The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-26 00:00:00

TUE I:EALTH OF THE LORD

REVIEW OF THE BRITISH CORN

NOBLE INSTANCE OF INTRE-

I

TR APE.

pmi ry-A SHIP'S CREW SAVED.

Considerable alarm has been created, net unty edionget,
the p--nmtial friends of Lord Lyndhurst, bat in the mind
of the public generally, by the rumours which for scene
' days past have been afloat respecting the state of his
Lordship's health ; and a paragraph u hick appeared on
Saturday, .and which we extracted on Monday from the
Berkshire Chronicle of that date, has tended not a little
to increase the prevalent anxiety with regard to the
Lord Chancellor. Doubting the accuracy of these state-
ments. but not being fully prepared to contradict them,
vie have thought it necessary to hive especial inquiries
made, e g:-lelenitin now in attendance on the Noble Lotd
at his meta-ion in Oxlertisinrt. IF:, in their communi-
cations, it appears that his Lordship fe!t rather indis-
posed on last Friday se'nnight; he was, however, on the
day following not unable to travel, and went from town,
accompanied by one of his secretaries, to Turville-
park, near Henley-upon-Thames, where he still remains.
Shortly alter his Lordship reached home his indisposi-
tion asi um( d so serious a character, that Mr. Brooks, a
surge; ,n, who resides at -Henley, and who is the ordinary
medical attendant of the family at Turville park, was
sent for. That gentleman c, nsidered the case to be of
so grave a character as to require the advice of a physi-
cian, and Dr. Locock was forthwith summoned to his
Lordship's bedside. During the whole of Sunday, Mon-
day, and Tuesday (the 16th, 1 and 18th of this month),
the malady under which the Noble Lord laboured as-
sumed a very alarming character, and a general impres-
sion began to spread that there was no chaece of his Lord-
ship's rt covery. It appears that his illness arose princi-
pally from obstruction of the bowels, an ailment by which
he has on former occasions been assailed. The remedies,
necessary for repelling an attack of this nature have usually
a tendency to debilitate the patient, and, moreover, the
effects of the disorder itself lead to great exhaustion ;
so that their combined operation upon the constitution
of one who has reached the advanced age of 73 could
not fail to have produced most distressing effects. Ne-
vertheless his Lordship's indisposition yielded to medical
treatment on Tuesday ; and though greatly enfeebled,
and able to take very little food, his case manifested
symptoms of improvement on Wednesday. On Thursday
and Friday he was much better ; on Saturday last he
was able to get out of bed ; and since then his Lordship
has been gradually advancing towards convalescence.
He is himself cheerful and sanguine enough to express
a hope that on Thursday se'nnight, which will be the
first seal day, it possibly may be in his power to take
his seat in the Court of Chancery. But the rapidity
with which a young patient recovers strength
can hardly be expected in the case of a man who has
suffered " the wear and tear" of professional and political
life fur nearly half a century, who never appeared to hus-
band his strength or take advantage of the means by
which longevity is promoted. His case, however, is now
likely to terminate satisfactorily, and it may be hoped
that, with a constitution naturally good, with the care
and caution which a warning like this is calculated to
superinduce, and with a full use of the aids and appli-
ances which a high state of civilisation furnishes, the
country will for many years continue to enjoy the benefit
of his services, and his personal friends the pleasure of
witnessiug,: and, as it were, enjoying the further pro-
longation of his valuable life.— Times.

1 LU;l:11 aCCVWII:6 :lave not
late been of a charsczer give much encouragement,
the trade in wheat has, since our last, assumed a de-
cidedly firmer tone at the leading provincial inlrkets ;
and, contrary to the usual course of affairs, prices
have begun to move upwards in the country, whilst
they have remained nearly stationary in the metro-
politan markets. Not only has a small advance been
established this week at the leading towns, such as
Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Wakefield, &c., but at
several of the markets in the agricultural districts
higher prices have also been obtained, though farmers
have brought forward god supplies. It is nut a com-
mon occurrence for the provincial markets to take
the lead in an upward movement ; but vast experi-
ence has proved that whenever the trade exhibits
this somewhat rare feature, the rise is occasioned by
legitimate causes, gem rally in consequence of a know-
/edge—which none are so capable of arriving at as
the growers themselves—that the harvest has turned
out really defective. We are, therefore, disposed to re-
gard the turn which business has taken at the chief
country markets as a direct confirmation of the opinions
we have all along maintained, viz., that the crop of wheat
is decidedly short of that of average seasons. Being per-
fectly convinced on this point, we cannot view the late
reaction in prices in any other light than the effect
of the mistrust and uneasiness which immediately fol-
lowed the reports so industriously circulated by a
portion of the press in the early part of the month re-
lative to the presumed intention of Ministers to throw
open the ports for the free admission of corn. It being
now, however, very generally understood that no such
step is contemplated, confidence is gradually being re-
stored. It would, indeed, be singular if the effect should
long continue in force after the cause had been removed;
and the natural corclusion therefore is, that the value of
wheat will soon recover its former position, or, perhaps,
go beyond the point at which the retrograde movement
commenced.

