B O U 



tlic farmer cannot be fure of obtaining, even in tlie home 

 market, a fair and reafonable profit. By thofe who have 

 difapproved this meafure, and who, adopting the general 

 principles of Dr. Smith, are adverfe to a bounty, it lias 

 been alleged, that, like other forts of trade, tiiat of the 

 farmer is liable occafionally to the fpirit of overtrading, if 

 profits for a time have happened to be greater tlian ordi- 

 nary. The late years of dearth and mofl; extraordinary 

 price, they iay, rendered the profits of farming, for the time, 

 much greater than ordinary : and tiie confeqiitnce appears 

 to have been a pretty free indulgence of the difpolltion to 

 trade too much, and to cuter into projedls difproportioncd 

 to the capital that would immediately be invefted. In many 

 inftances, where farmers came to make a new agreement 

 about rent, they reckoned too confidently upon the conti- 

 nuance of prices which they ought to have confidered as 

 unufual ; and made the ellimato of their future returns too 

 much upon the recent rate of profit, and not upon an ave- 

 rage fufficiently and reafonably large. Like other improvi- 

 dent fpeculators, they were, ofcourie, to fuffer for their want 

 of forefight, as loon as prices and profit returned to their or- 

 dinary rate. Hence it has happened, that tliofe farmers who 

 had overtraded, and who found it difficult to make good their 

 imprudent engagements, found it almoll as eafy to perfuadc 

 other perfons as themlelves, that prices are much too low. 

 Their landlords, in particular, are not the perfons moll likely 

 to difcover that prices are not too low, but rents a little too 

 high ; and tliey may honellly find it fomewhat difficult to 

 be convinced, that the embarratTment of their tenants is 

 owing to that local caufe, and not to fomething that affects 

 the general condition of the country. To this purpofe, it 

 is faid, in a pamphlet by a member of parliament, entitled, 

 " Curfory Obfervations on the aft for afcertaining the boun- 

 ties, S:c." 1S04, that " times, unfortunate in other refpefts, 

 impreffed on tillage a renovated vigour ; a vigour which the 

 principles of this aft, and thofe alone, are able to fullain." 

 By this ftatute it was enafted, that, from and after No- 

 vember the 15th, iiSo4, fo much of the llatute ,) i G;o. III. 

 c. -JO. as regulates the prices at which Britiffi corn, grain, 

 malt, meal, flour, and bileuit, may be -exported, except to 

 Ireland, and at which foreign corn, grain, meal, and flour, 

 may be imported, except from Ireland, and as fixes the du- 

 ties and bounties payable thereon, fliall be repealed. By this 

 ftatute it is farther enatted, that the importation and ex- 

 portation of corn, into and from England and Wales, fliall be 

 regulated by the average price of the twelve maritime dif- 

 trifts ; and into or from Scotland, by the average price of tlie 

 four dillrifts in Scotland ; andthat the bounties and duties ffiall 

 be regulated by fchedulcs, annexed to this aft ; that when- 

 ever tlie average ihall be under the prices at which corn may 

 be importable into Great Britain and Ireland, on the low 

 duties from foreign parts, exportation fliall be allowed from 

 Great Britain to Ireland, Sec. ; and that the importation and 

 exportation of corn, into and from Ireland, fliall be regulated 

 by fchedules, annexed to this aft. The firll fchedule fliews 

 the prices to which ^^lie fcale of bounty is to attach on the 

 export of corn, &c. and the prices at which the exportation 

 is prohibited. By tliis fchedule, wheat may be exported, 

 when at or under 4SS. per quarter, with a bounty of 5s.; 

 rye, at or under 323. with a bounty of ;;s. ; peafe and beans 

 are exportable without a bounty, till at or under ; /js. ; 

 barlev, beer, or bigg, or malt made of barley, beer, or bigg, 

 may be exported at or under 28s. with a bounty of 2s. 6d. ; 

 oats, at or under i6s. with a bounty ot 2s. ; wheat flour, 

 bifcuit, &c. with a bounty of is. 6d. per cwt. ; wheat meal, 

 with a bounty of ts. :jd. per cwt.; barley, beer, or bigg 

 meal, with a bounty ot lod. per cwt. ; and oatmeal, with a 



B O U 



bounty of IJ. per cwt. But when the prite of wheat ex- 

 ceeds y+s. that of rye ,i$i. that of peafe and beana 351, 

 that of barley, beer, or bigg, or malt made of them, .^tS. 

