The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-05-31 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL PETITIONS.

Mr. BFNETT prrio-niell two Petitions from the Owners
and Occupiers of Lantl lit the North of %Vilishire, praying
fur as inquiry into the stale of the agricultural interests.
Mr. WHITMORE prestateJ a similar Petitiuts from Bridge-
north.

ROSINSON presented a Petition from Win. Andemon,
praying ihat the 'louse would repeal all the laws affecting
the amino Intimn of foreign grain. The. Hun. Member stated
that the Prtitioner was unknown to bins—his Petition con-
Ntin.•d 111/I king improper, it certainly alluded pretty fully to
opinions entertained by the Him. Member fur Essex (Mr.
Western), but it did nut state that the opinions had been de-
lie. red in shat Iluusc.

Mr. DAVI ES Gluiest? presented a Petition from the In-
habitants of la Cornwall, who prayed an ituptiry
into the nzrieulittral iliAreas, as they traced to that the want
of trade tinder *lnch they laboured. . .

1 hi sr: petitions, att well fill the following, for an inquiry
into the mate of agricultural alistir3s, were laid on the

Mr. Burrell, one from the county of Sussex—Mr. H nskis-
son, WIC from Chichester—Lim! John Cavendish, leo from
De►by—Lord Edward Somerset, one from the county of
Clout ester—Sir {Pillion Lemon, one from certain indivi.
duals in the comity of Cornwall—Mr.'rremayne, from t►e
NOW county—Mr. Curleis, three from Suwex—Mr. Western,
four from various hundreds in the county of Ewen—Ad-
miral Harvey and Mr. Stroll, two from other parts of the
same county—Sir Thomas Lethbridge, three from several
parts of Sionersetshire—Mr. Woilehouse, one from Norfolk
(for ass altesation in the mode of strikom the a ge)—Mr.
%Vynti, one from Montgomeryshire—Sir C. Merrell, two from
Sussex—Mr. Coke, one from Norfolk—Mr. Dawkins, one
from Ilataings--Mr. Joseph Pell, 011 e from Gloucester—Mr.
%Wildman, one from Colchester—Mr Holme Sumner, two
from Surrey—Mr. Dismiss, six front Berkshire.
Mr. LITTLETON presented a Petition from the Nferehants
and Manufacturers of Walford, cumplaiuing of the anxiety
of the agricultural interests to have grievances particularly
discussed which they slid not endure in mu extreme a degree
as the merrhauls and manufacturers.

Loris Nlll.-ront presented a Petition from the Manufactu-
rers of K,lkhenton, Yorkshire. A great number of Petitions
had been presented complaining of agricultural distress.
He begged leave to stole one fact (facts, he had observed,
were generally swore successful in carrying rouvictiOU than
arguments) respecting the manufacturing distress. The
place from which the Petition came contained 7 or 8,000 i
Minimal*, among whom there were 289 families, consisting
of 1,729 persons, which had been subsisting from the be-
ginning of this year on a weekly sum not exceeding Ind.
for each person. 11e would ask if any thing contained iu the
Agricultural Pi titiuus could be compared with such a

Mr. Molar presented a Petition from Gallashiels, and an.
other from Forfar, praying fur the Scotch Linens to be pit
on the same footing with respect to Woollies, drawbacks, and
Julie*, as those of Ireland.
Mr. MArtrithir said a few words in support of the Poth.
lions, and gave outice of a motion on the subject of thus
fur Thursday next.
General GAIICOYMF presented a Petition from the Ater.
chants and People of Liverpool, complaining of distress,
and expressing their regret at the anxiety displayed by the
lauded interest to obtain higher restrictions on the imports.
'ion of Corn, although the alteration which bail taken place
in the value of mune y since 1813, when the Corn JAW pass-
ed, had made the ri striettons Ihen imposed more rigorous
than wag then intended. HP I vnented that the Right lion.
Gestileinau to *bode care the Petition was to have been
intrusted was not present, an that Right lion. Gentleman
would not only have much more ably recommended tlte Pe-
tition, but be would most likely have been induced to satisfy
the Petitioners and the House, by saying how far the Ga.
veromeot could go in allowing the prayer of the Petition.--
The Petitioners complained for instance, of British snhjetts
beiug excluded from trailing with the countries beyond the
Cape of Good Moe, while America, and some of the coun-
tries of Furor ri.iried on a thriving commerce with those
countries, and which the Pct itiouehs avert., d could be car-
ried On by Ceigli.ll subjects to a considerable extent
without any pr. judiec to the interests of the Last India
Company. It was far from him to wish to enter into any
diseeessi iiii me such a topic; but when the charter of the
Company was in debate before the (louse, it certainly
was nut a isdeWomi or intruded that it should exclude
British subjects ft any commerer which wan to remain
open lii other treliuns. Ile would prefer isle. ring the whole
rustler to a Committee. With respect lo Ilhe Corn Lawn, to
winch the Petitioners alluded, he CHUM out help thinkiro;,
that if all the numbers were taken, there would be tnore
against than for the r,strictious Thule was smother Pe it-
t ion cumin: its from the Slsip.oes nets of Liverpools which be
would have In lay before the House.
The Petition was ordered to be ph i

