of 250,000 pounds; or that another fhould acquire 10,000 pounds a year? What an alarm does it not generally occafion, when journeymen combine to raise their wages, which, when wantonly done, is certainly a political evil of great magnitude. But mafter manufacturers, taking too great a profit, is as much a grievance as journeymen manufacturers taking too high wages; and in its cwn degree, renders the price of the commodity dear to the confumer.

24.

66

unmarried, before fifty, or going into a
foreign country, their contributions to
go to enrich the fund. The kecimen, at
Newcastle, many years ago, from fome
tax of this kind, quickly raifed fuch a
fund, that they were obliged to have a
fecond act of Parliament to lower the
rate.

Let every encouragement be given to manufacturers who fell their own goods; and, in the impofition of taxes, let a dif tinction be made between them and the Would Great-Britain confult the prof- retailing fhopkeepers, with whom the perity of trade, the ought to fruftrate and nation is overrun, who live by felling counteract, by every expedient, all in- what they do not make, and enhance ternal monopolies, of which kind of the price of the commodity by additional abufe, Sunderland and Shields, at prefent, profits. Let every foreigner, who marafford a moft extraordinary example. ries a British fubject, thereby become naFrom Newcastle, the newspapers give us turalized. Let no mafter-manufacturer the following intelligence of February employ a journeyman without his bring"We hear from Sunderland and ing a character from his laft employer; Shields, that the fhip-owners there, on and let Saint Monday be fuppreffed. He account of the flow demand at the dif- that works only five days in the week, "ferent markets for coals, at a meeting inftead of fix, does all in his power to "on Tuesday laft, have come to a refo- raise the price of manufactures 16 per cent. "lution of laying by their fhips, for three Let no public alehouses be fuffered to be weeks, as they arrive, before they take open, on any account, after eleven o'clock any coals on board; and fo continue at night; and let no public billiard tables, this plan every voyage, till there may bowling-greens, or fkittle-grounds, be "be a quicker fale at the markets." Here opened till after fix in the evening. Let the complaint is not that of a lofs upon us improve our wafte lands by colonies their trade, but that the gains are fmall; of veteran foldiers in imitation of the and, therefore, in order to make the mar- prudent example of the Ruffians, who, ket dear again, the fhip-owners, at Shields, upon the authority of Prince Galitskin, are refolved to be idle, and keep their have, by this means, brought many of crews and the keelmen idle. The re- their deferts into great cultivation. Let medy for this evil, I think, is pretty ap- us continue to divide and improve our parent. Let fome rich traders, in Lon-commons while any remain; and let the don, immediately affociate to bring coals to the London market from the Humber; which could afford a fufficient fupply, and we should foon have thofe idle fhip-owners again following their industry, and, from competition, contenting themfelves with fmall profits. The competition arifing from the fale of French manufactures in Britain, it may be prefumed, will work fome benefit to us in the improvement and cheapnefs of our own. Above twenty years ago, the Parliament of Ireland, to encourage the manufacture of paper in that country, impofed a very high duty upon foreign paper, and granted a bounty upon their own; but having thus established an internal monopoly, the increafing badnefs and dearnefs of their own fabric, obliged them, in a few years, to repeal the law. May not fomething fimilar exift in Great-Britain, in more inftances than one ?

Let a finall portion be deducted weekly from the wages of every journeyman, one half lefs from married men; and, after the age of fifty, let them, from the fund raifed by these weekly payments, receive, for life, an annual penfion; which fhould alfo go to their wives and children for a term of years. In cafe of their dying

fea-ports be open for the importations of
foregn provifions, at a low rate, provided
they be brought in Britifh fhips. To
conclude, if we would learn to value and
improve the favours of Providence, in
regard to our foil, climate, and conftitu-
tion, we might, in point of commercial
intercourfe with every nation, juftly fay,
a FREE TRADE and NO FAVOUR.

the public tends to make the bulk of the people idle, improvident, and debauched. This laft mifchief, which has been leaft noticed, is perhaps the greatest of the three.

