Star.
London, England, 1830-01-02 00:00:00

MR. CORBETT'S LECTURE AT.LIVERPOOL.

From the Liverpool Courier.
Tuesday evening Mr. Cobbett gave his first lecture on
the state of the country. Before half-past seven o'clock
a dense crowd had assembled about the door of the
Music-hall, and when, at length, it was thrown open, the
rush to obtain admission was so tremendout‘ that the
welfare of the country might have depended on gettin;
the best sea in the inside. The room was nearly lil!ed
before Mr. Cobbett made his appearance, awl when he
entered he was greeted with loud applause, which con-
tinued for several moments. As soon as he could be
heard he commenced his speech by observing, that
though he felt pertly assured that curiosity was the prin-
cipal cause of procuring him the honour of such a numerous
audience, yet lie hoped to show that he was not altogethe,
unworthy of that honour. He would endeavour t ) es-
tablish an affirmative to four separate propositiin.s. /e•
rather sets of propositions ; the first of whi, h wa4. ti it
the causes of the distress now so prevalent and so great
were not to be found in any of the numerous se:trees t )
which the government had ascribed them, but that
sole efficient cause was the change which had been made
in the value of money.-2. That the evil would not cute
itself; but that it must be remedied by some greet legis-
lative measure. This measure ought not to be a ret.on
to a paper currency.-3. That the efficient, just, and ho-
nourable remedy was to bring down the expenditure to its
amount before the war.-4. That the measures by which
he proposed to reduce the expenditure would be easily put
in force, would restore harmony, and good and kindly
feeling, and give a proper station to this proud and pow-
erful kingdom.
The causes assigned by the Ministry for the distresses
of the country were not the true ones. These causes
were thirty or forty in number, but he should confine
himself to the consideration of only sixteen—(Laughter).
The first was the sudden transition from war to peace.
Astonishing! When was there a transition from war to
peace that was not sudden. It was war one day and
peace the next. It was war till the treaty was drawn
imp, and the moment that was signed it was peace.
But unfortunately for the success of this argument, in
this case, contrary to the usual custom, it was
a transition from war to peace as slow and as much
sloped down as could be ; for after the peace was signed
with France, the war with America was still carried on,
by way of keeping our hands in; and, before that was
'concluded,Bonaparte contrived to escape or to be con% t•yed
from Elba,as if to make the transition still more
The next was over trading : people had too nual) Italie!
This he could not answer; but he would leave it to his
hearers to say, if they had ever heard of a tradesman
having too much trade. The third c..use was the peer
laws. For 230 years they had never been thought of ;
but now Ministers wanted some excuse, and they did not
mind what it was. The next was a surplus population.
But what was the fact? Why, tied the population had
merely been drawn from one county to another, as better
adapted to their pursuits ; that in Lancashire at that
time there were 43 acres of land to every grown-up
labourer ; and in Lincoln and Norfolk, where neatly
every spot of land is cultivated, there were 37 acres of
land to each grown-up agricultural labourer; and in
the same counties were 46 parishes without a Church,
although, he dare say, they had tithes,-(A laugh.)—
The next was a very strange thing, that there was a
surplus of food ! There were not months enough then,
and only in the year before there had been a surplus
population. Where the mouths had gone to by the next
year came be could not tell. The next cause caste in
the year 1817. Strange to my, there was then a short
crop ; and, as there was not food enough, the remedy
proposed was that we should resort to the. taking of fish.
(Laughter.)
In 1818 there was a year of prosperity, that is to say
corn was dear : and in the year 1822 there was a
surplus of food ; and, while the possibility of a surplus
of provisions was gravely argued in Pailiament
a collection was at t}.e same time made front doer to
door to enable the starving Irishmen to reach their own
country. He had now come to the eighth CMS(' ; but it
would be waste of time to enumerate• the lidiculcus
pretences urged by the Ministry to hide their own faults.
In the year 1826 they did not know whtt to say, and
Mr. Robinson then asserted that such a country as
England ought to have a periodical retort) of distress,
a regular season of ruin, and famine, and misery. If
this was to be the case, they might tts' well leave off
praying. But the distress of the country was to be
ascribed to none of these causes; it was to be attributed
to one great and efficient cause, namely, the arbitrary
change which had been made in the value of money,
Mr. COBBETT then entered into a long argument to
show the evils which had resulted from the changes
which, he said, had been made in, the currency, upon an
average, once in every three years, sines the year 1793;
that the present state of things must lead to conFequencee
which must be deprecated by all; and which, he hoped,
would be averted. If his advice wore followed (though
he had not the vanity to think it would be adopted,) the
country would again be restored to the happipe,s it
enjoyed before its present troubles commenced.

Madame VEST an had a bumper at Sbutlnnipton for
her benefit; but on the other nights the house %tag very
thinly attended. The curtain drew up one evening to tits
pounds in the boxes, And three is the,pit.
114emsu Rau , Dtc, 22.—Generul titintarriler, lately
Vice-Preside* of the Republic of Coloilibia, who left
Hamburgb on the 12th instant, has arrived at Hanover.

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