Butintheexpenditurefromthistaxationwasthereasingleiteminwhich
thepoorhadaspecialinterest？Thegreatmassoftheexpenditurewaswar
expenditure，andthatwasnotexpenditureinwhichthepoorweremoreinterested
thantherest。Indeed，muchofitwasexpenditurewhichcouldnotbeassociated
directlyorindirectlywiththeirinterests，suchasthehugesubsidiesto
thecourtsofEurope。Nearlyfiftymillionswentinthesesubventions，and
ifsomeofthemwerestrategicalotherswerepurelypolitical。DidtheEnglish
labourerreceiveanyprofitfromthetwoandahalfmillionsthatPittthrew
totheKingofPrussia，asubsidythatwasemployedforcrushingKosciusko
andPoland，orfromthemillionsthathegavetoAustria，inreturnforwhich
AustriacededVenicetoNapoleon？Didhereceiveanybenefitfromthemillion
spenteveryyearonthegermanlegion，whichhelpedtokeephiminorder
inhisowncountry？Didhereceiveanybenefitfromthemillionandahalf
which，ontheconfessionoftheFinanceCommitteeoftheHouseofCommons
in1810，wenteveryyearinabsolutesinecures？Didhereceiveanybenefit
fromtheinterestontheloanstothegreatbankersandcontractors，who
madehugeprofitsoutofthewarandwerepatrioticenoughtolendmoney
totheGovernmenttokeepitgoing？Didhereceiveanybenefitfromtheexpenditure
oncrimpingboysorpressingseamen，ortransportingandimprisoningpoachers
andthrowingtheirfamiliesbythousandsontherates？Pitt’sbrilliantidea
ofbuyingupacheapdebtoutofmoneyraisedbyadearonecostthenation
twentymillions，andthoughPittconsideredtheSinkingFundhisbesttitle
tohonour，nobodywillpretendthatthepoorofEnglandgainedanythingfrom
thisdisplayofhisoriginality。7*Intheseyearsgovernmentwasraising
bytaxationorloansoverahundredmillions，butnotasinglepennywent
totheeducationofthelabourer’schildren，ortoanypurposethatmade
theperilsanddifficultiesofhislifemoreeasytobeborne。Ifthesinecures
hadbeenreducedbyahalf，orifthegreatmoney-lendershadbeentreated
asiftheirclaimstothelastpennywerenotsacrosanct，andhadbeenmade
totaketheirshareofthelossesofthetime，itwouldhavebeenpossible
tosetuptheEnglishcottagerwithallotmentsonthemodestplanproposed
byYoungorCobbett，sidebysidewiththegreatestateswithwhichthat
expenditureendowedthebankersandthedealersinscrip。
Now，solongaspriceskeptup，theconditionofthelabourerwasmasked
bythegeneralprosperityofthetimes。Thegoverningclasshadfoundamethod
whichcheckedthedemandforhigherwagesandthedangerthatthelabourer
mightclaimashareintheboundingwealthofthetime。Thewolfwasatthe
door，itistrue，buthewaschained，andthechainwastheSpeenhamland
system。Consequently，thoughwehearcomplaintsfromthelabourers，whocontended
thattheywerereceivinginapatronisinganddegradingformwhattheywere
entitledtohaveastheirdirectwages，thenoteofrebellionwassmothered
forthemoment。Atthistimeitwasaprofitableproceedingtogrowcorn
onalmostanysoil，anditisstillpossibletotraceontheunharvested
downsofDartmoortheprintoftheploughthatturnedeventhatwildmoorland
intogold，inthedayswhenNapoleonwasmassinghisarmiesforinvasion。
Duringtheseyearsparishesdidnotmindgivingaidfromtheratesonthe
Speenhamlandscale，and，thoughunderthismischievoussystempopulation
wasadvancingwildly，therewassuchademandforlabourthatthisabundance
didnotseem，asitseemedlater，aplagueoflocusts，butasourceofstrength
andwealth。Theopinionofthedaywasallinfavourofaheavybirthrate，
