* expofing the folly and madnefs of outrage. Thefe three meafures were the immediate caufe of the fudden rife in the price of corn; nothing was to be heard but a cry of fcarcity, and that in the most plentiful counties. There was no more reason for the dearnefs of wheat, oats, and barley, than there was for that of coals, butter, leather, *In confequence of riots having broken out in Nottinghamshire and Oxfordshire, the duke of Portland, as fecretary of state for the home department, wrote two official letters: the firit, dated Whitehall, Sept. 20, 1800, and addreffed to the town clerk of Nottingham: the fecond, dated Whitehall, September 29, 1800, and addreffed to Iris grace (the duke of Marlborough) the lord-lieutenant of the county of Oxford. It was to the fecond of these that allution was made by Mr. Robfon, and other fpeakers, on the prefent fubject. In that letter, the fecretary of ftate, reprefented to the lord lieutenant, that from the best information that could be obtained of the ftate of this year's crop throughout the kingdom, it appeared that the produce of it, according to the most fanguine ettimation, was not likely to amount to more than three fourths of an average crop; and that it was thought by many, that it would not exceed three fifths. But, be the amount what it might, it was, he heard, but too well ascertained, that the whole produce of the grain, in the best of years, was not equal to the annual confumption of the country. He folicited the exertion of the lord-lieutenant's great influence and authority to combat and counteract the prejudices which had operated no less powerfully than unfortunately in difpofing a very large portion of the community to believe, that the late scarcity was artificial, and had been owing to the views and fpeculations of certain interested and rapacious men, who took advantage of the difficulties and diftreffes of the times, to enrich themselves at the expence of the public. It was too evident, that it had become indifpenfably neceffary, without lofs of time, to countera and expofe the folly and injustice of affuming a right to fet prices on commodities brought to market, of fixing a maximum for the articles of daily confumption, of entering into affociations (which was much the same thing) not to give more than a certain price for any of those articles; of obliging the growers of corn, or dealers in other articles of provifion, to fell at a given price, and, what was worst of all, going in bands, to the houfes of farmers, and forcing them by threats and various other modes of intimidation, to enter into engagements to bring and dispose of their commodities at a given price: a proceeding which he could not advert to, without urging his grace to profecute, without diftinction, all perfons concerned in it, in the most vigorous exemplary, and impreffive manner, which the power military as well as civil under his com. mand, fhould most speedily and effectually enable him to do. If any thing could contribute to realize the abfurd notion of corn being destroyed for the purpose of keeping up the price of it, that would be more likely to effect it than any other mode that could be adopted, as the life of a perfon poffessed of corn, or any other article of provision, is rendered no lefs infecure than his property; and it would conftantly tend, as all acts of violence do, to the concealment much more than the production of the commodity: the confequence of whitch must be obvious, in the injury refulting to landed property, by difcouraging tillage and every fort of agriculture, and by locking up, or diverting into another channel, that capital which is perhaps more beneficially employed in the improvement of land than in any other mode. It woul: fo impede and obstruct the great fource and means of the daily fupplies of the cuntry, that famine would foon be substituted in the place of fcarcity, and that diftrefs and confufion would foon enfie, which would debilitate its inhabitants, and enervate all its powers, more fatally than any calamity with which it had been visited for centuries, or than is to be met with in the annals of history. If the employment of property was not fecure: if every man did not feel that he had power to setain what he poffeffed, as long as he pleased, and dispose of it at the time, in the manner and at the price he chose to fix upon it, there must be an end of confidence, of industry, and of all valuable and virtuous exertion. The intereft of the people, as well as the law, required, that the markets fhould be free and open. and and hay. But Mr. Robfon was not at a kofs to account for the increased price of every thing, nor for the evils under which the people laboured. It was to be afcribed to the accumulation of taxes, and to the enormous increase of fictitious property. The farmer was compelled, to a certain degree, to raise the price of every thing that his farm produces. He could not help himfeif. The plain truth was, that the weight of taxes had abfolutely fubdued the pride, not only of the farmer, but of all the independent part of the country. He repeated to the chancellor of the exchequer, and would repeat it at all times, that in his adminiftration, the mid dling part of the people ceafed to exift. Much had been faid concerning the poor, He was at a lofs to know what the poor meant, The denomination of the poor now extended half up the ranks of life. Perfons poffeiling from 2007, to 7007. a year, muft now be claffed among the poor. Another caufe which contributed confiderably to the dearnefs of every thing, was the immenfe quantity of fictitious paper circulated by country banks. Mr. Robfon knew an inftance of a farmer who owed a large arrear of rent, but who would rather pay it nor take his corn to market. Being preffed on the fubject by his landlord, he went to the next town, to one of those banks, of which there were feveral in moft towns, borrowed the money on his note at two months, paid his rent, and withheld his corn from market. To fuch a height did country banks, of which there were from four to five hundred in the kingdom, extend their fictitious currency, that he had in his poffeflion one of their notes, promifing to pay a guinca in BANK-PAPER.