MR. PRENTICE made a speech full of good sense; full of excellent matter; and such, in short, as any man might have been proud to be the author of. That is the sort of speech to produce effect upon the people, and upon the Ministers too. MR. HARVEY must naturally please me by his manly declaraiion with regard to myself; but, much more he pleases me by ex"firm conviction, pressing his ing, stupid, empty lie, unworthy even of the word "fiction," which you have unwittingly applied to it. After this, it is useless to remark on the remaining part of your speech, though I cannot but observe how nicely you make one part of it knock the other part to pieces. You are alarmed at the effect of the Corn-Laws upon the progress of our population. In another place you talk of the increase of our wealth of late years; and you forget all the while, that that we shall neither have a this increase of population, as" repeal of the Corn-Laws nor you call it, and that this growing" any material reduction of taxprosperity, as you call it; you "ation, until we get a REforget all the while, that these, if" FORMED PARLIAMENT"! they have taken place, as you say -And let all the people say they have, have taken place, and Amen! It is useless to petition, as you assert too, to a greater it is useless to pray, unless that extent since the Corn-Laws have be part of the prayer. It was been in existence, than they took the cause of the French war: place before. Get out of that the want of reform was the cause hobble, MR. SHUTTLEWORTH, and of that war. It has been the cause then I will talk to you again.- of every evil that has existed in It is by conceited babbling men the country ever since the Seplike this that public enterprises tennial Bill was passed. It is are so frequently defeated. All the want of this reform that has reflecting men will distinguish now produced those effects so between this man's babble and well described by Mr. Potter and the sound sense of the other speak- Mr. Burgess. If these gentlemen ers; but, all that read are not had petitioned for reform, there men of sense; and some men of would have been some chance of sense are tax-eaters, and it is not their producing an effect upon their business to make any such the Government: as it is, they distinctions. Here is a man that will produce no effect at all. The asserts, that there has been of late very best that they will get will years a great deal of prosperity, be a half civil and four-fifths riches, and power; he asserts equivocal answer; and, truth to that there has been a most mon- say, they deserve nothing more. strous increase of population; They appear to be in hopes of and we know, that the Corn-Laws effecting, in this indirect way, a have existed all the while! What bank restriction, or some such does a boroughmongering Corn-measure. Such a measure would Bill man want more than that; not produce the effects that they and, if this Mr. SHUTTLEWORTH imagine it would; and, besides, had been hired by the Borough- there is not the smallest chance of mongers, he could not have done its being adopted. The thing will, their work better than he did it. in all probability, be pushed along as far as it will go; and, when grinding of the labourers that they it will go no farther, the change are now enabled to pay any rent must come. These gentlemen at all; and, this grinding does might have done a great deal; not, in the end, answer its purbut they have still too much of the pose; for, the labourers fall upon buckram in them: they must have the poor-rates; and, if, by means that taken out of them: they must of STURGES BOURNE's Bills, and be ready to drink a pot of ale with of other grinding contrivances, their workmen, before they will the labourers be pushed to the act in a manner such as their ne- verge of starvation, they TAKE cessities will require. The work without money and without leave; ing people in this country have that sends them to gaol, and there been oppressed, and are oppressed they have, in this part of the almost beyond conception. They country, MEAT THREE must be lifted from this state of TIMES A WEEK, which, oppression. I pray God that it generally speaking, is three times may be by peaceable means; by a week OFTENER than they can means which shall injure the hair get it by honest labour! So that of the head of no man; but, the farmers and land-owners get would sooner be annihilated than nothing, in the end, by pushing abandon the hope of seeing them the thing too far. raised from this horrible state of degradation. RURAL RIDE. Burghclere, (Пants), But, this is not all: there are ricks, barns, plantations, heaths, WM. COBBETT. and moors; and there is FIRE! The newspapers are full of accounts of destruction in this way. They daily tell us of these "works of some wicked incendiary." But to call these fire-makers names is of no use. It wou'd be much I SET off from Kensington on more rational to go coolly to work Friday morning, on my way to to find out the motives of such the WEST, and got to SUNNING, evil - doers; for, observe, they near Reading, on Friday after- must have a motive. It is imposnoon. On Saturday we (two sons sible that they should not have a and myself) stopped at Reading, motive. They do not stay to it being market-day, to take a warm themselves by the fires. Inlook about us. Wheat about 6s. 6d. deed, the weather is, at this time, the Winchester bushel, on an but too hot. Why, not endeavour, average. Barley and Oats dearer then, to find out the motive, and in proportion. Pease, there ap- to remove the grounds of such mopears to be none; and very few tive, since the motive produces beans. I went to the pig-market. consequences so very serious? A store-pig, six months old, was The MOORS and PLANTAworth 20s. and no more; and that TIONS, which have been recentis very cheap. A hog, a year old, ly burned in the North, were, the not worth more than 40s. The newspapers tell us, set on fire by farmers are in a devilish fright! poachers! Indeed! But, what is It is touch and go with them now. a poacher? For that is a quesIn short, it is only by a merciless tion worth asking. Why, a poacher than is a man, who goes in search of, I would RATHER DO IT, and either catches, or endeanours clear the same sum with taxes so to catch; or, who picks up in a low as to make beer 2d. a pot. field, or in a road; or who has on This may, at first sight, seem his person or in his house, any one strange to those who are unacof those wild animals which are quainted with this race of men; nobody's property, and which are but it is impossible for any thing called, hares, pheasants, or par- to