The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-08 00:00:00

country, the satisfaction which the landowner on the
Vistula has of feeding:Es ca ee with wheat, because
there is no market for it. The landowners of this
country have always a market at a higher price
than in other countries, because we export thirty-
six millions of manufactures, and are, therefore,
necessarily an importing, country with respect to
food. The destruction of foreign commerce, as we
yesterday observed, means nothing less than oonfis-
cation of the land to the poor, who must be fed,
whether they earn the food, or cannot earn it. Mr.
P. Thomson exposed very happily the trickery of
Sir James Graham, in referring to the exports of
manufactures to the corn growing countries, with a
view to show that, in spite of the restrictions on
importation, the exports of manufactures to those
countries had been considerably increasing. The
Vice-President of the Board of Trade took five
years of an unrestricted and five years of a restricted
importation, and showed that, in declared values,
the exports to these countries had really fallen off,
though of course we are obliged to take an immense
quantity of raw produce from them as materials for
our manufactures. Sir James Graham, in his character
of "Cumberland Landowner"(the title to a well-known
pamphlet written by him) was very happily quoted in
answer to almost every position in his speech of
Thursday night. It is, we fear, a true remark, that
men are proof against all arguments but those which
are addressed to their fears. The oligarchy of this
country refused Catholic emancipation till coming
events of a very ominous kind cast their sha-
dows before,—they delayed parliamentary re-
form till the people began to move in heavy
columns ; and the landowners, who, notwith-
standing the reform, still form the majority
of the Lower House, are prepared to sacrifice the in-
dustry of the country, and to strike at the prospe-
rity of the nation, from an unjust wish to avoid
parting with property they cannot keep. We have
not the slightest doubt that the prediction of the
Vice-President of the Board of Trade will be rea-
lised, namely, " that they will be forced to deal with .
the corn laws in a less respectful way than they
could deal with them at present." In vain the right
hon. gentleman tells them, " now is the time to act
—now is the time to effect a change in the law ;"
and " in this way they will be able to meet the great
commercial combinations that are taking place in
different places in Germany." They will delay till
commercial disasters and hunger act on an infu-
riated population, and then they will yield meanly,
as they have yielded meanly heretofore. We shall
only have another illustration of the observation of
Chancellor Oxenstiern, " Go forth, my son, and see
with how little wisdom the world is governed."
However, what wisdom fails to do, is at last done by
necessity. Mr. Alexander Baring, whose argu-
ments always indicate the place he represents, made
a speech last night for the Essex squires and par-
sons, and observed that " they all admitted that
great distress existed among the agriculturists, and
that the greatest prosperity was the present
lot of
,the manufacturers ; so that in asking
the repeal of those laws, the distressed
were to extend a boon to those who were already in
prosperity. The rich man came begging at the do( r
of the poor man." Why it is your measures that
have made you poor ; you build on a sandy founda-
tion ; and the manufacturer knows that though be
is not so distressed as you are, yet he would be
more prosperous if it were not for your measures.
The whole of Mr. Baring's speech was a develop-
ment of the maxim, that there is no use in laying
down principles or seeking to choose a wise course
in preference to a foolish one, as the result will al-
ways be independent of anything you can do. It
was that sort of sneering, poco-curante speech which
one sometimes hears from a man seated at a good
fire, who has had a good dinner, and is enjoying his
bottle, and naturally dislikes agitation. The most
amusing speech certainly was that of Lord Althorp,
who disapproves of restrictions, but being obliged to
vote against the motion, observed, " He could not an-
swer those with whom he theoretically agreed on the
subject of the corn laws, and of course be would
not answer those with whom he was to vote.—(A.
laugh.) The corn laws will be repealed when the
people are in earnest about them. Parliament never
moves without a gale.— Morning Chronicle.