The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-11 00:00:00

at 8001. a year.—(oh, oh, and uproar.) And
then, when they did not want their hands, they turned
them off to be kept by the farmers .—(Cries of "False,
false," and uproar.) They were told that they must call
in science to improve their farming, hut they must leave
off improvements if they got no remuneration. Glou-
cestershire was celebrated fur improvements, and
.Earl
Ducie set up a farm for himself to try those im-
provements, and took part in a farce at Covent-
gaarden Theatre, called " Gammoeing the Farmers,"
and said wheat could be grown at 33. 6d. a bushel.
Now they did not hear much of that farm nom,
and the balance sheet had not heed produced. Then
there were the scientifiic farmers at Cirencester Col-
lege, the London shopkeepers, and others, wno had
tried farming in Gloucestershire, when wheat was at
seven shillings per bushel, and failed ; and yet the
poor clay headed farmers, as they were called, were
expected to carry on their farms when wheat was only
five shillings per bushel. Now he found that manu-
facturers had some protection; ten per cent. on cotton,
ten per cent. on silk, fifteen per cent. on velvets, &c.
If they were to have free trade in corn they
ought to have free trade in everything, with great re-
reductions in rent and taxation, or they could not go on.
Parliament refused to listen to them, and if they con-
tinued in their present course they must wait on the
Queen 100,000 strong, and telling ler that the Ministers
were ruining the best strength of the country, call upon
her to dismiss them, and call upon her to dismiss them,
and call to her councils men who would pursue a system
of government which would give the people employ-
ment. The speaker concluded by moving a resolution,
to the effect that extreme distress prevailed among all
classes connected with agriculture in this country.
Mr. DAFID BOWLEY seconded the motion.
The resolution was then put, and declared to have
been carried, amidst huzzaing and clapping of hands.
Mr. J. KEARSHLW moved the second resolution—
" That the distress coul I only be attributed to the effects
of recent legislation, which I.,ft the occupation of land to
bear a larger share of local and general taxation than
other dasses_(Chlers, and cries of " No")—though it
left him open to competition from the foreigner." It they
could put their taxation upon a footing with that
of the continent, they could compete with the whole of
the world.—(Cheery.) Distress equally exist7d in the
manufacturing and agricultural districts; but the menu
Tac tu r ers employed women and chit:tree, while the far-
mers employed able-bodied men.—(Cheers.) The far-
mers never employed people without having the money
to pay them, while the mantvacturers paid 3s. or 45. in
the pound. time after time, and went on as before.—
(Hear.). He.mairitained that they must have an -equali-
sation of taxes, or they muse nil be ruined.—(Cheers,
and cries of "pp, oh.'')

Mr. 0. F. ONBLow s'econdod the res:llu:ion.
EA.' DIXIE then came forward amidst the loud st
cheering and uproar. The meeting had been convened

