The Statesman. — London, England, 1823-02-27 00:00:00

~~~~ r..r~- tHE NTATICSITAN. take a tight view of thestihject, it wood be absolutely o we/ to reparate it from that which hail been pre ,doesly dismissed that evening. He world suppose a h e similar in principle was adopted in Holland. He elected Holland, because it was a corn country, and in that respect not very different from England. The effect of such a law in Holland ;..otild be, be contended, to tense the expenditure of great capital, in breaking o p old pasture, and bringing new land into cultivation, till the quantity of terri . ory cultivated war sufficient to grow an avenge crop for the consumption of the people. He would suppose that the quantity had accumulated for two years till it exceeded the demand for consump tion; the excess would then inevitably fall bath upon the market and cause a glut, the result of which would be disastrous to the farmers, would deteriorate the soil, and throw a great quantity of land out of cultivation. In that case such a measure, in s:cad of causing as abundance. would altimately bring on a scarcity. He drew this parallel with re gard to Hol'aml, because every matt must acknowledge such would he the result of such laws in Holland, and from the similarity of both countries in this respect, the some reasoning was precisely applicable to England. The pri s e of corn in this country continued to rise up so 1819, and then, in consequence of abundant crops, it began to tle line, and now bad arrived at a term so low, that it gave apprehension of considerable danger, because the cw.ssittiption was going on at so rapid a rate, that no speculation took ploce in the corn market, and the stock of farmers wasconsiderably less than it ought to be. The 311. m. lientleman then'proceeded to read some extracts from a work or letter of Mr. Cropper, of Liverpool. in order to show that in consequence of the low price of corn, consumption was going on at **inch more rapid rate than the growth. In 1821, the consumption of Ilrbeatvria 71 per cent, more than in the preceding Tear, and in 1822 the consumption exceeded that of lel 27 rr cent., while the growth was in a dearen ling scale. If the consomption were to go on thus inete ising for a few years, it would he impossible to foresee the coast stoma". tie had no hesitation in stating that the gene- Tel ecsult would be a deterioration of the soil, as was shown by the much sma i ler quantity of manure which was now pnrcliased. In Nottinghamshire where hones were mach used as mature, there was a decrease of one bait t emit in other places there was a decrease of one-hilf, ono.dsivd, anti one-twentieth of the qn 'laity of lime used. lie would take the liberty a referring to a uoik of his own on lime, in which it sea stated that the quantity of Mute sold for the his years preceding 1821, was averaged at 42,681 bushels; the quantity sold in 1821 was 341,528 lioehels; and in 1822, 2400. This completely ' , roved that the result of the present measures was a general det rioration of the land. He would ask if the law, as it at pre sent existed, wi re likely to prodece such an effect, was there any ease of greater emergency. or which more immediately -required the int. rference of Parliament! It was not now y for him to dwell upon the distress of the farmers, because every Gentleman in the House was aware of its ex latency, and yet the distress took place under what was <Riled a protecting system ; but so far from having such an effect, a more destructive measure was newer introduced. He therefoie felt it necessary to press upon time Move a measure which would tend in some measure to the removal of this evil. This measure he would press still ,further, on the ground tf the political interests of the country, because the operation of the present laws was at variance with every plinciple which would tend to a union between the Aristocracy of the country and the other orders—it severed the attachment which existed between these classes im this inuatry, and which was looked for in vain in other coon tries. Whether they looked to the north, the south, the . est, or the west. the:e was a general cry for liberty, and if ever thare.was a time In which it was necessary to unite sill interests, it was the present. Even with reference to the trad4 of the country, it would be wise to adopt such mea sure as would enable the farmer to COllllOll3O more menu fitetAve, }ditch constitute the gtory end wealth of England. ' 111gb ppiceS alive)." tufted a greet milittity of capital to be Arun from the country, which, while It remained, gave em yfloyment to the people, and placed England upon that end •Peiselt which she maintained among nations, but which, -whoa once it left her shores, would place her In the same nineties in which Italy is justly and elegantly described to be by Goldsmith : "'Till, more unt toady than the soutlain gale, Commerce on other