About the fame time, another bill, of a fimilar nature, was paffed into a law: namely, for continuing the act for the better fecuring and punishing fuch perfons as thould attempt to feduce his majesty's fubjects from their allegiance. It is not poffible, in all cafes, to fecure the tranquillity of a ftate, by the fubmiffion of the people, through the operation of any laws of coertion. There is a point of fuffering and diftrefs, when men begin to balance the evils they actually fuffer, with the dangers to which they might be expofed, by a violation of the laws, and when they are difpofed to feek for prefent relief, by tumult, riots, and infurrection. It was, probably, under the fame train of ideas, which dictated the renewal of the two acts juft mentioned, that the legiflature turned its attention to the enormous price of bread, and all neceflaries, occafioned partly, no doubt, by the wafte of war, but chiefly by a wet, late, and feanty harvest. A committee was appointed, of the house of commons, on the tenth of February, to confider of the most effectual means of remedying any inconveniences that might arife from any deficiency of the laft crop of grain, and empowered to report their proceedings, from time to time, to the house. A fimilar committee was appointed in the houfe of peers. The committee of the commons reported, on the thirteenth of February, "That, although a contiderable importation of wheat, from foreign countries, had already taken place, and more might be expected, yet they felt that they fhould not difcharge their duty, unless they frongly recommended to all indiVOL. XLII. viduals to ufe every means in their power to reduce the confumption of wheaten flour in their families, and encourage the district in which they live, by their example, influence, and authority, every poffible economy in this article.-The committee, impreffed with the idea of the importance of fuch economy at the prefent moment, earneftly recommended the adoption of a meafure, which, from the unanimous opinion of thofe who had appeared in evidence before them, would lead to a very confiderable faving of wheaten-flour. The evidence of the bakers, who had been examined by the committee, could not fail to convince the houfe, that, in families where bread, which had been baked for fome hours is ufed, the confumption is far lefs confiderable than in thofe where it is the cullom to eat it new. They differed in the proportion of this faving. Some had flated it as amounting to onethird, fome as amounting to onefifth, and others as only to oneeighth. But, when it was confidered, that one-half of the bread in London is confumed on the day on which it is baked, there could not be a doubt that a great faving would enfue, if the bakers were prohibited from felling it, until twentyfour hours after it was baked.— The committee were ftrongly induced to recommend this meafure, from the confideration that a very refpectable phyfician had given it as his decided opinion that new bread is far lefs wholesome than that which has been baked a certain number of hours; and they thought it important to add, that, in the opinion of the bakers in the metropolis, no material detriment or in[K]. convenience convenience to their trade would "The committee had heard, with mittee, on the fubject of the prefent from the calculations of Mr. Arthur Lord Hawkefbury itated, chiefly Young, that the crop, in general, in this country, was not fufficient for the fupply of the inhabitants; and that, when this and the ordinary importation failed, the beft method that could be adopted was, the ufe of fubftitutes. The habits and the prejudices of the people duction. It was difficult to change would, at firft, oppofe their introold habits; but, for fuch a purpote, the attempt fhould be perfevered as introducing fubftitutes for bread, in. country would be found to contain introduced, and every one would Great economy might be rejoice, that, by the efforts of count Rumford, and other individuals following his methods, this economy practice. It appeared by the noble was already reduced by many to count's calculations and ftatements, that one-third more fuftenance might be derived from many articles of provifion, without abridging the luxuries of the rich, than was ufually drawn from them. The ufe of fubfiitutes, as fuggefted by the committee, was particularly to be recommended in charities, and in parochial relief. might not be effected at once; yet, This introduction it muft be recollected, that this was not the first year of fcarcity, and that it would not be the laft. Within these five years, it was the fecond time that a fcarcity had occurred. Thus, it appeared, that, though in closures colures had been going on rapidly, and that, though agriculture, through the exprtions of the board and other means, had been improving, the increase of population had outrun them. Lord Hawkefbury concluded his fpeech with a high encomium on the liberality which the rich had difplayed in alleviating the diftrefs, and in fupplying the wants of the poor, and alfo in the poor for their becoming conduct; and moved, "That the chairman be directed to report, that it was the opinion of that committee, that leave be granted to bring in a bill to prohibit bakers from expofing any bread for fale, which had not been baked a certain number of hours." Mr. Hobhoufe did not rife to oppole the motion, but to exprefs his joy that the fubject had been taken into confideration. It would have been better for the country, had it received an earlier attention, and employed fome of the time wafted in a long adjournment; for it was known long fince that the harvest had failed, and that fcarcity muft enfue. He was ready to admit that the fcarcity was to be attributed principally to the deficiency of crops; but he infifted that the war not only increafed confumption, but cut off fome of the means of fupply, by hutting many of the ports of Europe against us, namely, the ports of Holland, Flanders, and France; and rendered every article of import dearer, by the advanced price of freight and infurance. In thefe relpects, as well as many others, the war, ftated by fome politicians to bring with it to many bleflings, because agriculture and commerce had increafed in great and equal proportions, was, indeed, most calamitous. It preffed heavily on the lower claffes, by raifing the price of that firft neceffary of life, upon which they almost entirely fubfifted. With refpect to the propofed remedy against the exifting evil, Mr. Hobhoufe approved it as far as it went, and was glad to hear that fome others were in contemplation. He thought, however, that little could be expected from pofitive laws, and that more was to be done by exhortation, by example, and by charity properly diftributed. He had no doubt but that the gentlemen whom he now addreffed, and the affluent among all ranks, would exert themselves on the prefent trying occafion. It was the duty of every one to strive to alleviate the diftreffes of the poor. He would himfelf make every effort for that purpose. Mr. W. Bird thought it little better