The National Register.
London, England, 1812-08-30 00:00:00

NATIONAL REGISTER.

ear Wits, Constitution, au Edo.

PUBLISHED AT NO. 357, STRAND, CORNER OF EXETER 'CHANGE.

SUNDAY, AUGUST f3O. 181c2

PRICE 9d.

degree, as having the etrect of setting proper bounds to the
extravag.lnce and debauchery of the rich. It is very dif-
ferent when the price of food is generally augmented.
When this ta!zes place, it is sensibly felt by the wealthy,
but it makes lamentable inroads into the comforts of the
poor. it is truly afflicting when the !price of bread be.
comes so enormous, that the utmost exertions of the la+
bourer can produce little more than bread. Such a state
of things ought to call forth the exerti,mq of every friend
to humanity to ameliorate the situation of the lower classes.
Happily the reproach of viewing the sufferings of the
poor with apathy does not belong to this country, and the
part recently taken by some of the most distiognished men
in it, will, we are confident, have the effect of satisfying those
in the inferior walks of life of this fact ; it will successfully
counteract the effects of that venom which pretended pa-
triots make it their business to diffuse, and bid the placid
smile of hope succeed to the frantic ravings of despair.
We have been told that no class of men arc more entitled
to the protection of the law than the corn dealers, as no class
require it so much, because no other is so frequently exposed
to public indignation. It has also been laid down as a poli-
tical axiom, that Government should never interfere with
them. We are told, " that the interest of the inland
dealer, and that of the great body of the people, hcav
opposite soever they may at first appear, are, even in
years of the greatest scarcity, exactly the same. That it
is his interest to raise the price of his Corn, as high as the
scarcity of the season requires, and no higher. If by raising
it too high, he discourages the consumption so much that
the supply of the season is likely to go beyond the con-
sumption of the season, and to last for some time after the
last crop begins to come in, he runs the hazard not only of
losing a considerable part of his corn, by natural causes,
but of being obliged to sell what remains for much less than
what be might have had for it several months before. If by
not raising the price high enough, he discourages the con-
sumption so little, that the supply of the season is likely to fall
short of the consumption, he not only loses a part of the
profit which be might otherwise have made, but he exposes
the people, before the end of the season, instead of the hard-
ships of a dearth, to the dreadful horrors of a famine. It is
the interest of the people that their daily, weekly, and
monthly consumption should be proportioned as exactly as
possible to the supply of the season."
This reasoning, though, considering the authority on which
it rests, it cannot be approached without reve,eoce, is not to
us altogether satisfactory. \Vc cannot indeed but fear that
it has had an injurious effect. It has exetniited the corn
dealers from that interference which mr4ht, beneficially for
the public, have been occasionally exerted It 1.4, given to the

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530

corn dealers that degree of credit, whether deservedly or '
not it is not for us to say, that it has been thought a kind of
political sacrilege to meddle where they were concerned,
and hence it has holden out to the exactions of avarice the
encouragement of impunity. We do not deny that it is the
interest of the people that their daily, weekly, and monthly •
consumption should be proportioned, as exactly as possible,
to the supply of the season ; but it is not so clear to us that
it will not appear to the corn factor to be his interest to
charge the dearth .price at the commencement of the season,
when there is no chance of a fa.nine at its. close. It may be
that the dealer mistakes his interest; but the circumstance
of his having a quantity of corn left on his hands at the
close of the season, affords but slender consolation to the
consumer for having been compelled to pay au unncessarily
high price. Much more of system appears to have been intro-
duced into the arrangements of the dealers than was formerly
to be observed. There is more of combination in all their pro-
ceedings; and their numbers are SO far reduced and ascer-
tained, that their acts carry with them more the air of a
body corporate, than it was formerly supposed possible for
them ever to bear. They have their circulars and other
means for conveying intelligence, with almost the rapidity of
a telegraph, to thoSe concerned in keeping up the prices in
the market, to enable thent to proportion the supply .to the
demand, so as to guard against any serious reduction. Their
provident anxiety to save us from the evils of a famine,
seems always to exert itself sutllcieutly early. That extreme
danger which might otherwise he apprehended, is thus con-
stantly averted. This may be a subject of rejoicing, but it
unfortunately goes to make the dearth price the common
price. It ensures us the inconveniences of a dearth,
when it may very fairly be doubted whether there is any
chance or reasonable probability of our being exposed to
the horrors of a famine.
To us, therefore, it is not quite clear that the interests
of the corn dealers are the same with those of the people.
It is the interest of the people that the market should be as
abundantly stocked as possible. It is the interest of the
corn dealer that it should be as scantily supplied as possible
to meet the actual demand. That a scanty supply may in
years of scarcity have a tendency to lessen the consump-
tion, is probable, and that by this, the public may be in
some degree be benefitted we admit, though we cannot attach
to this argument ail the importance which in the estimation
of some writers of eminence belongs to it. It may prevent
flour being used for purposes of luxury to the extent to which
otherwise it might be employed, but the final saving does not
appear to be of that magnitude which it has been represent-
ed. fewer tarts, pies, and puddings, may probably be
made, but the flour which is not thus consumed is not to
be considered as altogether saved. Used in the most ex-
pensive luxuries, the flour would still contribute to human-
susteoance. In some iostances it would undoubtedly be
consumed in waste, but in others, if it lessened the stock for
bread, it would also lessen the consumption of that necessary
article.* This argument, we must therefore repeat, has not
all that force which some have appeared to imagine ; and
that the interests of the public and. the corn dealers are
often.widely.different we cannot entertain a doubt. Let us
suppose, for instancer that. that which is represented to be so
Injurious to the corn dealer, should actually take place in
consequence of his endeavouring to keep the price of corn
above what it would naturally be: that is, let us suppose, that
al the time the new crop comes in, a' considerable quantity'.
of the old one should-remain on his. hands. -.Let-tis suppose,
too, that the-stock so ramaining, should. be. liable- to 'cleray
before Iseirjallidtattif—it-•nay, let us suppose, that. it
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would be totally lost to him—what is the result ? lf, by dis.
posing of half the crop at a dearth price, be can get as much
as he could have got for the whole of it, or even only as
much as be could have got for three-fourths of it, at thena-
tural price, he may still be considerably a gainer, though the
lemainder should rot in his barns. The returns will pio-
bably he greater in the first instance, than under other ch.
cumstances they would have been, had the whole crop bet
disposed of, while the out-goings must be considerably less.
lie is relieved from a pa2.t of the labour and expense, as welt
as from the care and anxiety to which he must have been
expoed, and which it was impossible to avoid, had he brought
the whole to market. We think it unnecessary to say another
word, to prove that the interests of the corn dealer may
be wholly incompatible with the interests of the public.
With every disposition to abstain from casting an inju-
rious reflection on the farmers or corn dealers, we cannot
but incline to the opinion, that the price of corn has been
artificially. raised above what it ought to be. It may here
be proper to take a view of the prices it has borne; and the
fluctuations of those prices at various parts of our history.
Doing this, we are actuated solely by a wish to enable the
public to form a correct judgment of the. advance which has
taken place, and of the probable causes of that advance.
(To be continued.)

