Star.
London, England, 1830-11-17 00:00:00

ItOTUNDAMEETING.

The crowd which assembled on Monday night at the Rotunda was of
a very mixed kind : 'event) respectable gentlemen were of the company.
Mr. Huffy, upon entering the large apartment, was much cheered.
He was not, he said, yet in gaol, although some art the newspapers
predicted that such a fate was awaiting him. He had told the meeting
that spies and informers abounded there ; but he thought they must be
very clever if they could detect a secret plot in that place where no
secrets could be kept. He knew and had stated, that the expected
row of the Bth would be a nine days' wonder, and notwithstandit g
the sagacity of the spies and officer', and magistrates, their last
meeting concluded with nothing but a subscription foe a poor man whose
case was a signal instance of parish oppression. (Cheers and laugh.
ter.) But in the present state of things, justice was not to be expected
for the majority. They had heard of Mr. 't. John Long, who had been
convicted of manslaughter, for having sported with the lite of a fellow
creature. The judges, who bad it in their power to punish for that of.
fence, with a penalty from Is to transportation for life, thought proper
to fine that man, who had been wallowing in wealth derived from nein-
nous practices of the kind, the sum of 2401. and turned him out upon
the public again, where he had not been long when he repeated his
°fence by the destruction of another unfortunate victim. (Cries of
" Shame, shame.") Now, if by any accident he, Henry Hunt, hap.
(Lred to kill a man, would their lordships treat him with similar kindness
aughter, and cries of " No, no.") No, no, indeed; there were laws
for the rich, and laws for the poor; there was justice for the rich, and
no justice for the poor. But what could be expected from men like
those who had the sovereign control ? (Hear.) Report had sent him
and Mr. O'Connell to the Tower, and also a state-warrant after him.
He had calleti upon the Lod Mayor on the subject; his Lordship knew '
nothing about it. He then went to the Secretary of State's office, to in.
quire whether they •• wanted" him there. He asked for Sir R. Peel,
but was told that that gentleman was not in the way, but that he could
see Mr. Phillips, the under-secretary. No, no, he would not have any
thing to do with underlings (laughter). A messenger, however, imme.
diately afterwards entered, and told him that Sir Robert. who had
perceived him from the deco of the Treasury, would see him in
a moment. Sir Robert accordingly made his appearance, and they en.
teted into conversation. He told Si, Robert, that having heard a re-
port that a state-warrant bad been issued against him. he celled at the
office to save the Secretary the trouble of looking for him, if his person
was wanted. (Laughter.) " Oh," said Sir Robert Peel." "it is all
an idle story. I never issued any warrant, nor ever bad any idea of
such a thing ; and I never beard of any of the kind until a
little while ago." He (Mr. Hunt) then m2eogtsome allusion to the
Magistrates at Union-hall, upon which Sir Robert observed, " Why,
yes, there are a set of belly, intenneddling fellows over the water."
(Loud laughter.) Sir R. Peel and he then bad what might be called a
" confidential" conversation together (excessive laughter), and it naturally
turned to the celebrated hoax in the city. He told Sir Robert he was
convinced that the King and Quern would, if they had gone to the
gorge in the city, been received by the populace with cheers end blessings,
but that they were right not to go under the circumstances, for without
doubt the Duke of Wellington would meet with nothing but hooting
and execrations. After some allusion to what took place at Union Halt,
and to the subject of the Duke of Wellington's declaration, Mr. Hunt
observed a tricoloured flag above his head, and the scene took place
which we described in yesterday's paper. He then referred to the
fires in Kent, and asked who employed the incendiaries and spies. and
who paid fee the inflammatory haud.bills? How happened it that noneof
the villains had beendeteeted? They were told that a gentleman or two
were to be seen alighting from a poet-chaise wherever a fire was to take
place, and in the night on came the fire. Who the devil found the mo.
Bey ? (Laughter.) As to the operations of spies and informers, he had
been long in the habit of knowing them. He had met Castles and
Oliver, and Edwards, and not a day parsed that he did not receive some
communication from correspondents of that class, some of when
proposed to him to lay siege to the Tower, and some to attack the
Bank (laughter ;) and he had the other night an interview
with a gentleman with one eye, who introduced himself as a
great tactician in fortifications. (Loud laughter.) He would
not say by any means that the Government were instrumental to the
incendiary movement, which vete striking such terror into all, but he
suspected the agents of Government. The object was to frighten all the
old women in breeches, and thus to prejudice the cause of ratirm. The
old women in breech ra in the city were all radical reformers the other
day, when, suddenly, on came a bit of a dirty row, and destroyed all
their radical .preulationa.
The meeting separated, after some further speeches, without the
slightest disposition to tumult or ill humour.

