The Sun.
London, England, 1821-12-05 00:00:00

could discharge his debts out of such returns.
The landlord and the tradestnan ought each
to tte_paid ; but he ventured to affirm, that in
many cases corn could not be grown at its pre-
seat prices,‘.even if. the rent and poor-rates were
left unpaid. .There was one class of persons
who had hitherto been more fortunately situated
than many others—he alluded to the graziers ;
and even these were now forced to complain.
Tbis.wat a proof,- as striking perhaps as any that
,tbtild be adduced, of the existing distress. At
YISe-markets, there was sometimes a day more
thssering than others,-but then it was followed by
• a 'succesSion of many bad ones. The agricul-
twists, he repeated, only came forward to ask a
dtte reinuderation for industry—to ask that no
:advantages should be 'given to the foreigner
' which they also might not-be permitted to enjoy.
• Mr. EI,LMAN, jun., adverting to what he had
.before said, relative to the importation of 600,000
quarters of Foreign. Wheat, for which there had
been 'no occasion, read the following extract from
the evidence•of Mr.TOoke (a Russian Merchant)
before the Committee of the House of Commons :
scr-11Thy should a different principle apply to corn
than any other general production ?—Because a
flit in the price of any other commodity, not of ge-
neral necessity, brings the article within the reach
of the consumption of a greater number of ittdivi-
• duals, whereas in the case of corn, the average
• quantity is sufficient for the supply of every indivi-
dual; all beyond that is an absolute depression of
the market for a great length of time, and a succes-
sion of even two or three abundant seasons must
• evidently produce an enormously inconvenint ac-
cumulation. Is there not a greater consumption
of-corn when it is cheap, than when it is dear, as
to quantity ?—There may be, and possibly must
be, a greater consumption ; but it is very evident
that if-the population was before adequately fed,
the increased consumption from abundance can
amount to little more than waste, and this would
be in a very small proportion tOthe whole excess
• of a good harvest or two.", If this were correct,
the principle would be the same, whether the
price were high or low. If there was in 1813
sufficient corn in the country, it followed that
the 600,000 quarters of Foreign Wheat must
have remained till 1819 ; and the harvests being
good, they must Continue unsold through the
years 1819, 1820, and 1821. Mr. E. called on
Mr. Durrant to say, whether, if this importation
• had not taken place, the prices of corn would
have been what they actually are?—Mr. D. re-
plied in the negative.
• Mr. MARTIN stated, that he was 'acquainted
with a Russian merchant in
.London, ,from whom
he learned; that if 'our ports should be opened
for the importation of foreign grain, he would be
enabled, through his' Russian correspondents, for
whom he acted as a Commission Broker, to pour
in no less than 150,000 quarters at once into this
country. The land in Russia, it was known,
was not cultivated by-farmers as in this country,
but by the Nobles of the country, and by these
Nobles -the merchant to whom he alluded was
• employed to be on the look out for their interest
in this country, or to be in readiness for the dis-
posal of their produce, should an opportunity
offer by the opening of our. ports. The supply
-which he had mentioned, this merchant said he
could immediately import from Itiga, which
every intelligent agriculturist who heard him
must know to be the best Wheat in Eu-
rope. ; yet that Wheat, his mercantile friend
told' him, could be sold at 11/. per last, which
last was equal to two loads of -Wheat. The
freight would be only 31. a last, as he understood,
so that two loads of Russian Wheat could be
sold in our market at 1-I'. while, even, now, our
wheat was at 121. a load. What; then, must be
• the condition of the Agriculturists, if their ports
should be opened ?—Their ruin, and- that of
other classes, who seemed to think their interests
distinct from that of the. Agriculturist, 'must in-
fallibly be the consequence. To guard, then,
against such a calamity, the Agriculturists should
proceed to action as early as passible ; they
should lay their case before Parliament and the
country, and the strength of that case could not
fail to secure attention. Nothing, indeed, shOuld
be omitted on the part of the Agriculturists, to
avert the cloud that threatened to burst upon
them, and to save themselves and the country
from destruction, while it was yet practicable to
do so. Therefore, he was an advocate for a
County Meeting, or for any other proceeding
that promised to give effective expression to the
opinion and adequate publication to the case of
the Agriculturists. • •
Lord EGREMONT thought a County Meeting a
very unfit place for the investigation of a ques-
tion of this nature ; for the details necessarily
connected with such a question, could never be
duly considered or discussed at such a meeting.
But with what view should a county meeting be
convened upon this subject ? Was it with a view
to petition Parliament ? If so, he:recommended
the gentlemen who supported that proposition to
consider that they applied to Parliament last
Sessions, and what good had they done them-
, selves or their case by that application ? They
should consider also the general sense of the
country upon the nature and purpose of their ap-
• pli cation to Parliament, and that they never
could obtain their object without the consent or
in contradiction to the decided 'opinion of- the
•• other classes of their countrymen. The popula-
tion of the country had, as he had already ob-
served; increased within the last ten years no less
• than .otte-seventh.• It was quite incredible that
such increase should not produce an additional do-
- mand for corn. He believed that, within the last
two years our agriculturists had to encounter very
little or nothing of•competition from foreign corn;
The•agricultnrists had not long since an opportu-
nity of baVing from' Parliament a conditional ar•
rangement as to the import of foreign 'corn or a
permanent duty upon that iinpOrt, and they chose
the former. Still the agriculturists complained.
According to his opinion, the permanent duty
• would 'have been better for those agriculturists,
while that ditty would• hive been paid by fo-
• reignera.----(Applauses.)---Bot he confessed that
he felt great difficulty upon the whole of this
question ; and $ anxious wish was,-to ascertain
wisatcould bo-4one,for the agriculturists, or what
others Framed to o. lie wished, however, to

