The Sun.
London, England, 1822-03-06 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.

tOrd '''RSKINE said, he had fifteen petitions to present
couiplainizg of Aitrieultural Distress; and he could not help
.-.thiriltinF that the Peediciners were peculiarly' entitled to their
Lordship& attention, Mastnuch us.tlrey, had failed in being en-
abled to obtain any remedy in the other House. His Lordship
-quoted -the first -paragraph of the Report of the Agricultural
Committee of the House cf Commoni of last Session, acknow=
ledging the reality of the .distress of, the agricultural interests;
and that the receipts of an aratlC farm would not pay the el:-
pences of cultivation,. brit Must be defrayed otit Of the capital
-of the farmer, and then • referred 'to page 16 of •the Report,
stating that it would be for the L%islature to- eOnsidei at a
future period of establishing. protecting instead of. the.
pfesent system. Thus • the 'oil was immediate; =and yet the
• Committee agreed in postponing the remedy.
•What would be
said to a physician'(and he had put this case to Member of
the renewed Committee, a very amiable man),•whoi after tell-.
ink his patient that he was in great danger, and could not.in
probahility live a week, 'should afterwards tell him that he
would at a future period take his case into consideration ?,
Surely the Physician would not venture to say so at the head
-of the stairs., he would at least wait till he got into the passage,
and pretty near the door. The Petitioners-did not complain of
taxation, though there was no doubt they felt its pressure as
well as others ; but the fact Was; that all that retrenchment
#91.1.1t1 do would not be enough to relieve thein ;* they wanted to
be protected like our commerce and manufactures, and no more.
`lie hal heard, though' he could scarcely believe- the fact, until
a papa to that effect had been put into his hand, that it hadbeen
proposed in die revived . Agricultural Committee to reduce the
protecting duty from 80s. to 675. (although foreign corn could
be imported at 355.) tie Could only say to this; that the shortest
way to New Bethlehem was over Waterloo-bridge. Surely when
the farmers were nos; nearly ruined—when the protecting price
was 80s. it was a strange way of relieving them to reduce it to
07s. What did their tordihipslook- to but their rents ? But if
this system was to go on, that House Might in a short timebe
called the House of Paupers instead of the House of Lords, for
it would be impossible to obtain any rent. He had read the
Worksof Mr. Webbe Hall, and hemust say that that Gentleman
had been much misrepresented, his object merely being that the
Agn•gultural Interests of the country should have the same pro-
teetion as our Commercial and Mannfaeturing* Interests, and
no more. seeing the-Noble Earl- (Liverpool) just come into
:he House, he would observe. that it was very essential to-guard
frauds in bringing foreign corn to market, for he be-
r;tred that though our ports -had been shut against foreign corn,
• oar markets had not, and that foreign corn. had introduced
s Irish corn, to the great injury of oar own farmers, His
Lordship concluded by presenting 15 Petitions,l4 of them' from
Owners and Occupiers of land in Oxfordshire and adjoining
Counties, and one from Ringwood (Hants) and its neighbour-
hood.—Ordered to lie upon the .table.—Adjourned at 5 o'clock.'
-...;11 to-morrow (this day.) .

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
. • mISCELLANEOVS. -
Mr. CIiRTEIS moved for several RetUrns relating to Ilari
imported itto thi; country, for the years subsequent to 1819.
Ordered.

.Mr. LOCKHART presented a Petition from certain Occu-
iii?rs of Land at Doncaster; .and another from Occupiers.
Land- in'Dorsetshire, complaining of agricultural distress, and
-praying for protecting duties.—Ordered to lie on-the table. •
Mr. CURWEN presented a Petition from the Inhabitants
of Wigton, in Cumberland, praying for a revision of the Cri-
minal Code.—The Petition, after a few words -.from Mr. Cur-
ren in its support, was ordered to he on the table.
Mr. LOCh.IIART gave notice, that on the lEth instant he
should move for leave to bring in a Bill to facilitate the recovery
of the possession of small Tenements held over by Tenants
after the expiration of their terms.
T;ie Sugar Duties' Bill, the ..Exchequer Bills' Bill, and the
Transfer of Aids' Bill, - were-read a third time and passed. •
NI:. Alderman WOOD brought-up the• Report of the Com-
..rn appointed to consider the Petition of the City of London,
the repair of London Bride.
• Mr. HOLM E 'SUMNER Objectea to the course taken by
he City on this occasion. Ide had no doubt- he should be. in_
strortei to nlove:for.a Bill . to take. down the, preqentßridge,
and bv,ild another.

iv. 0 NIMA NE Y spoke a few words, in ,support of the
o!:servation of Mr. H. Sumner.

was then giv:en for bringing !a a Bill to repair the
Mr. CHEW ND gave notice, that on Tuesday next ha
.should move for leave to bring in a Bill for more effectually en.
forcing the Laws against Beggars, and . for giving additional
-powers to Nlmistrates for that purpose. •
The :Marquis of LONDONDERRY, in the-absence; from.
,indisposition, of. his Right Von. :Friend (the Chancellor of the
'l;x-chequer), postponed ..until Thursday next his Right Hon.
Friend's notice respecting the Superannuation• Bill. -He would
kera obse.rve, that there was a notice of the lion. Member for
Aberdeen on the books, respecting .some. Accounts relative to
'the Consolidated Fund. The information required by the Hon.
N.lemher would be detailed in the-measure about to ire proposed
..bilas Right lion. Friend. The fionouiable 'Member -would
- prv,a73ly, tI-•!erefore, not 'object to his motion going off for the
-pr=int, as it would be obvious that he might revive it, if the
information alluded to should not be satisfactory. . . The Report of the COmmittee of:Supply upon the Navy'
Estimates was brought up by Mr. Brogden, and agreed to.
{fin the inotein of Mr. CROKER,• leave was given to- bring
wi u Bill far zclgulating -his Majesty's arine Forces on:syore.
Sir M. W. 'RIDLEY moved fora Rcturn of the Rental of
`the several Estates belonging to GreenWieh Hospital, and of
all sotns expended or elloweql for the Repairs thereof ; and .a'
lieturn of the number of Agents employed in the management.
of those estates, with the amount of 'the several salaris ; and
also a Return of the number of persons holding offices in the
Hospital, stating whether any, and which, of those offices were
yxecuted by Deputies ; the amount of, the salary for each
offi'ee ; and stating also whether any of sUchofficers held any
bther offim with the amount of the salary attached to the,
,same.---Ordered.