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A QUESTION TO BR DECIDED BV THE PEOPLE OF ENGLAND IN CHOOSING BETWEEN FREE TRADE OR PROTECTION. ox THK HARMONY OF INTERKSTS Wr[KII SUBSISTF.n BETWEEN THESF COLONIES AND THE MOTHER COUNTRV UNDER THE I>RO TECTIVE SYSTEM, AND SUOWINf; THE VALUE OF THEIR TRADE AND SHIPPING, THE RAPID TRANSFERENCE OF THESE TO THE I'NITED STATES, SINCE THE ADOPTION OF FREE TRADE, AND THE INEVITABLE LOSS OF THESE COLONIES, IF THAT COMMERCIAL POLICY BE PERSISTED IN. COLONIAL EDITION. I TORONTO: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR BY I.OVEL & GIBSON. 1852. '1 / . v^ ft I i DcLiication. TO HIS GRACE THE DUkE OF KIClIMON-p. K.G., tr . &. My Lord Duke, The North Atnerican ("olonifs, hiil moro especially the C^anadas, are deeply iuteiesled in the verdict about to be rendered by the people of England upon their commercial policy connmonly known as Free Trade. I have collected together, in the following Essay, some o( Uie evidence which they couUl give, were they in a jiosition to do so, an to the disastrous effects of this policy upon them. But, thoiiijh I believe— and I think I have sutfi.'iently proved it jn this Essay— that tiieir prosperity largely, and their national destiny, or separation from the ^lother Country., absolutely, depend upon the verdict the Eiiglish people may give upon ihf trial of this portentous issue; yet there seems little disposition manifested by a large party in England, to consult either their interests or their feelings in the premises. Knowing your Grace to be at the hcail of the "National Jssocialionfor the Defence nf British Industry and Capital;'' and that that Association seeks to preserve the integrity of the Empire, and to equalize the burthens as well as the prosperity of the whole people, I have taken the liberty of dedicating this Essay to you, in the hope thai if it contain anythini; worthy of being considered by the people of England, or which may serve to warn them of how eflectually "Free Trade'' is severing these magnilicent Colonies from the Mother Country, it may have its proper weight, by being associated with your Grace's distinguibhed name. \ have the honour to remain, My Lord Duke, You (Jrace's obedient humble Servant, THE AUTH0»1. Toronto, Canada Wes-t, '25\h May, 1852. PROTECTION : on, THE HARMONY 0|- INTIUiESTS BETWr.r.^ GRllAT JiUll'AIN AND IU:il NORTH A.MERICAN COLONIES. A nation cannot prosper or be enduriii,;'- unless all its interests advance together. Yet it must ha|)i)en, in the ordinary course of its aflairs, that some of its classes will have callings by which they will succeed less than their doserts, whilst others will iiave greater success in iheiis than they merit. Competition beyond the reach of all human forecast, may operate to the detriment and ruin of one class's labour, whilst accidental advantages, impossible of comtemplation, may, in an equal ratio, favour another's. Now if the fortunate class does not endeavour to harmonise Interests with the unsuccessful ; if out of ihe one's strengih, more than it looked for, there is not substracted enouuh, or at least something, to make vp for the others weakness, more than it expected, or deserv 'd, the nation, as a whole, cannot be permanent, powerful, or capable of any great achievement. — For a nation, as a whole, cannot long sub- sist with any of its important members decaying. — If the prospering will not endeavour to carry the less fortunate with them, a plague will arise among the classes left to ruin, that will reach those who left them so, and the whole will ulti- mately sink together. Therefore, the virtue and the boauty of all just political economy consists, in its so arranging rnoTECTiOiV, burthens, and holiarinoiiising intcrcstrf, as that onu cUi.ss can- not be left behind ; that tlie wliolc nation may laio, lor bctlcv or for worse, the same. But a nation is sometimes called upon to extend the apidication of these duties beyond its own Ijorders ; lor where popuhitiou increases Taster than usclul cuiploymonts, and })rolessions cease to become guarantees tor support, manliood is called u[)on to undertake the hazards and trials of finding a new and a more prosperous home. Then does it become the duty of a great nation, to expand its intellect so as to encomj)ass the interests of its children, who thus become the pioneers of new Kingdoms; and to enlarge its sympathies, so as to take in their welfare, and to second their endeavom's. And this is the position Great Britain occupies to her Colonies. Mouths having accumulated with her faster than means of living, and her manhood having less to do than should occupy it, or that u^ould give it that res})ectability and pride which it sought, willingly struck out in far and unknown regions, to build itself a home suitaljle to its dignity, and to form kingdoms for England. Uui the question has arisen, since this voluntary expatriation for noble and manly jHU'poses, of some of Britain's children whether, in their new situations, it was possible for them to harmonise interests with the Mother Country, so as to continue their national connection with her ? whether her intelligence has so far followed them, and watched over their struggles, and the development of their interests, as to legislate, where her legislation has aflcctcd them, to their advantage, and to their happy and prosj^erous connection with her ? and whether, if any thing has been done to des- M rnoTECTION. class can- [\)V buUcr xtcnd the tiers ; for jloyinents, I' Sll[»l)01't, and trials ■'lien does s intellect who thus nlarj^e its to second 2H to her ytcr than ) do than ictability far and c to its But the Lition fur children for tliem so as to ther her ed over rests, as to their uiection to des- troy ihclr harmony of interests with her, any thing can now be done to restore it ? It is the purpose of this Essay to consider these various (juestions as far as Canada is concerned. And we shall hc^dn by laying down this plain and dis- tinct principle— that the Colonies cannot reinaifi connected with the Mother Country, without a harmony of interests subsists between them. England cannot afford to be a perpetual loser by the Colonies. Neither can the Colonies aflbid to perpetuate injury with ailcgiance, love with decay. No coiniection can be either happy or enduring between ihem that is not based u\)on mutuality of advantage. If measures, useful and necessary for the people of England, were found prejudicial to the Colonies, it would be too much to expect that England would forego them on that account. It would be equally unreasonable to bind the Colonies to what was continuously and palpably to their disadvantage. It becomes the duty then of honest manhood to inquire whether or not such a state of things exists. For nations are like individuals — the going on in the dark, not knowing wliether they are losing or gaining, is a ruinous system. To succeed, it is as necessary to know what may add to our strength, as it is to find out what may occasion our weakness. This brings us naturally to consider, whether there have been any measures, which England considered necessary fur her prosperity, that operated ruinously to the Colonies ; and whether, if such be the case, the Colonies can show good and sulTicient reasons why they should be changed. For, if good reasons cannot be given why England should jorego her measures to harmonise interests with the Colonies, 8 fnoTcci'toK. it is idle to ask licr to do so ; and iho Colonics must seek some other means ol prosiu-ring. One of tlu'se measures — llie most momentous too that both liave ever known — is the Fcce Trade poluy of EnL^'hinU. For l)y that poluy, the iulercsl that cdcli Itdd ever prcvioushj h(td ill llic others^ indubiry hcca/nc extinct ; and l/ic.ir poircr of workin<^ together for comnwn good, or a conanon destiny, was annihilalcd. It luis eircetually rendered them, as I'ar as the future rise, or fall of eiihor is concerned, two distinct nations. 