The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-19 00:00:00

when it reached a higher price the ports closed
—I beg your Lordships' pardort. When corn was
at a certain high price the ports were opened ;
when it fell to a certain price the ports were closed.
Now I am here to offer proof that all the objections
which have ever been urged to that mode, and they are
not a few in number—l am here to prove that all those
objections apply to the present different, and falsely sup-
posed, improved law. By this measure, instead of open-
ing the ports when corn was high absolutely, and
shutting them when they were lower absolutely,
it affixed a certain scale, taken by the average of a
certain number of towns in which there seemed to be a
considerable corn trade—taking the average every
week, it estimated the admission of foreign corn thus :
when the average was 735. or upwards in those districts,
there was no prohibition—it was not by tray of prohi-
bition, but it was done by duty. When the price was
up at 735. and upwards then the duty was ono shilling.
When it was 70s. we will say to go a little lower
I think the duty was 10s. Bd., when it was 655., the
duty was 21s. Bd., when it was 635., the duty was
Si.,

Lord MELBOURNE.—I do not think that is
quite correct.
Lord BROUG H A M.—lt is perfectly immaterial
to my argument whether that is correct or not.
When the price is 603., then the duty is 265. Bd.;
and when it is 50s. the duty is 365. Bcl, so that
when the price is lowered, the duty rises down to
455, when it. is equal to the price of the
article itself. Now, my first proposition is that there is
no difference between the present and the former law,
and I shall slew this by the most indisputable testi-
mony. I shall shah that there is no difference between
the operation of one plan and the other. Now only ob-
serve Forcini wheat is at a certain price, to which, if
you add the transport and all other expenses, and
make the whole sum equivalent to the condition at
which you al!ow Foreign wheat to come to your
own markets, there is a price at which it
will not bear a duty. Suppose the average price of
wheat advancing should be 365. at Dantzic, which has
frequently been the case, as I shall prove abundantly,
foe a certain course of years 355. was the average
price at Dantzic—l can prove that the cost of con-
veying from Dantz'c, harbour dues, insurances, landing,
and carrying it to the nearest market, amounts to
10s. Gd., consequently 455. is the price at which that
wheat can fie sol,! at your market. I state this as mere
detai!, for this reason, because, in a subsequent part of
my statement, I shall show that those who think
that the markets are levered by the admission
of foreign grain blue greatly exaggerated the quantity
of supply, and the cheapness at which it can be got ;
but then I am ready to show to the House that 465. Gd.
is the average price at which corn is sold in this market.
Suppose the price to be 70s. here, then the duty being
18s. 31, that must be added to it, and it will make it
near 80s. Suppose it cd!s to 655., then the duty is 21s.

81. At what price then will it be? Why, then, it
will be equal nearly to the selling price. That duty shuts
the ports ; it is above the price at which it is selling in
your market, and consequently t►he corn that comes over
and is so excluth d here, goes into bond, all below that
is exclusion just as much as it was by the Bill of 1804.
For all above seventy shillings the ports are open as in

the Bill of 1815—you have therefore this stare of
things in principle, :ml I am now to open to your
Lord,hips, and which I n.iil prove upon the oaths of
those who have felt the inconvenieece of the state of
things, aye and of persons who have been ruined by
those consequences continuing, and rk ill ever continue
to feel those coesequenees are the same with those they
dread, and the experience of which drove you
from the p:inciples of 1834, and made you take
refuge in your new plans of 1815, and 1338.
Now, I have, I think, explained generally the
nature of the plan, and I may now solicit the attention of
the House to those consequences, and what is occurring-
every hour, arid which must occur until some alteration
is made in the present existing law. I will assume, for
argument sake, that the corn trade is a traffic that de-
serves to be encouraged. I will assume that you look
generally to a supply of foreign corn. I will assume
that, for some reason or other, you think we should not
be always confined to the corn of our own country—why
do I assume all this ? For this reason—becaUse your
Bill assumes it ; your Act of Parliament assumes
it, even the Bill of 1804 assumes it, for nobody excludes
or attempts to exclude foreign corn altogether. It is
admitted when corn is high, or that is to say, to avoid
scarcity, you do not look to your own resources, but to
the foreign growers. Foreign corn is excluded when
corn is lower, because, you rely then upon you own
resources, but admitting corn at any price shews,
that we look occasionally for foreign support.
Now having put my foot upon that pasitioo, from which
it is immoveable, because it is the Act of Parliament,
it is the system I am grappling with that gives me that
position—l now ask whether it does not follow, as a
matter of course, that the corn trade ought to be the
object of encouragement ? You meant to encourage it.
—you thought that the former Act discouraged it too
much, and, therefore, as an object deserving the encou-
ragement, you favoured it by the change of the law,
partly in the year 1815, but chiefly in the year 1814.
Now I am about to demonstrate to you—first, to show
by .reasoning, because it is probable, in order that I
may get rid of the first answer, viz., that that cannot be
proved at all, for it is utterly impossible. lam first
going to show you by argument it is probable, and then
to tender my evidence to show it is true in point
of fact, that this system is fatal to the Corn
trade. I won't abate one jot of my posi-
tion. I won't be satisfied with convincing any man
it is only hurtful to him—l won't be satisfied with
proving, on the oaths of a cloud of witnesses ready and
anxious to come to the bar to state it—some of them
who have suffered themselves, but hope it may prove a
warning to you, and be the means of saving their
brethren from following their fate—but I won't be satis-
fied in proving, either from their oaths or my arguments,
that it is only very pernicious to the Corn-trade—l will
take nothing unless I demonstrate first—the probability,
and then by evidence the certainty that the Corn trade is
destroyed by this system. Now, my Lords, only
suppose one case, and that carries with it the great part
of my argument. Suppose merchants, upon grain
being up at 725. or 735., and the duty therefore being
down at ls., suppose merchants, three or four, join in a
venture, and for the purpose of supplying a certain
number of quarters of grain, 40 or 50,000 quarters of
grain, they ship at Dantzic or Malta,where the price is42s.