GENERAL HISTORY. 



[:27 



kingdom has a private concern. 

 It had long been a topic incident- 

 ally touclied upon in parliamentary 

 discussions, when, on March 7th, 

 Mr. H^estern, member for Essex, 

 rose, pursuant to notice, to move 

 that the House resolve itself into 

 a committee of the nhole House 

 to take into consideration the dis- 

 tressed state of the Agriculture 

 of the United Kingdom. In his 

 introductory speech the hon. 

 member said, "Between two and 

 three years ago agriculture «as 

 in a flourishing and prosjjorous 

 state, and yet, within the shoit 

 period which has since elaj)sed, 

 thousands have been already ruin- 

 ed, and destruction seems to im- 

 pend over the property of all those 

 wh(jse capital is engaged in the 

 cultivation of the soil. From 

 what causes have such events 

 arisen ? Are thev efTecti of ex- 

 cessive tiUcition, of the enormous 

 amount of the national debt ? Are 

 they tlie consecpiences of our ex- 

 tensive pajier circulation, which 

 now appears to have been in u 

 great measure withdrawn ? Are 

 they occasioned by the pressure of 

 the tithe, or the severe burthen 

 of the puur rate ? I liave no hesi- 

 tation in saying that it is not to 

 one or two, but to a combination 

 of all these causes, that we are to 

 attribute our distresses." The 

 hon. gentleman then entered into 

 a detailed consideration of cir- 

 cumstances connected witli the 

 heads above enumerated, \^hich 

 is not capable of al)ridgment, Init 

 which led tiie way to the follow- 

 ing set of resolutions read by him 

 t<^4he House, and which it will 

 be useful to transcribe, as afford- 

 ing a distinct view of the le;uling 

 ideas entertained by the landed 

 interest in this critical emergenfcy. 



1 . Tlrat the portion of the com-< 

 munity whose capitals are en- 

 gaged in agriculture, as well as 

 those numerous classes whose 

 employment depends thereon, are 

 at present suffering imder unex- 

 ampled distress. 



2. That the continuanceof such 

 distress is fraught with extreme 

 danger to the most important in- 

 terests of the country. 



3. That the demand for the ex- 

 tended produce of our agriculture 

 is, at this time, insufficient to 

 produce that price Avhich is ne- 

 cessary to cover tl'.e hea\y charges 

 and burthens upon it. 



4. Tliat the demand f(ji- barley 

 has been vei j materially reduced 

 by the excessive iluties to which it 

 is subjected in ihe course of the 

 various operations whicli adapt it 

 to the use of the consumer. 



f). That the continuance of 

 those duties during- peace, when 

 the facility of smuggling is so 

 much increased^ cannot fail to 

 injure the home manufacture of 

 spirits, which must still farther 

 diminish the demand for bar- 

 ley. 



6. That it is therefore neces- 

 sary to reduce the duties on malt, 

 Ijcer, and spirits. 



7. That in order to equalize 

 the supply of grain, and promote 

 its cultivation, it is desirable that 

 an appro[)riation slioidtl l)e made 

 fioin tlie extia produce of aiiun- 

 dnnt harvests to supply the defi- 

 ciency of seasons less favourable, 



5. That the admission of fo- 

 )-eign corn to be \^ arehoused, pre- 

 vents such ajiplication of our own 

 occasional abundance, and as- 

 signs to foreign .agricultiu'c the 

 formation of those stores, which 

 might otherwise be created from 

 the produce of our own. 



9. That 



