Act 1469, c. 30, viz. That the old council shall choose the new council, restricted, however, in its application by the set or constitution of each burgh, both in respect to the preparation of the old council eligible to reelections, and in the latitude allowed to the old council in selecting the members of the new. Thus, the sets of some burghs, as Renfrew and Lanark, admit of the annual re-election of all the members of the old council to seats in the new. Those of the greater number of burghs limit the number of old councillors, who may be re-elected; but at the same time require or admit of a majority of the old council being continued in the new; while the sets of some others require, that the majority of the new council shall be different persons; and in a few instances, to such an extent, as almost entirely to destroy the effect of the principle of the Act 1469. The sets of many burghs leave the nomination of the new members of the new council entirely to the old council. According to those of others, the old council must select a portion of the new, from lists furnished by the several corporations; or furnish lists from which the corporations themselves elect; or must shorten or must shorten lists furnished by the corporations, who finally elect from these reduced lists. And, in a few instances, the corporations have the direct nomination of a certain number of the members of the new council. Resolved, That the allegation of the old council choosing the new, urged by the petitioners to prevail in the town-council, does appear to the Committee to be generally warranted by the law and the practice of the burghs. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the burgesses not incorporated have no control over the expenditure of the revenues of the burgh, or over the sale of the common good or property of the burgh; nor any power of preventing the magistrates and council from contracting debts for which the common good is liable. Resolved, That it is alleged by most of the petitioners, that the community are liable in their property and persons for debts contracted by their magistrates; but the Committee have not been able to ascertain whether such allegations are founded in law or not, the Committee not having found any decision of any court upon the subject. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the burgesses and corporations have no power to compel their magistrates and council to account for the management of the revenues and funds under their charge. Resolved, That in the opinion of this Committee, it has been clearly proved in two instances, about ten or fifteen years ago, that seats in the council of Cupar have been sold; and from the evidence before the Committee, there is reason to believe that several other instances have occurred, the last of which took place six years ago. Resolved,-That, in the opinion of this Committee, the practice prevails generally in the burgh of Cupar, for each of the thirteen merchants' councillors to have what is called neighbour councillors, who alternately elect and re-elect each other by individual choice, which, as a point of honour, continues during the lives of the parties; and, in many cases, this agreement of alternate election has extended, in case of death, to the sons or nearest relations of the deceased neighbour councillor. Resolved, That it does appear, from the Report of the Committee last year, and the evidence then taken, that a waste and mismanagement of charitable funds, placed in the hands of the magistrates as ex-officio trus tees, has taken place, to a great extent, in the burgh of Aberdeen; to a smaller extent in the burgh of Dundee, as detailed in the said Report: That in the burgh of Edinburgh, where there are also considerable charitable funds under the management of the magistrates, either as sole or joint trustees, there does not appear, from the evidence before the Committee last year, any ground for supposing that those funds have not been properly administered; neither does there ap pear any ground for so supposing, in either of the other two burghs, whose cases have been examined by the Committee in the last and present year. From the secrecy, however, with which the pecuniary transactions of the councils are generally conducted, it cannot be known whether such funds are well or ill administered. Such abuses may exist without detection; but when the abuse is discovered, a remedy is afforded by law as in other cases of breach of trust. VI. REPORTS AND NOTICES, ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. AGRICULTURAL REPORT. AGAIN we have to report genial weather, an abundant crop, falling prices, and distress among our farmers. The first three weeks of the year, like the last month of the preceding, were remarkable for keen frosts, and great falls of snow, with an average temperature, lower than for several years. But spring may be said to have commenced with the last week of January, and it continued without any material check till near the end of April. During this period all the spring-sown grains were put into the ground, finely moulded as it had been by the frosts of winter, in the very best condition; and the young plants rose out of the soil so close and vigorous as to afford a fair promise of a plentiful harvest. The summer months, and the early part of August, were more variable, sometimes drought, and at other times moisture, being rather in excess; and while the crops were on some soils laid by the rains, on others the straw was short, and the crop apparently deficient. Much of the wheat was in the former situation, and not a little of the spring corns in the latter; but the changes had not occurred at such a stage of their progress as to produce any serious injury in either case. During the latter half of August and all September, the weather, though not perfectly steady, was upon the whole exceedingly favourable to the reaping and gathering of the crops, which accordingly were all saved in the best order before the end of the latter month. From this period to the end The following abstract from a Register kept near Perth, exhibits in a