The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-01-19 00:00:00

tiIiNTON

AGRICULTURAL DItTRESS.
On Wednididsy last a Meeting of the Gentry, Stragirtria*
Freeholders, and Inhabitants of Taunton and its acialsbostr•
hood, was held is ghettoes, to consider the propriety of
laying the present einParalleted distress of the Agricultural
Interest before the Leeiel•litre."
Before twelve o'clock the Guildhall Was completely
and the somber of persons eonbuiliog to accumulate, it was
found necessary to adjourn the meetiog to the Met Prins
Court in the Castle, «Milt was occupied is every part.
EDW. AYSHFORD SANFORD, Esq. was invited to
take the Chair.
WILLIAM AYRIWORD SANFORD, Esq. then rose,
and mini—" Gentlemen, I am eery sorry to hear that Minis-
ters are not aware of the 'Hindle,. of their country, and stint
they doubt, or erect to be incrednlous upon that fact, wliice
is unfortunately so Well and paiiifolly known to you all. It
is, therefore, neves...sit:oaken th. m, by the ronterrent tes-
timonies of eileetings Mgslly conitituted and resperiehly a•
traded as this is, to what eh tinexesorplkd ot.te of wretrtle,l_
sires the country is really redrew*:MO to God that
complaints which are now issuing in lobes loud and deep
from every polder of this kingdom, were merely the tries or
Aclitinaa 1•0 V ! la this, Gentkmen' I ask, the state of Hangs
In which we must be reduced, after having successfully
relight the billies which were 10 place Ebrope in the secure
enjoyment of ass liberty-04r having prostrated the deipot
of France from his throne, is this to be the only corratey
which is not benefited by the Coolest ? Are we to be the
only people—art the bold yeomen or this country to be/he
ooly persons upon whom the weight of the heavy reckoning is
to Nu, whilelewa, costratriore, and loan jobbers are meats-
leg princely runtimes le—(Gred approote.)—lt will therefore
be the duty of the Repreoeotalives of slut people (and unfor-
tunately they are repemeuted by •oo to the ensuing Pars
Lament, boldly to declare to Ministers the severity of the
cm...110.m to which we art reduced, end urge au efficient
remedy, if any remain, for our dist ress.'—(Appittese.j
04.5, then read the following Petition :
" To the Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual sod Tem-
poral in Parliament assembled.
' " We, the Gentry, Clergy, Freeholders, and Occupiers of
Land, is the district of the once opulent Vale of Taunton,
most hatehly reprear al to your Honourable House,
"Thai the cruel distress, thrnoshont the district to which we
reside has arrived et an nnparalleled height, and as daily in-
creasing to an alarming extent.
"That the progressive decline is value of all the prodne-
lions of the earth, accompanied by an overwhelming burden
of taxation, such so was never before eadured by any coun-
try, has swallowed up the capital of the farmer, and brought
the greater proportion of independent yeomen to the brink
of ruin, which, without the most speedy relief, must ulti-
mately terminate in the annihilation of that most excellent
and ieveleable body of men.
" That your Petitioners therefore pray that the strictest
economy and retrenchment may be enfarted in every depart-
or the Stale."

