laid before Parliament, which | placed along side of this, printed latter I have proved to be false, upon calico, framed and glazed, you make certain assertions rela-and hung up in the great room of tive to the population of England, the Royal Exchange of Manchesnot one word in which assertions ter. The proposition is this, "that, has any truth' in it. You then" on the supposition that the price proceed, or rather you mix up "of grain be on an average the following assertions with those "fifteen shillings a quarter higher just mentioned. You carry on a "in this country than in surroundsort of partnership with these "ing countries, then the conquacks. CHARLES SMITH says, sumers in this country have to that, in 1765, the grain consumed pay to the growers to whom in England and Wales was the corn-laws have granted a fifteen millions of quarters in a "monopoly of supply, no less year, dropping the odd thousands" annually than thirty-eight miland hundreds. CHALMERS says, "lions sterling over and above that, in 1800, the consumption "what the corn produce alone was thirty-three millions. WES-" of this country is worth else TERN says, that, in 1812 and 1814, "where." Now, MR. SHUTTLEthe consumption was forty mil- WORTH, what a monstrous propolions. Dr. COLQUHOUN says the sition this is will be seen in one same as WESTERN. Having given minute if we look at these facts: us all this rubbish; all this bun- FIRST, that the price of grain dle of "estimates, you next has been, on an average, more bring us, or, rather, you display than fifteen shillings a quarter before us, the brilliant products higher than in surrounding counof your own mind. You tell us, tries ever since the Corn-Bill was that, in the ten years from 1811 passed: SECOND, that thirty-eight to 1821, the population of the millions was, at the time of the kingdom increased five millions! highest prices, the yearly rackHaving stated this most monstrous rental of all the land, all the lie, you then seem to try to outdo houses, all the mines, all the your own lying, and say that we canals, and all the turnpike-roads, may safely take the increase of in England and Wales: THIRD, population to have been in pro- that rents are much lower now. portion to the present time, and than they were in those times cf that we may safely assume the highest prices: FOURTH, that the increase of the consumption of Landlords do not receive from grain to have been in proportion their tenants so much rent as they to the increase of the population; did in those times of highest and that, therefore, the present prices: FIFTH, that the Landlords consumption may be fairly taken have no other channel through. at FIFTY-TWO MILLIONS which to get the thirty-eight milOF QUARTERS! But, now lions that you talk of, than the comes the master-stroke. Now channel of rent. There, MR. comes the proposition; and, if the SHUTTLEWORTH, make out one or like was ever before twisted out more of these propositions, to be of a thick skull by a spinning- false; for, unless you do that, jenny, I beg it may be produced, your proposition is a great, star MR. HARVEY must naturally please me by his manly declaration with regard to myself; but, much more he pleases me by expressing his "firm conviction, 66 ing, stupid, empty lie, unworthy MR. PRENTICE made a even of the word "fiction," which speech, full of good sense; full you have unwittingly applied to of excellent matter; and such, in it. After this, it is useless to re- short, as any man might have mark on the remaining part of been proud to be the author of. your speech, though I cannot but That is the sort of speech to proobserve how nicely you make one duce effect upon the people, and part of it knock the other part to upon the Ministers too. pieces. You are alarmed at the effect of the Corn-Laws upon the progress of our population. In another place you talk of the increase of our wealth of late years; and you forget all the while, that that we shall neither have a this increase of population, as repeal of the Corn-Laws nor you call it, and that this growing any material reduction of taxprosperity, as you call it; you "ation, until we get REforget all the while, that these, if" FORMED PARLIAMENT"! they have taken place, as you say -And let all the people say they have, have taken place, and Amen! It is useless to petition, as you assert too, to a greater it is useless to pray, unless that extent since the Corn-Laws have be part of the prayer. It was been in existence, than they took the cause of the French war: place before. Get out of that the want of reform was the cause hobble, MR. SHUTTLEWORTH, and of that war. It has been the cause then I will talk to you again.