..o take into con,ideration the cause of agricultural dis-
tress. lle had never heard of the requisition till he saw
it advertised, though he would have signed it with
pleasure.—(Cheers.) Those who knew him could
eardly suppose that he did not feel fo the auffertogs
Hof his fellow-men. He had not been invited to the
meeting, but he had come lest resolutions should
be proposed to which he. could not assent--(Cheers.)
Farmers were very susceptible people—they were easily
elevated and easily depreseed.—(Cheers and uproar.)
Oh, he was in good temper, and he would try to put them
in one elso.—(Cheers.) One day a few years since he
went into an agricultural district to have his hair cut, aed
the barber said that he appeared to be better than usual.
He asked him on what he grouded his opinion, and he
replied because his (Lord Ducie's) hair was so crisp. He
said that he cut the hair of a good many farmers, and he
could always tell the state of the market by it. When
the market was bad their hair was quite limp, but when
the market was good their hair was beautifully crisp.
That proved their susceptibility. Well, knowing how
eusceptibt( the farmers were, he thought they might be
misled by party leaders, if he did not attend to warn-them
of their position. They were led in 1841 to reject a fixed
duty, which arts than praposed.—(Cries of "Sold.") Well,
if they liked it Letter, they were sold in 1811 by parties
who induced them to reject a fixed Ss. duty, in order not
to benefit the farmers, but to step into the shoes cf the
Ministers. It was a comfortable position to be placed
in, to find that in moving an amendment one had
nothiog to say against the previous speakers ; in fact,
the first two were the jolliest free traders he ever beard.
He was now about to move an amendment to the re-
solution before them, because it attributed the dis-
tress to the repeal of the corn laws.—(Cries of
" No, no.") Then, w hat did " recent legislation " mean?
Nuw, Mr. Matthews con4lained of the want of cheap
Government. So did he. That gentleman wanted to
have a reduction in local rates. Su did be. Well, to do
that, they ought to petition in favour of Mr. Hume's
Bill fur joining the ratepayers with the magistrates in
their government. Then Mr. Matthews was against
church-rates. So was he.—(Appl arse.) They said
that the present distress was owing to the corn laws
of three months old.—(oh, oh, false, and a cry of
three years.) Three years ! why, they had had
corn at 1053. within that period. The real cause of the
distress was, the bad crop, and infamous quality of last
year.—(Cries of " False,
good corn was now worth 5 .Os --(Cries of "False,
false!" " Oh, oh I") Why,
false, we cannot get it.") They had no good
corn to sell. He was talking to M. Guizot
the other day about the anarchy and revolu-
tion existing on the Continent, and that great
man had said, that if they bad not removed that mon-
•.ter grievance, the corn laws, this country would have
been in as bad a state as any other. Now, if the corn-
laws bad not been repealed, and they had been forced
to feed the population on their own damp and unwhole-
some wheat of last year, they would have been subjected
to the cholera.—(Cheere, uproar, and cries of " Notsense,
and the cholera is not hare.") The cholera had been
ravaging the Continent, and the seeds of it were in Fag-
land, aye, even in that town, and that ford would have
made it worse.—Uproar, cries of " Question, Scc.")
He begged to conclude by moving his amendment, viz ,
" That this meeting regrets the depression under which
the agricultural interest is labeuring; but believing that
ie. will revive with the general improvement of trade
and commerce, has only to express his gratitude to God
for the continued peace and security this country has
enjoyed, ar.d the present prospects of an abundant
harvest, se essential to the general prospects of the
country."
Mr. SAMUEL BowLEY rose to second the amendment.
lie could not understand why the question could not be
discussed in quietness, as the interests of all par-
ties were equally concerned. Could any one sup-
pose that the country could have gone through the
revulsion it had without occasioning considerable dis-
tress? The tradesman had suffered in his profits, the
manufacturer had suffered, the railway speculator had
suffered. Well, it must be felt through all classes,
and the farmer could not expect to escape. If the
farmers were in such miserable distress as they stated, it
must have been brought upon them by protection.
Well, as free trade had only existed three or four
moeths, if that had caused them to lose all their money
they must have had but very little to lose. Now what
was protection to do? Was it to raise the price of
corn! —(Cries of "Yes.") Well, if a man had 9s. a week,
he had to pay 63. a week for bread, and if the price of
corn was raised one fifth, it would tax the poor man to the
extent of 3. 2s. 4d. per annum. If a gentleman had
1,000/. a year, he generally only spent 1 40th for bread,
which was about 251., or a tax of about 5/., as compared
with the poor man's 31. 2e. 4d., whereas, to be equal to
the tax of the poor man, it ought to be 153/. 3s. 911.
Now as to their saying that they did not send out
their manufactures for corn, he wished to know whether
gold was produced in this country, and if it was not,
how did they get it, except in exchange for their manu-
factures? They were told that free trade would ruin
the agriculturist, but they had heard the same prognos-
tics with regard to other trades, and they failed. If the
manufacturers of cloth
tchaerrfidaermoenrs tdhiedirthtreade in the
same raising of
corn.—(Uproar, cheers, and cries of "Turn him out,"
which lasted soma minutes.)
Mr. °snow called upon the meeting to hear Mr.
Bowler.
Mr. BoWLEY Was afraid he had spoken too plainly.—
(Renewk d uproar.) He could not understand what they
were hissing at.—(Uproar, and cries of "Go on!"
" Don't be four hour!"—" Let's have fair play!") lie
did not mind a sentiment being objected to; but if he
was 'stating anything that was untre and foolish,
the bettor it was for those who opposed him. In-

