law; and they are much more and are by no means to be conproper objects of attack than founded with classes who have thieves and pick-pockets are, be- been guilty of political offences, cause these latter, though they whether of commission or of omisviolate the law, do not carry on sion. You, the farmers, have not the violation openly, confessed- only been deficient in point of ly and boastingly. public spirit; you have not only To complain of the miscon- shewn a willingness to support duct of whole classes of men, is a system, which has at last not to proscribe such classes. brought even yourselves to the In surveying the different classes; verge of destruction; but you in making a comparative esti- have voluntarily aided and mate of their public conduct; in abetted those by whom the systaking a view of the effects of tem has been carried on; and, that conduet: those who do this, what is still worse, you have apand who choose to put the result peared to take pleasure in the of their observations upon paper, persecution of every man, whose have surely a right to give the zeal has urged him forward to preference to one class before oppose that system. You are, another; to praise those deemed therefore, not proper objects of worthy of praise, and to censure compassion: all of us suffer, but those deemed worthy of cen- you merit your sufferings. sure. I speak here with numerous Proceeding upon these princi- very honourable exceptions; ples, and taking a fair view of and if I did not, in the most the conduct of the persons of marked manner make these exdifferent classes in this kingdom, ceptions, I should be guilty of I have often said, and I still say, crying injustice; for, I know that the Farmers form the class many farmers, who are amongst who have conducted themselves the most ardent friends of freein the worst manner. In talk-dom and of justice, and who ing of classes, however, I am are also amongst the most ennot to be supposed to include lightened men with whom I the traffickers in seats and the have ever had the honour to be jobbers in stocks; because these acquainted. If I personally are really proscribed by the law; know many such, the whole they are two sets of criminals; number of such farmers must be great. My natural partialities, ruin, act from a hope or even a my liking for your calling and desire to relieve you, or render state of life, the pleasure I de- you assistance in any way what rive from participating, though ever. You and your affairs are it were only by books, in your a subject of pure speculation pursuits; all these naturally dis- with me. I write about you pose me to see in every farmer with as little feeling as a chea man of public spirit, of ardour mist writes about the things that in the cause of freedom, as well pass through his crucible. But, as to find in him, what are very you form a curious subject for seldom wanting, a clear under- the political philosopher; and standing, and soundness of to develope the nature of your judgment. But (always speak- concerns may be of use to the ing with numerous exceptions) nation at large,, not only at the I am constrained to confess, that, present time, but in times yet to as to public matters, I have al come to asod sved ways found you miserably selIt is now about six years since fish and destitute of feeling; the you began to feel the pinchings causes of which it would not be of distress. This feeling filled very difficult to point out; but you with the desire of seeking the effects are manifest in the a remedy through the assistance continuation of a system, which of a legislative measurab For has been productive of a greater nobody did you feel as long mass of human suffering than, you were thriving; but, the mor as I believe, was ever before ex- ment you ceased thrive, you perienced, in a like space of flew to the government for that time, in any country in the assistance and protection, which world. And, I am really of you had never called called for in or in beopinion, that this system will half of any other human being. continue until you shall feel very Your prices fell; and the nonearly what your miserable la- tion got into your minds, that bourers now feel. : the sole remedy was to make Considering your past conduct, the prices rise again. The I can deem nothing due to you means of accomplishing this obin the way either of instruction ject, was, as you thought, to or advice. I do not, in address- prevent the importation of farm ing you upon the cause of your produce from other countries. to Hence the Corn Bill, which not I should suppose, that, within only with your approbation, but the last five years, you must have expended amongst you, on writers, printers, publishers, secretaries, club-rooms, agents, agreeably to your pressing intreaties, was passed with troops drawn up round the Houses of Parliament! After this there and one thing and the other, a was nothing that ever could quarter of a million of money, at arise that would leave you just least, in order to effect a rise in ground of complaint: for in this the price of corn. All this one thing, we see you deprived money has been wholly thrown of all claim to the compassion of away. It has answered no purany part of your countrymen. pose but that of keeping up the 90 From that day to this day, deception in your own minds, your affairs have been upon the and of giving offence to the rest Wechne; your embarrassments of the community. If you had have been increasing; your final followed the advice which I Pain has become, daily, more gave you in the years 1814, manifestly unavoidable. Still 1815, and 1810, how different yolf cry on for