Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-11-25

q. mat SO extensive IS the growth Of Ame-
rican Wool, that some of that Wool is ex-
ported to England, and that though the i'm
portation of Wool is great in proportion to
the whole quantity used, to impose a tax
upon importation would be injurious to the
country: s. That the situation of England,
compared with that of America, is such,
and the inducements to emigration SO
great, that, i'll order to preserve cur Ma
nuiactures, not only ought there to be no
tax imposed on Wool imported, bur that
the Corn Bill ought to be repealed. By
Ipittiam Cob6ett.1
LETTER l.
ATTENDED to ShoiO, that the real cause of the
distress Of the Farmers is not to be
looked for IN the ioso price of Wool
rnd GRAIN, nor IN the existence of
1ytheS.
-.BoTLEr, 9th August, 1915.
Ny LoRD-Your Lordship's speech,
or report, to the Wool-growers, at the
late fair at Lewes, pressingly invites me
to OTTER some remarks on it, an invitation
which [ the more readily accept, as it will,
for an hour or two, at least, watt my rea-
ders and myself, in the respectable compa-
ny of your Lordship, away from the de-
grading and abominable scenes of Europe,
to country, where mankind seem likely
to live unyoked for century yet to come,
and where we may yet hope to see arise
the means of ayensing, in time, the cause
of the oppressed.
Your Lordship expresses your disap-
pointment that the prosperity of the WOOL
trade has not returned 80 had" saw you.
&c battered myself, that after the failure of
the american embargo and non-importn-
ton measures, and also of Buonaparte's
attempts by DEGREES to ruin our trade, and
that the difficulties respecting our foreign
intercourse were removed, that the trade
IN aooot and ,cootens aoouM return 10 lis
former state, and proceed steadily, as here
toiore: but the mischief l had foreseen.
and had repeatedly represented, as also
the necessity Of cflecleing that mischief. has
increased in a most extraordinary degree,
and infinitely beyond even what had been
apprehended."
will stop here, for a moment. to OBJ
serve, that you have omitted any mention
nr the american WAR. You will see. by
and by, that the American embargo and
HoR-iasp0rtatioR measures were NOT at
tended with a failure. You will see. that
they had the wonderful effect OF ASSISTING
IN creating Hooks of Merino sheep, manu-
factories OF cloth, cotton, linen, iron, steel,
leather, gun-powder, &c. &c. anu in the
construction of machinery of all Sorts
This shall show you by and by but, "a
mongst the causes of the depression of
wool, why not mention the american
ioar That war lasted longer than the
embargo and transportation measures
1t was lar more complete in its operation /;
and yet you pass it over In silence. NV
opinion Is, that you wcv Id not have passed
1t over in silence, if the events and The re :
suit OF 1t had not been what they were.-If
these had not demonstrated to the world
the excellence of free government, am
persuaded, that you would have nut this
war in the list of the impediments to the
wOol-trade. The omission, however, as
lar as related to your auditors, was per-
lectly safe; and, if you had ascribed the
tall OF their produce to the malignity of the
stars, they would have been Just as atten-
tive and just as full of belief as you had
the happiness to fad them.
Your remedy for this evil of lo,c rrice
81 a0oot IS the old remedy-a ta.c on all
'0oot imported. To be sure as the hop
growers OF Farnham would, if they could,
have an additional tax put upon the hons
OF Kent and as farmer GIipem would
have all the wheat in the country bllqhted.
except his own. You say, that the same
arguments that were made use of in de-
fence of the Corn Bill will apply with G.
quail force to Wool Bill and here YOU
are very right. But, you should have
shown, that those arguments were sound :
and, not having done this, you only said
that wool bill would be as wise and as
Just as a measure, against which petitions
were presented from every part of the
country, and which vas towards the peri
cd of its adoption, discu ssed with regular
troops drawn up round the House of Com.
mons.
Ii, when his Majesty, in his wisdom,
was pleased to confer It'll G on your Lord
ship, he had, at the same time, endowed
you with capacity to embrace, in one
view, the whole of the int rests Of COM
munity,tO comprehend aid to develope
abstruse matters of political economy, he
would have provided you with shield
against criticism, which, when you ven
ture into the press, that bare title does not
AFFORD you. As yet, whatever we find i'm
PRINT about looot, at any rate, we may free
" comment on aud, your Lordshfp will
be SO good as to excuse me, if, upon this
occasion, should sometimes seem 20 for
get the Lord, while am answerirp the
AUTHOR. am about TO lead your Lord