iv PREFACE. 



lation, the attention of the two houses was forcibly 

 withdrawn by the urgent, and apparently unforeseen, 

 symptoms of suffering which broke out over the whole 

 face of the country, and in almost all classes of the 

 community. 



During the earlier part of the year, the distress had 

 appeared particularly confined to the agricultural la- 

 bourers, at least the evils pressing upon them were 

 those which had almost exclusively engaged the atten- 

 tion of the parliamentary speakers. But as the season 

 advanced, and an unusual inclemency of weather 

 brought with it the prospect of a general failure in the 

 harvests of Europe, and a rapid rise in the corn market, 

 much more serious distress burst forth among the ma- 

 nufacturing poor, who began to murmur that their re- 

 duced wages would no longer satisfy them with bread. 



By the sudden failure of the war-demand for a vast 

 variety of articles, which was not compensated as yet 

 by the recovery of any peace-market, foreign or domes- 

 tic, thousands of artisans were thrown out of employ- 

 ment, and reduced to a state of extreme want and pe- 

 nury. A detestable spirit of conspiracy which mani- 

 fested itself in the early part of the year in the counties 

 of Norfolk, Suffolk, Huntingdon, and Cambridge, di- 

 rected against houses, barns, and rick-yards, which 

 were devoted to the flames, was probably the result of 

 a want of agricultural employment, joined to the love 

 of plunder. But the distressing scenes which after- 

 wards took place amongst the colliers of Stafl'ordshire, 

 and the attempts made by the assembled workmen of 

 the iron manufacturing districts of South Wales, to 

 stop by force the working of the forges, arose from the 

 causes above referred to. In general, however, the 

 workmen conducted themselves without violence, and 

 received with gratitude the contributions made for 

 their relief. 



The general sense of suffering found vent through- 

 out the country in meetings called for the purpose of 



discussing 



