The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-01-04 00:00:00

STATESMAW

HE

who ultra time to Ooosider these things must know bow
difficult it must have bete for a person standing at some
distance from the speaker (both Seing upon the hustings)'
to bear what he said. 'The meeting was perfectly orderly'
at this time; yet not one single word could I ga.
Cher of what fell from the Mover and Seconder, and
very little of what fell from Mr. COlM—This was not
the case, however, with regard to the meeting ; st he
faced the speakers,and a great part of whom could,beard
them very well. Mr. Wodehouse, however, who was
separated from me only by Sir T. Beevan, I could hear
him very distinctly. He said little; but that little was
of importance in two respects ; first, as to the matter,
and second, as to the manner in which a part of it was
received. This gentleman has been grossly and most.
basely traduced in a second edition of a paper called the
British Press. He is there represented as having made
an exaggerated statement of the injurious effesta of Mr.
Peel's Bill. He is charged, also, with coming forward
as "an advoeatefur the absurdities of Cobbett." The
fact is, Mr. Wodehouse spoke in a most temperate man-
err concerning the effects of Mr. Peers Bill ; and so far
from advocating what this silly newspaper calls the ab-
surdities of Cobbett, Mr. Wodehonse protested
most solemnly against any such reduction of the
Debt as that which I have always contended to be
secessary. Mr. Wodehouse did, however, draw forth
that which was singularly calculated to give the
,said Cobbett a great deal of pleasure. In defending
Mr. Peel against the charges of having produced so
much mischief in the country, he observed that the
Ministry were not aware of what they were about ; that
Mr. Peel was not aware of the mischief he was about to
do; that the Parliament did not foresee the effects of the
measure.At this moment,a young farmer out in the crowd,
" said there was one man that did force. it and foretell
" it to,a nd there be is (pointing to me) !" Immediately
after this, a man ad,? appeared to be a journeyman
mechanic pulled an old and dirty Register out of his
pocket containing a Letter to fiereey,and held it up in
a half-
rolled form, smiling in Mr. Wodebouse's face. It
was worth going a hundred miles and back again to bear
I and see this. These were the answers which the sensible
county of Norfolk gave to the attack which their county
member had made upon me in the House of Commons,
and to the still more unwarrantable whirl, he ha I made,
and on that excellent Nobleman, Lord King. However,
Mr. Wodehouse, in the course of his short speech, threw
the whole blame upon Mr. RICARDO ; and said, that be
thought that something like what was proposed by Mr.
Western ought to be adopted. The people laughed ;
bet this was not the grand fit of laughter. Mr. %Yode-
-1 house elicited one laughing 'bout worth going, not a
hundred, bnt a thousand miles to hear. In adverting to
that part of the resolutions of Mr. Thurtell, which called
for such a reduction of the national debt and taxation
is will give the farmers relief; lie said, "Gentlemen,
so man of common understanding can believe
that SUCII reduction can take place without ea-
dangering that institution which has been extolled by
two of the greatest Statesmen that ever lived (Mr. Pitt
and Mr. Fos), 1 mean the SINKING FUND." Hu
the reader ever wee that laughable farce called thd
Wags of Windsor, and particularly that part alms
Paddy and the Yorkshire Bite are bothering Mr. Dm
putt' Bull ? Has he ever heard a crowd of girl. latigiot
tag at a bop-picking feast at some fellow whose face bad
bees blacked by a burnt cork? No matter: he hal
sever witnessed sash a scene of laughter as burst out is
St. Andrew's Hall at Norwich neon ibis occasion. The
moment the word Sinking Fated came oat of his mouthi
the Meeting, as if every man were pulled by one wire,
begs. to laugh. harem'. as a fire does upon a heath,
till, it got 111- over the Hall; and here were seven thou:
Nod persons, laughing till they were out of breath.
Voiding their sides, bolding their heads, putting tinier
bands before their faces; laughing, at last, to see each
other laugh; and peal after peal made the roof ring....
Soon after this, Mr. Wodeliouse drew back; and,indeed,
it was high time.-11 now became my turn ; and my tan
was the signal for the hirelings to begin their work.--•
First, however, let me insert the Resolutions of Mira
Thane! and Mr. Watson.
1." That it appears to this Meeting that the system upon
which our national concerns has been hitherto conduct.
ed, has at length led to a state of Agricultural Distress,
unprecedented and unbearable. That it remains no
longer an evil to be anticipated, but bas now arrived, and
in its progress reduced thousands of agriculturists to
abject poverty, and threatens all with a similar fate.
2. " That notwithstanding numerous and explicit re•
presentations have been made to the Legislature from
this county and many other counties of the united kings
deco, and forcible appeals have been urged for speedy
4nd effectual relief, it appears to this meeting that no
disposition has been shewn by his Majesty's 51inisters
to diminish the pressure of calamity, except by so par.
tins a reduction of taxation as bears no proportion to the
cause of complaint, and that the apathy which has thus
been developed demonstrates either ignorance of the
facts, or an indisposition to api,ly an efficient remedy.
3. " That this Meetingis convinced the time is now ar-
rived when his duty to himself, to his family, to his
country, and to his King, should impel every man boldly,
yet respectfully, to declare, not only that taxation is the
leading cause of all our national distreisoe i but that a
burden so overwhelming cannot be borne, and ought
sot to have been imposed.
' 4. " That from the failure of all the measures reams.
mended by the Agricultural Committee of the House
of Commons, this Meeting is furnished with additional
reasons for believing that the desirable transition from
our present state of distress to future prosperity, cannot
result without an abolition of all needless, and therefore
useless places, pensions, and sinecures, and such a reddce
don of the National Debt as is required by the present
circumstances of the country, and the imperative claims
of public justice.
5. " That the total repeal of the Malt and Beer 'Tau
could not fail to operate both as a relief from a heavy
burden, and as an encouragement to the consumption
of Barley—an object of great importance to the Agri-
culturist; and would also enable the labouring classes
to partake of a wholesome beverage at a much cheaper
rate.

