The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-01-09 00:00:00

•-r Palls. Due
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l'itlCE OF STOCKS YIDS DAY AT On/F. O'CLOCK
flank 1.4114. Ann. 16 5-164
per Cent. Red. 64; India Bonds 2O
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THE STATESMAN.

LONDON:
MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 1815.

Paris Papers to the 6th inst: are received ; Dutch
and Hamburgh Mails are also arrived. 'rhe accounts
from Vienna are of the usual cast, full of contra-
dictions and conjectures, " signifying nothing,"—
except that the differences reported to have existed
so long among the negociating Powers, are, apps.
rently, as far from being adjusted as ever. The So-
t vreigns themselves are said to have had a personal
conference for the purpose of trying to adjust those
matters in dispute which their Ministers had in vain
been endeavouring to settle. The Russian and Prus-
sian plans of aggrandisement, so pertinaciously pur-
sued, appear to have awakened the Austrian Cabinet
to active and vigorons exertion. The Emperor
FRANcrs himself, finding the conferences spinning
out to an indefinite period, and the net of circumven-
tion weaving around his precarious power at the
same time, is stated to have taken the extraordinary
resolution of calling on the Emperor.[ ikussta, and
of fixing with him an hour the following day fet the
meeting of all the Crowned Heads at Vienna. This

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r,.,T..`,,..,

MEETING 01' LAND - 0 !VIVI,: RS AND
F.IIZ. F.RS OP WILTS.

On Friday last, a Meeting Of 44 Lend-ownery
Occupiers of Lind," was held at the Town-hail.
Wartnioster, convened by public adrertiseraem,
signed by John llenett, Esq., of Pyt-house (the
denial) who gave, such long and strong evidence b..
fore the Contm:ttees of both Houses of Parliament
in favour of the Corn and several other re.,
'spec:table land-owners and farmers of the county of
Wilts, to take into consideration. the propriety of
presenting Petitions to both Ilrmscs of . Parliament,
on behalf of the Proprietots and Occupiers of Land.
THOMAS GROVF, 1.;,(1., of Fern, one of the (s,r,.
tlemen who called the Meeting, having talie? the
Chair, _ _

11:.r. E.TT rdiireFr•ril them at my considerbla
leegth in favour of a Petition that he submitted for
their rlopriott, explf,ssive of •the serious iiritils•
really sustaiiieil by the farmer and the probabio
suit likely to fall upon the landholder, arisiug frnte
the reduced and low price of corn, owitnT part;cular.
ly to (ho importations from France, &c. Tiw PPti,
fnrther stated, that as the agricultural interest
was blended with that of the tradesman and roe.
chanic, the latter was invited to join in its truPport,
and add their signatures thereto. • Mr. Beriot in.
sisted, that as the evidence given before the Cora
Committees had never been contradicted, the Lezisi,L.
lure were bouud to afford the agricultural ;mete...!
their protection ; and, enforcing the stecer!•ity cf
Parliamentary interposition in favour of the lauded
interest, he said, that unless some measure were de.
vised to enable the farmer to pay his pro.otrt rem and
taxes, the landholders would be.completely tithed ;
and he solemnly declared, that onless t' is desirable
object was carried into immediate execution, he for
one would he under the absolute occes‘ity,
that day twelvemonth, of leaving the co•,;:tr-i ••,
his family, to reside where proiisinns ritni all r •• •_

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cessaries of life were to be obtainaal at a rate wham
the reach of his fortune*.