Solid improvements are always made by fimple means; and thofe laws are the most effectual which execute themselves. Complicated regulations for the improvement of the prefent fyftem, whether they are to be enforced by officers with falaries, or by voluntary exertions, will not long anfwer their end. No man of obfervation will expect it.

Workhouses have been tried, with a view of leffening the expence. It is not yet certain that they answer that purpose. It is certain that they deftroy the happinefs of the poor, debafe their minds, and ruin the health and morals of their children.

To remove the inconveniencies of the prefent law of fettlements, various methods have been propofed. One of the beft is contained in a bill brought in fome years ago, I think by Mr. Powney, which provided, that no perfon fhould be removed till actually chargeable, but that he might be examined before a Magiftrate concerning his fettlement, with an appeal from the Magiftrate's adjudication, as there is now in cafe of an actual removal. To relieve the poor by a county rate would prevent removals within the county; but poffibly the management in each parifh might be lefs oeconomical. To fettle all perfons where they are born, without regard to fettlements acquired afterwards, would prevent much litigation. To relieve them where they happen to want relief, would perhaps be ftill better, and probably the buthen in a short time would fall pretty equally.

But none of thefe fchemes, nor any others that I have heard propofed, tend in the leaft to remove the laft of the mifchiefs mentioned above. To do that, nothing less will be fufficient than an entire, but gradual abolition of the Poor Laws; a repeal of the principle intro

To the Editor of the COUNTY MAGAZINE, duced by the ftatutes of Elizabeth, by
SIR,

which one man is compellable to relieve
the wants of another; a principle almoft
gefted for the improvement of the jurious to fociety, because it infringes on
ANY fchemes have lately been fug- peculiar to this country, and doubly in-
Poor Laws, and it feems to be the gene- the property of one half the people, to
ral fenfe, that fome alteration of the pre-extinguish the induftry of the other half.
fent fyftem cannot much longer be de-
layed. Permit me to offer you a few
hints on the fubject, which, if they con-
tain any thing ufeful, may be matured
by others.

The greatest evils of the Poor Laws appear to me to be principally three: 1. The Expence-2. The imprifonment of the poor within their own parishes, ocacfioned by the law of fettlements-and 3 That the certainty of a provifion from

Alarming as this propofal may at first appear, I truft, that if tried by the principles of found policy, or by the experience of other countries, it would be found no way prejudicial, even to the poor themfelves. In Scotland there is no legal provifion for the poor. A few charitable foundations, inftituted or fupported by voluntary benefactions, a voluntary collection at church on Sunday, and private charity, are all they have to

truft to, in addition to their own induf-
try. Yet in that country, now full of
manufactures, the poor are to all appear-
ance as well off, in proportion to the
general mode of living, as they are here;
nor is the number of beggars in propor-
tion greater.
But what is of infinitely
more importance, and what cannot have

efcaped the obfervation of any man who
has only travelled through the two coun-
tries, the bulk of the people are, beyond
comparifon, more orderly, fober, and
frugal, in Scotland, than in England.
That this may be owing, in part, to other
caufes, I will not difpute; but I am con-
vinced it is in a great degree occafioned
by the abfence of Poor Laws. Having
nothing to truft to, but their own in-
duftry, and the charity of their neigh-
bours, which will be proportioned to
their deferts, they feel the neceffity of
providing, while they are young, for the
fupport of their old age. They live fru-
gally themfelves, and breed up their chil-

dren in the fame habits.

To the Editor of the COUNTY MAGAZINE. with me at Brighthelmfton, and had
SIR,
bathed as conftantly as myfelf, felt the
very fame complaints, but in a much
tronger degree; and was affected in the
fame manner as I have known fome na-
tives of Greenland to be, who were
brought to this warmer climate by our
fishing fhips; he vomited, bled at the
nofe, and complained very much of his
head. It prefently occurred to me, that
the fea-bathing having become fo habitual
to us, the leaving it off too fuddenly was
the cause of thefe complaints. I carried
him, therefore, to the river, but I plunged
in firft to try the experiment upon myself.
After dreing, and finding my felf perfect-
ly right, I turned my boy in next, and it
cured him of all his complaints: not that
he was drowned; but that, after this re-
medy, he neither vomited, bled at the
nofe, nor complained of his head. Com-
mon-fenfe told me to continue that
courfe, every two or three days, till we
were from bathing totally difufed. I told
this to a friend of mine, whofe wife had
been fome weeks at Margate, and I de-
fired him to caution her not to leave off
the bathing all at once; but having neg-
lected this advice, the fevered in three
days after coming to town, and in ten
days more fhe was carried to her grave.

