OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 247 



Upon the fubjecl: of agricultural legiflation I have 

 only one obfervation to offer, that the fyftem of boun- 

 ties upon the exportation of grain, when under a cer* 

 tain price; of allowing it to be exported, when at a 

 certain price ; and a prohibition of export, with a 

 bounty on import, when above a certain price, feems 

 to have been one of the beft directed meafures ever 

 brought forward ; being equally calculated to fecure a 

 regular price to the farmer, and a conftant fupply to 

 the confumer. The fufpenfion of this act in the year 

 1 796, under the apprehenfion of ftarving ourfelves, by 

 fupplying England in that year of fcarcity to them, and 

 of plenty to us, gave a (hock to the farmers, that was 

 felt by every individual in the kingdom ; it prevented 

 us from taking the money of England, which we 

 wanted, in exchange for our grain, of which we had 

 more than enough, and obliged her to feck in foreign 

 countries for what fhe could have had at home. Surely 

 the corn laws were in themfelves fufficient to prevent 

 any artificial fcarcity ; for had the ports been open as 

 ufual, the competition would in a fhort time have raifed 

 grain above the exporting price, and would have fe- 

 cured.us a market for what we could fpare. AH new 

 laws of regulation are experiments ; where they fucceed 

 let them remain ; let them have the force of axioms in 

 the political code, until they are found from change of 

 circumfrances to be wrong ; then let them not be fuf- 

 pended but repealed. 



Agricultural 