anditwasgenerallyagreed，aswehaveseen，thatPitt’sescapadesinthe
WestIndiesandelsewherewoulddrawoffthesurpluspopulationfastenough
toremovealldifficulties。Butalthoughthelargefarmersprayedincessantly
toheaventopreservePittandtokeepupreligionandprices，thedaycame
whenitdidnotpaytoploughthedownsorthesands，andtumblingprices
broughtruintothefarmerswhoserentsandwholemanneroflivingwerefixed
ontheassumptionthattherewasnoseriousdangerofpeace，andthatEngland
wastoliveinaperpetualheydayoffamineprices。
Withthefallinprices，thefactsofthelabourer’sconditionweredisclosed。
Doctorstellusthatinsomecasesofheartdiseasethereisastatedescribed
ascompensation，whichmaypostponefailureformanyyears。Withthefall
in1814compensationceased，andthediseasewhichitobscureddeclareditself。
Foritwasnownolongerpossibletoabsorbtheredundantpopulationinthe
wastefulroundsmansystem，andthemaintenancestandardtendedtofallwith
thegrowingpressureontheresourcesfromwhichthelabourerwaskept。By
thistimealllabourhadbeenswampedinthesystem。Theordinaryvillage
didnotcontainamassofdecentlypaidlabourersandasurplusoflabourers，
fromtimetotimeredundant，forwhomtheparishhadtoprovideasbestit
could。Itcontainedamassoflabourers，allofthemunderpaid，whomthe
parishhadtokeepaliveinthewaymostconvenienttothefarmers。Bishop
Berkeleyoncesaidthatitwasdoubtfulwhethertheprosperitythatpreceded，
orthecalamitiesthatsucceeded，theSouthSeaBubblehadbeenthemore
disastroustoGreatBritain：thatsayingwouldverywellapplytotheposition
oftheagriculturallabourerinregardtotheriseandthefallofprices。
Withtheriseofpricesthelastpatchofcommonagriculturehadbeenseized
bythelandlords，andthelabourerhadbeenrobbedevenofhisgarden；8*
withthefall，thegreatmassoflabourerswerethrownintodestitutionand
misery。Wemayaddthatifthatprosperityhadbeenbriefer，thesuperstition
thatanartificialencouragementofpopulationwasneeded——thesuperstition
oftherichforwhichthepoorpaidthepenaltywouldhavehadashorter
life。Asitwas，attheendofthegreatprosperitythelandlordswereenormously
rich；rentshadinsomecasesincreasedfive-foldbetween1790and1812；9*
thelargefarmershadinmanycasesclimbedintoastyleoflifewhichmeant
acrashassoonaspricesfell；thefinanciershadmadegreatandsudden
fortunes；theonlyclassforwhomariseinthestandardofexistencewas
essentialtothenation，hadmerelybecomemoredependentonthepleasure
ofotherclassesandtheaccidentsofthemarkets。Thepurchasingpowerof
thelabourer’swageshadgonedown。
Thefirstsignofthestrainistheriotingof1816。Inthatyearthe
spiritwhichthegoverningclasshadtriedtosendtosleepbytheSpeenhamland
system，burstoutinthefirstoftwopeasants’revolts。Letusremember
whattheirpositionwas。Theywerenottheonlypeopleoverwhelmedbythe
fallinprices。Somelandlords，whohadbeensorecklessandextravagant
astoliveuptotheenormousrevenuetheywerereceiving，hadtosurrender
theirestatestothenewclassofbankersandmoney-lendersthathadbeen
madepowerfulbythewar。Manyfarmers，whohadtakentokeepingliveried
servantsandtocopyingthepompoftheirlandlords，andwhohadstakedeverything
onthepermanenceofprices，werenowsubmerged。Smallfarmerstoo，asthe
answerssenttothequestionsissuedthisyearbytheBoardofAgriculture
show，becamepaupers。Thelabourerwasnottheonlysufferer。Buthediffered
fromtheothervictimsofdistressinthathehadnotbenefited，but，as
