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med milk at 2d. per gallon. Potatoes coft us is. 3d. per bufhel of 95 pounds, and the quantity now ufed, is 18 bushels per week. Peas, oatmeal, falt, and groceries coft us the last year, with a larger family, 11. 5s. per week. A general ftore book is regularly kept, wherein is entered in feparate columns, the confumption of each article for every day in the week, at the end of which, it is cast up, balanced with the stock of each article remaining upon hand, examined and figned by a director. From that store-book, the following account has been taken by myfelf; and I pledge my veracity for the accuracy of the statement.

Weekly confumption of Provifions in the Shrewsbury Houfe of Induftry for four weeks, from Dec. 2, to Dec. 30, 1798.

£. s. d. Butcher's meat, 560 lb. at 21d. 5 168 Flour, 1736lb. the produce of 30 bufhels of corn at 6s. 8d. per lb. 10 18 bufhels of potatoes, 95 lb. to the bufhel, at is. 3d.

134 gallons of small beer, at 3d. per gallon

22 gallons of better beer, at iod. per gallon

74 lb. of cheese at 31d. per lb. 155 gallons of skimmed milk and 4 lb. of butter

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Peas, oatmeal, falt, and groceries 1

Weekly cost of Provisions £.23

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lifts. This is not that liberal difcuffion which in my poor opinion can alone be gratifying to liberal minds, or profitable to the public. In questions of political economy, fuch artifices are peculiarly improper.

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If I had knowingly attempted to deceive or mislead ;-nay, if I had not been particularly cautious not to be myself deceived or mifled; before I comn. ted myfelf by the statement of any fac s fo interefting to the community; I had indeed deferved the lash of Mr. Good's criticifms. He, can "trace no feverity I conceive, that neither Mr. Good, nor any other man, could, on fuch a fubject, have advanced an accufation more fevere. Should he regard fuch an attempt to deceive as a venial offence, we must continue to differ; for I regard it as a capital crime. Here, however, my confcience tells me, I have nothing to fear.

Mr. Good enlarges much, on the circumftance of my having stated that out of 91 children born in the houfe, not one had died within the month.-To ftate the 113 6 whole paragraph would not so well have anfwered his purpofe. My words were, "that of these (91) only two had died in the house, and two more out at nurse, all at the age of two months."The fact is fimply this. The directors of the Shrewsbury Houfe ferve for three years, and then retire. Soon after I had quitted the direction, I published my account of this Establishment; and, in confequence of the correfpondence it produced with Mr. Howlett, I fearched the books, and ftrictly queftioned the fecretary. There was no register of any deaths, but those I stated; and the fecretary affured me there were no other. I had no reafon then, to doubt his affertion; but various proofs have fince arifen, that he was inaccurate, and negligent in his accounts; and he has lately been removed. I do therefore now believe it poffible, that he may not have kept a correct regifter. In iny laft letter, I admitted this, and might have hoped, that Mr. Good would have given me credit for the admiffion. I can, however, fay on my own knowledge, whilft twice in the direction, that in confequence of the advantages enjoyed by the mothers, and the tender attention paid to them during their lying-in month, the mortality of the children has been remarkably small: much, very much less than in the old workhoufes, or among the poor of the town in their own dwellings. I believe no doubt has for a long time been entertained of the falubrity of our House of Industry,

The number of our prefent family 274, and Mr. Good will find that the above fum, divided by 274, does not amount to is. gd. each. He will alfo find, upon comparing the above quantities with our dietary, as he himself has flated it, that we continue the fame liberal allow ance of provifions to our paupers; recollecting, as he likewife obferves, page 62 of his Differtation, that a confiderable proportion of them are children.-Will Mr. Good now fay, that-my "error, though not fo enormous, is rendered more palpable and conspicuous than before?" or that the error he at first fufpected, is now confirmed beyond all poflibility of denial."-It really requires a ftretch of candour to conceive, that he could himfelf be the dupe of his fallacious reafoning. But, if he prefumès, that the public is to be impofed upon by round and confident affertion; or, that the dagger aimed at a man's reputation, will inflict no wound when it is dipped in oil; I muft beg leave to fay, that he is not the an with whom I would wish to enter the

