The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-22 00:00:00

*tatcOntait.

SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 22, 1823.
PA RIAAAIENTARY COMMENTARY.
Important as were the proceedings in the Commons,
last night, we most confine ourselves within narrow
limits, in our commentary.—Agriceltural Distress.
Mr. Cutteis and Sir Edward Knatchisall presented peti-
tions from hop growers in Sussex and in Kent, and the
latter (Knatchhall) asked Mr. Robinson whether he had
any objection to a Committee to inquire into the case of
hop-growers, and the Chancellor answered that be was
not prepared to acquiesce. Nest came Mr. Richard
Prire, with the Petition proposed by Mr. Charlton at
Hereford, and which has been since signed by being car-
ried about the county. This petition prayed for ao equit-
able adjustment of contracts. The Petition condemned
the Acts of the Administration in this and the last reign;
and Mr. Price, by way of apologising for such language
being used by the landed interest of Herefordshire, which
interut had uniformlp supported the measures of govern-
ment, said, that he believed, that " many who supported
" this Petition had done so with a view of preventing
" tl e adoption of another Petition which had been pro-
" posed at the Meeting." Pretty landed interest this is,
tiantl Pretty sensible and poriotic landed interest !
According to this acconnr, they did not believe in the
tenth f whs• they signed. They did not like even their
own potion-. They tiered a manifesto against the go.
veteroen: for the pr. sa nt an I last reign ; and that, too,
to prevent the adoption of another petition. When
the olif,r petition comes before the house,tehioh it will in
a eery short tioe, its language will call for no apology
from the person who presents it. Its language will be
foam! to be such as a gentleman and a scholar may otter
teitlort feeling shame; its sentimen's and pro:* itions will
chall-n/e cri icisto ; and that petition will be found to
s:t nut with ,Jec aring that the pea:lona% cast aside all
pat elsd ferreous considerations. Mr. Price will he
called upon to make no apology fur that petition. And
hers we shall leave this matter for the present. Lord
FolaresTosi presented a petition from Mr. Commas
A annum Tnomrsox, now of Chiswick, in Middlettex.i
complaining of the effect of Peel's Bill. upon him as a
mortgager. fly Monday we shall be able to get at the'
petition its-If, and we dare say, from the statement made
by the Noble Lord th at we shall find it to contain one of
those cases of monstroas injustice and dreadful ruin,
foret )111 by Mr. Conuerr in his letter to Tierney. The
c.inntry, however. is Bell of cans of this sort. This is
clay one instance out of thousands upon thousands;
and nee comfort, Is, that th authors of the ruin, will, if
the thing KO 01 as it is now going on, be finally ',tined
thentserves. There will be another race of Landlords;
and our reit:4:s will bear as witness, that we have been
saying this for many years past.
Ftwances.—This was the night for the grand display
of the new Chanc •Ilor of the Excheepter.He made a speech
ot two hours long. He appears to have fainted, or some-
thing like it, in the middle of it ; anti we should faint.
too, at the very thought of,beinte compelled to follow him
thiongb soli V.e confused stuff that we find in the papers,
putportinr to he his speech. It is one of those annual
braggines by which the tonntry has been noodled along
fur so malty years. no vever, it prapotte; to take off two
millions and sone odd hnnired p auntie of faxes,
of thole which are culled Assessed Taxes, and
as far as this goes it is ga.Nl for something.
The Chancellor was followed by Mr. Moberly, who very
clearly showed that ag.o i al-al of Chanced ,r's speech
oas nonsense; and w o insisted that seven millions of

texts might he taken of tilthout any reduction of the
interest of the &ht.—Refire the Co:nmittee closed,
Lord Foote,Toss made some rerntrki upon the omis-

sioa, in the sp ech of Mr. Rubinson, of all mention of
the diere4l of Agriculture. He twit oet a•iou to contro-
vert the dortrine of increase of revenue being a proof of
ra ionsl prosperity; he reminded the House, that, two
years ago, he had said that a case might arise in which
the interest of the debt ought to be reduced ; that his
opinions up .a this sultject were not only not changed,
tot confirmed by every circumstance that bad since
taken ; an i that, when he heard s telt high
talk, ar.d ear l& loud reprthition of those who proposed
such reauctj.m, he roll.l not help caging to mind the
time when he heard in that house, just the same talk, and
the same reprobation of those,who expressed tittle opinion,
that the Pitt sinking fund would not pay of the -Na-
tional Debt. —Mr. Once Berner declared that he could
n sit silent, while he heard imputations cast on those
who demanded an " equitable adjuatanent of contracts;"
which was demanded by right, by justice, and by neressi-
ty. When they talked about despoiling the public cre-
ditor, let them, he said, think a title of the spoliation of
the public debtor. Ile said that it was doubtless from
ignorance, that the House passed Peel's Bill ; but that
she consequeac N 4 were the same as if passed with a cruel,
jiandalent, and premeditated dezign. He would cot sit
Aleut, he said, and hear the rebukes of either aide of
the House, and he added that he was ready, at any time,
to go into argument and detail, and that lie challenged
discussion upon the subject. Lord Mtcvost began by
congratulating the country on the policy which now go
veroed the Ministers. He said that he could not help
feeling that the country had got a new governuient.—We
think that we remember that we made this discoverybe-
fore. Does not Lord Milton recollect our figure of the
savage °Wear? And how gentle we said he was,