The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-10 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,

rates removed, and transferred to the Consolidated
Fund. Now, I am really astonished that eny one
should have the assurance to have got up in the face
of the farmers to make such a proposal to them, for
their benefit, such as this is.—(Cheers.) But only
think of this wise proposal of the farmers' friend—" in
order to remove some of the tenant-farmers'
burdens, I will take off one-half of these twelve
millions of taxation, and put it on the Consolidated
Fund ;" that is, upon tea and sugar, coffee,
tobacco, spirits, and beer, and the rest of the things
that you, the tenant-farmers and labourers, are in the
habit of using. Well, now, there is a pretty project
for benefiting the tenant-farmers.—(Cheers and a
laugh.) Ab, but there is another way of doing that.
The other way is, that of assessing the rates upon
the fluctuating capital of the country. The argument
is this ; Why should not the shopkeeper and the
manufacturer, and the banker and wholesale dealer,
be assessed on their personal property. Why, if you
bring in the stock in trade of shopkeepers and maim
facturers to be assessed, you must bring in the stock
in trade of the farmers.—(Hear, hear.) Now, I will
just ask the farmers in this borough of Aylesbury
how much they will gain by that ? The farming
stcck of the country has been stated to be 25,000,000/.
Why, if so, it is only five times as much as is
invested in the cotton trade, and yet these agricul•
turista say, " we will assess the stock so much, and
then we will assess the cotton upon the cotton
lords."—(Chters and laughter.) What, now, ought
to be the course pursued by farmers at the present
time ? If they have leaders in every district like
Mr. Lattimore, let them assemble together as tenant-
farmers, but as tenant-farmers only.—(Hear, hear.)
What was it that procured the repeal of the corn-
laws but that Lancashire and Yorkshire and other
places united for the purpose, and had not made the
exhibition of themselves or paraded, which the rabble
of the Protectionists have.—(Hear, hear.) Now, I
will tell them what they should do. Tenant-farmers
must meet together exclusively. When they talk of
free trade and protection, tenant-farmers ought only
to be present. Let them only act towards each other
with fairness and justice. Let them act honestly
together, and they will find it in the end, not only
their own, but the general interest of the community.
—(Hear, hear.) We have come hereto day to speak
chiefly of financial and Parliamentary reform. I
leave others who are here to deal with that subjsct
generally, and I have preferred to address myself to
that which most deeply interests you—the question
of the tenant-farmers and the landowners. The Hon.
Gentleman here concluded his speech, and resumed
h.s seat amidst deafening applause.
Mr. HAUGHTON said, inasmuch as his entire pro-
perty consisted in land, it had naturally been an
object of importance to him to examine closely the
particular questions which had reference to it. For-
merly he had been a zealous Protectionist in principle,
and had clung to it as long as he thought he would
he justified in doing so, Nchen at length he found that
it was an unseaworthy ship, and he zhandoned it.
They were their own sheet anchors, and he exhorted
them not to be led away by protectionist delusions.
Ile himself never employed more labourers, nor was
engaged in more itnprovernents, than at the present
time. Mr. Ilaughton concluded by moving the Orly
resolution submitted to the meeting, which was as
follows :—" That. this meeting denounces the attempt
to re-impose a tax upon the bread of the people ; that
the proi.;er remedy for the distress of which the
farmers complain is to he found hi the re-adjustment
of terms between landlords and tenants, and in the re-
duction of taxation; and that, to secure the latter object,
it is desirable that the people should possess a com-
plete control over the choice of the Members of
Parlitment."
Mr. J. Gums, of Aylesbury, seconded the resolu-