Corn Bills and at this time would be your situa Wool Bills; still you call out tich! for what you call protection; In explaining to you the and during the last two years, causes of your ruin, first let me of thereabouts, you have been endeavour to get out of your 18fming yourselves into combi- minds the erroneous notion that nations, (far less clearly lawful high price is, in itself consithan the clubs and societies of dered, a good thing. If wheat Reformers,) in order to produce were sold for a shilling a bushel, an extension of the effect of the the farmer might be better off Corn Bills. At last, however, than if it were sold at twenty the Government and the Parlia- shillings a bushel. If a man meht have told you, that they give a hundred shillings can do nothing for your relief, rent for his land, and sell his that the healing hand of wheat for twenty shillings a lime" can alone effect your bushel, he is not so well off as cure; while time, your true and the farmer who gave three faithful councillor, tells you that shillings an acre for his land, it has no remedies in store. and who sold his wheat at an acre م a shilling a bushel. If one shil-it is not an augmentation of ling would buy a yard of broad your receipts that you ought to cloth, the farmer who got that have been seeking for; but a shilling for a bushel of wheat, reduction of your expences. The would be a richer man in that first thing that strikes you is a respect than the farmer who falling off in the prices of your had to give thirty shillings for a produce; and, therefore, the yard of broad cloth, and who first thing which an unreflecting must sell his wheat for twenty man does, under such circumshillings the bushel. It is not, stances, is to seek for a rise in therefore, you see, mere high the price. To seek for a lessenprice that can be any good to ing of the out-goings does not you. You should make a distinc-occur to him so quickly. It aption between positive amount pears to be a matter of greater and relative amount. By posi-difficulty, and much slower in tive amount I mean the amount the accomplishment. Besides in itself considered. And then, he does not perceive any hope as mere amount twenty shillings of success in this way; especiis better than one. But when ally when he reflects that his the amount is relative; that is out-goings consist, for the greatto say, when it is to be consi-er part of rents, tithes and taxes. dered relatively to, or in com- The first he is generally bound parison with, other sums; then to pay by lease; the second he one shilling in this case may be is also bound to pay by lease, except in the few cases where tithes are taken in kind, to avoid which mode of payment, he will better than the twenty in the other. For, ifl can buy a greater quantity of useful things with one shilling, than I can with make almost any sacrifice; and twenty shillings, it is clear that from the fourth he sees no more the one shilling is better than possibility of fleeing than from the twenty. Therefore, it is death itself. He looks upon the not at the sum received that tax-gatherer as inflexible, irreyou are alone to look; but also sistible and immortal. To cope at the sum which it is required with such a power he has no that you should expend. hope. He, therefore, looks to Keep these things in mind, the remedy of an act of parliaand you will soon discover that ment, the effect of which shall 'be to raise his prices, and to community, provided, mind, that keep them up. He sues for a there be no fluctuation in the compromise with his landlord, quantity. But, if there be fluchis parson, and the tax-gatherer, tuations in the quantity; if there and he says, "secure me high be a change from a small quan"prices, and I will pay you your tity to a great quantity; or, "rent, your tithes and your from a great one to a small one; then all the affairs of the com taxes." This has been the line of con-munity experience disturbance: duct pursued by the farmers. instead of a fair chance of gain Acts of parliament have accord- or of loss, distributed promiscuingly been passed; the objects ously amongst the several memof those acts were to raise the bers of the community; and price of farm produce, and to leaving to ingenuity, industry, keep it up, and still the ruin of skill, economy, and providential the farmers has proceeded stea-foresight, all the advantages dily on. They have not per- which they naturally secure to ceived the real cause of their their possessors; instead of this, ruin; and, therefore, I will now, a circulating medium, fluctuatfor about the hundredth time, ing in its quantity, divides the explain to them that cause. community into classes; and When, in any community, the of these classes it ruins some "quantity of money, or of circu-and enriches others; or it dilating medium, is great in pro- minishes the wealth of some, portion to the number and mag-and betters the condition of nitude of the dealings in that others. Let us suppose a comcommunity, then prices are high. munity with a money, or circuWhen the quantity of money or lating medium; and, it will be circulating medium in such com- best to call it money at once, munity is small, then prices are it being all the same in this relow. The reasons of these are spect whether it be paper or very clear, and need not now gold. Let us suppose a combe stated. It is of no conse-munity with money to the quence to a community, or to any amount of ten millions of part of it, whether there be pounds. Let us suppose that much or whether there be little wheat sells for five shillings a money in circulation within such bushel, while this quantity of |