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

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.

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