STATE PAPERS. 



371 



vails throughout so large a portion 

 of Europe, that the war in which 

 the allied powers are engaged 

 against the ruler of France is a war 

 of necessity; and that his views of 

 universal dominion can only be 

 defeated by combined and deter- 

 mined resistance. 



The public spirit and national 

 enthusiasm, which have successive- 

 ly accomplished the deliverance of 

 the kingdoms of Spain and Portu- 

 gal, and of the Russian empire, 

 now equally animate the German 

 people ; and we may justly enter- 

 tain the fullest confidence that the 

 same perseverance on their part 

 will ultimately lead to the same 

 glorious result. 



I cannot but deplore most deep- 

 ly the continuance of tliis extended 

 warfare, and of all those miseries 

 which the insatiable ambition of 

 the ruler of France has so long in- 

 flicted upon Europe. 



No disposition to require from 

 France sacrifices of any description 

 inconsistent with her honour or 

 just pretensions as a nation, will 

 ever be on my part, or on that of 

 his majesty's allies, an obstacle to 

 peace. The restoration of that 

 great blessing, upon principles of 

 justice and equality, has never 

 ceased to be my anxious wish ; 

 but I am fully convinced that it 

 can only be obtained by a continu- 

 ance of those efforts which have 

 already delivered so large a part of 

 Europe from the power of the 

 enemy. 



To the firmness and perseverance 

 of this country these advantages 

 may, in a great degree, be ascrib- 

 ed. Let this consideration animate 

 US to new exertions, and we shall 

 thus, I trust, be enabled to bring 

 thii long and arduous contest to a 



conclusion which will be consistent 

 with the independence of all the 

 nations engaged in it, and with 

 the general security of Europe. 



Report on the Corn Trade. 



The select committee of the 

 House of Commons, appointed to 

 examine into the state of the corn 

 trade, have reported, that during 

 the last 21 years, the sum of 

 58,634,135/. has been paid for 

 foreign corn imported into Great 

 Britain ; and that the average 

 price of the quarter of wheat, for 

 that period, has been lis. 2d. and 

 for the last four years, 105s. 5d. 

 This naturally directed their at- 

 tention to the mode in which this 

 dependence on foreign countries 

 might be best removed ; and upon 

 addressing inquiries to the Board 

 of Agriculture in England, and the 

 Farming Society of Ireland, they 

 learned, that a great increase of 

 tillage had taken place in both 

 countries during the last ten years, 

 though much still remained to be 

 done. 



The import of corn into this 

 country from Ireland, had, how- 

 ever, received an astonishing in- 

 crease, and during the last five 

 years, constituted one-third of the 

 whole importation, while in some 

 preceding years, it had not equalled 

 one-sevtnth of the whole. The 

 value of Irish corn imported into 

 this country during the last five 

 years, was 6,507,884/. On the 

 resources to be derived from Ire- 

 land, the committee observe as 

 follows: — 



«< The evidence of several per- 

 sons well acquainted with Ireland, 

 concurs in proving, that its tillage 

 has of late years increased very 



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