stead of the country hying out so- much money in
railways, which would only give them two or three per
cent., it would have been better laid out on the land at
five per cent. He knew tenant farmers who would gladly
pay that amount for money to improve their farms. The
landlords should do this instead of keeping farms merely
to create political voters to be driven to the pall.—
(Cheers.) Let them carry out free trade to the full, and
get security for the tenant, and they might be all happy
and contented together.—(Cheers.)
Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEY, M.P., as a colonial pro-
prietor, said that their intereet had been leading a forlorn
hope against free trade for some time. He did not com-
plain of free trade, but he contended, that before it was
ever introduced the Ministers ought to have made a
general and great reduction of taxation
both the colonies and England ought to have
been put into preparation for the change. if there
had been a reduction of the malt tax, and the expen-
diture of the country modified, they would have been
prepared to have given a fair trial to free trade. He
did not think that free trade was yet half felt in its
effects, or that the farmers had discharged half the la-
bourers they would have to do. There must be a great
reduction in taxes wed expenditure before they
could compete with Russia and other countries.
Mr. Cobden was feted in foreign countries because the
cunning foreigner was aware that England was not pre-
pared to compete with foreign countries in the market
he had opened. If they were to continue in the pre-
sent system he advise d the tenant farmers to strike
fer a reduction of rents, that the rich man
might feel the effects of free trade as well
as the poor, and by that means, and that only,
they would raise a party, both in the Lords and Com-
mons, who would compel the Government to make a
reduction in taxation. The manufacturing and agri-
cultural interests must stand and fall togethr, and that
had always been his opinion. He could not agree with
were
the g h t
Nl
the amendment of the Noble Lord, because it did not
allude to the fact that tho Government had not
ithtimheis.
Ho wondered
lightly
the country for free trade measures by a
thefarmersbarbercircumstancesLord
atnot
go on present
wgriculture suffered to the " shaving
of the ladies.' He called upon the meeting
to adopt such resolutions as would restore . to
old England that upright, honest, and merry name she
had hitherto delighted in. The Honourable Gentleman
concluded by snoring, as an amendment, " that the die-
tress felt by the agricultural interest was chiefly attri-
butable to the no-introduction of a s'stem of reviatd

taxation, vrhieh would have secured a fair trial to the
principle of free-trade, and rendered it a, benctit to the

people.

Sir W. UODRINGTON, M.P., then presented himself
amid loud cheers. Nobody regretted more than he did
the teccssiy for that meeting, and he highly approved
of the original resolution then before them. He thought
that all taxes pressing on the farmers ought to be
removed, and thus free trade might have a chance ;
but under existing circumstances it was impossible to
compete with the foreigner.—(Cheers.)
The Marqeis of WORCESTER, who was also received
with loud cheers, supported the original resolution, and
contended that the opinion of M. Guizot, with regard to
the government of this country, was not worth much,
seeing that he could not govern his own country.
Mr. HUMPHREY BROWN, M.P., seconded the amend-
ment o!- Mr. Gr.nticy Berkeley. He had always been a
free trad* r, and he hoped he should see the system car-
ried fully out among all classes of the community.
Under a system of protection they had had Committees
to inquire into agricultural distress both in 1821 and
1829, and in neither instance could they come to any de-
terminati,.)n on the subject for its relief.
Lord DCCIE having withdrawn his amendment in
favour of that of Mr. Grantley Berke y.
The question was put, when the show of hands sp-
petired to us to be as nearly as possible equally divided.
but

The CHAIRMAN, after consulting with other gentle-
men, declared the amendment to be negatived, a result
which was received with loud cheers and counter cheers.
The original motion was then put and carried.
Resolutions having been passed, pledging the meeting
to use every e tior t iu endeavouring to obtain an altera
tion in the present system, p ti!ions were adopted to both
Howes of Parliament, in acc ,rdance with the resolutions;
a-id thanks being voted to the Chairman, the meeting
separated.