tion in a brief appropriate speech.
Mr. F. O'Ct NNOR, M.P., sad that perhaps he
might be considered an intruder, but he understood
that Mr. Disraeli, the great Protectionist Mentor, was
to be there that night, and as Parliament was now
soon to meet he determined on being present, for the
purpose of taking a lesson from him. The lion.
Gentleman expressed, at considerable length, his
entire concurrence in the objects of the meeting, and
his satisfaction at his being able to do so without
sacrificing his own political principles. In giving his
assent to them, however, and heartily feeling a desire
to side with Mr. Cobden in this movement in a Pro-
tectionist county, he would at the same time retain to
the last every point of the Charter, which he had still
hypes of one day seeing become the law of the land.
le concluded by giving a few humorous :electioneer
ing anecdotes, having a political application to the
circumstances discussed in the meeting, which were
productive of consPerable amusement.
Mr. GASKILL said that although a landowner he
had come to that meeting to support the views they
had that evening heard propounded from the platform
The tenant-farmers were not as yet in the same boat,
but there was a boat in which both might row if they
chose, viz., the repeal of the malt-tax. The re-ad-
justment of the relation between landlord and tenants
was a matter which would not be finally disposed of
until much time had elapsed, and it had received
considerable discussion, though it was undoubtedly
one which would tend materially to benefit the con-
dition of the tenant-farmers. If noblemen and titled
landlords found out that their sons could not have the
splendid establishments they had hitherto had, it was
likely that they would apply their attention to teach
Clem something of farming, and they would then turn
out a race of men approximating in their general
characteristics to the old class of farmers. With a
surplus of two and a half millions, arising from the
increased consumption of the country, which it was
said would be the case at the end of the financial year
on the sth of April, and which would induce the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to propose certain great
changes in the fiscal system of the country, if they
(the farmers) were to be desirous of any change
in the application of the public revenue, they
should unite to procure a remission of the malt and
hop duty.—(Hear, hear.) As to the Protectionist
plans of Mr. Disraeli, he had denounced them as de-
luding, humbugging, and unstatesmanlike, to Mr.
Disraeli's own face but yesterday, at the Marlow
meeting ; and, himself, a landowner in that county,
he firmly and conscientiously believed so. He most
cordially supported the resolution.—(Hear.)
Mr. JAMES TAYLOR, of Birmingham, next ad-
dressed the meeting, and explained at some length,
and very energetically, the political advantages that
would result to the Buckinghamshire farmers by
a 'opting the freehold land system of becoming holders
of land themselves, and
_voters at Parliamentary
elections.
Mr. WILLIS, of Luton, a manufacturer of straw
bonnets, also supported the resolution, which was
then put from the chair and carried by acclamation,
amidst a tremendous uproar of cheers and shouting.
Mr. SAMUEL GIBBS then moved a vote of thanks to
the Chairman, also to the gentlemen who had attended
the meeting to address it, and to the sheriff of the
county, for his kindness in allowing the use of the
County-hall for the purpose of the meeting.
The resolution having been passed,
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and the proceed-
ings terminated with three times three for Cobden.

PROTECTION MEETING.—A meeting of farmers
and others was held yesterday at Shrewsbury, convened
by the High Sheriff of the county of Shropshire, in
consequence of a requisition presented to him for the
purpose of considering the depressed state of the agri-
cultural interest. Upwards of 2,000 persons were pre-
sent, and on the platform, with the High Sheriff, were
observed -Viscount Newport, M.P., R. A. Slaney, Esq.,
M.P., Sir A. Cordell, the Hon. R. H. Clive, M.P., &c.
The first resolution, which declared that the agricul-
tural and other great interests were in a state of distress
in consequence of the adoption of free trade, and which
would continue to increase if protection was not substi-
tuted, was proposed by Mr. Benson, and seconded by
Mr. Davis. Mr. Slaney, 'M.P., denied that distress was
general, but no doubt the agricultural interest was de-
pressed in consequence of the large free importation of
foreign corn. Ile declared himself in favour of a fixed
duty, which he regretted the Whigs had not proposed
as an amendment to Sir R. Peel's plan.—(The Hon.
Member was heard with the greatest impatience, which
at length obliged him to conclude.) The resolution was
carried, as were others in condemnation of free trade,
and the meeting broke up.
ATTEMPTED MURDER NEAR DRURY-LANE.—On
Tuesday night a care of the use of the knife in passion
took place in the neighbourhood of Drury-lane. Two
tailors, one of them deaf and dumb, had been engaged at
work, and from some unknown cause Keeling, the
dumb man, exhibited feelings of anger towards the other,
whose name is Levy. A scuffle ensued between them,
when Keeling took from one of his pockets a painter's
putty-knife, and aimed at Levy's throat. The knife
entered the right side of the jugular vein, and caused a
frightful gash. An alarm was raised, and after some
difficulty Keeling was secured, and taken to Bow-street
office, when Mr. Henry remanded him. The prosecutor
was conveyed to King's College Hospital in a very pre-
carious state.
TUE RECENT Loss OF LIFE AT THE SERPENTINE.
--yesterday Mr. Bedford held an inquest relative to the
death of Thomas Drayton, who was drowned from
breaking through the ice, while skating on the Serpen-
tine, on Sunday last. The verdict was—,, Accidental
death."
B veryusctoKrimE,yDweEset.he2r9:—Ve
wilahheaavvye
sheaad;
fortunatelydaysof
none
of the boats on the coast were at sea. Our harbours
have both sustained considerable damage, particu-
larly the East Harbour—this is a wooden structure,
built chiefly by funds collected by the fishermen and
feuars. The East Head has entirely given way, and
only a few fragments are to be seen. The West Head
has also given way; about thirty feet of it have fallen
in, the beach with which it was filled up having been
washed out by the tide. The Old Harbour has likewise
gotn3ittt
nhhph emeeisy:swt amprravgpiveeeGni damage.have all
reported
aphe deroer
dar tidet:ooe.
fndw
no:
payms
into
vnvate:
toerfyaethghvhaeeevi
,rgevyebex,
in the harbour haoee:beilhayoi
ogoafiarl
hhadosei
ntntioh,vgt A good many houses were lashed with
onsulerable injury.—lnvernessosseeaspeene?inndst
Courier. f
ritgaintrhtfo
oese i:tdaittei
o.teie
:dor they. would come down, but