SIR,

I am a country gentleman, and a Member of Parliament, with an estate of

about 1400_l_. a year, which as a Northern landlord, I receive from above

two hundred tenants, and my lands having been let, near twenty years ago,

the rents, till very lately, were esteemed to be not above half value;

yet by the intolerable scarcity of silver[4], I lie under the greatest

difficulties in receiving them, as well as in paying my labourers, or

buying any thing necessary for my family from tradesmen, who are not able

to be long out of their money. But the sufferings of me, and those of my

rank, are trifles in comparison, of what the meaner sort undergo; such as

the buyers and sellers, at fairs, and markets; the shopkeepers in every

town, the farmers in general. All those who travel with fish, poultry,

pedlary-ware, and other conveniencies to sell: But more especially

handicrafts-men, who work for us by the day, and common labourers, whom I

have already mentioned. Both these kinds of people, I am forced to

employ, till their wages amount to a double pistole,[5] or a moidore,

(for we hardly have any gold of lower value left among us) to divide it

among themselves as they can; and this is generally done at an ale-house

or brandy shop; where, besides the cost of getting drunk, (which is

usually the case) they must pay tenpence or a shilling, for changing

their piece into silver, to some huckstering fellow, who follows that

trade. But what is infinitely worse, those poor men for want of due

payment, are forced to take up their oatmeal, and other necessaries of

life, at almost double value, and consequently are not able, to discharge

half their score, especially under the scarceness of corn, for two years

past, and the melancholy disappointment of the present crop.

The causes of this, and a thousand other evils, are clear and manifest to

you and all other thinking men, though hidden from the vulgar: these

indeed complain of hard times, the dearth of corn, the want of money, the

badness of seasons; that their goods bear no price, and the poor cannot

find work; but their weak reasonings never carry them to the hatred, and

contempt, borne us by our neighbours, and brethren, without the least

grounds of provocation, who rejoice at our sufferings, although sometimes

to their own disadvantage; of the dead weight upon every beneficial

branch of our trade;[6] of half our revenues sent annually to England,

and many other grievances peculiar to this unhappy kingdom, excepted for

our sins, which keep us from enjoying the common benefits of mankind, as

you and some other lovers of their country, have so often observed, with

such good inclinations, and so little effect.

It is true indeed, that under our circumstances in general, this

complaint for the want of silver, may appear as ridiculous, as for a man

to be impatient, about a cut finger, when he is struck with the plague;

and yet a poor fellow going to the gallows, may be allowed to feel the

smart of wasps, while he is upon Tyburn Road. This misfortune is too

urging,[7] and vexatious in every kind of small traffic, and so hourly

pressing upon all persons in the country whatsoever, that a hundred

inconveniences, of perhaps greater moment in themselves, have been

timely[8] submitted to, with far less disquietude and murmurs. And the

case seems yet the harder, if it be true, what many skilful men assert,

that nothing is more easy, than a remedy; and, that the want of silver,

in proportion to the little gold remaining among us, is altogether as

unnecessary, as it is inconvenient. A person of distinction assured me

very lately, that, in discoursing with the lord lieutenant,[9] before his

last return to England, his excellency said, "He had pressed the matter

often, in proper time and place, and to proper persons; and could not see

any difficulty of the least moment, that could prevent us from being easy

upon that article."[10]

Whoever carries to England, twenty-seven English shillings, and brings

back one moidore, of full weight, is a gainer of ninepence Irish; in a

guinea, the advantage is threepence, and twopence in a pistole. The

BANKERS, who are generally masters of all our gold, and silver, with this

advantage, have sent over as much of the latter, as came into their

hands. The value of one thousand moidores in silver, would thus amount in

clear profit, to 37_l_. 10,_s_. The shopkeepers, and other traders, who

go to London to buy goods, followed the same practice, by which we have

been driven into this insupportable distress.

To a common thinker, it should seem, that nothing would be more easy,

than for the government to redress this evil, at any time they shall

please. When the value of guineas was lowered in England, from 21_s_.