•

AGRICULTURAL DISTRES4.
Mr. lloLme Sumuet. iii risitig to make the
motion of which lie had given notice, felt himself
oppressed wills its importance, and lamented [lilt
it had not fallen into the bands of a more able and
intelligent advocate. The House would join with
him in the necessity of bringing the subject before
them. fie thought that if the ltlember for Essex
would have toidertaken it, the motion might Slave
been conducted throughout with more satisfaction
to all parties. The distress of agriculture was get-
ting to :itch a pitch, that if something were not done
to mop the absorption of capital '9llOl was lin.
hually taking piece through that channel, it would
spec lily produce complete ruin to the agriculturists,
and thiough them to all the other classesof the state.
The subject whenever brought before the House had
always been used as aii opportunity for throwing down
the gauntlet till behalf of the ie her interests. and the
Members who represented those interests always
gave any outwore intended fur the relief of agricul-
ture their decided opposition. Ile did last, how.
ever. appear there to attack those interests to retains;
no one could be more convinced than l• elf that
the interests were united, and that which wits iojn-
lions to one was so to all. lie did not come fur-
ward to ask for any new restrictions on Colllllllwfee or
manufacture's, lie would only say, that in 1815 a
Committee having been granted to take their ease
into consideration, after the fullest deliberation by
that Committee, and afterwards by the House, a pro-
tection was declared to he necessary for the native
grower or corn, and the price fixed upon was nth,. per
quirter. The Petitions which had beets laid on the
table contained no extravagaiit request ; they only
stated that the 'nodes adopted for giviug the mea-
sure of 1815 effect, had proved wholly inadequate,
and they prayed that a Committee might be allowed,
in order that the Petitiotters might be enabled to
sliew that those measures were inadequate, and if
they succeeded in their representation, then to fol-
low it up with some measure which would be
perfectly adequate to prod ticiug the effects then
expected. The language of the Petitions was in
every instance moderate. A variety of Petitions
had beau received by the House on other occasions,
some of them complaining that the country had
been ruined by borough-mongering—others attri-
buting the distress to the waste of public money.
The general feeling of tl:e Agricultural Peti-
tit:mere, on the contrary, was that of extreme loyalty,
and a perfect sense of the necessity of submitting
to their share of the burden: which a long and gin.
riots, war had left behind to the utmost limits
of their power. The Petitioners also thought
that the cause for which those burdens were un-
posed was the protection of their liberties and the
remainder of their property. Had they possessed
any other feelings—had they sought to (noted their
table with Petitions brought forward only for the
atitioyaoce of Gorernmeitt, the Petitioiters must
have looked out for some other advocate. When-
ever the agricultuinl question was mentioned in
that House, those Gentlemen who considered them-
selves as guardians of the commercial and
twauufec-
turing interests, were in the habit of stmt.'s% up, and
asking if the distress of those grouches were not
enough already without aggravating it for the benefit
of the agriculturist* ? However those Gentlemen
might think that cheap bread would lower the pike
of labour, and enable British Manaraetotes to cope
with the cheapness of other markets more success-
fully, certain it was that the cry of cheap bread was
one of the greatest mischiefs which could take
place in any country, and had its no slight degree
tended to aggravate the distress of this country.
There was not a landed gentleman who had not
witnessed the progressive decline of agriculture.
The great iinproveineitts its husbandry, and
the consequent increase of produce, had pro-
duced an unprofitahle suitertluity. Increased
quantity and improved quality had led to •
lamentable diminution of priers. The general
cause of this distress was much the same as that
which influenced the other interests. The war
required au augmentation of taxer, which took
place to the amount of 13 millions. This addition
hail raised the country to a high state of prospe.
rity. Of course when the taxes were removed,
there was a corresponding diminution of demand,
to which most of the repent distress was to
be traced. The burdens which accompanied this
distress were gent-rally Oppressive to all die inte-
rests; some were more immediately so to the lauded
interest, An Hon. Member who was a great poli-
tical economist, and was generally listened to with
;demure, had said. th it Vagrieulture starred from
the pressure of any particular burdens, there should
be • particular remedy applied. He was astoilish.
ed that the Hon. Member should have stated
the matter as ime of doubt, or Shut his suiss4 should
have considered the subject as • mere hypothesis.
Why, the whole weight of the church expresses fell
on the land, the greater part of the poor rates. the
whole expense of Coasts of Justice and Sessions,
and all the expenses of highways fell upon the loud,
nor did lie (Mr. Sumner) believe that any ago-
lotion could be devised for removing the proper
aliases of those busdens from the agriculturists by
making the other classes take their part in bearing
them. S:ill Ilse agriculturists would be aisle to
hear their burdens if they were WI borne down by
the isiadtquary of the snearuies rimmed tar their
relief. All they asked was be screened from the
danger of competition with foreign gloweis. It
was impossible fist this country, with the weight ..r its
debt pressing it down—(Nears frost the Opposition
—it was very easy for Gentlemen to cry bear, hear.
when they were nisahle to point out any menial of
ridding the country of that deld which would hear
mentionirig. its that I (owe. The tit lit, however,
continued to press down the country notwitiotand-
ing...-(lleue, hear, from the Oppositiem ride.)—
He had before admitted that the war had left cu-
cumbrances, though he had stated that its fruits
were beneficial. It would be impossible fur the
British grower to live in competition with the
foreigner. If the ports were open its all that might '
arrive America, the Mediterrourou. rod the Black
Sea. the price would be 325. or less than
half the price at which corn is grown at home
tinder tar most favorable cites:tied ati:a s. lie
could imagine that he heard the cottinteicial Gen-
tlemen sly, " Then why the restrictions? For
Goers sake let us go 101111 1/1111'1111be Corti Whet..
ever we can have it cheapest I" Butt what would
be the result of such it ineitsure but the imme-
diate withdrawiiig of all the capital and skill
' engaged in agriculture, and a population depend..

