Democratic banner. (Clearfield, Pa.) 1837-1849, March 20, 1847, Image 2

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    an!“ m run-m m
offer them.‘ How t-UClt Fh’o'ld conclusions
were arrived at, tho unde‘iaigned are left
to conjec‘ure. They can see "nothing to
warrant .the conclusion. that if the act ol‘
1846 should oorlc injury to any of the
great'intcrestsof the country. we my not ‘
toetru'lelour efforts to produce a modifica
sitin of its terms, but that We must ° (Ic
mrmd’ the, restoration of the law of 1842.
in all its principles and details. This law
has been Emphatically condemned by a
.majority of the States in the Union; and if
it be desirable. as your committee believe?
tosecure an incrcase of duties ongthe sta
ple articles of this State, nothing. in the
opinion ol the undersigned. could have
less tendency : to accomplish sucht'ohject
than a peremptory and arrogant ‘ (Icmrmd'
tor a restitution of the law of 1842. and
the repeal of that of 1846. ll Pennsylva
nin were even sufl'eringtrom the enactment
of the latter, such’ policy, on her part. will“
not fail to excite feelings of indignation
and hostility. rather than those ol lrtend
ship and commiseration.
The undersigned are willing to ask Con
gross to modify the act of 1846, so an to
give greater encouragement to our staple
productions. But is the restoration of the
act of 1842 the only mode ot recuring such
incteased duties, or is that law unjust and
correct in all its principles 8.: details. that .
it Cannot be improved P The undersigned i
think not. That law contains principles
and details that ahould never he revived.
and which. in their humble opinion, can
never become the ‘settled policy of the
country.’ And they will here briefly al
lude to. and discuss some of those princi
ples and details. .
The specific principle, as applied in ma
ny instances in the act ol 1842, ' imposes
an equal duty on articles greatly unequal
in value.’ 'l'hus silks. for instance. are
charged duty at the rate of tan dollars and
filly cents perrpound. Let us notice the
practical operation at this provision. An
individual in moderate circumstances, pur
chases a silk dress of coarse quality. say
ten yards, weighing one pound, at seren
ty-five cents per yard,costingin all seven
dollars and fifty cents. Another individ
ital, in affluent circumstances. also purch
uses ten yards ofthe finest textt’rrc, weigh
ing one pound. at two dollars per yard,
and costingtwenty dollars. Thus it will
be seen that under the specific principle,
as applied in this instance. the mechanic
or laborer is taxed as much'lor the use of
government, on liis'coarse dress costing
seven dollars and fifty cents, as the rich
banker is made to pay on his fine dress
costing twenty dollars. 0n llunnets. ex
cept cotton. which is an article of exten
sive importation, a specific duty of four
teen cents‘ per square .yard is charged.—
The original cost may he stated at front
fifteen to sixty cents'per square yard. The
consumer of course flannels pays to the go
vernment from sixty to one hundered per
cent., whilst the consumer ol the fine arti
cles pays but from tilteen to thirty per
cent. As withflannclsand silks. so with
rurgnr, boots, shoes. and other articles. un
der the act of 1842. -
ltis scarcely necesaary to enforce the
injustice of this system by a single remark;
the mere statement woultl seem to be sul
ficient; but suppose. for illustra‘ion. the
Legislature of Pennsylvania were to pass
a law directing all tlte farms in the State
to be assessed at five thousand dollars each.
and horses at one hundred dollars porhead.
and taxed accordingly. This would be
applying the specific principle of taxation,
to real and personal property; and whilst
its operations would be tnOrc readily seen ‘
and felt. and therefore more generally
complained of. » its injustice would be-but
little more flagrant-gthan as applied in
the act of 1842. flow long would the peo
ple submit to the provisions of such a law ?
