Star.
London, England, 1822-01-11 00:00:00

DISTRESS.

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SECOND MEETING IN IMMIX
Wednesday morning, in conformity with public
advertisement, a highly respectable and nemeraus
Meeting of the Nobility, Clergy, and other owners
and occupiers of land of the Rapes of Lewes and Pa-
vensey, 'ambled st the Star Inn, Lewes, and ad-
journed from thence to the County Hsll, tetake into
consideration the distressasl state of 4gricaltureo--
The rush on entering was very great; indeed, the
Meeting was much more numerous than was ever
witnessed in the Rail, excepting Att the occasion of a
strongly contested Election.
The business of the day commenced by Davta
GILIIZAT. Esq. being called to the Chair,. immedi-
ately after which, EWAN LAW Esq. addressed a
question to the Chairman, for the purpose of learn-
ing what signatures appeared' o the advertisement
by which the Meeting had been convened.
The CHAILWAIt informed Mr. Law that no signa-
ture was attached.
Mr. BLACAWAIt said, that if he had not been anti-
cipated by Mr. Law, he would have asked the same
question. He said hat he was present at a Meeting
at which the Lord Lieutenant of the County pre-
sided, where he bad moved an Amendment How-
ever it might be his (Mr. Blackman s) misfortune to
differ from that Nobleman, he thought it due to his
Lordship, whose nobleness of character conferred a
lustre upon the rank to which he belonged, that no
deviation should be made from the terms of the no-
tice which was then agreed upon. It was also due
to the Gentlemen who bad supported that Amend-
ment, that be should call for this explanation, as it
was his own duty to be present this day, to explain
the nature of the Amendment white he had made
on the former occasion.

Admiral MARKHAM thought it would be improper
..in him not to state what he happened to know of the
advertisement in question. When call.d upon by
Mr. Eliman. and his friend to attend at a Public
Meeting of this description, he had said that he
should have no objection to do so, and render what
assistance be could. conceiving the distress which
now prevailed to be of such a nature as to require
some notice to be taken of it. The Meeting must
be called by some one; but how it bad been called
he really did not know, nor uas he aware of what
had passed at the former Meeting.
Mr. LAW observed, that he had asked the question
from curiosity alone, and that.he should be sorry if
it had the effect of breaking up the Meeting. He
thought there could be nu impropriety in now pro-
ceeding to the business of the day.
The CHAIRMAN having moved to that effect,
Mr. PARTINOTON rose, and said that he had been
requested by several Gentlemen to follow up the no•
tice by moving a Petition to the House of Commons,
stating the distress under which Agriculture laboured.
He could have wished that the task had fallen into
other:and abler hands—to those who are po-ssessrd of
larger landed property. From the task which had
been set him, however, he certainly would not shrink.
He would recommend that the Petition should be
confined to a statement of distress, and a request to
Parliament to afford relief. The causes of distress
were deep and many ; .some of them had gone by,
but the-effect still remained. Mr.Partiligton con-
cluded by moving the following Petition to Parlia.
meat, to be adopted by the Meeting :
Tint MUMMY PUTITIOS "C lilt COMM owNERS AND ocetnotaas
Of LAND In =WILT AND PIVENSIT ItAT6S, IN THU COUNTY or sos.
WROSS PUINUILANZ strascanien,
" Sheweth—That your Petitioners have long suffered in their
interests in all Agricultural concerns • that this dirtress was act
forth in their Petition 4uring the last Session of Parliament to
your Honourable House, and appears to have been fully proved
before a Committee appointed to take into consideration the
state of Agriculture of the United Kingdom; but that although
a Report was made by your Committee on this occasion, allow-
ing the distress of your Petitioners, and admitting their claim to
redress, that hitherto no relief had been afforded them, and that
,:their distress, instead of having been allevt.,ttd, has since alarm-
ingly increased, not only in a most ruitiou. degree to themselves
as Owners and Occupiers of Land, but also in a fearful manner
to the Labouring Classes, many of vaz. have been thereby
thrown out of work, and are in a deplorably distressed condition.
.1 Your Petitioners do, therefore, now most humbly pray that
your Honourable House will, at the earliest opportunity, take
into your consideration the distressed state of your Petitioners,
and that of the Agriculture of the Kingdom in general, and
adopt such measures for its relief as may tend to rescue it from
the pending ruin, and restore this great branch of the resource►
of the country to that si..te of vigour which may again make it
bvatlicial to the community a: large.
" And your Petitioners, &c."
_

' The Earl of CHICIIKSMN, in. rising to second the
above motion, said that it might appear that he
' should be one of the last persons to come forward
for such a purpose, because it was well known that
he did not expect aay good tesult fioru Petitio..s of
this sort. He would repeat, that he would not have
attended this day, but that it might have seemed to
argue on hii part inattention to the Agricultural in.
terests. He could not encourage hope, but lie was
very willing to second the Petition.
Mr. BLACKMAN said he perfectly agreed with the
Noble Lord, that no good would result trom the Peti-
tion; but whether or not any good would toltow The
Meeting, 'Would depend on the character which it
should astume. The cry constantly was, " A fair
'remunerating price:" and to those who said, " Rents
must be reduced," the reply was, " Rents are no-
thing—let us bury this doCtrine." Is it kassible
there can ever be a state of things in which coin at
any price is to be paid in any medium that the rents
shall be nothing? But it is e:rti!y cxilained. Let
us take an acre of good land at Bish..pstone, growing
four quarters of wheat per acre, anti I.:30 per load,
the produce will be £24. Ltus t akeariod er acre at
Bucksted, growing two quarters and a half, the pro-
duce will be M. Now, as it is always admitted
that the expense of cultivating poor land is equal to
cultivating rich, after the rent of the poor land is
paid, there will be ('9 loft to pay the rent of the rich
lawn it was during this state of things that the cry
r6ose, " heists are nothing." It was natural ei.cragh
r the iiumer'to fall into this, but the only real mode
lot doing this was thi reduction of rents, 'rates, tythes,