'V\iv. Colonies jjy then- industry, m:iy rise to power and greatin.'ss; hut tiieir relation to Great Britain, under the frcc! trade system, is now no Liiuarantee to her, that their strength may not become her weakness, and their wealth her poverty. \Ve shall now proceed to show wherefore. Previous to 1840 the (.'olonies were connected with the Mother Country upon the prineiph- of mutually protecting and fostering each others' labour. England had herpeo})le to feed, and her [)oor to find work for. The Colonics had their produce to sell, an I their clothing, implements of husbandr}', and other necessaries to purchase. What could be a more natui-al and rational wa}^ of benefiting each other, than by the Colonies giving the poor of Britain em- ploynicnt, by using the products of their labour, and Britain's fostering the labour of the Colonies, by receiving their produce u[)on such terms as would make u]) for the advan- tages she might enjoy Ijy manufacturing for them ? Nor let it be imagined that these wei"e few or insignificant. They were, as we shall presently show, of vast importance to her, and of vastly greater consequence than might be, at first s'ght, imagined. The Colonial trade too had peculiar advantages to England over that of any of the rest of tho pRorncTiuv. WorM. It could 111 ways be rt'Iicd npMii ; for O.w Colonics were customers that no rovoliitioiis kept away, ;ii)ii no ndvorso policy iiilliicnccd. Wiicn othrr coiiiitrics, even under flio most lav()ural)!(' ciicninstanct's. wanted IJiilisli goods, llioy sent their own ships (or fliein. niainied by their own people, ,uid ncconip.'inied by their own uier- chinifs and ai^ents. Ihit wliat lln' Colonies reiiuircij. liritisli ships ])rou'^ht to theiii. and (hcsc siiips r(!tiirned, freighted with their produce anil resoiu'ccs received in excliangc fortliem — the whoN.'oriheeinployiiient connected with the double sale, fust of the goods, iind then i»l' \\u'. produce and resources, and the brokerage, baidvinu' ''00,000 per annum ; and the repairs, insurance, and replacing of capital in the ships A"4,.jOO,000 more. " In the trade between Britain and India and China, 10,000 sea- men are employed, and at a similar rate their wages, provisions, &c., will amount to oOO,000 ; and the replacement of capital and increase i:800,000; in all £1, MOO, 000. The whole, or nearly the whole of the supplies necessary to maintain these seamen and tonnage, are the pro- ductions of British soil and labour, which, in a national point of view, shows the superiority of such a trade over a mcreli/ manufacturing commerce. PROTECTION. 11 Now wc have not by us the means of ascertaining the exact profits upon this trade ; nor are Ave aware that any definite cstiiuates have ever been made of tliem. Its certainly alone, as already pointed out, rendering it of singular advantage ; for when revolutions in other coun- tries, non-intercourse, probibitory tariffs, or otber causes, occasioned a surj)1us of manufactures in the home market, the Colonies generally consumed these, which, otherwise, might have been a total loss. When the mutations of fashion, too, and the miscalculations of manufacture's caused the market to be overstocked with some descriptions of goods, and to have others that would not sell at all, it is well known that the Colonies became, in such cases, tlie safety-valves, through M'hich they escaped, and generally at full prices. Another, and a very important advantage of Colonial trade, is, that the Colonists go home and pur- " A comparison of the tnide of the eastern with tliat of the western world, taking tlic value of imports and exports, stands nearly thus: — From and to China and the East Indie:^ about £16,000,000; and from and to British North America and the West Indiai Colonies, £14,000,000. " It thus appears that the latter or British American trade requires nearly five times more ships, tonnage, and searneii to carry it on, than the former, or trade to all India and China ! thereby affordinif an incalculable advantage to a naval power, and the support of a naval force, and also to the employment of Diiti^h labour and capital. " From the olficial statement of the exports and imports of Great Britain to the dittlrent parts of the world fur the year 1843, to which we have aliuded, we find that the wh >le weight of cotton yarn and cotton goods exported from Great Britain annually is 120,000 tons, and the value i:-J:l,.j00,0C0, " It follows, then, that one half the tonnage employed In carrying the West Indian exports (vulue £2,882,441) would bo sufficient to carry the whole cotton export trade of this country ; and as regards the North American trade, one-seventh of the tonnage would be sufficient to carry all that cotton trade about which Mr, Cobden has made such a noise, but whose real and great intrinsic iniportanee to the empire, no agriculturist nor colonist has ever sliown any disposition to undervalue, that I am aware of. — [Ileciprocal Free Trade versus irreciprocal Free Trade, by Isaac Buchanan, Es.j. 1'^ J ,w raOTECTION. cliasc ili"ir !j;i)();!s directly of ihe British Merchant. Whcrc- ys, ill her trade wilh others, England is often compelled to send out L!;ood.s upon consignment, to sell for whatever they will l)'iii grain is actually cut in the flirmers' fields, an I the trees in the forests of the Colonies, till the one is bakcnl into bread, and the other made into ships at home, we thiidv the profits are not overrated at fif- teen per cent. l>y many our estimate may be regarded as too low. We wish none, however, may have oc- casio 1 to consider it too high. This would, therefore, on ('olonial purchases of .€4,000,000, give England a profj: of £000,000. Ill' profits arising from the shipping of the Colonies are n)ore easily ascertained. In a return of the wiiolc anmi d income of the United Kingdom, we find the profits of tlu> sliipping interest definitely stated, and from these we are en;d)led to assign to the Colonies their proper j.roportion. The whole returns arc valuable, and we sub- join tlxnn : a les lie Its ^e \r riioTECTio>f. 13 Annual Income of the United Kingdom. Annual value of Agricultural productions I'-Jj 0,000,000 / )nual value ormanui'acturiiig productions X 177,184, -i'J-i .uii which deduct value of raw mat ei'ial...i." .30,000.000 £ 1 -27,1 S.3,-292 Annual value of produce of ]Miniiig interest .JG.l '21,000 Annmd Value of Profits of Shipping interest 3,(u37,2'U Annual income from Colonics, about l.