The Express.
London, England, 1864-02-25 00:00:00

HAYMARKET.

Tilts Minn, LITTLE DAISY.—BUNKUM, rrtu: R. Mr.
Sothern—OUß AMERICAN COUSIN. Messrs. sothern. Beek-
Mose and Chippendale : Mesdames Angel, Snowdon, and
Harris—And A KISS IN THE DARK. Mr. Clark.

PRI 5CF.,k5.3.

TEte Err(Mt. PAUIS Mean. Vining, Nelson,
rtaher, ForreaterAtellou, Sefton, Cathcart. Mesdames Stanton,
C. Carson. Po.eU. and Kate harttle.—And HARLEQUIN
LITTLE TON TUCKER,,

LYCEUM.

THIS Evonso, THE LOPfeIIILD. Mr. Wlddleomb and
Mho P. Leetereq.—BEL DK BONI°, a Lore Story. Messrs.
Bidder, Brougham, Emery, Charles, and Jordan ; Mime
Kate Terry, Lawsnue, and Chwortnyygud Mrs. Lee.

R6ITANNL►.

TRI! 'METING. THE OUTCASTS. Mesdames I-serial and
Mlles—And HICKORY. HICKORY, DOCK. Mesdames S. I.3ne

and W. Crauford.-I.l.M.rato -in.ntoen!mistp —Arthur and
Bertrand—The Fa: rY Yountinn—Comanner at half.past 6.

HIGH WAILS AT 1.4:4D0N BILIDGE.
MO DAY %Congo& M. 44m .. .All•raoes. Sh. 58134.
ivatoasow Mornlog., 4h. 1!m.... LtSenwoo. 4k. Ma.

LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25.

A tioou prospect seems to be opening out of
an increase in the supply of animal food in this
country. Whatever may be the disputes about
the real quality of the diet of the working classes
in old times, it is very certain that in our own cen-
tury the supply of animal food has not increased
in any proportion to the increase of numbers, and
that the dearness of meat keeps it out of the
reach of whole classes who need it more than those
to whom daily meat is a matter of course. It may
be very true (and we believe it is) that there are
many thousands of the middle and lower ranks
who would have better health if they took less
animal food, and who would stand better at the
bank (savings bank or other) at the year's end if
they spent less money on the luxuries of the
market ; and it may be very true that the
superfluity and wanton extravagance of these mis-
taken feeders would go far to supply the deficiency
in diet of the labourers, who never taste anything
better than bacon. But the wrong distribution is
owing to ignorance, which it must take a long
time to enlighten, and prejudices which seem to
be exceedingly difficult to reach. The gormandiz-
ing classes really believe that their over-eating is
a sign and a cause of health, and fancy that there
is something generous and genteel in it ; and the
poorly-fed orders really like bacon better than
other meat, and, moreover, have wholly lost the
relish of their catholic forefathers for fish. So
great has been the popular neglect of our rich
national resource of fish—and in Ireland even more
than in England the people have sunk nearly to
starvation point without showing any eagerness to
avail themselves of either sea or river fish—that
the new enterprises and arrangements ou behalf of
fish-production will be regarded with strong curio-
sity by the observers of our social economy. The
opening of the whole country to access from the
coasts by railway has no doubt increased the
consumption of fish ; but it is astonishing that,
while butchers' prices range so high, the
demand should not be very much larger than it is,
and that the increase ahonld not be more striking
in the cheaper sorts of fish. It is shrewdly sus-
pected by some knowing persons that the ancient
taste will revive in the people generally when it is
perceived that the gentry care enough about the
matter to take the pains they are taking now to
restore the river fisheries, and stock the streams.
However this may be, there is every hope that we
shall henceforth have more fish at our command
by myriads ; and when they abound there will
surely be somebody ready to eat them. Whether
they appear at the tables of one class or another,
they must, as far as the consumption goes, super-
sede a considerable quantity of butchers' meat, or
afford animal food to labouring families who had
none before.

