Star.
London, England, 1815-03-08 00:00:00

CORN BILL.

'ER MEETING.

Yesterday, pursuant to requisition, a Meeting of
the Inhabitants of Westminster was held in Palace•
yard, to consider of the propriety of petitioning Par-
liament against the Corn Bill now in progress, at
one o'clock.

The HIGH BAILIFF read the requisition, and cx.
hotted the assembly to preserve that peace and good
order which had hitherto distinguished die meetings
of the electors of Westminster.

Mr. BTURCH came forward to propose certain Re-
solutions.—He observed, though honest men might
differ in opinion concerning public measures, yet he
hoped to see that perfect concurrence which bad ap-
peared at their last meeting. There was no man
more backward than himself to stand forward in stir-
ring up a useless opposition to that which had the
least ground or semblance of public advantage, but
upon a measure such as they were called together to
consider of, it was impossible to forbear making
some remarks. In the words of that true friend of
the people, Lord Stanhope, he would say-4, It was
no wonder the people met when the question was
their own starvation."—(Amtlayse.)—The 15111 in
question went to be on the people of Great Britain
sis•pence in the quartern loaf, and that not for the
purpose of rendering the people snore prosperous or
happy, but solely for the end of rendering diem more',
dependant on the Land-owner—(opirlasue) to enable
the proprietors of the soil to pay enormous tams
without any diminution of their splendid estAblish-
ments. He happened to have in his pocket a copy
of a petition to the House of Commons in favour of
the Corn Bill, signed by 5000 persons, calling them-
selves respectable farmers. It contained much emus.
ing matter, but the cream of it was, that they could
not support the high rents which had been imposed
during the war, and that rank to which Pnotraurnoz
had called them, without . the measure la qaestieu

lawfully given. The present state of the House of
Commons was proved by the votes which had been
given on the Corn The Bill ought to be consi.
demi as imposing a tax, and the first question was,
whether it was a just tax ?—if it was not Jost. it
should be resisted, but their resistance should be to.
gulated by the Law and the Constitution. In his
opinion, the House of Commons did not represent
the people, and the tux was therefore unjust. The
Major, then took a review of the present system of
legislation and taxation. and.* enforced the necessi. y
of a reform in Parliament. Petitions fic a Parlia-
mentary Reform would be left it the houses •
.vhere
the Petitions against the Corn Bill laid for signatures.
Mr. Alderman Woon might be told, that he ought
not to appear in so many places to state his opinions
on this subject; bnt it would be of no consequence
whether he was told so by one person or one million.
He had given his opinion in the Common Council,
and pow he came to do his duty as an elector of
Westminster. He would not go into the detail of
the question, as that had been often done more ably
than he could pretend to do, but he might be allow.
ed to glance at some of the leading features of the
measure. He knew many persons had paid a high
price fur land, but were the peoplc to be told, that
because some speculators could not make more than
two per cent. of their land, that therefore five or six
per cent. was to be taken from the whole nation
Perhaps many who heard him had been nearly ruined
by the war, and it they had gone a:.d stated that
fact to the House of Commons, did they suppose they
would have obtained any relief ?—(4pplaure)—As
an elector of Westminster he would say to the Legis-
lature. " Go and de your duty, give bread to the
people at a cheaper rate, fur you have it in your
power." He had lately passed over a district of
80,000 acres of land belonging to An illustrious per-
sonage, which might be brought into cultivation at
an'advantageous rate, and from this track a quantity
of corn might be obtained to supply any temporary
deficiency. The House should attend to subjects
like these, and it would do well to resolve itself into
a Committee on the state of the Loudon markets.—.
In Devon'and Cornwall wheat was bought from the
Isle of Wight and France at as high a rate as it was
purchased in London, yet the quartern loaf in those
counties was three halfpence cheaper than in London.
The Members of the House of Commons themselves,
individually, could do a little to remedy the evil—let
them lower their rents.—(Applause).--He cab rrted
the Meeting to stick to the Ci 1114.! of petitioning, but
to go no further; every thing beyond petitioning
would injure their cause. At present they had many
with them who never had joined them before on
political occasions; therefore it the House would not
listen to their petitions, let that House no longer (a
loud shout of applause interrupted the sentessre)—let that
House no longer be applied to—but petition the
House of Lords. He really believed more justice
would be obtained from that House than from the
Commons ; but if they did not succeed in either case,
he trusted they would petition the Prince Regent him-
. self. Let them only persevere by petitions, and re-
dress would certainly come sooner or liter.
Six other Resolutions were then put and carried;
they consisted of reasoning against the principles acid
operation of the Corn Bill, and pointed out its 'pro-
habit disadvantages to the country— the whole were
, carried by acclamation. TM Bth Resolution pro.
vided, that petitions against the Corn Bill should he
presented to both Houses of Parliament. The 9th
and 10th Resolutions related to the signature of the
petitions, which were proposed' and read by Mr.
Bruaca. The Meeting unanimously adoptesl dui