CHARLES A NDERDON, Esq. seconded for Peti•ion.
Rev. W. R THOMAS—" I owe, Centimes, it was with
much ntisfectiun I received the Invitation from my bro-
ther !Regnante, to concur in essembliog this met tint.
have long known, and as • leadlord have fell, the severities
of the times, and can therefore unequivocally state, that un-
less porn. measure be resorted to, it is utterly impossible
that the farmer can lire. The poor-rates are every where ;n
intolerable harden tin the land, and them, co.operating with
• tithe/ system of taxation, disable the cultivator of the
soil from realisiag the fair fruits of his exertions. I live in
• a parish where the rates, though less elms they have Mee,
absorb what might otherwise constitute the reasonable gains
wf Immo ratite industry. In 1713 the poor rates were 0211 ;
la 1021 they amounted to 2,000/. Another source of the
present mischief appertaining to, sod weighing down the
energies of the agricultural interest, is the inadequate duty
on foreign cons. I am the last mate in the country that
"mold wish to am My poor Neighbour badly supplied with
the comforts, much less the first necessaries of life; bet
protection to the corn-grower of this ennutry must be .ford.
ed, if any chalice is lobe allowed him of contributing, w iib-
out absolute rain, to an exorbitant tanation."
Dr. KING LAK B—" Sir, I rise to bear to this 'erg, on-
antrum and respectable meeting my persooal testimony to
the great and crying Matteson that elo indeed &Ohm the
agricultural hiteseet of this reentry. ' There can be we doubt
eatellatord of the reality of the gririrt Weft, a statement ef
which we are ibis day met le lay before the Legislature.
But there is no mystery in this calamitous situation ; the
ranee is as glaring es the effects are evident. A ruinom et -
radii ure of the public resources of the country. duritig a
war of nearly thirty years, has wretchedly-overwhelmed the
Isnded interest with difficulties that are it length IN-Caine
insuffes able. No conetry, however vast in its means, contil
bare sostaieed the 'sterilise waste of public looney iiitendiog
a protracted war, relentlessly carried on, mood that tun, I will
confidently add, Sir, not for genuine British object., hot, un
she contrary, to uphold and advocate political views sited,
repogneot to the true principles of oar constitutional
The measure of Parliamentery Reform is essentially cot.
fleeted with the imbject udder discuminsi, because it is to a
went of mustitatiossal represematioa that may be jossly at.
Is Mitred nut eel, tie'preireiling difficulties, bust also the fem.
fel prospect of still greater national calamities. Reireach-
meat sad economy must necessarily be practised ; the time is
come whets the means of towhee peculiar, extraragatite are
at an void ; they can be no longer supplied, or, if they Ise(' we
shall soon have to compare notes oat mat actual haired of
prospective ruin. The cosiatinitiosal objeets for which re-
presentation was detigned were real public benefits—am
'axiom watching over the individual and collective interests
of the comosority, which, if dilly fostered and protected,
would impart to the people of three realms a physical secy.
Oty of happinessas steadily and infallibly operative vs is
the iniluence of those eaters) laws which govern the •ni.
verse. Bid, 4.14,44 of this, it appears to me that the repre-
sentation, as et reseal constituted, is say thing rather thee
that ahich it purports to be."—(threat applause.)
Sir T.. B. LETHBRIDGE, Hart. M.P. said he bad
ed with greet pleasure to the besetiful.speeeh the meeting
lied just heard from the worthy and Leaned Gentleman;
but though he concurred is mach which hod fallen filen- bin*,
yet he maid not coincide is °pinkie with him en to the
causes Abaci be bad so eloquently insisted aces the sources
of the dielrer• which at preset effected the agricultural is.
tercet. Of the exisicoce of that distrem he was tally cud.
viewed and he therefore mom mardially some ted to the sdop.
tins of the Pelitiell which had beau 'obtained for the
aeration of the meeting, as well suited to the nature of the
object, and the situation of the couple,. Upos that topic of
tie Loomed Geoilemaa's address relative to Pailiantentary
Reform he did not feel it his duty hi ester, because is knew
an feature of the business which they were asseisibted
cup. He bad felt it his duty to maid this meeting, to
listen to the sentinsesta of then about him, and if be 0,04
he should faithfully enforce them elsewhere to the beat of Lr.e
ability.-.-(Greal geplante)
Time Rev. H. CREiWELL Insisted, at some length, "7'4'l
the absolute mei:emit, of a Reform in Parliament ; till
ell petitioning waist be useless. He concluded by onaceg
a KroeleliNi—
.•• That all restrictions whatever on Greige cora be tarns
of, es the irsf step towards laying • inn sad stable Gateau-
tam for the agrieuilkuilgt MI which 10 reel his future bores."
ffir..OLIVER HAYWARD, se a Prwliaal meg_ no
lacoasiderable extent, bore teatimes, to the severe mininngs
of the airleellosal 'merest, sad seconded the Resolotheo if
the last spoiler.

[This Keraohalloo woe, is • otilwequent stage of the pro.
reedier?, put to the vole, and negatived by • large majority.)
*. DICKENS, E.q. ALP. said, is the course of the few
olureerrations be 'Weld hay.- the hourur of tronbling the newt.
lad with, there were two topics ow wbith he did ant think ft
recessarp- toelsrell; the ow: was the actual distress of age.
cohere, w►ic► ►ad bee• well staled to be as evident es that
Iwo Gad two snake four; and the other wow, that be hoped
he geed gee aware that rutting of his willinguese end
reeifilsese, ow all occasions, to give effect to their whhis
and •teatpkllats Is the House of Collialutur.—(Corifinalgif
apteissieg)--Wbet the House of Cuasreae would lay.
whew Obey seer lbe tvbele lauded saterest of Engle-oft
coating fri ferias pomp/fir to thole hat, was OR foe
him to divine; but be knew that both from lutereat •r/J
iucliosiion every iltleelitte t►at was possitle wee're oe
gun them, tbdugh be doubted whether any effectual rctoady