The Sun.
London, England, 1830-12-10 00:00:00

",

1815, the supply 14144. in this "cuu'utry
‘haa,lietn grau-
dly diminished. Ile could prove that fact.' It was ad •
'bitted by all persons who had the means of taking* view of
the agriculture of the country, that it itit..beett. driven
hard lately, and that the produce of the land now was
not equal to what it was in 1815. In the same manner
abro id, large quantities of land had been laid iliiwii in guise
—they were told so on the Wool Cmmittee, and that was
given as a reason why, instead of corn, wool was received
from our foreign 'agriculturists. fly the effect. of the
corn laws the quantity of food or capital waii dimi-
nished, and the labourin? classes could not gat: a bay-
full. And if the 'quantity of food was diminished while
the population remained the same, that must be. a coils:,
of great distress ; and if the quantity of food was dimi-
nished while the population was increased, that molt
he a muse of most severe distress. lint the pOpulation
had increased by two million,. within thi!se last fifteen
years ; and could it'be wondered at that the distresa wis
most acute? Food was capital, and 'administration of
food was administration of capital; and Rothe proportions
between population and capital or food were deranged,
while it was in the appointment of the'amount of food to
the population that the prosperity of a country consisted.
If food was scarce, then the masters were under a peeuliar
temptation to employ machinery; and the diminution of
food was, therefore, the occasion of a dituinution of manna!
labour. Then the Corn Lawe had diminished the supply
of corn from foreign countries, and diminished the de-
mand there for our productions; and these Acts might.
therefore, he considered as one of the greatett sources of
the ineurreetions in England, owing to the severe distresa
which they occasioned ; and although advantage might
have been taken of it by ill-disposed perßeme, yet there
could be no doubt but that distress did actually exist to it
very seriousextent and intensity. Then the distress led to ins
advance of wages, and that led to a greater consumptiort
of capital or food. The capital thus consumed could
not be replaced with the usual rite of profits, and it
was doubtful, if such a state of things continued for any
great length of time, whether it' would be replaced at
all, and if not, then the toes of capital became per..
marmot. An advance' of wages, therefore, under sue)*
circumstances, was an expedient alai Could no 'be
long continued ; and what . war avarst4 as a rsmedy
a
for the, distress was not temporary exPetlient, bpt
a measure for the perManent improvement Of the general
prosperity. In the course of the three hot winters the
distress of a great portion of the labouring population hall
been severe to a degree that almost exceeded all enduranee.
But how was that distress to be remedied ? If you aug-
mented the wages of labour, the burden must fall on the
rents of land. So that the thing must come; and then
the question was, whether the wages of labour were to be
augmented in a manner that led to a prrmanent loss of
capital, or by the permanent removal of the operation of
the Corn Laws? They had tried the experitnent of
these Corn Laws long enough, and they ought now to try
whether the prosperity of the country would not be best
promoted by their repeal ; and the opinion that it would
thus be best and permanently promoted, was sin opinion
that now fortunately began to be generally entertained,_..,.
Even the Noble Lord (Wynford) himself had admitted
that they were inefficient for his purpose, and that agri-
culture to this country had declined under their operation ;
and if they were inefficient (Or his purpose, they *ere
most pernicious for every other. He would vote against
the motion.

