Virginia Argus — Richmond, Va., 1810-09-07 00:00:00, page 2

A If,
Ptom CobbctCs Political Register of
June 22,1810. *
THE SCARCITY OF CORN.
S»oce Y mentioned this subject be
fore, I have seen more and heard
more, relative^ to it; and, every thing
that I have seen, or heard, tebds to
confirm me in the opinion, that the
*rpp of wheat will be short beyond
all example. I still think, that it will
not be half so great as the last year’*
rop; and, l should not at all wonder
see it forty or fifty pqunds'a load
! bushels,) even though Bonaparte
hould suffer us to get all we can
, from the continent of Europe j and,
if he should put a stop to*all exports
. tion of corn^ the price must be enor
mous, and the consequences may be
—: fatal. The short crop of grass will
greatly add to the calamity; for the
scarci y of hay must necessarily com
pel people to keep horses more upon
. oats, and that will cause another di.
urination in the food of roan. From
the long continued drought, there is
a likelihood that fodder will he scarce.
Cattle are every where setting at
duced prices. Every one seems to
wiuh to get rid of mouths. The con
sequence of thin will be, that meat will
be comparatively cheap for a little
while* af'd, in winter excessively
dear. It is nonsense to sa>, that the
wheat has mended. It cannot mend,
where there is none upon the ground ;
and that it is so generally the case
as to make the prospect truly alarm*
intr. Some people comfort themselves
with th prospect of great importations
from America. America never did,
kndr never can, give us any very
large supplv ; and besides, wheat is
now ten shillings a bushel in America,
and of course, it could uot reach us
under al out forty pounds a load,—
So that, at this moment, whedt,brought
from America, must, in order to an
swer the purpose ol the importer, be
sold much dearer than wheat is now
filing here. From America, then,
nothing of any consequence can be
expected; and the only question is,
whether lima parte will or will not,
permit corn from the Baltic to Eng
t land; if the former, the price may,
possibly, be k< pt a little down ; but, if
he does not permi, us to get corn from
the Baltic, my sincere opinion is, that
wheat will be thirty shillings a bu hel,
and the quartern loaf half a crown,
, btfore Christmas; and certainly, that
let what will take place as to impor..
tation, meat wiil be exceedingly dear.
u Forewarned, forearmed,” they say :
but, the only arrnirg that can avail
us in a case like this is that of patience.
For, a4* to “ substi.utes,” and making
coarse flobr, and the like, they are of
no u^e at all. The evil is a deficiency
in ihe quantity of food, taking all sorts
together ; and for this there is really
no ottnr remedy than that of doing
with les9 food than usual, until« more
abundant supply can be obtained.
. **
From Bells Weekly Messenger of fitly
1, 1810.
SCARCITY.
We have talceTi.nl! possible pains to
a certain whether the prediction of an
i . mirem scarcity had aov foundation
in the appearance of the growing
crops, or in the pioportioft of the stock
o* hand, and our ncces.>aTv conclu
sions ere, that scarcity is really to be
«ppr«bended, that the atock on hand
is very in ulfitient, and the growing
con; s will, according to all present
appearances, be deficient one third.
How is this dt hciency to be made up?
•Corn is so great a proportion of the
food ot the country, that a question
upun a deficiency ot corn is a question
for providing against a famine.
Where the usual portion of food Is
wanting, there are but two possible
remedies—the fust is, by a diminished
consumption—the second is, by find
ing substitutes in another kind of food'
fn> ti- »r part ot our ordinary fowti which
is efficient.
With respect to the first, in an opu
lent community, and in times oi abun
dance, tireic is always a great por
tion of waste i as much almost is
wasted as is eaten, and more eaten than
is necessary* There is another species
of waste, moreover, which amounts
nearly to one third of the whole
aubstar.ee ; this is, that of using r fi
ner kind, and thereby wasting or at
least not eirployingin human lood what
is sided thorn iu No*> in these two
heads of waste, that of the. epantuy,
•ndhthat cf the kind, there is certainly
t /• m tor a great saving; a saving pt-r
hapi, Witfch, ii properly acd uniVi-r*
^ sally c a ed and at tended to, would'
not fall n u b short of the deficitnr.y.
There a thud lit ad of general
saving, the bereft ot which was muc!
expen* need,duri s the last scarcity.
