The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-02 00:00:00

THE FRENCH PRESS AND THE

CORN QUESTION.
La Presse of Thursday observes, that " the circular
of the Minister of Commerce on the state r,of the corn
crops in France and in Europe has been made the sub-
ject of the commentaries of the entire press. The jour-
nals oppesel to our views on the subject rely on it as an
argument in favour of the do-nothing system of the Go-
vernment, whatever may be the circumstances which are
likely to occur, and trust that we shall join them in re-
storing confidence to the public. Certainly, when we
roused the attention of Government, we did nothing
(whatever may be said) to excite the anxiety of the
population relative to the means of existence—the
first of all interests as regards them as well as our-
selves. We know no more miserable, no more blame-
able party tactic than that which consists in agitating
the mass of the population, as a Legitimist journal does
this morning, by affirming that the people are not sure
of having sufficient to 'eat to the end of the year.' and
that the Government is taking no measures of relief.
But between alarming public opinion and lulling it to,
sleep, there is a medium, which consists in warn-
ing the public and the Government, and that is the
course which we have followed. We shall continue to
pursue that course, because, though there exists no
danger of the people wanting bread this year, there is
danger that they may pay dear for it for the advantage
of foreigners ; and, on the other hand, •we must prepare
for the chances of the next harvest. Moreover, if our
language could produce any injury, our adver-
saries are sufficiently numerous and sufficiently
noisy to confute our arguments. We confess we are
far from finding in the circular of the Minister of Com-
merce that assurance which he wishes to convey against
the inconvenience of exportation to foreign countries.
All his calculations and all his arguments may be
summed up in these words—the harvest is sufficiently
abundant. We have never denied that fact ; but we
added, it is sufficient if we keep it for ourselves, but it
will not be sufficient if we suffer a great part to
be exported. In vain have we examined the circular
of the Minister of Commerce for a reply to this
argument, but it contains none. Our opponents rely
upon the calculations of the Minister of Commerce to
refute our arguments. But there is no cause for their
exultation, if we examine the conclusions of the circular.
The Minister demonstrates that only 26 depart-
ments have this year produced an overplus of corn,
that 28 departments have produced sufficient for
their consumption; and that in 32 departments there
exists a deficiency. Now for the potato crop. It
is deficient in 36 departments, in only 11 is it
su-
perior to a fair average crop, and in 37 departments it is
equal. The last harvest, however, is still sufficient for the
wants of the population, but it does not promise a golden
age; and the Minister was right in concluding that the har-
vest of 1845 is inferior to that of an ordinary year. But
the circularinsinuates that foreign countries will require no
corn from us, because they can find sufficient elsewhere.
England will want no corn, her bonding stores and the en-
trepots in the Black Sea are overflowing with corn, and
wheat is sellingut slow price in the countries where it is
produced. Let us not delude ourselves. 'The reserve in the
entrepots is limited, and not more than sufficient for
the demand from England. The moderate price at
which wheat is selling in England is owing to the
speculators who fill those entrepots, and who are wait-
ing for a rise in price, and a reduction in the import
duties. The low price in the foreign markets is owing
to causes not connected with abundance. We are told
that the price of wheat is only 13F. the hectolitre at
Odessa. Yes; but, unfortunately, there are three
answers to this argument which it is endeavoured to
establish on that fact—first, to the price of 13f. you
must add the freight, which, to Marseilles alone, is sf.
or a; in the second place, to what amount will this 13f.
rise when all the nations who want wheat will arrive at
the -market of Odessa ? and, in fine, is it known
whether Odessa can supply wheat to Europe ? Is
it known what is the amount of the fabulous
abundance attributed to Odessa? Let us make a single
reflection. If the market of Odessa could thus supply
all Europe in years of scarcity, how would it dispose
of its wheat in years of abundance. Would it cast
its corn into the Black Sea ? We are not more reas-
sured, we confess, by the present price of wheat coin-
pared with that of the preceding years. The aver-
age price of the hectolitre of wheat for all France
was but 21f. 4c. on the 15th of October, says the
Minister's circular. Yes ; but at the same period
last year it was but 181. 66c. This is a consider-
able difference, and it is in vain to explain it by the ap-
prehension created amongst the population —an apprehen-
sion which did not exist at the period when those ave-
rages were struck. Neither is this difference explained
by the consideration that the price of wheat usually
rises at this season of the year, since that argument ap-
plies as much to the year 1844 as to the year 1845. It
is further to be remarked, that in the northern depart-
ments—that is, in the departments where the super-
abundance exists—the price has risen ; and this is a
most conclusive fact."
The Echo Agricole, after publishing the circular, ad-
dressed by the Minister of Agriculture to the prefects
of the departments, on the 15th inst., observes—" This
circular, in many respects, agrees with the information
we hare ourselves collected. If France could freely use
the resources offered by her own crops and those
which foreign trade regularly deposits in the south-
ern entreptits, her consumption would be amply
secured, and the prices would not rise beyond mea-
sure. But if the Minister has truly appreciated
the different resources of France, we are of opinion that
he has not sufficiently considered the wants of the
countries which surround us, and particularly England.
It is certain that the latter will be obliged to import
largely, and she has already made considerable pur-
chases in our entrepot at Marseilles, where her vessels
arrive in great numbers, laden with coal, and can afford
to return with cargoes at a reduced freight. It is,
sensequently, to be; feared that the resources pre-
that entrepot will not be available to France.
sente..
resDets • the northern entrepots, Dantzic and
Hambur h, the are rather within the domain of Eng-
.,
land thagn ours; but .
- the quantity of grain they contain
te to the wants of England.
is far from being eclogue high; and the cauntries
The prices, moreover, are very
' -
4-luced too little to
which usually supply them have pi -wease or the
hold out a hope that the stock will it,.. -thrfur-
prices diminish. Holland, it is true, is &sundae.
.•
niched; but those resources will rather serve to fees
Germany and Belgium than provide for the wants of
England. The Mediterranean and the United States
are accordingly the only two points upon which Eng-
land can rely, and there we shall necessarily compete
with her. It is consequently probable that the English
merchants will apply to our departments of Brittany, to
which they have of late sent large orders, and where the
people have already manifested apprehensions on that
account, which deserve to fix the attention of the Go-
vernment. Several journals have intimved that the
French Administration should adopt exceptional mea -
sures to the effect of preventing further exportation.
The question is difficult, and the Minister of Agriculture
and Commerce appears little inclined to recur to such
means. The future will tell if he was right. Under
existing circumstances the Minister gives wise instruc-
tions to the administrators of the departments. It is
certain that the free circulation of grain is the
surest mode of insuring the general supply, and
that, any impediments in the way of the internal
trade would be attended with the most fatal re-
sults for certain localities. We trust, moreover,
that before proclaiming the adequacy of our corn
legislation to provide against all the inconveniences of a
considerable exportation, our Ministry has ascer-
tained whether England herself would net have re-
course to exceptional measures. This is a point of the
highest importance ; for if the Reformers should attain
their end at the other side of the Channel, we shall evi-
dently be the first to feel the effects of that change in
the English legislation, and it would be the height of
imoradence not to have foreseen it."
The Commerce publishes the following letter, dated St.
Maio, the 17th inst. :—" This morning a manuscript no-
tice,evipnust,ym,aanydorof
thete eft
yo
al en tdoorfe pma.i rLtooutitsteStoi uz
es
,e s a
posted at the corner of the vegetable market, invited
offormLeirid°
re-
commended them to set fire to the dwellings of those two
honourable citizens. The cause of this invitation is the
ever increasing dearness of bread, and particularly the
export of black corn to foreign countries. Yesterday a
company of the .71st Regiment of the line set out in all
haste for Dinan, where a numerous assemblage inter-
cepted the passage of ships on the Rance bycasting enor-
mous blocks of stone into the canal. The gendarmerie
and the troops which left our town having been found
inadequate to quell the riot, and two gendarmes of Dinan
having been severely wounded by stones, it was found
necessary to send hastily for reinforcements. Two com-
panies of the line were summoned from St. Briene, and
we learn that a battery of artillery has been dispatched
from Rennes.
" P.S.—At the moment of closing my letter I learn
that the riot has re-commenced, and that the inhabitants
of Broons, of Beckerel, and even of St. Maio, have joined
the rioters of Dinan. A respectable merchant named
Paul Robert, is said to have had his arm broken, and to
have received some severe contusions. The authorities,
however, are sufficiently stroug to cause property to be
respected, and some arrests have been made by order of
the King's Attorney-General, who has displayed much
zeal during these disturbances. The same excitement
prevails on the entire coast of Lower Brittany, black
corn being the only resource of the poor when the potato
crop fails." .
The Courrier Francais publishes the following letter
from Manheim, dated the Bth inst.:—" The uneasiness
which has been manifested on the subject of the even-
tuality of a dearth of corn and of potatoes during the
winter, has excited the entire solicitude of the autho-
rities, and given rise to a most minute inquiry. The
information collected has emibled the Municipal Council
and the Chamber of Commerce to publish a report,
which will much contribute to tranquilise the country.
The conclusions of the report are-1. That it cannot be
advantageous to purchase corn at the present high
price, b,z,!ise tl:e object proposed could not be attained—
that of furnishing l'read on cheap terms to the labouring
classes. 2. That the present high price of corn does not
arise from a deli,cipoci, but from the apprehension caused
by the reports of speenhetgre Fi.o forestallers. Many pro.
prietors, adds the report, epeitee r,roduce on
hand. The purchases of corn for Alsac4 4111C1 §wsr-
land have ceased in Germeny—first, because corn is
cheaper in those countries ; and because their supplies
are sufficient. The potato crop has been a fair nytrage,
and the accounts of the potaisa disease are exaggerated.
Corn in many parts of Germany is ,c4eaper than here,
and large quantities of American .flour are on their pas-
sage to this country. It is from those facts that the
Chamber of Commerce and the gunicipal Council have
determined to reject every proposal tending to prohibit
the export of grain, and that they propose to grant t 9
the importers of American flour a premium consisting
in the return of part of the import duty."

•
A deputation from Ashton had an interview with Sir
Robert reel yesterday, at his official residence in Dowr..
ins-street,

LA W INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF QUEL'7V'S BENCH, Dec.l.

-
HEATH V. HAGAR AND OTHERS.
This was.an action for trespass, and one which created a
great deal of laughter while it continued, bv reason of the
exhibition made by the defendants, who acted as their own
counsel, and, in consequence, gave a practical illustration of
the proverb that " he who acts as his own counsel lids a fool
for his client." It appeared that plaintiff was a hairdresser,
occupying a shop in Great St. Andrew's-street, St. ;
his son had been acting as his foreman, but left him, and a
man named Box subsequently acted in that capacity. The
defendant, who was the landlord, entered the premises,
.and
sought to take possession, conceiving that' plaintiff's son,
whom he looked upon as his tenant, had " deserted."
Plaintiff's son then went, with some assistants, in March
last, to remove the defendants, whom he looked upon as
trespassers, and thereupon a row ensued.
Mr. Hagar, sen., having been called upon by the Court to
put any questions he pleased to the witnesses, he pro-
ceeded to do so ; but when the reply was in the negative, he
invariably said, " Yes, I did ;" " Yes, you did ;" " No, I was
not," &c.
The COURT reminded the defendant that lie was not to
give evidence, but to confine himself to asking questions.
Mr. Box, sen., a diminutive gentleman, whose tout ensemble
presented a rather dusky appearance, declared to the Court
that "it was all a' conspie-racy' against him by fifteen per-
sons, at. half-a-crown a head."
A witness, named Mickey Daly, having been called, de-
clared that he went to the place on the occasion to
assist Mr. Heath. In answer to Mr. Hagar, he said he
went there for no purpose but to see justice done, and was
not to be paid. He did not go there to box Mr. Box, but
to see that Mr. Box boxed nobody else. He saw Mr.
Heath produce a paper to Mr. Box, sen., whereupon Mr.
Box, jun., boxed Mr. Heath, and snapped the paper, of
which act Mr. Hagar expressed his approval by exclaiming,
'" That's right, Box, turn all them d—d blackguards out."
Mr. Hagar's son denied that his respectable parent
used that language, and disputed the veracity of
a great deal more besides that had bean deposed
to. The police were called in to lull the storm, which they
did, by withdrawing some of the elements that had created it,
to wit, Mr. Daly and another, and accommodated them with
a temporary lodging in one of the apartments at the station ;
from thence they paid a morning visit to a justice of the
peace, from whom, after a short conversation, they took their
departure, upon an understanding highly agreeable to them-
selves.
The jury found for the plaintiff—Damages, 40a.
SALVAGE....-lIORNE V. BYFORD.
It appeared from the statement of counsel in this case,
which was an action taken by the plaintiff for the recovery
of 26/., for work and labour done for the defendant, the de-
fendant was the owner of vessels, in which he
was in the habit of getting up cargoes of fish
for the London market. In February last one of his vessels,
the Princess Victoria, was coming up with a cargo of fish for
the Billingsgate market, when a squall coming on she was
upset in Ganion's reach, and sunk, when, unfortunately,
three of defendant's sons, and one of the crew, were drowned.
Plaintiff was employed by defendant to raise the vessel, as he
is what is called an "under waterman." The operation was
rather a difficult and expensive one, particularly in winter;
the vessel was sunk in 22 feet water at low water, near a
place called "Du Val's house," or as the witness called it,
" The Devil's house." Seven men were employed, and the
vessel was raised after a good deal of labour and a valuable
rope having been broken. The cargo was sold by defendant,
but he refused to pay plaintiff's demand, 261., and offered
5!., but had now paid 12/. into Court.
Captain Fisher, harbour-master, was, called in, and said he
had considered well the whole case of the sinking and sal-
vage. It would have been a fair price to charge 211. for rais-
ing, the vessel and taking out the fish. The weather was
very rough, wind north-west, which should be taken into
consideration.
Mr. CLARKSON, for the defence, said the present was a
most distressing case, as lie was informed. The defendant, a
po'or Barking fisherman, had gone, as his business led him, to
sea in his hatch-boat, to fetch from the sea-going smacks a
cargo of fish. His boat was only 18 tons burden, and his
remuneration for taking the ship to Billingsgate was from
11.' to 255. only. When coming up a violent gust of wind
sujik the boat. Two of his sons were washed overboard and
log, the third being below at the time was drowned there, and
went down with the boat in deep water. A fourth man, Leach,
crawled along the bowsprit as the boat went down and took
the water, where he remained till picked up by a passing
lighter. Horne passed the lighter, and was asked to tell
the defendant that the boat had gone down and his sons
were lost, which Horne did, and engaged to raise the boat
foe him as cheap as if he were his brother. Having no
proper crew, ropes, barge, or kedges, he was obliged to bor-
row them, and then he knew so little of his business, that
seven men were omployed for three days doing what might
have been done in a tide, and that was the only reason or
colour for a demand of 211. The witnesses in the case for the
plaintiff were here so many different plaintiffs, as it were
suing Byford, and swearing in their own case. It was said
the fish had been saved, cleaned, and brought to market, and
fetched a good price. If that had been true, the defendant
had no interest in that ; he was only a carrier, and had lost
hii freight ; but so far from that being so the owner lost
60..bv the fish becoming stale and not reaching Billingsgate
till Sliturday afternoon, two days too late. The case was
rendered harder by the plaintiff suing out a' writ against the
defendant the very day that the letter of demand—a demand
general and undefined—specifying no sum, actually reached
the poor fisherman in the midst of his suffeiings for his ag-
gravated losses.
After a great deal of conflicting evidence for the defence
had been adduced,
Lord DENMAN summed up. He regretted that the at-
torney here employed for the plaintiff should have issued the
writ so hastily, as if a poor man who had experienced so
heavy a loss both in pocket and in his feelings in consequence
of the heavy bereavement suffered through the loss of his
children, ought to make his mind up as to the amount to be
paid for the salvage as soon as demanded. In leaving the
case to the jury, he begged to observe that the payment of
121. into Court ought not to be taken as an admission by the
defendant that so much was due. The question of the
amount due for the work and labour done was still quite
open to the jury, notwithstanding the defendant had paid
into Court a suns he thought enough to cover all that might,
upon the trial, be charged and proved, so as not to be in-
volved in unnecessary expense.
After retiring for six hours, the jury returned a verdict for
the plaintiff—Damages 15/.