John Lewis RICARDO (1812–1862), English politician and busin - Lot 94

John Lewis RICARDO (1812–1862), English politician and businessman, nephew of David Ricardo. L.A.S., Lowndes Square, February 19, 1848; 2½ pages, in-8; in English. Regarding a book published in response to his work *Anatomy of the Navigation Laws* (1847), titled *Ricardo’s Anatomy of the Navigation Laws, Dissected* (1848) by a barrister, believed to be John Bernard Byles. He comments ironically on the matter: “I congratulate you on the number of guns they are firing at me. Whatever the nature of the charge with which they are loaded—the *Anatomy* must be the copper cap that sets them off. If this blunderbuss is no more deadly than Mr. Brown’s popgun […] it will not terrify me.” The title sounds off: *The Anatomy Dissected*. He believes that Lord John has prescribed a dose in the budget that is hard to swallow without grimacing; a 5 percent tax is a strong measure for a weak government: “Lord John has given you a dose in the budget which you and yours won’t swallow without a wry face. A 5 percent income tax to buy cannons and gunpowder is a strong measure for a weak government.”