IN

vor-sawii----
. Petitions, and resolved, that the Petition to the Lords
should be given to Lord Gaslnoue to present, and
that to the Commons should be presented by Sir F.
BURDETT. The Petitions read echoed the Resolit-
tions. After the last Resolution had passed—
Sir FRANCIS Buaricrr said, he had never, in the
whole course of his life, had the satisfaction of meet-
ing so large and respectable a body of the people as
he had then the honour of addressing, and he had
never met any assemblage of the people upon an oc-
casian, in many respects, more gratifying
.than the
present ; though he considered the occasion as of
minor importance to the great question of freedom
and liher:y of the country.—(44/0/ause). He had
never stood before a body of his constituents before,
ei;!i'4-in:; from them so widely as on the present occa-
sion. There were many topics which had been in-
troduced into the Resolutions, which, there had not
• been time to examine, and which could not be esa-
tr.ii:ed with any advantage in a meeting such as that
w u; - topics involving in them many considerations
of domestic and political economy; involving also
a:m:.,st all the cultivation and commerce of the coun-
try, and upon which many thinking. persons 44 di-
- voted much time, without coming to pny_direct cots-
clu,inits. He had, therefore, as the assembly might
have observed? only held iiP his haw,' for one of me'
Rcsoluticns, that *whiclonsplaitted Or* source of
all the evils of •thi• country; the kit* bate stte of
the Representation.—[Here ihenoittift. ble Baronet
entered into' a description-Atli Houlti, CoMitionp
)•
into which we do not think it right Co; °Row tin].,
The Honourable Baronet continued es he had been
.-.1c4 to expect much reprobation from the, meeting .ai.
sembled ; and why forsooth ? Why,tecause he hid
never attended the debates in the House over dr, ,
way. In this be had not deceived his cOnstituents.-1-
He had told them, that he never would lend ,hiniself
to keep up, the mockery of debate ft was a farCe
Which had long been carried on, but, which was In.
come too expensive to be indulged in any longem-t-
-(Loud ape laure).-y-They had been told that the .inte-
rest of the national debt, which at the commence-
ment of the present King's reign was only four mil-
lions, had now increased to forty millions—this was
li burthen too great for the State; yet there were
persons who divided the country into interests, the
commercial interest, and the manufacturing inte-
rest, and the agricultural interest, as though all
• interests were not ultimately the same; each was made
jeakes of the other; and the weight of taxation,
which it was agreed was too heavy for them all
to bear, each wished to shift from his own shoul-
ders on those of his neighbour.—(Loud aitltiawe).-.-
He h.. d l .ng since determined never to go into that
}louse of which he had spoktn, unless to lay before
them their own doings, or to carry the complaints of
the people there—he would never go there to carry
on the mockery of discussion, and not being fond of
bad hours, he had of late :o.:3eilkeil himself alto-
gether. (Llash:tr and apt/ zus:.) The safety
of going there might be questicned—a very pro-
mising and patriotic young man (Mr. Lambton)
had last night complained that the House was sur-
rounded by troops—that young Gentleman had,
perhaps. caul-el back his memory to his reading,
and supposed those were the times when the House
was in danger of being over-awed by a standing
army ; but has error had been concealed by the Mi-
nister, who informed bim, that the troops were ne.
cessary to protect those faithful stewards of the
people—to protect the representatives of the people
against the people, and that by an army supported and
paid by the people. A Minister—No! not a Minister
—a Secretary of the Treasury, or he knew not what
—at least, a person in office—Mr. Robinson, the
mover of the measure, said, what was not necessary,
that he did not propuse any thing which would be a