than a mockery to find the noble lord, Hawkesbury, in the name of the committee, merely recommending the ufe of ftale bread, and that the rich thould not diftribute their charity to the poor in bread. For his part, it was not the poor whom he wifhed to fee deprived of the ufe of bread, but would rather recommend a faving in that article to the rich, who abounded in various fuperfluities. Let the rich but deny themfelves this fupply for a month or two, and they would ferve the poor effectually, and bring down the bletlings of thousands upon them. In the converfation that was continued on this fubject, Mr. Sylvefter Douglas illuftrated the propriety of the conduct of the committee, of the tenth of February, of which he was [K2] a member, a member, in omitting to do fome things that had been propofed, as well as in doing what they had done. Sir W. Young, too, alfo juftified the conduct of the committee; and trusted that much regard would not be paid to the declamation of an honourable member (Mr. Bird) when he faid that the report of the committee was of but little ufe, because it did not accomplish more. Some very useful hints were thrown out by Mr. Addington and Mr. Wilberforce for alleviating the diftreffes of the prefent fcarcity, and preventing them in future. Mr. Addington found it flated in a report of a committee, in 1795, on the teftimony of a miller, that excellent bread may be made of the whole wheat, without taking away any of the bran, and a gentleman had proved it to be fo; for he himfelf had feen a bread of that kind. He had now to flate, on the authority of a perfon, to whofe exemplary life he owed the first of all obligations, that the best bread was made of the entire wheat. On mentioning the different claffes into which the ancients divided their bread, he faid, that the firft was made of the finest flour; the fecond was a mixture of that flour with the pollard; and the third clafs was the whole flour with the bran. That, of thofe three kinds of bread, the first and fecond feemed to have been little ufed; but that the third fort was in general ufe, from its excellent effects. It was found, on experiment, by chymifts, that this fort contained a vast quantity of effential oil, and in this confifted the true fpirit of the wheat; not that which was fiery and caufed fermentation, but that which was mild and nu tritious. Had this confideration been earlier attended to, there would not have been now any caule of alarm. He recommended encouragement of the growth of potatoes; the importation of rice; and an increase of fwine. He made a handfome panegyric on the liberality of the country, which had sỡ generously come forward for the relief of the. poor. The different claffes were more nearly linked together; and the poor were now taught to confider thofe as their friends and benefactors, whom they confidered before with an invidious and angry eye. The cottage and the palace were united in, the general preffure, and the rich and poor in feeling and respect for one anothet. Mr. Wilbeforce faid, he was not a member of the committee appointed to inquire, and make a report on the fubject which was now before the house; but, from the character of thofe who conftituted it, from their means of information, and their earnest desire to promote the welfare of the community, he must be fatisfied that they had done every thing that could be expected of them. It ap peared to Mr. Wilberforce that if the whole grain were ufed, if not univerfally, yet in part, it would ferve to lengthen out the fupply wanted. There were various fources from which the country might look for fupplies and for favings: fuch as importation of grain; animal food, not roafted or baked, by which mode of cookery, a great part of its ftrength and fubstance was loft, but in the fhape of foup; the prohibition of fancy rolls and hifcuits; the prohibition of the ole of oats, except for the ule of man and horfes in the fervice of government; and encouragement to fishing. It was a public bleffing in fuch times as thefe to have fuch men as count Rumford and Arthur Young. He understood from Mr. Young, that early potatoes and beans might be brought into ufe in the month of June: and a few thousands granted in premiums for them would bring to market a vaft quantity. Lord Hawkesbury's motion was carried unanimously. A bill was brought into the houfe to prohibit any perfon or perfons, from felling, or offering to fale, any bread which had not been baked for a certain number of hours. The blank left for fpecifying that number, was filled up with twenty-four. The bill was carried through all its ftages, and paffed into a law, by the royal aflent, on the next day, February 20. On that day, in the houfe of peers, the archbishop of Canterbury lamented, in pathetic terms, the inconveniences and diftreffes which the lower orders of lociety muft fuffer from the fcarcity of corn. He fhewed the great effect which the examples of thofe in the higher had on thofe in all the inferior ftations; and that, in the prefent diftrefsful circumstances of the country, it was in their lordships power, by their example, very materially to alle viate the burthens of the poor. His grace did not recommend a direct legislative interference on the prefent occafion, but greatly approved the good effects of folemn engagements made, and ftrictly adhered to, by different bodies of men, with a view to diminish the confumption of flour, and promote the ufe of approved fubftitutes for that article in their refpective families. So ftrongly was he impreffed with this conviction, that he would then propole a fet of refolutions, forming an agreement, to be figned by fuch of their lordships as approved the idea, to carry certain meatures into effect, tending to diminish the ufe of flour in their relpective families. His grace fubmitted to the house feyeral propofitions, under the form of refolutions; which, at the recominendations of the lord chancellor, was changed into that of an agreement. A refolation of the noble lords, as a body, the chancellor observed, feemed as if it were a legiflative act: and any legislative act, in his opinion, would tend to do more prejudice than fervice in a cafe of this kind. His lordship then took notice of the report of the houfe of commons, with which he was by no means fatisfied, in as far as it was founded on the opinions of two gentlemen only. That was not the beft evidence to be obtained. Much more might have been had. Neither had the proceedings of the committee been decided or accurate on the occasion. They had put their queftions in fuch a manner, that they could receive only one anfwer to them. He agreed with the earl of Darnley, who had juk made fome comments on the ftatements of Mr. Arthur Young, that this gentleman muft have been much mistaken in his calculations. The motions of the archbishop of Canterbury, reduced to the form recommended by the chancellor, were as follow, "Refolved, by the lords fpiritual and temporal, in parliament aflembled, that, in confequence of the high price, and deficient fupply of wheat and other [K 3] grain, |