This is, last ot prohibiting the bakers,
1 ■ \ *
under a severe penalty, from selling
bread till after it had been urawu
twenty four hours. The difference
under this head is astonishing. IF a
family, for example, are in the habit of
using twenty loaves in the week, taken
in as they usually are by servants—
half of them new* half baked the pre.
ceding d&v ; if this family were to take
iu the whole quantity in the beginning
of the Week, they would End a full
saving of one third—Fourteen loaves
would perform'the same it*rice as
twenty. -
Pastry of every kind is pure waste.
It is made of the finest flour; so that
more is consumed than is used, and
it is absolutely of no service to sathfy
.hunget. A hungry man does $ot dine
on pastry* There are two kinds of
economy public and private. Very
little is to be expected of the public,
or by any public regulation. The laws
cannot enter into every private house
to regulate the quantity or distribution
of private diet. It is the first liberty
of an Englishman that every one is
master |n his own family. If private
folly or extravagance are fesolved to
waste in the teeth of famine, it is im
possible for any laws to prevent them.
Economy necessarily belongs to indi
viduals, and to the privacy Qf the dwel
ling house. The public, as a body,
can do little or nothing!,
As to committees, and public socie
ties for prosecuting monopolists, they
will do more harm than goiyl. The
best frunds of the communiry would
be about half a dozen score of these
monopolists, who should buy up the
corn hi present, ana noara ltjagamst a
higher price,'that is, a greater scarcity.
Wan it n6t For this kind of monopoly,
every year almost would be a year of fa
mine. The plenty'© f the first part would
exhaust the whole store. It is these
monopolists who carry the surplus of
one year to the accontVt of the next—
and therefore balance the want of one
year by the plenty of another. The
laws against monopolists originated in
i times when commerce and agriculture
! were ill understood. Burning _ the
mills, and hanging the monopolists,
will have no other effect but to with;,
hold what corn there is from the
mill, and what flour there is from the
maikeU
j Is nothing then, it may be asked, to
, be expected of ministers ? Very lit
) tie. Peace they will not make, or, per
1 haps they cannut make ; though peace,
I at present, and for ihese several years
, past, would have been another name
for plenty. The harvests of France
and Poland have been so abundant,
that the farmers cannot in any way,
sell their surplus. The ministers cer.
tainly may have corn, if they take
wines ; but if is a part of the plan of
; the war that we are to attack the
( enemy through his commerce. We
have repeatedly expressed our opinion
! that this was very senseless : the plan
has~been adopted, and will not now be
laid aside.
With respect to America, it is said
that the American harvest was likewise
deficient. Tnis, however, we do not
altogether believe ; and although the
harvest of last year might be defici
ent, the harvest of the current year
tr.ay be abundant—England, therefore,
I rt;erica, but here again the plan of the
I war s'ands in the way—.Very little,
i therefore, as we have said, is to be ex
I pected from ministers ; it is a part of
• their plan of w irfare to cutoff all neu*
> tral commerce, and it is a necessary
I consequence of this system, that in a.
S ny scarci y of their own rhey must not
j look for supply from others.
Every thing therefore depends upon
I economy, and this economy, as we
j have before said, must be private eco
I nomy—Every master of a family must
endeavor to save in the proportion of
i one third of his us-’al consumption
1 In the greater families, domestics must
be put upon th< ir q«v»ta, and waste and
contumacy punished by dismissal.
From all that we see and h' ar, onr
decided opinion is, that without (his
economy the year will end in misery
and famine* There is a general failure
of wheat, barley, oats, peas and beans \
potatoes alone seem plentiful, and that
is certainly something. But economy
| is the best stock ; it costs leas*, and
! is most in our own power. The har
I v'st will cot be deficient, if the pub
lic will persuade themselves to save
about one third. Cut oflf fresh bread
and pastry, the waste of domestics,
and the use of bread and vegcatbles at
the same time, and there will he no
scarcity. Neglect nil these precauti
ons, and thvrc will be a famine.
PROM THE BOSTON PATRIOT.
mu risH politics.
