recourfe to a bounty, that will, at all times, insure an abundant fupply to the home market. But reverfe the cafe, and the confequences will be extremely different

If the prime coft of corn, in any country, be on an average, higher than in the countries around, it is not enough to grant permiffion to export in ordinary or plentiful years, that part of the crop that is not neceffary for the fupply of the home market. Before it could find its way to that foreign market, without a bounty, the home price muft fink fo much below the prime coft to the farmer, as to ruin him. The confe quence of this event would be, that lefs corn would be raised in future, than would be fufficient for the home market, in ordinary years; fo that that country must depend entirely on foreign parts for a fupply;-and muft, of course, be subjected to all the evils that fuch variations of price would produce.

To guard against this evil, a bounty on exportation in thefe circumftances becomes neceffary;-and the amount of that bounty required, will, of courfe, be greater in one cafe than in another. Where the prices are nearly equal, and the charge and risk of transport fmall, the rate of bounty ought to be proportionally low. But where the average rate of the prime coft is much higher at home than abroad, or where the expence and risk of the transporting it is great, the bounty ought, of course, to be proportionally augmented, if a uniformity in the market price, and an abundant fupply of the home demand be aimed at *. No univerfal rule, therefore, can be established

*For example, fuppofing the price at home to be 43 s. and the price abroad to be at that time, 45 s. on the fuppofition that the freight, &c. is 2 s. 6 d. no exportation could take place; for 2 s. 6 d. added, to 43 s. makes the prime coft amount to 45 s. 6 d. which is above the felling price. Before any exportation, therefore, can take place, without a bounty, the price muft drop to 42 s. 6 d. at leaft, or 42 s. ; at which laft rate, the profit on export would be 6 d. But if one fhilling bounty had been

for the best rate of bounty that fhould be granted.Every state muft adopt that which its circumflances and relative fituation with refpect to others fhall require.

But whatever the rate of bounty is, that may be neceffary upon the whole, it never can be expedient to make that rate of bounty invariably the fame, (unless great care be taken to obviate the evils that would originate from this fource); because the price in foreign markets, as well as at home, are fubject to great fluctuations; and therefore might give rife to great irregularities in the demand.

Let it be fuppofed, for example, that on a fair inveftigation of circumftances, it fhould have been found, that the average price of wheat in England, was, including freight and charges, equal to 5 s. per quarter higher than the furrounding acceffible markets, so that that rate of bounty on exportation was judged the most expedient that could be adopted; it will plainly appear, that if, when wheat in our markets fell to the medium price at which permiffion is granted to export, while the price in foreign markets was confiderably above their average rate, fay 2 s. 6 d., it would then happen, that there would be a very great demand from hence, as, by the aid of the bounty,

granted when the price fell to 43 s., the fame profit would be allowed, as if it had fallen to 42 s. at home.-And if, in confequence of that exportation, the price in the home market rose to 43 s. 6d. the profit in that cafe would become null, and exportation would of courfe then ftop of itself.

But fhould the price abroad chance to rife at the fame time, in the fame ratio, the profits would be the fame as before; and therefore, the exportation would continue as formerly, fo as ftill to raise the prices higher at home; but if, inftead of then continuing the bounty at one fhilling, it fell to 6 d, the exportation would cease, as the profits would thus also be null.

It might, however, happen, that the prices abroad were very low; that inftead of 45 s. it amounted to no more than 44 s.; and in that cafe, no exportation, without a bounty, could take place, till the price at home fell to 41 s. 6 d. ; for 41 s. 6 d. added to 2 s. 6d. is exactly 44 s. ; but if a bounty of 2 s. were offered, when the price fell to 42 s.

VOL. II.

C

(which is supposed to be enough for indemnifying the merchant, when the prices abroad are at their, average rate), an extra profit of half a crown would be obtained on every quarter. In thefe circumftances, therefore, without regard to the confequences at home, great quantities would be shipped off: The country may be expofed to fcarcity, and high prices of courfe enfue.

