our history, when the country was a revenue several times as great as not much less great and powerful" the whole revenue of England, is than it now is, a century ago, the" expended in the maintenance, apwhole expenditure was four millions."parently designed to be perpetual, He chose this period for illustration," of an immense standing army; in because it was after the introduction" support of what the Ministers of the funding system, that pernicious" themselves have denominated the system, which enabled a King and a "Dead Weight;' in the payment people to play at the game of war," of greatly disproportioned salaries and shift the burden on posterity.- "to the officers of state; in supply(Hear, hear.) At that period, when" ing, by pensions and sinecures, the they had no National Debt to pay, the "means of extravagance to great whole expenditure was not more than" numbers of individuals and famia fourteenth part of the present ex- "lies to whom the public never was penditure. Now, he would ask, was "indebted for any the smallest por there any thing in the present cir-"tion of service; and in various cumstances of the country to justify" other charges, for which the most an expenditure fourteen times larger" prosperous condition any country than the expenditure in the reign of "ever knew could furnish no excuse, George the First? Coming to a late" and which, in this country, after period-a period subsequent to that" the exhaustion of a twenty-five war against our colonies, in which" years' war, are as unjustifiable in we expended a sum, the interest of" their principle as they are oppres which is larger than the revenue of "sive and destructive in their efthat now great and flourishing repub-"fects." lic, even with the accession of debt so occasioned, the expenditure 34 years ago was not more than one- Mr. CROFT. fourth of what it is now. "But it seems," said he, " the machinery of State is the only machinery that has not received simplification and improvement; and while science and art have combined to lower the cost of every thing else, the cost of Government has daily become greater and greater.

This Resolution was seconded by

MR. HARVEY, in moving the fourth Resolution, said, the great cruelty and injustice of the CornLaws has already been shown, and the prices that in consequence of these laws you are compelled to pay; it has also been shown that we are so oppressed with taxes as to be less able to pay for dear bread. Respecting the important Resolutions on these subjects, it is, therefore, unnecessary for me to say any thing. I shall confine myself to the laws ap pertaining to the paper-system-laws more injurious in their consequences than either the Corn-Laws, or the taxes, or any other laws I know-of. Up to 1797 the Bank of England, and other banks, were compelled to pay their notes in cash; but the Bank of England, at that period unable to pay its notes in gold, got Pitt and his Parliament to pass a law to protect it against its creditors. After this period the paper was pushed out, and in consequence, through

the whole of the war, the price of In 1825 paper was pushed out to the corn got up from 4s. 6d. to 18s. or greatest extent; corn got up to 698., 20s. per bashel. In this law there while in France it was 30s., and in was a clause to compel the Bank to Holland 24s. By this you will see pay in specie six months after peace. what the paper system has done to Peace came, but no return to cash- make you eat dearer bread than the payments, and law after law was Corn-Laws or the taxes could. It has passed to protect the Bank, until the ruined the merchants and manufacyear 1819, when a Bill was passed, furers, so that they are no longer unanimously, called Peel's Bill, to able to give employment to the laprevent the Bank of England and bourer, and of course the labourer is other banks from issuing any notes suffering hunger and nakedness. We under 51. after May, 1823. During may pray for a repeal of the Cornthe period from 1819 to 1822, corn Laws- -we may pray for a repeal of and almost every article of produce the taxes; but my firm conviction is, declined in price, because the bankers that we shall have neither a repeal of had to draw in their notes against the Corn-Laws, nor any material rethe day of cash payments, and pro- duction of taxation, until we get a reduce had to meet this reduced quan- formed Parliament. (Great applause.) tity of money. The Ministers and 4th. "That the enormous pressure Landlords saw plainly that there" of the Corn-Laws and the Taxes would be no rents.-(Laughter,) and has been aggravated to an incaltherefore they preferred to enact culable extent by the arbitrary another law to enable the bankers to "changes that have been made in issue their notes to 1825. From the value of money by the opera 1822, the time when all descriptions" tion of the measure for causing a of produce were as low, or lower return to cash payments: the abthan at any period for many years "stract wisdom and necessity of such before, the price of every article measure, however injurious in its after the passing of the Small Note" immediate consequences, this meetBill, began to rise in price, becauseing does not in the least dispute; the banks were pushing out their but which measure being unaccom→ paper again. (A person from the "panied with any remission of taxes, crowd cried out, That is the doctrine or any alteration in the Corn of Cobbett.) Yes, it is the doctrine of Laws, has had the effect of lowerCobbett, and I am proud to declare" ing (in many cases to less than onethat any information I possess on the half) the prices of all descriptions paper system I derive from him. I" of produce and of goods, except have read him for years, and I pub- those which the Corn-Laws and licly acknowledge my obligations to the taxes have unnaturally kept up; him. I say almost every article be- and of lessening, in like proportion, gan to rise in price from 1822, but it the income, the profits, and the will be sufficient to show how corn wages of every man not dependent was affected. In 1822 corn in Eng- on the land and taxes." land was 43s. per quarter, while in France it was 31s., in Holland 28s. In 1823 corn in England was 51s. (for at that time paper was coming out); in France it was 36s., and in Holland 31s. In 1824 corn in England was 62s. They have no alteration in France of the currency, therefore corn remained stationary, or nearly so; indeed it was lower, for I find it to be 32s., and in. Holland 25s.

