The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-08 00:00:00

115.kosi. lie also postponed the Commercial Statutes Repeal
Sill to the same day.
The second reading of 'the Warehousing Bill was postponed
x.r.til.Monday neat.
AGRICULTURAL REPORT.
The 3larquis of 'LONDONDERRY • moved the Order of
the Day for the further consideration of the Report of the Agri-
. cultural Committee.
.
On the question being put that the Speaker do leave the'
Mr. CURWEN rose for the purpose of asking the Noble
Marquis (Londonderry) if he would agree to go at once to the
consideration of that part of the Report relative to the scale of
duties, instead of discussing that part which proposed the grind-
it: g and exportation of foreign wheat ?
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY admitted that the scale
cf duties was one of the most matenal-parts of the Report ; and
to appeared to acquiesce in-the suggestion of the Hon. Member
to Cumberland.

A" desultory conversation then took place, in which Mr.
Goods, Mr. BiNETT (of Wiltshire), and the Marquis of
LONDoNDERAT participated.
Mr. LOCKHART commented strongly-on the conduct of
Ministers with respect to this question. The Noble Marquis
should. not have been satisfied by detailing 'to the House the
-plans of others ; he should enter into some proposition on his
own responsibility.
' The Marquis of LONDONDERRY interrupted the Hon.
Oentleman, and said, " I 'am ready to do so."
. Mr. LOCKHART immediately sat down.
Ilr. ATTWOOD contended that the fbundation of a
great political change was laid by. the conduct which Mi-
nisters pursued.- All the propositions which they had sub-
mitted to the House on the subject of Agricultural Dis-
teaser were obscure, inconsistent, . and inconclusive. The
Ilon, Gentleman then contended that the Increase of taxa-
.tion since agriculture was in .a . flourishing condition was in
—proportion to the increase in .the value of the currency.—
The price of corn at the termination of the last war was
1245. the quarter ; and it was now from 475. to 495. the
limner, and the taxes, instead of having increased one-
fourth, were now actually doubled. He thought it im-
possible to maintain the doctrine that taxation was not the
eauae of agricultural distress. What, he asked, became of
the doctrine of an Hon. Member (Mr. Ricardo), that recurring
to a metallic circulation made no more than a difference of
10 per cent. in the value of money, when that difference was
by no means adequate to account for-the present difficulties?—
When they came to examine the. state of the country they
a taund that the taxes were now 55,000,0001. 'double what they
had been in -1792. • So-large an amount he thought sufficient to
iiire an idea of. What the nature of taxation was.—(Hear;
.hear !)-1f they found that the standard of money could not
L a 'higher price than at present, they then fixed an accu-
mulated taxation. He then thought it of the greatest import-
awe to.fix a proper standard
.of value, and the best mode of
knowing what..standard prices could bear would be by recur-
ring to experience as the guide. The highest price which was
aver obtained, up to the period.nf the commencement of the last
Twar, for corn was 478.9 d. For the half century preceding the war
it was generally 395. sd. the quarter, and from that back to 1603,
'9s. 4d. 'making a difference of only Id. ; which showed hOw
little effect the operation,of the standard of currency then fixed
dyad produced; and he saw no reason for now altering it.
'NI r: RICARDO observed, that the Hon. Member who had
Jest sat down had fallen into some errors, on which he thought
it was necessary to put Ilan, right. The Hon. Member had
spoken of im as if he were du. advocate for a paper circula-
lion. He oke of him as if he atad not been the first to cry
. out agains that system. The Hon. Member alluded to a
~' pamphlet which he (Mr. R.) published on this subject, and he
was willing to trust the truth of his argument to what was
S .atcd in that pamphlet as to remunerating prices, without
which the farmer could not go on. The Hon. Member spoke
-.a him as if he were responsible forall the alteration which took
'elace in the value or money in 1819. A 'Treater depreciation
its the value of the currency had existed before 1819 than had
existed then, but for that depreciation he (Mroß.). was not re-
sponsible ; however, that evil was then remedied, by the Bank
.itself. He maintaineal that the difference between the value of
, wiper and gold was not more than 5 per cent. But whether the
difference was 20 or 50 per cent., how was he (Mr. R.) respon-
;ale for it ? He proposed a measure which would have made the
i itculation of gold unnecessary, but the 'Muse did not think it
'eaeident to fol'e-v it. The principal difference between him
eta! the Hon. Member was as to the alteration in the currency.
He (Mr. R.) maintained that alteration was not more thanllo
.per cent. Ile believed that depreciation, as applied to the
currency, was not generallyunderstood; for the currency might
Le depreciated, while it increased in value. If he were asked
glee gold was the best standard, he would say because it was
always the standard.; but if Parliament had not passed the
-all of 17147' the country would not now be exposed to the
,Cl-11S arising from the fluctuation of the currency. If the Hon.
