37 



in excess of the common supply in either of the 

 other quarters, and totally disproportionate to 

 the wants of the public. The purchases made by 

 the corn-merchant in this quarter always afford 

 him, therefore, a prospect of moderate profit by 

 re-sale in the home-markets in the ensuing 

 quarters; and thus, pursuing his own reason- 

 able advantage, he might again contribute to a 

 great national object, and a very desirable re- 

 sult, viz. the steadiness and uniformity of prices 

 in the markets. 



No cause but the act of Providence in a con- 

 tinuance of unfavourable seasons, is ever likely 

 again to advance the price to 80*.* It might not, 

 therefore, be objectionable to the farmer, that 

 the importation price should be lowered to 70s. 

 provided such alteration was accompanied by a 

 duty of 20*. graduated till it entirely ceased at 

 the price of 90*.; and provided the power of or- 

 dering the admission of foreign corn into the 

 ports of this kingdom, when the price exceeded 

 70*. was vested in the King in council; the par- 

 ticular ports at which alone that admission 



* According to the reports of the debates in Parliament 

 in the newspapers, Lord Liverpool stated in the House of 

 Lords on the 5th instant, that in the course of the last three 

 years, seven and a half millions of quarters, and during the 

 last nine months a million and a half of' quarters of corn, had 

 been imported into Great Britain from Ireland. 



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