The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-14 00:00:00

CORN LAWS.

Yesterday a very full Meeting Of the Bankers, 3letehanrs, and
Traders of this metropolis, was h:ld at the City of lA-Won Ta.
Tern, to take into ennaideratinn the propriety of petitioning Per.
liiment to revise and alter the Corn Laws.

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The Meeting was convened pursuant to the following requisition
so the Lord 3layor t—
'• We, the undersigned, do hereby request that your Lordship
will be plmed to convene a Public Meeting of the Merchants,
Bankers, Shipowners, 31anufacturets, and Traders of the City of
London, to consider the expediency of petitioning Parliament for
a revision of the Corn Laws."

The above requisition was signed by the members of the leatling
mercantile houses of the metropolis.
At a few minutes after one o'clock the Lord Mayor entered the
large room of the City of London Tavern. accompanied by Mr.
Wilson, M.P., Mr. Alderman Wood, M.P., Mr. Alderman
Thompson. M.P., Mr. Hume, M.P., Mr. Robert Grant, Mr.
Gall, and the other Members of the Committee.

The LORD MATOR, on the motion of Mr. Ald. Wood. having
been called to the Chair, addressed the Meeting. He had been in.
drieel to comply with the requisition for conven ir.g the present Meet.
ing, in consideration of the numbers and therespectabilityof the sig.
natures to it. The requisition was one of the Nlerchants, Bankers,
and Traders of this metropolis, calling upon him to convene a Meet.
ing. to consider the expediency of petitioning Parliament to revise
the Corn Laws. With such a requisition he felt it his ditty to Com-
ply. as he would to any other in which it should appear to hint that he
might be useful to his fellow-citizens. He was at the same time 1'
swam that the reason of requesting him to preside at the Meeting
that (ley, arose out of the circumstance of his being Chief Melee.
trete of this city. In many respects he felt his untittingness. for
ouch a situation : it would not devolve on him, itt his capacity of
Chairman, to enter into a discussion of the various interests con-
nected with this question that would be the duty of those at
whose request this Meeting had been convened. Besides, the ques-
tion was one of vital importance, end he would not hesitate or
blush to avow that he was not so perfectly acquainted with the
question in all its details as to be prepared to go fully into it, or
give a decided opinion upon it. One tiling, however, he would
say, that the present time was particularly favourafle for some.
thing being done towards the revision of those laws. (Hear, hear.)
els the Legislature was now pursuing liberal and enlightened prin-
ciples in commerce, by the removal of the restrictive and protecting
duties on foreign manufactures, he was desirous that the same
principles should be extended to the agriculture of the country, and
that the manufacturing interests might thereby be in some degree
relieved, without materially depressing the agricultural interests.
(Beer, hear.) The Secretary (Mr. Hall) would now read the pro-
positions which would be submitted to them, in order that the
Bleetin • might be previously apprized of the Resoluttocs rectum.
mended by the Committee to their adoption.
The Secretary here read the Resolutions in detail (for which see
Advertisement).
ller. WlesoN, M.P. in proposing the first Resolution. felt him-
self placed under somewhat awkward circumstances. He did not
expect to have been called to propose a Resolution at the present
meeting; he attended rather for the purpose of receiving the in.
structions of his constituents, to support in Parliament whatever
petition they might resolve upon, and, as their servant, to discharge
that public duty towards them from which he never had, and hoped
he never would, flinch. (Hear, hear.) As the Resolution, however,
had been entrusted to him, he would occupy but a very small por-
tion of their time in the observations with which he should preface
it. The first part of the Resolution stated, and the proposition was
an obvious and self-evident one, " that the high price of grain is
injurious to the commercial interests of the nation.' Such it had
been found was the effect of' the present prices. It had been said,
indeed, that these prices would at some future time be reduced to
a low degree ; it might be so, but that would rot he an available
remedy for the evils of which the present system had beer and conti-
nued to be productive. As far as the present question related to
the wealth of nations, it was manifeat that the high prices of corn
retarded the wealth of a nation in the fame proportion that they
affected and retarded the pr.:epees of manufactures. (Hen.) The na-
tural and necessary effect of the depression of our rnanufac urea
must be the increase of those abroad, and the laying out of aug-
mented capital in the manufactories of foreign countries. The pre.
sent restrictive laws raised corn to an artificial twice: it was artifi-
cial price which obliged M., and moge than 20s. per quarter, to
be paid fer corn more than that for which it might be had. This
might be a partial benefit, but it was a general evil ; and it was not
an advantage to these who enjoyed the partial benefit, in the same
proportion that it was an inconvenience to the community at large.
High prices were at all times to be avoided, particularly of this
very necessary article ; it was therefore he submitted the present
Resolution, which he thought might, with advantage to the general
intercom of the country, and with perfect safety to them all, be en.
tertained.
Mr. ',Aare/iv seconded the motion. He fully agreed with the
sentiments of the lion. Moyer. and particularly approved of the
latter par dths Resolution, which stated, " that the loss arising to
the public trom nigh prices is rot compensated by corresponding
advantages accruing to any class of society.
Mr. tioLwes was desirous of directing the attention of the
meeting to a particular pump: in the Resolution ; it was that
which stated the present price of grain to be unnecessarily high.
Now, they should always bear in mind that the commercial and
agricultural interests of this country were one and the same, and
that they were inseparably united, and should not on any account
be made separate or distinct. (Hear, hear.) lie did not think it
fair to Cast a stigma on so influential a portion of the community
as the agricultural interest. Besides, it should be censitierol that
although the price of corn was high, yet the burdens which the
people of this country bore were greater titan those borne by the
people of any other country, and therefore the present high price
might be unavoidable. It was not therefore fair to say that the
present price was unnecessary, when it might so happen that it was
unavoidable. (Hear, hear.) Whatever measures they might'
now resolve upon, they ought at least, in his opinion, to keep clear
of casting retiectionsun any class of persons, especially on that class
which was most likely to be afferied by whatever Resolutions they
might adopt. Ile would therefore move as an amendment, that
the wind " unnecessary" be expunged from the first Resolution.
Mr. WILSON, in explanation, said, that the epithet was by no
means intended to cast a reflection or stigma on any class of the
<amenity ; indeed the very terms of the Resolution could not,
with fairness, be said to convey such a meaning. However, as the
word less unimportant to the Resolution, and to preserve the most
complete unammity..he would consent to its being espunged.

