The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-28 00:00:00

assessed by competent survevers at 1291. 1 Is.—( Hear.)
Ile then read an extract of a spec.•ll deliveretl at a mssitines of
the Waltham Assoaiation, by Mr. Beaz'ey, a farmer, who had
formerly been ranch praised by the Dul.e of if 'eland for his
preellent manage:: eta. He said that in one field he saw 82
hares, and that the oust of feeding them was equal to the coat id
feeding 23 sheep.—( Loud sries of " Oh, oh, ' from the Con-
servative benchea.) Mr. Ileazley further said that he would
n
pot keep all those hares for any landlord in the world.—
ear, hear.) He ( Mr. Bright-)seas not an owner of land
uel'ond what was necessar • to give him a county qualification.
17(Torit cheers.) Neither was he a farmer; and, therefore,
iwoo d not venture to discuss abstruse questions connected
touitb, agrieniture.—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.," and
gulere) But he would give them authority for his facts.
blfrithey Would grant him the Committee he should be able to
nit! proof which no man could dispute, and which would
`°rlyince the Committee and the House that facts more lunyextra-
had than these were indisputably true. Another case he
ha submit to the House was from the county of Bucking-
thn:shire, and it was really deplorable that in many parts of
c(nolty there was such a waste of the produce by the game.
11e statement was flora a speech before the magistrates at
.414er-session,. held at Buckingham or Aylesbury, delivered
al Sir Harry Terney. He was not a roan to use ex geerated
giusge, and he said that those who held lands where game
boast II great abundance, and the temptation to poaching e'suld
.the be resisted, had special reason to complain of
diset operation of tone- game-laws. There Were some
rietS in which fourth of •the crops were de-
te% oyed by game. Nor was this all of which the farmer
ioniPlained, for besides the loss of his crops, he had to pay
paiterealed county-rates, for the expense of maintaining the
to her Wife and family while he was in gaol. In a memorial
so Maiesty's Government it was stated that out of 593 pri-
_ .tetrs in the county gaol, 169, or nearly one-t hit d, were corn-
red for
offences connected with the game-laws. These
in e ine only cases which he proposed to submit to the Ilonse
thelnexion with this branch of the subject ; but he assured
het onse that he hail a vast number of letters containing
het: °f a similar kind, which he was almost afraid to lay
world
the
House lest he should be disbelieved. Ile knew it
:d be asserted that the landowners had a right to keep
-"eu their land. He did not deny their right, nor did
pr-GW"n tO inteifere in the smallest degree with the rights ot
th-Pin• Whatever injury was done in particular cases by
il4-:ag," of game, he thought it probable that greater in-
let;i„,",°ll'd be done if the Legislature were directly and abso-
lso4`° infringe the rights of property, either of the land-
that orof any other class of the community. But he thought
rights
would be admitted that there ought to be limits to the
of
to cur.: Property, and it was not proper that. any
.man should
rielythho'Se those rights as to bring a grievous injury on his
lancet osUrt and on the community. By the common law, nue.
raernbew,. °,,bl be put down. Besides, the landlords ought to re-
lauds. that they did not keep their game on their own
had this it tenant-farmer, who had spoken at Aylesbury, at
rase °g. to which he (Mr. Bright) had been invited.
theiti.L"ltilat he would be glad if the landowners would keep
neiehi!wil.game, but the fact was, the game was kept by the
eat: he outing occupiers. The Hampshire farmer,. to whose
gas, t,bad already alluded, had told him that his landlord
to ieTtl: Permission to kill rabbits, that he had no objection
Pres-,.:Ting hares, but that a gentleman in the next estate
fanin'el.esu game, and that game it was that destroyed his (the
Could is) Produce. He had to pay 41. for a licence before he
teoti destroy this game, and then it took up his time and at-
ms, en, and after all he could not prevent this game from
histithig on him serious injury. It was not
oth 'mention to introduce into this discussion any
theier debateable matter, but it should be remembered
dot
the landowners had taken upon themselves the
of •
wound Providing food for the people of this country. He
Ittono not stop to inquire whether that system was right or
the g, but it was upheld by the House. They had constituted
Osen4elves the purveyors-general of her Majesty's subjects of
to:ratt Britain and Ireland, and if a large portion of ths people
of hPlained that they were ill-fed, in consequence of the failure
rented vests, they had a right to complain, when they were pre-
fr"rn going to other sources for their food, that the
thei_ed proprietors should keep large quantities of game for
dud; amusement, by which a considerable portion of the pro-
was destroyed, and the evils of scarcity considerably
trigortavat It might be said that the farmer had made a con-
act with the landlord, and that he must stand by his bargain.
agreed that the farmer did make a contract, but every landed
tteiPor,;et°' must be aware that the competition for land was so
C' and so merciless, that the farmer was not
kit .condition to make a fair bargain.—( Hear, hear. )
age if tile farmers did make a contract of this sort, and
laer that they would out kill game, why, how would the.
