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were made on the subject. The proposition was agreed to March 30. Mr Powys, moved that an humble address be presented to his majesty, that he would be graciously pleased to lay before the House of Commons, copies of all such information as had been received by the committee of privy council, relative to the present state of agriculture in Great Britain and Ireland, c. His reason, he said, for requiring this information, was to ascertain whether or not the afsertion of some people was well founded, that neither Great Britain, nor Europe, produced a sufficient quantity of grain for the consumption of its inhabitants. Mr Ryder objected, because some inconvenience would arise from divulging the price of corn at certain periods. He farther said, that the privy council had not gone into the state of agriculture in this country and Ireland. The motion was negatived; and Mr Powys gave notice that he fhould make a similar motion on Friday, April 1.

April 1. Mr Powys having accordingly made a similar motion in the house, is was negatived. He then moved, for an account of the quantities of corn, that had been imported from Ireland into Britain, and the quantities that had been exported from Britain into Ireland, for the last ten years.-Negatived.

Monday, April 4. In a committee on the corn bill, objections were made to the clause, subjecting vefsels to forfeiture, by Mr Alderman Curtis and Lord Sheffield.Opposed by the chancellor of exchequer, on a motion by Sir Peter Burrel, that L. 100 for every hundred tons of the burden, fhould be deposited in the hands of some proper person till it should be proved that the vessel was properly seized. The amendment was rejected ;---ayes 39, noes 64. Mr Powys then moved, that the ports fhould not be opened for the importation of foreign wheat, till the average price rose to 52s. instead of 48 s. as proposed, contending that this would tend to encourage the agriculture of the country.

Mr Ryder strenuously opposed the motion.

Lord Carysfort, Mr Pelham, Mr Pultney, Mr Bastard, Lord Sheffield, Mr Harrison, Mr H. Browne, and Mr Fox, supported the amendment. By these gentlemen it was in general contended, that the scarcity complained of in late years, had not been owing to a natural scarcity ; but

they ascribed it entirely to a departure from the old principles of the corn laws, by the act which took place in 1773, which had tended to induce farmers to throw their lands into grafs instead of corn, from the encouragement it gave to the introduction of foreign grain. They wished now, they said, to recur to the former principle, and the former plenty would of course be restored.

Mr Ryder, and Mr Pitt opposed the amendment, ascribing the scarcity in late years, not to the operation of the law complained of, but to the encrease of wealth, of population, of luxury, of horses, of distilleries, &c. On a division the amendment was carried;-ayes 59, noes 63., Adjourned.

April 11. The committee again sat, when a long and warm debate took place, on the clause permitting the warehousing of corn.

Mr Powys complained, that after it had been once rejected, it had been again introduced without sufficient warning having been given of that intention. This position was warmly disputed by Mr Ryder.

Lord Sheffield argued with great force of reasoning against the whole clause; alleging many arguments to prove that it must be highly pernicious to the agriculture of this country. Among other particulars, he stated, that one hundred thousand tons of shipping came annually from the Baltic, from Flanders, and Ireland, to Liverpool for salt, [he did not specify coals,] and could afford to bring 500,000 quarters of wheat at a very small expence. He said farmers would soon see they could not raise corn in competition, and would necefsarily turn from tillage to pasture. He added, those magazines were unnecessary, as we never had found occasion for them during the prosperous times of our corn trade.

Many other members having objected, in particular, against that part of the clause for paying the expence of warehousing by the public, Mr Ryder agreed to withdraw this part of the clause.

The committee then divided ;-ayes for retaining the clause thus amended 86, noes 70,-majority against it, 14. A division also took place on the clause for dividing the kingdom into districts,-ayes 65, noes 58,-majority in its favour, 7.

The remainder in a succeeding number.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

THE Editor owes many apologies to his correspondents for delaying their communications so long; but his narrow limits prevent him from gratifying himself by complying with their wifhes, as early as they might desire. To several respectable correspondents who have honoured him with large. communications, particular apologies are due: Among these Urania.

To B. A. for his elegant essays on taste, he begs leave to say, that as it is ever his wifh to avoid giving part of an essay in one volume, and part of it in another, where it can be at all done, he was induced on that account to delay the whole of his essays till the following volume, in which he hopes to get the whole included.

The same reason induced him to defer the valuable account of a journey to the Hebrides, by his much respected correspondent Piscator, whose modesty can only be equalled by his candour and liberality of sentiment. These travels will furnish some interesting articles in the ensuing volume. For the same reason the very useful observations of E. T. obscure, on female education, have been longer delayed than could otherwise have happened.

The important observations of Thomas Telltruth have been deferred to give place to the spirited remarks of Timothy Thunderproof, which were begun before his second No. of the Informer was received.

