h.)

The Mauduit Pamphlet, which then produced such an effect, is still to
be met in old Collections and on Bookstalls; but produces little save
weariness to a modern reader. "Hanover not in real danger," argues he;
"if the French had it, would not they, all Europe ordering them, have
to give it up again?" Give it up,--GRATIS, or in return for Canada and
Pondicherry, Mauduit's does not say. Which is an important omission! But
Mauduit's grand argument is that of expense; frightful outlay of money,
aggravated by ditto mismanagement of same.

A War highly expensive, he says--(and the truth is, Pitt was never
stingy of money: "Nearly the one thing we have in any plenty; be
frank in use of that, in an Enterprise so ill-provided otherwise, and
involving life and death!" thinks Pitt);--"dreadfully expensive,"
urges Mauduit, and gives some instances of Commissariat moneys signally
wasted,--not by Pitt, but by the stupidity of Pitt's War Offices,
Commissariat Offices, Offices of all kinds; not to be cured at once
by any Pitt:--How magazines of hay were shipped and reshipped, carried
hither, thither, up this river, down that (nobody knowing where the
war-horses would be that were to eat it); till at length, when it had
reached almost the value of bohea tea, the right place of it was found
to be Embden (nearest to Britain from the first, had one but known), and
not a horse would now taste it, so spoiled was the article; all horses
snorted at it, as they would have done at bohea, never so expensive.
[Mauduit (towards the end) has a story of that tenor,--particulars not
worth verifying.] These things are incident to British warfare; also to
Swedish, and to all warfares that have their War Offices in an imaginary
state,--state much to be abhorred by every sane creature; but not to
be mended all at once by the noblest of men, into whose hands they are
suddenly thrust for saving his Nation. Conflagration to be quenched; and
your buckets all in hideous leakage, like buckets of the Danaides:--your
one course is, ply them, pour with them, such as they are.

Mauduit points out farther the enormous fortunes realized by a swindling
set of Army-Furnishers, Hebrews mainly, and unbeautiful to look on.
Alas, yes; this too is a thing incident to the case; and in a degree to
all such cases, and situations of sudden crisis;--have not we seen Jew
Ephraim growing rich by the copper money even of a Friedrich? Christian
Protestants there are, withal,