The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1814-09-05 00:00:00

Mr CORY LAWS.

coNNEenoN BETWIXT THE PRICE OF GRAIN
AM) THE PRICE OF LABOUR ANI) WAGES.

[Concluded from our Paper of Saturday.]
Die l'enerif, 24 Attie, IR 14.
The EAR.; of HARIAIICKE I. tlw Choir.

.-----. -.-
Patrick Molar, E• 41• M. P. attvnitilez, is (1'11..4
in; and it being wooled that 11r. Millie hr per-
mitted to sit down; the saute is agreed
31ilne having been smiris, i• then tNkllllllle4 as
lowa :--
As a proprietor of land have not you attended to
the expewie of agricultural labour iu Scotlaud ?
I have.

Ilace you not also had large cotweriss as a maim-
fuctatrer ?--I have.
Can yon state to the Committer the erect, as far
1111 vour observation hen gone, of the rise or fall of
grain on the value of agricultural labour in Scot-
land Sensiand Iwah s4rirultitral labour and
manufacturing labour are considerably affected by
the ripe 111141 fall lir grain and provisions. I lave
considered Chit wilco grain mid other provi-
*ions rose, both maiiiiliretiiring and agricultural
labour fell : on tier corium"-, when provisions *oil
grain fell, in.inufacturiug agricultural labour
rosy: the rywriii is obvious;osilig them are in
ally one parish 100 lataiiifflrs, who are Ode to do
the work of that parish, if provisions rim:limit, la-
bourer: nill do thimble n;irk, of course, there being
only a certain demiuml tar labour, the labour falls;
if provisions, 03 the emu rary. fall, those labourers do
much less work, protialily not our half: you must
theretere go into other parishes, nod seek more la-
bourers; ibis makes u demand for labour, acid
human rises. I have ultra's observed, that the price
of labour was govenied by the deinaial and supply,
like every other connisoility, instant by the price of
grain; the price of grain has certainly some efreet
upon the price of labour, 1111 d 40 has the price of
shoes, sod the price of cloth ;Sant it does not appear
to me that the price of labour gositerwd entirely
by it; this reasoning applies to Scott:nal, where in
most instanees we leave no poster rates; in England
the reasoning must Ii very different.
When twat sty that the labourer will do double
work, do you not 121C1111 that the rise in the price of
grin's, and the difficulty of obtieinin. the smile
quantity, will urge him to ilo such a quantity of work
as will enable him to hare the usual enjoyments?—
Certainly ; and very often it goes furtlwr than that,
that be floes too much work and works beyond him
strength, when grain is very high; at other times lir
is idle, when is low.

..
Can you state to the Committee any particular
instance of agricultural erork that you may have
entitnictisl for in a dear pin. and a cheap year ?—1
can state a very strong instituter that happened to
myself last year. I wished to Molnar a farm at the
latter eld of the year 1812, or the beginititig of
1s13; I sent for my Redid; and told him that I
had inclosed above i 5 years ago. a good deal of
laud; that the inelosure at that time cent we 3s.
per ell of 37 inches ; that a neighbour of trine, two
or three years ago, had made similar inclessures
which cost I • ss. per ell; that I thought he had
Maid too much, awl iltat I etaight to do it cheaper;
the answer I got from say Boiliti was, that provi-
sions. were very high, that the labourers were 11..ing
double work, arid that of course there wits Wss de-
nims! for labour, mid chat he could do those halo-
suri s last year at a cheaper rate thou I had ever
dime them. sold lie actually executed this inclosisre
ut about 'half-a-crown an ell. He stain mare to
me and told me that I had proiNeivil to lam to do
seam. ditching rind &milting mom :mother farni,
which I Ilia ant latellti to 4110 till LlLWillt a twelve-
month after, from the circumstatice I.f not beim,:
lolly in possessiou of the whole farm ; lie refits. steel
I would allow 'aim to do it that season, as he mall
do it so much ebeopes, and that a great tuairy
labourers were idle from having a little work, in
come:titmice of those who were employed doing
eligible work. 1 demireti hint to go on with that
labour likewise, and be actually cootructed for very
large ditches ut sixpence an ell. which I do not
think I could now do tinder front ls. to Is. 6d. in
coosequence of the fall to provisions.
Can you give the Committee sue informatiou re-
lierting the of of the price of provisions tiii ma-
nufacturing labour ?-1V hen pros is:ons are I i kelyal
to fall, I have always beets in OA, habit of giving
onlers to look out for more hair 44 hong' g that
more hands would be waisted to do the seine quan-
tity of labour; and when provisions got high, 1
never had ninth fear of genius plenty of hands,
breause tlwy did more work.
Ilanr you any statement of the price of menu•
factoring labour per piece now in cottons, or in any
other co 1111 l todity, for any number of years ?—I
bare rot from SCialaild, I east very easily get them;
but I was ut wane pains to etidear(par to WC how
far those ideas I had with regard to lab applied
to Englaitel, and for that sistepaite 1 wino to Mats-
chep.ter and to Stockport to get stuterneuts of their
labour in those quarters ; and I have two state-
ments, Inc from Blackburn, which gives the price
of numulacturing a piece of `common goods, such
as they call 7-1 Ong calicoes, Guarl792 to
1514, It is here'. red with the average price of
411 k
grain in each y 1 ukco frouictgereoard of t
Windsor market kept sat Eton .
Mr. Millie delivers in two vipers, which are read.
Mr. Millie sari.--lit the price of manufacturing
labour at Illack-burii and Stockport, a good deal of
difference arises from 3411 iocreaomed demand for ma-
nufactures, therefore the reason I have% stated does
out always apply, kweause if there is a great deniuud
kr manures:torts, the prices must rise iiidepentlent
of the price of grain; but there will appear from
those accounts, a wonderful coincidence in the
prices of corn and labour. 1 inquired of seine
Matieliester matiufaetureis the friltsoll of that, be-
ing vurprisil at the cireuiustance ; gird being aware
that the parient for formiliz Into llf is comp l-
ed of the price of labour and thee laws rates, I in,
quirril how the price of manufacturing labour was
affected ley the pm oars rates; anal their an-wee ale:,
that are teas a general taawillinguess a 1111 l og the
tuitueslaetiarers to go upon the pours rates, and
t thet cover tient upon the pours rates iii thaw
nidliet ein lig * districts about :11aiwliester, except
tart
a of great necessity ; and this in some deg-et:
accounts for the high price of coat affecting the la-
bour.