We now see embodied and develop
| ed at Montreal, what we heretof »rc
surmised and gathered from detarhed
p>rt»-*"that system of British politics
with regard to country which
> (■ ;
Francis James Jackson has-been com
ui ssiuBcd and sent among us to carry
into effect. ,
, its first, article is—That whatever
(pay be the disposition of the British
cabinet “ to promote harmony with o
ther powers,” the 44 honor & dignity of
our Sovereign” (Geo. III. and we
know what these terms mean io the
dialect of St. JamesV—44 most be at
all risks vindicated”——and that
44the commercial interests and naval
supremacy af Great Britain must be
strenuously asserted.”
The second—That these 44 princi
ples” are to be asserted as the 44 only
bulwark that can shield this western
hemisphere from the disasters”—
44 which have nearly overwhelmed
continental Europe,”
Third—-Thai this fcystem of British
policy is to be carried into effect by
the joint concert, find now openly a
vowed alliance of the British minister
(“ of peace”}—his agents ; and Yhc
British faction, who in the Jacksoni
an jargon <Sf the day, 44 are capable of
unravelling the intrigues of their and
our enemies”—as greater fools, but
not so great hypocrites as Jackson,
would say—-the 44 artifices” of the
'* government party,” and the44 French
torres”,in the U, States.
With these prefatory remarks, we
shall lay before our readers io full
length, that out law of honor, and high
priest, at once of England’s wrath &
of England’s disgrace, (as we find him
j introduced in Monday’s Gazette.)—
* Mh. JACKSON.
" The last Montreal paper presents
an account of a very splendid dinner,
given by the gentlemen of that city to
Mr. Jacksoh. In the 'course of the
entertainment, Mr. jackaon took oc
casion to offer some sentiments, and to
volunteer some toasts, which must be
particularly interesting to the Ameri
can reader :—On his heal.h being
drpnk by the president^ Mr. Jackson
said,
“Gentlemen—I beg leave to return
you my heart-felt thanks for the honor
you have this day done me; & I thank
your very worthy president for the
manner of his expressing a sentiment
which you have favored with your ani
mating approbation. Although I have
for some time had the happiness to
number amongst my friends a portion
of this company, yet we, gentlemen, are
for the moat part so little personally
known to each other, that however
much I am indebted to your kindness,
and how deeply soever I may teel
the obligation, I must chiefly attribute
the favorable manner in which you
have receded this toast, to those prin
ciples of Rational policy by which I
have been actuated in that part of my
public services which has come more
immediately under your observation.
Those principles * which I had the
good fortune early to imbibe from
some of the most illustrious statesmen,
that have udorned our country, it will
be my pride to adhere to, to my latest
moments,and to transmit unimpaired
as the most valuable patrimony that 1
can bequeath to my children.—They
consist, gentlemen, briefly in this; that
with ^very disposition to promote har
mony with other powers, the honor
and dignity of our sovereign must be
at all risks vindicated,—-the.commer
cial interests and the naval suprema
cy of Great Britain must be as stre
nuously asserted in the cabinet, as
they are gloriously maintained upon
the ocean by those heroes to whom
our interests upon that element are de
servedly entrusted. Gentlemen, after
the approbation which I have been so
happy to receive from his most graci
ous sovereign, conveyed in terms far
transcending any merits that I have
contracted in his Service, it has been a
satisfaction to me to find my conduct
sanctioned by a gTeat and very respect
able part of the community with which
I have lately resided.f It is a further
and still higher gratification to me
(because the approbation of my conn,
try men is a higher object of my ambi
| tion) to find that conduct applauded by
you, who from your local situation are
to be considered as very competent
I judges of the subject* With senti
I ments so congenial -as those which
thus prevail between us, 1 cannot on
my part fail to entertain the rhost san
guine wishes for the happiness and
prosperity ot these provinces, & of this
city in particular, whose loyalty to the
king and attachment to our common
country hare ever been so conspicuous.
Permit me to embody these feelings in
atoabt which I proposer
Toast—44 Union in the councils and
prosperity to the commerce and agri
culture of the Two Canadas.”
After the toast of44 the army,” Mr.