Believe that the fashionable practice of I fea bathing ought to be ufed with more precaution than it is. A thin, mufcular man, as I am, may ufe freedom with cold water, which a fat, corpulent man fhould not. I have frequently got into the water in a profufe perfpiration, after two or three hours exercife; but then I ftaid no longer in the water than I would remain in a cold bath. It fometimes had the fenfation of fo many pins ftuck into every pore of my fkin; when dreffing myfelf immediately, and refuming my exercife, I foon recovered my former heat. I took thefe liberties with myfelf, becaufe I did not apprehend that what an old Roman, or a favage American, could fafely bear, would do a temperate Englithman any hurt. Having always bathed for my pleafure, and not for my health, I muft own I went a little out of the common track. I never go into the cold bath in winter, as the phyficians prefcribe, becaufe I have not the leaft inclination for it, and I find myfelf, by the cold air, fufficiently braced; but in hot w. ather, when, like any amphibious animal, I feel a longing defire to be in the water, I fometimes gone thrice a day into the fea bathe to the height of my wifh. I have As the cold-bathing in hot weather is at Brighthelmfton, which fo effectually beneficial, fo in cold weather, I believe, cooled me, that I have had the molt pro- the hot-bath can to many conftitutions do found and refreshing fleep at night, while found and refreshing fleep at night, while no injury, and will to moft be of infinite every one else was complaining that he ufe. With regard to myself, I found it could not fhut his eyes for the heat. removed all obstructions in the perfpiraThough I am only telling what a lean, tion, and revived my natural heat. I temperate man has fafely practifed on him-ufed to take it for my pleafure, as, in a felf, I believe that moft men might fave different feafon, I took the cold-bath. I themfelves from fevers, if they were to have for feveral weeks together, in the fe Out of the favings of the poor rates, a b the in cold water when they feel a devereft winters we have had, gone into the large revenue might be derived to Go-fire for it, and feel themfelves, without Kington bath every other night, and I vernment; and fome part might poffibly exercife, intolerably hot. A Director of found not the leaft inconvenience in walkbe faved for public inftitutions. Of thefe, the Eaft-India Company has told me, that ing the morning after it, two or three none seein to be more wanted, than those when he commanded a Company's fhip, hours in the coldest frost. he ordered every man on board to bathe once a day at leaft, after they came into a warm climate; to which custom he afcribed it, that he loft very few men in any voyage, while other fhips fuffered a con

If, therefore, I might venture to propofe an act of Parliament for the amend ment of the Poor Laws, it fhould be to "That after the 1ft of March, 1783,

this effect:

no poor perfon fhall be removed from one parish to another, but fhall be relieved where he happens to become chargeable. "That after the 1ft of March, 1792, no poor perfon, able to work, shall be entitled to relief, on any pretence whatever. "And that after the ft of March, 1810, no perfon whatever fhall be entitled to any parifh relief, except fuch perfons as fhall be actually chargeable to the parifh on the faid ift of March, 1810."

which concern the education of the com-
mon people. Without education it is
in vain to look for morals; and police,
were it ever so perfect, is but a miferable
fubftitute, where morals are wanting.
Public fchools, in every parish, or m
every two or three parifhes, where they

are Imall, in which all children thould
be entitled to learn gratis, reading, writ-
ing, and accounts, might be eftablished
at a moderate expence. In Scotland fuch
a fchool now exists in, I believe, every
parifh; and it is difficult in that country
to meet with a man or woman, who can-
not read or write.
M. S.

fiderable lofs.

I faid, that the practice of fea-bathing

CAUTION.

For the COUNTY MAGAZINE.
A merited PANEGYRIC on Dr.
JOHNSON.