positive good, it was only the smaller evil. The
country had now never any thing 'but a choice of
evils. Every one who went into the House over the
way, appeared to go in with a Pandora's box, which
was opened, that the country might be indulged
with a choice of a charming variety of evils.—(4-
piaute.)—lt was a pity that the spirit of freedom,
which he then recognized, should be spent on com-
paratively trifling objects ; it was of no avail to re-
sist petty grievances, the only way was to strike at
the source of them. In complaining of this evil, the
nation was like the poor wretch who was put to the
torture of the lash, when the executioner began to ,
ET, the sufferer said," a little higher if you please,"
and then 46 a little lower," andystill he did not like it
at last. The executioner losing his• patience ex. I
claimed, 44 I never knew such an unreasonable fellow
in my life, I can't please you hit where I wi11."....(4
laugh.)—The evil'was not in the place struck; but
in being flogged at all. The Income Tax had been ,
opposed, yet under proper regulations he thought it
a very good tax. He did not complain of the tax,
but of the votes of those who did not represent the
people—not of a particular tax, but of taxation
without representation. A sum which came out of
the toes into the pockets of the taxers, was the cause
of. additional taxation, just as a dishonest servant
would cheat his master of two. or thrstiineasto
obtain a perquisite of sitpence. PerhassAbe, slims
paid to the dependants on Govenunrit.trapAint a
few millions, yet they drew' many millions, front the
people. It was asked, what would be saved, if .211
sinecures and unmerited pensions were abolished.?
Why much :note than the actual slim so paid. That
sum was like the water whiCh Was poured into the
dry sucker of a pump : it 'was not much, but it was
the, means of drawing up all that which was in the
wed.--(Loud alsldasua.)—The Honourable Baronet
then entered into an argument to prove that if the
loaf were reduced from Is: 6d. to 6d. and other ar. ,
ticks declined in proportion, the amount of nominal
taxes remaining the same, the real and actual taxes
would be trebled ; and so. of the dividends paid no.
sninally, as when provisions were high, but in reality
three times as much. He wished the landholder to
be left at liberty to make as much of his capital as ;
be could : he wished to remove all restrictions upon
internal economy ; he wished to see freedom of trade,
and, manufactures, and agriculture, and .above all
political freedoui. But what would produce all did,
why nothing but. a free Parliament I to which the
people were as-much entitled as the -King was to. his
crpwn. This dearest right cif the people. was with.
held by,tho tax-clamber over the .way r•hut he hoped.
the people would stifle them with petition, for their.
sights and. hberties. The • country.' eoold'not sr*
,wbat it was; it was like a ilai 'awl; fit *pit

writhe and turn to seek casein a change et risitioN
but that ease could only be temporarn a rsdicisi
change must take place. The principles of *ask
.who opposed then were in a nut-shell—a tax-chliMber
and a standing army. Their principles, on the con-
trary, ought to be Petition I Petition I Petition !
(nit Speech was followed by long continual atlasoations.).
Thanks were then voted to Mr. A. Baring, Mr.
Lambton, and Sir F. Burdett.
The latter returned thanks, and said, although he
happened to differ with them in opinion, he did not
the less esteem this additional proof of their confi-
dence in him.
Thanks were also voted to the High Bailiff, and
the Meeting adjourned.
Many persons signed the Petitions on the Corn Bill
as well as those tin Parliamentary Reform.
When Sir F. Burdett left the King's Arms, he got
into a hackney coach, the horses of which were taken
off, and he was drawn away by the populace.
The Meeting was supposed to consist of about
20,000 persons.

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