ic)0 parliament. Corn bill. Feb.ii 



two persons for a whole year. In this case, thetefore, 

 those fields, which at one period would have required a 

 ])undred acres to subsist one person, could now subsist 

 rwo hundred persons abundantly. This is a fact directly 

 ill point, and clearly proves the futility of the reasoning 

 that has been here adopted. 



It does not indeed seem that the gentlemen of the com- 

 mittee have reasoned with great consistency, even upon 

 their own principles, when they look towards America, 

 as the only pofsible preservative for the people of this 

 country. If they had reasoned justly, they fliould fir^ 

 have ascertained what is the present produce of that coun- 

 try, and how muCh of it can be spared ; now if it fliould, 

 upon this investigation, have appeared, that their spare 

 jjroduce did not exceed what would be sufficient to main- 

 tain 100,000 persons for a year, (and make this more or 

 lefs at pleasure, it alters not the case,) it would follow, that 

 if ever the population of America fliall increase to 100,000 

 more than at present, the spare produce would all be wanted 

 for themselves •, and that if it fliould increase to 200,000 

 beyond its present population, it would then also fall Ihoit 

 of food for its own people, and could of course spare no- 

 thing for Europe. What a deplorable state fliould we 

 then be all in ! War would then be a humane exercise, — 

 and we ihould be reduced to the necefsity of cutting each 

 others throats, out of charity and brotherly love. Was 

 it in this manner that the Austrians, Turks, and Rufsians 

 reasoned ? If so, we can no longer accuse them of barbarism. 

 It is probable these gentlemen did not reason thus :^ 

 •Pofsibly they concluded, that though America did not , 

 at present produce much more than enough for its own 

 people J yet it still was capable of improvement, and 

 miglit be made to produce more. All this is well ;— ^ 

 but why fliould America be the only country capable of 

 improvement ? It is wonderful to see that men of talents ' 

 ill other respects, fhould suffer themselves so easily to be- 

 come the dupes of their own prejudices, or the culleys of 

 artful prompters. 



Not only may ground be so much meliorated by human 

 industry, as to sustain many more than it can at present sup- 

 port ; but, what will appear more singular, when that in- 

 dustry is withdrawn; it will revert to its former steriUty, 



I 



