^*fi Agrtcuttural InfeWgence. Aug. 



how far this influence extends. Docs this underdanding and conceit 

 only prevail among the fellers in fcarcc years ? If fo, before Sir George 

 Shuckburgh's tables can ihew the extent of depreciation of money, an 

 allowance of deduction, for the effe<St of this underftanding in concert, 

 muft be made in every dear year, before it can afford the pn>per datum 

 of price. It is ftrange that this underHanding and concert Ihoiild only 

 affedl prices in times of fcarcity, when it expofes the fellers to obloquy 

 and outrage, and fliould not more certainly take place in feafpns of 

 plenty, when it might be carried to great lengtli without any danger. 

 Or is it, that dearth is never ov/ing to fcarcity, but always to this un- 

 derftanding and concert, and of courfe that cheapncfs does not indicate 

 plenty, but merely a want of underftanding .and concert among the 

 fellers ? 



We wifhed to have difcuffed, with more minutencfs, the ftrange opi- 

 nion entertained by JMr Chalmers concerning the underftanding which 

 prevails among the dealers in grain ; but tlic bounds oi this article rc- 

 ftrifts us from doing more (at leall at this time) than merely noticing 

 it. It is only of late that we heard of the publication, otherwife we 

 would have examined him more ftriclly in another place. In a word, 

 tve may only add, tliat no man, converfant v.ith the corn trade, of 

 Britain, can for a moment feriou/ly believe it practicable to regu- 

 late prices by any previous concert or underilanding among the fel- 

 lers. Nay more, it is impraiticable to regulate the prices of a petty 

 market ; for the fellers can never afccrtain beforehand the ri umber of 

 purchafers, or the extent of their demand ; therefore all previous con- 

 cert may in a moment be overturned. 



Our readers will obferve, in the firft Branch, fome excerpts from the 

 report of the Malt-tax Committee, wherein the evidence given by our 

 vefpeftable friend and correfpondeiit Dr Skene Keith makes a confpi- 

 cuous figure. After all that has been done, no relief can be obtained 

 for Scotland, at leall till another Sefito'n, Mr Pitt having mo--< d that 

 ^he confideration of the bufinefs fliould be put off to that time, in or- 

 der, as he laid, that fatisfadlory experiments might be made to afcer- 

 tain the relative qualities of Englifn and Scotch Barley. We were 

 r.e^^r very fanguine in expelling relief, though we have repeatedly 

 prefTcd the neceility of it, unlefs it was meant to ruin the culflure of 

 barley in Scotland akogethiT. Our landed gentlemen have, Irowever, 

 remained in a -ftate of apathy during the difcufiion ; not a fingle public 

 body having ftirred, except the Higliland Society of Scotland, who 

 Certainly defei-ve much praife on this occafion. We i-epeat what was 

 fonr.erly ftated, that Scotch bailey cannot compete in the market with 

 EngUfh barley at more thaii half duty ; nay more, that its falc, in bad 

 feafons, will :\lways be injured even when half duty is paid. The origniil 

 value of the raw article is comparatively trifling to- that <^^ the perfeil 

 article ; therefore no juft couclufiu.is can be drawn from the prices of 

 ^ch country, though it appears that the Committee had beilovved 

 piuch attention in inveft'gating and ^tfcertaining them. 



The propt'ity-tax remains, fo fir as we know, u icolledlod in c-^cry 

 C<5uuty ; aiid the indecifiou of the commiifioners and others appointed 



