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

TUESDAY, FEBRUA RY 5, 1822.

ment," by several voices.)—He thanked them.
It was so. The Government had got it for car-.
rying on what they, called a just and necessary
war, but what lie. called a crusade. It was a war
which oijght never to have been commenced.
He had been among the dupes who had
been persuaded. that the war was right,—
In; consequence of that war, the expence had
become enormous; but the enormous expen-
diture had not terminated with the war.
Places, pensions, and sinecures, were created
every day. Yes, they were not only continued,
but additional burdens of this useless nature
were created every day. In the meantime, they
found their.money gone from them. They could
not raise the money required, and those who had
been fairly above the world were fallen below it,
Landlords. ~vete.! generally sensible of the change
whichiiad taken place : 4ey had lowered their,
rents. He defied any one to say that rents had
not been lowered in every county in England.
There were individual exceptions, for there
were foolish landlords and foolish tenants.-,--
He had lowered his rents not a half, but
above a third, and he never wished to see
them up again ; but he did wish to see the
country relieved from taxes which it could not
bear.—Let them only have low rents and low
prices, as thirty years ago, and let their bur-
dens be reduced to the same level. He there-
fore recommended Reform.—He wished for re-
duction and economy ; that was the Reform he
meant.—lle would submit for their adoption a
Petition whiCh he -begged leave to hand to the
Under Sheriff to be read.

The UNDER SHERIFF read the Petition pro-
posed :
" The Humble r Petition of the Owners and Occupiers of
Land, and ethers interested in the Agriculture of the
County of Surrey, sheweth,
" That the Committee appointed by the Hon. the House of
Commons,. state, "rhat a considerable portion of the out-
goings on Arable Farms is paid out of capital, and not from
the profits of the Tenantry.'
" That in all probability the prices of the produce of Agri-
culture, in common with the prices of all other articles, will be
lower, in consequence of the improved value of our money.
" That they do not deny that it is the duty of the Legisla-
ture to shorten the duration, and palliate the evils of the .crisis.
" That they think the situation of the grower of Corn both
hazardous and embarrasSing in a country where the lowest
price, which is considered to afford him a remuneration, shall
habitually and considerably exceed the prices of the remainder
of the world, although up to that price he should be secure& in
the complete monopoly of that country.
" That they think the ruinously low prices of agricultural
produce at this moment cannot be ascribed to any deficiency in
the protecting power of the Laws, that protection cannot be
carried further than monopoly ; this monopoly the • British
growers enjoyed 'for the produce of the two lost harvests (the
Ports, withethe exception of the ill-timed and unnecessary im-
portation of Oats during six weeks of the last Summer), having
been uninterruptedly shut against all Foreign import fqr nearly
thirty months.
" That they earnestly recommend that every opportunity
should be watched, and every practical measure adopted for re-
ducing the amount 'of Public Expenditure, as the only means
of approximating to a state of Finance, which, without im-
pairing the credit of the country, may lead to a diminution of
the ,:xisting burthens of the people.
" That they consider, so far as taxes fall upon the profits of
the active capitals of the country, whatever may be the object
upon which they immediately attach, or the parties by whom
they are in the first instance paid, they operate in their ultimate
effect as an abatement of those profits equally affecting the
trading, the Manufacturing, and the Farming interest, by di-
minishing their means either of enjoyment, or of accumulating
further capital, by savings of their annual incomes.
" That they do not disguise from themselves that the weight
of public burthens of the country (their nominal amount re-
maining the same), must be more severely felt in proportion as
the money incomes derived from trading, farming, and manu-
facturing capital and industry are diminished. .
. That no exertion therefore should be omitted to endeavour
to reduce those burthens as nearly as circumstances will per-
mit, in the degree in which such incomes May have been re-
duced, for, in considering this subject, it is important to bear
in mind that the general amount and real pressure of taxation
have been positivelyincreased in the proportion of the improved
value of our currency.
[Here Mr. WESTERN observed, that the part of the Petition
which had been hitherto read, was no more than a recitation of
the Report of the Committee of the House of Commons; what
followed emanated from themselves.]
" That notwithstanding such are the opinions of the Ho-
nourable Committee, no Parliamentary measures have been
taken, except the repeal of the Horse Tax, or even recommend-
ed by them, that could induce your Petitioners to expect any
immediate or to hope for any distant relief by reduction of
Taxation.
" That your Petitioners are induced therefore to humbly im-
plore your Honourable House to take the said Report into its
most serious and immediate deliberation, with a view to such
an alleviation of the present burdens as can alone enable the
Agriculturist to meet the difficulties under which he now la-
bours.
" That they humbly suggest, to your honourable House the
reduction of direct and indirect Taxation, as being the most
essential step to insure other abatements of the charges on rais-
in.- produce, so absolutely necessary to avoid Bankruptcy to the
Landed Interest.
" That yOur Petitioners trust they are borne out and jus-
tified in this humble request, by the Report of your Com-
mittee.
" That your Petitioners are less reluctant in urging your
Honourable HoUse to this relief, because they consider the
State may be ably and safely governed at a much smaller ex-
pence than it now is.
" That should your Petitioners' humble request be ne-
glected, they are assured that it will take away from the la-
bourer that employment he so mainly relies on for his sub-
sistence."

Mr. MABEarx, jun. said, that there_were three
causes from which our distress proceeded. The
first, to which, as of inferior importance, he would
allude but shortly, was the depressed prices.—
A small excess of coin beyond the consumption
of the country sunk down the prices in a much
greater proportion than the proportion of that
excess. Thus, if the excess was one-ninth, the
fall of prices was in the proportion of one-fifth
or one-fourth. A computation,, taken with the
greatest accuracy the setso ► before the last,.
sheaved that the excess of produce was one-
ninth, but the pressure upon the farmer by the
fall of prices ‘‘as in a much greater proportion.
The second cause was more important, and pro-
duced a more important effect than was allowed
to it—it was the restoration of our currency.—
The same quantity of pounds was now paid as
formerly, when the value of the pound was
greatly increased. The increase of value now
was in the same proportion as the depreciation
had been before ; but this was too abstract a
point, and -he would not dwell upon it. The
third cause was the most important of all. It was
the enormous pressure of taxation; the enormous