The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-01-24 00:00:00

THE STA'

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C. possessed the most transcendent talents. Not only
b:roself, hot every man present moat feel, or ought to
feel. honoured by the attendance of such a man as M r. C.
who, he did not hesitate to assert. bad dose more to
dispel the dark clouds and &lesions that bad for sub
a Tenet of time overwhelmed them—had done more
to take the thick Mm from their eyes, and abow them
Itre teuridtwatbn in widcio thew wen unfortenately
Aced. Mod hold oat more rational means of relief than
easy ether Ina*. They NM knew the cense of their
di.true. eat they knew the only way to obtain an ef-
fectual relief. Mr. Cobbett had clearly peinted it oat
us them. and they might • accept or rejectthere lay
'their nit; and there therm ealation ; it was for them
to decide: Wu it •at all enrptising, he asked, that
the Coast/ of Huntingdon should he sble to boast of
the Ignites• of each a man as Mr. Cobbett in its
'earseal No. it was Mr. Cebhett's writings that loadl
opened their eyes, and shown them their almost hope-1
Tess coaditlik, and' belled also pointed out the renadpi
'as Weil le the disease. They Auld not, or ought
to be devised at the .existink prejudice against Mr.
'Catlett. They knew..that for 40 years, he (the
'Clialresas) himself had bit to combat with the bunt
'and mat neprincipled chiracters In the County ; he
'hate with them. and borne their vile calumnies
-lute pluentations. knedieg that the time woalli
evantritilltanlve when they would be compelled to del
}abate lolls intention'. et time had now arrived.l
• the'enonati ranks were thinaet. and even they wonisi
• now *postponed to admit. that soesetbing was " rottolt
aye state." He could not be charged with being
late ilk the field ojposing the enemies of corruption ;
lolled tot joined the standard of freedom at the ele-
nada boor, he bad battled with them in their strong
kolas ; mod whet they taw success wailing to crown
their toile tot struggles, they -coed not but feel son-
' salons of tbd dust pleasing deuription, which amply
rewarded them for all the odious lies and detestable
falsehoods 'propagated spits% them by their Met.
nntrafiteluting enemies. But if he was en-
• lose ated;s•how mach more was it to be espected that
sub A Inn as Mr. Cabbed weals) be reviled sod tor
period bfs enemies very existence depended tiro. do.
'atroyingaeh an opponent as Mr. Cobbett ; but with all
'their detestable, base, and inwardly conduct towards
that glut man, they had fatted that he was not to
he saidlied--that ziAbt was not to be overcome
bJ might. He was convinced that Mr. Cabbed de-
served the affections of every honest man in the
empire. tie was the most powerful writer of the age.
au the country was more isdehted to him for his
evenderfai talents than to any other political character
is potisteen, or that ever bad preceded him. He might
•be charged with aging the language of Lottery ; he
despised 'artery; he would not stoop to tatter any
sus. hot he would do justice, as far as lay in his power
to a man who was so deservieg of the general appro-
bation of his countrymen. The conduit of as honest
pan deserved to be eulogised. and it was but proper
that the friends of freedom should eulogise a man who
was the grand object pointed at by the poisoned shafts
of the venal And the base. He (tbr Chairman) bad
n't escaped their assaults. but their malice was harm-
Jess ; he felt conscious of the justice of his 'noodles
.tioresghout his political life. and it was a feeling of
breetitade that had anpported him. Mr. Cobbett bad
(eaglet the enemies of corruption while he was wielding
likpeassfal talents; tad while exercising his mighty
pores to the sereie,e of his country, he mast feel
helve in seeing his predictions fulfilled. He (Mr.
C lobett) wu the man who *mild so direct their coarse
as to enable them to weather the Owe, to disperse the
dark clouds that now Guiltily/ ~:tio• political hemi-
sphere. and bring them safe thinagistkapupest which
they wore buffeting. They were int. nor could not
be. if they would consider for an Wilmot, surprised at
Mr. Cobbett's being abused, reviled, slandered, and
• persecuted. They mast know that there was not a
tax eater that had not been employed to bunt him
down ; but he had continued his exertions fearlessly
through " good report. and evil report." and then
stood higher in the clinic's of his countrymen. and
woe at that period more popular than ever lie was at
any former time ; as a proof of which. be bad only to
refer to his reception at Huntingdon, where be was
an entire stranger. Mr. Cobbett was charged with
inconsistency, but that charge, like all the rest, was
sot, anti could not be supported. If changing from
bed to pot, au* following the good for near thirty
yeare-was being inconsistent. and was to be censured,
this Mr. Cobbett was the most inconsistent man
Ake. and deserved most to be censured. The
fact was, that Mr. Cobbett had caught the feeling of
the piddle. and by his extraordinary powers was able
to direct the public wind, and be was leading it on to
the visual working of the happiness of the people.
