The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-01 00:00:00

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he;tjtAilit pit tat %ottani' POI
0.0.44; osi wive d► ;•i«
nailed upon, as " gentlemen," not to go away withoo
signing, or putting their mark rather, to the petitions ;
and it was curious to hear some of them remark, " Well,
I be obliged to sign this, but I Joan% know what be vor,
I d,)an't." Perhaps the Duke of Richmond's electioneer-
ing man, who was so busy upon this occasion, did not
properly explain the matter.

MEETING AT AYLESBURY.
AYLESBURY, DEC. 31.—The annual general meeting
of the Royal Bucks Agricultural Association took place
this afternoon, at the George Inn, Aylesbury. The at-
tendance of tenant farmers and landholders of the county
was very considerable, the meeting being presided over
by his Grace the Duke of Buckingham.
Among the gentlemen present w lio took part in the
proceeding, were the Hon. Captain Fitzmaurice, M.P.,
Mr. R. K. Clayton, M.P., Major-General Sir James
Watson, Captain Dean, Captain Anderson, Colonel.
Watson, the Rev. E. E. Gray, the Rev. J. Rose, B.D.
Letters having been read from Mr. C. J. Dupre, M. P.,
and Mr. C. Tower, M.P., regretting their absence, but
expressing their determination to resist an) alteration

in the present existing corn laws, to the injury of tha
agr;cultural interest,
The Duke of BUCKINGHAM said, that having trans-
acted the routine business of the day, be should not be
doing his duty if he did not offer a few observations on
what should be the course for them to pursue at the pre-
sent momentous crisis, and on the present position in
which the agricultural interest of this country stood.—
(Hear.) He had, on so many occasions, expressed to
them and the country at large his opinion upon the ques-
tion of the corn-laws, that he would not fatigue them by
entering into detail upon the merits of a question upon
which his opinions had for so long a period been known.
He would simply state that those opinions still remained
unchanged.—(Cheers.) It must be admitted on all
hands that the present was a momentous crisis in the
affairs of the nation, and it might be necessary, before
long, for the agriculturists of the country to take steps
for the protection of that interest which had so long
been enjoyed, and which, as a body, they so much
deserved.—(Hear.) They were all aware that there had
recently been a great division in her Majesty's Cabinet,
that it had teen broken up, that another had been at-
tempted to be formed by the opponents of Sir H. Peel's
Government, and that it had failed, and it was equally
notorious that the Ministry of Sir R. Peel had, with some
alteration, been reconstructed —(Hear.) Upon vs hat
grounds the first Government of Sir H. Peel was broken
up, and upon what principles its opponents were allowed
to make a❑ attempt to form a Ministry, and attempt to
come again into power, he begged to say he was as much
in the dark as they were.—(hear.) He knew nothing
about it but by common rumour, and rumour ascribed it
to a division upon that important, and to all present, in-
teresting question—the corn-laws.—(Hear.) A rumour
that the Prime Minister had declared in favour of a re-
peal, or such an alteration, as would materially affect
their interests, had gone abroad, and he would say that
even as a rumour the matter was worthy their serious
consideration, and might render it necessary not only
for the agricultural interest to watch most narrowly the
proceedings of her Majesty's Ministry, but, as he had
before said, to take some steps for their own pro-
tection and the protection of the country generally.—
(Cheers.) For his own part he did not wish to con-
ceal from them his opinion that the agricultural body
in this country had the power, if they pleased, to crush
and to defeat any attempt that might be made to repeal
the corn-laws.—(Hear.) He said this, knowing well
what power the agricultural population of England did
possess, and he said so as being identified and closely
connected with that particular interest.—(Hear.) He
again said that he was aware of the power they had if
they knew how to use it.—(Cheers.) The way in which
they ought to take up that important question was, in
the national point of view, affecting deeply the interests
of all, both high and low.—(Hear.) He again denied,
as he had done on former occasions, that the repeal of
the corn-laws would benefit the poorer classes of the
community in this country.—(Cheers.) He looked at
this question truly in a national point of view, and he
could not view but with dismay the privations and the
trouble likely to be inflicted on the country should the
corn-laws be repealed.—(Hear.) All of them were
aware of what art, science, and industry had done to
advance the agriculture, and consequent prosperity of the
country ; but if the corn-laws were repealed, their re-
sources in this respect would become crippled, and what,
he would ask, would be the result if a ear was to take
place ? By what means, then, were these resources to
be brought to bear if the corn-laws were repealed,
and all the bad lands thrown out of cuLivation ?
(Hear, hear.) He (the Noble Duke) was not fond of
vituperation, nor would he ever lend himself to per-
sonal abuse ; but he would ask, what had been the con-

