The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-11-23 00:00:00

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"THE BETTIS, STATESMAN" IS INCOI
STATESMAN."

ITID WITI " TIIII

LONDON:
RBIDAT ETENINO, NOVEMBER 23, 1821.

STOCK EXCHANGE, TWELVE O'CLOCK.
The market is as yesterday. Consols 7bl, both
buyers and sellers, and very little business doing.

In another part of our paper is presented an inte-
resting article on the state of the markets relative to
meat and torn; and though coming froni our sister
Island is with a little variation equally applicable to
this. To reader this statement still more interesting
we have annexed to it a table of the average price of
Corn for the last twenty years, by which our readers
will be enabled to judge of the effect of the present
reduction, upon the circumstances of the growers.—'
When the farmer reads in the Newspapers para-
graphs, respecting the low prices of his productions,
prefaced with the title of Old Times Returned, he
cannot help exclaiming with a sigh, that those Old
Pees return not to him. In the year 1791, the
Average price of corn was less than six shillings a
bushel, and now we believe it is less. In that
year, all the taxes taken together did not amount
to more than 13,000,000/. ; at present there is a charge
so ettormons on the public, in consequence of the late
jest and necessary tears, that had its amount at that
period been predicted, the prophecy would have been
laughed to scorn. If all taxation exceeding the sum
.that was levied in the year just mentioned, were now
taken off, if rents were reduced to the standard of
;that time, and the ,Poor's Rate properly diminished,
all things would fall in a doe proportioa, and the far-
.
Set would sot repine at selling his produce at et
&heap a rate as his predecessor then. Between that
period and this occurred the interval, in which to de-
fray the vast expense of the extensive warfare, as ex-
tensive issues of a paper currency were triade,by which
the prices of all the articles of subsistence were raised
to an inordinate height, and of consequence the price
of all the manufactures of the country. The system
was, however, calculated to last, only while the nation
was able to force a trade by its monopoly and is domi-
nion of the ocean. On the return of race, if England
were to carry on a commercial intercourse with other
nations, it was meet -try it should return as nearly as
possible to its old prices and relations; and the only
way is which it was conceived by our rulers that this
effect could be produced, was by a return of the Bank
of England to cash payments. This end cool:; not,
however, be attained, without previously diminishing
the ;sines of Bank paper, and the consequence was,
that the circulating medium became enhanced in va-1
lue in proportion to its scarcity. To obtain a gives
.sum to pay his rent and taxes. the farmer was cow.
pelled to give a larger quantity of his produce; or. is
other words, to make a great redaction in its price.—
It was nut. as Br. JOHNSON said of the Isle of Sky%
that eggs were plenty there, when they were sold at
the rate of twenty for a penny, bat only that
peace were scarce. The consequence of this al-
tendon has been to the farming class more de-
OM/UN 'tins t. any other. in the case of other
traders, the outlay for their articles has become
in a great degree commensurate with that of their
reduced sale ; bat the outlay of the farmer, in a
greens proportion. than any other class, coasifte in
articles that had experienced no deduction, for it con-
sists of rent, of tytbes, of poor's-rates. and a long list
of taxes. Unfortunately fur him, too, this revolution
came on at a period when his means were much reduced-
At the peace he was in possession of the gains lie
had made daring the war. That was the period.
therefore, if the balance between a time of war, and
a time of peace was struck, that would have been
to him more fair and favourable ; fur he was then
more able to stand the hazard and to pay the differ.
ence. This proper period for making the change was
' pissed over by our rulers, for the sake of trying
their favourite system of expedient.. and appeals to
time slid chance. By this delay the injury they have
done the farming class, whom they always mos' en-
deavoured to cajole. bas been the wider and the dee, er.
A wider or a deeper wound, perhaps, was never gives
to a country than has been thus struck by the ea/s-
-cions Statesmen who are the wisrulere of our national
affairs ; for though that class had been their dupes, and
bad been disposed during the war to sacrifice the rights
and interests of the people to what they blindly deemed
their personal advantage, we still esteem them one of