pointed to take the general fubject into confideration, who have laid the foundation, by their inveftigations, for very important regulations in regard to that great branch of political economy. A matter of that importance, however, requires much deliberation, before either parliament can be applied to for new laws, or any recommendation can be fubmitted to the confideration of private individuals. But there were three points which feemed to meet with a very general concurrence. The firft was to promote improvements in the conftruction of cottages, more efpecially to afcertain the means by which the confumption of fuel could be diminithed. The fecond, to recommend the annexing of a large garden to cach cottage, by which the labourer, with the allifiance of his family, might be enabled to raife a confiderable quantity of provifions, without being obliged to go to market for every thing he had occafion for. Many inftances of the benefit refulting from fuch an appendage were ftated in the different county reports, and were known to many members of the board. The third point was, that of encouraging, by every poffible means, the extenfion of friendly focieties, that moft for tunate of all inflitutions for the benefit of the poor, and the moft likely means that could poffibly be devifed for rendering their fituation comfortable. That the variety of important fubjects regarding which it was noceffary for the Board to collect information, and of measures which it might have occafion to recommend to the public attention, having rendered it extremely defirable to stablish a correspondence with fome refpectable body in each county, it had occurred, that either the grand juries or the magiftrates affembled at the quarter-feffions, were in every point of view the fitteft and moft refpectable defcriptions of perfons for the board to correfpond with. That a circular letter had been fent by the board, fuggefting the many public advantages that might be derived, by eftablishing a committee of the magiftrates in each county, to correfpond with the board upon fuch fubjects, which there is every reafon to believe will be cordially acceded to; a moft defirable circumstance, as fuch an intercourfe could not fail to be productive of confequences equally fatisfactory to the board, and important to the general interefts of the country. The prefident then concluded his addrefs in the following words: "On the whole, the board have only to perfevere, with zeal and alacrity, in the great courfe in which they are now engaged, in order to effect objects which were never compaffed in any other country; and which, without an inflitution, carried on with fuch zeal and energy, would never have been fuppofed attainable. And in carrying on this great undertaking we ought to confider, that we are not only la bouring for ourselves and our pofterity, and for the nations by whom we are furrounded, who muft profit from our inftructions, and be benefitted by our example, but that we are laying a foundation for the fux ture profperity and happiness of the human race; fince their profperity and happinefs muft ever depend on the facility with which their means of luftenance can be provided. This country has much to boast of. In [*G2] the the arts of war it has had few equals: in commerce and manufacturing indufiry, it has gone beyond all competition: in every branch of learning it has produced individuals who can rival the proudest names that antiquity can exhibit: and if, in addition to thofe other fources of fame and credit, it can bring agriculture, and the feful arts connected with it, to perfection (which by the exertions of this board, can hardly fail to be fpeedily accomplifhed) where is the nation that will be able to make a more diftinguished figure in the page of history." Abstract of Minutes of the Evidence taken before the Committee of Council appointed for the Confideration of all Matters relating to Trade, and foreign Plantations, in ReSpect to the Stock of Grain in this Country, and its Price fubfequent to the Harvest of 1794, and reSpecting the Produce of the Harvest of the prefent Year; the prefent and probable Price of Grain in this Country till the enfuing Harvest; and the Means of procuring a Supply to make good the Deficiency in the Produce of this Country; with other Proceedings thereupon, from Jan. 31, 1795, to Aug. 6, 1795; and of the Evidence before the Lords of the Privy Council to the like Effect, from April 27, 1795, to November 5, 1795. gra culate in purchases, which would depend on the relative prices in the markets abroad and in England in the fpring, where thofe purchases would be deftined. The crops in America were too fhort, and the price too high, to bring it to Eng