-of every evil that has existed in It is by conceited babbling men the country ever since the Seplike this that public enterprises tennial Bill was passed. It is are so frequently defeated. All the want of this reform that has reflecting men will distinguish now produced those effects so between this man's babble and well described by Mr. Potter and the sound sense of the other speak- Mr. Burgess. If these gentlemen ers; but, all that read are not had petitioned for reform, there men of sense; and some men of would have been some chance of sense are tax-eaters, and it is not their producing an effect upon their business to make any such the Government: as it is, they distinctions. Here is a man that will produce no effect at all. The asserts, that there has been of late very best that they will get will years a great deal of prosperity, be a half civil and four-fifths riches, and power; he asserts equivocal answer; and, truth to that there has been a most mon- say, they deserve nothing more. strous increase of population; They appear to be in hopes of and we know, that the Corn-Laws effecting, in this indirect way, a have existed all the while! What bank restriction, or some such does a boroughmongering Corn-measure. Such a measure would Bill man want more than that; not produce the effects that they and, if this Mr. SHUTTLEWORTH imagine it would; and, besides, had been hired by the Borough-there is not the smallest chance of mongers, he could not have done its being adopted. The thing will, their work better than he did it. in all probability, be pushed along as far as it will go; and, when grinding of the labourers that they it will go no farther, the change are now enabled to pay any rent must come. These gentlemen at all; and, this grinding does might have done a great deal; not, in the end, answer its purbut they have still too much of the pose; for, the labourers fall upon buckram in them: they must have the poor-rates; and, if, by means that taken out of them: they must of STURGES BOURNE'S Bills, and be ready to drink a pot of ale with of other grinding contrivances, their workmen, before they will the labourers be pushed to the act in a manner such as their ne- verge of starvation, they TAKE cessities will require. The work without money and without leave; ing people in this country have that sends them to gaol, and there been oppressed, and are oppressed they have, in this part of the almost beyond conception. They country, MEAT THREE must be lifted from this state of TIMES A WEEK, which, oppression. I pray God that it generally speaking, is three times may be by peaceable means; by means which shall injure the hair of the head of no man; but, I would sooner be annihilated than abandon the hope of seeing them raised from this horrible state of degradation. RURAL RIDE. a week OFTENER than they can get it by honest labour! So that the farmers and land-owners get nothing, in the end, by pushing the thing too far. But, this is not all: there are ricks, barns, plantations, heaths, WM. COBBETT. and moors; and there is FIRE! The newspapers are full of accounts of destruction in this way. They daily tell us of these "works of some wicked incendiary." But to call these fire-makers names is of no use. It would be much more rational to go coolly to work to find out the motives of such evil - doers; for, observe, they must have a motive. It is-impossible that they should not have a motive. They do not stay to warm themselves by the fires. Indeed, the weather is, at this time, but too hot. Why, not endeavour, then, to find out the motive, and to remove the grounds of such motive, since the motive produces consequences so very serious? The MOORS and PLANTATIONS, which have been recently burned in the North, were, the newspapers tell us, set on fire by poachers! Indeed! But, what is a poacher? For that is a ques tion worth asking. Why, a poacher Burghclere, (Пlants), Monday, 21st Aug. 1826. I SET off from Kensington on Friday morning, on my way to the WEST, and got to SUNNING, near Reading, on Friday afternoon. On Saturday we (two sons and myself) stopped at Reading, it being market-day, to take a look about us. Wheat about 6s. 6d. the Winchester bushel, on an average. Barley and Oats dearer in proportion. Pease, there appears to be none; and very few beans. I went to the pig-market. A store-pig, six months old, was worth 20s. and no more; and that is very cheap. A hog, a year old, not worth more than 40s. The farmers are in a devilish fright! It is touch and go with them now. In short, it is only by a merciless is a man, who goes in search of, I would RATHER DO IT, than and either catches, or endeavours clear the same sum with taxes so to catch; or, who picks up in a low as to make beer 2d. a pot. field, or in a road; or who has on This may, at first sight, seem his person or in his house, any one strange to those who are unacof those wild animals which are quainted with this race of men; nobody's property, and which are but it is impossible for any thing called, hares, pheasants, or par- to be more correct. Therefore, tridges. That is "a poacher," to we ought to think a long while, punish whom there have, of late before we feel sorrow for the fall years, been many new and most of such men. In fact, the precruel laws passed. Now, in order sent horrible state of things never to prevent the plantations and