The Earl of WINCHILSEA—After the zealous sup-
port which he had given to a motion of the,seme desorip_
Lion as this, when made by a NobleMemlier of this House
in the course of the last Session, it would be the greatest
inconsistency in him not to vote for the present motion.
But it did not follow from this that the present Adminis-
tration had not hit confidence. It wits far from his de-
sign to betray a want of due confidence in them, or to
withdraw from them his support as long us they pursued
the course which the vital interests of the country de-
mended. But the subject to which this motion referred
was one which ought not to be IA to any Administration.
He fully agreed with the Noble Moser, that the agricul-
tural interest WAS in a situation of almost unparalleled di,-
tress. He agreed with him, that the rents had been re-
duced to as low a state as that in which they were in 1797,
and that in many places the lands paid no rent. The
Committee of the Noble Marquis (Salisbury) applied only
to the Adtninistration of the Poor Laws, and was not an
inquiry into the state of the great body of landlords and te-
nants. He wished that the Noble Marquis's Committee
might do good ; but he agreed with the Noble Mover, that
that was not sufficient, and that the inquiry now proposed
was necessary, as the lauded interest could no longer struggle
with the diftloulties of its present situritiou. It was not just
thatone species of interest should bear the whole of the public
burdens. Why was the burden of the support of the poor
thrown on the landed interest alone ? 'Why was the bur.
den of maintaining the peace of the countryi thrown en-
' tire!), upon the lend ? Why was the burden of supporting
the highways thrown on it alone? Had not the mercheist
anti the manufacturer the same interest in these objecti ?
He had presented petitions from agriculturists who eiim-
plalned that although a liberal reduction in rents and
tithes had been allowed them, they were still unable to do
justice to the labourers, and this inquiry might be to then,
of great advantage. A groat body of the most important
classes in the state were looking up to Parliament for re-
lief ; and he hoped that they would not he diseppointed in
the hope that Parliament would apply itself aeriously and
zealously, and without delay, to the subject. He agreed
with the Noble Moyer, that the alteration in the currency
bad added to' the grievence—that the public debt and
other burdens had been contracted iu a depreciated and
fictitious currency, and were to be paid in a metallic cur-
rency, and that this circumstance added greatly to the
distress. He agreed with him, that to revert to a paper
currency, with security, would be of great advantage tinder
present circumstances.
Earl STANHOPE contended that an aunt to the pre-
sent motion implied no went of confidenee in the present
Administration. It was not liable to the objection of
being hostile or injurious to the new Administration ; and
the motion, if agreed to, would have a strong tendency to
restore internal peace and happiness to the country. This
was the only mode of effecting the object of the restoration
of prosperity-411e next and only mode of arresting the
progress of disturbance. Ile himself had, at no &smut
period, most earnestly but ineffectually urged their Lord-
ships to an inquiry into all the moat important interests
which their Lordships were bound to protect—an inquiry
most awful in its nature anti extent. He concurred in
what had been said relative to the continuance of the dis-
tress of the country, and its effect in producing disoonteut ;
and how could they not have continued, when, after all
thereduotionswhich the landlords had made in their rote,
they had only attempted to recover the remainder, but had
not got it; and when they in many insteneea got nothing
for their lands but merely the interest of the money
laid out in the buildings? Hart not the distresi conti-
nued when the farmer Lund that, notwithstanding all
his industry and his skill, his capital wait wasting
away, and he had no other to trust to except the se-
curity of the miserable pittance of the poor rates?
Was it surprising that the distress still continued to be
great, when all OVUM of merchants, suaaufsr.turera, and
of shipowner*, were carrying on their several trades anal
occtVlons not only without profit, but at a loss; and
when Meiners and artisans were &rived of employment,
and driven to the pittance of the poor laws? They might
remember that when he teldreseed their Lordships on a
former occasion, he had raised his feeble voice to warn
them of the consequences of the measures which the
mater; of this country had been for Some years' past pur-
Wog. He had warned them of the danger, and had
pointed out the meek but his warning had been iii Ste.
garded. That danger had now arrayed; and that,
too, in all respects more tremendous than any den-
ger that had occurred at any period since the.
AM revolution its France. Now the period Ivo,
conic when their Lordships could not refuse intitory
with the least regard to the safety of the Csmatitetion.
As to the argowents derived from confidence in the
Administratiou, he lied certainly differed froi,o, many of
them as to the proper mums to be purineA ; but be aid
not at all honour consistency in error tend he honed the
Ministers, in their uew aituationt, would see cause to re.
consider their former opinions ; and he was the more ma.
heed to hope that they would do rat from seeing among
them a Nettle Duke (Riebniond)---an ornament to their
body, who had formerly very much concurred with him
in his views of the state of the Agricultural interests;, and
the proper remedies to ha applied to their distresses, There
was a Worthy Bayonet, too, among them, to whom be
might appeal on the same grounds, although his proper
sphere would have been finenee—rether than the situation
whip!), be occupied. If the new Administration did this,
they would have his most cordial support, which, of how-
ever little moment in other respects, would have the value
of being consrientioua turd free. Ile fully concurred with
the Noble Earl audits heed of the Adminiatration, in his po.
!icy of nett-,hitervention in the affair's of foreign countries,
anti la his determination to pmerve peace with other
nations) if possible. There Was another subject, with
reference to which he considered that the new Ad-
ministration deemed the gratitude of the country..-lee:
meant the eukjeet of Pullin:neuters. Reform. He woe oont
OMlVert to. Reform on proper prineiplef—thnt nebula
which had a tendency to preakve, anti lint to destroy—m
strengthen, and not to impair the Constitution; bur still 3.'
real and substantial Reform in tint 4)411vr Howie of ParKA.,
silent, fle easy stow a Noble Lord on the Woolsack witiiipi,o