The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-21 00:00:00

THE FOOD QUESTION IN FRANCE.

(PION TEI

The government very properly continues to bestow
its attention oa the quntioa of the supply of food, which is
always a fit su►jest el oncern. This is the third time
within then three yeah that the high prize of corn hes
imposed greet meriting in the esuntry. In this difficult
energeacy the governaitat will sot fail to dolts duty.
Let tu enable the state of the ere.

Fr•aaa prosiness usually, ea an average, 82 million hee•
tolling of wheat. Let u suppose that this year the harvest
has only yielded 75; there would be a deficit of 7 million
hectolitres. Now, so lug as these 7 million hectolitres
shall not have been replaced in France by foreign
predate, there exists no nuns moans of redacts( the
price. The great concern therefore is to have this smut
of wheat brought as rapidly and economically as possible
from abroad. Once brought, it is nemesary to have It dif-
fused as easily as possible throughout all parts of **empire,
so that it may sot leave them again. That own wow
plished, prices will go lowa by the natural course of things.
What thee Is the best mode of pouring these sever =li-
lies hectolitres / Is it, as some propose, by reducing the
price artificially t Is it by compelling the holders to sell is
a certain manses, is torten places, at a certain rata' Is it
by &lag a bounty on importation ? We 11l not
think so. If by as active mode, government should
be so imprudent as to wish to lower the enrage
=loos of grain by easing wheat to be sold at
• low price; should the government wish to take Ss gal-
&Karla' 131111161111111 against the holders, these resoldtiou
would OCCIIIiOII a melt directly the reverse of what it
wishes; feat =mild seize upon all who hold corn; it would
disappear from the markets; people would rather illde It
then ..11 it, and the =dined price beim merely artificial,
amid set be long maintained; foreign urn obtaining no
Imager its fair profit in ear markets, would ewe to enter
France, and we should be inevitably overtaken by solidity,
seeing that it Is jut as impomible to impose by fors, a
price upon provisions in general as to prevent water from
finding its level. The famous law of the maximum, of is.
auspicious memory, was an evident proof of the suieshiefthat
may be dose by ignorant= In rupees of political toonemy.
Cosedesee sad freedom in all transactions are the unobang-
able bases of pomposity in trade, and sonsequestly the
muss of abundance.

As for givMg a beauty oa the importation of sera into
Fame, some pumas imagism that the prim of seen would
be reduced by the moult of the bonaty. The ezperireent
wee tried la 1816, and did aot succeed. In fast, were the
warmest to declare that it gives a beauty on the import-
ation of sera, at the end of a very short time the foreign
predators and dealers would raise the prim to the full
amount of this braaty, and the measure would away sad
with earlshiag foreigners to the detriment of Freer& pre-
dawn sad toesancers.

-
What, them, is to be dons ? It is, according to the do-
mes of the Stli of September last, to open for
more than mean you our fraction to all the I
alimestary supplies of foreign countries; to prom.
Mt the szportatioa el them from Frame; to faci-
litate W mamma alms railways sad saaals by
readering it Isis expeasive, se as to equalise as mush as
possible the priest of sera over the wire territory; to
easoursge, melts, sad seem& parasols abroad ; to leave the
MCA perfect freedom to every trameetioa, vigorously pre-
prod to pat the law in twee against any culpable tricks
Imolai for their lapel the creating of as artificial rise by
mamas el Nation ; to stimulate public and private charity
at the mamma whoa bread is Merest; Italy to give rim
by every moms to work in the lead, kr if we messed in
creeds( a pester demand for work, sad cresequontly is
readming it dearer, the workman will obtain
a rimmerative prier thit will to a certain point
be a set-off to the high prices of food. We may

21, 1855.

