The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-17 00:00:00

THE CORN LAWS.

The Bank of England is contracting the circulation, by
'ai.:ing the rate of discount to 51 per cent., and advancing
money at that rate on good bills of exchange only. The
commercial embarrassment which this measure has oc-
casioned, and the still greater evils which may result to
manufacturers, traders, and, in fact, all classes of the com-
munity, are all clearly traceable to our absurd, iniquitous,
and suicidal system of Corn-laws, which first deprive the
Continental nations of the possibility of taking our ml-
nufactures in exchange for their produce, and then, when
a season of scarcity, occasioned by a bad or deficient har-
vest, occurs at home, compels us to send hard cash abroad
to purchase corn, which, but for our absurd legislation, we
might always have i 0 abundance in exchange for our broad
cloths and hardware in the regular way of trade. But the
vil does not stop even here, for it not only deprives us of
a never-failing resource in seasons of temporary difficulty,
hut permanently drives us out of many foreign markets, by
compelling those who would be our customers, if we would '
let them, to become our rivals by manufacturing for them-
selves. Thanks to a bountiful Providence, the appear-
ances so far are in favour of an abundant harvest, and the
danger of a famine which would bring about a repeal of
the Corn-laws with a vengeance, is so far averted ; but the
evil may occur any day--and terrible will be the respon-
sibility of those short-sighted and selfish monopolists,
who, for their own private advantage, uphold theini-
quitous system. In the meantime, the present state
of the money market, and the depressed condition of the
manufacturing, trading, and commercial interest, must
necessarily direct the attention of many persons, who,
v hilst they escaped without palpable injury, never gave a
thoug' t to the subject, a r perhaps were amongst the su-
p,,i ficial clamourers in support of the starvation law—to
t' at fru'iful source of mischief from Which they themselves
now suffer, in common with thousands upon thousands of
ilis it fell.3w countrymen. For our own part, we have been
le' g co ivincc.,d, that if the aristocracy be supported by the
people, the country would be infinite gainers by paying
than at once as many millions directly from the national
Treasury, as they now wring from the people by the ma-
chinery of the Corn-laws, leaving trade free and commerce
untettered.—Liverpool Mercury.

A week of precisely the kind of weather that was
most wanted after the late rains, namely, dry, warm, and
sunny, with light breezes, has brought us suddenly into the
mitlstof the hay harvest in Yorkshire. Scarcely any fields
were cut before Tuesday, but since that day the operations
in the fields have been very active; and if the present glo-
dons weather should continuo, the crops, though light,
„..„.=._
TP/u,,blisse;endobilive::. IN'1101)01 I
„?1' f!rtr'
alcr:d..
inn'
will be well got in. We hardly need say that the weather
tans also been most favourable to the crops of grain and to
every other kind of vegetable growth, so that the promise "Nn‘ohni:l2l.)(=intrt:ndd,anatti
the emiuty of IlirlAlesex.—Wednes.!ay, July 17: 1 s 9.
for the corn harvest is exceedingly good.—Leeds Mercury.

~~