Star.
London, England, 1821-02-09 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.

Mr. CUR\VEN presented a Petition from the Far-
mers and Agriculturalkts of the County of Glouces-
ter, representing the distresses under which they la-
boured, and praying ti.e liciise to inquire into the
same,
,with a view to I]:ein relief. lie beggedpardon of the Howe for calling on their attewion
while he made one or two obset rations on the Peti•

tion entrusted to his care. The present average price
of grain, he observed, was so low as six shillings per
bushel. One shilling more in the price of the bushel
would amount, on all the corn produced in this coun-
try, to a sum not less than L:5,0(10,000 sterling. If
the price were raised to eight shillings, that is, two
shillings more than the present p: ice, which he thought
might be a saving pt:ce to the farmers, the sum It ould
amount to 4:10,000,000; and if the price went to
10s. per bushel, it would make a sum of E 20,000,000.
Ile had made these calculations, and thought them
well worthy of the attention of the !louse.—The Pe-
tition was ordered to be ps hued.
TIIl: QUEEN.
•

Lord EBRINGTON rose to present a Petition from
the Freeholders and inhabitants of South Molton, in
the County of Devon. The Petitioners stated, that
they felt disgust and indignation at the late abomina •
ble proceedings instituted against her Majesty the
Queen. They prayed for a restitution of all her rights
and dignities, and also for the dismissal of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers. The Noble Lord said, he had been
instructed to state before that house, that 970 signa-
tures were obtained to the Petition in the course of
eight days; that of that number seventy were resi-
dent freeholders, and the remainder of the signatures
belonged to the yeomanry of the place, the great ma-
jor ity of whom had signed the Petition. He was per-
sonally acquainted with the Petitioners, and he could
assure the House, they were of the y reatest respecta-
bility. He begged to state, that a Loyal Address had
been got up from the same place, expressing loyalty
and attachment to the King :rid Constiortioa. To
this Address only 183 names had been aliixed, al-
though it lay a long time open for receiving signa-
tures. At the head of these were the names of the
Clergyman and the Parish Clerk, five Officers of Ex-1
cise, the Supervisor, and Postmaster. He should not
have troubled the House with these observations, had
not the Noble Lord opposite and his ti icnds been con-
stantly in the habit of asserting, that the sense of the
country respecting the late proceedings could be best
collected from these Loyal Addresses. Let the num-
ber of signatures affixed to the Petition be opposed to
those subscribed to the Address, and the former would
be found far to exceed the latter. Besides, he could
assure them, that some of those who signed the Ad-
dress had also signed the Petition.
Sir R. FERGUSON said, that though he was not
acquainted with the County of Devon, yet he wished
to avail him‘ell of that opportunity to make one or
two observations on the subject of Corporation Ad-
dresses, to which the Noble Lord opvosite looked for
the sense of the country. lie begged to st:,ur, that
in the Borough of Burnt Island, in Scotland, a Loyal
Address had been carried, and that that Address
had been printed in the Gazette, as from the Minis-
ters and Elders. Only thirty signatures were to the
Address; and of the three Clergymen in the town,
only one signed ; and of the four Elders, only one.—
Out of the thirty who signed, two were non-residents,
and fourteen in the pay of Government—(Hear, and
a laugh).—The Petition was ordered to be printed.
Lord EBRINGTON presented another Petition
from the Parish of Bunnytravy, in which the Peti-
tioners complained of the general distress which pre-
vailed all over the country, and prayed that Honour-
able House to inquire into them. They also prayed
for Parliamentary Reform. The Noble Lord made
some observations on the propriety of attending to
the prayer of the Petition.—Laid on the table.
Mr. MONCK presented two Petitions, one from
Hungerford, in the County of Berks, and another
from the town of Newbury. The Petitioners felt in-
dignant that the Prayers of the Church should have
been refused to the Queen, and wished all further
proceedings against her to be discountenanced.—
They earnestly prayed fire a reduction of taxes, and
for a restoration of her Majesty's name to the Liturgy.
The Hon. Member observed, that the Petition from
the Inhabitants of Newbury, prayed to be exempted
from the charges of sending representations to Par-
liament, from whom no benefit was to be expected,
while the constitution of the House remained the
same as it then had, been. The people of Newbury,
although they had complained of having lost their
old trade, yet had gained a new one, which, although.
he believed it came under the denomination of those
trades called contraband, he believed not to be par-
ticularly offensive to the Gentlemen on the Troastn y
Bench. He thought the public opinion entltled to
respectable attention ; but ..c confessed he was not
one of those who thought rpopuli, vo.r Dci. It
may be very often mistaken. He might instance the
cry of. "no Popery," which was raised in this coon-
try some years ago, and on which his Majesty's pre-
sent Ministers, got into the,possession of power. Ile
thought that an expreision of popular feeling, which
was tar from being identified with consummate wis-
dom.
He added, that be entirely concurred with
the Petitioners in thinking that there could be no
tranquillity in the country until her Majesty's name

