The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-15 00:00:00

MIDLAND COUNITES CATTLE SHOW

DINNER.

BIRMINGHAM, DEC. 14.
The dinner, in celebra'ion of this show, took place
(ca already announted in the Express) last evening,
under the presidency of the E.,' of ATLASFOIID.
The toast of the Conaty Members" baying been given,
Kr. NEWDEGATE wne the first to respond. He re-
joiced (he saia) to see a large and influential assembly on
each en occasion in the metropolis of the Midland counties,
affording, as it did, an earnest that the people of the greatest
industrial mart in the world took a deep interest in the success
and prosperity of the agricultural interest of the ant rouoding
elbtrict. They might believe his that this exprersion of
their good will would to home to the feelings of the 'grind.
Indite. (Cheers.) There were some expressions whisk
possibly lost their effect by being often repeated ; it had been
ea often said that the agricultural and manufacturing late-
nets were identical, and that those who snuck at the root et
tke one did also an injury to the other, that the expression
was by many persons resatdel as expressing little
meaning, but here they had a practical illustratina
of the identity of these interests, and no mistske.
He believed that nothing could be more useful or beneficial
than for the manufacturing interest to hold out the hand of
fillowehip to the agricultural; they might dip rid upon it
that this meeting would have its weight with others, and
in other parts of the crewel, and that it would tend to
produce a practical extmplificatton of the truism, that the
agricultural and manufacturing interest was identical, the
more especially if the manufacturers would fully understand
that on their prosperity depended the prosperity of the home
trade—the greatest trade of the country, and especially of
Birmingham. (Hear.) They might depend on it that
capital, however profitably employed, was
invested in the centre of &discontented community. (Hear.)
Kr. SPOONER, M.P., said—This was a most interesting
occasion; it was the first attempt made practically to doe
metatarsi' that agriculture and commerce are twin sisters,
born at a birth, and wh hey are buried they must
both lie in one grave. (Hear.) To those who think they
can serve commerce at the expense of agricuaure, he would
only say that the result would be ruin to themselves. This
much his experience bed taught him, that that man had un-
derstood his duty to his country who pursued one straight-
forward line of policy, and adopted that course which was
most conducive to the interests, nut of a class, but of the
entire community.
Load LBW ISHAK briefly returned thanks.
The of " The borough members," having been pro
posed be Sir FRANCIS Law LET,
Mr. MUN IS then rose to respond. It was most gratify.
leg to him, and must have been refreshing to all of them to
know that when a man asserted what was right and honest,
without any consideration of party or self, his health should
have been propose 1 and received in the manner it had been.
Sir Francis Lawley had only done him justice, when he
easde bis observatiots. He (Kr. Manta) had never con-
sidered his own interests; he had never sacrificed soy prin-
ciple; he had always attended to his:duty, and to their in-
, terests in the House of Commons. He reverted th .t his
honourable colleague (Mr. S,:holefield) was absent on that
occasisa, because he would have told them that there was
no difference of °pillion between them in thinki,g that the
interests of manufacturers and agriculturists were indentical.
In conclusion, he could assure them that his study
would always be, as heretofore, honestly, faithfully, and use-
fuliy to serve them. (Cheers.) But he had had a toast very
unexpectedly put into bis hands. He wished it bed been
entrusted to somebody else, because, to tell the truth, he did
not feel quite up to the mark. The toast was, " The Agri-
cultural Interest." As they might suppose, be bud some
difficulty in giving that toast ; but his opinion he bad always
stated publicly in the house and out of it, that the interests
of agriculture and trade were the same. The difference
between them arose from two things: first, bad laws; and
essond, ignorant legislation. If there were no ironical
qua-ka, and only common sense was used, all the in.
tants of the country would be in a state of perma-
nent prosperity. They saw in print—and a great deal
of nonsense was printed—they saw much fuss made
about the exports, and it was attempted to show that they
were a proof that the country was in a prosperous state.
Why, it only showed they were exporting a great deal they
ought to consume. Before they could judge what effect
these esporta had on the country, they must have before