teen °rd know whether he did or not ? For he could easily
ithe:gel to keep up the quantity of game that was on the farm
ie took it. On this ground, then, he (Mr. Bright)
the airuntend that he had strong
Her
had heard complaints
of appeal to several
di:f `4entbers of that House.
trarruers, even since this session had commenced, of the
%signets of the farmers, and he believed there was a notice of a
ever;ll °Pon that subject before the House, and he applauded
the 4,8t1e1l Measure that had for its object the amelioration of
ittoga'°ongs and sufferings of the people ; but he would ask the
. Ifteat_r"s in this House was it not possible for them to give a
;lots ' ,a,rnagnificent relief to the farmers, by giving up a por-
,kr,„4.` ,least some portion of this absurd law, and make each
life- tile sole owner of every living thing on his farm.—
keplar, hear.) He had conversed with very intelligent far-
, front ofr°lll Lincolnshire on this subject.—(" Hear, hear,"
tteeetvs'iloriel Sibthorp)—and there were no farmers from that
Zar,4 who were not intelligent—(Renewed cries of " Hear,
.4t f from Colonel Sibtherp, and laughter)—and
the 'f from
. had assured him that the abolition of
Of a.alue-laws would compensate many farmers for the removal
flvta,,„Pr°teetion on corn. He had heard the same from other
Else and therefore he would say that the landlords ought to
efo_th-Lnitleh of the enjoyment of the chase, for the advantage
vane r'ur--( Hear, hear.) He would now pass to another
tlstetif the sub'ect 'and call attention to the position of that
tad :f„.farmei:js who held what had been called allotments ;
tlf tlietris point he felt assured he should have the sympathy
.mtlis On. Members for Dorset and Hereford, if they were in
;‘°. bee He He had himself counted sixty rabbit holes which
You - recently made by young rabbits learning to excavate,
etpeet!ig rabbits do.—( Great laughter.) He had sow.n peas,
tiltreso„l.°ll, a few dinners of green ones and bacon during the
had a`'' but he had only had a gallon where he should have
tif leatitisbel. This was all done by the game. He tried bits
tree, °ear his own house, and thought to grow turnips and
°as (L"blit all went to the rabbits.—(Laughter.) This land
ttliti°ll-f4sla.l,Of Colonel Wyndham, of Petworth, and the game
es'e(lll his estate and the estates of two other gentlemen.
t•
hat II bright) had taken great pains to ascertain the truth,
ue might y a fair statement before the House. In
ttkle4„l.sts Where a-
there five allotments, likewise great
‘44 had been done, though not to a grant
144 to but in most cases they were afraid to say
▪ .Or fe Another case from Suffolk
otod ar. of offending.
-eottn Mention, in which great damage had been done to
„eltelatenlos• From a respectable farmer in the neighbourhood
ne he had received a letter, which stated that a poor man,
ht.R, :et" of Bruce had twenty shillings' worth of da-
ILliroaa-tle to his barley' by hares and rabbits ; and this twenty
t:gli-ttras more than he could earn in two weeks, even
lor talk had been constantly employed. Another case—a
ote' Who had a worse crop, in the same neighbourhood,
,7,0 anted, to sow his crop three times over, having been
-`'neri-"Y the pheasants as soon as sown. And what re-
titt,ct, after the damage done by the hares and rabbits was
%lens e,-s4 a knife in the harvest time, there not being a suffi-
, mess.'„l4 stem to • •Ide He asked, in all earnest-
ttet_ 'seat the
. employ a sickle.
tiaarnietto 1° Right lion.
important.
an would attend to these
Court ' being very There were parties in
-"t"considered I 11 t t was a
ea one Y who that tie ot men system
otitraften; He was of opinion that it would be a great. en-
Oro- ~etit to the agricultural labourer to have a nice bit
ti.71`411,..', attached to his house. There was no doubt that in a
%et_ • of view it was a orth half. o. f. the police of the dis-
Oery tule very landowners should, it it were possible, give
44 end ottage as much land as would supply a little amuse-
at his fa,neTPloyment, and enable him to provide a few things
°useo-41. Now the case he was about to put would be
ht, °tuterstood by the House. A labourer got up two
khas fOre h•
Is. o ts usual time—at sunrise—he worked with glad-
-In4 to P.rtt en his little bit of land. He sowed his crop,
meretilt be get a Profitable return from it. During the day it
th t
wife .