'l‘he response of every man in the State
would be. that a law so unequal and un
just. should not be endured for a single
day. These instances will suffice to show
that the act of 1842 was wrong in princi'
pie; or that there was. at least. a misap
plication of some of its principles. The
specific principle may be applied ‘to arti
cles of equal and fixed value. without be
ing liable to the foregoing objections. The
undersigned would be glad to see thal
principle applied to coal. our iron, pig mc
.tal. and other articles varying but little
in value, undera given name. For whilst
it would answer the purposes of the gov
ernment for revenue, and work no injus~
(iceto the consumer. it might be of vast
importance-to those Interests. in case of a
severe depression of prices It! Europe. '
'Thc minimum principle in the act of
1842 is still more objectionable. The pal
pable ioyusliceof its operations must be
rcadilyseen and acknowledged by all. It
provides that ‘on all manufactures ofcot
ton, or of which cotton ts a Component part.
dyed. colo.'cd. printed or stained. not ex.
ceedingin value thirty cents per square
yard, shall be valued at thirty cents. and
made to pay duty accordingly. The same
principle applies to cotton manufactures
not dyed or colored. costing less than
twenty cents the square yard.’ Let us
notice the practical operations of lhis'prinv
cipla for a moment. A cargo of cotton
goods. costing five cents». per square yard.
is presented at one of our ports-for admis
sion. They are not charged at'the rate of
thirty per cent. on live cents. but five ltun- ‘
dred per cent. is first added to the origin.
al cost. and within the duty of thirty per i
,cent is charged. A 'cargo is also presen
ted.«costiog fifteen centsper square yard;
oneltundred per cent. is added to the ori
ginal-cost. and then tariffed at thirty per
.cent. A cargo-of the finest quality, actu..
allycostiog thirty cents the square yard.
is nextm‘presented. and on this a'duty'ol
. thirtyper‘cent. is charged. 1 Thus it 'ttjtll
beseen that the rate ot duty increases in
1: thesame ratio that the article becomes
coarse and cheap. ; And It gdocs 8&0!“ tO.
the undersigned, that it "titlittcrs not who
therzithrs principle be, designed tonrevenue
'or tor'prntection. it is equally unjust.‘ It
It be necessary to makc.exa.ctrons tn en
cnurngg our manulacturtng interests. let
the burden full upon tlioacOoho are best a
big to hear it, and not upon the mast help~
lean ot'olrr people. it is said that these
principles have hut little practical elTect
under the act. of 1842. if so. why insist
upon having them reinstated? It is the
introduction of such odious features into
our tnritl' laws, that keeps upa constant
discontent in relation to our taritl system.
The law is alsnohjectionable in many oth4
er prtlt'isinns- in general. the rates 0! du~
ty were high on the necessaries of Me.
and in many instances low on luxuries.
The act of [B4O has the merit, at least.
at taxing all article:l according to their true
value. and it'may, therelore, be the means:
ul silenctng some oi the complaints that
have been so strongly urged by the west
and south against lonner revenue laws. It
taxes all articles on the advalnrern princi
ple. The act ol 1842 was a mixture of the
specific. minimum and ad valorem prillcir
ples. In the achedule oi nrticlea enumer
ated under that law, about one thou Sand
live hundred items are charged duty on the
ad valorem principle. and about eight hun.
tired and eighty tilt the specific and mini
mum. The imports lor 1845 amounted to
one hundred and eight millions tour hun
hundred and thirty-live thousand and thir
ty five dollars ; ol this amount. titty-twu
millions three hundred and fifteen thous
and two hundred and ninety-two dollars
was charged duty on the ad-vatorern prin~
ciple, thirty-one million three hundred and
filly two thousand eight hundred and six
ty~three dollars on the specific and mini;
mum, and about twenty-tour rntlliuos free
of rlutv.
The act of 1846, on three hundred and
twentyothree articles, charges ad ~\atorem
duties. at higher rates than were charged
on the some articles in the law of 1842.
and eight hundred and twenty-two articles
are charged the same ad valorem' duty to
both laws; one hundred attd twenty‘seven
articles admitted free of duty under the
act of 1842. are tarified by that of 1846.
