Star.
London, England, 1826-05-12 00:00:00

rendered able to understand, the more easily did they
triumph over prejudices. Education to a great degree
they had acquired, and h- was certain dist if an inquiry .
took place, and its results were scattered abroad, they
would remove that unfounded opinion that the distres cs
of the manufacturing districts arose out of the Corn
Laws. It would shew the people that the landed in-
terest was taxed beyond all others, whilst it never could
expect the same profits which were gained by manufac-
tures or trade. All this might he proved in a Committee,
and would remove the prejudices which supported the
prevailing outcry. With respect to the danger of a
scarcity, we possessed a }tea: resource against it in the
prodigious progress which Ireland had made in pro-
dociug e.trn, since its inomrta inn had ben made free
to this country. Ile found in M. T •oke's book, that
witlrin the first three yeats after Ireland had been al= •
lowed to export her corn, that is ti say, in 1806, the
whole quantity expo' ted was 63,000 coasters. Within
the three )ears end ng in 1822, it had amounted to
184,000 quarters, or nearly as mitch as the yearly int=
portation of foreign coin had formerly been.. There
WAS also another document before the house which
would shew still more clea,ly the, great progress which
Ireland had made. The quantity which.she had ex-
ported in 1815, was 1,600,000 ha:Tel: of wheat, flour,
he. In 1825, it was three million seven 'hundred
thousandi most extraordinary increase in the short
space of ten years. It was evident, therofefe,. that we
might now place on Ireland as a source of. supply
the same confidence which .we should hive in the
strength of a youth grown into a man. He might
be asked whether he would not entrust the Noble
Earl with the. discretionary power of 'admitting
five hundred thousand quarters of foreign- corm.—
He was convinced that no man bad more the interest
of the couotry• at heart than the Noble Earl, but on a
question in which he differed entirely from him, he
could not help feeling the want of enquiry. What might
not be the consequences of such a cloud as that weigh.
ing over the Corp Market, whale all depended on con.
fidence between buyers and sellers ? He was convinced
that if the Bill were passed no man could sell his corn
the day after 'at a fair price ; for the purchaser, would
naturally say, I cannot give you what-you ask ; 500,000
quarters of wheat may be thrown to morrow into the
marker, and then my coin will have no value. • Let
200,000 pair of shoes he imported from' France and
placed at the disposal of the Noble Earl to be given out
AS he chose. The next day the shoemakers of London
would be in a state of insurrect:on : they might be told
t,
time quantity was not enough to glut consumption,
but they %Intl.! say that it was att its effects on con-
sumption but its effects. on the m. rket which, would
injure them. Eight hundred and twenty eight thousand
quarters of corn, would have b-en thrown upon the
country since the lst of Juntiain, even if theptesent measure were
not passed. IA them p into. the proposed enquiry and they might
perhaps ascertain how his objections might be onatated; He hoped
that they would accede iiiitiquiry, front a cOsiviettois tiat the land-
ed interest:had nothing to be ashamedof-: that all it wanted was
an open investigation, and that it witild come opt o{ is.triumph-
intl f. Ile bid heard that particular motives had been imputed to
him for having hrnught on this motion.. flii'had.nO'otber.rnotive
than the good of the.class to whlih he belonged, wh'lch iisslhat of
the community at Is rge. The Nobit: Earl their moved a Resolution
.to the following effect :—"Thai thii• shicerely
abxious to contribute, to the fulltst' extern of its ' power, -to the re-
lief of the suffering classes, was neiertheless of opiniset that it was
not expedient to pass any measure for the alteratlon.or suspension of
the existing system of CortsLaws, without a previous Inquiry into
the alleged necessity of such an alteration or suspensiqn, and of the
effects which they might prodite on the relative interests; of the
Growers and Consumers of British Corn.".,
Earl BAIHURST did not see how such a. Motion
tallied with the general admission that the present was
not the proper time for entering into the discuist-m of
the Corn Laws. The Noble E irl pledged himself, •if
he obtained an inquiry, to.prove his case in such.* man.
nor, that whatever doubts might have prevailed oó the
subject of the Corn Laws would be removediandto do
so, without examining more than six witnesses. But
the opinion of six manufacturers would not be sufficient,
and if-an investigation were once opened, months and
months would not bring it to a close. His Noble Friend
wished the House to come to a declarition of its senti-
ments on the question ; but the declaration which he
proposed was nu decl :ration at all, for it was so ambi-
guous that the public would not understand what their
Lordships should engage to do, if they were to'agree
to the Noble Earl's proposal.. The state of :the iCorn
Laws in 1815 was this. Uutil the price of corn arrived
at 80k. there was a complete prhhihitiou of foteigtscorm
Bat when the prier reached 80s: fctreign corn came in
free of all duty. The inconveniences of this system
lhaving been perceived, an alteration took place in 1822.
The protecting price was theta made 76s- when foreign
corn might be admitted for home consumption, subject
to a duty of 17s. per quarter for the first three months,
and of 12s. after, till the home price reached BUs. u hen
the dui y would be reduced according toa graduated scale.
It was enacted, however, that this law' would not come
into operation till after British corn should have once
arrived at the price of 80s. The effect of this clause
had been to suspend the operation of the law altogether,
till cot n should reach 801. Naw, if that were not the
case, Foreign corn would be admitted on payment of
a certain duty, when the home price was 70. Would
his Noble Friend have any objection to repeal that
part of the Act which required British wheat to ;each
80s. at once, before Foreign corn should be admitted ?
—or did be not think that such a proposition might be'
made without previtus inquiry ? His Noble Friend
was willing to allow an-infraction of the law for permit-
ting the admission of bonded corn, and- yet he would
not agree to what was not a greater infraction, the dis-
cretionary introdoCtion of 5..t0,000 quarters of wheat
under any kind of regulations! What might be the
state of the country in the event of a great rise in the •
price of corn ? • His Noble Friend said, that though the
public granaries were not full, the farm-yards were.
-How and where had he gained his information ? He
(Earl Bathurst) understood that the crops were in a re-
markably backward state.—(" No, no; from various
fliatters,).....Well, it was possible that the harvest should
be got in with difficulty, arid then in what a state Might
'sot time country be placed T.' It might become neces-
sary to summon Parl;tment, and under such Circuns-
s:ances would that be the Most propitious moment for
entering dalcusion of the Corn'Llats s, forahen
there must be nti deha.y. He did not think that a period