The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-01-23 00:00:00

" 7S• Coat At :tee MAIMS?, All is the Field. cod SY liNgy aid .s she Scqffold l"

• . :• .•
' trOUtINING.n..-De. WINN'S ANTI CAR-
isITJLso Zeittettl PAnfe
teessed rollr fiIiACK itUngusitirlaVXß,nd wa vrkleY
thy over all other Compositions Hitt bas beekollerad to Ike
Public; it has the wonderful stoat of retying lea few
seethes every description of Ladies' and Ginhemerte faded
Mourning, Biel Hats and Costs. Silk ifteabilffs, Cfoluf.
Lem, Silks, Muslin,. Cotton, Jean Boots. &a. whitest In-
juring the tester of the most dentate atilelle if offwwfes
Ate and arrow, will retain Its virtues In all ellanson. end
for any length of time. T. PRYCR, Oilmen,weirtheßriek-
layers' Arms. Kent-raid. Loaders, bags henget* assure per-
sists who constantly use the above *Mobster whoring Gen-
flonsen'a faded snits, that ha Is the sole possegeor of the
Receipt ;or preparing the invalnabla and jostly celebrator!
11OUILNINCII REVIVKB, and, as a proof of Its rare end
Itteelleat gadflies, begs to state, that he bah bed the moat
uttpreeedented demand for It during the last twenty years.—
May biked at tho proprietor's oil and ardour weevil...se;
haul senolessde et nutlet and Son's, Chosalats sod Orsastists,.
it 'awl -.4414 .11birapyo; YYO, Rosirsuntteit.
Plaie; Minsilmetwir; Si. Seckenwereet, ffelPfrer
*base. Random and Sees. 9.1. Fleet•Asottet. chemists
sirtgigte; Mr-Ititworsis St. Pastro Citureit.yardt
awe* niassn. sotoar-otakera. Leadan-rontl.•
.11Annttsisrk }and to be '10,0411 of • J. Prise, oilman.
23, Bridge-road, Lambeth; Mr. Stradflng, Royal agents/a;
Mr. Johnson's medicine warehouse, Combill; Mr. J. Ifeby,
oilman, Illackfriars'-road; Mr. Gregory, oilman. Grace- ,
church-wet-et; Mr. Melklrjonn, perfumer. Graceehureit-
street ; WWl**, oilman, Oxford-steset ; Mr. sterry, oil-
man, Borough; Mr. Winter, oilman, Mile Find-road ;
Mr. Garnett, oilman, Commercial-road; Mr. Miore, oil-
men, Shadivell ; and of Mr. Vaughan. oilman, Pratt-street.
Lambeth.—And in the country, of Mr. Peters. grocer,
Brighton; Mr. C. Smith, grocer. Canterbury •; Mfil. Ether-
ington. • bookseller, Chatham; Mr. Omar, stationer, Chat-
ham,; Mr. Franklin, chemist, Dartford; Mr. Pitts, druggist,
Fore-street, gieter • Mr. Squire. bookseller, Taunton; Mr.
Hinton, chemist, Dudley; Mr. Burman. draggle. Stratford-
on.-Avon ;. Mr. Atkins. Banbury ; Mr. Perkins, brush-
maker, Birmingham ; S. Wormy,. stationer. Deptford-
bridge; Wareup, steioner, Deptford neredway; Map And
,Tarr. Greenwich; CadJte, printer, Graveeend ;
stationer. Maidstone; W. Head, grocer, tab t Mr.
Moore, Seven talks; J. 11. Ar.lioson, chemist, Woolwich;
.irs. Clough. Stationer, Manchester ; Mr. Dash. bookseller,
Kettering ; Mrs. C. Dickenson, rrosa Cheeping, Coventry ;
11r. J. Neal., the Hie. Dover ; Mwsses. Stevenson and Co.
Norwich : of Mr. Prid,reon, druggist, Lynn r. and by all the
principal oilmen, chemists, drat:Oats, and stationers in
'l'awn and Country, price one shilling per bottle or packet.
None are genuine but those signed "T. Pryer, Kent-road,
London."

SOMERSET COUNTY MEETING.

AGRICELTURAL DISTRESS.

