AN

INQUIRY, &c. &c.

Απ so advanced a period of life, and laboring under an infirmity well calculated, through the Divine Mercy, to direct my attention to subjects very different from political disquisitions, I should be ill satisfied with myself, if I could not assign a motive for engaging in the enquiry marked by these papers. It is my duty, as Secretary to the Board of Agriculture, to be as well prepared as circumstances will admit, to give all the information that may be demanded, not only by Members of the Board, both ordinary and honorary, but by other gentlemen, whether in or out of Parliament. Applications were made to me for facts, which rendered it necessary that I should consult many publications, for the object of noting down such facts as might be useful. With this view, forty-one publications on the Corn Bill were read to me; a business which unhappily brought me acquainted with such a mass of misrepresentation and error, that I could not be surprised at the heat and animosity raised in the kingdom, or at the outrages which followed. Discontent could not fail to abound, while the public at large appeared to be ignorant of certain facts, that were of undoubted importance, to clearly understanding questions of great complexity. And when, in prosecuting these discussions, I found that all improvements in the agriculture of the kingdom were represented as nationally mis-. chievous, and a deviation of capital from good to bad employments, and landlords and farmers described as a race of men who had for 20 years been most unreasonably thriving at the expence of the whole class of consumers; I felt the necessity of examining as well

as I was able, into the progress of prices in other parts of Europe, as it was sufficiently clear, that if the circumstances so much complained of in England, were found in other countries, instead of being peculiar to this island, the whole question would easily be settled. The following papers will shew the result of this enquiry.

As I am well persuaded that this is the happiest country the sun shines upon, it was not without extreme pain that I found the spirit of discontent spreading amongst a people, who had such multiplied reasons for being grateful to that Divine Providence, to whom they were so much indebted; and it struck me forcibly as a duty equally called for, on every political, moral, and religious consideration, to collect and publish such facts as might have a tendency to cool the animosity, remove the errors, and allay the discontents, which a certain class of writers had, whether with a good or bad intent, been too successful in exciting; and I was the more ready to attempt this task, from the abundant opportunities I possessed of receiving information relative to the state of the laboring poor through the greater part of the kingdom, which has been such as ought to be lamented, since the farmers have lessened their employment to a degree severely felt. And I beg the reader to remember, that I am now speaking of one of the most numerous, and useful classes, to be found in the empire; a class that never did, and never can petition. But are they not therefore to be considered? I have shewn on a former occasion, that in the best times for the agricultural interest, the pay of this class has not risen quite so high, on a comparison of certain periods, as it ought to have done; and consequently any general circumstance that tended to reduce it, was much to be deprecated. The inhabitants of towns should not quite forget their brethren in the country, to whom high wages, with a certain and active employment, are of far greater importance than two-pence or three-pence in the price of the quartern loaf. At present they possess this nominal benefit, and many are either starving on low wages, or gone to the parish for that support which they cannot earn.

The question of the Corn Bill' is decided in Parliament; but it does not therefore follow, that discontent is at an end because petitions are no longer received. If enlightening the public mind has a tendency to remove or lessen this discontent, he is not a good subject of the realm who does not attempt to effect it; and I hope and trust that this will be accepted as a sufficient apology for the present intrusion on the public notice, however inferior to the earnest desire of the author.

In less than five years we have had in England two great political controversies, which excited so much the attention of the public,

as to produce not fewer than one hundred and twenty publications. It will be easily seen that I allude to the question of Bullion, in 1811, and that of the Corn, in 1815. It is extremely to be lamented, that in the discussion of both these questions, theories of political economy were so generally introduced, without a clear statement of those facts from which alone any sound theory can be drawn. Upon a review of the various publications just alluded to, a careful reader will reject every page of these theories as utterly unworthy of attention; and he will be desirous of preserving merely such facts as may incidentally have been inserted; the preservation of these for future use, is at all times an object deserving much care and attention. But the right application of facts demands cool and deliberate consideration; and, most unfortunately, the heat and animosity which have agitated so many of our cities and towns, have found their way into many of those publications, which would have been far more instructive, if they had been produced in a more quiet period. On many occasions, I have in conversation deprecated the introduction of any corn question while prices were very low, as it might have been easily foreseen, that the great mass of consumers in our cities and towns would be sure to take the alarm; but any question introduced while prices are very high, would excite no other attention than the silent supposition that Parliament were employed with the intent to lower prices.

