The Sun.
London, England, 1822-02-05 00:00:00

The following are the particulars of what
passed at a very important Meeting yesterday at
the house of the Earl of Liverpool. The subject
of course excited the most lively interest in the.
City.—The Governor, Deputy-Governor, and
Directors of the Bank of England, together with
some of the leading
"private Bankers, received at.
invitation from the Earl of Liverpool to meet
him at Fife House at twelve o'clock yesterday.
'They accordingly waited upon his Lordship at
the hour appointed, and they were admitted im-
mediately.—The great object in view, on the
part of his Lordship, was to submit to the Three-
-tors. and Bankers a proposition fur the relief of
the.prevailing agricultural distresses.—The sug-
gestion made by the Earl of Liverpool was
the following :—That Exchequer Bills should
be 'issued to the amount of five millions (we are
itifofined that such was the amount named,) to
be circulated through the medium of the Country
13ankers, and applied•to alleviate the wants and
necessities of the Farmers in various parts cif the
kingdom, whether the owners or occupiers of
land. His Lordship expressed to the Directors
and Bankers the extreme anxiety felt by his Ma-
3esty's. Government to do
.every thing in their
power for the relief of the country, and especially
of the agriculturists. Willing to avail himself of
the practical experience and particular informa-
tion of the Gentlemen whom he had requested
to attend, he begged to be informed of their
opinion as to the probable efficacy or inefficacy
of- this measure.—The Directors' and Bankers
felt some hesitation in expressing their sentiments
hastily on a question so important, but we under.;
stand that they were unanimous in their decision
that the issue of 5,000,000 of Exchequer Bills,
as contemplated by the Prime Minister, would
not afford any effectual or permanent relief.
'They more than doubted whether such a sup-
ply of money would give even any present
relief, and they were clearly satisfied that if the
farmers were in want of money the issue of Ex-
chequer Bills was needless, as it was indisputable
that there was a vast quantity of unemployed
capital in the country which might be borrowed
by Agriculturists and. others upon mortgage and
various securities, at or under the rate of 5 per
cent. interest. There was no deficiency of the
circulating medium in any part of the country.—
This reply led to a desultory converszition be-
tween the Earl of Liverpool, the Directors, &c.
as to the facility with which money could be
raised upon mortgage, and after a variety of re,-
marks confirmatory of the opinion originally ex-
pressed, the Earl of Liverpool, from the repre-
sentations made to him, seemed disposed to aban-
don the suggestion he had made.

[THE TIMES.]
The very singular meeting between Lord Li-
verpool and. certain heads of our Banking Esta-
blishments, proves, we, fear, the disposition of
Government to adopt any shifting partial expe-
dient for the relief of agricultural distresses, ra-
ther than attempt the only sure and honourable
course—that of economy and retrenchment. The
farmers are in embarrassment, and therefore Go-
vernment will raise money upon Exchequer-
MIS, to lend the country bankers, who are in no
want of such a supply, to-be by those bankers
lent out again to the farmers, who have no means
of giving security. This was the notable plan
which had entered into the heads of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers foe the relief of the agricultural
distresses, but which was immediately nipped in
the bud by one word of common sense from the
people consulted: It being very clear, then,
that the country bankers would not become
parties to. such delusive loans, it is now thought
that Government will go directly to the'sufferers
themselves, and offer them the assistance of
the five millions, we should presume, with-
out security ; for it is very obvious, what-
eVer professions may be made, that the far-
mers can have no real or sound security to offer—
their crops and liVe stock not being articles of
permanent duration, but of immediate Use ; and;
at the present prices, unproductive. It seems
also, that the issuing five millions of Exchequer
bills to the country bankers, of which their notes
were to be the representatives in the market, is
really frustrating Mr. Peel's Bill, and reverting
to a paper currency of a worse and less respect-
able kind than that of the Bank of England.—
The issuing the money directly to the farmers
bus this obvious dishonesty in it—that the coun-
try gentlemen, who are subservient to. Ministers,
after obtaining a precedence for their tenants,
may immediately seize the money advanced by
Government for arrears of rent. The nation
cannot forget the million and a half that was
granted three or four years ago on the pretence
of alleviating the then existing commercial dis- '
tresses. Has any account ever bt•en produced of
the application of that money ?-7 We cannot'close
these law remarks without commenting on the
power, capacity, and dignity of a Ministry, which
is obliged, through its chief member, to send for
and consult certain bankers Of Threadneedle-
street, on the measures proper to be adopted in
a case of pctblic embarrassment. Thus it is that
we are governed.