The motion was briefly seconded by Mr. Bowt.ts,
an attorney. a
_ _

Mr. HtINT began by stating his objection to the
meeting altogether, asserting, that if the meeting was
not illegal, it was' highly improper; for a few indivi-
duals of a particular class to call a meeting to peti.
titan Pa rl ia Mont in favour of tradesmen and mcclumics,
without giving them an opportunity of attending to
decide upon its propriety. This was a close meeting
of landholders and farmers; many respectable trades-
men, inhabitants of the town, would have attended,
but they were told they had no business there, not
being landholders or farmers. This meeting,
there-
fore, bore a resemblance to a " Conclave of Cardi-
nals with closed doors."—lnstead of calling a meet-
ing like this, why not cell a public county meting,
and meet the qeestion manfully and openly? One
reason against this was, that at an open county met"
ing even Mr. John Benett would not be so hardy as
to bring forward a petition, the sole object of which
was the keeping up the price of corn, under the
cloak of its being a petition in favour of the trades-
man and the otechaaic. In fact, this was a peti-
tion especially to benefit the landholder, even the
farmer was of secondary consideration, and it was
decidedly hostile to the interest *of every other
class of society and if acted upon would prove
ruinous to the little tradestor.,), the mechanic, and
the labourer. The landlord had met with no reverse
since the conamencement of the war ; his rents had
progressively increased, in proportion as the rest of
the community had setTered privations; the nearer
the mechanic and the labourer, had approached to
starvation and beggary, the higher were the profits,
and the more efficient the means of the landholder.—
This was no theoretical proposition, hastily intro-
duced, it was a practical truism, the result of careful
and recent enquiry.—He would read to the meeting
an account of the population of the parish of En-
ford, a large parish in the centre of the county of
Wilts, with the comparative statement of the rise is
the price of labour, the price of bread, and the price
of land, within the last 30 years. The number of
houses were 143, inhabitants 650 • of which number
450 were farmers, tradesmen, andtheir families, 4.01
labourers, and 205 labourers not paupers. About 30
years back, the labourers in this parish received
Gs. per week ; at this time they received Ss. per
week-30 years back, the quarter!' loaf ave-
raged about 5d., at this lime it is 104d.-30 years
back, the labourer could purchase with his week's
pay, Gs. fourteen quartern loaves; now he can only
purchase with his week's pay, Bs. nine quartern
loaves—about 30 years back, the principal farm in
this parish, then belonging to the late Mr. Benett, of
Pyt-house, in this county, was lot for 4001. a year;
nt the present time this farm, the property of Mr.
John Benett, of Pyt-house, is let for 1,2601. a
year. Thus it clearly appears in this parish within
the last thirty years, labour has risen from to
Bs. per week, 33 per cent. the quarter!' loaf from
sd. to 10141. IU3 per cent. the rent of land from
4001. to 1,2601. 212 per cent.—Ttis proves that
bread has risen within this period more than three
times as much as labour, and land more than twice ay
much as bread, and more that' six times as much as
labour. At the present price of land, corn, bread,
and labour, the landlord is benefited three times as
much as the farmer, and six times as much as the
labourer.

Mr. BENErr said, that be had, since thd period
mentioned by Mr. Hunt, purchased thp flaw, and
added them to the farm which was included in
the present rent.

. •
bir. Hoarreplied, that he was perfectly. mare of
this circumstance, as well as of another circuritsiancis
equally important, which was this, that Mr. Beveit
had taken a considerable portion of ‘-llte best • laad
from this farm, and added it to anotiier Which twP-
ducell a gt.eater rent than the value if the tithes,
therefore the balance was more in favour of the land-
lord than he had stated. He had•menticined this par-
ticular farm, as it belonged to Mr. &nett, the pm.
poser of the present measure; but from his own
knowledge (haring an estate himself
parish)
parish) he could state, that the land ha.,
same, and in some instances in a higher
He therefore particularly .enjoitled

(bere.— If this solemn nsevenstitin of
correct (whot by-the-by, is a lend-aotwr
19,0001. a year), what will be the file of
beuiaarviithctit the ;Items of dying front iht

sl
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Ihfacrristrhiei semi a
;her proportiori-
the farmers la
t.
f Mt. Bore:t,
t,) bravusit ri
bolt' %she, are trrt
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