The act of 1842 charged on the aggregate
imports into the country, about twenty
six millions annually. The act of 1846.
with slight modifications. it is estimated,
will bring into the treasury a still larger
sum. The aggregate amount of duty char
ged on lhe_wltoie amount of itnports.may.
therefore, be regarded as nearly the same
under both nets; and by what [rocess of
reasoning certain statesmen bring them
selves in the conclusion, that one of these
laws is an 'orlious [rec lrade measure,’
and the other a source of revenue to the
government and prosperity to the people.
the undersigned are at aims to determine.
The ad valorem principle is the leading
objection urged against the tarifl' of 1846
It is not probable that any Views that might
be pfesented by the undersigned would
have much influence with the majority of
your committee; and they have, therefore,
concluded to_ address them through the
‘ embodiment a] (lieprinciples' of the great
party to which they belong. The annexed
extract from a speech delivered by Mr.
Clay, in March. 1842. tnay perhaps allay
some of the apprehensions of the majority
of your committee on this point. This was
Mr. Clay’s last oliicial expression of opio
ion on this subject. It will be seen that
he was a bold and ablecdvocate of the
principles. ifnot of the very details. of the
act of 1846. Mr. Clay said:
"First, there ts the principle that a fix
ed ad valorem duty shall prevail and be
In force at all times. For one. lam wil~
ling to abide by that principle. There are
certain vague notions afloat as to the util
ity and necessity of spectftc duties and
dtscrimi'nations. whirh, lam persuaded.
arise from the want of a right understand
in: of the subject. \Ve” have had the ad
vaioretn princrpie practically in force ever
since the compromise act was passrd; and
there has been no dtfficuity in administer
ing the duties of the Treasury on that
principle.
“it was necessary first to ascertain the
value of the goods. and then to impose the
duty upon them; and. from the commence
ment of the act to this day, the ad valoremi
principte has been substantially in opera-l
tion. Compare the difierence between
specific not! the ad valorem system of‘
duties, and I maintain that the latter is
justly entitled to the preference. The one
principle declares that the duty paid shallt
be upon the real value ol the article taxed;
the specific principle imposes an equal du
ty on articles greatly unequal in value.—
Coflee, for example, (and it is an article‘
which always soggests itself' to ‘my
thoughts.) is one of the articles on which
a specific duty has been levied. Now, it
is perfectly well known that the Mocha
cottee is worth at least twice as touches
the cofiee of St. Domingo or Cuba ; yet
both pay the same duty. The tax has no
respect to the Va uo. but is arbitrarilv lev
red on all articles of a/specifie kind- alike.
however various and une'qual may be their
values. I say that. in theory, and accor
ding'to every sound principle of'ju'stice.
the ad valorem rnnde of taxation is senti.
tied to the preference. There is. i admit.
one objection to it: as the‘value ol an arti
cle is a matter subject to opinion. and as
opinions will ever vary, either honestly or
fraudulently. there‘is some difficulty in
preventing frauds. But. with. the home
valuation proposed by my friend from
Rhode Island. (Mr. Simmons.) the lad va
lorem system can be adopted with all
practi_cable"safety, ’and will be ~imbieyto
those chances only of fraud which urem
evitabte under any and every System.
“Again: what has‘been tltc‘fact from
the origin 01 the government until now}—
The articles. trout which the greatest am~
cent at revenue has been drawn; such as
woolens, linens. silks. cottons, worsteds,
and a few others, have all been taxed on
the ad valorerii principle. and there has
been no ditliculty in the operation. the:
Here, upon the whole. that it is tlte best
mode. I believe that it we adopt a fixed
rate arl valurcm, wherever it can be done,
the revenue will be subjected to lower
frauds than the injustice and lruudsi'nci
dent to specific duties. One of the most
prolific sources at the violation of our rev
en’ue laws has been, as every body knows,
the aflort to get goods 0! a liner quality
and higher value admitted under the low.
er rate at a duty required for those ota
lower value. The honorable gentleman
from New , Hampshire (Mr. Woodbury)
and the honorable Senator lrnm New
York (Mr. Wright) both well know this.
