Retrofpect of Domeftic Literature.—Pelitical Econonty. 
ef popular fury, againft a fet of men 
whofe guilt is far from being fufficiently 
eftablifhed to warrant fo general and dan- 
gerous a denunciation. 
Notwithfandingthe feafon of affliGion is, 
we hope,almof over,we cannot avoid notic- 
ing, though in acurfory manner, a few of 
thewery numerous pamphlets which appear- 
ed on the fubject of the high price of provi- 
fions. Lord SHEFFIELD has publifhed fome 
*« Remarks on the Deficiency of Grain, 
&c.’’ with an appendix, containing ac- 
counts of all corn imported and exported, 
with the prices; from 1697 to the roth 
ot October, 1800. His Lordthip has taken 
an enlarged and liberal view of the fub- 
ject, and attributes the high price of corn 
with more reafon on his fide than Mr, 
Girdler, rather to a real f{carcity of the 
article, than to any unfair accumulation 
of it in the hands of individuals. His 
Lordfhip is of opinion, that corn cannot 
be monopolized to any great and perma- 
nent extent in fuch a country as this: 
** to have monopolized (fays he,) only one 
month’s confunrption in this laft fummer, 
would have acquired a capital of nearly 
five millions fterlings.”” His Lordthip 
after tracing the nature, progrefs, and ex- 
tent of the fcarcity, proceeds in offering 
various meafures of relief. 
Though not connefted withthe fubject of 
fcarcity, the mention of Lord Sheffield’s 
name renders it not improper that we fliould 
ftate, in honour of the fame NobleLord, that 
he has written fome excellent “ Obferva- 
tions on the Objections made to the Ex- 
port of Wool from Great Britain to Ire- 
Jand.””. This fubje&t it is well known 
engaged his Lordfhip’s attention many 
years ago: the prefent pamphlet certainly 
demonttrates that he is mafter of it. 
Mr. WairuMan, a gentleman whofe 
abilities and political tenets are both well 
known, has endeavoured to-prove that the 
war in which we have fo long been un- 
happily engaged, is the real caufe of the 
{carcity, and the enormous high price of 
provifions, 
Mr. Parsons’s ‘Letter to a Member 
of the Britith Parliament onthe Abfurdity 
of Popular Prejudices,”’ is written with a 
great deal of liberality,and difplays much 
good fenfe: it is one of the benevolent ob- 
jeéts of this author, to ftem that torrent 
of obloquy which threatened fuch ferious 
confequences to farmers and -corn-faétors. 
an anonymous writer has publifhed 
fome admirable ‘* Hints for a Vindication 
of Monopoly, Foreftalling, and Regrating, 
&c.” The author of this very fenfible 
and ferious pamphlet, contends, like Lord 
a7 
Sheffield, that it is impoffible that the 
high price of provifions fhould be the ef- 
fect of monopoly and tegrating: * Dearth 
({fays he,) cannot be the offspring of thefe 
practices, becaufe, if the authors have any | 
intere{t in producing it, and a power to 
fecond that interelt, it is evident that 
dearth muft be eternal and unremitting.”* 
Various other topics are touched upon in 
this pamphlet, particularly the conduét of 
farmers, the expedience of advancing the 
wages of labor, the tendency of war to 
-increafethe fictitious capitalof the nation, 
and its general influence on the prices of 
provifions. 
Dr. ANDERSON, a gentleman whofe 
practical knowledge ofagriculture, united 
to his former fpeculations on fubjeéts 
connected with political economy, entitles 
him to attention, has inftituted ““A Calm 
Inveftigation of the Circumftances that 
have led to the Scarcity of Grain in Bri- 
tain, fuggetting the Means of Alleviating 
that Evil, and of preventing theRecurrence 
of {uch a Calamity in Future.’> Dr. An- 
derfon contends with frength of argument 
and facts of hiftory on his fide, that 
Great Britain has within itfelf the means 
of furnifhing produce fufficient for its po- 
pulation, From a reference to ancient 
hiftory, and to the hiftory of our own 
country in diftant times, it is contended, 
that fcarcity of provifions is not the con- 
fequence of encreafing population, but 
rather an evidence that population is de- 
clining: Egypt and Carthage, Rome 
and Sicily, Greece and Paleftine, each 
of which was more populous than Great 
Britain, imported not corn till the period 
of their utmoft population had pafled 
away: Britain, and the kingdoms of the 
Continent, now that they are become po- 
pulous, are lefs frequenily vifited with fa- 
mine than when the inhabitants were few. 
Spain, at the pericd when it boafted an 
immenfe population, had plenty ; now that 
it has loft two-thirds of its inhabitants, 
it is lefs bountitully fupplied than any of 
the adjoining ftates. Dr. Anderfon, in 
fhort, throwing afide, as inadequate or ir 
relevant, moft of thofe various caufes to 
which the high price of corn has been ge- 
nerally attributed, confiders the change 
which has taken place in the Corn Laws 
within the laf&t fifty years, co-operating 
with fome minor-ageuts, as affording a 
very adequate folution of the problem, 
Dr. Anderfon, in a former publication, 
had oppcefed by clofe reafoning Adam 
Smith’s doétrine of a free trade, and had 
contended that a well.regulated and effici- 
ent bounty on the «exportation, and duty 
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