The Express.
London, England, 1847-08-04 00:00:00

town, and had not done, were thrown in his teeth. It
is something to find sordid motives for electing mem-
bers falling into disrepute in localities not remarkable
for electoral purity.
Again at Maldon, which comprises a considerable
rural district, Mr. QUINTIN DICK, the late money-
member, was also the lowest on the poll; and he re-
tired from the borough after easing. his mind by the
expression of much virtuous indignation about
" broken pledges " and " violated promises." Bat
let us tell these money candidates that it was to the
earnest and strenuous exertions of the independent
and honest portion of the constituency—the men
whose cheeks burned with shame at being made the
instruments of such protectionist " dictators " as Sir
Jolts TYRELL—that their deserved defeat is mainly
attributable.
A correspondent gives us the following instance of
the spirit which animated the liberals of Essex
Da one contest, where it appeared there would probably
be a close run, a seaman, a 101. voter, was found to he ab-
sent with his vessel, and it was uncertain whether he was
at /lane or Aotwerp. A young girl, one of his daughter!,
of her own accord, and quite unknown to the liberal can&
date, or his committee, determined to teeth him. All she
asked was to be driven over to the rs.dwsy station, to meet the
third class train. On reaching Loudon she went to the station
of the Dover Railway ; there a clerk, with great civility, ad-
vised her to irsby Southampton. So she went on to Nine-elms.
On reaching Southampton she found a packet just sailing.
At Havre, having hired a guide, who understood English,
she searched the quay DU she found her father and his ship,
and brought him home. Wheel (says our correspondent)
such energy animates our cause we must succeed.
An example of resistance to dictation is to be found
in the late election for Oldham. There Mr. FIELDER,
the late member, from his great wealth and
influence, has, until the late contest, succeeded not
only in securing his own election, but in select-
ing hiii own colleague. In this way he succes-
sively procured the return of the late Mr. COBREIT,
whose political views were not unacceptable to the con-
stituency, and General JOUNSON, who had very few
political pretensions at all. On the recent occasion
Mr. FIELDER tried to force upon the electors
of Oldham, Mr. Jon& Coenerr, the son of his
late friend ; and be has been very properly
answered by finding himself and his nominee at
the bottom of the poll, while his opponent is re-
turned et the head. These things speak volumes as
to the progress of the electoral mind. They show
that the lesson of self-reliance and power of organi-
sation amongst the middle classes, so strongly enforced
by the example and precepts of the league, has not
been forgotten. It is remarkable, too, that Mr.
FIELDER, though compelled to vote against the corn
laws, lost no opportunity of endeavouring to cast dis-
credit upon the league movement ; by which alone a
repeal of the corn laws had any chance of being
carried.
In the counties, for want of organisation, resistance
to protectionist dictation is not so general or so ef-
fective as in the boroughs. Still, even in counties
there are signs of such resistance. North Essex will
probably succeed in returning a whig, and in reject-
ing Sir ions Truett's Irish nominee. In South
Essex Sir EDWARD BUXTON, a liberal, is mentioned
as likely to contest the division against Mr. Bowen,
SMYTH, whose name, our readers will recollect, is as-
sociated with a case of much oppression, tried at the
Essex Spring Assizes, wherein the widow of a de-
ceased tenant brought her action for having been'
turned out. of Mr. BOWYER SMITH'S (or his father's)
farm, and her goods thrown into the road at twelve
o'clock on the very day her tenancy expired.
Nevertheless, this gentleman comes out as &flaming
" farmers' friend," and betrays his own ignorance, not
merely of the principles which all inteldgent men
now admit must govern oar commercial legisla-
tion, but of all that is passing around him, by an ad-
dress containing the following passage :
J opposed, to the best of my abilities, the late free-trade
measures of 1816. I hare seen no reason to change my
opinions on that subject. On the contrary, I think that the
enormous fluctuations in the price of corn during the last
ten months, and the pressure in the money market arising
from the export of sovereigns in exchange for foreign corn,
which has caused the most wide-spread commercial distress,
are fair examples of what may be expected from persrcer-
once us a system of free trade. I am still, therefore, of
opinion, that free trade Is a fallacy ; iniumucof the lande dh Ls its only
effect is to enrich the foreigner at the expense
interest of England ; and, finally, to endanger the existence
of the agricultural industry of the country. I shall, there-
fore, use my best endeavours torestore and preserve adequate
protection to British industry.
If ignorance be bliss, assuredly Mr. BOWYER
SMYTH must be a happy man, for a more perfect in-
stance of freedom from the " folly of being wise "
than his address presents, it has not been our fortune
to meet with. To him the failure of potatoes and
the scarcity and famine which have pervaded Europe
are things unnoticed or unknown. He sees nothing
in the high prices of the present year, and in the de-
rangements of commerce thereby caused, but " fair
examples of what may be expected from per-
severance in a system of free trade." Surely the
liberal—nay, the rational, electors of South F x
will not permit their district to contribute to the
next parliament each a unique specimen of squire-
archal wisdom as Mr. BOWYER SMYTH. Why even
the 3iittesits, the BENTINCIIB, the DisnsEire, and
others of that section, have gone far, far beyond this
Essex squire. We remember, some years ago, in •
remote cottage in Jersey, to have met with a very old
gentleman, who was a most ardent politician, and a
violent opponent of the existing government, and
whose peculiar crotchet was strenuously to advocate
the right of the house of STUART to the throne of
these realms ! One scarcely could refrain from laugh-
ter when hearing this old gentleman declaim, with all
the vehemence of a protectionist, against the title
of the Hanoverian family to reign, although the public
voice had ratified the existing settlement for nearly a
century and a half, and the rival family bad become
extinct ! Now in a year or two the BOWYER
BIITTIIS, the Sir Jowl TYRELLS, and others of that
school, will be nearly as great political curiosities as
the old Jerseyman, who cherished, for half a century,
notions which had even in his youth been out of date.