have something definite and distinct proposed,
before any further proceeding was. determined

upon.
Mr. ELLMAN, jun. after expressing the utmost
respect for the judgment of the Noble Chair-
man, expressed his opinion that another appli-
cation to the House of Commons upon this
subject would be highly advisable. It was
necessary, indeed, to satisfy the minds of
the agriculturists, that something farther should
be done. He bad reason to believe that the Re-

port of the late Agricultural Committee, which
was then before him, was only carried by a ma-

jority of two. Ali the County Members, in-
deed, who were upon the Committee, were una-
nimously against its adoption ; and still retaining
their views, it was the wish of those firm advo-
cates, for agriculture, that the agriculturists

•
themselves should come forward to declare their
own opinion. If, indeed, the agriculturists did
not make such, declaration their advocates in

Parliament must feel themselves deserted by

those whom they endeavoured to serve. But
the report of the late Committee having been
laid before the public for their consideration,
it was the duty of those mast. immediately
interested to state their approbation or dis-
appiobation of its purport or tendency. lie
had, therefore, taken occasion to draw up some
Resolutions founded upon that Report, and if
their tenor were not borne out by that Report,
he would be ready to admit that all that had
been done by the Agricultural Associations was
egregiously wrong. These Resolutions were, he
felt, rather long, but he would submit them to
the consideration of the Meeting, to be disposed
of as its superior judgment might think proper.
The first Resolution referred to the cause which
had collected so many farmers together on this
occasion, and it obviously could be no ordi-
nary cause that could induce industrious do-
mestic men to leave their buiiness and homes,
and come from different and distant parts
of the country to attend that Meeting.. That
cause was indeed no less than this, that these
honest farmers saw that ruin was staring them in

the face, and they came there in the hope that
some measure would be adopted likely to con-
duce to their relief or deliverance; to justify
such a hope, and to advance the object of those
who entertained it, he had ventured to draw up
the Resolutions Which he held in his hand, and

which, with permission, he would read to the
Meeting—(cries.pf Read, read !)—and the worthy
Gentleman then read the. following :
" That at a moment like this, when ruin is' daily overtaking
many of the most industrious of the tenantry, and threatening
to overwhelm the whole of the present race of farmers it is a
paramount duty which they owe to themselves and families, and
to the numerous classes of society dependent on them for em-
ployment and support, to endeavour, by every legal means, to
avert such a general calamity.
" That in the last Session of Parliament, entirely in conse-
quence of the respectable Petitions presented to the Leaisla-
Lure from all parts of the kingdOin, a Select Committee of the
Rouse of Commons was appointed, and directed to inquire
into the allegations of those Petitions, and to report their obser-
vations thereon to the House.' _