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What "right" Mr. Good had to prefume, that the number of our poor diminished annually, it is above my humble capacity to comprehend. I fhould have entertained a prefumption directly the reverfe. The circumftances of the times; the ftagnation of many branches of manufactures; the vaft number of families belonging to foldiers, militia-men, and failors, thrown upon their parishes;-in my poor judgment, would have led to the oppofite conclufion. Is Mr. Good to learn, that the amount of the poor's rates have prodigiously increased? At Birmingham, the fum raised for the fupport of the poor in 1787, was 11,132. 168. gd. ; in 1794, 24,050l. 14s. id. . I ftated in my laft, that the amount in 1789 at Norwich, was 17,4861. 19s. 11d.-in 1797, 25,5161. 75. 8d. Yet, with this fact fta. ring him in the face, Mr. Good fays, he had a right to prefume that their poor were diminished. It appears alfo from the printed Norwich accounts, that the number of their poor in 1792, was 1141; in 1794, 1406: but here again Mr. Good conceives, that it was natural to expect the reverfe; and states fuch diminution to have taken place at Hamburgh —At Hamburgh, where there is no legal provifion for the poor, and where the diminution was naturally produced, by taking a hundred families per annum from beggary, and, by the admirable regulations of their benevolent establishment, putting them in a way of supporting themselves.

In all well-regulated houses of industry, the refidents principally confift of invalids; the old poor; and children. Of these there is a continued fucceffion: and in thefe claffes Mr. Good will not fay, he has a "right to expect" an annual diminution. The great utility of thefe eftablishments confifts in their furnishing a very comfortable afylum for the aged, and difabled poor; a ufeful feminary for the young, where they are trained up to habits of induftry and virtue; and the only effectual check against the frauds and impofitions of the idle and profligate, who can no longer extort undeferved relief, by the pretence that they cannot procure employment. The vehement declaimers against thefe inftitutions, who reprefent them as flaughter-houses, and expatiate upon the cruelty of compelling the poor indifcriminately to quit their own dwellings, and thus deftroying all the tender fympathies of focial and domeftic life, and all the endearing affini ties of parent and child, fifter and brother, have conjured up a phantom which exifts no where but in their own disturbed

and bufy fancies, and ferves only to mark how far men may be mifled by groundless prejudices, haftily adopted, and obftinately retained. Such practices have no place in any well regulated houfe of industry throughout the kingdom. They are as incompatible with found policy and parochial economy, as they are abhorrent to every principle both of juftice and humanity. The ineftimable advantages derived from these inftitutions may be obtained, and at the fame time, the condition of the poor really ameliorated. The aged, who have relatives or friends disposed to take proper care of them, may be relieved at thofe dwellings which long habit, and tender connection have endeared to them: the fick and infirm, more liberally affifted in feafons of temporary diftrefs, from the produce of that fund which is created by refifting the claims of the idle and profligate: the offspring of illicit amours; the orphan bereaved of its parent; and fuch others of the young poor whom the labour of their parents cannot maintain; may be trained up in these parochial feminaries to virtuous dispositions, and industrious habits; and, at the fame time, by allowing of mutual intercourse, occasional vifits to their parents or friends, and fuch other prudent regulations, as a board of respectable directors will not fail to adopt, those objections which have been stated by fpeculative theorists, ignorant of the practical management of thefe eftablishments, may be completely obviated, or at least all redfonable ground of objection be removed. But, to fupport thefe affertions, it would be neceffary to exceed thofe limits to which communications for your truly valuable mifcellany ought to be confined. I have fome thoughts of entering at large into this argument, by way of introduction to a fifth edition of my little pamphlet which is now in the prefs.

