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duced a particular people to sin; and yet at the same time to command the reservation of the women children for the lustful gratification of these very people, denote the grossest hypocrisy, and ferocity!*-and if to affirm, that such injunctions were delivered, and such deeds were performed, by the express command+ of Him, who hath declared himself to be no respecter of persons, but the God and father of all flesh, who willeth the welfare of all his creatures, be the grossest calumny, the vilest imposition, and the most impious blasphemy, then indeed does this being, whom priests have termed the meekest of men, deserve the severest epithets. The common feelings of humanity would induce us to believe, that no such being ever had existence as this man, Moses; aud that such conduct, as is imputed to him by Bible testimony, was never practised by any human being whatever; but whether he had or had not existence, is not so much the question, as whether those who teach men to look upon a character of the above description with love and reverence, as the chosen and favoured prophet of God, are not impostors of such a cast, as must excite feelings of the most heartfelt disgust, in every feeling and humane mind.

Your's, with the most heartfelt esteem and admiration,
My dear Sir,
Aug. 25, 1820.

At present at Brussels.

T. WHITWORTH.

* Numbers, c. XXXI. Behold these women caused the children of Israel through the counsel of Balaam, to commit tresspass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord Now, therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him. BUT ALL THE WOMEN CHILDREN THAT HAVE NOT KNOWN A MAN, BY LYING WITH HIM, KEEP And there were thirty and two thousand perALIVE FOR YOURSELVES. sons in all, of women that had not known man by lying with him. AND THE LORD'S TRIBUTE (which signifies the priests tribute) WAS THIRTY

AND TWO WOMEN.

+ Deuteronomy, c. III. AND THE LORD SAID UNTO ME, (Moses) fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. SO THE LORD OUR GOD delivered into our hands Og, King of Bashan also, and all his people; and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. And we took all his cities at that time; there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. All these cities were fenced with high walls, gales, and bars, besides unwalledtowns a great many. And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, atterly destroying the men, women and children, of every city. But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities we took for a prey to ourselves.

(To be Continued.)

SIR,

RADICAL REFORM IN FINANCE.

For the Editor of the Republican.

Allow me to embrace this opportunity of congratulating you on the recent appearance, of " the principles of an equitable and efficient system of finance;" a system of taxation that would proportionate the burthens to the respective capacities of the rich, the poor and the industrious, has long been wanted by reformers; the present mode of taxation may be compared to the pigmy bearing the castle of the elephant, all the weight of taxation is borne by the labouring poor, while the boroughmongers, our masters, are comparatively exempted.

The modus aperandi of the present plan is of a piece with the rest of their government, their object is evidently to barbarize, impoverish, and degrade, the people; they have got them down, and it is evidently their intention to keep them in the same humble position; they want to continue that superiority over them, they have so unhappily gained; the boroughmongers and the few rich intend that the labouring multitude, should only exist upon the condition that they constantly work for their lords and masters.

The reform in the finances I wish to point out to your readers, and which is just introduced to public notice by Mr. Wilkinson, combines all the fundamental features of a just and permanent system of finance; it is founded upon principles that should recommend it to all governments, who have the happiness of the people in view, and who wishes to be strong and splendid; but in it are happily combined those elements, that would tend to preserve the liberties of the people; when all the citizens are in every state not enabled to maintain their relative rank in society, such a separation will take place as would be the forerunner of that inequality that has caused the present baneful consequences in England; an unequal system of taxation adopted by sophistry or ignorance, has produced those extremities of rank now so conspicuous in this country it has taken a disproportioned sum from the poor and not enough from the rich, you may consider that the continuance of this fallacious system for near a century, under the names of customs, excise, and assessed taxes, sufhcient to produce on one hand wealthy boroughmongers, and on the other penurious slaves.

You are aware that corruption finds one of its Corinthian capitals in the collection of the public revenue, that the people in fact, are kept in subjection chiefly from this, and even as the whole sum is laid

out upon such persons only as support the government. The plan proposed would annihilate this dreadful species of corrupt government, their influence arising from sinecures, the army, and the navy, are trifling compared with that from collecting the revenue. The new system demonstrates that above four millions annually might be saved in the empty pockets of a starving people, but even this immense sum being saved is an inconsiderable advantage compared with the removal of such an immense quantity of corrupt influence applied by the boroughmongers to the basest of purposes. You know how much the tax-gatherers, have opposed reform in Parliament, but they will more rancorously oppose Mr. Wilkinson's plan, that at once disposes of all the emoluments of the whole venal crew, and proposes to collect as large a revenue as can be wanted for less than 60,0001. a year. They have already began to manifest an acrimonious animosity to the new, but if it is, as appears to be, founded upon the basis of truth it will spurn their contemptible efforts, I conclude for the present with recommending the plan to your consideration, and will again resume the subject, I am, admirable Sir,

Your most obedient,

AN OLD CORRESPONDent.