" That the Report, which was nude by a majority of the
said Committee, although allowing to its fullest extent the dis-
tress of the tenantry, as alleged in their Petitions, and admitting
the justice of their claims (which indeed it was impossible to
deny), is nevertheless so incongruous, its reasoning in some
parts being so directly opposed to that contained in other parts
of the same Report, as to leave the present race of farmers very
little hope of escape from irretrievable ruin, unless Petitions;
and,in still greater numbers, be presented to Parliament in the
ensuing Session, setting forth their dreadful and melancholy
situation, and praying tor immediate relief.
" That the said Report, at page 1, admits that, ' in their
judgment, the complaints of the Petitioners are founded in fact,
in so far as they represent that, at the present price of corn, the
returns to the occupier of an arable farm, after allowing for the
interest of his investment, are by no means adequate to the
charges and outgoings, of which a considerable portion can be
paid only out of the capitals, and not from the profits of the
tenantry :'—thus spewing how rapidly ruin is overtaking all oc-
cupiers of arable land. That the said Report, at page 12, ad-
mits that the present system of Corn Laws tends to aggravate
the evil of scarcity, and to render more severe the depression of
price from abundance.'—And at page 13, it admits that ' should
the average of the six weeks, preceding the 15th August, be 80s.
Id. per quarter, for wheat, whatever may be the abundance of
the forthcoming harvest, the ports and the warehouses of Fo-
reign Corn will be opened for at least six weeks, and in refer-
ence to the principal exporting countries for three months :,'
thus fully acknowledging that the present Corn Laws are no
protection to the British Farmer.
" That the Select Committee, at pate 16 of the Report, ex-
press their great anxiety to suggest to Parliament, as a matter
highly deserving of their future consideration, whether a trade
in corn constantly open to all nations of the world, and subject
only to such a fixed duty as might compensate to the grower the
loss of that encouragement which lie received during the late
war from the obstacles thrown in the way of free importation,
and thereby protect the Capitals lIQW vested in Agriculture from
an unequal competition in the home market, is not, as a perma=
nent system, preferable to that state of law by which the corn-
trade is now regulated. The Committee also add, that t it
would be indispensable for the just execution of this principle,
that such duty should be calculated fairly to countervail the
difference of expence, including the ordinary rate of profit, of
producing it in any of those countries from whence our 'prin-
cipal applies of foreign corn have usually been draWn, joined
to the, ordinary charges of conveying it from thence to our mar-
kets.' Thns admitting in its fullest extent the principle for
which the different Agricultural Associations have at all times
contended, viz. :—A duty on all foreign produce, to the growth
of winch our own soil is congenial, equal to ie difference in
the openee of raising it, here and abroad.
eteThat after reading these arguments, so ably put, and so im-
retiZele to refute, it is with the greatest surprise that we find it
in the said Report, that by the present Corn Laws, there
is4can absolute prohibition against the introduction of every
description of foreign grain, meal, or flour, into the consump-
tion of the United Kingdom, when the average prices, ascer-
tained according to the mode established by former acts, are
below certain specified rates when it is known,. so far from
• this being -the case, that any quantity, however Unlimited, of
foreign grain, meal, or flour, imported previous to the shutting
of the ports, is, from the moment it arrives, amalgamated
with the British corn, and enters into the consumption. of the
United Kingdom for months, nay, years afterwards, although
the price may have fallen fifty per cent. below such specified
rates—which has been fully exemplified by our having had fo-
reign corn free for sale on the London Market, from the 15th
February, 1818, to the very day the Report of the Select Com-
mittee was made, 18th June, 1821, a period of nearly two
years and a half.
" That this Meeting are the more surprised at this descrip-
tion of the present Corn Laws, in page 1, seeing that it is in di-
rect opposition to the description given of them in page 13 of
the same Report.
" That this Meeting also feel great surprise that the Report
should state that "rhe ruinously low prices of agricultural pro.
duce, at this moment, cannot be ascribed to any. deficiency in
the protecting power of the law. That protection cannot be
earned further than monopoly, and that this moeopoly the Bri-
tish grower has enjoyed for the produce of the two last har-
vests.' When the very deficiency in the protecting power of the
law, which the Honourable Committee so freely admit in page
13 of the Report as quoted before, was taken advantage of in
1818; when the Ports continued open for three months after the
15th of August of 'that year, by a very small excess above the
import price, at the . moment we were reaping an early and
abundant harvest, andiwhen we did not stand in need of a single
bushel of foreign grain : and that in the opinion of this Meet-
ing, one great cause of the present distress of the farmers has
been the immense importation which then took place, super-
seding the use of an equal quantity of British corn, and glutting
the markets of this kingdom with foreign corn, comparatively
I untitled and untaxed.
" That were it possible to take one-tenth of all foreign pro-
duce imported for tithe, one-tenth for the relief of the poor,
one-tenth for the repairs f highways; county rates, church rates,
&c.; and two-tenths for .the payment of the national debt, pay
oforeay and navy, support of Government, and so forth; the
British Farmers would not object td the admission of all foreign

