The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-01-12 00:00:00

AGNICIULTURA L DISTRESS.

.._
, .
_ -.on, MEETING AT LEWES.
I *ea( --t
On Wednesday moonier, it conformity wilialliellialdleeli
tisement, a highly respectable soil numerous nattetlegy an.
sembled •t Lewes, to tyke into eunsideratiOn the distressed
state of agriculture. The meeting assembled at the Star Ins,
and thence adjuotrued to the County Hall. The rash us ea.
tering was eery great, and it was with some difficulty that
our Reporter was able to obtain a place. This meeting was,
indeed, much more numerous than we have ever witnessed
in this Hall, excepting ow the occasion of • strong contested
election.
The business of site day commenced by DAVIES GIL-
BERT, EN. being railed ii ti. Chair.
After some pupils:wiry conversation, Mr. PARTING-
TON rose and snorer, thnfolleoeing Petition:—
"The humble Petition of lbe several Owners and (ken.
piers of Lawl•lis Lewes end Pevensey Ram, in the
County of Sums, whey shames are hereunder sub. '
. scribed y
61 littewetb-That yone IL.titietners have long sufr=l
ekodelenagallkedw~earteweal concerns; that this
was set forth in their, Petition diming the last Semi of Par.
Ihernent to your Honourable Hoene, and appears to have ken
fully proved before a Cormasittestapprinted to take into mode•
devotion the stale of Agriculture of the United Kirellalelltfis
but that although a Report sae made by your Cornmitieeeta
thin °revision *Member the di of your Petition. re,
and admitting their claim to redress, that husbesto no relief
has been afforded them, sod that their distress, isatrad of
having been alleviated, has since alarmingly increased. sloe
only is a noel elitism, deuce to themselves as owners and
occupiers of land, but Woo in a fearful manner to the
labouring denten many of whom have been thereby thrown
out of work, sad are in • moot deplorably distressed
condition.
" Your Petitioners do therefore now most humbly pray
that your Honourable Hoene still, at the earliest opperinni.
te, take into your consideration the distressed state of your
Petitioner', and that of the agriculture of the kingdom in
paeval, and adopt such measures for its relief as may tend
so rescue it from the pending rein, and restore this great
branch of the resources of the country to that state of vigoor
which may again make it beneficial to the cemmissity at
t large."
The Earl of CHICHESTER thought no good would re-
sult from the Petition 10.1 f the Meeting; and that it would
have bee* better for those present to have remained at hems
attending to their Wiriness. He would not himself have at-
tended, but that it might have seemed to argue on his part
Mattention to the agricultural interests. He could sot en-
courage hopes, but was eery willing to secant! the Petition.
Mr. BLACKMAN spoke at great length on the Cora
Bill* and the currency. Anodise to the report of what had
parsed at the last meetine, he said, that representing him to
have said that Mr. Webb Hall was beside himself was is.
correct. On the contrary, added he, I admire the seal
and cutesy with which lie advocates his cause, and,
together with my friend behind (Mr. Elbows), called
outings at Henderson 's Hotel, to get their grievances
gmbieesed. " Boldness" is called by Lord Bacon " the
lot quality in civil life," and great good has resulted
OMB the discussions which they bad originated. But having
said this, I esonot trammel my praise to Mr. Webb Hall any
further. I altogether dissent (tom his doctrines, which I con-.
older totally unsound. I remember to have bealld of a gen.
Illenomay who read and observed every Mimes of shorn it wen
saitthst be slept withamit eye ore; but Mr. Webb HA
appears to be wide awake, with One eye shut. 1 doubled few
some time whether he abut It on purpose, or whether
it was a natural weakness ; but I came at length to the
latter conclusion He has one eye for corn, lint tiptoe
for entreaty...a bright eye and • blind eye. Still it ie
Nut till eery lately that he had been out of conipaity, foe.
I consider his Majesty's Ministers, in this particular, a ono.
eyed rare. Their cure, however, after ten years of Fermin-
-111011, bad been lately auderlaken by a Right Hem. Gentle.
man, the Surveyor of Woods sad Forests ; they are cow is
the midst of &fever resulting from the operation ; but I hope
they will recover their sight, so as to see their way mallet
office before the end of the year.—(.4pplause and lasyklevj
Mr. hl ABBOTT did nut think it necessary to enter into
such a wide field of extranemis matter. Alluding to the
speech of Mr. Curteis, at the late meeting at Battle, he said
that Gentleman had pine into Parliament under a pledge 10
perform his duty itidependenHy.aud tie now called upon him
to say whether, on the diacustina of mummy in the Hesse
of Commons, he Aad dune his duty?—He cuucluded with
moving an amendment to the Petition, extending its allege-
glum to • general representatios of Woman as it pervaded
the tummy at large, instead of confiuiug it to our particular
class, the agricultural body.
Mr. CHATFIEL,D here exclaimed from the Gallery,
that the Member of Parliament who had been allsded to,
bad gone to the House of Commons with his bawls tied,
and that he had now gut them loose.—(Lemehter.)—After
some cow/treat ion, atiewled with much confusion, he sieved
a series of Resultitioste as au anwudttieut to the motion fur
adopting the Petition.
Mr. CLIRTEIS, M.P. is answer to Mr. Chatfield's obser-
vation, sad be had promised his constituents to attend to
their wishes and obey their instructions, and that he had per-
formed that promise. In Parliament he always sat (on
the independent bench, and with ethstever independenre
they had sent him into the House of Commons, that he
still retained. He was under no tie to Ministers, and
bad no connexion whatever with the Opposition. It appeared
to him that Msnisters bad nut acted with kindness towards
the agemultunsts, through fear of offending the commer-
cial men awl mautifacturen. The Opposition bad not ever
been disputed to tender them *toy service; for the upittiuna
of the greeter part of them were derived from the publiwa.
tions of the modem political economists, the Ricardo*
and the Borings, which wese in direct imposition to the
lauded interest. That his doetvines were derived from
a different sources from the works of • Noble Lord lately
deceased, and whose loss we must all regret, whose me-
mnry we acre bound to revere, and who wan 'at all
times the true friend of the bow r (Lord Shetlielt)• la
wiener to Mr. Mabbuteß question, a i to hie conduct with re.
Isnot' to crowns-Heel eero,in, bee moil emscietittously say
that he bad •Isnost unifminly voted sII ibe aide of retrench-
ment, never fastidiously, but always consrietitiously. That
he had never fur hiniself or family' asked any favour of
alinisiets, nor did he ever 111P1111 to do so. Having given
this opinion of the two great parties i niu which this Quiddry
was divided, he heartily *Mu d the t a third party might
arise, having the iuterrsls tof Reticule are principally in view.
Tu that party be would attach himmi 1., and with It steadily
act ; mid in so doing he really believe d he should best wive
the great agticultural county of SUN 014 mud (iu thl! titre
of general distress) the nation tit large.
Mr. MA HBO rr asked Mr. Comets • ii what particular cit.
r... so
.e. on nearly all
canon he had voted in favour or r. trent intent f
whichhl h
F:
hailCUßbeeTeo:l bought
chrzlhieldforthwot
Ldbeinhathile e i
Mr. DAVIS observed, that the Petiti In eonteitird at the
very Outset a gross sod palpable falerho al; for it spoke uf the
distressed owners of laud, which was a t sere mockery, as the
the present cif.
:UWlUll7lllloocrele,anitdo It cm
vu ir en
g
of corn, which rest was still ea.
quence of the high price
of mice for every
A‘CRIIAN: I"llY•el"reni7troif by
yheir land in roost-
acted uotwithsianding the great depress:- on
Wag it not the in an insult to rum.
article of consumption.
insiitoolireseunr:i aishelleol.i 00/....11,11i
.i0(InO
lallnZubfaptlavien.
ytrufet,
whotfu:lblegome
htande
made any sacrifice whatever to relieve 1 heir tenautry by no.
i
during their tents?
Mr. BLACKMAN then moved, in I. to of the Petition,
farseomriesanoufaliensentlledntioeuustrpr,sil,arlyi.ngsulhed
pilio
rajyirL arising to
that the
all
House
essesa
I CWIIIIIVIS,, 00 its 111(0.11.1, Mill toter 101 s an early and care-

