108 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



sistence. Every description of per- 

 sons paying to the poor-rates (par- 

 ticularly the least opulent house- 

 keepers, who feel the most heavily 

 the increased burden of that rate, 

 and the addition to their own nc- 

 cessaiy expenses, from the present 

 high price of provisions), Avill be 

 materially benefited in three ways: 

 first, in the diminution of the rate, 

 from a large proportion of the relief 

 being given in articles cheaper than 

 bread, on the price of which the 

 relief, if given wholly in money, 

 must be calculated. Secondly, in a 

 diminution in the amount of that 

 part of the relief which may still 

 be given in money, corresponding 

 to the reduction, which, as before 

 stated, the measure has a tendency 

 to produce in the article of bread. — 

 Thirdly, in the immediate eftect of 

 such reduction of price (as far as it 

 may take place) in diminishing the 

 expense of the necessary consump- 

 tion of their own families. 



On all these grounds your com- 

 mittee venture earnestly to recom- 

 mend this measure to the early and 

 favourable consideration of the 

 house. 



Your committee have thus sub- 

 mitted to the wisdom of the house 

 those measures which appear to 

 ihem to claim the most immediate 

 attention with a view to relief. — 

 They have, upon the whole, the 

 satisfaction of being persuaded, after 

 a deliberate review of the defici- 

 ency in the supply (arising both 

 from the exhausted state of the 

 stock of the former harvest and the 

 partial failure of the last crop,) com- 

 pared with the various resources 

 which have been already pointed 

 out, that if the measures of eco- 

 nomy which they have so strongly 

 recoraniended are generally adopt- 



ed, the saving thereby produced, 

 together with the extensive supply 

 expected from abroad, will be fully 

 sufficieirt to compensate for such de- 

 ficiency and to provide for the 

 necessary demand of the year. 



Amongst the subjects which press 

 upon the consideration of your com- 

 mittee, is the state of the law re- 

 specting the commerce of grain. It 

 is evidently a matter of the greatest 

 delicacy and difficulty ; and your 

 committee think they cannot better 

 discharge their duty than by taking 

 it up in the temper recommended to 

 parliament by that part of his ma- 

 jesty's speech which has been refer- 

 red to them by the house. 



In their farther proceedings your 

 committee will give their most 

 earnest attention to the discussion 

 of every proposal which has for its 

 object the relief of the present pres- 

 sure, or the prevention (as far as 

 possible) of its recurrence; and will 

 submit, from time to time, to the 

 judgement of the house, whatever 

 appears to them most likely to at- 

 tain those desirable ends. 



Second Report of the Committee of 

 the HoHxe of Commons on the 

 present Scarcit/j of Corn. 



The committee appointed tocon- 

 sider of the present high price of 

 provisions, and to whom so much of 

 his majesty's most gracious speech 

 from the throne to both houses of 

 parliament as relates thereto; and 

 also the several petitions presented 

 to the house complaining of the 

 high price of provisions ; were re- 

 ferred : 



Have, in conformity with the 

 principles stated in their former 

 report, coutinued to employ them^ 



