The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-21 00:00:00

WALTHAM AGRIaLTURAL ASSOCIATION.

Tho annual meeting of this society was held on
Fridays at Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire. The
show of stock was small but good, and the ploughing was
excellent, but there was less competition for the premiums
than on termer occasions. The dinner was held its the
Agricultural-hall, the Marquis of Granby, M.l'., pre-
aiding.
After the usual loyal and patriotic toasts had been given,
The Marquis of GRANBY, M.l'., propowal Prosaerity
and success to the Waltham Agricultural Society," as the
principal toast of the evening. One of the chief objects of
a society like that was not merely to bear clever and prac-
tical speeches in that hall, but to cull together men living
in different parts of the country, and practically acquainted
with the pursuits of agriculture, in order that they might
talk over their affairs In the wards of the lamnteil Sir
Robert Peel—for, however nutria he might have differed
with this lamented statesman in politic., he hoped be had
never said anything against his character, or that could
in any way diminish the friendship he ever entertained
for him—. One of the objects of these societies is to
bring men together, that they may rub their minds one
against the other—(hear, hear)—that they may perceive the
difference in the various modes of farming, and learn arty
improvement that their neighbours have discovered." The
late abundant harvest had been alluded to by one or two
speakers, and that was a circumstance at which all must feel
I deeply grateful, inasmuch as it conferred blessings nut only
upon the producer of food, but also upon the consumer; but
unfortunately this blessing was marred to n great extent by
the folly of our legislation. That which, while causing the
abundance of food, should at the same time have conferred
a blessing upon the producer, Irons the lar.je importa•ione
of foreign corn had unfortunutsly very muck gone down iu
price—the average of the last week being, he believed,
375. 7d. per qr. It was not necessaryfor him to repeat what
his political opinions were—they were unchanged. (Ap-
plause.) lie had nothing to regret in what he hail previously
said—nothing to unsay—hut stood weed by word to every-
thing he had uttered, both in that hall and elsewhere. lie
wished lie was in a position to retract some pillion of
his previous speeches—he wished he could see that dawn-
ing of prosperity which some men affected to have disco-
vered ; he wished he could say that he thought the landed
interests of this country—the landlords, farmers, and hi-
boaters—Were likely to see their condition improve. He
had expressed his belief that all would feel the pressure of
the present prices, and he still entertained the same opinion.
Alas! hour by home, day by day, and year by year, these
prophecies were being too accurately fulfilled. If he were
asked what remedy he proposed, his answer would be the
remedy he had alre idy advocated. ("Hear" and app'euse)
11e could see no other. But they were told that protection
was dead. They were told so last year ; and they were told
it so often last year that they (the protectionists) really began
to believe there must lie something in it. They thought that
the cause had been given up, and had ordered their mourn-
ing for the OCC3SIOII. Mr. Waklf y hail invited hint-elf to
attend as coroner upon tire inquest ; but, lo and behold! the
holy that was defunct was the free-trade ministry, and Mr.
Wakley sat upon the coroner's inquest.—(Laughter.)
Then it was said that the Duke of Wellington came, and,
somehow or other, resuscitated this free-trade ministry, not
to perfect life, but to vegetate ; and there they were vege-
tating at that moment. (Renewed laughter.) After sere.
ral allusions to the oft-repeated assertions of the free•trade
journals, that Protection was dead, the noble marquis said,
—There were one or two circumstances which still made
him think that protection was not quite given up. Lord
I'elmerstou, visiting Tiverton the other day, was riot
quite so insignificant to his (the noble chairman's) mind
as it might be to others. What drew him to Tiverton ?
Who ever heard of him visiting Tiverton before ? There
must have been some reason for his going there; and
something to do with the polities of Tiverton. Lord Pal-
merston seemed to have felt th it there was some change
in the views of the inhabitants of Tiverton as to Veit-
members; not an improbable conjecture, when it was re-
membered what happened at Boston, at Knaresborough,
and at Scarborough.—(Applause.) The electors of these
boroughs had begun to find out that they hail some interest
in this question of protection. It was all very well to
call it a landlord's, farmer's, and labourer's question,
bat it was also a town's question ; therefore he sus-
pected there had been some little movement in Tiverton
that made Lord Pabuerston feel not quite comfortable in his
seat. Consequently he went down, and made, as he always
did and always would make, an able and clever speech. But
perhaps the chief excellence of the speech woe, that he took
care to commit himself to nothing. lie certainly, however,
made one very important assertion, upon which he (the
noble marquis) would make a few remarks. Lard Palmers-
ton said, " I don't think you will have any chance of getting
an import duty levied upon corn until you see the river
Exe running from the sea to the town of Tiverton, instead
of from Tiverton to the ocean." Now, Lord Palmerstott
knew very well, though he (the Marquis of Granby) might
not, what was the course of the river Exe, or how its
waters ran; but, although it might be that there was no
back-water in the rivers of that part /of the country, Lord
Palmerston knew very wail that, in the stream of public
opinion, there was often a hack-water that might he
very disagreeable. (Laughter.) Ile suspected that the
Eat, prophet would not have appeared at Tiverton hail he
not been somewhat afraid of being ex-member for that town.
