Star.
London, England, 1817-03-14 00:00:00

COMM 1111C1 AL DISTILESS.

Mr. BROUGHAM.—When he eonsidesed that,
the period of the Session was now well nigh past, at
which it had been customary for the House in for-
mer times of distress to take into its consideratiori
the state of the nation ; and when he considered that
nothing had been yet done to bring the subject under
the notice of the House, or to testify, in the usual
' way, its sentiments on such an occasion..he felt en-
couraged. tinder the magnitude of the task which be
had undertaken, of this night opening the subject
for its consideration. But now, when ark! rejecting
the proposal of his Right Honourable Friend (Mr.
l'unsonby) it had allowed *it period to ellen. with.
'out doing any thing at all with refereneetb the se-
neral condition of the country, except et with
due respect to the measures of the House, e meet
Consider, under existing circumstances, se perfectly
wrong—he meant the attempt to stifle the iines. of
distress without iequiriag into, the
.causea—tlepe,
Gentlemen who thought with hint, that this Mid been
-wronglyidone, al well ,as those who 'believed eat
these Fries were well founded, while at the Mme diet
? they justified what had been done, by aposalin ', to
the necessities.ot the times—by looking at the it t,
but not at the cause—all of them would now a
at least on this, that it was time to inquire into e
cause, and to seek, if possible. for some reme
those discontents so loudly and so universally e
sed. With this view, in justice to the people a dim
the country, he made bold to enter upon the su • t.
Nothing could be more injudicious than to beg' tiny
discussion by any large or general and positive ;tate-
meat of what is to be its result; that. impolitic 89 it
might be to say so, be had the most con6deni ex-
pectation, that whatever difference of opinion might
prevail in the House as to some particulars, they
would nevertheless agree, by a great majority; that
the time was come when it behoved the femme, as a
matter of absolute necessity (it 'it would preserve
the commercial greatness of the country) to under-
take a revision of almost the whole of our corn met.
teal system, and this with p view to correct those
errors which bad crept in by time; with a view to
retrace our steps from those measures which experi-
ence has proved to be mischievous ; with a view to
accommodate our laws to the altered circumstances
of the country, and to abandon some of those anti-
quated prejudices which still remained, with influ-
ence to check and retard the commercial prosperity
of the nation. That such would be the decision of
the House. he klt firmly convinced; bus. as she
Mini hind, he proposed, without further preface, to
enter on what he thought should be the fundamental
part of such a revision, by an inquiry into.* causes
of the present distresses. Every one was aware that
there existed great discontent—such discontent as be
might, both iii its loudness and its universality, say
was unprecedented. This was so generally adnate.i
led to be true, that k was hardly necessary for him,
to offer any proof or illustration of it. He willfu
refer to the petitions on the table of the House, which
whatever might be thought of the credit doe to tome
few individual petitions among them, when the tail.,
one persons and plar.es from whence they cause were I
considered, must be allowed to furnish a strong proof
of it. He might appeal to the state of our trade' 89
evidenced by the returns laid before the Room He
was aware that it would be fallacious to rely wholly
upon the returns of the shipping for the purpose of
ascertaining the real state of the imports and exports.
for be admitted that they could not convey all the in-
formation necessary for that purpose, although they
would convey information to a great extent. On
comparing these refutes for the year 1816 with those
for the preceding year, he found that in the import
trade the Mana employed in the year 1815 was
2,649,000, while far the year 1816 it was only
2,243,000. In the export trade in the year 1815, the
amount of tonnage employed was 2,t76,000. whereas
in 1816 it was no Mere than 2,316,000. Thus kap-
peared.,that open a oomparistat of the two last years,
in 1816 there was a falling off in the amount of the
tonnage employed in the import and export trade of
no less than 8%,000 tons, and that on 5,000 ships.
ow, when 'it 'Was considered, that the year 1816
S,m the third,lker of peace, and that 1816 was only
wicesrit the - and .that in it, too, there were three
Menthe 'War. 'tt :hewed' bow fallatimerit
was to sot distil, distress, thus increisinerliith
the peace, was occasioned by the transition frost a
mete of war to a state of peace. The returns before
the House did no: shew the amount of the illifOna
and exports. But he thought he could thew that the
defakatios in their amount fur the year 1816 would
be in a much larger proportion, as compared With
the preceding year, than that on the shipping snd
tonnage. Ties Would appear if a returu of their
amount in those years coted be made out. But even
if such a return did • not on the face of it skew so
great a defalcation, yet,be would not allow that they
would afford any proof that the defalcation was nut
enormous, because goods to the amount of Many
millkets bad been exported, for which there was no
sale in foreign markets, and fir which, of course,
the melchatit received no retires. It would be im-
possible to tell what proportion Of the goods :weeny
expected had sot yet found any market abrolid, or
what proportional those imported now remained on
the merchants'. bands, without any prospect of sale
'in the market at-home. The country, had certainly
seen times- of distress, but none which could-bear
any comparison with that which tom now felt. In
1800 the scarcity bad been gkater, but there was so
such distress as the present, for the workmen Imre
not then thrown out of employment, and if preei-
sions were high they court earn wipe to pat for Maas.

