Page:The corn law question shortly investigated.djvu/12

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.

10

his labour furnishes the supply. What sympathy will the grower of corn, in the north of Europe, feel in the distresses arising from the depression of trade? To the cries of our starving operatives, the answer will be, "Gold, gold, and we will give you bread;" or, in other words, "transfer us your capital, and we shall feed you with the scanty liberality with which it may best suit the interests of our Exchequers to encourage a horde of needy and miserable dependants."

But I now come to the assertion of the Abolitionists, "the great decrease of our manufactures and commerce generally." This I most totally deny; and, to establish the fact, it is sufficient to refer to the official statement below, by which it will be observed, that, taking a period of ten years—1826 to 1836—our foreign trade has increased in a most extraordinary ratio. The imports and exports of 1836, as compared with 1826, having positively doubled the exports of British and Irish produce and manufactures of 1836—showing an increase over 1826 of 105 per cent.

Table of Exports and Imports for a period of Ten Years.[1]
Years. Imports of Foreign and Colonial Merchandise. Exports of Foreign and Colonial Merchandise. Exports of British and Irish Manufactures. Real or Declared Value of British and Irish Produce and Manufactures Exported.
1826 L.37,686,113 L.10,076,286 L.40,965,735 L.31,536,723
1827 44,887,774 9,830,728 52,219,280 37,181,335
1828 45,028,805 9,946,545 52,797,455 36,812,756
1829 43,981,317 10,622,402 56,213,041 35,842,623
1830 46,245,241 8,550,437 61,140,864 38,271,597
1831 49,713,889 10,745,071 60,683,933 37,164,372
1832 44,586,741 11,044,869 65,026,702 36,450,594
1833 45,952,551 9,833,753 69,989,339 39,667,347
1834 49,362,811 11,562,036 73,831,550 41,649,191
1835 48,911,542 12,797;724 78,376,731 47,372,270
1836 57,023,867 12,391,711 85,229,837 53,368,571

It will thus appear, from an inspection of this Table, that

  1. Porter's State of the Nation,