Mr. Good complains, that the published accounts of the Shrewsbury Houle are im perfect. I admit the fact, and will tell him the true reason. The profperity and flourishing ftate of this establishment for the first feven years, excited in the then Board a very mistaken idea; that our fuccefs was chiefly owing to the exertions of our domeftic officers, This produced a falfe confidence, and the management of the internal concerns of the houfe was refigned into their hands. The confequence was (as it always will be), increased ex. pence, and growing neglect. Many inef fectual ftruggles to refume the reins enfued. So true is the obfervation of my excellent friend M. Voght, one of the benevolent

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founders of the Hamburgh Inftitution; that when the whole adminiftration falls into the hands of under officers, they afterwards know fo well how to embroil the bufinefs, that no fubfequent director is ever able to unravel the clue.-Page 54 of his admirable account of the Hamburgh Eftablishment.

In fuch a ftate of things, it was not much to be wondered at, that annual accounts were not published as they ought to have been. After a very painful and vigorous effort, this evil however is now removed; a moft pleafing profpect already begins to open of regaining our former advantages; and it is refolved, that the accounts fhall be published annually, together with a statement of the average number of poor for each year.

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Mr. Good appears to me to have taken an odd method of manifefting, that from an enemy, he is converted into a friend; as the first lines of his Greek quotation might feem to imply. I have no objection, however, to the concluding fentiment of the poet: That laying afide enmity, men fhould conjointly labour to promote the public good. I am, Sir,

Your humble fervant, Shrewsbury, Jan. 6, 1799.

I. WOOD.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

IN

SIR,

N the ftatement, in your laft Number, of the debt incurred during the prefent war, a confiderable article feems to be omitted; notwithstanding which, the total is fome millions greater than it would appear if the particulars were correct. I prefume it will no longer be denied, that the imperial loans, the intereft on which is now paid out of the produce of the confolidated fund, without any reimbursement, are to be confidered in the fame light as any other part of the national debt: thefe fums fhould therefore be included in the account of the money borrowed, which however will not then amount to 147 mil lions, but to 1384 millions. The total amount of the funded debt created during the war, was on the 5th of April, 1798, nearly 159 millions; to which, if 391 millions are added for the ftock created by the two last loans, and 7 millions Imperial three per cents. the total capital of stock will be 206 millions, inftead of 2243. The annual fum payable for the fame, will be as follows:

163 millions at 3 per cent. £4,890,000 124 - at 4 per cent. 500,000 at 5 per cent.

30

Long Annuities
Imperial Annuities.

1,525,000

312,665

230,009

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The statement therefore appears to exceed the truth about nine millions with refpect to the money borrowed, nearly nineteen millions in the total of stock created, and about 619,0col. in the annual charge thereof. I am, however, far from thinking that Y. Z. has intentionally reprefented the debt incurred greater than it really is; if fuch a practice was in any cafe allowable, on this subject it would be entirely unneceffary, for the unprecedented increafe of the funded debt during the last fix years, feems almoft to fet exaggeration, within the limits of probability, at defiance.

Although the proportion of the general income taken from the people for the expences of government, has been increafed to an enormous fum by the many new taxes impofed fince the commencement of the war; the additional fums found neceffary for fupplying the ftill greater increase of the public expenditure, already exceed the fums borrowed during the two preceding wars; and to what they may amount before the termination of the prefent conteft, I believe few will venture to conjecture. In confequence of this great increase of the national debt, the public funds have experienced a greater depreffion, with refpect to their current price, than at any period fince the establishment of the fund ing fyftem; for these fecurities, like every thing elfe that is bought and fold, must be difpofed of at a reduced value, whenever the quantity offered for fale exceeds the demand of the buyers; and although this has been fo much the cafe of late, that the property of those who purchased a short time previous to the commencement of the war, is now worth but little more than half what it then coft: the diminution of the value of this fpecies of property would have frequently appeared much greater, had not the price been fupported by the operation of the project carried on under the name of the Sinking Fund.