* On the whole, Mr. Robfon was of opinion, that relief to the public, not only in bread, but all the neceffaries of life, was to be expected from nothing but peace. The permanent taxes, the vaft increafe of fictitious property, the determination of minifters not to make peace, and their inability to manage the affairs of the nation, were the caufes of our calamities. Mr. Hardinge faid that he had paid every attention to the obfervations both of the honourable baronet Fy one other movement, in the progrefs of artificial money, a note might be given, payable in a note of one or other country bank, and so on, poffibly, through other ftages. Money which was wont to be a phyfical, has now abfolutely become for the most part, and indeed, almost wholly, a metaphyfical thing: and the Act of Faith, in which it confifts, is expreffed with great propriety on the thinneft paper, the exility of which feems to hold a middle place between the fpiritual world and the folidity of matter. According to certain theorists in political economy, the facility of multiplying the figns of wealth is of no confequence, because money will alwas find its level. Tree, it will do fo. But when? The poor labourer does not find it fo eafy a matter to raise his wages, as government, and other bodies, or great capitalifts do, to pour down upon him a fresh inundation of paper-mo ey. It is a noted obfervation corruptio sprimi peffima. This engine of paper money, a novelty in Europe though not in India and China, it was that establifhed, in the form of affignats, the French revolution. The fame engine, indeed, enabled Britain to refift it: a happy effect if its contagion could not otherwife be evaded; but a dangerous facility of going to war in general. This facility of creating money, may, in its farther progreffion, be pushed into confequences that fhall bring at last a thing good, if ufed with moderation, into utter difredit. and and the gentleman who had fup ported him: but that they had miftaken the object of the motion, which related merely to the propriety of an addrefs to his majefty, thanking him for his paternal care in calling his parliament together, to confider the state of the country, and provide the means of relieving the people from the effects of the prefent fcarcity. Many of their obfervations were of weight, but they would be brought forward with more propriety when the fubjects to which they referred came regularly under difcuffion. The propriety of keeping clofe to the queftion in hand, was alfo fhewn at great, and indeed fuperfluous length by Mr. Pitt, who, with equal perfpicuity pointed out the two great and leading topics which the fpeech from the throne comprehended: the difficulties under which the public now laboured from the fcarcity and high price of provifions; and the recent communications that had taken place with the enemy, which brought under review, in regular progrefs, the important queftion of peace or war. For the relief of the public he propofed two modes which, he thought, were fimple, practical, and fafe. One was, an increase of importation: the other, a combination of economy with the ufe of fubftitutes for wheaten bread. From these methods, a much better effect was to be expected than from any experiments which, on pretence of correcting the evil of monopoly, might ftrike at the freedom of trade, and circumfcribe the application of industry and capital. Their agreeing to thefe preliminary fteps by no means precluded farther inquiry or more deliberate determination. But, at prefent, no procraftination, no inquiry could be neceflary to authorize the expedients propofed. With regard to the caufes by which the prefent high price was occafioned there were many opinions. Some whose motives were unquestionable, and the humanity of whofe views was confpicuous, might have been led, with the pureft intentions, to give encouragement to the errors, and a farction to the clamours which had prevailed on the fubject. Others, whofe motives were more doubtful, had endeavoured to combine two diftinct grounds of prejudice, and to connect the fcarcity with the war. But the causes of the fcarcity, and the policy and neceffity of the war, were diftinct fubjects of confideration and none would blend the difcuffion of the latter with that of the former, who wished only to communicate information, and fuggeft remedies. But, fince the queltion had been started, he begged leave to fuggeft a few general obfervations, which feemed completely to overthrow the argument of thofe, if there were any, who ferioufly imputed the dearnefs of provifions to the war. Here Mr. Pitt, from a comparison of the prices of grain, at different periods of the prefent war (though the argument would be ftrengthened by a review of former wars), endeavoured to fhew that war, of itself, had no evident or neceffary connexion with the dearnefs of provifions, and that there could be no reafon for combining the fcarcity with the diftinct inquiry refpecting the policy of the war. The reafoning of Mr. Pitt, on this fubject, was the fame with that of lord Hobart, in the house of peers, already ftated. As to the extent of the deficiency of the late harveft harveft, Mr. Pitt thought that it would be no lefs rafh then unnecellary to give any opinion. For the practical purposes propofed, a knowledge of the precile deficit was not neceflary. Laft year the crops failed almoft generally, in all the articles of provifion. This year wheat was thort: but feveral other kinds of grain, particularly barley, plentiful, both at home and abroad. By a due application of the refources of economy and other fubftitutes, joined to importation, he was fatisfied that the fupplies of the year would be made to anfwer