more rigorous, that their public and private 
credit may become more worthy of a great commercial nation. : 
We cannot yet congratulate the Public on the emiffion of a new coinage of gold, filver, and 
copper money, fuch as the internal traffic of this country moft urgently demands. The excellent _ 
copper coinage of Mr. Boulton’s mint is {till kept back from circulation by interefted coffeehoufe- 
keepers, alehoufe- keepers, ginfhop- women, and fhopkeepers in general. It is almoft as impof- 
fible to procure a few genuine halfpence or penny pieces of the Boulton coinage from a {hopkeeper, 
as to get a knee-buckle from a Scotch Highlander, or to educe go!d by any labour of purificatioa 
from the moft gaudily glittering pyrites. 
The prices of grains have not lately had any confiderable rife ; but it is not yet to be expe&ed 
that they fhould fall. Much will depend on the ftate of the weather during the next three months, 
in regard to the rife or fall of the prices of grain, Itis to be remembered, that we cannot ime 
mediately procure further fupplies from the Baltic. 
The price of our Three per cent. ftocks continue to flu€tuate about 57, Bank fto-k is at 1672, 
Exchequer bills are at from one to two fhillings difcount, 
MONTHLY 