ST.ITE olr THE COUNTRr.
KENT-Altrri;SEX.
HASTINGS, Nov. 18—A sketch of the relative position of the dif.
fcrent classes in these counties will show the grounds of my aprae-
hensions us to the precarious state of 'fairs to which I alluded. i.'he
labouring classes have been for some years silently undergoing a mate-
rial change. Few many reasons. which It would be tedious to recite,
the distress which has prevailed throughout the country has pressed
unequally upon the agricultural labourers. Amongst the other indus-
trioun classes, unemployed labour is more readily diffused and adapted
to loyal demand. fl ravers and other artisans may migrate from place to
place; but agricultural labourers are, and ought to be, unless
their character essentially change, in a certain sense, adseripti
glebes. This local fixedness, whilst it has inflicted upon
the homer a tax for the maintenance of idle paupers hai ens
abled him, in this redundancy of labour, to reduce its rate of re.
muneration. As every other description of tenantry was interested in
the diminution of the poor's-rate, out of which the unemployed labour.
era were to be supported, the lattet's allowance was reduced to the lowest
poesible scale. A practice, which took its MC. I believe, in the marim
facturing districts, of paying labourers partly out of the poor's-rate,
was adopted extensively in the counties of Bent, Sussex, and Surrey,
and labourers were regularly hiller d upon farmers at a n:uch a head,
the remainder of the wages falling upon the parish. The • fee of
this system was to desttoy the principle of conipetition, imperfect as
it was, and to deteriorate the character of the peasantry, who recruited
the ranks of poachers, m er smuggler., and other sorderly classes. The
rule of paying married men, with children, a larger rate of wages
than single men, encouraged improvident marriages, and augmented
the quantity of labour beyond its former ratio of increase. During the
last winter the sufferingsof the poor in these counties were severe.
On the other hand, the farmers, with undiminished burdens and re-
duced profits, would, but for this accidental resource, have been unable
to pay their rents, or would have seen their surplus absorbed by their
outgoings, if freeholders. Moreover, within the memory of even
young men, a material change has operated in the character of the yea.
manry CUPS. A Sussex farmer formerly wore a round frock, ate and
drank with his men, and brought up his family to the dairy
and the plough. The round frock is now discarded ; the farmer's
family steps into a higher grade; and his servants, though,
in fact, exalted in the scale of intellect by the diltission of
education, cease to be eunicierisoks, and ream Mho public.
house and tbelkensed retailers Oben, where they discuss their poll.
deal grievances. The landholders and clergy sustais a throe of the
public burdens; but they do not feel, as each, the escillatiotte produced
by high and low markets, or the premiere of occaelsoal distress. They,
moreover, add to the lanuabraaess of these below them ; mid, like the
taziptheter, seem to take sways ponies of the poises wishes:a=
valeta. Whilst the dillknot awes ale thee pined soutuale
—whilst political meets abroad prostate a kind of sympathetic undid&
don throughout the commualty--whilst artful endeavours me made to

