The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-27 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

CITY MEMORIAL TO LORD ABERDEEN.

Lord Aberdeen received a deputation from the city
on Saturday, at Downing-street, to present a memorial
on agricultural statistics, which is believed to be one of
the most influential, in regard to signatures, which has
ever emanated from the city of London. The following
gentlemen composed the deputation :—Messrs. John
Masterman, M.P., Alexander Matheson, M.P., T. A.
Mitchell, Gregson, M.P., F. W. Russell,
M.P., Johs:lngrain Travers, R. W. Crawford, W. S.
Lindsay, Jiihn Alton,. James Caird, John Gladstone,
Louis Huth,.A. RAP, J. D. Powles, &c.
Mr. MAs'tizumerr;presented the memorial, and stated
the great importance of its object to the commercial in-
terests of the country, which was manifested, in so far
as the city was concerned, by the numerous and very
influential signatures appended to it. He trusted that
his lordship and the Government would be enabled to
effect such arrangements as would secure the object
sought by the memorialists—the collection of accurate
returns of the agricultural produce of the country.
Mr. GREGSON, in following Mr. Masterman, said that
he had mentioned the subject in the house last session,
and received a satisfactory reply from the President of
the Board of Trade. Since then some inquiries had been
instituted, and returns had been delivered from three
counties in Scotland. Similar experiments bad been
made in two counties in England, and every disposition
had been shown on the part of the President of the Board
of Trade to make progress in obtaining this information.
He might state that the return should be obtained and
published with as little delay as possible after harvest, in
order to their being of any practical value, for in regard
to the Irish returns the value they possessed was much
impaired by the fact that they were not delivered till 15
months after the harvest to which they referred, thus
telling us the quantity of corn at our disposal three
months after it had been consumed. He might offer as
a striking illustration of the value of such returns, in
comparison with the cost of obtaining them, the fact
that the quantity of corn annually sold in this country was
estimated at 40;000,000 qrs4",mpon which a fluctuation of
only ls. a qr. amounted to 2,000,0001. sterling. Correct
returns would, in great measure, check excessive fluctua-
tion. An objection had been made, that the returns might
be viewed as inquisitorial in their nature ; but it had been
satisfactorily shown to the farmers, by Mr. Pusey and
Lord Ashburton, that they were the parties who would
be chiefly beriefitted. He could not presume to enter
into the detail of the mode of carrying the project into
effect. The Tithe And Enclosure Commission-office had
been suggested as an already organised body, with com-
pletely qualified officers in every part of the country,
whose services might be made available in this inquiry.
At present there was an uncertainty to the extent, as
stated in the memorial, of 1,000,000 of tonnage as neces-
sary to carry the supplies needed from abroad before next
harvest. The expense nationally would be nothing,
compared to the magnitude of the object and the impor-
tant interests at stake.

Lord ABE EDEEN said—Hitherto experiments have been
made with a view to test the practicability of collecting
accurate returns. Those made in Scotland have been very
successful. In England the same system has been tried in
two countries, Norfolk and Hampshire. At first it was not
attended with the same success, as much opposition was
offered, and more would have been if the returns had been
made compulsory. It is therefore desirable to avoid mea-
sures which might appear compulsory. lam happy to
say that now there is every prospect of the experiment
being attended with perfect success. I have therefore
no hesitation in saying, that enough has been done to
prove that a system may be extended generally through-
out the country, though I am not prepared to say by
what machinery. The importance of the object is fully
admitted, and its practicability proved. The time and
the mode of inquiry are, therefore, now the only points
to be determined. The question of expense would have
to be submitted to the Chancellor of the Exchequer; but
on that point I do not anticipate much objection.
Mr. LINDSAY, after what had fallen from Lord Aber-
deen, felt it unnecessary to urge this matter at much
length, his lordship having signified his concurrence with
the views of the memorialists. He would therefore only
add that the signatures to the memorial were those of
men representing the most important interests in the
city of London, and who did not put their names to any
document the object of which they had not fully consi-
dered. As an extensive shipowner he was personally
cognisant of the evils attending the want of reliable in-
formation on this important subject. To illustrate this
he might refer to the great fluctuation occasioned in
freights by this uncertainty—those from Odessa having
varied from 60s. to 170 s. since last harvest. This was
an instance of the manner in which the want of statistics
of the year's produce operated in shipping, but he was
aware that it acted no less injuriously on most of the
other great commercial interests of the country.
Mr. CAIRO, in reference to what had been said by Lord
Aberdeen on the objectionable character of compulsory
measures, expressed his belief that a system could be
adopted, which he had indeed already prepared, but at
that time felt it unsuitable to present to his lordship, by
which this objection might be obviated. The main ob-
ject was to get trustworthy returns at an early period
after harvest, and in such a mode as should admit of
an easy check on their accuracy. From his personal
acquaintance with inquiries of this nature, he had no
hesitation in saying that a system might be introduced
by which all these important objects would be secured.
The great fluctuations already mentioned sufficiently
proved that, in comparison with their value, the cost of
collecting these returns was a trivial consideration. As
a further instance of this he might add that the corn
crop of the British Islands of 1853 is, when valued by
the average prices of this week, worth 40 millions ster-
ling more than it was in the first week of harvest, so
entirely are we without reliable information as to the
real value of our crops. Accurate information would
certainly not remedy the injurious effects of bad seasons,
but it would equalise prices, permit of timely arrange-
' ments for adequate supplies, and prevent those sudden
fluctuations which all admit to be so injurious to com-
merce and trade. Such statistics were already obtained
in the continental States and in America, as also in our
own dominions in Ireland and in Canada. He could
confirm what had been stated of the great importance to
the agricultural interest, with which he was more imme-
diately concerned, of trust worthy agricultural statistics.
Mr. RUSSELL shortly urged the importance of the sub-
ject, which was fully acquiesced in by Lord Aberdeen,
and the deputation then withdrew.