to obtained, is far from being fufficient to enable your committee to lay before the houfe any correct ftatement of facts, much less any well-confidered opinion refulting from them. To form fuch an opinion, requires the attentive confideration of a great body of exifting laws, and a minute acquaintance with an extenfive fyftem of trade, together with all the variations which have taken place, either by the authority of the legiflature, or by changes of practice arifing from an alteration in the habits of the people, or from the growth of commerce, and the increase of wealth. The fubject allo is of a nature which requires peculiar caution, from the danger which might attend an erropeous judgement, mifled on the one hand by popular prejudice, or on the other by plaufible theories, formed without fufficient examina tion of facts. Your committee have alfo confidered, that the interval will be very fhort between the conclufion of the prefent feflion and the meeting of the parliament of the united kingdom, when the inquiry into this, and other parts of the fubject, may, and (as they humbly conceive) ought to be immediately refumed. They think it therefore more confiftent with their duty, to leave whatever information they have collected as the groundwork of future and more complete inveftigation, rather than to hazard any hafty fuggeftions or statements upon a matter of fo much delicacy and difficulty; and they are perfuaded that the delay which may be thus occafioned, will be amply compenfated by more mature difcuffion, and a more deliberate decifion. Your committee, upon review ing the different meafures which have been adopted during the prefent feffion, have thought that it might be fatisfactory to the house, if, before they conclude, they were to take fome general view of the probable amount of the fupply or faving which may be obtained from the various fources which they have pointed out, compared with the deficiency of the crop of wheat. It is unneceffary to observe, that fuch a statement must be in many re fpects conjectural, and deficient in precision; but it may perhaps furnifh a general eftimate, capable in fome degree of guiding the expectations, and of relieving the anxiety of the public. The quantity of wheat confumed in an ordinary year cannot be afcertained with any accuracy; but your committee conceive, that, after allowing for the proportion of the population commonly fubfifting upon other grain, the ufual confumption of wheat cannot be fuppofed to exceed 7,000,000 quarters per annum. Upon an average of ten years, including the very deficient harvefts of 1795 and 1799, about 125,000 quarters of this quantity have been furnished by impor tation from foreign parts. The produce of an average crop may therefore have amounted to about 6,700,000 quarters; and the produce of the late harvest would, upon this fuppofition, have been about 5,000,000 quarters. The deficiency to be covered in order to enfure the fupply of the country for twelve months, from the 1st of October, 1800, to the 1ft of October, 1801, may be about 2,000,000 quar ters; of which, according to the average importation above flated, about 300,000 quarters might he expected expected to be drawn from abroad. It is alfo to be observed, that, in this mode of ftating the account, whatever part of the laft harvest may have been confumed before the beginning of October, is fuppofed to be compenfated by the proportion of the next harveft which may come into ufe before the corresponding period of the enfuing year, and that the estimate is formed upon the confumption of twelve months only. Á confiderable proportion of the grain imported fome time previous to the 1ft of October, must undoubt-. edly have contributed to the fubfiftence of the country fince that period: but, in the point of view in which your committee have confidered the fubject, credit is taken only for the subsequent importation. The accounts are complete to the 20th of December; but adding thereto what has been fince received in London and Hull, up to the 31st of December inclufive, the amount of wheat imported, exclufive of flour, is near 170,000 quarters, befides 60,000 quarters of bar ley, and 126,000 quarters of oats, 4,400 cwt. of rice, and between 14 and 15,000 quarters of other grain and pulfe. Setting afide, for the prefent, the confideration of the farther fupply of grain which may be received from Europe, the first object to which your committee will advert is, the importation from the United States of America. There is a peculiar advantage attending the fupply from this quarter, that fome part of it may be expected to arrive during the next month, and will continue during that period of the year when the importation from Europe is ufually interrupted by the froft. According to the latest information, the crop in the United States has been uncommonly productive, and has been nearly free from the ravages occafioned m former years by the Heffian fly. The greateft quantity ever exported from that country (except in 1793, when it is laid to have amounted to near 1,500,000 barrels) is ftated to be between 1,200,000 and 1,300,000 barrels of flour, each weighing 196lbs. and confidered as equal to about five bushels of wheat. This exportation took place during the time when that infect continued to do confiderable mischief: it