could have come upon us, had it moors from being set fire to, would not been for the horses and sabres it not be as well to try a little of these very men! They are what a repeal of these new laws dreadfully frightened now: they see what is going on about the Corn Bill: they think of nothing but price: they will pay rent to the last moment: and, though they will be more spiteful towards the labourers, they MUST KEEP THEM, even if the thought burst, or rather crack, their callous hearts. would do? In short, there is no safety for property of any sort, if you push severity and pinching beyond a certain point. They have long been pushed to the utmost extent that they will bear. They can go no further it is even now matter of taste with the labourers, which is best, gaol or the fields; Botany Bay, or England. As to character and love of country; these have no existence in company with thoughts constantly bent on the means of satisfying the cravings of hunger. To my great surprise, I have, in these sixty odd miles, from London to this place, found the TURNIPS, of both sorts, by no means bad; and I really expected to find hardly any! There is a great The farmers, who know that quantity of stubble-land sown with they cannot screw down the la- turnips, the crops being off so bourers any lower, are now in a early. So that, as far as I have great fright. They are scared at yet seen the country, I think that the thought of a repeal of the there will be no deficiency in the Corn-Laws; for, as to a relief winter food; and when the rains from a repeal of taxes, they come the grass will grow at a never think of it, and a great great rate, and will make food part of the richer ones of them abundant till Christmas. I hear would dislike that mode of relief. no complaints about the crops, If they can get high prices, they except as to oats, pease, and do not object to high taxes; for beans. Apples, all the way that these have a tendency to keep up the I have come, are a very good présent system; and this is a sys- crop; and wherever there are tem that they like. This is what grapes, they are abundant in crop I mean to say: That, if one of and nearly ripe, while the filberts these bull-frog farmers could are ripe a full month earlier than clear 5001. a year, with taxes so usual. high as to make beer 6d. a pot, he This is, surely, the finest year Corn Exchange, Mark Lane.' Quantities and Prices of British Corn, &c. sold and delivered in this Market, during the week ended Saturday, August 12. Qrs. ... s. d. s. d. Wheat.. 6,019 for 17,978 4 5 Average, 59 8 Pease .. 16 444 11 8....... ..31 7 7,667 0 7..........29 6 33 7 2..........41 8 2,137 16 3...... ..47 0 711 ...2,218 18 2....... ..62 4 ... that ever was known. Near Newbury, they are now making the second crop of meadow hay! There will not be a handful of spoiled hay, or a gallon of spoiled corn, in the whole kingdom. They have finished harvest in Scotland about a month sooner than the usual time of finishing in England! Yet will this year be a most terrible one for the labourers. The work is now done. The farmer has his crops in, and the labourer has to live as he can. He must come to the poor-book that is to say, to the smallest possible means of keeping him alive and enabling him to crack stones; or, in other words, to as little as he can be induced to regard as making his hovel preferable to a gaol, and as making England pre-ately less; the prices are therefore ferable to Botany Bay! Oh! further enhanced 1s. to 2s. per qr. "Envy of surrounding nations!' Oh! " Admiration of the world!" MARKETS. Friday, Aug. 18.-To this morning's market the fresh supplies are small. The best samples of Wheat fully maintained Monday's terms; in other sorts very little trade. Barley is held at higher prices, but the and Pease look upwards, being very buyers purchase reluctantly. Beans scarce. The demand for Oats is limited, and the supply proportion Monday, Aug. 21.-There were last week short quantities of all sorts of Grain and Flour reported; and this morning the fresh supplies are not considerable, consisting chiefly of Wheat samples, the growth of this year, which come, dry, though Average Prices of CORN through-in general not stout. The best parcels of Old Wheat met a ready sale at last quotations, but middling and inferior descripd. tions are neglected. The samples of New Wheat experience a slow sale, but the best of them are not quoted any lower.-Rye is greatly in demand for Seed, at a considerable advance in value. 6 6 57 3 Total Quantity of Corn returned as Sold in the Maritime Districts, for the Week ended August 12. IQrs. .... Wheat.. 31,621 | Rye Qrs. 210 ... 1,620 1,085 Barley is advanced 1s.; Beans and Grey Pease, each is per quarter. Boiling Pease have a slow sale at last quotations. Oats are not a free sale, but the supply is so scanty that a further advance of full 2s. per quarter has been obtained since this day se'nnight. In Flour no alteration. High prices are asked for 46s. Winter Tares, with few buyers at 43s. present. 55$ |