In Mlle, wretched as the commercial stale of the
country was, it rose in comparison with its present
condition, to seem a period of prosperity. The state-
ment of a few particulars as to the condition of the
great staple articles of our national manufacture,
would thew the House how unfairly the amount of
the present distress must be estimated by referring to
any former period. of distress. The first of these ar-
ticles on which he would say any thing, was the cloth
manufacture, which on comparison would be found
by no means to have suffered in the same proportion
with the other staple articles of manufacture. In die
first place with respect to cloth, its sale in the foreign
markets was not entirely stopped. He held in his
hand a statement of the condition of that manufacture
in several places in the West Riding of Yorkshire,
namely, in Leeds, Huddersfield, Wakefield, and
Halifax. From that statement it appeared that the
class engaged in that Manufacture who suffered most
were the dressers, and their number was estimated
at 3,362. In August last, of that number, one third
was wholly oat of employment—of the remaining
two-thirds only one-third was is full employ—that
was to say, only two men cut of nine had full work,
while one man out of every three was absolutely idle.
The distresses in that quarter among the other classes
was not so general, although very severe, while is
the other description of'persons the distress was greater
than any idea could be formed of by those who only
heard it described. The iron trade presented a pie-
ties, still more shocking. He would state the situa-
tion of Birmingham, as an instance of what was en-
darkl ib those districts where this trade was canted
ost.4kt Birmingham, °qt of a population of 84,000
in the own, 27,500, or about one-third of the whole
'population. were now receiving parish relief. Of the
weskit= of the town one-third were totally unem-
ployed, and of the rest, there were none more than
ale-half employed. The poor rates in that town now
amounted to £50,000 or more, nearly £60,000
alear. In 1812 the poor rates there amounted only
to 07,000, and only one ninth part of the int:abi-
de* were receiving parochial relief ; and yet that
hying was thought at the time to be one of unprece-
dented distress. The number of the ingenious per-
sons employed in that town in the different branches
of the iron* manufacture might be divided into lour
classes—the miners, the manufacturers of arms of
every description, those engaged in the nail trade,
sand the common artificers. The first of these classes,
the miners, who formerly used to earn from eighteen
to twenty shillings a week, now got only from nine
to ten shillings a week. The second class, who used
to earn front thirty to forty shillings, and some of
them even so much as three guineas a week, now got
only about seven shillings and sixpence a week, and
by far the greatest proportion of them was totally un-
employed. The next class, the nailer:, .who used ro
earn from twelve to fifteen shillings, now got from
eight to nine shillings a week. And the last class, the
common artificers, those of them who were employed
sot less than a shilling a day. With respect to those
in the nail trade, he must make this remark, that in
former times both women and children, as well as
men, were employed in that trade, so that a family
earned double the wages of a man—but now, women
and children were nut employed at all, so that in
the nail traae, from thirty shillings a week, their
earnings were reduced to eight or nine shillings.
Without referring to the unconstitutional measures
lately adopted lie the Has" be might says that •
mon peaceable. loyal set of persons, did dot exist
within his Majesty's dominions than those of whom
he was sow speaking. It was most painful to con-
sider, that severe as the distress was in the quarter
of which he had been speaking. it was still worse
when thercame to that ancient staple manufacture
the whiCh the kingdom was ses much distinguished,
itautely, that of cotton. The cotton manufacture
was divided into two branches—the spinning and the
weaving ; but of the persons engaged in it, by far
the greater portion were engaged in the lost. In
Lancashire, at the lowest estimate, half a million of
persons were engaged in coital weaving. In 1800
ones average ut one thousand of the persons so em-
ployed, the rate of their wages was 13s. 2d. a week;
ID 1802 the rate of their wages was a little raised,
but in 1806 they tell to 10s. 6.1. a week. In 1808,
when we were so wise as to quarrel with America.
our best customer in the cotton trade, their wages fell
so low so '7s. 6d. a week—in 1812. when the same
system which embroiled us with America. engaged
es in as; actual war with that country. their wages
ids to 6t. 4d. In 1816. in May last, they were so
low as Ss.-2d. and in last January. they had fallen
is such a fearful point of depressins, as to be 4s. Std.
a week—from which one-fourth pert was to be de-
ducted for the expenses of the paste used in dretsing
the web-and the use of the loom, leaving' the scanty
rotof Ss. fold. a week for the support of human
s another calculation, it appeared, from an
average of 437 weavers, they earned only at the rate
of halter-crown a week. Hating asked a person who
furnished him with this information how much it
would have taken to supply these wretched persons
with a few necessaries to add to the allowance of half
a pound of the coarsest oatmeal and water, which was
-all-tket- could afford tes- titry-fOr -their food welt
their t the reply was,, that he had calculated
that to then, with a small supply of milk or
beer, would have required a sum not less than twenty
thousand pounds a weeks 'ro talk of charity in such
a case was absurd—the case was beyond the relief
of all private benefaction—(Near.) That human life
could be supported on such wages, he was con-
' winced, must be impossible ; and accordingly he
found, that piece by piece these unfortunate persons
had partied with the little furniture which frugally or-
nameoted their habitations, even to the clothes that
',protected their bodies from the weather—till now,
when they were compelled to endeavoUr to keep
thetnselsai alive with a slender allowance of oatmeal
and wiles on which, and cnkthe little candle to at-
lord them a scanty light by which to pursue their
work, their whole .wages were expended. Nay, to
such n pitch of misery were they come, that, like cal-
' editions on the warn of machinery, they were corn-
Felled to calculate as to the human machine, whether
it world be better to sit up to work an hour longer to
farm three halfpence, of which a penny must b: spent
oa a °ladle, or "Lille they would not suffer less by
Couffaillit their Week to it hours of day light, and
an less waste their bodies Thus were they compel-
led.tti ants as awlises, unwilling, unless
shoohltdif , to come upon their parithes foe
support. If boas thase.panieulat fact* a more gene-

tat vie,/ Wit taketi, it wouhl be found that the state
of things which he had described, mast have take
place even if they only looked at the general signs.—
Of these signs, the first to which he adverted, was'
the diminution in the consumption of luxuries. Fie
allude' to ibis as attested by the defalcation in the'
Excise and Customs. Then he adverted to the e,s-
-in particular distticts—in Siital-ticids, for the
relief of which, to the credit of die country, tf e rums
contributed sitm.unted to a Farm, which, witls the
poor rates, made more than equal to the whole rental
-of the parish at its rack rent—its Coventry, near which
an estate of two hunched acres mud double the
amount of its tent (or poor rates. Even in the ordi-
nary luxury of watches, it appeared fritan Inc state.