!hould be restored to the Liturgy
were ordered to be printed.
Mr. DENNISON presented a Petit
County of Surrey, praying for an econoi
the correction of abuses, tad the rests
Queen's name to the Liturgy. He st:
Petition came from a body of men as
in the count• y, and in the pryer of i
nine tenths of the People coati' red.
Lord AurnoilPE ho:e testimony
order and respectability of the Meeting
Petition was agreed to. When the w 1
joined in the request that her Majesty*
be restored to the Liturgy, he would
that their request was not granted, if
not teach him that the Petitions of the
little etFect in that House.

Mr. MAI3EIILY, jun. in supporti,
of the Petition, took occasion to express
probation of the conduct of Ministers,
though it might be imagined by same,
and emoluments of power wete no rect
its cares and anxieties, still he thought
jesty's Ministers displayed an anxiety lot
which did not by aay means illustrate r
Sir W. DE CP ESPIGN Y also suppoi
of the Petition.
Mr. C. CALVERT, after adverting
ration of a Noble Lord (Castlereagh), thL_
wish to retails office longer than he possessed
fideace of the country, begged to refr
County Member (Mr. 11. Sumner) for
to what was the sense of one of the la►gest
populous counties, at the Meeting where •
was adopted. Ile night also refer hie
the expressions of another Noble Lord,
the Meeting, and who there declared, at,
in another place, that he user witnessed
cletly, impartial, and respectableNeetir
Member for Surrey himself was aware
tion was adopted by a great majority
friends of that Hon. Member d►d not
only be accttunted for by the consciousnt
of the badness of their cause.

Mr. H. SUMNER felt it necessary
words in answer to what had fallen on
of die House. He did not mean to imi
spectability, tiality, and good cot
Meeting; but woaid any one say that
consisting of about 600 pet sons, or tali
those who were not freeholders, of above
expressed the real sense of a large poi'.
Whoever supposed so was greatly deli
asked, why his friends did not' attend
He would answer, that the terms of the
were so moderate, and altogether of a
promised to produce so little dilleren,
that he felt himself justified in suggest'
of his friends, that as the Minister
avowed that no proceedings would be ret
the Queen, there was no necessity for then
Had the Meeting confined themselves tr
the Requisition, he would have joined
but the Requisition had been exceeded.
part of the Requisition that a Resoluti
was to be passed upon his conduct?
the conduct of the lion. Gentleman t
ungenerous, and unbecoming in one Met
liament to another, in bringing forward
Lion at all, and especially after the Petiti
sohrions had been asreed to, and after
had gone away. He had only to repeat,
Nlcieting, as far as it went, was certainly
and as to its good order, impartiality,
Lion, was a model of imitation for the w.
He did not consider it at all offensive the
entrusted with the presenting of this ('en
contrary, he felt it A great relief not to:
to do so in a case where his oi:inions wt.
at variance with the sentiments of the Petii
Mr. MACI)ONALD would assure the 7
Member for Surrey (Mr. Sumner), that
the Meeting witi.out the slightest intentie
the Resolution of censure on him. Hot
always thought that the conduct of the
tires of the People was al s ays a fair sul
cism, and in this instance he imagined
stituents of the lion. Member had his
liamentary conduct so fresh in their reef
it ssas impossible for them to Reject the
nity that occurred of declaring their
it. And the reason why he (Mr. Mac
iginated that vote of censure to which
Member ascribed unmanliness and want
was, because there was a great want of t.
of generosity in the conduct of that lb
in attacking, in that House, the character
who was absent—(Hear, hear).—But
he (Mr. Macdonald) did not indulge in
potations or unauthenticated assettions—(,
he cane and stated what he h id to stat'
of open day, and in the presence of du
was the object of his animadversion.
Member complained that he (Mr. Mac&
until the Resolutions and Petition were
and until he (Mr. H. Sumner) had mad(
Why, was it not obvious that this was tin
utility he had? Was he to interrupt or
tegular proceedings of the day in the fit
in the next, was he to move a vote of 0
sentiments of the Hon. Member unti
ments were expressed ? But whatever
conduct, there was apparently a strong
Meeting of disapprobation at the He
conduct, and they seemed desirous of an
for disclaiming his opinions, as by thi
—and never was a Resolution more eni
carried—they Inld done. In justice to
able Member it ought to be stated, thal
attack in a fair and manly way.'
Mr..M ABLRLY supported the pray(
tition, aid repeated several of the star
by•different preceding Members, as o
and reectable character of the Meet
decisive and ardent manner in which ti
were. declared. He felt pet reedy sate
sense of the great majority of the Peoph
nomical Reform, a remedy of abuses, an,
tion of her Majesty's name to the Inturg;
people were most discontented at was, tl
j(fsty was degraded before trial, and did
obtain the benefits of acquittal.
Mr. BENNETT said, that the Requisn
the consideration of the restoration of •
to all her rights, under which terms tin
of her name to the Liturgy very properl

