The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-22 00:00:00

Olt "211,114

LONDON
SATURDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 22, 1342.

We have long ago stated that Sir ROBERT
PEEL'S policy had completely failed to revive
our trad4,and4'l+4tore our delapidated finances,
and "'Yesterday- we found the Morning Herald
echoing our opinion.
The real difficulties of Sir Robert Peel's Govern-
ment (said our Contemporary) will be augmented
rather than diminished in the ensuing session of Par-
liament, and that augmentation will be caused by the
melancholy condition of the country. Despite an
abundant harvest, increased facilities of import-
ing foreign produce, comparative abundance of
money, as indicated by a low rate of interest,
and general confidence in the men now in
power, there is no material improvement in
trade ; and despite a small reduction in the cost of
provisions, the condition of the labouring classes has
become rather worse than it was twelve months ago.
The deficiency exhibited by the last quarter's revenue
in the Excise receipts cannot be argued or explained
away; the falling-off in the malt tax establishes as a
fact that the means of the working people are smaller
than they were, and that, deep as was their destitution
in the summer of 1841, it has-been severer in that of
1842. The last comfuit which an English workman
relinquishes is his beer, and yet it is very evident that
he has been this year compelled to stint himselfin his
allowance of that beverage. It seems not improbable
that, for the. present at least, the limits of taxation have
been reached.
All this is true, after every resource has been
tried. In spite of Queen's letterS, and a general
begging for the poor—in spite of Royal visits
and new fashions, giving, as is supposed, a
stimulus to.. trade, swelling it perhaps in one
place and . reducing it in another—in spite
of all the shabby tricks and subterfuges that
could be devised to hide distress, if it could not
be wiped away, the condition of the manufac-
turing districts continues as bad as ever. The
Friends think it so bad, that they are now pro-
moting, as we learn by the Liverpool Hercary,
charitable contributions to relieve it; and they
are endeavouring, to do that imperfectly, and as
a matter of supererogation, which the Government
oughttopertorm perfectly, and asa matter of duty.
Remembering the speeches of Sir R. PEEL
and 112 r. GLADSTONE, we conclude that they have failed, not froM ignorance, for they know what
is right, but from incapacity .to r-ive effect to
their own opinions. Another trouble too is
coming on Sir ROBERT PEEL , ,
A tylooin (says the Sherbonie
pervades
the agricultural interest as heavily .uthat by which
it was oppressed in the latter part of 1835. *
T:lo years aq.o ththriner's stock might have been
e st'mated to be worth three thousand pounds,
and he
v ould have had no diffieulty in bpi amino. a tousand
on its security.• - The value of that stack is now re-
duced by a third, or two thousand instead of three ;.
he must deduot the thousand which he owes, rad then
he will only have one thousand for himself instead of
two, consequently -he is only worth half as much as
he was two .years ag.,). This will at once account
for the gloom which- pervades the agricultural inte-
rest, and which has been very. obvious at all our re-
cent fairs and markets. Our home trade in 1835
propped •up the
prosperity of agriculture, because,
although wheat Was very 10, other articles of pro-.
duce were at remunerating r:ices; but now commerce
is unable to give such
valuable
By falling to revive commerce and manufac-
tures, Sir R. PEEL has now Plute7
farmers to acif
ed agriculture
into deep distress, and he will Pave th, ruined
labourers to feed o 'pyr
• t .ando' starving agricultural
coerce,
when be next
meets the Parliament. The Times, too, .told us
yesterday—

The whole System- (of. making ie; -or .uacomfort-

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