the confumption. He trufted, therefore, that one of their firft measures would be to go into a committee of the whole house, to fix the quantum of bounty to be allowed on importation; that a felect committee fhould be appointed to inveftigate the fubject of the fcarcity, to which committee fhould be referred the part of the king's fpeech which referred to that point; and that the committee fhould, from time to time, propofe fuch measures as, from the refult of their inquiries, fhould leem fit to be adopted. On the question of peace or war, Mr. Pitt only obferved, that, as the papers on which the merits of the cafe must be decided, were not yet before the house, it would be pre mature. Mr. Sheridan did not object to the addrefs; nor yet would his honourable friend, the honourable baronet near him (fir F. Burdett), had he given clofe attention to it: for it contained nothing refpecting the fincerity of minifters in their efforts to reftore peace, but merely an approbation of that fentiment of the fpeech which expreffed his majesty's determination to ufe all means that might be in his power to reftore fuch a peace to the country, as would be confiftent with its peace and fecurity. The fuggeftion refpecting importation feemed to be well timed and politic. And the language of the pecch and of the minifter this night, refpecting an examination of the laws against foreftallers and regrators, was wife and. manly. But from the minifter he differed widely in his opinion, that the high price of provifions was neither caufed by the war nor the taxes. He allowed that, at a moment like the prefent, it was incumbent on the houfe fimply to look at the queftion of the high price of provifions, and to inquire how the evils which the country fuffered could be moft effectually cured. Yet they ought not to fkim over matters: it was indeed the duty of the houfe to find the people bread; but it was alfo their duty to find them the truth. If war was not alone the caufe of the prefent high price of provifions, it was certainly an aggravation of the fufferings of the people. The war then ought to be difcontinued. Would it be denied, that while there were 300,000 men employed in the navy and army, there was not, of neceflity, a confiderable wafte of provifions? Every man employed in fuch fervice, caufed, perhaps, a confumption of five times as much provifions as wag ufed by the fame number of individuals in time of peace. But, fuppofing it to be only four, or three times greater, and that they added the probable wafte in the navy, the traníport fervice, the victualling office, in barracks for the cavalry, regulars, and volunteers, and in general throughout the domeftic departments of our warlike fyftem, there was no man, any thing in the fhape of a minifter, who would deny that war was a caufe of fearcity and dearnels. “God forbid,” faid Mr. Sheridan," that the war fhould not be the caufe! for, if it be not, the fituation of the country is deplorable indeed. But, believing that the war is the great caufe of our fufferings, I hope that the houfe, finding it to be fo, will seriously be inclined to feek relief in peace. The great argument made ufe of to fhew that there was no necessary connexion between war and the fcarcity and dearness of provifions was combated, and it would appear with not a little fuccefs, by Mr. Nichols. It appeared, he faid, that, in 1793 and 1794, the agents of government had introduced too little corn from abroad: from whence arose a fearcity in the fpring of the year 1795. The fearcity that took place in May, in that year, was not the confequence of a bad harveft in the preceding year, but of an infufficient introduction of corn in the years 1793 and 1794. The agents redoubled their activity in the fubfequent part of 1795. But the introduction was ftill unequal to the demand. And the confequence was, that the minifter fignified to the corn-dealers, that he would abandon the trade, if they would refume it. The dealers did refume it, and they imported, in the year 1796, a greater quantity than the moft fanguine imagination expected; the importation amounted to 1,086,000 quarters. What was then the conduct of the minifter? The corn-dealers fay, he broke his faith with them: for with 70,000, which his own agents had bought, and 80,000 more, which he had on hand, he funk the price of corn 21. 16 s. a quarter. This gave birth to the fecond famine. This fecond famine, which took place in 1799, was early enough forefeen. Why was not corn fent for? The dealers would not truft the minifter. They did not fend while the Baltic was open. If they had, the famine would not have broken out fo early. But the minifter had faid that, in 1797 and 1798, corn was cheap. True, but we had, in 1796, an importation of 1,086,000 quarters. With refpect to the frugality recommended in the confumption of corn, Mr. Nichols obferved, that we had to pay from 3 to 400,000 foldiers and failors, who certainly confumed more than they did in thofe employments from which they had been taken by the war. The men under fir Ralph Abercromby were fed with animal food, and with wheaten bread. In the cottages which they inhabited before the war, their ufual fare was, perhaps, neither animal food nor wheaten bread. If they were Irithmen, their food confified of potatoes and butter-milk. If Scoichimen, they had lived, probably, on oatmeal, barley bread, and herrings. If, therefore, they meant to adopt a real fyftem of frugality, they must reduce the number of their foldiers and failors. Mr. Grey agreed with his honourable friend, fir Francis Burdett, that there was no effectual remedy but a peace. Mr. Pitt had concluded that war could have no peculiar effect to enhance the price of provifious, because wheat was cheap in 1797. But it appeared, he faid, from the most authentic documents, that all kind of corn was dearer during the course of the feven years of war, than during the feven years that preceded it; and that, exclufively of |