6_d_. to only 21_s_.[11] the consequences to this kingdom, were obvious,

and manifest to us all; and a sober man, may be allowed at least to

wonder, though he dare not complain, why a new regulation of coin among

us, was not then made; much more, why it hath never been since. It would

surely require no very profound skill in algebra, to reduce the

difference of ninepence in thirty shillings, or threepence in a guinea,

to less than a farthing; and so small a fraction could be no temptation,

either to bankers, to hazard their silver at sea, or tradesmen to load

themselves with it, in their journeys to England. In my humble opinion,

it would be no unseasonable condescension, if the government would

graciously please, to signify to the poor loyal Protestant subjects of

Ireland, either that this miserable want of silver, is not possible to be

remedied in any degree, by the nicest skill in arithmetic; or else, that

it doth not stand with the good pleasure of England, to suffer any silver

at all among us. In the former case, it would be madness, to expect

impossibilities: and in the other, we must submit: For, lives, and

fortunes are always at the mercy of the CONQUEROR.

The question hath been often put in printed papers, by the DRAPIER,[12]

and others, or perhaps by the same WRITER, under different styles, why

this kingdom should not be permitted to have a mint of its own, for the

coinage of gold, silver, and copper, which is a power exercised by many

bishops, and every petty prince in Germany. But this question hath never

been answered, nor the least application that I have heard of, made to

the Crown from hence, for the grant of a public mint, although it stands

upon record, that several cities, and corporations here, had the liberty

of coining silver. I can see no reasons, why we alone of all nations, are

thus restrained, but such as I dare not mention; only thus far, I may

venture, that Ireland is the first imperial kingdom, since Nimrod, which

ever wanted power, to coin their own money.

I know very well, that in England it is lawful for any subject, to

petition either the Prince, or the Parliament, provided it be done in a

dutiful, and regular manner; but what is lawful for a subject of Ireland,

I profess I cannot determine; nor will undertake, that your printer shall

not be prosecuted, in a court of justice, for publishing my wishes, that

a poor shopkeeper might be able to change a guinea, or a moidore, when a

customer comes for a crown's worth of goods. I have known less crimes

punished with the utmost severity, under the title of disaffection: And,

I cannot but approve the wisdom of the ancients, who, after Astraea had

fled from the earth,[13] at least took care to provide three upright

judges for Hell. Men's ears among us, are indeed grown so nice, that

whoever happens to think out of fashion, in what relates to the welfare

of this kingdom, dare not so much as complain of the toothache, lest our

weak and busy dabblers in politic should be ready to swear against him

for disaffection.

There was a method practised by Sir Ambrose Crawley,[14] the great dealer

in iron-works, which I wonder the gentlemen o£ our country, under this

great exigence, have not thought fit to imitate. In the several towns,

and villages, where he dealt, and many miles round, he gave notes,

instead of money, from twopence, to twenty shillings, which passed

current in all shops, and markets, as well as in houses, where meat, or

drink was sold. I see no reason, why the like practice, may not be

introduced among us, with some degree of success, or at least may not

serve, as a poor expedient, in this our blessed age of paper, which, as

it dischargeth all our greatest payments, may be equally useful in the

smaller, and may just keep us alive, till an English Act of Parliament

shall forbid it.

I have been told, that among some of our poorest American colonies, upon

the continent, the people enjoy the liberty of cutting the little money

among them into halves, and quarters, for the conveniences of small

traffic. How happy should we be in comparison of our present condition,

if the like privilege, were granted to us, of employing the shears, for

want of a mint, upon our foreign gold; by clipping it into half-crowns,

and shillings, and even lower denominations; for beggars must be content

to live upon scraps; and it would be our felicity, that these scraps

would never[15] be exported to other countries, while any thing better

was left.

If neither of these projects will avail, I see nothing left us, but to

truck and barter our goods, like the wild Indians, with each other, or

with our too powerful neighbours; only with this disadvantage on our

side, that the Indians enjoy the product of their own land, whereas the

better half of ours is sent away without so much as a recompense in

bugles, or glass, in return.

It must needs be a very comfortable circumstance, in the present

juncture, that some thousand families are gone, or going, or preparing to

go, from hence, and settle themselves in America. The poorer sort, for

want of work; the farmers whose beneficial bargains, are now become a

rack-rent, too hard to be borne. And those who have any ready money,

or can purchase any, by the sale of their goods, or leases; because they

find their fortunes hourly decaying; that their goods will bear no price,

and that few or none, have any money to buy the very necessaries of life,

are hastening to follow their departed neighbours. It is true, corn among

us, carries a very high price; but it is for the same reason, that rats,

and cats, and dead horses, have been often bought for gold, in a town

besieged.