produce, duty free ; but till this be done, they
merely pray for
such a duty to be imposed on importation here, as maybe equal
to those expences to which our own. produce is subjected ; so
that the British and Foreign Farmer may meet on equal terms
in the British market. • . •
" That the Report of the Select Committee, in briefly notic-
ing the evidence of some of the Petitioners, who gave it as their
opinion that a duty of 40s. per quarter would be the lowest
amount of duty that could secure the British Farmer, states as
an objection to the
_proposition,_ that it would be a prohibition,
except in seasons of scarcity. -But that this Meeting, so tar from
thinking this an evil, suppose that Corn. Laws are enacted for
this express purpose. They are the more confirmed in this opi-
nion, as they find in the Report of the Select Committee of the
House of Commons in 11;14, which sat on the same subject, the
following words on this very point i---4 nooking to the impor-
tant change in our situation, to the abundance which we now
enjoy, and to the great and extensive improvement made in
cultivation both here and in Ireland, your Committee cannot
but INDUI:GE- AHOPE that we have nearly arrived at that
state in which nothing but a discouragement and consequent
falling off of our own Agriculture can again drive us_ to the
necessity of trusting to large importations, of foreign corn,-Ex-
cErr xx UNFORTUNATE SEASONS, when it may be neces-
sary to resort to this resource to supply the deficiency of our
own harvest.'
"That although the Report of the Select Committee of 1821,
in one part, recommends a fixed duty as the best possible pro-
tection to the Agriculture of the United Kingdom ; still, in ano-
ther part, •it considers the present moment unfit for making
such alteration. It recommends a continuance of the pre-
sent average system; urging, however, that the import price
should be lowered ; because, the Report adds, ' it is obvious
that the duty would otherwise not only cheek the sudden
and overwhehning amount Of import, . but also enhance the
price beyond what it might reach under the present law.'
That this Meeting, • so' far_.from thinking thiS obvious, be-

.„
lieve it would make no difference in that respect, particu-
larly as in page 13 of their Report, the Select Committee
expressly admit that the. prices of corn on the Continent are
not regulated by the cost of production, but entirely by the price
of other countries in which there is a demand for it. That the
Report at page 23, affirms that the demand of the Agricultural
Petitions for equal protection with manufactures, rests in part
upon a misconception of facts, because the duties payable on
several manufactured articles are imposed to counteract the ex-
cise duties on the manufactory of them in this kingdom ; but
that this Meeting, with due submission, conceive, whether taxa-
tion be direct, as in the case of the manufacture of glass, or in-
direct, as in the case of thegrowth.or, as it May be called, manu-
facture of corn, it can make no difference as to the justice of
their claims for protection ; because, if all indirect taxation
were removed, and were it pOssible to impose a duty on the
production of every quarter of corn (the same as on hops)
equal to the indirect taxation now paid, the price at which the
British Farmer could afford te sell his produce would remain
unaltered. _

