The National Register.
London, England, 1816-04-15 00:00:00

sT %Tr. OF ACIUCULTUOr.

Mr. W FsretcN, slue rtiug tothe thitinc.s of the House, pro,
posed, on so important a subject as the ilistrosses of the Agri.;
cultiiral Interest, that the Committee should be put of. He
should throw himself upon the House to say, w 'tether he should
now proceed, or postpone the enquiry to another day, or suffer
the Committee now to expire entirely.
Lord C sit:mil:tett the propriety of adjiatruing
the Committee till after the holidays.
Mr. J. P. 611 ANT, Sir J. N eas rob T, and Mr. IlmAau approved
of this suggestion.
Mr. GOlt VON wished that the flutist. should immediately go
into the subject ; he wished to ask the Chancellor of the
quer, whether it was hat:wird to extend the time allowed for
pay fug the half-year's Income-tax due on the of this month
beyond Juae next ; mid w Nether any allow mice in the landlord's
and tenaat's tax was to be made. %slime 'Auctions iaal taken
place in rents for the last six months ?
Mr. VA in reply, hoped, at an carty thy. to bring
in a Bill, containing regulations ua this subject ;at present, lie
could not accurately state what these regulations would lie,
hat the allowithee oflime would tonna part ; with respect to the
other brancliks of the Geotleman's question, the Hon. Gentle-
' mats was aware that an order had been issued fur making al-
; Instance to landlords and tenants, in eases whtre the rent had
been rednewl for the period of twelve months ; wlit.ther the t
I measure wovil be extsndri to eases of reduction of six months
standing, he could act say.
After sonic other remarks the House went into a Committee.

A PUTT. IT.

nave:tram enteredtat eansitiernlilc length iota it review.
of the blltigeTt of the emotes of tha newt. Cpriee iipontigrienharal
produre;und the recent depression t.( value and eal!seciticilt
trearel the..agi leulturist ; and obit" ved, that the first great and
rraterhil cause of the live in pitac was the resi•tietion or cools,
paymentahy the flank ef Esigland, In- inereasq ofeattntry Daggs,
and the unrestrieted nettle of paper. He did ant mean to say
that this ayaleal UM' in the origin evil ;on the contrary, itNe-
ideting the stoppage of the 1101011411 hank, had the issue of
country paper loam snore and hod its callings in been
also more gradual. it would in Yeti have Levu an advantage, as
it encouraged mid gave opportniiity for the rultivation of wade
land; but the rapid calLng in of this pair-er hal (Tito:ail brat
one great cause of the existing distresses of the aerieta4bitist.
Angther maw of the ill4Cresimi of prive Was the woo, whielra
though it dirt nut bring is more namthas-brought in tirnatiirlably
a system of greater conneuption ; ant! the purchases made by-
Governint ut in the market, bail a dlreet tendency to raise the
value of the commodity of which they were the-prisch:;MlN; and
the stimulus littic giveu to the grow: rs of corn had enecuraged
nodose' es, which had taken place within the last ten yeari to
the anionot of two titiVions of acri s ; and had a bar eucouragetf
the tinnier to embark r.:wr capital, and to raise a still greater
I prautity of corn than at any Canter period, on the lambi pet•-
sinn is in a fig' i +WIN These eireuntstintees, ac6trdiug
to tl,c calculations of peiaons %rho hcrl tonna their attention to
this subject, had given an increase of eix millions of itnarters df
W heat annually, uvhi.c the population, ill tie *awe period, had
insreased only two miliiovs. !ma :Mowing a (planer ef CAA n
for the consumption of each peram, tht re wonld Lea inteplns of
four millions of quarters. rush tea.: the situation of thiuga rap
to 1810; alien followed the chain of circuit). tancea ainch,had
tended pecoliarly to depress the Niece. Tin. two west years,.
II and la, were years of extraordinary produce; these }eats
were thllowed in 1813 and 1811 by a change from war to peace.
which had a moat evident effect upon the price-of grain. To-
these farts he would add .amber, viz. that as Government g -
lag into the market as purchasers had tended to enhance tne
prices, so it might to be recollected, that Government %vie..
drawing itself front the market 11211 the contrary t Amt. Add
to these the distresses of the manufietarers• and the °peaky.; of
the ports of this country lit the Contraion, and the principal
asons of the retie:tiet of prices would be apparent. One
great cause of these evils was the immune anumnt of the ex-
penditure of the masonry from c lint it was 2:t ago. front
I.s to 75 millions. Indeed, one year, includiag loans, the ea-
penditure was net less thou Iv; millinuy, No effectual reme-
dies could be applied to these evils, imicsa there was a reduc-
tion ill the writhe taxation. The taxes on leather, salt, mow,
and candles, prodoeing only about two millions a-year, bore
very heavy on the fanner; fur they were taxes, which briug
played on the twee...mien of life. went directly to taise the price
of labour. Even sloaahl the Malt Tax be taken off, still, while
the others were suffered to remain, it would he ossible to
,turn to the former prices of corn with any prospect of 'avow.
tage to the farmer, Ile instanced the extreme unfairness of
rating manufacturers only as the occupiers of large hotises to
the poor rates, While the fainter was rated as to the absolute
amount otitis property t the former being themselves the great
cause of the increase of the number of poor. He trusted, how-
ever, that the former Was gradually undergoing a change from
high to moderate prices—or at least he hoped the Legislature
would end( avour to make it so.