But it the duty was laid ad valorem, there
could be no motive tor such an chart. and
the traud, in its present form, would have
noplace. In England. (as all who'havr
read tlte able report made by Mr. Home.
a Scottish member in the [louse ol Com
mons, must perceive.) they seem to be
giving up‘spectlic duties; and the tenden
cy in the public mind appears to be. in
stead at having a variety at specific duties
and a variety ol ad valorem duties, to have
(one permanent fixed rate olduty't’or all
articles. I atn willing. l repeat, to ad
here to this great princtple as laid dowtt
in the Compromise act. If there be those
who suppose that. under the specific term
at duty. a higher degree of protection can
be secured'tltan under tlte other mode. I
would observe thae the actual measure at
protection does not depend upon the form,
but on the amounl, of the duty which is
levied upon the luretgn rival article.‘
The majority have endeavored to un
derratc theimportauce ol the remoVal ot
duties upon bread atolls by European gov
ernments, and attributed the increase ol
prices to a temporary scarcity. This is
unquestionably the case to a great extent.
Yetto those who give the present condi
tion of European countries a calm and re
flecting observation, great causes will be
come apparent, which will result in a per
manent demand upon this or some other
loreign country for supplies.
Thirty years of undisturbed peace have
swelled their population to the utmost den
ally; and whilst the capacity ol the earth,
to sustain a given population, must neces
sarily be limited. it has not escaped ob
scrvation that even this Capacity I 5 becorn
ing gradually more uncertain. Grain
growing districts. especially in the north
at Europe, and hitherto the most prolific,
exhibited a gradual decline in quantity ot
iproduct, whether the result be attributed
to exhaustion ol soil. or inability to re
store its diminished properttrr. In addi
tion to this it is apprehended. by many
most competent tojudg‘et.»-that;,‘-tlie potato
must inevitably become extinct. in com.
tries where its use has been so general. _
The corn meal at America is already sup
plying the place ot this vegetable in Eu‘
rope. it is moreover a principle in potit
ical economy, not to be controverted, that
‘the consumption ol an article is increased
lln proportion as its price is reduced.—
‘llence, therelute, the removal ol duties
lupon bread istufl's in Europe, which can
,only be regarded as a tax upon the consu»
‘mer, must essentially contribute to the
consumption by furnishing the article at a
lower price. It these suggestions be truel
whence will the people ol Europe look for
the necessaries at life? May not a ready
answer be found in the exhaustless re
sources and capacity of our own country?
«Where. indeed. can another be found 'so
essentially agricultural? With every
variety ot climate, and a soil at unequalled
richness. imagination can set nulrrnit to
the resources ot- our independent and in
dustrious larmers. From the waters 0!
the Sta/John’s. to the straits ot Fuca. may
spread out one vast harvest field, with
here and there a resting place lor the rea
per. Agriculture being at once the no
blest and most virtuous pursuit of man;
yand its hardy followers, to all countries,
the mosttndependent; who would deny to
this important branch olour population an
equal participation in the blessings of gov
erument?
Neither are the undérsrgned insensible
to the vast importance of our manufactur—
inginterests. They too have grown with
our growth,and stand forth a proud mon
ument of American skill and industry.—
Ail they need and perhaps wish. is a per
manent and equitable system of duties,
with suitable discrimination in their favor,
under a proper revenue standard. This
will be conceded them. and the under
signed deprecate the hostile attitude of
those’who demand more." By raising an ch
an issue, such a broad and unqualified
claim, may not the professed advocates
of ultra protection..becoine the worst en-i
emies of the manufacturers? By demandr
ing too much. may not important. advan.
