The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-26 00:00:00

WAGES AND CORN-LAWS.

IVAGES.—Obscrvations on the Connexion between Corn-
Law _Repeal and die Price of Labour; mith a Reply
to some _Remarks contained in a Pamphlet signed
" Britannicus." By Edward John Evans. Clarke.

London, 1844.
The object of these " observations " cannot be bet-
ter stated, perhaps, than in the "Prefatory Remarks"
which precede the text. We subjoin an extract, of
which, in discussing the important topics it alludes
to, we scarcely think the worse, because of the de-
fects of composition that may be detected in it :
" The question of free trade has now become one of
the principal topics of the day, and the object of the
monopolist party being to bring forward specious argu-
ments attempting to refute the statements of the free
traders, and as many of their pamphlets may get into
the hands of persons whose minds are still shackled
with many prejudices upon this subject, this device
would thereby so far succeed as to cause individuals to
waver in their decision, when the necessity of a right
knowledge is of the first importance. This circumstance
suggested the necessity of establishing the 4 Metropolitan
Free Trade Discussion Society,' where all questions of
doubt and perplexity can be brought forward, and their
various merits freely canvassed ; and I trust by those
means we shall be enabled to fix the minds of many
upon a firm basis, with regard to the great and important
principle of free trade."
We heartily concur with Mr. Evans in his sug-
gestion for the general amelioration of the farmer's
position, as • an expedient preliminary, if we do not
mistake him, to the permanent establishment of a
system of free trade, including the abolition of the
existing corn-laws. " I may be allowed (he observes)
to state here that, leaving out the. exploded fallacy of
mutual confidence, let him at once have a LONG LBASI ;
his energies thereby will be directed to the improve-
ment of his -lands, and we shall And that by these
means, and these alone, he will be enabled to raise
double and even treble the produce he did in former
years, with great profit to himself," &c. • Touching
the reciprocating action of supply and demand in
regulating the market of labour—and, indeed, all other
markets—we meet with the following touch of native
sagacity : _ .

" A Lancashire operative very justly observed, and it
has become a hacknied phrase, but not the less true, that
when you see two men looking after one master, then
wages will be low ; and when two masters are looking
after one man, then wages will be high.' "
This is a proposition more universally true than
what here follows :

" The effect of the corn-laws upon the farm labourer
may be stated in few words : they raise the price of the
commodity he has to buy, and Laver the price of the commo-
dity he has to sell."
If the commodity to be sold be labour, this is ne-
cessarily true ; but not so if the commodity be live
stock, for example, which it does not necessarily fel-
low that a farm labourer cannot possess. The chief
averments in the pamphlet of " Britannicus" are well
answered by the chronological statistics adduced by
Mr. Evans, ranging from the years 1816 to 1843.
Some extracts from our contemporary, the Economist,
from Ricardo, from Senior, and other economical au-
thorities, are judiciously brought in aid of the general
argument raised by Mr. Evans, that a lowered price
and increased quantity of corn would inevitably tend
to raise and maintain wages, and enlarge the opera-
tions of our productive industry.

LITERATURE.
THE ALBANIAN. Strange, London, 1844.
There Is much vigour and animation in this poem,
which is founded, it seems, on a romantic incident that
occurred—or is supposed to have occurred—during
the late hard-feught War of Independence in Greece.
The poem opens with a graphic sketch of the scenery
in the immediate neighbourhood of Corinth, and then
proceeds to describe the appearance in the bay of a
small Greek brig which is hotly pursued by a Turkish
vessel of war. The account of the pursuit, and the
subsequent conflict between the two ships, is given with
considerable ability. But indeed the poem throughout
deserves praise for its striking and appropriate
imagery, and the ease and melody of its versification.
The author is a gentleman named Charles James Col-
lins, and we trust this is not the last poem we shall
have from his pen. We quote a passage or two :
The creaking masts bend 'neath the heavy strain,—
The spray flies o'er the deck as thick as rain ;
The Turk appears within a musket shot,
Of that most swift but doomed Ipsariete.
The Reis with horror views the flashes bright,
And coward like proclaims he dares not fight ;
Howls to the wind as on the deck he stands,
And prays the virgin with uplifted hands.
Kalsandi listens to the coward's cries,
One moment pauses—feasts his rage filled oyes ;
Then bounding grasps the traitor by the neck.
And hurls him powerless from the vessel's deck
Into the swelling billows of the bay,
While stand the crew in horrified dismay.
The Chieftain calls upon his men to fly
Each to his post, and meet the Turk or die.
He thunders forth his mandates, but in vain,
The fear-struck crew but fall to prayer again,
Close round the Virgin's image congregate,
And loudly pray her to avert their fate.
Kalsandi as he paces o'er the deck,
Views in his mind, his cherished treasures' wreck ;
Heaps curse on curse, upon the coward Reis,
Who lured him first to this doomed enterprise.
Alternate feelings now his bosom tear,
Rage, fear, hatred, hope, but not despair.
Ilis treasures knock against his heart.—'tis woe,
Indeed, to yield them to a Turkish foe.
Each shot that whistles through the echoing air,
Adds to the keeenness of the crew's despair;
One form alone enjoys the stirring scene,
And he had scarcely twenty summers seen ;
He seems to glory in a scene so new,
And laughs to scorn the terrors of the crew.

