The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-12 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

" why should the charge be 'higher' elsewhere than in
Germany? should the German glass manufacturer,
for instance, undersell the Englishman in any foreign
market?" This writer, had lie been well acquainted with
his subject, would have known that the Germans can
neither produce cut-glass of equal brilliancy with the Eng-
lish manufacturers, nor bring any article of that manufacture
into competition with it at a lower. price. They can only
attempt this in the articles of plate-glass and common win-
dow-glass, and even here this country can come into the
foreign market on equal terms. But without stopping to
inquire whether the fact be as he states it, he proceeds
forthwith to account for it. "If the sale of the article,"

. . .
says he, "be checked by an excess of price beyond that of
the foreign manufacturer, must not the reason be looked
for in some different cause than that of scarce materials,
insufficient capital, or inferior skill? At the Custom-
house, we dare say, Sr. instructive explanation might be af-
forded of this preference given to German industry over
British. Enormous excise duties, it is notorious, arc levied
here on this beautiful and most useful fabric under coma-'
&ration ; and not having the thick volume of Custom-house
law before us, we do not bear in memory how much, or
whether any, drawback is granted upon the exportation of
the article; but the mortifying fact is, it seems, recorded,
that Germany—poor, slow, clumsy Germany—beats Eng-
land out of competition with her in a manufacture which
England has brought to as high perfection as any other
country on the globe, and in a country which it behoves the
British nation to occupy before every other."
But the writer who talks so familiarly of the Custom-
house and Custom-house law, and who indirectly ascribes
the successful competition of the Gennan over the English
manufacture, in the article of glass-ware, to the " enor-
mous excise duties," is confessedly ignorant of the im-
portant fact, that not only is this duty not paid on this
article when exported, but a bounty is in effect given upon
it, which enables the English manufacturer to enter the'
foreign market without any dread of being undcrsol.i. He
is constrained to acknowledge his ignorance as to how
much, or whether any drawback is granted upon the export-
ation of that article." But what can induce any writer to
enter on a subject, for the discussion of which be is, upon
his own showing, so completely disqualified? The first
fact which he ought well to have known, before lie des-
canted on the effect of " the enormous excise duties" on
this article, in enabling " the poor, slow, clumsy German"
to beat England out of competition, should have been,
whether these duties were token •:lis upon exportation or nut;
because if they are, the whole of his argument, with all
its invective, falls to the ground. Now the fact is, the
DUTY is V. Ns. per sot., and the drawback is 61. 35., thus
giving virtually a bus 'sty on exportation of H. Ss. per cwt.
From the article of glass he proceeds to the other article,
that of broad cloths.

"How conies it," lie asks, "that in one of our great
staple manufactures, the Saxons should outstrip us in the
favour or taste of the South Americans?" And, not pre-

suming that his readers have sagacity enough to solve so
important a question, he answers it himself, and he does
it in language as remarkable for its elegance as its perspi-
cuity :—" Why, it is the paradox and humbug that have
been played if by our system of taxation upon the various
growths of wad !"
This intelligence will no doubt greatly enlighten the
commercial world ; but if, peradventure, they should not
understand the sublime flight, he has other causes at hand.
" The foreign journeyman," he informs us, " eats at less
expense, and can, therefore, manage to work for less wages
than tint more dexterous and intelligent Englishman. But
the advantage on the side of the foreigner is, in its nature,
permanent, while that of our countryman diminishes every
day. The German acquires more knowledge with expe-
rience, and emulates the Englishman, at last, in skill and
dexterity ; while, unfortunately, the English workman con-
limns pretty stationary its point of stomach : experience
does not refine his appetite mas to content himself with a
smaller loaf; he cannot, therefore, the price of bread being
the same, retrograde in the price of labour, as the foreigner
advances with rapidity. This comes of the Coast Laws."
The Journalist then proceeds, in a style which rivals the
Black Dwarf, to talk of " those well-born monopolists, the
Country Gentlemen," and to assure us, that " never will
the proprietors of land themselves ascertain the true and in-
trinsic value of their acres, until the clogs and barriers raised
with so much barbarous ingenuity between the loaf and the
poor man's mouth, shall have been abolished."
Did it never occur to this sagacious politician that the
price of bread is, in the end, made cheaper by insuring a I
remunerating price to the Agriculturists, and thus encou-
raging the home cultivation? Did he ever ask himself'
how the " well-born monopolists," as he is pleased to call
the Country Gentlemen, are to bring their grain into the
market at the same price with the foreign grain, which pays
neither tithes nor poor-rates? What does he think, more-
over, would become of the grain of Ireland, which looks for
its consumption to the English market, if the Corn Laws
did not exist, anal an unrestricted importation were al-
lowed? That the low price of bread is a great benefit to
the labouring classes is a truism, which, taken in the ab-
stract, and without reference to its cause or its continuance,
no one will dispute; but what it most behoves us to inquire I
is, can the fanner continue to cultivate corn at a price
which does; not remunerate him, while he is thus under-
sold by the importer of Continental grail'? Because
if he cannot continue to do so, and is induced to throw the
greater part of his arable land in pasturage, the inevitable
consequence must be, that the home market of supply will
become so contracted, that either the price, from scarcity,
becotnts enormous, or we are lett at the mercy of the spe-
culators, who will import what quantity they please, and
will sell at a monopoly price. Thus situated, a year of
scarcity on the Continent would subject us to all the evils
and misery of famine, and the dogs and hairier. between
the loaf and the J'lor man's ',south, would be something
more than, as here it is, a foolish and unmeaning metaphor.

Mr. Blaquiere,

the Agent of the preek Committee, at-