Star.
London, England, 1830-03-15 00:00:00

HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY MEETING.

HERTFORD, Mmica 13.

Pursuant to a numerously signed requisition presented
lo Wm. HALL, Esq. the High Sheriff, a meeting of the nobility,
sentry, clergy, and freeholders of the county, was this day held (by
adjournment from the Town.haU) in the market place of this town.
At the time of the High Sheriff taking the chair, there could not
be less than 1,600 or 1,700 persons assembled.
Among other distinguished characters we observed the Earl of
Vcrolam (Lord-Lieutenant of the county), the Marquis of Salisbury,
N. Culvert, Esq. M.P. Viscount Melbourne, Sir John Sebright,
Bart. 31. P. Thomas Byron, Esq. M.P. T. S. Duncombe, Esq.
N.Y. the Hon. Baron Dimsdale, Thomas Daniell, Esq. William
Blake, Esq. S. G. Smith, Esq. C. Dimedale, Esq. C. M. Camp.
bell, Esq. Colonel Brown, Wm. Franks, Esq. the Rev. Messrs. F.
Faithful, R. Baker, W. Acton, F. Sullivan, lion. R. Eden, C.
Price, S. G. Price, Esq. John Green, Esq. J. Pardoe, Esq. T.
Wilshere.

The Mott SHERIFF read a letter from Mr. Giles, apologizing
for that gentleman's absence from the meeting, owing to continued
indisposition. Mr. Giles, in his letter, said that he thought the
primary causes of the present distress was not of very old date, and
not imputaLle to the present government.
. .

Mr. J. G. FORDUAM, of Odsey-house, in a speech of great
length, moved the
.tesolutions. Tire worthy gentleman prefaced
his adlress by referring to the conduct of Lord Deere, who had, in
18'22, opened.the business of a meeting on a subject similar to the
present, by .a most forcible and comprehensive statement of the
urgent necessity there was for a reform in parliament. He (Mr.
Fordham) much regretted the absence of that nobleman, and he
could not refrain from reading to the meeting a letter the noble earl
had done him (Mr. Forditam) the honour to address to him on this
subject : . _ _

" Chesterfielddtreet, March 11..

" My Dear Sir,—You will, I am sure, be convinced of my in-
finite regret at being unable to attend the county meeting on Satur-
day. I this day attempted, for the first time since my illness, to
go out. Though convalescent, the inflammation on my chest has
left me with little or no voice, and the exercise of the little voice
which remains to me is forbidden by my medical attendant.
" If I could be present at the meeting, you would receive my
sanguine support of every recommendation of reduction of expen.
diture. This appears to me the only safe and certain mode of
mitigating the intolerable sufferings of the country. Though I
was an original bullionist (having been one of the bullion tom.
wince, and concurring in its views), I might be inclined to admit
that the recurrence to our monetary system was adopted too sud-
denly and severely, but I would never recommend a return to a
depreciated or a depreciable currency. It appears to me that the
only present course is to bring down our expenditure to our reduced
nominal income. This must be done sooner or later—partly by
economy, partly, perhaps, by amendment of our fiscal system !
I ant well convinced that the country cannot go on in its present
state of suffering, and that you cannot too strongly impress the
urgency of immediate measures for Ifs relief.
"Nearly twenty years are now past since I detailed in Parliament
my views upon Parliamentary reform. They remain not only un-
shaken, but confirmed by the experience I have since had • but I
neither then attached much importance to metaphysical ;heavies
upon abstract rights of voting, nor do I now. My opinion then was,
and still is, that the nomination boroughs should cease to return
members, and their writs should be directed to the populous towns
which have risen up in the natural course of manufacturing and com-
mercial prosperity. I never have been able to comprehend the ad-
vantage of voting by ballot. Unleu the English people are ashamed
of acknowledging the principles and object of their choice, I cannot
see the benefit to be derived from it. I hope never to see the day
v hen such shall be the condition of English voters.
•• It Is very, very painful to me, to feel myself precluded from the
possibility of attending on Sausraly. Slime i boa first the honour
of representing the county, I have never been absent upon such
occasions. I have no alternative : I must submit.
" Yours, most sincerely,
" DACRE

