The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-02-04 00:00:00

Llasll;:rizrWrir"..."-aglisis farmer mast be enabled to
maintain competitioa with the foreign
.grower of corn
by other mean. than forcing high prices. There is,
moreover, something odious in the principle of levying
a duty on the food of man, and thus raising, by artificial
meant, the price of such an article of the first necessity
as bread corn.
"Taxation is the main cause that p the British
cultivator from competing with the corn grower or the
Continent; and the overwhelming weight and pressure
of taxation, which affects not only the farmer. hut every
class of the rommeaity, must be removed. Agriculture
is the principal source of a nation's wealth and prospe-
rity ; and when that is crippled and depressed, the de-
pression must Wend through all parts of the population.
" It would be entering into too wide a field of discus.
sion, to examine the various LOSES wb:rb have brought
us into our present difficulties; it will suffice to say, that
we must look chiefly to an improvident I` ate of our na-
tional resources= to an extravagant expench'vre of the
public money; to a lavish disregard of
ciple of economy, grown into a system, long pursued by
the Executive Crovernutent, and sanctioned by a con-
Hine House of Commons.
"tine thing alone can secure us against • recurrence
of this mighty evil, and this is a timely and military re
form of the representation of the people in the Com-
mons' House of Parliament. I have long thoughtthis,
and every day's experience confirms me more and more
in the tenth and mildness of the opinion.
" May I request that you will have the goodness to
communicate the contents of this letter to the meeting
' on Friday next.
" I have the honour lo be, Sir,
" Your very faithful and obedient servant,
" Benroan.

" Sir John Davie, Bart., High Sheriff of
the county of eron.
Earl FORTERCUR came forward. Though what he
should have to offer to the meeting would be in unison
with the sentiments expressed in the letter of the
noble Duke, he begged to disavow any previous mon-
manic dion with him un the subject. Nut having
seen the recrisition before its appearance in the pa-
pers, he had no share in addressing it to the High
Sheriff, but he was glad to have an opportunity of re•
turning him his sincere thanks for the readiness with
which he convened this meeting. D was his wish,
and wonid be hie endeavour, to avoid all .atters irre•
levant to the subject which they were met to discuss ;
fur certainly the subject was involved in Afficnlties
enough not to encumber it with any that did not be-
long to it. With all the care with which he had in-
vestigated the snhject, he could not bring his own
mind to a satisfactory conclusion ; and he trusted he
might be allowed to add, without offence, that he did
not coon to this meeting with the expectation of de-
riving .any conclusive information. He was anxious
to exclude a!I extraneous matter, and all reference to
party politics, this being a snhject in which they were
all sufferers in common.—(llesr.) The low prices
affecting every artmM of agricultural produce, ea-
lanced by a heavy taxation, was the evil of which
they had to complain: for, that high tigation and
low priers could oat exist together was a truism which
he should be ashamed to repeat before so respectable
a meeting, were it nut fercibiy applicable to the busi-
ness betwe them—(lear, hear.) Their object,
theref“re, should be to petition Parliament to relieve
them (runt a part of that oppressive taxatio:.. He
hope.: no means would be need un the preselt
to delude ism 'armee Iwo the expectation of deriving