The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-15 00:00:00

BOURBON WAR.

►Te hare only to tell .our readers, the the .110;724
eltrwviele now says, " re are assured war is nom. i,,-
cvitable." ►►'e assured Our re.►drrs of this three ,sn

rew perebems have bees made, aid ail been
my limited.
01111, 71—igwer Spanish, 1114—Old, 39—New Prussia. 7bl
_Old, 791—Russia, ill—Danish. 78—Neapolitan, °O—
perm, 76—Colombian. Mill—Spanish Scrip, SI f.

lids pewit to the 13th instant have arrived, and are
Aped with accounts of military preparations, but contain no
fresh feature relative to the impending war. The Duke of
San Lomas° met out from Paris for London on the lith.—
The Minister from Spain to the Court of Vienna was to
quit that eepttal on the 29tti or 30th ult. The accounts from
Madrid, down to the 3d inst. represent that city es tranquil,
and the bands of Bessierea to have been routed at all points.
FRINCII FUNDS, PBS. 13.—Five per Cents. opened at

781.80 c.; fell to 78. 50. and closed at 79f. ; for the
(-omit, the opening price was 72. 75. ; the highest, 79. 45.;
' the lowest, 78. 35. ; and the last, 78. 80 ; Bank Stock,
4,42oE—Neapolitan Five per Cents, 671.—Exehange on
London, one months 25E 35cs ; three months, 25f. 20c.

FAMOUS IMPARTIALITY.

-.f_ .

The following papers will Teak for themselves ; and

'they will whew what is the i►tipartiality Of this London
press, whlrt is making sniff an e►erlasting boast about
the blessings Which It pours dowe upon mankind. If the
STATIMIAN trete rot in exlitenre, what a pretty chance
truth would stand jest ist this time, when the jobbers of
•t't►ange ii*iare_ endeavouring to secure to themselves
the whole of the property of the kingdom, The public
should kno.v that the " Scorsmaa" newspaper really be-
longs to a great oracular jobber, who has actually swal-
lowed up two or three large estates already, and who
means, doeb less, to have two or three more of thnn. It
is well words his while to lose a little money by newspaper
proprieto.ship, if he can, thereby support the plundering
system for only one month► longer than it would other-
wise exist. The .Vorning Chronicle has certainly been
guilty of scandalous conduct towards Mr. R►clAaus,
whose arguments it was afraid of; but this is a sort of
cunduct that most, in the long ran, defeat its own ends.

TO TWO 'MOS OF TIM STATILIMAX.
Sin,—The enclosed letter was written the 11th ult. and
sent by mete the editor of .he Morning Chronicle; but
was not published. I, therefore, sent a copy of the letter
it by him a fortnight, without either publishing it or even
to the editor of the Farmer's Journal ; who, atter keeping
sAknowledging its receipt, at my request, returned it to
me.—A considerable time has now elapsed since the publi-
cation, in the C'Aroaicle, of the oracle from the Scotsman ;
anti an arempt to reply to it can, therefore, hardly he ex-
"tied toeaci,e m ACil interest. I have, however, forward-
ed my letter to you; anti, if von think it worth inserting
in thaSraTasat.iw, I shall be obliged to 'you to insert it.
At any re.e, 1 quite cure yea will not reject it from
any nut.orthy motive; either because if controverts some
of the doctrines of the Scotch economists, or because it
aijt justly compliment a rival edi or.
1 ant, Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,
J. RICHARDS.

Weretiter, Feb. 10, 1823.

