THE Select Committee of the House of Commons, to whom the several petitions presented to the House upon the subject of agricultural distresses were referred, to consider the matter thereof, and report their opinion thereon; and who were, by an instruction of the 31st of May last, directed to confine their inquiries to the mode of ascertaining, returning, and calculating the average prices of corn in the twelve Maritime Districts, under the provisions of the existing corn laws, and to any frauds which may be committed in violation of any of the provisions of the said laws;-have proceeded to investigate this branch of the subject matter of those petitions, and have agreed to the following Report :

Your Committee have thought it necessary to explain, in the first instance, the manner in which the returns of the prices of the several sorts of British corn (the aggregate price of which governs the importation of foreign corn) are required to be taken and computed by the existing laws, and subsequently to make some observations thereon, and to suggest some alterations. These returns are taken from those parts of England more im

mediately accessible to the sea, which have been denominated the twelve maritime districts; and the counties comprehended in which, are particularly described by the act of the 31st of his late Majesty, cap. 30. These districts were, under that act, totally independent of each other; the foreign trade in corn being governed in each by its own distinct price, so that the ports might be open in one district, and closed in another. Scotland also was divided into four districts; the foreign corn trade of each being governed in the like manner. This system continued until the year 1804, when it was determined, by an act of that year, that the entire foreign corn trade of England should be governed by one ruling price, and the aggregate average price of the twelve maritime districts was fixed upon as the basis to form that ruling price; it was also enacted, that the entire trade of Scotland should be governed by the aggregate average of the four Scotch districts. In the year 1805 it was enacted, that both England and Scotland should be governed by one ruling price; and the aggregate average of the twelve maritime districts of England was then adopted

The first of these twelve maritime districts comprises the counties of Essex, Kent, and Sussex; but the price of that whole district is determined exclusively by that of the Corn Exchange in Mark-lane ; and in order to ascertain the same, all corn-factors are required by law to return to an inspector, who is appointed by the proprie. tors of the Corn Exchange, an account in writing weekly of the quantities and prices of each and every sale of corn made by them, and the names of the buyers, and by what measure and weight sold; all which accounts the inspector must enter in a book to be kept for that purpose. If any sales are made by measure or weight, other than the Winchester bushel or weight. of 571, he is to equalize them accordly, and then cast up the total quantity sold in the week, the total money the same has been thrown for, and divide the money by the number of the quarters, and the result gives the average price for the first district. This account is transmitted to the receiver of corn returns. The inspector gives bond before the Lord Mayor, and makes oath to the due execution of his office, and is liable to be removed upon complaint; he has an office found for him, and a salary of 2001. per annum, paid by a duty of a 1d. per last on British, and 2d. per last on Foreign corn brought into the Thames east. -ward of London Bridge; his books are not open to public inspection, but they are accessible to the receiver at all times, and to other persons, by or

VOL. XIII. PART II.

der of the Lord Mayor or two Aldermen. Every corn-factor is bound to make a declaration to return all sales made by him, with the names of the buyers, and by what measure and weight sold, under a penalty of 50%.

The 2d district comprises the towns of Ipswich, Woodbridge, Sudbury, Hadleigh, Stowmarket, Bury, Beccles, Bungay, Lowestoft, Cambridge, Ely, and Wisbech.

The 3d district comprises the towns of Norwich, Yarmouth, Lynn, Thetford, Watton, Wymondham, East Dereham, Harleston, Holt, Aylesham, Fakenham, and Walsingham.

The 4th district comprises the towns of Lincoln, Gainsborough, Glamford Briggs, Louth, Boston, Sleaford, Stamford, Spalding, York, Bridlington, Beverley, Howden, Hull, Whitby, and New Malton.

The 5th district comprises the towns of Durham, Stockton, Darlington, Sunderland, Barnard Castle, Wolsingham, Belford, Hexham, Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnwick, and Berwick.

The 6th district comprises Carlisle, Whitehaven, Cockermouth, Penrith, Appleby, and Burton.

The 7th district comprises the towns of Liverpool, Ulverston, Lancaster, Preston, Wigan, Warrington, Manchester, Bolton, Chester, Nantwich, Macclesfield, and Stockport.

The 8th district comprises the towns of Holywell, Mold, Denbigh, Wrexham, Llanroost, Ruthin, Beaumaris, Llancherymead, Amlweh, Carnarvon, Pulhely, Conway, Bala, Corwen, and Dolgelly.

The 9th district comprises Cardigan, Lampeter, Aberystwith, Pembroke, Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Carmarthen, Llandile, Kidwelly, Swansey, Neath, and Cowbridge.

The 10th district comprises Glocester, Cirencester, Tetbury, Stow-onWold, Tewkesbury, Bristol, Taunton, Wells, Bridgewater, Frome, Chard,

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Monmouth, Abergavenny, Chepstow, and Pontypool.

