APPENDIX to the CHRONICLE. 141 



Official Letter from the Duke of 

 Portland to the Lord-Lteutetiant 

 of the County of Oxford. 



Whitehall, Sept. 29, 1800. 

 My lord, 

 I have had the honour to receive 

 your grace's letter of the 25th in- 

 stant, and am very glad to find that 

 the disposition to riot at Witney has 

 been suppressed, and that all is quiet 

 there for the present. I cannot, 

 however, advert to the cause to 

 which your grace is of opinion that 

 this event may be ascribed, and to 

 the consequence which you seem to 

 think would follow the removal of 

 the troops which have been sent 

 into Oxfordshire, without partici- 

 pating in your apprehensions, so far 

 as to assure your grace, that none of 

 them wlU be withdrawn, until you 

 are entirely satisfied that no part 

 either of the county or city of Ox- 

 ford is any longer exposed to the 

 risk of suffering from the effect of 

 popular tumult. But notwithstand- 

 ing these precautions, and all the 

 extent of the military and civil 

 power which is now placed at your 

 grace's disposal, considering the 

 state of the. county, your grace will 

 give me leave to represent to you 

 the necessity, which I am persuaded 

 there must be, for the exertion of 

 all your great influence and autho- 

 rity to combat and counteract the 

 prejudices which have operated no 

 less powerfully than unfortunately, 

 in disposing a very large part of the 

 community to believe that the late 

 scarcity was artificial, and has been 

 owing to the views and specula- 

 tions of certain interested and rapa- 

 cious men, who take advantage of 

 the difficulties and distresses of the 

 times to enrich themselves at the 

 expense of the public. Your grace 



need not be reminded of the cir- 

 cumstances of the last year's har- 

 vest, and of the unfavourable state 

 of the ground at the time of sowing 

 wheat, to account for the dearness 

 of that article, and indeed of every 

 other sort of grain, and of all pro- 

 visions in general ; and although 

 the quantity of corn which has been 

 imported has far exceeded the most 

 sanguine expectations, neither in 

 that respect, nor in quality, does it, 

 or can it ever compensate for the 

 deficiency which was and will be 

 occasioned by such a season as that 

 of last year ; nor would it have the 

 effect which must be hoped to be 

 derived from it, was it to be brought 

 without reserve to market, in the 

 same quantities in which it is land- 

 ed ; for, from the best information 

 that can be obtained of the state of 

 thisyear's crop throughout the king- 

 dom, I am sorry to say, that, ac- 

 cording to the most sanguine esti- 

 matiort, the produce of it is not 

 likely to amount to more than three- 

 fourths of an average crop ; and it 

 is thought by many that it will not 

 exceed three-fifths. But be the 

 amount what it may, it is, I fear, 

 but too well ascertained, that the 

 whole produce of the grain, in the 

 best of years, is not equal to the an- 

 nual consumption of the country. I 

 need not ask your grace what must 

 be the consequence of suffering the 

 doctrines which have of late been so 

 unhappily received against the 

 growers of corn, and dealers in that 

 commodity, to prevail, or of their 

 not being discountenanced by every 

 possible means that can be employed 

 for that purpose ; and it must be 

 too evident, that it is indispensably 

 necessary, without loss of time, or 

 being influenced by any other con- 

 sideration, to counteract and expose 



