SOME time after Victoria began to reign, the poor people were
in great distress. Work was scarce and bread was dear, and many
died of hunger.
Long ago, most of the people in Britain used to live by cultivating
the land; that is, by ploughing, sowing, and reaping. In those
days enough corn was grown in Britain to feed all the people.
But as years went on, the great lords, who owned the land, found
that they made more money by rearing sheep for their wool than
by growing corn and wheat for food. So year by year less and less
corn was grown in the island. Year by year, too, more babies were
born and grew up into men and women, so that there were more people
to feed. Then discoveries began to be made and factories were
built, and the people who used to plough and sow went into the
towns to work in the factories. And so, because it became more
difficult to find people to do farm work, still less corn was
grown. Gradually the supply of corn became very small and, in
consequence, very dear. For it always happens that if there is
only a little of something which a great many people want, that
article becomes very dear and only those who are well off can
afford to buy it. That is what happened to corn in Britain. There
was not enough for all, and it became so dear that only the rich
people could buy it, and the poor people starved. Bread was so
dear that, however hard men worked, they could not earn enough
to feed themselves and their children.
There was plenty of corn in other parts of the world. In fact
people in other parts of the world had more than they wanted.
They would gladly have sold it to Britain, and have bought instead,
the beautiful cloths which were being made in the British factories.
In that way the people in Britain would have had plenty to eat,
and the people in other parts of the world would have had better
clothes to wear, and every one would have been happier and better
off.
But, unfortunately, some years before this, a law had been passed
that no foreign corn might be brought into the country until British
corn cost eighty shillings a quarter, which is very, very dear
indeed. The people who made this law meant to be kind to the farmers
and help them to get a good price for their corn, but they did
not see how unkind they were to the poor.
At last a few people saw what a dreadful mistake these Corn Laws,
as they were called, were, and they began with all their might
and main to try to have them altered. The chief of these people
were John Bright, Richard Cobden, and Charles Villiers, but they
found it was very difficult to make others think as they did.
For a long time they fought in vain, while the people grew poorer
and poorer, starving, struggling, dying. Even little children
and old men had to work hard all day long, always hungry.
"Child, what has thou with sleep to do?
Awake and dry thine eyes:
Thy tiny hands must labour too;
Our bread is tax'd, arise!
Arise, and toil long hours twice seven,
For pennies two or three;
Thy woes make angels weep in heaven,
But England still is free.
"Up, weary man of eighty-five,
And toil in hopeless woe;
Our bread is tax'd, our rivals thrive,
Our gods will have it so.
Yet God is undethron'd on high,
And undethron'd will be:
Father of all! hear Thou our cry
And England shall be free!"
But there was worse still to come. In Ireland nearly all the poor
people lived on potatoes only. And the potatoes all went bad.
In a few weeks the food which ought to have lasted for a whole
year became rotten.
This was such a terrible misfortune that some of the men who
had been against the repeal of the Corn Laws went over to the
other side and tried to do away with them as fast as they could.
Among these men was Sir Robert Peel, who was now Prime Minister.
They knew that unless corn could be brought cheaply into Ireland
there would be a famine.
A famine did come, and the people died in hundreds. Little children
cried in vain to their mothers for something to eat. The mothers
had nothing to give. It was a dreadful time, worse than any war.
Rich people sent money and food to the poor, starving Irish,
but in spite of everything that was done, the misery was terrible.
Some of the food and money came from the United States of America–from
the colonies which Britain had so lately lost. The owners of ships
and railways did what they could too, and all parcels which were
marked "For Ireland," were carried free on their trains
and ships. When at last the famine was over, it was found that
nearly a quarter of the people in Ireland had died.