>,000,00i) Annual income from foreign trade 1;>,00(),0. Annual income from Fisheries, about ;},000,000 Total income of the United Kin,;;do.ii X'44f),!J4-2,o23 — \_Spuchnan^s Tables. From these returns the?), it appear.-^, that the profits or income ol'the whole shij)ping interest of the United King- dom, amount to £3,G3T,2ol. The trade ol' tlio North American Colonies, giving employment to onc-fiflli, as \vc have shown, of this shipping, is necessarily worth to Great Britain just one-fifth of the whole profits. This is apart from the accidental advantage it may have, of being more profitable than much of England's other shipping, which we believe to be the case. The profits, or income, there- fore, to her from her shipping with the North American Colonies, amount to £727,440 annually ; and this sum, added to the profits on the sale of her manufactures to tliem, computed at 15 per cent, on £4,000,000, being £000,- 000, make the total sum of £1,327,440. And this is but the simple business, or commercial, view of the matter. The value that these Colonies are to the Empire — in strengthening it, and in being a home for the very growth of people to strengthen it ; in keeping one-fifth of its com- mercial navy in existence ; and in giving profitable employ- ment to thousands upon thousands of its poor, who might, otherwise, go unemployed, being left wholly out of the question. 14 T'ROTECTION. Now the quantity of grain sent to Great Britain by tlic North American Colonies, in 1847, with which to pay, to- gether with tiieir other productions and resources, for tlie goods they purchased of her, was 481,143 quarters, or 3,873,144 bushels. — And let us inquire, if this was protected to the exact extent that the agriculturists of England and the Colonies say it should be, to render its production re- munerative, how the account would stand with England ? — whether she would gain or lose by the mutuality of benefit principle — namely jjrotccting the products oi the Colonics' labour, in proportion to the profit she reaped, as we have pointed out, by their consuming the products of hers, and contributing, at an annual profit or income to her of £727,- 44G, onc-fi[fth of her whole shipping. But first let us ascertain what the protection is that the agriculturists of England, and of the Colonies, contend for. We shall do so, by showing — by the greatest Free Trade authorities that the advocates of that policy have had, namely, Sir Robert Peel and Mr. Willson, the member for Westbury and late Secretary of the Board of Control, what wheat can be produced at in Great Britain, *' without distinct loss '' ; and that is the exact price that the Pro- tectionists ask it to be protected to, and no higher. That is to say, they want that protection only, that will enable them to grow grain,without literally producing ruin to them- selves. Sir Robert Peel, in giving a definite answer to the question as to what would be a remunerating price for pro- ducing wheat in Great Britain, taking climate, taxes poor rates, and other burthens upon the land, and the social habits of the people, into account, said : •'Now, with reference to the probable remuneniting price, I should say that, or the protection fof the. agricultural interest, as far aa I can rROTKCTION. 15 possibly form a jiulgmcnt, if the price of wheat in tliis country, allowing for its natural oscillations, could l)c limited to souje such amount aa between 54s, and 5Ss., I do not believe that it is for the interest of tlic agriculturist that it should be higher. 'J'ake the average of the last ten years, excluding from s'Mne portion of the averai^e the extreme [)rice3 of the last three years and oGs. would l)e found to be an average, and so far as I can form an idea of what would constitute a fair rennmerating price, I, for one, should never u'ish to .fee it vary more than 1 have said. I cannot say, on the other hand, tiiat I ain able to see any great or permanent advantage to be dei'ivcd iioni the diniiiiution of the price of corn, heijond the lowest amount J have named, if I look at tlie subject in coimection with the general position of the country, the existing relation of landlord and tenant, the burdens upon the land, and tlic habits of the country." Mr. Wilson, the member for Westbury, in a work en- titled " The Iiijluence of the Corn Laics," thus wrote as to what he considered woald be a remunerating price for growing wheat in England. " As we shall afterwards show, wc take o2s. 2d. to be the proper price for wheat, at which an exactly sufficient amount of production ■would be kept up, it having been the average price for the last seven years ; we tbereforc take it as the standing price at which wheat can be sold to the consumer. It must be clear that whatever average annual price the farmer receives in any year above that price, he obtains so much profit beyond the average rate ; and that uhutevcr average annual price he receives in any year less than that standard price, he makes so much distinct loss ; and therefore the diiference between the profit derived from the higher prices, and the loss from the lower prices, must shov/ the balance in favour or against the homo grower." Thus it will be seen, that Sir Robert Peel's lowest esti- mate was 54s. 4d., and Mr. Wilson's lowest estimate 52s. 2d. the quarter, at which wheat could be produced in Great Britain. — Now waiving for the present the reflections that naturally arise from the fact, that Free Trade brought down the price of grain in 1849 to 445. 4c/.; in 1850, to 405., * * " In the commencement of the year now about to terminate, an opinion was very prevalent that the prices of grain (more especially those of wheat) had been somewhat unduly depressed; and it was then thought that, even ■with Free Trade, the value of the article would not fur any lengthened period be kept down below the cost of production in this Country. The experience of the last twelve months has, however, proved that this idea was errenoous; for, with a crop very much inferior to that of 1839, quota- tions have, ou the whole, rated low^er, the average price for the Kingdom 10 PROTECTION. and so far in 1851, lo ahouL USs. — the last price hcinl,702 X;J17,;l.38 Woollen i\I uuifae hn IS 58(;,i.-ii .'{ ir),oG!) 240,OS2 Linen do 147,.570 40,704 100,5)16 Cotton do G0(J,t)14 554,747 51,807 Silk do 117,42.3 78,821 n8,G04 Corda^o 102,807 11,0 2 ni,7J).5 Leather, Saddlery ai d Iltirdsvare 7;},7.34 7,0l8 GG,7;}6 Glusii t •• 3;J,b80 8,452 25,428 Total decrease on leading article!