,
Abeut ati. tie of ea:tuber last, the bit: tilde Helen,
I Captain Clayton, of this port, loft Quebec on her home-
ward voyage, with a cargo of timber. The weather
proved favourable till towards the end of the mouth,
when it began ar blow a stiff gale from the eastward.
Early on the morning of the 31. t it increased in vio-
leac-a but the vessel, under double-reefed topsails, rode
gallantly on, and, as she Ras stout and trim built, the
crew felt little fear. About half-past eight o'clock,
while off the east end of one of the Newfoundland banks,
they discovered a vessel less fortunately situated, and
Captaia Clayton was not so selfishly concerned for the
safety of his own ship as to have no sympathy with the
crew of another, seemingly in a most perilous state. He
hailed the vessel, and asked whether they had any boat
which might bear them on beard the Helen? The
answer returned was in the negative, accompanied with
an earnest prayer that he would do his best to save them.
Captain Clayton hesitated for a little what to do. The
vessel was water-logged, without a rudder, and her
mimen mast and foremast carrie d away; and if he aban-
doned her to her fate she must soon be buried with her
crew beneath the billows; on the other hand, if he '
ordered some of his own meri to push off in a
boat and attempt their rescue, they might perish, and
his own vessel would be left with too few hands to work
her with efficiency. In this dilemma he placed a boat
at the disposal of any of his crew who would volunteer
as a forlorn hope to the ill-fated vessel. Three men,
without hesitation, offered themselves. We feel pleasure
in recording the names of the men who could thus cast
aside all ideas of personal safety, that they might at
least make an effort to rescue their fellow creatures from
a watery grave. The men who acted thus nobly, were,
Daniel Meares, second mate, a native of the north of
Scotland ; Jame. M'Kenea, the carpenter ; and John
Martin, of Belfast. Without much loss of time they
ntered a small two-oared boat, the only one they could
command, and rowed on to the wreck, which they
ri ached after encountering a host of dangers. " The
ship hung heaving on the verge of death," and the crew,
in number twenty -two, were standing on the poop, their
voices rising loud above the air of the tempest, en-
treating deliverance. Seven of them were got without
accident into the boat, and the captain of the vessel,
which proved to be the Harrison of Landon, told
the boatmen to return for the others, and he would
reward them. But they did not require a pecu-
niary inducement to stimulate them in their mis-
sion of mercy. Again and again they returned to the
Harrison, and at length every individual was placed in
comparative safety on board the Helen. A poor cat, too,
it is worth while mentioning, which had shared the fate
of the crew, also participated in the deliverance. The
storm raged with increasing violence all the day, and
during the following night, and there was no doubt on
the minds of any that the Harrison must have sunk very
soon after her crew had been rescued. The Harrison
had been in a disabled state for nearly a week previous
to the 31st, and the storm of that day made the wreck
complete. The crew had been on short allowance for
some time, but there was no fear of immediate famine,
as they had luckily a good stock of biscuit and beef, the
latter of which was stowed in a "stow-house" on the
mainmast. Their joy at being saved was, it may be con--
ceived, extreme, and the captain on reaching the deck of
the Helen, fell upon his knees and openly expressed his
gratitude to heaven for their wonderful deliverance.
About the 10th instant the Helen fell in with a vessel
bound for Greenock. which relieved her of nine of the
crew of the Harrison, as the provisions of so many men
pressed rather closely on their supplies. On Monday
last the Helen reached the port of Belfast, where the
captain of the lost vessel acknowledged the services of
the three men who had acted so heroically, by giving
each of them a handsome deuceur in money, as he pro-
mised.—Banner of Utter.

DISCOURAGEMENT.

