HISTORY OF EUROPE. [131 



closures had been going on rapid- 

 ly, and that, though agriculture, 

 through the exertions of the board 

 and other means, had been improv- 

 ing, the increase of population had 

 outrun them. Lord Hawkesbury 

 concluded his speech with a high 

 encomium on the liberality which 

 the rich had displayed in alleviating 

 the distress, and in supplying the 

 wants of the poor, and also in the 

 poor for their becoming conduct ; 

 and moved, " That the chairman 

 be directed to report, that it was 

 the opinion of that committee, that 

 leave be granted to bring in a bill 

 to prohibit bakers from exposing 

 any bread for sale, which had not 

 been baked a certain number of 

 hours." 



Mr. Hobhouse did not rise to op- 

 pose the motion, but to express his 

 joy that the subject had been taken 

 into consideration. It would have 

 been better for the country, had it 

 received an earlier attention, and 

 employed some of the time wasted 

 in a long adjournment ; for it was 

 known long since that the harvest 

 had failed, and that scarcity must 

 ensue. He was ready to admit that 

 the scarcity was to be attributed 

 principally to the deficiency of 

 crops ; but he insisted that the war 

 not only increased consumption, but 

 cut off some of the means of supply, 

 by shutting many of the ports of 

 Europe against us, namely, the ports 

 of Holland, Flanders, and France; 

 and rendered every article of im- 

 port dearer, by the advanced price 

 of freight and insurance. In these 

 respects^ as well as many others, 

 the war, stated by some politicians 

 to bring with it so many blessings, 

 because agriculture and commerce 

 had increased in great and equal 



proportions, was, indeed, most ca- 

 lamitous. It pressed heavily on the 

 lower classes, by raising the price 

 of that first necessary of life, upon 

 which they almost entirelysubsisted. 

 With respect to the proposed re- 

 medy against the existing evil, 

 Mr. Hobhouse approved it as far as 

 it went, and was glad to hear that 

 some others were in contemplation. 

 He thought, however, that little 

 could be expected from positive 

 laws, and that more was to be done 

 by exhortation, by example, and by 

 charity properly distributed. He 

 had no doubt but that the gentle- 

 men whom he now addressed, and 

 the affluent among aU ranks, would 

 exert themselves on the present 

 trying occasion. It was the duty of 

 every one to strive to alleviate the 

 distresses of the poor. He would 

 himself make every effort for that 

 purpose. 



Mr. W. Bird thought it little 

 better than a mockery to find the 

 noble lord Hawkesbury, in the name 

 of the committee, merely recom- 

 mending the use of stale bread, and 

 that the rich should not distribute 

 their charity to the poor in bread. 

 For his part, it was not the poor 

 whom he wished to see deprived of 

 the use of bread, but would rather 

 recommend a saving in that article 

 to the rich, who abounded in va- 

 rious superfluities. Let the rich 

 but deny themselves this supply 

 for a month or two, and they 

 would serve the poor effectually, 

 and bring down the blessings of 

 thousands upon them. 



In the conversation that was con- 

 tinued on this subject, Mr. Sylvester 

 Douglas illustrated the propriety of 

 the conduct of the committee, of the 

 tenth of February, of which he was 



CK2] 



