HISTORY OF EUROPE. [135 



trusted he had proved, founded on 

 fact, but if, on the contrary, the de- 

 ficiencies of the crop of the last year 

 was neither so great, nor the surplus 

 of that of the preceding year so 

 inconsiderable as had been stated ; 

 if, on the contrary, there was rea- 

 sonable ground to believe that there 

 was wheat enough in hand to sup- 

 ply the country till next harvest, 

 it was difficult to express, in terms 

 sufficiently strong, his opinion of 

 those who lightly, and without 

 sufficient jiroof, brought forward to 

 public view the hideous spectre of 

 famine, wliich they fancied to be 

 approaching, and by sounding their 

 boasted trumpet of alarm, proclaim 

 to the people of England, that, as 

 much as they might now suffer by 

 the high price of bread, they must 

 soon ex])ect to suffer much more, 

 and probably have none to eat. 



The corn and bread committee 

 of the house of commons, on the 

 sixth of March, stated to the house, 

 that since their last report, they had 

 received additional information re- 

 specting the deficiency of the late 

 crops of grain in many parts of the 

 country, particularly in Scotland ; 

 the result of which had impressed 

 them with the propriety of suggest- 

 ing such methods as appeared to 

 them to be most effectual for dimi- 

 nishing the consumption of corn, 

 for encouraging the importation 

 from abroad, and for bringing into 

 extensive use, such substitutes as 

 might supply the place of it. The 

 points to which they called the atten- 

 tion of the house wore these : first, 

 the expediency of giving a bounty to 

 encourage the importation of corn 

 from the Mediterranean and Ame- 

 rica : second, the propriety of in- 

 dividuals reducing tlic consumption 

 of flour iu their families: third. 



the propriety of subjecting millers 

 to some new regulations: fourth, 

 the adoption of anew table of assize: 

 fifth, the encouragement of the 

 use of rice and Indian corn: sixth, 

 the encouragement of the growth 

 of potatoes and other useful vege- 

 tables: seventh, the expediency of 

 procuring a considerable supply of 

 food from the fisheries : eighth, 

 the expediency of stopping the 

 distilleries. It was resolved, by the 

 house, to grant bounties on the 

 importation of grain, not only from 

 America and the Mediterranean, 

 but, on the suggestion of Mr. Sa- 

 muel Thornton, from the Baltic; to 

 compel millers to grind the sorts of 

 flour necessary for making brown 

 bread, at a reasonable rate; to 

 grant bounties to our fisheries; and 

 to take off" the duty on the impor- 

 tation of Swedish herrings; and to 

 stop, for a limited time, the distil- 

 leries. The miller was to take out 

 an annual licence, which was to be 

 obtained for a small sum of money, 

 and inspectors were to be appointed. 

 He was to be bound to grind corn 

 without delay. The price of grind- 

 ing com was to be regulated by 

 the justices. By this bUl the poor 

 would be protected, and secured 

 from much imposition, which, in a 

 great variety of instances, had taken 

 place, to their great oppression. 

 The resolutions of the house of 

 commons, on these four points, of 

 encouragement to the importation 

 of grain, and fish, regulating inills 

 and stopping distilleries were quick- 

 ly passed into laws. As totlie reso- 

 lution for regulating the price and 

 assize of bread, from which little 

 was to be expected towards the 

 relief of the present pressure, it 

 was thought proper, after due con- 

 sideration, to defer that mutter to 