'That this at :fleeting are of opinion that 40s. per quarter on
wheat, 10s. per cwt. on meal, and the amount of duties as enii
merated, are the lowest which can aftbrd protection to the Bri-
tish Farmer ; there being at least that difference between the
cost of production here, and the cost of production there, to-
gether with the expence of conveying it from abroad, and
therefore, according to the admission of the Report, at page it;,
they are only asking what they are fairly entitled to.
" That it is clear, that although the ruin in the first place
must fall on the tenantry, still it is not less so, that as rent is
merely the surplus left after allowing the tenant a fair return
for his capital and industry, it' Will soon reach the landlords,
and through them every class of society." •
After some pause, Lord EGRENIONT rose, and observing,
that as no one appeared disposed to speak upon this proposition,
he would take leave to suggest what, in his opinion, ought to be
done; he was not able, he was ready to say, to form any judg-
ment upon so long a paper, .merely from hearing it once read,
and he presumed that the same inability must attach to others.
Therefore, he proposed, that this paper should be printed and
published for general consideration, before that or any other
meeting was called upon to decide as to the propriety of its
adoption. In his opinion, too, it would be more expedient to
postpone any decision upon the subject of this Meeting until the
spring, the Meeting pledging itself, that if, at that time, any pro-
bability should appear of opening the ports, it should immedi-
ately re-assemble, in order to deprecate such a proceeding, while
the assemblage of every other district in the county should also
be recommended for the same purpose ; for he was himself
fully persuaded, that the opening of the ports for the import of
foreign corn would be productive of the ruin of the country, as
foreign nations, which had such a great accumulation of corn,
would promptly pour in such a supply . at any price, as must
serve to destroy our own agriculture. At present, lie thought
that nothing more should be done upon this subject, and he
particularly oppoied the reference of the question to a County
11leeting,
,from which no practical good could be expected. He,
indeed, never knew of any useful result from a County Meet-
ing, and, therefore, he bad long resolved never to attend one of
them ; for he found only plenty of talkers at such Meetings,
while no deliberate consideration appeared, while no salutary
effect was produced. But his objection to a County Meeting
was peculiarly applicable to the present case, which required.
serious and cool investigation of various details and arguments,
before any satisfactory decision could be pronounced upon it.—
The Noble Lord repeated his opinion, that any further pro-
ceeding upon the question which had assembled the Meeting,
should be postponed until the spring, before which the evil ap-
prehended by. the Agriculturists could not possibly occur.—
In the mean time, he recommended that the paper which had
been just read by Mr. Ellman, and which, so far as be could
understand it, appeared very good, should be printed and pub-
lished in the Newspapers, m order that all parties interested
should have due time to consider and judge of its merits.
ELLMAN, jun. stated, that, he had this morning re-
ceived a communication froin a gentleman, who stated that it
was the intention of Government early in the ensuing Session,
to propose the abrogation of the present Corn Laws, in order
to substitute the imposition of a duty upon the import of foreign
corn. This gentleman was Mr. M ebb Hall, who stated that
he had received his intelligence from Mr. Huskisson ; and here
Mr. E. read an extract from the letter of Mr. Hall. The in-
tention of Ministers Was perhaps of the same nature as that
proposed by Lord Londonderry in the late Agricultural Com-
mittee, namely, to reduce the importing price to 70s. a quarter,
and to impose a duty of 15s. on every quarter of foreign wheat
which should afterwards be imported. To this proposition,
however, the Committee did not attend, or at least no decision
was pronounced upon it. But with respect to the Noble
Chairman's recommendation of waiting until the Spring be-
fore any measure was taken to guard against the evil of open-
ing the ports, he could not by any means acquiesce in that
recommendation ; for such delay on the part of the Ag-
riculturists would imply the desertion of their Parliamentary
advocates, .and especially of the County Members, who had
'so strenuously stood by them. Besides, he had reason to
believe that early in the next Session a motion would be
made for the revival of the Agricultural Committee, and
therefore it -behoved the agriculturists to
,proclaim their opi-
nions, in orderto give support and countenance to such a mo-
tion. It was also to be considered, that if the agriculturists
should defer any proceedings until spring, and that the price of
corn should get up, which, however, seemed not very likely,
particularly, because, from the very"bad quality of this year's
growth of corn it could not keep, and must be taken to market
within the year, to be sold at any price that could be obtained,
however low, they would lose the argument which low prices
afforded at present in support of their proposition, as many per-
sons might say, what do the farmers want but good prices for
their corn, which they now have ? and thus the adoption of any
measure for the perManent relief and protection of the agricuL
tural interest might 'be endangered..
Mr. LANIBE tbought a County 'Meeting very desirable,
upon this occasion, as the _declaration of such a Meeting, not
only upon the distress of agriculture, but uponthe general state
of the country, must be so much more impressive than the r 2..:
solutions of any parochial or mere district meetings. This he
knew to be the decided sentiment of the eastern part of the
county with which he was immediately connected, especially
with a view to the adoption of a Petition to Parliament, for
which he should certainly be an advocate, believing such peti-
tions necessary to support the friends of agriculture, and to
counteract the hostile influence and active opposition which they
had reason to apprehend.
Mr. ELLMAN,- sen., took occasion to ask Capt. Haviland;
that supposing the present state of agriculture to continue, and
that corn should not rise to such a price as to occasion an oro-
ing of the ports, the markets being supplied with the old corn in
conjunction with the produce of the present year, what was
likely to be the condition of the labouring class in the parish
which lie inhabited ?
Capt. HAITI LA ND answered, that lie had no doubt one half
of the agricultural labourers would be reduced to a state of ab-
solute pauperism.
Lord EGIUnIONT asked whether, if money were had to
employ those people, such a result could be apprehended ?
Captain HAVILAND replied in the affirmative.
Lord EGIMMONT—Do you think the want of money and
employment in this parish, to proceed from the falling off in
agriculture ?
Captain HAVlLAND—Certainly.
Mr. INGRAM—If money were found for the employment
of those labourers, do you think they could be advantageously
employed ?
Captain HAVILAND—Yes. And there would be no want
of money to employ them, if the farmers had an adequate price
for their corn.
Mr. HITCIIINS expressed an apprehension, that if nothing
were done for the agriculturists on this occasion, and that all
farther proceedings were to be postponed until, spring, a great
and general despondency would be created throughout the

