Scott, Esq. of Benholm, Sir John Sinclair, Bart., Chairman.

After some discussion, the following Report was unanimously approved of:

REPORT.

The Sub-Committee beg leave to express the opinions they have formed, on the important subject referred to them, in the following order:

1. That one great cause of the present agricultural distress arises from the rapid alterations that took place in the currency, in consequence of the act 59 Geo. III. c. 49, which has increased the real value of all money payments, rendered the prices of all the productions of the soil disproportionally low, and occasioned a want of sufficient circulating medium in the country; thereby augmenting, to a great degree, the heavy pressure of taxation, and of other burdens affecting those classes who are now suffering; and hence that many persons, who have entered into money engagements, are involved in obligations which they cannot fulfil without ruin to themselves and their families.

2. That if the provision of the said act (59 Geo. III. c. 49), by which" all the restrictions on payments in cash shall finally cease and determine on the 1st of May, 1823," be carried into effect, it is likely greatly to aggravate the severe distress now existing; and that Parliament, therefore, should be petitioned to direct their earliest attention to that enactment.

3. That the hardships and disadvantages resulting from the sudden alteration in the currency before mentioned, appear to the committee to have been considerably increased by the concurrent ope

1823.

ration of the coinage act (56 Geo. III. c. 68), by which, in consequence of the regulations for the silver coinage, gold is made the sole legal tender for payments except to the amount of 40s.

4. That a remission of taxation, as far as is consistent with the public safety and interests, and with the preservation of the national faith; and (where practicable) the substitution of taxes which would press more equally upon the whole community, in the room of some which are severely felt by those whose incomes (now greatly reduced) are derived from land, would be a great source of relief.

5. That it would be very desirable to have country banks established in England and Ireland, on principiés similar to those adopted in Scotland, which, by augmenting the circulation, and placing it on a footing of security, would confer an essential benefit upon every part of the United Kingdom, whose interests are now so closely combined.

6. That although the Committee do not venture to recommend, in the present situation of the country, that any fresh provisions should be introduced into the corn laws, as now established, they are of opinion that the permission to warehouse foreign grain in this kingdom has an effect very prejudicial to the wholesome and intended operation of those laws.

7. That by improvements in the distillery laws, an adequate reduction of the duty on spirits, and more freedom to the trade, a much larger consumption of grain would take place than at present-the revenue would be increased a better quality of spirits made—and the fraudulent practices which now accom2 H

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pany distillation, with their demoralizing effects, would be prevented or diminished; and that by adopting also a better system for the manufacture and sale of beer, the consumption of that article, and consequently of barley, would be greatly increased.

The meeting then resolved"That a copy of the proceedings of this day be transmitted to the convener of every county in Scotland, with a request that he shall take the earliest opportunity in his power of calling a county meeting, to take the same into its immediate consideration."

On the motion of Lord Succoth, seconded by the honourable Lieutenant-general Duff, the thanks of the meeting were voted to the Sub-committee, for having conducted the business referred to them with so much zeal, prudence, and ability.

Upon the thanks being voted to the Chairman, he expressed his great satisfaction that the business had been brought to so happy a conclusion, and his full conviction, if the proceedings of that day were acted upon energetically, by the counties of Scotland, that consequences highly useful to the country at large might be confidently relied on. He particularly alluded to the plan of making silver, jointly with gold, a legal tender by means of which alone, owing to the low price of silver (4s. 11d. per ounce) compared to its Mint price (5s. 6d. per ounce), an addition would be made, at the rate of nearly 12 per cent. to the prices of all agricultural productions: and another most important object, an increase of circulation, would likewise be obtained-for the issuers of paper money would be enabled to main

tain in circulation a larger amount,' when, instead of being compelled to pay exclusively in gold at 31. 17s. 10d. per ounce, they could, in their option, pay in silver, at the rate of 5s. 6d. per ounce. He added, that either silver alone, or jointly with gold, had been a legal tender in this country from the most ancient periods of its history, till the Bank Restriction and the Coinage Act of 1816, when, for the first time, gold was made exclusively, except for payments under 40s., the standard of value.

Extracts of a Despatch from the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to Mr. Secretary Peel, dated Dublin Castle, 8th April, 1823, with Copies of the Enclosures; presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of his Majesty, April 16, 1823.

In my despatch, under date the 29th January, 1823, I expressed my expectation (apparently justified by the improvement which had at that time taken place in the state of the country) of a gradual approach towards a state of greater tranquillity and peace in the southern districts lately disturbed.

Subsequent events have disappointed that expectation, and during the month of March the system of outrage has been pursued in parts of the province of Munster with increased activity and vigour, and has reached other parts of the country which had been nearly exempt from disturbance.