Independent of the admitted deficiency in the produce
of wheat, there are abundant reasons why the value of
wheat cannot be expected to range low ; the most for-
cible of which is, unquestionably, the extensive failure
in the potato crop. The accounts from Ireland on this
subject have, it is true, been a shade less gloomy this
than the preceding week ; this, however, is the utmost
that can be said. It is not for a moment asserted, even
by parties anxious to take the most favourable view of
the matter, that the injury is not extensive, and the only
mitigating circumstance appears to be, that the crop is
found not to have been so completely as was
at one period feared.
In our last number we took notice of the condition in
which the shipments of potatoes from Yorkshire have
lately reached the river Thames : we have since then
prosecuted our researches on this point, and are sorry
to say that, with the exception of a few vessels which
have had an unusually quick run, the bulk of the
supply has come to hand greatly damaged. The fear
that that portion of the crop secured in an appa-
rently sound state will not keep, has hitherto prevented
any scarcity being felt, as it has had the effect
of causing the growers to hasten supplies to market ;
but when a serious falling off does occur—and that this
will take place ere long there is sufficient reason to ap-
prehend—an immense increase in the consumption of
bread, and indeed of all other articles of food, must
inevitatly follow.
We have endeavoured, in the foregoing remarks, to
steer clear of all exaggeration ; our purpose being to lay
before our readers the best information we have been
enabled to collect on a matter of such vital importance,
leaving them to make their own deductions.
As a redeeming point, we have every reason to be-
lieve that the crops of spring corn have generally given
a good return, and the produce of hay, straw, turnips,
tnangold wurtzel, and other articles of cattle feed, are
large.

'no, arrivals of wheat coastwise into London have been
moderate, whilst the quantity exhibited at Mark-lane by
land-carriage samples has been extremely small.
Oa Wednesday there was scarcely a sample on the
Kent stands, and only a run or two from Essex and Suf-
folk. The trilling Lature of the supply rendered im-
pol.tant operations impossible, but the little offered for
sale was placed at prices quite equal to those obtained
earlier in the week ; indeed, fine qualities, whether old
or new, sold at terms slightly above those of Monday.
Later in the week millers manifested an increasing
disposition to get into stock, and on Friday the turn was
decidedly against the buyer. There being hardly any-
thing exhibiting from the home counties, the few cargoes
offered free on board on the coast were sold without
difficulty at an advance of ls. per quarter.
The transactions in tree foreign wheat have not been
of much importance, but millers have been under the
necessity of taking small quantities for mixing with the
damp samples of new English, and holders having dis-
played no anxiety to press sales, former terms have, in
some cases, been slightly exceeded.

CITY THEATRE.

The effect of the recent fall in prices is now beginning
to manifest itself in the returns ; the general average for
the kingdom, published on Thursday, being only 58s. 6d.
per quarter. For the present, therefore, no further re-
duction in the duty ca❑ be expected. We need scarcely
say that few importers will pay the existing rate of 14s.
per quarter, and the whole of the arrivals from abroad
are consequently being warehoused under lock.
As bonded wheat has for some time past been, and still
continues to he, held at prices scarcely 10s. per qr. below
those of free, there is at the moment no great inducement
to enter into speculative investments, and comparatively
little business has this week been done in parcels under
lock. The fact that it is impossible to import from any
part of the world at nearly the rates bonded wheat may
be bought ate., Mark-lane, may be taken as a sufficient rea-
son why holders have not been anxious to part with their
stocks ; and there can be no doubt that a very slight
rise in prices of free would cause bonded to be held at
enhanced terms.

There has been rather an improved sale for the best
marks of town-manufactured flour this week, at fully
previous prices ; and ship samples were held with in-
creased firmness on Friday.
The supply of barley has been rather large ; the total
quantity reported up to this (Saturday) evening amount-
ing to 11,915 quarters, inclusive of 3.181 quarters,
foreign. The maltsters and distillers have throughout
the week conducted their operations with more than
ordinary caution ; and, notwithstanding the material
fall which prices had previously undergone, the tendency
was still downwards at the close of the week ; 38s. to
395. per quarter have become extreme rates for choice
qualities ; and other descriptions have been sold at pro-
portionate terms.
Malt has been equally difficult of disposal as barley,
and the few sales effected have been at prices which
would not have been accepted last week.
Large arrivals of oats two consecutive weeks, and
the previously very high value of the article, have
caused a great change in the position of the trade
in this grain. The dealers, though generally bare
of stocks, have hitherto refrained from buying
more than absolutely necessary for immediate
use. There has, consequently, been a great accu-
mulation of 11( acing cargoes ; and, as the days allowed
for discharging have in many instances run out, factors
have been under the necessity either of landing or ac-
cepting the best price they could get. The business
dens on Wednesday was at a further decline of is. per
quarter ; but on Friday some improvement took place in
the demand, and it was nut difficult to make progress in
sales at the rates of the preceding market day. Bonded
oats have receded to fully the same extent as free, and
on some of the late continental purchases there is likely
to be a loss instead of a profit.
Beaus have not recovered any portion of the depres-
sion of Monday ; indeed, they wete easier to buy at the
close than in the commencement of the week.
Large blue peas have continued in request for ship-
ment, and have brought high terms ; but white, maple,
and grey have barely supported former rates.
The only alteration in the duties on Thursday was a
fall of Is. per quarter on barley.—Mark-lane Express.

