Star.
London, England, 1816-03-30 00:00:00

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.
SATURDAY, MARCH 30, 1810.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT I WEI.VE O'CLOCK:
Reduced (shut)—Cons. :no. sql—for arc. 64 61
4 per Cent. (sbut)-5 per Cent. 8911—Bonds par, Is. pr.
°run. pay. 16i—Excli. Bills Ss: ss. tbs.

Economy seems to be every where the Order of,
the Day. The United States, short as was the time
in which they were engaged in the Expenses insepa-
rable from a state of war, have wisely resolvsd to
reduce all unnecessary outlay on buildings, Ste. The
reduction already made in the Austrian Army
amounts to IGO,OOO men—a reduction which will
afford great relief to the. Austrian F 'lances, which
have been in a deplorable state for the last three or
four years. Indeed the expenditure et every country
had been raised to an enormous amount, certainly
not necessary to be continued now that Europe is
blessed with Peace. All the Powers have an equal
interest in reducing their expenses.—Let all reduce
their Military Establishments to the standard of
Peace, and all will be equally benefited. This ought
to be one of 'the prime objects of their diplomatic in.
tercourse ; but as long as any one Government keeps
up a large army (Britain, for example, 150,000 men)
with what grace can it exhort others to reduce theirs;
Yesterday we presumed to discuss a little the pi.
miry causes of the present acknov.•!.:dgesi distress of
the Agricultural Interest—the origin of that derange-
ment of the real and relative value of Property which
now presses upon the community. The cause of the
present distress has been entirely mistaken by almost
every Member who spoke upon the subject. In one
word, they have confounded causes abd effects.—
The distrese has. net arisen "freer a fall is the pro-
p: of land"—the fall in the profits of land is the
stress that now exist:, and has arisen from a
cause on which none of the Members has touched.'
The individual distressethat prevails has been referred
to this fall of profits as its cause; whereas the misery
experienced by individuals is merely the distribution
and division. of this diminution of profits from land.
How this question could be so completely misunder-
stood, appears wonderful; for it seems so plain as to
clef); elucidation. ' However, it has been completely
misunderstood, and hence the absurd inference that
has been coupled with this error, as another cause of
the present distress, namely, " a surplus of agricultural
products, and; in teasegueare, a reduced &woad far them."
This proposition invorves a* palpable contradiction.
A surplus of produce may reduce the price, butbever-
does nor can reduce the demand. On the contrary,
there is always anincreated consuMption of food
when abundant and cheap ; because people can buy
a. larger quantity with the same money, and conse-
quently can more fully satisfy the cravings of nature.
Again,--a fall id
,the price, from a large crop, 'does
not necessarily lessen the profits of the grower; for 'it
be get less for each bushel, he has a' greater number
of bushels to dispose of. • The question thee must
be viewed in. some other light, that effects may no
longer' be considered as causes. Besides the very
foundation of the last-mentioned proposition is false:*
On this point the observations of Mr. Centwen on
Thursday night -deserve great attention. Indeed, he
was the,only Member who exhibited 'any thing like
real Comprehensive knowledge on this part' of the
question. It is not true—it cannot be true that the
present* distress has arisen from thelturplus Drachm*:

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