Star.
London, England, 1822-03-05 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.

CAURRIDOE COUNTY MEETING.-A numerous and
highly-respectable Meeting of the Freeholders and In-
habitants of Cambridge was held on Thursday, par-
suant to a Requisition to the High Sheriff, " to take
into consideration the present disa'trous state of the
agricultural interest, and the propriety of petitioning
-Parliament for relief." Mr. PRYISE moved Resolu-
tions for a Petition to Parliament for relief. The
Rev. G. A. BROWNE doubted the expediency of a
Petition without some mention of a reform. Mr.
F. K. EAGLE, after a short address, moved, as an
Amendment to the original Resolutions :•44 That
from what has taken place during the present and
preteiling Sessions, it is the firm and decided opinion
of this Meeting, that any Petition to the Lower House
of Parliament, as at present constituted, for relief
from the difficulties under which the nation is sink•
ing, would be entirely vain and fruitless." Mr. SA-
,SIUEL WELLS seconded the Amendment. Mr. BEALS
read a letter written by the Duke of BEDFORD, in which
the Noble Duke declared that it was useless to Peti-
tion the House of Commons, us it now is constituted,
for their Petitions were year after year disregarded,
and thrown aside as waste paper. The limn SHERIFF
put the Amendment, which was carried by a consi-
derable majority, consequently the Resolutions for a
Petition fell to the ground. Thanks were voted to the
HIGH SIIERIFF, who returned his acknowledgments;"
after which the Meeting was dissolved.
A similar Meeting of the Owners and Occupiers
of Land in the North Level of the Fens (a large dis-
trict comprising a part of 'the Counties of Cambridge,
Lincoln, and Northampton), was held on the 28th
ult. at Thorney, in the Ise of Ely, " to take into con-
sideration the measures proposed by his Majesty's
Ministers for the relief of agricultural distress, and
the propriety of petitioning Parliament for more ef-
ficient remedies." The Meeting was attended by Lord
MILTON, Sir CHARLES WENTWORTH, and most of the
resident owners of estates, as well as by a very nu-
merous and respectable body of occupiers, when a
Petition to the House of Commons was unanimously
agreed to, stating, that the Petitioners " are in a state
of very severe distress ; that a reduction of one shil,
ling a bushel in the duty on malt is a measure too
trifling to be considered as a remedy for the evil it
admits to exist; that their present embarrassments
are not caused by low prices, but by taxation ex-
cessive in proportion to those prices." The Petitioners
prayed for an extensive and immediate reduction of
taxes, and for a real, impartial, and unsparing re-
trenchment in every department of the public expen-
diture; but above all, as the extravagance of Minis-
ters had been sanctioned by majorities of the House
of Commons, for a more full, fair, and equal Re-
presentation."

An Official Return to an order of the House of Commons states
th• quantity of Gold taken into his Majesty's Mint front the Ist
of January, 1815, to the Ist '.l January, 1822, at 4121b5. 6930e5.
sdrs. 'tErs. value £19,283,535 Os. 6d. Gold Monies coined
within the said period £17,611,660 ss. Id.
An Official Return to an order of the House of Commons of
all Pen/duns granted out of the Civil list of Scotland from the
204 h of lune, 181:0, to the 20th of June, 11321, states-.-To
M'Neil, widow. X2OO a year ; Earl of Rothe* £300; Lady Eli.
bunk (additional), ,0100; Mrs. A. Turner, widow, £5O; and
ar Gt orge Gordon. 1130.
A similar °Send Return states the annual expense of the ?la.
dotal Vaccine Eatabildnuent at AMC.