* ... JE {).'52,78G The causes of this declension are sufHciently obvious — the trade of the Colonics is going almost bodily over to tho United States. IMr. Cobdc^n boasted, " that free trade would lay the valley of the Mississippi alongside of Manchester." It is far more likely to lay the Canadas alongside of the Now England Manufacturers. But let us go on and see what It is doing in regard to their carrying trade ; let us see how long Great Britain, if the Free Trade policy continues, is likely to have one-fifth of her whole shipping employed in the trade of the North American Colonics, at a profit, or income to her of £727,440 annually on this alone. The Quebec Chronicle makes the following synopsis of, and quotations from, an article of more than ordinary value, published in the Toronto Patriot : " In an excellent article, the Patriot idliides to a circular issued by the head of a leading Canadian commercial house in New York, Mr. lligney, in which that gentleman gives us the total imjiorts of grain in bond to the United States from Canada during the past year, and is as follows : 22 pROTF.rrftoV. Floiir, h'lncls ^\'li('nt, l)n^!u'I» C 'tini, l)ii>lii Is Mral, bmrcN ],y:l7,. •«:»(» •J I •■.7 FniiM \vl)iili it will l)(; p' rcclvod, savs thit f^( nflctnan, " tli;it tlic total cNpoi t iVoiii tlic Uiiitt (1 Stiti-s ill js.'jO, rcdu'iiii; the \\Ii«at lo iidur wa** dniivalt III to l,;lS!>,J.H IihkN; mul tlu' iiiip(»rt fro ii CiiikIi tlio sami- }C'ar rijiiivakiit lo (iull.lMiO Imrn-l-i, Ix in;; almost oiir-hi//' i>f the total i\rp u-t from llir (iiitril StufiM." Milt \vi; ciiiiiiot do IxttiT, t'nr I hi; iiilunnalioii ot'tliosi! who njoiLX' to Motlco the uiil'.ivoiirahlo turn whicli the railway "huhhlc ncIkiiii' " h is tida'ti in N()\a Scotia, linn \i}\v entire the rt'iiiaiiiilcr tA' [\k' I'lili/'ofx remark. Our toritempirarv .mI}8, fcpeiilviiij^ ol tliL' iiiiiiieii-ii' y«iirl_y import of hrea(Uliiirs from Canada. Nor is thin import of Catiadian proihice hy n luii^hhoiirin'^ State dceliniiiii; on the eoi\trarv, Mr. hiffiuv tells us, "The demands for C\ iiiadii (liiur I'nr IJu; >\:\ I Uiiiisli jx.rts slill eoiitiiiiii's toahsoiii a lartfc prnp'irtioii of ihe reci'ipts from Canada, at priees somewhat hinlurthau the ruliiii^ rates of domestic;" and he adds; "if hout^ht in Caiiaila at ri^asoiiahlc priees, eaiinot fail to pay at the present rates of eaniil frcii^ht." Here then is important information for the ('anadi:ui farmer. One- half of the tntal export of 'jraiii Irom the United Stiites was of Canadian growth, whith brinj^s a higher price thin the domestic growth, and is consei|ueiitly more prolilahle to our Vaiikic customer in thi' Ihilisli market. Now, let us see wiiat heiutit our Yankee neij^hhonr derived by this Ids trad(! with us in grain diiriii;i; the pa^t Near, and what we lost hy not si ndiii;^ it direct to tlu: Hritisli market. Let us suppose that this eipiivaii lit to (J0!», !)(!») l)arreK of Hour was sent fruin iJulIalo to New York. Tlu* present /o'o iVeijdit and toll from that ])ort is 85 cents jM r barrel, so that on (JdU, !)(!() barrels of Hour, the lolls and 1iei;iht from Ihilfaio to N'e.v York would amount to the lar;^e sum ot JL 1 ".'!>,() I(i, exclusive of a duty of "ij per cent., and as the averajfe value of a barrel of (lour duriii;^ the past year was "J Is. ,'}il, the i^ross vahu' of this llour, is .f.(!tH,OS-J, and the diity thereon paid to the States for its transit in bond, would be £ I (j,-Jl)-i ; so that for lixiiiht, tolls, and duty on this ainiijK.' article of our produee. we put into the jiockets of our luii^hbours last year it!14->.N20 Hut with wharl'ai;e, storage, &e. added, we may safely say the sum of .i'l.JO,(;0U was thus lost to Canada during; the past year by shipping our grain from New York, instead of a Canadian port. lUit this is not all. The average profit to the Yanki e exporter of our flour is two shillings per barrel, or i.'(lO,f)96 in the }iast year, and this added to the torig dug £l()O,(H)0, swells our loss on flour aluiie in that year to i.'-22<),;t9() If we calculate the money wo thus pay annually on oth( r articles ot Canadian produce, the total, wc suspect, would exceed the whole revenue of tlu province." The Montreal Brokci-'s Cifctilar, for May, 18.")], contains the following startling returns of, and observations npon^ thi s irauc -St a rtliiig even to people in Canada, the transition is at once so extraordinary and so sudden, l^ROTEgriON. 23 4 *' AiiotluT vrry iiotlccaMo fiut, to \\lu(li wo (lr;»w atfciitloti, is tlic rcm!irk;il)lc incTcaso in our Kxport 'IVailo to the Uiiitrd Statfs by iiilaml I'orts, and whidi la bliovvii in tliu lolluwing C()in{)urativu Tablu for the llifc last years. i:XPi)RT9 FROM CANAItA IlV INf-VNt) POnT«. AUTICIES. 1«4S. A«Vof., brls 7,718 rioiir, l.rJH 277,044 \Vli(SS Lard \Viiite I'inc, fiit r)S.';,;{;jo Sawn LnndK-rdo 58,140,027 lGs,(!;l> 929,i)S0 72,1H;1 2(),()(i() 4,H(J1 4,804 2r, 97"> 530,019 9.')9,7M2 102,788,908 18.10 21,700 .•J09,701 I,21;>,07« G.'J,02.5 6J7.o;i9 1,780 21,700 7;u) 3,9.'i2 290,912 1,809,100 124,.'J00,9O4 Wiu'ti it i^< considered that this latter Trade is still in its infanc3% *ind. in (iict, li id no existence only a llw ye;ns ago — and that in many artielos it .Ji'eady ctpials, and in sonic exceeds our exports to the Mother C'(jinUry — it allords matter for rtfleetion, as to wliat the fntnre C'onnnercial I'olicy of tl\Is C'on:itry shonl 1 be. For instance, the quantity of Ashes exported hy inland last year, was 21.700 hrls. against 25,020 hrls. by Sea. 'I'iie (piantity of Flour was .'J09,7(il brls. against 2isO,078 brls. by Sra. That of wheat was l,2l;{.07f> Iiu^IkIs, against only «l,!)5l l)iislu!s; and of Oats, (i57,0;U) bushels, against only 12,013 bushels by Se i. The Kxport of I ind)er and Sawed Lumber al>o shows that our 1 r:ide with the United States in th''so articles is increasing iti a rapid ratio, whilst that with i'lngluni, in the same articles, has apparently seen its maximum, being for the last four years less, in the aggregate, tlian fi)r the two years jirecoding." But let us now emiuire, if the goods which the Colonies were both forced and led, by the teacliing of Free Trade on the one hand and the necessities it imposed upon them, on the otiier, to j)urcliase of tlie United States, had been bought of England, and the carrying trade, which is now transferred to these States, was enjoyed solely by her, as it was before u rnoTEcnoiv. protection was removed, and as it wonid be again, were it re-established, — whether she would not have gained more by such trade and commerce, than all the protection the Colonies asked would have amounted to? The account would stand thus : Profits on £1,G48,71.'>— worth of Manufactures an J Goods which the United States sold to the Canadas, and whichwould, had Britain and tl.'Coloniosnuitu- silly protected each other's hibour, have been bouglit ot'her by them, at 15 per cent ^.. £247,207 5 Profits or income on pri)ducc Shipped by the United States for the Colonies, which would have been conveyed by English shippinj!; from Montreal, had not protection been removed, it having been always so conveyed, before free trade.* £128,528 Total loss in trade and Commerce fo Britain £375, sns 5 Now, the whole exports of wheat from Canada to Great Britain, whether sent by way of Montreal or through the United States, in 1850, were 508,403 quarters ; and al- lowing that the Colonies received — which was, unfortu- nately, the fact — but free trade prices for it, namely, 40s, Od. the quarter — that being the average, as already shown, of the prices of 1840, '50, and '51 — it would come to £1,158,121 2s. 3d. But supposing that it brought protec- tion prices — namely, 54s. 4d. the quarter — Sir Robert Peel's lowest estimate at which wheat could be produced in Bri- tain — it would come to £1,544,1G1 9s. 8d. The difference between the tw^o prices is, £38G,040 7s. 5d. By deducting the loss sustained by England, as above, by her trade and commerce passing over to the United Slates, being £375,835 5s., from this difference, it will be seen, that the whale protection the Colonics ever sought for, or demanded,. * Computed from tlio ^lontrcal Brokers' circular of ]\Iay 1851.