The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-05-13 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COM MONS—MoNDAT.

The SPEAKER was summoned to attend the House
of Lords to hear the Royal Assent given by Com-
mission to certain Bills; for which see the Lords Report.
Mr. 'Purvey laid certain papers on the table frun► the
Secretary's office in Ireland.

AGRICULTURAT. DISTRESS.
Mr. LUTTRELL presented a petition from the inha-
bitants of Minehead, against the duty on coals carried
coast-wise.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. JERVlS.presented a petition from the co•inty of
Hants, complaining of Agricultural Distress, and pray-
ing forrelief.
Sir T. BARING bore testimony to the respectability
of the Meeting, and commented upon the conduct of the
Sheriff in refosing t., call a Meeting.
. _

Mr. CURWEN said Vila where there was a strong popu-
lar feeling upon any question, it was the bounden duty of
the Sheriff to give the people art opportunity of expressing
it. No temporary improvement in the fact of agricultural
produre s iould induce the country to give up petitioning
for redress. The agriculturist could not be satisfied, as long
as the fundholder was exempted from contributing his share
to Poors' Rates.
Mr. RICARDO said that it would be necessary to review
the Corn Laws before any steady price could be effected in
agricultural produce. lie thought it would be a great in-
justice to make the fundholder now pay that which was not
contemplated at the time the contract was made. If it were
then known that the fundholder would have been liable to
these charges, Government would not have obtained• the
loans upon such favourable terms.
Mr. 0. BENS RT said he could not ngree with those who
thought there was any thing satisfactory in the present state
of the agricultural interest. Low prices were in his opinion
attributable. not as some had supposed to a glut, but to the
alteration which had taken place in the currency. It was
imputed to them that they wished to defraud the public cre-
ditor; the imputation lay rather upon those who by main-
taining a contrary system defrauded the debtor.
Pole. MONCK thought the greatest grievance of the coun-
try was excessive taxation. He could not agree %%Ha the
petitioners, that Church property ought to be applied to na-
tional relief.
Mr. PHILLIPS said there could be no effectual ;viler, bat
from a reduction of taxation. *_ .

_ .
Mr: WM ITNIORE said he was anxious to impress upon
the House and the country, that no permanent advantage
could be derived from high prices, because he was sati,fied
that if they rose they would rise only to fall again. lie re.
commended most strongly a resiew of the Corn Laws.
Sir T. LETIIBRIDtiE said it was originally the inten-
tion of the Legislature, that the Poor Rates should be borne
by all descriptions of property. All property should he
subject to the local as well as the general burden of the
country. The great objection to our system of taxation,
was not so much to the amount as the Unjust end unequitl
manner in which it was levied. It was quite impossible to
remove the distress without a total revision of our whole
system of taxation.
.The Petition was then read, and it prayed, amoneother
things, that the Church ■nd Crown Lands might be dis-
posed of, and the produce applied to the relief of distress.
Mr. F. PALMER deprecated the conduct of the Sheriff in
baring refused to call the meeting.
Lord PALMERSTON stated that the Sheriff was influ-
enced solely by whit he considered to he his duty.
The Petition was ordered to lie on the 'table, and to be
printed.
Mr. JERVIS presented a petition from the Inhabitants of
Alton against the duty on coals.—Laid on the table.