4. Mn
•••

eroe Nowak or ens MORNING CRRONICUI.
S 3 11.411 She Hoopla, Chronicle of the 8-h inst. you
boated a parer from The Rootanui, entitled, "
" plaints oflGe Agriculturists.—Eramination and /le-
i., lnlytlos. of some of their Staternente.--A fall of
4 irlee Irea Nbl nit,etettrtlysteaslos as increase <if
thispaper, whi.ll you speak of as able and
wrltieniyon rail the attention of your readers; and,
as one of those readers, t now bog leave to oiler on it a few
remarks.
The write? in the Seolsolan says, " We have to regret,
• that ti o Sib-vOinneittee have not beam kind enough to
". inform ns,. what tali; mean, when they say, that Mr.
• reer.st Jliu has dispropertiorsolle reduced the peke of
" raw pro dace. It Mr. Peel's Bill raised, as we beiieve.,
" it did to a mull extent, the value of money, it must
" have reduced the money priers of all commodities in
• the manse proportion. If we increase the length of
" a foot rule, the magnitude of all the articles
" meesured by it. when expressed in feet and inches, will
"be proPortionably diminished. The same principle
" holds In the ease •of money." And again, " even the
" Sub-Come ittee would hardly venture to contend, that
" the relation of proportional numbers could be affect-
" ed by 'inuleiplying or dividing them all by the same
"number. Beet, if it could not, how can the relation
which the valve of commodities bears to each other, at
" any particular period, be affected by an increase or dimi-
" notion- of the tattle of dial eirculaing medium for
• u hich they are universally esetianged. We do
" not 'believe, that Mr. Peel's Bill mealy added 10
" per cent. to the value of the currency : but, though
"it had added 100 or 1000 per cent., it is utterly intuossi-
" ble it could have hail any greater effect on the price of
" runt than on that of hats ; or that it could have added
" more to the burdens laid on farmers than to those laid
" on drat. ing masters or players."
As the writer of the above extract has given no reasons
" for his belief, "that Mr. Peel's Bill has rot added 10
" per cent. to the valve of the currency," I shall, in refer-
ence to this point; merely declare, that my own belief is,
that this 11111 has increased the value of money between 30
and 40 per cent. Ilis reasoning on the consequences of
an alteration of the ittandird of value, I beg to examine
somewhat particularly,
Undoubtedly, if, in consequence of an alteration in the
value of money, all things tell equally or were Nosily
affeeed, no itqury. would happen to any one. To in-
crease or diminish the length of a foot-rule, in measuring
any articles, will, of course, affect all of them in an
equal degree. The rave as to numbers multiplied or di-
vided by the Fame number. But do agriculturalists dispute
this?—By no means. What they complain oils, that the
:9 (leo. 3. o. 49., commonly called Peel's Bill, has redei-
ceti the nominal value of all commodities ;—but left debts,
public as well as private and taxes at the same nominal
an.ount :—That the rule or measure is altered as to what
they hare to rineive but not as to what they have to pay;
—That creditoes are Itenefited at the expence of debtors:
eAml, therefor; that lessees, mortages, and all others,
labour tinder considerable monied obligations, are,
4'Jan:serous imeances, ntipeel. "But," says the Scots-
•• ,men, "it is utterly impossible, that an alteration
"of the Standard tan have had any greater effect
.".ea the price of corn than on that of hats;"—
sod the ite. erence intended to he drawn is, that farmers I
have no mote reason'to complain than batters. The er-
ror here con 'isle, in applying general and abstract rea-
snake to ester, apparently similar, without distin-
gaislaing all the cireteneetances belonging to them.—
.tirasited. that i 1 value of money has caused
the price of hats to fell ; the hatter, the debts and cre-
dits in whose !retiree are, commonly, nearly to the same
amonnt, has been ininted only so fur as respects the
stuck Iteibad on h and. The venous articles, used in the
manufacture of bets, leaving also fallen, the hatter buys
them accordingly ; and ulthough lie sells his hats
cheaper. gets by the hats made since the fall of the raw
tuaterLd, theinstomary rate of profit. It is well known,
that, when 3k. Peel's bill passed, manufacturers and suer-
, cants were %Szeged in this way, but that, having sustained
east tosses by ,the stock of goods 90 hand, they are now,