Another effect of this rapid increase of the public debt, appears ftill more certain and permanent. Every new loan must be procured from perfons already poffeffing confiderable property, and fuch perfons will not lend their money without the expectation of making a profit by it; the increase of the debt is therefore to them a fource of increasing wealth, to which their share of the additional taxes attendant upon it bears but a small proportion: the depre ciation of the price of the funds likewife, though

though it has fo greatly diminished the faleable value of property therein purchased at a former period, contributes much to increase the income of those who invest money in these fecurities at prefent, by the great intereft they make on it. Now, as the government poffeffes no revenue but what is drawn from the people, whatever it pays to one defcription of men, must (principally at leaf) be drawn from others; and thus the additional income acquired by monied men, by taking advantage of the neceffities of the state, is, in fact, a portion of the income of their lefs affluent fellow citizens, which is transferred to them through the medium of the government, and which, in a much greater proportion than it increases their wealth, muft render those poorer from whom it is drawn. The natural tendency of the increase of the debt is therefore evidently to produce a ftill greater difparity than at prefent fubfifts in the condition of the different claffes of the community, by increafing the wealth of the rich, preventing the advancement of the middle clafs, and diminishing, or rather annihilating, the few remaining comforts of the poor.

Jan. 9, 1799.

J. J. GRELLIER.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

IN looking into the new edition of Chambers's Cyclopedia, fometime ago, I cafually met with a remark upon a fubject, which had relation to language, wherein the Welsh and the Dutch were pointed out, as abounding more with confonants, than most, if not all of the European tongues. I well knew that fuch a tatement was proverbial, as a vulgar prejudice; but I became a little angry, at finding it had obtained a place in one of the first philofophical dictionaries of the prefent age; and, not being able to efface the impreffion from my mind, I had recourfe to the finding a tolerably exact arithmetical certainty, as to the fallacy of fuch an obfervation. The method, adopted as the most eligible, was to fix upon the mean number of vowels to a hundred confonants, in different languages; and to exhibit the refult in a table. As the conclufion, to be drawn from it, tends to establish a point, if not of importance, at least of fome curiofity, you may be induced, Sir, to give it infertion, in your vaJuable repofitory.

Proportion of Vowels and Confonants. Vowels, Confonants,

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The English is very variable, with refpect to the proportion of vowels and confonants: that of the confonants is much greater in the fcripture ftyle, than in elegant writing, and more efpecially that which is fcientific, from its containing more words derived from the learned languages. In the bible, the compafs of the variation, in the number of vowels, is generally from about 68 to 50; but the medium may be fettled at 56 to a 100 confonants. In polished writing, the medium number of vowels may be fixed at 66; and the mean between the two styles will be 61, the number inferted in the foregoing table.

The compafs of variation in the Greek is confiderable. I have found 150 vowels to 100 confonants; and frequently as low as 86. The other languages are pretty close to the average number, given in the table: the Welsh feldom deviates three vowels from the mean number.

Having brought forward the above calculation, in defence of the Welsh language; and as it completely falfifies the popular opinion, I may be excufed, if I fhould, in the moment of triumph, recount fome other excellencies, which are to be found in it.

The following enumeration will give fome idea of its copioufness, with refpect to the compofition of words: it has feven prefixes; it has eleven terminations of verbs in the infinitive mood; fifty-four terminations of nouns : nineteen of adjectives; twenty-one plurais ; and nine diminutive terminations.

This gives a total of compofitive particles, greater than that of all the other languages, in the above table, if they were put together. In the Well they are general in their application too, of which there is nothing fimilar in the others; but what is more than all, they are real words, either nouns or verbs, in their unconnected ftate; and fuch another example, I

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may venture to fay, cannot be produced.. guage, which is a fource of fo much vexaThe various inflections of verbs likewife, tion in most others. if feparated from the verb they characterize, are still fimple verbs, defcribing the time and action, which was meant to be conferred upon the verb to which they might have been affixed.