 and th-.it of oats lijs., no CKport is allowable. The fceontl 

 fchedule fliews the prices, according to which higli or low 

 duties are to take place on importation. When impiirted 

 from tU- province of Q^ncbee, or the other coloiiieb or plan- 

 tations in North America, wheat under j ;s. per quarter it 

 fubjeft to the high duty of 24s. 3d. per quarter t »t or 

 above 5.JS. but under 56s. to the firll low duty of .'i. cd.; 

 and at or above ^fn. to the fecond low duty ..f ftd. ; rvo, 

 peafe, and beans, under 35s. per quarter, are Uibjcft to tlir 

 In'gh duty of 22s.; at or above 3 ys. but under. 573. !» ilic 

 firll low duty of is. M.; and at or above .^/S. to the kcond 

 low duty of 3d. ; barley, beer, or bigg, under 26s. art uibjeC^ 

 to the high duty of 22s.; at or abi.vc 26s. but under ifi-. 

 to the firll low duty of is. 3d.; and at or above 2Ss. to the 

 fecond low duty of ;d. ; oats under 17?. pay the high duty 

 of 63. 7d. ; at or above 17s. but under 1 8s. the t:rll lov/ 

 duty of IS.; and at or above iHs. the fecond low duty o.» 

 2d.; oatmeal, if under ifis. 6d. per boll of 140 lbs. avoir- 

 dupoife, or i 2«S lbs. Scotch troy, is fubjeft, for every boll, 

 to the high duty of 8s.; at or above i6s. 6d. per boll, bnt 

 under 17s. 4d. to the firll low duty of is. ; and at or above 

 17s. 4d. per boll, to the lecond low duty of ;d. When im- 

 ported from any other foreign country, wheat under f)^s, per 

 quarter, pays the high duty of 24s. 3d.; at or above 635. 

 but under 6f>s. the firll low duty of 2S. 6d. ; and at or above 

 66s. the fecond low duty of ("id.; rye, peate, and beans, 

 under 42s. pay the high duty of 22s.; at or above 42s. but 

 under 44s. the firll low duty of is. 6d. ; and at or above 448. 

 the fecond low duty of 3d. ; barley, beer, or bigg, under 

 31S. 6d. pays the high duty of 22s.; at or above .Jis. ^d. 

 but under ;;s. the firll low duty of is. 3d.; and at or above 

 3,;s. the fecond low duty of ,;d.; oats under 21s. pav the 

 high duty of 6s. 7d. ; at or above 2is. but under 22s. the 

 firll low duty of is.; and at or above 22s. the fecoiid loiv 

 duty of 2d.; oatmeal under 23s. per boll pays the high duty 

 of 8s. ; at or above 20s. but under 2 1 s. the firll lo\>- duty of 

 is.; and at or above 21s. the fecond low duty off'id. The 

 third fchedule fliews the ])rices to wliieii the fcale of bounty 

 attaches on the export ol corn, ground corn, flour or meal, 

 malt, Sec. from Ireland, and the prices at which the exporta- 

 tion is prohibited. When exported to any foreign country, 

 wheat, at or under 2ys. yd. per barrel, Britilh, is allowed 

 a bounty of 33.; rye, and alio peafe and bean^, at or under 

 20s. 4d. a bounty of is. lod.; barley, beer, or bigg, or malt 

 made of thefe, at or under i6s. a bounty of is. '^d.; oat*, 

 at or under 103. 2d. a bounty of is. jd.; wheat, flour, bif- 

 cuit, &c. a bounty of is. 6d.per cwt.; wheat meal, ts. 3d. 

 per ditto; rye meal or flour, yd. per ditto; barley, beer, or 

 bigg flour, lod. per ditto; and oatmeal, is. per ditto. 

 When the price of wheat exceeds 33s. id. per barrel, Bri- 

 tilh; of rye, peafe, and beans, 22s. id.; of barley, beer, 

 bijTg, or malt made of them, 17s. 8d.; and of oats, J2s.jd.; 

 no exportation is allowed. The fourth fohedule fliews the 

 prices, according to which the high or low duties arc to take 

 place on importation into Ireland ; tor which, and other par. 

 ticulars, we refer to the aet itielf. 



Bounty, Qjian ^Imu'.!, for augmenting poor livings under 

 'ol. per annum, confills of the produce of the firll fruits and 

 tciichs, alter the charges and puifions payable out of the 

 fame are defrayed. A corponitioii for management of the 

 fame was fettled, &c. in 1704. See Augmi.ntation and 

 First i'Rurrs. 



By flat. 44 Geo. III. c. 2. the fum of 8000I. was granted 

 out of the confolidoled fund to the governors of queci 



S 2 Anne '5 



