Our exports in silk, though as to exports, only an incipient manufacture, have gradually become in annual real value, half a million, about one fourth the amount of our linen exports. Our exports in iron and steel, wrought and unwrought, in the year 1821, maintain their average produce during the war, and in January 1822, will exceed the export of any former year. From 1817 to 1821, our exports of refined sugar have increased from a million and a half to two millions, and have nearly doubled their amount in any year of the war. It would lead into a detail too minute to follow the comparative produce through the remaining articles in the long list of our exports. Suffice it to say, that they all exhibit the same aspect of unimpaired energy, and from the promise of the current and commencing year, justify a strong expectation, that they are no longer vibrating between a high amount in one year, and a diminishing rate in the following. Our tin, pewter, and plated goods, exceed together half a million, in value, and exhibit an increase of nearly one half of their total amount above the war years of 1811, 1812, and 1813.

In colonial exports, sugar, rum, coffee, indigo, tobacco, and India piece goods, our exports in almost all cases equal their average amount during the three war years 1811, 1812, 1813, and in many articles exceed double the average amount of the war years, as in rum and indigo. The average war export of rum being, in value, half a million only, and in the year 1821, upward of eleven hundred thousand pounds. The same of indigo; the average war export, in 1811. 1812, 1813, being of the value of £400,000. only, whilst the exports of 1821 exceeded in value £800,000.

"Nor has the average of our sugar declined from its amount during the war years above stated; a most important fact, when it is considered that during the war, nearly all the sugar colonies in the world were our own. Another fact, and of most important bearing upon the question under consideration, should have its due weight: during the comparison of these two periods, under the depreciation of all articles from the conclusion of the war to the present period, it is manifest that the same sums no longer represent the same quantities of goods, and therefore, that the

quality of value in the average of the two-thirds is necessarily a proof of a great increase in the present time. Suffice it to add, in conclusion of this part of our subject, that our average exports of tobacco have nearly doubled their amount since the war; and that the average value of our India piece goods exported is gradually advancing from its amount of one million during the war, to a million and a quarter. Such is the present condition of our national resources as regards the question of our foreign and colonial exports.

"Under the head of Navigation, the entirety of our resources may be very briefly exhibited in its usual four divisions. Of vessels built, vessels registered, outward tonnage, and inward tonnage. Of vessels annually built, the average of the three last years of the war was 760; the average of the years since the peace, has been 1000. Of the total tonnage of the vessels registered, the average during the war, was two millions and less than a half; the average of peace, very nearly reaches two millions and three-quarters. The average outward tonnage of vessels was during the war, about one million and three-quarters: the peace average, during the last three years, has exceeded two millions. The average inward tonnage was, during the war, about eighteen hundred thousand tons; the peace average during the last three years, has exceeded two millions and a quarter. Such is the brief exposition of the state of our national resources as regards our navigation.

"Looking, therefore, to our navigagation, trade, and commerce, under the two main heads-imports and exports,-it is proved that the average of the years of peace, reckoning from 1817 to 1821, far exceed those of the three last years of the war 1811, 1812, and 1813. In 1812 and 1813, both years of considerable trade, the value of our imports did not reach thirty millions, whilst the export of those years, comprising British manufactures and foreign merchandize, did not exceed in the most favourable of the three, forty-six millions. Now, in the year ending January 5, 1821, the value of our imports exceeded thirty-six millions and a half, and our exports fell little short of fifty-two millions. In this account, the year ending January, 1814, is omitted, as

the documents have been destroyed by the fire at the Custom House, and the years 1815 and 1816 ought not to be taken as standards; they were years of intemperate and unparallelled speculation in imports and exports, arising from the sudden opening of the markets of the world, and therein formed an extraordinary state of circumstances, which of course disqualify them from becoming examples of the ordinary process of trade.

