150 
censuring the minister for his conduét 
respeciing the late loan. The resolutions’ 
were very ‘ably supported, but were re- 
jected by a considerable majority. 
On the 29th, another debate took 
place, in consequence of a motion made 
by Mr. Jekyll, censuring the minister 
for his conduct respecting some Ham- 
burgh bills employed in the late loan; 
but che motion was negatived. 
The same day, Sir John Shuckburgh 
Evelyn presented a petition from the 
executors of the late Mr. John Hunter, 
who, in his will, had directed the trustees 
therein appointed to offer to the British 
Government that invaluable museum and 
eolleétion of subjeéts in natural history, 
which he had made with such vast scien- 
titic knowledge, unceasing perseverance, 
and an expenditure of at least z0,oool— 
this government rejected it, it was 
then to be offered to any foreign govern- 
ment, and afterwards to private indi- 
viduals. ‘The petition was referred toa 
ieleét committee. 
On the first of March, the house re- 
solved itself into a committee on the high 
price of corn; when Mr. Lechmere 
gave notice that he intended-to submit to 
the house.a motion for more effeétually 
preventing the exportation of corn. The 
distresses of the poor, he said, occa- 
sioned by the enormous price of corn and 
flour, demanded an immediate remedy. 
The consolidation of small farms into 
large ones he considered as at the root of 
the mischief. It facilitated monopoly, 
and it tended to make the large farme r 
careless, or at least obliged him to de- 
pend too much on the fdelity: of hired 
Jabourers. Mr. Lechmere having stated, 
that it appeared, that large quantities 
of grain were cleared out for Jersey 
and Guernsey, and which were after- 
wards conveyed to France, Mr. Pitt ob- 
seryed, that he!was not aware of any 
exportation to Jersey or Guernsey hav- 
ing taken place toa greater amount than 
the 9,500 quarters limited by law. No 
more could be publicly exported, except 
for the use of his Majesty’s army or 
_navy; and he was convinced there was 
not much on that account. As to clan- 
destine exportations, he could say no- 
thing; but there had certainly been no 
want of vigilance on the part of govern- 
ment to prevent them. Every exertion 
had been made by government to ascer- 
tain the truth with respect to the nature 
of the scarcity, by making inquiries of the 
Lords Lieutenants of the different coun- 
a 
Britifp Parliament. 
{ March: 
ties. To have adopted any other mode of 
making inquiries, would have occastoned 
an alarm, which might have been dan- 
gerous; while at the same time there 
could be no certainty of coming nearer 
the truth. If the real quantity of wheat 
in this country were known, he was far 
from thinking that the price would be 
what it now is. He was; however, far 
from stating, that he believed the scarcity 
to be artificial. It appeared, from the re= 
turns which had been made, that though 
the crops of wheat had been deficient, yet 
those crops capable of affording a whole- 
some and nutritious substitute had been 
very abundant. He lamented as much as 
any one, that the poor should be abridged 
of any part of their comforts or subsist- 
ence; but he also much lamented that 
prejudice which prevented the intro- 
duétion of mixed bread among them.— 
‘Though averse toany compulsory means, 
he was sorry to hear gentlemen holding 
out that species of bread as improper 
food for the poor. It had already been 
proved in different parts of the country 
to be a very wholesome substitute for 
wheaten bread, and the use of it caused 
no discontent whatever. 
It did not appear to him, that there 
was any such deficiency of grain, as to 
render our stock in hand unlikely to hold 
out until next harvest—T hose who kept 
up their grain in the expeétation of high 
prices, he had reason to think, would 
be disappointed. He was, however, far 
from saying, that those persoms acted wil- 
fully for the injury of the country. He 
believed that they only meant to benefit 
themselves by making that use of their 
capital which appeared the most advan- 
tageous manner of disposing of it, and 
which it is, perhaps, for the general in- 
terest of society they should be at liberty 
to do. An alarm had been produced ; 
by increasing that alarm, the evil would 
be increased. Whenever alarm took 
_ place in any mercantile transaétion, the. 
general effeét was to produce that stag- 
nation which resembled scarcity. By 
dwelling continually on this subjeét, the 
prospeét of famine was held out to the 
country. The consequence was, that 
every place was inclined to lock up corn, 
and became jealous of every other. This, 
in the nature of things, was to be ex- 
pected, whenever there wasalarm. Gen- 
tlemen should take care that they did net 
do more harm than all the measures they 
roposed could do good. If they wouild 
EP at the trouble to look to the remedies 
. -- within 