ko a his and children were weeding and planting
ekao d there, as far as was consistent with their strength
pPear ; and then, when the sowing was beginning to
t'oule oluaye ground, the game from some landed proprietor—
fratultry,44 who, standing on the highest eminence in the
tont his coUld not see to the extent of his land—the game
eottred th estate, came into the poor man's garden, and. de-
ICJ the Produce of his labour. He (Mr. Bright) did not
f,eelings of any man, who, conscious
.thadt
rob data winch ministered only to his sport, comdmitte
Ittts :tge as blasted the hopes and
.destroy,e the
isho• ) the honest labourer.—(Loud cries of ‘. Hear,
epc, erer But there was another consideration respecting the
ht!te thei„All farmers were agreed, and landowners who
der °o of ' honest sentiments were of opinion that the preser-
ip Was most injurious to agricultural pursuits,. and
• ft, sat enoPreVented the due cultivation of land. In Ruislip,
lAin the a petition had been got up, and signed by every
IA "c parish Afa farmer there told him that in that
t. 4t eun • r
etaming 7,000 acres of land, there were not
144 greet 400 labourers employed ; the game was preserved.
terepoi extent there, and he had suffered severely from it
Years back. From this and several other statements
origin) was led to this conclusion, that where the
sad ifth "gldlY preserved, there could not be good farming
seat, e
ago -
psi le ere not good farming, there could not be a rea-
antor iient of employment If he were a landed pro-
aalloend hisrrieuld feel proud to s'ee the labourers growing up
t4at. "'le. Nothing he would be so anxious to ad-
thl,74 r give them greater employment and
ohipleal ernaneration—(Hear, hear)—or increasing . their
tollLailtleaalsl."ainttinermt'' and laying that foundation without
Pts at moral or literary education would
fru."' io 5,,-.Ou( Hear, hear.) Let them recollect what had taken
tit"Ory lk last year—in Wales sometime ago—what a re-
attend. 'lot Periodically spread throughout all the counties of
kr' holt, 'Jstice to all owners of property, and common
the bided forc him to tell the House that a remedy must be
bthi gout, touch a state of things. He asked the attention of
tie:Abe ht condition of the labourer, end to the mode in
~ttghiadii. been treated by the administration of the law.
Ilie-t.,fee-te"..°T Gentleman at the close of the last ses.sion. of
assists opo,
.!Ipressed his desire to mitigate the hardships in-
, the wad ,enturtha
nY persons by the operation of the game. Acts ;
t'llestektllistsetpr°°,gb the country expressions of his opinion that
1/111,1',atio 'would administer the law with a little more
*loot he wools More lenient spirit. He had a case or two
)14 had state to the House as samples of the oppression
Se4Pdred roil practised and he could as easily have brought
fore eh caa.a as one. One ease took place at the Petty
os re as 4,411by.d -
t"IN 4r. sahn esta-Zouch, in the county of Leicester,
kts tin the eY and Mr. Chafnell Manning. The case oc-
et °f the 2of March, 1844, before that court. The whole
144.° altet.Ve had been represented to the Home Secretary,
Vir?, had been made in the punishment of the
)e h'
the or °LIM Edwards, John Edwards, and James
'lite or age, Xer two being brothers, one of them only eleven
ties f the of Worthington were charoed be John Peters,
tarsi! eatehir°e-keepers to 'Earl of Ferrers, with using a
rsteh' who ,ibT game without having a game certificate. The
tasio,,,°f, the conded had not been arrested until the 17th.
I"itts "S im • fined 5/ and. costs, and, in default, to three
s Prtsentae_ t •
ea 6. anoe„ n and hard labour. They were then charged
mot. I. end 'fence (the offence took place on Sunday) and
t•l4' etilt, Sze •
es. 'get' .et •, default of payment to three months'
-est %eh hard labour. Wm. and John Edwards were
IA Ahd. • tl e,possi .
ci in default passing in search for
_game,.and fined 40s. and
,assealt Edwar4to two months' imprisonment and hard
detail o°
s and John Finch were then charged with
'ate of. „a_ s, the gamekeeper, and fined 51. each, and
look te! w4l-.Tellt, two months' imprisonment. Here was
tole. or.,° Men had been convicted of an overwhelm-
hrti COuditiowould imagine that the magistrate would
itac,e,.s, and o_ ° of. life and the degree of intelligence of
4.4 t doi„„ProPortion the punishment accordingly. But
te_o.geatoof,iit, the very worst peoalties of the law, the
s enattments, e ere carried into effect, and
og!iliete,rl ten
ith th inonths'
ten h 05e oof r imprisonment and hard labour were
its %the f et, ia
se ortnnate men for going out on a Sunday
Ise it t,
the of Pine. Another case, one which
lo:thooadg been e remembranceof most Hon. Members from
k Plate it was l'ut ao Prominently forward in the neigh-
'belt in le the
,ease of . a man. named Hibburn, which
toeo"eliwer of tj'hueckniognamshire, in September last. ;he
beZt the zui
are h ee: G. Cietwoode saw him at the snare;
tot., SnareUt it did not appear that there was any proof
"Le h it washas' the mfound at all. The gamekeeper said he
•" had 'Un bar nrst !affence gone man cried bitterly ;
cogr children, an infant; nine of
had fourteen in all. He further stated