Page:Speech of Sir Hussey Vivian, Bart. M.P. on the Corn Laws, Thursday March 14, 1839.djvu/21

17 to the large quantity of 19,808 tons, containing 4,834 tons of copper; little short, in fact, of half the produce of the whole county of Cornwall. Why, Sir, if in spite of all this I find the fears I had entertained as to the effect of the introduction of foreign ore have been shown to be groundless, I may fairly be permitted to hope and to expect, that the fears of the agriculturists would turn out equally so. That others also, who, at the time to which I refer, thought with me, have the same expectation, is shown by the circumstance of a petition, very respectably and numerously signed, from a district (the parish of St. Agnes) in the county of Cornwall, having been presented by my honourable friend, one of the Members for the Western district, praying for a change in the present corn laws, allowing foreign corn to be more freely admitted, and noticing the prosperity of the Cornish mines, notwithstanding the importation of foreign ore. Many of the parties signing that petition, are connected with the mining interests, and were formerly violently opposed to the introduction of foreign copper ore. Sir, there are other cases in which similar results may be shown to have followed a free importation of foreign produce. In the case of spelter for instance; on this article there was a protecting duty of 27l. a ton. Our British