The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-01-17 00:00:00

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THE STATESMAN.

CORN AND COAL TRADE.

easy and natural manner, and the public wilt, as
they ought, receive some benefit on the present Peace,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN. for their long, patient, and more ample sufferings;
Sta,—An interesting discussion has lately ap- daring* the war.
peered in your's and some of the other Papers, The reference made by the " WHIG FARMER"
on the subject of the Price of Corn. It is not Ito the article of Coals, has surely been particularly
my intention. to interrupt it, but merely to. reply unfortunate. Suppose, Sir, that, as is said, all'
to the eery extraordinary doctrine attempted to Blackheath was substrated with that mineral, surely
be estahlshed by a writer in the Morning Chro- it will not be pretended that London would not be
nicle, calling himself a WHIG FARMER; this is, benefited by its being worked : it is another thing
that the axiom, universally admitted to be undoubt- whether the employment of the ships and seamen in
ed by every writer upon politicareconomy of late the Coal Trade is not a national object ; but if so,
date, from ADAM SMITH downwards, that " the it is one for which the inhabitants of this great me-
price of food regulates the price of every other arti- tropolii'exclusively pay ; and surely no man would
de of consumption," is false and erroneous. ' so richly deserve Bedlam (where the " Wnic FAR- 1
I have read with considerable attention the Letter MER" charitably consigns his opponents) as he who
of this writer, but I cannot discover a single argu- i would attempt to argue that we Londoners should.
men: by which he even endeavours to Controvert this continue to permit the Newcastle coal-pit owners
long-established position. He contents himself with (Lord Lout:DALE and the like) to fatten at our ex-
i denying it ; unless, indeed, a sort of comparison as I pence. Apropos of this Nobleman : he is a striking-I
to the Coal Trade may be'called an argument t and ' elucidation of what I have said es to the progressive
I here certainly he has been unfortunate; for he can- rise,of the tand-owner—as the one rises in his way,
not possibly find one more conclusive against him :so does the other also in his. This Noble Lord (or•
I
than that very trado affords. I will endeavour to hid ancestor) was, when coals were forty shillings. a
state it in the clearest and most conspicuous rattaner• -chiOdron, plain Mr. LOWTHER—the ptlee of 'coals
to advanced, he became Sir Wittraw, KalgiW—the,
!The Witte FARMER contends, that if coals were
;be imported into this country at a lamer price than price increased, his title became hereditary, and he
the borne coal-pits are worked, it would produce the added. Baronet to his previous designation—still the
effect of ruining our manufacturers. lie states this lOW-Market rose, and he became a Peer—
I •
somewhat obscurely ; but if I understand him right, , at last the price reached the exorbitant sum of nearly
it is the force and bearing of his argument. double what it had been a few years before, and ads
Now I contend that the very contrary is the• Noble Lord was able to offer to the Government a
fact. We all know that a most monstrous and 74-gon-ship (the timbers of which are still, I .sup-
grievous monopoly exists, and has for a con- pose, seasoning, as I have not heard of her launch),
siderable period existed, .in that very article, and he became the Earl of LONSDALE, &c. So it is
owing to the circumstance of the Proprietors of the precisely with the land-owners—public difficulties
( coal-pits having been enabled, by peculiar circum- increase the value of the commodity, and when those
1 stances, to possess themselves, in a very great degree, difficulties begin to disappear (or at least ought to
'of the means of transport of that article from the pits disappear), these patriotic men want to keep up the
to the market, by which they have the power so to price of food by the most unnatural meanslta preserve,
regulate the supply to the demand, that it can never or rather to increase their own already moat m ani-
fall below whatever price they chuse to fix upon it.— i fold and shameful advantages.
Now, Sir, it is plain, I think, to any comprehen- 1
I have extended this Letter much beyond what it
sion, that if Coals could be imported from the Con- t was my original intention to have done; I shall,
tinent to this Metropolis at half the price which the I
however, again offer some farther considerations of
Newcastle People chose to sell them at, the Public
this most momentous subject to my fellow-citizens,
would benefit most materially, and the monopoly
through the medium of your useful and impartial
be at once destroyed. The manufacturers would
Journal, which I can safely say, without fear of con-
partake of the general good, for by the lowering of
tradiction, is now the onl., one where the public in-
the price of that most necessary article in the Lon-
terest, without reference to party, is fairly and
don market, it would experience a proportionate fall
honestly advocated.—l am, Sir,
in the country ; and therefore they would be en- I Your faithful servant,
shied to consume their Coals at a less expence.— CIVIS.

