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room until he died, and during that time he said not a word, except that which I have already mentioned. It was impossible that any human being could have inflicted the wound but himself. Having known him intimately for the last thirty years, I have no hesitation in saying, that he was perfectly insane when he committed this act. I had noticed a great decline in the general habit of his health for some weeks prior to his death; but I was not aware of the mental delusion under which he was labouring, till within three or four days of his decease.

The verdict was" That on an inquest taken at the house of the late most noble Robert, marquis of Londonderry, at North Cray, in the county of Kent, on Tuesday, the 13th of August, on view of the body of the said marquis, we, the jurors, on our oaths, say, that the said marquis of Londonderry, on the 12th of August, and for some time previously, under a grievous disease of mind, did labour and languish, and by reason of the said disease, became delirious, and not of sound mind; and that, on the said 12th of August, in the said parish, while labouring under such disease, did, with a certain knife, of iron or steel, upon himself make an assault, and did strike, and cut, and stab himself on the carotid artery; and gave himself one mortal wound of the length of one inch, and of the depth of two inches; of which

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said mortal wound he did then and there instantly die; and being under a state of mental delusion in manner aforesaid, and, by the means aforesaid, did kill and destroy himself, and did not come by his death through the means of any other person or persons whatsoever."

The Coroner, before he dismissed the jury, read to them a letter from the duke of Wellington, which showed what was the opinion of his grace as to the state of lord Londonderry's mind on the 9th of August.

The letter was addressed to Dr. Bankhead, and was dated 9th August, 1822. It was as follows:

"Dear Sir;-I called upon you with the intention of talking to you on the subject of the health of lord Londonderry, and to request of you that you will call on him. I told his lordship that he was unwell, and particularly requested him to send for you; but lest he should not, I sincerely hope that you will contrive, by some pretence, to go down to his lordship. I have no doubt he is very unwell; he appears to me to have been exceedingly harassed, much fatigued, and over-worked during the late session of parliament; and I have no doubt he labours under mental delirium; at least this is my impression. I beg you will never mention to any body what I have told you respecting his lordship."

PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.

I. DOMESTIC.

FIRST REPORT ON AGRICULTURE.

The SELECT COMMITTEE, appointed to inquire into the allegations of the several petitions which have been presented to the House in the last and present sessions of Parliament, complaining of the distressed state of the agriculture of the United Kingdom, and to report their observations thereupon to the House,

Considered that, among all the important objects referred to them, none could be more deserving of their earliest attention, than an inquiry into any measures that could be suggested for affording some temporary relief to the distresses of which the numerous petitioners with so much reason complain, and which appear from the returns of the average prices of corn, during the late weeks,* to be progressively increasing rather than diminishing.

Your committee do not venture to determine, whether the present state of the corn-market be owing to an excess of production, or to what extent that excess may reach, beyond the usual and requisite supply; or whether the necessities

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of the occupiers of land cause att unprecedented eagerness to dispose of their produce at almost any price; but it appears from an offcial return, that the quantity of British wheat and oats (but not of barley) sold in Mark-lane, between the 1st of November and the 1st of March last, has very considerably exceeded the quantity sold in the corresponding months of the twenty preceding years.

Such an excess of supply beyond demand can have no other effect than to continue the depression of price, and increase the accumula tion of the stock upon hand; while it is evident, from the present very low rate of price, on the continent of Europe, as compared with prices in this country, that there is no chance of resorting to the natural expedient of relieving the market by exporting any portion of our own corn, even with the aid of any bounty which would not be excessive.

Two other modes have therefore been under the consideration of your committee; by the first of which it was proposed, that one million of exchequer bills should be applied to purchasing, through

The highest price of any one week in 1822,

was 50s. 7d.

the agency of government, and laying up in store, a certain portion of wheat grown in the United Kingdom; and by the second, that facility and encouragement should be offered to individuals to deposit a part of their stock in warehouses, so that they might not be forced to come into the market simultaneously, and under the disadvantage of excessive competition, but might be enabled to wait until the supply, having approached nearer to the wants of the consumers, might afford, if not a remunerating, at least a price somewhat less ruinous for their produce.

With regard to the first of these proposals, the general objections against making the public, through the executive government, a dealer and speculator in corn, the suspicions to which it might give rise, and the uneasiness in the public feeling which it might eventually excite, the danger of its being drawn into precedent, the claims which it might be supposed to give to other important articles of domestic produce, whenever they might be exposed to similar depression-and the universal rule of allowing all articles, as much as possible, to find their own natural level, by leaving the supply to adjust itself to the demand, discourage your committee from recommending it, even under this extraordinary emergency, and with all the guards and qualifications of a temporary expedient. But with regard to the second, although much less efficacious in its operation, the objection of government becoming a purchaser does not apply, as individuals would in this case act for themselves, and according to their own discretion, the government interfering no otherwise than by making ad

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vances upon the commodity deposited, which would be repaid, with a low rate of interest, as soon as the article should be brought to market.

For effecting this object, two different modes have been suggested; by one of which it was proposed, that when the weekly average price is under 58s. (the import scale remainingas at present) wheat should be stored, subject to a monthly allowance of 6d. per quarter, until the average price should reach 65s.

The whole quantity not to exceed 600,000 quarters, and the time for which the allowance should be payable not to exceed 12 or 18 months.

Not more than a certain number of quarters, nor less than another specified number of quarters, to be stored on the part of any individual or firm.