ment of an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peter Moore) en
a former evening, that an itinerant dealer in watches,
who used to make an annual circuit through
towns, during whir/ he used to sell a:soot sit hun-
dred watches, last year only sold 57. He mentioned
the state of the watchmaking trade in London, it
which three thousand persons were enraged, of whom
only one-fourth part were now employed, at the
usual rate of wages. Another symptoms was to be
found is those diseuotents which, within the last few
years, were for the first time heard, with respi ct to
the introduction of machinery, on account of its
throwing idle numbers of those engaged in the ma-
nufacture in which it was introduced. Formerly,
when machinery was introdneed, the labour ot those
persons who were thrown idle for the time was ;m-
--rnechately absorbed in some other branch of manu-
facture. But now the House had belore it petitions
from thousands and tens of thousands of persons,
thrown absolutely idle by the introduction of machi-
nery ; persons who had no employment, nor tato
the distant hope of being employed. When the ad-
mirable invention of Sit Richard Arkwright was in-
troduced, it appeared from the separate calculatitan
of two of the greatest cotton-spinners in the Ling-
dom, that by that invention, the labour of one man
was sufficient, where that of a hundred men was br.
fore required, and yet when that invention within a
very short time had been adopted all over the king-
dom, no complaint sas.made to the House by the
persons thrown out of employment by means of it.—
Very different was the case new. He hardly knew
whether to say he was sorry or glad at the recent
improvements in machinery, which so much facilita-
ted the operation of weaving—he allotted to
was called the " Power Loom"—an invention, which.
although not lik to be so profitable to the capita-
list as that of Sir Richard Arkeright had been, yet
-had thrown an immense number of persons cut a:
employment. The cause which he thought most
likely to stop the progress of this inventi as was secs;
singular. Fur the first time in the history of ma:,
wages had become se low, and the distress of the pea-
ple-so great, thbt human labour now began, :,s
were, to make reprisals on machinery, ani WAS Ctrl•
ing into competition with it in point ot chealatese—
What was to happen afteethlngs had come to this
pitch Gon alone could knew. but to that unnatural
state we had now come. Besides the two branches
of manutactote, spinning and weaving, in the prin-
ting trade and lace ':ode, machinery had pito•
dated the same effect, to a certain degree--
The last symptom, perhaps the most imp:'rtant, was
the state of the money market. Considerable differ.
CliCe dopinicin pr.evailed on this subject, and perhaps
doe kight Honotdable the Chancellor of. the Ear.ihe-
goer might agree with the First Lord of the Trea-
sury, in thinking that the suspension of the Habeas
Corpus Act had occasioned the rise in the funds—
(Neer, hear, ands leagh from the Opftosiiice). As to
that. Alt (Mr. Brougham) might as well refer the
rise of the funds to the exposure of the Spencean
system, for the funds had risen as soon as the Report
of the Secret Committee was ma& public—(H.44
tier,)—though he could infer so more from that fa .t
than the belief in the existence of that speculative
avid very rare sect. The state of the money market
was such, that lately there had been the greatest ftt•
cility in discounting bills at a short credit, for a mo-
derate interest—so moderate even as two and a
per cent. Exchequer Bills, even at the very reduce
rate of interest, bore a high premium, and the Stocks
roe ten per cent. within the last month. What (lit
all this thew ? It he saw that there was a pope
donate facility in the landholder to enable him to
borrow money on good mortgage security at the le-
gal rate of interest, he might be disposed to pause
before he asserted, that all these facts sheaved a glut
in the money market. But the truth was, that a
Was owing to there being more money in Londin
than could find employment in trade—all the chan-
nels of -trade were blocked up, and the capitatet
kept his money within his reach, expecting, that us
the course of six months some change, he dii not
know how or what, would occur, and that he would
find employment for it in trade. He then ref-cried to
the high rate of interest in the French Funds and :fie
i!ow rate in ours—to the state of the American Funds,
and to what was called the favourable rate of Ex-
change for this country, as sheering that we had act
at present any trade weich availed an, thing for
the national advantage. He then referred to flee
doctrine, that the transition from a gate of war to a
state of peace was the cause of the ciimmercial dis-
tress, and contended that it was perfectly la:se- He
could easily understand, so far as this, that it was
true that those who were engaged in feeding the
army and navy with the supply of :Lose Artieres ef
manufacture which they constimed, must feel fl'e
distress when the war was over. Pat the brasier:es
of manufacture in which the distress was now t.:e
greatest, were those which ha:.' not bet-ts concerned
in supplying the army or navy. He now came to
state whet lie thought was the real came; and riee
he begged the House first to turn its attention to
line of policy which had unfortunately late ozed ea;