Mei-asL

:~

generally. speaking, trailing to some profit. Bat hew
stands the Farmer? Has he been a laser only by the
stock of corn and cattle he had on hand when this Bill
passed? What says The Scots:nate? " The first effect
"of a fill in prices is to cause an increase rather than a
" diminution of tillage." And, then, lie talks "of the far-
" mere of bad land lingering in a ruinous employment, in
" hopes of obtaining that relief from Parlianien., which
" can only be obtained by their ceasing to send corn to
" market a hen it does nut pay the expellees of production."
But has this writer, rho speaks so dippintly of abandon-
ing bad land and ceasing to send corn to market, con-
sidered the thousands and rens of thousands of instances
in which farmers are hound by lease? Has he considered,
supposing a farmer able to re ire from his farm, how little,
in a vi.st majority of cases, now that sales of farniing stock
are so norm-roue, he can expect to save from the wreck
of his property ? Has he also considered the habits of a
farmer, and his total unfitness for employing his capital
in any other way ? A hove all, has he considered, how few!'
farmers understand the reasoning which should lead therd'
immediately to withdraw from an employment in which
they were brought up, and at once erase to hope? Ad-
mitting the writer to have reflected on all this, has he con-
sidered the situation of the Yeomanry loaded with debts,
or that of the mortgager? Are the former to relinquish
the dwellings of their forefathers, and must the hitter
walk, without murm :ring, to a prison?
It is, indeed, said, that the raw articles used
farming have fallen; and, therefore, the agriculture/
produce can be afforded cheaper now than mallow the
war. Tnis in some degree, must be admitted
independent of rents, has labour, which forms so ins-
portsnt a part of the expence of farming, fallen, or can
it fall, in proportion to the reduced price of corn sod
cattle? It has not— nor can; the taxes on exciseable ar-
ticles see, for the must part, as high as they ever were;
and, if the farmer do nut give wages to enable the la-
bourer to purchase these articles as well as to buy bread
and meat, the Ove upplies the deficiency : —and
thus, the price of labour is kept not higher than the
comfort perhaps the existence, of the labourer dernatuls;
lint certainly higher than the farmer can afford to pay.,
I am aware, that, in as much as no article which does
not repay the cost of production can very long be produced,
the supply of Agricultural produce will, in the end,
accommodate itself to the demand. But, in the mean
time, who, except Mr. Cobbett, whose abilities asd
exertion+, on this subject, command admiration, has
endeavoured to awaken the Farmer to a just sense
of his situation ? Accordingly, it is probab'e, that
the supply will not be adequively diminished, till the ca-
pital of ti e farmer is utterly waived. Then, indeed, on
the principle that extremes generally beget each o her, me
may expect corn to be at a scordo price; and that at
the moment when the fonds, usually appropriated to the
maintenance of labour, being destroyed, the demand for
labour will fall very far short of the supply. When the
present race of farmers shall he nearly, if not quite, !M-
-une, bo h land and labour will, doubtless, fall low enough
to abed the near farmer the current profits of stock. A
very great proportion of the land must, indeed, previtntsly
be driven out ot cult ivation,and become entirely worthless;
land the rent of what continues to be cultivated will then,
of course, fall very considerably lower than it n lw is.
But, say the disciples of Mr. Ricardo, it is the Gad land
only that will go out of cultivation. Never was there a
more artful assumption made, on which to found an argu-
ment, than this. - What right have these gentlemen to im-
mune that worse Lust is in cultivation here than on the
Continent? I believe the contrary to be the fact. But,
however this may be, the British Agriculturist asks only
to be put on an equal footing with the ContinentaL The
truth is, that our llovernment, by the aid of a false paper
money, has imposed taxes here to an amount which, re-
maining nominally the same now that money is revered
to its ancient value, will, if the trade in corn he
rendered free, prevent the British Farmer front raising
corn-, on band Or *Me ohne —fteltril,O;" * (ier
cheap as the Foreigner. In addition to this, all *limos
of what description or nature soever, (and both Farmers
and Landlords, generally speaking, are debtors,) by the
enactment of )Ir. Peel's ISM. unaccompanied by a retitle-
tion of the nominal amount of their dents equal' to the in-
creased value of money, have been cruelly, although,
doubtless, unintentionally, defrauded of their property.
The writer in The .vcotsmase, however, says, " that the
'abolition of the corn laws might now be easily effected,
and would be attended with signal advantage." With-
out examining, lunch less &fending, all the doctrines held
either at " Henderson's Hotel," or Oman's " and admit-
ting fully the egregious error that Mr. Webb Hall has
fallen into, in ascribing the present low prices of Agri-
cultural produce to the importation of Foreign Corn three
or four years ago. 1 have no doubt if the present
standard of the currenry be continued, that, taxed as
this country is, a free trade in corn would by driving omit
of cultivation a large proportion of the land of the king-
dom, and greatly lessening the value of what might conti-
nue to be cultivated, not only ruin the present generation
of Fatalities, but would render the land-owners, altogether,
a degraded clam. But this seems to he a consequence,
which the writer either does not see, or which he regards
with the fashionable coolness of the political economists of
the day.
But, says the Scotsman," Both parties' , meaning those
assembled at the tiro " Hotels," hare the same object in
view-- the bringing about an artificial rise in the price
u of the necessaries of life." Now, supposing this were
effected by the repeal of Mr. Peel's Bill and an alteration
of the Standard, there would, according, to this writer's
own argument, be no injury or injustice done to any one.
Things, to use his own language, would be measured,
proportionally, by increasing or decreasing the foot-rek ;
and the relation of proportional numbers could not be af-
fected by Multiplyingbyllie orate crusher. Does he start at
the result of his own reasoning? Where then is his consist-
ency, and what becomes of his argument? But 1 will
not art the hypocrite. An alteration of the Standard,
which should raise prices to what they were in 1813 and
1814, would relieve debtors by depriving creditors of the
power of claiming more than what is justly due to them.
And this is demanded not only on the ground of jnatice,
but on that of necessity ; a necessity which cannot bC de-
nied, since all the Farmers and Land owners of the.
United Kingdom are almost compelled to sue informs
peeped,. Of course, a distinction mum be made, between ,
plebe s contracted previously to the passing of Mr. Peel's
Bill and subsequently.
The Scotsman kindly warns Agriculturists, that Vain
be, by artificial means, raised in price, the use of potatoes,l
as a substitute for broad, .will increase. lie forgets that
the same means which raised the price of corn, would
raise that of potatoes. The wages of labour, also, would,
of course, rise in the same proportion as the necessaries of
life. Arid the condition of the labourer would, therefore,
be improved; because, although his wages would be only
nominally raised in reference to some articles, they would
be really raised in reference to others ;—inasinuch as all
taxe.l articles would relatively be lowered by the taxes on
them remaining nominally the same. The use of potatoes,
under such circumstances, would, probably, diminish.
" 1 agree, with the enter in the Scotsman, that the
" weight of taxation is not to be estimated by the bulk or
" species of the produce, which mast be sold to obtain the
money to pay it, but by the value of that produce. And
" that a heavy taxation" consists, in lithe abstraction of a
" large value, and a light taxation in the obstruction of a
" small value: and that the costs of producing corn, an I
" consequently its value is not invariable." -But I snake
a distinction, which the writer endeavours to avoid, be-
tween the cost value of an article and the market value
And, 1 deny, " that the cost of producing corn fluctuates
" as much as the cost of producing cloth or any ohm
" commodity." The present state of the Farnicrs of this