A meeting of the iiehabiteets of the county of Somer-
set was held in the town of Well*, pa Tuesday, the 41st
last, to take into consideration the propriety of petition-
ing Parliament on the subject of the existing unparal-
leled agricultural distress. Sir Thomas Lethbridge,
Mr. Dickinson, and a number of considerable persons
were present. Mr. Hunt, who bad previously addressed
a letter to the inhabitants of the county, arrived in a
post chaise about eleven o'clock ; and soon aftev twelve,
about four theeteard persons being neseu.ltleil in front of
mute b.tldiairs wettest hafateecikenTsseie-Heetl..-
Thn Hsatt-Sttsitreti Vincent 'Stookey. ItaapYrapeCasei
the business of the meeting.
The requisition was first rend. It was signed by .Str
Thomas Lethbridge, and thirty gentlemen acting se
MaTistrates for Somerset.
The Mon SIIERITV then addressed a few words to the
assembly upon the propriety of their confining them-
selves a' strictly as possible to the subject of agricultural
distress; time would be saved, and unanimity promoted
by their so doing.
Mr. FUNNING said, that baring signed the reqnisition
he should take the liberty, for a few momenta, to state
the reasons which bad induced him to take the opiviOn
of the county upon the subject in question. Agricultural
distress bad reached such a height, that it now became
impossible for any man to be blind to it. Therefore it
was that he (Mr. Ilanning) now appeared as an English-
man, exercising his right as a subject and as a freehold-,I
er, to present a petition to the Commons Hoese of Par-
liament, praying relief for the suffering tenantry of the
country. He should in due time read to the meeting a'
petition which he had prepared. If it met with their
approbation, as be trusted it would do, he could not
doubt of its reception by the Legislature, seeing that it
came from a county still so great and so respectable, and
once so opulent, as the county of Somerset. Let the'
principles on which he was proceeding be fully under-
stood. He did not ask for protecting duties, for high
prices, or for high rents; all he asked was, that even-
handed justice should be dealt under all circumstances,
to all classes of the community. The distress was grow-
ing so severe, that, if it were not speedily averted, that
numerous, iniinstriods, and valuable body of men, the
tenantry of England, must absolutely bc annihilated by it.
It was the tight of an Englishman to petition when he
was unjustly taxed, and the landed int was unjest-
ly taxed. There were Twig points of pressure which
he could name if ha thought tit; there were two or
three which he would name, on which the pressure was
most grievous. In the first place, in the name of the
landholders generally, be complained of that impost
I commonly called the " county rate'. The county rate
for Somerset bad increased within his recollection from
the sons of 30001. to the sum of 20,0001. a year. Hoe
was this money expended ? First, in the maintainaggg
of county buildings ; next, in the support of the con*
gaol. Were the landholders the only persons Interested
in these works? And the thing lei ea further; thi
landholders actually paid for the protection generally or
property throughout the county, for all the charges of
criminal prosecutions were defrayed out of the county
rate. The burden, as it stood, was a grievance peculiar
to England; it was unknown, he believed, in any other
part of the globe;' even Sontlaml and Ireland, our own
dominions, were not visited by it. • The next point to
which he would advert, was the maintainance of the
highways; that work, which henetitted all el
the people, was paid for, like the prisons and prosecn-
, lions, exclusively by the land. Even the Post Office,
whielt obt 4ined its large revenue out of the roads, ran.
Vilmted nothing at all towards their support.- A third'
end more weighty consideration appeared in the state
of the poor Laws. •at the present moment. tied forbid
that be .loield be thought to deny the pour every We-
qd ..e relief. When the force of the labourer's arm was
race, he was entitled to a maintainauee in his latter
days ; bit what reason was there that the cost of that
very proper maintainanre should he cast elmoa entire.
upon the ;ended interest ? Let the paupers he main-
tained—let the saute persons keep them in their age
aliditaribeisetliteti hy their exertions in their youth.
Cheers. •Tbirlewas one more point on which lie would
'shortly trouble the meeting, ani that Was upon the
emelt agitated qrsestion of tithes (tireat applause.)—
It was far from his intention to deny the Clergy their
dew, bit why should they he paid by the, landed interest
-entinilyq Whyahould they be supported by one class
only. wisen all classes alike enjoyed the benefit of their
labours? There were ahurl.stkee of other saes, Heaven,
I.news sufficiently grievous ; bat he would not detain

eheiteeeing upon those which pressed all el goal-
!rm. recollected well when the taxation of the soontry
bad scar exceeded a fourth of its present amour's.—
Us eft it at 13,000,000 a year—and it had
since stood* nigh as 60,000,0001. Could it be expect-
ed that old* existing low prices, high taxes should be
paid? If there was a single shilling taken from the
peeketa sr( the people, which was not properly applied
by Goverment, the imposition of that shilling was an-
just and ought to be got rid of. (General approbation)—
Mr. Hasalng then declared. that (however he demaud-
ed strict eteponay) he would submit cheerfully to every
tax that was essential to the safety of the state, and con
cheled.by reading the petition in which his sentiments
were embodied. The Petition was to the following
effect

' • To ila
dos of Of

nnarahle the Commons of the United King-
Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assem•

bas4l. ♦,

politico of ttio rreoboidetrillOtAgtior ittbahit;
ay of Somerset. with bole leave to topmost I
'oat.. that the distress nailer which the agri-

adistrel Inte—rest of the empire has laboured since the termi-
nation of the war, has latterly increased to a degree so
alerw.ing, SA to threaten annihilating to that most respect-
able alum gip e community. And your petitioners lament
that they as* °bagel' to state, that the measures already
adopted by your Hon. (louse appear totally Inadequate to
afferd the necessary relief.