shores display'd her esti; While nought remelted of all that riches gave, But towns unmann'd and Lords without.a slave, Anti lite the nation found, with fruitless skill, it'n forin.r 'lrene!! was but pletht ric in." bra object was to redact the importatioo pries from 80s. to 60s. pl. quarter, by a gradual reduction of 2s. per anonm. He was persuade] that foreign corn could not be sold in any quantity in this country under 60s. per quarter. He ass as anxious as any man to see the prin ciple of a free trade carried into effect in any branch of our commerce; bet encumbered as agriculture was, it was impossible, with justice, to apply this principle to the article of corn. He, titer , fore. had resolved to fix the maximum ultimately at 605., because he slit not deem it mire, politic, or expedient to continue the importation price at a more advanced rate, when Tore in this country might rise to a scarcity price. He was fully convinced that 12s. du'y would be found sufficient as a protecting duty, whilst it did rot prohibit the security of an acces sible resource in rare of a scarcity. lie was of opinion that corn could rot he sold in any country in the world nntter . 3Bs.; ani that being so, when he aided the amount of freight, and the other expences 'mewling its impor'o liopi into this country, he considered that the imposition of 12s. duty would fully answer all the reasonable exper t dim of protection to the agriculturists. The Hon. gent. then moved for leave to bring io a Dill to amend the Corn taws. The question basing been put from the Chair, Mr. CVRWEN rose, and said he regretted very much that the Hon. Hentlernen felt it necessary to agitate the present question at this moment. Whatever might be his opinion of a late statesman upon general politics. he cer tainly was ever ready to do Min justice in this respect, that he never showfd himself disposed to coosult the advantage of one class of the country at the expense of another.. — (Hear.)—He (Mr. C.) begged to state, that he was not an udvocate for great protecting prices. He was persuaded, that the apprehensions entertained by some as to the enor -11101111 prices, were totally without foundation. Ilene. of opinion that even with a failure of the harvest, the price would never rise so as to open the ports. In no event did Lie see roam for apprehension on the part of' the farmer, if the law were suffered to remain as it at present stood. He never dreaded that this country would be inundated by fo reign corn. It was douhte.l by the late Mr. Rose, who was steeply acqusicted with the subject, doubted if all Europe could afford to export as much corn as would be sufficient for the consumption of England for six weeks, amount ing to I.3oo.titio quarters. When the interest of the serictillutista was taken into consisteration, the great disproportion of taxes •which they had to hear, seemed to him not to receive that consideration which the pressure of their care deserved. It wan not only the redaction of rents which the lundi .r i had to make. but the dept..cia- Co vi of soil was 1113 . 0 t , he calculated us sit item in the eocouut of his 10,s. Fiximr the average et prodeetion in lel4 at twenty-two, he tielieved he was not in error wile., he stared It. to I e now about eighteen --rertettly it was 11" S I ban u.net. en. s would give a &If retire of one mil ion qtrace!s, or 1:alf tie intooi miens from iretand.• lie was lot anK;olis fur any oneasorr by which the (armor could acquit chore ''air lemur' ra ion. Ile shoold hope 'hat due .0 would not confine tke of 'aura to taco lint if they were re.-else I to liwit the tl 1111 , 1 WI to that sitlgtllll, h • would then endea vour to it ;..013 Ihe 311110 , r4 the ITIVSS; y of af living tho ineJsi.re of diminution to those 43x. a which tell direcly on t he lower class s. lit that even tit'. Isar er would be i.etretl, because the po r t: an could girt:bini the same 110ent:ty of labour at a laps Nice. Ile consi dered it abide all necesury 014 the caitair. r thoald ex renre the saita beulat whi It the shopite ipt•rs acre about to enjoy in a reduction of the Window Tax. The poor men should also be exempted from paving the duty on candles, and by the reduction of the duty on Malt, he should be enabled to return to the good old whole some practice of blowing bia own beer—a measure which alone could put a stop to the de•eriorating, demomising habit of spirit-drinking, which became a coriseqoence of his incapability to prepare a wholesome liquor fir himself. He shoo' l certainly give his decided opp.wi lion to thi4 measure, but h• trusted that the Hon. lien _ tkinsn, romp vinz with the general feeling of the house, would not go ?either with the measure, and would with draw his motion.