(Continued laughter.) But there was also another fact,
and that was that they were threatened with a new
Reform Bill, because, as they were told, the present
ministry were afraid that at the next general election the
county and borough constituencies might return a protec:
tioisist parliament. It was very extraordinary, if prott ether
were dead, that these fears should exist. Ile did not know
what this reform bill was to be like, and was therefore
desirous of not pledging himself to a measure of which
he knew nothing, but he should not be at all surprised if
the tory and protectionist party were not favourable to an
extension of the franchise. (Ikar, hear). This, however,
he would say, that the extension of the suffrage were
not to be a bona .Ink one, but a measure for private
purposes—if it were to be an extension to promote the
interests of a particular class only, and to put down the
largest interest in the country—he thought it would be
the duty of all wellineaning Englishmen to oppose it to
the uttermost; and that such might be the case—he did
not say that it would be, but he did not know—hut that
such might be the case he thought there was a great proba-
bility. (Applause). An extension of the franchise ! Why,
he had already alluded to the boroughs that had the auda-
city to go along with the counties in returning protectionist
members, and he would for one moment return to that
point. It had been stated that Mr. Young was returned for
Scarborough by the shipowners; but it was not, perhaps,
generally known that the show of hands was in his fa-
vour at the nomination ; and there was every probability
that if there had been universal suffrage Mr. 'Young would
have been returned by an equ illy large majority. He
therefore strongly suspected that this reform that was
really to kill protection, was to be a one-sided, bastard mea-
sure, and not a true extension of the franchise in England.
(Hear, hear.) Fur all these reasons he doubted whether
their friend was really dead. (Applause.) But Mr. Disraeli
had been announced as having given it up. He had the
pleasure of Mr. Disraeli's acquaintance, and he had not fa-
voured him with an avowal of his intention. It might be
true, but as yet he was not acquainted with it. It must he
flattering in the extreme to Mr. Disraeli to witness such
great anxiety that he should give it up. (Hear, hear.) It
appeared that Mr. Disraeli had said, that until the voice of
the people of England declared that they were in favour of
protection he saw no chance of its return. Mr.
Disraeli said more. He said, that he saw no chance
of a restoration of protection until there was a new Parlia-
ment. (Hear, hear, hear.) But he had gone further than
that ; he had said be saw the grossest injustice committed
upon one class of the people of this country; he had seen
burdens imposed upon them under the idea that they were
to be borne under a particular system; he had seen that
spa.= abrogated. Now the parliament of England re-
fined to restore that protections, and he said. therefore, that
they must find some other remedy for the distress of which
her:complained. (Applause.) Atter reading Mr. Disraelie
speech with all the attention that he could give to it, he
understood this to be Mr. Disraeli's position. lie (Mr.
Disraeli) had said, " This gross injustice had bet IS
°animated, and it could not be allowed to exist;
they had refused his remedy, they would not listen
so him, and he therefore called upou them who had
**omitted the hardship to show him another remedy, if
they could." (Cheers.) This was, perhaps, one of the best
erodes of showing the calm good sense of this country, that
If oar statesmen and politicians intended to uphold the
tuitional credit, to pay the interest of the debt, to maintain
this lotion in her present position, to pay lon an army and
Navy, to keep up our colones, to retain India, and to con-
tinuo to be a first-class nation, there could no remedy be
found for this crying and gross injustice but a return to the
system of moderate import duties. (Applause.) It was very
well for interested papers to endeavour to show that Mr.
Disraeli had abandoned the calm, that he had so ably advo-
gated ; but until he had it from himself he should disbe-
lieve it. Having quoted passages from the speech of M.
There, asserting that the products of a country should be
protected if a nation were to remain independent and pros-
perous, Lord Granby read from a published work by M.
Carey, an American, which strongly advocated the return
la America to a more protective system, although nearly all
!the products of that country were already protected at the
rate of 30 percent. (Cheers.) What was the reason the
English farmer was unable to compete with the foreigner in
I the British market? Mr. Muscle. had insisted that it was
*wing to the great burdens they had to bear; but he might
bare gone further, and raatauced the much higher wagealte
bed to pay titan the foreigner, owing to the national debt,
Bed because there was scarcely an article that the labourer
seasoned that was not taxed. That was an argument that
had not, and he ventured to say that would not, be an-
swered. (Hear, hear.) If they could do without thew taxes,
the English farmer might be able to compete with the
!oreigoer ; but until they could do that they could not
hearten or exist unless there were a moderate duty put
epee the importation of foreign corn. (Cheers) When
be Nadi UN of that argument in the House of Commons,
lie hale Graham admitted that the er,
Meuse, Demi other articles wee taxed ; but asked sift at
Gab= forgot in his answer, that if they raised the price
oldie labourer's bread with one hand, w`ith the other they
shesINIMI
wils• MAIM.
not
whyince thinisgbrtehaed shouldarsumenbet
ftaaintiedy. alssoir?
James
he high prices for the other
artieles which they obliged him to pay. (Hear, hear.)
pay the
oenvear/loecidkeh.dimtheto most import-
the tax off' an
' •- •-•riorted from abroad which was in
aAcgartigidannitd flimSacirtpjriasiunterleat ath(iheraiwcdhheitTallmwereoasalunlewtde of taking