Nor- would any person suffer, but they who ought to

suffer—the monopolists; who, by obtaining a cons-

ANECDOTE OF
THE GREAT EARL OF CHATHAM.

To obviate the objections against the impressment.
of English seamen, NV Atrot.E., in the year 1740,
brought in a Bill into the House of Commons, in
which it
was proposed to keep a register of all per-
sons capable of sea service. This Bill included
wa-
termen, fishermen, lightermen, keelmen, bargemen,
as well as ship-seamen. PITT strongly opposed this
measure, as arbitrary and unjust, which led HORATIO,
WALPOLE to taunt him on his youth and theatrics
gesture. This sarcastic attack drew from Prri
the following animated but severe retort :—" I will
not undertake," said Mr. PITT, " to determine
whether youth can be justly imputed to.any as a.
reproach ; but I will affirm, that the wretch who,
after having seen the conseopence of repeated errors,
continues to blunder, and whose age has only added
obstinacy to stupidity, is surely the object either of
abhorrence or contempt, and deserves not that his
grey hairs should secure him from insult. Much
more is he to be abhorred, who, as he has, advanced
in age, has receded from virtue, and becomes more
wicked with less temptation ; who prostitutes him-1
self for money which he cannot enjoy; and spends
the miserable remains of his lifo in the ruins of his,
country."—This ever after gagged lioaATto WAL-
POLE.

The petty tyranny of the Mahometan pirates, the
superstition which regards it improper to prevent the
ravages of the plague, and which has always made
the Ottoman Empire a vast cradle for that dreadful
scourge, as well as the cruelty to which the poor.
Greeks, Jews, and Christians, are constantly ea.
posed, has at length excited a spirit of hostility in,
some of the Courts. It is asserted, in confirmation
of oar former statements, that 19.0,000 men have
been ordered to the Turkish frontiers, and the Divan
have been demandingations from some Foreign
Ministers at Constant.•
The Paris Papers 10th gravely tell es, that
there are now three vacancies in the Institute, vix.
'those of Messrs. NAPOLEON, JOSEPH, and Luctra
BONAPARTE.

The celebrated French tragedian, TALMA, is dilly'
expected in town. .
Last week at the Quartpr Sessions for the county
kef Southampton, Ludy Holland; of Cranbury-house,
Winchester, appeared in Court, and exhibited articles I
Of the peace against W. Chamberlayne, ' Esq. of-I
Weston, in consequence of certain threats used VI
him towards her Ladyship; and the Court ordered.
him to enter into recognizance, himielf in 10001:
and two sureties in in 5001. each, to keep the Peace,. •
On Tuesday sennight, Mr. George Scott, a re•
spectabie farmer at Saltileet, in Lincolnshire, and•
who held a situation in the Customs,' Olt period, to
his existence by shooting himself with "a pistol.. Mil
had just before made his will, which he placed on a
chair close to the spot where he destroyed himself.—
Embarrassments in his circumstances is supposed to
have caused the rash act.

To-xowtow, IPednesday, the first Ticket drawn'
a Prize above 25L wilt receiie Ten Thousand Pnunde,
and may be entitled to Twenty Thousand Pounds
besides ; this may well account for the eitraordimiry
concourse of pee* who are flocking to the Offices--
To--morrow being the day of Drawing. . . .