fumption of bread would be the confequence of the meafure, and this increafed confumption might in a confiderable degree make up for any faving which might refult from the ufe of the finer pollards: in the fecond place, if the millers were permitted to make only one fort of flour, it is to be apprehended, that fieves would be introduced into many private families for the purpofe of fifting the flour to different degrees of finene's: fuch a practice might, in times of fcarcity, increase the evils which it would be the intention of parliament to remedy. The quantity of flour extracted from a buhel of wheat, depends very much on the fkill of the miller, and the perfection of his machinery. The extent of his concern, and his intereft in his trade, is a fecurity that he will endeavour to draw from the grain whatever it will produce; but the comparative want of fkill, and want of attention to the nicer parts of the operation, in private families, might lead upon the whole to a very great and unneceffary expenditure and waste of flour. Your committee are of opinion, that to change by law the food of a large part of the community, is a measure of the greateft delicacy, and on the face of it highly objectionable. If a confiderable benefit could be proved to arile from it to the community at large, your committee might be induced to recommend it, notwithstanding any inconveniences which might for a time refult from it; but from all the coffideration your committee have been able to give to this fubject, and from the evidence which has appeared before them, they are not fatisfied that any faving would arife proportionate to the difadvantages

that would, in the first instancej neceflarily attend upon it.

Your committee have hitherto confined their obfervations to the idea of compelling the people, by law, to confume a particular fort of bread. They are forry, however, to be under the neceffity of stating, that, in confequence of the laft wet and unfavourable season; crops have been unufually deficient; and al though a confiderable importation of wheat from foreign countries has already taken place, and more may be expected, yet they feel, that hey thould not difcharge their duty, unless they ftrongly recommended to all individuals to ule every means in their power to reduce the confumption of wheaten flour in their families, and encourage in the district in which they live, by their example, influence, and authority, every poffible economy of this article.

Impreffed with the idea of the importance of fuch economy at the prefent moment, your committee earneftly recommend the adoption of a measure, which, from the unanimous opinion of those who have appeared in evidence before them, would lead to a very confiderable faving of wheat flour. The evidence of the bakers who have been examined before your committee, cannot fail to convince the houfe, that in families were bread which has been baked for fome hours is ufed, the confumption is far lefs confiderable, than in those where it is the cuftom to eat it new. They differ in the proportion of this faving, fome have ftated it as amounting to one-third, fome as amounting to one-fifth, and others only to oneeighth; but when it is considered, that one-half of the bread-in London is confumed the day on which

it

it is baked, there can be no doubt that a great faving would enfue (perhaps one-tenth or twelfth part of the whole confumption in London) if the bakers were prohibited from felling it, until twenty-four hours after it was baked. Your committee are firongly induced to recommend this measure, from the confideration that a very refpectable physician has given it as his decided opinion, that new bread is far lefs wholefome than that which has been baked a certain number of hours; and they think it important to add, that in the opinion of the bakers in the metropolis, no material inconvenience or detriment to their trade would arife from adopting this regulation.

Your committee have heard, with very great concern, that from the miftaken application of the charity of individuals, in fome parts of the country, flour and bread have been delivered to the poor at a reduced price; a practice which may con tribute very confiderably to increase the inconveniences arifing from the deficiency of the laft crop and they recommend that all charity and parochial relief fhould be given, as far as is practicable, in any other articles except bread, flour, and money, and that the part of it which is neceffary for the fuftenance of the poor, fhould be diftributed in foups, rice, potatoes, or other fubftitutes. Your committee are of opinion, that if this regulation was generally adopted, it would not only, in a very great degree, contribute to economize at this time the confumption of flour, but that it might have the effect of gradually introducing into ufe, a more wholetome and nutritious fpecies of VOL. XLII.

food than that to which the poor are at prefent accustomed.

Your committee, think it important to ftate, before they conclude, that government, in conformity to the declaration of the chancellor of the exchequer, in the last feffion of parliament, have abstained from all interference in the purchases of corn in the foreign markets; and, as they conceive the fpeculations of individuals are more likely to produce an adequate fupply of foreign wheat at this crifis, than any other measures that could be adopted, the policy of government in this refpect meets with the decided approbation of your committee.

Second Report of the Committee of the Houfe of Commons, respecting Bread, Corn, &c.

The committee appointed to con fider of means for rendering more effectual the provifions of an act, made in the thirteenth year of the reign of his prefent majefty, intituled, "An Act for better regulating the Affize and making of Bread;" and who were inftructed to confider of the most effectual means of remedying any inconveniencies which may arile from the deficiency of the laft crop of grain; and empowered to report their proceedings from time to time to the houfe;

Have, fince their laft report, received additional information refpecting the deficiency of the late crops in many parts of the country, particularly in Scotland; the refult of which has impreffed your committee with the propriety of fuggefting fuch methods as appear to them moft likely to be effectual for diminishing

the most beneficial effects. Your committee recommend, therefore, to every housekeeper, to reduce the quantity of bread ufed in his family to one quartern loaf per week for each perfon, which has been found, by experiment, to be fufficient; and likewife to abftain, as far as poffible, from the use of flour for all other purposes.

3. Your committee have been informed that confiderable inconvenience has been felt from millers refufing to grind the forts of flour neceflary for making the brown bread; and they are of opinion, that, to remedy this inconvenience, it may be expedient to fubject millers to fome new regulations.

4. For reasons given in their former report, your committee cannot recommend any compulfory law for the ufe of only one fort of bread, or the grinding of only one fort of flour; but, ftrongly impreffed with the advantage that might refult from the ufe and confumption of bread made of the whole meal, or of a great proportion thereof, they think proper to obferve, that, by the manner in which the affize is now fet, the profit of the baker is far more confiderable on the fine wheaten bread than on that of a coarser quality; and your committee recommend, therefore, that a new table of affize fhould be framed to remedy this inconvenience, and to promote the use of coarfer meal.

5. Your committee have great fatisfaction in ftating, that a confiderable fupply of rice and Indian corn may be obtained from America; that, mixed in a certain proportion with wheat, they make a moft wholefome and nutritious bread; and that the most damaged wheat may not only be used, but rendered

palatable by a mixture of rice, which, by repeated experiments, has been found to correct the defects of it. This confideration, that much damaged wheat and grain, otherwife unferviceable, may be made into wholefome and palatable bread, by being mixed with rice, fuggefts the importance of extending to this lat ter article the fame economy as that which is recommended in the ufe of wheat, and of referving it as much as poffible for the above important purpose.

Your committee, fenfible of the important ufe of rice at the prefent moment, are induced to recommend, upon a comparative view of the prices of that article in this country and the other countries in Europe, that a bounty fhould be given, on the fame principle as that with refpect to corn, on the importation of rice, which fhould fecure to the importer the price of 17. 15s. per cwt. if the market price fhould fall below that fum. And your committee likewife fubmit, whether it may not be expedient that fome bounty fhould alfo be given, on the fame principle, on the importation of Indian corn.

6. Your committee are of opinion, that it is probable that confiderable relief may be afforded, if proper encouragement is given to the growth of potatoes and other nutritive vegetables; and they recommend therefore to landlords, to permit and encourage their tenants to break up a limited quantity of land, according to the circumftances of the eftate, for the cultivation of potatoes and peafe. And your committee fuggeft, that it may be expedient that provifion fhould be made by law, for a given time, to enable lords of manors or individuals, or parish officers on behalf of the parish,

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