EXAMINATION FOR THE MER-
CHANT SERVICE. .
A List of the Masters_ and Mates of the Merchant
Service who have voluntarily passed ,an examinetion
and obtained certificates of qualification for ilie'ciass
againit each assign: d, under the regulations issued by.
the Board of Trade since 30th Aprilast.
MASTERS.
FIRST CLASS.—John Nixon, David Balderston, Mat-
thew Grawrord, John Whartt.n, Itobei t Steels, 'I homes
William Sawyer, Gilbert Scott Mar hall, Daniel Heat-
ley Barnes, Lewis Bilton, Frederick Smith (extra),
mug Williamson Hall, Thomas Dunn, James Baird,
Jr.nr-s Killick, James Brown, Andrew Cheyne, John
Ogilt ie, James White, Cecil Mackintosh Stephenson
(axial), Henry Coriass, Rii.‘ert Miller,
SECOND CLASS.—Arthur Parker Turner, William
Taylor, Samuel Radford 'Thomas, William Henry Bent,
James Hay, William Deane, William Edward Ward
Gs iggs, James Brack, James Raitt, James nudge Augus-
tus Bergh, Charles Harty, Edward Piton, Geo:Skinner,
Mired Matson Cleve and, John Horatio Woodham, Robt.
Thompson, John Jardine, Stephen Fletcher Stansmore,
Laurence «illiam Valle, Alexander Stracham, Richard
James Reynolds, Hugh Ross, John Thomas Jones, Ro-
bert Hildreth, Henry Denny, Charles Gordon, Thomas
Chaplin, Peter Brown, Edward Duncan, William Dun-
das Cioete, John Henry Travers, 'Thomas Humphris,
Henry Archbold, Robert Gleacow, Robert Carter
Hatchings,:John Armon, Michael Young, Charles Hyne,
Frr derick Arrow, William Spencer, Hugh Macmeikan,
David Gray.
THIRD CLASS.—Thomas Clarkson, Thomas Watson,
Thoma. Rawe, •Richard Henry Barnes, Thomas Preist,
John Edward Fhilpoi, *Edgar Child, James Purnell,
John Tinn, Martin M'lntyre, Thomas Gray, James
Connell, Samuel Evans Smith.
MATES.
SECOND CLA.SS.—*John Charles Almond, Arthur
Withy, Thomas Dallas, John Wilson, Arthur Kingsford,
John Venablee.
THIRD CLAss.—John White, Francis Hayes, John
George Thomas, *Charles Henry Tn., wceke.
* Qaalified !or steam vessels only.
Board of Trade, Whitehall, June 7.