1. .

int for its support on foreign growers ? If such i
coorse should afterward. he persisted in, theft this
garden of the world would become a desert. The
average price since 1815 had been 7841. There ...is
much delosion abroad as to the late Bill. People
anpposed that there were 80.. secured to the farmer
by it. The agriculturists had in fact no control over
the average ; it was a system of fraud from end to
end. The grower would only receive 71s. even when
the price at market was 80s. He hoped the House
would never listen to the doctrines of those Gentle-
men who would mike the country depend for its sup..
port on foreign market,. Agriculture was the snty
true riches of a country. If the supplies o;
population were Confined to the soil, they winiht
never he much more than were wattled, 1.11.1 the
set-phis would always hr profitably available.—
This would have the effect of improving the oilier
bralorlien. This was the way in Which they list
your on and flourished together. and had raised the
coontry to her present grandeur. But if the tiles
tinfsclurer went to a foreign market to buy his
corn, what would become of the agriculturist ? The
Petitioners claimed generally either to be heard
at the bar of the House or by a Committee. lu
either ease they pledged themselves to skew thee
the present law was so far from protecting diem.
that they were as badly off as if the law had not
passed. They did not suggest any particular men-
sore as a remedy, but would leave it to the Com-
mittee to reeninmend one to the House. if the
Committee were granted. He could not let the
opportunity go by without adverting to the Petitioa
which had been presented from the Merchants of
the City of London. That Petition had been used
as an insidious and disguised antidote to the A grt-
culturAl Petitions which were then in the hands of
Members, and hail since been presented. But the
Hon. Member had failed in maintaining the guard-
ed manner in which he meant to attack the Peti-
tions; fur when he came to speak of the agricul-
ture, he lost all discretion and temper, and could
scarcely express himself (we believe the Honour-
able Alember slid) " with common decency" 4.1 i
the sishject.—(Hear, hear, hear, and a fasrgh.)—
lie apologised fir having lost that couttextott t,l
thought which he possessed before be entered the
House, and which his few opportunities of spealso.g
in Parliament had not given him the chalice of
guiding. Ile concleded by moving. that the Peti-
tions complaining of agricultural distress should he
referred to a Seluct Committee, to exAttlit:e the
matter thereof, and to consider and report thel-eoti
to the [louse.

Mr. Goocii, at the representative of a great avi-
culture' county, felt obliged, notwithstanding in,
inability, to state the reasons why lie would support
the motion. 'Nothing could he more mischievous,
to any toothilortr wnr..e of it, than ally attempt to
divide the pgficultural, mercantile, and umilefoe.
luring interest. They were all equally concerned
in the present motion. lie dad nut deny his Fro-
ference for the interests of the agriculturists. Li
their behalf a Bill lied been poised to secure thesis
fin.. per quarter for their wheat. That Ball hid
proved to be totally inadequate to its poorpose;
instead of 80.. the grower had only 'Ns. The re-
turn was taken from the merchants who boon!hr,
and not fr the growers who had to sell. Then
there were districts among those winch gave the
average, where the corn grew weak mill was more
expensive; in others there were expenses of freightage
for removing it, which were added to the price
given in. Then there were VITIOII. (rated. to the
operation of which the returns were subjected.
Now all that was asked by the petitioners was, that
the Bill should he made effectual. Their alocestors.
thought agriculture worth encouragement, mid
there was nothing is these times to alter that prin-
ciple. He compared the circumstances under
which the foreign sod native grower were placed.
The foreigner had no tithes, no poor rates, no heavy
taxation to endure.-1 lear, from the Opposition./
He did not mean to go into the soviet of these hoi-
dens. For his part, he thought the taxes only just
and reasonable. It was all nottsente to think of
doing without times. If they meant that the Etig-
bah farmer should be able to meet the tow prices
of the foreign grower, they must lower the tithes—
( Hear, hear)—they must lower the poor rates—
( liear, bear)—and the taxes—(Hear, larar)—doltur
to a very small part of their present tonttont—
(Hear, hear.)—lie had expressed his opinions
because he was determined to prove to Ins eon-
stitueuts and the country, that he was not afraid to
utter them in Parliament. lie concluded by se-
conding the motion.
Mr. Hostage:ix rose, being loudly upon
from both shies of the House. He expressed Iris
apprehension that he should not be as explicit us he
wished to be in considering a subject of such im-
portance. Amour the numerous subjects to a biclt
the attention of Parliament had been directed,
there was none, in his opinion, which requistd s.,
much reserve mod volition, or that sliesehl be calve .i
into with less precipitancy. On all topics c..inierie
with the subsistence of the people, ilirre was bo
much apprehension likely to he awakeitek!, and
admitted) so muds rriother. that the matter hail
always been held to be one which I.9ttirt•il thr ut-
mostt delivery to manage it. Thrrrin•t• i c c,•ort
not but declare his regret that the sooljtet load
been brought before the House. Wren untie-
was given •f a motiou in the lee Virliameot
for a revision of the Corn Law., lie and
colleagues had expressly declared PIA, they coori
thee' see no reason 1(4. Hitrti:•i; Owns. 'nos
had been stated withmot reserve on the part rf
the Government, its 11 was hoped that it would liner
the effect of preventing t:;. re stir an the question.
Such indeed load irceti toe i estilt . I I tu to Pais,
figment khan •at was not an diet./ hire. Atl the
agricultural districts had been separately and gra-
dually agitated, the. their seutiments weir corn-
ntoiricatrd to each other, and at length the col-
lected la of all the agriculturists appeared no
have been brought upon the table. lie (ferret...coif
the numerous mann...toes which had hero piri.ar..t
in great part by one haw% said whirtt ware lull of
exaggentions.-171eor, hear.llle had heard a
that he knew ofNoble Lord opposite declare el uu
such distress as had been represented to belong to
his part of the country by the petitioners. For
Ill! (Mr. ltobitoson's) part, he could safely affirm.
that he had witio.ssed no instances of tenama
leaving farms, nor the reluctance of others to oc-
cupy, nor of rent' its arresr, nor any of the
evils declared to exist its such abundance. He did
not asinine therefore that there was no distress, be-
.

