The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-29 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL PRICES.

rearoay.
C. DICKENS, Bp., proposed Lord Alexander Leeson
r In sad proper pe son to represent that berestin sad
ape Its perliantrat. Be need not eater into • starreet of
*mashie Instl's political opinions, ee they were sufficiently
est firth in his address.
EDWIN ERNIE, Esq., seconded this noutinatioe,
after p., inn a tribute of respect to the late seemlier, Mr.
rr. He wee ears they would give their hearty support
Ga
Ural priaelples which the noble lord advocated. C. ()g-
-rim- and • laugh) They were principles which were
the
at of that constituency and re benefit of the
weary at large. The noble lord was not known to them
politically, bat the distinguished ferny with which he was
coerced was Su well known an so ht
appreciated in
that meaty and throughout the kingdose—tA voice : " Ay,
too welt known !")—tizat if they wanted any guarantee for
his remit of constitutional principles, be wee sure they
would find it in the fact of his beim. mg to such a family.
N obey candidate bring proposed, the raturniag racer
derred Lord Alt:Leder Leeson dry elected. (Cheers and
bsiaii,LICIANDEB. LENNOX then came forward and
sesd—l ea • stausch supporter of the established church
the ad-
of
this (Cheers ) I will strenuously oppose
We ion of Jews into parliament. lam t road to call m
myselfself
protectionist. (Choe and hoeticgs from rncrowd.) 1 advocate protection not only to the farmer but
to all claws of British industry. (oar, the
I am op.
reel to what Is card fr w trade. The farmer highly taxed
es he r—(A wore, " lower the rents then ")—you shut
year mouth and I will open mine—(('laugh)—tas
farmer hiohly tees" as he is caanot employ so
mazy labourer, nor can he give them as good
'l,lolr es ucder the old system, the c nasequence of which
will be that the occupiers rum be reined—(„mower the
teats")—nor can be expend as math money on the shop.
keeps,. (" Lower the rents.") At the same time the poor
name en increased std the fund out of which ehs y are paid
h lemmed. Ant Vat camse noese to the farmer end to the
shopkeeper and to the shipowner. I nahritringle declare
Wyeelf in favour of Tetra,: eg our steps. (Cries of
":fever.") I shall vote for imp.osing • duty on corn, and
thereby pre puree• its to British Industry. I shall reeled'
=Ling that I trait the confidence you, the independent
of the raper Brambir, the borough of Shoreham,
hr. reposed in me—(" No indepoodenoo")—will be borne
wt. (Corn.)
The proceedings then torsiostod.

TEE CONTICTS AT TBE CAPL—WO waderetend I
Net at the mat council the order authorising transportation
te tho Cope will be revoked.— Timm.
Tae PUBLIC SALAILIES.—Mr. Hamill obtained from
the Home of COMllleo last semiun perusimion for a Muth
h be made of ell peewee employed in the puWie depart-
s/en who were in the receipt of salaries of 1501. and up-
herds per amass. This statement has now been made by
the used, of dicers to the Treasury, and a complete elude
!intim of eleh amount is now being arranged, showing
the aims of the recipients and the fail amount of each
Irstlenan's theme. Mr. Hewes object, it is said, is to
Ms all governmeat salaries, in additiun to the drawback to
whets they are now liable on amount of the income-tax."
Part-orrice AItHANOENLNTB.—The following in-
Itrenios ow been isened by the Pommes/or-General to the
D.PutrPostmeaters :—Numerous errors having been made
117 Pretmootepo in the of forwarding the letters which
ariteaten4i mentiog (Sunday the 23rd inst.), it must
fistisoug ray
that the despatch to Loudon on 5e-
h11447 la to be contused exclusively tiers,ed forward let.
N 4 rryrt.toyqd letters, repaid llOl, letters pee-
r" b 7 homy gm: be sent up, sot any letters addressed to
"Meer the district, except those for the Odd
Whet of
the government. All lonise, eoloniel, sad ship
kik", Itailed at the appro, must of coarse be brwarksel

seta.
Tag EgnourioN Fun0......21t a aelatialr of the
,kgl'ulkibrar_= w this awisi„e, a resolatios in/ Ufa-
mantis. th. elm et the weft for
Masai% a;.." it fates tote tote lons en osseasik's
Pillaimus is sorryiss eat Kr. Mao? Bubo*
udellaira lama