them the number of tans, pounds, and yards, to show how
much they gave fur the same amount of pounds, shilling.,
' and pence they got formerly. Unless they made a debtor
and cred,tor account, it was no preen that the couotry was in
a prosperous state ; it only showed that they must export,
and did so, at a certain pries, because they could not get a
better at home. He teed not tell them of the decrease that
bad taken place in many articles of manufacture in Birming-
ham, averaging from 5 to 50 per cent., Inc suss they knew it;
but the other day he met a wealthy manufacturer from the
earth " Waal," said he Mr. Kuntz) " how are you getting
on?" " Oh, pretty well," was the reply. " Pretty well .
what do you mean i" " Only," repiied the manufacturer,
"that we eat a farmer every night for supper." (Liughtero
It was no joke ; on the contrary, he (Mr. Kuntz) thought
it a fact. And the gentle men -had gene further and said,
" We have eaten up the West Indian planters, we have
oaten the Irish landlords, we have fthished the colonies, and
now we sae at the farmers: and I don't know that we won't
be eaten ourselves." (Cheers.) Now, this *vend not last
be ever; they could not go on eating ferrates. No reason-
able being eyelid believe that a permanent prosperity could
be obtained by. one party living en the other. This brought
him to protection. (Hear, hear.) Now, the pro•ective
laws did great injustice to the teanufacturer—(litar)—but
now it was their turn, and they could only manufacture at a
certain price, and the farmer could only grow on the same
teems. What was the result? Why the great reduction
that took place in the price of the farmer's produce enabnd
the manufacturer to sell at a very small, but still a profit.
They had meetings here and meetings there—proposals here
and proposals there—and the cry was to go back to protec-
tion. Now, although he had always opposed protection,
and always would oppose it in the sense it was generally
used in, yet ha had held that the whole of this country
inlaid not do without protection. The only thing he was at
issue with those who cried out tor protection was, that he
did not approve of their principle. It was an isolated, par-
tial, and unjust protcctior, and never even protected the
farmers themselves. Let them look back at the years
1822 and lti3y and 1830, when they had the full amount
, of protection they ever had; why, at that time all the far-
mers were in ruin and misery. (N no.) He knew better.
They were holding meetings in all quarters of the country,
and deel- ring that they were all goiog to perdition. It did
not, therefore, serve those it was intended to protect. He
was an advocate for that protection that would protect all
clarets equally, fairly, justly, and honestly. They could not
be prosperous under such a system. They must have that pro-
tection tat would equally protect the manufacturer and agri-
culturist. (Cheers.) But they were met again
by men woo said the landlords must reuuce
their rents. All very well ; but he felt and knew that it
the landlords gave up their rents altogether they
could not bye. (Cheers) But there was a reason why they
could not give up their rents. There were unfortunately
many men who were net clear of liabilities, and could not
give their rents up. The tenant, then, was the seepages'.
betweeu the landlord and the consumer. It was also pro
posed to put a fixed duty on corn. lie had always thought,
and he was of the same opinion now, that repealing the
whole duty on corn was a farce. (" Hear," and cheers.)
Hs never could understand why, the whole duty should be
repealed. Manufacturers were subject to a duty, protective
in its nature, to 5, 10, or 15 per cent. It was true that they
wanted a duty for revenue ; but they would
tection at the expease of tte rest of the country.
Earl TALBOT, in toasting the president elect (Lord Ha.
er thirteen), said that the man who placed the two interests—
agriculture and commerce—in antagonism was an enemy to
' his species. The state of the country was such, both with
retard to agricultural and manufacturing depression, that
something must be done ; he did not say what, but let the
• farmers make their wants known, end he left it to wiser
'" heads than his own to devise a remedy.
,7, In responding to the toast, " The succeeded candidate',"
"" Mr. BEAMAN, of Moreton in the Marsb, said that he
mid farmed a thousand acres, and that he did not take that
lace
gloom Lord y v
Hiew of matters which Mr. Muni: had done.
ATHERTON proposed the health of Mr. T. B.
_"...11;,' Wright, editor of the Midland Counties Herald, with whom
talon originated the idea of this meeting, and his lordship an-
nounced that his presidency should be devoted to fostering it.
Aber
,hick