We insert the following precious morceau, to show the writhings of one of corruptions tools, or some member of the Vice Society. We can only add that we hope the writer will see it in print, that he may learn what is our contempt for him and his own impotence. If we might judge by the handwriting, we should say the writer was some official reptile that lives on the public plunder.

Mr. and Mrs. Carlile,

London, Sept. 19, 1820.

Impious wretches! tha: dare openly and unremittingly avow your disbelief of all communication of sacred truth, hear, and be convinced, that as you are fully bent and determined to propagate your infernal machinations, upon a degenerate and unthinking race of mortals, there are others as determined to punish you and yours, for the audacity you maintain in putting at defiance all moral and social feelings.

VOL IV. No. 5.

There will soon be an end to your diabolical effusions; for should it so happen that an event which you contemplate, and accelerate, should occur, there is a strong division in the country who will down with your house and fire it, to convince the world that such abominable sentiments, you issue, shall not exist in this once happy country, now undermined by a set of self-named, upstart, patriots, who, making up by assiduity of intrigue, their inferiority in real consequence, have of late, acquired some new proselytes, and with them the hope of superseding their rivals in the favour of the sovereign, and overpowering them in the House of Commons. Delusive dreams! never to be realized. The great and good-the wise and virtuous of these realms, will not permit it, though London, and a few more refractory populous disaffected towns should vociferate Reform-the reform you utter means a total subversion of our present dynasty, which, though offensive to you, will be maintained with that spirit, when the period arrives, that a people can shew it, and it is demanded, that will cause all you revolutionists to shrink into your native nothingness! 'Tis possible, you may work a deal of mischief; and a deluded populace may effect it; but you, and other ringleaders, will be dragged into day-light, and make you suffer-you shall never exist to enjoy the benefits, if any arise, upon the melancholy event you have in mind. You have enjoyed too much liberty-the reins of power have been held too slack over you; and that has caused your degenerate and unworthy souls to contemplate so devilish a prospect. Now, did you endeavour to reform men's minds, impress their understandings with a love of each other, and to be subordinate in every respect, to obey their superiors, and leave to them the government of the country, then, indeed, would you be a sterling patriot in every sense of the word; but I have done, at present. I hold you as an infidel;—and, therefore, should the work commence which you and others have assisted to bring about, our duty will be to convince you, you are wrong; repent, then, ere too late. We are already strong enough to take off the majority of the leading radicals!--Do not place too much reliance on the success of your schemes. That which is well achieved is done well, and quietly,

From a

TRUE BRITON.

CONTINUATION OF REPLY TO THE REV. THOMAS HARTWELL HORNE'S PAMPHLET, ENTITLED "DEISM REFUTED." From p. 144.

The second Book of Chronicles ends with a broken story, which is taken up again in the Book of Ezra, and affords a proof that those two books were written by the same person, and originally attached. The Book of Ezra evidently forms part of the same Chronicle, but to me the division appears to have been made, because the former part concludes the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel and Judah, and the latter part, which is called the Book of Ezra, takes up the subject of Cyrus giving to the captive Jews authority to return to the land of Judea, and to rebuild their city and temple.

There are three stories in "Holy Writ" about the manner in which the Jews did return from the Babylonish captivity, and did rebuild their city and temple. Two of them are alike in some respects, namely, the Book of Ezra and the first Book of Esdras in the Apocrypha. (It is generally believed. that those two names imply the same person, whether they do. or no is a matter of indifference at present, but I should observe that there is a wide difference in the manner of spelling the same names in different versions of the Bible. Josephus, throughout his history, resembles the names in the Apocrypha, and relates the tales related there, which circumstance forms a proof that in his days the Apocrypha was received as genuine Holy Writ, as well as any other part of the Bible.) The third account, which is to be found in the Book of Nehemiah differs from the other two in a very important point. The two Books of Ezra or Esdras say, that Cyrus first gave the Jews liberty to return and build their city and temple: then we find Artaxerxes on the throne, and he forbids them from proceeding any further in it: then comes Darius, and he allows them to proceed again according to the decree of Cyrus: then a little further on we are told that Ezra, or Esdras, obtained a decree from Artaxerxes to collect all the gold and silver he could, and carry it to Jerusalem, and throughout the Book of Ezra or Esdras we find him the chief among the Jews at Jerusalem. The Book of Nehemiah represents him as obtaining also a decree from Artaxerxes to go up to Jerusalem, and

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