councils of the country ; he did nut mean as to Cm
war, for lie would keep off that part of the ssibject,
' but keep to that ground on which there WAS likely to
be less difference of opinion in Cie House. It seemed
to be the principle of some of our practical finial-
, cians, imbibed probably from the class of no.irfaanati
and manufactutas who surrounded them, that taa
much could hardly be done to &scout a ger the
',open
trade. This remnant of the old explode-el miroviene
glean, of having all exports and 110 imports—all
selling and no buying—all money and no
this doctrine of the balance of trade which had taken
into such deserved neglect that no Mill would now
dere to talk of it, yet seemed somehow womar-
fully tooted in flu minds of our statesmen; 't

foetid written in es broad letters 24 Oft in
Book up to this very day—(Hear, hear,
after another, the staple articles of pro-
ither countries had been carefully excluded
irkets. On this principle the Corn Bill
—for, although he could not !peak of it
,probation wbich was merited by the other
the same principle, yet, no doubt, it cut
tch of our imports. The reasons on which
Ls founded, were, he ad:ratted, different
principle of exclusion; they were of a
ntture, to ensure the Steady supply, under all
4:rcumst4nces, of the great necessary of lite, and with
;hat view, to Lire encouragement to the grower of it
in our own country—(Hear.) Another reason in fa-
-tt:ur of the Corn 13111 was, that at the time when it was
uassed, ever/ thing in the country was Ur an unnatu-
-al state. nut what excuse was there for the adop-
t.:m of that principle in the other branches of trade t
--fa the Baltic trade, for instance, that trade which
..cas of the first importance to the country, both with
a view to the defence as well as to the prosperity of
the country ; which was near, and therefore gave the
quickest returns ; which, for the same reason, on ac.
coot of its nearness, gave the Government a con-
e:lnt opportunity of procuiing a a apply of able sea-
vien—how had that trade been treated ? Of the four
staples of teat male, too of them, hemp and tallow,
had alone been preserved—the others, iron and tim.
bei,ll.o been utterly destroyed. For the encourage.
meat of alining speculations at home, a heavy duty,
amounting to total prohibition, had been laid upon
iron.--For die sal.e of encouraging some speculations
as to ship-building, the same thing had been done to
the timber trade, and it LOO was destroyed : so that
with the Bailie our trade, by the policy adopted, had
been hampered to the uttermost. To Norway we
used yearly to export cotton goods and other articles
of oar manufacture to a great amount. The Norwe-
gians had nothing to give us in exchange but iron
or timber ; so that now, by this policy, all that part
ct our export trade had been destroyed in the ruin of
the import trade. The same thing had been done as
1) the importation of copper from South America—
that too had been put an end to by the operation of
the same principle. As to the butter and cheese
trade, he mentioned an anecdote, which be thought
chewed completely the little faith that was to be placed
in the principle of all export and no import. On the
very day on which, last year, the House laid a small
prc.ecting duty on the import of these articles—on
that very day, with as true a sympathy as the pulse.
tons of an artery to the beating of the heart, the
price of butter and cheese rose on 'Change two or
thiee per cent. One branch of the wine trade had
now nearly shared the tate of the Baltic trade. On
the principle that France was our natural enemy and
our great commercial rival, although it produced the
best wine, yet, for these reasons, the importation of
Drenchtine was to be almost stopped by the amount
astaluty kid upon it. Indeed he remembered that
the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite (the Chan-
cell.ir of the Exchequer) when he laid the last duty
eta shilling a be.tle on claret, actually stated that he
dii so, net with the view of increasing the revenue,
because he was aware that it would quite cot it up,
but that he did it from motives of policy—(Hear.)
It might, according to that Right Honourable Geo- ,
tiene.n's notions, be good policy to lose a good ens
turner; but it he (Mr. B.) might be allowed torpid'
as a trader, he would- say it wailtof sound ONW
but looked like insanity—(l4.er, hear, hesr.) The
branch or trade to which he adverted was the linen
trade, which was of great importance, because it WAS
one En which we came- into direct competition with
foreign States. On the same principle, a duty of IS
per cent. had beers laid. taa the transit of foreign
linen. The woad of this dot, was, that many DA•
tains preferred foreign linen; bat our Legislature
said they should have British linen; and we lasso.
cently thought; because an Act of Par:iament was
passed on the subject, that these nations would prefer
British linen, at a higher price, and of a worse gnu
111. There was absurdity, as well as bad policy, in
many of the prohibiting duties—such as on coals—
which; if allowed to go to France, would be sold for
pose goods whith France grows cheap. He might
also mention wools ; but we have said that no wools
shall go abroad, though we allow twist to go. This
was one evidence of great inconsistency; but the time
seemed now to have arrived, when not only a new po.
