The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-28 00:00:00

THE HARVEST IN FRANCE.

The scanty harvest and its pose ible consequences begin
to pre-occupy the public mind considerably, especially as the
abolition of the sliding scale comes this 'year for the first
time into action.
All opinions agree that, as regards quantity, the wheat
harvest is considerably below the average ; indeed, that it
has been the scantiest known for the last 25 years, and will
fall short even of 1846 and 1856. An additional disadvan-
tage seems to be that, contrary to other years, very little
remains of the growth of last year, the softness of the wheat
of 1860 having obliged speculators to hasten its sale. As for
the quality, it is thought decidedly above the average,
which may, up to a certain paint, make up for the quantity.
But, in spite of this, it is calculated that the deficit will ap-.
proach one-fourth, or even one-third, below the average.
As for the other cereal crops, with the exception of Indian
corn, which forms, as in Italy, the chief food of the southern
population of France, they have been tolerably successful—
a circumstance which is likewise calculated to compensate
in part for the failure of wheat.

Such being the position, the corn-•dealers try to make the
most of it ; they are holding meetings, presenting the most
unsatisfactory statistics, and are working on public imagina-
tbn in order to have a pretext for their speculations. They
have been tolerably successful hitherto, and that from a
simple reason. Most of the people still retain their old
idea, and have not yet learnt by experience the effects of
free trade in bread-stuff or anything else. Even those who
advocate free trade policy are so hampered by old notions
that they can scarcely take a free and unprejudiced view of
their situation.

Instead of taking the simple, common-sense view, that
the real less is in the labour which has been thrown away
or unsatisfactorily repaid by the scanty crops, they are
haunted by spectres of dear bread, and are tormented by the
idea that so much numeraire (ready money) must go abroad
for the purchase of foreign grain. As you see, they are
living in full protection atmosphere as yet, and are thus
playing into the hands of speculators, who are not slow in
availing themselves of this auxiliary. It is only the expe-
rience of years which can uproot the old prejudice that it is.
Government which must take the matter in hand, and, by
preventing exportation of grain and fixing the price of
bread, protect the helpless masses against the rapacity and
ill-faith of speculators.

It is surprising that nothing has been learnt by what has
passed during the last 15 years on the other side of the
Channel—nay, what has been passing for the last few
weeks. England, which has scarcely recovered from her
bad harvest of last year, has been exporting considerable
quantities of wheat to France, where the prices °tiered were
more remunerative than they were at home, knowing very
well that there are plenty of people and countries only
waiting for an opportunity of sending her their own.
surplus.

Instead, therefore, of sounding alarm, and speculating on
the dvta of the past, it would be far more advantageous
consider the subject from the new point which the abolition
of the sliding scale and the increased facilities of transport
give, and to suggest measures which are calculated to
facilitate the working of the new system.
As regards the first, it is a question of demand and sup-
ply, whieh, with an article so abundant as grain, wil
always find their true level. In this respect the alarmists
are doing good without knowing it, for by their means the
world knows that there is a demand ; but even before the
cry was raised considerable importations began from abroad,
where grain was bought in many instances at half the
price it now commands in France. Under the old sliding
scale, with the uncertainty which prevailed up to the end
of the year, this opportunity of buying cheap would have
been lost. Besides, there are immense facilities for impor-
tation now in the rapidity and cheapness of the means of
trunsport all through France. Both the time and cost of
transport from the coast towns to the heart of the country
have been reduced by the introduction of railways to one-
fourth, if not less, of what they were before.
The only danger lies in fearing a danger; and the remedy
against this is in the greatest possible publicity of the market
transactions, as well as of exportations and importations.
The vintage, which is now all but over, is more satisfac-
tory than might have been expected. The quantity,
although not abundant, is far greater than anticipated, and
the quality first-rate. You have an idea at home that good
French wines have either vanished or have become exceed-
ingly rare ; here it is the reverse; while good wines have
scarcely varied in price for years, common wines have
doubled within the last few years.