For several weeks past the prices of grain have
been " stockd their tendency upwards, while WI..
perior fa has during the last fortnight been
selling in Smithfield for more money than for some
months previously. This is attributable to increased
consumption, pertly induced by the reviving pros-
perityof trade, and partly to the moderate prices of
provisions. The Mark-lane Express tills us that
"the consumption of bread is unprecedently great,'
and adds, "this is not so much owing, we are sorry
to my, to any improvement in the general condi-
tion of the working classes, as to the act that
bread is now one of the cheapest articles of
food." A circumstance, be it noted, of great
importance in considering the condition of the work-
ing claw,. " But," says the writer we refer to,
"whatever the cause, the fact is undeniable; and
enormous as have been our imports during the last
twelve months, the end of the year finds us with com-
paratively light stocks on hand." When the great
number of families whoare supported by wage. of the
lowest ratio are taken into account, it is difficult to
=L W what extent the consumption of bread may
in this country, under prices steadily medi-
tate. We believe that increase will be far beyond
anything which has been anticipated. Of meat,
too, there has been a vastly increased consumption,
and therewith hu arisen a demand forkeat ot supe-
rioc quality. Take, for example, po The num-
ber of pigs fed during the past autumn has been alto-
gether without precedent. and yet the price of pork
has not fallen in anything like the ratio of the in-
creased supply. This extension of pig feeding has
arisen from the high prices lately obtained for pig
meat, me well as from the low price of grain suit-
able for that purpose. One of the most extensive pork
dealers in the neighbourhood of London says that he
never had such a supply of fat pigs before,
and every one seems to bare some to sell. And he
tells us that the effect of this abundance of pat has
been to make veil' fat meat almost unsaleable. His
remark was, " 1 can't think what has come to the
people, they are so delicate they won't look at fat
pork, though when prices were high it could not be
too fat for them." And this discriminating demand,
the result of abundance, will acceunt for the very low
prices at which we see our fat and coarse meat
of all kinds quoted. Now, apart from the im-
pulse to trade and production which will be given
by *see moderate prices and abundant supplies
I of provisions, there is arising an immense increase of
cousumption, which will effectually prevent any fur-
ther fall in prices. Indeed, we are satisfied that all
kinds of agricultural produce are likely to rise rather
than fall during the next six or eight months. If
after that time there should be lower prices of core,
they will be produced by home abundance, not by
importation. What, for instance, are the compare-
live rues of plan here and abroad ? In ?dark-
lane, on Monday last, the price of white Bog-
fish wheat was from 40s. to 48,. the quarter,
and of red from 38s. to 435. the quarter,
while foreign wheat of the very best sorts ranged
from 425. to 60s. per quarter. These prices were,
however, applicable to a comparatively small quan-
tity of the finest wheats of great value, for mixing
with English wheat in the manufaieure of flour, but I
by far the largest portion of foreign wheat is quote i
at lower prices than English wheat.
Now, turning to the account soft the foreign coin
trade, we find that at Danzig, " withstanding the
discouraging reports from the British markets,holders
refused to take lower rates for fine quell- I
ties of wheat." The beat old high mixed wheat 11
is quoted 41s. to 43e. per quarter; and this is
the kind of wheat of which the extreme 1,
quotation for the most superior somples in Mark-lane I
is 60e. It is obvious that there is no margin wide
enough to cover freight, insurance charges, and P,
fit. In other continental ports, wheats of inferior
descriptions bear the same relative prices to equiva-
lent qualities in Mark-lane. Here, thee, there is
plainly no present possibility of lower prices from
foreign competition. It will, however, be said that
there is verge enough to prevent the realisation of
that pro:eationist ideal, a remunerative price, mu—
tiny are always straining after impossibilities—somas-
where about 643. a quarter • and it may be conceded
that such a price is not likely, except ibis the event of
a European failure of crepe, !Bain to obtained in
this country. Nor is it desirable that it should be,
for while farmers are tempted by occasionally high
prices, they will not avail themselves of the eider re-
source of large production which lies within their
reach, with reasonable forethought and ecergy. We
by no means venture to say that the price of wheat
may not yet be lower than at present, should
there be a genial spring and fine summer
in the current season, for it is admitted on all
sides that • finer autumn than that just passed has
not occurred for many years. From that cause alone
a great breadth of wheat has been sown, and every-
I where, on all kinds of soil, the seed has been well got
tin. For the last two years the weather has proved
most unpropitious to the occupiers of strong clay
soils, so that such land must be taken to be excepted
hem the report of the general abundance of last
harvest. Now, however, the wheats on the strong
beds are remarkably good, strong, and vigorous,
without being too forward, while there has been
anciagli, but not too =sob, of moisture foe
soils. Mach has also been dace on strong land,
bb the way of draining during the last two years, and
a large incre lee of proclaim may be looked for fees
that cum. We have every prospect, therefore, so kr
as the season has goes, of a good crop of wheat on oeff
heavy soils; and it is ooly when the crepe en Weal
soils are really good that we have a fall segments ef
tbe productiveness of the Ind of this sosnft. It
mad
wee the fall cross die Mess lasi la 1951
1836 wh'oh lossi the ainhtmat *NW of *kr
years; slid mg dear marina kigurrarlii sins-