6 Ira Ryner 



IMPORTS OF WHEAT 



Years Quarters Years Quarters 



1S35 525,231 1S35 28,483 



1S26 315,892 1836 24,826 



1827 572,733 1837 244,087 



1828 842,050 1838 1,834,452 



1829 1,364,220 1839 .- 2,590,734 



1830 1,701,885 1840 2,389,732 



1831 1,499,631 1841 2,619,702 



18.32 325.435 1842 2,977,301 



1833 82,346 1843 982,286 



1834 64,653 1844 . . '. 1,026,690 



With the exception of the few years of extraordinarily abun- 

 dant harvests from 1832 to 1836, the distress arising from the 

 operation of the corn laws was growing. England was clearly 

 destined to become a commercial nation. The conflict over and 

 final abolition of these laws afforded evidence that an industrial 

 change was taking place. 



In France the movement for permanent investment was less 

 pronounced. This was due, perhaps, as Juglar contends, to the 

 lack of surplus capital resulting from the internal disorders in 

 which France found herself at this time. Nevertheless, accord- 

 ing to good authority, rapid changes were taking place here as 

 well as in England. Lavisse and Rambaud say : "C'est pendant 

 la periode qui s'etend de 181 5 a 1848 que s'accomplit en France 

 la substitution du regime de la grande Industrie au regime de 

 I'industrie domestique qui avait domine jusqu 'alors. L'applica- 

 tion, pendant les dernieres annees de I'empire des nouvelles in- 

 ventions mecaniques, importees de I'Angleterre, a la filature et 

 au tissage du coton, a marque les debuts de cette transforma- 

 tion."^ 



That cotton and woolen manufactures were booming is seen 

 by a glance at export statistics. From 1833 to 1840 the total 

 value of French exports increased by £10,000,000.- During the 

 same period the value of cotton exports increased by over £2,000,- 

 000 and that of woolen exports" by almost £1,000,000. Thus, 



'Lavisse et Rambaud, Histoire generale, X, 440. 

 ^Porter, Progress of the Nation, 411. 



148 