aya. SCARLETT expressed his a-•tonislimeat how
Ef ore could affect to doubt that the question of the
meant by the terms of the Requisition.
vioy was
libeugnderstood the Hon. Member for Surrey rightly,
aat lion. Member said, that he had suggested to se-
ogal of bisfriends, that as the Requisition embraced
•rothThr,g which he was not ready to joia in, theioat-
wl- e would not be necessary. Now he• (Mr.
o,Thetct) had heard, and believed, that several of the
&admen who supported the Hon. Member at his
be election, and whom, no doubt, he called his
fob, did attend the Meeting. Now it appeared
igloos (Mr. Scarlet!) as a very natural thing, that the
occourabie Member would have considered this as
soccasion upon which he ought to have induced
Ike attendance of every friend he had: and more, he
Scarlett) believed the truth to be this, that seve-
;ll of these friends had come to a determination of
'themselves not to attend.
gr. DENMAN said, that he would take this op-
portunity of declaring, that it appeared to him now
more than ever accessary that Petitions should be
prepara by the People, praying for the restoration
;flier Majesty's rights, for the most unjust, iniqui-
sa, and calumnious proceedings of the whole had
taken place since the abandonment of the Bill in the
ether House. If it had been asserted before, that
after the Bill was withdrawn in the House of Lords,
and after her Majesty's persecutors had renounced,
in words at least, all further proceedings against her,
if it had been said, that after all this a Member of
the Administration would come down to that House
and boast of the quantity of evidence which had been
withheld; if all this was foretold, the Noble Lord
would have been the first to collie fot ward and repel
the injurious suspicions. Although he had witnessed
the time when even her title was not allowed to the
Queen—although he had seen her arraigned before a
tribunal than which she could not have been brought
before a more interested and prejudiced one, yet he
raid not have believed that the benefit of acquittal
would have been denied her. It was charged, that
after the opening of the Attorney .General the Minis-
ters thought proper to circulate that statement with
the greatest pains, and this charge was not denied.
It was charged upon Ministers, that after the evi-
dence was gone through, and notwithstanding. the
eforts of his Honourable Friend to procure the l:-
berty of making a comment upon the evidence, this
permission was denied, and the evidence was allowed
to circulate through the country for three weeks.
This was the greatest of all acts of injustice, and
especially when the object of it was a female—and a
Queen. Ile would remind the House, that when the
Bill was in progress in the other House, it was un-
derstood, that when it was brought down to this
House, her Majesty would have an opportunity of
baring another trial. He now charged it as an in-
justice to her Majesty, that when the Bill was with-
drawn, and that the only other opportunity her Ma-
jesty would have of more clearly manifesting her in-
same was taken away from her—he charged it, he
aid, as an act of injustice, that it was under these cir-
cumstances that the speeches of Cabinet Ministers, or
pamphlets purporting to be such, wefe, as he was
told, industriously circulated under the sanction of
Ministers and their friends, for the purpose of destroy-
ing the character of her Majesty. This was the state-
ment which had reached him, and he gave the Noble
Lord an opportunity of denying it, if untrue. It was
with pleasure he recurred to the speech made on a
former night by the Right Honourable Gentleman,
the Member for Oxford, viewing, as he did, with ad-
miration, the calm, temperate, statesmanlike manner
b which he viewed the question, he thought it impos-
sible not to regret that his example had not been
deemed worthy of imitation on the same side of the
House. It was well known that her Majesty was un-
der aitapprehension that proceedings would be re-
newed against her; and if Ministers had determined
sot to do so, would it not be decent in them to have
made a communication to that effect to her? If pro-
ceedings wet e not to be renewed, why was the Noble
Lord and his colleagues deprived of the assistance of
a Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Canning)—an
assistance which they now so lamentably stood in
need of? Why did that Right Honourable Gentle-
man retire from his place, and from any participa-
tion in the Councils of the Noble Lord and his col-
leagues, except, becau-se he felt a strong repugnance
at the course they were pursuing ? But he begged the
House to look at the situation in which her Majesty
stood. She was tried and acquitted ; and though an
expectation was held out to her of a subsequent oppor-
tunity of still more undeniably sliewilig her innocence,
yet this opportunity did not happen, and the men by
whose means it was not given were the very persons
to etrerapt to run down her character, by speeches in
that House, and by taking pains to circulate injurious
impressions against her. But he would not pursue
this part of ;he subject further. He would put a case
fur the consideration of the House. He would sup-
pose that the administration of Government was trans-
ferred to the hands of a new set of men, and that, un-
der their sanction, an individual, now staading high
in the Councils of his Majesty, and once a Member
of the Administration of Ireland, stood accused of
acts of bribery, in order to carry the measure of the
Lnion; and he would suppose that rumours were
gloat, and stories in circulation there, imputing to
that individual no trivial or innocent participation in
the tragical events which destroyed that unhappy
country; he would suppose that a Commission was
sent over to Ireland to ascertain the truth of those
*pries, and the foundation of those rumours. lie
would suppose, that upon the authority of the testi-
mossy collected by this Commission, a Bill of Pains
and Penalties was introduced; he would suppose that
ail the influence, all the arts and means of Govern-
went were
put into requisition, for the purpose of
tarrying that Bill at all hazards; he would suppose
that it was at last abandoned in the Court whe,e it
gar_ begun, by its abashed patrons and abettors.—
under all these circumstances, what would be thought
of the Minister who would say, " Oh ! we have
filled, it is
true, in making out our case—we have
sot made good our charges; but we have depositions
its our hands, that would be sufficient to over whelm
PUP if we chose to produce them !" What would
thought of the Minister who would make this de-
claration, and at the same time solemnly renounce
all open and direct proceedings, thereby manifesting
to all,that those assertions were resorted to, only
'wth a view to consummate the destruction of his
wended vi •
cum .
2—(Cheers).—Could the House of
‘46acanos endure it? And was it not itnpoasible

