Star.
London, England, 1801-12-15 00:00:00

frnee the Corn Diftillery was laisrlist alt
•soTkood but Ti, would amwal to the good feu& r
/Oise Right 11%n. Gentleman, and that of the I
ollfolfe, whether it was worth while to Olefin* 41
`funt-in competition with the hag of the counts-es I
or Whether it was paramount to the content apti
Welfare of the community in any queflina. The
Diftillers therufelves, of their own accord, had
flopped their Diftilleries, in confideration of pub:-
lic neceffity, and thereby attrated a co nfide:able
(hare of well merited popularity, and it was their
duty to give way to the public feeling en a tub-
jea of fit much importance, now as well as thee.
He eoncluded by givinghisfupport to the motion.
Mr. Witttam SMITH coofliered the arguments
vied by the Hon. Gentleman by whom the motion
had been introduced, as completely contradidory
to each other. He was aftgaifised that the Hon.
°amiantus could affect that it was impollible to
prevent the de of.wheat in the diftillenes, unlefs
grain was altogether prohibited ; whereas it was a
fat generally admitted, that wheat was never
tiled in diffillenes for Come time bock. It was Lis
belief that one quarter'of wheat had not been ufe4
in the diftilleries fence the prohibition, for no dif-
tiller would be lb abflird Ars to run the rifle. He
remembered that d diftiller was once fulpeeled of
ufing %Meat, and a profeaution was carried on
:mama him at the eepence of the diftillers them-1
felves. With regard to the injurious effete arifing
from the intemperate bre of fpirks, no man more
fincerely deplored ii than he did; but the goalie's;
was, was it pofilble to prevent the ufe of (piths
in this country ? if it was not, and furel Ito
man would deny it, would it not be better to per-
mit our own diftillers to produce it, particularly
when no foarcity aietually exifted to forbid it, and
when the amount of the revenue they produced,
and the facility with which that revenue was ca.
lated, was taken into confederation. He con-
tended that fo far from the piofpeet of opening
the diftilleries affeaing the Marlon the price of
barley had not advanced though4trheat bad.—
Much reliance feemed to be placed on the hunt-
ber of the petitions on the table, as expreffive of
the general opinion, whereas in aft they amount-
ed only to eight, and It would not be difficult to
(hew that eight petitions might be cafily procured
on the contrary fide. The Hon. Gentleman had
complained of the increafed confumption of ;pit its
within the left twelve months ; and yet it was or.
tortous that the clay oft fpirits had fallen oite•half,
a circundiance which did not go in corrohdration
of the Hon. Gentleman's flatement. He Main-
tained that the whole of the argument! uteri by
the Gentleman were erroneous, and called
upon.him to explain the confiltency of there poll-
tions, that the ftoppage of the diftilleries would in-
create the flock of food for man, and reduce the
price of bread; and yet that the reyenue would
not fuffer, as the flock of barley to be loft to the
dittilleries would be confirmed by the breweries,
which wovid of courfe be more produetive of re-
venue to the State. tTnlefs the Hon. Gentleman
meant to fay that the fame barley was to be made ,
into bleed, and ufed by the brevets; there contra-
diaions he apprehended could not be reconciled.
The reafons which influenced him to recommend
the opening of the diftilleries were (imply theta of
juftioe smd expediency.; certainly, if the fuperior
confideration of general kareity called upon the
difhllers to flop their bufinefs, they oweel that
duty to the Public, and'were bound to give +my ;
but if that fuperior confideration did not exit, the
Houfe had a duty to perform—the ditty of
spro-
tealon, and were bound to permit the Millers to
refume their employment, the propriety of which
he had no doubt would be felt, notwithffitnding
the leudnefs of unfounded clamour, and the alit-
v ity of prejudice. '
Mr. Ws LLLLL oa ex, after obferving that the de-
triment likely to be fuflained by the. revenue, in
confequence of prolonging the flifpention of the
ditlilleries, was ellimated at a greater rate than it
ought to be, expreffed his opinion that the great
queflion for the oonfideration of the Haute was,
whether they fhould not enfure by every juft means
the cheapnefs of that great article of food—bread.
Barley, it was proved, had been ukd with much
benefit, but by allowing the diftillation from graM
to recommence, that lource of fttbfillence would

be necelfarily impaired. Men would, on molt oc-
cartons, be influenced by their feelings, and perfons
who knew that they could then get a high price
for their corn, would be induced to look to all
higher price, from the generAl impreffion that the
working of the (Williams from grain would ren-
der it (career. It was.obvious to Gentlemen, that
the flandard of.the general price of corn was taken
from that of the London market, and if fo•large a
quantity as that which would he requifite for the
diftilleries, were to be bought up at this time of
the year. who could doubt that it would influence
in a very material degree the price of the market?
In the years ;793 and 1796, when it was thought
proper co flop the diftillation from grain, barley
was only 33 killings in the firft and 37 in the
fecond year. and even at that period the benefit
produced by the inealure was allowed to be of the
nos falutary kind. If the diftillaries werAnot
(topped at prefent, it would be irnpoifible flopl
them with as much elk& hereafter. There was no i
detriment which could arife now to the rcfpeeable
perfons employed in the bufinefs, as bad been the
cafe formerly. No barley would be left on hand ;
no cattle would he revaninmg in sock without the
means of fattening. There was one argument
which Bruck him very forcibly in favour of the bill.
and that originated from the conlideration, that
if any material rife &and take place in the article
of corn, it might be afcribed, both in the minds
of men of found retire and in thofe of the macs of
the people, to the opening of the diftilleries.
The Cii•iscatioa of the Excnsoyaa Paid, he
was defirous of exprefUng his fentinsentt and Rating
his opinion on this very important fubjeft. imme-
diately after the declaration of the fentiments of
his Hon. Friend who had jut fpoken, becaufe he
felt it incumbent on him to corset one sniftake,
which he wac enabled to awn& from information
which he derived from the execution of his official
duty; he meant that part of the ftatement or his
Hon. Friend which :elated to the Revenue. His
, Hon. Friend had dated, that akliough the 4T:cf•