- S •_ • - 'q,-.- -e

. .
• •
cause he had not witnatised it; that would be as
unreasonable as the opposite assumption that it was
universal. The imete4iste minim of the distress
complainer' of, ind-Olich he admitted to exist,
was the fall both of price and demand. But the
I louse would proceed superficially and erroneously
it it did not look into the cause of the fall of pricesalra.
The war had placed the country in singular circum-
stances, and its effects on every article of produce
were no less remarkable. It had operated differ-
ently on us to its ekect on any other country. In
the other nations of Europe the war had diminished
; in this, capital had been augmented by it.
A part of this had been diverted into the channel of
'agriculture, which, .hithont extraordinary induce-
ments, would never have /mina its way there. This
:ad gone on to such length, thit'no man could
deny that lauds had been laid (rat in culti-
vation which never could be worth it, but under
the peculiar circumstances. But wotilf! any one
ray than the Government were bound to keep she,
land. in cultivation after the arrival of peace, which
changed all the previous circumstances? But then
it was stated that the measures proposed by the
Parliament for the protection of agriculture were
ineffectual. Now he would say to those who as-
sumed that Parliament engaged to secure the
grower eighty shillings, that the understanding
was rutirely different. His argument in sup.
porting the Corn Bill, to those who said in op-
position to it that 801. would be the minimum,
was, that it would rather be the maximum, and that
the Bill would have the effect of keeping the price
tinder that average. The Bill was never intended
to give the grower 80s. if the complaint against it
were founded on that supposition. It was only in-
tended to take away the dread of foreign competi-
tion, and induce capitalists to embark a reasonable
and useful portion of their property in agri-
culture, which it was supposed they would be
quire willing to do with the security offered to
tilem by the Bill. But let the House look at
the effects of the Bill. In the five last years the
total importation of curia was 3,483,675 quar-
ters. Deduct from this quantity what remained
mi hand alter the sth January, 1820, 324,546 quar-
ters, sad 470,437 which were exported, them re-
meined 2,880,692 for home consumption in that
period of five years, and this notwithstanding the
-average generally had beeu 78s. In 1817 and 1818,
the first of which followed a very bad harvest, the
importations were 2,600,000 quarters, and the ave-
rage was 89s. 6d. these being the largest importa-
tions, and the highest averages known. It was re-
markable that from the year 1792 to 181,2, the ave-
rage importation was only 500,000, sod the average
pure 78..6.1. During the last five years in which these
prodigious importations had taken place, the ave-
rage prier lied renowned the same, at 78s. 611. Ile
was told of the distress occasioned to agriculture by
them ; but hew could these be attributed to
the Corn Bill ? No foreign corn had been ad-
mitted attire February, 1819, and since the
ports (loved not • stogie quarter had remained in
wershotise. Was it not trifling then to be per-
petually calling on the House to interfere ? lie
had never contended that the Corn Bill was good in
itself; he had ulways held it to be a comparative
rill, but the best of two which the Parliament had
to choose from. Ile had heard it stated that the
petition« proposed tio positive remedy for the
rttl complained of. He thought they did.—
'tint he was surprised that no allusion had been
made by the Honourable Mover to the remedy held
out in she inainfeetoes of Mr. AVebbe hall, which
crowded the table, its which u permanent duty was
racinumended of 40a. pt-r quarter. Suppose ittlorie,
road a *room of dearth arrived, the Govern-
meet must of necessity make an instant alter.
anon its the law. Suppose the duty reduced to
‘2Ol. the, price of foreign corn being about 3.25,
the whole mice would be fees than V. What
wi.uld this be to agriculture but a positive mischief?
Then there was a greet stress laid on the manlier of
taking the average, on which subject the greatest
possible delusion prevailed. .It was supposed that
by iiirlitSi!ig the maritime districts the prices
would not rise so speedily, and foreign corn would
not be to quickly admitted. He had made some
calculation. which be would submit to the House :
By including the twelve maritime districts, its com-
puting the average, it appeared that its six weeks
berme May 6, ISIS, and in six weeks before 6th
May. 18-20, taking these as the average of the whole
period, the average of the first week ending tutee
April, cntut,nted with dm maritime districts, would
lit 70.. 3.1. per quarter for wheat ; computed in
the ordinary way 71s. Rye, by the first compute-
non, 425. 7d. by the second 425. Id.; Barley
354 4d. by the first. 345. by the second ; Oats
24'. I la. and 5145. Here was a woful disappoint-
ment to those wbo expected an advantageous argu-
ment, by varying the method of determining
the average. The same result took place in every
one of the six weeks. Then it was argued, plau-
sibly enough, that the Welsh counties should not
he included, became they produced no grain.
Well, then, he would omit the Welsh counties :
they were the Bth and 9th, and Monmouth was the
10th district taken from the computation, and it
would be found that the average was considerably
heightened; and on such grounds the House were
called on to make at alteration in the laws (for that
was the sum amid substance of the thing), which
would divide millions of the people.—MearV—
There might, however, be some ground for going
into the inquiry as to how far the laws had been
carried inp-7"ect, and if any abuse such as the
allegedepf an smuggling had crept in—not that lie
believe...it to be true. He had received no ulti-
th o. of any such thing in the office to which lie
ged. As to the imports from the Isle of
lan, Guernsey, and Jersey, they had been ail uded
to as avenues of smuggling, without any reason.
The importations from those places were not mote
thin they had ever been, and they had never ex-
ceeded -200 quarters annually. Yet although nothing
could arise out of such an investigation to benefit
agriculture, it might not be altogether useless to
the subject. Another objection of the
vas against the warehousing of foreign
land. It was felt as a great evil to have
:lit of cheap grain impeoding over the
t, ready to fall its the moment the prices
1 enough. But remove it, and how
attire be benefited? Ship. were said
times. It would only be required to
Jarehouses across the Channel, and then
would come on as speedily from the shorts

of Holism'. as from those of Esser, British
capital mid industry would in the Mean time be
deprived of all the advantages which it at pre-
sent derived from thst rower. • fie nn-
tneuted then genevally nil ttpt übsiordily of sup-
posing it tail...dale to force up the price of corn by
legislative meow, Hr tkrialy lamented the itgita.
tom of the subject, or that any steps should have
been taken to induce a belief among the itgriesol-
hulas, that something ought to he and could he
done, and would be done by that House, which it
was impossible to do. should abandon his ditty
to the country, to the Government with which lie
acted, and to the particular office which he held, if
lie did not protest against any attempt to alter the.
laws which had passed for the regulation of the
price of grain.—( Loud dicers from Guth sides of
the House .1

