like the plague, and destroy every one who lays his hand upon them. I have heard scholars talk of a man who told the king, that he had invented a way to torment people, by putting them into a bull of brass with fire under it; but the prince put the projector first into his brazen bull, to make the experiment. This very much resembles the project of Mr Wood; and the like of this may possibly be Mr Wood's fate; that the brass he contrived to torment this kingdom with, may prove his own torment, and his destruction at last.

N. B. The author of this paper is informed by persons, who have made it their business to be exact in their observations on the true value of these halfpence, that any person may expect to get a quart of twopenny ale for thirty-six of them.

I desire that all families may keep this paper carefully

by them, to refresh their memories whenever they shall have farther notice of Mr Wood's halfpence, or any other the like imposture.

LETTER II.

TO MR HARDING, THE PRINTER,

ON OCCASION Of a paragraph IN HIS NEWSPaper of aug. 1, 1724, RELATING TO MR WOOD'S HALFPENCE.

WALPOLE, as has been already noticed, p. 355, had recommended to Iris Majesty to compromise this furious debate. An order was issued, in conformity to the report of the prime-minister, restricting the importation of Wood's copper coin to the sum of L.40,000, instead of L.100,000, to be current only amongst those who should be willing to accept them. But the dispute had risen too high to adBesides, as has been observed, the real grievance lay rather in the principle of the measure, than its extent or its immediate effects.

mit of accommodation.

August 4, 1724.

IN Newsletter of the first instant, there is a parayour graph, dated from London, July 25, relating to Wood's halfpence; whereby it is plain, what I foretold in my Letter to the Shopkeepers, &c. that this vile fellow would never be at rest; and that the danger of our ruin approaches nearer; and therefore the kingdom requires new and fresh warning. However, I take this paragraph to be, in a great measure, an imposition upon the public; at least I hope so, because I am informed that Mr Wood is generally his own newswriter. I cannot but

observe from that paragraph, that this public enemy of ours, not satisfied to ruin us with his trash, takes every occasion to treat this kingdom with the utmost contempt. He represents several of our merchants and traders, upon examination before a committee of council, agreeing, that there was the utmost necessity of copper money here, before his patent; so that several gentlemen have been forced to tally with their workmen, and give them bits of cards sealed and subscribed with their names. What then? If a physician prescribe to a patient a dram of physic, shall a rascal apothecary cram him with a pound, and mix it up with poison? And is not a landlord's hand and seal to his own labourers a better security for five or ten shillings, than Wood's brass, ten times below the real value, can be to the kingdom for a hundred and eight thousand pounds?

Who are these merchants and traders of Ireland that made this report of the utmost necessity we are under for copper money? They are only a few betrayers of their country, confederates with Wood, from whom they are to purchase a great quantity of coin,* perhaps at half the price that we are to take it, and vend it among us to the ruin of the public, and their own private advantages. Are not these excellent witnesses, upon whose integrity the fate of the kingdom must depend, evidences in their own cause, and sharers in this work of iniquity?

If we could have deserved the liberty of coining for ourselves as we formerly did,—and why we have it not

*At half value, and vend.

is everybody's wonder as well as mine, ten thousand pounds might have been coined here in Dublin of only one-fifth below the intrinsic value, and this sum, with the stock of halfpence we then had, would have been sufficient. But Wood, by his emissaries,-enemies to God and this kingdom,—has taken care to buy up as many of our old halfpence as he could, and from thence the present want of change arises; to remove which, by Mr Wood's remedy, would be to cure a scratch on the finger by cutting off the arm. But, supposing there were not one farthing of change in the whole nation, I will maintain that five-and-twenty thousand pounds would be a sum fully sufficient to answer all our occasions. I am no inconsiderable shopkeeper in this town. I have discoursed with several of my own and other trades, with many gentlemen both of city and country, and also with great numbers of farmers, cottagers, and labourers, who all agree that two shillings in change for every family would be more than necessary in all dealings. Now, by the largest computation,-even before that grievous discouragement of agriculture,* which has so much lessened our numbers,-the souls in this kingdom are computed to be one million and a half; which, allowing six to a family, makes two hundred and fifty thousand families, and, consequently, two shillings to each family will amount only to five-and-twenty thousand pounds; whereas this honest, liberal hardwareman, Wood, would impose upon us above four times that sum.

Your paragraph relates farther, that Sir Isaac New

Perhaps the prohibition from ploughing. Rep. 2.-H.

ton reported an assay taken at the Tower of Wood's metal, by which it appears, that Wood had in all respects performed his contract. His contract !-With whom? Was it with the parliament or people of Ireland? Are not they to be the purchasers? But they detest, abhor, and reject it, as corrupt, fraudulent, mingled with dirt and trash. Upon which he grows angry, goes to law, and will impose his goods upon us by force.

But your Newsletter says, that an assay was made of the coin. How impudent and insupportable is this! Wood takes care to coin a dozen or two halfpence of good metal, sends them to the Tower, and they are approved; and these must answer all that he has already coined, or shall coin for the future. It is true, indeed, that a gentleman often sends to my shop for a pattern of stuff; I cut it fairly off, and, if he likes it, he comes, or sends, and compares the pattern with the whole piece, and probably we come to a bargain. But if I were to buy a hundred sheep, and the grazier should bring me one single wether, fat and well fleeced, by way of pattern, and expect the same price round for the whole hundred, without suffering me to see them before he was paid, or giving me good security to restore my money for those that were lean, or shorn, or scabby, I would be none of his customer. I have heard of a man who had a mind to sell his house, and therefore carried a piece of brick in his pocket, which he shewed as a pattern to encourage purchasers; and this is directly the case in point with Mr Wood's assay.

The next part of the paragraph contains Mr Wood's voluntary proposals for preventing any farther objections or apprehensions.