— Tlio ex- chango, in converting Canadian currency into sterling, rceUuncd at 12,i pet cent. PROTECTION'. or. amounts to hut £10,205 25. 5^/. liu/re than the loss England's trade and shipping have sustained, in the very infancy too of the trade that the removal of jjrolection has forced, and is forcing, the Colonies into with the United States; and this is wholly apart from the loss, in a national point of view, of that shipping by which Great Britain maintains her po- sition in the world, and of that hibour for her poor, which is necessary to their existence and her sai'eiy. To convey an idea, too, of the iiiHucnre, and poirer even, that tlie United States are acquiring over the Colonies through this trade and commerce, and the state of depend- ence it necessarily hegets, we will mention one very signi- ficant fact. The Council of the Board of Trade of Toronto, irritated at the conduct of the United States, in refusing- reciprocity, when benefitting so largely by Canadian trade and conmierce, reported, in June last, in favour of placing- differential duties upon their manuRictures. This report, in due course, reached New York ; and, as a matter of course, alarmed Brother Jonathan, the dollars and cents being in danger. But it had to be submitted to the whole Board of Trade, before it was adopted, the Council beinrr but fifteen, and the whole Board ctmsisting of nearly all the merchants of Toronto. Well it was brought up for adoption ; but New Yoik, having had time to rally its in- fluence, and to bring to bear its powder over the mercantile community of Toronto, teas enabled to procure its rrjrction ; and though the most intelligent and valuable members of the Board declared, that if American influence and power were thus brought in to control the opinions and commer- cial policy of a people they had no right to interfere with, they would resign,— yet they were allowed to do so; and 20 PROTECTION. tlic report roniaiiis to lliis day just where the New York merchants wished, and placed it. See Toronto Pdlrioty July 14, 1851. But the losses we have shown, in her trade and com- merce, arc ])}' no means the greatest or the worst, that Great iiritain is sustaininn; in Americo, thioui>;h her Irce trade policy's having destroyed the Colonics' power of working for her good, as that policy has destroyed her's of working Cor theirs. The chief cause of the extraordinary advancement i)^^ the United States of lat(! years, has been the large bodies of valuable, well-to-do, and industrious emigrants who have settled in them. During the first eight months of the last season there arrived at the port of New York alone 102,83(5 emigrants, about two-thirds of these being from ihc British Isles ; besides those that arrived at Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, Baltimore and New Or- leans, and hy way of the St. Ltiwrencc. Now, out of this large host, some must have had considerable means; many a triile ; a',1 must have hccn rich in manhood. From among these, many — especially the more respect- able and valuable of them from the British Isles — would love England still, and be glad to settle, with their families, under her flag. But they, as all emigrants do, the moment they land, begin to enquire all about the country they pur- pose settling in. What was the state of the Canadas? Were they contented and prosperous, and so on ? And how were they answered by the Americans who met them in New York; who, it may be safely sworn to, never let a valuable person leave their shores, if praising them- selves at the expense of their neighbours, could kee[) him — how were they answci'cd ? In this wise — " Well, I guess rnoTECTiox. a7 the Ciuuidas arc pretty badly ofF just now. They have been a-boggiii on us to grant thcni reciprocity for some time, because British free trade has about used them up. But I guess we'll let the blister kind-a draw a while. These here Canadians will niahe good democrats yet. But they want a little more seasoning to hard times. But, friend, you don't mean to say that you are a-goin to settle there, where wheal is twenty cents a bushel lower than we can give for it ; and where the critters have been a-usin John Bulfs manufactures so long, that it will take them an almighty while before they can make a home market for themselves, by manufacturing, as we have done. I gticfs, friend, yon doiCt take a daily papc?\ Just hear what your great London Times says about tlie critters " — reads : " New York lias beconic almost the rival of England ; but Canada is siill a pott\' Province. Ilcr land is as fertile, licr rivers are just as fit for the i)ur|)oscs of traffie and transport as those of New York ; but in New York the common sense of practical men is the guide of the Government. In Canada, hitherto, the tcniblc clerks of Downing Street liave borne sway. 'Every traveller who has passed from one side of the River St. Lawrence to the other has been struck by the extranrdinaiy difference under ci^cum^tanc(■s so similar, and has been conipelli'd to ask to what can such a paini'ul inferiority be ascribed. — The rcKult cannot be disputed; the ernnite is the same, the soil is equally fertile, the men ai'o in both countries Englishmen — what is it that in the one case stamps icrclchct/ness <[)itl iniscrulile hifrr'uirltij an the co/ikt'-i/, illy] in the other marks tlie whole peojile with the unmis- takable signs of prosperity and vigorous advance? The only dilfer- ence is the government. Your Ciavermnent is a bligiit ; wherever you have sway, jou destroy hope, energy, and self-reliance; yoiir domin- ion is a curse, and the name of England, which you have been permit- ted to employ, has become a bye-word of reproach. Her sens shun her dominions, and flee to other and more happy Slates, in order to escape frem the thraldom of l;er Ce)lonial Empire.' No man who lias travelled through the Colonies of England, and compared their desti- Iiies with the selt'-govered Colonies or 'rerritories of Anieiiea, will say that the description we have here given is untrue ; no enlightened Englishmen, svlio has had an opportunity of knowing and feeling al! the abominations of our Colonial rule, will say that he marvels at the scenes now enacted in South Africa, or will assert that such things would continue a month if the Englishmen in these lands were per- mitted to take care of their own concerns without being hampered by tlie .superintendence of a Colonial JSiinistcr." — Loialuu Times. 