Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-11-10
The English and French Hafvesis.
from the London News. Oct. II.


For n considerable period the high price in
France was aseribed to the drought which imPed-
ed grinding La,tcrly much rain has fall"n; the
/ mills may be at full work, and yet the price oil
| flour has again risen 2f during the past week.
T,he,, is a Considerable scarcity in France. The
deficiency of the harvest is estimated at the
lowest at 1000 900 hectolitres.or nearly 2OoOo,-
600 bushels; and this deficiency is startling in a
country which, even in 1854 sent us 224,I12 quar-
ters Of all kinds of grain; in 1853, 7li,2i2 quar-
ters: in 1852 745, l62; aud in 1851 l,56l ,3Io
ouarters Instead of sending any this year,
She is taking corn from u.s. and Is competing
with Us in third markets for all that is there To
! be sold Whatever may ultimately be the yield
! Of our own harvest, no person sapposes that IL
will equal the harvest of l55i, and. great as that
was we imported from the time it was gathered
in to the end of August last, no less than 51o6,-
SIG quarters of all kinds of gram of which up
wards of 4 900. 900 were of wheat and wheat Hour
! We shall require this year at least nPicdrds Of
1000. 900 quarters Of ,cheat or lchedt flour; and
! though we shall no doubt get them. or get as
much as we want, we shall have to gather them
from various quarters, and it is therefore quite
| improbable whatever may be the effect OF specu-
ation. that the laws of supply and demand should
permit the .'value of the loaf" to fall much be-
fore the next harvest.
With the produce of Russia almost shut out,
with an unfavorable harvest in Prussia and in
creased consumption, we have 10 look cnieHy 10
the countries on the upper part ct the Medi'effa-
mean and the United States for our supply
According TO the latest adyces from New York
the price of wheat for export So per bush-
ell, and the freight 25c. making the price at Liv-
erpool, independent of all charges not less than
US per quarter That this price will be kept u?
we do not assert, but both English and French
are buying at New York on these terms and it is
not very probable that they will be much lower.
We know that some men we'll acquainted with the
corn trade, anticipated easier terms, but we also
know that there are others likewise well ac
quanted with the trade. who have formed
very different opinion, and, without Decd
ing between them, can say, from much
experience, that to affirm that our present
prices are the result of speculation Is Ia check
imports and ensure greatly Ia the pubic disadvan-
tage, the continuance ofhigh prices. 1t is better we
should pay little more now,and so attract hither
larger supplies, than that should allow our
neighbor to draw to herself the surplus of 9th
cr countries, and find ourselves, before the
coming of the next harvest deficient by a months
or even a tortnights supply of food,to run down
bakers. millers, farmers, aud corn merchants
as some vulgar Journals, and the mobs aud they
ncite. are in the habit of doing ,1eters them from
aking due exertons to supply the public cheap.
w. and is dangerous TO the common veal. Specu-
lators are generally men who buy corn when they
think it lower in price than the future wants ct
the community authorize; and to decry them Is
10 dimni sh onr granaries, and prepare the way
for scarcity and famine Last year the Times pur-
sued this course and did,as every man familiar
with the corn trade is aware, a great deal OF mis-
chief Unless it be now checked it may repeat
its error, aud be the cause of intense suffering.