The National Register. — London, England, 1819-07-04 00:00:00

/#1 4-e /44.;; y 4/// i lam/ -uoti ationat ititt . 9 r. ' : Our ilium Conatitution anb atgg• SUNDAY, JULY 4, 1219. No. 1/S3.—VoL. XII.] tPILICE 934. Political Uetroopta. thiow the general subject of Taxation, as well as the pariicularbearingsef our burdens, we have per- Imps said enough already to satisfy our renders, and certainly much more than can afford any gratifwa d par- Om teeunelvea. We are mot musk d Coma es to glary4e public wilily, er from causes which bring woe to the had: of our fel low creatures, though even such caws may contri bute to rouse the indignation sad augment the hatred against those whom we candidly avow our -selves to believe to merit, as pubik characters, net one single sentiment of veneration or regard.— But we cannot be unmindful that Taxation is a feel ing point of public policy, and that a very numerous description of.persues may be surely and effectually roused to reflation by this sort of appeal to their pockets, when every appeal either to their heads or hearts would be vain and useless. If this were not the case, .if a low and calculating selfishness were not the character of the tines, would it be seen that Reposestatives is Parliament world dare to vote away•our liberties one day, and our money, millions after millions in the gross, abe nest, and support items of acpenditure which outrage every feeling of decent regard to the public weal, and then•calculate, yes, and truly too, upon riding horse, as it is called, to the bosom of popular affection and esteem, on a .vote given in favour of souse paltry local interest, given as *sop to their constituents, and :smiled as a mantle by themselves which is to cover every base No man can deity that this is a game every day played, and more especially when the day of rec koning is yet at some distance, when five or six years of sweet oblivion are in imagination before them. A return Ao the old Constitutional period of Parliament is therefore every day more and mere to be desired. The aceounts of Representatives and Censtituents are like the accounts •of debtor sad creditor in mullion life, best setiod and adjusted at short intervals. Fraud and tblly are then more cautiously indalgitcl, as well us more surely visited by their proper tecotopence. The present Tuxes would not, could not have been carried at the close of an old Parliament. But our principal motive in again adverting to this topic is to dim- a few observations on the Tax upon foreign wool. As an useless and unconstitutional demand of money on the part of the crown, we entirely condemn it. As a Tax, supposing:the amount it was to 'raise were really needful we should view it in a dif ferent aspect. To the claims of Commerce tbr pro tection and support, we are not insensible, and we sincerely deprecate any opinion of that kind being laid to our charge. But there are two points of ra tional policy which we have always thought both Government on one hand, and Commercial Men on the other, to have .too much lost sight of. These are the great and paramount importance of Agricul ture to the well-being of a State, and the mperior value of the hourc-eurrl,vl to any advantages which our foreign Trade ever did or can affird us. Every writer on Political (Economy 'bile laid the foundation of national strength in the means of national subsist ence, and has judged a Government to b. well or ill. conducted, in proportion as it has fostered or neg lected thin sole and inexhaustible source of solid greatneot. Great:Britain has inherited from nature a climate and soil admirably adapted to supply the wants, and reward the industry of its people. Even its apparent difficulties and disadvautages are eventu ally productive of good. They stimulate exertions, they rouse to energy, they brace the nerves, and invigorate the activity of her labourer% and operate with a beaefioial influence on the whole range of bee moiety. Ne eater souNlrriiirlimilsimaid produce a corresponding dam et mite, equal in public and private virtues, to the country-gentlemen of England : no region upon earth has such a des cription of persons to cultivate its ail as English farmers; and above all, our peasantry, that proudest boast of freedom, with all the horrible memos of degradations which have been se long at work amongst them, are still a nobler and better race of men than can nay where else be met with. But these blessings are nevertheless intimately connected with our public policy ; and a had or oppressive Government may easily destswy them all. Spain has the finest soil and climate in the world, but the execrable character of her laws and constitution render it the worst cultivated, and eunsequestly the most abject and degraded country in Europe:— Now the way of Riving that degree of mu:mirage ment to Agriculture, which wo feel disposed to plead for, is to let it .alone, to leave it freeassi unfettered in its energies, and moderately burdened nh'th pablic der.ands. If this course had been followed in this country, we should have have no need to be now discussing the merits er oxpediency of any other. B:t the fact has been rutoriously the re verse. The church, the poor, the public rosals,are i not only thrown exclusively is a upon the land, but the land itself is next chaved, and its produce afterwards with a most heavy and uojust burden. When to those we add the taxes paid by the owners and e..itivators of our soil in connacin with all the rest of the community, the suns total thus raised is.cnnuch to stagger the most sanguine calculator on the indefinite powers, which land, considered es a Serra/ of bunk!