Country ; and under all the circumstances of the case, he really
thought it would be much better to keep alive some hope in the
breasts of those who were most severely suffering.
Mr. HITCH INS proposed that the paper which had been
read by Mr. Ellnian should be referred to- a Committee, in. or-
der, after due consideration, that it should be submitted to an-
other meeting, which should be 'fixed-for some future day. •
Lord EGRE MONT repeated his opinion, that it would be
better to have this paper published for general consideration,
before any day was• fixed for deciding upon its merits.
Mr. ELLMAN, sen., expressed his regret, that he had the
misfortune to differ from the Noble Chairman as to the expe-
diency of postponing any proceeding upon this business. He,
however, entirely concurred with thel\ Ale Lord's objection to
a County Meeting, "especially upon a question of this nature.—
But if any proceeding upon this question were delayed, it might
turn out, as expressed in the old adage, that we should only have
'to close the door after the steed was stolen. It wa.szlue, in his
opinion, to the Report of the Agricultural Committee, as well as
to the duty which they owed their own families and interests, that
they should declare some opinion upon the merits of that Re-
port, and that was all that the paper on the. table proposed.
But this opinion would, in his judgment, be more deliberately
and usefully expressed by meetings in the 'several districts of
the county, than by a convention of the county at large; which
convention being seldom if ever complete, and only serving to
drag the more zealous individuals from diStant parts of the
county, while the mass of the meeting usually consisted of the
inhabitants of the district where such meeting took. plate. If,
however, it should, after the district meetings, be deemed ad.
visable to call a county meeting, he had no doubt that the Noble
Lord, would readily consent to call it. The Worthy Member
then proposed the places at which the district meetings should
he called, for the convenience of the gentlemen residing in the'
several rapes. •
Lord EGREMONT said, that when he.proposed delay, he
meant that time should be afforded to allow Gentlemen to con-
sider Is hat it was adVisable to do upon this transaction.
Mr. ELLM A N asked Mr. Durrant what was likely to be the
effect of 600,000 quarters of foreign corn upon the price of grain
in the market at Mark,lane?

DUSP.ANT replied, about as. or Ds. a quarter in a pro-
ductive harvest.'
.Mr. ELLMAN asked whether the market at Mark-lane did
not regulate the several country markets ?
Mr. DURRANT answered in the affirmative.
Mr. ELLMAN, jun., observed, that Mr. Durrant's replies
furnished an answer to the Noble Chairman's question as to fo-

reign corn. • •
Lord IiGREMONT said that the Worthy Gentleman was
under a mistake, as his questions referred to the quantity of fo-
reign corn actually consumed within the last year, which was
matter of fact, whereas Mr. Durrant's replies referred merely
to matter orinfercnce.

