The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-05 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, JULY 6.

Now that we are in the vortex of the Ge-
neral Election it behoves us to call to mind a
few of the Great Facts by which the contest should
be influenced. The Anti-Free-Trade party are in
the field asking for public confidence. Let us, then,
glance at a few of the results of the system which
the Derbyitcs have so long. opposed, and will yet
overturn if opportunity is given them for so doing.
First amongst the moral improvements which
have resulted from Free Trade we may direct
attention to the decrease of pauperism. The reports
of the Poor-law Commissioners state that the total

•umber of paupers relieved in England and Wales
in 1441 was 1,209,048. and the total number of able-
bodied paupers relieved about the same period was
411,800. Now these totals were in 1851, according
to returns recently laid before parliament, 833,380
and 137,318. But as the latter returns do not in-
clude the parishes under GILBERT'S Act and under
special acts, and the former do, we must add a tenth
to the latter to make the comparison fair. They will
then stand thus: whole number of paupers at the
end of 1851, 918,898; able-bodied paupers, 151,050.
At the two periods the contrut is as follows:
Paispen relieved in England and Wales.
Able-bodied. Total.

1811
18;1

918,896

Miceowe .... 260,840

3t:0,152

Thus the decrease in able-bodied paupers in 1831
as against 1641, was no les than 63 per cent.; and
the decrease in the total number of paupers was
nearly 30 per cent. But in that period the popula-
tion of England increased about 12 per cent., and
thus the relative decrease in proportion to population
is so much greater than the actual decrease.
An additional return for the last kalf-year has
been laid before parliament within these few days
which is peculiarly valuable as comprising, under
the signature of Sir loan Taottnee, the facts and
the deductions that were before authenticated by the
signature of Mr. BA LS. What is remarkable in
this return is, that while the reduction of able-bodied
paupers is large in almost all the counties, the
greatest reduction is in Bucks, Essex, Dorset, and
other agricultural counties—being as much in the
first named as Vper cent. All these are reductions,
it must he remembered, on great previous reductions.
In the Welsh counties there is a slight increase, for
which we are unable to account, and there is a slight
increase also in the county of Chester. In all the
other counties there is a considerable decrease this
half-year on the lessened number of paupers in the
former rear.
The Tories may venture at the hustings to repeat
one of their old quibbles. They ms insinuate that
the diminution of pauperism in England and Wales is
all due to the famine in Ireland. The important fact
is that pauperism continued to increase from 1841 to
1848, when—as Mr. PAauLEy, in his work on "Pau-
perism and the Poor-laws", has observed—it reached
Its maximum. Sines 1848, we have had a free trade
in food; and to that especially—to the unrestricted ,
importation of 30,000,000 quarters of grain in the last
three years—is to be attributed the reduction of
pauperism. No other measure, no financial con-
trivance, no commercial improvement, effectually
abated pauperism till the pressure of the bread taxes
was removed from the food of the multitude. Bread I
became cheap; trade active; and workhouses empty.
Another moral result of cheap food is apparent from
The criminal returns. The number of commitments in
1841 was 27,760 ; and they reached the maximum in ,
1842, 31,309. In 1843 they declined, and, exactly
like pauperism, declined very considerably in 1844 5-6. I
In 1817.8 they again increased considerably, obvi-
candy influenced by the same causes as pauperism— i
to fall in 1850 to 24,813, or 947 less than in 1841. i
When we take into consideration the improvement
in our detective polite regulations in the last ten
years, and the increase of population, 12 per cent.,
we are led to the conviction that the proportional
decrease of commitments like that of pauperism has
been very great, and has resulted from free trade in
food. It is remarkable that there was an increase
of commitments and pauperism in 1848, and that it
is since we had free importation and abundance of
food that crimes against property have begun sensibly
to diminish. This great improvement is the copse-
(ence of the measures of 1846, which the Protec-
tionists abhor. The people instinctively follow the
example of the legislature, and come to respect the
property of others when their own property is
respected.
All the material and moral improvement we
have so strongly adverted to—the recovery of the
remeas—the great increase of consumption—the
wonderful augmentation of business—the increase
of wealth sad comfort, and the decrease of
.pan-
perigee and crime, are the results of eompagsaitreeelz
see trade. And as some persons are
from the Intoner in which Parliamentary Reform has
beep spoiled and its benefits impeded by the Whigs,
to say Reform conferred no benefit whatever on
the nation—we must remind them that the Re-
form Bill preceded Free Trade and without it they
would not have been posithis. No Minister in=
wrted by the representative@ of Birmingham,
Manchester, Bradford, Fiesbary, &c., and supported
by all the small boroughs ef Schedule A, would ever
have dreamed of earring freairede in corn, or been
Aim to malls such a deem had it ever entered
his head. This we are laMtsd to Parliamentary
Reims for lift Trade, and b Free Trade for the great
iniraireammt is the natioeal mad moral conditional
seay. Puffier Parbismatray Harm weal& be
followed by the eempleoien of Pres Trade, and by
other advantages
Mince 1842—when the whole samthetering clistriets
were in a conflagration—then Menet bees a murmur
of seditioa in the land. We do met target the rebellion
is Ireland, nor the temporary thus of the 10th of
April, 1846 • hut these petty exemptions, got up by
heartless, ;homing ambito:me demagogues —mat
somewhat like our present minaebes, but lees been.
sate—were just sufficient to show bow
contented were the great menses, ohs—ba
dos of of labour and cheap food—rambled by
the contiseatel storms of that eventful yar.
To great political convulsions abroad,tending to
excite commotion here, there were added also in the
ten years a great national visitation, and a great
moral disturbance. A disease attacked the
potato, and the food of the Irish wea
destroyed. Nobody estimated the pecuabry
less by that calamity at less than 12,000,000 L
We believe, including the partial but severe fames
of 1845 and 1847, as well as the almost total failure
of 1846, that the total loss was nearer 20,000,0001.
Falling on a community previously in a destitute and
disorganised eoaditioo, it rained a large branch of
the empire. We doubt if out of Asia any example
is to he found in modern times of so many persons
perishing in a short period of famine and disclose as
were cut off in Ireland between 1846 and 1630.
Many labourers were extinguished, and a heavy
drain missed on the resources of the empire.
Mr. DISRAILI has found in these calamities
groat advantages, which, according to his philosophy,
and his statesmanship have mooned Free Trade from
same wail-deserved odioni.To us they appear to be great
drawbacks as the national prosperity, and to reflect
additional lustre on the system which, in spite of
them, has made the Empire contented and flourish-

ma.
It is the opponents of this system who are now
before the country soliciting rotes for Lord DERBY.
Rarely theme who are naw enjoying abundance will
not think of strengthening the hands of the men
who did all they could to limit industry and retain
the Tai no Bread. The voters of the kingdom have
now the national prosperity iq their power. Will
they strangle it by supporting die Tories 2

_
SCRAM NAVIGATIoN OP Tut Po. —The Nihon
Gemie of the 27th ult. states that B3TOIS de Bruck,
director it lb. Lloyd's Company at Trieste, Chevalier
Oasendig. sod Coloaal Molioari have gone to Pavia in Inter
to take prankish/7 aesnues for the epeoing °Gummi navi-
gation ea tbs P.