hey must be adopted, but also the whole system by
which we had been actuated. Our self-defence, as
well amour wealth, demanded the kind office of re,
ceding something from our navigation bystlini. There
were manY thboristi whe held that this system was
always 'contrary To wise ptintipTes but be believed,
that for mote thin half a century that 'system had
Contributed to the
, restoration of our shipping and
trade. This, however, was the whole amount of the
advantage we had gained by it, after adhering to it
for nearly a century. How far we proceed in its re-
laxation, was not a qmstion that could be ascer-
tained without deep and mature discussion; but he
would meatier:l a fact that had come to his knowledge
within the last two or three days. We had, it seemed,
ordered the Governors of our West-India Colonies—
, or those Governors had thought proper to issue such
orders—not to grant licenses for the importation of
provisions in foreign vessels. if such orders had berm
tent out, he really knew not how to characterize
them. Now what bad the Americans done ? They
had said, If you will not allow provisions to be im-
pacted in any but your own vessels, we will take care
wit to allow any of our provisions to go to you in any
~'tips but our own." To give effect to this &term-
ndlinni a Bill had just been passed by the American
'arns, which says, that Amerizaa ports shall not
open to any vessels belongieg to nations from
itch their own flag is excluded. Our Colonizes, but
ly Newfoundland, it was well known; do.
mainly on the provisions reteilied from the'
States. We say American vessels shall not
it, and America 'says our vessels shall not 1. and
.e result has been the greatest distress and alarm in
thole quarters, but still most in Newfoundland. 'lbis
"ea nmsely a specimen of that system which did oat
--iialeh/er to accommodate itself to the variations cif
be* and eitteattanc" but which adhered rigorously
and pertinaciously to its old prejudices, pursuing the,
sans, course as if time stood still. Now we had seen
that the distressesof the cowry were pressing upon
our FCIOUPCOSI and seen hew our trade is cramped.
• aid fettered. We had seen that it his derived no r 5.
lief from our artangemcnts with frayeign Powers, in
"%red in the isportation of out otooetsctons4 and

itl fact *o could see :16 spat On the race or all Europe
on which to fix our eyes for conlforti It was natural
therefore for bs, and for all out felldw.creatures,
boosted and broken 'down by a long series of wars,,
and oppressed by a ruinous takation, and deprived of
the monopolies that had Borne us up—it was natural',
that beings so exhausted should turn their eyes to a
new and untried quartet—a quatter where the open-'
ing was so magnificent in prospect, so consistent with
the best interests of the country, and so calculated to
give effect to our exertions; and revive our drooping
hearts, that he must be a cold and phlegmatic reaso-
ner indeed who could not feel animated at the idea.
The historian had described the ancient hordes of
rude conquerors who over-run the East after they had
overcome dangers almost beyond the power of, hu-
man fortitude, as arriving, weary, hungry, and ex-1
hausted, at the summit of the mountains which over-
looked those vast and boundless regions which were
to be the prize of their exertions, when their feelings!
were those of admiration and amazement at the
prospect. This was just our situation s after having
overcome all the dangers that we had encountered,
we were not able to extricate ourselves from the con-
dition in which they had left us, but by taking ad-
vantage of the immense region that had suddenly
burst upon our view. We had now a country expo-
sed
to us, lying under the most favourable climate
in the world, fertile to excess, watered rather by in-
land seas than by rivers peopled by a brave ancLgea
nerous race of men, and abounding in rich mines of
gold and silver, which the inhabitants were ready to
pour into our lap, in return for the disbursement of
our capital and skill ; and yet the blind policy of our
Government cut off the precious advantage. Hei
would say that the prospect was so rich and various,
that if all Europe were hermetically sealed against
our commerce, or if all the Continent of Europe
were blotted -out from the map, we could derive
greater advantages than ever we had derived from'
Europe, in the fertile regions of South America.--
Let it not be said that such ideas were merely fanci-
fol. He had documents to prove, that under a policy
as vicious as our own, the exportations from tbat
country, even at the present time, amounted to
/118,000,000 sterling a-year, some portion of which,
it was true, came to this country, but which was
curtailed by the unwise measures we adopted. He
would give the heads of one or two articles, although
he knew Gentlemen opposite would not be inclined
to listen to any thing ol such a nature, which did not
come from themselves..—(Hear, aid laichier).—lt
was calculated that there came over in the year 1802
Onhe port of Cadiz alone no less than 181 millions
sterling, of which 12t millions were in bullion, and
only six millions in goods. It might be said that the
goods were of no value ; but this could not be said
of the bullion, the main support of commerce and
every thing. The qoantity of coinage at that time
in Spain was 94 millions, and it was known that it
bad been trebled within half a century. The exports
last year amounted to 184 millions, of which Mexico
gave one-third; and an experienced traveller had
amerced, that Buenos Ayres alone annually furnished
£BOO,OOO worth of the quantity. The population
amounted to 17,000,000, of which 7,000,000 belong-
ed to Old Spain. Of these 7,000,000 of persons, not
one in seven wore foreign goods, and of the remaindi r
not one in three. He would now call on the Hou.e
to consider what would be the consequence of giving
17,0(10,000 of people a Taste for British goods. It might
be said that there had been a great glut of our goods at
Buenos Ayres at two late periods, particularly in 1806.
He contended that that glut had been of advantage,
in the end, to our commerce, foe it had given the
people a taste for our goods, which they had never
had before; and the consequence would be, that in-
stead of one person in seven wearing. our goods, we
could supply the whole population. In all probabi-
lity, therefore, we might not only draw home the
whole of the 18 millions of exports, but these would
amount to a sum so much greater, that he was al.