He did sot mach like the term " inconsistency," apos-
tasy Was the word, or nothing ; they could not charge
Mr. Cobbett with apostasy; but who was sot sug-
gested at the apostasy of the present age? The speaker
then made some very pointed remarks upon some of the
Whig Lawyers now filling high judicial situations,
who formerly were classed amongst the Reformers, and
bad made the people stepping sinus to their present
elevation.--(Load applause.)--Even the arch apos-
tate, Mr. Pitt, be said. was a Reformer before he got
Utopian. as well as my Lord Londonderry ; and, in-
deed, nearly all the pleeenten of the present day had
babbled Reform. and bad made the people a stalking-
horse to enable them to elevate themselves to place
sad power. Had ever Mr. Cobbett lived by the taxes?
had be. or his family, or any of his conocxione, at any
time been supported by the public purse? And ought
he be called lecossistent, because he had discovered
and exposed the baneful and noconstitutional practices
if the Meads of corruption 2 Was he to be charged
with ineoesistescy, because be bad changed from
doing that' which he believed was not tending to the
people's good, sad was then exercising the mighty ta-
lents with which God had been pleased to endow his
mind, for the good of mankind ?---(Loud applause.)—
When we find a man gabbling Reform one day.
and accepting place the next, then talk of inconsistency
if they thought proper. If they could compare Mr.
Cobbett with a certain great Lawyer, well known is
the county of Cheshire, who was a pretended Re-
former—who was a whip—who deserted the ranks for
place sailer an Administration he had formerly op-
posed, then they might say the charge of ioconsietency
was jest; bat the man who bad fought the up-bill work
of Mr. Gobbing was sot to be charged by such ma as
these with inconsistency. Who could hear suck a
Charge without despising such whist—sod oho was

there but wont.' applaud such Mihie qeM
aft-
cesdect as Alti Colleen's ? Iperitelst aft a
Ituelt-ln Jim* oteech • *strata he St pOs•
he had done the county of linntiagdon such hot.
lie would coached, Ity drinkioti foist, with the.
times three, and he knew they would do justice to
Ile wapiti give tit plain teruss-a"-William Cobbett.
and Ond bless him." - - • 1
Mr. COBIBITT rose to address the Meeting. He hid
not the vanity to think that ho deserved all the high
eulogiums of the worthy Chairman, though he would
not deny that be was deserving of aomething at their
hands for his exertions. It would he false delicacy in
him if he were to pretend that his exertions were sot
deserving of their approval. The honour
_they had
done him was very great. hot he would not deny that
he is some degree merited it. He would proceed to
the important hn.inen they were met to discuss.—
They knew that there were two documents that bad
been circulated in that, and perhaps every other
county in England ; he alluded to the letter of Lord
John Russell, and the statement of the truly noble
conduct of my Lord Fitzwilliatn. Every honest man
would not withhold loin mead of praise for such trolly
patriotic conduct—he applauded it; but though Bari
Fitzwilliam had acted more noble and diilatereated-
thee soy other great landowner, my Lord Suffieldl
excepted, yet be should not be doing justint to them
or to himself if he were ROI to insert that the Noble
Earl was in error—not an error of the heart. Dena*
men, but of the head. Still his conduct was noble
and generous. though founded on erroneous and mis-
taken principles; and he (Mr. C.) had thought it hie
drty, in the county near where the Noble Earl resided.
