The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-01 00:00:00

CARMARTHEN COUNTY MEETING.

AGRICULTURAL tiormiass.
A Meeting of the Freeholdersofthe county of Calmar-
tben, was held at the Shire Hill, in the town of Carmar-
then on Tuesday, the2tith of Jan., to take into considera-
4ion the eimprlety of petttionieg Partionoont to adopt
measures for the relief of the agricultural interests from
• the onparalleled distress under which they at present
labour.• The lion. G. Rice, M. P., Sackvi& Gwynne,
Eeq., Walter Rice, Esq , W. R. H. Powell, Esq., J. G.
'H. G. Williams, Esq , J. G. Philips, Esq., John Saun-
ders, and I other Oefstlemen accustomed to
• inteteit to 'behalves in the political affairs of the county
were preient:_, •
The Moe EMMY, (J. H. Bevan, Esq.) opened the
' business of the Meeting.
The Requisition was read be the Deputy Sheriff. Mr.
' T. Jones,it was signed by thelfonourable George Rice,
M. P., John Jones, Esq. M.P., and several Gentlemen re-
• sident in the county. •
S. OWYPINR, Req. of Olaolinine Park, in submitting
the Resolutions which be held in his hand, to the meet-
ing, was *Ware that the duty had devolved on one who
felt that he wlervety inadequate to do justice to a goes.
lion of such importance ro the landed interest; lie beg-
ged to propose a few Revolutions which- be hoped would
meet the approbation of the Meeting. These Resolutions
stated that that the agricultural interest laboured nn-
• der aoparalleled distress, and that it was expedient to
petition Parliament for its relief.
The SHERIFF, after reading the Resolutions, was pro-
. ceeding to take the sense of the Meeting on each of
them ; when
The lion. Mr. Rica said, as lie understood that other
' Gentlemen had Petitions to propene, it would be advise-
• able thar they should introduce them.
Theßesolntions being Again read,tl.e fleet of them, stat-
ing the Agricultural Distress, was adopted by the meet-
ing, and Mr. Gwynne proposed a petition to the Corn-
monsiennded °pow it. It was seconded by J. 0. H. 0.
Williams, Eq. of Llynywnrmood.
W'atatiaßices Esq. of Llwynybrsin, moved another
petition as an amendment, which, he said, prayed for a
repeal of those taxes which pressed so heavily on the
agricultural interest, and that personal property should
be made liable to contribute, with the landed interest,
towards the support of the poor, so that money may bear
its proportion in the maintenance of the poor, alike use-
ful to every class of the community. He complained
that ',telexes were not borne in equal proportion by the
fended with the agriculture! interest. A man, although
passessi .1 of 100,0001. may live in private lodgings, and
pay little or no taxes. His petition embrace.l not only
these individuals, but .also those who go to foreign
countries to expend their incomes. They ought to pay
towards the expenses of the State, as well as the rest-
• dent gentry. A reform in Parliament was neeresary,
: soil should a meeting be called for that purpose, be ice-
• taioly would attend. Members of Parliament ought to
a: tend to the ;leered* of their constituents.
G. 'Nome*, IE4. saidelie hoped some gentleman of
consequence would have produced a petition calculated
to overt the question, and suggesting the proper reme-
dies for the great mud unparalleled distress, but as no
one hail done so. lie would exercise his right as a free.
holder, by propelling a petition, which, in his judg-
ment, went to the root of the evils. In much of the
preceding petitions be cordially agreed, though there
were SQUIC things hedisapproved ; but his great objec-
tion to them was, that they did not go far enough. lie
trnsted the qnestioo would:be discussed upon its merits,
and deprecated all clamour upon so grave a subject.
• The causes of their distress he stated to he, the wars in
ti hich the country bad been engaged during the whole
of tl:e late King's reign. Upon the justice and policy of
those wars, he declined off Aug any opinion. They
r;gh', bon ever, be justly termed unfortunate, inasmuch
as they tali entailed inch all enormous debt upon the
rourtisy. The other canoes were those enumerated in
his petition, among others, the profligate expenditure
of the public money, and the injudicious resumption of
cash payments; but the great cause was the defective
. state of the House of Common., in which the minister of
the day could al ware command a majority. In the pre-
sent Lord Grey's celebrated petition, it Was stated, and
• offered to be proved, that 15,000, persons out of a popu-
lation of seventeen millions, returned a majority of the
snesebers for England a tol Scotland. It appeared also
1y ether returns, that 800 members were returned
by Peers,- 187 more by Ministers and fen Commoners,
• • leaving only 171 who were rebutted by the people.--(He
srasliere aalled to crier by Major Mansel, who objected
that Parliaitientare Reform was not included in the Re-
, Thomas Dowered, that the words of the
itegelaitioo arere eQeral, "to consider of the proper
i• measures for ilia relit( of the distress, far,;" and Reform
he gopiderestiiq be one of those sneasnres. But Colonel l
• Gwynoe, Mr. Waalter Rice, ind othei Gentlemen, et.
Pesti that Reform, slwly' bo discussed at a
it•parate Mieliftie2odproutizing to sigh a Requisition
and attend, 'am ThOiliat screed to wave that question.
Mr. Thomas reemped by pointing out the proper retro.-
slit., all of efreiembodied to the Petition ultimately
passed. One plitiedler feet, to ,hew the tremendous in-
crease of the public burdens, he impressed upon the
Meeting with great earnestness, viz. that by Parliament-
• airy documents it appeared that the expense of collecting
the taxes at the close of his late Majesty's reign exceeded
• the interest of the national debt at its commencement
After several other einem' ions, he concluded by thank-
ing the %fret* fdr the palence with which he had been
..ar-I, and by preposing his Petition, omitting the clause
fur Parliamentary Reform.
' The lion. 51rflitcc proposed to the Sheriff that the
Pe•itions should be put to the Meeting in the order in
which they wereinoved.
Mr. Gwystata said that for the sake of unanimity, he
would withdraw his Petition.
The Honourable Mr. Rica suggested, that the differ-
ent Gentlemen who moved anti seconded the two last
Petitions, should retire to the Council Room, and em-
body the material contents of the two Petitions in one.
On the retatn of the Gentlemen, Mr. Rica brotteht
lip the Petition as altered, and hoped it would meet the
snanimous approbation of the Gentlemen present.
The following, after a few alterations suggested by
different gentlemen, is a copy ;
t "TO TIER GONOURADLE THE COMMONS OF THE UNITED
Sit:ODOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, IN PARLIA-
MENT ASSAMBLED.

"The humble Petition of the Nobility. Gentry, Clergy,
and Freeholders of the County of Carmarthen.
" Humb!y sheweth.—That your Petitioners, yielding to
none jt loyalty to their King. or in love to their country,
lave at all times during the late protracted war, borne with
cheerfulness the burdens imposed upon them towards its
maintenance and support, trusting that at the termination
thereof. 'depute measures wonld have been taken by your
Honcurable House to lighten those burdens which did then
press heavily upon, but which now are become insupport-
able to, the whole agricultural interest of the United King-
dom.

" Your Petitinners accrihe their *eternities to the mt.:
mous increase of our Civil and Military )f►stablisbments, to•
the exorbitant expenditure of the public money, to the over•
wheitnir4 pressure of taxation flowing from the above•
causes, to the injudicious resumption of cash payments
without reference to our dimwit, difficulties, or contracts
between individuals entered Into during the prevalence of
a debased paper currency.
" Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, that your !To-
' unlivable House will take into its immediate consideration
• the shock which mast convulse thi State when laud shall
'ease to make any return ; a position by no weans proble-
matical, should the landed interest continue its depressibn

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