The readers of the BEE are respectfully informed that the Editor has been favoured with clear, concise, directions for the recovery of persons apparently drowned, being the result of the whole collected experience that has yet been derived from the efforts of ingenious men in the practice of this salutary art, in the different countries of Europe, communicated by a gentleman of the Faculty, whose name, were it allowed to be mentioned, would recommend it to the attention of the Public. No longer, therefore, will these important directions be confined to the cover of the BEE; they will be now inserted in the body of the work, in compliance with the wishes of many correspondents.

In answer to the many inquiries lately received about the poor's laws in Scotland. The Editor has the prospect of being enabled, during the currency of next volume, to present his readers with a practical disquisition on the best mode of providing for the poor, containing an historical account of the origin, progrefs, and nature of the poor's laws in England and. in Scotland, with a concise view of the tendency of compulsory and voJuntary provisions for the poor, in respect to the morals, industry, and domestic economy of the people.

To those who have, from different quarters, solicited farther information respecting the rearing of silk worms in this country, he begs leave to say, that as he always prefers the result of practice on the spot, to accounts derived from countries pofsefsing a different climate from our own, the Editor has set on foot inquiries in different quarters, respecting this important department, from persons who have had experience in it; and he has reason to believe he will soon be favoured with information that may be depended on, which shall be delayed no longer than is necessary for obtaining it authentic. A little delay, when this is the object, will, he hopes, be readily approved of.

*** The letter respecting Virgil's Georgics is just received. What the avriter suggests, fhall be duly noticed in our next number.

OF EVENTS.

January 18. 1792.

FOREIGN.

The

no person can tell: For altho' THAT heavy political cloud it indicates a degree of politi which has long lowered over cal insanity, that nothing but the horizon of France with a actual desperation could exthreatening aspect, has, of late, cuse, yet such acts of desperabecome more and more gloomy, tion have been seen; and no and seems to portend that an nation seems to be in a fitr important crisis is at hand, big state for it, than the French at with the fate of thousands, the present moment. which excites a foreboding an-present national afsembly, unxiety in the mind of every at-acquainted with the functions tentive beholder. The emi- of the important businefs degrant princes, on the one hand, volved upon them, seems to be have omitted no exertion that exceedingly embarrassed on all was in their power, to rouse occasions how to proceed. The up foreign enemies to the levies of the taxes have fallen late established constitution of so exceedingly fhort of the France, and to encourage in- necefsary expenditure of the ternal divisions in the state; state, and the difficulty of enwhile the new national afsem- forcing the collection of these bly, on the other hand, appear in the present state of affairs, to be equally forward in alarm-seems to them to be such as to ing the national fears, and ex-deter them from attempting it. citing the ardent spirit of the To lose time, in these circum French, not only to take up stances, would seem to threa arms in their own defence, but en, in their eyes, evils of a even to rush forward in quest of more serious nature, than those their enemies, where-ever they they are going to encounter, can find them, even in the ter- In this deranged state of their ritories of other princes. Whe- finance, they have resolved to ther they will carry these rafh put arms in the hands of more threats into actual execution, than 300,000 men. To let VOL. Vii.

a

these men loose, without a re- | these scenes must occasion to

many individuals, who may survive the carnage of their friends, and the ruin of their affairs, must be dreadful to contemplate.

gular fund for paying them, among the subjects of the French nation themselves, seems to be an idea too frightful to the national assembly. Better carry the war into the territoThe emperor and the king ries of another state, where of Prussia have concluded a pillage will not appear to be a defensive alliance, the prelimicrime altogether of such a hei-naries of which will be signed nous nature, as it would be in at Vienna in a few days. their own country. Whether king and his friends will be able to moderate these exertions, as they seem to wish, cannot as yet be known.

In the new treaty between the emperor and the king of Prufsia, the latter has undertaken to guarantee the Germanic constitution, and all the rights and pofsefsions of the empire.

The lefser states that border upon France, are not insensible The message of the national of the danger they run in this afsembly to the king, recomextremity, and appear to be mending vigorous measures awell disposed to avert the evilgainst the powers who suffer by every pofsible concefsion. the emigrants to afsemble in But the emperor, and the arms on their territories, has greater princes, whose states produced different effects in are not in the same degree of the petty courts of Germany. danger, having determined to oppose any attack upon the Germanic body, will pofsibly prevent them from complying with the requisitions of the French, in the manner that is required. In these circumstances it seems to be impofsible to guard against the fhock of arms.-The sword is, to all appearance, soon to be drawn; and when it will be fheathed again, no human foresight can foretell.-God grant it may be The prince bishop of Spire, beBut before that can ing open to attack, and dreading happen, the effusion of much the defection of his own subhuman blood can hardly be a-jects, thought it prudent to a voided, and the distrefs that [dopt more pacific measures.

soon!

The elector of Mayence, confiding in the distance of his territories, which the French cannot enter but through the Palatinate, wrote to the magistrates of Worms, of which he is bithop, to disregard all menaces of hostility, and to answer openly, that the emigrants were afsembled, armed, and exercised, by the exprefs permifsion of his Electoral Highness.

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