and had large estates, to state his reasons why he
believed that his Lordship was in error. His Lord&ll4
says that prices are come down to the lowest piteh.l
that they are reduced to the same standard as in the
years 1792 to 1794; and though the Noble Basel',
could hind his ten:tuts down to their leases, yet he I
says, " No, I will not ; 1 will reduce my rents to the
same amount as in those years." This was highly
praiseworthy; but still his Lordship would find him-
self mistaken. He spoke with diffidence towards the
Noble Earl, not that he bad any the least doubt of the
truth of hits assertions, for be would clearly prove'
that his Lordship was completely wrong. And my
Lord John Russell had also formed very erroneoon:
opinions upon the existing situation of the lead.:
owners and farmers. His Lordship has two propel.;
lions. Ist. That prices have fallen now to the same:
reduced „scale as in the year 1795, and would f
nu lower. 2nd. That if lie reduces his rents to Met
same seals as is 1795, the tenant sill be as well'•
off ea at that period. Ile (Mr. C.) begged leave to
dissent from his Ler Iship, for the prices bad not
fallen to the lowest mark. but would continue io
fall lower and lower; but supposing that they had
fallen to the very lowest pitch, and the rent the saunas
in the years referred tn. the tenant meta not be .swell
off. There were other things to be reduced besides his
rent. before he would be ae well off as in 1793, and
every one must know and feel the truth of his aner-
tines. He felt himself rather embarrassed by the
high enlogium he had received from the Chairman ;
but he weld endeavour to convince sham. bela
concluded that he was sot undeserving of thank sail
as far in him lay he would do justice to the Gentle-
men's commeadation. His Lordship says. also. that
gold and silver sovereigns and shillings are the circa-
hating medium, as it was at the period alluded to, and
rent being the same, the quantity of gold and silver
cannot have decreased, and therefore rents ought to be,
as the prices are, the same as in the years 1792 to
1795. They know (said Mr. C.) that the cause of
the evil was the diminution of the circulating me-
dium ; and if so he should like to know where that
evil would stop, which was sow urged un by the ope-
ration of Mr. Peel's Bill, which was increased and
increasing by the Bank drawing in their notes in Nay
last, and which would continue to increase till the
Bill was in full effect in 1823. As the circulating
medium was decreased in quantity. whether that &-
collating medium consisted of Bank notes, gold, or
silver, so would prices decrease; and why should it
stop, when causes were at work tending to effect a
further reduction ? No ; as the Bank drew in their
notes, the circulating medians would be lessened. and
the evil would in that ratio increase.
[From the lateness of the hoer at which the Report
arrived from Huotiogdon„ we are compelled to leave
the remainder for to-morrow.]
The following was the Petition adopted at this
Meeting :
" TO TN6 NONOURIUL6 TUC COMMONS OF Tire UNITED
KINGDOM OF °SPAT BRITAIN AND IRZLAND, IN /AK-
-I.I•FI6NT Asa6MKLa D.
" The Petition of the Land-Owners, Farmers. mid
Traders, whose names are undersigned. residing
in the vicinity of Iluntingdon and parts adjacent :
" Most humbly sheweth—That the affairs of per
petitioners are is a state of embarrassment. mail
selves and families in • state of distress and alarm of
which they are wholly unable to lay an @deviate dr
seriptio• before your Honourable House—that it is their
sincere conviction, that unless an efficient remedy be
speedily applied, a convulsion of the most alarming na-
ture must be the final consequence; for thew see the
hour approaching when rents mast go naiad, taxes
and tithes uncollected. relief to the poor emlistributed,
and when the labouring classes, raging with hunger,
will be induced to satisfy that hunger by acts of vto-
leoce.
" The cause of this state of suffering and danger can-
not. your petitioners humbly presume. he other than
manifest to your Measurable House; bet your humble
petitioners beg leave At express their decided opinion
that the immediate came is that act of your Honourable
House, tan
which has, instant, tripled the value of money
netepa red with the prictivf produce, and which, leaving
the taxes nereduced and itistraets unmodified, has, in
fact. tripled those taxes, and disturbed and violated all
existing contracts.
" Your petitioner*. therefore, humbly pray that your
Honourable House will be pleased to adopt measures to
rectify oar contracts, SCCOMIIog to the alteration in the
value of money—that you will be pleased to abolish all
siemens sad grants, all pensions not fully merited by
real public services—to discharge the standing army. to
curtail the Civil List and reduce the interest of the Pub-
lic Debt, so that the burthen of taxation may he greatly
alleviated ; these measures belay, in the fixed *Olga' of
your humble Petitioners. absolutely necessary to pat an
end to the present distress sad misery, and to tern aside
the dangers which new menace every species of pro-
pony, as well commercial as agricultnral, and which, in
the conviction of your Petitioners, threatea to pledgee
scoots of disorder. conk:doe, and violence. which duty
'• their families, their country, and their King, compels

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