The Sun.
London, England, 1823-01-07 00:00:00

The Broil Sll E km. objected to this mode of proceeding,
he could not propose aVetition which was not founded on reso-
lutiens. Mr. Cobbett, however, persisted in his motion, which
was immediately seconded by Sir Themes Beevor, and the fol-
lowing petition was handed to the Under Sheriff to read :
To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled.
The Petition of the Nobility, Gentry, and others, of the County
of Norforlk, in County Meeting assembled, the 3d day of
January, 1823,
Most humbly sheweth,
That your petitioners havexlwayi been. ready to make any
-sacrifices which were necessary to the defence of their country
and to the safety and dignity of their Sovereign's throne, but
that they are now itnrelleiL by their well-known, indescribable,
and unmerited suffertngs, to approuch your Honourable flipuse
with an huMble prayer that you will be pleased to adopt the
best means of relieving them from those sufferings.
That in proceeding to suggestthose means, which they do
with the greatest respect and ,deference, your humble peti-
tioners cannot disguise front themeelves, and they will not at.
tempt to disguise from your Ilon-Honse„- that they entertain a
fixed opinion, that this now unhappy country owes all its ca.
'amities to the predominance of certain partieuler.families;
who, since the passing of the Septennial Act, have, by degrees,
appropriated to themselves a large part of the property and re.
venue of the whole nation, and who have at last, by taxes,
debts, and changes in the currency, involved themselves, as
well s$ the whole of this industrious community, in difficulties
too groat to be removed by the baud of time, or by any but
the most rigorous measures of the legislation.
That whether we look at the church, the army, the courts of
law, the customs, the excise, the plot:Ars, or the crown land*,
we see in each a channel of enormous emoluments to theee par-
denier families for whose benefit and aggrandizement, more
than for any thing else, the whole of these sources of riches
would appear to exist. And that therefore, though justice and
necessity demand a reduction of the interest of the debt, and an
equitable adjustment of all other contracts, your humble peti-
tioners would deem such reduction an act of deep iniquity, and
they deem such adjustment wholly impracticable, as long as
these particular families enjoy those emoluments, and as Th:ig as
they retain in the Legislature that absolute sway which they
have acquired through the means of the Septennial Act, in con-
junction with the notorious and scandalous abuses connected
with the representation.
-That it is well known to your Ilonourable House, that for
more than twenty years the particular families received a large
part of the above-mentioned emoluments out of the money bor.
rowed from the fund-holders; that, during that period, more
than a million of money was taken out of the loans to be given
to the church ; and that, in fact, no inconsideroble part of the
whole of the loans went into the pockets of these families ; ' and
therefore your petitioners will not suppose it possible for your
Honourable House to harbour an intention to take even a single
shilling from the fund-holders as long as these families shall
continue to receive these emoluments.

Your Petitioners, therefore, most humbly pray, that your
Honourable House will be pleased to pass un Act for causing
an efficient Reform in the Commons' House of Parliament, in
order-that such Parliament may adopt measures necessary to ef-
fect the following measures :...-natnely,
I. An appropriation of a part of the public property, com-
monly called church property, to the liquidation of the debt.
2. A reduction of the standing army, including stuff; bar-
racks, and colleges, to a scale of expense as low as that of the
army before the last war. _

3: A total abolition of all sinecures, pensions, grants, and
emoluments, not merited by public service.
4. it sale of the numerous public estates, commonly called
Crown hands, and an application of the money towards the
liquidation of the debt.

An equitable adjustment with regard to the public debt,
and also with regard to alI debts and contracts between man
anti man.

But, while your humble petitioners are aware, that, to Re-
form the Commons' House and to effect the other purposes of
justice and necessity, which they have here most respectfully
pointed out, may require a lapse of months, they know, that
your Honourable House have the power, and they will not be.
lieve that you want the will to afford them itnntediate protec-
tion against further ruin. They therefore, seeing the pressing
nature of their ease—seeing the abject misery th,tt hourly
awaits therit, pray that yqur Honourable • House will bo
1. To suspend, by law, for one year, all distraint* for
rent, and to cause distraints to be set aside where they have
begun. _ •
--

2. To suspend all processes for tithes for the same period.
3. To suspend, for the same period, all promises arising otit
of mortgage, bond, annuity, or other contract aftbccing house Or

4. To repeal the whole of the tax on malt, hops, salt, soap,
leather, and candles.

These measures, so* analfigousl to others taken - byyour
Honourable House, under circumstance* far less imperious ;_
these measures so easily adopted, so free from the possibility of
inflicting wrong, and at the same time so necessary to relieve
your petitioners from the daily alarm in which they live ; so
necessary to afford them a hope of escaping from the pains and
disgrace of the lowest paupensm and beggary ; to believe that
these measures, measure* of bare protection from further wrong
and ruin ; to believe that these will be refused to your suff‘ring
petitioners, would be to suppose the existence of that c.q/laus-
ness of heart which your petitioners are far indeed from imput-
ing to your Honotrable House.
Having, then, with the most profound respect, submitted to
your llonourable House those which they deem the best means
of relieving their distresses, your humble petitioners, though
they are satisfied that evils so unusual and of such uncommon
magnitude require remedies of a nature extensive and estraer-
dinary, beg leave to assure your Honourable _Howie, that they
venerate the Constitution of their fathers, that they seek fur no
change in the form of the Government, that they know how
many ages of happiness and glory their country enjoyed under
a government of King, Lords, and Commons, that they fer.
vently hope that this constitution may descend to their chil-
dien ' • but that they are fully convinced, that unless the present
evils be speedily arrested and effectually cured, a convulsion
must come, in which the whole of this ancient and venerable
fabric will be crumbled into dus.
• And your Petitioner* Will ever pray.
Thoth. nEll-StlEttlr 1, then put the-petition to tile considers-
'don of the .fleeting, and it was received by the cheers of about