—(Hear.) The Honourable Gentleman dwelt on the necessity of relieving the land from the en tire burden of thelmor rates. The Candle Tax. ought to be removed. The Cottager's Window Tax should also be reduce d . However injurious the measure of the return to cash paym.nts might have proved to the coun try, yet it wont I be only adding increased calamity to its former effects to attempt now to undo it. But then it was the duty of the house to adopt some measure that would meet the extraordinary change M hich that alter native had effected. The house should yield to the tem per of the times—they should not wait until an absolute necessity made their acquiescence imperative. They heard much about the influence which plausible and eloquent stat.ments might make upon the popular mind, but did any man suppose that the proposition which was subjoined to the petitions from Surrey, pr sented that evening, or that the petition adopted at Norfolk, wis sanctioned inconsequence of the interference of any in vidual, whatever might be the power of his eloquence and address i No, it was the pressure of their burdens' that induced the people at these different places to concur in an application to Parliam.ot, which th.ly were pe - snatled would afford the o relief, and whisk Ise was con winced they were ready to sanction again. He thought that in strict legal construction it was liable. Hut there were several dicta of Judges in favor of the HAT ty of funded property, and under any circumstances he was convinced that funded property must be made li able. Mr. BENETT (of Wiltshire) expressed his decide I opposition to tho measure now proposed by the Honour able Member for Bridgecorth (Mr. Whitmore). Our Corn Trask was best protected at that period when we had a lonmty on exported and a duty on imported corn. It had been well observed by Adam Smith, aid the op:- nion was subs vend> , supported by Mr. Malthus, "that all States which depend upon others for any poritri of their food, can have only an ephemeral existence. The Honourable Member entered into a calculation, the ob ject of which was to chew the average pressure of taxa tion upon agriculture, but the occasional dropping of his voice rendered him frequently inaudible in the Gallery. We tinderstisoi him to state that the taxa . ion upon Agri mil' urists amounted to 67 per cent. His object was to reduce taxation, lied thereby reduce the price of agrical -1 Viral produce. This, he maintained, could be dour, and Ito a far greater extedt than many Gentlemen seemed so !he aw ire of. The rate per cent. of relief afforded to the Farmer by any reduction of taxation, might, perhaps, be ' considered so trifling as to he unworthy of consideration. I Gut Gentlemen should consider that every saving, how -1 ever trifling, told in the aggregate. If no balance re -1 mainest in the hawk of the Farmer from the sale of his I produce, after defraying the expense of cultivation, ler. then there could be n, rent. The Honourable Gentleman went on to chew that the reductions 1 in the malt, salt, loather, agricultural horse, and other tame', amoanted to 18 per cmt. sot of the 67 per rent. under which that interest alone had been la-1 etiaring. This shelved what beneficial effects were to be derived from a persevering reduction of taxation. lit order to prove that the depreciation of prices did uot arise from an importalon of corn, he obseived that, for 46 yearir of the .Is 4 gaga, wh;sig lag.lloo2,ltL i gigt period our exports of eons exceed ed oar imports, these I b-ing a duty on the one and a bounty on the other. 1793, when our imports increased, wheat rose to 455. per. qr. Here was a rise, of 134. per quarter, notwithstanding that the import of the commodity bail increased. The great pressure under which ae,riculture laboured, was the im mense taxation midi which this , were horn down: in ad dition to this, they had the charge of the Poor's Itate.-1 For theprice of labour had fallen in proportion to the re-; duction of the price ef wheat Co prove which the Hon. Member entered into a variety of calculations), so that • the hur hens of the farmer increased es his resources di minished (hear, hear.) The farmer might receive • cer tain extent of relit f from the effect of tow prices, by a reduction.ofhis rent, but be could !weeks no relief from the injuries sustained in consequence of the late alter &- ration is the currency, except through the interference of that house. He did not wish to interfere improperly with the right of the fnndhold-r, bat he contended that the landholder was as much entitled to protection against ruin and beggarrasthe fundholder could be (hear, bear,) ,I Bitt, lie again rejeated, that the only protection, the only l' effectual relief to be afforded to either must be by meant 1 of.a reduction, of taxation not only directly but indirectly. I Many gentlemen imagined that they would directly Ile ! rive great advantages frod a redaction of certain taxes, while they overlooked the much greater advantages to be I derived indirectly from a reduction of others. One gen : tleman might seat, "Olt, I save shall 30L by a re Ne i t: oa of window tax, whereas, my boasekerper tells me that a redu. tion of the salt tax woald aut make a differ ence of more than 51 or 101. a year." Whereas in point of fact, the salt tax, if reduced, would make. directly and indirectly, it saving of from 6001. to 8001. to that inilivi dash He also wish-d for the abolition of the taxes on leather, beer, soap, end candles, by which an indirect re lief to a great extent would be afforded to the farmer.