Jackson again asked leave to give an.
other sentiment, and said,
44 Gentlemen, you will have observ
| «d that in the sentiments I before ex- j
I picssed) there was nothing exclusive,i
v ; ' 4
nothing that could give umbrage out
> of this room. The principles which
j I then stated are to be asserted not
I for the gratification of any selfish ob
ject of profit or ambition, still less for
the vexation of any less formidable
power; but as affording the only safe*
guard which remains to the freedom
and independence which is yet to be
found in the civilised worlds against
that system of rapine and usurpation
that has so nearly overwhelmed con
tinental Europe, and the only bulwark
that can shield this western heinis
phere from similar disasters. In these
principles, therefore, there is nothing
inconsistent with that good will that
should exist between us and the neigh
boring states, where there are men
who duly appreciate the value of a
good understanding between the two
countries.^-'There are those, who, a
ble, and well informed, would be an
ornament to any society, and are capa
ble of unravelling the intrigues and
exposing the artifices of their and our
enemies : and who, knowing thatfjfce
world affords sufficient scope for the
spirit of enterprize, which in all coun
tries so eminently' distinguishes the
present age, are convinced that the in
terests of Great Britain and America
not only do not-clash, but are likely
most to prosper where they are most
united.^ It is to such men we must
look for the arrival of thalf period so
much desired by the true friends of
both countries, when discarding all
jealousies and banishing every unpro
pitious recollection, we shall remem
ber only that our friendsin the United
States are blood of our blood and bone
ui our uouc. as lor me x snau carry
home with me no other regret than
that of not having been the instrument
of reconciling differences which have
been too actively fomented, and suf
fered to exist too long.ll I propose a
toast—
•4 Prosperity to the United' States
of America.”
Upon which, an American gentle*
man^f present, desired permission to
give a toast: which being granted, he
spoke tb the following purpose :
“ That inspired by the liberal senti
ments expressed tow arcH his country
by the enlightened ambassador from
Great Britain, he felt it incumbent on
him to follow Mr. Jackson with ano
ther sentiment, which he had no doubt
would be drank with entire aatisfacti
on by all the table:.
44 Old England—who, with Roman
pride and Roman power, hath, during
a war of eighteen years, resisted & re
pelled the enormous and overgrown
power of democracy, and who with
extended arms had successfully lash
ed and buffetted the waves of despot
ism which have overwhelmed and
mercilessly destroyed all continental
Europe.”
NOTU.
• Illustrated by the •• foriiter in re,” at Co.
penhagen^ and the a sua/iter in modo,” at
Washing .on
f Those •* blind leaders of the blind,’* who
could discover no insult in Mr Jackson's corres
pondence wr.h our executive.
* Impressments, orders of council, licences,
smuggling, forgerica, and every species of fraud
embraced in the coinprehen ive^ new coined
phrase—‘’mercantile mortify.”
$ This was the argument used while we were
contending for our independence. We have not
yet seen r*&soii to complain of our separation
f.om the parent country.—/f England is really
solicitous for a re union, it certainly becomes
her duty to propose terras. Mr ]vs course was
the reverse of this at Washington.
* H But for this hones: avowal we might pos
sibly suppose that Mr J. felt pofne regret for
that insolent, shuflbng tergiversation which mar
ked his diplomatic correspondence with ouc go
vernment, and that he war really willing to be
come the instrument of reconciling those differ •
ences which he and kis satellites have been so
active in prsventing,
Pf It does not appear, and probably never will,
who was this " American Gentleman”—Whe
ther “present”in the body or in the spirit, we
are not told—but for the honor of our country
men, who generally compose or revise their
toasts whi'e sober, we should wish to pass to the
credit of John Bull, this profuse libation of un
fathomable non»ense poured out to «* Old Eng
land and unquestionably “ drank with entire
satisfaction,” by all mellow pated gentlemen at0
and under the table.
N*w York, Aug. 28.
MISTAKES CORRECTED.
We are Happy to have it in our pow
er to correct a misdatement in our pa
per of yesterday, of the atfair of the
deserters from the British frigate Ve
nu», on Sunday last* We are authefi..
tically informed that the circumstan
ces are very different from the report
we received. The commandants of
Bedlow’s and EHi»*» Island, cap . Ir
vine and capt. Johnston, perceiving!
: two boats in chase, one firing on the '
other, (within the U, S. jurisdiction)
sent a barge with an officer from El
lis’s Island to enquire into the affair.