28 puoTEcrioy. Now tills scene is taken from the life. The emigrant, tlms borne down by the Yanlvcc on the one hand, and by the worse than Yankee on the otlier, lias a family. lie loves England much ; but he loves them more. ITc inquires into the Yankee's statements, and he finds, that England's system, of making the Colonies con- sume her manufactures, has left them without a home market, which the Americans have got, by manufacturing for themselves ; and in which they can always get a better price for their productions than can be got in the Colonies, the consumer being alongside of the producer ; and espe- cially can they get a better price, as in 1849 — in the event of a short crop in the States — for wheat. He despairs of protection ever raising the agricultural interest of the Colonies again above the rest of America. lie thinks of his children's prospects, and he is lost to England. And she not only loses his labour and means, and his children's labour and earnings, but she loses his and their contribu- tions to the support of her manufactures and commerce ever afterwards. For he and they immediatel}' become the consumers of America's goods, and the builders-up of her commerce. Thus is li^ingland, by the operation of a policy, first of getting the Colonies to consume her manu- factures, and giving them a just and equitable protection, as we have pt)inted out, in return for their doing so, and then cruelly and unfairly leaving them the sufferers for their generosity, losing the best of her manhood ; aye, more, driving them where the measure of their prosperity hereafter may be the measure of her weakness ; for it will go to add to the general wealth and power of a rival Thus is Mr. Cobden laying the Valley of the Mississippi along- side of IManchester. PROTECTION. U.Q But of all the methods of covering over the palpably ruin- ous clFects oi'Frec Trade upon the colonies — for tiiat is the common object of such articles as \vc have quoted from the Times, the most vile antl infamous, is that of libelling and under-rating them. It is incom])rehensible how the Eng- lish people — in view of the fact that among the most pro- fitable and honorable of all her trade, is that with these colonies ; that it is in goods that no people could wear, or use, in their situation as agriculturists, unless they enjoyed comfort and prosperity in an eminent degree in their callings ; and that the very best manhood of Britain has settled, from the very first in them — it is incomprehensible, in the face of these facts — the most powerful that manhood can offer to intelligence, of its success — that England will countenance — for countenanced they are — these atrocious attacks upon them, and, incidentally upon herself. It is impossible, in carrying out the general design of this paper to vindicate them — by statistics and by facts, that the wretched scribblers that skim along their borders and write journals about them, are alike incapable of gathering or understanding — against such traduction. But let these traducers point out a single American of character or can- dour, who has had an opportunity of comparing the only interest that England has allowed to spring up in Canada, her agricultural interest — with the same in any, or all of his States, or any portion of them, who has placed that interest below his country's. There are none to be found. Who, at the Agricultural Exhibition for the State of New York, with its two millions of inhabitants, its Genesee Valley, its long period of settlement, and its farmers with fortunes to spend on their lands, made in trade ; and with Ohio and the 30 rROTECTlOl^. adjacent Slates' agrioulturar productions and stock i'ei)rc- scnted — who against .such odds, for the last lour years, has taken the principal prizes Tor ^rain and for stock? It was Canada. Who, at the World's Exhibition, unheraUed and unpretending, stepped into the foremost ranks of the woidd's most successful labourers ? They were Canadians. Who sent from New York, during the last season, nearly one- half of the wliole wheat that left the Continent of America ? It was the humble, hard-working eight hundred thousand people who inhabit U[)pcr ('anada. If any man is not satisfied, that a peo})lc who work hard enough to produce these results, have not the elements of prosperity, and com- fort, and respectability around them, let him travel through the Counties of Upper Canada ; let him look at the wide- spread, well-tilled, and well-fenced farms ; let him see the barns — larger, and more numerous than in any part of America, taking acre for acre tilled — well filled with grain ; and let him examine their stock ; and if he does not say, that England should feel proud of Her British American offspring, we know not England or her love of justice. Yet the unprincipled Times, in the fiice of these facts, which should be patent to the world, must endeavour to degrade his country and her situation, and to drive from Britain the Briton. But to return to our argument, — We have already shown how deeply, how dangerously, Great Britain is affected by her Free Trade policy's driving the Colonies into the United States markets, and withdrawing from her one-fifth of her whole shipping. Let us now point how that policy has affected the Colonies themselves, and what it niuot, if persisted in, ultimately lead to. rnoTECTiov. 31 Etiucatcd to ivly upon the equitable ijrotcctlon in tlio Briti.sli Markols we have pointed out, and their whole Irisi- ness, their mndo of iivin^i,^ tlie obligations (hey contracted, the clothing tliey wore, the liouses Ihey built, or were building, their shoj)s, ships, steamboats, and store-houses, being all shaped and designed with a view to its advan- tages, the colonies were wellnigh bankrupted l)y the change. In 1818 and '40, there probably never was a country in which tlie peoj)le had worked so hard as they had ni Canada, that presented so melancholy a spectacle of depression, depreciation in projMMly, and I'uin of hard- working, M-clI-managing business men. The advertise- ments in the Canada Ginelle, by SheriiTs and Assignees of Bankrupt's estates, in these years, would form a fearful his- tory of the disasters of Free Trade. The title deeds of pro- perty that passed out of the owner's hands, in Montreal, and other places, could they be exhibited, with what that property cost, and what was got for it, Avould tell a fearful tale. But probably the best comment we can give upon the disasters free trade occasioned in these years, is the subjoined extract from the Montreal Broker's Circular :— "The comparison which we made in 1848 of the trade of that year with the trade ot 1847, showed the following extraordinary fallinK off in Imports. jo* ARTICLES. Vessels Wines, gallons Ruin, do. Spirits, do. Molasses, do. 1848. Decrease. Increase. 84 94,35-'5 47,728 58,539 84,631 3a PROTECTIOV. ARTicLiiS — continued. Hiliiud, lbs Muscovado unci Hastnrd'^, lbs Cofl'co, II19 Tea, lbs Toh'icct) — JMiinutactiircd, 11);^ Uninntiiifacturfd, lbs Salt, bii.^bcls ValucoC (loods paving ad vidori'in dut\ ' sterling .*. ...f.j £445,040 2."(),7r.i 4,(i!)