concise and useful form the weather of 1820. The temperature will not, we believe, be found to differ materially from the average temperature of Scotland. January Fair Days. 21 24 25 24 0.690 46.7 10 21 5.447 49.4 The corn market of this year opened and closed at the following prices, which are the averages of England and Wales :— Very little fluctuation of prices occurred till March, when wheat, barley, and oats, began to experience some advance, which was supported, though with little increase, through April, May, June, July, and August. In September a fall commenced, which was much greater and more rapid than the rise had been; wheat having declined in that month 7s. the quarter, and 68. more in October. By the end of November it had sunk to 56s., and continued still falling in December. The highest weekly average price of wheat for England and Wales was 73s. for the week ending 5th August, and the lowest 54s. for the week ending 30th December. The quartern loaf in London varied from 12 d. to 10d., and in Edinburgh from 12d. to 9d.; but the highest prices were only for a few weeks, the general prices being 10d. and 11d. This state of the market, we think, clearly establishes the fact, that our own growth, including that of Ireland, is fully equal, in favourable years, to our consumption. The imports from Ireland were indeed considerable, amounting in all to 1,425,058 quarters, of which 409,283 were wheat, 88,343 barley, and 918,362 oats; whereas the whole exports from Britain to Ireland were only 12,806 quarters; but there is no reason to doubt that this surplus will be maintained, and even in creased by the extension and improvement of cultivation in that country. The growth of Ireland has been steadily increasing for these twenty years, and very rapidly within the last three. In the present year, all the foreign corn imported was carried to the warehouse or re-exported, excepting oats, for which the ports opened in August, the very blameable manœuvre of some interested individuals having raised the average one penny beyond the import rate of 27s. the quarter, which admit. ted into our consumption 726,823 quarters. The price of this grain, however, fell immediately after, and it was excluded again from all parts by the averages taken in November. During the whole of this year, livestock and butcher-meat maintained a higher price in proportion than corn, though before the end of it they had experienced a reduction of about 20 per cent, as compared with the prices of 1819. In 1818 and 1819 it seemed evident, that owing to the two unfavourable years preceding, the usual number of cattle and sheep had been somewhat diminished; and this deficiency appeared still to be felt in 1820. The demand for wool, of which the price was not materially lower than in 1819, also contributed to maintain the value of sheep; and to this we may add the abundance of grass during the greater part of the summer and autumn, which kept up the price of grazingstock, and afterwards the large produce of the corn crops in straw, as well as of the hay crop, which occasioned a brisk demand for lean cattle to go to the straw-yards. On the other hand, cattle for fatting were somewhat depressed about the beginning of winter, from an expected deficiency of the turnip crop. The state of the weather in May and June, when the land was under preparation for turnip, had been very unfavourable; and this crop, therefore, was likely to form perhaps the only exception to the general abun. dance. Petitions from the occupiers of land, complaining of distress, and praying for relief, which began to be presented early last year, poured into Parliament during the session of the present, from all parts of the country. It was impossible to deny, that, owing to the fall of prices, the situation of many of the petitioners had become exceedingly distressing. They had entered into contracts for time, under an impression that the average prices of the twenty years preceding would be supported, whereas prices were now onethird lower, and still sinking. With out any fault of their own, they found their hard-earned, and in general very moderate capitals, fast melting away, and saw nothing before them but utter ruin at no distant period. At last, on 30th May, it was carried in the House of Commons, by a majority of 49 (the numbers being 150 to 101,) to refer these petitions to a Select Committee. On this occasion, ministers were in the minority, and they seem to have suddenly adopted the resolution of rendering this unexpected vote almost nugatory; for a much fuller House having been procured the day following, to which the debate on the appointment of the Committee was adjourned, it was moved by Mr Robinson, that the inquiries of the Committee should be limited to the mode of taking the averages which regulate the importation of foreign corn; and this was carried by a majority of 143. The Committee, in their Report, which was presented to the House on the 8th July, point out in a very striking manner the errors and defects of the present system on this head; and the means by which the ports were opened to oats a few weeks after, afforded a practical illustration of the statements of the Report. But the session being too far advanced to found any enactment upon the recommendations of the Committee, Mr Robinson expressed his intention of proposing some new regulations on the subject in the following year. COMMERCIAL REPORT. THE present year formed a very distressful epoch, in regard to all the branches of manufacturing and commercial industry. A general failure of demand was felt both at home and abroad, in all the branches of national industry. A large diminution, by a necessary consequence, took place in their produce; and the labourers em VOL. XIII. PART II. ployed were either dismissed, or forced to work for wages which with difficulty afforded a bare subsistence. It was almost an aggravation of this straitened. and distressed state of those engaged in active employments, that money was seen overtlowing in the coffers of the capitalist, who sought in vain a vent by which it could be disposed of to ad 2 E |