The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-08-14 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 14. 1819.

for three mouths No expedient timid remedy the evil. TO
employ the people they must be Fr 01054, employtil. It
had been a question of forming fresh establishments. but Is
monieues reflection must convince diem that there was no
want of skill, capital, ur enterprise in the Mellen—a very
slender hope of profit was enough to iodises numbers to etm
hark in any speculation. Vnfortuttately there was too great a
disposition to push trade berme. Its sober limits--we were
suffering from it. To mastulheleire goods without a market
was only to displace an Nail geter in some tither quarter.
A project had been broached if Wlag recourse to sped*
culture. Before offering any ober/lotion* on this new ape-
culation, he wished to call their Meatier, 14 the stale of the
agriculture of the kingdom at bele. It would be in their
recollection that petioles, from all parts af the kingdom had
been ;Hemmed to Parliament reprmentiag the sufferings and
depressed state of agriculture. Ile did use hesitate to de-
clare his firm conviction that the complaista of the farmer
were well founded. It might Se asked then why did he con.
cur with his Majesty a Ministers, in refusing to go into an
examination of their Petitions ? He would aspirin the cause.
From the extreme suffering of the people there etas pa MALIPOU
to hope that they would have blamed to any argument upon
the subject. The distresses of their families precluded all
chute of temperate di•euisioa. Thsowead6 notbeive looked
heyond the present moment—disamd advatitspe 'maid have
been overlooked—nothing could have convinced them that
their own interests and those of the fanner were the same:
And here, he would observe, no measure partially calculated to
advantage one class of men at the expense of smother cobld
medium for any length of time; it avast is its operation.ifof
any magnitude, destroy what it is meant to promote. That
which was most advantageous for the community at large
would ever be found most lastingly for the Walesa of all
classes. He looked forward that the distresses of the coon.
try must force the attention of every part of the empire to
the state of the labouring classes—that the opittions of men
is all quarters, of every occupation, would be promulgated—
that by this means the body of the people would be in pee-
session of the united seutimeots of all the most enlightened
ludiriduals of the kingdom, and he bad anticipated, acrd
did still, that they would come owe and all to one sad the
same conclusion—that the interests of the whole empire aid
every individual were injured by the enormous importatioa
of foreign grain ; that to remedy and pretest it was an ob-
ject of common interest ; that the call of the people euitibil
be g Ito go into the examinatiou of the subject. These.
then, were the reasons that actuated his madam. He
thought it for the general good to allow the farmer to suffer,
and agriculture to decline for a samba, rather they peen for
a review of the Cora Laws at a moment when the public
peace might hare been endeagered. The importation of
grain, he continued, iu the last seven years had exceeded
24 millions. Btu the year 1815, when grain was at the lowest,
was it a season of prosperity with any class in the State?
Did it promote prosperity to the manufacturer? Did it
carry comfort and happiness to the cottage? No—to neither.
The manufacturer, though be had his full share of export
trade, lost his home market. The agriculturist had no
means of commanding the same quantity of goods. The
loss of the home market was so great as to far outweigh
any reduction in the price of bread. Cheap bread and
want of work was found ten thousand times more grievous
than dear bread and employment. Now, what did the
agriculturist ask ? Security against the foreign grower
of grain. The price of grain irm France amid the Ne-
therlands for the beet wheat was 40s. a quarter; in the
North of Europe 341..; in the Crimea 265. On all
hands it was allowed that wheat camsot be raised in
Great Britain under 60e—withost taking rent into
consideration ? Does it not, therefore, appear self-eel-
dent, if. a very slight minutiae of price cast affect the
opening of the poets, that ruin must fall on oar own
agriculture. The fact had proved it so. In the year
of scarcity, the amount paid fur foreign grain was tee
millions. In the last year, an equal amount had been
paid, when grain was only two•thirds of the price; con-
sequently the quantity of grain brought into the king-
dom must have been one-third more. This, to his naiad,
carried conviction that the growth of wheat had declined
that the poor or middling lands were no longer cropped with
wheat ; that antes@ a remedy be applied, he did iu his eye.
science believe the growth of wheat world still further
decline. The Corn Hill, which had been so industriously
cried down, had proved no security to the farmer. It was
not what it purposed to be. Whilst it professed that the im-
portation of wheat should not be permitted till it was 801.
a quarter, by the mode of takiug the average it was not ac-
tually more than 745. Westmorland amid ether counties,
where little wheat is consumed, preserved an average far
above that of the rest of the kingdom. He was amt pre-
pared to say what would be the beet mode of applyieg a re-
medy—were it called for, there would rot be mach difficulty.
Whilst he was friendly to a change, and giving security to
the farmer, be would not carry •it one iota beyond what
he deemed expedient for the interests of the labouring
classes. Hail the average been fairly taken, the ports had
not been open to a great portion of the graiu which had in-
undated the country. He thought 801. would he a millieient
protection if the ge were fairly taken. Now he would
meet the question honestly, and admit at once that this
would enhance the price of bread. Suppose it effected an
advance of 6.. a quarter before the ports could open—bow
would that affect the interests of the labourer? Suppose
a family of five persona, consuming each a stone of flour
in a week—the advance would he two-pence and a fraction
in the stone, or Is. per week. In return, what would be
the prospect of gain ? The corn imported in the last twelve
months had gives employment to 200,000 individuals In
foreign countries—to supply ourselves would require this
number of hands at least in addition to those who are wow
occupied in agriculture • one million of oar popnlatiee
would be fed by calling i00;000 hands into active employ.
uncut. Could any one doubt that the probable colts
of this greater demand for labour would he an =re
of wages? But were this not the case, would not the bring-
ing so many persons into employment be attended with
the most happy effects? Would not men in all quarters
of the kingdom bail with pleasure the proposition at
this anoment in have labour with the present wages, and to
pay the addition of two-pence a stone for their bread?
Two hundred thousand men productively employed also
had then uu labour, would instantaneously produce a
source of revenue of three or fuer millions. He con-
ceived that it wmild he admitted with little difficulty that
the agricultural labourer would he advantaged. The doubt,
if any, would be with the minufacturers. The cheap.
nese of labour in foreign countries operated against
his interest, moil he called for cheap grain to be able tar
coulpete. This is only true to a certain extent. Were
grain at the lowest mice, there was a limit beyond which
tr.& could nut he pushed. The moment it was tuned in-
jurions to other countries, that instant it would he checked
be imposts and regulations; or that eutostry was out aware
of its owls Interests, and equally anxious for and alive to
the importance of keeping its people employed. No Da-
tion would or ought to suffer the industry of its people to
be interft red with. Trade exists in few places but where
the advantage is reciprocal. Hut was there some loss to the
inaunfactitrer, would there be molting to balauce it? Would
not an augmentation of the home market make up for
any deficiency? It should always be reimilected that the
home market is as three to one compered with the foreign
export. All seemed to agree that an augmentation of labour
could only be looked for from agriculture.- To hope fur
it ill its present unprotected state was visionary. The must
economical culture would out remunerate the farmer; vain
aid futile it was to expect that more expensive modes could
afford any chance of profit.. Two millions tat persons or
some little more were auppoted to be then employed in
agriculture. He did think, that with security, that la, with
Melee prices, a fourth more might eventually be employed.
It should be recollected the remedy was au evil, but it
accuser:lhr only resource left us. • Ile wished out to be ink-