"Such being the state of our general commerce, the internal trade of the country exhibits an aspect equally promising. Amongst the injurious writers of the present day, there has been much discussion respecting the comparative value of our home and foreign trade. According to some of these writers, we are in every respect sufficient for ourselves; and the industry and even the wealth of the country, would be but little affected, if we withdrew as much as possible from the commercial intercourse with foreigners. According to others, and those the most numerous, we exist only by our foreign trade, and our national prosperity is to be regarded as rising or declining in the proportion in which our foreign trade increases or diminishes. As usually happens in questions of this kind, both sides are in the extreme.-Considering not only the number of our population, but its habits and ability of consuming, it is, perhaps, not too much to assert, that the consumption of the British Empire, of all articles, except some articles of the immediate necessaries of life, exceeds that of the whole Continent of Europe. If this be true, and it is of easy proof, the supply of this consumption, upon the mere point of its magnitude, must necessarily be of more commercial importance than the supply of the whole continent; and our view of this comparative importance must be farther infinitely increased, when it is considered that we supply the continent with that portion only, with which they cannot supply themselves, whilst the totul supply of ourselves necessarily belongs to our own growers and manufacturers. Under this point of view, therefore, our internal trade and consumption are manifestly of much greater importance than our foreign commerce. This consideration of the question is further confirmed by the comparative

sums contributed to the revenue, by our foreign and internal trade. Of the fifty-six millions, composing our annual revenue, not one fifth of the whole is paid by the customs; and, of course, more than four fifths by the excise, and other duties on use, possession and consumption: of so much consequence is it to our national welfare, that all our funds of trade and industry should remain entire.

The principal subject-matter of our internal trade, is necessarily in our four principal Manufactures, cotton, wool, linen and silk; in our iron, tin and copper works; in our glass, leather, printed goods' salt, soap and candles; to which, as regards consumption and revenue, may be added, sugar, tea, wine, malt, and British and foreign spirits. It is not our purpose to follow the annual produce of these several articles in minute detail; very few words upon one or more of them collectively will shew, that the annual quantity of those articles, which the country consumes, and the working up, and dealing in which, affords em ployment to four parts out of ten of our population, is higher than in any average year of the war; and that since. the peace, they have all either absolutely increased, or maintained a high average rate.

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It has often been a matter of regret with political writers, that more satisfactory registers are not kept of the produce of our cotton and woollen manufactures. From the defect of all official records upon this subject, the state of these manufactures can only be collected either from the local vouchers of one or two districts, or from general observation of what is passing before the eyes of us all. Enough, however, appears upon both these grounds to justify the assertion, that our cotton and woollen manufactures in Yorkshire, during the last half year, has never been known to be greater. This appears, from the accounts of the quantity of manufactured cloth, exhibited at the quarter sessions for the West Riding. The increase of the import of the raw material, may afford a just measure of the increased manufacture. It has been stated in a former part of these observations, that from 1817 only to the present time, our import of cotton wool has nearly doubled; having risen in that time, from three millions to

five. It is the same with flax and hemp, the raw materials of our linen, the value of the import of our flax having augmented from four hundred thousand to eight. It is the same with our silk manufactures, the importation of the raw material having risen from 1817 to the present time, from six hundred thousand pounds in value, to nearly one million and a half; and what is perhaps of more importance, having so prodigiously advanced, so as to ourstrip the manufactures of Lyons and Italy. The improved style of dress of the great majority of the people, is an unanswerable argument of the vast increase of our muslins and calicoes. If it be here objected, that against this augmentation of the supply, we must set off the reduction in the price, it may be answered, that the increase of manufactures does not occasion a glut or mischievous excess, so long as the demand continues with the increase, and so long as the manufacture can be carried on with profit. But the present active employment of all hands shews that such is the actual state of our manufactures. Under such circumstances, the reduction of price is proof only of the abundance of the article, and of the skill and industry with which it is worked up. If it be admitted that the total amount of what is now manufactured does not exceed in pecuniary value, the less quantity which we worked up during the war, the country still possesses the same total value, and gains in the increased comfort and abundance in which every individual in the country is supplied. "As regards our silk manufactures in particular, it is not too much to say, that the country in general is not sufficiently sensible of their value and importance, and of the astonishing growth to which they have attained, during the short period of ten or twelve years.

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Asrespects our domestic consumption, our printed goods are next in consequence. Here we have indisputable proof of the vast increase of the manufacture, within seven years only, from 1813 to 1822, the annual exc se upon this manufacture has risen from less than a million, to nearly a million and a half; the amount paid in 1813, being about

£900,000. whilst in 1820 it was nearly a million and a half.

