absolutely necessary to give us done more for Reform than thoueven a chance of putting an end to sands put together. He shed those evils which that Parliament torrents of light on England; yet itself must necessarily deplore.- no man was more grossly vilified. Gentlemen, I had before to thank The hireling press constantly cayou for the honour you had done lumniated him; but there he was, me in drinking my health: I have after all, amongst them, hale and now to express my gratitude for hearty. He (the Chairman) did the kindness which has allowed me not hope that Mr. C. might live for to consume so much of your time. a thousand years; but he hoped he would live to see established a thorough Reform of Parliamenta radical, rational Reform. (Applause.)---He wished to see corruption cut up root and branch---and, feeling these sentiments strongly, made him admire the more the Gentleman whose name he had announced to them. AGRICULTURAL MEETING ple," The health was drunk amidst the greatest applause. On Tuesday a public Dinner, at which nearly two hundred persons sat down together, was held at King's Lynn, on the subject of Mr. COBBETT then got on the Agricultural Distress. Mr. Cob-table. He assured the Meeting that bett attended in consequence of a it was not to set himself off that he special invitation. The following sought that elevated position, but toasts were drunk;-"The King," to prevent any disappointment tak"The Sovereignty of the Pea-ing place, so far as he could pre"The Memory of Caroline vent it; but which, after all, he of Brunswick, the illustrious and was afraid must partially be the injured Queen of England,”- case. He offered his sincere thanks Prosperity to the Agricultural to the Meeting for the honour they Interest of the County of Norfolk." had just done him. It was a reward for past services, which he looked upon as ten thousand times more valuable than all the money or honours that could be bestowed by Kings or Ministers, or any body else. (Applause.) In passing through the town of Ely to King's Lynn, the day before, he happened to put 66 The Chairman (Mr. AYR) proposed the "health of Mr. Cobbett." In introducing Mr. Cobbett's name, he said he felt it necessary to state that, however much he admired him as a sound political writer, he regarded him still more highly as the friend of Reform. Mr. C. had his head out of the window of the nected with Agricultural Distress, singular as it may seem, is this very subject that I now speak of-the flogging of the Local Militia. The consequence of my expressing the indignation which I felt, was a two myself from the society of these felons only at the expense of 2000l. of hard money. There was then to be paid, on my coming out of prison, the fine of 1000l. to the King; bail for seven years, which expired in 1819, not only that I should not write libels, but that I should not commit even a common assault, to keep good behaviour, at the peril, myself of 3000l. and two sureties in 2000. But 1 have out-lived the seven years, and perhaps you are of opinion that I may live for one or two more. During that seven years coach just as it drew up there, and inquired of the coachman the name of the town. He was told it was Ely, and he thought that he would look at the spot where the Local Militia were once flogged. years' imprisonment in the felons' (Applause.) What a crowd of re-gaol in Newgate; and I ransomed flections pressed upon his mind at the moment! "It is now exactly twelve years," continued Mr. C. “since I underwent a prosecution, and for what? For nothing injurious to the King or to the Govern-in addition to which I was held to ment---for nothing that tended to throw odium upon any thing that was good or praiseworthy---not for shaking the foundation of any of our institutions---in short, for no crime except that of expressing aloud the indignation which I felt at the Local Militia being flogged under the guard of German-bayonets. (Applause.) Bear in mind that I have kept up the publica-I did keep my good behaviour. tion of my Register for twenty The Minister confessed in Parliayears successively, and not a ment, that he showed all my publiweek of that period has elapsed cations to the Law Officers of the without my putting forward my Crown, and he was sorry to say opinion upon some matter of poli- there was nothing in then which tics. I leave you to judge then how would justify them in instituting a harmless that man must be, in prosecution against me for libel. whose writings, for a long unbroken Now, Gentlemen, bear in mind, it term of twenty years, no other fault was during my imprisonment in could be found out by the prying Newgate that I set myself to work eyes of the Minister except this upon that system which is now one; and this too, the expressing working so upon you. It was there of indignation at that which, if I that I traced the origin and the was not indignant at, I should be consequences of that system, which unworthy the name, not only of is now bringing to beggary so many Englishman, but of man. Con- families. It is that work, Paper that against Gold, of which I shall ever | but I shall see the day when these be proud. It was not two, or three, shackles shall burst asunder---when or four years ago, when the effects my base calumniators shall be coof the system were so manifest, vered with confusion and shame, that nobody could misunderstand and I shall be hailed unanimouswhence they sprung-but it was 13 ly even by those who are my preyears ago since I wrote that book, sent enemies---not, indeed, as in which every thing that is now the saviour of my country, for I happening was most clearly anti- do not pretend to such merit, but cipated. These were the thoughts as a man who foresaw the danger that arose out of my unexpected that was coming, and who, if his visit to the scene of the Local Mi- advice had been followed, would litia flogging, and that too in my have prevented that danger from way to a place where I am receiv- falling on the nation. (Applause.)