The Express.
London, England, 1847-10-18 00:00:00

LINCOLNSIIIRE.

THE GRANTIIAMAZYJCULTUSAL SOCILTY held
their Deniml meeting on Friday last. Like! many others of
the kind, it exhibited a falling off in the quantity and quality
of the stock exhibited, as well as in the attendance of agri-
culturists. The scantiness of the show was accounted for by
the scarcity of "keep." The whole affair would have
proved very uninteresting, had it not been far the after-
dinner speeches of two of the yeomanry, who having been
challenged by Viscount Alford, M.P., to diecum any ques-
tion which they thought affected their interests, did not
hesitate to take advantage of the "liberty " so &worded.—
The Earl Brownlow, the president of the meeting, had in-
troduced the subject of tenant-right, respecting which con-
siderable feeling has existed in the district for some time. Ile
stated that he could not conceive how the farmers could desire
that which, instead of proving an advantage, would in the
audio them injury. He was sure that is Lincolnshire leases
were not at all required : the custom of the country was such
II to afford outgoing tenants all the return they could fairly
ask for impiovemmiu they might have effected in buildings
on the farm, or expenditure in manure on the land of which
they had not received the benefit; indeed it was the libe-
rality of this custom in Lincolnshire which led formers in
other parts of the country to ask for a tenant-right, which
&said make (that principle binding everywhere. As a proof
that matters went on well in this county, it had bat n stated
by Mr. Pusey, who might be called the Coryphmus of tenant-
! eight (tor he had introduced a bill into parliament ow the
eatiject lest session, though he had found out how
difficult it was to make a measure of the kind applicable to
all parts of the country), that the farming of Lineosnehire was
equalled nowhere except in the Lothians; and Mr. Posey
had also testified that under the Lincolnshire landlords, bar-
ren heaths had, in the course of a few years, been converted
into the most fertile fields. He (Lord Brownlow), there-
fore, thought it was a fallacy to legislate on such a subject ;
I and, more than that, it was impracticable. He had on his
own estates tenants who had succeeded their fathers and
grandfathers in their occupations, and all were contented
with the present system.—ln a ply to these remarks, Mr.
Bewley, of Huston, a yeoman, said if the noble lord knew
the circumstances in which some farmers were placed he
was sure he would admit the justice and policy of an equit-
able tenant-right. If the legislature would make such a
right binding, the farmers would invest a g eat deal more
capital in the land, and thus materially improve it and in-
crease the value of the predu ; but so long as
they were at the mercy of the landlords, and liable to be
turned out of their occupations without le leg reimbursed fur
the capital they had expended in improvements. they would
throw no more capital into the soil then they found advisa-
ble for cultivation from year to year. He knew a Cafe where
• former tenant of Sir \Vm. Welby's had severely suffered
for want of tenant-right; be had left Sir Wm. Welby's farm
to take a larger farm under another landlord ; he invested a
considerable sum, and greatly improved the estate ; but,
having given offence to his new landlord, he wax compelled
to leave at the end of two years, before he had got any re-
turn for his investment; and the whole of this lie was com-
pelled to sacrifice. Mr. Beasley then proceeded to another
subject, which, he said, he would probably not have
approached if Lord. Alford had not invited them to state
any complaints they might hare to make. Now they had
a grievous complaint to make of the manner in which the
representation of South Line Awhile was managed at the last
election. In Sir J. Trollope they had a member such as
they all wished for ; and they desired to hare for
his colleague, if not a man of equal experience, at all events
one who knew something of parliamentary business ; in-
stead of that, however, they had thrust upon them Lord
Burghley—no doubt a very amiable youth—but he was a
young man who had only just attained his majority, and
who anew nothing whatever of the duties he was
sent to discharge. He therefore said that the yeo-
manry of South Lincolnshire, in having such a mem-
ber thrust upon them without being in the least
consulted, had been very unfairly, and, he might sly,
shamefully used. It was an abuse of the representative
system, and an imposition upon the constituency of such sin
important district of country as that of Saudi Line-ill:shire.
—Mr. R. Henley, of Laughton, said he could not refrain
from joining Mr. Beasley in the just complaint to which he
had given utterance. It was an abominable thing to be
treated as the yeomanry of South Lincolnshire had been :
instead of being consulted as to the person who mu
best tutted to serve them in parliament, they had been
" given the go. by," and the election was the result
of a compact in a drawing-room. If Lord Burghley
wished to learn parliamentary business he should have
been returned for his father's pocket borough of Stamford,
but it was too bad to foist him upon South Lincolnshire
without any qualification for the office, and in defiance
of the wishes and interests of the constituency. Mr.
Kewnev, of Grantham, endeavoured to explain the
principle upon which Lord Burghley was brought
forward; but the company seemed to be nearly all of the
opinion of Mr. Beasley and Mr. Henley; and after much
murmuring the subject dropped. The other topics dis-
cussed at the dinner were of very little importance.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
THE Ilion FARES on the Eastern Counties Rail-
way have had the effect of re-piecing a Cambridge coach
upon the road. The local paper says : " The Defence," an
expressive name, "started on Monday morninget 10 o'clock,
with everything clean, bright, and new. Extraordinary in.
tercet was excited by this revivification of a departed worthy.
We believe not less than a thousand people were collected
about the Woolpack ; and all along the areet, as far as the
Conduit-head, were groups waiting for the unwonted, but
not forgotten, sight of the real lour.horse coach rolling over
our pavement at ten miles an hour. A lusty cheer burst
forth when the the vehicle dashed off; and what with the
bugle playing ' Should Auld A, gursintance be forgot,' and
' See the Conquering Hero comes,' the affair wu as exciting as
need be. The coach has had very fair loads during the week,
but it kept bad time in its early days. There will be an im-
provement in this respect, we daresay, when everything is
in smooth working trim."
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FRICIITETI. ACCIDENT AT ROMsET.—OR Friday
ass workman was attending to some of the machinery of a
malt mill belonging to Mr. George, the horse unexpectidly
went forward, and the poor man's head being caught in the
cog-wheels, he wu so mutilated that he survivtd the acci.
dent bat a few hours, leaving five orphan children.

BERKsIIIRE.
INCOME TAX SURCOARGES.—A correspondent in-
forms us that the income tax surcharges in the Reading
district have been so numerous and severe, that a public
meeting of the aggrieved and others interested is to take
place on Thursday next. In many instances the returns
have been raised 20, 30, 40, and even 60 per cent., by the
government surveyor. '• The only present renstd7," adds
our informant, "is an appeal to the local commissioners,
which involves a fresh scrutiny of every man's private
affairs."