Won deterred from mentioning it. How then, had
it happened, that we had dune nothing for the sue-
cess of that people ? He would tell the House his
firm opinion on the subject. It was the doctrifle of
legitimacy that had deterred us; our love for Ferdi.
nand VII. and the tendency of nor Government to
lean towards and favour Old Spain ; and it the Co.
lonies were severed from her, which he hoped to GOD
they shortly would be—(Hear, hear)—no measures
on earth could keep our commerce out of that coun-
try. But we had taken an easier course. We had
given way to the prejudices of one party and the su-
perstitions of another; and instead of carrying our
commercial flag to South America, we bad allowed
ourselves to be supplanted there by those who had
less scruples of conscience, and who were not encunt-
bered by such prejudices as we entertained. In 1809
We made a treaty with Adtniral Apodaca's fleet, which
stipulated the preservation of Ferdinand'scolenies,and
which contained an article stating, that the two Powers
should lose no time in aming a commercial treaty.
In 1814, after Ferdinand had been restored, it pleased
' the Government to renew that Treaty, and one arti-
cle expressed great anxiety that the restoration of the
yoke of Spain should be effected over the colonies*
and it even stipulated, that all obstruction and ere,
harassment should be given to those who chose to
[assist those colonies. The anxiety was distifictly eea
pressed to see the* subjugation—(Near, hear, hear.,
Atter this, it was in vain to expec,. that the colonists
'would give us commercial advantages. They wished
to have us as friends, not as enemies. As often as
their independence was likely to be established. they.
made attempts to gain our favour. Offers were made,
to us in 1814. which stated as one additional emeste.
that England had always shown herself the Wood of
justice, humanity and freedom. They notwaly everted
our friendship, but offered us a monopoly foe ft years
of the whole trade of South America. and its 1816
they renewed their offers avith advantages
unprecedented. But these splendid offers were
The Honourable Gentleman then proceeihailllts
on the obstruction we bad given to American and
other ships in the Spanish Main, which were
ceeding with succours to the colonists, and adlreZ
that three Gentlemed who lately came u;Amglastli
from Buenos Ayres, on commercial business, wile
about to return, when they were stopped by as Order,
from the Under Secretaty of State, who same
were not to sail till they had 'derived the perm
of the Spanish Arnbaasad?r. 1.64 was done ton er
die Alien Act, and siae a isoof of what but been mid
last year in that flimeeLthat that measure was re.
'ludo in order that it Might become en ceiinn for'

political purposes lo the hahcfs of etreertitheilf. It
bad been said that our goods would always find their
way into foreign markets, but we should soon find
how much we were mistaken • for the fee-eign consu-I
mer would go to buy hil goods whereier he could
get them cheapest, and we should-look in vain to
him if be could get them five per cent, cheaper from
any other q u ar ter. —The Honourable Gentleman nett
proceeded to comment on stock and the taxes, and
contended, that the tates did not go back to the
consumers of articles who paid the duties on them.—
He instanced sugar, the duty on which was raised to
275. per cwt.; but* this was not given back to the
people who consumed sugar, but to the fund-holder
and the public servant. If the immense capital dis-
bursed by the war had remained in the country, it
would have given rise to new productions of industry,
and instead of beii.g in our present distressed situa-
ociu, we should have been self-subsistedi and inde-
pendent. He entered into a long series of compari-
sons, to thew, that Ministers gained nothing by in-
creasing the duties on articles of general cot nimp•
tion, as wine, coffee, sugar, etc. and by a statement
of the duties on wines and spirits, in 1787, when they
were reduced, be :hewed that the revenue from them
was nearly doubled, in consequence of their greater
consumption. He characterised our Dock Companies
AS Commercial Monopolists, MI6 injured the fair
trader, by causing him vexations delay and expense,
and observed, that under the present system, it was
impossible for Ministers to collect i revenue of sixty
or severity millions, without hanspeting and discou-
ragess every branch of comseetce. The last subject
vitiiEh *said he should riotice, was the total aban-
donment of our commercial interests by our system
of foreign policy. Why had we formed no commer-
, cial treaties with those for whom we had exhausted
our treasure and spent the best blood of the country
' Why bad not those Allies given us the advantage of
a single Custom-house regulation ? Russia had in-
deed made a trifling reduction in her tonnage duties,
but it was impossible for the fair trader to struggle
against the other heavy duties which existed from
Memel to the utmost limits of Poland, where a
contraband trade was entirely in the hands of Jews.
Li Prussia there was a severe transit duty, which
amounted to a prohibition against British mer-
chandise; sad Austria, for which we had done
so much, teak nothing from us but twist—an ar-
ticle of scarcely any consideration in our trade.—
In Spain, on whose account re 50,000,000 of our mo
oe, yet remained unaudited, it was proved we had no
iuduence in the Cabinet; and we saw with disgust the
humility and imbecility of our Government, and the
ingratitude of that of Spain. The heleved Ferdinand
had requited us for twin his parasites, by depriving
us of every advantage. There were the characters
for who:n the Noble Lord opposite had sacrificed the
honour of his country, and in whose behalf, after pot.
Ong down, with the assurance of the Allies, one osur-
per, we had plunged into that very usurper's Foerse.