IN t previous article on cotton, we stated that
though its fall in price has been upon the whole gra
deal, it has also been variable. Thus, from Kr.
WOODBCRIrB tables of the prices of cotton at the
places of export in America, we learn that the ave-
rage price for a period of live years was, from
ino to 1800 IL per 11.
1806 to 1810 „ 9
1818 to 1820 1
1826 to 1630 541. „
MI to 1838 tod.

The relative prices of the different kinds of cotton,
at Liverpool, were, in 1837 :
Om bland
741P1L00 O4. Ind. to Is. 41d. „
Brazil
NewOrlesas Os. 71d. to Os. II d. „
AA ASA RA d

From the American planters continuing to grow
cotton even at the reduced rates, it has been inferred
that their profits must have been great when cotton
sold at the higher prices, and that the limit had not
been reached in 1837 at which they would cease to cul-
tivate. But since the price of middling American
cotton fell to 31d. even at Liverpool, we have seen
that a diminution has taken place in the supply, and
high prices have consequently been produced, from
which the manufacture is now suffering. This con-
firms what was previously known, that the Americans,
though obtaining from 300 to 400 lbs, of clean cotton
per acre, are unable, in consequence of their expen-
sive slave labour, to sell it for less than 3d. a pound
even at their farina, while the natives of India,
though not clearing, on an average, 100 lbs. per
saw, can yet sell their cotton for about ld. to lid. a
pound :to Wakarias or middlemen, by whom it is
sold at Bombay for about 21d. a poun& It might be
supposed that these prices would enable the Indian
merchants to undersell the American planter, instead
of the price of Indian cotton being entirely depend-
ent upon that of America. We might be justified
in inferring that this must be owing to the intrinsic
inferiority of the former ; but on investigation it ap-
pears to be rather the result of imperfect manipula-
tion in the first instance on the part of the cultivator,
and afterwards of intentional adulteration by the
Wakariae or other middlemen as well se by the
carrier. So that, in fact, Indian cotton usually
reaches the Manchester spinner mixed with one
fourth part of refuse, or of dirt of different kinds.
Wads° stated that it was owing to variableness,
combined with lowness in price, that the irregular
sf cotton from India was chiefly to be ascribed.la:reafi easy to make this very clear, in consequence
e! tip 'sterns having been made in some years in
itailers in corm. ; also, sometimes in mounds,
in lbs., while at other times only the
'WM& is given. Since the establishment of
the influence of price is more sea-
dayll6. the following years the prices at
Meisel ow is second column, the exports from