may therefore reasonably be expected that the furplus of American produce may now be greater than it was at that period; and that the high price of flour in England, together with the encourgement held out by parliament, may bring to this country much the greatest proportion of that furplus. Suppofing however, the furplus to be no greater than the quantity before ftated, and that only three-fourths of it fhould be fent to the British market, the fupply derived from this quarter would be about 940,000 barrels, which, according to the ufual eftimate, is equal to about 580,000 quarters. The harvest in Canada is stated to have been abundant, and an importation may be expected from that country amounting at least to 30,000 quarters. In addition to this fupply of wheat and flour, a confiderable quantity of rice may be drawn from different parts of the world. From the fouthern ftates of north America, your committee are informed that a fupply may be ob tained of 70,000 barrels, (each weighing weighing 5 cwt.) of which a part will probably arrive in January, and the remainder fucceffively in the anluing months. your committee, where this article has been extenfively used, and where the increase has been nearly in as large a proportion; and even when mixed with flour, in making bread, the produce of rice appears to be more than three times the produce of an equal quantity of flour. Your committee, therefore, think themselves fully juftified in ftating, that the quantity of rice above mentioned will (by adopting proper modes of preparation, which are now very generally known and practifed,) afford more food, efpecially for children of all ages, than four times the fame quantity of wheat; and may therefore be confidered as fully equivalent to a fupply of 630,000 quarters of wheat. From India a much larger quantity may ultimately be expected; but, as little, if any, of what may be obtained from thence by the means of fhips which have failed from this country, can arrive before the beginning of October, 1801, your committee have confined their eftimate, in this view of the fubject, to that part which may be fent from India in country or neutral fhips, in confequence of orders difpatched from hence in September laft: this has been stated at from 7,000 to 10,000 tons, (equal to from 28,000 to 40,000 barrels of 5 cwt. each.) The latter quantity is reprefented as the most probable of the two; and if fufficient fhip. ping should be difengaged in India, it may arife to a much greater amount. It feems, therefore, not unreasonable to expect from that quarter, in the months of Auguft and September, about 35,000 barrels; which, added to the importation from America, will amount to 105,000 barrels. Each barrel may be confidered as more than equal, in point of weight, to the flour of all defcriptions extracted from 12 bufhels of wheat, but in point of nutriment, to a much larger quantity. On this fubject your committee have already fubmitted to the house the refult of various ex-ral stock of grain. periments. From the experience of five years, at the foundling-hofpital, it appears, that when applied to the food of children in the manner in which it has been there prepared, one pound of rice wll go as far as eight pounds of flour. Many other instances have been ftated to The importation of Indian corn has also been encouraged by the profpect of a liberal bounty. The excellence of that grain, as the food of man, cannot be doubted, as it forms the chief fubfiftence of the fouthern part of the united states of America. The use of it here has, however, been hitherto fo little known, that it is difficult to eftimate. either what quantity may be expected, or in what proportion it may be introduced into the confumption of this country; but, as it is alfo applicable, with the greatest advantage, to the food of cattle, hogs, and poultry, it cannot fail to operate, either directly or indirectly. as a valuable addition to the gene The quantity of wheat which will be faved for food by the prohibition of the manufacture of ftarch from that grain, will be about 40,000 quarters. In confequence of the stoppage of the diftilleries, at least 500,000 quarters of barley, which would have have been confumed in that manu facture, will remain applicable to the fubfiftence of the people but as it may be fuppofed that eleven bushels of barley are not more than equivalent to one quarter of wheat, this can only be stated at about 360,000 quarters. Having ftated to the houfe the best estimate they have been able to form, of the direct fupply which may be derived from the fources to which they have here adverted, (of which the fupply from paft import ation, and from the ftoppage of the manufactures of fpirits and ftarch, may be confidered as actually realized,) your committee will pro ceed to take some view of that important and extenfive refource which may be furnished by the moft economical use and application of the produce of the country. The faving to be derived from the introduction of a larger proportion of the produce of grain into bread than is at prefent ufed, was stated by your committee, in a former report, as equal to an addition of 450,000 quarters, This was calculated upon a confumption of nine months in that part of the country which at prefent confumes either bread made of the fine flour, or of