The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1809-07-12


for our self denying folly. Calculations were
entered into to shew, that all out Surplus
would not supply g., Britain with weeks
provision Of bread-coin.
But in opposition to t.is defamation let
US listen 10 Jacfs Not more than one.kfth
OF the inhabitants Of the British island are
employed in agricuinre--tlle other /oar-/fjfhs
arc engaged in manufactures and in trade
An everage crop of grainis insufficient for the
consumption ofthe nation--a ero,h short Of an
ave'aSe one occasion scareify--and very
s'sort cfof famine.
These positions are fortified by the state
mcnts Of AI-. Nautilus, in hisscelcbrated Es-
say on Pchnlaton. This writer is so far
from being hostile to the British government,
and the order Of ifings under. which he lives,
that the whole scope and tendency of his
work goes to depreciate the effect of hohficat
causes upon human misery and happiness,
and to attribute them to natural and moral
causes independent of systems, Of govern
ment. In page LOT, Vol. 2, of the ,Ameri-
can edition Of his work--he says" 1t seems
in great measure to have escaped attention,
that nation, which from its extent ofterrito-
rYand population, might necessarily support
the greater part of its people on the produce
ofits'own soil, but yctwhich in average years
draws small portion of its corn from abroad,
is in much more precarious situation, with
regard to the consistency. OF its supplies, than
such states as draw almost the whole of their
provisions from other countries, supposing
England, in Average years to want four hun
dred Thousand quarters of wheat. Such a
demand will OF course be very easily supplied.
But year of deficient crots occurs, and the
demand Is suddenly two millions of quarters
If the demand had been on an everage two
millions, it might perhaps have been adc-
guately supplied from the extended agricul-
turc OF those countries which are in the habit
of exporting corn but we cannot expect that
1t can be easily answered thus suddenly and
indeed we know from experience that an un-
usual demand of this nature, in nation capa-
bile OF paying for it, cannot exist, without rais-
ins the price Of wheat very considerably in
all the ports of Europe Again--Page a65,
hat VIC can readily turn ourselves from an
fmhorfing to an exporting nation, in the arti-
Gle of corn, 4 zoould by 40 means pretend to
say but both theory, and the experience of
the first half of the last century, warrant us
in concluding it practicable and we cannot
but allow that 1t is WORTH the experiment, as
the permanence of our national prosperity
may depend upon it. If 1--WE proceed in our
hresent course, let us but for moment re-
fleet OH the probable consequences. We can
hardly doubt that in the course of some years,
we shall draw from 4merica, and the nations
bordering on the Baltic, as much as two mil
lions of quarters ofwhcat, besides other corn,
the support Of above fypo miIyons Of people.
II under these circumstances, any ccmnlers
cial discussions, or other dispute,we~e to arise
with those nations, with what a weight of
power they would negotiate ! Not the whole
. British navy could offer more convincing ar
gument than the simple threat Of shutting all
their ports. / am not unaware, that in gen.
eial we may securely depend upon peoples
not acting directly contrary to their interest
But this consideration, all powerful as it is,
will sometimes yield voluntarily to nuficnaI
indignation, aud is sometimes forced to yield
TO the resentment Of a asovereign. 1t is Of
sufficient weight in practice when applied to
manufactures Ca Nonimltortation sacf,J be-
cause delay in their sale is not Of such inn
mediate consequence, and from their smaller
bulk they arc easily smugglcd. But in the
case of.corn, Gan em5ayyo,) a delay of three
! or four months may produce the most COM
plicated misery, and from the great bulk of
Corn, it will generally be in the power Of a
sovereign TO execute almost completely his
rescntful purpose. Small commercial states
which depend nearly for the whole Of their
supplies on foreign powers, will always have
! many friends. They arc not ofsuficicnt con-
sequence to excite any general indi gnation
against them, and if they cannot be supplied
from one quarter, they will from another.
But this is by no means the case with such
country as G. Britain, whose commercial am
dition is peculiarly calculated to execute
general jealousy, and in fact has excited it to
a very great degree. If our commerce con-
tinuc increasing for few years, and our
commercial population with it, we shall be
laid SO bare to the shafts Of fortune, that no.
, thing buta miracle can save us from being
struck. The periodical returns of such sea-
i. sons of scaroitu as those. which Sxe hnxs. r,f