The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-27 00:00:00

KENT COUNTY MEETING,

Yesterday, a meeting of hop-planters and owners and oc-
cupiers of woodlands in the county of Kent, took place upon
Penenden Heath, for the purpose, according to the terms of
the requisition to the High Sheriff to convene the meeting,
to take the sense of the county upon the protection now by
law given to the British grower of hops, and upon the injury
to be apprehended from any alteration of the law upon that
subject.
lIENRY HOARE, Esq., the High Sheriff of the county,
presided. There were also present Lord Torrington, T. L.
Hodges, Esq., Messrs. Ellis, Ryder, 'Whittaker, &c. None
of the county or borough Members attended.
Mr. WHITTAKER, in proposing a series of resolutions to
the meeting, observed that some persons appeared to have en-
tertained a doubt whether the present meeting was likely to do
good or harm, but, in his opinion, whatever might be the re-
sult, it would be attended with some advantage. The
proposed alteration in the duty on hops was one
which would affect their interests most materially, and he
had formed part of the deputation appointed to wait on Sir
Robert Peel upon the subject, and Sir Robert told them that
if they could show any peculiar risk or ground upon which the
present almost prohibitory duty ought to be continued, he
would attend to it. They had accordingly shown him the risk
incurred in the cultivation of hops, from blight and other causes,
and also that the proposed alteration could not have any mate-
rial effect upon the price of beer, and that it would only benefit
the speculator ; and at the same time showed him the ruinous
tendency of the proposed change. Sir Robert, in the face of
these facts, had thought fit to carry out his scheme, and he
therefore put it to them whether they ought to rest contented
and quietly acquiesce in the new scheme, and whether it was not
their duty at all events to protest against it. He then
proposed the resolutions, which were to the effect that the
meeting viewed the change in the law with great apprehension,
and, entering into some details, concluded by expressing an
opinion that the effect of the alteration in the duty would be to
destroy entirely the cultivation of hops in this country, and
cause the whole supply to be taken from foreign countries.
Lord ToaniNGTon seconded the resolutions, and said that
he concurred with the opinions expreved in them, that the ef-
fect of the alteration of the duty would be to destroy the cultiva-
tion of hops in England, and if this meeting had not been held
it might have been said that the hop growers and farmers
of the county of Kent were agreeable to the proposed
change.—( Hear, hear.) That meeting, however, showed
that those who had attentively considered the subject,
could only have one opinion as to the consequences of
this unjust and cruel measure. The Noble Lord then went
into some details' and said he had no doubt that hops could
be grown abroad for 50s. per cwt., and that the average price
of hops in this country would never exceed 41. per cwt. ; and
they were all aware that such a price would not enable them
to carry on the cultivation of their lands—( Hear, hear)—and
the consequence must be, that a large amount of agricul-
tural labour would be thrown out of employ. When her Ma-
jesty's pretent Government came into power, they were
pledged to support agriculture, and at every hustings' speech
the cry of the supporters was " Protection to agricul-
ture," and the main point upon which they were
enabled to remove the former Administration was,
that it was supposed that that Administration was
opposed to the interests of the agriculturists.—(Loud
cheers.) Had they acted up to these professions?—
(Cheers and interruption.) They not only interfered with hops
hut with corn and cattle; and then, above all, they came upon
them for an Income-tax; and yet these were the men whom
they had placed in power to protect their interests. He should
be glad to know what had become of their county Mem-
bers upon this occasion ? He should like to have seen the
Hon. Member for East Kent there that day, and to have re-
minded him of his speech at the hustings. If his constituents
could have foreseen what course he would adopt, he was quite
satisfied he would not have been their representative. He,
who called himself the farmer's friend, had sacrificed them
for the sake of place and power.—(Loud cheers and uproar.)
He contended that if those Hon. Members had carried out
the pledges which they gave to their constituents, they must
have opposed the present Government and the proposed tariff.
That tariff would, in his opinion, be ruinous to the country,
and he regretted to see that a Parliament, which was returned,
in a great measure, by the agricultural constituencies of the
empire, should have sacrificed those whose interest they were
bound to have protected.—(Cheers.)
Mr. HARMAN, after some brief introductory remarks, said
—lf they had known what course Sir Robert Peel was going
to pursue, he should like to know whether they would have
supported such a Government?—( No, no.) They all thought
they were quite safe with Sir Robert Peel—they thought he
was no free trader.—(Cheers and laughter.) But they had
found to their cost, when they had placed him in•power, that
he was a free trader in every thing.
Mr. HODGES then addressed the meeting, and said he had
watched to see whether any one would come forward in support
of the measure which had called them together ; but as no one
appeared to be inclined to do se, he had ventured to offer a few
observations to them. He, in the first place, begged to thank
the High Sheriff for the prompt and kind manner in which he
had convened the meeting, and it was at the same time a grati-
fying thing to see that the yeomen and independent farmers of
the county had come forward to sign a requisition for a meeting
to take up the subject, which to them was of so much importance
and consideration. The question now before them was one
which involved the interest of every man, woman, and child, in
the county of Kent.—( Hear, hear.) Mr. Hodges then
said he had received a letter front Sir Edward
Knatchbull, which, without the writer's permission,
he did not feel himself at liberty to read to the meeting, in
which he expressed himself as disapproving of the objects of the
meeting, and stating that on this account he should not attend
it. He also informed him that that portion of the tariff which
altered the duty upon hops from 8/. 1 Is. to 4/. 10s. had been
on the previous evening carried by the House of Commons,
without any observation. After some further remarks, he con-
cluded by saying, if the hop trade were destroyed, he had no
hesitation in saying that the public taxes of the country could
not be collected in the county of Kent. In his opinion.
the alteration that had been made was a great blow struck
at the property of the county, and he must, therefore, express
his surprise that their humble representatives should have al-
lowed it to be carried without any observation.
Mr. RYDER complained of the absence of their, ,representa-
fives, and said that Sir Robert Peel appeared to have hum-
bugged them all—both enemies and friends.—( Laughter. )
The HIGH SHERIFF having inquired whether any other
gentleman wished to address the meeting, there were loud cries
for the Members.
The resolutions were then put and carried unanimously, and
after a vote of thanks to the High Sheriff, and three cheers fur
the Duke of Buckingham, the meeting separated.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