Alr. WLiTERN could tint bring himself to be-
lieve that the House would rrfuae the Committee
to which it was asked that the petits )))) s might be
referred. The rent,' of farms were now paying out
of the capitals, which collid tint !Unger go on
diminishing. He denied that the laws haul been
passed for the benefit of agriculture, or for
bolstering up the price of grain. The pin-
vote el these laws was to make the country
independent of foreign produce. Ile believed that
a fair protection would in the course of years make
the article cheaper than the occasional admission of
cheap corn. The profits of agriculture ought to
be sufficient to satisfy the grower, mid thes) there
would be nothing too difficult for the enterprising
spirit of English) farmers, not even the fertilizing
the most barren spots. Ile contended that the
last Corn Bill had been less effectual for its
purpose, than any of those which went before
it. Ile proceeded to &hew the effect of the pre-
vious Corsi Bills, by a series of computatiosis,
which "lent to shirty that the average hail alsrap,
been so fixed, that the average sale price never
ran very nearly tip to it sol at present, when the
fixed average was 80s. and the sale average about 78s.
The same proportion was observed in 1804; but iu
1815, looking back to the average of the ten pre-
ceding years, the price would he found to be 935.
per quitter. How then could an importation price
of 80. r, be any protection to the agriculturist ?
Experience had ,'hewn it not to he so. The fact
who h he wished to establish to the House was,
that the existing law would leave the country subject
to a deficiency, sit any time liable to disappointments
of supply in times of scarcity, and to be iiiondeled
with corn when there was no wart of it. How
could a law, under which 4,000,000 quarters of
corn had been Imported into this country in little
less than cx months of the year 1818, afford ade-
quate protection to the farmer? The agricultural
capital was certainly now decreasing; it was wast•
rug and dissipating, sod with it the foundation of
the prosperity of the country. Distress came first
on the agriculturist, and next on the manufacturer.
Towards the end of the year 1816, wheat fell from
1230. to 655. a quarter, and the distress this brought
on the agriculturist immediately extended itself so
the manufacturer. la 1317, its price recovered
fora while, and at the same time the prosperity of
the manufacturing interests. A paper which had
come into his hands in couseqeence of the late discus.
swim of the tax on foreign wool, powerfully illustrated
the fact of the depression of agriculture producing
a corresponding depression its innuufactures. It
was an account of the quantities of yards of broad
cloth milled in the West Riding of Yorkshire iii
different year., and it chewed that the falling cif iii
that manufacture there went almost purl passe
with the declension in the values,' agricultural pro‘
ducts. From this it appeared that about the rod
of 1616 the average nouns' quantity fell from six
mill to three millions of yards; that in
the course of 1817 it ruse again to three, four,
awl fire millions; but that now again there
was a reduction to burly one-half of what it had
been iu (817.—Uttar.)—Ile admitted that a mea-
sure such as he desired would advance the price of
corn in the first instance, and advance it materially,
but the distress of the lower milers by no means
proceeded from corn bearing a high price—on the
contrary, th,ir distress had greedy increased
since the price of that article haul been reduced.
Their prosperity depended not nu the absolute
price of provisions, but on the relative position
between their price and the demand and wages for
labour. The misery they new suffered from the
want of a demand fur their labour was far greater
than any which could be occasioned by the (sigh
price of necessirier. The state of misery ausl de.
gradation iii which they were placed from not re-
ceiving a slue reumueratims for their industry',
their only stock. war a thousand times worse
than any privation which could be caused by a rise
in the price of corn. The diminutioo in the wages
of the labourer might be averaged at four shillings
a week. which on a population of above five mil-
lions, amounted to more than fifty-two millions
annually. One great cause of the diminution in
the price both of labour and the products of la-
bour, was tire couseaction of the circulating me.
chum. Taxation wad felt very heavily in this
country ; amid as all our burdens were to -be
supp..rted by notional industry and the fruits of
it, if these latter become every day deteriorated
its value, a serious question arose him the burdens
were to he supported. The Legislature, in enact-
ing the law of 1815, had not innovated; they had
only followed op a principle which they had been
acting on for 130 years before, but failed in giving
a protection to agriculture equal to that it had eu-
joyed in former times. He should therefore vote
for the inotiou.

Air. A. BARING- said, that he had been con-
stant ;y adverse to *the enactment of the protective
mashie, which was now complained of as not suf.
firieuay strong, op to the time of its receiving
the sanction of Parliament ; but so convinced
was he of the danger always attendant on al.
tering tstablielted systems, that from the period
of it. Itavit.g passed into a law, he, sod others
who had thought with kin, might claim the
merit of making no attempt to shake what li:id been
established alter long investigation stud il,cipision„
Events, indeed, as he had anticipated, 1.0,1 suit",
proved, that the measure would 11110 ty I." prOire•
Will to the class intended to be protret.a, and the
result hall shrwn the utter impth•thility of turcitig
up the price u.l the most accessory oracle of food
by legislative provisions. The 11,m. 'A It• inbe r who
Innl brought forward the motion, h..d avowed his
ohjrct to be to effect a higher prutectiutt to the

