mation, as one of the best men that I had ever known in the whole course of my life.

always sorry for the attack upon the Lord Chancellor, not only because I believe the charge against him to be untrue, but if true, I am one of those who would draw a very different conclusion for the poverty of such a man, if it were real, than that which the grovelling world is so very apt to draw. But, besides this, I felt, as every one connected with the press ought to feel, very great gratitude to the Lord Chancellor, and also to his former associate, Mr. WETHERELL; first, for their noble defence of poor Watson and Thistlewood; and, second, for the mild and merciful and wise and really liberal course that they invariably pursued when they filled the office now filled by SCARLETT. As to the LORD CHANCEL LOR's having changed his opinions with regard to the Catholic Question, who has a right to ascribe that to any thing but mature deliberation and conviction? I once made bon-fires on the fifth of November; and, within these thirteen years, I praised racking and sanguinary Old Bess to the skies, in the Register itself. I have since written the "History of the Protestant Reformation”; and who is to accuse me, on that ac

Though I have named the above days, there may be some little change as to the days. I may, for instance, stay a day longer than I now intend at Manchester. Then, of course, I shall be a day later at Bolton, Preston, and onwards. I have not yet heard from Huddersfield, Halifax or Bradford. They may occupy me some few days; but I have named the days as nearly as I can at present; and as I shall write forward from place to place, I hope that I shall thereby prevent any great inconvenience to my friends. I received an invitation on the spot, during the few minutes that I was changing horses at Macclesfield; but 1 do not see how it is possible that I can visit that town at this time. However, as I am determined, if I have life and health, to see the philosophers of modern Athens, and the good and sensible and spirited fellows at Paisley and Glasgow, during next spring and summer, I will then certainly not fail to pay my respects to the people of Macclesfield. On my own personal account, it is extremely pleasant, at the end of twenty long years of calumnies and persecutions, count, of motives of corruption? thus to be received and thus applauded therefore, was sorry for the attack upon by all the industrious and independent the LORD CHANCELLOR he is a mild part of this great enterprising and ho- and humane man in his nature; greedinest community; but I am much more ness of money has never marked his pleased when I reflect that this change, character; and if he be poor, as is alwith regard to myself, is the unquestion-leged, and of which I know nothing, able sign of a change in the public mind, SIR THOMAS MORE was poor before which is the best foundation for a hope him. I am sure that if it be left to him, that England is destined to retrieve her- no great suffering will be inflicted on self; and to shake off this accursed those who have aspersed his character: system of false money and false credit, I do not say that the prosecution was without exposing herself to any convul- unnecessary; because the charge was sion that shall put to hazard the property of the rich, and dissolve the cement which binds all ranks of society together.

THE PRESS.

I HAVE not had time to read through, and with due attention, the trials of Mr. ALEXANDER and Mr. BELL. I was

I,

heavy, and the character of a great judge was at stake; but the writing was put forth at a moment of great irritation, and the statement not having been persevered in, but, indeed, apologised for, severe punishment of the parties can only tend to make a deduction from that great sum of credit which is due to his Lordship for that mildness and humanity which he brought into vogue, and by which he did the Government more credit than it has received discre

dit, from all the prosecutions and persecutions which had been instituted for many years before.

the crime of publishing something hav-
ing a tendency to bring that Government
and Parliament into contempt! I have
no room for any thing more upon this
subject at present, except that I must ex-
press a hope that the judges will not de-
part from that line of conduct which has
of late years been so honourable to them.
I remember that, when I was last in
America, I read with sorrow and shame
of the judges being guarded by soldiers
to protect them against the violence of
the people: of late years I have several
times had to observe, and thought it my
duty to observe, on the pleasure which
had experienced at seeing the return of
that popular reverence for them which
formerly existed; and which, I trust,

With regard to the other alleged libels, the juries appear to have been very much upon the balance. It appears to have been what the sailors call "truck and go." However, I have not time to write more upon this subject at present, and shall content myself with expressing a hope, that the nation is not, in this day of its troubles and its dangers, doomed to behold a revival of those scenes which it beheld for so many years before the present Chief Justice was advanced to his present office. I looked particularly at the language of his charge; from that charge, I augur great good; and, at any rate, I am sure, that they will now preserve for the rest of if a part of the community disapprove my life, at any rate.