THE OFFICE. OF TOWN CLERK.

Yesterday Alderman WILSON called the attention of the
Court to a subject which he considered deeply affected the
privileges of the Members of the Corporation. It was well
known that much agitation had taken place with respect to the
filling up of the office of Town Clerk. No small trouble and
expense had been incurred by gentlemen who offered them-
selves as candidates, some of whom had withdrawn from the
contest, and a very unneeessary3delay had taken place in the
proceedings of the Committee. He had himself taken some
trouble upon the occasion, in his anxiety to select the mar, best
qualified to discharge the duties of the office. By some means
or ether the person whom he had pointed to as the most admi-
rably adapted to the situation, after having secured
a considerab!e majority of votes, was compelled to with-
draw from the contest. He was certainly of opinion that
the gentleman to whom he alluded (Mr. Pearson) was
intrapped—( Hear, hear, and No, no)—and was most un-
fairly dealt with.—(Much confusion.) After that gentleman
had taken the pains to secure for himself a certainty of being
returned, an influential member of the Corporation obtained
from him an undertaking, that, in the event of a person of
superior rank and standing being found to offer himself for the
office, he would retire from the contest. Before application
was made to Mr. Pearson to retire, he had been allowed to
proceed with his canvas ; and it was not until Sergeant Mere-
wether's: friends/ found that their candidate had no chance
of success, that Mr. Pearson was called upon to yield. It was
agreed by Mr. Pearson that the matter should be referred.
Two persons were accordingly appointed upon each side, and a
fifth was selected as umpire. The umpire was, he believed,
drawn from a hat, in which some nausea were shaken ;
and thus the privileges of the Corporation were most im-
properly and injuriously interfered with, as he could
most distinctly show before the Committee to which it was his
object to refer this matter. The first two individuals drawn
declined to act as umpires, and the third happened to be op-
posed to Mr. Pearson, and accepted the office, and decided
accordingly. Now why'should he (Alderman Wilson) be de-
prived of his right of voting for the man he thought best
qualified for the office because of a private arrangement ?
( Hear, hear.) Or why were the Members of that Court to
submit to have a person of whom they did not approve forced
down their throats ?—(Cries of " Hear, hear," and disappro-
bation.) He altogether reprobated ~.uch a proceeding, and he
moved, in accordance with the sentiments he expressed, the
following resolution :—" That one of the candidates for the
office of Town Clerk having withdrawn from the contest upon
the alleged ground of a decision by three of five referees,
whereby the privileges of this Court have bren most impro-
perly interfered with, it be referred to a Special Committee of
this Court to inquire into and report thereon prior to fixing the
day of election to the office of Town Clerk."
Mr. STACY seconded the motion.

Mr. R. L. JONES declared that there was not the slightest
grounds for supposing that there was anything like a violation of
the privileges of the Corporation, in any part of the transaction
to which their attention had been drawn.

After a lengthened discussion, in which Mr. Stevens, Sir
William Heygate, Sir Peter Laurie, and other Members
joined.
The Court divided, and the motion of Alderman Wilson was
carried by a majority of 12, the number being for the reference
to the Committee 61, against it 49.