0c

ful revision of all legislative In enacted during the Past
25 years counected with the valor Of mosey, and particularly
into the merits of the Corn Laws pared in 1804 nod 1815;
sod oleo reeotenneolling a like inquiry lain the (vil List,
sod (*ivy port of ;he public expenditure, with a view to the
senlio• of taste.. ste.
cum Rll A N here announced to the meeting that the
show of blinds was iu favour of Mr. Blackniao's Cat mu-
tation.

Upon the recommendation of Mr. PARTINGTON, it
was seined that several sheets of paper should be tent
round the room, upon which er ery owner or occupier of
broil should he required 111 write leis name and address, with
the vote he meant 1.. prosiouisce.
Lord GAGE said a few words in support of Mr. Parting-
ton's proposition; hot by this time the Hall was nearly
empty, she pimple having eowelorted that the Resolutions
were carried. Rut Some signatures in support of the Peti-
tion boring barn obtained to the papers which were distri-
buted—
Tbe CHAIRMAN declared that the Petition was cerriel,
awl It was ordered tra be left fur signature,.
New otter the otertiog had broken up, a member of drew

theme mei as Maser molts Star Isis, aid Mr. llasimeGilhiret
was called to the Chair. After dinuer "The health of the
King" 'a+ drank with the warmest applau.e. Several other
toasts followed; among which were " Prosperity to the
County of Sussex," and " Sneer's In Commerce."
Upon the retirement of Mr. D. Gilbert, Mr. KEMP, the
late Member for Leaves., was loudly called to the Chair, and
he immediately proposed " More money and leas taxes,"
which was drunk wills applanse; as was " A fell and speedy
losestigation of the cause of the agricultural distress of the
country, with the discovery of an effectual remedy."
Mr. E. JOHNSON took occasion to propose the health of
a distinguished individual, whom he was happy to are in the
nom, and than whom there was not in England a man more
competent to give sound advice to the Agriculturists, and
to promote their relief. He meant " Mr. Cobbett."
Here a Mr. HITCHINS declared that he could not remain
in the room if the health of Mr. Cobbeit were drank ; ripe.
Melly after the abase that gentleman had lately pronounced
upon the Carmen of Sussex in his Letter to Lord Egremoot.

Several voices ratted badly, " Tarn Atm out 1" but the
try of "Shaine, skaim!—No brutal riolouro to Hr. Cob.
belt!" sad the latter predominated.—Mr Hitebens• and Mr.
Portieres, wbo were most prominent in the riot, left the
Mr.COBBETT then addressed the company in a lowly
speech, in w►ich he souk an extensive review of the agricul-
tural state of the country; soot after which the compauy
broke up. _ _