THE

ought to be used with more precaution
HERE is fomething fo nobly capti-
than it is, principally on this account- vating in human greatnefs, that
because I believe the cutlom, if diurnal, is it is at once natural and rational for man-
dangerous, when it is fuddenly left off. I kind to ftand in awe and admiration with
am confirmed in this belief, not only from it.
Here then let us ftop and paufe, let
my own experience, but from the incon-
us bestow a few moments reflection on the
venience or misfortune which others have vaftnefs of a Johnfon's intellects, and by
felt. The first year 1 was at Brighthelm-thus paufing, how can we fail admiring
ton, I bathed for two months, conftant- the application of them to the ornament
y every day, after which I was called to of thousands of the human race? One of
London in fore haste.
the first things which occurs from be-
holding the character of this great and
good man, is the very fuperior figure he
makes among the literati of Europe.
When we contraft him with his con-

On the first and fecond day after I came to town, I had a violent head-ach, felt a fickness at my ftomach, and an intolerable heat. My eldest boy, who had been

temporaries, how diminished do they ap- thofe in the Rambler. In this ftupen- pendous piece of scaffolding which formed pear; they all walk an humbler circle. dous undertaking, how admirably impar- the orchestra; and in all my travels neFew men have written fo much, none fo tial is a Johnfon's pen. What a power- ver did I fee any thing half fo magnifiwell as a Johnfon. His comprehenfive ful coadjutor would Kippis have found cent as the family pew, prepared for the foul fwallowed the most abftrufe refearch in him in the Biographia Britannica! reception of their Majefties and their with the utmoft facility. Born with intel- But to conclude, the greateft panegyric illuftrious offspring! it is impoffible to lectual powers, ftrong or perhaps ftronger pofterity can beftow, is on the undiffem- mention thefe and the Gothic pigeonthan thofe of a Newton, he could not ac- bled goodness of his foul. His whole ve- holes for the finging-boys, without paycommodate his writings to ordinary capa- nerable life, like that of the elegant and ing a tribute of applause to the ingenious cities, which has expofed him to the fhafts good Addifon, was moulded to virtue: Mr. James Wyatt, who was the wooden of the malevolent. Kenrick, the fatyrical where this is wanting, who is the man architect employed on the occafion, and author of Lexiphanes, Churchill, and that could wish for intellects?-My rea-who, notwithstanding the greatness of others, have openly attacked the reputation, ders will now think it high time for me the defign, and the immenfe quantity of the ftyle and writings of our author; but to turn to and animadvert a little on the deals, nails, and matting, employed in let it be remembered, that from the infinite imperfections of the great moralift; their their conftruction, received no more than fuperiority of Johnson's writings to his ene-requifition is with pleafure acceded to. 1,969l. 12s. for the whole erection. mies, they will be the wonder and admira- It is a well known truth, that the best of The organ, which was very properly tion of ages yet unborn, while the writings men, in all ages of the world, have not been fituated in the middle of the orchestra, of a Kenrick, &c. will very defervedly rot exempt from human failings, fince per- was built by Mr. Green, of Islingtonon the mufty fhelf. Detraction is an fection is not the attribute of man in this and fuch was the fymmetry of this wonuniverfal tax upon true merit; he there- lower orb. Therefore I fhall not palliate derful inftrument, and fo finely did it fore who is guided by the calumnious ef- any blemish, however glaring; imparti- accord with the ftile of the Abbey, that forts of illiberal men, will, in time, lofe ality fhall be my theme. Johnfon is juft- an ingenious musician elegantly faid, that all tafte for every thing polite and ratio- ly represented to have something impene-it feemed to be tuned to the Gothic air of nal. Now a Johnson's nobler part is gone trable that hung about him; but when we the whole building. It was now almost to thofe divine abodes, from whence no behold his mind, lofty as the heavens, twelve,-and Joah Bates founded Atraveller returns; now I fay let pofterity and as expanfive as the firmament, it is Here I perceived for the first time the behold his glory; let her look with an un- by no means to be wondered at. He was juftice of Dr. Burney's learned remark, prejudiced eye on the tranfcendancy of his haughty and imperious, and not formed that Westminster Abbey is admirably efforts; then he cannot fail pronouncing for the fweeteft intercourfes of fociety. conftituted for cherishing fingle mufical him fomething more than mortal. Does In this refpect we may introduce a meta- tones, as well as for preferving polyphonic not the divine Rambler confirm us in the phor, and compare him to certain mufical combinations! highest veneration for him? inftruments, the majeftic grandeur of whofe tones will not accord with the vibrations of lefs manly inftruments. Another feature equally confpicuous about him was pride; a too confcioufnefs of the fuperiority of his talents, he treated his inferiors in this point with too much aufterity; but from the frivolity of thefe imperfections we are warranted in afcribing to him every fpecies of human excellence.

