enforce by additional regulations, must also be productive of some further economy. Although it cannot be expected to make any difference in the consumption of those families whose means of obtaining other food may enable them to stint their allowance of bread; yet, amongst those numerous classes of the community, whose principal subsistence is derived from this article, and who can therefore make no direct retrenchment, its effects must still be considerable.

The saving to be expected in the consumption of oats, is equally conjectural; but it may reasonably be hoped, that the same motives which will induce his majesty's subjects to restrict the consumption of wheat in their families, will operate still more forcibly in reducing the expenditure of oats for the subsistence of horses; and that no small quantity of this species of grain will in consequence be applicable to more useful purposes. It has been further stated to your Committee, that, by bruising oats, a greater quantity of food for horses, in the proportion of at least 4 to 3, may be produced from a given quantity of grain. By this, and by other economical expedients, such as mixing oats with chaff and bran, beans, or chopped straw, the consumption of that article may be much diminished.

It should be further observed, that the crop of barley this year has been upon the whole good, and that more of it than usual may, from the excellence of its quality, be applicable to bread; some proportion of that grain may therefore probably be transferred to the use of those parts of the kingdom which usually subsisted upon wheat alone, but which have of late returned to the consumption of barley. Your Committee have no means of estimating the extent to which this resource may be carried; but it must evidently afford, in addition to the quantity above stated, some further assistance towards supplying the deficiency of wheat.

Your Committee have, in their former reports, directed the attention of the House to the great supply of excellent food which may be derived from the fisheries, and may render practicable a still further saving in the consumption of grain, as well as of other articles of subsistence: every encouragement which has been suggested by those best acquainted with the subject, has been granted by the liberality of parliament, and the most beneficial effects may be expected from the exertions which that encouragement is likely to excite. From the eagerness with which the small supply of herrings which has hitherto reached the metropolis has been sought after, and from the number of orders which have been received from different parts of the country, your Committee entertain no doubt, that, as soon as that supply can be increased im quantity, and more widely diffused, this species of food will be rapidly introduced into general consumption.

In order to accelerate and facilitate this supply, advances have been made by government to persons at the different ports of depôt, such as Liverpool, Bristol, Hull, Lynn, Southampton, and Exeter, in addition to the amount of private subscriptions at these places; and directions have been given to the respective collectors of the customs to attend to such applications, as they may receive from other places, which may be desirous of procuring consignments of fish.

The extent and importance of the herring fishery has been already fully detailed to the House; and there seems no reason to doubt that it will answer, in a very considerable degree, the expectations which were formed of it.

The fisheries of mackarel and pilchards, which follow in succession, appear capable of almost equal extension; and the cod and haddock fisheries, which continue during the greatest part of the year, may also furnish an additional supply of food, to an extent which cannot be calculated, and (since the use of salt duty free has been permitted) at a price not exceeding even in London for some articles one penny, and for others two-pence per pound.

The price of such fish is not only so much lower than that of meat, as to recommend it as an useful substitute for that article; but as three or even five pounds of this wholesome and nutritious food can be afforded at a less rate than one pound of bread at its present price, it can hardly fail to meet with an extensive demand, wherever it can be obtained in sufficient quantity; and it will both cheapen and improve the subsistence of those classes of the community, who, from finding the whole of their earnings not more than adequate to procure the necessary supply of bread, have been reduced to subsist upon that article alone.

Your Committee are sensible, that even if any calculation could be formed of the amount of this resource, it would not be easy to ascertain the proportion which it might be supposed to bear to any given quantity of grain. But, whether it is introduced into consumption as a substitute for vegetable or animal food, it is equally an addition of the utmost importance to the means of subsistence.

Your Committee have omitted to take notice of the act passed for diminishing the consumption of bread, and for making better provision for the poor; because, whatever benefits may result from that measure, the diminution which it may occasion in the use of bread, chiefly depends upon the introduction (as substitutes) of other articles for most of which credit has been already taken.

The amount of those resources to which your Committee have adverted, which appeared in any degree capable of estimate (subject to the observation with which they were at first introduced as being in many

The Earl of Warwick conceived it to be his duty to state to the House such facts as had fallen under his own observation. On his own lands, and throughout the whole of his neighbourhood, the late harvest was remarkably abundant; and the farmers were making 200 per cent profit. He was aware of the right which every man had in the disposal of his property, as well as in the protection of that property which he was entitled to from parliament; but he never could think, that it was the duty of parliament to protect men in their exorbitant profits; particularly when they were productive of so much injury to the rest of the community. Men employed as labourers, and particularly as labourers in agriculture, had a right to receive as much wages as would maintain themselves and families; but, so far from this being the case in his neighbourhood, they received no more than eight or nine shillings a week from the farmers; a sum so insufficient for their support, that their families were actually starving; and yet these farmers were gaining twice as much as they were, by their own acknowledgments, entitled to. Those who demanded upwards of 20s. a bushel for their corn, candidly owned that they would be contented with ten, provided other farmers would bring down their prices to that standard. Was it not, then, the duty of parliament to take some steps to save thousands, perhaps millions, from absolute want? If he might venture to give his opinion on so delicate and important a subject, he should certainly propose an exception to the general rule of protecting men in the absolute disposal of their property. In short, he would recommend the adoption of a maximum, by which no wheat should be sold at a higher price than 10s. per bushel. Although, under any other circumstances, he should be hostile to a measure of this kind, yet, situated as the country was at present, he conceived it absolutely necessary.

