countries-millions for the build- our duty; we have thrown over for the common safety our share of the cargo, almost to out very ruin. The Stockholder must act in the same manner, or he must of neces tainly remain till it pleases the Great Author of all things to take them to himself.--The stocks being a mortal creation, must of necessity carry with them the seeds of their own dissolution. There can be no reason why the Stockholder should not contribute to the support of the National Clergy, for they have souls to be saved as well as the ing of churches-millions at various times for the relief of commerce and manufactures; but not one shilling had ever been given or lent to the Agriculturist. No small sity participate in the same ruin. part of our distresses is to be as- The Landowner, however, has his ́cribed to the oppressive and grind-comfort; that his acres must cering, taxation with which we are burdened. How this is to be endured and sustained, I cannot imagine; for 15 millions each quarter (a sum not exceeding our whole circulation) were taken from our pockets and carried into the Treasury. Taxes we cannot get rid of, and this evil must be endured; but even this grievance admits of some palliation. A strict and rigid eco-landowners. There can be no reanomy pervading every department of the State, and which would not content itself with cheese parings and candle ends, would be highly beneficial to us; an economy which should extend itself to great as well as small places, which should not content itself with the catch of small fry, but strike at the great Leviathans; much more might be done for our benefit by a tax under the name of a Property Tax, on the Public Funds. This would be no novelty; for this we have, a precedent. The land-owner and stock-holder are like merchants embarked in a crazy ship and troubled sea; the storms have arisen-it has become necessary for each to throw over a portion of the cargo to lighten the ship. We (the Landowners) have done son why they should not contribute? to the support of the poor, for they make paupers as well as the landowners. The national clergy and pauperism bring me to the consideration of an ample topic of grievance the state of the laws relative to the poor and tithes. In this country the poor are a greater burden perhaps than in any other, and whether it would be politic to make a large class of property subject to the poor rates, as contemplated by the 43d of Queen Eliza! beth, which has not yet been done, it is difficult to say. The best remedy would probably be, to increase the wages of the poor, to better their condition, and to reder them independent of the Overseers; for there is too much reason to think that pauperism would bè always co-equal to any quantity of likely to be of use relative to the property that might be subject to great subject which has brought its influence. I shall say but little you together to-day.—I am decidon the subject of tithes, for it is a edly of opinion, Gentlemen, that a subject of great delicacy, though Corn Bill of no description, no productive of great evil. I make matter what its principles or prono allusion to the clergy, for I visions, can do either tenant or sincerely think that upon most oc- landlord any good; and I am not casions they are more moderate in less decidedly of opinion, that their demands than the lay impro-though prices are now low, they priators, of which I myself am one. [must, all the present train of public But I am convinced that a revision measures continuing, be yet lower, of the laws which relate to tithes and continue lower upon an avemight add to the respectability of rage of years and of scasons.-As the clergy, to the contentment of to a Corn Bill; a law to prohibit the laity, and the general benefit of or check the importation of human the cause of religion. food is a perfect novelty in our history, and ought, therefore, independent of the reason, and the re MR. COBBETT Gentlemen, nothing was ever to me more percent experience of the case, to be received and entertained with great suspicion. Heretofore premiums have been given for the exporta fectly unexpected than this honour, which, whether I consider the occasion itself, the persons by whom the honour is conferred, the circum-tion, and at other times, for the stance of the gentleman who has importation, of corn; but, of laws given the toast being wholly un- to prevent the importation of huknown to me, and never having been, man food our ancestors knew noto my knowledge, seen by me before; thing. And, what says recent exor whether I consider the manner in perience? When the present Corn which the proposition was made Bill was passed, I, then a farmer, and has been received; whatever unable to get my brother farmers view I take of the circumstances, to join me, petitioned singly against the thing is calculated to give me this Bill; and I stated to my brothe greatest satisfaction.-Upon ther farmers, that such a Bill could occasions like this, Gentlemen, it do us no good, while it would not is usual to go somewhat beyond fail to excite against us the ill-will the mere returning of thanks, which of the other classes of the commuhaving returned mast sincerely, 1nity; a thought by no means pleawill now, taking up as little of your sant. Thus has it been. The distime as possible, offer you a re-tress of agriculture was considermark or two that appear to me able in magnitude then; but what high premiums were given, paid out of the taxes, partly raised upon English farmers, to induce men to import corn. All this seems to be forgotten as much as if it had never taken place; and now the distress is it now? And yet the Bill was the converse of what those Gentlepassed; that Bill which was to remen aim at, that is to say, that the munerate and protect is still in holders cannot afford to sell it at force; the farmers got what they present prices; for, if they could prayed to have granted them; and gain but ever so little by the sale, their distress, with a short interval would they keep it wasting and of tardy pace, has proceeded ra- costing money in warehouse? There pidly increasing from that day to appears with some persons to be a this. What, in the way of Corn notion, that the importation of corn Bill, can you have, Gentlemen, be- is a new thing. They seem to foryond absolute prohibition? And, get, that, during the last war, when have you not, since about April agriculture was so prosperous, the 1819, had absolute prohibition? ports were always open; ́that prodiSince that time no corn has been gious quantities of corn were imimported, and then only thirty mil-ported during the war; that, so far lions of bushels, which, supposing from importation being prohibited, it all to have been