There was another circumstance still more calculated to diminish apprehensions as to the risk of opening the corn market of this country to foreign competition. There has appeared of late years a tendency to increase in the consumption of articles of subsistence much more rapid than the increase in the population. It is difficult, if not impossible, on account of the absence of statistical information, to measure accurately that increase in the case of articles of first necessity, such as corn and meat; but it may be inferred from the relative consumption at different periods of articles in respect to which the comparison can be instituted. The following is an account of some of the principal articles entered for home consumption in the years 1841 and 1846 respectively: ┌─────────────────────────┬────────────────────┬────────────────────┐ │ Articles. │ 1841. │ 1846. │ ├─────────────────────────┼────────────────────┼────────────────────┤ │ Cocoa │ 1,930,764 lbs. │ 2,962,327 lbs. │ │ Coffee │ 28,420,980 lbs. │ 36,781,391 lbs. │ │ Currants │ 190,071 cwts. │ 359,315 cwts. │ │ Rice │ 245,887 cwts. │ 466,961 cwts. │ │ Pepper │ 2,750,790 lbs. │ 3,297,431 lbs. │ │ Sugar │ 4,065,971 cwts. │ 5,231,845 cwts. │ │ Molasses │ 402,422 cwts. │ 582,665 cwts. │ │ Tea │ 36,681,877 lbs. │ 46,728,208 lbs. │ │ Tobacco and Snuff │ 22,308,385 lbs. │ 27,001,908 lbs. │ │ Brandy │ 1,165,137 gallons │ 1,515,954 gallons │ │ Geneva │ 15,404 gallons │ 40,211 gallons │ │ British Spirits │ 20,642,333 gallons │ 23,122,581 gallons │ │ Malt, charged with duty │ 36,164,448 bushels │ 41,979,000 bushels │ └─────────────────────────┴────────────────────┴────────────────────┘ Surely it is impossible to refer to this comparative table without being forcibly struck by the rapid increase in the consumption of the articles which it embraces. Can there be a doubt that if the consumption of articles of a secondary necessity has been thus advancing, the consumption of articles of first necessity—of meat and of bread, for instance—has been making at least an equally rapid progress?