" Your petitioners therefore pray, that your Honourable
House will take their case into your immediate and most se-
rious consideration. That you will he pleased to lighten
those burdens which more immediately press upon the occu-
piers of land; and in order to erect this without Injury to
public credit, that you will he pleased to order such a re.
duetion in oar eatablishments, both civil and military. as
will hriug the expenditure of the country within its reduced
Income.
" Your petitioners beg also to press upon the,considera-
tioa of your Honourable House, the extreme injustice of the
poor-laws. the burden of which, with. few exceptions, falls
on those interested in the land alone: to these your *Mi-
lliners beg leave to add the other parochial and comity
rates, the latter almost exclwthely used for the protection
of person"! property, when applied to defray the expense of
maintaining the gaols, and the administration of the criini-
nal justice of the kingdom. Your petitioners, in addition,
eannot refrain froin stating their opinion, that a commute-
Coo of tithes upon a fair principle would be a source of
happiness to the country at large; and a great relief to the
lauded interest in par:icular. Your petitioners cannot con-
clude their bumble petition without big your Honour-
able House, that all they pray and ask for is, to he placed in
every respect on en equal footing with other el of his
Majesty's subjects, and that in justice they should only be
eoinpelleil to contribute to the maintenance of the poor, to
thoexpense of the administration of the criminal justice of
the country. ens! to the support of oar establislimeot in
church and state, in the same proportion as Is required from
their fellow subjects, and for this, the birthright of every
Englishman, they will ever pray." (Cries of " Reform,Re-
form" at the conclusion of the petition.)
Mr. R. ASUTOR SANDTORD (a magistrate of the
county) next Cause forward. lie was distressed beyond
measure, looking at the meeting, to see so large a body
of English yeomen petitioning the legi,dature to save
, them from pattperism.—(Cheers.) 1V1,4t could men
kijoisisessis‘soold the world think—of a Government

ask ed the gonntry to atuels a state?—(Loud
cheers. a supported the petition of his friend, Mr.
Harming, because it prayed for a reduction in our over
grown establishments, both civil anti military. The ex-
pense of the existingvivil establishments was greater
than the people could, or ought to bear. What did
England want with an Ambassador in America, receiv-
ing a larger stipend than the President of the United
States himself? Was it to be endured that we should
sow be paying public 'officers the same salaries whirls
we had paid to them when wheat was a guinea a bushel?
In the time of high prices, the salaries of Government
officers had been increased one half;—who, since the
return to low prices, had yet moved to reduce them
again ?—(Alucli cheering.) With regard to our military
establishments, they hail necessarily increased during
the war. He did not desire to see 'withers deserted who
hail bravely fought the battles of the nation ; but he
wished to see military places filled up with old soldiers,
and not given to men who had never seen a shot fired in
their lives. Upon the county rates, it was really worth
"while to trouble the meeting for a moment. In the year
1768, the county rates of Somerset bad been 8001. a year.
I. the year ISIS, they had stood increased to 21,5001.—
am increase of 21,0001, upon 8001. in only 50 years.—
(Cheers.) As the matter stood, if a London traveller
happened to he robbed in the county of Somerset, the
county which had no interest whatever in the sufferer,
paid the expense of his prosecuting the offender to con-
viction. With respect to the last article in Mr.Hanning's
petition—the question of tithes—who was there that
could doubt that commutation was necessary? (Great
applause, anti cries of " No one"). He would come, then
for,on so cold a day,the less that was said the better—be
would come to a subject which some might think ought
to have been touched upon sooner—the subject he
meant, of Parliamentary reform. (Shouts from the
mul-
titude.) That subject, gentlemen, might rest assured,
would have been earlier adverted to, hut that it was in-
tended to call a meeting specially for the purpose of
discussing it. A requisition most respectably signed.
had that tuornipg been presented to the High Sheriff
to call a meeting for a reform in Parliament only ; anti
Ire hoped that the High Sheriff would act upon that re-
quisition without delay. If it so happened that
the High Sheriff did decline to call the meeting,
the Lord Lieutenant of the county would be applied
to ; and it the application in that second quarter proved
ineffective, the magistrates who had signet! the requisi-
tion would call the meeting themselves. When the meet-
ing took place, he (Mr. Sandford) trusted to see such a
petition framed as would do honour to the county of
Somerset : that the meeting should take place, and
speedily. he pledged his honour as a man and an Eng-
lishman.

