GENERAL HISTORY. 



[93 



natcly, the mass of discordant 

 matter communicated to the com- 

 mittee in the progress of inciuiry, 

 so much retarded any parliamen- 

 tary determination respecting the 

 resolutions, that no alteration in 

 the law had taken place, when a 

 change of circumstances had given 

 a very different idea of the state 

 of the country. An uncommon 

 inclemency of the seasons as tiie 

 year advanced, presented such 

 gloomy prospects for the approach- 

 ing harvest, that the price of 

 corn began to rise ; and instead 

 of apprehensions, that the stores 

 in the farmers' granaries would 

 rot unconsuraed, or become mere 

 drugs in tlie markets, the alarm 

 of scarcity now took its turn. 

 This fear was too well verified by 

 the event ; for the years produce 

 of giain ])roved so deficient in 

 quantity, and inferior in quality, 

 that, after harvest, the jjiice ra- 

 pidly ascended beyond the point 

 at which the ports were open for 

 importation ; and the dearth ex- 

 tending througli most of the 

 countries of Europe, anxious looks 

 were cast towards those quarters 

 whence foreign supplies might 

 be procured in aid of our boasted 

 home resources. Distiess now 

 ajjpeared among tiie cultivators 

 of the land, in a different shape ; 

 and the complaints were of scanty 

 and ruined crops, and the i)oor in 

 danger of starving. Before tlie 

 year closed, riots broke out in 

 some parts, occasioned by the 

 sudden rise of the markets, but 

 they were no more than transient 

 disturbances. It may, however, 

 be hoped, that the remainder of 

 the former harvest, togetlier with 

 sucii importiitions as may always 

 be commanded by superior capi- 



tal, will waid off any extremity of 

 want ; yet a high price of the ne- 

 cessaries of life will continue to 

 aggra\'ate the general calamity 

 till a return of plenty. 



The discontents among the in- 

 feiioi' ranks of people, occasioned 

 by the want of regular employ- 

 ment, antl by reduced wages, first 

 began to assume a menacing ap- 

 pearance in the counties of Nor- 

 folk, Suffolk, Huntingdon, and 

 Cambridge ; \\ here nightly as- 

 semblages were held, threatening 

 letters Avere sent, and houses, 

 barns, and rick-yards were set on 

 fire, displaying melancholy proofs 

 of th.e degradation of national 

 character produced by long dis- 

 tress, and an interruption of the 

 usual habits of industry. Many 

 articles will be found in our 

 Chronicle, relative to these un- 

 happy incidents ; of which the 

 most remarkable was a kind of 

 oi'ganized insurrection in the Isle 

 of Ely, which was not su])pressed 

 witliouta strong hand, and which 

 terminated in the trial of a large 

 numljer of criminals by a special 

 conmiission, several of whom paid 

 with their lives their daring at- 

 tacks upon the peace of society. 



The distresses arising fiom the 

 stagnation of manufactures were 

 no where more severely felt than 

 in those districts which had been 

 rendered populous and flourish- 

 ing by the numerous brandies of 

 the iion trade, several of which 

 derived a large share of their de- 

 mand from the consumption of 

 war. Many great works of this 

 class vv'ere suddenly put to a stop, 

 with the effect of throwing en- 

 tirely out of employment the la- 

 bourers of different kinds, vvlio 

 had been engaged in them. The 



southern 