wehaveseen，hadlost，bytheprosperityofthedayswhentheploughturned
agoldenfurrow。Hishousinghadnotbeenimproved；hisdependencehadnot
beenmadelessabjectorlessabsolute；hiswageshadnotrisen；andinmany
caseshisgardenhaddisappeared。Whenthestormbrokeoveragriculturehis
conditionbecamedesperate。InFebruary1816theBoardofAgriculturesent
outaseriesofquestions，oneofwhichaskedforanaccountofthestate
ofthepoor，andoutof273replies237reportedwantofemploymentanddistress，
and25reportedthattherewasnotunemploymentordistress。10*Oneof
thecorrespondentsexplainedthatinhisdistricttheoverseercalledameeting
everySaturday，whenheputupeachlabourerbynametoauction，andthey
wereletgenerallyatfrom1s。6d。to2s。perweekandtheirprovisions，
theirfamiliesbeingsupportedbytheparish。11*
In1816thelabourersweresufferingbothfromunemploymentandfromhigh
prices。In1815，astheAnnualRegister12*putsit，’muchdistress
wasundergoneinthelatterpartoftheyearbythetradingportionofthe
community。Thissourceofprivatecalamitywasunfortunatelycoincidentwith
anextraordinarydeclineinagriculturalprosperity，immediatelyproceeding
fromthegreatlyreducedpriceofcornandotherproducts，whichboreno
adequateproportiontotheexorbitantrentsandotherheavyburdenspressing
uponthefarmer。’Atthebeginningof1816thereweregloomyanticipations
ofafallinprices，andWestern13*movedaseriesofresolutionsdesigned
topreventtheimportationofcorn。Butastheyearadvanceditbecameevident
thatthedangerthatthreatenedEnglandwasnotthedangerofabundancebut
thedangerofscarcity。Abitterlycoldsummerwasfollowedbysomeagre
aharvestthatthepriceofcornroserapidlybeyondthepointatwhichthe
portswereopenforimportation。Buthighpriceswhichbroughtbiddersat
onceforfarmsthathadbeenunletmadebreadandmeatdeartotheagricultural
labourer，Withoutbringinghimmoreemploymentoranadvanceofwages，and
theriotsof1816weretheresultofthemiseryduetothiscombinationof
misfortunes。
TheriotsbrokeoutinMayofthatyear，andthecountiesaffectedwere
Norfolk，Suffolk，HuntingdonandCambridgeshire。Nightlyassemblieswere
held，threateninglettersweresent，andhouses，barnsandrickswereset
onfire。Thesefireswereapreludetoamoredeterminedagitation，which
hadsuchaneffectontheauthoritiesthattheSheriffSuffolkandMr。Willet，
abankerofBrandonnearBury，hastenedtoLondontoinformtheHomeSecretary
andtoaskforthehelpofthegovernmentinrestoringtranquillity。Mr。
Willet’sspecialinterestintheproceedingsisexplainedinanaivesentence
intheAnnualRegister：’Areductioninthepriceofbreadandmeat
wastheavowedobjectoftherioters。Theyhadfixedamaximumfortheprice
ofboth。Theyinsistedthatthelowestpriceofwheatmustbehalfacrown
abushel，andthatofprimejointsofbeeffourpenceperpound。Mr。Willet，
abutcheratBrandon，wasamarkedobjectoftheirill-will，inwhichMr。
Willet，thebanker，was，fromthesimilarityofhisname，indangerofsharing。
Thiscircumstance，andalaudableanxietytopreservethepublicpeace，induced
himtotakeanactivepartandexertallhisinfluenceforthatpurpose。’14*
Theriotersnumberedsomefifteenhundred，andtheybrokeupintoseparate
parties，scatteringintodifferenttownsandvillages。Inthecourseoftheir
depredationsthehouseoftherightMr。Willetwaslevelledtotheground，
afterwhichthewrongMr。Willet，itistobehoped，waslessrestless。15*
’Theywerearmedwithlong，heavysticks，theendsofwhich，totheextent
ofseveralinches，werestuddedwithshortironspikes，sharpatthesides