I have computed that there are about 8009 fimple verbs in the Welsh tongue, to each of which may be put twenty different prefixes, to give fome particular character of time or action; this increases the number to 160,000; and thefe may be conjugated five various ways, generally by inflection, as in the learned languages, or by auxiliaries, as in the English; and this makes the real number of Weifh verbs, if there were occafion for fo many, to amount to 800,000. The ancient bards had this amazing store before them to use at pleafure; therefore those who would underftand their works, muft alfo have it in view. I might proceed, by pointing out fimi. lar inftances, with regard to other kind of words; but the fubject fhall be closed, for the prefent, with giving a lift of our ancient names of the Deity, omitting fuch as are connected with, or taken from the fcriptures, and the Chriftian religion, which we have, in common with others who call themfelves Chriftians.

Bardic names of the Deity. Arglwys, Supreme free will; the Lord. Celi, the mystery, the one in fecret. Culwyz, the centre of free-will. Deon, the feparate being. Dewin, that comes, or pervades, Dovyz, the renovator; the former; the Lord, Duw, that exifts, the being; God. Dwyw, that proceeds exifting. Eilwys, the powers of harmony; the cre

ative powers.

El, harmony; intelligence, spiritual intellect.

Ha, that pervades, or that is fubtile.
Huon, the pervading or fubtile one.
loz, that is over, or fupreme; the Lord.
lor, that is extreme, or encompaffing;
the Lord.

Náv, that is tranquil; the Father.
Nér, power, might; the Lord.
Nuz, that is not to be obfcured.
Panton, the comprehending one,
Peryu, the caufer, the creator.
Per, that circumfcribes; the Lord.
Reen, the proceeding principle; the Lord.
Ri, that proceeds; that is firft; the Lord.
Ruyv, that guides, or rules; the Lord.

Such a range of fpeech might induce ftrangers to exclaim, that there can be no poffibility of learning it. In anfwer to which I may fay, that the difcouragement is removed, when they are informed, that there is not one irregular verb in the lan

This copioutnefs creates almost an impoffibility of tranflating many expreffions to be met with in the Welsh language; but a great facility of rendering any thing into it; fo that I found no great difficulty of literally tranflating one of the poetical pieces, which attracted my notice, in your Magazine, and alfo preferving not only the fame number of lines, but the fame paules, the fame length of verse, and the fame character of rhyme.

From the few facts, above offered to your notice, Mr. Editor, you will eafily perceive that it is not all empty prejudice, on the part of thofe, who may feem to dif cover a partiality for the Welsh language. I remain, Sir, Your's, &c.

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W

HILST I return you my most fincere thanks for the honourable mention you made of my Tragedy of ISABELLA in the last number but one of your Monthly Magazine, I beg leave to obferve, that the gentleinan who gave you an account of it, was miftaken in calling my work a tranflation. Truth requires of me, therefore, to tell that my ISARELLA, whofe death, jointly, with that of Don Carlos, forms the cataftrophe, is an hiftorical fubje& pretty well known in the life of Philip II. of Spain. I beg you will do me the favour to infert this letter in one of your next numbers, and am with great respect, Your's, &c. G. POLIDORI.

you,

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

Y

SIR,

My favourite monthly amufeOUR truly excellent mifcellany, Sir, is my ment; and that I may make you fome fmall return for the pleafure, as well as inftruction, I fo often receive therefrom, I fit down to give an answer to the queries of your correfpondent G. A. of Bedford, relative to the culture and ufe of the COLEWORT and COLESEED: at the fame time, affuring both yourself and your correfpondent, that my obfervations are derived from real practice.

Neither the Anjou nor Jerufalem Colewort have, I believe, ever been much cultivated in this country; indeed not at all, but in the way of experiment, which has never answered the fanguine expectations of thofe who, many years ago, viewed the plant in perhaps the more favourable clime of France. In that country they grew to the height of feven or eight feet,

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