The National Register.
London, England, 1816-09-30 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER SO.

cheap and se,”•et ingredients. 'flans they absorb a very large
portion of the earnings of the people, an4miarss to themselves
sumptuous fort mica at the expenee of the industry and ine!•als
of tho !attaining ChiSeli. This traffic nosh, assuredly to be pot
down by some legislative authority. No public brewer should
he alinwed to possess an aledsonse, but every etiermtagemeut
'ca to publicans to blew their own beer, and the number
should be considerably reduced. I should think one third of
the present number were amply sufficient. The Magistrates
should nut may he more in number than they now are, but the
M :ifistracy ought to oe coidined, chiefly, if not entirely, to
country Gentlemen, to the absolute exclusion of the Clergy, It
is my opinion, that the ceclesiastical and civil filiwtions should
always be left separate, as by their union, on great and small
occasion:, confusion and mischief have too frequently been the
result. The Lord Lieutenants of the counties should hive the
power to name as many Magistrates as they Wee right, under
a strong penalty in event of refusal.
Euw tun PLATT.—The arrears'. of rent in this county are
(from every information I have platilied) very general, and
very alarming in their amount.—The circulation of paper is
much diminished, owing to, and in proportion tt ith, the reduc-
tion in value of the farmer's capital, and the several articles of
agricultural produce; but I do not know that the country suf-
fers thereby ; at any rate, I ant sure that the country has suf-
fered II mute by the firmer excessive issue of country
bank-notes.

J. A. PF:ARsON.—I believe it is ascertained, that from the
recent failures of some of the banks, and the curtailed circula•
tion of others, the quantity of paper cannot have been dimi-
nished less than two millions and a half, or perhaps three mil-
lions, in this county; and as the remaining banks find it neces-
sary to be more cautions in affording the accommodations
which had, in better times, been usual, the most serious incon-
venience has arisen to the public, fur want of a sufficient quan-
tity of paper.
JOSLPH PENNDIGTON.—I do not consider that, ny particular
distress has arisen out of the diminished circulation or paper
from country banks—perhaps the ease with which money, or
rather paper, was borrowed at these banks, whilst farmers
were making profits, may have led to extravagance.
MR. EDW. Moon.—'flee country does, I think, suffer from a
diminished circulation of paper. This is, in fact, the cause and
effect °I one distress, and the distress itself. We have of late
hail no other circulating medium than paper; while we could
obtain poper we were wealthy-110W we can no longer get
paper for our produce we are poor. The bankers, knowing
the state of affairs; seeing farmers breaking in all directions;
that the cash balances in their hands are comparatively trifling;
and, in many cases, the balance is on the wrong side of the
book, of course, limit their credits and their issuer.
MR. THOS. ABRAHAM.—The diminished circulation of paper
is general throughout the kintdom ; thiescanisot be local ; this
has been the greatest evil, and it is impossible to foresee the
consequence. The Bankers can give no assistance, and I very
much doubt if more than three-fourths of them are solvent;
and if the day should come (and it is by no means improbable)
that credit should receive a severer shock than it has already,
and if these persona should be called upon to pay in specie or
bank paper, one-fourth of what is now considered property,
would be annihilated; and this would he attended with a far-
thee reduction in the price of farm produce, and add to the
present distress. It has been the practice of late years to
throw every burden on the farmers ; a thing little thought of,
but which is more grievous in many parishes than the poor
rates • I mean the highway rate, wad statute labour for repair-
i.ig the roads.—What reason can there be why the public, who
use the roads, should not keep them in repair? Why is a fir-
mer to make smooth and fair roads, for others to enjoy them
almost free of expense
MR. Anent:rt.—One very grand cause, which has already
plunged many farmers and their families into the greatest dis-
tress, is the difficulty that prevailed a few years since in hiring
farms at any rent whatever. This induced many men of good
property to purchase land at very high prices, sooner than
waste their property he remaining out of business. In order
to retain capital enough in hand to cultivate their farms, they
bor. owed- (what they could then do with cute) half, and in some
eases, two-thirds of the amount of their purchase monies. The
martgagees have called in or required payment of the !Mats ad-
vanced. The estates have been offered for public or private
sale, but the proprietors have not been able to obtain sufficient
to pay off the mortgages, and the property they themselves ori-
ginally possessed, and all their subsequent labour and improve-
ments, are swallowed up, and they themselves become penny-
less. There can be no doubt whatever, eat the diminished cir-
culation of paper, if not the main spring, is one of the princi-
pal works in the machinery to effect the farmer's ruin. Whilst
the country bankers were able to accommodate men of respect.
ability and credit with a temporary lean of their notes, every
market was supplied with merchants and others, who arc always
ready to buy, at a fair price, watever article the farmer had
to dispose of. These means tiiavine ceased, the farmer can
scarcely find a buyer for any thing he has to seal, except the
coonlintr. The consumer, are not able to take oft the supplies
which the general want of money compels the farmers to bring
to market. The consumer selects his commodity, and has the
opportunity of under-rating the value of the articles offered to
him, which lie does not fail to improve. Perhaps not more
than one-third of the corn or stock offered by the farmer for
sale, is disposed of, so that every market day is os erloa di d
with corn and stock, which. if a more general circulation of
paper moncy prevailed, would have been previnwily disposed
of to merchants, or what are called middle-men. This of course
occasions a very material depression in the price of vs hatever
article the farmer has to dispose of. Ido not consider the
state of the labouring poor to be very little, if any, improvi d
shire the year 191 1, or 1812. For although the article of bread
might, liven an average, nearly double the present price, the
then flourishing state at the farmers enabled them to capend a
great deal of money in various improvements about their films.
This furnished the labourers with regular work at good usages,
and if such wages were not adequate to the maintenance of
their families, the farmers made up the deficiency by the pa-
rochial rates. Now the farmers have neither the spirit our the
means. Scarce any man employs one labourer more than he
is compelled to do. This occasions a very large proportion of
the labourers to be out of employ, during a great pail ut the
year.
I I I.—Remedies.
lion. and Ray. 11. C. Cwt..— Iu addition to the modification
of such taxes as immediately affect agriculture, especially the
War alalt Duty, I conceive that the most effectual remedy for
alleviating the iliffioulty of the owners and occupiers of land,
would be found in relieving them, if it were possible, trout a
portion of that very heavy and increasing berthen —the main-
tenance of the poor.
J. W. Aatate.—Relieve the tenant by doing away his Proper-
ty Tnxiitstl lierse 'fax ; take off the War Drily on Malt, cons-
mete the thee, the great bar to the real improvement et the
soil, when .ileuwatleil Us Iliad. Let the whole commodity pay