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Books, Maps & Ephemera
112
Urquhart (David); Ironside (Isaac) (Publisher) Russia and the Corn Trade, comprising: How...
Urquhart (David); Ironside (Isaac) (Publisher)
Russia and the Corn Trade, comprising:
How Russia tries to get into her hands the Supply of Corn of the Whole of Europe [Selections from Urquhart's Progress of Russia]. Robert Hardwicke, 1859; pp. 24. With "The Contradictions of Lord Clarendon in Reference to Corn" in Free Press Serials No. IV [Reprinted from the Free Press]. Sheffield: Isaac Ironside, [c.1855]. And The Free Press Vol. XI No. 7, C.D. Colley, July 1863; The Grain Trade of the North-West, Supplement to the Free Press, Aug. 1863; Russia Monopolising the Supply of Cotton as well as that of Corn (From the Free Press, Feb. 1862); and The Free Press Jan. 1856.
All bound as one in straight-grain morocco-backed marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt.
Isaac Ironside founded the Sheffield Free Press in 1851 and rapidly became an outspoken supporter of politician and writer David Urquhart. Urquhart was appointed, via determined self-promotion, to Sir Stratford Canning's mission to Istanbul to settle the border between Greece and Turkey. Mehmet Al Pasha had attacked the Ottoman Empire in 1831, and Britain and France refused to aid Mahmud II of Turkey - leading him to turn to Russia for aid. Whilst there Urquhart became both attracted to Turkish culture and fearful of Russian power in the region. He managed to get on the trade mission to the region in 1833 which preceded the 1838 Treaty of Balta Liman. This was to replace the 1820 Trade Tariff, which expired in 1834.
The Treaty ostensibly offered market freedom between Turkey and Britain, regulating duties and abolishing monopolies (an anti-Egyptian measure). The measures helped ensure British dominance of the industrial trade in the region, via the removal of local protectionism which might have helped nascent Turkish industrialisation efforts. Interestingly, the balance of trade was actually in favour of the Ottomans at the time - which of course led to dissatisfaction amongst British merchants.
Although heavily involved in the negotiations (at least until his recall by Palmerston for agitation) Urquhart was upset with the final form of the Treaty. A long comparison of the draft with the final Treaty in this collection highlights Palmerston's "falsehoods". Dissatisfaction was not one-way however. A heated letter debate between C. Dobson Collett and the Liverpool Financial Reform Committee levels accusations of treason at both Palmerston and Urquhart.
The principal concern though is with Russian ambition. In an era where Free Trade and the Great Game formed uneasy companions, Urquhart accuses the government of cutting off the supply of grain from other countries in order to give the Russians the monopoly on European food. A long correspondence between Ironside and Lord Clarendon on this matter is printed here.
Concerns about Russian agricultural dominance were not entirely unfounded. Though Russian farming was backward compared to more industrialised nations it nonetheless turned its wheat crop into a significant export commodity. The Baltic Exchange of London developed the market, and American futures exchanges were established hedging wheat futures. It is perhaps unclear how much was due to a massive British governmental conspiracy, but such fears were present. This was the time of the Corn Laws. Ideas of economic protectionism, free trade, and international deals were in direct conflict with labour legislation, a growing Popular political awareness, and a complex series of local conflicts which reflected the desires of nation states. Whether exploding into violence, like the Crimea war, or arms-length engagements, like the spy games on the Afghan border, all Europe had its eyes to Russia, and everything could be judged according to the score in the Great Game.
Russia and the Corn Trade, comprising:
How Russia tries to get into her hands the Supply of Corn of the Whole of Europe [Selections from Urquhart's Progress of Russia]. Robert Hardwicke, 1859; pp. 24. With "The Contradictions of Lord Clarendon in Reference to Corn" in Free Press Serials No. IV [Reprinted from the Free Press]. Sheffield: Isaac Ironside, [c.1855]. And The Free Press Vol. XI No. 7, C.D. Colley, July 1863; The Grain Trade of the North-West, Supplement to the Free Press, Aug. 1863; Russia Monopolising the Supply of Cotton as well as that of Corn (From the Free Press, Feb. 1862); and The Free Press Jan. 1856.
All bound as one in straight-grain morocco-backed marbled boards, spine lettered in gilt.
Isaac Ironside founded the Sheffield Free Press in 1851 and rapidly became an outspoken supporter of politician and writer David Urquhart. Urquhart was appointed, via determined self-promotion, to Sir Stratford Canning's mission to Istanbul to settle the border between Greece and Turkey. Mehmet Al Pasha had attacked the Ottoman Empire in 1831, and Britain and France refused to aid Mahmud II of Turkey - leading him to turn to Russia for aid. Whilst there Urquhart became both attracted to Turkish culture and fearful of Russian power in the region. He managed to get on the trade mission to the region in 1833 which preceded the 1838 Treaty of Balta Liman. This was to replace the 1820 Trade Tariff, which expired in 1834.
The Treaty ostensibly offered market freedom between Turkey and Britain, regulating duties and abolishing monopolies (an anti-Egyptian measure). The measures helped ensure British dominance of the industrial trade in the region, via the removal of local protectionism which might have helped nascent Turkish industrialisation efforts. Interestingly, the balance of trade was actually in favour of the Ottomans at the time - which of course led to dissatisfaction amongst British merchants.
Although heavily involved in the negotiations (at least until his recall by Palmerston for agitation) Urquhart was upset with the final form of the Treaty. A long comparison of the draft with the final Treaty in this collection highlights Palmerston's "falsehoods". Dissatisfaction was not one-way however. A heated letter debate between C. Dobson Collett and the Liverpool Financial Reform Committee levels accusations of treason at both Palmerston and Urquhart.
The principal concern though is with Russian ambition. In an era where Free Trade and the Great Game formed uneasy companions, Urquhart accuses the government of cutting off the supply of grain from other countries in order to give the Russians the monopoly on European food. A long correspondence between Ironside and Lord Clarendon on this matter is printed here.
Concerns about Russian agricultural dominance were not entirely unfounded. Though Russian farming was backward compared to more industrialised nations it nonetheless turned its wheat crop into a significant export commodity. The Baltic Exchange of London developed the market, and American futures exchanges were established hedging wheat futures. It is perhaps unclear how much was due to a massive British governmental conspiracy, but such fears were present. This was the time of the Corn Laws. Ideas of economic protectionism, free trade, and international deals were in direct conflict with labour legislation, a growing Popular political awareness, and a complex series of local conflicts which reflected the desires of nation states. Whether exploding into violence, like the Crimea war, or arms-length engagements, like the spy games on the Afghan border, all Europe had its eyes to Russia, and everything could be judged according to the score in the Great Game.
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