— The Hon. member, in conclusion, expressed a hope that the Noose wwtld not, under (-tieing circumstances, give its assent to antalteratton in the present Corn laws (ear. bear.) Mr. WOIAHOUSE, while he was ready to give the bor. member for Bridgisorth full credit for his sincerity; could not go the length of agreeing with him up m this present occesion. A few days ago' they were told that the distresses of the country arose from a surfeit; they were now told that they were tbreatme,l with starvation; so that sinless sotietli:ng extrso.alinary washout., he feared the country ran a great risk vf di ing of the Doctor. The hon. gentleman (Mr. Whitusor.) might suppose, that heitaose lie opposed this motion he bad a hankering after the Corn Laws and the high prices which it was once supposed they would insure. Ile neither thought that a return to iliwe prices was either practicable or desirable. In a conver.ation he had fornietly had with the present President of the Board of Trade, who haul s lid he would give the farmers an average of 645. a gearter for the next ten years, lie (dlr. W,) hail said, " rushee that clear to us and we tidal' have no ground of coaipleint." This her. gain he was willing to rime" now, end to give the Wylie Honantaisle Geod....man tart Maisday's niselz..t to start 1 with. ---(A !aegis.) The ifonourable Mover had argued, that in an importing 10 :eery, the fluctuations of price would be inconsiderable, but it was to be reinWited that the years from 17J2 to 1805, which had hero great importing years. bad been years of the greatest ductile lion. Thelluctuations, which it was impossible to avoid perceiving in the war, were, indeed, attributed to the Ber lin and Milan Decer. s, bait these decrees slid not cone into operation bet ire 1807. At ail times had there I been great fluctuations is the price of coin, long he-' iii• the present Cora Lew' existed. The Eton Register shrived remarkable instances of there fluctuations, a a hoc examliet —in 1597, wheat rag 3/. 9s, 6 L a (planer ; in .1602, it was 11, Ils. 41.1 In 1648. it was 41. 5.. ; in 1654, it nee V. 6e.; is 1706, IL Ga.; in 1709, it was 31. 161. Jdal. lk (Mr. Wo,lebauss) had bees muck misrepresented h is having disparaged the talents of the Right Ronoura'Ae : Heath nius (Mr. Heslessons) the ant' or of the Report of 1841 : hut be had vo'ed against that Report on acrout s.f ft. Aviles u to the peculiar burthens that messed upon Agriculture. sad the uperficial view whirl' waft taken • f the currency (peados, of the effects of which he tonne.' perhaps as exaggerate' estimate. The Hono arable Member proceeded to argue that any ralcula ions as to the price which corn mold be imported must he f ilacioas, and that the Honourable Mover had estimated it suu-li tot high. Mr. Claude Senn. in his ev derve before the Committee in 1814, hail stated that previously to the war great quantities of corn Ore accumu'ating for export.. Lion in Flintier. and the Ralik, and that the price was governed by the demand. He stared also that in 1759. he bad purchased largequantities abroad for tile lioir•Tws meet, to he delivered here at 40.. a quarter. According to Mr. Molly's evi•lenee indeed, on the average of 49 years from 1770 to 1819, the price ofwheat at Dantric had been 431. The natural average Me. Sully considered to be 355., and that the demand in England would raise it to 30s. and that at that price only AMMO par fen could be produced for expatiation. In the opinion even of the Howiorable &tem ier for Portarlinicton, all their calcula tions must be failic . ous, as the effect of price upon gu l f:. Lily would depend upon a va•iety of circumstances. As he understood that the motion would be withdrawn, he should not go further into arguments which the hou►e would not be vtry willing. to Lear. Mr. HUSKISSON said, that if he had not been point ally alluded to, he should not have interposed t.