{, is adequate to support. Commerce then obould not .look with a jealous eye upon .any little privileges enacted in fa vour of Agricuhure. nude prosperity is most closely connected. They are twin sisters, and Agri culture can never spread her sails before a favourable breeze without Commerce following in her train. If the protection now ranted against the comp eti thin of foreign Wool may be considered, as a small encouragement to the growth of our own, and it cannot amount to more, surely it is u in point. qboon to Agriculture, and as little in point of actual detriment to our Nfaaufectures as any which could have been devised. A single pound of long Lin colnshire wool, taxed at sixpence, will be sufficient to manufacture, we almost hesitate to mention how many yards of the Geer crapes and stuffs, and diminish %%hat ought to be the additional charge to the consumer to a trifle hardly perceptible. But what we would particularly insist on is, that if this protection can aflixd any encouragement to the home-growth ofwool, that very effect wiU be by en creasing the quantity of production, to lessen on ilcy.:nd,:uco•uism fitreign markets, and to lessen also the price itself of the article in question. The ratio of supply and demand will approximate nrare nottrly, and thus the value and real worth will find its proper and natural leNtel. We are .also impressed with another idea which tends, we will frankly acknowle4e, to ink:line us to think favourably of the protection we are now discussing. The greatest defect in oar modern system, or ra ther practice of Agriculture, is the small number of sheep fed or reared is Englana, compared with what might and would under greater et ceuragement necessarily ba the ease. The very finest districts of the country may be traversed for L miles .4 a single sheep being seen. . a grew.- .er of these highly useful &tamale should be introduced by the late mamas into our farming system, the change would be highly benefi cial, not only in the supply of our manufactures with the materiels of clothing, bat of our markets also with tile article of food Different branches of trade will fluctuate without a possibility of accounting for such fluctuation. The Norwich trade for instance, has declined from 1,200,0001. a year to 200,0001! It is true that wool ha• advanced In price, though not very materially, taking all sorts of wool together, during the last thirty pus. But have other causes had no share in this great declension ? Does not the commencement of that decline date its period. from the emaosesoetnent of the French *sr ? lfus not the diminution of the Mooosticarders, who wero totally clothed in Norwich *tuffs, contributed its. share.? Has net the progress dr ter cotton manu factories, and the general use of that elegant and light texture of goods contributed also ? and lastly, can any manufacture of any particular kind be men tioned as toutishing for any lengthened period in 11.8 same place ? We might pursue this inquiry, and it is s very interesting one, much farther ; bat our limits we have already transgressed. We shall Commerce may long flourish in harmony and Nam, as members of the same family, as indispensably connectel with each other's welfare. Alteriiis sic " Alters poseit opera re., at cm, • jne at asriee Advices of a very interesting and important na ture have been received front Spain. They state, that the Marquess de CasaYrujia, the Prime Mi.:is ter at the Court of Madrid, has been romoved, and ordered to repair to the It own of Avila, in Old Cas tile, where be was to arrive on the 14th June. lie was financrly . Seerctsry to the Marquess del Camp), when the latter was Ambassador in this country.. lle was stepected to be too strongly attached to the interests sf •the United States of America, being related by marriage to the ex-President, Mr. Adam'. The Minister of War has also been removed, and appointed Captain General of Grenada, as a kind of honourable retirement. It is supposed that these changes are connected with the cession of the Flo. ridas, and it ntav, cmiseinently, be fairly doubted whether the Treaty making that cession to the United States will be ratified lay the Court of Spain. Tlea politics of the Court of Madrid are the most vacil lating in Europe, and distinguished by eternal intrigue. At the very moment u Minister ituagiaea he enjoys the full confidence of his Sovereign, pro bably his removal .is fixed upon, or he is displaced by the appointment ef some rival to fill his situation. The Marquess de Casa Yrujio is a most honour able man—u high minded nobleman, who would not sa‘rifice the interests of his country, let the tempta tion be over•so great. The Coutt et' Madrid feels great embarrassment with rf.peeit to the Filrithis, and it is necessary tbat blame somewhe:e ire attached, and this pmbtbly is the real cruse of the removal of the Al:wetness. )Jr. Tucker. Secretary to Earl St. Vin c ent, ills ./..mlship was first Lord of the Admiralty, Igor .dias,el, some time ago, abtiut t Itrcu tyres tit' land a,l_ . µinittr to 15 mho- limperty, ;11 the comity of Corn wall, tit- ti a sum of lire hundred ispines. It has since been discovered that this spot contains a rich vein of silver ore, fi,r the produce of which Mr. Tucker has recently been offered ,fifiern thonsari potordi per annlm, upon his granting a lease of the mine fur twiatty-ene years.