comiery is abet utterly irreconcileAle with such an hypo
thesis. In another part df this letter. I have shewn why
the coot of prodacing corn sloes nut fluctuate in the
some way, nor so soon, ts the cost of prolucbt);
bats. It is true, that, ultimately, if the present
market prices of corn continue, the cost of
producing it mast fall; or it neither will nor can be pro
duced. the mean time, " the abstraction of •
" large value," I speak in relation to the Cost, from th.
Farmer, through the medium of direct mid indirect taxes
and poor-rates, which last, are, by taxes on exiiseable
articles, heavily increased, occasions a degree of dis:reis
frightful to contemplate.
lot, then, both farmers and landlords, as they r. Inc
their existence, unite, tt hich it is in their patter,
in endeavouring to avett the evil which threatens
to overwhelm them. IA all vain distinctions of
Whig and Tory, for the pr sent at least, be laid aside.
Let them not bi discouraged from meeting by the ill-timed
and unfeeling sneers of such writers as The Scotsman.
The:r distress is admitted on all sides; and they may rest
assured, that this distress can only be adequately relieved
either by the repeal of Mr. Peel's Bill and such an altera-
tion of the Standard as is expedient, or by surh a reduction
of Debts and 'faxes as will no longer allow the Drones of
Society to ronausee all the honey; but will remedy the
injustice under which thousands ate now suffering and,
once more, give to industry i's fair reward:
1 casco', Mr. Editor, conclude, without expreSsing my
hopes, that, as yon base inserted in your highly respect-
able Journal, the paper above-nwittioned arum l'he
Scotsman ; and, by your praises, have girt-. to it an im-
portance which it could d herwise never have obtained,
yon still, with your usual liberality, publish :his letter in
reply. ..
4am,.-litivirowr most obedient Servant.
Worcester, Jan. 11, 1623. J. RICHARDS.• •
•

Extract of a letter from the Agent to Lloyds, rla.erl
Antigua, Dgc. .17.—" The Mail Boat arrived this morning
with the first monthly mails, brought over by the Jamaica
puke's, and bring accounts of a severe gale having been
experienced to the South: at Martinique, 32 sail of yes_
eels were driven on shore, and several small vessels at 8a...
badoes, amongst them the mail-boat, Ma•hew• King. His
Majesty's ship Pyrenees, lying at Barbadoes, parte I her
chain mooring, dragged both ketch anchors, and fired guns
of distress,-but rode it out."

Circulars, it appears, hare been addressed to all the
Army Surgeons, requiring each of them fo male.' an imme-
diate teturn of his fitness or unfitness to go upon i.
diate serAct. This is the first important stet that has
beemtaken with respect to the military force ut the coun-
try, since the agita'ton of the Spanish question.
On Thursday afternoon, soon after the arrival of Mr.
Vansittart and Mr. Bathurst, at the King's Place, at
Brig /sum, the Right flan. Deatlenten had audiences of
his Majesty, when Mr. Bathurst resigned his seals and
other insignia of office, as Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster, and the King was graciously pleased to de.
liver them to Mr. Vansittart, appinting him the Chan-
cellor to succeed Mr. Bathurst. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had afterwards the honour to dine with his Ma-
jesty. The Right Hon. Gentleman returned to town
yesterday afternoon soon after three o'clock. •
Yesterday, Mr. Robinson, the Chancellor of the Ea-
chequer, transacted business at the Treasury.