THE IRISH.

of the publications of Mr. ALEXANDER, the whole of the people of England. lament that the prosecutions were instituted. In the country, as far I have had an opportunity of observing, they have produced a sort of terrific shock. I EXPECTED, because I had a right to Men exclaim: "What are we not in expect, that all good Irishmen would feel "trouble enough already, without these indignant against the wretches who at"old scenes being revived to torment tempted to disturb me in my lectures in “ us!” In short, the people want a London. Those wretches have it not press really free to assist them in this in their power to make atonement; hour of difficulty; and every attempt and, therefore, if I never pardon withto narrow that freedom, they will and out atonement, I never can pardon. I must look upon as something tending am willing, at any rate, to publish anyto their utter ruin. What! here are thing that any of their countrymen can the Grand Jury of the county of Kent say in mitigation, and in this spirit it is declaring the country to be in a state of that I here insert the following article intolerable distress: here is Mr. Wes- from the "Dublin Morning Post." TERN, a Member of Parliament for the county of Essex, publicly asserting, "Most grieved we were to be told our through these very newspapers, that" countrymen had behaved so ill on that the people have been ruined by foolish" occasion; and still more so are we, acts of the Parliament and the Govern- " that the account now alluded to, so far, ment; and, while this is going on from" from extenuating their gross misconone end of the country to the other; "duct, adduces evidences of ingratitude while all men know that the Govern-" and profligacy of the most shameful ment and the Parliament have eleven" kind. But, next to adequate apology, times changed the value of money; and "which seems impracticable in the case, thereby eleven times caused confusion" is indignant condemnation; and in in all men's affairs, and produced the" this we hope, rather than fear, we shall ruin of hundreds of thousands of fami-" be joined by all our intelligent readers. lies; while all this is going on, here" Venturing to anticipate their concurcomes an Attorney General, and pro- rence, we believe that, should Mr. Cobsecutes, to utter ruin, as he must suppose, "bett see these remarks, he will have a gentleman who has been guilty of "generosity enough to cancel his de

66

MR. WESTERN'S LETTER.

30

cree against a race whose misfortunes, the excess of produce beyond the demand of though they cannot justify baseness, "must be allowed to have been too great and long-continued to permit "their native qualities suddenly to start "into prominent virtues. This ends our "speculation for the present.

MR. WESTERN'S LETTER.

TO THE GENTRY, CLERGY, FREE-
HOLDERS, AND INHABITANTS, OF

THE COUNTY of Essex.

the markets that occasioned their distress, demand, so as to afford a fair profit to the and that till the supply adjusted itself to the capital employed in agriculture, no legislation could correct the evil. A Select Committee of the House of Commons, appointed to inquire into these petitions, reported their opinion, that the complaints of the petitioners were just, and that, at the price of corn at the time, the Gazette average of wheat being above 438., the returns of the occupiers of arable farms, after allowing for the interest of their charges and outgoings, which must have there investments, were by no means adequate to the fore been, at least in part, paid out of their capital. It was at this VERY TIME that our English labourers of every description were in Felix Hall, Dec 10. the greatest distress, and the Irish, I say, GENTLEMEN,-In the letter I addressed to called of all descriptions of persons, to be held actually dying of hunger. you upon the distressed state of the country, at the City of London Tavern, the 7th of A meeting was and which was published in the Essex May, 1822, to enter into a subscription for Herald" of the 1st inst., and "Chelmsford their relief. A Committee was appointed, and Chronicle" of the 4th, I dwelt upon various John Smith, Esq. M.P., elected their Chairfacts and circumstances very material to my man; towards the close of their proceedings argument, and the details of which I there- that Committee drew up a report, which was fore should have wished to have given, to afterwards published by Wm.Phillips, of Lom prove the accuracy of my statement; but the bard-street, and I dare say might now be had limit of one letter would not permit; I there- at any bookseller's; in that report is to be fore address you again, and may, perhaps, found their correspondence with various per more than once do so; at all events, this sons in Ireland, classed under heads, first desecond address I feel necessary, to furnish scriptive of the extent of the misery, aud the evidence of the strict correctness of my state- next head the causes of it. I wish you would ment respecting the dreadful condition of look to the report; but, in the mean time, I Ireland in the year 1822, not only because shall here give you some extracts from most it is almost incredible that at any time, in any of the correspondents of the Committee. [Of country, a population should have been seen forty extracts from letters upon this subject, starving in the midst of abundance, and that we can find room but for six.] It is undoubttherefore my bare assertion of the fact might edly true that in that year there was a partial be questioned, but that the existence of that failure of the potato crop, which is a calamity horrid phenomenon carried with it, to my to Ireland, grievous in itself, according to the apprehension, the most convincing proof of extent of that failure; but never before was the correctness of my view of the case, name-auy failure of that crop productive of the couly, that all the distress and ruin that has fallen upon the industrious classes, since the termination of the war, and which presses upon them now, has been owing to the monstrous act of doubling the value of the currency by contracting it nearly, if not quite, one-half, and thus leaving the debtors of 800 millions públic, and every money obligation, charged to the full nominal amount of what they borrowed, to be paid out of half the means they formerly possessed. If you look over the documents I shall here give you, it will be evident that the rapid fall in the money price of every product, consequent upon this contraction of the money in circulation, was the first signal of embarrassment and distress of the employers of the labouring classes, and their want of money; and the utter deprivation of it amongst the labourers followed of course. In 1822, the table of the House of Commons was loaded with petitions from farmers, complaining of the low price of their produce. Lord Castlereagh said, in the House of Commons, the 29th of April of that year, it was

sequences herein described, nor ever before was seen famine stalk through a country at the same moment that grain was at a price that would not remunerate the grower, and that it an excess of agricultural produce beyond the was announced from authority that there was demand,