6. " That Petitions, forended on the foreroing Resolu
tions, be addressed to both Houses of Parliament early
in the next Session, and that the Earl of Albemarle and
Lord Suffield be requested to present one to the House
of Peers, and the County Members the other to the
House of Commons, and to support the prayer of the
Petitioners."
These resolutions appeared to me wholly inadequate
to the state of the case. The fifth resolution was to
contain a proposition for Reform of Parliament. But it
was not read along with the rest; therefore, let it be
observed, that that resolution which was to be moved by
Sir T. Hermon and seconded by Mr. MRS, never was
moved at all; and, of course, was not set aside by my
proposition; a thing which 1 was very glad of, be.
cause the frank and every way excellent coodnet
of Sir THOMAS and of Mr. Max would have wads
me regret exceediogly, even the appearance of
standing for one moment in opposition to them.
The petition which 1 proposed (and that was fi-
nally carried) was in the following words; and
when the reader has looked at those words, he will he I
astonished, perhaps, that !the British Press should call
it a petition for wholesale robbery and Confiscation, and
that the Old Times should call it a petition, charging
the clergy with robbery, and calling upon the parliament
to do all sorts of villainous ars. No: the reader will
not be astonished ; for if he has been in the habit of
looking at these vile papers lie will know that they are
capable of publishing, in the boldest manner, to-day,

hat whittle they assert to be true, and which they well
know will, tomorrow, be proved to have been false.
He will, therefore, be astonished at nothing that they
say or do, unless he should by accident hear truth from
them, or detect them in acting fairly and honourably
towards the public.

