Star.
London, England, 1822-02-05 00:00:00

his rents, not a half, but above a third, and he never
wished to see them up again; bat he did wish go lee
the country relieved from tares which it could not
' bear-(Loud applause ).—Let them, only have low
rents and low prices, as thirty years ago, and let their
burdens be rednced to the same level. lie therefore
recommended Reform— ( Applause f.—He wished for
reduction and economy ; that was the Reform he
meant (Ay, and Parliamentary Rifonit).—lie would
submit for their adoption a Petition, which he begged
leave to hand to the Under Sheriff to read.
The U►naa SHERI?? read the Petition proposed.
D FOX 31USISLN PETITION OF THE OWNIIRS AND ow:mato OF LAND,
AND OTIISRS INTERNSTSD IN Tims wauctaxtraz OF Tait COUNTY

or SI'ILILFV,
" That the Committee, appointed by the Honourable the
House of Commons, state, ' That a considerable portion of the
outgoings on arable fans is paid out of capital, and not from
the profits of the tenantry.
" That, in all probability, the prices of the produce of agri-
culture, in common with the prices of all other articles, will be
lower, in consequence of the improved value of our money.
" That they do not deny, that it is the duty of the Legislature
to shorten the duration, and palliate the evils, of the crisis.
" That they think the situation of the grower of corn both
hazardous and embarrassing, in a country where the lowest price
which is considered to effort him a remuneration, shall habitually
and considerably exceed the price of the remainder of the world,
althoizi, up to that price be should be secured in the convicts
monopoly of that country.
0 That they think the ruinously low prices of agricultural
produce at this moment cannot be ascribed to any deficiency in
the protecting power of the laws—that protection cannot be eats-
ried farther than monopoly ; this monopoly the British growers
enjoyed for the produce of the two last harvests (the ports, with
the exception of the ill-timed and unnecessary importation of
oats during six weeks of the last summer, having been uninter-
ruptedly shut against all foreign impert for nearly 30 months).
" That they earnestly recommend that every opportunity
should b.; watched, and every practical measure adopted, for re-
ducing the amount of public expenditure, as the only meals of
approximating to a state of finance, which, without impairing
the credit of the country, may lead to a diminution of the ex-
isting burdens of the people.
'4 That they consider, so far as taxes fall upon the profits oel
the active capitals of the country, whatever may be the object)
upon which they immediately attach, or the parties by whom
they arc in the first instance raid, they operate in their ultimate
effect as an abatement of those profits ; equally affecting the
trading, the manufacturing, and the farming interest, by dimi-
nishing their means, either of enjoyment, or of accumulating fur-
ther capital, by savings of their annual incomes.
" That they do not disguise from themselves, that the weight
of public burdens of the country (their nominal amount remain-
ing the same) must be more severely felt, in proportion as the
money incomes cleaved from trading, farming, and manufac-
turing capital and industry are diminished.
" That no exertion, therefore, should be omitted to endeavour
to reduce those burdens as nearly as circumstances will permit,
in the degree in which such incomes may have been reduced ;
for, in considering this subject, it is important to bear in mind,
that the general amount and real pressure of taxation have been
positively increased, in the proportion of the improved value of
our currency.'
Here Mr. Wcsrow observed, that the part of the
Petition which had been hitherto read, was no more
than a recitation of the Report of the Committee of
the House of Commons ; what followed emanated
from themselves.

"'That, notwithstanding such are the opinions of the Honour-
able Committee, no Parliamentary measures have been taken,
except the repeal of the Horse-tax, or even recommended by
therm that could induce your Petitioners to expect any immediate
or to hope for any distant relief, by reduction of taxation.
" That your Petitioners are induced, therefore, to humbly im-
plore your Honourable House to take the said Report into its
most serious and immediate consideration, with a view to such
an alleviation of the present burdens, as can alone enable the agri-
culturist to met the difficulties under which he now labours.

" That they humbly suggest to your Llonourable Hume the
reduction of direct and indirect taxation, as loein; the most
essential Ntep to insure the abatements of the charges on raising
produce, so absolutely ucct.s.sary to avoid bankruptcy to the
landed Intere.st. _ _ _

" That your Petitioners trust they are borne out and justified
in this humble request by thy Report of your CommitteT.
" That your Petitioners are less reluctant in urging your Ho-
nourable (louse to this relief, because they consider the Scat:
may be ably and safely governed at a much smaller expense
than it now is. _

" That should your Petitioners' humble request be neglected,
they are assured that it will take away from the labourer that
eniployinent he so mainly relies on for his subsi.tence."
MaitiAir.v, jun. said there were three causes
from which the distress proceeded—depressed pikes,
the restoration of the currency, and the enormous
pressure of taxation, which principally occasioned the
sufferings of the agricultural, and all other classes.—
He then spoke in strong terms of the extravagance of
Ministers, and their opposition to retrenchment.
Lord KING now presented himself to the Meeting,
and said, that though he had not signed the Regal-
salon, it had not been from a wish to throw any dif-
ficulty in the way; on the contrary, he thought the
I Requisition most proper, but he had not thought that
if went far enough—(Cheers}—lt was quite unneces-
sary to describe the digress which they-all felt; but
it uas very necessary to inquire into the cause of it.
Six years ago it had been said it was only a transi-
tion from war to peace. Well, the transition had been
made, but the digress bad not passed away. Oh,
then, it was the prosperity of one class which occa-
, sinned the distress of another, and- this was an acci-
dent to which property was always liable. Last of
all came forth as the cause of the distress of the coun-
try—What ? Excessive produce laugh). The
real evil was excessive taxation. All other cuses
had been assigned only for the purpose of. delusion :
they were founded in fraud and deceit, and were in-
tended to keep cut of view the true cause, excessive
taxation. This taxation hid risen to such excess by
a war of twenty-five years, by the height of profusion
and expenditure on the part of a Government that
was not ccntrouled by the House of Commons, who
were ready to vote eve!' more than was asked. Since
the peace, too, a military establishment, beyond rea-
son or bearing, was maintained ; a very large civil
list was voted; a paper currency, all the while, was
making inroads into all pcisons' property (Applause).
The very lowest military establishment was required,
and the lowest reduction of the expenditure of Go-
vernment—(" And pensions and places"-4, Ay, turn
them out"): the Civil List ought to be reduced in
like manner. That was the proper course to be
adopted. If possible, the standard of 1792 ought to
be conformed to. The whole expenses for England
and Ireland had then been but L'7,000,000. Now
they were 01,000,000. Why should they be three
times as much ?—(Hear, hear). Reduction of taxa-
tion was then the only relief. They were first to begin
Iwith a reduction of the estimates, and to carry it to
the highest possible amount. He was a sincere Par-,
Iliatnentary Reformer (Goat cheerixg); but, for the
!sake of Unanimity, he refrained from moving an
Amendment, because it was not in the Requisition.
Till the House of Commons became the real repre,
sentative of the Peoples holding a sufficient controul
over the public purse, and not disposed to vote all,
and more than the Ministers asked, because they
shared so much among themselves—.till the House
was thus reformed, 4e believed, ia his consciences