The Express.
London, England, 1853-05-24 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY 3141' 24.

stimulus to the agricultural interest, is as good for
the national exchequer as for the national temper
and industrial morals.

The agricultural interest is entering upon a new
period. The change began with the importation of
live stock and the remission of the duties on agricul-
tural set ds, and it went on through the repeal of the
corn-laws. To finish the business we want a repeal
cf the duties on dairy produce. After the first stage
there was an expansion of grazing, and fattening
fur the markets, and of meat-eating. Till that time
a baneful restriction in the eating of meat was
taking place, so that the labouring classes seemed
but too likely to forget the taste of beef and mutton;
and even the middle classes were complaining that
the daily juint was becoming an extensive luxury.
The quantity of meat is not nearly enough yet, as
the present high prices show; but, lay the increased
importation, and by the use of railways to bring
'neat from the country into the towns the deficiency
has been by no means in proportion to the in-
crease of the population. The labouring class find it
nut more difficult than formerly, bin lather less,
to ;;et meat, notwithstanding the increase of
their numbers. Tillage has largely improved
by the increase in the quantity of manure; and
there are multitudes of farmers now who no longer
laugh at the idea of consuming the chief part of their
produce within their own fences, in order to make
a larger profit by the remainder than was once spread
over the whole. This process was hastened by the
repeal of the cora laws, which put an end to much
unprofitable wheat growing, and opened the way fur
much protitable grazing, and for that sound specula-
tion in dairy produce which will ensue upon the
total repeal of the cheese and butter &vies.
When that repeal takes place, the farmers, and
everybody else, will see how much leas cheese
we have than we want. They will find that
we want all that they can give us, over
and above what we can import. They will not sell
the less, but will find that they must make the more.
It is not the Parmesan cheese, nor the little Neut-
cl.iitel melting morsels, called cheese, that will come
in in such quantities as to help the public pocket,
and stimulate the agricultural mind. It is not from
those luxuries of the rich that the revenue from
cheese is raised that Mr. GLADSTONE fears to part
with. Our importation of Dutch cheese far exceeds
that of all other kinds put together. Our ships are
victualled with Dutch cheese because it keeps better
than any other. Under Free Trade stimulus we have
no doubt of our dairy farmers finding out the way
to make cheese that will keep. In the same
way, when they once perceive how gladly the
multitude eat cheese whenever they can get
it, they will turn their attention to supply
the need, and soon drive a fine trade. We
should like to know, and so of course would they,
how much cheese is actually produced in our own
country now ; but, for want of the agricultural sta-
tistics we mean to go on calling fur till we have
them, there is no saying. All we know is that it is
immeasurably less than we should be glad to bare.
Then Dr. COLQVUOUN stated that our national con-
sumption of cheese and butter could not amount to
much less•than 3,000,000/. worth per annum, every-
body cried out about the exaggeration, and an ex-
aggeration it is still called, yet, at that time, London
alone consumed butter to the amount of nearly
2,000,0001., leaving only 3,000,0001. for butter for the
rest of the United Kingdom, and for cheese for the
whole nation. If the conjecture was an exaggera-
tion, it only shows how the nation is stinted in
cheese.
And miserably stinted we are. Our Stilton and
Cheshire,aud G loucestcr cheeses arescarcely for popular
eating, though it is probable that they would become
so by the emancipation of demand which would
ensue upon Free Trade. In labourers' cottages
throughout England the yearly outlay for cheese,
though now considerable in the case of the most
prosperous, would be largely increased by a reduction
m price and improvement in quality, in the absence
of a sufficiency of meat for the whole population. In
the families of the poorer sort, cheese is seldom seen.
One may go through whole districts in the country,
and whole streets in the poorer parts of towns, end
find no cheese on any table, any day of the week.
Even this lowest form of animal food, which might
ho so easily supplied, is not there. The removal of
the duty would soon change the face of things. In
Scotland, the Dunlop cheeses are almost the
only sort we hear of, though the people show what
their taste in diet is by preferring ewe-milk
cheese to none. A nation that eats ewe-milk cheese
rather than go without is a rich mine of speculation
for a seusible dairy-farmer. In Ireland again, where
the sweetest grasses abound, where arable lands are
every day turning to pasture, where the butter trade
is a main resource, and the hills of Cork and Kerry
are covered with herds of celebrated cows, cheese is
really hardly procurable. The innkeeper in the west
of Ireland, even in Kerry itself, will tell you that he
is obliged to get every ounce of cheese from London.
Men and dairymaids who can keep cows and make
butter can supply cheese; and we have no doubt
whatever that this is one of the resources remaining
to be opened up to regenerated Ireland, as well as to
prosperous England, whenever the popular demand
has a fair chance of asserting itself.
And what prevents this? The gross duty received
on cheese, under the si. duty, is only between
70,0001. and 80,000 e Government is victualling our
ships, and so are our merchants, with Dutch cheeses;
and oar Greenwich and Chelsea pensioners aro su
plied with cheese which has varied from M. per lb.
to nearly 9d. within a century. Some savings would
, be made in these directions by a natural expansion
of dairy production at home; but much greater
would be the resource from the improved condition
of the cheese-eating multitude. Commerce in cheese
would prosper, of course. The benefits are so clear,
, the immediate sacrifice so small, and the compensa-
, tion for that sacrifice so secure, that there is no ex-
cuse for perpetuating the duty on cheese one hour
beyond the first opportunityof taking it off.