L 1

agriculturist than he et present eujoyed, 'though he
had not stated to what extent he wished it to be
retried. Looking around on the distress which
pervaded the couittre, he imputed it entirely to the
low price of core, and the inadequate remuneration of
labour. Oilier people who had spoken on the subject
with great ability in that Home and ehiewhere, had
attriliuted it to the languor which naturally ensued
on the cessation Or the over violent and exhausting
efforts of a long war ; but this did not appear to
the flon.Gentlernau to have had any ;dace among
its causes. Mr (Mr. Summer's) remedy would be
to rinse the price of corn. But in what situation
would the lower classes of this cnuntry be now, if
they were paying 30 or 40 per cent. more than
they did for cure? Ile pot this question particu-
larly to Gentlemen residing in the neighbour.
howl of masinfacturiug districts, tilled with what be
might call beehives of inhabitants. —( Herm).—
:corn already stood at double the price which it
`bore in the rest of the world, but this would not
sat;sfy the landholder.—(/dear.)—lt was quite evi-
dent that the cause why the commodity could bear
tli;s double price here was, that we possessed so ex-
tensive and tor industrious a population, which
again was owing to our manufactures, trade, sod
commerce. Therefore, when the Petitioners talked
of the interests of the meitufacturer or trader, they
seemed not to be aware, or to forget that the lute.
rest of those el was as much the inter-
est Pr the apiculturist, since his prosperity de-
pended cm theirs.—(llenr.)—But all these at-
tempts to a. I.arate the interests of the different
classes of society were now so generally exploded,
that it was hardly worth while to demonstrate their
inimudence and folly.—(/fear, hear.)—The whole
aggregate of the in-impel-11y of the country, a, it
had grown up, was to be maintained, or that of any
particular class could not.—(Hear, bear.)—His
Friend (.2r. %%Preterit) said, that fur many
years antecedent to the I ist Act, die age
price of corn was 935. per quarter, and though he
did not directly affirm, Set insinuated that the pro-
tecting price should be milled to that standard.
But he did not recollect that the value of the price
at present bad undergone a conssderahle increase
limn the changes in operation on our currency.—
Hear.)--The Right Hon. Gentleman opposite
(NIT'. Robinson) had most clearly proved that the
low price was not owilig at all, or at least in the
sligbtest degree, to the importation of corn, be-
cause scarcely any had been imported for the last
fifteen months. Ile (Mr. Baring) should say that
the main cause why the farmer suffered was, that
the manufacturer was unable to consume his pro-
dove. The Gentlemen who hod come up with the
petition from Birmingham, had brought with them
a paper of very considerable importance indeed.
It 'hewed the numbers of cattle slaughtered in
that town for the use of the inhabitants to dif-
ferent years, and pointed out a falling off in
the consumption of black cattle in the year
1819, of from 38,000 to 46,000. There was a
similar decrease in sheep and other animals. The
truth was, the people were now unable to pay the
price* of the dearest articles of agricultural stock.
There might be times when even wheat became a
luxirry, which, he believed, was generally the case
in Ireland. The condition of the people was alto..
gether altered and daily altering. The income soil
profits of every class in society were siiffering a di-
minution, and they were generally conforming to
circumstances, and endeavouring to reduce their
expenditure to their income. But this was an at.
tempt on the part of the l'etitiotiers alone to resist
the force of tunes and circumstances, and to exempt
themselves from the common lot.—(Hear.)—They
would, however, at length be taught the truth—
that if Parliament should be induced to listen to
their unreasonable solicitation% the compliance
would involve the ruin first of the other interests of
the crimmunity, and next of theassehreit—that they
could never by any art recover the prices for their
produce which they received during the war—
✓ed that the rent of land must inevitably be
reduced.—(Hear, hear, hear.)—lle should not
attempt to go into a detailed examination of
the argnnseists pot forward on the opposite side of
the question ; but lie could not help adverting to
one of the statements made most frequently on all
occasions when the subject came under discussion,
because very great stress seemed to-be laid on it y
be meant the great burdens of taxation under which
agriculturists were alleged to labour. But he did
not know that they suffered as productive labourers
under more burdens titan any other class. The evi-
thence brought forward, when the question had been
last investigated, fully proved that the taxes on the
instruments of industry, or means of carrying on
then' occupation, were almost nothing—they ex-
tended to horses only, and on these were light. In
the exertion of their industry they were not sub-
jetted to more taxation titan other people, and not
more than when they got only 30s. a quarter for
their wheat.—(Near.—Them came the tithes amid
poor-rates. The owner of tithes was an ecclesias-
tical, and partly a temporal proprietor; sod there-
fore his claims could not jonit!y be considered a
burden. The poor-rates undoubtedly were a bur-
den. But the Petitioners should compare their
cooditiou with that of the same classes in other
countries. In France, land was taxed to the
amount of 20 per cent. In Germany, Pol And, and
other countries on the Continent, laud was the pro..
perty on which the greatest weight of taxation fell.
Mr. Marion then aiiiniadverted on the manner in
which the Agricultural Petitions had been got up
mod brought before the House, which he said was
unprecedented, except by the artificial method re-
sorted to sense time before in procuring Pennant
for nisiversal suffrage and annual
One of the resolutions of the Association was, that
copies of their petition should be sent through the
country to obtain signatures, and one of Mr.
Webby agents (his eon, we believe) hail come
to the town (Taunton) he reprtiented, in the
county of Devon, with one of the copies, to prevail
upon as many butchers or farmers as he could to
give their homes ; hot he believed that they, to their
credit, had universally refueed. Speaking from his
conscience. if he were called upon to say what
ekes of the community was sulflring less than
others, he should tonne the farniers.—(ilear.)—
Bot no legislative etiactinents could avert what
wool,' necessarily lie the consequence of our pre-
sent situation—the !emetic% of rents, Ile saw no
good to he derived Irian going lulu a Committee.
winch would only have the effect of exciting hopes
shut could not be realised, and of loading their

-.1•••..

