The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-27 00:00:00

,THAN

tncl;l7;;;;;inings inbstetilbe R d Dixon
Hoste to take the Chair; that Mr Ovinnan charged
Magistrates, General Keppel and dm Rev. D. Neste
having refused to accept a requisition from fifty-six rep'
spectable individuals of the Handred ; that General
Keppel, after saying that be respected cennty meetings'
and thought that what was passed at them ought to be
final, and that no other meetings ought to be held to put
them aside; but that "here was a man that they knew
" nothing about, stepping forward with such resolutions
" that it became them to express their disapprobation of ;
" that Cobbett would not propose any thing for their
" good ; that he cared not for the farmers, whom he had
" called stupid and jolter-headed."—Let us stop here for
a moment to ask who this General Keppel can be. We
know, however, that he is one of our Generals; we
know that we have to pay him ; and we also know, that
we for our parts have never heard of any of his military
exploits. The yeomanry of Norfolk knew, we dare say,
a great deal more of Mr. Cobbett, than they ever knew
of General Keppel or ever will know of him. Mr. Over-
man proposed the Rev. Mr. Maul to take the chair in-
stead of Mr. Hoste. Mr. Drosier then moved certain
resolutions beginning with a disclaimer of the county
petition; which the second resolution views with ab-
horrence and detestation, and charges with proposing'
" a violation of all contracts between man and man,
" a confiscation of property, and a total destrnction of,
national honour." Mr. GODDARD JOHNSTONE proposed
that instead of these resolutions, the petition which we
subjoin should be adopted. General Keppel said some-
thing here, the report of which we can hardly credit,
though we take it from the Norfolk Chronicle. " The
lion. Gentleman " also expressed his earnest desire to
avow his disapprobation of the petition carried at the
late county meeting, because he had been so terribly
laughed at by his friends on account of that petition."
Mr. SUTTON said it was the hireling press which had
endeavoured to hold the county up to laughter ; " the
same press that lad frightened Lord Suffield," (great
laughter here,) " The Rev. Mr. Maul appears to hale
left the Chair.—Mr. Beck manfully said that he would
second Mr. Johnstone, and be reprobated the requisition-
ists fur their abuse of Mr. Cobbett. He called upon
them to show that Mr. Cobbett was in the wrong ; to
meet him fairly and openly in county-meeting, instead of
acting the part of assassins and stabbing him in their
dark holes and corners. Mr. Beck appears to have
made a very excellent statement, and he concluded by
calling upan his opponents for another county-meeting;
he called upon them to leave their barn-assemblies and
to cease to stab in the dark.—Driven up into a corner
in this way, the Rev. D. Host. said, that perhaps it
would be beet to follow Mr. Archdeacon Bathurst's ad-
vice, and adjourn this meeting to a county-meeting.
Here were • few cries of " Adjourn! Adjourn!"
Now came the test. Mr. Host and General Kep-
pel were asked if they would now sign a requi-
sition for another county-meeting. Mr. Hoste an-
swered NO ! General Keppel said that he had de-
clined the invitation of the Arch-deacon : "for who,"
he would ask, " was Mr. Cobbett that they should give
" him a county-meeting ? lie was not a Norfolk man !"
Some one said, " but he is an Englishman, as much as
" you !" Towards the close of the scene, Mr. Maul left
the chair, and the magistrates also left their places and
retired from the room. The Rev. T. C. Manning, said,
he " could remember the time when Mr. Coke was deno
" minated the Dictator of Norfolk : cow Mr. Cobbett
"was become the Dictator of Norfolk." The chair br-
ing empty, Mr. Beck rose and said, that " in the ab-
sence of those who were called their legitimate lealers,
he should propose Mr. ROBERT FURNESS as their chair-
man ;" which proposition was received with great ap-
plau.e. The amendment was then put and carried un-
animously, and here that amendment is :
Bhewent,—That your petitioners, during a long and dis-
astrous war. cheerfully made every sacrifice requisite for
the honour end sentrity of the country,that now,overwhelm-
ed by an immeasurable burden of misery and distress, they
are constrained to approach your Hon. House. to require
that attention to their just and grievous complaints, which
their lamentable nature ',lands.
That the numberless appeals made to your Honourable
House, by an impoverished and degraded people. have hi-
therto been regarded as the mere effusions of idle discon-
tent, not as the weilings of a long-suffering and overbur-
thened nation, which apathy and neglect they can only as-
cribe to their not being duly represented in the Commons
House of Parliament.
That their bounden duty to the Constitution, transmitted
to them by their forefathess, compels them, boldly though
respectfully, to assert their claims to those rights and liber-
ties confirmed to them by the glorious Bill of rights. And
that excessive and unequal taxation is the primary cause of
all the mils they so poignantly deplore.
That to evert impending ruin, anarchy, end confusion,
restore happiness and prosperity to this once envied land,
tie Members of your Honourable House must be fre ly
chosen by the people, and become what the Constitution
contemplated they should be, the jealous and undaunted de-
fenders of the people's rights, and the faithful guardians of
the nubile purse. -
That the large stints voted by your Ilonourable House in
support of the Church Establishment, entities your petition-
er; to pray for an appropriation of a moiety of the public
etsifoperty, called Church property. and also the proceeds of
'the sale (gall Crown lands or estates, towards the liquida-
tion ofthe public debt.
That your petitioners further pray for an abolition of all
sinecures, pensions, grants, or emoluments, not merited by
public senices.
For a reduction of the Standing Army, in all its various
departments, to a scale of expeoce not exceeding that of the
army prior to the last war.
For a co-extensive reduction of the Civil List, and of all
the salaries of the Royal Family, Officers of State, and
others, now paid by taxes, extorted from the vxuausted
funds of a sinking nation.
For the total repeal of the tax on malt, beer, snap, can-
dles. and leather, and such a diminution of the Interest of
the National Debt as the imperious necessity of the times
requires, end public justice has a right to expect.
And that your Honourable House will forthwith enact a
law, that will secure to Englishmen an efficient repreg. !na-
tion in the Commons House, restore to them the Constitution
in its original purity, anti thus perpetuate the once boasted
supremacy of Britons.
And your petitioners will every pray. &c.
We beg Mr. Coke to have the goodness to appoint a
day for the presenting of this petition, and to illiprm Mr.
Cobbett, who is one of his constituents, of that day.
We think it should be presented with the petition that is
coming from the bans at Cromer, they will form such a
loving pair. Both taken together will o' ,-ev how very
wise it is to endeavour to over-set county pe itions by
hole and corner meetings.—We have wandtred very
widely here from our Parliamentary subject : so widely,
indeed, that we have no hope cf returning to it to day,
and shall %herders not attempt it.