that the Pearl: could loo; oa snch disgraceful con-1.
duct, without throwing over the unhappy object of,
persecution, the shield of genOious sentiment? ‘Vith
respect to the PetitiOn, the chief prayer of which was
for the restoration of her Majesty's name to the Li-
turgy, he could only say, that from the first moment
his attention was directed to the subject, he had not
only been impressed with the importance of it, but
that in all places, whether in that House, or in ne-
gociations, he had never failed to express his opinions
to that effect. With respect to the taunts thrown
out against her Majesty, for die importance which
she set on the restoration of 'her aod her de-
clining. to accept any provision until so restored—he
would only say, that if the Noble Lord tame down
with an ample provision, accompanied by a denial
of her lights to be Queen, and insinuations against
her character, he would only say that if she accepted
the one, without the condition that those rights should
be restored, and insinuations abandoned, she would
richly merit all that opprobt him which some persons
were attempting to raise against her, amongst that
People who admired her resolution, loved her vir-
tues, and would never desert her whilst she remained
true to herself!—(Loud cheering).
Lord CASTLEREAGH said, it was not his inten-
tion to reply to the observations of the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman, although he was prepared and
not iadisposed to enter into a discussion with him on
any and all the topics of his speech at a convenient
opportunity. At the present' moment, the House
would see that it was not incumbent upon him to
follow the Hen. and Learned Gentleman into a wide
field of debate, merely because in the performance
of a professional dut'-, and in compliance with pro-
fessional fee:ings, the Hon. and Learned Gentleman
chose to invite him there. He should be sorry to
sheen any disposition to restrain his very becoming
indignation upon this occasion, or to restrain him in
the discharge of those local duties which seemed to
prompt him and several Gentlemen around him to
tight those battles over again, which had been al-
ready foil& in the country ; and he believed, too,
that not one of the performers who distinguished
themselves by their exploits at the Meeting at Surrey,
was wanted in the debate that night. No doubt it
would appear extraordinary to some, that the Peti-
tion for the County of Surrey should give rise to the
introduction of so many and so various topics, and
that evading the only goestiou which in Parliamen-
tary regulari:y he ought to have dwelt upon, the
llonourablo and- I.sained Condemns should leel
himself ju,:ilitid in reading from an office copy of his
one/ a, se: ies i,f invectives

