The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-08 00:00:00

1

LONDON, MONDAY. DECEMBER 8, 1845.

Notwithstanding the very numerous, respectable,
and crowded meetings held throughout the country
within the last ten days, in favour of free trade and a
repeal of the corn-laws, the parties most interested, or
rather, who consider themselves most interested, have
made no stir whatever. We have heard of no county
meeting% no great assemblages of the " tenants' friends,"
and, with perhaps two exceptions, no symptoms what
ever of a conviction on the part of the landlords that
their monopoly is in danger. The Duke of BUCKING-
HAM and the Duke of RICHMOND are alike silent,
and confidently reckon, perhaps, that the party which
made Sir ROBSRT PEEL Prime Minister, can, with
the same facility, unmake him and set up another
idol of their own. They know that the agricultural in-
terest in the Commons, as well as the Lords, predomi•
nates to a very great extent, and reckoning on the firm-
ness of the " protection" Members, and the destruction
of any .Minister who should dare to oppose their will,
the y probably wait quietly the assembling of
Parliament, That they are determined to resist
hardly a doubt exists. The organs of the monopo-
lises are more furioas than ever against the League ;
they hold out for the present Corn-law Bill with the
most imperturbable obstinacy, and consider the sliding-
scale as the only security for any corn-law
whatever. At two agricultural meetings held at the
end of last week, one on Friday, and the other
on Saturday, we find similar sentiments expressed, and
loudly cheered by the company. On the former day the
Leicestershire Agricultural Society held its annual
cattle show, and in the evening several of the nobility,
Members of the House of Commons, and the leading
agriculturists of the county, dined together, when
speeches were made showing that the landlords are pre-
pared to resist to the last. Sir IL lIALFORD, one of the
Members for the county, said, "If protection were so
far withdrawn as to throw the poor land of this country
out cf cultivation, it would be the most disastrous
event that had ever occurred to us as a na-
tion." This was received with loud cheers, and
the sentiment was speedily responded to by the other
Member for the Southern Division—Mr. PACKS. He
alluded to what had appeared in a London journal
within a few days, and described it as a "complete and
wicked falsehood, and a malicious invention of the
enemy to paralyse the country." " But," he added,
" whatever may occur, I certainly shall be one of the
foremost to oppose what had been very properly desig-
nated as one of the most disastrous innovations which
could recur to this country." He sat down amidst
lc tel applause. At a meeting of the East
Surrey Agricultural Association, held at Croydon
en Saturday, Mr. ANTROBUS adverted to the same
report, but he did not believe it, and it was
his opinion that Ministers bad no such intention; but he
could say that " the county Members would be deter-
mined to oppose the Government if any extreme mea-
sure were proposed ; and he had no doubt that those
Members of the House of Commons who were more
especially interested in, and pledged to, the support
of agriculture, would be found strong enough

to prevent the carrying of such a measure
s: • d be proposed." We believe these
',tot,. brgf Ainia ,Y. express the sentiments of nearly all
...,A.2 5... • - ftr•ll%', .. hers, and if they are not terrified by
'4if,,,L
i '.' , ,','' t.ityiatitation or a disruption of the Cabinet, and
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_, ' latotal repealers, headed by RtresELL and
'''..' '1 ' . aiiltoß.DElf, they will adhere obstinately to
1:#
: ....._ 7431111;14/ hreate of this kind, however, are of
s.'"cl44,*
~..., nut the voice of the community.
is: They ityr" allowed the impulse to become too '
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