The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-10-03 00:00:00

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had felt.some regret that pressing engagements
precluded my attendance at the Amphitheatre, at the late
meeting on this subject, as I understood a fair discussion
upon it was to be allowed then ; but finding that the
chairman in his opening speech, had recourse to com-
mendation of the Irish repeal agitation, I not only can
readily divine of what description of persons the majority
of the audience was composed, but can imagine there was
little chance indeed of a hearing for any one who might
venture to differ with the League. I am, therefore, in-
duced to put on paper my sentiments on the principal ar-
guments used on the topic.
The great object of the meeting seemed to be to attri-
bute all the high price of corn to the aristocracy—the
speakers being aware of the malicious pleasure that would
be afforded to those around them by a fling at the nobility ;
whether such was merited or not, very few of their audi-
ence were l'kely to t,.ouble themselves to inquire. All
the obloquy of the high price of corn was ascribed to rent,
whereas those acquainted with the subject must be aware
that rent forms but a small proportion of the cost of pro-
duction, and that the burdens of maintaining the poor,
highways, &c., press so heavily on the British farmer,
that if he paid no rent at all he could never compete
with corn raised in Poland and other poor countries,
where wages are accepted that Englishmen would spurn
at.

Every species of cajolery has long been using to set the
farmer at variance with his landlord, although their inter-
ests are identical and both in danger from the League,
which attempts to divide and subdue them one after the
other, divide et impera. One of the arguments frequently
employed is, that the farmer and his family would derive
the most benefits by a fall in the price of corn, from the
reduction that would ensue in his expenses. But it is
quite overlooked that the farmer must produce many hun-
dred times as much corn as is consumed in his own family
to enable him to pay his way; and that you might as well
tell a hatter that it would be more advantageous to him-
self were he to sell his article cheaper, because he and his
sons would acquire such as they wanted for their own
wear on lower terms. The hatter might well reply, "It
• requires a sale of many hundred hats to enable me by the
profits thereon to meet my various expenses, and it would
be absurd indeed for me to sacrifice the profit on these
hundreds of hats for the sake of two."

Likewise, it has been frequently asked by these wor-
thies, why the farmers should have a monopoly rather
than the village grocer or draper, and 1 answer, because
the first is a producer; the others merely dispensers, to
whom the prices are comparatively of little moment, pro-
vided they can obtain their articles as low as their com-
peting neighbours.
I am also quite surprised that Mr. Bright should draw
any contrast between corn and iron, as both are treated on
an equal principle : iron being protected by a duty on the
importation of foreign, as well as corn. lam likewise
astonished at his attempted jocularity about Irish mer-
chants being attracted to Liverpool in 1515, because
" small custom" was then paid here, for it must be ob-
vious, the same rates of national duties were then paid
here as at every other port in the kingloin ; and the
writer quoted must have been alluding to some
local dues, principally on goods coastwise, which have
no bearing on the question at issue ; and with regard
to the now existing o;'ulencc and extent of Liverpool
trade, it is very app7.rent that such has grown to its pre-
sent vast amplitude under the very system that Mr. B. is
deprecating. Therefore, why should a change be hazarded ?
and why, while he was contemplatint, its enormous rise
from being " a small fishing place," should he be so dis-
satisfied with a system that had been attended with such
splendid results?

But the sentiments he expressed on the sugar trade
seem to be more monstrous than any. When it is re-
flected that this cry for cheap sugar emanates from the
very same " clique" that were so strenuous but a very few
years since in preventing our own colonists in the West
Indies from using the only means of producing that com-
modity cheaply, namely, by slave labour (although slavery
under the British planter was in much more mitigated
form than it ever was, or is, with foreigners—we having
some control or influence over our own countrymen) ;
then, their language was, " Don't tell us that the planters
are enabled by slave labour to produce sugar cheaper, for
such slave labour is an abomination, an must not be
used at all ; " and now, having succeeded in depriving the
British planter of his slaves, they upbraid him with the
dearness of his sugar ; and argue that it matters not that
at Brazils, Cuba, &c., slaves are the producers of sugars,
so that the article is rendered cheap. Here is consistency

with a veng
then reproo

rice! It is like tying a man's hands and
ing him with less ability to fight. _

Speaking of the national debt, he observes, that "a
man's first duty is to take care of his own debts," which
is intimating pretty plain that be does not consider such
national debts to be personally binding, and that Mr. B.
is anticipating that the " sponge " would soon follow his
schemes for precluding the minister from paying any
dividends.

I also may ask, upon what ground he can contend, that
were we to take more of the productions of America, more
British manufactures would be called for to pay for the
former, seeing that the balance of trade is against this

country already; that we receive more goods from Ame-
rica (as besides the cotton, tobacco, and rice lie enumerates,
there nrcOrtirnontin. wnltn.-1 _eh•

°filer articles) than, with all their vaunted liberality, they
take from us ; consequently, we have to pay them a balance
in cash, without our taking any corn at all from them ;*
and, notwithstanding republican assessments of duty are
so much applauded, it is a fact that upon cheese and man 37,
other articles the duties are lower in Britain than in
America.

