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PROMISSORY-NOTES.

An Account of the number of Promissory-Notes stamped in England in each year, from the 5th of Jan. 1815 to the 5th of Jan. 1819; distinguishing those granted for a sum not exceeding L.1, 1s.; those exceeding L.1, 1s., and not exceeding L.3, 2s. ; those exceeding L.2, 2s., and not exceeding L.5, 5s.; those exceeding L.5, 5s., and not exceeding L.10; those exceeding L.10, and not exceeding L. 20; those exceeding L.20, and not exceeding L.30; those exceeding L.30, and not exceeding L.50; and those exceeding L.50.

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An Account of the number of Licences granted for issuing Bank-notes, in the years 1815, 1816, 1817, and 1818.

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THE ARMY.

The following is a Return of the Effective Strength of Officers, Non-commissioned Officers, and Privates, serving in the British Army, on the 25th of January 1819, with the number of Horses:

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N. B. Of the above numbers there are about 14,000 non-commissioned officers and privates supernumerary to the peace establishment of the army; viz. about 2000 belonging to regiments at home, now in the course of discharge, and waiting to pass the board at Chelsea hospital; and about 12,000 at present on foreign stations, who are under orders to be discharged.

There are likewise included in this return about 1300 supernumerary horses of cavalry regiments in Great Britain, of which 813 have been sold, or ordered to be sold, since the date to which the return is made up; and the remainder will be disposed of without delay.

The following is a Correct Return of the Effective Strength of the Royal Artillery, serving at home and abroad, on the 25th of January 1819, distinguishing the Foot from the Horse Artillery :

Marching battalions at home.

Officers, 866-Non-commissioned officers and men, 3,583
Marching battalions abroad.

Officers, 105-Non-commissioned officers and men, 2,186

Total, 471

5,769

Horse Brigade, at home.

Officers, 47-Non-commissioned officers and men,

658

Invalid battalion, at home.

Officers, 35-Non-commissioned officers and men,
Invalid battalion, abroad.

147

Officers, 0-Non-commissioned officers and men,

18

Total, 82

823

Royal artillery drivers, at home.

Officers, 23-Non-commissioned officers and men,
Royal artillery drivers, abroad.

508

Officers, 0-Non-commissioned officers and men,

26

Total, 23

534

Grand Total, 576

7,129

An Account of the number of Prisoners tried, and the Offences they were convicted of, at the Old Bailey Sessions, in the Year 1818.

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FIRST REPORT

By the Lords' Committees, appointed a Secret Committee, to inquire into the state of the Bank of England, with reference to the expediency of the resumption of cash-payments at the period now fixed by law, and into such other matters as are connected therewith; and to report such information relative thereto as may be disclosed without injury to the public interest, with their observations.

The Committee think it right to premise, that in this investigation they have taken as their guide the decided opinion of Parliament, as declared by many repeated enactments, that the removal of the restriction upon cash-payments by the Bank, or, in other words, the restoration of the currency of the country to a state of regulation by its ancient metallic standard, is an object which ought to be accomplished at as early a period as shall be found safe and practicable.

The first act, confirming and continuing the restriction contained in the minute of Council of the 26th of February 1797, was passed on the 3d of May 1797, and was to be in force till the 24th of June 1797. The restriction was further continued by an act passed on the 22d of June 1797, until one month after the commencement of the then next

session of Parliament. By another act, passed on the 30th of November in the same year, the restriction was further continued until one month after the conclusion of the war by a definitive treaty of peace. On the 3d of January 1799, the Directors of the Bank, in pursuance of a power reserved to them by the acts of Parliament referred to, gave notice that on the 14th instant they would pay in cash all fractional sums under 1.5; and on the 1st of February 1800 would pay cash for all notes of L. 1 and L. 2 dated prior to the 1st of July 1798, or exchange them for new notes of the same value, at the option of the holders. By another act, passed on the 30th of April 1802, the restriction was continued until the 1st of March 1803. On the 28th of February 1803, it was further continued until the expiration of six weeks after the com

mencement of the then next session of Parliament. On the 13th of December 1803, the country being then again at war, it was further continued until six months after the ratification of a definitive treaty of peace. In the year 1812 an act was passed for preventing any note or bill of the Banks of England or Ireland from being received for a smaller sum than the sum therein specified, and for staying proceedings upon distress by tender of such notes; and in 1814 this act was further continued during the continuance of any act imposing restriction upon the Bank with respect to payments in cash.

By an act passed on the 18th of July 1814, the restriction upon the Bank was continued until the 25th of March 1815; and it was further continued by an act passed on the 23d of March 1815, to the 5th day of July 1816. On the 21st of March 1816, an act was passed, by which, after reciting in the preamble," that it was highly desirable that the Bank should, as soon as possible, return to the payment of its notes in cash; and that it was expedient that the provisions of the former acts should be further continued, in order to afford time to the Directors of the Bank to make such preparations as to their discretion and experience might appear most expedient for enabling them to resume payments in cash, without public inconvenience, and at the earliest period; and that a time should be fixed at which the said restriction should cease;" it was enacted, that the said restriction should be continued until the 5th of July 1818. On the 28th of May 1818, another act was passed, by which, after reciting in the preamble," that it was highly desirable that the Bank of England should return as soon as

possible to the payment of its notes in cash, and that unforeseen circumstances, which had occurred since the passing of the last of the preceding acts, had rendered it expedient that the restriction should be further continued, and that another period should be fixed for the termination thereof; the restriction is further continued until the 5th of July 1819. Of these unforeseen circumstances, the most important was the apprehension of the effect of further foreign loans (particularly those of France) upon the exchanges and the price of gold.

Suhsequent to the first restriction upon the Bank of England, similar restrictions were imposed and continued by different acts upon the Bank of Ireland, and their termination was fixed at three months after the expiration of the restriction upon the Bank of England.

During these successive prolongations, the Bank appears at different periods to have made great exertions to procure such a mass of treasure as might enable it to replace itself upon its ancient footing, whenever it should seem good to Parliament to remove the restrictions. In 1798, the treasure was increased to an amount which bore, in the early part of 1799, a very large proportion to that of the outstanding notes. During the years immediately subsequent, this treasure experienced a considerable reduction; but from the middle of 1804 to the middle of 1808, the favourable state of the exchanges enabled the Bank to make large purchases in gold. In order to encourage the importation of gold, the Directors determined to give L.4 per oz., and the treasure was so much augmented as to have exceeded in 1808 the highest amount which it had reached in 1799. From that period it successively de

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