Alr. DENMAN rose to order, and said, " I am
here, Mr. as a Member of Parliament, and
as such I have tieiiveAd my own sentiments, I hope
in a Parliar»eat ,ry manner—(Load cries of Hear ).
Am I the refine to be told by die Noble Lord that I
am speaking from an office copy of a brief—that I
am speaking th.: sentiments put into my mouth by
another, rube:. than those s% hich are the dictates of
Inv own mind F.—(hear, hear).
Lord CASTLEItEAGH rose, but the cries of
" Order" and Speaker" were su loud, that he
sat mown without being able to give any explanation.
The-SPEAKER observed, that if called upon to
state his opinion, he must say, that if the Hun. and
Darned Gentleman reit that the observations of the
Noble Lord conveyed personal imputations, there,
was no doubt but that such observations were disor-1
derly. But he would put it to the consideration of
the House, if it was for their convenience respectively
that he should be called upon to interrupt their pro-
ceedings when anything happened to fall out in th.:
course of debate which the ttlict rules of Parliamen-
tary practice would condemn ? He could only say,
that in the passage of the Noble Lord's speech alluded
to, it appeared to him that he never beard anything
that had the semblance of irregularity in it, that
contained less of its substance.

Lord CASTLEREAGH meant no disrespect to
the {louse; and thought that the speech just made
had proceeded rather from the Advocate than the
Member of Parliament. But if the speech had been'
made by the Member of Parliament, then he (Lord
Castlereagh) had been much misrepresented by him:
What had been the state of the !louse and the coun-
try since the Bill had been withdrawn, when the most
invidions statements had been made against the ser-
vants of the Crown? But the lIOn. and Learned
Gentleman must not expect to have the battle wholly
in his own hands, though he seemed to think it un-
fair that Ministers shouid defend themselves by coun-
ter-statements. Many witnesses could not be brought
over to this country on account of the brutal treat-
ment the first who came had experienced at Dover.
No lcs than eighty depositions had been taken at
Milan ; but such had been the terror excited, that
several witnesses, who had come the length of Paris;
had refused to come over from thence. Notwith-
standing that cis umstance, the Hon. Gentleman and
his Friend, the Queen's Attorney-General, had con-
tended that the trial should proceed, and that wit-
11CS3C3 who were on the road should not be waited for.
If he was to be told, that the country was never to
be allowed to be quiet, he would tell the Hon. Gen-
tleman that he would not be prevented from stating
to the House the facts of the case.

Mr. DENMAN, in explanation, stated that he
knew nothing of any witnesses having been stopped,
nor did he believe it.

