On Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Inquiries.

Mr. Bee,

9 Dempster liq

I HAVE feen a fpecimen of Sir John Sinclair's collection of statistical obfervations. The clergy to whom Sir John has judiciously applied, feem to enter into the fpirit of this undertaking. They will thereby immortalize themselves, and the age in which they and we live. It is obvious no book of equal information and curiofity has appeared in Great Britain fince Doomsdaybook; and none fuch has ever appeared in this end of the island. It is a work, the value of which will increase with time. It will be reforted to by every future statesman, philosopher, and divine, and will afford ample and authentic facts, as a bafis for their speculations. I obferve, however, the Reverend Gentlemen who have given us the account of the four parishes published in this specimen, have all overlooked a material piece of information; the perfonal fervices performed by the tenants and fub-tenants in their parishes. If it be true that no eftate has attained any confiderable degree of improvement, till these remains of feudality have been abolished, or at leaft very much circumfcribed, and accurately defined; if it be true that perfonal fervices, and extreme poverty among the labouring people, are obferved to be infeparably united; it cannot but be interefting to know their extent in Scotland, and alfo the effect of abolishing them. The omiffion of this information does not appear to be the fault of the clergy; for in the printed queries tranfmitted to them, I do not obferve that this forms one of the number. Luckily it is not too late to fup

ply this defect. By means of your paper, the clergy may still be informed, that an account of the personal fervices of their parishes would be grateful to many of your and their readers.

Quær. 1. Are any perfonal fervices performed by tenants or undertenants in your parish?

2. Are they lin.ited, or difcretionary and unlimited?

3. If discretionary, how is their discretion generally exercifed, and to what extent?

4. If limited, within what bounds?

5. How many days in the year are the tenants obliged to perform these services?

6. What is the nature of them?

7. Any other obfervations on this fubject which have occurred to you.

Answers to the above would, in my opinion, render this great work nearly a perfect one.

I cannot close this letter without obferving that the account of the parishes already published, will imprefs every reader of them with a high idea of the learning, intelligence, and good fenfe of our Scotch clergy, and prove more than any thing else the wifdom of our church policy, which fecures to our parishes in Scotland the conftant refidence of fuch men. I am, Mr. Bee, yours,

ALPHABET.

On the Corn Laws.

JA

Part Second.

Concerning the most proper rate of Bounty, and its regulation.

It is well known that the productiveness of Egypt depends upon the height to which the waters of the

Nile rife every year; if the rife be too fmall, fcarcity is certain to enfue; and if the rife be too great, the confequences are equally pernicious. To remedy the first evil, depends upon circumftances that are beyond the human reach; but the fovereigns of ancient Egypt fell upon a happy device for correcting the ills that threatened them, from a fuperabundance of water, and of making it administer to their welfare. They prepared an outlet that led to the great lake Maris, which, when the water rofe to a proper height, ferved as a drain to prevent it from rifing higher. In that immenfe refervoir, the fuperabundant waters were accumulated, and were referved for the purpose of afterwards fertilizing extenfive regions, which, but for this fupply, would have remained for ever barren waftes, or inhofpitable deferts.

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This well known fact may furnish a proper illuftration of the effects of the bounty on corn, though the cafes differ in two refpects. The Egyptian refervoir was capable of guarding against the effects of fuperabundance; but it had no influence in preventing the mifchiefs that refult from a defective fupply; whereas the bounty being naturally calculated to increase the productive fource, as well as to guard against its overflowing, the mifchiefs arifing from deficiency, as well as from fuperabundance, are alike guarded againft by itt.

+Some perfons will not, perhaps, be able to perceive, how a bounty on exporting corn, fhould have a neceffary tendency to prevent a fcarcity. To fuch the following illuftration may be neceffary.

No more corn will ever be raised in any country, than is fufficient to fupply the effective demand for it, in ordinary years; for if more were raised, the supply would exceed the demand, and the price would, of course, drop below the prime coft to the farmer. Let it then be fuppofed, that the quantity wanted for the home-market, amounts to fay one hundred; and that if no bounty were granted, no more than that quantity could there be fold; then the whole quantity reared by the farmer, in an ordinary year, would be precifely one hundred, and no more.

In this refpect, the parallel turns out in favour of the corn laws. In another particular, however, this parallel leans in favour of the Egyptian economy.. There the effect was always fteady and uninterrupted. The waters no fooner rofe to the proper level, than they neceffarily flowed into their proper channel, without ever being interrupted by any extraneous circumftance whatever. Here the operation of natural caufes have been hitherto often interrupted by temporary regulations that have tended to produce confufion and partial diftrefs; fo that the effects that ought to have refulted from a due developement of the principle, though they have been perceived in fome measure, have never been experienced in the degree to merit the applause they ought to have commanded.

The operations of nature differ from the regulations of art, chiefly in this refpect, that in nature, whenever any one particular is carried too far, it generally provides a remedy for itfelf; whereas, in the operations of art, bad frequently degenerates into worfe, fo that the works are conftantly in want of amendment and unceafing alterations. It is happy when a device can be adopted by man in his attempts at political regula tion, which in fome measure refembles the fimple operations of nature. The contrivance of the kings of Egypt above alluded to, was of this nature. It was imple, certain, and invariable in its operation, whenever the cafe required it; and never acted but when it

But it might fo happen, that in confequence of a bad feafon, the ufual quantity fown, may produce only ninety, inftead of one hundred. 'In this cafe, there would be a deficiency of ten.

But if, befides the hundred reared for the home market, the farmers, in confequence of the bounty, were in the custom of rearing 110 in ordinary years, the ten overplus finding its way to foreign markets in ordinary years, it would happen, that when a deficiency of crop fhould be experienced equal to ten, there would still remain a fufficiency for the home market; fo that by stopping exportation for that season, the people at home would have still abundance, which they would not otherwise have had. It is in this way, that the bounty adds to the productive fours. VOL II.

B:

could be of fervice. Could a device of the fame nature be adopted for regulating the bounty on the exportation of corn, the object aimed at would be fully accomplished. Unfortunately, this object seems not as yet to have come within the view of the legislature of Great Britain; and we feem to be every day lofing fight of it more and more.

In a cafe of fo much importance as that which calls our present attention, it is worth while to try if any general principles can be difcovered that admit of being applied invariably in all cases; and if fuch principles can be difcovered, to endeavour to fimplify the operation of the corn laws as much as poffible, by applying thefe principles where it can be done. To approximate towards this point, the following observations are humbly fubmitted to the public.

Two objects should never be loft fight of in a corn law.

The first is," to try if poffible to prevent the price of grain from ever rifing fo high as to prove diftreffing to the poor."

The fecond is, "to prevent it from ever falling fo low as to become ruinous to the farmer."

All mankind are agreed as to these propofitions." But when we try to ascertain the meaning of the words high and low, then we find a prodigious difcordancy of opinion; and when we attempt to fix either of these terms with precifion, fcarcely two perfons can be found to agree. Is there no method of removing this difficulty?

It feems to be impoffible to do it by fixing on any fpecific fum; because what would apply to one place cannot apply to another, and what would fuit the partial views of one man will never correspond with rlie equally partial views of another in different circumftances. Befides, were we even agreed as to this point at one time, we fhould be in a fhort while as much to feek as ever, because this point. can never rẹ,