The owner of the corn so deposited to be at liberty to withdraw it at any time, waiving his claim to allowance, or refunding it.

The other proposition was, that for the purpose of relieving the glut which at present presses upon the grain market, the government, whenever the average price of wheat shall be under 60s. should grant advances of money upon such corn of the growth of the United Kingdom, as should be deposited in fit and proper warehouses upon the river Thames, and in the ports to be hereafter specified, to an extent not exceeding two-thirds of the market value of such corn; the quality of the corn and the fitness of the warehouses to be approved of by officers to be appointed by the government.

The loan to be at the rate of 3 per cent., and the period of deposit not to exceed 12 months.

The corn to be withdrawn at the will of the depositor, upon payment of the interest, warehouse rent, and other charges.

The sum of one million so ap plied, would probably be fully adequate to give a temporary check to the excess, which is continually poured into the already overstocked

market.

If the House should be inclined to agree with your committee in countenancing the latter of these propositions, it is evident that it ought to lead to some immediate proceeding; and although no very great effect can be contemplated from adopting it, its operation, as far as it may extend, can hardly fail to afford some temporary relief.

There is another measure also, to which it is fit to call the early attention of the House.

The foreign grain and flour of all sorts, in different warehouses under the king's lock, appears to have amounted, on the 5th of Jan. last, to 897,136 quarters; with regard to which, although there is little probability that it can soon come into competition with our home produce, yet it still hangs over the market in a formidable mass, ready to be poured in at once, creating no small degree of panic as to its future operation, and invested with a sort of claim (which is of the utmost importance) to be brought out free from duty, when ever the ports shall be opened under the existing law, even supposing any duty shall be imposed by parliament, under an alteration of that law, upon all corn hereafter to be imported from foreign parts.

To relieve the market from both these inconveniences it may be proper to permit the holders of such

corn now in warehouses, under certain adequate regulations and restrictions, to have the same ground into flour for the purpose of expor tation; and also to provide by le gislative enactment, that in future any foreign corn warehoused in this kingdom shall be considered as corn coming from abroad, and subject to all such duties and regulations as are or may from time to time be imposed upon corn, coming directly from a foreign port.

A proposition which was submitted to your committee, for advancing loans to parishes on the credit of the rates, appeared to be attended with so many difficulties, and to be so little applicable to the purpose of alleviating the distresses which are complained of, that they do not deem it necessary to enter into any examination of it, nor to lay it before the House.

Much as your committee lament that so little prospect of immediate relief can be held out to the ur gent distresses which have been submitted to their anxious consideration, they think it material to obviate and counteract any unfounded alarm which may have been, either casually, or indus triously, circulated, that there was ever the least intention entertained by your committee of rendering the present condition of the British cultivators worse than it is under the existing law; and they there fore submit, with great confidence, to the House, that the act of the 55th of the late king, c. 26, which regulates the importation of foreign corn, ought to continue in force until the average price of wheat shall be 80s. per quarter, and other kinds of grain in proportion.

It is impossible to carry protec tion further than monopoly; and

it cannot be denied, that this monopoly the British grower has possessed for more than three years, that is ever since February, 1819, with the exception of the ill-timed and panecessary importation of somewhat more than 700,000 quarters of oats, which took place during the summer of 1820. It must be considered further, that this protection, in consequence of the increased value of our currency, and the present state of the supply of corn combined with the prospect of an early harvest, may, in all probability, remain uninterrupted for a very considerable time

to come.

But for the purpose of obviating the dangers in which this law can hardly fail, sooner or later, to involve the cultivators of the soil, and in conformity to the reasoning contained in the report of the committee of the last session, upon the same subject, some material change must be contemplated; your committee, therefore, cannot avoid suggesting, whether, under a full view of all the circumstances, it may not be the duty of parliament to turn its immediate attention to the ruinous consequences which must follow an unlimited importation and free sale of the surplus produce of the whole agricultural world, which is known at this time to be in a state of glut, at least, equal to what prevails within this kingdom, no less impatient for, and unprovided with a market, with a commodity raised at much less charge than our own, which the proprietors would be ready to sell even at a considerable loss, rather than not dispose of it at all.

The excessive inconvenience and impolicy of our present system have been so fully treated, and so satisfactorily exposed in the report

already alluded to, that it is unnecessary to do more than refer to it, adding only, that every thing which has happened subsequently to the presentation of that report, as well as all our experience since 1815, has more and more tended to demonstrate how little reliance can be placed upon a regulation which contains an absolute prohibition up to a certain price, and an unlimited competition beyond that price; which, so far from affording steadiness to our market, may at one time reduce prices already too low, still lower than they might have been even under a free trade, and, at another, unnecessarily enhance prices already too high which tends to aggravate the evils of scarcity, and render more severe the depression of prices from abundance.

The mode in which these excessive inconveniences may receive some modification (laying for the present out of the question what permanent basis may be ultimately the fittest for our corn trade) appears to consist in the imposition of a duty upon all foreign corn, whenever upon opening our ports it should be admissible for home consumption. The occupier of the land would thus obtain, in propor tion to the amount of such duty, a protection which is withheld from him under the existing law; but in return for such protection, it is no more than reasonable towards the consumer, that the import price should be fixed at a ratë somewhat lower than 80s., because the new duty would otherwise not only check the sudden and overwhelming amount of import, but also enhance the price beyond that which it might reach under the present system; nor must it be lost sight of in any future regula

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