degree of loyalty, firmness, and patience, manifested by the great body of that defcription of people, on the moft trying occafions.

Lord CLIFTON obferved, that the immenfe increase in the price of corn, as stated by the noble Earl, certainly rendered the fubject a matter of the moft ferious confideration; but in his opinion, a direct Legiflative interference, or treating the business in the way it had been treated, would raise the price from IIos. to 200s. per quarter.

Lord AUCKLAND obferved, that with respect to what the noble Lord who spoke laft had faid of his founding the trumpet of alarm, he must say, that a certain degree of alarm on fuch an occafion was neceffary to prevail, as the fcarcity was allowed by all to be one of a moft ferious nature; its caufes fhould be investigated for the fatisfaction of all, and to afcertain whether it were a real or fictitious scarcity; and every nerve should be ftrained, to obviate the impending evil. The line of conduct which the noble Lord feemed to recommend, reminded him of an anecdote related in that excellent work, the Spectator, refpecting the refult of a conversation between a diffipated young man and a reverend Prelate, on the subject of a future ftate. The former faid, that he lived well, and without the leaft reference to fuch a confideration, as he had no belief in fuch a ftate of exiftence. To this the Prelate obferved, that he lived under the conviction of fuch an end; but that if it happened he should be wrong, he should be at no lofs; whereas, if fuch a ftate really exifted, the confequences to his opponent in argument would be dreadful indeed.-So in the cafe before them-By inveftigation, and looking the evil full in the face, no lofs or danger could enfue; but by neglect, the moft fatal confequences might refult. The data alluded to by the noble Lord formed but very imperfect grounds for a difcuffion. It was not the state of any particular spot or county in England that was to be confidered, but the whole of Great Britain taken together. The plan recommended by the venerable Prelate had his moft cordial approbation, and much might be done towards the great end through various other channels. They were then upon the eve of the circuits. His learned friend upon the woolfack might inftruct the Judges to recommend the Grand Juries to promote the most rigid economy in their respective districts. The Bithops, in their paftoral capacity, might recommend the fame to every clafs of the clergy. With refpect to the idea of a quartern loaf lasting an individual for a certain period, it might be taken as a medium for curfory calculation. In general, he believed, that more than one quartern loaf and a half, befides a confumption of flour in other fhapes, were used by each individual in

families of the defcription alluded to. The propofition of the learned Prelate would, therefore, go to do away one third of the average consumption. This, with the use of other fuccedaneums, might well be effected. He had himself tried it in former periods of fcarcity. There were more than 700,000 houfes in which this might be done, indeed he might fay near 900,000 in which the accommodation might be carried into effect. But fuppofe it could be brought to bear in only 600,000 houfes, these might be reasonably supposed to contain three millions of people: the faving thereby effected would be juft 1,500,000 quartern loaves per week, which would feed two millions of people, a number exceeding, he really believed, one fourth of those who neceffarily must otherwife fecl the effects of the scarcity. His Lordship scouted the idea held out by fome, that France was a country to which we, in the event of peace, might look for a fupply. The reverfe was the fact. France, in its happieft periods, never produced equal to its own confumption; and he cited the authority of M. Neckar, that 600,000l. was the average fum for a certain number of years paid for imported corn. It was pofitive madness to think of recurring to France. He spoke generally in approbation of the Report of the other House of Parliament, and faid that the idea of the venerable. Prelate was one of the objects which the Committee wifhed to effectuate. By a line adopted hitherto, the fubject lay regularly open to parliamentary difcuffion, and the fuggeftions of any noble. Lord. Within the last three days he had received more than a hundred letters, many of them written by respectable and ingenious men; but their fuggeftions were of fuch a fort as would be more properly difcuffed elsewhere.

Lord CLIFTON, in explanation, faid that he was prepared to prove that the facts to which he alluded were over-stated; and that therefore the alarm held forth was not only unneceffary, but falfe.

The Earl of SUFFOLK confidered the fubject as one of the most serious nature; it required investigation, and that every nerve should be ftrained to meet the evil. The magnitude of the evil might be estimated by the confideration of the enormous price of wheat. It was their duty to promote every means of abridging the confumption. He wondered that among the various fubftitutes propofed, that of rice was not pre-eminently held forth. Onethird of the inhabitants of one quarter of the world were subfifted on that vegetable alone. Rice, when mixed with flour, afforded a good and palatable bread. Proper fubftitutes fhould be one of the objects of inquiry in the Committee. Indeed, if ample premiums

VOL. X.

4 P

were held out for the fuggeftion of fubftitutes, it might be beneficial, as the evil was not only a prefent, but a growing one. There were great and extenfive tracts of land in various parts of the kingdom lying quite unproductive, the cultivation of which would be attended with the happieft effects.

The Bishop of DURHAM spoke highly in commendation of the plan fuggefted by the venerable Prelate, who had come forward on the occafion with all that dignity which appertained to his station and character: he thought it must be attended with the best effects, as the lower orders of the people naturally look up with attention to the example and conduct of the higher claffes of fociety; and were fuch a model adopted by the latter, it would convince them that they were determined not to indulge in the luxuries of life, to the prejudice and injury of the poor. The retrenchment should not be confined to the article of bread; there were a variety of luxuries, which at fuch times ought to be laid afide by the wealthy, for the accommodation and comfort of the poor.

