Retrospccti've Vic.c of British Husbandry for 1803. 533 



ceeded, markets would foon have brightened up ; but, as that 

 article generally failed, lefs or more, in almoll every dillri^l, im- 

 nicnfe numbers of cattle and iheep, which othervvife would have 

 gone to the Hake and the fold, were at once thrown into the market, 

 becaufe the owners were totally unprovided with food for fup- 

 porting them. This increafcd fupply, of courfe, glutted the 

 markets in every quarter ; nor could it poflibly be othervvife, 

 becaufe a very confiderable ihare thereof, in the commoa 

 courfe of bufinefs, could not have appeared for three^ four, five, 

 and even fix months afterward; The efTecl of this glut cannot 

 poflibly be overcome, till, like the Itomach, when opprcfled by 

 a furfeit, the immediate caufe is completely removed. That 

 this muil loon happen, appears to us a necellary confequence ; 

 for, a coiitinuance of fuch extraordinary fupplies, is phyfically 

 impolFible, under the circumiiances of the country. There is 

 only the flock of the year to confume ; whereas, at the prefent 

 time, we are anticipating our fupplies feveral months before they 

 naturally fall due, and therefore muft feel a proportional fear- 

 city before the return of the grafs feafon. The fa6l is, 

 that much of the beef and murton now on fale, would, in other 

 feafons, have remained in the hands of the feeders, as a flore 

 for fpring food, and would then have been fold, increafed, 

 perhaps, twenty per cent in weight. This, of itfelf, will 

 afterwards be felt feverely ; it being much the fame as 

 taking one^fifth, or one-fixth of thefe animals out of the 

 market, that quantity of beef and mutton being actually lofl by 

 the premature fales that have been neceflariiy made. Thefc 

 things muft, and will be attended with the fure and certain con- 

 fequence of making the after fcarcity m diredl proportion to the 

 actual plenty at this moment, and furnifli ferious caufe for alarm, 

 reipefting the prices of butcher-meat, after the prefent forced 

 and unnatural fupplies are exhaufled. In fine, the failure of grafs 

 and turnips necefliirily occafioned this forced fupply ; the want 

 of keep, rendered it necellary to make fales upon the beft poflible 

 terms ; the fellers being more numerous than the purchafers, 

 enfured a command of the market to the latter, of courfe reduced 

 the prices j and a great number of both cattle and flieep, that, un- 

 der different circumftances, would have remained for fupplying 

 fpring, being already killed, a fcarcity, coufequently an increafcd 

 of price, may aflu redly be expelled. 



Corn Markets, 

 There ha? been no want of grain for fufRciently fupplying\he 

 public m.arkets in every quarter, and prices have been abun- 

 dantly moderate, conlidering the market value of money, or, 

 which is the fame thing, its ability to difcharge rent, pay labour- 

 Y V V 2 eis. 