--ing a reward for all these persecu- There are two topics on which I tions, ten thousand times more va- wished to address you; but before luable than all that is in the power I proceed to these, I must observe of Kings to bestow. Gentlemen, I on the total discomfiture of the say again, as I said at the dinner nonsense of Webb Hall and his which was given to me in London, associates. It is the greatest thing on my arrival from America, that in that this country could do for its order to obtain honest fame, it is ne- own honour to put an end to this cessary to suffer. There is no emi- piece of absurdity. The people nence, no laudable distinctions, to saw rightly enough the nonsense be got at, except by toil, and trou- of the proceedings of these men, ble, and pain. The path of fame but let me make a remark on their is not a level path---such, for in- omissions. Webb Hall, with his stance, as you have here between associates, were employed in Hen your fens---but steep and rugged, derson's Hotel in devising means and difficult of access, like the for preventing thirty millions of mountainous roads of Wales. Dur-bushels of corn from coming into ing my persecutions, no man can this country in the course of three say that I ever despaired---that any years. I showed that this number thing, however oppressive and gal- of bushels of corn would give the ling, ever drew from me one syllable rate of three pints and a half of or act of ill-humour, or that a word corn to each person in the kingdom of lamentation fell from my lips. per week for consumption. Webb I always said that our enemies Hall and his associates knew well were strong---terrifically power- enough, or they might have known, ful---that they had fresh shackles that more than this quantity would for us, and would impose them; be used as breakfast powder. Yet even at present. These are my reasons for this opinion. First, I say it is a monstrous thing to consider that the moment the tenant is in a state of ruin from the pressure of taxes--that the moment when he is sinking under his burdens, that it should be proposed by any person to lay on him more taxes. "Oh! no," say the 66 they saw no less than 26 people, | dent that they must have lost their with Mr. Hunt at their head, per-senses), that the tax so laid on secuted by suits in the Court of must operate injuriously on the Exchequer, because they endea-tenant and landlord, both of whom voured to bring about the con- will be in a worse condition, in sumption of 30 million bushels of consequence of it, than they are corn every three years,in addition to that already consumed, by the simple process of substituting corn for tea and coffee! Did Webb Hall and his associates pray for the repeal of the Act which makes it a crime to make coffee powder, as in consistency they ought to have done? -No, they did not. Is it not the most monstrous thing in nature, that there should be a law pre-property-tax men, we take off venting the use of corn, at a time other taxes from the farmer, so when the abundance of corn and that in balancing the taxes taken off low prices are subjects of bitter and those newly imposed, there complaint? Gentlemen, I now will be found to be a reduction of come to the topics on which I in- burden." But that is not quite so tended to address you. And first clear; it is not quite clear to my comes the Property Tax. The mind that by taking off an apProperty Tax, I hear, is the order parently greater amount of indiof the day. There are two ways of rect taxes, and imposing an aplaying that tax on. If it is a par-parently less amount of direct taxes, tial tax, and is confined to the fund-you put the farmer in a better conholder, it is so much a reducing of dition. But what is the good prothe Debt, and so far so good; but posed to be gained by this wise it is not a Property Tax then-measure? "It will be a pretty concall it its right name, and then ciliating way," say they, 66 of bringcomes The Feast of the Gridiron.ing over the fundholder to contriBut if this tax is to be a general tax, if it is to extend to the landlord and occupiers of land (in which point of view I would wish to consider it now), if it is to be so extended, then I am prepared to show to any one but the proposers of the measure (for it is quite evi bute a little, as he ought, to the necessities of the State; we could not well ask him directly to do so, but this is a choice scheme for imposing upon him, and we will catch him." Yes, indeed, catch a fundholder! Faith they are a little more cunning than the landholders, and 1 66 are not to be caught so easily. for the former; because, pay the "Now," say the advocates of the tax he must, come what will-bad plan, we will make the fund- harvests--bad crops--unfavourable holder pay something.". But, in markets, rent or no rent; but the fact, the fundholder does pay some-fundholder has no risks to encounthing. He is a consumer all ter, no changes to fear, but gains consumers pay something, and he at every step. But it is said the pays his proportion. But if he fundholder does not lay out so does not pay 66 something," if he much money as the landlord-but feels this new tax, if it is a burden lends it. The money must be spent to him, so will it be to the landlord. somewhere; it may be disposed of The landlord will feel it also to the as a loan; but the borrower is at same extent. But mark what the the loss. Of this you may be.. consequences will be to the land- sure, that when a man lends mo.. holder. His tax is assessed ac-ney, he is always sure to make cording to the value of the former the borrower pay the piper. The year. Now, the value of money is rising every year, and thus the landlord, in consequence of this mode of assessment, will be paying in each year, in addition to the legal amount of the tax, the difference between the value of his property in the current year and what it was in the assessed year. But how is the fundholder situated? His fund is always the same, it bears invariably the same relation to the amount of his tax; and, if it rested there, he is considerably bet-recommend to his tenants to "keep ter off than the landlord. But it does not rest there; while the latter is paying his tax according to an erroneous standard, whilst his property is going down in value, is not individual kindness, or indithat of the fundholder is gain-vidual exertions, that can meet ing. In another point of view, if you compare the situation of landowner and fundholder with respect to this tax, it is infinitely the worse truth is, that this Property-tax has its origin here. There are landlords, and some tenants, too, who have money in the funds. The funds, therefore, they do not like to touch, because they think that, if they do, all will break to pieces. There is another point on which I wished to address you, as connected with the principle which now seems to be so widely admitted-that the poor-rates are due to the taxes. Lord Fitzwilliam thinks it good to up" their labourers, and by their kindness to prevent these men from becoming paupers. But this, though amiable, is not of the least avail. It such an evil as this. Every man will do the best he can for his own interest. He will seek to get every thing as cheap as he can; |