tages be lost. which otherwise would be
willingly yielded to them P
England has been referred to as an it
lustration of the benefits of protection.—
'l‘here. indeed. the restrictive system has
been fully tested. Under its blessings it
has been Said. that that empire has grown
until 'f.the sun never sets upon her pus
sessions!” But whilst admiring the gran
deur and powerof that proud government.
let us not be blind to the misery. the dis
l trees, and- the profound human degrada
tion that settles at the base and encompass
the colossal pyramid of her glory. The
social condition of the mass of the people
is the true standard by 'whiizh to judge
the character of a government.“ and not by
its acquisitions, the magnitude of its pow
er, or the wealth in’its tréasury. How
ever important our home market may be,
no one, who pays any regard to factg, oat)~
be blind to the absolute necessity tor a
forcigiik'rnarket' Inr' the'surplus products 0!
our country. In additionto the" imtncnttt'
amount already stripped nbroad.’our de'
pots and avenues to the Atlantic. are
swelled to bursting with the varied pro
ducts of the larnter, ready for exportation.
Where else then. than in a foreign mar
ket can purchasers be found for this im
mense surplux? And tltia is but the fore:
shadowing, ot our agricultural capacity
and resource. A dense stream olemigra
tion flows into and spreads over. the rich
fields of the north and west. Statea‘ rise
up as if by magic. leaping like full grown
giantsinto the embrace of the Union.—
Agriculture must be the pursuit of the
people of that wrdeaptend region, and their
surplus product added to that of the older
States. can neither be purchased our eun
sumed in the narrow limitaofahome mar
ket. In conclusion. the undersigned can
see nothing. in the present our prospec
tive cundttion of the country, to juttily
the predictions of ruin and distress so
frequently heard. .
'l‘he eletnenta of prosperity are neither
in the government nor the laws, but in
the energy, enterprize and industry of the
people. If there are defects in the reve
nue, or indeed any other laws of the coun
try. they can. and should be removed,
Witlr such improvements as experience
may render necessary. And with the ev
idences ofuniversal prosperity so abun
dant, such prophetic cronkinga, nrc neith
er patriottc nor reasonable. In what coun
try do labm and skill meet with more cer
tain reward? When were the great In
terests of the country in a more flourish
ing condition? The agriculturalist finds
.1 ready market for his produce. anti at
remunerating prices—the manufacturing
tnteregts are reaping rich harvests—the
shipping Interest is unable to supply the
demand—and in a word every pursuit in
life. it honestly and industriously exerci
tsed, is n ell and fairly rewarded.
. WILLIAM BIGLI‘JR.
l WILLIAM s. noss.
From lho New York Sun, March 1]
Important from Mexico.
.0 wee/r later from (he capital—Triumph
oft/re church—_ltcpcu 0/ the confirm
lion law—Santa flnnn rrlespomling—
The army levying supplies for {lac/[—
Prospect of a speedy peace—Doings a!
Vera Crzrz—lnqfliciency o/thc Bloc/r
ode—Rumored protectorate. ‘
By an arrival at Charleston from Havo
na, the New York Sun has recmved Sp.rn
ish papers with advices from Havana to
the 26th ult., Vera Cruz to the Bh. and
from the city of Mexico to the sh. being
a week later from the capital. The church
had eflectually resisted the seizure of ifa
property. Santa Anna had yielded to the
demands of the hierarchy“ and the clergy
propose a loan of $450,060 per month to
the government. Such is a brief summa
ry of the news. \Ve now give the details
in the order of their occurrence since the
latest date of our previous advices 'Y,l‘he
church continued its 'l.ealous resistance to
the law of confiscation ; the protest of the
archbishop'e chapter was followed by pro
tests from the various States. concluding
With an energetic and denunciatory re
rnonstrancc from the bishopof Mtclroacan.