Mr. lIUME denied that any articles in the Papers
had been paid for by the Qiee.i.—The Petition was
then read, and laid on the t

Mr. Alderman WOOD said, that he should not
have troubled the House with any observations on the
present occasion, had it not been fur some of the re-
marks made by the Noble Lord (Castlereagh). The
Members fur Somerset and Surrey had talked of
large accounts, which they conceived And stated, on
hearsay, to be unpaid by her Majesty ; but he under-
st;.od that the Member for Surrey (Mr. Sumner) had
been unable to get from his coastitueuts any intim-ma-
Lion of sach unpaid bills, or of any sums of money
paid by her Majesty for getting up processions.—
lle indeed, ready to state to the Honourable
Members, that if they could produce one instance of,
a Bill being unpaid, or of a single shilling being laid
out by her Majesty to promote or defray the expense
of Processions, he etuuld give them £lOO for each
shilling so discovered—(Hear, hear).—The Noble
Lord, tiudir.g he could not substantiate the charges
which he m ide against the Queen respecting her
Answers to the Dover and the Canterbury Address,:.„
had made one move attempt of the same kind, by

fixing on the Answer to the Wandsworth Address ;
and the Right Hon. Commissioner of Woods and Fo-
rests (Mr. Huskisson) had handed a bo tk to the Noble
Lord, smiling at his ideal triumph, and had referred
him to page 73, in which her Majesty was repre-
sented to have used the words "my People." So
indeed it was stated in this book ; but would the
Noble Lord and the Right Honourable Gentleman
inform the House by whom, and for what purpose
this book of reference had been written?—(hear,
hear).—He had to tell the Noble Lord that he (Al-
derman Wood) had examined the•manuscript of that
Answer, and that the expression there was, " the
People"—(Loud cries of Mar, hear).—Was it then
to be tolerated that the Noble Lord, or any other
lion, or Right lion. Member, should come down
to that House and make such unfounded statements
to the prejudice of their Queen? The Noble Lord
had undoubtedly read the extract correctly as it was
printed in the book; but that book was notoriously
printed to answer the same purpose which the Noble
Lord haslein view in reading the extracts; it was no-
toriously incorrect, and wilfully misrepresented the
facts. It had been entensively circulated to answer
the purpose of spreading the delusion, and that he
believed under the patronage of Ministers—(Hear,
hear, hear).—Was that conduct becoming of States-
men ?—was that the conduct which became thethead
of Administration ?—(Hear, hear).—The worthy Al-
derman then proceeded to notice the snpposed attack
on the Italian witnesses at Dover, which he declared
to be nothing more in reality than the exclamation
of a few old women in the crowd, which their ap-1.
pearance had collected, of " Get home again, you
Italian wretches !"—(sllurniurs from the Ministerial
Iknclies).—The Noble Lord had said thefe were 80
witnesses who were afraid to come over ; he would
ask what was become of about 50 who were in Cotton-
garden, that had not been examined?—(C/seers).
Mr. lIUSKISSON said, that the statement made I
by him was to be found in the Public Prints that
Most warmly advocated the cause of the Queen; and
he was surprised that the Hon. Alderman, who had
accesss to the manuscript, had not, at an earlier pe-
riod, corrected the mistake. He could seal cely be-
lieve that the Queen had lead the foul incitements to
disturbance that had been put into her mouth.
Mr. PELHAM presented a Petition from the town
of Spalaing, in the county of Lincoln, praying for the
in,ertion of the Queen's name in the Liturgy.—Laid
on the table, and ordered to be printed.
Mr. HUME presented a Petition from Perth, pray-
ing for the'dismissal of Ministers. In answer to what
had fallen from the Right Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. Huskisson), he had only to state, that the only
sedition he had ever been guilty of had been in advo-
cating the cause of an illustrious and injured indivi-
dual. If the Queen's Answers to the Addresses con-
tained seditious matter, why did not the Attorney-
General interfere? He (Mr. Hume) had nothing. to
• do with the Answers, though on the whole he ap-
proved of them. The Honourable • Gentleman then
read the Queen's Answer to the Canterbury Address,
in which the People were described as his Majesty's
subjects, and contended that to have beet' the uniform
practice.—The Petition was then laid on the table,
and ordered to be printed.
Mr. lIONEYWOOD stated, that he held in his
hand a Petition from the Freeholders, Gentry, and
Inhabitants of the county of Kei:t, praying for the
restoration of the Queen to all her tiehts as Queen
Consort. That Meeting had been held in the Town
Hall of Maidstone, in consequence of the refusal of
the High Sheriff to call a County Meeting ; and it
was the first Meeting of the county of Kent that had
not met in the open air. Only one hand had been
held up against the Petition, anJ that was a Lieu-
tenant on half-pay cf the Waggon Train. It the
High Sheriff took upon him to refuse to call Meet-
ings, then the right of petitioning was materially
abridged. The Petition also expressed indignation
at the mode in which Parliament had been prorogued.
—lt did likewise state, that there had been no pro-
secutions for blasphemy in the county of Kent, and
none had been held to bail.