THE SUN, LONDON WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 26, 1845

for a while from those humiliations which it seems at
present to be courting ; for great prepararations, we are
told, are waking for resis:ance or p-ggression, new im-
provements being attempted in military discipline, in the
fabrication of arms, in the science of tactics, and in the
ermion of fortifications. They discern clearly enough
what is about t:; happen, partly from knowing their own
designs, and partly from observing the inevitable course
of events. It remains to be been whether they will find
us prepared for the struggle or not ; but there will cer-
tainly be ccnsiderable danger should our interests in
that part of the world be confided to no abler hands than
those of Sir John Davis.—Chronicle.

A. HEAVY BLOW AND SURE

When Dr. Chalmers and his now so-called " Free"
adherents ruled the roast in Glasgow some ten or fifteen
years ago, nothing would satisfy them but to build no
fewer than twenty additional churches in this city and
neighbourhood, ostensibly "to excavate the heathen," so
they said, but in reality to smother the Voluntaries, then
denominated "the vermin." Their love for the Church of
Scotland iu those days knew no bounds. It never en-
tered into their noddles that they would play any reel of
Bogie against her in any Canonmills-hall, far less that
they would dash any of her " wee bit endoomenties"
away from them for ever. No such " Disruption" was
ever contemplated by them at the period we speak of.
And so they testified, affirmed, and declared in the most
solemn manner, Ix th verbally and in writing, both in
pulpit and in hall; both in civil and ecclesiastical c ,urts
and records, that those twenty churches were to he built
and to remain in connexion with the Established Church
of Scotland, absolutely and unconditionally, in all tim
coming.
" Retract ! no—not a hair's-breadth !" Very
well. The " Disruption" came. The " reel of Bogie;"
sure enough, was played out, in a state of feverish ex-
citement to many, and to the grief and ra gret and dis.
may of others. led into the free vortex without rhyme or
reason, and occasioning sobs and tears yet unknowe
amongst other innocent parties, ruined or victimised
thereby, all through the instrumem:tality of a few stub
born, vain glorious ecclesiastics, who wished to become
little Popes in this kingdom, above the sovereignty of
the law, which rules all other denominations of man-
, kind. And when these parties, after all their cantrips,
saw that they could not sweep the establishment (in
which they themselves had so long nestled) from the
face of the earth, they then tried, by process of law—yes,
by process of law—which they formerly contemned, as
witness their own conduct in the ever memorable Auch-
terardy case, they tried—and we cannot too often repeat,
because it signally exposes their own folly and most
glaring inconsistency ; they tried, by process of law, in
other words, by a good, thumping Court of Session law
plea, to sever the connection between these twenty
churches and the Establishment, to roup them, yea, to
sell them, and to divide the free residue or proceeds
thereof amongst themselves. This was certainly a new
process fur " excavating the heathen," on their own
professed original principles. But the law of the land
keeps people to their own engagements, voluntarily and
solemnly undertaken by them ; and it is well that it is
so, otherwise this would be a miserable world for schis
matics of various kinds. The law of the land preserves
social rule, established order, and constituted rights ;
and, acting on these principles, it has just turned the
" free," and we presume we must call them the very
pious, pursuers out of court. It has told them that they
cannot sell these churches and divide the proceeds
amongst themselves. It has told them that they can-
not subvert their own declarations, or deface, or alter.
or destroy the title deeds to which they became willing
parties when in their sound and sober senses ; but they
must abide by these through good and evil times, at all
bands and against all mortals as law will. The Court
of Session, therefore, per Lord Robertson (ordinary)
has just dismissed the process of these " free and-easy'.
pursuers, and found them liable to their Erastian oppo-
nents in all expenses. And every man of sense and
right principle will rejoice et this, and say that they
have just b.: en served right.
Bnt what a noise we shall hear about it in the " free"
organs ! They will try to bamboo ale their " free" ad-
herents, or to mystify the matter with the usual cant
about the headship, and the Erastian thraldom, or other
things of that sort, so rife of late in this " free," be-
nighted land. But common sense and calm reflection
should tell them that they have fought and discomfited
with their own weapons ; and so, here we quietly leave
them for the present.—Scotch Reformer's Gazette.

