Belfast Monthly Magazine

Commercial ReportSource: The Belfast Monthly Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 25 (Aug. 31, 1810), pp. 161-164Published by: Belfast Monthly MagazineStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30072709 .

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18 10. ] Agrituttural Report. 161

and as the cause is of such general import, it, is hoped the example will stimulate o- thels to similar disinterdsted measures. " Qut prodest populo, Deo paret." It is

pleasing to notice the unasomity of an

extensive tract of country in publicly returning thprns to the deseived object of their grytithide, accompanied with a pledge of their feelings which will last for ages.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT, IFom July 20, til'dAugust 20.

THE weather has for several weeks past continued cold apd wet, and veiy unfa- voutable for saving the late ciops of hay; had the corn crops been as luxuriant as

they sometimes are, they would have suffered miuch by the late heavy rains, but except in some particular districts where the land is ich, or has been highly manured, the oats are short and thin, and in the thin light soils, which constitute

awconQiderable pait of the tillage lands of this counti-y, will turn out unproductive, in- deed it is not reasonable to expeft good crops where the land, are suffered to be over-iun with that destructive weed, Wild maiygold, commonly called gowan, and the odcupiers of such soils have themselves to blame for the losh they-sustain by their unaccountable, negligence, in allowing it to grow up to thaturity among their potatoe crops, where it sheds its seed, and multiplies beyond all balculation;

weim they at sufficient pains to destroy it for a few years, they would exterminate its breed, and secure themselves against an annual loss which the saving of the la. bour and expence required to destroy, can never compensate

In many parts of the country the farmers continue to complain of the blast or smut in their wheat crops; but it is hoped the malady is not general.

Barley is generally estimated a good ciop in this province, and flax has seldom been known a more abundant one. The growers of it appear to have entered pretty fully into the plan of saving seed and there is good grounds for hoping that the practice will become so general, that we shall in a few iears, find ourselves nearly, it not altogether, independent on foreign countries for flax-seed.

The Potatoe crops, which some weeks ago, appeared weak and unpromising, have revived much, and there is now a prospect of a plentiful supply of that nutritious root, on ahich the inhabitants of this country are so dependant.

The grazing grounds have never fully recovered fhom the effect of the dry parching weather of spring, and the meadows in geneial have beea so deficient of their usual crop, that hay is now selling at a

pisce uncommonly high; and is expected to be ex-

tremely scaice next spring.

COMMERCIAL REFORT. THE difficulties of the trading world are not yet at an end, rnor is there any

probability ot their speedy teinnmination. That the present distressing and dis- jointed state of commerce proceeds horn the wAa is very easily demoustiated. Whether we attribute the causes of the bankiuptcies to speculation, to the weight of taxation, or to the too gicat quantity of paper mn circulation, or to all these causes conjointly, they, each, and every one of them, may be ultimately traced to the war, as to one general source. Among the documents at page 157, will be found some in- teresting information on those subjects, extracted fiom the Morning Chioncle to which we refer our readers, who may be desirous of further information.

The restriction on the national banks of England and ireland not to pay in specie, as by the acts of 1197., carties very much the appearance of the first stage of national bankruptcy. Paper could then only be exchanged, for paper, and the necessity for providing gold being iemoved, the issues of the national banks became greatly extended in the first instance, and weie quickly followed by like extensive issues of the private banks. Rash speculations were en. couraged by this excess of paper, and by the facihty of procuring discounts in which paper only was received foi paper. Competition was unduly stimnulated both at home and abroad, so that a loss has been latterly mostly sustained both on our imports and exports, while the editors of ministerial newspapers mock our distress, by giving pompous accounts of our trade from custom-house returns, with- out taking the pains to inquire whether the aiticle sent out, or those received in re- turn meet a profitable market. Such an investigation would not suit their purpose of deceiving the people into a belief of the (lay-dream of security and piosperity. Lint the plain unvarnished, undis~uised fact is, that the present " war of elements,