the remaining produce of the grain after the fine flour has been extracted. As this meafure will not take full effect all the beginning of February, the faving muft now be calculated upon eight months only. Your committee have not thought the experiments, which it was poffible in fo thort a time to make upon that fubject, fufficiently exact to juftify an altera tion in the table of affize, and were defirous, for obvious reafons, to afford, in the firft inftance, an en couragement to the bakers, at leaft equal, if not fuperior to the profit they could make in manufacturing bread from fine flour: yet they fee no reafon for departing from their former opinion, that a larger quantity of bread will be produced from coarse meal than from fine flour; and they have, therefore, continued to eftimate the faving upon that principle. By this mode of dreffing, a larger quantity of materials for bread will be produced from all other fpecies of grain as well as wheat; and it is alfo probable, that in many parts of the country where the wheat has been of good quality and well harvested, the whole meal, including the bran, will be made into bread. Your committee will not, however, attempt to eftimate the additional faving which may be produced by thefe circum .ftances, and will only fate the in, creafed fupply of food which may be derived from the adoption of the measure above referred to, as equal to about 400,000 quarters. It is ftill more difficult to estimate the advantages to be expected from the economy introduced inta the confumption of private families, in confequence of the high price of grain, and of his majefty's procla mation. Your committee have seen with fatisfaction, the zeal and activity with which the execution of the falutary fyftem therein recommended, appears to have been undertaken by various claffes of the community.Even if the operation of this measure should extend only to perfons in fome degree of aflience, the diminished confumption of their families could not fail to produce confiderable effect. Suppofing this reduction to take place only in 120,000 families, containing . ten ten perfons in each family, and fuppofing that each perfon confumed in ordinary times the large allowance of a quarter of wheat annually, the faving, by the reduction of onethird of their confumption, (which has been practifed with the greateft facility by families where other food is ufed,) would, in nine months, amount to 800,000 quarters. The prohibition of thefe of new bread, which which parliament has thought proper to enforce by additional regulations, muft alto be productive of fome farther economy. Although it cannot be expected to make any difference in the confumption of thofe families whofe means of obtaining other food may enable them to tint their allow ance of bread; yet amongst thofe numerous claffes of the community, whofe principal fubfiftence is derived from this article, and who can therefore make no direct retrenchment, its effects muft ftill be confiderable. The faving to be expected in the confumption of oats, is equally conjectural! but it may reasonably be hoped, that the fame motives which will induce his majefty's fubjeas to restrict the confumption of wheat in their families, will operate Still more forcibly in reducing the expenditure of oats for the fubfiftence of horses; and that no fmall quantity of this fpecies of grain will in confequence. be applicable to more useful purposes. It has been farther stated to your committee, that, by bruifing oats, a greater quantity of food for horfes, in the proportion of at least 4 to 3, may be produced from a given quantity of grain. By this, and by other economical expedients, fuch as mixing oats with chaff and bran, beans, or chopped ftraw, the confumption of that article may be much.diminished.. It fhould be farther observed, that the crop of barley this year has been upon the whole good, and that more of it than ufual may, from the excellence of its quality, be applicable to bread; fome proportion of that grain may therefore probably be transferred to the ufe of thofe parts of the kingdom which ufually fubfified upon wheat alone, but which have of late returned to. the confumption of barley. Your committee have no means of estimating the extent to which this refource may be carried; but it must evidently afford, in addition to the quantity above ftated, fome farther ailiftance towards fupplying the deficiency of wheat. Your committee have, in their former reports, directed the atten- tion of the houfe to the great fupply of excellent food which may be derived from the fisheries, and may render practicable a ftill farther faving in the confumption of grain, as well as of other articles of fubfiftence; every encouragement which has been fuggefted by thofe best acquainted with the fubject, has been granted by the liberality of parliament, and the moft beneficial effects may be expected from the exertions which that encouragement is likely to excite. From the eagerne's with which the fmall fupply of herrings which has hitherto reached the metropolis has been fought after, and from the number of orders which have been received from different parts of the country, your committee entertain no doubt, that, as foon as that fupply can be increafed in quantity, and more widely diffufed, this fpecies of fond will |