duct of those who, by the aid of the agricultural inte-
rest, had been placed in power? Ii had been to fly in
the faces of those who gave them that power. The
Whigs were at least consistent, but not so the Conser-
vative party sent in by the voice of the agricultural
population. He (the Duke of Buckingham) would pub-
licly declare his conviction that, if the corn-laws were
repealed, such a proceeding would sound the death.
knell of the independence and prosperity of the coun-
try.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") If it was true
that Sir R. Peel's Administration had the design of re-
pealing the corn-laws, he could only say that he could
not see upon what principle of fairness or honesty to the
agricultural interest who placed them in power they
could have in bringing forward such a scheme.—(Hear.)
lie could understand it coining from the Opposition, and
could accord to them that they had honestly and fairly
adhered to their principles; but if it be the case with
Sir Robert Peel and his colleagues, that they had agreed
to become the instruments for a repeal of the corn-
laws, and thereby destroy the agricultural interest of
the country, he was then prepared to say that they
were acting in the very teeth of those by whom
they had been supported, and whom they were bound
to protect.—(Hear, hear.) These were his opi-
nions, but he was desirous of waiting for confirmation
until the meeting of Parliament, when they would
be able to know what the real intentions of the Ministry
were with reference to this important question.—(Hear.)
If he found that what had been rumoured was in re-
ality the case, then he was prepared to tell them that
they were not only acting in direct opposition to their
declaration which placed them in power, but in direct
opposition to the wishes of the farmer and the good
opinion of the agricultural portion of the country.—
(Hear.) He was glad that the farmers were coming
forward in every part of the country as they should, and
they would not be doing their duty in Buckinghamshire
if they did not also come forward. After some further
remarks the Noble Duke resumed his seat amidst loud

cheering.
The Hon. Captain FITZMAURICE, M.P., rose to pro-
pose the first resolution. He agreed with tha Noble
Duke in the chair that the agricultural interest had
the power, if they had the will, to see that the pro-
mises made by the Conservative Administration were
kept, not only in the letter, but in the spirit. The
superiority of the English farmer over the farmers of
any other country was attributable to our protective
system; and in a corresponding degree as that system
became relaxed foreign nations increased their duties,
and thus the evil told deubly against us. After a long
ad. ress, in wlai .11 the Hon. and Gallant Captain charged
the Anti-Corn-law League, as professed admirers of the
Reform Bill, with carrying out, on a gigantic scale, in
the counties, that same system of venality which they
had deprecated in the old rotten boroughs, he concluded
by moving a resolution to the effect:—
" That, looking with suspicion at the present conduct of
Ministers, the meeting considers it to be its duty to warn the
agriculturists of their danger, and to call upon them to unite
in resisting any attempt which may be made to repeal the
existing corn-laws."
Mr. W. JENINGS seconded the resolution, which was
carried unanimously.
Sir JAMES WATSON moved elo second resoluti( n :
.. That local petitions be prepared in every parish in the
county, to the Queen and both Houses of Pailiament, pray-
ing that any attempt which might be made to interfere with
the present protection to agriculture would be resisted."
Mr. Jouza STONE seconded this re,olution.
Mr. CLAYTON, M.P. for Aylesbury, express- d his cor-
dial approbation of the course pursued by the agricul-
tural body, declared his opinion still unchanged on the
necessity of the existing corn laws, and a determination
t
o resist the Ministry in any attempt to destroy protec-
tion to agriculture.
About 200 gentlemen subsequently sat down to a din-
ner, presided over by his Grace the Duke of Bucking-
ham, and the proceedings tot minated.