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MR. BURGESS, in seconding this Resolution, stated that, eighteen months ago, there were eighteen calico-printers in Cannon-street-not merely nominal printers, but persons having works of their own, and now there were only eight left, the others having stopped payment.

MR. HOLBROOKE regretted it

had not fallen to abler hands to move "6 adoption of those great measures the fifth Resolution. Little need be" which, and which only, can, in the said in favour of petitioning George" opinion of this meeting, prevent the Fourth, for he was the father of his suffering and loyal people from the people. He felt surprised that" being hurried into the perils and such a measure should require such the crimes of some awful convul

a recommendation, and that any "sion, and which only can restore person should oppose a petition so permanent prosperity to all parts important and interesting. He al-" of His Majesty's dominions." luded to some expressions of Mr. Lilly, and successfully combated his arguments and opinions relative to the cause of the present distress. After an appropriate address, which we lament our limits will not allow us to give, he concluded by moving the fifth and last Resolution, which was seconded by Mr. Fielding.

5th. "That for all these manifold and aggravated evils, this meeting "is firmly of opinion, no adequate "and lasting remedy can be applied, "except by a repeal (as prompt and "effectual as may be consistent with "the regard which is due to those

The Meeting, after giving three tremendous rounds of applause, and a vote of thanks to the Chairman, dispersed.

THE PETITION.

To his Most Gracious Majesty, George the Fourth, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. &c. &c.. The Address and Petition of the Ley-payers of Manchester, at a Meeting held at the Manor Court-House, this seventeenth day of August, 1826, pursuant to public advertisement for that purpose,

That your petitioners deem the

interests which have been created "by the present artificial system, and “which depend upon it) of every "law which enhances the price of "bread, and obstructs the manufac- Most humbly sheweth, "turing and commercial prosperity "of the nation; and also by an im-time to have arrived when it is their "mediate abolition of taxes, to an duty to lay before your Majesty a "amount which this meeting does statement of the distressed and "not presume to specify, but which, alarming condition of a great portion "to produce the desired results, of your Majesty's subjects; of the must be so great as to put an end causes by which your petitioners "to all government expenditure be- deem that condition to have been "yond that which shall be suited to produced; and of those remedies, "the altered value of money, and the timely application of which ap"directly conducive to the freedom pears absolutely necessary to prevent, "and greatness of the kingdom; in England, consequences as disas that therefore an address and peti-trous as any that ever befel a civil❝tion from this meeting be presented ized country. "to His Majesty, most earnestly and In discharge, therefore, of this "respectfully stating those views their duty, your petitioners beg leave "which this meeting has taken of to state to your Majesty, that this "the causes and remedies of the town of Manchester, and the great "dreadful condition to which these manufacturing districts, of which it "districts are reduced, and most is the centre and the mart, are now "humbly beseeching him, that he suffering under the pressure of dis"will be graciously pleased to as-tress, which is wholly unexampled "semble the Parliament forthwith, in its duration and extent; that this "and to recommend the immediate distress has already brought to insol

