cost the bakers 88s. the quarter? The bakers tell you they
always buy the best wheat, and yet, though they are the largest buyers
in the wheat market, the aggregate average of the kingdom did not
exceed 58s. 6d. on the 8th November. The truth is, the bakers are
trying to make the most they can; and they are not to blame, provided
their gains were not imputed to the farmers. But we all know, that
when bread gets inordinately high in price, clamour is raised against
_dear wheat_--that is, against the farmer--and this again is made the
pretext for _a free trade in corn_; whilst the _high price secured to
the baker by the privilege of his trade_ is left unblamed and
unscathed."

* * * * *

Had the Court of Session thought proper to retain in observance the
powers to which it succeeded after the abolition of the Privy Council,
and which for some time it executed, we certainly should have applied
to their Lordships for an Act of Sederunt to regulate the proceedings
of Master Bakers. But, as centralisation has not even spared us an
humble Secretary, we must leave our complaint for consideration in a
higher quarter. Our correspondent, however, is rather too charitable
in assuming that the bakers are not to blame. We cannot, for the life
of us, understand why they are permitted to augment the price of
bread, the great commodity of life, at this enormous ratio, in
consequence of the rise of corn. Surely some enactment should be
framed, by which the price of the loaf should be kept in strict
correspondence with the average price of grain, and some salutary
check put upon a monopoly, which, we are convinced, has often afforded
a false argument against the agricultural interests of the country.

Such we believe to be the true state of the grain crop throughout the
kingdom generally. How, from such a state of things, any valid
argument can be raised for opening the ports at this time, we are
totally at a loss to conceive. The only serious feature connected with
the present harvest, is the partial failure of the potato crop, to
which we shall presently refer. But, so far as regards corn, we
maintain that there is no real ground for alarm; and further, there is
this important consideration connected with the late harvest, which
should not be ungratefully disregarded, that two months of the grain
season have already passed, and the new crop remains comparatively
untouched, so that it will have to supply