THE LATE FIRE at, the GLASGOW'

The loss sustained by Mr. Anderson is very great,
and sympathy c,r his misfortune has been widely and
generally expressed. The unprecedented exertions he
made to renfler his place of amusement one worthy of
the city, and the success with which these exertions were
crowned in raising an establishment unequalled in this
country, at least fur its interior magnificence, we should
have wished to see meet a better fate, but the event has
been ordered otherwise. The building, we understand.
cost upwards of 7,0001, and Mr. Anderson estimates the
loss of scenery, wardrobe, machinery, and properties, at
3,00(1, making in all a sum of about 10,0004 To coy, r
this loss he is insured to the extent of 6.5001. in the to!
lowing offices:—ln the Yorkshire, 2,0001. on the building,
sod 1.0001. on the scenery, wardrobe, &c.; in the Sun
1.500/. ; and in the Royal Exchange 2,0001. An iron
safe, which was placed in Mr. A.'s own room, on the
second floor, contained a number of valuable papers, in-
cluding his insurance policies, the books of the theatre,
and upwards of 100 L in bank notes, gold, and silver.
The sure was yesterday found in the lower part of the
house, having descended with the floor on which it
rested. It was taken out, but the whole of the paper',
ind notes were reduced to ashes. From 40/. to 50/. in
gold and silver were recovered, completely blackened by
the action of the fire. Not the least painful circumstance
connected with this calamity is the distress to which the
people belonging to the establishment have been re-
duced • upwards of 100 have been suddenly thrown out
of employment, and in addition, they have lost valuable
articles of dress, music, musical instruments, workmen's
tools, &c. Their case is one deserving of public sympa-
thy, and we are happy to understand that, in the course
of to-day, subscription-sheets will be placed in the dif-
ferent benks, and at the bar of the Exchange, fur the
purpose of raising the means of immediate relief to them
and their families. Many of them are entire strangers
in the city, having no friends to apply to, and we
therefore confidently hope that the generosity of the
public will be largely extended to them. On Wednesday
night last, the attenders of the Adelphi Theatre were
thrown into a state of considerable alarm, about eight
o'clock, by the fall of the eastern brick wall of the City
Theatre, adjoining along with the gable on the south of
that fated building, which, as our readers are aware,
was destroyed by fire on Tuesday evening last. The
noise occasioned by the fall is described as having been
most alarming—almost resembling the shock of an earth-
quake ; and such was the effect upon the minds of the
audience in the Adelphi, that had the theatre
been crowded, the consequences would have been
most disastrous. As it was, the moment the shock
was heard, the people got upon their legs and
rushed to the doors, the ladies screaming with terror ;
and until the cause of the disturbance was described by
Mr. Miller and his dramatic corps, who, along with Mr.
Knowles, did their best to quiet the panic, the house
was in one general uproar. After this, however, the
performances proceeded as usual. The wall laving, fallen
inside the City Theatre no person was injured—indeed,
it was almost impossible that any one could have been
hurt by the casualty, as the Glasgow police superintend-
ent had established a sufficient patrol, stationed at proper
distances, within about 15 or 20 yards of the tottering
ruins. Yesterday afternoon the necessary measures were
taken by the authorities to provide against accidents, by
having the north and south walls pulled to the ground.
Saturday Post.

We are sorry to learn that the murrain, or some-
thing like it, has made its appearance among both the
foreign and home grown fruits. It is said to be quite evi-
dent that the apples and pears will not keep this year, as the
rot is making rapid havoc among them. The fruit-dealers,
like the potato merchants, are hurrying their stocks to
market.—Greenock Advertiser.

