The National Register.
London, England, 1822-02-04 00:00:00

HERTFORD MEETING.

On Friday a Meeting of the Nobility, Gentry,
and Freeholdets of the County of Herts, took place
at the Town II 1011, Hertford, for the purpose of
taking into misideration the distressed state of the
Agricultural interests, and the general distress of
the country.
At twelve o'clock the Marquess of Salisbury, the
Earl of Bridgewater. Lord llacres, Lord Verulam,
Lord Cranbourne, Sir John Sebright and the Hon.
Wm. Lamb (the Members for the county), and a
number of other gentlemen of the county entered
the Hall. The High Sheriff (Joseph Timperon,
Esq.) shortly after opeded the business ofthe Meet.
ing, by reading the Requisition in pursuance of
which he had convened the present meeting, and
entreated that they would not digress from agricul-
tural topics.
Lord llacrc opened the business of the Meeting,
by dwelling at some length upon the existing state
of agricultural distresses. He said that there were
only two modes of prominent remedy—one, a mo-
nopoly, so as to keep up the price, which be
thought they had already by the Corn Bill ; the
tether, a depreciation of the currency, a measure to
which he thought they could never again have re-
course. He concluded by proposing the following
petition :
'lO the llosmnrable the Commons of' the United Kingdom
if Gcsat Britain and Ireland in Parliament asscintiled.
The Humble Petition of the undersigned Ossueis and
Occupiers of Laud in the County of Hem',
sbewtibr_That your petitioneis ail' stiltering under the
Wit intense and unparalleled distress: Your petitioners
abstain Isom an enumeration of the several causes which
have, as they conceive, hronglit them to their present
condition, hot they cannot but re • d your honourable
House that, after tilt various flncrnatiuus of prices which
they have experienced, the circulating med• ha. been
finally settled upon a system which bears severely against
the Age icolturat interests of the Country.
Your petitioners submit to your honourable House, that
the direct clleet of the 5) stem thus adepied has brcn the
virtual increase of that taxation wades which they have
long and patiently laboured, and ronvinced as they are
Ilist a general reduction of the prices of all articles used
and consumed by labourers in agriculture, in some degree
correspoildine to the reduced prices of the products of
the soil, would contribute to their relief, they cannot but
entertain a confident expectation that your honourable
House will take Into its immediate consideration the ex-
',Editors of adopting smile plait of reduced taxation,
which *Loll relieve the population of the cannily from
those taxes whirl, inure immediately affect the price of
labour, and which consequently raise to au oppressive de•
glee the coat, or cid:is:llion.
Tutir petitioners beg to 111,111 e your honourable House,
that unless adequate and immediate relief lie afforded to
the owners and occupiers of land, they cannot but cou-
teniplate the total destruction of their prop. sty ; hu.l
brim! convinced that tie rights by which they hold
propert, are as Jost and 'tarred as any that can lie given
by statuary pledges to other interems in the St.ite, your
petitioners vonlide In the jollier and equity of your ho.
won-able Honor to atford them equal security and ponce-

Your petitioners therefore pray, that the pse§,ittre of
their t.l7lliolt way he Mitigated, and that they il.kt) twelve
that relict to %Stich they , ottsirler thetnaelt es au justly vu.
yullr, petiliullear, esr,
Three gentlemen, mimed Fordham, substantial
farmers in the county, severally addressed the meet.
ing, and one of them proposed, as an amendment,
the specification in the petition of the repeal of all
thrmt taxes iffLeting agriculture, such as malt,
leather, soap, candles, sait, &e. They also hinted
at the non-attendance pf their County Members
during the greater part of Mr. Humc's divisions in
the House of Commons.
Mr. Lamb add Sir John Sebright severely ad-
dressed the meeting, defended their Parliamentaty
conduct, declared their readiness to press for a di.
salutation of taxation, but declined pledging them-
selves to be the servile adherents of Mr. Hume, or
any other genticmin, however respectable. They

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