TWO SUPPLEMENTS GRATIS,

WITH THE "DISPATCH."

GREAT NATIONAL TRIAL AT DUBLIN.

---
The immense size of THE WEEKLY DISPATCH has,
hitherto, enabled its Proprietors on all occasions to present
copious, and, at the same time, interesting account of the events
of each week. It is, however, now found utterly impossible to
give anything like a faithful report of the Trial of Mr. O'Con-
nell and his repeal associates, without excluding a great mass of
interesting domestic and foreign intelligence • the Proprietors,
therefore, feel that their journal, which has been for years, and
is new, honoured with more patronage than any other in ex-
istence, should be, in all respects, complete ; and, with that
view, they intend to insert a summary of the proceedings
during the progress of the trial in their usual columns, and
present to their friends and subscribers
TWO SUPPLEMENTS. GRATIS.

One of these Supplements will be published on the Sunday suc-
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General, and other leading Counsel ; together with the Summing
up of the Judge, the Verdict of the Jury, and other matters of im-
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A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF AIR. O'CONNELL
will precede the acconnt of the Trial, which will be written by a
gentleman intimately acquainted with the " great Agitator,"
and consequently one who has treasured up many reminiscences
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The Two Supplements, forming Ninety-six Columns, will
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MY FEELINGS.—Stephen Kemble went to a re-
hearsal one day at York without his coat. The manager asked
what had become of it. " Sir," said he, " the landlord of the
house where I was reading she London paper charged me
double for my ale. I told him he had cheated me, and would
not pay him. He seized me and pulled off nay coat ; so rather
than submit to his extortion, I came away without it." " But
Mr. Ketnble," said the manager, " walk through the streets
without your coat I" " But," said Stephen, " pay sixpence
for my ale 1" " But your coat, Mr. Kemble ?" Curse my
coat, Sir ; think of my feelings !"
ERUPTION OF MOUNT ETNA.—It appears from an
official report of the Governor of Palermo, that the
number of persons who were injured by the burning
lava of Etna in the late eruption was 143. Among
them were many strangers, chiefly English. The value
of the cattle killed, and of the fruit trees and crops de-
stroyed, is estimated at a million and a half of ducats.
THE RUSSIAN EMHAsSY.—We learn that Baroness
Brunnow, the lady of his Excellency the Russian Minis-
ter, has been taken taken suddenly and sericnsly ill.
ROCIIDALE FLANNEL MARKET, MONDAY, JAN. 22.
—There has been a good attendance of buyers in the
market to-day, and about an average quantity of business
has been transacted. More pieces would have been sold;
but the manufacturers could not afford to sell at former
prices without a sacrifice, on account of the regular ad-
vance in the price of the raw material. The Wool
market is much the same as it was the previous Monday,
the demand good, and prices on the advance.
We would once more emphatically call upon every
. .

pint,—
member of the Liberal party to be in his place upn the brit them ?—:.l was. _
night of the meeting of Parliament. His friends report with But wasn ..
't that all from high fun ?---it was. : .
confidence that Sir Robert Peel will " speak out," both upon Mr. O'Connell (to Mr. Hatehell)—A4 :hiza did they
the eorn.laws and upon Ireland. It is not improbable. His injure anybody.
followers seemed determined not to tolerate either silence or Did they injure anybody ?—(it thurV eii °tit : sees
if
evasion ; and possibly the Minister's deferent*
to his party except to knock down a couple ofgittgObreall it4lls.
ffitiiiii.
may induce, him to frame a frank and straightforward speech
- Were there any persons there ' lig oaf these
for his Sovereign. In this case, the'Address will certainly not things ?—Several.
pass without an amendment being proposed ; and we trust the
Were there many people seuhig giuterbTe4d ?..,,
division will find every Liberal Member at his poito., Chronicle.