land, though the French orders were not limited to quality or price. The laft crop in Canada was plei ful and good, and might be looked for in July, and from the Baltic in May. Spain and Portugal had feanty harvefis; the latter no grain and exportation was prohibited. to fpare. In Sicily crops had failed, Nothing was to be had in time from Egypt or Turkey. The rife of the price of wheat in London was dual, owing to the exhausted flocks of wheat and flour in the hands of the millers and dealers at harvesttime, and additional buyers in London. The froft raised flour 2s. a fack, and, if it continued, would caufe a farther rife, to enable the millers to fupply London by landcarriage. Leaving more bran, &c. in the flour would increase the quantity of bread, but make it less mutritive. Mr. Arthur Young ftated the laft crop deficient not full onefifth below the average of ten years; fo it was 1788; worfe 1789; yet the prices of that crop till harvest 1790, did not amount, on an average throughout the kingdom, to more than 7s. a bufhel. He thought importation bore no proportion to the want; and that the Albion-mills had reduced the price of flour. Mr. Sheredine, the king's baker and purveyor of bread, thought that the increafe of one penny on the quartern loaf of houfehold would give a profit to the baker, and make it preferred. By Governor Pownall's bill, the aflize was fet low, and there was no bread bread of the whole meal, it being intended to lay a check on both meal man and baker; but in this the bill failed. If only one fort of flour was allowed to be made, the meal man would be obliged to make it, and could have no fale for the finer. If the miller was forced by parliament to drefs his flour coarfer, it would increase the quantity from a given quantity of wheat, as it would take in the finer pollards, which are now, in the common mode of manufacturing, entirely feparated from the flour, the expence of manufacturing would be cheaper, and the flour fooner fit for ufe. The best and moft wholefome bread is made from flour that contained the whole of the meal, with the broad bran only taken out; and the fine pollards contain a sweet oily fubftance, that prevents the bread from drying in fo fhort a time as bread made from fine flour only. Brown-bread flour, manufactured in the best manner from the whole of the wheat, with the broad bran only taken out, may be ground to-day, dreffed tomorrow, and used next day. The poor will not buy the coarfer bread if they can buy better, nor be fatif fied unless they give the higheft price. No bread is now made in London for fale but the fine wheaten. The parliamentary houfehold bread fhould be made from the whole meal, the broad bran only being taken put; which may be ascertained either by drefling it through a cloth, or wire, woven with a certain numher of threads or wire in an inch. What is called a 14s. cloth is generally understood to be proper for ufe. This flour would bake into fuch bread as is made in gentleman's families, where the wheat has been ground in their own mill, and no tricks played with it. If parliament would give the fame encouragement to the baker for making bread from the flour as here ftated, as they now have for baking the fine household flour, the millers would be willing to manufacture for that purpose. Flour from Indian corn mixed with wheat would give it a yellow caft; but a small quantity improves ordinary flour very much. White pease are fometimes ground with it in fmall quantities. If the Albion mills had ground to the hire it would not have been a profitable concern, which is the cafe with common millers: they are, therefore, all mealmen. The Albion-mills caused a competition, which reduced the profit to the millers in general. No wheat is ufed in diftilling, nor any objection thence to prohibit the ufe of wheat and wheat-flour entirely, or carrying any kind of corn coaftwife from one port of the united kingdom to another. Mr. Stonard, ftarch-maker, faid there was no law confining the making of ftarch to wheat, which made it whiter. No profit on the trouble of making it of rice; and starch merely for wathing might be made of barley. The Eaft-India Company's fcarlet cloths require ftarch in dying; and it is ufeful to the paper-trade for packing it. Peas and beans might be used to make it; but potatoe starch has no body, and is made with great watte; it can only be made of vegetable fubftances; and the number of hogs fed from the offal of it is a confiderable object. The committee appointed by the lord-mayor and court of aldermen were of opinion, that the mode by which the prices of wheat and flour have been collected under the act of 31 Geo. II[G3] c. 6. by which the affize of bread places being reduced