Star.
London, England, 1816-03-29 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.

Mr. METHUEN presented a Petition from the
Members of the Agricultural Society of Wiltshire,
praying the House to adopt measures for their relief,
by preventing the importation of provisions from
abroad; and also praying for the establishment of
public economy in all the departments of the State.
The Hon. Member said, these Petitioners were not
mere speculators in politics, bat most industrious, use-
ful, and respectable persons, who had the interest of
their country really at heart. They complained of
the tax on salt as a great grievance.—The Petition
was brought up and read.
Mr. GORDON bore testimony to the great respec-
tability of the persons who signed this Petition. He
hoped that duties would be laid on all foreign pro-
duce brought from other countries, and particularly
on cheese and butter.

Mr. ROBINSON di.l not conceive it necessary to
enter into a discussion on this question at present.
The Prtiti ;n was ecderici to lie on the Tkble.

A Message from the Lords informed the linuse,
that they had agreed to Prince Leopold's Naturali-
zatinn Bill wiih•lut any amendment.
Mr. TIERNLV wi-:hed the Right Honourable
Gentleman nu the ether side would inform him whe-
ther the Lt-timates et the Civil List were ;duly to be
s'x;i: laid betine t!ie House ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
sa;tl, k was 11:5 1111.M:101 to present ceintin,Estimates
on that suhk:ct, but ha could no: say tirt.a.
Mr. TIERNEY asked it it was intendA: to make
any reductions in the Civil List ?

Tl:e CHANCELLOR o! the EXCHEQUER
rep'•i- 1, that the House wouid soon !Lire an ppo•tu•
nity ot seri•ig what branches iit the Civil Llbt were
c..palile of reduction.

Colonel NVOOD presented a Petition from the
County of Brecknock, praying for measur.s tor the
relief of the agricultural interests ; and that the
strictest economy might be observed in all Lie De.
partroents of th. State, as the best meal,: of reLev-.
ing their burdens; that sinecure places might be abo.
tished ; and that if a loan of eight should
be necessary, the interest of the same might be taken
from the Slaking Fund.—The Petition was read.
Mr. GRENFELL called the attention of the Mi.
nister to the Sinking Fund, and asked if it WAS his
intention to raise money through the medium of that
Fund ? He was confident that great advantage would
arise to the country from taking the interest of a loan
out of the Fund.

Mr. CALCRAFT was sorry to find that nothing,
was yet dune in consequence of the various prayer*
of Petitions coming from different parts of the coun-
try, and ht hoped the House w‘suld attend to them.
—The Petition was ordered to be on the Table.
Mr. M. FOULKES presented a Petition from the
Freeholders of the County of Norfolk, praying for
relief against burdens; that there might be no large
military establishments ; that the Petitioners con,
ceived it a wasteful expenditure of public money to
give large salaries to Clerks in Public Offices ; and
they prayed that all unnecessary burdens might be
done away.—Ordered to lie on the Table.
Mr. WESTERN moved, that the House do re.
solve itself into a Committee, to considar the aid-.
'cultural distresses of the country.

Lord LASCELLES observed, that before any
Resolutions were laid before the House, or before
the Speaker left the Chair, it might be convenient to
state the course intended to be pursued in this inves-
tigation; he wished to know what was intended to
be done.

Mr. WESTERN said, it was his intention to state
these things in the Committee. His own ojnion
was, that there should be a .general debate on ►he
questien, conducted in such a manner, that the re.
Cult would inform every body what was the real state
of the distress under which the country laboured ;
and in order that by means of such information,
every Gentleman might become acquainted with the
nature of the remedy that ought to be adopted. For
these reasons he thought .it would be better in the
first instance to take a general view of what was the
;real state of the country.
Lord LASCELLES observed,, that an alarm
might be cleated in the country from the introduc.
Con of any Bill founded on the resolutions, before it
could be known what the object of the Bill was; for
as it must, in its nature, be a Tax Bill, so petition
could be presented in opposition to it after it was
introduced into the House.-
Mr. ROBINSON conceived, it'weuld be better
first to d►scuss the whole business in a mass, and that
the Honourable Gentleman might open it generally
by a speech.
The House hiving reached is,elf into a Coat.

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