r~--

fable with new petitions. But by at ouce resisting
the agitation of the question, the people would per-
ceive the disposition of the House, submit to cir-
cumstances, and scquiese in the existing regulations.
With respect to the average', he did not think it
a matter of sufficient importance to induce the
House to institute inquiry, particularly because it
had not been stated that any fraud was practised
in toting them. His Majesty's Government had
thy means in their own bands of correcting any
err'cirs that might be committed in practice. As
some remarks of his on the petition of the London
Merchants had been alluded to in the debate, he
could most ascarrely declare that in soy thing he
hid said on that occasion, lie had us' 1111,1111011
whatever to elitist the agricultural question to be
mooted anew, his object having been that the
House should adhere as much as possible to settled
sy st e mu. —(Coitering.)
Mr. FaANICLAPID Lewis thought inquiry ad.
visible to tranquillize people's minds. The far-
mers were constantly kept in a state of feverish
anxiety about open ports and closed ports, and
rumours of mistakes in the taking of the averages.
He was, therefore, frierilly to the appointment of a
Committee for the purpose of carrying on a final
inquiry, and to quiet the feelings of the agricultu-
ral petitioners. The petitions to the House prayed
new provisions to secure their interests, on the princi-
ple that equal protection should hr extended to all
interests iio the state; but they added, that if the
principles on which they proceeded should be
roved to be erroneous, they would retire satisfied;
and he thought thews so easy to he overthrown,
that a Committee seemed to him, for that object
alone, to be very desirable. Ile con:ended that
the interests of the tenant would be injured
rather than advanced by keeping the articles of
their manufacture at a high price, and land at
■ high rent. There was soother view which
rendered it of extreme importance to go into
the question, namely, that the mode of granting
the protection was inconvenient. Prohibition ap-
peared to him to be a much less expedient mode
than duties. The mode of taking the averages
was also censurable, fur he believed that the
merchants could exercise such influence over
the markets as to alter them, and introduce or ex-
clude foreign grain at their own convenience.—
(Cries of " Nu," and of 14 Hear.")—The most
urgent rause for going into a Committee was, that
the circumstances of the country were completely
different from what they had been in 181.5. He
appealed to the I !cute whether the coun-
try was not now in a quite different situa-
tion with respect to the cultivation of land.
He believed the expense of cultivating land hid
been reduced one-third. A material reduction
had taken place in the wages of labour, the price
of fixed capital, of horses, and almost every thing
requisite to be used iu husbandry. He trusted
the House would, on the whole, think that the
farmer who now began to cultivate lands, would
do it with the chance of reaping as much profits
as the established farmer did in 18146 He
could not but expect thit the time Would soon
come, when the House would tread back its
former steps, adapt the protection to the leas.
ened expenses. and reduce what hail been al.
ready done. The protection was in fact a tax, and
a tax not for the benefit of the rotate, but of a
particular class—the laud-owners. As one to
that class, lie should willingly give up his share u
it, because he knew that in the change which its"
removal would diffuse through society, he should•
be amply overpaid.—lllear, hear, hear.)—The
present protect ion was hostile to foreign corn-
merce, and destructive of Bugled) feeling, com-
pelling as it did numerous individuals to remove
themselves and their capitals to other countries.—
Such were his sentiments on this important question.
But the lion. Member for Surrey (tad so fully ex-
plained his views in the formatioo of a Committee,
and they were so different from those entertained by
hitnself, that anxious us he was to see inquiry iiisti-
toted, he should feel himself obliged to vote against
the motion.—(Hear, hear.)
Lord MILTON said, he now found whit he had
before suspected would he the case, that the inquiry
would be of so confined a nature :114 to be so ally
unfit for the House to entertain it, and lie was much
surprised ■t the conclusion of the speech of the
Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, who though hos-
tile to the principles of the Petitioners, hail yet said
that he might, by possibility, support the motion.—
(" No, no," front the illinisteriul Benches.)—At
least he hail said he would, if limited in a particular
manner; hut it was that very limitation, which, in
his opinion, made it unfit to be granted. ‘l'hat !
when the country resounded with cries of agricultu-
ral distress, were they to limit their inquiries to the
mere operation of the averages ? It was not from the
system as regarded the averages, or in the appoint.
meat of the inspectors. that occasioned the distress
of the agriculture of England. It was, as be had
before stated, that the distress el agriculture was
only part of the general distress of the country,
and any inquiry of the lintel nature recommend-
ed by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, would
only serve to excite expectations in every farmer,
in order afterwards to dash the cup from his
and create discontent and dissatisfaction. Tile
" unnatural state" of the country had been m-ti-
tioned, but what did those words mean ? lie would
tell them what lie understood by them, that
we had not only spent in the last twenty years
an enormous amount of capital, but—und he
would go further than a Noble Friend of bis
had gone in another -.place, and say -that we
had not only dune so. but we had spent an 'lll,lll'll,W
capital nor yet created ; and it our resini..c,is were
not increased, we should not lie able to bear op
against the load of debt soil taxes who. lo now west,-
ed upon, and was the sole cause of the distress of
agriculture and the country. He must consul-r
that the measures of last Session, relative to the
restoratian of a metallic currency, had had great
effect in causing the distress ; not that he did
not approve of that measure, for it met with its
approbation, but he stated it now, because lie
feared the full effects of that measure were not yet
realized. " Employment," continued the Noble
Lord, " is one of the tin& causes of population.—
/bare expresgions of dissent was expressed from the
T►enaary 13,tich.)—The Right Ilou. Gentle:lms
does not know what a dual cause is. We might
then, I say. to inquire if any derangement of caw-
tot be or be nor one of the causes of want of ein-
ploywent fur the population of the cannily." The

••••• •

Noble Lord concluded by expressing his rtgret tint
he should not be able to vote fur the motion.—
Limited as it was to so petty and conlioed an ob-
ject. it could not answer the views ma prom .IC the
objects of the petitioners. and could wily be pro-
ductive of additional i•ritirion.
Mr. Cuawms tlnioiflit that if the I.l4t,mtrit of
the 'tight Honourable Gentleman could uc ouriie
out, that the price of corn iu 1819 did a it resn't.
from the importation or forriga corn, t"e