be more correct. Therefore, tridges. That is "a poacher," to we ought to think a long while, punish whom there have, of late before we feel sorrow for the fall years, been many new and most of such men. In fact, the precruel laws passed. Now, in order sent horrible state of things never to prevent the plantations and could have come upon us, had it moors from being set fire to, would not been for the horses and sabres it not be as well to try a little of these very men! They are what a repeal of these new laws dreadfully frightened now: they would do? see what is going on about the Corn Bill: they think of nothing but price: they will pay rent to the last moment: and, though they will be more spiteful towards the labourers, they MUST KEEP THEM, even if the thought burst, or rather crack, their callous hearts. In short, there is no safety for property of any sort, if you push severity and pinching beyond a certain point. They have long been pushed to the utmost extent that they will bear. They can go no further: it is even now matter of taste with the labourers, which is best, gaol or the fields; Botany To my great surprise, I have, Bay, or England. As to character in these sixty odd miles, from Lonand love of country; these have no don to this place, found the TURNexistence in company with thoughts IPS, of both sorts, by no means constantly bent on the means of bad; and I really expected to find satisfying the cravings of hunger. hardly any!. There is a great The farmers, who know that quantity of stubble-land sown with they cannot screw down the la- turnips, the crops being off so bourers any lower, are now in a early. So that, as far as I have great fright. They are scared at yet seen the country, I think that the thought of a repeal of the there will be no deficiency in the Corn-Laws; for, as to a relief winter food; and when the rains from a repeal of taxes, they come the grass will grow at a never think of it, and a great great rate, and will make food part of the richer ones of them abundant till Christmas. I hear would dislike that mode of relief. no complaints about the crops, If they can get high prices, they except as to oats, pease, and do not object to high taxes; for beans. Apples, all the way that these have a tendency to keep up the I have come, are a very good present system; and this is a sys- crop; and wherever there are tem that they like. This is what grapes, they are abundant in crop I mean to say: That, if one of and nearly ripe, while the filberts these bull-frog farmers could are ripe a full month earlier than clear 5001. a year, with taxes so usual. high as to make beer 6d. a pot, he This is, surely, the finest year that ever was known. Near Newbury, they are now making the second crop of meadow hay! There will not be a handful of spoiled hay, or a gallon of spoiled corn, in the whole kingdom. They have finished harvest in Scotland Corn Exchange, Mark Lane. Quantities and Prices of British Corn, &c. sold and delivered in this Market, during the week ended Saturday, August 12. Qrs. .. 444 11 s. d. 8..........31 7 7,667 0 7..........29 6 33 7 2..........41 8 90.. 2,137 16 3.........47 0 711 ....2,918 18 2..........62 4 Dats.. 5.185 .. Friday, Aug. 18.-To this morning's market the fresh supplies are small. The best samples of Wheat fully maintained Monday's terms; in other sorts very little trade. Bar about a month sooner than the Wheat.. 6,019 for 17,978 4 5 Average, 59 8 usual time of finishing in Eng-Barley.. 281. land! Yet will this year be a most terrible one for the labourers. The work is now done. The farmer has his crops in, and the labourer has to live as he can. He must come to the poor-book, that is to say, to the smallest possible means of keeping him alive and enabling him to crack stones;ley is held at higher prices, but the or, in other words, to as little as he can be induced to regard as making his hovel preferable to a gaol, and as making England pre-ately less; the prices are therefore ferable to Botany Bay! Oh! further enhanced 1s. to 2s. per qr. "Envy of surrounding nations!" Oh! Admiration of the world!" MARKETS. Average Prices of CORN throughout ENGLAND, for the week ending August 12. and Pease look upwards, being very buyers purchase reluctantly. Beans scarce. The demand for Oats is limited, and the supply proportion Monday, Aug. 21.-There were last week short quantities of all sorts of Grain and Flour reported; and this morning the fresh supplies are not considerable, consisting chiefly of Wheat samples, the growth of this year, which come dry, though in general not stout. The best parcels of Old Wheat met a ready sale at last quotations, but middling and inferior descripd.tions are neglected. The samples 6 of New Wheat experience a slow 6 sale, but the best of them are not quoted any lower.-Rye is greatly in demand for Seed, at a considerable advance in value S Oats.... Qrs. Qrs. Wheat.. 31,621 | Rye 210 Barley.. 1,864 Beans 1,620 Oats... 11,152 | Pease... 1,035 ... Barley is advanced 1s.; Beans and Grey Pease, each is per quarter. Boiling Pease have a slow sale at last quotations. Oats are not a free sale, but the supply is so scanty that a further advance of full 2s. per quarter has been obtained since this day se'nnight. In Flour no alteration. High prices are asked for Winter Tares, with few buyers at present. Pease.... 970 Seeds Qrs. Worcester, Aug. 16.-On Saturday 140 pockets, and yesterday (fair day) 38 pockets were weighed in our mar85 ket; 1825's from 5l. to 61. The accounts from the Plantation leave 109 no doubt that the produce must be 77 large: the flea has partially appeared Some planters in a few places. 57 think they shall commence picking Foreign. Wheat, 1,566; Oats, 8,902; | in a fortnight. and Beans, 295 quarters. Price of Hops, per Cwt. in the Borough. Monday, Aug. 21.-The Hops continue in a fine growing state: the general picking commences in about ten days. The present estimated Duty is 220,000l. Prices of old are nominal. Another Account from the Borough. Monday, Aug. 21.-The accounts from the Hop plantations from all districts continue to come very favourable, which causes the prices of Hops to be quite nominal, as the buyers are all waiting for the new The market has been supcrop. plied with one pocket of New Hops, from Kent, which has been sold for 10l. per cwt. Maidstone, Aug. 17.-All accounts this weck are favourable to the improvement, if possible, of the Hops. The plantations round this neighbourhood present a most beautiful appearance, and are getting very forward for plucking. Duty advancing, and called from 215,000l. to 220,0001. 3 8 Beef..... 3 4 6 5 4 |