At the beginning of 1840 the inroads upon his health, caused by a long life of uuremitting labour, were so appareut, that Mr. Hume's retirement from the public service became in a manner necessary. By this time be had completed forty-nine years of active service, forty-four of those years having been passed in situations of responsibility ; and he was allowed to retire on a pension of the same amount as the salary attached to his office, which appears by a treasury minute presented to parliament, in which was expressed their lordships' "full approval of his long and faithful services, accompanied by their regret that the publics service would be deprived by his retirement of his great experi ence and of his profound and intimate acquaiutance with the mercautile system of this country?' The regret thus expressed was in effect uncalled for, as on all occasions, up to the close of his life, on which his advice and experience were desirable, they were freely sought and communicated ; and it is probable that at no time during his active career was he able to render more essential services to the beat interests of commerce, than by the suggestions made by him after his nominal retirement, and especially by the evidence given by him before the Import Duties Commitee of 1S40; evidence which, having been frequently quoted with commendation by all parties iu the House of Commons, has been brought forward to support measures of reform in our fiscal system proposed and carried in conformity with his recommendations.
After an illness of some weeks' duration, but from which no serious result was apprehended, Mr. Hume was seized with a stupor of nu apoplectic character, and two days after died, on the 12th of January, 1842, in the sixty-eighth year of his age.
Although Mr. Hume may almost be said to have lived with the pen in his hand, he published but little, the object of his labours being for the most part confined to the preparation of official papers, which mai nevertheless have exercised a greater influence upon society than conic have followed from the publication of his opinions. Ile wrotelowevet several valuable papers upon subjects connected with commerce, whist appeared from time to time in the 'British and Foreign Review.' Om of these papers, on the timber trade and duties, may be said to ham exhausted the subject. He is better known as the author of a aerie. of letters which, under the signature H.B.T ,' appeared first in the 'Morning Chronicle,' and have since been collected, and more that once reprinted. These letters contain, within a very small compass the most admirable and unanswerable arguments for those changes in our fiscal system which have since been carried out, and for which his labours essentially cleared the way. Mr. Ilutne'a style partook of the characteristics of his mind, which was vigorous and original.