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

[FROM THE FRENCH PAPERS.]

ELEVENTH BULLETIN '
ITFPSK, Anti. 4.—lntercepted letters from-the camp of Migration
speak of the losses sustained by his corps in the battle of Mohilow,
and of the number of desertions from which it has suffered on the
route, Every Pole has remained in his country, so that this corps,
which including the cossacks of Platow, amounted to 50,000 men, is
now reduced to less than 30,1)00. It will juil the gland army on the
7th or Sth of August, at Smolensk.
The Wowing is the position occupied by the army on the 4th of
August. Head-quarters at Witep4, with four bridges on the Da ina.
The 4th corps at Samai, occupying. Veluj, Porietche, end Ousirath.
The King of Naples ut Roudenu, wi-h the three first corps of cavalry.
The first corps, commanded by Marshal the Prince of Eel:mold, is at
the mouth of the Beressina, on the Burysthenes, with ttvo bridges
over this last-mentiened river, and 011'2 bridge upon the Veressina,
with double totes-de-pent. The third corps, commanded by Marshal
the Duke of Elchingen, is at Liozna. The Bth corps, commanded by
the Duke of A brantes, is at Orcha, with two bridges, tens-'!e porn
upon the Borysthenes. The sth carps, commaeded by Pt ince Ponia-
towsky, is at Mohilow, with two bridges, and tetes-de-punt upon the
Borysthenes. The 2d corps, commanded by Marshal the Duke of
Reggio' is upon the Driau, advanced before Polotsk, upon the road
to Sebi. The Prince De Schwartzenberg is with his corps at Sienne.
The Vth corps is upen Itozans. The 4th corps of chvally, with a
division of infantry, commanded by General Collin Manberg, is
before Brobunsk and Mozier. The 10th corp', commanded by the
Duke of Tarentutn, is before Dtmaberg and Rota. The ninth corps,
commanded by the Duke of Belluno, is assembled at Tilsit. The
eleventh corps, commanded by the Duke of Castiglione, is at
Stet tin.
His Majesty has sent the army into quarters of refreshment. The
heat is excessive. greater than what it is in Italy. The thermometer
is at 26 and 17 degrees. The nights even are warm.
General Skamenskoi,- with two division et of the coro of Bagrntioo,
having been cut off from that corps, and not being Ode to rejoin it.
• has entered ‘Volytillia, effected a junz.tion with the division 9f recruits
commended by General Tormazow, and marched upon the 7th corps
lie surprized and cut off the Saxon Brigadier-General Mengel, %slits
had under his command an advanced guard of two battalions, and two
squadrons of Prince *Clement's regiment. • After a resistance. of six
hours duration, the greater part of this advanced guard were killed or
taken. General Count Itegnier could not come up to their assistance
sooner than two hours after the affair was over. Prince Schwartzen-
berg. marched on the 30th of July to join General Reignier, and push
the war with spirit against the enemy's divisions.
On the 19th, the Prussian Cieneral Grawert attacked the Russians at
Tskttu ,in Zourland, overthrow them, took YOU prisonets, and killed o'