BRIFF MEMOIR OT• THr.
HON. WILLIAM 1:1.E71:11ER,
FOURTH JUSTICE OP THE COMMON PLEAS IPf
IRELAND.

( From The Do►hlin Er:ening Post.)

Tlu• lives Of professional and literary men seldom
afford much of uu•hlent ur variety for the Bio-
grapher ; he Vail tell of no perils—he can select sin
strikilo44 exploit —he can di.rover no brilliant con-
juncture, kith which to intereit, to charm, or to
riNtoloi,li his reader. The march of the human
ins i s slow, its rlevelimeinents gradual, and its
results indistinct, until time and fortune have be-
stowea I success.

Our materials of the life of William Fletcher are
scanty; but they are authentic. The extruordivary
interest which the motion lane attached to every cir-
cumstance emoneisted with the upright Judge, alio
has pronounced the admired "Charge to the( :Fatal
Jury of tlw eamity at' Wexford," impels us to ;;ire
11111,1iCitV to the followitog sketch, and our readers
will heartily thank Its for it :
Il'illionn Fletcher was born at Maryborough, in
the Queen's C ty, al t the year 1754, and lei,
now l'l,llllll his sixtieth year. Ilis hither was au
eminent pliflibian, of high cal and professional
.dad
chan(eter, and well. remembered at Maryhorinc.ili
for his talents aml virtues.-=this family (lime from
Cumberland, nearly allied' to the fumed " Fletcher
of Sallow.," and of the class of liberal DAssentcra.
Thu, fortituate 'in the. accident of birth, Judge
Fletcher was not less so in that Of' ethic:alma. His
father haying olcstioeil lam to his own profession,
sent Into to study medicine hi the Utionsity of
Eiliolatirgh; there lie made n rapid prre_ffess in
Science and Belles Lettres; and Ws due tune at-
batted a high distinction in his medicinal studies.
He took Ins degree of 1)octor of Medieine with
great eclat; whilst preparing to qualify himself for
admit practice, lie received the account of a family
misfortmie, which affeetcol his mind deeply. Fi-
lially, it determined !Om to renounce metheine, and
Apply himself to the profession of the law.
Vie enjoyed the peculiar advantage of a finished
education, of studious habits, a matured judgment,
and ti memory richly stored with various knowledge.
In 17/8, he was called to the Irish Bar. There
he loiterd, like otiwr piing; Barristers, undistiii-
guislwd ; awl there, perhaps, lie had loitered still,
unk WWII, hail not a signal opportunity been pre-
scooted to his talent in 1741. which, though at first
menacing; ruin, proved ultimately the foundation
of a brilliant success. The independence of his
principles brought hint into public collision with the
J udges of the Court of Kings Bench. Au attempt
was made, deliberately, mid, upon calculation, to
brow beat and put him down. Fletcher—young,
otlo.w, inexperienced, wait yet undismayed—lie re-
plied, on the instant, to the Court, in a manly and
spirited speech of an hour's length ; lie vindicated
his conduct fully—[the cause of offence wad, that
be had revised a former speech for the Press]—he
retorted upon the Court, and made such an im-
pression upon the dodges and the Profession, that
the former dropped the subject in u respectful oa-
lence, and the latter loaded him with every mark
of miqualified approbation.
_lle came at (Mee, by general consent, into full
business out Circuit ; and with such men as Chain-
berlayne, George, and Downes, for his competitors,
he wits introduced into the Irish Parliament, where
he always spoke and voted upon the broad princi-
ples or civil and religious liberty, opposed to all
corruption, oppression, and chicanery of every kind.
In 1795, he was appointed a King's Counsel, by
Earl Fitzwillionn's Administrutiorr. He continued
in Parliament, always the supporter of the lieople,
the advocate of Parliamentary Reform, of Catholic
Eminicipatioo, of commutation of tithes, and the
opponent of all arbitrary measures of every kind.
The Union was sire ttttt iusly opposed by him ;
and if all its professed olawnents had been equally
sincere, probably that measure would 'weer have
been earned—hat it was observed at the time, II
Fletcher, Curran, and others ;who had near oppor-
tallith, of set-Witty), that some of' the apparent
Anti-Union Leaders, and especially Foster and
Saariu, were far front toeing serious og hottest in
their opposition. The observance has been coufirni-
ed by rvonts,
In 1800. he ails appointed one of the JiitlgTs of
• Court of Common Pleas--a station which he
I with so much credit to the. Bench, honour
Ifios til utility. to the country. His appoint-
bow of the beuetits conferred upon Ireland

