x s POS 1802.] Commercial Afa

63 n:ceſlary for them to adopt certain common meaſures to prevent a fucceſſion of other bankruptcies from immediately enſuing.

The Pruſſian Government‘has lately endeavoured to introduce into Soúuth and Eaſt Pruſſia, the mode of pecuniary accommodation by lending money on pledges. 4 ap

‘The Bookſellers and Printers of London, perceiving, that, under the preſent duties upon paper, the whole foreign trade of this country in printed books,-and even a great part of its domeſtic trade, of the ſame nature, muſt be entirely ruined; have, after ſome meetings and deliberations, ſtated to the Chancellor of Exchequer, their reaſons for hoping, that he may be induced, ſoon after the mecting of Parliament, to move a repeal of the A& by which the lateſt duty on that article was impoſed. They met a reception which encourages the hope, that their wiſhes may be complied with. But, though Mr. ADDINGTON be, in truth, much more the friend of ſcience and litera- ture, than any Miniſter, except SIR GEORGE LYTTLETON who, hbnce the days of HARLEY and ST. JOHN, has direéted the counſels, or found ways and means for ſupplying the revenue, ot the Britiſh government; yet, it 18 indiſpenfibly requiſite to the accompliſhment of an obje& in which patriotiſm and the perſonal intereſts of the book ſellers and printers are equaliy concerned, that they ſhould continue their exertions—ſhouid colle& a demonſtrative ſtatement of fa@s—ſhould engage in the intereſts of their repreſentation, every gentleman in Parliament to whom they may have acceſs, and who would not factiouſly employ the ſtatement of their wiſhes to harraſs govern- ment—and ſhould invite all bookſellers and printers in town and country to unite with them ſo tar as this may be poſſible without, doing aught that may have, in the ſlighteſt degree, an air of political turbulence. Befides, it will be neceſlary that MEN of LETTERS(you are: ſalt of the world; but if the falt have loft its ſavour, wherewithal y alted 2?) who are really intereſted in the improvemert of virtue, ot ſcience, and of elegant literature, ſhould take ſuch means as are for them the n;oft competent, to forward, law- fully, modeßly, and quietly, the ſame end which the bookſellers and printers have in view. What are the Statiozers doing? Some of them may think themſelves greater gainers, as things now are, than if paper were cheaper. Thoſe err egregiouſly. Better an extenſive trade with moderate profits, than a very narrow one with exorbitant profits. What do the Paper-makers 2 Should the duties be reduced; their trade would, within a very few years, be ten tines as great as at preſent. In ſhort, if all perſons intereſted in the beneficial influence of Britiſh literature, and in the extenſion of the book and paper trade of Great-Britain, do not now earneltly exert themſelves to convince government and the legiſlature,—that while the nonſenſe of newſ- papers, and the turpitude of‘printed calunmny, and all the ſcditious enoxmi- ties of the preſs ſhould be repreſled,—on the other hand, every thing related to genuine and uſeful literature—ſhould be left free from all taxation—if this be not done; Britain¡muſt inſtantly loſe a branch of her trade more valua- able than that in either woollens or cottons—an engine, by which ſhe might draw to her, the hearts of the whole world.

An iron and mine-maſter at Stockholm has juſt become bankrupt, whoſe debts amount to the ſum of 400,000 rix-dollars.

The emperor Alexander of Ruſſia, has, by the advice of the Senate, juſt iſſued an order to regulate the purity and the relative values of the coins to have currency in his dominions. Ninety-fix ſolotnicks compoſe the Ruſſian pound: every pound of flver for coinage is to have in it 94-0ne-third folotnicks of pure ſilver, with only I1-twoz-thirds ſolotuicks of alloy: every pound of gold is to contain 83-two-thirds ſolotnicks of pure gold, with 12-one-third ſolotnicks of alloy. The pound of filver thus alloyed, is to be coined into 12 roubles, and 75 copecs: roubles, half-roubles, quarter- roubles and pieces of ten Ccopecs, are to be coined of filver. Pieces of 10 and pieces of 5 roubles are to be coined of gold. Forty pounds of copper are