Many of these were forwarded to Santa
Anna, who returned them to Congress.
with a letter of considerab‘e length. He
says that these protests have convinced
him that the confiscation law had produc
ed universal discontent : he regrets that
the people should give him the repute of
being the author of that law on authority
of a private and-confidential letter tora
friend, which had been printed, but which
did not warrant the construction put upon
it ; no one can say that his suggestions
were adopted in the law ; and if there are
other plans of obtaining resources—lf. up
on ~‘.-;SC€lllg the objects or policy of thou
whohave endeavored to make themsclVes
his inexcusable enemies. and who wish lo
overthrow the measures because they be
lieve ll to be one which had met his ap
probation, he entreats Congress. if not
wholly convinced of the utility ofthe law.
to modily it or substitute for it some other
revenuelaw more to the purpose. Upon
the reading ol this letter a bill was sob-t
rnitted to repeal the law, and to authorize
the government to receiver: loan of $450,-
000 per month from the clergy. which it
was understood they _were prepared to ad
vonce until peace has been secured. This
bill was expected to receive the approbm
tion of Congress and Santa Aorta. The
diatreasei of the army \vere still promin
ent topics of discussion. Santa Anna'had
been compelled to seize 98 bars of silver
belonging to‘ Spanish merchants nt San
Luis, for which he gave his ' personal
guarantee.’ Unfortunately .for the crli-
Zens. ho was also compelled to seize pro
visions and money wherever he could find
them, and which he had begun to collect
throughout the country, without giving his
' personal guarantee.‘ In other words,
the army is levying supplies for.itself.—-
The minister ot war sgnt.’s3s.ooo to San
ta Anna at the close of January. The
latter had forwarded’ a desponding letter
to the government. He replies to the
charge of apathy made against him. paints
the horrible destitution of his forces. reit
erates his and their protestations of valor
and patriotism, and declares his readiness
to retire to private life, or _to go again into
foreign exile, if Congress think best. It
they wish him to'remain at the head of the
army. they know his firm resolution, which
[rain meet the enemy and to win imperiali
able glory for his country by death or vic.
tony. He adds that he is- about to meet
the enemy. ~ 'l‘he capture 0! thc'American
‘detachments had rouso'd some enthusiasm)
Il‘he letter was dated 261 i: January” 'llu
_[ proclamation announcing “his ..departure
irom’Snn Ltl‘is for Sdltiilo, dutcd27iii,. hag
already been“ published. niidit imworthy
of note lh.it it'wns torwmded to 'l‘nmpico
without that Oi, the 26th. Active ptepa.
tions {or deienre were making nt Vera
Cruz “3 late in; the“ 7ih. The national
bridge and point‘Cliiquihite are receiving
_tormidable additions to their strength.—
An act passed the State Legislature con.
terring all necessary power upon the guy.
ernor in tortitying the city. We remark,
however. that the rumored evncuationtof
Vern Cruz, announced at 'l'uiiipico. may
have been founded upon orders issued
sin‘ce'tlie 7i|i ultimo. Justo SeotarAnna
has entered upon his duties as temporary
governor of 'l‘ubaaco.‘ Gen. Rejun'. the
new Secretary of Foreign Minimum la
vorably spoken of. He is to be the prin
cipal manager 0! negotiations with the U
nited Stolen. There were at Anton Li
zardo. one United Staten frigate; three
brigii. two small steamers. live pilot hosts.
one steam frigate and one trading brig...
At Isle Verde, one United States corvette.
which on theJth got under way and stood
southward. At Sacrificing. two French
lrigntes. two French _brigs. and one Eng
lish brig.. The: Spaniel) brig Sernphine,
at Huvann, ran the blockadent'Vera Cruz
both in and out, being aecnniponiedoul
by live other verSels which also escaped
[tom the United S'nteu squadron. 'l'he
blockade is violated deity. The English
schooner Lee arrived [ll Havana 27th Feb:
six days from Balize. Honduras. with
321.000 in Specie. News oi the loss of
-the British mail steamer'l'wccd had reach
ed Havana. \Ve have a rumor from [ln-
Vfllln that Santa Anna, during hastilitiea.
was to be declared " Protector ol Muir
can Liberty,” with full power tobring the
wan“ to a speedy termination; but it is on
ly a rumor. ,
{rrWu find lho fullumng startling xulclllgcnco
mlhoHarrisburgArgumof’l‘hursduyl4ml. H lhzt
be confirmed, we may oxpcm lo hear more of lho
sumo SON
FRO.“ N [3l" MEXICO.
