The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-28 00:00:00

~~J'~7~E ~ZIIJ3,

LONDON :
MONDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 28, 1842.

Whatever may be the case with the landlords,
the tenants seem to be coming to their senses.
At a recent meeting of the Coggeshall Agricul-
tural Society, Mr. FISHER HOBBES said :
He agreed with Mr. Banbury that the times were
looking dark against them. When they heard in
various quarters that the Premier was saying no
Minister could stand without giving up the Corn-
laws—when they heard in other directions that there
were eight persons going over to America, sent out
by the great house of Baring, to show them how to
cure their pork to advantage for the English market—
when they heard that something must be done in the,.
spring of the year, it led him to think the saying
of that great patron 'of agriculture whose health they
had drunk was coming to pass, and ltat having got
the end of the wedge in they would, drive it home.
In travelling through the country he did not see a
parish which might not be increased a coomb per acre,
and that would more than find food for the increased
population for years to come.—(Cheers.) But when
they looked to the waste 'lands, and the miserable
way in which their grasslands were managed, he felt
that they might break up one-fourth of that grass
land, and the
:remainder if
.well managed, would be
sufficient to hind beef acrd mutton for the country.—
(Hear.) Much hadbeen said about drainage and long
leases, but let the Briti—h farmers do what they could,

they must have some-protection. What they wanted
was confidence.—(Hean) It could not be expected
that if they had not confidence men would lay out
one-fourth of the fee-simple of the land, which they
must do to well cultivate it before they could produce
a crop of corn to feed the population of the country.
That being the case—the population depending on the
land for the support of the poor and for tithes—he
thought there ought to be some settlement of this
unfortunate question, in order that they might be en-
abled to go on farming with success. He feared, if they
went on in this unsettled state, they would feel the
effects of it for many years to come ; for where was
the manthat with justice to his family could go on
and make the improvements that he did four years
ago ?—(Hear, hear.) They saw where a man had the
opportunity he was " whipping the land," and it must
be so, for the landlords were afraid to give leases, and
the tenants were afraid to take them ; and therefore
there was nothing bnt depression and misery in agri-
culture.
That is most important testimony. It shows
that unde'r the protective system, which has in-
flicted such injury on every other interest, the
land is but half cultivated. It proves that the
cultivation cannot be, and will not be much im-
proved, till the Corn-law question be settled ;
and it tells the public an alarming tale of coming
depression and misery'; of landlords being afraid
to give leases, and tenants afraid to take them,
without which, the. most intelligent agriculturists
say, there can be no improvement in agriculture,
unless confidence be restored. That brings the
question to a narrow issue. Can the Legislature,
by any law, by any means in its power, restore
or give that confidence except' by totally abolish-
ing the Corn-laws? Before answering that ques-
tion, let us lay before the public some more testi-
mony to the same effect. Mr. HOBBES spoke in
Essex ; at a meeting of the Anti-Corn-law
League in Manchester,. on Thursday, Mr.
PRENTICE made this report of Cheshire :
When the farmers were once fairly led to consider
the question, they said, "No moderate fixed duty for
us ; we have been humbugged long enough ;. we have
been promised moderate slides and jumps, and every
change has.only made us worse. Do not let us have
any more of this moderation. If there is to be a
change, let us have it at once. Let us have total
repeal—(Hear, hear)—that we may make fresh bar-
gains with our landlords, and start with a fair chance
.of success." The energy of the League was doing
much to convince them of the necessity of re-
peal, even where their lecturers did not go.
Landlords and tenants were both getting tired of
this eternal agitation, and they said, " These
Manchester people are so determined, that they
will . never stop short till they get the whole of
the Corn-laws swept away.—(Applause.) The
League has made things a great deal worse for us
with this constant agitation; we are tired of it, and
cannot do with it any longer; and as these men will
have total repeal, let them have that, and have done
with them." Then these men were astonished at the
idea of 50,0001. being raised in a few weeks ; and when
it was explained that our tracts were bound up in every
missionary and other magazine, Whig, Tory, and
dical ; that one at least would be sent to every free-
holder and elector in the kingdom • how the lecturers
were going into all the agricultural districts, and how
the country was to be agitated with tenfold energy of
purpose,—they said, "We cannot stand it ; let us have
done with it."—(Hear, hear.)
So much for the Cheshire farmers. Here is
a report of what a farmer, in the south of Somer-