Mr. MABERLEY, seeing the lion. Secretary to the Trea-
sury in his place, said he was anxious to submit a motion to the
House, respecting tne extraordinary differences in the statements
of the accounts of the public expondituge He was anxious that
those differences should be reconciled, fir order that the House
might be fully informed on this important subject, and that he
should be enabled to bring on his motion for inquiry into the
state of the Public Accounts, which stands for the 14th of
March, in a competent manner. In the official papers which
had been presented there were-the most glaring inconsistencies,
rdld he believed that there never was such a variation exhibited
in any other public accounts as in those he referred to. The
papers laid on the table by a Noble Marquis, and the Accounts
of the Revenue, differed most essentially. lie was anxious that
these differences should be explained, for the satisfaction of the
House, as well as for his own. The Hon. Member concluded
by moving, that the differences which exist in the Public Expen-
diture Accounts be reconciled forthwith; and he read a series of
Resolutions, detailing the differences to which he alluded.
Mr. LUSHINGTON said he never was present in the llouse
at a proceeding similar to the present ; the regular custom was,
that the Hon. Gentleman should give a notice of motion, and not
call on the House to agree on the instant to such Resolutions.
Mr. M A.BERLEY was anxious for the immediate attention
of the House, as his object was to be fully prepared for big mo-
tion on the 14th of March. The information he sought for
could not be considered as partial to himself. He saw public
documents differing in the most glaring manner, and wished to
have that inconsistency explained. He might et wrong in the
inferences he had made; the hon. Gentleman opposite might be
perfectly in the right. He wished to be convinced of his errors
by correct documents, and not be allowed, from erroneous papers,
to form false opinions. He desired that the House should dis-
cuss his motion possessed of the fullest information from Parlia-
mentary documents, and not from those of a doubtful nature.
Mr. PETER MOORE supported the motion of his lion.
Friend, on the ground that the House should distinctly under-
stand the papers and accounts laid on the table, and have their
'apparent differences settled before the discussion of the 14th ;
and if the House should refuse the present motion, it might be
said that these papers could not be granted by the House, but
were only to be produced at the beck of Ministers.
Mr. S fURGES BOURNE opposed the motion,because the
series of Resolutions proposed by the Hon. Member not only
detailed the differences in the accounts, but assumed certain
facts to which he could not agree. If he bad moved for an ex-
planation solely, the House could not object to have granted it ;
but to agree to the present Resolutions would pledge the House
to the various facts which the lion. Member assumed, and
which he (Mr. S. Bourne), for one, could not admit. -
Mr. M A BERLEY again rose to state, that he had no objec-
tion to embody his Resolutions, and to move them under one
general head, that the differences existing in the Finance and
Public Expenditure Accounts be reconciled. He would give
one instance of extraordinary variance. There was a difference
of /25,000 in the accounts of the Revenue and the papers he re-
ferred to. The Public Expenditure Accounts stated the amount
to be greater than the Revenue Accounts by so large a sum as
£25,000. lie had official documents to found his assertions on ;
and the paper he then held was signed " C. Arbuthnot." Ile could
not consider it unreasonable to have so great a variance explained.
Mr. HUME supported the motion, and pointed out, in other
public documents, differences, to prove the necessity of granting
the explanation now required.
A conversation then took pace between Mr. Lunn-wren and
Mr. BIABERLTY, and the Resolutions were withdrawn, on the
understanding'that the explanation sought for should be granted.
Mr. CANNING presented a Petition from the Merchants
and others at Liverpool, holders of foreign grain now ware-
housed, complaining of suffering, and praying for relief ; which
Petition he moved, should be referred to the consideration. of
the Agricultural Committee.
Mr. HUME did expect that the lion. Member for Liver-
pool, on presenting such a Petition as the present, would offer
some observations on the nature and extent of the grievance
, complained of. lie agreed that the Petitioners had a strong
claim on the consideration of the House. He asked the House
to recollect that the prohibition against the consumption of fo-
reign grain remained until the average price of wheat was more
than cos. the quarter; Nit the change in the value of the cur-
rency raised the prohibition now in fact to 83s. or 84s. and the
importers of foreign corn who had put it into warehouse, ex-
pecting to bring it out for consumption when the price came to
801. art now, through the operation of Mr. Peel's Bill and the
altered state of the currency, deprived of that expectation, and
placed in a situation of peculiar difficulty.
Mr. CANNING was much obliged`to the Hon. Gentleman
for the kind advice he had given him as to theemode of present-
ing a Petition, and the observations with which he should have
accompanied it. The Petition was put into his hands with a
wish that it should be referred to the Agricultural Committee.
He had moved that it shouldbe so referred, and he did not think
that to be the proper moment for any observations front him.—
When the Report of that Committee should be made to the
House, and when he should see its opinions on the general me-
rits of the question 'and on the Petition he had presented, he
should then pursue the course he thought most consistent with
his duty to his constituents, to the House, and to the country—
' (Bear, hear).
MA LT DUTY. •
Mr. GOOCH wished to ask the Right lion. Gentleman op-
posite a question. Ile was anxious to know if the Right lion.
Gentleman had made any alteration as to the ls. duty on Malt,
end whether any rensissiim or allowance was to be made to those
who had a stock on hand?
Tut CIIANCLUVR of the FACiIEQUBIi said, that