[MORNING
MOCII anxiety was manifested in the city yester-
day, in consequence of an invitation having breii
sent to the Governors and Directors of the Bank
of England to attend the of Liverpool at Fife
House ; and, a variety of reports were 'current,
the chief of which was, that it was intended that
the Bank should in future discount at 4 instead
of 5 per cent. The Gentlemen above mentioned
attended . his Lordship, together with a number
of the principal Bankers of the city, at 12 o'clock
yesterday, when his Lordship informed them
that the ohject'of his calling them together was
.fur the purpose . of considering. what measures
could be adopted towards relieving the .Agricul-
turists, and to consider of a proposition which.

4,e had to make, and also to take their
advice respecting it. The substance of which
was, that five millio.ns of Exchequer Bills
should be immediately issued, and circulat-
ed through the country Bankers towards
alleviating the distress of the farmers in general.
His Lordship said, that his Majesty's Govern-
ment had witnessed with deep regret the de-
pressed state of Agriculture in every part of the
Kingdom, and had resolved, as far as lay in their
power, to alleviate the distress occasioned there-
by. In consequence, his Majesty's Ministers
had determined to request the opinions of the
Gentlemen present, who, from their extensive
practical experience, were able to form the best
idea as to the efficacy of this proposition. The
Gentlemen expressed their regret at having been
taken by surprise upon so momentous a question;
and were decidedly averse to the proposed mea-
sure being adopted. They were unanimous that
the issue of the above sum in Exchequer Bills
would not have the effect contemplated by the
Government ; and they did not think that any sum
of money would) afford relief to the farmers.
They further stated, that there vas at this pre-
sent moment an immense unemployed capital in
the country which could be lent to the agricul-
turist in the way of mortgage, &c. at the tuual
rate of 5 per cent., or even at a lower rate.—
After much conversation between his Lordship,
the Directors, &c. the' original proposition was
withdrawn, and the interview terminated.

LNEW TIMES.,
We are happy to state that the accounts from
Ireland are of a more gratifying description than
during the last week. In many of the districts
where insdbordination had been most daring, a
disposition to renounce their criminal projects
had been manifested by the deluded peasantry.
One great cause of this auspicious change may be
found probably in the large reinforcements of
troops which had reached the southern and west-
ern counties. The miserable bands of Insur-
gents, who ventured to face the military, must
have been convinced how insane their hopes
were of being able to sustain any thing like
a contest with them, for hundreds fled in
dismay from detachments of only twenty or
thirty of the troops. We look forward anx-
iously to the attainment of that preparatory
state of tranquillity, in whatever way it
may be produced, which will leave room for the
application of remedial measures, calculated, we
hope, to mitigate, if not wholly remove, evils of
so long a duration as the system of Whiteboyism
has been in the province of Monster. This is the
great point to be accomplished. We all know
that the Government is strong enough to over-
come any rash attempts at insurrection into which
the peasantry may be betrayed ; but when we
see, that during upwards of half a century, a
particular province has been the theatre of suc-
cessive revolts, and all directed towards,the same
end, it becomes at once dangerous and puerile to
shrink from an inquiry into their causes.

[BRITISH PRESS.]
The Surrey County Meeting to take into con-
sideration the Agricultural Distress of the Coun-
try, was held yesterday at Epsom. It was nu-
merously and respectably attended. A Petition,
ascribing the evil to excessive taxation, and re-
commending a reduction of the burdens as the
only and effectual cure, was moved by Mr.
W. Western, and seconded by Captain Ma-
berly. This appeared to be the sense of
those who had signed the Requisition for the
Meeting, but it was objected that the Peti-
tion did not go far enough, and was deficient,
in not including a Resolution in favour of Par-
liamentary Reform, the corruption of Parlia-
ment being the source of the excessive taxation.
Reform, however, not being noticed in the Re-
quisition, the High Sheriff refused to allow it to
be made a part of the proceedings ; but so de-
termined were the meeting upon that point, that
although they approved the Petition as far as it
Went, they negatived it rather than pass it with-
out their favourite Reform. The High Sheriff
then dissolved the meeting, a considerable party of
which proceeded to the Assembly Room, and pre-
pared a new Requisition, including Reform, which
was presented to the Highs Sheriff. The latter,
however, declined to call an immediate meeting,
in conformity .with the precedent of the late Suf-
folk Meeting, alleging that he did not think it
would be acting fairly by those who had staid
away from the meeting, not expecting from the
purport of the former Requisition that the sub-
ject of Reform would he introduced, nor by
those who were gone away, conceiving the busi-
ness at an end; but he consented to fix a meet-
ing for this day fortnight.