ACCIDENT.—An accident which might have re-
sulted in very disastrous consequences occurred on Wed-
nesday, at St. Catharine's Bay. An English gentleman,
who had been only a few days in the island, and who
meditated taking his departure the following morning,
was taking advantage of every moment he could seize
to explore the beauties with which the coast abounds.
When he left Gorey, about eleven o'clock in the forenoon,
the sun had broken forth into momentary radiance,
but he had not proceeded very far, when the rain again
beginning to descend, in a few moments waxed into a tor-
rent. The sky was dark and gloomy, and the vapour which
arose from the surface of the sea diffused a peculiarly thick
haze, for at least a hundred yards upwards from the shore.
The gentleman was riding onwards at a furious gallop, in
the hope of getting himself and horse sheltered under some
adjacent " shieling, ' when all of a sudden his charger making
a start at some object or other lying upon the ground, the rider
was in a moment pitched from his saddle, and thrown
headlong upon the sward which girds the edge of the
road next the water. llis efforts to regain his feet
had well nigh rendered the mishap fatal, for seizing hold of a
branch which grew at the very edge of the precipice, the
slender twig broke in twain, and the gentleman losing his
balance, fell down upon a ledge of rock below. In this posi-
tion he lay for several moments, when his self-possession
returning, he well surveyed the nature of his predicament,
before making further attempts at rising. In the course of
a quarter of an hour he was on his horse again, no further
token of his " hairbreadth 'scape" remaining than an ugly
scratch in his cheek from rather close contiguity with a
bramble bush.—Jersey 7'itnes.

The French man-of-war brig L'Abeille, of 18 guns,
Captain Du Brasses, out from Cherbourg six days, bound to
Senegal, as a cruiser, was brought in here on Sunday morn-
ing. She is quite a new vessel, and has a crew of 150 men.
In the thick fog of Saturday, she had a narrow escape from
being lost, being embayed in the Mount's Bay, and obliged
to anchor near Mullion, within two miles of the land, when
having fired two guns and hoisted a whiff, two men went off
from the shore, one a coast guard man and the other a fisher-
man. The Captain, by the advice of these men, got under
weigh, and off the Black Head, a Falmouth pilot boarded her,
and brought her into Falmouth harbour. The officers speak
in high terms of the capabilities of our port. —Ea/mouth
Parket.
PARISH REPORTS OF THE POTATO CROP.—We
have received several corroborations of the statements in
rst throughout
many in t u t
our last regarding the careless and delusive character of
the reports sent in by many of the clergy in reply to the
countryhe
Lordadvocate's
have b
een made circular.
cases in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, they will only
deceive the Government as to the actual state of the case.
In one case, where the return by the minister is said to have
been favourable, one farmer (to take one instance among se-
veral) has lost 300 bolls by rot in his pits within three
oluft at set
hI
returns
t u haven
weeks. The crop in the parish was generally pitted in ay-
parent!), good condition, and perhaps the minister, who is
, lamet
matter,
egerly: might
rut letiihnngktiitrini
dt
siltat
s,
atdsoi
schcearre\t'daeii
tnma
btaoldeer raaet
nrsnos—oo fia`n; npallimportant rteavnetil
at disease,"s
culpa-
ble carelessness should be displayed.—Scotsmun.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
TlMES.—There is a certain work on " Corn and
Currency" most respectfully and sympathetically ad-
dressed to the landowners by one of their class, and dis-
plal ing more than sufficient information and ability to
accs.unt fur its having come to a second edition. Long
ere this, however, it would have been overlaid and for-
gotten under the subsequent accumulation of literature
on and about those recondite subjects, but for one little
circumstance. If it has not conferred celebrity on its
author, its author has done that service to it ; fbr it is
by no less a person than Sir James Graham (of Ne-
ther by), Bart., M.P. Though rather passie in some of
its topics—for it was published in 1826—it possesses,
under the circumstances, a freshness ever new. and an
interest just now more than ever on the ascendant. It
has been carefully investigated by those who consider it
discreditable to modify a published opinion, and,
we are bound to add, that their generous
industry has not been entirely without its reward.
How far the Right Hon. Author may himself be haunted
by his litera scripta or his vox niissa—those once for-
midable bugbears of political men—perhaps we are not
the party to guess. But if there ever was a time when
he might turn over the leaf not only with that mental
and vis.ble composure which practice alone can impart,
but also with advantage to the nation, that time, we
think, has now arrived. The currency is the chief
subject of the book, and would undoubtedly have been
first in the title had that been an euphoneous arrange-
' ment. On this point Sir James Graham exhibits a very
keen apprehension of the misery and injustice occasioned
by the alternate expansions and contractions of the cir-
culating medium during and after the war. How far
these vicissitudes were entirely artificial, how far they
resulted from political and commercial events, and how
"fur they are now completely under the control either
of Bank or Parliament, are questions apparently beside
the scope of Sir James's inquiries. He makes out a
case against the Act of 1795, and not less against the
Act of 1819 ; be describes the crisis of 1825, and
:me or two more ; he exhibits some striking
asles ; detects some considerable wrongs ; but
perhaps Laves no impression so definite as that
a depreciation of the currency, from whatever reason
arising, has an almost exactly proportionate effect in in
creasing the price of corn and other principal commodi-
ties of life. It is the now Right Hon. Baronet's view of the
corn-laws which gives to the work its chief present in-
terest; and fortunately this also is the point on which he
happens to be most explicit. Addressing himself to his
brother landowners he probably felt that figures would
be asked for, and while he assures them of their abstract
right to some equivalent boons which a just Legislature
would certainly allow, he recommends them to volunteer
the first step in the adjustment by surrendering their
share in the existing injurious compromise. He asks
them, in fact, to give up all attempt to fix the price of
corn, and content themselves with what he calls a " pro-
tective " duty of 15s. a quarter,—to accept a fixed duty
in lieu of a fixed price. Advice so unpalatable is intro-
(Need with a preface so much to the purpose, so gene-
rally significant, and so peculiarly appropriate to the
Right lion. Baronet's own career, that our readers will
thank us for the extract :

