The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-11-07 00:00:00

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marine**, tAf, It EN En Elf.
.
Puripipttliellequi meeting,
of the froble•ieu, Fr Magistrates sot .
Towns, Justice of the Peace, and CosiMAVollere af
Supply, was held yesterday sa'nuig4t. at Renfrew.
i• take into copeadiriWtiate the state of the Cons
Lawn. The Ilequraition Wog read, ow the motive.
of Mr. Maltese," Mr. ALaitaxisita wai c.6lleid
to the Chair.
Mr. M•Xvera.t. said the eject thee were met to
discuss was equally involved is. ignorance and irri-
tation, and hitherto veudered perplexing iu propor-
tion as it has been canvassed: A deviation fruit,
any uniform priociple a au expedition iu search a f
difficulties, stud certainly oue white' iiitimates
preference to it powerful class of the COilluii31111),
is not likely to be disappoiused of it. object. The
principle Mhieh pervade. ot6 commercial policy se
to admit the prdductions of all other countries nowt
payment of cererin duitioia and there duties hate
beau large or sdiall, according to the extent th.c
the production imported was liable to do injury to
the native whose property was invested, or whose la-
bour was engaged in the business of supplying
them. The wisdom of this restrictive legislation is
at present questiOned by some of the meet powerful
writers on political 'company ; but it is considered
to be the most easy and certain mode of collecting
the revenue by practical financiers, sod oue which.
if pernicious, has beets so long customary as rather
to seem an obstacle to the greatest possible good,
than to be felt to be • positive evil. Indeed, al-
though it is not easy to deny the truth of those
theories which are meowed to the restrictive system.
and few men whose fortunes are guaranteed by, or
whose means of subsistence deptud on, its continu-
ance, have been able to obtain sufficient faith in
them to accede to the principles of a flee trade.
But the restrictive system bus been violated, and
the theory of a free trade most rigorously repulsed,
in the anomalous and iiidefinable mode of indemni-
fying the agricultural interest fur the detriment of
extraordinary taxation. It is to the effects of this
mode of protecting the cultivator of the soil, 'list
I have felt it to be my duty to call your attention;
and I propose. as shortly is pomible. to point out
to you the impolicy of continuing under the influ-
ence of a system which gives the Irma possible pro-
tection to agriculture, at the greatest possible sacri-
fice of commercial prosperity. When I speak so
strongly on this metier, it is as the Repreeetitative
of a mannfacturing county ; but I think a law
which has made such a breach between the pion and
the rich—which has placed the (sillier and the Ma-
nufacturer in direct hostility to each °dies—who h
has betrayed speculators in foreign grans into collu-
sive practices— I think I am morally justified tumble.
ing it the least beneficial law that could have here'
devised. Next to iliat security for capital, mud ie.
ducement to the exertions of skill, which is
quent upon equitable laws, the low price of the
necessaries of life must be the greatest sttrucsiois to
manufacturing enterprise; and when ae recollect
the competition for the raw products of the law,
which is excited by that valuable Wench of dusilestie
industry, we must beauxious to retinas it, even at ruche
apparent sacrifice. What we increase the power of
consumption in any class of society, we stamp a waist-,
on the articles they require, exactly pruportionate to
that increase, and vice versa. If we impede the trade
of the country, we diminish the means of purchase
amongst the classes dependant upon commerce. and
cootract the sale of our @folds. ; and of mutest
lower the exchangeable value of the whole. It lb
thus by prohibiting the nitro:Auction of grant we
choke up one of the vents of manufacture, and be-
come liable, not only to the evil of giving untrue
encouragement to agriculture, but even of iiiffcting
a sort of poll-tax upon the community. This iii
practice is to give a great nominal value to rive pro-
duce. and in so far. as it is consumable, it way
bring a large price; but, if only one half of it c•tii
be consumed, the other hill is in point of fact
without further valise. This at bast is the care in
Britain, because taxes on landlord and teloont hare
made grain too high priced to be saleable on tine
Continent. The prohibition, although contingent
in the le'ter, is now likely to become positive in the
spirit. from the improved value of the currency ;
but if otherwise. still it cootinues- so be iojurioliN
to the manufacturer, by creating fluctuations ill
price, by producing stagnation of trade, and by
making the introduction of foreign corn a specul.-
lion for the monied interest, and out a barter of law
produce against articles of manufacture. tear
great nations) policy ought to be, to direct labor
into those channels which ate most productive of
remuneration to the workman, because he cast Lear
greater burdens with less suffering, by atteioro,t
to this object, and may cousequently be less ilioor
tented, and of course more easy to govern. If by
working a certain number of hours es an artisan, a
men can exchange the commodity he has wrought
up against foreign raw produce. sufficient lor
his wants, whilst, by cultivation, for as many
hours he could only obtain a scanty lend inade-
quate subsistence, trade is his ',rupee employ-
ment. All that the State has to du, is to see
that it is the badness of soil and climate whit.'
makes its farming fruitless, and slot artilic;id
causes. such as tithe, pour law., roads, bridges.
churches, gisolsand other burdens priuct pally charged
upon landed property. But there may be outer
person who has not the same power of cliongii.g els
occupation, sad yet canuot furnish the *remise ov.:tt
food in return for his manufacture, because abs
burdens oo his lease are almost ar heavy us the
whole cost of the foreign husbandman. flow to
meet these two interest. with equal inipartislity sus.'
with safety to the revenue, was a que.tion wile the
Legislature, and at last it was resolved skit the a!-
Ilion shall suffer two years out of the three, acid
the agriculturist one. if we may judge from•
past. But iu the mean lime, by tins uncomfortable
process. the speculator grows rich, and article. of
consumption, which never contributed to the re-
venue, are sold—although de facto, as contraban..l
as Holland. or lace, in the same phice where they