The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-01 00:00:00

particular merits. That great proportion of our
population which is not connected with apiculture,
was almost unanimous in its opposition to the Corn
Laws, and in clamouring, on the principle of free
trade, for the unrestricted importation of foreign
corn. This short-sighted and injudicious cle-.
mour contributed more than any thing else to
impress the minds of, theorists with the fallacious
idea that the accuracy of the principle of free
trade is generally admitted. The clamourers,
however, Dilly contemplated the application
of 'the general principle to. the trade in food,
because they Supposed , that it was their inte-
rest to have food supplied to them at the
lowest possible price ; end— the very same
persons who were • thus apparently enthusiastic
in their advocacy of. the general principle,
would have started with horror at a proposition
for applying the same generate to their.
own particular concerns, - because they know
that in most ,of their own concerns, of the
. .
prattical condition of Which they are well
informed, the applicatiOn of the general prin-1
ciple -would be productive of the inevitable ruin '!
of them-and their families. The Silk Manufac-
turers, during ,the last Session of
.Parliament,
1
were strea'uous advocates for the- general priu-
ciple- of free trade, because it was.'their sup-
posed interest that they should be able, by
the repeal of all legal restrictions, to beat
down the wages. .of their journeymen.—
The very same Silk Manufacturers, hOWever,
have already petitioned Parliament. against the
principle of free trade, because Mr. ROBINSON
has proposed to admit -foreign manufactured
silks into:, the British market !—Lord MIL-
TON and Agriculturists are friendly to
the prieciple.of free trade, when it is pro-
, posed to repeal' the laws for preventing the ex-
portation of. British Wool, because the Agricul-
turists believe that' foreigners
,would pay an
enhanced price for the peculiar wool of this
country.. But Lord MILTON and the Agri-
culturists are hostile to the same principle
of free trade, whenever it is proposed to re-
peal the dirties on the importation of foreign
corn, because they know that the. free ad-
mission of foreign . corn would speedily effect
the ruin both of the land-owners and the fariners !
Thus, when' the application of the gene'rnl prin-
ciple of freedom of trade is successively proposed
to the parties who imagine that they themselves'
would he benefited by the particular ap-
plications proposed, there is an universal
,:aeletst— or acknowledgment of its wisdom ;
and thus, when its application is successively
particular concerns and interests proposed to the
of the various classes of the people, there •is an
, universal denial of the accuracy of the principle,
and an universal protest against its application
to branches of industry, the parties embarked in
each of which are ready to prove .an' exception
in their own case upon the particular merits!
We have therefore shewn how the supposed
universal, recognition of the general principle
has been obtained ; and we have proved that, the
fallacy upon this subject is so complete, that
that very principle which is erroneously said to
be universally admitted, is, onthe,contrary, and
in fact, universally denied! Even the Journey-
men Printers who petitionedtheOthe r day in fa-
vour of the free emigration of artisans and -the
free exportation of machinery, would he startled
at a proposition to admit forelgn'printed books
into the English market,—a measure which
would soon be -followed by the prititing of all
our standard works, and even of most.of our new
publicetions; being executed on the 'Continent !
—This subject is altogether of such vital import-
ance to every class of the people, and' to the in-
terests and security 'of the Empire, that we shall
feel it our duty to. continue its discussion in one
`or more,.ef our -succeeding papers. •

-" -
In one of ourpreceding articles we have stated
that the greatest alarm would be produced in the
clothing districts by the GRA NcELLoit of the Ex-
CIIEQUER'S proposal to permit the free exporta-
tion of British wool, and we see that a public
meeting has already been held at Bradford, at
which the following, amongst other Resolutions,
were passed :
" Resolved.—First, That this Meeting contemplates with
the greatest alarm the proposition of his Majesty's Ministers to
allow the. exportation of British Wool.
-" Second, That the long Wool of the United KingdOM is an
article of 'vital importance to this Nation, from the circum-
stance that no Wool of a Similar quality, and adapted. to the
same purposes, can be found in any other country.
" Third, That the loNi rate of labour and other expencesin
Foreign Countries, when.compared with those at home, ren-
ders it certain, that as soon as British long Wool is permit-
ted to be exported in . its raw state, our export trade in
Worsted.StUffs will forthwith cease, and thereby great numbers
of industrious mechanici; will be deprived of the means of sub-
sistenee, and a great amount of capital vested in machinery and
commerce, will be either totally lost, 'or rendered wholly un-
productive, so as to cause the ruin of numbers who are now
engaged in that branch of trade.
" Fourth, That a petition be presented to the Honourable
the House of Coinmons, and also a Memorial to the Board of
Trade, praying that the Petitioners and Memorialists may be
heard before a Committee of the House of Commons, or the
Right Honourable the Council for Trade' and Foreign Planta-
tions, before any alteration takes place in the existinglaws, and
that the Members for the County be requested to present such
Petition and Memorial."

Mr. Sergeant ONsLow's Bill for the abolition
of the Usary Laws appears to us to be pregnant
With incalculable mischief. We respect the cha-