Mr.. Peel, principal Secretary of State, has transmitted to
the Mayor of this borough. and, no doubt, to the authorities
in the other commercial and manufacturing towns of the
kingdom, a number of Inquiries to which answers are re-
quired.* sed of which oSdal paper the following is a copy :
Quelita I.—What is " The present state of trade and em-
ployment 011W:working classes?"
Qaestion S.—What " The rate of wages as compared
with the Marge of providing comfortable subsistence for
scroilliss?"

Gila as to do atiounief tbotirentwair+- " - -
•
Question 40—What "The general disposition of the work-
ing cis's,' to retard to the peace of the country and subor-
dination to the laws?"
Question S—" What is the calculation with respect
to the continuance of trade and employment !"—(Leeds Cou-
rier.)
The Earl of Cavan obtains the 45th Regiment. vice Lis-
ter. deceased; Lord Lynedoch, the Stith Regiment. vice the
Earl of Cavan; and General Meade, the 90th Regiment,
vice Lord Lynedoch.
By a return of coals imported into the Port of Loudon,
and delivered in the year kW, it appears that the total
quantity was 1,192,511 chaldrons.
Mr. Owen is now at the Duke of Leinster's and is
expected .in Dublin on Thursday.—(Dublin Morning
Post.)
Tue Lars DIENISSALL—We understand that the in-
dividuals dismissed from their situations in the house-
' hold of bis Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, are, Sir
Charles Vernon, Chamberlain ; Captain Stanhope. Aid-
de-Camp and Mr. St. George, one of the Gentlemen
Pensioners. Mr. George Rich, It is said, has been ap-
pointed to the office of Chamberlain; Mr. Stopford, son
of the Earl of Courtown, to the situation held by Cap-
tain Stanhope; and a Mr, Montgomery, to the gentle-
man Pensioner, vice Mr. St. George.
Several other dismissals are spoken of, but we do not
eh sc to be the first to mention theta—We hare not heard,
from any source upon which we can place much reliance,
the particular cause of these dismissals; the report is,
that h s Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, conceiving that
the conduct of these gentlemen, at a recent dinner of the Beef
Steak clnb, was disrespectful to his Excellency, and to his
Excellency's Government, and to Mr. Plnnkett ; whilst
every " honour" was paid, in the most marked manner,
to aft who were known to differ politically from his Ex-
cellency—such for instance, as Earl Talbot, Mr. Saurin-
and the Lord Chithrellor, If this be trite, the cause is suf,
ficient and proper.—(Dublin Morning Post.)
The Proceedings tinder the Writ of Inquiry, b.; order
of the Lord Chancellor, in the matter of the Earl and
countess of Portsmouth, commenced at the Freemasons'
Tavern last Monday; which report of the Proceeding.:
wilt* he given in the Observer of Sunday, Feb. Id. Tose
length of these Proceedings haring already extende,l to
eighteen of The Observer folio columns, the Eaitor this
week will be under the ne:essity of publishing an extra
sheer. •The price of the two sheets tu-morrow will be
Fourteen-pence,

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.
-.1...---

DEAL, Feu. 14.—Came down from the river last night,
the Favourite, Provender, fur Havannah ; the rest of the
outward bound remain apparently all well.—Wind

FALMOUTH, Fee. 18.—Arrived the General Thompson,
from London to the South Seas.—Wind S. W.
MILFORD, Fee. 13.—Arrived the Progress, from Buenos
Ayres, with lo.a of bulwarks, some deals and spars, and
considerable damage in her upper works.
The Flora, Iteldrum, from Charleston to Liverpool, was
totally lost near Holyhead. Crew drowned.

A Court-martial assembled on Wednesday on board his
Majesty's ship Snperb, to try Captain Suckling, and the
Officers of his Majelity's late sloop of war Rscehorse, for
the loss of that •essel—Captain lil•Kenzie, of the Superb,
President. After examiniug a number of witnesses, the sen-
tence of the Court was—that the Captain end Officers were
fully acquitted, with the exception of the Master, who was
I slightly reprimanded for not keepiug the lead going; and
the Pilot, in consideration of his certificates of former good
roaduct, was only severely reprimanded and mulcted of his
p,y

•