It remains only to consider the proofs of financial ability furnished by the present French managers when they are to raise supplies on credit.  Here I am a little at a stand; for credit, properly speaking, they have none.  The credit of the ancient government was not, indeed, the best; but they could always, on some terms, command money, not only at home, but from most of the countries of Europe where a surplus capital was accumulated; and the credit of that government was improving daily.  The establishment of a system of liberty would of course be supposed to give it new strength:  and so it would actually have done, if a system of liberty had been established.  What offers has their government of pretended liberty had from Holland, from Hamburg, from Switzerland, from Genoa, from England, for a dealing in their paper?  Why should these nations of commerce and economy enter into any pecuniary dealings with a people who attempt to reverse the very nature of things,—­amongst whom they see the debtor prescribing at the point of the bayonet the medium of his solvency to the creditor, discharging one of his engagements with another, turning his very penury into his resource, and paying his interest with his rags?

Their fanatical confidence in the omnipotence of Church plunder has induced these philosophers to overlook all care of the public estate, just as the dream of the philosopher’s stone induces dupes, under the more plausible delusion of the hermetic art, to neglect all rational means of improving their fortunes.  With these philosophic financiers, this universal medicine made of Church mummy is to cure all the evils of the state.  These gentlemen perhaps do not believe a great deal in the miracles of piety; but it cannot be questioned that they have an undoubting faith in the prodigies of sacrilege.  Is there a debt which presses them?  Issue assignats.  Are compensations to be made or a maintenance decreed to those whom they have robbed of their freehold in their office or expelled from their profession? Assignats.  Is a fleet to be fitted out? Assignats.  If sixteen millions sterling of these assignats forced on the people leave the wants of the state as urgent as ever, Issue, says one, thirty millions sterling of assignats,—­says another, Issue fourscore millions more of assignats.  The only difference among their financial factions is on the greater or the lesser quantity of assignats to be imposed on the public sufferance.  They are all professors of assignats.  Even those whose natural good sense and knowledge of commerce, not obliterated by philosophy, furnish decisive arguments against this delusion, conclude their arguments by proposing the emission of assignats.  I suppose they must talk of assignats, as no other language would be understood.  All experience of their inefficacy does not in the least discourage them.  Are the old assignats depreciated