The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-23 00:00:00

content with these laws pervades that part of the

country. The writer says :
Independently of the party connected with the Anti-
Corn-law Association, there is a highly influential class of
men who, though not easily susceptible of excitement, are
greatly mistrustful of, and most anxious for, an extensive
modification of the laws. Still the movement, as now de-
veloped, is to an extent far more general than any which I
have witnessed, save that which resulted in the Reform
Act. It is not the effervescence of a moment, or the fever
of an hour—it is not the offspring of unworthy cupidity—it
is not founded of vague apprehens►ons of approaching cala-
mity, but upon evidence of a rivalry in manufactures, so
clear and palpable as to fill the breasts of even sober think-
ing men with anxiety and alarm. Rest assured, Sir Ro-
bert, the flame thus kindled shall not run " to waste with
its own flickering ;" it shall burn yet more intensely, and
gather ardour from the evidence which at first excited and
is now accumulating around it, until it shall illumine the
senate of Britain ; or if such an anticipation be beyond the
pale of possibilities, until it shall have made the people
wiser than their rulers ; when again, within the space of a
few brief years, shall be recorded in the pages of our his-
tory a verification of the ancient axiom, " Vox populi, vox
Dei," leaving posterity to wonder at the infatuation of go-
vernors, who could forget a truth which had so recently
been enforced, and that too in a style so signal and resistless.

In the compass of twenty pages the author exa-
mines a number of the positions of the advocates
of the Corn-laws, and completely. refutes them,supply-
ing ample materials for keeping alive the flame which
will by and bye illumine the British Senate. He
exposes the fallacy of the Corn-laws promoting
cultivation and protecting agriculture, which is one
of the most strange suppositions that was ever
propounded. How giving an increase of rent to
idle landlords who, in most cases, do not trou-

ble themselves in the least about cultivation,
but spend their time abroad, many of the
land-owners, too, being corporations and col-
leges, can stimulate or protect agriculture,
no person has ever explained. How giving an
increased income also to the tithe-owner, which is
another consequence of the Corn-laws, can serve
the agriculturists, Sir ROBERT PEEL'S ingenuity
has not discovered. The cultivation of the soil,
is promoted by lessening the cost ; and whatever
cheapens it, like improved ploughs, enables the
agriculturist to cultivate less fertile lands with a
profit. But the Corn-laws operate directly con-
trary to the invention of improved ploughs ;
they add to the cost of production, by the
whole of the increased rent they give to the land-
owner, and increase of tithes to the tithe-:owner--
who in nowise contribute to the cultivation. They
impede, not promote—they plunder, and do not pro-
tect, agriculture. Never was there a grosser per-
version of the truth than the assertion that the
Corn-laws promote and extend the cultivation of
our own soil.

Mr. WESTHEAD examines and refutes the false
assertions made by the Corn-law advocates of the
greater value of real than of personal property.
He completely convicts those advocates of mis-
leading the public, when they affirm that the land-
lords are more heavily taxed than other classes.
He dwells with considerable eloquence and effect
on the important truth that the country is now de-
pendent on America for the subsistence of nearly
two millions of our population. He exposes by
Parliamentary returns the absurdity and bad
faith of those who assert that pauperism
and immorality have abounded in the com-
mercial districts ; and proves that in Buckingham
the poor-rates were four times as high in proportion
to the population in 1801, 1811, 1821, and 1831,
as in Lancashire ; that the idiots amongst the agri-
culturists were I in 700, amongst the manufacturers
only 1 in 1,960 ; and that amongst the Corn-law
Duke's own most virtuous population, the number of
bastards was to the population as 1 to 200, while
amongst the demoralized spinners and weavers it
was only 1 in 400. Mr. WESTHEAD then states—
Having furnished a new topic for all those who depre-
ciate the manufacturing population, I request attention to
this remarkable fact, that the increase of the population of
Lancashire alone, during the period which transpired be-
tween the years of 1801 and 1831, was 664,123 persons,
being raore than the entire population of the undermen-
tioned counties at the date of the last census, namely, Bed-
fordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire,
Hereforishire, and Rutlandshire ; which counties contain
2,446,050 acres, or about a thirteenth part of the area of
England. Lancashire, then, has provided employment and
the means of subsistence, not only to her native popula-
tion, but has also furnished customers to the number of
664,000 for the produce of the agriculturists, and this too,
manifestly, without occasioning the least increase to her
own parochial burdens; and if not to her own, certainly
not to those of adjacent or remote counties, but, on the con-
trary, has conferred upon the country at large advantages
of no ordinary kind. The charge, therefore, made by the
Corn,law advocates, that manufactures have increased the
local taxation of England, is worthy the cause of those
who urge it.

This furnishing customers to the agriculturists is
a point which the farmers should bear in mind.
The Corn-laws prevent the growth of our manu-
facturing towns and limit the customers of our far-
mers. Every clay we read of the exportation of
machinery, and the expatriation of our artizans,
who go abroad to eat the bread which the land-
lords will not allow to be brought hither ; abroad
they will afford no:market to the English farmer,
but if allowed to eat foreign grown corn at Man-
chester they would also supply a market for much
of our own farmers' produce, and continually add
to the number of his customers. We hope, however,
soon to see the farmers convinced that the Corn-
laws are greatly injurious to them, as well as to the
rest of the community, and that conviction this
eloquent and useful pamphlet will contribute to
hasten. While there is a continual accession of
such labourers in the field as Mr. WESTHEAD, who
is a partner in a large manufacturing concern at
Manchester, there must be a continual accession of
hope that such labours will speedily meet in success
with their appropriate reward.

The outcry which certain interested parties in
this country have raised about the increase of crime
among the coloured population of the West Indies,
since the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act,
has led to the presentation to Parliament of a
series of official despatches and returns from those
Islands worthy of very serious attention. In a
despatch from Lieutenant-General Sir LIONEL
SHIT H, Governor of Jamaica, to Lord GLENELG,
dated the 23d January, 1839, we find enclosed a
Repe.rt from Messrs. RAMSAY, BAYNES, KELL,
and JACKSON, Stipendiary Magistrates of the
district of St. Catharine, containing a population of
at least 20,000 coloured labourers, in which the
malicious rumours about the increase of
crime are most satisfactorily disproved.
This Report is dated the 12th of January
last,. and is consequently five months sub-
sequ,vnt to the commencement of the alleged period
of ti te insecurity of life and property. " During
the 'four years of the apprenticeship," say these
genti'emen in the Report alluded to, " the cry that
crime was on the increase, was loudly raised by al-
most the whole of the planting interest, and as

tonal antly denied by the advocates of emancipation.
The former in support of their position were ac-
cusf*,t ,med to point with confidence to the number of
case; 3 brought on some occasions and in some
pails hes (for even this was not general), before the
Colr is of Quarter Sessions, which, if it proved an
inet i!ase of crime, would not be against the
app..7. entices, but their masters ; for more than
half of every calendar was ordinarily composed
of c'a sea of assault committed by the latter on their
servants." We must pause here for an instant.
This is so delectable a specimen of planters' logic
yrovi ng the increase of crime, that it should be
carefully treasured in the memory. The sable
se, 3x indrels had, it appears, the wickedness to com-
pi n more frequently than formerly of the brutal
td illegal floggings to which they were subjected
r their humane and benevolent masters and mis-
trt !sse sT. This was what made the calendar heavy.
N e r
,hall see what use the culprit's counsel at the
)id Bailey will be able to make of this very inge-
ni o'; is argument. Let them only show that the es-
sei It e of crime is in the legal prosecution of it, and
the , thieves and rogues wiII carry all before