The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-09-07 00:00:00

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r a r,
gte,--rot the Satisfaction of the Subtilise% Offi.
crws of PAilitte, it may be necessary to state, application
hooking for them to receive their 4110vrances qinr.
1007 instead of half yearly; it is even said they will
goottlie -placed ow the Same renting with respect to
ogy as half.pay Officers of the Line are : indeed it
'mild be very desirable that the half-pay should he
the same in every instance, for some Ensigns to have
Es. pet day, and others only Is. 101 appears to be
eery hit& and require; the most serious atten-
tion of the Legislature.-4 am, Sir, your obedient
servant,
A FitIF.ND TO THE SUBALTEItN.

THE 4SSIZI4 OF BREAD.

, •

TO TUE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.
SIR,—Notwithstanding the numerous able pabli-
tations upon the subject of Political Economy which
' •
havcappeared of later years, it is lint a little 'orris.
isg• that the common principles of this science ap.
pear to be so little understood, and that the preju-
dices which it might have been suppoted-the genius of
ADAM SMITIII would long ago have dispelled, should
still obscure the judgment of so large a portion of
the Public. The progress of troth is, however, al.
ways slow, hut its force is great and most at length
rail. It has been a source of sprprise and eon.
arn to myself, with many others of your Readers,
that your publications should an frequently lend any
sanction to the popular errors on the subject of Poli-
tical I.:conovny. A few days ago a paragraph ap•
peered in year Journal, lamenting the high price
et,..which Bread and Flour was sold in the City of
London, netleithstanding the late very abundant
haivrst; and recommending, as a means of reducing
the price, the re-establishment of the Assize of Bread ;
that is, you advise that a body of men should be ap-
pointed to examine into and declare, what degree of
profit the baker ought to receive. Are you aware,
Sir, of the confusion this would lead to, were the
same principle acted upon in every other branch of
trade? And why, in the name of common justice,
may I ask you, should not the same inquisition ty:
established into the'profits of the various other trades
and professions from which the Public supply their
various wont. ? should not the butcher be as
carefully watched that he does not impose upon the
Public as his neighbour the baker ? In short, why
should not the profits of the grocer, the draper, the
tailor, the wine sari spirit dealer, &c. &c. he as
severely scrutinized ? And, to bring it nearer
Koine to zourself, why &meld not such establish-
ments as your own be subject to the same emu; -y,
and the Public guarded against imposition ? You
can give Me no good reason why the profits of one
trade should be exempt from, and another subject to
such enquiry. You and your neighbour the baker
have both articles for sale, and you have each the
same disposition to get as much as you can for
them (and as tradesmen it is your duty se
to do),---Whst is it then that restrains you
from charging your Paper la. instead of 7d. ? What
is it that prevents the baker from charging Is. the
Loaf, which hP sells at Gil. ? Neither of you are
restrained from such overcharge by any charitable
'feeling for the Public, but by a sense of your own in-
terest. You each of you know that if you attempt.
ed to sell at these prices, there are others in the same
trades would undersell you. It is thus where there
is a full and fair competition in a trade, that the
Public will always be able to supply thems.lves upon
the lowest terms without anylegislative interference ; in
fact, such Interference will always act upon the ar.
tidies of any trade subject to it in the .shape of a
tax, and the Public will in the end be losers. All at-
tempts which have been made by rulers to lower the
price of articles of food have al ways proved vain,or have
had as opposite effect. No law c,in oblige a trailer to
sell his goods for less than lie can Rfrora them,antl corn-
petion will always prevent him charging more than a
fair profit. The City of London acted moat wisely
in abolishing the Assize, and it would indeed be
making a retrograde movement from liberal policy to
re-establish it. If it be trap, that a higher price is
charged for. Bread in London in proportion to its
quality than in other places, I am sure the cause
isnust be looked for from any thing rather than the
want'of en Assize. In this town the high price is fro..
quently a subject of complaint, but I never heard the
establishment of an Assize recommended as a remedy
for the evil. I hope I have already said enough to
convince you, how erroneous your opinions are
with respect to the Assize of Bread, and requesting
you to give an early insertion to this letter in your
valuable Journal.
I remain, your obedient, &c.
A CONSTANT READER.
Ilirmirgham, Sept. 1. 18111.

A General Court-Martial was held at the Royal
Marine Barracks, Portsmouth, on. the '2sth August,
for the trial of first Lieutenant Gilbert Langdon,
of that corps, on the following charge:—" That
Lieutenant Langdon had been seen coming oat of a
,public-house, on some day between the Ist anti 21st
• days of May last, in a state of intoxication ;"--on
which *barge the Court fount' him Not Guilty. and
,did most fully acquit him of the same. Lieut.-Col.
AIoNCRIeFFIC, President.
The Royal Horse Artillery, stationed at Ponte-
fract, will he reviewed by Major. General Sir infix
BYNG, in Pontefract Park, on Thursday, the 10th
of September, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, and,
in consequence, the Stewards have postponed the be-
ginning of the races on that day until half-past two
in the afternoon.
Mademoiselle Etax .t G Antigen( proceeds from
Brussels to Ait-Ift-Chapelle, where she intends to
carry into effect several aerostatic ascensions, accom-
panied by a descent in a parachute.
Mr. Warrs's horse,' Blacklock, ran his four miles
last week, at the York races, ttr seven minutes and
23 '"l'ondv, and won by above one hundred yards,
hard held.