The HIGH SHERIF, was about to put the question
upon Mr. Hanning's petition, when
Mr. HUNT, amid loud cheer., came forward to move
an amendment. " Those,, ' said Mr. Hunt, " who did
we the honour to meet me in %Yells 12 years since, will
give me credit for assenting fully to what has fallen
from the two last speakers, for the same statements pre.
eisely whirl, those gentlemen have just made I suurutt-
ted to you on thlt occasion-1 repeat, 12 years sooner.
—(Cheers anJ laughter.)—Toe last speaker (Mr. Sand.
ford) feels itteignant that there should he a necessity
for this meeting : 1 nut tell you before Mr. Sand-
lotl was born—did I not forewarn yau of thaj which
would happen ? —(.:titers )—1 have been telling you for
years, that is, such of you es would listen to me, what
tuns, come to pass if the Government persevered. 1 told
you that the gioiry of an iniquitous war, pretty glory,
gentl.tisen! You find it ill your ptirkets 1 doubt—(A
laugh) —or rather, you might have found it there some
time back ; 1 toll you that this " glory" would bring
us Ti) the state we stand in. 1 have listened with great
pleasure to Mr. Itenning's peados,. There is little in
it to which I object, or to which yon will object ; bht
the fault of it is, that it does'not go far enough. If that
petition had been cacved in the year 1810, if would h.rve

ctot .
•% `qtr" -
)
, f4,17,.Auf , .•

PRICE SEVEN PEN(

been sufficient ; bat now, in the year 1823, it will not
do. We must go, I say, to the root of the evil. We are
met to talk of oar grievances, and to advise upon a re-
medy for them. Mr. Sandford talks well about a meet
ng to be called for Parliamentary Reform. (leadsmen.
before that meeting takes place, a hundred mere of you
will be upon the parish.-(Great cheers.) I wish to ex-
press myself without offence to any tone. I have gained
a great deal, that at last I can be heard ; for I remember
when, if I had touched the lightest doctrine handled
this ay. the whole body of the church would bare been
assembled to hoot the down.—(Laughter.)—l take it ite
a great victory that lam listened to. If I propose any
thing absurd, or state any thing untrue to the meeting.
there are gentlemen enough present both able and wit- •
hog to set both me and the meeting tight ; bat I hope
that I shall not advise you, gentlemen, to do any thing
which is unreasonable, or any thin which you
will be ashamed to , look back upon when yea
-get bars. !taco.` I - confetti," 11 was surprised
to -bear Mr. Henning complaining—of all thing.
in the world—of the county rate. How happens it. so
many times as he bas met you here. that Mr. Manning
sever thought of this grievance before? Mr. Manning
said truly enough that the tax was an unjust one ; bat
let it be remembered that the tax Is imposed by the ma-
gistrates themselves (Mr. Manning being one.) Properly
administered, it is as fair a tax assay other tits upon the
list. You must have roads to carry your corn to mar-
ket. anal your manure into the field—ethte road is no
grievance, but there is a heavy grievance in the turn-
pike, with which these gentlemen magistrates check you
on the :oad. Has it come to your knowledge—or to
your pockets—that the general turnpike act, passed last
session by Parliament, enables the commissioners to itn—
poss a Heavier tax upon the poor man's cart. that: upot
the petty tyrant, the magistrate's carriage ? —Cheere)—
Where were your representatives, as they are calleu-
Mr. Dickinson and Sir Thomas Lethbridge—where are
they, I wish to know when this act passed into a law
Where, I say, were those relievers of Agricultural dis-
tress?—Were they in the Louse, or were they not ?
Let them take it which way they will. If they were in
the house, and did not oppose the measure, then they be.
ti eyed their trust: if they were not in the house, why
then they neglected their dety.—(Cheers anal meal
laughter.)-1 do not speak behind the backs of these
gentlemen : they are present to answer for themselves.
(Cries of " Let them answer.)" But lam compelled
wh I look, to complain of delay. Mr. Sandford,
as well as Mr. Manning, talks of the county rates. In
176S.they were 8001. a year ; in 1818. they were 21,8001.
Why did not the people hear of this in ISIS?
Mr. SANDFORD said that he was not in the commis-
sion in NIS.

