Star.
London, England, 1822-04-30 00:00:00

LONDON BRIM=.

Sir W. CURTIS presented a Petition from certain Coal-
merchants of the City of London, praying that the House
would not sanction a Bill for imposing a Toll on all barges
passing under the bridgo to be built in the place of the present
London Bridge.
_ _

Mr. Alderman WOOD said, that the only tneasure pending
the House on this subject was one which was before a Com.
mittee up stairs, for the removal of the Water-works erected
against London Bridge. There was no occasion, therefore, to
Petition against that ; and the apprehension of any toll being
levied in the event of a new bridge being built, he thought
was idle, as the Bridge Estates had ample funds to defray the
expense, even if it amounted to £400,000.
Mr. T. WILSON did not feel so secure of the capability of '
the Bridge Estates to pay all expenses. At all events he thought
the House should not sanction the building of a new bridge
without a guarantee that no toll should be levied.
Mr. M. A. TA I' LOR said, that the opposition to the build-
ing a new bridge, which would so greatly augment the public
convenience, and by which so many lives would be saved, was
an infamous proceeding. It originated with the owners of the
wharfs in the Immediate neighbourhood of the Bridge. and was
an attempt to make private Interest a check no the general good.
The Petition was ordered to lie on the table ; and on the mo-
tion of Sir W. CURTIS, after a few words from Mr. Alderman
Woos, it was ordered to be printed.

PETITIONS FROM NORFOLK.

Mr. COKE rose to present a Petition from the
Landholders of the Hundred of Earshaw, in Norfolk,
complaining of Agricultural Distress. He wished
to call the attention of the House to the language
of this Petition. The Petitioners stated that they
were reduced to extreme distress, and were obliged
to quit their farms, the prices of agricultural pro-
duce, added to the heavy pressure of taxation, being
inadequate to the payment of labour employed in
tilling the soil. It might not be amiss to state here,
that the present Petition came to be agreed upon by
one of the Hundreds in the County of Norfolk, in
consequence of a Noble Lord's taking upon himself
to say, that the Petition adopted at the lust County
Meeting did not express the sentiments of the land-
holders of the County. He (Mr. Coke) was glad to
see that Noble Lord in his place, that he might be
able by the present Petition to refute his assertion,
and further to state theft it was in contemplation to
send up similar Petitions from every Hundred in the
County, which were thirty-three in number. Having
alluded to the Noble Lord, he had no difficulty in
going further and stating, that he had no hopes that
the plans which he was this night about to propose
would do much good, being firmly persuaded, from
closely attending to that Noble Lord's whole career,
that the country could calculate upon no beneficial
measure while it was under the patronage of the
Noble Lord and his colleagues—(Hear, hear).—This
he asserted abcve board, that so long as the affairs
of this country continued to be administered by the
present class of men, there was nothing to be ex-
pected from them. This too was the opinion of the
Petitioners. They stated that the only hope of relief
from the present distresses was in a reform in the
Representation of the People in this House—(Hear,
hear).—ln this he (Mr. Coke) entirely concurred with
them. He hoped the example set by these Petitioners
would be generally followed throughout the country.
If the people could be only taught to speak their sen-
timents, and state their grievances in the same open
and manly manner, the effect would be irresistible,'
and Ministers, with all their aids of profligacy and
corruption, could not long stand out against them—
(!leer, hear).—He had -hopes, however, that the
People would yet bestir themselves, and sure he was,
that they would make their voice heard, though
not through the medium of this House. The causes
of die present unexampled distress stood now revealed
to view—low prices--profligate expenditure, and a
cousequent overburdened pressure of taxation. It
u-.ed, indeed, to be the cant of Gentlemen, aid,
amongst oiliers, of the Noble Lord, that these dis-
tiesses were not real but imaginary, as if the People
felt less the pressure of the tax, than were impatient
at its existence. The existing state of things unhap-
pily slimed the fallacy of this assumption. The
distresses of the People did not arise from any im-
patience of taxation, for never were a more patient