• preven. at all, (And be should not now interpose lun& to prevet t) the conclusion of the debate, which the h•tuse seemed anxious to arrive at. lie never complailied of any re utarice4t thOleport of 1821,0 r of any remark. upon wli it he himself had said, hut lie laid deemed it improper, wed contrary to usage, that a Report which should he deemed the opinion of the Coonnittee collectively, had been as cribed to himself, an individual Member of it. Many alterations bad indeed been made in that Report, not only by him but in opposition tohis opinion. lie would sot follow the desul ury discussion which bad thateven. log taken place as to pint of farming in varioes Coun ties, and as to the mode in which taxation shoo's' be remitted. It war consolation enough for him that taxes could be remitted without endangering public credit. He was, however, a little at a loss to know how the Hon. Member for Cumberland could account for the effects which he ascribed to a tax which he pa toed out for repeal, viz, the Tax on Candles. The Henoorat la :Rem isedh ail calculated that each poor family roneutued 40 lbs. of candle., and he edeutated that by the remission of the tax, eat la f orally would save 10s. Now on looking into the Duty he fooad that it was bat 11. per ltd ; and how the Honourable Member amide 40 pence amount to 104. t Assisted to be explained, rap-cattily whets it was known that the consumer seldom had the full headit of* tag repealed—a fact of which they had fall repealence in the care of the Leather Tax. As little was the Honour able Member well founded in his remarks on the advan tage which would arise to the labourer from the repeal of the Window Tax. The Window Tax was only charge sib's on Pus+ houses as were rated 51. to the House Tax, and certainly houses so rated were not inhabited say agri claw al labourer., at least in the Southern part of the isle. I. As to the Candle Tax, it was one of which the produce was rapidly increasing, on account of the increase of consumption of the article tame I, and it had exisaal ever satire the time of Kiog William. The agriculturist had no right to claim compensation for any general tax (hear.) As for those taxes width pressed as well on the labourer who manufactured cloth, as on the labonrer who raised corn, the agriculturist had no right to claim 'a compensation in respect of them, be cause the foreigner paid them on every yard of cloth which was sent abroad, to purchase the corn wMch was imported into this country. Is asonch, too, as the maw eamelitba.anidaeaper inthisaantuary than they could be sold ohmic!. our agriculturist haul actually an advantage in that respect over the foreign grower. He begged pardon of the lion. Members for Wiltshire and Cuinherleed if he did not exactly ceenprehend what Corn Law they would wish to have established. He was happy, iedeed, to find that they did not wish fur high duties on foreign corn, but as they seemed to think that no cora law con d be perfect under which a single quar ter of foreign corn was ever imported, the country siou'd hardly resort to them for assistance [a laugh). He had livened with the gegatest attention and pl. aaore to the speech of his lionoUrillile Friend (Mr. Whitmire), and fully agreed with hint, that it was alu ays imp artist to entertain the discussion, whatever the issue of it might be. But he could sot agree with his Honourable Friend that this was the fittest time for improving the Corn Laws, tiled he would tell why he thought so. In the present state of the country, and in the distress of all the agricultural interests of it, it was not to be expected Chet any measure, reposed on a subject so closely afirc'- ilig those inierests„edicad on which they had entertained sorb prejudices, geoid meet with impartial and tempo kale consideration. 'ln the present state of uncertainty, 'lollttially as to bargains between the occupiers and the stimers.of the soil,it would be impolitic to throw in their way what certainly would be considered an obstacle to a sidttfactory adjustment. If, indeed, he could flatter him self that these parties would concur in all his Honourable Friend's principles, as he (Mr. 11.,) untirel3r concurred in them, lie should say, that the Bill proposed by his Honourable Friend would be ani .st beneficial one. But at a time when the most experieared surveyors were at a loss on what prin ciple to tit descent of land, it would be nnuise to press a measure teisiali, however wise it was, would, in the present sb.te of prejudices, strike (emcee and lant.lords with dismay. He had said that discussion did good.— The Ilepuit of WI, which bad been much decried, bad opened the eyes of seaway gentlemen to the mischievous ness of the ar*lsystem of the Cora Laws ; it had shewn the danger of oho-lounging, (as it was ealle I) agricultitre licyouil a certain pole' ; it haul shown that monopoly I was boast neat, and that restriction and prireetton were' nut a nonvanous terms.