" To John Fordham, Esq. Odsey-house."
In continuation, 1w said, the meeting had been called for the par.
pose of expressing their opinion on the present state of affairs, and
to petition for redress. -He would first ask—was there any distreisf
(Loud cries of " Yes, yes,") His Majesty's Ministers, in the
speech from the throne, on the opening of Parliament, speak of it as
being partial and slight; the people, on the contrary, consider, and
in his opinion had a right to consider, their situation any thing
but prosperous. The surprise occasioned by the statement in
the King's speech was succeeded bp • burst of indignation from
every class of the community, except those directly or indirectly
interested in keeping the people in the dark, and in amusing for.
tune! at their expense. Can there be a greater proof of distress
in a country than the fact that stares every body in the face,
that the middling ranks are rapidly becoming impoverished,
and that in consequence thousands of industrious labourers are
:ompelled to resort to the parish, not only in time of sickness, but
to obtain even a partial subsistence ? Under this state of distress,
is it to be wondered at that the people are dissatisfied ? He then en.
tend into detail of the amount of poor.rate paid in several parishes
in the county in 1792, and contrasted them with those of 1829, with
a view to show that a great increase had taken place. He next turned
his attention to the whole of the items of expenditure in the Go.
%%Inn-lent of the country, and showed the different increases that
had almost annually taken place. In 1792 the whole expense of the
Royal Family, pensioners, members of the government, army,
navy, and extraordinaries under the management of Pitt, was
5 654,900/. but in 1829, the fifteenth year of peace, 28,500,0001.
that is, where a farmer paid one bushel of wheat in 1792 to-
wards the expenses of the Government, he now pays at least four
bushels and a half. Let us now see how this arises : first in the
number and pay of the army. In 1792, 45,242 men cost 2,300,0001.
in 1829, 89,281 cost 6,123,1121.,—this I. double the number at
three times the cost : the pay of the army in 1792 was Bd. per day,
now it is 13d. clothed, lodged, tulles, and coals. He (Mr. Ford.
ham) then gave several other instances of what were in his opinion
unnecessary expenses: he instanced the large sums paid to support
Ambassadors at foreign courts the expenses of artificers at the
:!ock.yards—abd, lastly, the pension list. With respect to one of
the principal objects of the meeting, the malt and beer duties, he
would say, repeal the duties, and the consumption must increase.
'Why should the poor man pay a war price for his beer, and the
opulent classes have a reduction in their wine? (Loud cheers.)
The beer tax was so monstrously unjust, that only one other tax
at all similar could be proposed, and that could not be levied even
if a minister dared to bring it forward, viz. 20s. per quarter on every
quarter of wheat ground into flour, and 30s. per sack on every sack
baked, and excise-officers stationed at each place. (Cheers.) He
trusted he had said enough to prove the justice and the possibility of
a large reduction of taxation, and the necessity of a reform in that
house, where all this profligate expenditure has been sanctioned.
With these observations, he should read to them the resolutions
which lie begged to offer for their adoption. (Cheers.)
The resolutions had for their object the total repeal of the malt,
hop, and beer duties, a general reduction of taxation, and an effectual.
refonn in Parliament.

T. S. DUNCOMII2, Esq. M. P. in seconding the resolution;
kud, that, turn which way he would, every man admitted the ex.
menu of distress save placemen, sinecurists, and pensioners. He did
lot mean to say that the present distresses were to be attributed solely
to the Duke of Wellington's administration, far from it: he attri-
buted it to governments long gone by—to a series of years of bad
administration, of gross misgovernment, to had ministers, and con.
ruin Parliaments ; bet let us see and take care that we have not now
1/9"etament relapsing into those .error.—that we have not now
a parlionent adopting the same corrupt practices. That is what
we must now look to, and endeavour to guard against. He to. I
joked that this meeting had not been called prior to the meeting of
?ailment ; for they might have been tald, " You ought to
nit silently, and rely patiently upon the wisdom of that body, and
the probability that the Government would apply immediate relief."
The People had waited, but what had the ministers done ? Not
merely nothing, but worse than nothing ; for the Government has
treated the complaint and distresses of the people with indifference and contempt, ands majority of the House etComosons has decided
distress to be only partial." The honourable member concluded
Ids remarks by stating, that a rehtm in Parliament was the only

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