Two methods of checking this evil may be adopted. The firft is, to make the rate of the bounty that can be claimed, lefs when the prices at home are near the medium rate, than when the prices fall much below it. Thus, in the cafe above ftated, had the bounty granted been half a crown, inftead of five fhillings, the extra exports would have been entirely prevented, and the evil complained of obviated.

The fecond method of checking it, is, to render the period at which the prices that regulate importation and exportation, recur very frequently. For if, inftead of allowing three months to elapfe before any legal ftop could be put to the pernicious exportation, circumftances had been fo arranged, as that in three weeks, or in three days, the prices could be legally afcertained. to be fo high as to put a stop to further exportation, the evil might have been in like manner obviated.

But if we thus find, that the average rate of bounty, may, from an accidental elevation of price abroad, be too high; from an accidental depreffion of price there, it may also become too low; in confequence of which, no exportation could take place, till the price in the home market, fell fo much below prime coft, as greatly to difcourage the farmer. This is an evil, that ought to be guarded against, by fo regulating the bounty, as that when the price at home fell very low, the bounty fhould become higher, fo as to force the fuperfluous quantity to a market, without deranging the internal economy of the ftate. This could be attended with little expence to the fate, as the

price could feldom be fo low as to make this high bounty neceflary;—and when it did become neceffary, it would then continue for a very fhort time, as the price would quickly rife, and the rate of bounty with that rife would abate.

By this mode of reafoning, it would appear, that if it were intended, that a bounty of 5 s. per quarter were to be allowed upon the whole, it would be expedient to make that rate of bounty variable, being smaller than 5 s. when the price fell only a little below the medium, and higher when it fell confiderably below that.-Were this done, and the time for regulating the rate of bounty by the price of grain very fhort, every poffible benefit that can be derived from a corn law, would be experienced. Its operation would be steady and uniform;-it would adapt itself to the circumftances of the cafe, without danger of error;-in confequence of which, a fuperabundance could never prove hurtful, nor a pernicious fcarcity be ever experienced.

It remains, that we should enquire into the means by which these things can best be carried into practice, which shall be attempted in a future number.

Dr Anderar

To the Editor of the Bee.

The Solitary Philofopher, a living Character.

SIR,

AMONG all the variety of interefting pieces with which you weekly entertain your readers, none please me more than those anecdotes that relate to originality of character in particular individuals; and I am fomewhat furprised that your philofophical correfpondents have not favoured us with more frequent accounts of these

uncommon perfonages, than they have done. You have yourself acknowledged, that one great defign of your work is, to bring to light men of genius, or, in other words, perfons who might otherwife have languished in obfcurity, whofe fuperior talents and ftudious refearches enable them to be important members of society, and highly beneficial to their fellow creatures. But in what manner fhall thofe proceed, who, though poffeffing much real genius, and valuable knowledge, are either unwilling, or being deftitute of literary abilities, are unable to prefent themselves or their discoveries to the world through your paper. They muft ftill remain in obfcurity, if no affifting hand interferes ; and except for the remembrance of a few friends, the world may never know that fuch perfons ever existed. Give me leave, therefore, for once, to act the part of introducer, and prefent you with a fhort account of an original ftill in life.

On the fide of a large mountain, about ten miles west from this place, in a little hut of his own rearing, which has known no other poffeffor thefe fifty years, lives this strange and very fingular perfon. Though his general ufefulness, and communicative difpofition requires him often to affociate with the furrounding ruftics; yet having never had an inclination to travel farther than to the neighbouring village, and being totally unacquainted with the world, his manners, converfation, and dress are strikingly noticeable. A little plot of ground that extends round his cottage, is the narrow fphere to which he confines himfelf; and in this wild retreat, he appears to a stranger as one of the early inhabitants of earth, e'er polished by frequent intercourfe, or united in fociety. In his youth, being deprived of the means of education, and till this hour a ftranger to reading, the moft valuable treasures of time are utterly unknown to him; so that what knowledge he has acquired feems to be from the joint exertions of vigorous powers, and an unwearied courfe of experiments.