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 war generally offers a large remunerative employment to her shipowners; moreover, in this instance, the dread of famine served to increase the demand for ships, and thereby enhanced their prosperity.

As the winter of 1794-95 set in remarkably early, and proved to be of extraordinary length and severity, many apprehensions were entertained that the growing crops might suffer also. Nor were these fears groundless; the price of wheat, which was 55s. 7d. on the 1st of January, 1795, rose to 77s. 2d. on the 1st of July, and to no less than 108s. 4d. per quarter in August of the same year. Government had, early in 1795, noticed with considerable anxiety the indications of impending dearth. To check or modify these extraordinary prices all neutral corn vessels bound to France were brought into English ports, their cargoes being, however, paid for with a very ample margin of profit to the owners.

Various remedies were proposed to counteract the evils of such high prices, and Parliament ultimately enacted that a bounty of from 16s. to 20s. per quarter (according to the quality of the corn), and of 6s. per barrel on flour from the south of Europe, should be paid till the quantity in store amounted to four hundred thousand quarters. This law was to be in force till the 30th of September, 1796. Indeed such was the state of alarm at the probable scarcity of food that the members of both Houses of Parliament bound themselves to reduce the consumption of bread in