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162 Commercial Report. [Aug. and ci ash in the mercantile, world," has been proximately occasioned by a general los* for twelve or fifteen months past, on almost all articles of impolts and exports, partly occasioned by cofnpetition 4t foreign maikets to force a tiade, and in some degree to

counteiact the peincmeous effects of the present belligerent system, as well as by the vety high freights paid to guaid against the risque of the contiaband tiade, which nations wei e for ced to carry on, to keep clear of the hostile decrees and or dels of each other. To these causes may be added a loss on many articles of manufacture, and the re-action of the bankruptcy of someon others through the various ramifications by whch trade rs are so intimately connected. Thus great changes have suddenly been made in propemties, and former stability in soetie cases forms no security for es( ape from the piesent convulsion, in those times which are so peculiatly piecarious. The

jemotecauses of the distress lie in wild speculation, in the too great cimculattoi, of paper, unbottomned on payments in specie, and to go still farther back to the origin

of all these evils, THE WAR It appears by a letter fi om Buenos Ayres, published in the papers, that the loss on

goods forced,

out into that mai ket was from 30 to 40 per cent. A particulat Instance is also given of 508 pieces of fine printed cottons, of 28 yards each, being

solo at

thirty-six shillings per piece, after paying there a duty of nine-pence per yard, ortwenty-one shillings per piece. At Heligoland, our merchants are said to have pioperty unsaleable, and in a losing state, to the amount of seven millions- at Gibraltar fifteen: at Malta twenty-five, and in South America an unknown and incalculable sum. The embairassments were occasioned by French policy, and the injudicioub efficacy afforded toit by the British orders in council. All iegular and profit- able trade was cut off, and the mania of speculation to any place, and every place the i esult of despan to find a market became the ruling passion of the day. If Bona- parte has changed hrs system in some little degree, and permits the itnpoitatitn of colortal produce through neutials at most heavy duties, there is small room to enter- tain flattering hopes on this account, or to expect In consequence any permanent im- pyovement to our trade.

Speculation and paper money have had most injurious effects on our trade. The bubble has burst. The wind which for a time, agitated and kept up this unsubstantial s4ow has shifted. Much pains weie taken to lull the people into security, but one dream is over, piobably however to be succeeded by another equally as deceptive In the words of the lullaby,

" When the wind blew, the cradle did rock,'"r, but hereafter a worse fate may betide,

" When the bough bends, the cradle will fall, " And down tunble baby, and cradle and all."

It is impossible not to have portentous forebodings of the termination of the present alat iMng crisis. The war has superinduced a most oppressive weight of taxation, and increased the

inequality beta eendomestic expenditute iapidly growing greatei, and income as rapidly diminishing fiom the effects of bad trade. Perhaps the most unfavourable symptom of the wtihole is, that the people aie not geneially convinced of the necessity for peace: and they, who are so infatuated, as not to know they have a disease, are not lkly to look toi a cure. The genei al cry is, there can be no peace with France. Tins has been continually re-echoed since 1793. Every year has added to our danger, and thete is no probability that proti acted warfare will give In time to come any ad.- ditional security, or dimiiiish the disadvantages of our situation, which have during evei y year of the war increased. Peace is absolutely necessary to the safety of those countries, and PEACE, PEAcA ought to b( the genei al cry. If the people wish their rulets s to give them peace, they should do then own parts, and let the general ex- psessionii of the publfc sentiment be made known. Governments are generally desirous of wai and seldom mak'e peace until they are foI ced by the voice of the people.

De Yonge the Je% blroler wjho was prosecuted by the tieasury for selling guineas at more thait the legal value has been found guilty on an old statute of Edwaid VI. Ob- jections were made tha4 the statute contemplated a state of things different from the pcesent, rclating only to the }xchangeof one speciesof coin for another, and not of coin for papel-. Lord Ellenboroughf over-ruled the nbjectionz, but they are to be

re. argued on a motion for a neew triat. Such a traffic in guineas is the unavoidable iesult of the present state of the circulating medium, while gold must be had to answer the state of )ur trade on the continent It such a trade in buying and selling guineas must exist, it is certainly pteferable to bave it open and avowed. If it is carried on clan. destinely it is less fair both for buyet and seller. On the 'Change of Belfast it has long been a public trade to sell bank notes for guineas, and the diffeeence between

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1810.] Commercial Report. 163

that mode, and the act for which De Yonge has been found guilty differs only in the manner of denominating the transaction. The pioceedithgs in EnI,)and cannot stop the traffic. They may give to the trade all the evils and inconveniences of being contiaband, but it will go on, and will increase till the banes aie compellable to pay in guineas.