The fugitive boat got a;»rtore first, at
Btrgen Point, the Ami rican and Brit
ish boats directly after. The aa»U»m
finding thry must be taken by their
pursuers,ifcame to .he American boat
and cla; jhed protection of the officer,
who r<<rciVed them, told them they
! #
W. .’•'•S' *
,, , * , /' j
should not He given up, and took the a
to the garrison for security. One ->f
the sailor* got away from the Island *
the sime night, and three of the other*
were seen by- our informant yesterday,
one of them a black, and another a
native of Vermont; they all claim to
be Americans* and express the strong
eat aversion to the British service, Sc
a wish to enter on board an American
frigate. It is .with pleasure we find
thy rumors of the day, on a subject so
extremely delicate and irritating, in
correct in every particular as fey as
they impeach -the honor and propriety
of the conduct of the officers of the CJ
States ; who appear to have: demeaned
themselves on the- occasion, with a
perfect regard to their duty as nation
al officers, the rights of the citizens who
claimed their protection, and the res* ,
pect due to the servants of a foreign
power.—Columbian. fV
New.Youx, August
A letter from Havanna, dated July
31, says, “ No flour having lately ar
rived, i suppose a cargo of Philadaft^
phia would now bring from 33 to 34
dollars per barrel.® I ^ * .
Gen. Massena was lately very nearly
made prisoner by the Portuguese pea
santry. He was proceeding from Gua
dalaxara towards Ciudad Rodrigo,
where several of his attendants, bis pa
pers, and his whole baggage were in
tercepted ; and he Was indebted for his '
own preservation to the swiftness of ' '
his horse, — j
rVKW-\OHK, Aujp 29.
“ Democratic civilly.”—Id the Post -j
of yesterday there is an article under
this head, stating that the English min
ister Jackson had been denied the
rights of hospitality some where- it» the
western country, by a democratic inn*
keeper; and the mighty news is faith
fully copied into the Americau Citizen
of this morning. We are hot dispos
ed to give credence to every petulant 1
remark made in these papers, nor do
vre believe *,he tale there fold. The
Story may have originated in an occur
rence which really took place between
this same iVJr. Jackson, and a man no
more nor less than the great Gouver
neut Morris. The latter having en
gaged rooirn at an inn, which some
how of other interfered with his exi
cellencv, was requested to relinquish "
them, but Mr. .dorjtia and wiot p*|2
tinaclous y refused. Alter very con
siderable negotiation* between the di
plonUUta, Jackson and suite left the
ground,, aud went in searen of other
accommodations;. Goave meur kept
his post 8c enjoyed aVI the regalement*
provided by J ick>on*s avant courier.
It has some how or other, happen
ed very “ mal-apropos” th>t two such
personages should be binding thjeif
courses the same way at the same
time; and it was to have been expect
ed, that coming in contact, they would
disturb the inhab tants of this 44 globe
terrestrial” by their collisions. It was
to have been expected a terrible shock
Would ensue, and we are Oj'ly surpris
ed that Morris’s baggage-v^r r^r.*, and
Jackson’s stolen jewel* wcj/j V*t en'gu’i
phed by the terrible eartSiquf.ke!
outuoioian.
An our t 39.
Rencontre ot the Diplomatists, The
strange and fortuitous concatenation of
circumstances which brought the cele
brated American negotiator GouVern
eur Morris and the no less famous
minister Jackson in contact with each
other at a country inn, must be set down
as one of thoae eccentric phenomena
which nothing but the rare and admi«
fable meeting of two such distinguish
ed characters could ever have called
into volition and association. That
the mansion was not sufficiently capa
cious to entertain the two great
with their respective trains, in so young
and so small a country as this, (we
speak in English phrase) is not to be
wondered at. Indeed, we might as
well expect a kingdom to sustain two
sovereigns, or the orbit of a planet to
exhibit two luminaries, as two person*
ages of such magnitude in the political
world to become at once the residents
ot any single doin '. The question then
was, who should decamp? And here
toe diplomatic skill of the ci'devant
American minister was put to the test,
and Hist layed its superiority o er that
of the British negotiator. Jac<son be
ing ao tar into 44 the bowels of the land,**
was out of his element, and w <s for
ced (tor he had no fleet with him *n
back his demands) to succumb to the
doughty old statesman, and give u >
the tenement to his wily competitor.
Morris had possession, which he kse -r
very well to be nine parts of the law j
& he wtscertain than/* writ of eject.
n*««w could Ve brought by Jackson La
season to dissi. ze him from the iocu \
tenen* before he wished to depart. II .
therefore stuck to his right, and fairly
•tump’d the Copenhagen hero. And