to three or four days confumption. The lordmayor and the city members attended with their plan of relieving their jurifdiction by fubfcription, as did the bakers company, to frate the difficulty in fetting the affize of ftandard wheaten bread, so as to make it anfwer to the bakers to fell it. By July 8, there had arrived 22,000 quarters of foreign wheat; 6000 were difpofed of to the millers near London from 82s. to 84. per quarter, and one quarter at 86s. The difufe of hair-powder was deemed not of fufficient confequence; it is made of ftarch, and fometimes of ground rice; the quantity of ftarch fo applied is about one-third; very little ftarch is made at prefent. The foldiers ufed flour for powder. In confequence of a report from the attorney and fo licitor general and ferjeant Adair, the lords of the council stated, that many difficulties had prefented themfelves with respect to any measure for fixing the affize of ftandard wheaten bread contrary to that fettled by the 13th of his prefent majefty, fo as to induce the baker to fell it, fo that they had come to no refolution thereon. Subfcriptions were therefore fubftituted. The lords were, however, clearly of opinion, that the lord-mayor and court of aldermen fhould fet the affize of ftandard wheaten bread, and that it should be publicly known that it is fo fet, agrecably to 31 Geo. II. § 3. The whole quantity of wheat in hand, July 22, 64,340 quarters; flour, 12,055 barrels. There being a difpofition to flop corn and flour in their paffage to different parts of the kingdom, the lords declare that theta there is reafon to hope the ftock, with the foreign fupply, will laft till harvest; that exportation was prohibited; and that the magiftrates muft do their duty; and troops were ordered to protect the free circulation. 6000 quarters were put up to fale in the London market, and 7000, Monday, July 27. The weekly confumption of flour at Norwich is from. 600 to 700 facks. Some places were fupplied by prize fhips brought into the neareft port; others from. London. Auguft 5, the whole quantity of wheat in England undifpofed of, was 24,760 quarters.-Aug. 12, 18,450.-Aug. 19, 13,720. Aug. 26, 15,450.—Sept. 2, 22,430.-No return till Oa. 3, 33,200, and exported from the Baltic, 46,000. Oct. 17, 22,600.—O&. 21, $1,000. Oct. 28, 9,330.-Oct. 31, Canada wheat fold from 72 to 77s. per quarter. At Workington and Whitehaven the people were perfectly fatisfied with bread made of barley and rye. Fifty-fix fhips were sent to Quebec, of which only 28 arrived at different ports in England, and the obtaining the farther quantity was very doubt ful, in confequence of the immenfe demand for flour in Newfoundland, and for his majesty's fervice in Nova Scotia and the West Indies. What arrived was the greatest part heated, from being fhipped in hot weather; but it would probably recover. The demand for foreign wheat increafing, Mr. Claude Scott, the agent for government, was ordered, Oct. 1, to fell in each week in that month, in the London market, 5000 quarters, taking care to diminifh in proportion to the quantity of British wheat brought in. A bill was pre paring in October, to prohibit mak ing ftarch from wheat, and for permitting the importation of flarch at a duty, not exceeding the inland duty, now payable on ftarch made within the kingdom. Free exportation of wheat permitted at Dantzic, and the price declining. Mr. Scott applied for a greater fupply for the London market, the demand being fo preffing that country millers came 60 miles for it. "The price of wheat remained very high in Holland, as the purchafers for that market did not enjoy the fame degree of confidence for the prefent as the English. The French Convention was making very liberal propofals to contract for quantities to any extent, to be delivered in France; whence it was to be inferred, that the crops in France had not turned out fo well as would appear from the accounts in the newfpapers; but it was not to be fuppofed that any body would enter into a direct contract with the Convention, as payment might be fubject to fuch delays and altercation, &c." Extract of a letter from Dantzic, Sept. 15, 1795.-Mellrs. Helicars, in a letter from Briftol, to lord Hawkefbury, Oct. 8, 1795, ohferve, that "the confequence of the late fcarcity would have been more ferious had not the calamity been relieved by the foreign importation on government account; a fpeculation truly juftifiable, because the principle, we prefume, arose from the conduct of that nation we are at war with; for, it is a fair inference, that no individual merchant can or would rifk his property in a trade wherein he had to meet the agents of a nation, the fupport of whofe chimerical confiitution dè[G4] pends |