The proposed experiment of the Malt for Cattle
measure seems likely to produce important effects
on the popular diet. Every member in the House
who speaks of this Bill at all calls it an experi-
ment ; and it is so, no doubt, in a financial sense
and from the Excise point of view ; but there really
seems to be no ground of dispute as to the effects
of malt food on the quality of meat, or the eco-
nomy of its use in the stock-yard. The question
is no new one, though the general public hears
more of it than it ever did before. It has been a
distinct and separate complaint, during the recent
years of agricultural improvement, that farmers
were hindered by the malt tax from using, as cattle-
food, in a digestible state, the rough second-rate
barley not good enough for brewery malt. The
mere fact that the finest animals, yielding the
priruest quality of meat, shown at agricultural ex-
hibitions, are very commonly fed on malt discloses
what the conviction of breeders really is. They incur
the cost of taxed malt for prize animals; and this in-
dicates how glad the owners of stock would be to
give their cattle the same kind of food if it could
be cheapened by release from the duty. There
are maltetera enough keeping stock on their infe-
rior or unsaleable qualities of malt to show what
they think of the value of the commodity, how-
ever lamentable may be the predictions of certain
deputations of their order about the effect of Mr.
GLArisroNl,4 13i11 on the revenue. It may be
true, as some of them allege, that it answers
better to feed some stock with duty-paid malt than
with some foreign foods, which are much in de-
mand at 21. per ton more ; but they cannot but
know that, in the present state of the grain
market, prodigious waste is caused all round by
the practical exclusion of inferior barleys from
use. on the one hand, beef and mutton are
disastrously dear ; and on the other hand, farmers
are hindered from growing food for cattle and
sheep, which would assuredly bring down the price

of meat more or less. Only prinse4 pay
malting purposes; and the lows can be
used except for feeding pi* and
might, as some cavillers say, find Awe nutritio
raw barley than in malt if they could try the che-
mical experiment fairly ; but they cannot ; they
cannot digest the hard grain as starch, while they
fatten on it in its softened state as sugar. While
we have dear meat on the one band, and • great
waste or non-production on the other, of the food
which should cheapen them, we need not wonder
at Mr. GLADeronz being convinced by the explana-
tions of plain farmers, nor at his telling any de-
putation, many mouths ago, that if it could bold
out a prospect of beef and mutton being ld. per
lb. cheaper, the case would be • very clear and
strong one. The farmers believe that they can
prove their point: they are likely to have the op-
portunity of an experiment ; and it seems evident
that many of them will use certain soils, now pro-
ducing wheat which does not pay, for growing such
barley as they can—knowing that they can keep for
profitable use at home the qualities which will not
suit the nialtater, thus improving his stock for the
butcher, and finding encouragement to enlarge his
stockbreeding, and offer more meat in the market.
To the public generally the objections raised
seem to be in such striking contrast with the
measure and its grounds, in regard to importance,
that the wonder is that they can be so loudly pro-
claimed. Those which relate to the actual work-
ing of the new measure are, of course, worthy of
all consideration from the Committee and the
public ; but to all evil prophecies about the effect
on the revenue, and on the health of cattle, and
on the pockets of the farmers, the proper answer
is that of Mr. GLADSTONE :-" It is an experiment ;
let it be tried."
It should be remembered that nuiltaters and
others have had warning for years of what is
coming. They know what tke demand for malt
dust has risen to ; and they are aware how
foreigners can feed their cattle on duty-free malt,
and then eend them into our markets, to compete
with animals debarred from the food, or laden
with the duty on it. They could never have
doubted that something must be done in such •
case ; and now the time has come. However the
restrictive details of the measure may work, or
fail to work, the essential part of it will stand ;
and it is the anticipation of those who have fully
tested the effects of malt in the stock-yard
that a free use of it will at once improve and
cheapen our prime meats. As even pigs thrive
better on sprouted than bard barley, the labourer
who sticks to his bacon may find his advantage ;
but the beef and mutton eaters have more at
stake.