by the short lived Administration of the Whigs—
lint a vast and solid benefit it has been. In the de.
sertion of a Parliament, an upright Bench would be
of singular value to Ireland ;as a profligate Bench
would !wove the greatest curse.
Judge Fletcher possesses a deep, solemn, and
full-toned veicewt happily suited to the judi-
cial station. I ruing is accurate, profound,
and vario roduces it with lifttibuale anal
rigour.Cut with merely .detlarit• and
expowilding w as 4 is; be unfolds its riistory
from the sours , velo,oes its principles, and %1 a-
if elites its wisdom and its tal jifstice ; leis
hearers do not wit h " the point"
decided ; but sl with the reason,
.
and they assent "r In the ancietir
Lime* w ' Letter Learning,"
he s iit; 'Stitt he is particularly sell
ven4e4 istitutiossal history an verse. e
To these *druid:l7,es, he adds of clear and
forcible language, occasionally ea iiced lay historical
or scientific illinitrations, selected with judgment,
and enforced with energy.
ofi Perhaps no of r lawyer in Ireland po.ssesscs .0
large a portico • " extra professional learning" of
,unrient and a science, nail languages.
• In private i is affable, unaffected, and corn-
unicativel liis personal habits are simple and re-
ilfulur ; leis establishment hospitable, liberal, and
fully equal to his dignity. He is happy in the so-
ciety of an amiable and accomplished a ife, in the
growing perfections of an only soil (aged about
nineteen years), in the enjoyment of an ample for-
tune, acquired with I iiiii •sur and independent feel-
lags—and, finally, in literary society, and the re-
sources of a well-ptiired library, selected by him-
self. and perfectly suited to the gentleman, the
scholar, the lawyer, and the philosopher.
We have learned with regret, that, though Ins
fain,, is naturally robust, his constitution and health
have been much shaken by professional and judicinl
:suburb—which have been singularly intense during

a period or 26 yeats.—But we trust, that, by
cane and reguiarity of km habits, he may be
es,Abled to bless Isis couniry by Isis exertions.
It is said, that .the place-hunting
.justices
already res'ltemed Isitis sas an vas ly victim, and
nominated his successor. %We can easily ions
that bath all raent %%aukd hat much grieve shit
of jobbers and kisaves whoa 1141 infest our (tot
mush who are so justly Imbed by his admit
cliurge.
It is nut difficult to collect from the 'Waist
satellite* the sensation* which this inestim

charge has excited at head-quarters; and wl en Re
ultserve hi one of the hireling 'Prints every t
made by inuendoes ■nd imputations, its dr/mil
prose and the.tarel rhyme, to diminish the lustre :Ind
value of the Address, we cannot Iwsitate to beheie,
that those xho apply the public purse to the de-
bauchery of the public pr. s, are full of heart..
breaking alopreheithtat. us to the consequences of
the boniest Evitosi: wbids has been promulgated
from the Bench.

i;ut whatever further calamities the malevolence
•,f such ►uixc►rants mad• suggest, the Irish people at
!sage rah i rite-Hain but bite wish, and offer up hat
uui• pra,er on behalf of the exce;lent and iucom.
parable Judge Fluteher, and that will be (in the
Spitiii:4l phrase.) " May he live a thousand years !"

tai
the
long
have
even
tugitte
t crew
nary,
icuble
4erial