wheat, was a quantity much too insignificant to produce any sensible depression in the price of the immense quantity of corn raised in this kingdom since the last bushel was imported. If your produce had fallen in this of the English farmer is imputed manner, if your prices had come to a cause which was never before down very low, immediately after an object of his attention, and a the importation had taken place, desire is expressed to put an end there might have been some colour to a branch of commerce which the of reason to impute the fall to the nation has always freely carried on. importation; but it so happens, I think, Gentlemen, that here are and as if for the express purpose reasons quite sufficient to make of contradicting the crude notions any man but Mr. Webb Hall slow of Mr. Webb Hall, that your pro- to impute the present distress to duce has fallen in price at a greater the importation of corn; but, at rate, in proportion as time has any rate, what can you have beremoved you from the point of im-yond absolute efficient prohibition? portation; and, as to the circum- No law, no duty, however high; stance, so ostentatiously put for-nothing that the Parliament can ward by Mr. Hall and others, that do can go beyond this; and this there is still some of the imported you now have, in effect, as comcorn unsold, what does it prove but pletely as if this were the only country beneath the sky. For these | it was necessary to return to cashreasons, Gentlemen, (and to state payments is certain; the nation more would be a waste of your could never be safe without it; for, time and an affront to your under- it is clear that assignats the paper standings,) I am convinced, that, must have become in the end. But, in the way of Corn Bill, it is im- ought an Act like the Bill of Mr. possible for the Parliament to af- Peel to have been passed without ford you any, even the smallest, any concomitant measure or proportion of relief. As to the other vision? Was it not evident, that point, Gentlemen, the tendency it must ruin all mortgagers, all` which the present measures and course of things have to carry prices lower, and considerably lower than they now are, and to keep them for a permanency at that low rate, this is a matter worthy of the serious attention of all connected with the land, and particularly of that of the renting farmer. During the war no importations distressed the farmer. It was not till peace came that the cry of distress was heard. But, during the war, there was a boundless issue of paper money. Those issues were instantly narrowed by the peace, the law being, that the Bank should pay in cash six months after the peace should take place. This was the cause of that distress which led to the present Corn Bill. The disease occasioned by the preparations for cash-payments has been brought to a crisis by Mr. Peel's Bill, which has, in effect, doubled, if not tripled the real amount of the taxes, and violated all contracts for time; given triple gains to every lender, and placed every borrower in jeopardy. That persons bound by lease, and finally every landholder? So sensible was I of these effects, that, upon the first hearing of the intention to return to cash-payments, in 1818, though I was then abroad, I seut a petition to the House of Commons, confided to Lord Folkestone, who refused to present it, alleging that it was too long; an excuse, seeing that his Lordship is an honest man, arising, most likely, from his conviction that it would not be attended to. In that petition I prayed, that the standing army should be greatly reduced; that all salaries, pensions and pay issuing out of public money, should be reduced; that the public debt should be reduced; and that all mortgages, rent-charges, leases and other contracts for time, should be revised and rectified on the basis of, and in proportion to, the rise in the value of money: I saw clearly all the consequences of resuming cash payments without these concomitant measures, and I wished, as I had a right to wish, that these opinions of mine should be placed on record in the books of | be cold comfort; for it would ruin the Parliament. I now hear people all men now bound by mortgage enough to call for a reduction of or lease, and would quickly transthe interest of the debt; but, Gen-fer the land to the public lender. tlemen, will it ever be borne, that But, this hope, held out by the this reduction shall take place Committee, even this has, in my while the standing army, wholly opinion, no foundation in reason. unnecessary, shall be kept on foot? It seems, at the first blush, plauWhile such enormous pensions, sible enough, that, when cash payand while those high salaries, of ments shall be completely resumed, which I was glad to hear the prices will, upon an average of Honourable Gentleman now in the seasons, come to, and remain at, Chair complain to-day; while these the mark at which they were at shall remain unreduced, will it be the time when cash-payments were borne, that a reduction shall take stopped. But, Gentlemen, pray place of the interest of the debt? bear in mind, that the issue of But, to come closer to the point, paper money had been excessive which I have in view, and which long before the Bank stopped; bear to you, appears to me to be most in mind that the paper had until deeply and immediately interest- then been wholly unsuspected; ing, my opinion is, that prices will bear in mind that the stoppage continue to fall, until, upon an only discovered and declared the average of seasons, they come to insolvency which had long before that state of which wheat at three been existing, not insolvency in the shillings a bushel may be deemed Bank as a Company of Merchants, the standard: my reasons for which but the insolvency of the paper as belief are these-The Committee, compared with the coin. Hence the in that Report, which the Honour- talk about sending frigates to the able Member for the County, who Continent for gold was nonsense. now does us the honour to preside There was an excess of paper then here, has, this day, so justly cha-out, and long had been out. If the racterized, endeavour to cheer the dreadful expedient of making Bank tenants and landlords, and par- notes a legal tender, had not been. ticularly the latter, by a statement resorted to, prices must have gone from which they draw the conclu- back then to wheat at three shillings sion, that prices will rally, or, at a bushel, and I can find nothing to least, that they will not go back convince me that they will not go further than their rate immediately back to that mark now. The five previous to the stoppage of cash pound notes that were issued not payments. This, God knows, would many years before the stoppage of |