vency, and ruin great numbers of subjects of the food which those ingenious and enterprising manufac- foreigners offer in exchange. Third, turers, and dealers, and merchants, in making it the interest of these whose honest acquisitions had appa- nations to encourage, by all possible rently placed them beyond the reach means, the progress of native manuof embarrassment; that it is daily factures, thereby not only depriving augmenting and multiplying the Great Britain of the trade of supplydifficulties of those whom it has not ing their wants, but raising them up yet overwhelmed; that it has de- against her, into most dangerous prived of all employment many rivals, in supplying the wants of those thousands of skilful and industrious other countries, the markets of which families of the labouring classes; are equally open to all; and, Fourth, that it has degraded them into mi- in introducing the spirit and practice serable dependants on the scanty of hazardous adventure into the forpittance furnished by the poor-rates, merly steady and regular business of and by charitable relief; that it is all persons concerned in raising or continually adding to the number of selling the products of the land; thus claimants for this pittance, while it making the success of the farmer, is also forcing down into the ranks and the supply of the fruits of the of the necessitous many of the per-earth, to depend, not on the industry sons by whom the rates have been of man, nor on the bounty of the paid and the relief has been given; seasons, but upon a system of avethat while, from this cause, the legal rages, which is managed so falsely fund for the poor has been becoming and fraudulently, as to produce the less productive, the fund created by most deceptive and injurious results. charity is almost totally exhausted; While, however, your Petitioners and that thus there is much reason are ascribing so many evils to the to fear that the approaching winter laws against the importation of corn, will see involved in all the horrors of they cannot refrain from declaring starvation this most thickly-peopled their deliberate opinion, that another portion of your Majesty's dominions. most grievous cause of the misery Your petitioners presume to repre- under which the whole body of your sent to your Majesty, their decided Majesty's subjects is suffering, is the opinion, that the alarming distress enormous amount of taxes levied in in the manufacturing districts, can- this kingdom; an amount which, to not be effectually remedied without its present extent, your petitioners a change in those laws of this king- are strongly of opinion is unnecesdom which forbid the importation of sary for the purpose of a Governforeign corn, until corn of home ment anxious cnly to promote the growth shall have reached a price welfare of your Majesty's people; which it is impossible for the people for your petitioners have learned, by of this country to pay; which laws, the annual accounts issued by your therefore, amount to a positive exclu- Majesty's Ministers, that, besides sion of that corn, and which exclu- the sums applied in discharge of the sion operates to the injury of the interest on the National Debt, a remanufacturing classes, and of the venue, several times as great as the nation at large, in the four following whole revenue of England a century ways-First, in enhancing prodi- ago, is expended in the maintenance giously the prices of the prime neces- (apparently designed to be perpetual,) saries of life. Second, in shutting of an immense standing army; in the out from British markets all those support of what your Majesty's Miforeigners, of various nations, whose nisters have denominated the "Dead need of the goods which your Ma- Weight;" in the payment of largely jesty's subjects make, is surpassed disproportioned salaries to some of only by the need of your Majesty's the officers of state; in supplying

S

is to be found only in the repeal (as prompt and effectual as may be consistent with the regard which is due to those interests that have arisen out of the present artificial system, and that depend upon it), of every law which enhances the price of bread, and obstructs the manufacturing and commercial prosperity of Great Britain, and also the immediate abolition of taxes to an amount which your petitioners do not pre

by pensions and sinecures, the means of extravagance to great numbers of individuals and families from whom the public have never received any, the smallest portion of service; and in various other charges, for which, as your petitioners humbly beg leave to submit to your Majesty, the most prosperous condition that any country ever knew could furnish no excuse, and which, in this country, after the exhaustion of a twentyfive years' war, appear to your hum-sume to specify, but which, that it ble petitioners, to be as unjustifiable in their principle as they are oppressive and ruinous in their effects.

may produce the desired results, must be sufficiently great to put an end to all national expenditure beYour petitioners most humbly state yond that which shall be suited to to your Majesty, their full convic- the altered value of money, and dition, that the enormous pressure of rectly conducive to the freedom and the Corn-Laws, and of the taxes, has greatness of the kingdom. Your been aggravated to an incalculable petitioners, therefore, most earnestly extent, by the arbitrary changes in beseech your Majesty to assemble the value of money, produced by the the Parliament forthwith, and to reoperation of the measure for causing commend the immediate adoption of a return to cash payments. Your those great measures which, and petitioners, so far from disputing the which only, can, as your petitioners wisdom or necessity of this measure, are fully convinced, prevent your have long borne in silence the injury suffering but loyal people from being of its immediate consequences, and hurried into the perils and the crimes been willing to make great sacrifices, of some awful convulsion, and which in order that a circulating medium only can restore permanent prospeof full intrinsic value might be esta-rity to all parts of your Majesty's blished throughout the kingdom. dominions. But this great measure, so necessary, so wise, and so just in itself, having been unaccompanied by any remission of taxes, or any alteration of the Corn-Laws, has had the effect of lowering (in many cases to less than one half), the prices of all descriptions of produce, and of goods, except those which the Corn-Laws and the taxes have unnaturally kept up, and of lessening, in like proportion, the income, the profits, and the wages of every man not a landlord, nor a dependant on the taxes.

And your petitioners shall ever pray.

The first remark that suggests itself relates to the manner of

calling the meeting; and, all that I shall say of it is, that we radi

cals ought to laugh when we see others thus treated by the Borough

reeve and constables of Manches

Seeing, therefore, that the manifold and aggravated evils which your petitioners have humbly set forth to your Majesty, appear to have ter. In this sort of way they have arisen from those causes to which treated the people long enough. your petitioners have referred then,These fellows are, it seems, apyour petitioners are firmly of opinion

ihat an adequate and lasting remedy pointed by the Lord of the manor's