jiSl parliament. Corn bifl, Feb. t, 



not, perhaps, be surprised to see this permanent law be- 

 come one of the least stable that was ever enacted by the 

 Britilli parliament : But to people of simple understand- 

 ing, there seems to be something very absurd in all this. 



The bill was mentioned during the last parliament, and 

 a committee of privy council were ordered to investigate 

 the subject, and to report •, upon this they accordingly did 

 report, and that report having been publiihed, it was circu- 

 lated throughout the nation during the recefs of parlia- 

 ment, to prepare the minds of the people, in some mea- 

 sure, for the regulations that might be expected to flow 

 from the principles there aibumed. 



It would exceed our limits to give a detailed account of 

 all these principles ; but one, which seems to have inriuen- 

 ced the framers of the bill, through all its clauses, cannot 

 with propriety be here overlooked. It was afsumed as a. 

 fact, sutliciently demonstrated by the evidence produced, 

 that Britain does not at present produce a sufficient quan- 

 tity ^of corn to sustain its inhabitants ; and from this fact 

 they inferred, as an undeniable axiom, that Britain never 

 can hope to be able to produce enough to sustain its inha- 

 bitants, unlefs they fhould fall considerably Ihort of thejc 

 present numbers. And as it is hoped that it may be pof- 

 slble, in spite of foreign wars, multiplied colonies, plans 

 for plundering distant nations, or other motives foir 

 emigrations, equally powerful, that may at a future pe- 

 riod obtain the sanction of government, that our popula- 

 tion may not materially decrease, It hence follows, as aa 

 undeniable consequence, that in order to feed our people, it 

 will be indlspenslbly necefsary to import corn from foreign 

 parts in one way or another. Eut as these gentlemen al- 

 so found, that all the countries In Europe were nearly Iq 

 the same situation with ourselves, In respect to provisions, 

 and would have little or nothing to spare for us, they saw 

 no other pofsible resource than to apply to America for 

 aid, on whose bounty alone, we must in future depend for 

 our daily bread. On this reasoning as a basis, the impor- 

 tant businefs of regulating the Imports and exports of cora 

 was founded. 



In a matter of so much iipportance, as that of provldlngr 

 food for a whole people, it is not fit that the nation 

 Ihould blindly adopt the opinion of any set of men what- 

 ever J far lefs the opinions of men, who, from their ra^k-, 

 1 



