The National Register.
London, England, 1822-02-03 00:00:00

HERTFORD MEETI2VG.

On Friday a Meeting of the Nobility, Gentry,
and Fruit°ldets of the County of Herts, took place
at the Town Hall, Hertford, fur the purpose of
taking into consideration 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 Dacres, 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 otter opeded the business of the 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 Dacre opened the business of the Meeting,
by dwelling at some length upon the existing state
of agricultural distresses. lie said that there were
only two modes of prominent remedy—one, a mo-
nopoly, so as to keep up the price, which he
thought they had already by the Corn Bill ; the
other, a depreciation of the currency, a measure to
which he thought they could never again have re-
nurse. He concluded by proposing the following

petition :
To the Honourable the Commons of the Uuited Kingdom

- - _
of Great Brit tin and Ireland in Parliament assembled.
The Humble Petition of the undersigned Owners and

Occupiers of hand in the County of Herts,
Sheweth,—That your petitioners are suffering under the
runt intense and unparalleled distress: Your petitioners
übstain front an enumeration of the several causes which
have, as they conceive, brought them to their present
condition, lint they cannot but remind your honourable
House that, after the various flucluatione of prices which
they have experienced, the circulating medium has been
filially settled upon a system which bears severely against
the Agaicultnral interests of the Country.
Your petitioners submit to your honourable Howse, that
the direct effect of the system thus adopted hes been the
virtual increase of that taxation under which they have
long and patiently laboured, and convinced as they are
that a general reduction of the prices of all articles used
and consumed by labourers in agriculture,in some degree
corresponding to the reduced prices of the ptoducts of
the soil, would contribute to their relief, they cannot but
entertain a confident expectation that your honourable
House will take Into its immediate CollbiliCl alien the ex-
pediency of adopting some plan of reduced taxation,
which shall relieve the population of the countuy from
those taxes which more immediately affect the price of
labour, and which conallpiently raise to an oppressive de•
gree the costs cf cultisation.

Your petitioners beg to assure your honourable House,
that auks adequate and immediate relief be afforded to
the cm nets and occupiers of land, they cannot but cull.
template the total destruction of their property ;
lir Mg 1.011,'1:1Cell that the sights by which they hold Olds
property cm C as just and sacred as any that ease be given
ty statuary pledges to other interests in the State, your
petitioners etudille in the justice and equity of your las-
'minable House In afford them equal recur ity Riad protee-
t ion.

Yam- petitioners therefore pray, that the pressure of
their taxation may he mitieated, and that they may receive
thai 'elk( to o Melt they consider themselves so justly en-
titled :—And your petitioners,

Three gentlemen, named Forclham, substantial
furmcr► it► the county, seventlly addressed the meet-
ing, and one of them proposed, as an amendment,
the specification in the petition of the repeal of till
direct taxes affecting agriculture, such as malt,
leather, soap, candles, salt, &c. The) olio hinted
at the non-attendance pf their County Members
during the greater part of Mr. Hume 's divisions in
the House of Commons.

Mr. Lamb and Sir John Sehright severally ad-
dressed the meeting, defended their Parliamentary
conduct, declared their readiness to prtss for u di-
Initiation of taxation, but declined- pledging them-
se•lves to be the servile adherents of Mr. Flume, or
any other gentleman, however respectable. 1 bey

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