The Sun.
London, England, 1821-12-08 00:00:00

rMORNING CHRONICLE.]

The sufferings of the Agriculturists at the pre-
sent moment, more particularly in those parts
of the country where the soil is naturally poor,
are so very great, that in the correction of the
errors almost universally prevalent among them,
on several very important points, such as Rent,
Tithes, Poors'-rates, &c. we would, above all
things, wish to avoid every thing harsh or offen-
sive. They are not more chargeable with the
causes of our difficulties
,than .the other classes
of the community, and they are now the chief
sufferers. The Landholders are also no doubt
great sufferers, but from their preponderance
in the Legislature, they are chargeable as a
body with much of the evil which now
presses so heavily on themselves.----As the.
price-of food enters so much into almost all the
items of agricultural expenditure, for direct taxes
on farmers are neither many nor heavy, on a. sup-
position of prices continuing at their present rate
(which they certainly will not do), the expendi-
ture would no doubt accommodate itself in time
in a great measure to these prices. But we all
know this would not wholly remedy the evil.—
The nominal value of agricultura'l stock I:Ws'falleh
at least one half.. It is true the price at. which
that stock would sell would now purchase nearly
as many commodities as could have been pur-
chased by the former at high nominal value.—
This would be all very well if the farmers were
always free from debt ; but in an enterprising
country like this, nothing is more common than
for men in every branch of business. to extend
their dealings by means of borrowed money.—
' There were few farmers entirely clear when
the change of prices took place. This debt
stood against them at the old nominal amount,
while the nominal value of the assets to
meet it were so Much reduced. Hence many
a farmer who has considerable capital, on squar-
ing matters w ith his creditor, found himself
nearly stript of his all. This is evidently a case
of the greatest hardship. The 'landlords find, in
like manner, an undue proportion of their estates
swallowed up by mortgages, which formerly were
far from heavy. This is a great evil, but, how is
it to be remedied ? There are persons who put
themselves forward as the advocates of the Agri-
culturists, who tell us that the only remedy is a
tax on foreign corn of 40s. a quarter. In the pre-
sent state of the world, this would amount to a
prohibition, except in cases of downright famine.
But would this tax really remedy the evil from
which the Agriculturists are now suffering ?

[THE TIMES .1

The Marquis Wellesley and Mr. Goulburn are
to set off, it is said, in a few days for Ireland. If
the presence of the Noble Marquis and his Secre-
tary be considered as necessary to the pacifiCa-
tion of what is generally called the sister countu,
though our sister is a terrible vixen, they have no
time to lose. Mr. Wilmot is fixed upon as die suc-
cessor of Mr. Goulburn in the situation of Under
Secretary of State in the Colonial Department; and
Mr. Clive is to retire from that department, and
to be succeeded, as the report states, by Mr.
Dawson, the brother-in-law of Mr. Peel. Thus
far affairs, we presume, go on smoothly. But
Mr. Canning, we learn from the Derby Mer-
cury as a matter of fact, stopped at Derby on
Wednesday last, with, his wife and daughter,
on the road to the Marquis of Stafford's, at
Trentham ; and in the way of rumour, we at
the same time hear that the Right Honourable
Gentleman has refused the Governor General-
ship of India. We are not surprised at the refusal:
but what a change Mr. Robert Peel become a
Cabinet Minister, and Mr. Canning offered a
situation in another hrrnisphere l We recollect,that
when the Lisbon Ambassadorship was found out
for the same Right Hon. Gentleman, he was then
upon an excursion at some distance from the ca-
pital. He will not now, as then, return and take
the office We should presume not.—The King
remains at Brighton, but does not come out
much. His Majesty's continuance there, and
Mr. Canning's flight to Trentham, remind us of
a philosophical experiment of this nature :
A large globe charged negatively with the
electric fluid is suspended between two little
balls ; and as often as the little balls, from
the attraction of gravitation, approach or touch
the great globe, they are instantly driven to a
distance by a discharge of the repulsive fluid :
in this manner it is that the King and Mr. Can-
ning, who are continually brought to the oppo-
site sides of the great ball, the Ministry, by their
respective connexions and relations, are as cer-
tainly driven to a distance by a discharge of re-
pulsive matter out of the great ball. There is
an odd story in circulation, of which we can-
not vouch for the truth, but this is the substance
of it :—lt is said that Mr. Canning-hesitated for
a while before he finally rejected the Indian
prize; and that during, this period of indecision

roe King) who 'e'lpectea -hothin4!less than Mr. I
Canning's refusal, s'rote a ►etter with his own hand
to the Marquess 'of Hastings, stating to his
Lard-
ship the reasons for his recal. Among these, the
most remarkable Awe write the tale with doubt, for
we know net how sncha circumstance could trans-
pire,) among these reasons, however, the most
pointed was the wish of the Royal writer to pos-
sess near his person somefaithful friend in whom
to could confide. His Majesty is said to, have dwelt
much on the painfulness of his present situation
from the want of such a confidant. For our
own parts, we believe that not only the, King
of England, but almost all other -Kings that are
or have been, might make the same complaint.
--
It is the curse of persons ,in their exalted sta-
tion, as they have no equals near them, to want
faithful, disinterested, honest friends ; and the
general truth of the propositi6n may have given
occasion to this particular application. Ills IVla-
jesty's cares may be conjectured from reason
and analogy ; but how could his actual complaints,
breathed only in a letter, and that subsequently
destroyed, haVe become known with such minute
exactness ?

NAVIGATION ACT.