Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Eliot, Francis Perceval

by Francis Watt

ELIOT, FRANCIS PERCEVAL (1756?–1818), writer on finance, born about 1756, entered the civil service, and was at the time of his death and for many years previously one of the commissioners of audit at Somerset House. He took a very great interest in the volunteer yeomanry service, was successively major and colonel of the Staffordshire volunteer cavalry, and wrote, with reference to that movement, 'Six Letters on the subject of the Armed Yeomanry,' 1794; new edition, 1797. Eliot died at Portman Street, London, on 23 Aug. 1818. He was married and had a large family. He wrote:

1. 'Demonstration, or Financial Remarks, with occasional Observations on Political Occurrences,' 1807.
2. 'Observations on the Fallacy of the supposed Depreciation of the Paper Currency of the Kingdom, with Reasons for dissenting from the Report of the Bullion Committee,' 1811; new edition, with answers to criticisms, same year.
3. 'Letters on the Political and Financial Situation of the British Empire in the years 1814, 1815, and 1816,' addressed to the Earl of Liverpool, and published in the 'Pamphleteer' of those dates. Eliot was engaged at the time of his death in writing largely for the 'Ægis,' a weekly paper in which he was interested.

[Gent. Mag. October 1818, p. 378; Observations, p. 3; Brit. Mus. Cat.]

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