setshire, said—
Why, gentlemen, it be no farer gone than a fort-
night, since the proprietor of a large estate down our
way sent for me to come to him. Well, I went. He
know'd I farmed a good bit of land ; he know'd I had
money to lay out; he know'd I had laid out money
on my land; he know'd I grew the best corn, and
turnips, and worzel in the county; he know'd I was
reckoned an improver of land. Gentlemen, I am
one that tries to make the most of my land. This
landlord know'd it. He said. "Now tell me what you
will give for such a farm, if I give you a lease, with
liberty to improve it as you like ?" Says I, " Sir, I
am much obliged; but tell me first what the prices of
my corn and cattle will be when I have improved
your farm, and I will tell you the rent I can
pay." To this the gentleman replied that the
question of prices was now in a manner settled; the
Corn-law was settled; the tariff was settled; and
prices would soon be settled. " Corn-law settled !
tariff settled ! prices settled !" says I. " Why, the
whole three are unsettled ; we have had nothing but
unsettled prices since we had a Corn-law, and I sup-
pose never, will have. You won't let the Corn-law
alone, and you can't let it alone ; and it won't settle
prices if it were let alone. No, no, Sir," says I; "no
taking of bases with matters as they are now." So
to this the gentleman replied, " Well, but it is your
..„;.,;„„ +l,,,*i„„ri enunot he properly farmed without
a lease, is it not ?"
my opinion, sure enough, and my experience too ;
but land must be badly farmed, or go without farming,
afore I touch it on a lease in such times as they we now
live in." That I did, gentlemen. I told this landlord
my mind; I ben't afeared to speak to nobody; I pay
my rent and my taxes, and my debts, and care for
nobody. So as I said already, cheapness is a relative
term. Things don't be too cheap for them as buy,
ma:yhap ; but they be too cheap for me."
There is not only panic, therefore, there is dire
confusion, amongst both tenants and landlords ;
the:latter cannot. 'let, and the former will not
length of time. No man
will,tatlki their ra
leaseland fotirl
till
ahney
ca n
tell what the price of
corn will be; and no man can tell that, because
no man believes that Sir ROBERT PEEL'S settle-
ment of the question will last a year, or, if it do
last, that pricei will not fall lower than ever they
were before. The single question now is, put-
ting humanity, justice, right and wrong, starv-
ing or feeding the people, out of view—the single
question ofCan the Legislature
put
an end to pAedtin.
Cey is,orrilaw agitation, and as-
exnie
sure landlords and farmers that any law it can
make will last five years? We are sure that it
cannot. Omnipotent as it foolishly boasts itself
to be, and as people still more foolishly believe
it to be, it can only put an end to Anti-Corn-law
agitatiaskt_ a ' e confidence and security to
both fame tenants, by totally abolishing
the law.
The slid('
16,
..,
is universally condemned.
Can the Whig nostrum of a fixed duty, however
moderate, be substituted for that ? It cannot.
The Parliament may enact it—the Parliament
cannot maintain it; that is beyond the power
of Parliament. Sir ROBERT PEEL himself
has declared that the first dearth would
extinguish it. But at present our ma-
nufacturers are everywhere exposed to
a keen competition, which they canno

sustain, under a heavy load of State taxes and a

tax for the landlords. It is impossible, there-
fore, for them to cease agitation against a fixed
duty. In every season of distress it would be
renewed. The farmers would be perpetually
harrassed by doubts and uncertainty, and a fixed
duty can no more be maintained than the
sliding scale.

To the farmers themselves such a duty would
be a great injury. it would enhance all the ex-
penses of cultivation. They are now too, and
_ _

would be still more then, exposed tocompetition.
If the community had food enough with foreign
supplies in a bad season, in an abundant season
it would have a great deal to spare. The
farmers would want to export they would
En a short time they would clamour for the repeal
and they would suffer deep distress.
be unable,
of a duty which kept their produce from com-
peting in the foreign markets with the produce
of other countries.

We take it for ...
granted that the public will never
consent to a bounty to compensate a fixed duty,
though that has been recommended by one of
the most celebrated political economists of the
day as its indispensible accompaniment. But if
neither sliding scale nor fixed duty can settle
this important
question, put an end to agitation,
and allow both farmers and landlords to make
thvir bargair.s l"-those permanent relations of
cost, of supply
and demand, which determine
prices with the ;regularity of a law of nature,
what remains but the total abolition of tl.e un-
just law ? The sooner that be effected, the sooner i

• ••••• -
will landlords be able•••
permanently to let their
lands; the sooner will leases be taken, and the

sooner will those improvements be made, which,
on the testimony of
Farmer HOBBES are neces-

nary, and can be made. By the abolition of the
Corn-laws, which cannot much longer be averted,
we shall gain a great deal more than free trade__

we shall gain a full and complete knowledge that
the power of the
law-maker is much more li-
mited than the public supposes, and we shall
thereafter endeavour to ascertain what he can

accomplish before we tolerate his perpetual med-
dling with thing:lend.
s be does not coiny e

he Niger expedition?
The Times contains a good article, a propos of
ou the folly of those pre.