Lord Grenville agreed, that whatever measures were to be adopted, ought to be as speedy and as decisive as possible; but those who expected that parliament could do much more than encourage an extensive importation of corn, were much deceived. Was it possible for parliament, all at once, and by the force of magic, to introduce plenty instead of scarcity? Was it possible for parliament to invert the order of nature, and prevent inclement seasons? The noble earl had made use of [VOL. XXXV.]

the most unfortunate expression ever uttered in that House, an expression against which he would directly enter his protest. He should never hear the word maximum mentioned, in the sense it was used that day, without expressing the strong disapprobation he must feel at hearing a measure recommended, which, of all others, would have the most injurious tendency, and which was the most likely of all others, to defeat its own object. In every country where it had been adopted, it was found productive of the most dreadful mischief. A neighbouring country, in one of its most desperate situations, and in the midst of public difficulty and distress, had some years ago adopted a regulation of this kind. It was conceived and carried on in violence; but even in that distracted country its effects were found to be so dreadful, that the measure was soon laid aside. He therefore deprecated even the mention of an evil, which, if attempted to be put in practice, must produce immediate famine.

Nov. 17. The Earl of Warwick said, he rose to offer a few words in his own defence. The other evening he had made use of an unfortunate expression, which he was extremely sorry to have dropped; because, from the impression it had made on the House, it appeared too bad to be listened to for a moment. He must, however, take the liberty of saying a few words in justification of the principle on which he had grounded his argument. He should still contend, that the gains of the farmer were enormous, and must repeat his wish, that some measure might be adopted to compel him to bring his corn to market, and to be contented with a moderate profit. He wondered not at the extravagant style of living of some of the farmers, who could afford to play guinea whist, and were not contented with drinking wine only, but even mixed brandy with it: on farms from which they derived so much profit, they could afford to leave one-third of the lands they rented wholly uncultivated, the other two-thirds yielding them sufficient gain to support all their lavish expenditure. In short, he knew no description of men who were acquiring fortunes more rapidly than the farmers, and all at the expense of the public. What with the taxes and the high price of provisions, money was changing hands daily, and men of landed [ 3 H]

estates were obliged to part with more or less of their property every year. With regard to the existence of a scarcity, it was not in the power of any man living to ascertain the fact. He believed there was corn enough in the country to meet its wants, if means were taken to compel the corn-growers to bring it to market, and dispose of it at a reasonable profit.

The Lord Chancellor reprobated the idea of resorting to the principle of a maximum: it was dangerous in the extreme to hold forth such doctrines, or to inculcate that the smallest relief was to be expected from their application. He entreated the House to consider the proposition it would operate by means purely compulsory: it would oblige a numerous class of men to give up their property at a given price. Not only the final operation of such a terrible law as that alluded to would be compulsory; but, from its very principle, every circumstance connected with it must be coercive. How was it to be carried into effect?-by means of an inquisition in the first instance. Stock must be taken, and that very species of property upon which the farmer, his family, and labourers principally subsisted, was to be rendered liable to the most grievous operations. In no history, ancient or modern, was there an instance to be found where such a measure was beneficial; on the contrary, its baleful effects were every where recited. In France, the experiment, under one of its direst tyrannies, had been tried; and what was the consequence?-the then scarcity was speedily converted into famine; one of its first and natural effects was, to induce the farmers to hold back their corn. The next step taken by the persons exercising the government, was, to put the corn into a state of requisition. The system of starvation then commenced, and the farmers and growers of corn were the first victims of it. He felt it his duty to caution the House of the danger of entertaining, even for a moment, such destructive principles-the mere allusion to which must have the reverse to a beneficial tendency.

First Report from the Lords' Committees on the Dearth of Provisions.] Nov. 28. Earl Camden presented the following Report:

FIRST REPORT FROM THE LORDS' COMMITTEES
ON THE DEARTH OF PROVISIONS.
The Lords' Committees, to whom it was re-

ferred to consider so much of his Majesty's Speech at the opening of the present Sessions as relates to the high price of provisions, and to whom has since been referred the consideration of a message from the House of Commons relative to the same subject:

Have agreed to report to the House, that, since their appointment, they have proceeded, with all possible diligence, to inquire into such particulars as they judged might be most worthy of the attention and consideration of the House with respect to the matter referred to them.

selves to ascertain the actual state of the They have more particularly applied themkingdom, in respect to the productiveness of the late harvest, and to the stock of grain which may be supposed to be now in hand; which inquiry they have pursued by the examination of persons best acquainted with the situation of different parts of the country in this respect; being satisfied that any attempt would be inconvenient in practice, and proat more minute investigation, or actual survey, bably in result very little satisfactory.

As this course of inquiry is as yet by no means completed, the Lords' Committees do not think it right for them to offer to the House any precise opinion as to the probable amount of the deficiency, grounded on such information as they have hitherto received. think it adviseable to delay any measures of But the Lords' Committees do by no means immediate relief, for the purpose of previ ously completing the inquiry in which they are engaged.

Whatever judgment may ultimately be formed respecting the amount of the defciency of the last harvest, it is certain that the stock of old grain was almost entirely and that the produce of the present year was exhausted at the beginning of the autumn, therefore begun to be consumed almost as soon as it was harvested, and at least two or three months earlier than is usual.

This view of the subject has therefore already sufficiently convinced the Committee of the pressing necessity, both of giving due encouragement to early importation, and of adopting all practicable economy in the conand have unanimously agreed to recommend sumption of grain during the present year; to this House, that, in addition to the bills which have already passed, or are now in the course of passing through the House, for restraining the export and encouraging the import of the different sorts of grain, and for preventing their being applied to other purposes than those of food, this House should also concur with the other House in their proposed address to his majesty.

The Lords' Committees trust, that the quested to issue, may probably engage the proclamation, which his majesty is there re

serious attention of the various classes of their fellow-subjects to this most important