The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-11 00:00:00

Sir. Commas came forward to aildregs the lifeline.

He was received with load applause. Wiflr the petition
prepared by the Noble Lord, and every ;tart of it, he
perfectly agreed. Hot it appeared to hem that there
was one thing, and that too, a material thing, emitted
in the Petition. He meant a reference to td-
present handed system. The Noble Lord, with his utdisl
anxiety, and a very I tudabie anxiety it was, feared t:.
trust in the hands of Ministers any thing which wonl.l
give them the power of doing mischief. lie (tlr. Col.-
bett) too, knowing them. would be sorry to place acv
power or any money within their reach. Tile Noldt-
Lord, too, wished a reduction of hive, but that was ft, t
possible to any amount, unkis they reduced the de: t
also (hear, hear !) He did not wish to do injustice is
any one; he did not wish to call upon Mini tiers to d .
that which was unlawful, any such proceeding wouid
only defeat its object. The reduction which he proposed
in the National Debt, of course imagined a Reformed
Parliament, in whom some confidence might be placed.
Mr. Cobbett, after some further remarks, adverted to ill:.
distress caused by the alteration in the currency. T: e
bushel of u heat was the true standard. They borrow e t
one bushel of wheat and were now obliged to pay thrr.:
in return. He called upon them to leak at the magni•
tude of the debt ; it was impossible to pay the interest
of it; and at the same time keep up the establishment
necessary for the protection of the country. The interest
of the debt, including the expense ofeolieeting, •nmanted
to 47,000,0001. And if they could pay that sum, it only §--
guided a little pinch more to extract from them what
they paid at present. The landbeitter, the farmer, Re.
'shouter, were suffering in :degree never before known.
Whoever knew a labourer working fur th-ree *MIR/Ts
per week—(" they work for 25."3. awl after were they t.,
he told of a breach of faith with the public credit .r
This was the language used at the time of the Frenc't
Revolution. It had been well said, that the nation: I
faith was first due to the landholder and tenant, and tad
to the creditor of the State. Now, let the Meeting cot•
alder what bad been the effect of the last 30 years cf
sinking fowl? The landholders, who borrowed
at 5 per cent., bad been,in addition, paying l-1,1100,01.1.
for several years, which was, to use the oat
phrase, " to be laid out in the market," that was to say,
to be so laid out as to increase the value of the creditor s

property; it was, in fact, giving him a kind of boon-,
for the sinking fund could only be so considered. 11'.
Cobbett concluded by moving the fallowing words
an addition to the Petition :—" Without which veer
Petitioners can see no hope of that equitable adjustme',t
with regard to the public debt, and with regard to a
contracts between man sad. man, which is aboolutv'y
necessary to the defence of the country against foreigu
foes, and to the restoration of its internal trai,qu -
lite."
Lord &us:Donovan next presented himself to the
Meeting. He said that be saw nothing in the nature of
the Petition which had been read uliitb could indite&
persons holding power, as the Petitioners stated, to coot •
ply with it (clamuse and disapprobation). Lord Ellen-
borough said he appeared there in discharge of his duty;
bat if the Meeting were net inclined to hear, he assured
them he was not at all anxious to address them. His
Lordship here retired, but by the advice of Mr. Grey
Bennet and other gentlemen, be again came forward.
He said that the only point on which he wished to ad-
dress the Meeting was with respect to the Amendment
of the Gentleman who had just sat down. Against that
Amendment lie entered his solemn protest. It wi,v
natural that be (Mr. Cobbett) should wish to deal
with the public creditor iu the same manner as he bad
dealt with his own (hisses and cries of " that is us•
fair").
Mr. Cooneyr.—Let the Noble Lord be heard.
Lord ELLEtasononon.—An adjustment, as it was
called, with the public creditor, would he nothing hot
force ou the one side, and weakness on the other. NM'
could such an act be fairly called national relief ;it
would be only taking from the public creditor in order
to give to the landholder-•it would be only giving
advantage to one class to the ruin ~f another. Such
were not the notions of justice and honesty in other end
better times. England had been hi :herto famed for her
faith, tier honesty and justice, and he could assure theta
that any deviation from those principles could not serve
them—he could assure them that what they learnt in
their youth, " honesty is the;best policy," was strictly
true. He protested against the Amendment of Mr.
Cobbett, and he hoped that on the grounds of public
faith and common hunesty,it would be rejected with M.
dignation.
'the Honourable Mr. G. BENNET next came for-
ward, and was received with the loudest and warme.t
expressions of regard. The Honourable Gentleman
said, that as he had seconded the motion of Mr. Cobbett,
and as the Noble Lord next him (Lord King) knew he
had suggested, long before the Petition had been O'"
nii t ted to the County, to introduce a panne similar to
that'contained in the amendment—indeed, as he hsd
used the very words " equitable adjustment," he felt it
due to his character, and to the character of the Free-
holders, to explain himself. Had he ventured to SO:"
port any proposition, opposed to the principles of iotrg•
Pity and of honour, it would follow that be intended 10
disgrace himself and the County too. He rose to repel