" I am aware that you will not be inclined to attand to the
suggestions which I am about to offer; past errors are ad-
mitted with reluctance; measures of precaution, especially
if they be of a decisive character, are slowly adopted against
dangers which are not immediate ; and the course of legisla-
tion is very rarely the result of previous wisdom; it is rather
guided by circumstances, and influenced by the occasion."
Sir James makes it his purpose to view a prohibitory
system of corn-laws in the bearings as an attempt to
regulate prices. Wishing well to the landowners—nay,
avowing a decided predilection in their favour—for that
very reason he advises them to renounce a complisation
which does not really save them from the losses entailed
by gold payments end contracted issues.
" It may be doubted even whether the existing (1826)
system of prohibition be so entire a benefit to the landowner
himself as he would seem tc imagine; for, in the variety of
seas,ms, it is impossible that the land cultivated within these
islands can, year by year, from one harvest to another, pro-
duce a supply of corn exactly commensurate with the de-
mand. At one time the prohibitory system is unjust to the
grower; at another, to the consumer. The grower is injured
when, after a harvest somewhat deficient, the ports are
opened by a sudden rise of price, and a large accumulation
of foreign corn is poured at once into this country; bringing
on the farmer the losses incident to over-production, and
ultimately to the landlord a correspondent decline of rent.
The consumer is injured in the interval between the rise
of price and the importation of foreign grain ; he is even
exposed to the horys of famine; for in proportion as the
demand for foreign grain is unusual, the supply in case of
emergency must be precarious. Thus the alternate evils of
redundancy and scarcity, unsteady prices and uncertain rents,
are the inevitable consequences of the present system of our
corn-laws. Farming is therefore made both a gambling and a
hazardous speculation. No caution can guard against ruin-
ous losses, for no prudence can foresee the chances on which
they depend ; whether the price •f wheat will rise to 78s.
per quarter, when the profit of the farmer would be enor-
mous, or touch the maximum of 80s.. when by the opening•
of the ports and of the granaries of corn is bond, wheat
wou!d instantly fall at least 50 per cent., to his entire ruin,
is a matter almost of accident, frequently influenced by
fraud; thus the full operation of the present corn-laws ex-
poses
agricultural capital to losses rather incident to the
hazard table that to fair mercantile speculation."