PRICE SEVEN -PENCE

liwhegicrh' hgtrie
People, and of all England none were more pa-
tßienuttthterehan
wtashosea
point, ofNorfheyolkuu—(d
patience could
uo longer endure, and was it to be wondered that
thcowners of laud in Norfolk, a county which was
once like a garden, should cry out against the cold-
ness and inattention of Ministers, which had brought
them to the fallen stare in which they now were—
(Hear, hear).—He might be warm in speaking of
these distresses, but he could assure the Noble Lord
be (Mr. Coke) could at the same time preserve his
good-humour. And then as to the Report which was
•forthcoming, he (Mr. Coke) did not hesitate to say,
that he believed it Wouldrove an abortion. Like
all other Reports, it suggited everything but what
was really needful—.a repeal of taxation—(linear). Let
the Ministers rgcluce the taxes, diminish the expense,
•f the Army, and prune away the excrescences of
the Civil List—that was the way to give relief, and,
not by loans, or duties, or bounties. &it it was to
be regretted, that at all times so great an indisrosis,
tion and indifference to the interests of agriculture
were mandated in this House. Many Gentlemen
there were (he would not mention names) who pledged
themselves to do everything for the farmers at their
elections, and afterwards held quite a different lan-
guage in this House. Having said thus much, he
would once more refer the House to the language of
the Petitioners, who prayed them to afford them re-
lief by protecting duties against the importation of
foreign corn, an equalization of the Nor Laws, and
lastly, by Parliamentary Reform. To this .last they
looked as the means that was to save them from all •
their difficulties. He had only to add, that he con-
curred entirely in all these prayers; and he hoped
soon to have Petitions from the other parts of the
county speaking the same language. One remark
more he would make, and that was, respecting the
manner in which this Petition was prepared. He
had to state, that though pressing the occasion--
though moderate the views of the Petitioners, and
constitutional their purposes generally, yet they re-
ceived neither assistance nor sanction from the Ma-
gistrates in the district —(Hear, heat).—lt was matter
of surprise and regret, that in this part of the coun-
try, where there %ere two Magistrates, and only two
Clergymen in the Commission of the Peace (though
they a ere numerous enough in other parts), that none
of these Gentlemen were found to come forward and
give their countenance to a measure calling for some
remedy to so great an evil. The Noble Lord de-
clared himself a friend to petitioning, and he (Mr.
Coke) was sure, therefore, he would not approve of
the backwardness of these Gentlemen upon an occa-
sion that required all their assistance. Mutilated as
the Constitution had been by the late Acts, the sacred
right of petitioning was all that remained to the
People ; but it seemed that itself was to be put out
of countenance, if persons of authority thus set their
faces against it. Upon the whole, the conduct of
those Gentlemen appeared to him to have been blame-
able in-a high degree. The Hon. Member concluded
by moving that the Petition be brought up.
Mr. WODEHOUSE said that, without wishing to
anticipate the expected debate, he could not suffer
this Petition to pass without a remark or two. To
some of the observations of his Hon. Colleague (Mr.
Coke) he gave his acquiescence, and particularly in
those that related to the Report of the Agricultural
Committee. He had no difficulty in saying that he
thought that Report a most .unsatisfactory one—:
(Hear, hear).—He considered that it did not afford
sufficient security against the importation of foreign
corn; and, in fine, there were all through it strong
marks of inattention to the agricultural interests, and
sufficient to persuade him that the real interests cf
that class had not been sufficiently considered—
(l/ear, hear).—As this opinion seemed at variance
with sentiments he had formerly nttered, he felt he
was called upon to make some statement in explana-
tion of his apparent inconsistency. He would then
shortly state, that the only votes he had given as op-
posed to the declaration he had now made were two
—namely, a vote for the keeping up of the Sinking
Fund, and another against the repeal of the Salt
Duty. Upon these occasions he certainly voted with
Ministers ; feeling, as to the first, that in the dis-
tressed state of the country, it would be dangerous
to dispense with the Sinking Fund, the la.t stay of
public credit. As to the second, his vote was founded
upon another ground. He was not unconscious of
the extent of distress, for who could be ignorant of
it ? nor did he think that the remission of the tax
would not give relief, but he was obliged to look at
the situation of Government; he found that, by the
repeal of the Malt Duty of a shilling a bushel, Go-
vernment lost two millions—(Cries of " No ! no !")
—taking in the stock on hand, and that they there-
fore could ill spare another million by the Salt Tax,
whilst they were at the same time engaged in the
important undertaking of paying off the 5 per cents.
—(Hear, /tear).—Under such circumstances he did
not wish to embarrass Government. As to the Sink-
ing Fund, his opinion upon it was unzli..niied ; tx.,t
he would own that he was more clearly of opinion
that the Salt Tax ought to be repealed—(llear, hear).
—He repeated, that he thought it ought to be remit-
ted, but he wished to be understood as net adoiling
that opinion from clamour, but merely became it was
the expressed wish of the people. Having said thus
much in his own defence, he would now address him•
self to what fell from his Hon. Colleague; but he
wished it to Le understood that if it became his duty
to allude to him personally, it would not be from any
unkind motive. The llon. Mcmbcr had indulged a
good deal in complaints against th.., ltlagistra:t's not
sanctioning the Meeting: the tact he did not deny ;
but_ the Howe would perhaps feel
so doing, the Magistrates had used
cretion. He had lately spoken
Gentlemen, and though he would
their refusal to co-operate with the
it was but due to them to remind •
language which had been used at

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:t he did not deny ;
el with him, that in
rd but a sound dis.
with one of these
not for molly defend
the Petitioners, yet
the House of the
I similar Meetinzs
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