poison the mirds of the lower erde•s by false ruggestions against the
nobility and the hierarchy—an arreeito a system of devastation, executed
possibly by political emissaries, anti perhaps extended by the tempta-
tions it offers for the perpetration of private revenge, by the
mystery belonging to its authors and object, terrifies the farmers
and proprietor., and at the sante time encourages the bold and
turbulent. This has been the moment chosen by the peasan.
try to demand a redress of their grit voices. Divested of its objection-
able character, as a dangerous precedent, the conduct of the peasantry
has been admirable. There is no ground for concluding that there has
been any extensive concert amongst them. Each perish, generally
spt•akirg. has risen per as ; In many platen their proceedings have been
managed with astonishing coolness and regularity there has been little
of the ordinary effervescence displayed on similar occasions. The
farmers have notice to meet the men ; a depurro:on of two or three
of the hitter produce a written statement, well drawn ut,s, which
the farmers are required to sign ; the spokesman, son clime,
a Dissenting or Methodist teacher, fulfils his of with great
propriety and temper. Where disorder has occurred, it hes atisen
loin dislike to some obnoxious clergyman, or tithe man, or 3-sistant
overseer, who has been trundled out of the parish in a w heelbarrow, or
drawn in triumph in a load of ballast by a dozen old women. The
farmers universally agreed to the demands they made ; that is, they
were tot mad enough to refuse requests which they could not demon-
strate to be unreasonable in themselves, anti which were urged by 300
or 400 men, after a barn or two had been fired, and each farmer h.ol an
incendiary letter addressed to him in his pocket. But such an arrange.
rnent cannot last. The farmers, to fulfil their stipulations, must de-
pend upon their landlords and the clergy enabling them to do so. Will
this be done? If not, the farmers are in a serious dilemma.—Letter in
the Times,

•
BucEINHAMSHInt, Nov I6.—We are sorry to state that the towns
of High SVycombe and Marlow, and their ♦icinities, have been consi.
derably alarmed duting the last thr a or four data, letters with the
`• Swing" signature, haring been received by all thirst who have thresh.
ing and other machines in their possession, threatening destruction to
their corn and property unless they are r moved, and manual labour
used in their stead. On the evening of Wednesday last four strange
persons were observed perambulating the streets of Wycombe,
and on the following running a circular letter ass received
by Lord Carrington, who has a four horse power threshing..
machine upon 1)ml/es-hill farm. Mr. James Phelps, Temple tarn;
lir..losepli Biddle, Town farm, Mr. Richard Webb, Marlow-bottom,
11-right, paper-maker, ,Marlow, and all the paper-makers in the
ighbotithood of High Wycombe, received similar letters. Ore of
the above gentlemen. Mr. Joseph Biddle, immediately caused his
machine to be pulled down. 11r. Biddle has an immense quanti•y
of grain in stacks, and, unfortttna•ely, th.iy are placed so close to-
gether, that, in the event of one of the ricks being ignited, no human
power could possibly save the whole from destruction. Mr. Phelps. of
Temple farm, has followed the examp!e of Mr Iti•ldle. and there 's little
doubt but that the rest of the farmers in the neighbourhood, who h: 1e ma.
chinery. will follow the same example. Mr. Ploistow. of Loudwater, pa.
per-maker, at this moment has a machine erecting, the construction or
which will cost him upwards of 2.0001. aid it is repotted that a sus.
pension of the work has taken !lace. Within five miles of
Wycombe there are not less than three hundr. d men and
boys (nap er.makers) out of employ. It is also repotted that Alderman.
Venable* has sent down an express to the mills in which he has any in.
terest, to remove the machinery instanter. There are few places that
have outlived more from the pressure of the times than the immediate
neighbourhood of the above towns. and at the sane time they may
safely challenge the kingdom to name any place that has undergone the
same privations with less murmuring and greater patience: and
the poor peasantry may rest assured that. whatever opinion the land.
holders may entertain as to who the incendiaries are, or from whence they
come, not the slightest stigma falls upon them. On Monday, many who
have, for a long period, been out of employment, resumed the flail.
On Saturday evening last it was truly gratifying to see a
number of females, with tears of joy standing in their eyes.
venturing upon the cheering prospects of their husbands being once
more employed, and being able to purchase, what they hod for a length
of time been strangers to, a piece of meat for their Sunday's r.
Early on Monday morning a strong glare of light was observed in the
direction of Amershan; and It is much feared that the incendiaries are
at work there.