at the public expense to serve as a resource in years of scarcity is, also, most satisfactory. It were idle, indeed, to imagine that such a scheme, even if it were approved of, could be established on such a scale as to be of any practical importance in making good the deficiency of a really bad harvest. But on whatever scale it might be tried, the abuse and waste it would inevitably occasion would be so great, and so obvious, that it hardly required the splendid eloquence of Burke to make the scheme be rejected by the Parliament and the public. Being printed in the various editions of Burke's works, the appearance of this tract in this place may, perhaps, be considered superfluous. But its extraordinary merit is more than enough to justify its republication. It is certainly one of the best pamphlets of its class in the language, if it be not the very best. And the possessors of this volume will be glad to have so brilliant a gem, detached from the mass of other matter in which it is usually buried. 11. The last tract in this collection, " An Inquiry into the Policy and Justice of the Prohibition of the use of Grain in the Distilleries," appeared in 1808, from the pen of Archibald Bell, Esq., Sheriff of Ayr. It owed its origin to the measure that was then under discussion, for preventing distillation from corn; the impolicy of which had already been denounced by Burke, and is here fully established. It may be supposed, perhaps, that there is but little risk of any such prohibition being enacted in future. This, however, is by no means clear. And though it were, the tract is to be understood in a wider sense, or as being an able and energetic protest against those ill-advised and quackish measures, by which it is attempted to stave off some immediate evil, or to gain some temporary advantage by trenching on those great principles, all tampering with which is sure to be productive of ruinous results. This terminates the collection of Tracts, reprinted by Lord Overstone. It will, perhaps, be generally admitted, that the volumes are both interesting and valuable. But the defects of the collection, whatever they may be, are entirely to be set down to the account of the Editor, and not of the Noble Lord who has defrayed the expense of the publication. He made no stipulations of any kind. I ventured to suggest to his Lordship that the reprinting of a selection of the rarest and best tracts connected with our trade, finance, paper currency, &c., would be desirable; and having approved of the suggestion, he left me to carry it out as I thought best. But for this munificence on the part of my noble friend, not one of these volumes would have appeared. And though a better collection may be easily imagined, yet, such as it is, it will hardly be disputed that it will assist in preserving some valuable and little known works; and that it makes a desirable addition to the historical and polițical literature of the empire. London, December 1859. J. R. M. CONTENTS. |