Flan IN OXFOIM-fiTHEET.—Last night (Sunday),
shortly before eleven o'c ock, a fire broke out in the
premises belonging to Mr. *. Leaver, a hat manufac-
turer, No. 5, Oxford-street, adjoining the Boar and
Castle Hotel and Coach-office. Several engines were
kept in full operation until past twelve o'clock, when the
firemen at 'length succeeded in extingui.hing the flames,
but not until the whole of Mr Leaver's stock in trade
was reduced to ashes, and every room in the building
burnt out. The Boar and Castle, although it has es-
caped destruction by fire, has received serious damage
by water, the cellars and several of the rooms being so
flooded that an engine was obliged to be employed to
pump the water out. The premises of Mr. J. Ewing,
upholsterer, Nos. 3 and 4, Oxford street, are also seri-
ously damaged by water.
RUFFIANLY ASSAULT.—At the Marylebone police-
court this morning James Martin was charged with cum-
mining a violent assault upor, a young man of the name
of Lyon. From the evidence adduced it appeared that
Martin, on Saturday, went to the Coach and Horsey
public-house, Edgware•road, made a disturbance, and
struck Lyon, the barman, iu the face. A policeman
having been sent for the prisoner was given into custody,
When he said " He should only have a month for it,
and that when he got out he would knock his (Lyon's)
b--y brains out. The magistrate fined him 305., or
one month's imprisonment.
Mr. Thomas Blaney has forwarded this week, per
Seagull, to Rotterdam, a fine bull of the short-horn
breed, from the celebrated herd of Sir William Cooke,
Bart., Wheatley Ilan, near Doncaster.—Hull Packet.
COWES, JUNE 9.—Wind variable; 10;11
Condor, lit rsting, Calcutta, and sld. for Antwerp.
DINGENESS, JUNE 7.—Off port, Sovereign, Holland,
St. John's, New Brunswick, for Hail; Avon, St. John's,
New Brunswick.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
NlSEl?.—Recent exercises of the privilege of
excluding strangers from the debates in Parliament
have oeca,ioned much oiscussion us to its origin. We
have no doubt of its rise in the darker ages of our his•
tory, but, unfortunately for satisfaction on this point,
minutes of the proceedinge of public bodies were not
recorded with much exactness or regularity in feudal
times. The Rob& Parliamenti, continued from Ed-
ward I. to Henry VII., contain no mention of privileges,
and Set ae believe that we can show reason for holding
an opinion, that the claim to exclude persons from the
national councils, on the ground that they were not
Members, existed long before the first of the rolls in
that venerable collection of Parliamentary proceedings.
From the earliest assemblage of men to consult for tne
common weel, there must have existed, by concession or
assumption, a perfect freedom of speech. In order that
this may exist, it is f asential that tee assembly shall hate
the power of excluding ell persons who do not belong to
the body in council. in small communities, like the early
Germanic tribes, from whom we derive our Parliaments,
there would be nobody to exclude but the natives of
some other division of the great aoay. They were armed
confederacies, and their deliberations were held, like
council.; of war, sword in hand. The chiefs and the
people having one common interest, could have no mo-
tive for secrecy as regarded either class. Sir Francis
Palgrave, indeed, expresses an opinion, that the National
Ass( tablas of the Teutonic or German bodies might oc-
casionally have been overawed by powerful chiefs. That,
we may be assured, would have been a very sufficient
reason for those enthusiasts of popular rights and free-
dom for expelling such chiefs from their deliberations,
and deposing them from all authority. But there is no
warrant in history for the opinion. People who enter a
council with arms in their hands are ill prepared for
submission to class legislation.
islation. History, which refuses
to exhibit facts in confirmation of Sir Francis Pal-
grave's hypothesis, informs us that an attempt to
alter the ancient laws and constitution of Sweden,
by King Ingi, was so strongly resented by the
boors, and others ass - mbled in the Log-thing, or
Legislative Council, that they ielently ejected him,
and threw stones after him in his flight. There is another
instance, in which au attempt by a chief, with the title
of kiet,s, which was more common, and consequently less
honourable than at present, ended fatally to himself, for
the people in deliberation cut him down with their
swords, and afterwards uttered him in public sacrifice.
We could enumerate other facts, of nßich the tendency
is to show that the national meetings, which are the
generators of our more formal Parliaments, were
jealously kept es free as they were instituted—councils
ter the general good, to which all but foreigners had
access, and in which the powerful who aimed at innova-
tion on the common right were coerced by the armed
councillors. When the Normans came into England,
there were two races of men to be ruled, and it was long
the custom, when it was deemed nec scary to hold a Par-
liament, to send royal writs of summons to select
persons, and thus both the owners
of honours, as a
concentration of several baronies in an individual
possessor was denominated, and
the owners of single
manors, sat together ;n Parliament. It is more
than probable that, under this arrangement, in-
timidation might be used by the more powerful
Barons by tenure over the less weighty Barons by writ.
We pass on from these rule times to the Parliament of
Oxford, in the reign of Henry 111., when the Barons,
who hail succeeded in diminishing the authority of the
Sovereign, sought to increase and perpetuate the aristo
cratic power, by introducing persons into etehberation
with them from the general body of the people. By this
step they partly revived the free spirit of the Teutonic
councils. The two classes certainty continued to sit
teg!.the r in the same fame for a long time, though
antiquaries are unable to settle the dive of their separa-
tion.. A third step brought the Parliament into its pre-
sent form of csnstitution, and introduced the claiming of
privileges. We mean the origin of the right of boroughs
and cities to send representatives to deliberate with the
nobles anti knights of shires on the welfare of the whole.
• In such an assembly, the very first question of taxation, or
of public right, that arose, would eceasion a distinction in
the business co Parliament, and convenience itself wont!
suggest the division of classes, which took place and still
subsists. At this stage of Parliamentary lii-tory the
power of the Heuse of Commons was ceinnaretively
small. On electing a Speaker, they were ohiigeti to
send him with an humble supplication to the Sovereign
the: they might have liberty of speech in their necessary
consultations. It would also be just et the sitparation
of the Parliament into two Houses, that the Commons
would discover that the presence of great barons and
courtiers might effect the freedom of thought and lan-
guage, s.vah.out
.which they would be mere tools. We
can easily imagine that now began a second time that
jealousy of the presence of strangers, which existed in
the early councils of the Getmaris. We are not pre-
pared to state ;he exact time waen a record was made
in the journals that strangers were present and ordered
to withdraw, though probably- somethiese of the kind
may be found in Whitelocke or Rashworth. In
all probability is was simply an announcement of the
fact that was necessary to occasion expulsion. The