"Such is the general condition of the resources of the country, as it respects the four great members which compose the fund of public wealth-our commerce, navigation, manufactures, and internal trade.”

The author throws agriculture most improperly into the back ground, and calls it the fifth member; but as the preceding facts are all collected from official and parliamentary documents, and cannot be controverted; and certainly do contain positive proofs of no retrograde state of the country, we join most heartily in the hope that agriculture will eventually accommodate itself to the new state of things, and that the present state of the markets for agricultural produce, as the writer asserts, cannot continue.

This body of facts requires from us little argument or observation; they contain certainly in themselves many particulars for which we had not been prepared, and form a most excellent comment upon the annual state of the finance of the country. We repeat what we have previously said, that the whole pamphlet affords internal evidence of being from the pen of some one closely connected with the present administration; it is a declaration, which no doubt will be received with a jealous and scrutinizing eye by persons opposed to the present ministerial system, and as prefatory to the discussion of many important measures of finance, which threaten to occupy the public attention during the next session of parliament. For ourselves, having compared the statements produced with every document already made public, we find them to be most correctly stated; and have no doubt but they will tend greatly to animate and continue public confidence amongst ourselves. The other branches of argument and of fact, treated in the same work, are, our Foreign Relations-Home Department-Colonies and Board of Trade. To these we may refer upon a future occasion, our present object is answered, in having illustrated the position-that the Sources of our Revenue are FLOURISHING, SOUND, INCREASING and PERMANENT.

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON defended, in REPLY to the Attack of ANTICANT, in the Examiner Newspaper of the 9th Dec. ult.-We have thought it our duty (a painful one it is) in order to place in its proper light the grossness and malignity with which this print has been in the habit of assailing his Grace's character, to insert the following Letter entire. We shall not often soil our pages with such scurrilous matter.

"TO THE EDITOR OF THE EXAMINER. "Parva mens in magno corpore.

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SIR, "Did you ever hear of a true hero' displaying in public an anxious paltry vanity as if conscious of not meriting the approbation he seeks? Men of great and heroic qualities have doubt less had great weaknesses and singular eccentricities; but it is not in the nature of such men to be eternally on the fidget for every piece of homage that can be attracted by constant maneuvering. The Duke of Wellington having been the victor on the Waterloo field, luckily not lost,' is by some exalted into the Great Captain of the Age,' and compared to Alexander and Cæsar. No reader of history will however venture to assert, that those heroes of antiquity would ever demean themselves in the manner I am about to describe.

"Three days after the news arrived of Napoleon's death, I happened to be at the Italian Opera. About the middle of the performance, my attention was first attracted to the Great Duke, who sat in a conspicuous part of the house, in the front seat of a box in which sat also (I believe) the Princess Esterhazy, who twice a week attracts all fashionable eyes by an unrivalled display of diamonds. To be a neighbour of her Serene Highness is one way of exciting attention, of which the great Duke prudently availed himself. But he did not rest here:-he put himself in motion on every trivial occasion; he leaned over to talk to the Princess, (if it was she;) he turned his bulky back to the audience; he shifted his seat, he thrust his head out of the box, to converse with somebody in the next. His body was restless; and

one time his countenance assumed the humour of state,' and he realized Figaro's portrait of a Statesman who thinks he's thinking:' anon he condescended to be merry, and drew 'his face into more lines than are in the new map, with the augmentation of the Indies!' He succeeded in his first object,-to attract the notice of the company;-how far that notice was admiration, I cannot precisely say; but I know that this display of gaiety in public, just after the death of a great soldier and a fallen potentate and enemy, did seem to myself, and some about me, too much like a triumphing over the grave of Genius in adversity. It said in language hardly to be misunderstood-Here am I, Arthur Duke of Wellington, Prince of Waterloo, &c. &c. &c. who vanquished that notorious fellow General Bonaparte, just dead.'-When the Ultra, M. Duplessie de Grenedan, spoke in the Chamber of Deputies with affected contempt of the illustrious deceased, he was reminded by M. Perrier of the ass kicking the dead lion.' I shall not venture to speak positively what the clever young Frenchman, M. A— who sat before me, thought of the Great Captain; but if I might judge from his mixed expression of hatred and contempt, I should not think his reflections were such as did much honour to their object. seemed to say,'*- Ah! you

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He

why don't you answer the hero's book, which proved that you won the battle of Waterloo by an extraordinary succession of accidents, in spite of the want of talent on your part, and the greatest efforts of skill and courage on that of your adversary;-why don't you answer that book, instead of coming here to grin over the tomb of the warlike Genius, whom fortune tricked out of one battle, for your salvation and false glory?'