As the writer proceeds to prove, the conclusion
is that " thus revenue from the soil is literally made
the sport of wind and of weather." It is unneces-
sary to observe that the argument applies to the present
.tiding-scale as much as to that against which
the enlightened Lord of Netherby was levelling
his indignant remonstrances. Still less is it ncc..s-
ary to remind our readers of a recent instance
which fully illustrates the tendency to a sudden ruinous
iownfal. Amongst the numerous resources and claims
of the present Ministry is the stnclt of credit it has
gained by a certain million pounds sterling, or therea-
bouts, paid at once into the Treasury on the importation
of several millions of quarters of foreign corn, the effect
of which, pleasant as it might be to the manufacture's
and her Majesty's Ministers, was to lower the price of
corn immediately more than the Baronet's 50 per cent.
It is only just now that the national and universal cala-
mity of a bad harvest has rescued the agriculturists out
of that slough of despond ; though we are by no means
sure that the agriculturists will not find the remedy
worse than the disease. But let us go on with Sir
James. We shall find him keeping up the spirit of his
argument :
" The landlord's best customer is the manufacturer; but
his prosperity depends entirely on high profits, which it is
the avowed tendency of high prices to reduce. (As the
writer had demonstrated above.) If corn be dearer in Eng-
land than elsewhere, wages must be higher; and if wages
be higher, profits must be lower; thus our foreign compe •
titers obtain the greatest possible advantage ; and if the sys-
tem become permanent, manufacturing employment, except
for the home market, must decrease in this country ; and
surely it is not the interest of any class so to enhance the
price of labour and provisions as to secure to the foreigner
successful competition, and to choke with obstructions
the principal channels of native industry. The
feeling of the public must be hostile to the present
corn-law ; the receivers of rent are a very small body ; backed
by public opinion they are almost omnipotent; in violation
of public opinion they cannot long retain an exclusive advan-
tage. The contest is fearful ; for on what ground will it be
decided? On the very topic which inflames to madness;
that hunger which breaks through walls will be arrayed
against them, reason will be heard no longer, the barriers of
society will be broken down, and estates, distinctions,
honours, swept away in one resistless torrent."
It is impossible to suppose that arguments so cogent in
themselves, so emphatically and so eloquently expressed,
can he either forgotten or unfelt. We are sure, how-
ever, that we do the writer a service in recalling them
as well to his attention as to that of his many admiring
readers. Even from the grave and obsolete antiquity
would we search for reasons and motives on such a
theme; much more then from the early writings of one
who happily still lives to give them their full, mature,
and practical force. In a day or two we will present
our readers with a little more virgin ore from the same
mine.

POST.—No language we could use would be too strong
to express the indignation which every just man—which
every man who loves truth—ought to feel, at the present
moment, against those who are labouring in the pubic
press to excite an alarm of famine. That this iniquitous
project is undertaken solely for a party purpose is evi-
dent. The enemies of the law which gives protection to
the British agriculterist, hope, by exciting a public cla-
mour, and producing a pressure from without, to cause
the Government to ,open the ports fur the reception of
foreign corn free of duty. They further hope that this
grand object having been accomplished, they will have
influence enough to obstruct for ever the revival of the
law which restricts and regulates the import of foreign
grain. It is the grossest hypocrisy to pretend that the
exaggeration and violent declamation about impending
famine, to which we allude, arise out of a nal concern
for the British consumers. They who are acquainted
with the subject know very well, that the real opera-
tion of the opening of the ports would be an imme-
diate rise of the price abroad, and, in fact, a putting
into the pockets of the foreign holders the diffe-
rence which now exists between the price of free corn
and foreign corn in bond, and liable to duty. The
foreign holders are closely watching our proceedings,
and the moment they have reason to believe that we
must buy from them at any price, they will make us
pay accordingly. During the short time that an in-
fluential journal led the world to believe that the ports were
about to be opened, wheat in foreign ports rose some
seven shillings a quarter, and it has fallen again since
events have proved that the journal in questinnhadlbteeis
been
misled, and had consequently misled the public.
difficult to say whether the falsehood orthne nonsense
promuy lgated promulgated on the foreign-corn question
alarmists is the more conspicuous. Welook say
they, and we see other nations supplying themselves in
the foreign ports which we refuse_.
to enter., Refuse to
enter ! What outrageous absurdity is tais . Iles any
one suppose that the duty imposed upon foreign corn,
when brought to market for consumption in England,
prevents our merchants from purchasing foreign corn ?
The very reverse is the truth. Our merchants are
now steadily and leisureiy supplying themselves with
foreign corn at every port in the world where it can be
bought. They are carrying on their Operations sue jest
to the gradual effects of the sliding-scale, upon which
they can calculate, and beyond all question our
chance of foreign supply is infinitely better
under this system than if all were thrown
into a state of confusion and chaos by the
opening of the ports. Then, indeed, a helter-skelter
scramble would take place, and all the well-planned
operations of trade would be rendered of no avail. There
is no nation in the world supplying itself in foreign
ports as England is at this moment. At this moment
offers of cargoes of wheat from the Mediterranean are
daily arriving to our merchants. It would not be so, if,
in a paroxysm of madness or of fear, the Ministers were
to open the ports. This would be hoisting a signal of
distress which, far from bringing succour, would make
the foreigner hold off till we paid double for assistance.
It is said we are looking on while our neighbours lay
in stores which they will be prevented by restrictive
laws from sharing .with uc. Another roost absurd
I untruth. It is we who are laying in the stores. Our
merchants, and not foreign merchants, are buying up