I will not further occupy your valuable columns by
commenting on Mr. Bright's boasts of his success in the

of large towns arw.;. form the majorities on such a:casions ; nor shall 1 expatiate on the valid B,arind for
apprehension, that if Britain renders herself dependent
on foreign countries for supplies cf corn, by throwing
large quantities of her own poor lands out of cultivation,
she may rue her subjection to the caprice of foreigners.
But simply adverting to Mr. Bright's concluding compli-
ment to the merchans of Liverpool, in comparing them to
monkey worshippers,-1 remain, yours, &c.,

CAMILLUS

* And many of their ships that bring their produce
hither go back in ballast.

ROBBERY OF PLATE.—On Saturday, a youth named
John Roberts—an old offender—was placed at 'Ale bar of
the police-court, on a charge of robbing a shop of a quan-
tity"of plate. Mr. John Bond, pawnbrober, 22, Scot-
land-place, said that about seven o'clock on the previous
night, a little girl came into the shop and told him some
men had broken his windows and carried some things off.
He looked, and found that a portion of one of the panes
had been cut out, and that several articles of plate, which
he had seen there at three o'clock were missing. Police-
officer Gristlewaithe said that on the same evening be ob-
served the prisoner and two others passing along Man-
chester-street. He went up, and suspecting that the pri-
soner had something on his person, from his appearance,
be took hold of him, and held him till another officer
came up and searched him. The others escaped. In the
prisoner's pocket were found 2 silver table spoons, 2
silver butter-knives, 2 pair of silver sugar-tongs, and
some other ar.icles of plate, which were stated by Mr.
Bold to be worth in all about £3. The prisoner, who had
before been convicted, was committed for trial at the ses-
sions.

THE SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.—We AM much gra-
tified to learn from an agricultural gentleman and eminent
botanist in our nei,:hbournood (to whom we are occasio-
nally indebted for valuable information relative to the
crops,) that many of the landed aristocracy throughout the
kingdom, who had previously devoted but little of their
attention to obtaining a personal knowledge of the culti-
vation of the soil, have recently seen the propriety, if not
the necessity, of not only more intimately acquainting
themselves with its details, but of leading those who are
to succeed them in their estates, to the acquirement (em-
bracing all modern improvements aed discoveries) of the
science of agriculture, chemically, botanically, and prac-
tically. With this view many of our nobility and gentry
have of recent years sent those scions of their families
who are destined to become country gentlemen, to exten-
sive farms cultivated by enterprising and skilful indi-
viduals, where they witness and take part in all the
operations of tilling the field or the garden—drain-
ing, ploughing, sowing, planting, &e.—than which a
more honourable, a more worthy, or a more nation-
ally beneficial occupation cannot fall to the lot of even
the highest of the high in the human family. The time
was when such employments were deemed beneath the
dignity of tha " lords of the soil," and the whole of their
early lives were devoted to the exclusive acquirement of
what were deemed " gentlemanly accomplishments"—
including laborious translations of musty Greek and Ro-
man authors, rarely available for good, often for evil—
whether as regards morals or religion—and generally but
crudely attained, anti speedily forgotten. Without a de-
sire to disparage classical studies—which, if well applied
have their unquestionable utility—we hail with great sa-
tisfaction " the change that has come over the spirit of their
dream." In the growing intelligence of the age, me-
chanically and chemically, they find the middle, and even
the humbler, classes treading closely at their heels in the
march of scientific improvement; they find that the mere
possession of land without the knowledge to cultivate it to
the best advantage will neitherconfer high honour nor secure
(by trusting to stewards over whom they can have little
check) great emoluments ; and they have wisely set about
instructing their own class in the craft and mysteries of
their own proper profession as agriculturists,—becoming
aware that " under the master's eye the horse fattens."
They have resolved to patronise agricultural " colleges"
in rural districts, as well as those of Oxford and Cam-
bridge. The Odes of Horace, or the Iliad and Odyssey
of Homer, may be all very well in their way ; but a field
of wheat, oats, or turnips, of double the weight that it
formerly yielded, is perhaps quite as profitable : and if
they want a " classical" excuse for diverging from their
preconceived neglect of husbandry, they may refer to the
beautiful Eclogues of Virgil. We shall hear muco less
uttered against the corn-laws, when we have improved
our own soils to their utmost extent. We understand
and we anticipate that those of minor standing and andth that t
hospitable—havet e o/ d
aons t truly
in tb
no
dv.generous,edaei degree
rf,
of stating, that many of our landed p
rl to their tenantry, in
more encouragement than
..o y
are
gratifying
draining and improvii;4 their ..,d s. These
will speedily follow. \Ve have thedaddroitgreatlary
alsoi give
tt se.es tai, tubes" ; and induce an assurance that,

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