Itis pleasing to observe among our exports, luish cotton yarn sent to England. It is an advantageous circumstance to Ii ish spnuing tactories, and may afford a market for the superfluous yarn which our own manufacture in its piesent depiessedI state cannot woik up. The hardships ai ising to muslin weavers fioum the low state of that manufacture is likely to be still farther encteased by their own in-

judicious conduct. Many employers have stopped giving out, woik, and others have

agreed with weavers at prices below the stipulated rates of the t ade. The weavei S;

ate i umany places forcing those who took work on such teims to return it. It would be much better to let every one make his own baigain, and wouk for such terms as he could procure. Thuq the trade would regulate ltelf in pioportion to greater or less demand. Now, if a man cannot get high wages, and the present state of the manufacture will not afford them; he is to be idle, lessen his already

diminished, means,

and inlure his morals by the evils of combination. The wot kmen employed in calico

puinting near Dublin, appear to be following a similau injudicious plan, and throwing themselves out of employment by a dispute with the owneis of pint yards. They thus unwisely add to their distress in the present season of difficulty.

Bonaparte by one of those strokes of policy which appear congenial to his dis-

positions has been the first to make co'cessions to the ,mei

cans. It was wvondei ful he was so long in taking this step, but in this case tp1 appears to have hoped to bully the Americans, from an opinion of their weakness, but being disappointed he now makes tardy concessions, In which however he is beforehand with the British

government, and revokes the decrees of Berlin and Milap, fiom the 1st of No- vember next, "provided the English shall revoke their orders in

coticil, and re-

nounce the principles of blockade, which they have, attempted to establish, or that the United States, confol mably to thein act, shall cause their rights to be

respected by the English." In the mean time the sequestration of American vessels in France is likely to be given up. He thus artfully throws the odium of continuing these decrees on England-and by this means a new epoch is formed in thecbmmercial war. Fiance is now the highest bidder fou the friendship of the United States, and it is reasonable to fear there will not be sufficient poliqy in the British councils to concede tincmely, or with a good grace, and In donsequence America may be thrown into the anims of Fiance. During the inteival of hostility towards France in the

minds of Americans, the Biitish administration appear to have tifled .away the

opportunity of conciliating by dignified concession, aiid failed ot making a proper.ase of the occasion. When the new decision arrives at the other side of the Atlantic, we

may anticipate a turn of the tide, and a renewal of hostility towards England, which only the greater dread of France

appears to have abated.

Intercourse is kept up between the Continent and these countries by means of licences granted by the Iespective governments under the mask of neutral vessels; and the merchants II London are at piesent engaged in a

negocoition with the

French chambei of commeice to extend this tiade. These licences are granted by the privy council, and are said to be openly hawked tor sale thiougfi the Conti- nent, by Jew brokers and others. By this system, emolument acciues to the of- ficers through whose hauds these licences pass, and the overgiown patronage of office is still fuathei increased. In spite of the pride of the respective governments this plan of licemces may be considered as a tacit concession on their parts to the necessities of commerce, and that their hostile decrees and orders in council are mutually un1o ious to both countries. It would be moue manly and dignified at once to do away those measures of hostility, than thiough a talse pride, aid an absuid obstinacy keep up, in form, regulations, while they admit then iupohltcv and futility. It is curious to see a trade foi mally forbidden, and yet continued

by the counivance of those who issue their ouders against it.

Exchange on Lozndon has latterly risen from 84 to 9 per cent, and the discount on batik notes 2 to 24- pei cent.

When the editors of any contemporary prints think tihs rommercial report or any other

part of our Magaztne deserving of farthes circulation tn their pages, they ate heartily wel- come to make such use of

,t, and there is a gratfication to us in ils more extensmte

dissemination. But the record should not be vitzated by giving garbled extracts to sunt

the timidity at sycophancy of editors afrazd to give publicity to strong truths, The Wrzter of tO's seport shrenks from the polluted touch of time-servers, and requests that in futuue the report may be published entie, or wholly omitted,

q extract may he

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164 Celestial Phenomena. [Aug.

gwen in such a mannee, as not to communreate a fair sample of the writer's vzeWs, lie dislikes to be cut down to suzt the puny potzcy of another.

