The National Register.
London, England, 1823-01-27 00:00:00

1

• •
W.

COUNT) UP SOMERSET MEETING.
-0.-
AtIRICULTURAI, DISTRESS-REFORM.

On 'Euesday last the High Sheriff of the Comity of So-
nwrset coovened the fieehold, its al' the Shire at %Wells, to
',insider of the state of the aviculture! distress, as well
as of the best means of alleviatiose it. A hustings was
elected in trent of the Toni, Hall, and at o'clock
the High Sheedj(A. Stockey, Esq.) took the Chair. Re-
pented by a large body of the gentry of the County.
Mr. Hunt appeared amongst them in excellent health and
omit Its, and took his mat 0000 chew to the comity menthets,
Sir T. Leilobs Wee and W. Dickenson Hr eas.lonilly
cheesed by 11. e large concuut se of persons assembled in
out of the Inestioies.
The Moll She:ilea opened the business oldie day by
reading the re quisition, in pinsuance tit which he reinvested
Ihr girrsent rimming.
Mr. STA SING rose to move a ',trine of resolutions, upon
w herb lie said lie intended to foimil • petit to Paths,-
went. for the relief of the almost riling noshed agriessltu-
rims of the country. The tines which oppressed that class
4.f the rummer Sty were of the most isisequal kind. and had
encreased of lane year. to all al,tnutng extent; their county
sale. hued, in the course of linty years, been angmen.ed
liens 8001. to upwards of ter,oo4,l.—in addition to these
the local aiosessmenle, aid agriculturist taxa.s and rates of
every &see wino', had gone on instil they had almost
absorbed the whole prop-rty of the neatly rooioo ed farmer.
—(Hear, brat!)—What was to he done? They hash no
atierualove uni to repair to l'arhaeseut without delay,
nod call for retrenchments in the poiolic expenditure Ili
all Illy departments, mid fur a reduction of P• ch taxes
as tell unetpualiy upon laud, so as so afford them .nine
chance of everting impending ruin. He arraigned in
PI song terms the miscontlect and mismanagement of that
system of Government which had led to this general
calamity, and concluded by propuaing a petition.
The mil/Awl motion was for a polities, to Parliament,
embracing a Val irty of topics of relief flu agricultural
distress, repeal of agricultmal taxes, local rates, dm and
granlal economy and rettencliment.
Mr. STrusnentto seconded the petition, and warmly
urged the propriety and necessity of adopting the
measeres recommended by she mover. He strongly in.
sited aioathe reduction of the gaol and FMCS' of the
county ispe. the regular farmers ; the county at large be-
nefited by and might lo ticipste its some of the
rypence "Wilmer itsaintertiner. After dwelling upon the
negligence of the Government, in considei ing the stale of
lite Illation, lie touched upon the question of Inform, con-
curred its its necessity, and elated himself to he one at the
reportinta will. had signed mid presented on that day to
Ilse Hugh Sliesid. a reqnisitiou to convene a county niceties
for that specific pm petite.
On the original question being put,
Mr. Huai cause forward, nod was received with loud
cheers. He said he had once mere she gratification of
leveling his fellow freeholders of Somersetslifie, alter leis
too and ce oil incarceration by Maar of their magistrates,
gaol—he, howevee , forgave them. He then,
in a temperate speech, proposed the annexed amendment,
and *eve, ely arraigned the conduct of the Somersetslaire
magietrucy, whom lie tan 41101111 d I , for their Waal of
spirit, patriotism. mid economy. He was particularly
severe 111 he county meintiets, one of whom, lse said
(sil' T. Lethbridge), had always been the servile:adherent
sit illiietrin, and the oilier had been clueey employed in
ito gs.tting something fur himself, and he instanced a light-
'tense Jul in the Itristul Citainrl, and Ilse Goer 000000 en,
money to the yt ototainy, of which, be (Mr. Dickenson)
wag Colonel. He called us, him to explaioi these matters
to his constituents.
Mr. 114:10T moved an amendment, which went into ape-
title reductions; the total remission oft Tares and un-
merited prettiest ; redurtion of the eateries of all officers
of state, the Royal Family, the Judges, and pat titularly
Ihr 051011111 Puller of Sane Cubing, whose,income ought
to be reduced to B.ouol. a year, the income of the Presi-
di tit of the Utsited States of America. 4150 specified
particsilar agricultural taxes ror repeal.
Mr. Diceessors defended his public conduct. He then
said, that to far f the light-house dues, in the Odom'
Channel, bests g a juts to I from the Goers 00000 ent, they
had come jab tns family for a saleable I 11115illelati 0000 ,
irons a Mi. Cu isp, who had leased them to Isis grausitallter.
Sir T. Lwroblituee claimed credit lor his political
consistency, and declared that he had never given a vole
in the House of Commoes which was not ecru, ding to his
conscienee. lie was glad to attend this meeting of his
constituents, for it entailed him, who was a Somersetshire
man to the back-bone, to hear their seestinseists openly
and manfully expressed, like Englishmen, and then to
weigh them before th.e meeting of Parliament. He had
..nted for the reduction of taxation, winch was a fair pro-
tonic of Ilia fit m determination to support economy and re-
itenclimeni. In or out of Parliament he should always be
proud to meet his constitiseids.
HcfOre the question was put, a Gentleman thought that
the best way of deciding upon the respective net Os of the
two petition% would he to leave then' both for signatures.
Mr. HUNT said that would be making a pretty 1 bug
of a county iese'ling—wliy, the) Canted was to ob-
tsin sago/Jute.' to a petition, they might get them at home,
sh t treselling this weather ill a connty meeting.—
Never was such a nonsensical proposition made as that.
• General BATIIWIST urged the necessity of unanimity
to render their act ethertcomr, and strongly recommended
the oriental motion in preference to Mr. limit's, as it
came from gentlemen of huge property in the county,
and not from a stranger g them. He had nn desire
to be impolite to Mr. Runt, Whose speech had been Mo.
neritte, and who did not come turns amongst them as
smother did in other counties, breeding mischief, with the
go loins of Thomas faire.
Mr. IlnaT led the General that he was wrung in
coniedering I • as is stranger he Somersetshire, where he
had been a It celsolder Mimeo about the time that the
General was born—lie hail been tn.e for the last twenty-
s• yen years.
'flue Hits it Mien 11,1, after come further discussion, was
about to rnt the question tai Alt. Hunt's amendment,
w hen it was agreed, atter some pat ley between the parties
who moved the original quesi Mit, that they would yield to
Mr. limit if lie nursed the ',',lino C1.4110r, as that would
anticipate the expected inserting fur thet specific question.
Mr. HUNT said, that if the High Sl.erift woaln name a
day for the reform meeting, lir should theta withdraw
the reform clause, and let the remaiuder of his amend-
ment eland.
7he Hliiii Sirs:nut, after some hesitation and consul-