Star.
London, England, 1815-02-28 00:00:00

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we will but gwe it fair play. He had no.objec-
tion to the affOrding of • all possible Protect**, to
agriculture ; but he would contend, that the manu-
facturer has been the only benefactor of the land-
holder. His labour has done more service to the
landed interest than any thing else whatever. Let
us then have prices that will enable us to send the
wealth of this• nation to other countries; let the traf-
fic be got into this shape again, and we shall conti-
nue to be, what we always have been, the envy of
the world.
Mr. YORKE observed, that the House appeared
to be going again into the general question, which;
when it was before considered, seemed to be only a
question of degree as to price ; and it was then evi-
dent, that though a difference of opinion prevailed
as to what ought to be done, yet every Gentleman
thought that it was necessary to do something. For
his own part, he thought the question required as
much deliberation and earldom as any that had ever
come before that House. He had heard the insinu-
ations that had been thrown out against the land-
holders on a former evening, as to their wish to bol-
ster up the price ; and all he would say was, that
there might be equally as many insinuations made
on-the opposite side of the question ; but if such a
mode of allusion prevailed at all, it Would be but
fair to say, that one person may as well be informed
as another. Every Gentleman in that House cculd
have but one view on the subject, which was, that it
was necessary to decide on the measure. in the most
impartial manner. The interest of the grower and
the consumer must be admitted to be the same; and
theraime, by setting tip a diversity•of opinion, .no
good 04utd• be done to die cause of either. The
Right Moitektrablr Gentleman complimented an Ho-
nourable Member who spoke on a preceding evening
(we believe he alluded to 14r..1.11. Grant), for pla-
cing the question on its true ground, by stating that
the restraint would prove whether this country de-
pended on herself or foreigners; and that if it turned
out that we should become dependent upon France,
he would then alter his opinion. This was the ground
on which he should wish to put it. If we could be
made independent of all foreign countries for food,
it would be the most desirable event that could hap-
pen. It would be highly desirable, that as France
is, and must ever be, our natural filial, we should
not be dependent upon her for any portion of the ne-
ccsearies of lite. But we were in fact only now acting
upon the sante system as had prevailed in the time
of Kilig William and Charles IL and which had
been attended with the most advantageous results.—
No doubt, Gentlemen wen: bound to spew that a ne.
cessity existed for this interference ; but if they would
look into the documents before them, they-would see
the neces,ity admitted and proved. Let them look
at the petitions with which their table was covered,
let them also look throughout the empire, and They
would see such getter il distress amongst the agrictil•
total branches as never occurred before within the
111 in iry of man. It then cnly remained to be con
sidered to what extent relief could be afforded. He
would protest against the view that had been taken,
of consid,rinn the United Kingdom of Great Britain
in the %sine snuatien as the city of Hanoveror Ike-
men. lie would deny that this was a cotrtmrci.d
and agricelsural country to the extent that had
..beers
*Wilde& t:• ; that it was a great eonirtierdial (MUTT,
WAS well known, and he trusted it *cad always ion-
tiliue to be so ; but it was lilo:wise a great agricul-
tural country. Nay, even if its Comincece and ma-
nefiactures were to be annihilated, it would still con-
tinue a great comitry, and maintain its independence
throughout Europe. It certainly neither had been,
trot cculd be so dependent upon its manufactures as
the Honourable Baronet, who had just spoken, had
conceived it to be. But those who think that our
shanutactures, which had continued to flourish dur-
ing the extraordinary events of the long revolutio-
nary war, will be equally successful now the na-
tions of the Continent are in a state of profound
peace,- mAy find themselves egregiously deceived.
The, French people, now brought back to order,
would be anxious to prevent their introduction.—
At ail events it would be too much to suppose that
vac oititt ,ao sacrifice every thing to our manufac-
mai% t: the advocates of the'manufatturing in-
UMW ha not condescended to tell us in what man-
ner tbepvc.Owel measure would have the effect of
raising the price of corn. if our manufacturers
should not henceforward be able to compete with
foreign countries, the circumstance would not be
owing to this measure. But the Bill was not intend-
ed to raise the price of corn ; its objoct was to pre.
vent the foreigner from coming into this country with
his produce, to the injury of our own, and even to an
extent which would be ruinous. For many years
after the prices had been fixed, from an early part of
the last century till 1731., the ;nice was always lower
than it had been before, because the. agriculturist felt•
himself so much at Lao! as to be able to afford corn
at a reasonable price. It would be the height of ab-
sordity.to give the coinmunity' reason to believe that
fora year or two only, they might have emit .at a!
very law price, awl after that to let them have the
prospect of its bring considerably dearer. It was
folly to talk of the impossibility of this country not
being alit.: to grow corn enough for its whole con-
sumption. From a calcidation which he held in his
hand it appeared, that taking Great Britain and Ire-
land together, the superficial contents were sixty-three
millions of acres, and the population of the empire
about seventeen millions. Supposing that twelve
Millions out of the seventeen eat wheaten bread, and
Ildt the test subsist on oats or other corn, and that
eadi ofthe former portion consumes about
a quarter`of wheat, does any man believe that the
load will ilot produce the whole of the quantity re-
tited He would admit that he had been a great
at:eptic on the subject of the necessity of importation;
but lie had altered his opinion on minutely examining
into it. In the last year it appeared that 670,000 quar-
ters of corn. had been imported ;—but of there,
430,000 wetV'imported from Germany, Holland,
Flanders, and France, all within the last quarter of a
year. He *mild not take into the account any im-
portations Which might come from America or from
Polend, because the circumstances of expense, of
fie ght and navigation, and the distance from which
they would be `?tight would operate against the in.
*eduction of any material quantity ; but as to the
importations from'tbiiest of Europe, it would in a
moment be seen diii if 43,000 quorters of wheat and
200,000 of oats could be imported in one quarter ol