[MORNING CHRONICLE.]
Lord Liverpool's specific for the relief of
the Agricultural distress is at last before the
public. It has been disclosed just in time to
enable the Country Gentlemen to judge of the,
intentions of his Majesty's Ministers, before they
are called upon again to place confidence in
them on the Meeting of Parliament. His Lord-
ship summoned several very respectable London
Bankers yesterday morning, to wait on him and
the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Fife House,
for the purpose of delivering their opinion on
a project which he submitted to them for
issuing five millions of Exchequer Bills, with
a view to remedy all the complicated evils of
which such loud and well-founded complaints
have recently been made by the Landed In-
terest. It was proposed to issue these live
millions to the farmers through the agency cf th
country banks. Lord Liverpool and his co -
leagues were apparently much disappointed at
the manner in which this scheme was received,
and disconcerted by the objections urged to it
on the part of the Gentlemen to whom they
had resorted for advice on this occasion. It
was observed that, on all former occasions,
when such a measure had been adopted, there
was at least an apparent necessity for it ;—that
our trade was suffering from some peculiar pres-
sure, either caused by circumstances connected
with the war in which we were engaged,
or by a scarcity of money and the difficulty of
procuring it, even on the most unexceptionable

. ,
sectifitieq, at the inOtnent ;—that in both cases
this mode of relief was suited to the exigency,
and it had been found effectual ;—that at present
the circumstances were quite different ;—that in-
stead of any scarcity of money being felt, the
complaint throughout the country generally was
the difficulty of employing or investing it, even
at a low interest ;—that this state of things was
so universally prevalent, and the London Bankers
had been so encumbered by deposits 'from their
Country Correspondents, that they had been
obliged in all cases to lower the rate of interest
on their accounts, and in some to discontinue the
allowance of it entirely.—lt was therefore asked,
how Exchequer Bills could be of the least benefit in
such a state of the money market ?—The Coun-
try Bankers, it was further observed, would be
satisfied with even less security for their ad-
vances than would be required by Commissioners
for the issue of Exchequer Bills ; and the ques-
tion was not where money was to be found, hut
where the farmer, after he had expended the ad-
vance which he might receive in the payment of
his rents and taxes, could find means to replace
it ?—Such then are the fruits of the profound de-
liberations of Ministers on the distresses of the
country ! Such are the men who have so long
wielded the destinies of this great Empire!—
Was Lord Liverpool so little acquainted with
the real situation of the country, as not to he
aware of the facility with which money can at
present be borrowed? If he was aware of this,.
did it never occur to him that, wherever an ad-
vance of money to the farmer promised ulti-
mately an advantageous result, individual specu-
lation would not be backward in affording it
The public, in this case, cannot even go so far as
individuals.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, FEB. 4.
THE RING V. DR. HIOHMORE.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL prayed the judgment of the
Court on the defendant, Dr. Highmore, who was found guilty
at the sittings for Middlesex after last term, of a libel on the
King.
Dr. Highmore immediately tendered affidavits, and said he
wished to move in arrest of judgment.
The LORD CHIEF JusTicE..7-You cannot move on affida-
vits in arrest of judgment ; you may move on affidavits for a
new trial, or may use them in mitigation of punishment, but
you can only move in arrest of judgment for some error ap-
parent on the face of the record.

Dr. Highmore said he wished to contradict the statements
made in the prosecutor's reply.
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE—If you will attend to the sug-
gestion I am about to make to you, and to the Solicitor-General,
you may perhaps find it needless. I would suggest that you
enter into your own recognizance to appear and receive judg-
ment, if called upon.

Highmore.said he was humbly grateful to his Lcrdship,
but he had been nine months in prison.
The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE—That is the reason why I ven-
ture to make the recommendation. Yoli may if you please
refuse it, but it is for your own benefit : if you conduct yourself
properly, you will never be called on to receive sentence. You
had better confer with some gentleman at the bar,who will advise
you.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, that he willingly accepted.
the suggestion of his Lordship. The defendant might have
been liberated from prison at any time during the nine Months,
on entering into his own recognizance. '
Mr. F. POLLOCK rose and said; that he had conferred with
Dr. Highmore, and would, with the leave of the Court, retire
with him ifor a short 'time. The learned counsel accordingly
retired with the defendant, and shortly after signified to the
Court, that Dr. Highmore gratefully accepted the terms offer-
ed him.

The LORD C'iliEr JUSTICS expressed his satisfaction at
the result : the Doctor bowed respectfully to the Court, entered
into his recognizance, and was discharged.

COBB V. SYMONDS.
This was an application to the Court, to ascertain whether a
smuggler was subject to the Bankrupt Laws. It was an action
of trover by the assignees of a bankrupt, to recover from the
defendant damages for certain farming utensils which had been
assigned to him by the Sheriff. At the trial a verdict was taken
for the plaintiff.
A motion was now made to set aside the verdict, upon the
ground that the bankrupt being a farmer, was not properly sub-
ject to the bankrupt laws.
The Couwr, however, refused to disturb the verdict on the
authority of some cases, where it was laid down that without
any reference to the legality or illegality of the trading, if it
was shewn that a men got his living by dealing in smuggled
goods, he was amenable to the provisions of 'the bankrupt laws.
—Rule discharged.
The Court rose at two o'clock.
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