THE Verdict has at last been pronounced by the I
Jury appointed to try the Derbyite Dockyard delin-
quents. They have all met the utter condeinnation
they so richly deserve. The evidence which has been
before the public now fur some weeks was so full and
convincing, that there could be but one opinion astotke
nature of the decision to be arrived at. The guilty
parties had saved the judges much trouble by con-
&toeing themselves. Thus, the Committee, when
they expressed a tolerably strung opinion open the
Duke of NORTIIUMBERLAND'S utter incompetence,
only echoed his Grace's own words. When they
tell us in their Report, that "from the day the Duke
came into office until he went oat he Lever knew
whether the patronage war in the hands
of the Naval Surveyor ur the Septa in-
tendent of the Dockyards, and, in fact, that
he knew nothing shout the matter," they are only
making u,e of the Duke's own evidence. It is his
Grace himself who has given his own testimony to
the astounding fact that, to help a political party, he '
consented to take upon himself the official manage-
ment of the Naval arrangements of the greatest mari-
time power in the whole world, without having the '
least practical knowledge of the working of the de-
partment over which he was about to preside. Europe
is at present in a state which may lead to the break- '
ing out of hostilities at any time—the due equip-
ment and efficiency of our tieet may be the vety timed
only means of preserving not only our supremacy
bat our independence. Other maritime nations are
struggling to improve and perfect their means of
offence and defence, and at this critical moment, a
poce-curante First Lord of the Admiralty saunters
fate the Dockyards, to take charge of them,
although he is conscious, and confesses, that,
with respect to details intimately connected
with the efficiency of these establishments, he knows
nothing at all about the matter. So that it' the
fears of a portion of the nation were unfortunately
realised—if an enemy were to make a descent upon
our coasts—if our means of defence were found to be
incompetent—if our Navy were sacrificed, the First
Lord would excuse himself at once from all responsi-
bility, by an assurance that he knew nothing
about the matter, and that his colleagues
were aware of this. Can there be a more
crushing demonstration of the utter unwor-
thiness and degradation of the Derbyite party
than this ? All feelings of patriotism, all sympathy
with the put traditions of a glorious Navy, all re-
gard fur the safety of the country, sunk in a selfish
desire to preserve place, and an unscrupulous use of
political patronage as the only means by which they
could hope to preserve it. Fancy a future NELSON
wielding the Naval forces of his country writing
home to a First Lord of the Admiralty, who had
confessed that in business connected with his
department, "he knew nothing about the matter."
Under what new form tho Conservative party may
again appear in the nation it will be for some future
PEEL to determine. In their present shape they are '
ruined beyond redemption. The minimum of politi-
cal honesty which has hitherto been considered ne-
cessary to the constitution of a party has been
reduced by them to an inappreciable quantity.
The shameless declaration of Mr. STAFFORD,
that the Dockyards must be filled by men
who would support the Government for the
time being his assertion that he was sub-
ject to pressure by Lord DERBY and Mr. DISRAELI,
and the shuffling manner in which the gist of this
assertion is endeavoured to be explained away—the
tergiversation manifested on the subject of Sir
BALDWIN WALKER'S resignation—the direct con-
tradiction given by Admiral l'atuees to the Duke
of NOIITUUMBERLAND's assertion that he had