m say here, that the low prim of artistes of Ind is mot
always the proof of preepseity. There are enables where
mu ter names is worth very little, is when the Isla-
biases ler all that are hi the deepest aloes, bemuse bas
the abuses of hidustrial and buffs, sanity they reamer
bay is atheists quantity toed of the gist neeswity, nen
at the trivial pries it b offered for sale.
Bean, it is ma ineonteseable truth that the rise in the
pries of own alone enabler the delta to be wade geed, for
beyond a doubt foreign producers sad washaats will not
bring MR to on markets, when they dad there a reason-
able meat sad complete amenity for their traassations.
This is se true, that the rise in eery has already wry
opportunely reseed commerce. It hill 00111401 Nd numinous
orders and important puniness abroad; and not manly the
arrivals that will be the °sanguine of than will naturally
tend to lower the prime, but the dimple knowledge of this
fact will mien to the eons end; so soca as it shall be
known by the Prime! predawn.
Let the country then be resimared ; the government
watches, and sagged especially about the wolf ze of the
mint numerous elms, it will know how to take the most
prudent sad 'gracious measures, at the use time that It
will resist all usreesonable demands with the streagth that
love of the right sad the belies of duty soda.

PORTUGAL

___•__
(now ova owx ooi

LISBON, Birr. 14.
To supply a more complete coromunioation with
Oporto, a company, partly composed of British mer-
chants, has been organised, and a steamer of about
600 tons, and a speed ofierane 14 knots an hour, has
been ordered to be built in Glasgow. This vessel, it
is expected, will sail from Lisbon every alternate day,
vuvitif only posiespre, mails, and parcels; bat it
is ho that the success of the scheme will render
bar e pioneer of a more extensive system of com-
munication.

The Liverpool screw steamers have commenced
to carry a mail, which is closed at the Portuguese
Poet-office an hour before their time for sailing. In
consequence of this the authorities had placed the
vessels on a similar footing with those of the Penin-
sular and Oriental Company, and they will hence-
forth enjoy exactly the acme privileges, both here and
at Oporto, as regards facilities of passing cargoes, and
working after sunset
The advioes received by the last Brazil steamer
respecting the shipments of wine from this country,
are represented u being generally of a favourable
character, and it is hoped that merchants will now
be enabled to retrieve their previous losses in this
article of commerce.

It is said that a further quantity of 20 tons of
Spanish lead has been engaged for shipment to
Hamburg.
It must be confessed that the Portuguese govern-
ment, conjointly with the company, display consider-
able energy in carrying out the works of the Central
Peninsular Railway. Of course, during the suspension
of the contract, they continue the operations on the
original terms ; they have already far advanced in an
inventory of the plant, and the cuttings are progress.
ing on some parts of the line. It is said that the,
contractors now consider their step in suspending
the works rather hasty and ill-advised; but inasmuch
as the company and t e government appear energeti-
cally bent upon prosecuting them, the intertsts of the
shareholders will not suffer.

Chevalier Lnootte, the director of the Ciatra Rail-
way, has arrived in the Avon, and large quantities of
necessary materials for this undertaking hays'been
shipped in England.
The agents of the great French company, the
" Credit Mobilier "are here, and are preparing to sur-
vey the proposed line of railway from Santarem to
Badajoz, for the making of which they are likely to
contract with this government.
Mr. Medlieott, one of the competitors for the
formation of a water company, has arrived by the
Avon.

The royal mail steamer Avon arrived at noon to-
day, 14th instant, and resumes her voyage for Brasile
on the morning of 15th, at 6 a.m. She had light
winds tolling her voyage.
The British transport, No. 80, went ashore three
miles south of Vienna on 6th instant, bound from
Corfu to Portsmouth; 50 invalid soldiers, and 48
women and 58 children, were saved. They are now
at Vienna; the crew are trying to save cargo and
baggage, but it is probable the vessel wiU be a total
wreck. Nothing further is known in Lisbon.
The appearance of the oranges is generally con-
sidered satisfactory ; it is said that the yield will be
an average, and that the fruit is as far advanced to
maturity as it usually is at this period.