andpoint。Theirflagwas。inscribed“BreadorBlood！”andthey
threatenedtomarchtoLondon。’16*
Duringthenextfewdaystherewereencountersbetweeninsurgentmobs
inNorwichandBuryandtheyeomanry，thedragoons，andtheWestNorfolk
Militia。Nolivesseemtohavebeenlost，butagooddealofpropertywas
destroyed，andanumberofriotersweretakenintocustody。TheTimesof
25thMaysays，inanarticleontheseriots，thatwageshadbeenreduced
toaratelowerthanthemagistratesthoughtreasonable，forthemagistrates，
aftersuppressingariotnearDownham，acquiescedintheproprietyofraising
wages，andreleasedtheoffenderswhohadbeenarrestedwithasuitableremonstrance。
TherewasamuchmoreseriousbattleatLittleportintheIsleofEly，when
theoldfightingspiritofthefensseemstohaveinspiredtherioters。They
beganbydrivingfromhishouseaclergymanmagistrateofthenameofVachel，
afterwhichtheyattackedseveralhousesandextortedmoney。Theythenmade
forEly，wheretheycarriedoutthesameprogramme。Thisstateofanarchy，
aftertwoorthreedays，endedinabattleinLittleportinwhichtworioters
werekilled，andseventy-fivetakenprisoners。Theprisonersweretriednext
monthbyaSpecialCommission：twenty-fourwerecapitallyconvicted；ofthese
fivewerehung，fiveweretransportedforlife，onewastransportedforfourteen
years，threeforsevenyears，andtenwereimprisonedfortwelvemonthsin
Elygaol。17*Thespiritinwhichoneofthejudges，Mr。Christian，the
ChiefJusticeoftheIsleofEly，conductedtheproceedingsmaybegathered
fromhisclosingspeech，inwhichhesaidthattherioterswerereceiving
’greatwages’andthat’anychangeinthepriceofprovisionscouldonly
lessenthatsuperfluity，which，Ifear，theytoofrequentlywastedindrunkenness。’18*
Thepressureofthechangedconditionsofthenationonthissystemof
maintenanceoutoftheratesisseen，notonlyinthebehaviourofthelabourers，
butalsointhegrowinganxietyoftheupperclassestocontrolthesystem，
andinthetenacitywithwhichtheparishescontestedsettlementclaims。
ThisisthegreatperiodofPoorLawlitigation。Parishauthoritieskept
astricterwatchthaneveronimmigrants。In1816，forexample，theBoard
ofAgriculturereportedthataccordingtoacorrespondent’alatelegaldecision，
determiningthatkeepingacowgainedasettlement，hasdeprivedmanycottagers
ofthatcomfort，asitisproperlycalled。’19*Thisdecisionwasremedied
bythe1819Act20*toamendtheSettlementLawsasregardsrentingtenements，
andtheReportonthePoorLawin1819statesthatinconsequencethere’will
nolongerbeanobstacletotheaccommodationwhichmaybeaffordedinsome
instancestoapoorfamily，byrentingthepasturageofacow，orsomeother
temporaryprofitfromtheoccupationofland。’21*Lawsuitsbetweenparishes
wereincessant，andin1815themoneyspentonlitigationandtheremoval
ofpaupersreachedthegiganticfigureof£；287，000。
InParliament，too，thequestionofPoorLawReformwasseentobeurgent，
buttheproblemassumedaparticularandverylimitedshape。Thesignificance
ofthisdevelopmentcanbeillustratedbycomparingthecharacterandthe
fateofameasureWhitbreadhadintroducedin1807withthecharacterand
thefateofthelegislationafterWaterloo。
Whitbread’sschemehadaimedat1improvingandhumanisingtheLawof
Settlement；2reformingtheadministrationofthePoorLawassuchinsuch
awayastogivegreaterencouragementtoeconomyandafairerdistribution
ofburdens；3stimulatingthriftandpenalisingidlenessinthelabourers；
4reformingunemploymentpolicy。