Sir L. KNATCHBULL could offer no opposition
to the Petition, and was fully sensible of the import-
ance of the right of Petitioning. Upon general prin-
ciples, the High Sheriff was bound to comply with
a Requisition. But to that principle there were ex-
ceptions, and the High Sherd declined to call the
Meeting, as he did not think the Requisition in unison
with the opinion of the County. Out of 200 Magis-
trates, the Requisition had not been signed by bye.
—The individual who opposed this Petition had al-
mott lost his life, for manfully stating his opinion.
It vas usual to give public notice of such Meetings,
but the one in question had only appeared in a parti-
cular Paper, and had been unknown to the majority of
the County till after the Meeting had taken place.
Mr. lIONEYWOOD explained, and maintained
that all publicity had been given to the Meeting.
The Requisition had been signed by four of the oldest
Peers in the County.

Sir R. WILSON defended the mode in which the
Meeting had been convened.
Sir L. KNATCHBULL explained. The Petition
could only be received as the Petition of those by
whom it had been signed.
Dr. LITSHINCITON said, that the nature of one
of the Bills of the Noble Lord had been fully exem-
plified on the present occasion. if the signature of
five Magistrates could not be obtained, though the
Requisition might be signed by any number of Peer.;
and Freeholders, no County Meeting could he .ob-
tained. At present Magistrates were appointed by
Lord Lieutenants for political purposes. By the Bill
of the Noble Lord, the right of petitioning had been
essentially abridged.
Mr. R. MARTIN wished to ask the Learned Doc-
tor, if, before the passing of the late Act; the Sheriff
was compelled to call a Meeting on any Requisition ? •
Sir R. WILSON said, that in the event of a refusal,
on the part of the Sheriff, the Requisitionists could
call a Meeting of themselves—(flear, hear). •
Mr. BURRELL defended the conduct of the Ma-
gistrates, who were unpaid and independent.
Sir R. HERON admitted, that in general the
Lord Lieutenants did their duty faithfully ; but were
liable to be dismissed if they acted contrary to the
wishes of :he Crown.

Mr. F. PALMER stared, that he had been unable
to procure his name to be placed in the Commission
of the Peace for Wiltshire, though he bad lived in it
for three years.
Mr. itOI3INSON defended the conduct of the

Lord Lieutenant of Wilts.--The Petition was then
read, and laid on the table.

Dr. LUSHINGTON said, that the rower of Lord
Lieutenants was exercised with a view to their poli-
tical opinions.
Lord CASTLEREAGH would state to the House,
that not five out of 200 Magistrates would sanction
the calling of the Meeting.