There is a person of quality in my neighbourhood, who twenty years ago,

when he was just come to age, being unexperienced, and of a generous

temper, let his lands, even as times went then, at a low rate, to able

tenants, and consequently by the rise of land, since that time, looked

upon his estate, to be set at half value. But numbers of these tenants,

or their descendants are now offering to sell their leases by cant, even

those which were for lives, some of them renewable for ever, and some

fee-farms, which the landlord himself hath bought in, at half the price

they would have yielded seven years ago. And some leases let at the same

time, for lives, have been given up to him, without any consideration at

all.

This is the most favourable face of things at present among us, I say,

among us of the North, who are esteemed the only thriving people of the

kingdom: And how far, and how soon, this misery and desolation may

spread, is easy to foresee.

The vast sums of money daily carried off, by our numerous adventurers to

America, have deprived us of our gold in these parts, almost as much as

of our silver.

And the good wives who came[16] to our houses, offer us their pieces of

linen, upon which their whole dependence lies, for so little profit, that

it can neither half pay their rents, nor half support their families.

It is remarkable, that this enthusiasm spread among our northern people,

of sheltering themselves in the continent of America, hath no other

foundation, than their present insupportable condition at home. I have

made all possible inquiries, to learn what encouragement our people have

met with, by any intelligence from those plantations, sufficient to make

them undertake so tedious, and hazardous a voyage in all seasons of the

year; and so ill accommodated in their ships, that many of them have died

miserably in their passage; but, could never get one satisfactory answer.

Somebody, they know not who, had written a letter to his friend, or

cousin, from thence, inviting him by all means, to come over; that it was

a fine fruitful country, and to be held for ever, at a penny an acre. But

the truth of the fact is this, The English established in those colonies,

are in great want of men to inhabit that tract of ground, which lies

between them, and the wild Indians, who are not reduced under their

dominion. We read of some barbarous people, whom the Romans placed in

their armies, for no other service, than to blunt their enemies' swords,

and afterwards to fill up trenches with their dead bodies. And thus our

people who transport themselves, are settled in those interjacent tracts,

as a screen against the insults of the savages, and many have as much

land, as they can clear from the woods, at a very reasonable rate, if

they can afford to pay about a hundred years' purchase by their labour.

Now beside the fox's reasons which inclines all those, who have already

ventured thither, to represent everything, in a false light, as well for

justifying their own conduct, as for getting companions, in their misery;

so, the governing people in those plantations, have wisely provided,[17]

that no letters shall be suffered to pass from thence hither, without

being first viewed by the council, by which our people here, are wholly

deceived in the opinions, they have of the happy condition of their

friends, gone before them. This was accidentally discovered some months

ago, by an honest man who having transported himself, and family thither,

and finding all things directly contrary to his hope, had the luck to

convey a private note, by a faithful hand, to his relation here,

entreating him, not to think of such a voyage, and to discourage all his

friends from attempting it. Yet this, although it be a truth well known,

hath produced very little effects; which is no manner of wonder, for as

it is natural to a man in a fever to turn often, although without any

hope of ease, or when he is pursued to leap down a precipice, to avoid an

enemy just at his back; so, men in the extremest degree of misery, and

want, will naturally fly to the first appearance of relief, let it be

ever so vain, or visionary.

You may observe, that I have very superficially touched the subject I

began with, and with the utmost caution: for I know how criminal the

least complaint hath been thought, however seasonable or just, or

honestly intended, which hath forced me to offer up my daily prayers,

that it may never, at least in my time, be interpreted by innuendoes as a

false scandalous, seditious, and disaffected action, for a man to roar

under an acute fit of the gout, which beside the loss and the danger,

would be very inconvenient to one of my age, so severely afflicted with

that distemper.

I wish you good success, but I can promise you little, in an ungrateful

office you have taken up, without the least view, either to reputation or

profit. Perhaps your comfort is, that none but villains, and betrayers of

their country, can be your enemies. Upon which, I have little to say,

having not the honour, to be acquainted with many of that sort, and

therefore, as you easily may believe, am compelled to lead a very retired

life.

I am Sir,

Your most obedient,

Humble servant,