than the average prices of the fame kind of grain in other parts of the kingdom, from whence no exportation has ever been made. -But fo far is this from being the cafe, that it appears by the annexed tables, copied from the London Gazette, that on an average of ten years paft, the price of wheat in thefe countries has been at leaft four fhillings a quarter below the average prices of all England. And if the average of the inland counties alone, where the operation of the bounty law cannot take place, had been taken, the price of these maritime counties would have been nearly eight fhillings the quarter, or one fhilling the bufhel lower than the inland counties. Whether the bounty has been actually the fole caufe of fuch a very great fall in the average price of grain on the fea-coaft, I will not pofitively affert; but from this palpable fact, there is not any room.

† Average Price of Wheat for 18 years from the 5th of January 1770, to the 5th of January 1789.

to doubt, that it has been the cause of a very great fall in the price in the maritime parts of the kingdom; and that that fall of price on the coafts must also have moderated the price of grain in the midland counties, cannot admit of a doubt. In this point of view, therefore, the bounty has been clearly beneficial, as tending directly to moderate the price of grain.

Should it be alleged, that a free importation and exportation of corn would have produced the fame effect, I would anfwer that this could not be expected. Grain is a bulky article, and cannot be moved from place to place, but at a great expence. The warehousing and freight of it, therefore, amounts to fo much, that were not fome contrivance adopted for diminishing these articles, the market for it would be fo unfteady, as to reduce the price, in years of great plenty, much below the prime cost of it to the farmer, which would difcourage him from profecuting that business with spirit, and make him raife fo little in future, as to keep the prices in general very high, as is at present the cafe in the midland counties in England, where, although the foil be much richer than in many of the maritime fhires, the farmers find it more their intereft to apply their fields to grazing, than to agriculture; and therefore, cannot rear grain, unless they get a higher price for it, than the farmers along the coaft are well content to receive.

Thefe obfervations might be extended much farther, and illuftrated by many cafes that could eafily be produced: But this would be too long a difcuffion for this mifcellany. To the above, I fhall therefore only add one other confideration, that deferves to be well attended to, as a confequence of the law, authorifing a bounty on the exportation of corn; and which will not readily occur to those who are not acquainted with the practice of agriculture, as well as with the theory of com

merce.

It was obferved by Swift, with his ufual acutenefs, "that he who raises two stalks of corn, where only one grew before, does a more effential fervice to the community, than the greateft politician that ever existed;" and the observation is well founded. He who produces a greater quantity of human fuftenance in a state, than it would otherwife have afforded, may be said, in a certain sense, to produce more men, and thus to add to the power and the ftrength of the ftate, in the most unequivocal manner. Individuals, however, in their own operations, can only attend, each to his own immediate profit; and it ought to be the study of an enlightened legislature, to adopt fuch regulations as fhall naturally tend to render the profit of individuals contributive to the general profperity of the ftate. Now, it fo happens, that the bounty on grain exported produces precifely this effect;-for, by affording a ready market for the produce of cultivated fields, it ftimulates the owners of wafte lands properly fituated, to convert them into corn fields, and thus to augment their natural produce, perhaps a hundred fold beyond what it otherwife would have been. These fields, alfo, after being thus once converted into tillage, come in their turn, by the well-understood rotation of crops, to be turned once more into artificial pastures, much more rich and abundant in herbage, than the original heath from which they were recovered. Thus room is given for ftill more waftes to be inverted into corn-fields, and more corn-lands to be turned into artificial pasture; fo that a constant progrefs in melioration is eftablished, and whole countries are gradually converted into rich fields, which, but for this circumftance, would have remained, to the end of time, barren deferts. Confidered in this point of view, the benefits of the bounty on the exportation of corn, are perhaps ineftimable to the community.

Nor is this hypothetical reafoning only-it is fupported by the evidence of facts that are ftrong and in

311 controvertible. In the inland counties of England, where the inducements to the culture of grain are fewer than on the coaft, few are the waftes comparatively, that have been converted into tillage; and of course the augmentation of the produce of human food has been there, but very inconfiderable; but in the maritime counties of Scotland and of England, the cafe is very different. There you can fcarcely look around you, but you fee large tracts of land, now bearing abundant.crops of corn and grafs, that, within the memory of man, were dreary waftes, or extenfive tracts of barren heath. The whole county of Norfolk, which was in fome refpects become a pattern in agriculture, owes its creation if I may adopt a ftrong term, to this caufe. Had it been beyond the reach of the bounty, it would probably have remained, till this day, a barren plain, covered with briars, fern, and other ufelefs plants, with scarce a blade of grafs interfperfed among them, and not a ftalk of corn. Who can behold the change without aftonishment and admiration!

Thefe confiderations, without entering upon others in this place, that might be eafily adduced, feem to shew, that a bounty on the exportation of corn, under proper regulations, may have a natural tendency to benefit the country in a very effential degree.-It by no means follows, however, that the diftribution of a bounty cannot be managed in such a way, as to frustrate, in fome measure, thefe beneficent purposes, and to produce certain inconveniences of a very serious nature, that ought to be guarded against with care. The corn-laws of Britain have, in fact, been hitherto fo imperfectly formed, as to be productive of many evil confequences, that ought in future to be guarded againft. Thefe evils were obferved, and carefully marked by Dr. Smith, which probably induced him, too haftily, to adopt the opinion, that to get rid of thefe, it would be expedient

to grant no bounty at all*: But if it can be made appear, that these evils have originated, merely from improper arrangements, that admit of being eafily corrected, it will be found unneceffary to refort to the dangerous remedy that he has recommended. In confidering the fecond queftion above announced, occafion will be given, to fee whether the law now propofed, is calculated to effect this purpose or not, which fhall form the fubject of another difquifition in fome early number of this work.

Chorus, from Lavinia, a dramatic Poem in five Acts, written on the Model of the ancient Greek Tragedy †.

1

SEE where the God of battle comes!

Terror fits upon his brow;

Rage augments his fwelling veins.
Mark! how from forth his burning eye
Beamy lightnings flash around.

*The only reafon for mentioning Dr. Smith in this paper, is respect to one whofe name is deservedly held in fuch high estimation by every perfon who has occafion to examine fubjects of the nature here treated. His work has been univerfally read, and must be expected to have made a deep impreffion on the minds of many perfons who have not had opportunities of forming a decided judgment from their own obfervations. If therefore, in any cafe he has erred, (and what human being has not erred)? it becomes highly neceffary to point out these accidental deviations. I fhould have had some hesitation, however, to have entered on this difquifition, now that he is dead, had not the fubftance of thefe remarks, with many others to the fame purport, been publifhed, more than a dozen of years ago, and fubjected to his own revifal. (See obfervations on National Industry, let. xiii, p. 8.) It was fince that period, my acquaintance with that liberal-minded man commenced; and since then, I have experienced from him many civilities and marks of polite attention. Those who are in fearch of truth only, confider every one who has the fame object in view, as friendly co-operators in one great refearch, without being offended at accidental difference of opinion.

This work is proposed to be published by fubfcription, price 5s. The following note accompanies it.

The author humbly and earneftly folicits the patronage of the public. His fortune has lately fuftained a confiderable injury, and his bealib is in a dis clining flate.