31r. Hot stEII.--I thank you.
The word " unneceesery" was accordingly expunged from the
Resolution, which, in its amended state, was put to the meeting,
and unanimously carried.
Mr. TOOKE proposed the second Resolution. He would occupy
the attention of the meeting but a very short time. There was no
sentiment which he was more anxious to have disclaimed, thsn
that there was any intention of casting a stigma or imputation upon
tiny class of persons. The only object of those who were en-
gaged in bringing forward the business of this day was, to adopt
such Resolutions as were most ermeistent, and best adapted to the
interests of the country. Ile would now beg to call the attention of
the meeting to the Corn Laws which hail been enacted in the year
1815. and to their subsequent modification in Ited. The object
aimed at (et least the professed one was to prevent the fluctuation
ref mires, and to reduce them to a permanent and established stand-
tied. This was impossible to be accurately established, in the first
instance from the variations in the seasons, which would necessa-
rily affect the prices ; but there was also another consideration, which
did not appear at that time to have been taken luily into account-
-Ist, an increasing population; and nifty. that MIN was but a limited
territory, anti that it was already fully eudivated. It was mani?est
then that in the pregrese of time we could only be relieved by
importation. To facilitate importation no considerable relief was
:aerated by the Corn Bill of 1315; but ty the subsequent altera-
tions in that 1131 in 1822. it was enacted, that whets the price of
corn went so high as seventy shillings per quarter, our ports should
be man to the recaetion of threign corn, at the duty of seventeen
shining,. Our ports were also freely to be thrown open whenever
the price of grain reached so high a price' as ciehty shillings per
quarter; bat this was an event not reasonably to tie expected, ex.
ceps at a period of some very Brent pressure, and thereto:a. could
not be regarded as one of frequent or probable occurrence. He
would nut enter into the consideration of leverage prices, as that
was one witheut the scope of the pre, at Resolution, but would
call the attention of the Meeting to the pc triple on which it was
aileged the present restrictive system of 1, ro Laws was rend:l:shed.
Itraa to obviate the inconvenience that might arise to this country
on the possible event of a war, by our inability in such an event
to pro:ure the importation of foreign corn. Now the probable con-
tingency of a remote war was not, he would contend, a satisfactory
t,r sa:fic:ent !;round of legislation. At all events it was not within
Cie wipe of 'a
reasonable probability, even to expect such another
!,-.17 as that in which we bad been recently engaged; and although
stet a wee (an occurrence not within the range of probable mine)
arise, yet it would not warnent the adoption of the principle
iel which it was alleged that these laws had been founded; for it
should be remembered, that in the very height of the war--in the
year 1140--1.1 that very year in which the greatest struggle was
made with our then powerful enemy, we Ited imported large quan-
:lnes of agrirultural produce from the Continent, subject only to
tt,•• picot:vedette: of the risk we incurred. atal to the extra ex-
:, • . s of conveyance. We then imported from the Continent
t temp, and corn, and this too at the very time that there
se,.• a ninun a the Powers of Curope arrayed against us. It
. was
1 flaiaZkat);e alto, that the greatest importation en cum
;eta 11.3 claally was 1,:i00,009 quartets, or about a-million and a
I) . a-. 1 lot too at a period when we were at war with France.
,ts ia n. ;re. the largest proportion of the quantity imported was
I ••• I rush poets, or from the ports of the Netherlands which
e nen utser the dominion of France. Vet during this period
5.5 e e wt•-e rut practical sufferers beyond the ordinary times.
-!•,. otia: was occasioned by the variation of the seasons, and
• r• .. •„.••••ar ; y en:reused expense of conveyance. Reverting to the
• ),•ty. and to the wars whirl, then prevailed, end more parti-1
• to the air of 1745 with Frame, it would be found that in'
• ,a there had inert an iniporta•ron of 500,000 quarters of
..••0 this tountry, whirls would Lot surely have been per-
ii;:.) lie France, if they supposed that by withhoidirg that
.; • ; ••:;e t' onerations of the war em our port would have ;
.;•• • I, or that they could hays starred us. From these
~cateit,enN, which might eseily be niultiplied, this
••• es: ..snit 1132 anived at, that wher.ver there was a super-
.• • *IN ly hot told the wants of the market for whieh it was
.• • ' of withhold it from expertation was a greaf. inconvenl-
e, • he country which had it to export than to the itnpotting
• It was only upon such a principle that the importation
• • tht I•nehice of one country into another with which it was Sli
W 1... accounted tor. He ( Mr. 'took.) had gone i.to ells
• • . ination, to show the unr.;ssatiableness of the ptinciple.
•• • • 't • aa zy 01 a war—on which the present laws