Another head is the saving on the army and ordnance extraordinaries, particularly in the American branch.  What or how much reduction may be made, none of us, I believe, can with any fairness pretend to say; very little, I am convinced.  The state of America is extremely unsettled; more troops have been sent thither; new dispositions have been made; and this augmentation of number, and change of disposition, has rarely, I believe, the effect of lessening the bill for extraordinaries, which, if not this year, yet in the next we must certainly feel.  Care has not been wanting to introduce economy into that part of the service.  The author’s great friend has made, I admit, some regulations:  his immediate successors have made more and better.  This part will be handled more ably and more minutely at another time:  but no one can cut down this bill of extraordinaries at his pleasure.  The author has given us nothing, but his word, for any certain or considerable reduction; and this we ought to be the more cautious in taking, as he has promised great savings in his “Considerations,” which he has not chosen to abide by in his “State of the Nation.”

On this head also of the American extraordinaries, he can take credit for nothing.  As to his next, the lessening of the deficiency of the land and malt-tax, particularly of the malt-tax, any person the least conversant in that subject cannot avoid a smile.  This deficiency arises from charge of collection, from anticipation, and from defective produce.  What has the author said on the reduction of any head of this deficiency upon the land-tax?  On these points he is absolutely silent.  As to the deficiency on the malt-tax, which is chiefly owing to a defective produce, he has and can have nothing to propose.  If this deficiency should he lessened by the increase of malting in any years more than in others, (as it is a greatly fluctuating object,) how much of this obligation shall we owe to this author’s ministry? will it not be the case under any administration? must it not go to the general service of the year, in some way or other, let the finances be in whose hands they will?  But why take credit for so extremely reduced a deficiency at all?  I can tell him he has no rational ground for it in the produce of the year 1767; and I suspect will have full as little reason from the produce of the year 1768.  That produce may indeed become greater, and the deficiency of course will be less.  It may too be far otherwise.  A fair and judicious financier will not, as this writer has done, for the sake of making out a specious account, select a favorable year or two, at remote periods, and ground his calculations on those.  In 1768 he will not take the deficiencies of 1753 and 1754 for his standard.  Sober men have hitherto (and must continue this course, to preserve this character,) taken indifferently the mediums of the years immediately preceding.  But a person who has a scheme from which he promises much to the public ought to be still