NAVAL.
ADMIRALTY, DEC. 14. —APPOINTMENTS.— Phaeton—
Chaplain: J. B. Bunce. Naval Instructor: W. Roe. Mid-
shipmen: C. de Crespigny. Naval cadet: T. H. Royse.
Contest—Midshipman: a. It D. McMurdo. PROMOTION.
To be Chief Engineer : P. McDowell.
, Wootwicu, DEC. 14.—Enterprise, Arctic discovery ship,
' was commimioned to-day by Capt. Ittchd. Collhoa, C.B.
She is to have a crew of 66 men. Every effort is being made
to fit her oat immediately; the shipwrights are busy copper-
ing her, and part of hoc lower rigging is over the masts
The Investigator will be docked to morrow, to he coppered ;
and the utmost expedition wilt be used to get both easels
ready for sea immediately. It is, however, at presont doubt.
ful whether they will start immediately, or wait here till
some intelligonce is received from the Plover. Archer st.-v.
went down thrt river to-day on an experimental trial ; her
speed averaged 7 knots. She wee brought up at Greenhithe
for the night, and will proceed en to the west without r►
turning to Woolwich.

IRELAND.

Dram, Dsc. 14.
The landlord party are at this moment moving
heaven and earth to get up a protectionist agitation
in Ireland, as it is evident that it is upon this country
they must draw most largely for their arguments and
support in any parliamentary straggle they may an-
ger, in dais, the ensuing session. Requisitions are
in course of signature in the midland and southern
counties to call meetings for the purpose, and a tone
of nationality is insidiously borrowed, by which, if
the people suffer themselves to be deceived, they will
be egregious fools. If the Irish landlords here become
nationalists, a social miracle indeed has been operated.
The memorial, so mysteriously alluded to by the
Evening Mad, and other protectionist journals, Si in
preparation for presentation to the Queen, appear
at full length in the Freeman's Journal of this morn-
ing, and is the best embodiment of the sentiments and
professions of the party that has yet been produced.
The Packet of last evening thus announces some
of the preparations making by the protectionists for
the approaching parliamentary struggle :
We are authorised to state that, previous to the assem-
bling of parliament, a great aggregate muting of Irish
peers, members of parliament, deputy lieutenants, magis-
trates, hawkers* merchants, gi wry, traders, and faunae
classes,
class's, will beheld is this city, for the purpcso of express-
ing, in terms that no misister shall dare to slight, Ireland's
stern and unanimous determination t• obtain protection for
native industry at any hszatd. At this altering ample ac-
commodation will be afforded to protection delegates from
the provinces; and the resolutions and petition that will be
proposed will embrace all the requirements of Ireland—
agricultural, social, and political.
NJ tffort is neglected to procure signatures through-
the country for the memorial to her Majesty. Lerd
Olengall, who may claim the paternity of the docu-
ment, transmitted yesterday copies of the following
circular to all the bJards of guardians in Ireland :
Cesir, Dec.l2, Iti49.
Gentlemen,—l have the honour to enclose a copy of a
petition to her Majesty, representing the distressed position
of Ireland, and the total ruin which appears daily to over.
whelm her inhabitant,. I trust you will excuse my bring-
ing this document under your emisideration, end in request-
, tog that the members of your board will, if they approve of
I its contents, subscribe their signatures, and return it to me
as early as conveniert. It is of the utmost importance
that the petition should be presented a reasonable period bas '
fore the meeting of parliament, to afford her Majesty's
ministers an opportunity of proposing some measures of re-
lief ; but, at the ume tim i, Irishmen must be prepared to I
act for tunuelves, if they are desirous to raise tbeir coon-
try from the destruction which now affects all her interests;
and, although it may be hoped that the government will I
be induced, in comma n justice, to retrace vieir mischiev ,
policy towards Ireland, 1 yet feel, from put experience,'
that our only prospect of success will rest on the united and '
vigorous efforts of Irishmen themselves sad their repro-
seutatives in parliament. Requesting your early reply—l
have the honour to remain, gentlemen, your very faithful
si resat, Onnnoann•
To the Chairman and Board of Guardians
of the Union of
A voluminous correspondence appears in the Free-
man's Journal this morning, carried on between
Mr. John O'Connell, on the part of the Repeal As-
sociation, and Mr. Maurice Layne on that of the Irish
Alliance, through the medium of the Very Rev. Dr.
Spratt, who has been benevolently endeavouring to
bring about a union between the two parties. How-
ever, for the present, there does not seem much pro-
bality of success.
A very interesting meeting was held in Cork on
Tuesday, for the purpose of discussing the question of
petitioning parliament for the establishment of •
transatlantic packet station on the coast of Ireland.
chair was occupied by the Earl of Bandoo, and
the local members, with nearly all the resident nobi-
lity and gentry of the county, took part in the pro-
ceeding*. The opinion of the meeting, as embodied
in the resolution, and petitiot a adopted, went to show
the advantages of opening a direct steam communi-
cation between an Irish port and America, without
showing any preference for one port more than ano-
ther on the western and south-western coast, leaving
the selection to the choice of those more immediately
coecerned. Among the resolutions were these:
That the establishment of a Transatlantic packet station
on the coast of Ireland would be productive of wide-spread
advai.tages, not only to the particular locally which might
happen to be selected as a port, but to all the districts con-
nected with the line of communication that would be thus
opened.
That the prostrate or depressed condition of all ranks
and classes in Ireland at the present moment—more parti-
cularly in the wet•ers, southern, and south western districts
of the country—offer additional reasons to the li gislature for
undertaking an expenditure calculated to afford employment
and relief to our labouring poor —to open up new lines of
communication—new sources of wealth—to stimulate the
industry of our people—promote the interests of commerce
and the general prosperity of the country.