Star.
London, England, 1820-06-06 00:00:00

PETITION OF WILLIAM CORBETT.

Lord HOLLAND, after a very few words, observed, that
he held in his hand p Petition to their Lordships, signed by one
individual, Mr. William Cobbett. It was not his intention,
however, to found any proceeding upon the Petition, which was
drawn up in a regular and formal manner. Ile then presented
the Petition, and moved that it be read.
The Petition was then read by the Clerk : it was of consi-
derable length, and to substance was nearly as follows :
That the Petitioner, William Cobbett, of Bottley, in the
County of Hants, feeling that in all civilized communities the
protection of the laws should be extended to all the members
th• reof ; that the imperfections which prevailed in all human in-
stitutions rendered the laws inadequate to give that protection
for which in all fairness and justice they should 'be calculated,
and that sometimes the defects obviously lay in the Laws them-
selves ; that in consequence of such defects, the Petitioner suf-
fered great hardships and severity, especially under the provi-
sions of an Act passed respecting payments in cash; that the
Petitioner, in the year 1805, had purchased an estate for the sum
of thirty thousand pounds; that some time after, being con-
strained by unfavourable circumstances, he borrowed a sum of
money on mortgage on this property ; that being subsequently
;usable, from circumstances beyond his expectation or controul,
to make goneLsome 'of the payments connected with his pur-
chase or mortgage, he had, in consequence, received a note from
the Executor of the mortgagees, threateniri: an immediate fore-
closure, a. 14 respecting which some steps were taken. Under
these circumstances the Petitioner, after expressing his regret at
being compelled to press upon their time, implored the protec-
tion of their Lordships ; and though it may be the cast of thou-
sands, he hoped the House would permit him to state the grounds
upon whichhe solicited relief. That since the period when the
purchase or the mortgage took place, such a rise or variation
occurred in the value of property, or of the circulating medium
of the country, as most materially to alter or change the value,
of property relatively to what it was when the purchase was
made. This the Petitioner instanced among other references,
by the variation in the prices of wheat in the course of ale years,
from 104 s. to 745. per quarter. Some other instances of the va-
riation in the value of property were also adduced in the Peti-
tion ; all which allegations l'etitioner averred were substan-
tially true. That in consequence of these circumstances and
conside.uions, the Petitioner was menaced with total ruin, so
much was he injured by the injurious effect of these legislative
regulations to which he referred, and which not only tended to
change the value, but the nature of property. The Petitioner
went on to adduce further reasons why, in his estimation, those
fluctuations in the value of property, Desalting from such a de-
parture from the old established circulating medium of the
country, must prove highly injurious, and eventually destruc-
tive ; and concluded by praying their Lordships to take these
important points into their serious consideration, &c.
On the motion of Lord HOLLAND, the Petition was or-
dered to lie on the table, and the House adjourned.