TO THE HONOURABLE THE COMMONS OF THE
UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND
Ea ELAND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED.
The Petition of the Nobility, Gentry, and others of the
Conn! of Norfolk, is Connty-hleeliny assembled, this
day of January, 18.11,
Most humbly Sheweth,
That your Petitioners have always been ready to make
any sacrifices which were necessary to the defence of their
country, and to the safety and dignity of their Sovereign's
throne ; but that they are now impelled by their well-known,
indescribable, and unmerited sufferings, to approach your
Honourable House, with an humble prayer, that you will be
pleased to adopt the best means of relieving them from those
sufferings.
That, in proceeding to suggest those means, which they
do with the greatest respect and deference, your humble
Petitioners cannot disguise from themselves, and they will
not disguise from your Honourable House, that they enter-
tain a fixed opinion, that this now unhappy country owes all
its calamities to the predominance of certain particular fa-
milies, who, since the passing of the Septennial Act, have,
by degrees, appropriated to themselves a large part of the
property and revenue of the whole nation, and who have, at
last, by taxes, debts and changes in the currency. involved
themselves as well as the whole of this industrious commu-
nity, in difficulties too great to be removed by the hand of
Time, or by any but the most rigorous measures of legis-
lation.
That, whether we look at the Church, the Army, the
Courts of Law, the Customs, the Excise, the Colonies, or
the Crown-Lands, we ace in each a channel of enormous
emoluments to these particular families, for whose benefit
and aggrandizement, more than for any thing else, the whole
of these sources of riches would appear to exist. And that,
therefore, though justice and necessity demand a reduction
of the interest of the Debt, and an equitable adjustment of
all other contracts, your humble Petitioners would deem
such reduction an act of deep iniquity, and they deem such
adjustment wholly impracticable as long as these particular
families enjoy those emoluments, and as long as they retain
in the legislature that absolute sway which they have ac-
quired through the means of the Septennial Act, in conjunc-
tion with the notorious mid scandalous abuses connected with
the representation.
That it is well known to your Honourable House, that, for
more than twenty years, the particular families received a
large part of the above-mentioned emoluments out of the
money borrowed from the fund-holders; dist, during that
period, more than a million of money was taken out of the
loans to be gives to the Church ; and that, in fact, no incon-
siderable part of the whole of the loans went into the
pockets of these families ; and, therefore, your Petitioners
will not suppose itpossible for your Honourable House to
harbmir an intention to take even a single shilling from th.'
fund-holders, so long as these families shall continue to re-
ceive those emoluments.
Your Petitioners, therefore, most humbly pray, that your
Honourable blouse will be pleased to pass an Act for causing
RD efficient Reform in the Commons' House of Parliament,
in order that such Parliament may adopt the measures neces-
sary to effect the following purposes
1. An appropriation of a part of the public property,
,wtonly called Church property, to the liquidation of the
Debt.
2. A reduction of the Standing Army, Including Staff,
Barrack, and Colleges, to a scale of expense as low as that
at the army before the last war.
3. A total abolition of all Sinecures, Pensions, Grants
and .Enselueseets, not merited by public services.
4. A sale of nomeroes public estates, commonly called
Crown Lands, and an applicatioo of the money towards the
,liquidation of the Gehl.
fr. An equitable adjustment with regard to the Public
Debt, and also with regard to all debts and contracts between
pan and Man.
Bet, while your humble Petitioners are aware, that, to
Reform the Commons' House and to effect the other purposes
of Justice and neseeseity,'which they have here most re-
spitetfoily pointed out, may require a lapse of months, they
know, that your liotsourabie House have the power, and
they will not believe that you want the will, to afford them
immediate protection against further ruin. They, therefore,
seeing the pressing nature of their case • seeing the abject
misery that burly awaits them, pray, that your Honourable
House will be pleased.
I. To suspend, by law, for one veer, all distraints for rent,
and to cause distraint. to be set aside where they have been

began.
2. To suspend all process for tithes, for the same period.
3. To sospead, for the same period. all processes arising
loot of mortgage, bond, annuity, or other contract affecting
house or land.
4. To repeal the whole of the tax on Malt, Hops, Leath-
er, Soap, and Candles.
There measures, so analogous to others, taken by your
Honourable House under circumstances far less imperious ;
these measures, so easily adopted ; so free from the possi-
bility of Indicting wrong and, at the same time, so neces-
sary to relieve your Petitioners from the daily alarm in
which they live ; so necessary to afford them a hope of *s-
eeping from the pains and disgrace of the lowest pauperism
and beggary ; to believe that these measures, measures of
bare protection from further wrong and ruin ; to believe that
these will be refused to your suffering Petitioners, would be
to sup the existence of that callousness of heart which
your Petitioners are far indeed from imputing to your Ho-
nourable House.

Having thus, with the most profound respect, submitted
to your Honourable House those which they deem the best
means for relieving their distresses, your humble Petitioners,
though they are satisfied that evils so unusual and of such
uncommon magnitude require remedies of a nature extensive
and extraordinary, beg leave to assure your Honourable
noose, that they venerate the Constitution of their fathers;
that they seek for no change In the form of the Government;
that they know how many ages of happiness and of glory
their country enjoyed under a Government of King, Lords
and Commons; that they fervently hope that this Constitu-
tiou may descend to their children ; but that they are fully
convinced, that, unless the present evils be speedily arrested
Wd effectually cured, a convulsion must come, in which the
hole of this ancient and venerable fabric will be crumbled
into dust.
And your Petitioners will ever pray.
' This Petition was read, and, then, in the shape of an
amended resolution, proposed to the meeting. It was
here that something of importance happened. But I
should notice, first, that, a little after the interrupting
platoons began their operations, the Under Sheriff came
and delivered to me a message from the High Sheriff,
suggesting the necessity, or, perhaps, the utility of my
retiring a little from the front of the hmetingst
which I answered that the situation of us all was
far too painful for us to wish to retain our situations any
longer than was absolutely necessary ; but that,
forming part, nothing was so far from my thoughts
as to turn my back upon a meeting such as that
that I there saw, and one that I was sure would approve
of the proposition that I had made. Another long de-
mur took place. I made my motion of amendment,
which was instantly seconded by Mr. Gibbs. The High
Shea objected to the form of my motion. At last, how.
ever, all objections were got over, and I contrived, in
'spite of all opposition, to make the meeting clearly un-
derstand the purport of my petition ; and to make them
also understand the nature of the question about to
be put to them. If I cannot say that the division
was unanimous, it was so little short of being
unanimous as for the show of hands against it
not to be a third part equal in number to the hon.
dred or hundred and twenty men that had been hired
to make the disturbance. I was obliged to turn my
head to the right and to the left to find out a hat or bend
to see shit or a band held up against it.—The High•
Sheriff declared the petition carried. Then Sir T.
Beevor, who really deserve; the thanks of the county for
his conduct, proceeded to propose that the High• Sheriff
should be requested to sign the petition on behalf