CELESTIAL PHENOMENA. FOR SEPTEMBFR. 1810

On the 4th the Moon is seen to have passed through the wpace between the two irst stars of the Balance, the first being bhloyw, and the second above her, and she appears directing her corise to the 'thud. To the east of her we shall ob- setve Saturn and Antares, and to the west Venus, and the first of the Virgin.

10th, She is on the meridlan at 52 min. past nine, the second of the Water- beater, being above her to the east, ana the two first stars of the Goat be. low her to the West. At nine she is 384 min. from the first of Pegasus.

15th, The moon is at first seen below the three first stats of the Ram, and almost in a line with the second and thud. As she ascends in the heavens, we note her motion under these stars, and distinguish below her Menkar, with the small stars in the head of the Whale; she is directing her course to Aldebaran and the HIyades near which stats is Jupiter.

20th, She is seen nearly in a line between the sixth ot the Bull, and third of the Twin, but nearest the latter star.

23th, She is followed soon after her rising by the first of the Lion and Mars, and on the following day those stars will be seen above her.

28th, On this day is new moon, and an eclipse of the sun, but invisible to us. It is central, in longitude 721 19 wet, and latitude 60 7 south. The Moon passes the ecliptic this day in the evening in her ascending node, and it is new moon at 23 min. past four afternoon.

Mercury is an evening star duffrng the whole of this month, and is at his greatest elongation on the 22d, but he is so near the hot izon at sun-set, that he will be seen but by few. The Moon passes him on the 30th.

Venus is an evening star during this mouth, but not in a very favourable situation to Be observed long after sun-set. She is south of the ecliptic, and is increasing her dis. tance from it in that direction very rapidly. The moon passes her on the Ed.

Mars is a morning star, and his duration above the horizon before sun-rise is about two hours and a quarter. His motion is direct through 19 degrees, being on the Ist, neatly v in the middle of the Barnen, between the Crab and the Lion, and he is direct- ing his coui se to, the first of the latter constellation, which he reaches on the 20th, when the stai is to the south of him at the distance of 47/. The Moon passes hbin)m on the 25th.

Jupiter passes the meridian at about aquarte- past five in the mormng of the 1st, a quarter paAt four on the morning of the 19th, and as his stay above our horizon is very considerable, he willaffoid vei y tait opportunities of observing him in the night, his motion till the 21-t, at which time he is stationary, and, of course, after that time r!toetade; at the stationary point he is n a line between the Pleiades and the Alde- baran, but nearest to the latter stat.

d As the Moon passes him on the 18th, when the

remaikable occultation of Aldebaran takes place, and he is then above her, the least attentive observer of the heavens will, if the evening be fine, distinguish thts planet and every futuie evening will show hini to greater advantage than the pieceding.

Saturn its-in

the meridian on the 1st, at 50 min. past five afternoon, and on the 19th at 49 min. past four, consequently the opportunities of observing decrease every evening. The Moon passes him on the 6th.

Hetschell is on the metidian on the Ist, at 55 min. past thbi ee afternoon, and on the 21st at 4q mim. past two. Opportunities of obseiving him, therefore decrease every evenitg, but we shall have no difficulty in finding him, it we direct oar view to the fi sit star of the Balance to which he is making slow appioaches every day, and he is to the west of this star during the month. The Moon pases him on the 4th.

In order to admit articles which' could not propeu ly be defe) red to the succeeding number, the Eclipses of Jupltei's Satellites zs omztted this month.

TQ CORRESPONDENTS. Lucy and Emma, a Tale; and the Servant, shall be inserted in our next. Advice to a young Physiciau ; a constant Reader on Pedantly; E C. on Conver-

satwort Stanzas on a young Lady by M'Erin; the compassonate Schoolboy; veise, on the imnprsonment of Sir Francis Burdett, and S. B. M's rhit ts, with other favours hhve been received, and shall be submitted to the proprietors.

Verses Signed A. have been mislaid--the author is requested to send anothex

copy. In consequence qf the Naturalist and Meteorological Reportei being abroad they are omr'-

ted thzs month.

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