Icountry was in a most laniesitable seer itorleetl.
for the stir dedocion was, as that was not sit
average h t, the con.umption of the tou..toy
had diminished., thin aht.n a 11//re frig,lll.4 p.c.
cure could not be preaeitted. HP was igt,•1.1.•.1
to concur in the statement which lied been
made respecting the average in We:wood:soil, the
wheat was of the finest quality ; awl a- to
the Welsh counties, it PtIOUIII be remesothered the
population were not coosinners of wheat. Ile
thought lie should not over-estimate the iticoiLe
arising from labour if he stated it at sissy
millions, and. therefore, whatever INIUM gve
activity to that must be of the greatest itioportaior.
He must conceive that the Hoot. Lienileonaio
spoke before the Noble Lord had mooted no look
at the nociesse of the poor'•-rates which lie ihoujot
more than counterbalanced the advantages drilb.filotC
from the lower rate of labour. The Hon. Groat.
man now contrasted the situation of the agrtcnku.rl
and monied interests, and coutentled that the former
were more heavily wised thou during the
Its his view fif the subject he had conceived that the
removal of pare of the poor's rates, by a tax on
funded property. to such an amount as would make
a difference of 3.. per quarter on wheat, wunid be
extremely desirable. As the monied liners-at tool
been equally benefited with every other, he
saw no reason fur that being exempted front
taxation; indeed lie thought an Income Tax
bearing on all the property in the kingdom, was the
measure of finance the must desuable to be adopted.
las his opinion, lend, insteed of 5 per cent. "ad
fallen full 15 per cent. lie thought the agricultu-
ral interest had • claim on the House fur an equi-
las dion of burdens, and what he wished to are woe
a tax on income, arising out of the pro lit. of la-
bour, and not on labour itself.
Mr. Iticenno said, he did not look to the ii.-
terests of the landholder, the stockholder, or the
merchant, but to the interests of the country at
large. He thought it was a mistake to suppose,
that any price could really be • remunerating price ;
if the ports were opened the prices would toLdounie
edly fall, and that would certaiuly affect the land.
lords. Looking at the question as it regarded the
profits upon our capital, he thought it much
more desirable that we should have a large
tity at a low price, rather than a less quanoty at a
higher price ; and it should be recollected, that
if foreign corn *as really wanted, and was imported.
they did thereby set free • quantity ot labour
for the production of other coininotlittes. The
high price of coin here must diminish the rate
of profit on the capital of the country. The di-
minution in the rate of profit was sfl..cted in
this way—the manufacturer of cloth, for exam-
ple, paid his labourer's 50 per cent. of the value
of the cloth ; by the rite in the price of corn, he
would he obliged to raise that ply-meta to Go
'per cent, by which meat:s the master manufacturer
would not wily have a leas proportion remaining
fur himself, but that residue would be of snialier
value that it was before ; and thus eh:lst I-i
foreign countries the profits of their stock
would be high, ill England it would be lute,
and would- prove a strong temptation for the ex-
portation of capital. The petitioneta said they
could grow sufficient for the consumption of this
country, of wheat, oats, poultry, butter, cheese, in
short, every article the produce of the lima, and he
granted they might be able to grow them (for he
thought our land capable of ft eding a notch larger
population than we had at present) ; but the ques-
t was, could they grow them on the same terms
as we could be supplied from other sources ? Thet
was what he denied they could do. It might be
g that they could supply the country, but
d
was it expedient that they should I And might
they not, on they same principle, demand to supply
all the sugar required fur the use of the couittry,
and cultivate the supply of beet-root for that put.
pose. This project had been tried by Bounparte,
and the Right Hois. Gent. opposite had been pecu-
li.rly happy in ridiculing that project, but that ridte
rule would apply with equal force to the present
scheme. Ile dented that the merchant deo Well any hr.
liefit from the Navigation Law, but even taking the
cotton-manufacturer or the slop-owner to have del
rived benefit front any protective laws, the ergs-
rota ansoutited to this, that because iojisry had
been sustained from ono dart, that injury ohitaalil he
repeated by Another. He could I,clp coecerre why
the Malt Tax had been menfloneti, is could
may apply as by its operation diminishing in •
small degsee the, growth of be ley. The Petie'
initials state that they were pt: 'seated by the
importation of foreign corn had taken place,
him employing British laliotor to tit trnoutit
of 6,679,8411. 144.—(4 laugh )—But lit wocid ask,
was there no labour employe" in ptoilaring those
manufactures with which Oa foregn coils w.a par.
chased ?—lt had been said, that to impost foreign'
corn was to import foreign labour : he would *gain
ask, what commodity theie was which was imported
without importing at the 'same tiroefthe igis labour ?
mod what British sommoility eau imported that 41.4
not employ .Etiglisti labour? He believed thst it wag
a ("oration of pulley entirely. ahem, in the year 11115,
the Right lion. (jeoitlen an epposiie supported the
Corn 1;01, mud he (Mr. llicairle) erred with himo
iii that puhey, for he we- not our of *teem sweeping
reformer. who ei-hed the infusettiate aloption of
loss ideas to the destruction of all ',them); tutees-As;
but bethought the error then eornmitt d as. 014711ifSe
that ni-asu re permanent *Melt Awed have been team
posy. for lIP thought that tone only ought to twine
beet were for the expiratien of the old teases, Ind foe
new•courracts to be entered int:with the
He ten/tight, therefore, that what they Lail uow to
i do was tat get lock again to the right •y•tritt its *crud
,
as tory C47111(1, and wet by prr,evervJg w mat; -lira.
sures give enctiorigement to the consplsints of thiO
j rot-noes of the Constination, fie vrouid say a *mil
or two o' the suhhret of countervailing duties, and
his i.!ed asp, that where a commo oily Was tax.
ttl to that amount prot-ctile should be off ode,/
by a cotootervailmg duty ; but to la) tog that dul/
they were not to lake tutu thtir coionleratiost the

aIMA

. .

..

linquire into ti
Petitioners WI
Corn in Engle
all that weigh!
home market,
were up high
would agricul
i to fly iii our I
remove the wa
ithe stores wou
i
H AIL._
..., .

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