The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-02-25 00:00:00

THE IRISH BEACON BOND. ,

(FROM VIC DUSLIN RIMMING POST OP SATURDAY.)
'The Patriot announced, in a recent NumMir, that it
was in possession of an Affidavit, explanatory of the man-
cer in which a Newspaper Ettablislunent in ihiceity has
been founded, and proutiaing, in due time, to lay this Af-
fidavit before the l'ublic. In further elut idation of 'IAA
mysterious alfsir. it returns to the charge. and says—
It hai .been isisintutied to u., that we kivo th.rwril in-
fanatic itm, with respect to certain tien•lenp-n,:n a misfirr
that should prevent our exposure of it. We siletutily de-
clare that our information—which is th.t cony of ant
davit, of occurrences subsequent to the period —(witlonst
particelarising, we will be understoo-)7-is the elks-
source—and fully sufficient it is—of our knowledge of tt.e
facts to svhiels we have alluded.

Very shortly a Gentleman, whose 11011011 S, we la-
ment, are considered as opposed to those of Lord Welles-
ley—shortly that Gentleman shall receive a Lvter, in li:s
own band writing, to an individual who has ha I the
indiscretion—(a blot on his character that will not hr
easily rubbed out in the opinion of our respected friend),
to let it fall into hostile hands. In returning that L•tter
to hint, which we hope to he enabled to do in a day or
two, we shall satisfy him that, from the iito.,,ent it came
into our possession, no human eye has beheld i ,