--
never seen or heard of the letter of resigna-
tion until it was referred to in the House ot Com-
mons—the tampering with the voters—the dinners—
the utter disregard of the requirements of the service
—and the shameful perversion of official opportunities
for party purposes—form an episode in the historyof
party corruption which has never yet been surpassed.
There can be little doubt that note man in the a hole
Derbyite clique ever bestowed a thought upon the
past glories or future wants of the Navy which
he was indirectly attempting to ruin by
using the Dockyards for political purposes.
These establishments were to bo swamped
with bad and inefficient workmen, wasteful
expenditure was to be encouraged, wretched ships
built, inefficient management protected, all because
a few Protectionists were to be kept in power. A
future Nile or Trafalgar was to be rendered impos-
sible, in order that Lord DERBY might put his con-
nexions in places of trust, and Mr. Disaazu spout
borrowed rhetoric in the House of Commons. It
was for these ends that the Dockyards were to be
ruined. Let us bops for the credit of Parlia-
ment and the country that this is the last
exhibition of so disgraceful a nature which will be
brought forward to delight the foes of representa-
tive institutions ; and if it should be ever again the
destiny of the Conservative party to assume the
reins of power, let them COON at least with clean
hands, and repudiate the men who have done more
to discredit their cause and to damage their prospects
than a dozen lost elections, or a hundred Parham en-
tary minorities.

Max always have been cheese-eaters ; and no doubt
they will go on eating cheese as long as the world lasts.
When civilisation has overtaken any nation, it has
always found the damsels pressing the curd, and the
young men reckoning on their suppers of that same
curd, malted or otherwise &wore& And when, if
ever, civilisation reaches its ultimate stage, no doubt
it will superintend cheese-making by machinery,
when a faultless milk will be poured in at one end,
o be curdled by something more abundant than
rennet, and flavoured at will, and will come
oat at the other end, Gouda, or Parmesan, or
Gruyere, or whatever else may be desired. There
will then be no need of the peculiar pass that clothes
the meadows about Parma to give us Parmesan
cheese; nor of the peculiar methods of Dutch milk-
maids to produce the Gouda ; nor of Swim herbs to
give its flavour to our home-made Gruyare. Then
will be the days when more cheese will be eaten by
a highly civiheed world, and not less. Cheese has
not koome vulgar yet ; and when its quality is varied
and improved, the human race will eat it all the
more. Bat we are far from having reached the
vend of cheese making, and at present each com-
munity that wants another kind of cheese than
its own must import it. The best wisdom of rulers
is to make the importation u free as possible. Any
Administration that defends the emancipation of
bread from tax has no argument in defence of a duty
on cheese. Yet we are not rid of the duty yet; and
the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER does not mean
that we should be, at present. Five and twenty
years ago, when we were paying 10s. 6d. per cwt.,
we should have thought a reduction of this
duty something very tine : but our experience
of the benefit and blessing of Free Trade in agricul-
tural produce, since that time, has taught us to be
satisfied with nothing short of the extinction of the
duty. That high duty of five and twenty years ago
produced
little more than 87,000/. Very little of the
ported cheese was rent out again; and about
168,000 cwts. was consumed at home. tinder
the ss. duty, we imported last year nearly
290,000 cwts., of which less than 7.000
cwts. were re-exported. Under any diminished duty
there would, no doubt, be a much increased importa-
tion, reducing the loss much below what any CHAN-
CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would anticipate. But
there is no doubt in our minds that it wadi(' answer
best to any future budget to take off the duty alto-
gether. There ought to be no occasion, at this time
of day, to have to show that every improvement in
the popular condition, and in trade, does more to en-
rich the Treasury than taxes on the necessaries of
life ; and it ought to be evident to all who are fami-
liar with the life of our middle and lower classes that
every relief to the most numerous class, and every

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING. MAY 24, 1853.