The 11th district comprises Exeter, Barnstaple, Plymouth, Totness, Tavistock, Kingsbridge, Truro, Bodmin, Launceston, Redruth, Helston, and St Austle.

The 12th district comprises Blandford, Bridport, Dorchester, Sherborne, Shaftesbury, Wareham, Winchester, Andover, Basingstoke, Fareham, Havant, Newport, Ringwood, Southampton, and Portsmouth.

An inspector is appointed for each of these towns by the magistrates in sessions; and the dealers in corn, viz. millers, maltsters, merchants, factors, agents, &c., are bound to make returns in writing of the quantity and price of each and every sale of corn, and by what measure or weight the same was bought, to the inspector of the town in which such purchase was made. He is bound to enter all these returns in a book, and transmit weekly an account thereof to the receiver of corn returns in London.

The total quantity of corn sold in each town is cast up, and the total of money for which the same was sold, after equalizing the weights and measures (if any variations are found therein), and then dividing the money by the quarter, the result gives the average price of that town; these average prices of each town being thus found, are added together, and, being again divided by the number of towns, give the average of such district; and the averages of the districts thus found are added together, and, being divided by

12, give the aggregate average of the whole 12 districts; and the combined aggregate average price of the six weeks preceding the 15th May, August, November, and February, deter mines the opening and shutting of the ports at those periods respectively.

The country inspectors are bound by oath to the due execution of their office, and are removable by the magistrates. They are bound to enter all returns in a book, the inspection of which is open to the receiver and to others, by order of two magistrates.

They are allowed five shillings for every return, out of the county-rate, which was reimbursed by the Receiver-General of Customs formerly out of duties received on the importation of foreign corn; but the same having been repealed, the charge is left upon the custom duties generally. Magis trates may order further remuneration out of county-rates, but can obtain no further reimbursement.

All dealers are bound to make a declaration that they will make true and faithful returns, according to the directions of the statute, and are liable to a penalty of 101. for every neglect or default, or false return.

The Privy Council have power to change the towns from whence returns are required to be made, upon the representation of magistrates in Sessions.

Your Committee having thus detailed the principal provisions of the existing law for collecting the returns of prices, and forming the averages, which they think, with some few exceptions, are well constructed to accomplish the

object of the legislature, if duly executed, have now to state the result of their inquiry as to its execution, the existence of any frauds, the liability to fraud, and the means of prevention; and in the first place, with regard to its execution, they feel themselves warranted in saying, upon the concurrent testimony of all the witnesses, that, with the exception of the returns taken at the Corn Exchange, the greatest neglect and inattention have universally prevailed; the returns taken at the Corn Exchange appear to be regular and correct, and the persons bound by law, viz. the factors, obey the injuc tion of the statute. Your Committee remark here, that the returns are made by factors only; that is, persons employed to sell on commission; and consequently, that all purchases made by millers, maltsters, and merchants, of the growers or shippers of corn, or agents or persons other than factors, do not come into this return. Your Committee are not aware of the reasons that induced the legislature to determine the price of the first district by the criterion of the Corn Exchange; it appears to them, that it would be more consonant to the spirit of the law to take the price from the principal towns of Essex, Kent, and Sussex, in order to estimate the real average price of corn in those three extensive maritime counties. The consumption of London requires the higher quality of grain, and probably does not therefore consist of the best growth of those counties, to the price of which must be added the cost of transport to market.

In regard to the other districts, your Committee find, as above stated, universal neglect ; and they have reason to think that a very inconsiderable proportion of the quantity sold weekly is ever returned. Your Committee think that an inspection of the paper mark

ed (A) is sufficient alone to exemplify and prove that opinion; the house will see that the weekly average sale in many of the most celebrated cities and towns is so exceedingly small, as to form in itself conclusive proof that no attention whatever is given to the collection of returns; indeed, it often occurs, particularly in Manchester, Macclesfield, and Stockport, returns are made to the receiver of "None sold.” From Plymouth the inspector returned 3 quarters of wheat in one instance; and 7, in another, have formed the total return for the week; when it is in evidence, that a single dealer will often sell 200 quarters in that place on one market-day. The inspector says, that not one-tenth of the dealers ever make any return at all. At Bristol, 39 quarters of wheat appear, in one instance, to have formed the total return; 25 in another; and on one occasion, none was returned. It is supposed, nevertheless, by the inspector, that the weekly sales are from 1500 to 2000 quarters; and although there are about forty factors and dealers in corn in Bristol, yet not more than six or seven have ever signed the declaration, or ever make any returns. At Liverpool similar neglect is stated to prevail. Your Committee do not think it necessary, therefore, to go further into this part of the subject. Many of the witnesses have produced statements of sales of their own, compared with the returns under the act, to shew that in many cases they are widely different: in general, they suppose that the aggregate average is higher than their sales; but this does not appear to be uniformly the case, though there are undoubtedly many circumstances that may have a tendency to bring the highpriced wheats into the return rather than the low. Millers and bakers, when concerned in making the return, may have an interest in making the