From his Grace the Archbishop of Tuam, dated Tuam, May 13, 1822: "In Westport, and Castlebar, and here, efforts are making by the gentry and other inhabitants, but in truth the state of the times operates sadly upon us all; in the same proportion as the lower orders are reduced, the higher orders are incapacitated to afford them relief."

:

county of Mayo, May 14, 1822 I will not From Connell O'Donel, Esq., Seamount, delay the subject further, as never were misery. and starvation so prevalent as in this parish and neighbourhood, melancholy to witness; people fainting in the streets, from weakness occasioned by hunger and want actually in Achill they are getting the seed out of the

ground to consume, by way of some nourishbeat."

From Cornelius O'Callaghan, Esq., Tulls, City of Clare, dated May 18, 1822: "I never Before saw the Irish spirit broken; but you wald meet fathers and mothers, not knowing how or where to get a supper for their familes, crying and bewailing their hard lot, that after having lived honestly all their lives, they should be reduced to rob and steal, to support life I scarce get a moment's sleep, such is my anxiety."

From Daniel Coghlan, Esq., Crookhaven, ounty of Cork, dated May 21, 1822: "I am at a loss for words to describe the truly calamitous starving state of the numerous wretched poor of this county; numbers have already died for want of food.'

From Thomas Comy, Esq., of Shakestown, in the county of Roscommon, June 2d, 1822 "It is impossible for me to tell you the miserable and wretched condition of the poor here. They are at this moment actually enduring all the horrors of starvation and malignant disease; huudreds of wretches greedily seekng for water-cresses, wild mustard nettletups, and dandelion, which, mixed with a mall quantity of oatmeal, is their principal

food."

From the Rev. William Ururek, Sligo, June 1st, 1822: "In the suburbs of the town lone, between 3000 and 4000 objects crave relief, who are alike destitute of the necessaries of life and the means of procuring them.” I shall finish these tales of misery with a second letter from the Archbishop of Tuam, dated the 8th of June, 1822, and I think you will admit that I have too fully made good the truth of my assertion, and have convinced you, that when I spoke of a starving population in the midst of abundance, it was not figure of speech, but a literal and dreadful exaggerated truth.

From his Grace the Archbishop of Tuam, June 8th, 1822: "I wrote on Tuesday last to Mr. Goulbourn such a statement as could be only equalled by the scenes I have seen since. In short, Sir, if thousands are not immediately sent into these counties, particularly to Mayo and the west of Galway, without the fear of contradiction, I say that large proportions must die. It is now become so bad, that it would be folly to talk of immediate employment; the people in general are too weak to work, and must be fed, and strengthened gradually, before employment could be available. If our Government has not sufficient funds in their bands to relieve this most extraordinary demand, I hope they will again apply to Parliament for a liberal supply. There is no time to discuss the matter; our case cannot be met by ordinary rules or reasonings. If we are not rupplied we must die; if we are promptly supplied, many may yet be saved.”

I shall now give you some extracts from most of the letters descriptive of thé CAUSES

of the misery there depicted. I have said that there was a partial failure of the potato crop, and that the writers of these letters allude to it, and to non-residence of landlords, and other incidental and constantly operating causes, but there is hardly one who does not dwell upon want of employment and consequent want of money as the chief, though they do not appear to be aware of the influence of Peel's Bill in emptying the pockets of the emplayers of the peasantry. I have placed first in the list the case of the labourers of a colliery, because it is peculiar, and shows distinctly the diminution of the FUNDS by which labour is paid, and which were almost equally reduced in every class of industry, immediately upon that act coming into force.

From the Rev. W. R. Dawson, Castle Comber, Kilkenny: "This parish, of which I am rector, contains 14,000 inhabitants, who are chiefly supported by working in a colliery, the receipts of which have latterly decreased from 30,000l. to 13,000., whilst the population has considerably increased; consequently reduced wages and want of employment.

The Right Hon. Maurice Fitzgerald: "The late depression of prices has almost extinguished the middle class of farmers; the demand for labour is diminished in proportion; the second-rate class of landholders have suffered so much in their income, that their employment of labour has been every where abridged, in

most cases abandoned.