Mr. Ilurcr.—Then from that crime Mr. Sandford
stands absolved. (Laughter.) But perhaps one of
the magistrates ptesent can tell what became of 26,41001.
levied for county rates in the year 1818 ? 241,0001. only
was expended ; what became of the other 5,0001. ?
(Cries of Explain.") Mr. Henning talks of Scotland
and Ireland not being unjustly taxed ; did Mr. Henning
never bear of the misery, of the famine, to which Ire-
land was reduced by nowt taxation ; and especially by
that heaviest tax of all others—the caw of a corrupt
and peolligatdoesagietesey ? (Gleenee4- "
Mr. Itaxise.-1 meant merely that Ireland was not
subjected to *county rate.
Mr. Humr.—No; hut to a hundred evils incompara-
bly greater. I agree with Mr. Henning, in thinking
'that those who make poor ought up toe certain point,
to in.iintaio them. But lam far from thinking our poor
laws unequal or unjust ; and I am sure that those poor
laws could not Ire repealed, without the country being
placed in a situation in which no honest man would
wish to see it placed. Mr. Banning says that lbw,
who create the poor ought to keep them. I an-
swer, that there are two sorts of poor—the great poor
and the little poor. Lord Grenville Lord Arden, your
men with pensions or sinecures of 40,0001. or 50,0001. a
year—these are the paupers who impoverish the labourer,
hang ups. his gains, and live in idleness by the sweat of
his brow. (Great cheering.) In 1811, Lord Camden
had 35,0001. a year, for signing his name 4ow and then
as a Teller of the Exchequer. The fact was blazoned.
A meeting at Bath was got up on the subject. Twenty
four thousand into signed a petition against the abuse.
Two days betore the petition was to have been presented
to the House of Commons, Lord Camden comedown and
resigned his sinecure.
A person from the crowd.—Lord Camden is as honor-
able a man as ever lived.

Mr. will give him credit for being so ; and
I will nevertheless take some little credit to myself for: •
his having given up his office. Mr. Banning, gentle—
men, tells you, that he /only wants justice—just and.
equal taxation. That is all you want. It is all I want.
I only demand, as regards equality, equality of taxation,•
not equality of property ; that old hinnbag is exploded,
and even the knaves who live upon the taxes dare hardly
accuse me of wishing for it ; though, if I did wish for
it, I might perhaps have a chance to be gratified, for
the great landowners are not quite in a condition to be
envied,—their estates, gentlemen, might almost as well
be in the moon, for what they get by them. (Laughter.)
I sum here, after two) ears and a half imprisonment fur
speaking my mind, ready, not withstantliftg, to speak my
mind again. I will endeavour to do it lib a gentleman;
hut still I will speak out plainly. Your representative,
Sir Tuomas Lettsbridge—no doubt in private life he is
a very honnurble man ; hut, in his public career, i stand
here to tell him to his face, that he has voted for every
tax of which the meetingto-day will c
Sir TnostAs LETIInILIDGE.-1 think that won't do.

Mr. liesT.—Sir Thomas will be heard in his torn
His lungs are as Food as loins, unit lie has as much .)
the modest assurance, as the people call it. (Laughter.)
I say he has voted for taxes through thick and thin.
(Cries of No, no.") I say he has. I have as couch
confidence as most men, and ant not ashamed to stela
here to utter any thing that is true ; hot I declare that,
if I hail voted for the taxes as Sir Thomas Lethbridge
has, I should not have had the impudence to face the
people of Simiersetshire. I complatn heavily of both
the representatives of this county. The one has voted
for every tax st hich you are now complaining of ; amt
the other did the same while hie fa.-tion. the Whir.
were in power. (Cheers.) lie voted to make corn
dear; he v.iteil to raise the salaries of the Royal family
front 12,0001. to IS.OOO. a year. That might not be
wrong when things were in a nourishing state, awl
prices high ; hut who, in the changed state of aff.;rs,
has moved to reduce those salaries again ? When the
Dukes of Porte unit Clarence first got 18.0001.
year, 4,000 sacks of wheat would pay the 'moon';
but now 214:1410 sails will hardly pay it. (Cheers.)
i.4i'hy have not these things been notieeil in the house?
Sir Thomas Lethbridge is a (firm: of 6ovvrorneut. and
he, perhaps, may nut like to notice thein: but Mr. Dick-
! iminn is on the other side, why has not he dont, it? It
is not that lie has got wait/ lilt *for himself, is it ? lie is
not a wolf in sheep's clothing, sitting with the oppoiis
.
n ami voting with ministers? I know a man 49,
a: plied to Mr. Dickinson to get his son into the Egasit: