The Sun.
London, England, 1821-05-30 00:00:00

" what is precisely- necessary to enable the la-
" bourer to bring up his family." Again, 44 the
" common complaint that luxury extends itself
" even to the lowest ran‘ks of the people ; and that
44 the labouring poor will not now be contented
" with the same food, clothing, and lodging
44 which satisfied them in common times, may
" convince us that it ins not the money price of
" labour only, but its real mompence which has
46 augmented."
The sum expended on the poor on the average
of the years 1748 to 1750 was 689,9711. and
the total raised by poor rates 730,1351. per ann.
The National Debt at the Peace of 1763 was
138,865,4301. And previously to the Arneric6t
War in 1775, 10,281,7951. were paid off; nearly
one-thirteenth Part of the whole debt, or nearly
oue-bixth part of the debt which had been con-
tracted in the seven-years war preceding- 1763.
In 1775 the debt amolinte'd to 128,583,6351. and
the annual charge to 4,471,571/.
The imports in 1715 had been less than five
millions, official value, on the average of.fifteen
years ; and the exports seven millions. They
increased progressively to 1765, when the im-
ports exceeded ten millions, and the exports fif-
teen and a half millions. The official rates of
value were established in 1696, and continue the
same for the purpose of comparing quantities of
goods.

Again, Professor MALTHUS, adverting to the
,eculiar circumstances of this country about the
middle of the last century, observes—" About the
" middle of the last century we were genuinely,
"_and, in the strict sense of the economists, an
cc agricultural nation. Our commerce and ma—
" nufactures were, however, then in a very re-
" spectable and thriving state ; and if they had
" continued to be in the same relative proportion
" to our agriculture, they would evidently have
" gone on increasing considerably with the im-
proving cultivation of the country. There is
" no apparent limit to the quantity of manufac-
" tures which might in time be supported in this
" way. The increasing wealth of a country, in
" such a state, seems to be out of the reach of all
" common accidents. There is no discoverable
" germ of decay in the system; and in theory there
" is no reason to say that it might not go on in-
" creasing in wealth and prosperity for thousands
"of yeats. We have now, however, stepped
" out of the Agricultural System into a state in
" which the Commercial System clearly predo-
" minates'; and there is too much reason to fear,
" that even our commerce and manufactures will
" ultimately feel the disadvantage of the change."
These were the principal circumstances in the
political economy of this country about the mid-
dle of the last century, upon which the cele-
brated ADAM SMITH grounded his enlightened
views of the freedom of trade, as suited to the
then existing circumstances. We conceive they
well deserve attentive consideration, in devising
measures of improvement in our own times.
A maxim regarding the inferences to be drawn
from the price of labour calls for serious contem-
plation towards exciting exertions for relieving
present difficulties. " The liberal reward of la-
" bour, therefore, as it is the necessary effect,
" so it is the natural symptom of increasing na-
" tional wealth. The scanty maintenance of
Cl the .labouring poor, on the other hand, is the
" natural symptom that things are at a stand, and
" their starving condition that they are going
cc fast backwards."
After this period material alterations in the cir-
cumstances of the country took place.
About the year 1764 we ceased to export a
surplus of corn. According to the report of the
Lords of Trade, "in the eighteen years from 1770
" to 1788, by setting the value of corn imported
" against that of the corn exported, and deduct-
" ing the amount of the duties received thereon
" from the bounties paid during the same period,
" it will appear that this country has, upon an
" average, sustained a loss in this trade of.
" 291,0001. per annum ; which sum it has annu-
" ally paid foreign nations for the supply of its
" inhabitants."
The amount of Revenue, and the market price
of wheat, progressively increased after that period.
Omitting the prices from 1765 to 1775, on ac-
count of several unfavourable seasons; from 1775
to 1780, the average price of wheat was 41s. ad ;
and the average net revenue of the period eleven
millions. From 1780 to 1790, the average
price of wheat was 445, 9d ; and the average net
revenue of the period fourteen millions. From
1790 to 1792, the average price of wheat was
475. 6d ; and the average net revenue of the
period seventeen millions. From 1764 to 1772
the price of the quarters loaf in London fluc-
tuated between 6d. and 81t1.; and in 1790 to
1792 between 6d. and Bd.

Our manufactures and commerce, which had,
previously to the year 1765, doubled the im-
ports and exports in fifty years, made such
considerable advances after that period, that
they were doubled in the succeeding thirty years.
In 1796 the imports exceeded twenty-three mil-
lions, and the exports exceeded thirty millions,
official value. We imported continually an in-
creasing supply of foreign corn. We departed
from a system essentially agricultural, and ex-
tended our commerce and manufactures towards
a sys.em essentially commercial.
It 1792 the total debt of, Great Britain and
Irel .nd, both funded and unfunded, was
252 684,471/. ; and the annual charge 9,534,2671.
exc.uding the sinking fund.

• The slim raised by poor rates in England and
Wales, on the average of 1783,4, and 1785, vas
2,167,7481., and the .sum expended on the poor
about two millions per_annum..
The amount of ..Revenue, and the market price