—(Near.) It was made evident lay t tat Report, that a strict monopoly up to SOs. after which the ports opened without limitation or re at rictiou, was heneaciol to the hest interests of the coun try. Another principle too wog established by that Re port, tiz. t;iat the groove of aura in Englond was enti tled to protection to the full amount of the peculiar We aken that p . -essed upon toe grower of that commodity ; ant that it it was attempted to carry protections further, instead of 4oinr goo f, they would involve the fanner himself in 'the greatest possible ilia:dies, because it was impossible to force a fit!l supply for ordinary years, without Btlll an excess in pro bietiee years as would rose a ruinous depression of privet. The question then arose, whether the corn trade should not be reduced to a free trade, subject to a protective duty of the nature lie hail oleserilold i liis Right iltnao.arahle Friend the Chan cellor of the Excheipler ha I concurred iis this pr. po *Woo. A NiAbia., head woo had taken an active pert i in subseitylart disilasious (Lord Althorp) had also COliZiterru let it ilthotigltt II toe majority of the C llllatu mre • tato r e was not nt far the applacatiOl of the princplo 'Ano b tiser Committee was appointed the next Sinnott to carry the principles of the Report into execution.. el t was not thoiight .r, however, to ga fur tlnw than 'hey could carry use feelings of the cowry with The resent Corn Low as thus tram es, an woiltliets tho p ught generally tha t the prohibiter) price was fixed too low rather than too high. He did not tiring this.opinioa as a ea a- on for nut altering the Cori Law, but fur not ontranning too hastily the Imbues of the country. He was consumed that it was necessary gradually to Piro to a system of Corn Laws founded on sound principles, bat a time would soon arise when the reviai not tine eystein would be better undert :ken. 'Ye a had seen the worst of the low prices, sad as in eons,- ' (pence of those low prices consumption had been in. .41, and as farming capital had been greatly dimi nished (and this he considered the most serious evil to ohp cowry), a deterioration of agriculture must take place ; anti as this evil might coincide with bad harvests; prices might v«ry materially rise. The evils of the sys tell would hr then distinctly exhibited by an alternation of prices not remunerating with prices so high as to in dict the most serions ittjuly on the other classes. It would then h.s, , en i that if the system were persisted in, the et foet wont I b e the destruction at one turn of the capital em pl led in agriculture,and at another turn of capital employe., in manufactures. A moderate import would be th e . best regulator of price. .Fully impressed as he was with the justhess of the principles of his Honour s' le Friend, be entreated Lim tw the present to with draw hi. motion. Mr. CU RW EN and Mr. BENETT explained. Mr. RICARDO said, the Right Hon. Wu!denten (Mr.. Huskisson) in all the argiiment which he bad brought forward for postponing the consideration of the Corn Lan I. bad in reality given a reason for proceeding at once to amend them. What was the danger his hon. friers I (Mr. Whitmnre)apprelien led ? It was the clin ger of shose very high prices, to the recurrence of which the Right lion. Gentleman looked forward as the con juncture when the Corn Laws might be amended. He apprehended the danger of capital being again drain by the temptation of high prices to t. c !and (and his Right. Hon. Friend agreed that the danger existed), that there would again he a succession of low prices, and another loss of capital. This evil it was the object of th , pre sent proposition to prevent. yet his Right Hon. Friend would wait till the evil came upon them before he would provide the remedy. As to the motion of his hon. friend he (Mr. Ricardo) would not oppose it, because he should be gaol of any approach to a free trade in corn : but he (Mr. Whitmore) did not go far enough; he left the chief of a lite i price (hear.) Both his hon. friend (Mr. Whitmore), 'and his hon. friend (Mr. Huskisson), load laid the true principles of a corn law justly, viz.: ThaL a protecting duty shoal be imposed on foreign corn equal to the peculiar harshen, borne by the grower of corn in this country; but when this was done a fixed price stosuld lie sous sway 'hog. titer. In fact, Lis hon. farm'. had seemed a little uncertain as to its fixed price. He had taken it at 60s. ; but he had stated that if foreign corn could be imported at Ms., he should have reduced it to that. He had committed a great error in taking any filed price at all. A duty should he imposed on corn imported, equal to the peculiar burthens borne by the grower of torn, and io his (Mr. R.'s) opinion, a di airline': or bounty to nearly the same amonnt shonkl be allowed on corn capered. Then, and then only would corn be kept at a price nearly equal in this to other countries. If there was an abundant harvest it would tinil a vent by means of the bounty ; and, on the other hand, if their was a deficient supply under the influence of the duty, corn would he introduced as it was wanted. and not in the enormous temntities poured in tinder the the existing lisr, when the price rose to a certain height. The Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Huski.sson) id objected to the proposition because of the agita tion it would create out of doors. But his honourable f,ieu,i's proposition did not interfere with the present law till the price of corn was as high as SOs. in also, lie dilfere I f outs his honourable friend, because, before corn was so high, that encouragement might he given to cultivati in, which it was his object to aver. He (Mr. It.) should recommend that the law for amens!