In our conduct towards Ragusa and Genoa. the name
of England had received a stain, which all the view-
ties of the Duke of Wellington were unable to wipe
out, and which, if the Noble Lord was to bare the
longest life of any person that ever was in power, he
would never be able to retrieve. The. Hon. Gentle-
man then descanted on the desertion, at the Congress,
of the interests of the people of Ragusa and Genoa,
and drew the internee, that we had been justly mewed
for our humiliating con:ession to the views of the other
Powers, as they had shut out our commerce from all
those places whose rights and interests we ought to
hate protected. but had made over to petty tyrants.
This was a most complete illustration of the maxim,
that honesty is the best policy." The people would
have been grateful to us, it we had protected them ;
but we had succumbed to the principles of' the Courts,
the Courts had treated us in return with insult and
mockery, and the people whose rights webad deser-
ted, with contempt and execration. The'Hon. Gentle.
man concluded with moving the following Resolutions:
" Resolved, t. That the Trade and Mansfachires at the Colin.
try are reduced to a state of such wasizainpled diaceity as de-
mands the most serious anetrion of this House.
" S. That those difficnkies are materially increased by the eve
tem of policy pursued with respect to our Foreign Commerce;
and that a revision of this system ought forthwith to be under-
takes by the HOswe.
".$ What the continuance of those difficulties is in a great de-
gree owing to the severe pressure of meatiest ander which the cows.
try labours, and which osght by every practicable means to be
lighteued. •
" 4. That the system of Font's Policy pursued by his Ma-
jesty's Ministers bas nut been suck as to obtain for the People of
this country those commercial advantages which the just iiffisence
of Great Britain in Foreign CJIIM fairly entitled them to expect."
The first ltesolution having been put from thecoair.
Mr. ROBINSON said he was ready to admit that
distress prevailed in the country to the full extent to
which the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had de.
scribed it; but it was wish unfeigned egret that he
had heard the last part of his speech, which was an
entire abandonment of the principle on which he set
out, and which had nothing to do with the subject.
It Was miziog up matters which might make such an
impressien no the minds of some of the Gentlemen
who hosted it, that it was hardly possible they could
tome to ihe question without feelings which it would
Ittere, bac most desirable to avoid. He should nut
litlempt fofollow the Hooourable Gentleman through
Isis previous arguments. There was much in that
-Part of *is speech with which be entirely concurred.
Be *gored that there were many restrictive and pro-
'ible's* decrees against our commerce on the Carig-
nan, bet he felt more strongly than the Honourable
Gentleman the difficulty of getting clear of them.—
Such a system, be would admit, operated to a certain
degree to continue the present distress of the country;
out, -it we had acted tbe part that the Honourable'
Gentlemas wished, and enforced a Commercial per.
fereuce for our goods, be would say, that it would
have been imputable for it to last. on account of
the jeeleueies it would have created—(fkos, hear.)
It would have iad to nothing but disputes, hearse
buntings. quarrels, and perhaps to war. We should
have degraded our character it we bad told our allies
that we would oaly fight, in conjunction with them,
not to re-establish them in their rights, but to obtain
some paltry selfish interest of oar own. We had
fought to deprive France of her inordinate copquests
and Pewees and we bad succeeded but if we had is-
dieted such a blew on bet ossauserce, was it likely
that the people of tram* would have borne it?-- ho
Honourable Gentleman then proceeded to answer the
various .eegnmenta of Mr, *mewls respectine
South America, and observed, that it we bad inter-
fered in the way he suggested, we might have risked
a war, 'illicit when once commenced, it was inspossi-

hie to &test* the end of. Ilesidet, we should by such
conduct have incurred the same stigma which France
was deservedly subjected to, by her interference us
the war between us and our American Colonies, and
whose conduct had been sevetely reprobated by
Messrs. Burke, Fox, and the greatest orators of that
day. He then went on to sh w that a peat came
of our present distress was the unnatural and nneirc.
cedented degree to which all trades had been raised
by the war; and lie feared that this distress was less
temporary than the Honourable and Learned Ger. -
demon seemed to think. Nothing, for instahce, was
likely to re-establish the employment of the gun-
smiths, whose business depended solely on the V4r.
The iron trade niust suffer to a certain degree from
the same cause. It wis not pr:ssihle to cause A revi-
val of the watch trade, because Ladies tisid Gentle-
men who went to France turned smugglers, *lid
brought over watches of French manufacture, twee
injury of our own. As to the 18,000 tailors cot of
employ, the cessation of demands for the army was
one cause of it, and the general want of money
another. The duties on timber Were not ad act df
the Government, but of those persons interested in
the measure, who had convinced Government of its
necessity, As to foreign linen, he bad recommended
the very measure suggested by the Honourable and
Learned Gentleman, And the Irish Linen Board bad
argued that its adoption would be their total ruin.—
Eves the Honourable Member for Glasgow had
moved for a Committee last year, to inquire into this
very subject, and the House had refused to grant i:.