Member meant that corn should be. adopted as the standard,
h, would have no objection to it, if it were less variable than
aeon ; but no invariable standard could be adopted. He could
a.e: sanction the argument that all our distress was attributable
to taxation ;
,he,(Mr. It.), had a large extent of land, and not
re:cumbered with debt and. what he suffered was considerably
maze than what proceeded frole taxation. After taxation there
wag more suffering between the landlord and tenant. The Hon.
ilifernber made a mistake in the prices.of corn at former periods.
Previous to 1744 die price was 325. the quarter, and from
to t, down to 1782, it was 435. the qua-ter, whiCh proved
I hit a considerable increase had taken place i i the price during
there 'years.. He .did not mean to contend that taxation was
rk".-A a burden ; on the contrary he thought every sixpence taken
-from the pockets of the people was a pressure, but though he
sslthitted this, he was not so blind as to say that taxation was
tae cause of all our distresses. If that were the case, ought not
a •t.l.e merchant and. manufacturer, who paid taxes as well as the
eaericulturistato be equally affected by them? He contended that
tote; theory was insufficient to account for the existing distress.
oit might be asked if taxation were doubled, would not the
price of corn be doubled ? He would admit it, if taxation were
laid entirely on corn, but not otherwise. If the tithes and
,roars-rates were doubled, which immediately pressed on agri-
culture, then he admitted the price of corn would be doubled.
„He knew it would not be agreeable to the House that be should
aeo enter into the defence of his propositions. He thought
taco: could be no doubt of the validity of the principle for
otL'eili. he contended, and which appeared to him invulnerable.
If:. ATTWOOD explained.
. l'ae House then went into a Committee on the Resolutions.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY rose, and said that he
:theaght it would be more for the general interests of the
country, if Hon.-Gent. confined themselves to some practical
.rind' of the subject, and did not wander into extraneous ques-
,tioas—aliear, hear.)—The great interests of the country would
be sacrificed by travelling from the propositions which were
..tien;ected to the consideration of the House. He thought the
,ff:n. Member (Mr. Attivood) ought to have reserved himself
far the question which the Hon. Member for Essex was to
fbriaie before the House. lie (Mr. Attwood) adverted to the
bolijon question, which brought forward the Honourable
ofifernber for Portarlington, the gladiator on that subject.
AT! would take a more limited field, and confine himself to
a nar:ower view of the subject, with a hope of effecting
aome practical - good for the country. He believed they
.weze all ,agreed that something, ought to be done to regu-
late the iinprirtatiou of corn, by a duty. Not less than
,iivc plans had been submitted, all of them endeavouring
so 'aim at some change in the existing system. But he
.now wished to conic to the three principal questions
-which he had to offer to the consideration of the Committee.—
.The' first ;was, as to . the preeise point at which the ports
.shoerithbe opened. The maximum , now fixed was 80s., but
vrlicn the price rose to that amount, the ports, by the exist-
ing law were opened, without any regulation whatever.—
With the exception of the Hon. Member for Somersetshire
:(Sir T. Lethbridge), and the Hon. Member for Wiltshire
-qtr. Benet:), • who had proposed two resolution in opposi-
-taao to the principle, they were all agreed that there ought
t 4. be some corresponding relaxation of the price at which
loreigit cornahould be imported. He was far from thinking
that distress arose from want of sufficient protection, for he
yeti, knew that protection could not give prices. In his opi-
niora the price even of 70s. was in itself a prohibition in or-
dinary years. He would now advert to the two resolutions
uproposed by the Hon. Member for •P•ortarlington (Mr. Ri-
do) and his Right Honourable Friend (Mr. Huskisson).—
`Tbe-former proposed that foreign cern ..should be admitted
4:ori :a general principle, when the price rose to;7os, ; but that a
prior entry should be given to corn in warehouse, at a price of
,80a.-; and. that ifthe market price should rise to 80s., then that
fereign corn ahoUld be let in, subject to a duty. He had him-
.-silf proposed that the ports should be opened at 655., subject to
a duty of 20e., which, (addinglOs., the expence of bringing the
corn here), would make the charge 30s. and the whole amount
sis6t—a price 'that, he thought, would be.a..complete protcc-
dor— However, before any thing practical was decided. upon,
pubilc opinion was to be consulted. He knew that an idea
,prevailed among a great body of the agriculturists, that it
would not be expedient to open the ports before the price rose
to 00. t. But he felt no alarm at the proposition of the Hon.
IYieenber for Portarlington, or at that of his Right Hon. Friend;
\fee if the::duty was to be of an operative character, it was
meter to begin early than to wait till a glut of foreign corn
was thrown into the market. However, he did not himself
oopose any siteratien of the price at which foreign corn
aaolad be admitted. Yet, as there was a great mass of fo-
reign corn now in the warehouses, he thought it would be ad.'
oiisable to allow it to be 'brought-into the market sooner than
She lew, as it now stood, permitted. Upon this point, how-
ever, the Hon. Member for Somercetsliire, , and the Hon.
111 ember for Wiltshire, were very tenacious, opposing the ad-
itasiai,:en till the price rose to 80.5., except in the case of ,corn