[33/ [Magnetic 'lclcgraph.
file‘z‘ican Insurrection at Tans
' [lorrible Alassacre—Govéfnor
of New M exica Murdered—fis
sassination of .flmericans—Prm
bable capture of Santa Fe.
Pittsburgh, March'lfi
By river we have St. Louis pipers l'nur
days in advance of mail, with dates lrum
Sunta Fe, Covering important news.—
There has been an'i’x'vniive .\l xican In
surre‘ctiun at. 'l‘um. All the Spaniard‘
who evinced any sympathy with the Arne
rican cause. had bevn Cninpelled to escape.
Guv. Bent. Stephen Lee. acting Sheritt.
Gen. Elliott Lee. llemy Seal and twenty
Americana Were killed and their families
despoiled. The Chief Alcaldc \vaa alsu
killed. This all occurred on the 17th ol
January. The insurlectiun had made {or
midublc head and the disallcction was ra
pidly Spreading. The insurrectiunifls
were sending expresses out all over the
country to false, assistance. The number
engaged in the outbreak at Tau: was about
600. The}! were u~ing every argument to
incite the Indians tu hmtilitie: and were
making arrangements to take pns-zessiun of
Santa Fe.
The Americans at S-mla Fe had only
about 500 ellective men there. the rest
were on the sick list, or had lelt to join
Col. Duniphan. Such being their situa
tion they cannot send Huccur out. as they
are hardly able to defend themselves. It
is thought Santa Fe 'nuat be captured. as
neither the Fort nur Block liuuaes are
completed. v
It is announced as the intention of the
insurrecliunists who captured :I'uoa, to
lake pussessmn of the government .wagon
trains, whfch are carrying ..furwar'd our
supplies. uml thus cub of] all communica
llon. ‘
Grain for Ireland.
An English corp merchant. now in this
country. says the Bustun 'l‘mvellcr. has
turnished us with n lew items of interest
respecting the foreign grn'm market, par
ticularly in reference to Ireland.
During previous years the importation
of grain into England from Ireland has
been upwards of 3 000,000 quarter: ;;but
this year Ireland will need from England
3,000,000 quarters. making a difference
to England of 6,000,000 quarters. -Ha
says there is no question that 4,000,000 or
people in Ireland are in starving, circum
stances; and. though small contributions
will do good, yet the amount of relief that:
is necessary to meet the exigencies of the
case is almost beyond calculation. 'Allovw
ing these 4,000,000 a pound of flour or
Indian meal a day, it will require about
200,000 t’unsloidny. or nearly 1,000,009
bushels in week ; and at the same rate, if
the supply must be kept up till after har
vest, no it doubtless must be. (six months)
it will require 26,000,000 ol bushels of
grain. 'l‘wuu'ngsrx hill.f.foNS or BUSH»
us! It is perfectly terrlfic to think of
such tlestilution. '
Our informant further states that not
monag. but Indian corn or lndim meal
shout be sent" in preference to flour. And
the reusunJle assigns is, that ment can be
most easily converted into porridge ; and
thousands of families in Ireland have but
one cooking utensil, and'thttt is a‘ ‘pot. in
which they have been accustomed to‘ bolt
their" only food, their; otntoep. This u
tcnsilvhds been'hnnded tilown‘from parent
to child, it may be, for numerous succes
sive geucrutions. '
Harrisburg flrgus.