With respect to coals, if the export duty were taken
`off, be would venture to say we should have all the
manufacturers in arms. Last year ,;tae duty had
been taken off from an inferior kintot small coal,
and the smelters and naedufaetuteri of glass, &c.
complained that they were 'mined by it. There was
a very strong import duty upon creeds, both in Hal.
land and in France, for those countries did not wish
to encourage their importation. The restriction sys.
tem was one which it might be desirable had never
been adopted ; but did any one thick that any thing
which the Government could do could replace! our
commerce abroad on the fooling on which it had beent
We the had all the colonies of the world in our
power, ond we supplied the whole of Europe with
those articles which were considered as necessaries of
life. From the accounts on the table it apeeared,
that a great portion of the diminution in our exports
arose from the reduction in the quantity of colonial
produce at our disposal. As soon as we had restored
the colonies of other powers, and particularly the im.
incase one of Java, they shared with us the supplying
of the Continent. Neither capital nor Ingenuity wets
wanting on the Continent, and if peace lasted for
any length ofatime, nothing_ could prevent ti.e Euro-
pean Powers from establishing manufactures capable
of rivalling ours. The cotton mmu tact ures were al.
ready aiarrourite object in France. They also ma-
nufactured beautiful cloths. and silks ; why could
they not succeed in other article. ? It might be the
Isame with Prussia and all the other Continental States,
if the continuance of peace allowed a free range to
national industry. Had the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman concluded his speech as he had begun, it
would have been difficult to meet it with so decided
an opinion as he was now compelled to form on the
subject. As that Hon. and Learned Gentleman had
depassed„frons his own course, sod-given the.questio'n
a totally different character, he could not agree with
the Resolutions, and concluded by moving the Order
of the Day, •
Mr. B60(101101 and Mr. Rostrum explained. '-
Mr. BARING complained. that the Right Ho.
nourable Gentleman should Move tile Order of the
Day on so important'a question, because his 11001int-
able and Learned Friend had not-treated the whole
of the question with. the same temper as he begiiinive:
'He had admitted that distresses in dWi cowry, slid
imperfections in the spier esistetWand jet Lidded
of proposing a Committee or some other mode of ha.
quirt!, if he did not approve of the motion, be wished
to reject it altogether. He contended that nose of
his Learned Friend's assertions had been refuted or
answered; but that, on the contrary, they had been
admitted to their fullest extent. The Right Honour.
able Gentleman, holding the situation which he did
at the Board of Trade, had stated that the present
system, a system of which he disapproied, was suf-
fered to go on, because certain interests 'besieged
Government which it was impossible to resist.. Ott
that very ground he should apply to Parliament to
be armed a ith effective means of resistance: ' He then
stated, that he differed from his • Hotourabie And
Learned Friend with respect to maihinery. He
should certainly wish that much Of It had never
existed; but it it oar checked in this country, it
would be immediztely set up on• the apposite coast,
and England would lose the superiority which it
now enjoyed over other countries—(Hcor, hear).—
As to the present distress, similar dither:titles had fol-
lowed, more or less, every war in whith the country
had been engaged. In the present idttanci. it hid
been aggravated by the protracted dilation of the
war, its immense expense, the revulsion of its capital,
occasioned by the sudden termitiatio4f liostilitici,
and the change in its currency. All thekkluuse could
do was to remove impediments- where they existed ;
but the Right Hon. Gentleman aeknosiledged their
existence, and yet refused to do any thing to remove
them. As to the interest of money, unJoubtedly the
price of stocks depended on the want of employment
for the capital of the country; but his learned Friend
said, that capital had not reached the Pockets of the
borrower on mortgages ; that arose from the laws il
existence to regulate the interest of money, He
hoped, that alter duly causidering the importance cl
the subject, the Right Hon. Cr:mimeo would teio,-
thaw his motion.
Mr. ROSE objected to the Resolutions, because,
instead of tending to relieve the distresses of the
country, they laid them to the charge of his Majesty's
Government. He contended that the Learned Geo-
deoran had not supported his motion by any fans,
and that the papers which he had called for were
very little applicable to the subject. He Stated, that
the exports in certain articles had exceeded last year
the average of the two preceding years. As to the
diminution of luxuries, it was chiefly occasioned by'
the emigration at an immense number of Englisa
families to other countries. Oise of the calm sor the
'existing distress was the reduction of the circalating
medium. When the Bank had ceased cash payments,
theme were 41. millions of gold in circulation. But
now the paper cuir,:ncy did ;lot exceed 35 millions.

wa~tO
our Statute
guar.) One
doer of other
tram OUT MAI
v.as framed-
-.7i:4 th tt rrp
measures on
Qff one branc
:!Lit Bdl WAS
from that En

best wine, ye
Drench rise'
.ci'doty laid t
Cie Right Ho
tell.c of the
of a shilling i
did so, not, w
because he w
but that he d
It might, aet
tiemi,n's noti,
turner; but if
as a trader,
but looked I
branch or tr,
trade, which
one in which
1 foreign State
per cent. ha
linen. l'he
teens preferri
said they situ
eently thong
passed on thi
British linen,
14. There
many of the
which, if alb
3bose goods
also mention
shall go abr,
Was one evil
seemed now
licy must be
1 whi:h we he
well amour
ceding some
were manY
always 'cowl
that for tat
contributed
trade. Thi
advantage s
for nearly a
'oration, w
tained withi
would meat
within the 1
ordered the
or nose Gc
orders—not
provisions ii
1 tent out, t
them. No
had said, "
parted In al
h?t to alloy
„bps but of
nation, a I
CCTlgreas, .1
he open to
which their
particularl,
.Paaded ma
United Sta
I carry it, an
Vie result 13
%twee quart
"as aissei)
gloom bOw
. bee and ei
and palm,
same COW'S
that the dii
OUt mown
, asd lettere
lief from e
..,
. regrsd to t