HIGH PRICES a4I 



But in 1801 the same articles cost him : 



s. d. 

 A bushel of wheat 16 o 



malt .-*...... GO 



I Ib. of butter " r 



i Ib. of cheese 



Tobacco - j 



i 6 5 



His wages were now gs., and his allowance from the rates 

 6s., so that there was a deficiency of us. $d. 



The increase in the cost of living in the last thirty years is 

 further illustrated by the following table : 



1773- 1793- 1799- 1800. 



s. d. s. d. s . d. s. d. 



Coomb of malt. . 12 o 130 130 200 



Chaldron of coals .1116 206 260 2110 



Coomb of oats . 50 130 160110 



Load of hay . .220 4100 S5o 700 



Meat, per Ib. 4 5 7 o. 



Butter, 6 ii ii i 4 



Loaf sugar, per Ib. . 8 I o 13 14 



Poor rates, in the . I o 26 30 50 



It was again proposed by Mr. Whitbread in the House of 

 Commons that wages should be regulated by the price of 

 provisions, and a minimum wage fixed ; but there was 

 enough sense in the House to reject this return to obsolete 

 methods. 



After March, 1801, prices commenced to fall, owing to 

 a favourable season and the reopening of the Baltic ports, 

 which allowed imports to come in more freely, for most of 

 our foreign corn at this time came from Germany and 

 Denmark. At the end of the year wheat averaged j$s. 6d., 

 and with fair seasons it came down in the beginning of 1 804 

 to 495. 6d. Beef at Smithfield was from 4$. to 5^. 4,d. a stone, 



