statements, that instead of attempt ing to give a statement of what was said, we must be contented with a succinct account of what was proposed and done.

The State Papers of 1813 will be found to contain a "Report on the Corn Trade," framed by a select Committee of the House of Commons, in which were considered the two different systems on which the Corn Laws of the country had been hitherto founded. The first, commencing in 1670, discouraged the importation of grain by high duties, whilst it encouraged the exportation by bounties. The second, commencing in 1765, proceeded on the directly opposite principle. The effect of these systems is stated by the committee to be such, that they recommend a recurrence to the former policy, by fixing very high the regulating price for allowing the importation of corn, with the permission of free exportation till it bad nearly reached that standard. The respective prices specified were, exportation up to 90s. per quarter, and importation when at 103s. At that time, in consequence of two successive scanty harvests and other circumstances, the price of grain was extremely high, and much distress was incurred by the dearness of bread and the other necessaries of life. When, therefore, an intention was declared of bringing in a bill to parliament upon the principles supported by the committee, a great alarm was excited, especially in the commercial towns and manufacturing districts; and the suspicion was generally entertained of a design of sacrificing the trading to the landed

interest, and enabling the country gentlemen to keep up the greatly increased rents of their estates.The cultivation of corn having of late years been so much extended in Ireland, that a considerable part of the deficiency of England was supplied from thence, it was natural that the members of that part of the united kingdom should take the lead in the attempt to discour age foreign importation; and Sir H. Parnell, member for Queen's County, who had been chairman of the committee, was the person who brought the matter under discussion after the Christmas recess. Petitions had in the mean time been pouring in from different places against any alteration in the corn laws.

On May 5, "Sir Henry Parnell moved that the debate on the corn laws, adjourned from the last session, should now be resumed; which was put and carried. He then moved that the first of a set of resolutions which he had prepared, and which were essentially different from those which he had proposed in the last year, be referred to a committee of the whole house. It was in the following words:"That it is expedient that the exportation of corn, grain, meal, malt, and flour, from any part of the united kingdom, should be permitted at all times, without the payment of any duty, and without receiving any bounty whatever."

Mr. Rose opposed the motion in a speech full of information concerning all previous laws relative to the corn trade, and supported by tables, of which no abridgment. can be given; and he concluded with earnestly intreating the house

not

not to take the report for its guide, but to proceed with a caution and deliberation suited to the infinite importance of the subject. He was replied to by Sir Henry Parnell; and after other speakers had joined in the debate, the question for going into a committee was put and carried. The first resolution being then also carried, the second was put; viz. "That the several duties now payable in respect to all corn, grain, meal, and flour, imported into the united kingdom shall cease and determine; and the several duties in the following schedule shall be paid in lieu thereof." The schedule being af terwards amended, it stood so that wheat, if imported from foreign countries when the home price was at or under 63 shillings per quarter, should pay a duty of 24 shillings; when the home price was 86 shillings or upwards, it should be duty free; and at all intermediate prices the duty should bear the same ratio. Wheat imported from the British colonies in North America was to pay half as much duty. A similar scale was framed for other grain; and this resolution also was agreed to.

A third resolution read and car. ried was "That all foreign corn, grain, meal, and flour, should at all times be imported and warehoused free of all duty, until taken out for home consumption; and should at all times be exported free of all duty."

On May 13, the House having resumed the consideration of the report concerning the corn laws, the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave his opinion that some of the resolutions would require further deliberation, but expressed himself

decidedly in favour of the first.After some conversation, it was agreed to consider that resolution by itself, and a bill was ordered to be brought in upon it.

The bill permitting exportation of grain without duty or bounty was presented by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on May 16, and read the first time. On the same day the order for the House taking into consideration the resolutions of the Corn Committee being moved, Lord A. Hamilton, after a speech against the intended alterations, moved, as an amendment,

That the further consideration of the resolutions be postponed till this day three months." A copious debate ensued, which terminated in a division. For the amendment 27, Against it 144, Majority 117. The report was then, on motion of Mr. Foster, ordered to be re-committed, for the purpose of introducing an amendment.

On the 17th the House being in aCommittee, the second resolution, for prohibiting the importation of corn, except under the scale above specified being read, Mr. Foster proposed that the protecting duty should cease when wheat arrived at 100 shillings, and other grain in proportion. After a debate, the question was put on this amendment, and a division ensuing, the numbers were, For it 60, Against it 81; Majority in the negative 21. The resolution in its original form was then agreed to. On the 18th the second resolution, respecting the schedule of duties on importation, was put and adopted without a division, and leave was given to bring in a bill upon it.

On May 20, Mr. Bankes, after some observations on the necessity

that

that the House should be accurately informed of the actual state of the corn trade, and the probability respecting importation before the next harvest, moved "That a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the corn trade, so far as relates to the importation and warehousing of foreign corn, and to report their observations thereupon; together with the minutes of evidence which may be taken before them." This delay was warmly opposed by the friends of the resolutions; and though the motion was supported by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who now manifestly began to waver, it was negatived on a division by 99 against 42.

On May 23d, a motion being made for the third reading of the Corn Exportation Bill, Mr. Rose declared that he would make his solemn protest against it, as one of the most mischievous measures that had ever been brought before the House; and after stating his objections to it, he said he should move, as a rider, that the King should be empowered, with the advice of his Privy Council, to stop the exportation whenever the exigencies of the country might require it. After some observations had been made by different members on this suggestion, the House divided on the third reading. For it 107, Against it 27, Majority So. The rider of Mr. Rose was then discussed, and was rejected without a division, and the bill passed.