"I happened also to be among the audience at the first representation of Twelfth Night this season; when, as fate would have it, the man of war' came in and sat directly behind me, attended by a Don Whiskerandos, apparently a German. I need not describe Twelfth Night to you,-Mr. Examiner,-who are such an admirer of its immortal author, and have given such favourable descriptions of the beautiful sentiment and rich humour displayed in its performance at Covent Garden. Yet was the great Captain almost wholly inattentive to this divine play. When he came in, he looked round the dress circle a great deal; but exciting no public mark of recognition (and indeed scarcely two minutes' attention from those about him) he fell into a kind of brown study' or self-occupation, the very prototype of Figaro's Minister of State. His head sometimes leant downwards upon his hand-a position remarkable enough in a conspicuous part of the dress circle; and presently was lifted up, (out of a political reverie, doubtless) and displayed that huge mask of a face, which always reminds one of a little bit of a watch stuck into a preposterously large clock-case. He seemed melancholy and surprised-but shewed singular perseverance in angling for glances. Miss Tree's delicious notes had no charms to catch his ear-her sweet and delicate acting no attraction for his eye; Liston's exquisite drollery drew forth no cordial laugh. He could not condescend, perhaps, to notice the efforts of the mimic drama, while he was acting so chief a part on the real stage of state juggling and Has he not wit enough to take the Fool's advice put your grace in your pocket, Sir, for this once, and let your flesh and blood obey.'

* * * *.

"Let us now look a little to what all this betokens. Let us hear one of the most eloquent critics and metaphysicians of our time, upon the inferences to be drawn from the manners and conduct of would-be great' men.

I cannot conceive,' says WILLIAM HAZLITT,- how any one who feels conscious of certain powers, should always be labouring to convince others of the fact; or how a person, to whom their exercise is as familiar as the breath he draws, should think it worth his while to convince them of what to him must seem so very simple and

at the same time so very evident. A man (unless he is a fool) is never VAIN, but when he stands in need of the tribute of adulation to strengthen the

HOLLOWNESS OF HIS PRETENSIONS; nor CONCEITED, but when he can find no one to flatter him, and is obliged secretly to pamper his good opinion of himself, to make up for the want of sympathy in others.—Table Talk :— (London Magazine.)

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The Duke of Wellington occasionally stands behind the King's chair at public places, as some kind of stick:

He

and he might learn something from his Majesty as well as from the Fool. George the Fourth, however ridiculous in dress, &c. always looks like the King in public, because he feels no necessity for acting the part. generally commands a good broad farce at the theatres, and vies in cordial meriment with his humblest subjects in the gallery. He can afford to laugh and do as he pleases; and as he never dreams of lowering the royal character by so doing, for that very reason he never does lower it. Any man (as Mr. HAZLITT has observed in the article from which the above passage is quoted) can get credit from the world at large for any particular quantity or merit by a confident assumption of it, and suitable demeanour. By the same rule, a prince, who has so much real power, and so much factitious splendour, is at once right royal when he wears his dignity as a thing easy and familiar; and he can be what else he pleases besides. Thus our gracious Sovereign always excites some loyal whispers about the theatre -What condescension! how amiable! how easy in his manner! He laughs like one of us !' &c. In short,

Sir, his Majesty feels conscious at the least, that he is King of Britain, and as such, a person of actual importance; while the Great Captain knows he is only a lucky man of war,' and is tremblingly anxious to pass for a military genius.—Yours,

66 ANTI-CANT."

TO THE EDITOR.
SIR,

A busy neighbour of mine, who has an unfortunate taste for the political abominations of the day, and who always scents out the bad parts of a newspaper with a sort of canine ip