of the Meeting, and that the coon mead/off
should be instructed to present it to tt.e Hoare
Com Mons and to support the prayers of
Here Mr. Coke came forward a second time and 4.;
served, and very reasonably, as they were about to is;
struct him relative to the presenting a document to the
Parliament; lie wished to ascertain whether they them
selves understood the purport of the two documents
that had been presented to then*. He then proceeded
to notice the resolutions of Mt. Alderman Thurtell, Ode
by one, and to express his approbation of each. He thin
came to speak of the petition which I had had the ho-
nour to propose to the Meeting, and expressed his
doubts whether the meeting hid heard the contents
of it. Numerous persons near me, exclainiedt " sae
have! we have! god we like it, and we will have
et!"—Mr: Coke having ceased, Sir T. Beevor objected
to the irregularity of putting the question again upon
document*, one of which had been so decidedly nega-
tived, and the other of which had been so decidedly ap-
proved of. I alio expressed my iurprise that any loll-
demon should wish for a re-hearing; but (and my very
words were these), " you have passed the petition; the
" thing it done; in my hand I hold a copy of your,peti-
" tion and not mine any more than yours; but front
" my knowledge of the great respect which you all
" bear towards Mr. Coke, out of my great respect
" towards you, I will consent for the documeals
"to be put again." The Resolationi were then
read over once more; and this time in a very eh-
dible voice by the 'Reverend Mr. Glover. The peti-
tion seat then read (i is. the (Jeri
SheritT;).but, as he!
voice that could be
understood it before;

feetly well. A prof
resolution again to I
Beevor, " I will nen

amendment that yod
amendment was accol

many of you as are
COSSET: will please
forest arose! Then
are against the MI
be pleased to held t
as far as fourteer, hi

get any further. OM
not believe there v,

by Sirr. H. e o , ant
for the signing
and for the present
the county members..
about my being conch
number of persons
gentlemen Cobbei
just at true'lis it
these gentlemen wei
me. Many of them , _.c calm, yeome.. (runty,
who paid me that mark of attention, because they those: t
I bad been endeavouring, at the least, to do my duty and
to render them a service. Such writers as those of the
Old Times, and the British Press, may talk as long as
they please about " Comm.'s partisans." Men of
sense; and, particularly, the Ministers, will think it
wondrous strange that Cobbett shonid be able to make
partisans a hundred miles from Londonin such torment*
numbers. They will think, as the Prince did of Fal-
staff, that I carry love-powder about me, or that sort
of stuff with which they catch the rate, and
that makes them all come out of tbier boles and dance
about the rat•cateher. " Away, will the ministers lay."
with such vile stuff Away, too, with that re nerd's
last shift, that these seven thousand persons did not
Insole what the petition emanated! Away with this ! For
bere'are son &emits! horns eta Alms : they :118 luiow
what it contained or they did not: if they did then.
knowing its contents, they have approved of them : and
if they did not know the content', it is their confidence ;
their high opinion of, and their implicit confidence iia
the knowledge, the talent and the inttgrite of Mr. Cob-
ben. that made them receive his proposition and aiopt
it, even without knowing its contents I" The
ministers will see this dilemma ; and so will every mart
in the kingdom, these besotted wrltters excepted.--
1 shall:take another opportunity of discussing most fully
the merits of the Petition, which is the more neeessary,
as, from the manteuvre beforelnentioned, I was prevent-
ed from maintaining, in the way of speech, the truth of
its allegations and the justice and necessity of the mea-
sures that it recommends. WM. COBUTT.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

