Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-03-14
EFFECTS OF THE WAR UPON THE
CORN TRADE


Bile effect of the war upon the corn and -four
trade of England and this country, although
advanced some days ago, are of sufficient gene
raj interest to authorize their republication at
the present times
Some of the English papers are complaining
of the mischeivous effects which they allege 10
have been produced rs respects tho supplies of
corn in their granaries by the deusiye prospects
of peace which the Government and its oroans
of the press have all along been encouraging
while it must have been known that there could
be no reasonable expectation of any thing but
war. Not only, it is contended, that the Gov
ernment failed to take and precaution itself. as
to securing a necessary provision of grain, but
it has, by fallacious representations, prevented
private enterprise and commercial speculation
from doing so--or at any rate TO the extent
which in the exigencies Of the country may be
of great advantage to the people. "The French
Government" it is observed, "saw clearly from
the beginning, the difficulties of the case and
gave every possible encouragement to the i'm
portation of corn. Belgium did the same."-
The English Government, it is true, does not
usually interfere in these matters in that way
It's general rule is that of non-interference with
commercial operations where, the dses.s
tfoh of the nasSAs.S~Ssod IS concersed-n6on
the princiR.as We deem it an incontroverti-
BILE one, that Government may do most for
commerce by leaving it alone; remembering
that like river. it never flows so smoothly, and
therefore never proceeds so prosperously, as
when it follows its own course, without either
aid or check.
| But it nevertheless did interfere; the com
plants insist to this extent: at instructed its
press to discOuntenance all approximations of
/ notwithstanding it to be believed that the
peace of Europe would not be disturbe1-that
commerce would continue to flow in its ordiua-
ry channes-and that what appeared to be an
impending storm was nothing more than a
passing cloud, that would soon dispers." So
that the consequence has been an utter neglect;
they 90 on to say, of any available provision
for the wants of the country, and that some of
its most important sources of supply are being
completely cut off, awhile France and the
Netherlands" they say, shave taken care TO
| obtain large supply Of corn, England has pro-
cured an inadequate one net more than one half
of what she requires, and what she would have
possessed at this moment, if Ministers had
revealed all that they knew about the Eastern
dispute. We are inclined to think that there
is reason in his. A little more candor little
more explicitnesS, not to say little more plain
dealing would douteSs have encouraged ope-
ration in the corn trade which could not but
have been beneficial to all parties. But new
they are suffering the evils of something like
famine prices. Bread riots have already occur
red in England and Ireland is distressed be-
yond endurance, by scarcity and want.
We do not forget that this is season Of the
year when one great source of supply of corn to
Great Britain is always closed,-we mean the
Baltic. But, the apprehension, that even when
spring arrives, and that great outlet for the
Northern granaries is again open to British re-
quirements, the operations ofinevitable war will
effec tually shut it up from them, is exerting an
injur ious influence. The other great source,
the Black Sea, may be regarded as closed al
ready By such operations. Odessa, its principal
port, and the most important entrepot of the
great bulk of the cearel produce of the fertile
fields of ChirSon aud Crimea, is too nesFr4he
mouth of the Pruth and the Danube to allow of
exports being made to an enemy's country, and
for the supply of the food, even if the most des-
perate and deadliest part Of the conflict may
not improbably take place. there. The first
recounter which England will have with Russia,
destined, most likely, to occur in that very sea,
from which, be it remembered there is no way
of escape but one, and that within rage of
probably an enemys cannon.
But lit is an i'll wind that blows nobody
good" America is already deriving advantage
from this state of things, while at the same
time, she is comforting substantial benefit upon
England. But for America and its supplies, in
deed, we know not how England could get her
most pressing wants relieved. We have now
before us list of the imports of foreign grain,
&C.. into Liverpool during the two first weeks of
the present year, Just when England is begin
1 f,,olO I n
upon the subject of her scanty stores offood,
and it is unusually large-in fact, unpreceden-
ted-and chiefly, ifnot wholly, from the United
! States-neither the Baltic nor the Mediteran-
can having contributed particle oft. The
! list comprises upwards of million of bush
! els of corn, and more than a quarter OF a nil
| lion of bushels of flour, with large quantities OF
oats, peas and beans ia addition. Still the En-
! glish markets for brcadstul1s, we find kept ris-
ing, and the Liverpool papers of the day when
the Arabia, sailed report further advance IN
wheat of fully four pence (Engisht bushel-
there being "a strong attendance OF country mil
! lers and the business done was very active,
both for consumption and Cd speculation"
Thus while England may thank God that
she has America to look to in time of need
! that we have it in our power to supply her
people with food, and that we are able and
willing too, to take off, in return for much Of
it, the produce of that peoples industry-let
us, on our part, also be glad, that in SO doing
we are also promoting our own interests, COM
mercial and agricultural. Our present posi-
ton is in many respects an enviahle one. Far
removed from the scene Of conflict, and with
out any cause for interfering in it, we have the
! opportunity, as we have the means of deriving
advantages from state of thingswhich to Eu-
! rope may be a source Of incalcuable evils
Hotc Cincinnati became Cuy.-in the set
Element ofnew countrses; it often happens that
the mosl trivial circumstances produce impor-
tant results. According to Judge Burnet's
Notes on the North Western Territory" the
! question whether North Bend or Cincinnati
! should be the great commercial town of the Mi
! ami country, was decided By the fact that the
commaudant of the Military station at North
/ Beud became strongly attached to black eyed
| lady who lived with her hus band at the
! Bend, where he was stationed; and the husband
/ becoming somewhat alarmed at the attentions
which the commandant paid to his wife, he
removed to Cincinnati Finding his lady-lOve
/ had fed; the officer thought North Bend unfit
for commercial town, and moved with his
troops to Cincinnati, and from that day the glory
of the Bend departed, and that Of Cincinnati
arose.
| Judge Burnet remarks: (page So "The in
! comparable beauty of Spartan dame produced
ten years war which terminated in the de-