(),-2!K) })4,fl2.i 1,1G!),G21 o!)4,l.'U '21o,7l'4 722,001 No single article in this tabic showing an increase, except Salt. The wholo imports for last year being but, £-2,0r)S,709 Canadian currency, or L I ,G 17,0oa sterling. Whilst in 1835, when the population of the Canaclas was greatly less, the imports amounted to £-2,7:j0,0S3 sterling; in 184(3 to £,4 052,375* ; and in 1847, as we have shown, to about JC 1,000,000. And as the trade with the United States had not, in 1848, commenced, the falling off could only have been occasioned by the altered circumstances of the country under free trade prices. Thuf?, from forwarders, from merchants, from shopkeepers, from the whole trade of a country, whose business arrangements, vessels, shops wharves, and store houses, were arranged for increaising business, was cut off nearly two-thirds of that they had already had. A more withering shock a country's pros- perity never had ; and it is a matter of wonder, and infinite credit to the Canadas, that it did not entirely bankrupt their business community. * As to the imports ant! exports of Canada in the last few years, results are not less remarkable. The imports in 1835, amounted to £2,730,082 ; in 1846, £4,052,378. The exports in 1835 amounted to £1,929,605 ; in 1846 to £3,201,992.— [Lord John Russell's Speech, in the House of Commons, Friday, February 2nd, 1850. PROTEOTIOy. 33 But let us now inquire more closely into wiint occasioned the people's inivhllity to purchase as tlioy ha;l purchased previous to free trade. The subject is of p importanco to everyone having anything to do with these Colonies ; to every one having property in them ; hut especially to all who look forward to living by the products of their labor and land in t'.cni. Let us however, in the first place, lay down a rule by which we can ju-lge of whether thoy prosper, stand still, or retrogadc. That rule is — thn price they can now get, or are likely to get hereafter for their wheat. For that grain is the sole currency of (Canada. It is what the farmer pays for his land with ; what pays for the education of his children ; and what supplies him with every necessary of life that ho himself docs not, and cannot, produce. From agriculturists, apart from our own information on the subject, of the highest authority, and of such long stand- i.ng — from thirty to fifty years in Canada, — as enables them to judge under all possible circumstances, we have obtained the following estimate at which wheat can be produced in Upper Canada. It will be borne in mind that fifteen bushels to the acre is the average yield of the Province. COST OF PRODUCING AN ACRE OF WHEAT IN UPPER CANADA. Summer fallowing and three ploughings at 10s. Provlnciiil currency each ... .. ... JE 1 10 Two harrowhigs at 2s. 6d. each, and sowing Seed, 1^ bushels at present price iu Canada, t. e. 23. lOd. Provincial (Currency a bushel ... Cradling, or cutting, raking and binding Carrying and housing, or '• winning" Thrashing and cleaning with machine Allowance for half the horses and half the hands allowed by farmrr himself for thrashing and cleaning ... ... G 5 4 10 2 3 1 M mOTECTION. Curling to market at a supposed distance often miles, 2d. per biisliel . . ... ... •... .... .... 2 G Rent, biin(r the simple interest, at (5 per cent., of X7 lOs., that being tile average price of wheat land. ... ... 9 Total cost of producing an acre of wheat ... £ H 7 3 Now this would make this wheat stand tlic fanner in within a fraction of 4s. Gd. Provincial currency, a bushel. — That is, he would not receive a fair allowance for \\\^ labor, and consideration for the use of his horses and farming implements, and interest upon the price of his land, at a less price than this. All he could get over this, would bo profit, taking one year's crop with another. All he would be obliged to take under, would be so much direct loss. Then how does the matter stand with the farmer at the present time ? and how has it stood, and does it stand under free trade prices? — It stood, and stands thus. — In 1849, the price of wheat in England, as already stated, was 44s. 4d. the quarter. This would aflbrd about 3s. Od. a bushel in Upper Canada, of her own currency. In 1850, it was 40s. This would afford about 3s. 3d. in Canada. In 1851, it was about 38s in England, and the average price over the whole face of Upper Canada, was about 2s lOd Canaaian currency a bushel. Higher prices, than the above, in 1849 and '50, may have been given in some places, and p-t some periods in Canada, but it was unjustified ; and all who gave it w^ere injured in proportion to their business, or were ruined, if they were without capital or support fr'^-m others. Therefore the average price of wheat, under free trade in Canada, for 1849, '50, and '51, being 3s 3d and a frac- tion, is just Is 3c? less than the actual cost of its production. Now how is it possible that a people whose soh interest is th^t of agriculture, and whose sole means of paying their rROTECTl u hcahhy business among a people so situated? How can absolute ruin be prevented, in the face of the absolute des- truction of the whole ground work of solvency ? \j\xt are these prices under the free trade system, likely to last? One of the profoundest writers in Great Britain prophccied, nearly two years ago, what we should be re- ceiving at this time for wheat, if free trade so long lasted ; and what we shall continue to get, as long as it docs last. — Ilis elaborate and deeply interesting account of the facili- ties for raising wheat in various parts of Europe, are of especial importance in Canada, and in the rest of America too. — His prophecies have proved true, and more than true, so far : '• Hut we have by no means as yet attained the lowest point of de- pression. At tlie close of the year 1819, we take the general average price of wheat as ' t 40s. per quarter, and we shall probably have a breathing time of two or three months, until the Continental ports are again available for navigation. We shall hereafter consider whether, under any circumstances, the price which we have just quoted can remunerate the farmer : in the mean time, let us sec whether it is likely that, in future, even this price can be maintained." *' It is no easy matter to ascertain the rates at which corn may be grown on the Continent." "We are, however, fortunately enabled to throw some useful light upon this matter. Our informant is a Scottish agriculturist, who, Bome years ago, was engaged as land-steward on the estates of a Popish nobleman in Gallicia, and who, therefore, had ample opportunity of witnessing the foreign system. If the reader glances at the map of Europe, tracing the course of the Vistula from Dantzic, and then following the upward line of its tributary, the Bug, he will find laid down in close proximity the extensive districts of Volhynia, Podolia, Kiow, Gallicia, and others, formerly Palatinates, which together con- stitute the largest, richest, and most productive corn field of Europe. Here there are no farmers, and — what is more, strange to us — no free labourers who receive a weekly wage. The laud is tilled for the profit of the owner ; a superintendent presides over it as taskmaster ; and the 30 mOTLCTION. workers of the soil nro serfs in the nctiial po>Ilion of frlavcf, wlio toil late and rnrly witlumt otlicr roimnicration than the ronrsr rvc hrciul, niiiisiiiiil.ir ("arc, that isiirccssnry tostipportixi'lriicc. The iiiariuliuluna of Mamhcstcr niid Slii fTicM have not foiirul their wny into this region, nntl never will; because the population btinp ntterlj witlioiit n.eatis, eoiihl not punhaHo thetn, and probably would not were the means within their power. 