303 Civil Society. B. II.

intereft of their country. Atlaft, edicts were iffu-ed, authorizing the commerce of corn to be ab-folutely free, whether fold within the kingdom orexported. The generality , however , continuedblind. In the year 1768, the badnefs of the harvefi:having occafiorted a famine, the diftrefles of thepeople were exceffive* and their complaints uni-verfah Overlooking altogether the bad harveft,they attributed their mifery to the new law. Itwas in vain urged, that freedom in the corn-tradeencourages agriculture: the popular opinion wasadopted, even by moft of the parliaments : fo dif-ficult is it to eradicate eftabliflied prejudices. InTurky, about thirty years ago, a grand vizier per-mitted corn to be exported more freely than hadbeen done formerly , a bufiiel of wheat being foldat that time under feventeen pence. Every nationflocked to Turky for corn; and, in particular,no fewer than three hundred French veflels , fromtwenty to two hundred tons, entered Smyrna bayin one day. The Janifiaries and populace tookthe alarm, fearing that all the corn would be ex-ported , and that a famine would enfue. In Con-ftantinopfe they grew mutinous, and were notappealed till the vizier was ftrangled and his bodythrown out to them. His fuccrffor , cautious offplitting on the fame rock, prohibited exportationabfolutely. In chat country, rent is paid in pro-portion to the product; and the farmers, who fawno demand, neglected tillage. In lefs than threeyears, the bufhel of wheat rofe to fix {hillings;