Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1845-12-03
Arrival of the. Britannia

IL
Liverpool in the. 4th' ult., arrived at
Boston on the afternoon of Thursday.
the Goth ult. - 80 ,-.s. {.
The news received by this arrival,
is unusually interesting and important.
, The failure Of the potatoe crop in
Ireland, the deficient harvest in Eng.
land, the high price Of provisions, and
the threatened famine amongst the
poorer classes, have prompted the
Premier 10 hold three Cabinet Coun-
ellis, for the purpose of devising some
measures for the relief Of the country.
although the result of the deliberations
of Ministers was not officially promul'
gated, when the Britannia left Liver>
pool, i, was generally believed the ports
would be open for the admission oi Tor
eign grain. ...
The Boston Advertiser says:--'There
does moi appear to be any great prob
ability of such measure, as the price
Of fgrain in the English market is not
unusually high, and the effect Of re-
mission Of the duty would tend lar
more 10 the emolument Of the holders
and importers Of foreign grain, than to
the relief of the poor. The average OF
prices throughout the kingdom, for the
last week returned, was 55s. 3D.,
which is higher than any week OF the
preceding Eve. The average of the six
weeks, which determines the rate of
duty, was SIS. 3D., and the duty is los.
per quarter. The progress of increase
in price is likely to produce such are
duction of duty, without any interfer-
ence with the law, asto secure the en-
tire consumption Of all the grain now
in mort, as we'll as farther ample sup
plies. A repeal of the duty would
make little change in the cost 10 the con-
consumer. r go
Wilmer and Smiths Times says;-
"The railway mania has received its
qxietus. Something like panic has o.
vvertaken the spectators in iron high
ways. Now that the reaction has come
i, brings in its train ruin and devasta-
ton, and bankruptcy to thousands. But
the end is not yet. A more gigantic
system of swindling has rarely been
seen in these latter days, and the num-
Der of respectable" persons who have
lent their names to support bubble
companies, make US blush for the cupid
ity Of our common humanity. One Of
the railway papers mentions certain
batch of female Spectators who con-
trived TO realize by this kind ofchicane-
nv. during the height of the mania, the
astounding sum Of G500,OO0."
American wheat was quoted at es.
Cd, and 9s. sterling for 10 pounds.
American -four in bond, was quoted
at 81 ana 32s. sterling per barrel.
English barley was. quoted at 3ss per
quarter.
Ameaicau bacon brings 80 and 3ss.
Der cwt. In canvass 4OS.
American cheese from SO to Sos. per
cwt.
From Wilmer and Smiths European Times.
THE PoRTs MUST BE OPENED
Hitherto the cycle Of the seasons has
befriended Sir Robert Peel. Four good
harvests in succession have filed his
exchequer-filled the stomachs Of his
lieses-made his nation prosperous
the people con,enled. Alas! the scene
has changed-the evil day has come
upon him, and has found him unprepar
ed to face ii. Famine--gaunt, horrible,
destroying famine--seems impending.
Fears have seized the public mind. In
Ireland matters look appalling--ln Eng.
land gloomy. The graneries Of the con-
tinent are exhausted. The cornfelds oI
the VistuIa, the Danube, and EIbe, are
barely sufficient for the local wants o.
the inhabitants. The nation is in com
motion; and the cry of'Open the ports
and let in corn duty free! is heard on
all sides, reverberatcd from every par
of the empire. The ''pressure from
without" has made itselfheard in Down.
ing street; and faith in the sliding scale
-Peeps sliding scale--is gone forever
A third Of the potato crop in Ireland
is destroyed. The Government has
sent scientific professors to the scene
of the mischief, and the awful truth is
out that this large portion Of the peo-
pies food-the esculent that Cobbett
abhorred-is unfit for use.
What is to be done in this terrible,
this unlocked for emergency? "Open
the portsw is the exclamation, and there
stands the sbivering Premier, like a
reed in the wind, paralyzed between
affection for his sliding scale and the
horrors of public famine. There he is
balancing between the pros and cons.
Bu, necessity is superior TO consisten-
cy, superior even to law. The PORTS
MUST BE opENEDl O'ConnelI, who as.
sumes 10 be the, tribune OF the Irish
people, goes beyond this. He demands
d grant Of money to The extent Of a
.x.:Jl:... - IL !, t4hn1C 81 L. 4. -