Mr. ELLMAN, Jun., observed, that it was the same to the
farmer whether 50 or 100,000 quarters of foreign corn were
disposed of, or reserved to supersede so much of our own
produce.
Horsham having been proposed as the place for a district
meeting, Mr. ELLMAN, Jun., observed, that that town had
had a bad name for the farmers, who never went there of late
years unless by compulsion—( Applause.)
It was moved, that it be recommended to the several district
meetings to consider the distress of agriculture as well as the ge-
neral state of the country.
Mr. BLACK3I AN moved an Amendment, which contained
an allegation in the Report of the Agricultural Committee,
namely, " to consider of the injustice and injury cast upon all
classes of the people by an unsettled currency." After hearing's
of the cases of calamity which had been stated in the course of
that day, and particularly of Englishmen compelled from dire
distress to carry barrows from morning till night, with bells about
their necks, he could not help expressing his extreme surprise
that a greater scope had not been taken by the Gentlemen with
whom this Meeting originated, and by whom it appeared to be
conducted. He was surprised, for instance, that no observation
whatever had been made, much less any proposition submitted,
with respect to those men through whose conduct the country
had been reduced to its present melancholy condition (Applause).
Nor was it even noticed that among all the Lords and Com-
moners which this country contained, not one was in attendance
at a meeting upon a question of such importance, but the Noble
Earl in the Chair, who, so much to his own honour, seemed
by his presence in due degree to sympathise in the wants or to
evince so much solicitude for the interests of his countrymen.—
(Loud plaudits.)—But the Gentlemen from whom this Meet-
ing emanated, seemed to have altogether lost sight of the ob-
ject which they ought to have kept in view, and not all to have
reached the end, or conceived the extent of the evil which they
deplored, for they had not even adverted to Ireland, where that
evil was at present operating with peculiar severity. He was
astonished to hear Mr. Ellman ascribe all our distress to
the low price of wheat, while he entirely overlooked the low
price of meat. Was he not aware that bacon was selling at 3d.
a pound, and that the peasantry of Limerick were in open war-
fare, as " The Courier" stated, against rent, tithes, and taxes ?
Did not the Worthy Gentlenian feel that the principle, of that
warfare was the same as that to which the complaints of this
Meeting referred ? Yet, the very serious disturbances in Ire-
land had not even been mentioned by any preceding speaker
who supported the views of Mr. Ellman. He agreed with the
Noble Chairman, that a county meeting would not be the pro-
per place for the discussion of a case of this nature, unless the
system and practices of the men who had occasioned all our dis-
i tress were also brought under consideration. The Meeting had
heard a great deal about the high and low prices of grain, but
he had uniforthly told the farmers that they entertained very
mistaken views upon this subject; they were, indeed, always
misled. They were told that their condition could not be im-
proved, unless what was called the natural prices of corn were
restored, and Mr. W. Hall described this natural price as that of
11113. But who could truly say what that natural price was, or
who could properly separate that subject from the great money
question. Ile had told farmers in that room, at the time the
resumption of cash payments by the Bank was determined upon,
'to wait for two or three years, and they would see how much,
independently of any reference to the import of foreign corn,
their produce would be affected by that measure. Our popula-
tion had increased, he understood, one-sixth, within the last ten
years, according to the recent Census, which was not yet pub-
lished. An increased population must naturally serve to ad-
vance the price of corn, .by increasing the demand for it ; while
our improved produce of corn must reduce its price, and a de-
preciation of the currency must increase that price, whilst an
advanced value in that currency must operate to reduce it.—
Now, amidst the operation of all these causes, who could state
what was the natural price of corn, independently of any ques-
tion as to the import of foreign grain ? Or was there any au-
thority in this country, however high, who could make any as-
sertion upon the subject that was entitled to attention ? Yet
Mr. Webb Hall had ventured to make the assertion which he
had mentioned. But really this' 'Gentleman seemed quite be-
'side himself ;- for ne had roundly asserted, that it was of no con-
'sequence whatever to the interest of agriculture, or that of the
,country at large, whether the Bank resumed cash payments or
not, provided adequate provision were made by the Legislature
to guard against the import of foreign corn. Nay, in the pamph-
let in which these assertions appeared, Mr. Hall had observed,
that " the most infallible criterion of national wealth and pro-
sperityis to- be found in a diminished value of currency, whe-
ther that currency shall consist of paper or metal, as that
of poverty is to be found in a high value of currency."—
Then, according to this Gentleman's doctrine, France enjoyed
great wealth and prosperity when she was deluged by those
assignats which were at last scarcely worth more than waste
paper ; and so was America, when, at the time of her Revolu-
tion, she had so many depredated dollars in circulation. But it
was quite idle to argue with such a writer, and yet he was ap-
painted by the present Mihisters Secretary to the late Board of
Agriculture, while he was selected by the farmers as Secretary
to their Agricultural Associations. How then could the agri-
culturists estape error or entertain correct views, while they
acted under such a guide, . or attended to such an adviser ? Yet
his authority had been quoted this day by those Gentlemen who
so cautiously abstained from any animadversion upon the con-
duct. of Ministers, by whom all the affairs of the country had
been so much deranged, by whom every visitation that afflicted
the people had been mainly occasioned. He really could not
see any ground upon which a consideration of the proceedings
of these Ministers could be separated from the question before the
Meeting. But to return to Mr. Webb Hall ; that Gentleman
had stated that the amount of the Bank-notes did not affect the
currency, and that we might return to cash payments at once,
withumit a piejudice to the-colintrY, if the import of foreign corn
could be effectually prohibited: But what said Mr. Thornton,
in his celebrated book, about 15 years ago, that the value of the
Bank-note currency must be seriously affected if it were allow-
ed to reach thirty millions, and it had since notoriously done
so. With respect to the motion with, which he proposed to con-
nect his Amendment, he was quite ready to vote for District
Meetings, and for a County Meeting after such District Meet-
ings had dee,4ered their sentiments, which Meeting would, he
hoped, be determined upon, particularly with a view to consider
the conduct of Ministers ; for how strange was it that the Chanr
cellor of the Exchequer should be allowed to remain in office
after a Committee of the House of Commons, comprehending
four of his own colleagues, had published a Report, containing
a direct contradiction of the resolution which that gentleman
proposed as to the currency upon the discussion of the Bullion
question in 1811. But every part of the conduct of these Mi-
nisters had some extraordinary aspect, or some mischievous
result.
The Amendment having been read,
Lord EGREMONT declared his entire concurrence with
Mr. Blackman, that an unsettled currency was the great source
of the evils which afflicted agriculture. But .he believed that
the adoption of the measure for resuming cash payments was
forced upon Ministers, as the American war was upon Lord