Lord SOMERS said he had to present to their Lord-
ships a petition from several fr emitters of the county of
Hereford, the principal object of which was to pray that
the House would adopt such measures as might serve to
relieve theta from the. distresses under which the agri-
culturol interests: of the country were now suffering. On
the subject of title petition he felt it uece•sary to make
some observations. Such pars of it as prayed relief front
the distresses that were known universally to prevail,
:stet with, his warmest support ; but the petition con-
tained many other allegations from which his mind eke-
'ether revol'ed, and it was on that ground, that after
the petition had been adopted by the Meeting, he refused
'to put. Isis 'signature to it. He felt it necessary to state
the particulars of this business to the House. A Requi-
sition had been sent to the Sheriff to convene a County
Meeting. but be declined doing so; but as the law which
went to prevent public mteet►ngs provided that meetings
might be convened by other authorities besides those of
.Sheriffs, be was r.•quired to call a meeting, and not
wishing to add to the restraints which Parliament had
thrown in the way of sock meetings, he complied with
the request made to hint, and aid convene the meeting in
question. There were at that meeting two respe. t..ble
gentlemen entertaining sentiments limn-able to the lio-
vernment, who proposed certain resolutions, having for
their object the relief of agricultural (doors% and they
carefully avoided every other topic ; and at •the same
time he felt it his duty to recommend that every person
who attended there should be allowed freely to deliver his
sentiments. After the first resolutions had been moved
and seecettletl by gentlemen belonging to the county, a
gentleman well known oat of the coon y—He meant
Mr. Cubbett, and who said he was a freehol ter, came
forwardand delivered his sentiments at a considerable
length and with considerable ability. His manner
was not violent, bat his matter was extremely objection-
able. He moved such a petition as had been prepased
by him and carried at Norwich, and he certainly was
very roughly handled. Several successive amen Intents
were afterwards pre posed, and at length, at a late boar
in the evening, one of these amendments was agreed
to. It preceded the motion of Mr. Cobbett, and beca•he
the petition of the meeting. He lemented that
ou that day there bad not been more gentlemen pre-
sent who were favourable to the Administration, for if
there had, he was sure that petition would nut have been
carried. It now remained for him to say something
in favour of one part of the petition: he could assure
their Lordships that. in the part of the country where be
resided, the distress of the agriculturists was so great.
that no property could he sold, nor could the business of
agriculture be carried on st Rh any pro*pect of profit or
success. He hail no doubt but every thing would he
right by and by; but as thing- stood at present, the agii-
cultural interests could nut go on, unless that interest
were assisted by some efficient means or other. During
the war the farmers of England • flourished, an 1 they
were enabled to hear their share of the public burdens
atreekoot difficefly.• Theo lied all that Rine borne, and
were still obliged in bear the burden of ellofUlollll taxes,
which fell-almost exclusively on them. 041. of the prin-
cipal s eases of the present distress was the passing of that
Bill called Mr. Peel's Act. which, by making a great al-
teration in the currency of the country, lessened the
video of property beyond measure. Under the sanction
of Parliament men made their bargains and arrange-
ments ; and then Parliament passed a law which almost
reduced them to ruin. He knew a gentleman, whose
father bad left him a fine estate, in the expectation that,
as the eldest a• o, he would be better provided for than
any of the others; and in consequence of what he hail
to pay out of it as portions to the others, the estate was
worth notbing to hint. He a twitted that it was Ines'
essential to keep up the credit of the country; but at
the same time he must say that the public creditor ought
not to be the only person who should derive advantage
from the present state of things; and he wished to know
why the land in its present distressed state should be
obliged to bear the greatest share of the public burdens.
Those burdens sorely ought to be shared by the other
classes of the community. The burdens on land were
borne by the occupier; bat a miser, not possessing a
foot of land, and having 200,000/. in the funds, did not
contribu.c one farthing to the poor rates, hut the land-
owners and their tenants paid most enormously; and he
would put it to their Lordships, whether, consistently
with common justice, this great burden should fall ex-
clusively OH the landed interest? The Act of Elizabeth
stated, that the poor tax should be laid on every inhabit-
ant of the country, and the occupiers of laud and houses ;
and Lord Kenyon had said on one occasion, in the Court
of King's Bench, that the assessment on the poor rates
ought to be made in such a way that each inhabitant of the
country ought to be made to pay in proportion to his ahility
and hit property. But according to the present system,
a man whose whole property consisted in !limey might
evade the payment. But the poor rates were not the
only burdens which fell ultimo exclusively on land : it
was subject to all the expences attending the improve-
ment of ptisons ; and as the moneyed property of the
country was enormously increased, it ought to contri-
bute to this as sr ell as to other expenses. Having now
stated the facts of the petition in which he concurred,
and those from which he dissented, he should conclude
by I resenting it to their Lordships.
The petition was read by the Clerk. It purported to
have been agreed to on the J•h of January At a Con•tty
Meeting of the freeholders of Herefordshire, and besides
relief from agricultural distress, it prayed their Lordships
to enter into an examination of the distresses of the
country with a view to an a:just:tient of all contracts be-
tween detours and creditors, and the placing of all parties
on an equal footing a ith retard to the public burdens,—
The petition also recommended economy in the collection
of the Revenue, and a reduction of the Army to the
scale of 17112.—Ordered to lie on the table.
Lord SOMERS next presented a petition from the
traders of Hereford against the Insolvent l)ub•ors' Act.
The Earl of DARNLEY said, be felt it necessary to
make some remarks on what had just fallen from the
Noble lewd. He was sure that the sentiments which
Mr. ttohb.•tt hail been so snece•aful in bringing forward
at public meetings could never be acted upon in Parlia-
ment. With regard to petitions generally, witich prayed
merely for the rebel of the agricultural in.ccest, he hail
in tlie county to which he belonged always apposed au.
petitions, because be kratar it was taut iu the looser of
Parliament to give the relief that was called for. 'the
distresounfortunately existed to a very great degree, but
he saw no possibility of removing it iu any other way ex-
cept by an alteration of the currency. He sl►ould he
happy if all•kinds of property were made to I•ay their
fair proportion of the poor rates, but be was sute that
even a plan of this kind would afford only a small extent
of relief to agriculture. He also believed that the repeal
of Mr. Peel's Bill would remove the greater part of the
difficulties under which agriculture was *offering ; becans
then the cultivators of laud would be eaablzd to dispos:

~,..
- ~_ -