The Archbishop of Tuam: "There are certain classes to whom no facility of assistance has been afforded by funds supplied by Government. Decent tradesmen, under unavoidable reverse of fortune, reduced to the lowest ebb of misery, who, for want of materials for work, are unable to satisfy the craving of a numerous and hapless progeny. There are others who have seen better days, now silently sinking into the grave, because they are ashamed to make their wants known."

Committee for the Relief of the Poor of Skibbereen: "Well knowing the extreme poverty of the population of this district, which would disable them from purchasing provisions, though ever so abundant, they dare not decline further demands upon the Committee, unless some employment is found for the la

bourer."

He

I have only to add, that Ireland EXPORT- some temporary inconvenience might by them ED more wheat that year than she ever did be felt. When the money of a country is dibefore, except the two preceding years, 1820 minishing, the poorer man's pocket will be and 1821, and she exported more wheat-meal first emptied, and though the price of the by upwards of 100,000 cwt. ; of wheat her ex-articles of his necessity or comfort are, as ports amounted to 386,231 quarters ; of wheat- some will say, very low or cheap, his means meal, 340,267 cwt.; her total exports of grain, will be lower still, and sinking, till bis hand near a million of quarters; and large quanti- finds an empty pocket. In fact, how can any ties of oxen, sheep, and pigs, and salt beef, body suppose that the price of labour will not pork, and butter, to a very large amount." But it is not the Irish peasantry who alone bour, when the fall is occasioned by SCARCITY go down with the price of the product of lahave suffered, and suffered from the same of money: as far as my observation goes, it cause; look at the state and condition of the falls faster, and in an extreme case, a great agricultural and manufacturing population of proportion of labour loses all value; and then the United Empire, and see what it has been comes a cry of surplus population. But further, since 1819: the Manchester riots, which commenced towards the close of that year, and and yet so little understood, Locke is often to explain this simple proposition, so obvious the distresses and tumults thenceforward to quoted in his "Treatise on Money," where the present hour. Somebody will answer: he says, over-production, the tremendous power of so much must the share of every one that has "So much as its quantity is lessened, production by machinery; but there is no tre- a right to the money be also lessened, whether mendous power to multiply the production of he be landholder for his goods, or labourer for the earth grain and cattle, iron, lead, tin, his hire, or merchant for his brokerage.” stone, timber, chalk, lime, salt, &c., and yet truly says, further on, "That as money is con. the proprietors and labourers concerned in sidered the measure of value, people are apt the working of them, are in the same predica- to overlook the possibility of IT also changing ment with the manufacturers and their opera- ITS OWN VALUE, by an increase or reductives, and so they will continue as long as tion of its quantity." And afterwards, he says, Peel's Bill remains in force; and if in full orce the tragedy of Ireland will be acted over money as we had seven years ago, and yet had "If in England we had only half as much again and extended; that bill fixing an arbi- still as much yearly product of commodities, trary antiquated standard of value, fixes the as many hands to work them, and as many antiquated money price of ALL other commo- merchants to disperse them, it is certain that dities; and that low money price, with high we could only have half our rents paid, half money taxes, will never fail to produce the our commodities sold, and half our labourers attendant misery I have described, and which employed; or they each must be content with we are experiencing now. It is difficult for half what they had before"; and if he had people to see that it is not always plenty of lived now, he would have said, And every the commodity that makes the LOW price; receiver of taxes, from the King to the the scarcity and high price of money equally village exciseman, must be content with half makes a low money price of commodities. of what he received before the passing of Peel's Bill. He would have said so even under ordinary circumstances; but have we more yearly product of commodities, more hands to work them, more merchants to distribute them, double, treble, or quadruple of creditors to pay, and army, navy, &c., to keep up? And, under SUCH circumstances, what would he have said, if the rulers of a coun try should say to the people, True, it is the

In order to ascertain whether low money price is the consequence of plenty of commodities, or scarcity of money, look to the condition of the people; if they are prosperous, it is plenty of commodities; if the reverse, it is scarcity of money; plenty never did any permanent injury, even to the producers, though

not

* See Marshall's admirable compilation of total quantity of money in the country has Parliamentary Returns.

EXPORTS OF IRELAND-1822.

been, by our WISDOM, reduced one-half; but the receivers of taxes, and creditors of all descriptions, shall not have a stiver taken out of THEIR pockets: the breach shall be made in the pockets of the industrious and productive classes; there, and there only shall this defect he felt. Mr. Locke would say, Your rulers must be mad; confusion, dreadful, must be the end of it: and yet this is precisely what HAS been done. When Lord Liverpool admitted that Peel's Bill had raised the value of money 25 per cent. what was it but an admission that the quantity of money in circulation had been reduced one fourth; that one fourth had been taken out of the pockets of all the industrious classes? I contend that one-half has been