DISTRESS OF THE COUNTRY.
Mr. DUGDALE said he had a Petition to present
from the Merchants, Manufacturers and Traders of
the Town of Birmingham, which had been agreed to
in the month of August last, but which, from the
successive adjournments and subsequent prorogation
of the House, there had not before been an opportunity
to present. The Petition stated the distress of the
country, and complained that no measures had been
taken to relieve it, with the exception of the appoint-
ment of a Committee to inquire into Foreign Com-
merce, a branch of trade much inferior in importance
to the Home Trade. The Petitioners drew a deplor-
able picture of the state of Trade and Manufactures
in Birmingham ; they had taken the precaution to
form themselves into Committees to inquire into the
state of consumption of articles of neces,ity, such as
meat, beer, bread, &c. since the year 1818. These
inquiries went to ascertain the actual consumption at
the time, and the proportion which it bore to firmer
years ; they pursued those inquiries into different dis-
tricts, and found, in every place, that there had been
an olerming diminution in the articles consumed by
the lower ciasses in that town and neighbourhood
during the last two years ; the consequence of this
state of things was so obvious as not to require to be
enlarged upon. The evidence of the distressed state
of the working classes of the country, and conse-
quently the depression of Manufactures and Trade,
was best acquired in this way. The public docu-
ments from which Ministers drew their conclusion,
afforded but a fallacious criterion of the real state of
things. They made the public revenue appear pros-
perous, when there was really a decrease. Agricul-
ture, Manufactures, and Commerce, the great sources
of national wea:th, had suffered in all their interests,
and in consequence the deprivations of the people
were extreme. ' The Petitioners, therefore, humbly
prayed Parliament, that a general and solemn
investigation might be instituted into the causes
of the national distress, and speedy and effectual
means taken to remove them. The Honourable
Member then proceeded to say, that he had himself
thought it necessary to inquire into the state of Trade
and Manufactures in the town of Birmingham, and be
found that in some branches of hardware, there had
been a falling off of 25 per cent. since last August.
The capitalists were still reducing their capital. The
workmen were not employed above three or four days
in the week. The poor-rates, indee4 were nominally
of the same amount as in the commencement of the
last year ; but then, when it was taken into account,
that the produce of the land bad suffered a material
depression since that time, they were considerably
heightened. The depression of trade in the town of
Birmingham was also connected with the diminished
prosperity of the Iron Works in Staffordshire, which
furnished the hard materials to the manufacturers of
the. town. All these, to be sure, were but local proofs
of the existing evils; but he believed that similar in-
quiries would prove that they were but too general.
He did rot at present think it proper to take any
other step with respect to the Petition, than merely •
, to move Li. it it be laid upon the table, assuring-the
House that tile matter was one of vital. importance,
and one which required the deepest and most serious
attention of his Majesty's Government-,(Hear, hear.)
He hoped and trusted the moat anxious consideration
would be given to it ; and that the Petiti9ners, who
had bonze their calamities with a patience and loyalty
which was not exceeded in any part of the kingdom,
would obtain that relief which their sufferings de-
manded, and which their merits so richly deserved.
Mr. LAWLEY would call the attention of the
House to the Petition, which. involved the most im-
portant interests of the empire. The Petitioners had
found that a diminution of one-third had taken place
in the necessaries of life, such as bread and beer, and
what was procured by credit.

Mr. LITTLEToI,I could speak, from personal
knowledge, of the truth of the Petition; and the same
results would have been found in the county of Staf-
ford. He was aware that much of the distress was to
be imputed to the steps which had been taken for
the resumption of cash payments, and the consequent
reduction of the issues, both by the Bank of England
, and the private bankers. The Petitioners were of opi.
❑ion that the transition from war to peace had not
contributed to the distress of the two last years. It
had been stated, by a very enlightened Deputation to
Lord Malgrave, that, in the town of Birmingham, a
musk.-t was usually manufactured in. the space of a
minute. The cessation of such a traffic must have
opetated most powerfully. The whole of the ex-
ported iron took place from the county of Stafford,
and all the rest was disposed of in the home markets.
Ile was of opinion that a tax on property and on the
national debt would be cheerfully assented to, and
would be extremely productive.
Mr. CURWEN thought that no Petition was cal-
culated to excite such general alarm as the Petition
before the House. The silence on the subject of the
Agricultural distress, in the Speech from the Throne,
was a most unaccountable omission. Though the
wages of the Cotton Manuficturers were so low, no
demand had been made for an increase, which proved
that no real improvement had taken place. lie was
happy that' a Committee was to be appointed to in.
quite into the Agricultural distress ; but should that
Committee recommend that the home market should
be laid open to the Agriculturist, would the Noble
Lord comply with the recommendation? Wheat,
which was formerly 10s. the bushel, was now only 6s.
and that made to the Agriculturists a difference of
20 millions. 'lf cheap food could give a stimulus,
that would have been done etc now ; but that had
increased the difficulty. When the taxes were paid,
and the poor rates and tithes collected, the landed
proprietors might nearly resign their land. The real
property of the country was reduced to 20
and out of that eight millions were to be paid for
Poor -Rates. The interest of the funds was double
that of the landed property; and was that immense
sum to pass untaxed ? He wished the country could
bear an Income or a Property Tax, but that was
im-
possible. His tenants had demanded an abatement
to the amount of 25 per cent. and unless that was
done, they would give up their rents. Could things