'J'luir dress is of the most primitive kind, and diOers in no respect from tliat of tribesutterly barb;jrou8—biint^ chiefly constructed of the ski^s of animals. '1 liey are hardy, docile, an't^'i^it>ve to kindness, hut as fir removed from ei\iliziti()n as the tribes of Tartary; aiiU their owners — for tliat is tlic ])r(»per t« rni — take especial care tliat no doctrine shall reach them \vhi( Ij in any way may interfere with the txenise of despotic ride. In sjioit they are like so many cattle cultivatinsi; the land A)r their masters at the bare expense of their keep. To demonstrate more clearly the ditrcr- enec of the value of labour, we may here state, on tlu' best authority, that in that district where the finest wheat, distinctively known ha "high-mixed Duntzlc," is grown, the ordinary price of a (luarter of wheat will defray the expense of from forty te) forty-five day's work, whilst here it can procure only from twe-nty (e) twenty-five d.iys. 'J'he climate is excellent, and tlie yield of the soil eonsieleral.de. Wheat may be grown for several years snecissively without n)anure, anel always >vith comparatively little work. The pro. luce is floated down tiie numerous rivers which intersect the district, to Dantzic and other coast towns on the IJaltic, where it is stored; and these will in future form the great depots of the grain furnished by central Europe for Dritibh consun)ption. We are ahnost afraid to state our conviction, lest it shoulel appear exaggerated ; but we do not de>ubt that Polish wheat could be delivered at Dantzic at HJ'i., anel yet leave a considerable profit to the grower. We must also note that the variablenesy of our climate, and the comparative poorness of our seiil, places us at a vast disadvantage in pe)int e)f quality, as compared with the southern grenver. It can be established, by consulting the prices current of Mark Lane for a series of years, that it would require a difRrcntial duty of Gs. per quarter on wheat, on this account alone, to put the Britit^h fanner on a fair footing with the great bulk of his foreign competitors. Last season, the diflercnce between the best foreign and English wheat throughout the J car, as proved by the best authority, was upwards of lOs. per quarter." " The price of grain in Britain has been beat down by compotition with a poor foreign crop, for such untiucstionably was the yield of 1848. That of 184S) was a splendid one, and the moment the ports are opened in spring, its influence will be felt. The question will not then be of 40s, but e)f a price still lower ; and we apprthcnd that, ia that event, the argument will be nearly closed. We do not, however, anticipate that the reduction will be rapid. The dealers at the differ- ent foreign ports will best consult their own interest by keeping, as nearly as possible, just below the quotations current ifl the British market. In this way large profit will be secured during the whole maintenance of the struggle, which must end by the British farmer, over loaded with rent, taxes, and public burdens, giving way to his competitors, who, with no such impediments, and with a better climate PROTKCTIOM. .7 niul ritir r soil, will inonopollzo his proper fiincdon. Wo Klinll then cxpcrifiuo in corn, wliit our Wcht India coloni-tM, uiulcr the sumo kitul of legislation, h;ivo cxpcricni'otl in sni^ar. 'I'hc greater p;\rt of tlic rtf)il of Mritain will bo (K TiVL-rt'd from circnl urowtli ; and as tho earth dots not yU Id lur produce without looj^ wooing, wc shall he at the nu-rey of the forcit^iur for our supplies of food, ul any rates which he may choose to iinpoHc." * f*ul let US now inquire tho cause of tite pi'OS[)crify indi- cated by the fact, tliat (lie inipofts of (Canada were in \S'.l^}, £-i,7ao,OS2 stei-linnr; in ISIO, JC t,052,.'}78 ; and in 1847, £t,000,000; as ag:iinst the adversity indicated by the impoi'ls of £l,047,0I]t) in 1818, and 1,020,381, for that was the nmount in stcrlin-j;, in 1850. — Wo liavc ah'cady shown the causes of tiio adversity. Tlic cau.scs of the prosperity will sullicienlly appear by the following averages of prices of Wheat in the several years respactively, in Canada, taken from tho returns of the Imperial Parliament : In 18.31, Wluat per bu>hel in Canada, Ga. lid. Provincial Currency. 1 8;J2 ti It 53 lid tt ti 18.{.? u II fls lid it It 18;U ti it 5s Id .s. (kl. What d'ninction of rent can meet such a depreciation as this? Excluding jNliddlescx, which is clearly exceptional, the highest rented county of England, Leicester, is estimated at £1 14?. lOd. p(?r acre; Warwickshire, at £1 lis. Gd.; and Lincolnshire, at £1 Hs. Haddington and File, the highest rented counties of Scotland, are estimated at £1 Os. Gd. per acre. Tliis, of course, includes much land of an inferior description ; but wc believe that, for the best arublc l.iu.'l, an average rent of 403. per acre may be assumed. Li that case, sujiposing the whole rent to be given np, the farmer would still be a loser by cultivation, if Sir Robert Peel is correct in his fimircs. The inevitable result of the continuance of such a state of matters is too clear to admit of argument. The lanil must go out of cultiva- tion. The process may be slo-.v, but it will be surf. It may, doubt- less, be retarded by remissions of rent, not suffieient to co\er the farmer's losses, but great enough to induce liiin to renew his flluits for another year with the like miseralle residt ; until at length the tiller of the soil is made bankrupt, ami the landowner occupies his place. \Vc can hardly trust ourselves to depict the (.fTvc't of such a social re- volution. All the misery which has been already felt — and that is far greater than our rulers will prrmit themselves to believe — would bo as nothing compared with the calamitous consununation of Free Trade. Now, assuming — as experience warrants us in doing — this state of matters to be perm mcnt, and thi' growth of wheat iii the Ihitish Islands to be progressively superseded by importations from abroad, how is the national iuilcpcndi'iice Xohc maintained, when a fouvlh of our people have come to depend on foreign supplies for their dally food ? Neaily all this grain, be it recollected, eunies from two coun- tries only — Russia, or Polaijd which it governs, and America. If these two powers are desirous of beating down the naval superiority, or winning the eonimeree and mannfJieturi s of Groat Pritain, th{ y nc^ed not fit out a ship of the line, or embark a battalion to effect their pur- pose ; they have only to pass a Non-Intcrcouse Acf, as they both did in 1811, and wheat will at once rise to 120s. the quarter in this coun- try ; and in three months we nuist haul down our colours, and submit to any terms they may choose to dictate. — BlackwoocVs Magazine. Thus it will be seen, tliat the policy which is forcing theColonies into a connection with other powers, which may to-morrow turn tlie very ships their trade create for them, into so many engines of destruction to Britain, is maliing the Empire itself dcpendont, for its existence, upon foreign forbearance, interest, or generosity. Can such a policy as this last ? Can En