Lord GRENVILLE agreed in the impolicy of propofing compulfory meafures in fuch cafes as the prefent. The propofitions alluded to might be attended with good effects; and he believed that but one sentiment pervaded the Houfe on the question, which was, by every proper and effectual means to avert the threatened calamity; at the fame time he thought that frequent and public agitations of the subject would rather tend to increase than to leffen the evil, and in this point of view he feemed to differ from the noble Lord who cited the anecdote from a popular work, as by promoting the difcuffion, they would not remain in the fituation from which they fet out, but be drawn into a worfe; it must, by creating an unneceffary degree of alarm, increase the evil and augment the exifting diftrefs. The plan in queftion was in principle little different from that fuggefted to the Houfe three or four years ago. There was one point, however, that tranfpired in the courfe of the debate, which he could not pafs over, namely, that it was neceffary by fuch proceedings as these recommended by the propofitions before the House, to evince to the lower, that the higher orders of fociety felt for, and were determined to alleviate their diftreffes. Happily this was not neceffary, as there exifted in this country an union of interefts, an intimacy of connection between all orders of fociety, that has convinced all that their interefts and happiness were founded on the fame basis, and to be promoted by the fame means. Such a calamity as the prefent was felt more or lefs by every member of the community.

Lord CLIFTON again fpoke in explanation.

Lord HOBART wifhed to obferve fhortly upon part of what had fallen in the course of the evening from the noble Lord who spoke laft. It was not from the evidence of Meffrs. Scott and Young, that the statements in the Report of the other Houfe of Parliament were founded: it was known to exift; it was felt by all before the inveftigation commenced; and there was incontrovertible teftimony of an alarming degree of fcarcity. He was of opinion, that the adoption of the regulations before the House would be attended with beneficial effects; and it was well known, that no body of men had fo much weight in the country in general, as the Members of both Houfes of Parliament. Without having recourfe to compulfory measures, the example of the Legislature, in fuch cafes, would have more effect than any other plan which could be devised.

The LORD CHANCELLOR left the woolfack, and faid that he fhould approve in the greatest part the measure brought forward by the most reverend Prelate, if fome of the terms were fo altered as to make it appear the propofition and agreement of those noble Lords who figned it. As it ftood now, it was in the form of a refolution; and a refolution of the noble Lords as a body, feemed as if it were a legiflative act. His Lordship faid that any Legislative act, in his opinion, would tend to do more prejudice than service in a cafe of this kind. The learned Lord then took notice of the Report of the House of Commons, and was by no means fatisfied with its being founded on the opinions of two gentlemen only. That was not the best evidence which might have been obtained, because much more was to have been had; neither had the proceedings of the Committee been difereet or accurate on the occafion : they had put the questions in fuch a manner that they could only receive one answer to them. He agreed with Lord Clifton, that Mr. Arthur Young must have been much mistaken in his calculation as to the average produce of corn in England, when he had fixed it from twenty-two to twenty-four bufhels an acre. The noble and learned Lord faid, that in the course of the laft twenty-five years, he had had many opportunities, both private and public, of investigating the average price of corn and other provifions; and he had found, as well from thofe, as from the opinion of one of the greatest men this country had produced (Mr. Burke), who had had certainly the most accurate and extenfive knowledge and information of the provifions of this country, and he, and all thofe he had confulted on the fubject, were convinced, that the average produce of corn, take the whole country throughout, was not more

than twenty bufhels an acre. His Lordfhip then propofed, that inftead of the word-" Refolved, that we the undersigned," &c.the word "Agreed" fhould be fubftituted; which was acceded to, and the measure unanimously adopted.

MOTION FOR PEACE.

Lord STANHOPE-" My Lords, not having for feveral years troubled your Lordships with my fentiments on public affairs, I confider it to be my duty, in the prefent alarming fituation of the country, to fuggeft to your Lordships why you ought, and how you might put an end to the war. I should indeed deem myself highly culpable if I delayed longer in fubmitting to your Lordships my fincere and confcientious opinion on this important fubject. My Lords, I have to regret, more than I can exprefs, that the honest, and, I truft, judicious advice I gave early in the war, did not at that time meet your Lordships approbation. If I can prove that the danger arifing from a continuance of the war is greater than any danger that can be reafonably imagined in putting an end to it—if I can fatisfy your Lordships that there would be an advantage arifing from peace, which it will be impoffible to obtain by continuing the conteft-if I can prove that you are wafting your refources, even if the war was in certain refpects proper (though I contend it is proper in none) faster than the French Republic is wafting her's-if I can fhew that this war is to be attributed either to the mifconception of His Majefty's Minifters, or, what is worse, to the groffeft want of integrity (I trust it is attributable to their misconception) — if I can offer reasons which have occurred to me fince I retired into the country, that fhew the indifpenfable neceffity of putting an end to the war-I then flatter myself I fhall have your Lordships approbation in favour of the motion I fhall have the honour to fubmit. Anxious as I am to obtain your approbation, I am more anxious to obtain your votes, but much more anxious to obtain your conviction; for I think, though there are many who perhaps would not, by any thing I can fay, be persuaded to vote for a specific propofition of peace; yet, if convinced by my arguments of the neceffity of it, they might give fuch advice in private to those who have the power to terminate the war, as in all probability would be productive of that effect. My Lords, there is one topic fo important, thạt I cannot wave the difcuffion of it. I mean the fubject of finance; as it is a fubject generally conceived to be difficult, I will make it clear; as it is fuppofed to be a dull fubject, I will be short; and as it certainly is a fubject of the first importance, I feel it my duty not to pass it over in filence. I fhall have no dispute with Minif