---a-

MAL, JAN.3.—Came down from the river and sailed,
the Ida, Taylor, Eclipse, Horn, and Kingston, Liver,
for Jamaica; Belong, for Grenata ; Lamb, Joseph, foe
Demerara ; and Hero, for Genoa.,
Ponvsssourn, JAN. s.—Arrived, the Hayti, Mar-
shall, from St. John's, Now Brunswick, sailed 13th ult.
FALMOUTH, JAN. 2.—Arrived the Juno, Pritchard, from
Jamaica, sailed 6th Nov.; Agnes, Cundy. from Messina,
Billed 16th Nov.: Wm. and Henry, Partridge, from Leg-
horn, 22d Oct. and from Gibraltar 18th Nor. logs of boat ;
Gleaner, Bradwell, from Cephalonia in /10 days ; Mary.
Young, from Bilboa, 20 days; Manly, Clark and Hope
Lowe, Seville, Augusta, Talbot, Cadiz, 94 days; John and
Wm. Deno, Oporto, 17 days, and Unity. Taylor, from Ter-
reira.—Wind S.
LIIIIIIINOTON, JAN. 3.—The Purse? of the Mellish, Capt.
Ford, from Bengal and Madras, landed here this afternoon ;
reports the hull of the Mellish to be much lajured, the cop-
per being all off, and in want of provisions; left Madras
26th Aug. last, spoke the Medina from Bombay, Cept.Oweo.
left at the Cape. The late Capt. Mattison was killed at the
island of Rodrigues, by the swinging of the cepsiere ; the
Woodbridge for the Isle of France, was left at St. Helena,
14th Nov. sod Catherine, American ship, at that place.
YOUONALL. JAN. kind the Hope of Ibis port.
has been lost of this coast, and ell her crew perished, as a
boat marked Hope. of Youghall, Michael Cashman, was
drives on shore at Rldmore yesterday. When she was
first seen on the oiling, fear men were la her, but the
heavy surf on the shore washed them oat.

A special mission, it is understood, is immediately to
be sent from the British Cabinet to Madrid. One ac-
count says, that Lord Fitzroy Somerset is about to pre.
ceed on this important errand ; while another states
Lord Win. Bentinck is to be employed.
TYe Procurater.fistml has a large naastif, trained
to bark at the word' Radical.' He is, of course, a
great favourite wills the gentlemen is office.—(Dendee
Advertiser.)
At the sale of the farming stock of a person of the
name of Wright, at Milverton, on Friday, 46 ewes in
lamb were knocked down at M. 81.—(Doerns Freeholder.)
Mr. Payne, of Bishop's Hull, recently bought a sort
and 10 pigs, for one pound ; and Mr. Palmer, of Long
Sutton, lately purchased 21 geese, nearly fall grown,
for the like sem !—(lbid.)
le A letter from Plymouth states, that the Britannia of
120 guns, and the Impregnable of 104 gans, are in dock,
and fitting for immediate service. The latter is cutting
down to a 74. The Windsor Castle, 74, was to be
docked neat week. The Superb, 7s, and the Bulwark.
76, guard-ships, are to be got ready for Channel service.
Tea CALN'S HtAD 41177,1111.-11011 day night last, Mr.
John Armstrong apprehended limn men in ditfereot
houses in the viciotty of this town, but all la the county
of Louth. They are charged erith being concerned in
the disgraceful act of placing the calf bead on the
altar of the Roman Catholic Chapel of Ardec. After a
long investigation before Lord Oriel, ea Tuesday, at
Callon' one MID was admitted to bait on his own resog-
-1 .
mance, and the other six were committed to the Castle
of Ardee f,r farther exacts' tut' ion.—(l)rog/teda Jou nat.

(in a very feeble voice, by the Cruder
proceeded, I .took the liberty (in
beard) to make these who bad not
r, understau 1 the substance of it per-
/position was now ma le to put-the
the meeting! " That," said Sir T.
ver agree to : it is Mr. Cobbetes
d hare to put and nothing ulse. Tile
ccordingly pet in these words" Al
for the petition propor_d by Mr.
ass to hold, up tour MiLlah:, sad •
:ft the question, wiip mall bf 79$ as
ition proposed by /di. CORBETT wilt
up your bands": is counting I got
but they were dotes before I could
ut of the seven thousand panons, I do
rereforty. The modes was timid rale
sod seconded by Mr. Gibbs, 1 tbleh,
of the Petition by the Sheriff
.renting and supporting of it by
rre.—What the Old Times "ataWs
nducted to the Inn by a rottsideiabto
is true enough; but in calling these
belt's partizans," the Old Domes is
generally is. Generally 'peaking,
rere, personally, wholly unknown to
m were cepital yeomen of_the county,