North, by the voice of the people. He had opposed both those
measures, but still he felt that Ministers had in each case bee°
compelled to yield to the opinion of the public, as d as to there'
sumption of cash payments, the measure was now decid'
upon, and as the thing was done, he thought it impossible t°
remedy it.
Mr. ELLMAN, Senior, felt himself bound to oppose titis
Amendment, lest from its adoption, this might be deemed
political meeting, which was a character he did not wish it t°
bear.
Mr. BLACKMAN considered it mere drivelling and nom
sense to say that a meeting was not political which involved the
interest, as its authors alleged, of every class of the people. The
money question was indeed the key-stone of the arch of such !
meeting, and therefore the consideration of that question cottl,'
not be consistently excluded any more than-the conduct of '.3l'
nisters, who upon that question attempted to make Mr. Ricard°
their scape goat, because they adopted his- plan in order to re'
lease,themselves of their own motion. Yet thus the farmer]
were imposed upon and led away from any consideration of tilt
conduct of Ministers. But the fairders must, JO 'order to undcr"
stand their case, follow different leaders from those to yawl
they had heretofore attended. They must plough deep ao'
contrive to render their brains clear, and fallow for the receptipil
of better secd.—(Applause.)
Lord EGRE3IONT said, that 'he could not consider the
Amendment of Mr. Blackman as a political or partypropositiPr'
Nschatever he might think of that Gentleman's speech for it
was the fact, that all partics, in ntrliament and out of it, stIP
ported the -resumption of Cash Payments. Lords Grey any
Lansdown did. so as well as the Ministers. Nay, Mr. Cobbett
himself did so, and " what the devil more," said the Noble
Lord,'" would you require ?" [a laugh and applause ?" •
• After a few more obsetvations from Mr. 4ii4Aulotio,
Mr. Tillman withdrew his opposition, and the Jimendment sra°
adopted. •••
Thanks were voted 'to Lord Egrethont for his conduct in the
Chair, upon which the Noble EarZ express:ll his acknowledg'
ments, which were received with great applauSe, and, after er'
dering that the several Resolutions shoula, with-Mr. Ellman,
paper, be inserted in the " Lewes Paper," " The Fariners •
Journal," " The Brighton Chronicle," and certain other l'ape'l,
. the meeting broke up about font-o'clock. •