128 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



for general relief, only by the unin- 

 terrupted circulation and unchecked 

 activity of commerce, and by the 

 zeal and energy which may be em- 

 ployed, by different classes of the 

 community in promoting, accord- 

 ing to their respective means, an 

 object of such general concern. 



I'irst Report from the Lords' Com- 

 mittees on the present Scarcity/ of 

 Corn. 



The lords' committees to whom it 

 was referred to consider so much of 

 his majesty's speech, at the opening 

 of the present session, as relates to 

 the high price of provisions, and to 

 whom has since been referred the 

 consideration of a message from the 

 house of commons, relative to the 

 same subject : — 



Have agreed to report to the 

 house, that since their appointment 

 they have proceeded with all possi- 

 ble diligence to inquire into such 

 particulars as theyjudged might be 

 most worthy of the attention and 

 consideration of the house, with re- 

 spect to the matter referred to them. 



They have more particularly ap- 

 plied themselves to ascertain the ac- 

 tual state of the kingdom in respect 

 to the productiveness of the late 

 harvest, and to the stock of grain 

 which may be supposed to be now 

 in hand; which inquiry they have 

 pursued by the examination of per- 

 sons best acquainted with the situa- 

 tion of different parts of the coun- 

 try in this respect ; being satisfied 

 that any attempt at moreminute in- 

 vestigation, or actual survey, would 

 be inconvenient in practice, and 

 probably in its result very little 

 satisfactory. 



As this course of inquiry is as yet 



by no means completed, the lords' 

 committees do not think it right for 

 them to offer to the house any pre- 

 cise opinions as to the probable 

 amount of the deficiency, grounded 

 on such information as they have 

 hitherto received. 



But the lords' committees do by 

 no means think it advisable to delay 

 any measures of immediate relief for 

 the purpose of previously completing 

 the inquiry in which they are en- 

 cased. 



Whatever judgement may ulti- 

 mately be formed respecting the 

 amount of the deficiency of the last 

 harvest, it is certain that the stock 

 of old grain was almost entirely ex- 

 hausted at the beginning of the au- 

 tumn, and that the produce of the 

 present year was therefore begun to 

 be consumed almost as soon as it 

 was harvested, and at least two or 

 three months earlier than is usual. 



This vie w of the subject has there- 

 fore already sufficiently convinced 

 the committee of the pressing ne- 

 cessity both of giving due encou- 

 ragement to early importation, and 

 of adopting all practicable economy 

 in the consumption of grain during 

 the present year; and they have 

 unanimously agreed to recommend 

 to this house, that, in addition to 

 the bills which have already passed, 

 or are now in the course of passing 

 through the house, for restraining 

 the export, and encouraging the im- 

 port of the different sorts of grain, 

 and for preventing their being ap- 

 plied to other purposes than those 

 of food, this house should also con- 

 cur with the other house in their 

 proposed address to his majesty. 



■The lords' committees trust that 

 the proclamation which his majesty 

 is there requested to issue, may pro- 

 bably engage the serious attention 