Lord CASTI.ER LAG II could not agree in opinion v.ith the last
speaker, that the evils complained of resulted pi incipnlly from
the restriction of rash payments by the Rank. That measure
had given the country a command of specie, and mainly tended
to bring us out of the war with glory and advantage. That it
might have encouraged improvident speculation, he was net
prepared to deny ; but it was one of the greatest monuments
that could have been erected to the public credit of the country,
which had not unly borne this measure long, but had increase 4
under it. He acs glad to hear the Hon. Gentleman t Mr.
Brougham) say that, ►t his opinion. the agricultural distress
would be but temporary. Butt it could not be concealed that
they had been increasing, ever since ISI4, when the ports of
the Continent were opened to the British Merchant for the im-
portation of fbreign Corn into this country, at a rate so lon as
menaced the very existence of the Faitish Farmer. Now that
we had a protecting price to defend our own Corn from being
obliged to compete with that of other cotton ies, he trusted the
prices would rise, so as to give the farmer sufficient remanent-
tkon for his.laboar and expences. He did nut state these things
to induce th,2 Commit tee to reject the adoption of any measann•s
which might stili farther tend to the relief of the farmer. —But
he wished the Committee to look at these ci remnstances with
attention,- and consider also, that as Wheat Intl already risen in
price in Scotland, whether it was likely to be lone 5Gs. in F.s.
land. He hoped Parliament woold not think proper to call on
the Bank for rash payments until commerce Outsold have brought
into the country a quantity of the pr echoic metals sufficient to
aid the savings in clue Bank cotters. He also trusted the !louse
would not attempt to trench on the Sinking Fowl, at a time
when, the House having rejected the lncome•Tas, tiovernmeut
must be reduced to the necessity of resorting to new loans to a
small estent. There was already a very large trade bet•.ccen
this country and South .1 mei ira.
Mr. WEATLAN contended, that there was nothing SO danger-
ous, as providing for a fluctuating price of Cam. The ware-
housing system could have that operation, by permitting the
warehousing duty free. The object which he had in view was,
employing capital in the purchase of British Corn for distribu-
tion throughout the empire. Butt if the sy stem of win encasing
Foreign Corn was adopted, it would Kaye the effect of discou-
raging the Agriculture greatly in this country.
The Chairman then reported progress ; and it was ordered
that the I tome do resolve itself into a Committee oa the state
of .‘grieulture, on Monday :9th inst.—Adjourned at past ONE.