Introduction
Writing for ‘Household Words,’ Samuel Sidney, a rising authority on Australia, was full of praise for William Huskisson MP and his then-unfashionable free trade policies. Sidney believed that by adding new trade partners far beyond Europe, British business had raised living standards, cut prices and created jobs for millions worldwide.
AUSTRALIA was the great woollen revolutionist. German superseded Spanish wool, and Australian has superseded German to a great extent. The fine wool of Spain often cost ten shillings a-pound; we now obtain an enormous supply of fine wool at from one shilling and sixpence to two shillings per pound.*
In eighteen hundred and fifteen, the whole importation, under the discouragement of a heavy duty of foreign wool, was under fourteen million pounds weight, of which about seven million pounds came from Spain, three millions from Germany, and three millions from the rest of Europe.
In eighteen hundred and forty, the total imports (after Huskisson's reduction of duties, in eighteen hundred and twenty-five) had reached fifty million pounds;** in eighteen hundred and forty-nine, after Sir Robert Peel's total abolition of duties on raw produce, wool importation rose to seventy-six million pounds, of which more than half came from Australia.***
* In today’s prices, a reduction from £33.40/lb to as little as £6.32/lb. See Measuring Worth.
* William Huskisson (1770-1830) was President of the Board of Trade, and later Colonial Secretary. He was killed at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway on 15th September, 1830, by George Stephenson’s famous ‘Rocket’.
* Robert Peel (1788-1850) was the Prime Minister who in 1846 pushed through The Repeal of the Corn Laws, a turning-point in British economic history.
Précis
In 1855, Samuel Sidney noted with enthusiasm how a policy of lowering duties on the importation of wool in the first half of the nineteenth century, championed by William Huskisson and then by Robert Peel, led to a vast increase in trade, and to the acquisition of major new commercial partners including Australia. (53 / 60 words)
In 1855, Samuel Sidney noted with enthusiasm how a policy of lowering duties on the importation of wool in the first half of the nineteenth century, championed by William Huskisson and then by Robert Peel, led to a vast increase in trade, and to the acquisition of major new commercial partners including Australia.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, although, despite, may, ought, since, whether, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Fourteen. Importation. Rise.
2 Supple. Supply. Three.
3 Fifty. Than. We.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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