Star.
London, England, 1822-01-19 00:00:00

j sugared words, the framer of the Report %tended tol
lay the foundation for subverting the principleof the
' Corn Bill altogether, and introducing foreign corn at
all times into the market ; for the principle of admit-
ting foreign corn when our own prices are low being
once granted, it would be extremely difficult, if
not impossible, to impose duties sufficient to coun-
terbalance the taxes paid by the English farmer. A
duty of 40 or 50 shillings a quarter upon foreign
corn could hardly be enacted ; and if enacted, cer-
tainly would not be persisted in. But lam inclined
to think, that if foreign corn were admitted, even if
you had scarcely any taxes to pay, it would not be
easy for the farmers of England, who require to live
is a certain degree of respectability and comfort, to
compete with the Lords of Poland and Russia, whose
vassal peasantry are unacquainted with the wants of
a civilized state. Corn is a manufacture (to use our
new phraseology) cheaply produced in, a fertile soil,
by wretched ploughs, wretched horses, and still more
wretched men.
" There is a party amongst us, however, distin-
guished in what is called the science of political eco-
,nomy, who wish to substitute the corn of Poland and
Russia for our own. Their principle is, that you
ought always to buy where you can buy cheapest.
They repeat with emphasis, that the nation_pays a tax
of #225,000,000 yearly to the growers of corn. They
count as nothing the value to the country of a hardy
race of farmers and labourers.

" They care not for the difference between an
agricultural and manufacturing population, in all
that concerns morals, order, national strength, and
national tranquillity. Wealth is the only object of
their speculation; nor do they much consider the
two or three millions of people who may be reduced
to utter beggary in the course of their operations.—
This they call diverting capital into another channel.
Their reasonings lie so much in abstract terms, their
speculations deal so much by the gross, that they
have the same insensibility about the sufferings of a
people, that a General has respecting the loss of mea
wearied 'by his operations.
" It is to these men, I suspect, that our Ministers
are about to give up the question of a trade in corn :
such a change would be in them nothing nqw. For
several years they steadily supported the Bank; and
the House of Commons of that day voted several
falsehoods in support of it. Yet at last they turned
round on their old friends, and joining the political
economists, passed the Act known by the name of
Mr. Peel's Bill. For many years also they opposed
a reduction of the Army ; but this year (owing in a
great measure to the indefatigable ability of Mr.
Hume), they have reduced most largely. Their ad-
ministration was originally founded, as you may re-
member, on the cry of No Popery l' but in a short
time, I have no doubt, we shall see them emancipate
the Catholics. In the same way I think I perceive
that they are about to abandon the farmers, and their
own Bill of 1815, to join hand-in-hand with the po.
Weal economists. I would, therefore, advise yen
to watch narrowly any new measure of legislation
respecting corn: in seeking additional protection,
you may be cheated into a-law that will leave you
worse off than you are at present. Nor de I mean
to blame the Ministers for any ill intentions towards
their country : their meaning is generally good; but
their Cabinet of fifteen, a body too small for debate,
and too large for execution, is apt to be carried away
by any wind that comes across them. Political eco-
nomy is now the fashion; and the farmers of Eng-
land are likely, if they do not keep a good 100k-out,
to be the victims.

" I here pause, and refer what further I have to
say to a second letter.—Gentlemen, I remain your
fisithful obliged servant, " J. RUSSELL"

%ORICULTURAL Disrartac—A Meeting of the
Agriculturists of the County of Rutland took place
at Oakham on Saturday last (Sir GERARD NOEL,
Bart. in the Chair) when it was determined to form
a Society to be called the Rutland Agricultural
Association," for corresponding with other Societies
having the same object in view, and particularly with
the general Agricultural Association holding their
Meetings at HENDERSON'S Hotel, London. A Com-
mittee of Management was appointed; a Petition to
Parliament was agreed upon, and a number of Reso-
lutiont were passed upon the subject of the present
distress. The scope of these Resolutions may be in-
ferred from the following That the notion that
Landlords can dfrctually relieve their tenantry by re-
ducing their rents to the present price of produce is
erroneous; as no efficient reduction could be made
by them without rendering themselves unable to
bear their share of the public burthens, and to main-
tain establishments corresponding with the sphere
they occupy in society."
THE EARL OF DARNLRY'S ReuT-DAY.—Monday,
the 14th instant, the Earl of DARNLEY held his rent-
day at Cobham-Hall, which was more numerously
attended than for many years past. After a very
sumptuous dinner, the Noble Lord addressed his
tenantry in a speech delivered with great energy and
feeling, and which produced a corresponding effect.
He stated, with much perspicuity and ability, the
sources to which the present agricultural difficulties
might be traced, and trusted that the evil had now
arrived at its height, and that a more favourable
turn might be expected, although he would not de-
lusively hold out td them an expectation that this
could be effected without a lapse of some time. In
the meantime, however, he exhorted those around
him not to relax in their exertions, confident, as he
was, that those who most strenuously continued them,
would, in the end, find their advantage. Fully aware
of the existing pressure, he had already directed a
reduction to be made in their rents; and, although
he did not find himself called upon to make an abso-
lute pledge upon this point, he felt his disposition to-
Wards his tenantry to be such, that if, unhappily (and
contrary to his present opinion), the difficulties should
continue, he should be ready to make even grater
sacrifices, under the fullest persuasion that the in
terests of landlord and tenant were inseparable, and
so interwoven that they must and ought
" To sink or swim togoher.
There was, however, one event upon which he had no
hesitation in giving a pledge, namely, that if a fa-
vourable change should take place, he wou:d not, in
their prosperity, seek an additional advantage to
himself. He concluded by proposing, as a toast,
44 Success to Agriculture."—The Address was re-
eeived with °eery demonstration of satisfaction and'
Eratitude, and the day was passed in perfect harmony.