I am fuch an admirer of Johnfon's effays, that I cannot command myself from making a few remarks on his writings. The Rambler-at once all originality, grandeur of ftyle, and fublimity of conception; thefe the happy characteristics of our author's mind and writings. View the ftory of Raffelas, then speak of its exquifite fublimity; of its inimitable defcription; view it attentively, you behold a mirror of human greatnefs. In this work, every thing which has a tendency to ornament the mind of man, is prefented to his confideration, and enforced upon all the powers of his foul in a ftyle that breathes inconceivable grandeur, dignity, pathos, and claffical elegance. If our author was not a master of thefe truly excellent beauties in compofition, who could? He, a writer of the first grammatical knowledge of his age, of this nation, and perhaps of all others; then who better qualified to erect a ftandard in-profe compofition? He has erected one with all the embellishments of an Atticus, and the melody of an Addifon; one that will ftand to the end of time. Mentioning the name of the good Mr. Addifon, I cannot but remark the fuperiority of Johnfon's writings, but not with a view to detract from his merit, it has long been on a bafis indiffoluble. Now we will turn our eyes to the biographical department. Here we behold him unrivalled; here we meet with fentiments which have all the beauties of No. XIX.-VOL. I.

TROWBRIDGIENSIS.

For the COUNTY MAGAZINE.
MUSICAL SKETCH.

Expectation now ftood on tiptoe-and the eagerness of the audience was wound up to the highest pitch of impatience, when their Majefties and the Princeffes, with their refpective attendants, entered the Royal gallery-Joah Bates lifted up his hands as the fignal for the premier coup d'archet, which was obeyed by the whole mufical hoft with the precifion of one man joined to the powerful effect of eight hundred.

At laft Madam Mara ftood up; and here, reader, my powers of defcription, copious as they are, fail me. The filence of midnight in a hermitage is noise, compared to the filence which now reigned. It was awful and entire! The animal functions of the whole affembly feemed to be fufpended. I, for my part, was afraid to breathe, left it fhould obftruct the stream of harmony in its paffage to THE great, the important day at laft the ear. Gods ! what a charming Porta

WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

arrived the guards were marfhalled, the conftables took their pofts, and the doors were opened at nine in the morning, that the audience might have time to contemplate the grandeur of the fpectacle, and to whet their stomachs for the coming feaft. At five minutes paft nine I entered the Abbey at the great Weft door, with a veneration for the memory of the deceafed Organist, almoft bordering on idolatry-Having taken my feat in the middle of the middle aifle, I had a complete view of the whole buildingHeavens! how was I aftonished at the ftuQ ૧.

mènto! What a volume of voice! I have not a doubt but the diameter of her calibre (according to the fcientific expreffion of Dr. B.) must be at leaft equal to that of Mr. Afhley's double baffion; and yet, if I were to judge from the flexibility of her fhake, the larynx, to produce fuch minute divifions, muft be inconceivably fmall. Indeed fhe had not only the power of conveying to the remoteft corner of this immenfe building the fofteft and moft artificial inflexions of her fweet and brilliant voice, but the articulated every fyllable of the words with fuch neatness,

"By found Reason we're all taught, "TOO-MUCH OF ANY THING is good for NAUGHT." quitted his fport, and afforded him a

ADDRESS TO A LETTER. her hand was a man of fpirit, under whose