In the many publications which have appeared, and the far more numerous speeches which the newspapers have reported, as spoken in Parliament, on the same interesting topic, it is almost inconceivable how few have made the smaliest allusion to the general rise of prices which has taken place in Europe during the last twenty-two years; and yet it was obvious to suppose that this would have been the very first enquiry to be made. Every one of the pamphlets against the Corn Bill, and innumerable speeches on the same side of the question shew that the writers and speakers strained the utmost force of exaggerated language in describing the burthen, injury, oppression, and misery, the people of Britain were forced to submit to in twenty years of extravagant prices of corn and provisions; and laboring with equal assiduity to prove the most unreasonable profits thence accruing to landlords and farmers. If the same rise of prices had taken place during the very same period in other parts of Europe, where assignable causes did not prevent it, were not these writers and speakers bound to notice, if they knew it; and not knowing it, to notice with peculiar care the least hint upon the subject? Yet in my examination before the Committee of the House of Commons, in the spring of 1814, I mentioned this remarkable fact, on authority unquestionable, having taken place in a province of the Russian empire. Was not this at

least sufficient to excite enquiry? or to raise some doubts of the propriety of British complaints, of an effect which might in the event turn out completely ridiculous? Nosuch thing. If the opposers of the Bill really noticed the fact, they chose to pass it by in silence, for reasons sufficiently obvious: they well knew, that should this fact be proved, it would level in the dust all their complaints, and nine-tenths of their arguments.

I

Ancient tracts might here be referred to, which manifested a similar spirit of complaint on the immense rise of prices which took place, after the discovery of the American mines had poured into Europe those treasures which soon quadrupled the prices of every kingdom in it. But were it not absurd in the highest degree, that any single kingdom should be loud in complaining of an effect experienced by all its neighbours? Such a complaint was then preposterous.

In stating the facts I am going to produce, it is necessary to begin with some which occurred in the period immediately preceding the last twenty-five years, and then proceed to others which extend through the greater part of the late period. I shall commence with certain facts satisfactorily ascertained during my own travels in France and Italy.

But let me previously observe, that while various notes manifest a great rise of prices in France, wheat is properly excepted. An account now lies before me of the price of the Septier at Paris, from 1763 to 1788, with which I was favored when in that kingdom. Comparing the price of the first thirteen years with the last thirteen, the first was twenty-five livres thirteen sols, and the second twenty-two livres four sols. It seems to be the opinion of Mr. Malthus (but not expressly explained), that the average price of wheat in that kingdom (or perhaps more probably, in the northern parts of it), may have been, for the last ten years, about 40s. the English quarter. At twenty-four livres the pound sterling, the price of the thirteen first years above-noted was 42s. 6d. per quarter, upon the supposition, not accurate, that the English quarter weighs 480 French pounds, But it is sufficiently clear, that the price in France has risen very little since 1763; and this must be esteemed a curious fact.

2

I proceed to the notes which I took while abroad.

"Isle of France. Liancourt.-Within ten years 3 the general

See particularly, "A brief Examinatim of certain ordinary Complaints in these our Days, by W. S.;" from which an interesting extract may be found in Smith's Memoirs of Wool.

expences of living, bread alone excepted, have risen fifty per cent., and labor nearly in the same proportion."

"Normandy. Havre.-A house in 1779, let without any fine, on a lease of six years, for 240 livres per annum, was let this year (1789) again for three years, with a fine of 25 Louis, for 600 livres per annum.

"A cellar which is now 60 livres, was 24 livres 12 years past." "Loraine. Pont au Mousson, (1788).—The prices of all the necessaries of life risen one-third in twenty years.'

"Franche Compte.-Those estates which, twenty years ago, sold at 300 livres, now are 800 livres."

Besançon. Dole.-Meat now seven sols the pound; some years ago four sols. A couple of fowls 24 sols, which were 12 sols. In general, every thing is doubled in price in ten years." "Bourgogne. Dijon.-Every thing raised in twenty years cent. per cent."

Young's Travels in France, vol. i. p. 454.

"Bologna, in Italy.-The prices of every thing are now (1789), at Bologna, from 10 to 15 per cent. dearer than ten years ago.

"Twenty years ago, hemp was at 30 pauls, now at 50; and in Tuscany, the prices of every thing doubled since the free corn trade.

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"It is worthy the reader's observation, that the general prices of provisions, and of living, as it may properly be called, have risen, perhaps, as much in Italy, as in any country of Europe; certainly more than in England, as I could shew by many details, if they were consistent with the brevity of a traveller. A fact of so much importance would admit of many reflections; but I shall observe only, that this sign of national prosperity, (and I believe it to be one), is not at all confined to the countries in the possession of extensive manufactures and a great trade, since we find it in those that have none.

"I shall not enlarge upon it, but barely hint, that the possessor of a landed estate in Lombardy has raised his rent to the full, as much in the last ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years, as his brother landlord has in England, who has blessed himself with the notion, that manufactures and commerce have done more for him than for any other similar class in Europe. It is very common in the English Parliament, to hear the deputies of our tradesmen expatiate on what the immense manufactures and commerce of England have done for the landed interest. One fact is worth an hundred assertions go to the countries that possess neither fabrics nor commerce, and you will find as great a rise perhaps in the same period." Ib. vol. ii. p. 300.