The earliest information conveyed to me of any considerable increase of outrage in Munster, was the first weekly report in March of the police magistrate in the county of Cork; from which it appeared, that during that pe

riod five malicious conflagrations and twelve outrages of different descriptions had taken place within the district committed to his charge. From that period to the present time, scarcely a night has elapsed in which within those districts some house or property has not been destroyed by fire, or in which attempts have not been made by the insurgents to enforce the penalties previously denounced against all those who resist the authority of these desperate offenders.

Notwithstanding the most unremitting exertions on the part of the military and the police to intercept those by whom these crimes are committed, few persons have been apprehended. Conflagrations are so easily effected, even by one skilful offender, and the system of terror has been so firmly established on the minds of the inhabitants of these districts, that the detection of the crime is become a matter of extreme difficulty.

Early in the month of March, Lord Combermere, with my approbation, visited the principal military stations in Munster, and also conferred with the Magis trates in the vicinity of Doneraile, and in the disturbed districts in that part of the county of Cork.

At his Lordship's suggestion, and at the desire of the Magis trates, a large additional force of police (under the new act) has been stationed in that country, and the military force has been distributed in the manner best calculated to aid the restoration of order.

It is a great satisfaction to me to be able to add, that the greatest cordiality subsists between the military and the magistracy, gentry, and inhabitants, and that Lord Combermere expresses his highest

approbation of the condition and conduct of his Majesty's troops in Munster.

In Limerick, which had been restored to tranquillity, instances of similar crimes have latterly appeared; and parts of the county of Clare have been so much agitated as to require the application of the Insurrection Act to two of the baronies which adjoin the county of Limerick. The state of that part of the country, and the reason which led to the proclamation of these additional baronies, are explained in the annexed extract of a letter from Sergeant Torrens, and in the accompanying communication of Major Warburton, the police magistrate for the county of Clare.

An increased spirit of outrage has at the same time been manifested in parts of the county of Westmeath, and the Queen's County; and upon a review of the reports received from the other less agitated counties of Ireland (with the exception of the province of Ulster and part of Connaught), crimes of an insurrectionary character appear to be more frequent.

The causes of the sudden increase of this description of crime have not been sufficiently developed to enable me to furnish you with any determined judgment on that most interesting point.

The present mischief has been attributed to the greater maturity of that system of combination for the destruction of property which has so long prevailed in Ireland; a temporary cause is stated to be the general expiration of leases, which occurs at this period of the year, and which usually leads to acts of disturbance (if not of a more destructive character) against

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those who occupy the farms from which previous tenants have been ejected.

In the mean while I am convinced that the wisdom of his Majesty's Government, and of Parliament, will not delay the renewal of the Insurrection Act. It is a painful but undeniable truth, that the mere circumstance of the unavoidable delay in the renewal of that law, has been converted by the secret instigators of confusion into an encouragement to the deluded populace of the South, who have been taught to believe that the law will not be renewed; and that its restraints will no longer be opposed to the progress of their crimes.

Extract of a Letter from Sergeant Torrens, dated Limerick, March 28, 1823.

I regret to be obliged to state, that within the last three weeks, frequent nightly burnings of houses, cattle, and haggards, have taken place in this county, and particularly within the liberties of the city; and the state of tranquillity which this district enjoyed (comparatively) during the winter, has been much interrupted. The insurgents appear to proceed upon an organized system of exciting terror, and preventing any transfer of property disagreeable to themselves by means of conflagration; and I now feel it necessary strictly to put in force, as the only means of counteracting their designs, the provisions of the act against persons apprehended abroad at night, or not found within their dwellings. On this principle there have been already some useful convictions, and in three cases there is every reason to believe that the

persons who were actually concerned in the outrages have been punished. The conviction on Thursday in the City Court of a person of the name of Halloran, a notorious leader among the disaffected, will, I trust, be attended with good results. I beg to convey through you, Sir, my opinion to his Excellency, that I consider it of material consequence to the peace of the country that the bill for the continuing the Insurrection Act should be brought into the house at an early period of the Session. I am persuaded the certainty that the act was to be continued, would have considerable effect in disconcerting the plans of the disaffected, and giving confidence to the loyal; and I know that the period of the Session, to which the discussion of the measure was postponed last year, was injurious.

I had intended to have addressed some observations to his Excellency on the necessity of continuing the bill for another year, even if the country had remained reasonably tranquil; but the occurrences which have taken place since I had an interview with his Excellency, put all discussion as to the propriety of its re-enactment out of the question, and make it, in my judgment, imperative to reenact the law, and that speedily.

The want of troops, which was felt so much during the winter, prevents the supply of a sufficient number of men for patrols, which are peculiarly necessary at this crisis.

Limerick, March 18, 1823. My dear Sir, It occurs to me that it might be agreeable to you that I should address you by letter, notwithstanding our personal

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