- meta of the Corn Laws should come into operation long before corn bad reached 80s.; and lie should then re °amend a sy-tern of ditties and bounties, at first in de ference to those pr'jndices of which he thought they were too tender, higher than the amount of the peculiar burthens of the agriculturists. and gradually diminish ing to an villainy with the computed amount a - those berthens. He could not in any way agree aids Isis bon. friend, the Member fur Cumberland, nor with the hoe. member fur Wiltshire, who had entered into same strange ralculations to shoo, that the agriculturists paid taxa. to the amount of 67 per cent. But on what did he reckon this p-r tentage ? Not on the expence of growing corn, hut on the rent. This was • most unwarranted made of caleulatio". They had it in evidence before the uomusittee, that there was some land in England which did not pay above 2s. an acre rent—yet, no doubt, as the cultivat ion of that land was heavy, there were in truth taxes on the producer which did not affect the landlord, and taxes on the landlord which d'Ai not . affect the produ tr. If a tax was imposed di rectly on the production of corn. the grower would remunerate himself, not by a deduction from the landlord's rent, but by getting snore from the consumer. And as to the I ,eneral taxes, they passed alike on all classes; on the lahottrer who worked at the loom, as well as on the labourer who worked at the plough. lie hoped his lion. Friend would not withdraw his motion—(Hear, hear !)—The greatest good was done by bringing the ques tion bef.,re the House. and his Hon. Friend's speech abound ed in excellent principles, which could not fail of producing an effect even upon Gentlemen in that House, and removing the delusion which prevailed. lie should therefore ur.te his lion. Friend to take the sense of the House on this most im portant question. The object of the approach to a free trade which he r:.conimendell was to keep prices stendy and low. Mr ATWOOD rcoiarked, that the case of Holland, which had been lir Hight forward in the course of the debate, had nrt hero covrectly stated, as prices never had, and never mild (nitlioat starvation or emigration) have tisen in ibillan 1 or any other country to such a height that a quarter of corn could produce SOs. in re.d money. In oils country, however, a state of thing.; had been «xitilii.e I Seek as no other country had witnessed, for prices bah r i sen, while at the same time the pro Me rity of the router} , and its consumption, as evidenced by the produce of the taxes, had hero greater than at any other period. The Honourable Gentleman then pro ceeded to say, that with respect to the price of foreign corn, when imported into this country, lie thought that the observation of the Honourable Mennor (Mr. Whitmore) was not correct ; h-cause corn was imported at a less price than be Mr. Whitmore bail stated. All the items of expenc-• a tending corn, the English farmer was liable to save fr. islet—an I even with respect to freig' t, the freight froni France and Holland was nearly the same as from L incashire to London. Mr. MONCK said, lie would support the Bill, agreeing RS lie dill with the II un.Moverit was kis (Mr. Monck's) opi nion, Nat the only way of relieviug the distress of the Agricoltural heerests was by diminishing the expense of cultivation, which could he only done by diminishing the amount of taxes. Colonel WOOD said, he did not know any thing which was more likely, nt t r present moment, to unsettle the mind of this country, thin to tamper with the Corn Laws, after the d_ claims of the House last Session. Mr. HUMS said, that he would divide the House on the Dill. dir T. LETHBRID3E said, he hoped the Homo would not adopt the principle of tile Bill ; it was not sufficiently comprehensive to affert to the egriculturists any relief. Ile hoped that Ministers would vote against it. Mr. WH rrmoam said. that he would not press the mo tion; but if any Hoc. Member s'iould it de the House upon it, he world rote precisely as if he himself had called for that diviaion. Toere was, in his opi..ion, no relief for agricult Asti, unless the ports were kept open, and unless there was a regulated duty. Mr. LESTER said. that before the price of corn could be reduced, the expen:e prod•icing it should also be reduced— ' en object watch coot I be only etteinei by the reduction of tslcatiqn. Tue House then did , ed —For the motion, 2 ; Agaiust it, 78 —Majority against the motion, Si. Ti. otter Ord-rs of the au were then disposed of, and the liouse adjourded. --... . •,t,• j