The report of the Corn Importation Bill being brought up on May 24, a conversation ensued, chiefly on the charge of deficient information for the importance of the subject; after which the bill pro VOL. LVI.

forma was passed, to be fully discuss ed in the following stage. A great number of petitions in the mean time were brought up from different places, including some of the most populous towns in the kingdom, against the meditated alterations in the corn laws, by which the existence of a very general alarm respecting their supposed tendency was strongly manifested. The members who presented them thought it their duty, in some instances, to express their sense of the danger that might arise from urging measures so unpopular with a great part of the nation; and Mr. Canning, on presenting a petition from Liverpool signed by 22,000 names, said that he thought it impossible for any man who had cast his observation about him for the last ten days, not to feel that unless some urgent necessity called for the adoption of the proposed measures, it would be the height of impolicy to urge them at present.

The effect of these representations was apparent, when on June 6th the Chancellor of the Exchequer rose and said, that in consideration of the number of petitions which had been presented against the proposed alteration of the Corn Laws, he should move to refer those pe

titions to the consideration of a select committee, with the intention and hope, that if they could make their report in due time, some legislative measure might be founded upon it in the course of the present session. The motion being put, a debate followed, in which the arguments respecting the policy of the proposed changes were recapitulated on each side, with some severe strictures, by the friends of those changes, on the means by [K]

which

which the national alarm had been excited. It was clearly understood that the motion was in fact a postponement of the further consideration of the subject to another session, and it was supported and opposed under that idea. A division at length taking place, the numbers were Ayes 173, Noes 67. Majority for the motion 106. The order of the day being then read for taking the report on the Corn Laws into further consideration, the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that the report should be taken into consideration on that day three weeks; to which GeneTal Gascoigne moved as an amendment, substituting six months as the time. The House dividing on the amendment, the numbers were Ayes 116, Noes 106, Majority 10: the bill introduced was therefore lost.

The Corn Exportation bill passed the House of Lords with little opposition, and went into a law. In that House also a committee was formed for inquiring into the state of the corn laws, which brought in a report a short time before the prorogation of parliament; when the Earl of Hardwicke, who presented it, said that he regretted that the time had not been sufficient to justify the committee in coming to a final report on the subject, and announced his intention of moving for another committee early in the next session.

Without presuming to give any opinion respecting the general justice or policy of the proposed alterations in the system of the corn laws, we may venture to observe, respecting the parliamentary proceedings on the subject, 1.

that the very high standard fixed in the first set of resolutions for the points at which exportation was to cease, and importation fo be allowed, did certainly indicate in the proposers a design of keeping up a price of corn adequate to the support of that extraordinary rise of rents which has taken place of late years : 2. that the great majorities in the House of Commons in favour of the mitigated resolutions, cannot in fairness he attributed to any other cause, than a conviction of the public utility of the measures proposed: and 3. that the number of petitioners against any change in the existing laws can afford no rule to judge of the merits of the case, when it is considered with what ease a ferment is excited among the people, especially in a matter apparently connected with their subsistence. The question, as a subject of sound and sober policy, cannot be said yet to have received a satisfactory discussion.

The proceedings of both Houses of Parliament relative to the Slave Trade as carried on by foreign countries, were so much to their honour, on account of the generous sentiments displayed in them, that although the results were less efficacious than the friends of humanity might have wished, it would be a national injury to pass them without due notice.

On May 2d. Mr. Wilberforce rose in the House of Commons, and made a speech introductory to a proposed motion. He said, the House had already recognized its principle when, in 1806 and 1810, it had consented to an address to the throne, similar in effect to that which he was desirous of pro

moting.

moting. He observed, that there never was a period more favourable to such a motion than the present, or in which there existed such powerful motives for endeavouring to attain its purpose. All the great powers of Europe were assembled in congress to consider the very elements of their political rights, and what could be a more proper moment for urging the consideration of the wrongs of Africa? There was but one objection that he had heard against the proceed ing he meant to recommend, which was, that when he spoke of the immediate accession of the cotinental powers to a proposal for a general abolition of the Slave Trade, it was replied, that as we ourselves did not abolish it till after 18 or 19 years of inquiry, how could it be expected that they would do it so precipitately? The fact however was, that it had been on its trial during all that interval, and that when its deformity was fully disclosed, the general conviction pronounced sentence against it. Experience had also shewn that all the predictions of commercial and other evils to follow its abolition were fallacious; therefore, in urging other nations to pursue the same course, we called upon them to run no risk in an untried scheme. Further, the greater part of the European nations had no direct interest in the continuance of this trade. With regard to France, it had been practically abolished for many years past; and though Mr. Fox had been unable to convince Buonaparte that our abolition rose from any principle of justice, and he was a friend to the trade, better things might be expected from

the religion and humanity of Lewis. XVIII. From Spain also happier results might be anticipated, as she was now placed in a condition that enabled her to act upon just and honourable principles. Looking to Portugal he could not but entertain similar hopes, notwithstanding a paper lately issued by that government, the principle of which was, that the Slave Trade should be carried on by the ports of Brazil, until the population of that extensive country was become proportioned to its magnitude. The language of this paper shewed an attention to the calls of humanity, which, though perverted, might by proper argument be led to a co-operation with this country. The acquiescence of Sweden had been already obtained. Den mark had abolished the trade at an early period; as America had also done. The hon. member begged to guard himself against the imputation of wishing by his motion to remind his Majesty's ministers of a duty which he was persuaded they were ready spontaneously to perform. His object was only to strengthen their hands by a solemn declaration from parliament, that their former proceedings did not originate in a transient fit of humanity, but in a deliberate view of the subject in all its relations. After an earnest and eloquent appeal to the feelings of the House, he concluded with a motion of considerable length, the substance of which was, That an humble address should be presented to the Prince Regent, assuring his Royal Highness of their perfect reliance on the former declarations to parliament that his Majesty's govern