13 MAY 1843, Page 8

She Vro bums.

Mr. Cobden has been continuing his mission among the farmers. He visited Aylesbury on Saturday, accompanied by Mr. R. R. R. Moore ; and the '1 own-hall was filled with farmers and labourers to receive him. There had been some skirmishing in the way of advertisements before the meeting Dr. Sleigh having publicly challenged Mr. Cobd'en to a discussion; but Mr. Cobden replied that he came into the agricultural

districts with no purpose of mere combat, and that he had determined to argue the question with none but bona fide farmers. Lord Nugent was called to the chair. Mr. Cobden's speech was a very plain and in- telligible exposition of political economy as applied to the Corn-laws. After alluding to the nugatory " protection " promised to the farmers by Sir Robert Peel and his supporters, he laid down his general pro- position thus-

" 1 come tb maintain that it is the interest of the British farmer to have the largest possible importation every year. If you had a population so numerous and so wealthy that they could consume not only all that you produce, but five millions of quarters more, then you would be always in this enviable position, that you would be sure of having the best market in the world ; so that let your crop be ever so bountiful, you would be sure of customers; whereas, now, from your people being kept down, starved down, or forced to emigrate, a good harvest deluges your market, and you cannot find consumers. It is very likely you will have to send your corn to Holland or somewhere else next year. Your mistake arises from supposing that your landlords can, by legisla- tion, give you a better market than the best in the world. And when your political landlords, for party objects or for the gratification of a rapacity which has no parallel, attempt to do more, they are year by year bringing you to those sufferings in which the trading and commercial community is now plunged. You may occasionally, in scanty seasons, have a high price ; but what is the process going on during those periods, among other classes ? Why, as a re- verend gentleman said here some time ago, you have five millions of your people rejoicing in potatoes.' Accordingly, when you have a good crop, your market is glutted."

He afterwards illustrated this general proposition by several instances. Some person in the room cried out that they could not compete with the foreigner : Mr. Cobden replied, that they did actually compete with the foreigner in many things,—in wool, for example, and successfully ; though many had predicted that to reduce the duty of 6d. per pound would throw all the sheep-walks out of use and ruin all the growers-

" In 1825, however, Parliament ceased to listen to these objections, and the duty was reduced from 6d. per pound to the merely nominal duty of Id. pea pound. What was the consequence? The importation of foreign wool, in- deed, increased from nine millions of pounds a year, to upwards of fifty millions a year ; but the 'rice, instead of falling rose from Is. per pound to 22d. per pound ; and our sheep-walks, so far from being thrown out of use, produced their owners 10d. a pound more than they used to yield them. And attend to this also—the highest price that was gut for wool, was in that very year is which there was the largest importation of foreign wool into the country. Last year the price fell: do you think it was because there was a larger impor- tation of wool from abroad than usual? On the contrary, there were eight millions less of foreign wool imported lastyear than in the year before. 'Why did the price fall then, you ask ? Just fur the same reason that made the prices of' other things fall—because the affairs of the manufacturers were not prosperous, because your customers were not prosperous."

In some respects the case of skins was still closer in the analogy to that of corn-

" There is a million of skins brought into this country every year : but you do not find that the butchers and graziers among you, who have skins to sell, have any difficulty in finding a market for them, let them have ever so many to dispose of. Now, suppose your legislators were to cut off the foreign supply of skins—suppose one-half the supply of skins was cut off—there would be only one half of the actual quantity of leather. Now, I and others who had the means should still have the same quantity of boots and shoes that we wear now, and there would be pretty much the same quantity of leather used for traces and saddles, and so forth. Who, then, would be the people to go without lea- ther? Why, the poor must go without it, and must take to the wooden shoes I have seen sometimes in use in other countries. The case is precisely. the same as to corn. Your legislators shut out millions of corn, which might, most beneficially for the country and for the world, come to us from abroad. I and those who can afford it never go without bread any the more ; but the working classes, the poor, do go without bread, and are compelled to have re- course to potatoes and oatmeal, and glad too to get even these poor substitutea for the bread which they ought to have to their full of!"

He referred to the subject of rent and tenure ; contending that land- lords and farmers ought to make their bargains without reference to political matters ; and that long leases could alone enable the farmers duly to cultivate the land. The theory of wages, their rise and fall, was expounded. When Mr. Cobden had concluded, according to his adver- tised invitation, he answered questions. The first set was a written series which had been put into the hands of the Chairman ; and which asked Mr. Cobden whether he did not think and believe a variety of things, as consequences of Corn-law repeal, the very opposite of the things which he is known to think and believe : his speech had antici- pated many of the answers, and the others were neither difficult nor important enough to quote. The following colloquy then ensued— Mr. Woodman (who spoke from the body of the meeting, and appeared somewhat excited—so much so, indeed, as to be almost entirely unintelligible) said that be was a small occupier; that be was making no profits; and he wanted to know how, if his business was to be altogether taken away from bins in this manner, he was to pay his rates and his rent, and feed his family, to say nothing of making money ? Mr. Cobden—" You say you are making no profits now ?" Mr. Woodman—" To be sure I'm not."

Mr. Cobden—" Then this confirms, as far as you are concerned, all that I have been saying." Mr. Woodman was understood to say, that he attributed the distress of his class to the two millions of quarters that had come in last year; the coining in of which was solely occasioned by Sir Robert Peel and his legislation. Mr. Cobden—" But you had nine and a quarter millions of quarters come im in 1838, 1839, 1840, and 1841; and yet prices then were at their highest." Mr. Woodman again complained of the low prices under the present day. Mr. Cobden—" It is owing to your home competition. You had last year a pretty good crop as compared with former years, and, taking the whole of the country, pretty well got in—better got in than the year before. (" No, no I") I am speaking of the country generally." Mr. Woodman—" We should have had more corn in the country, and got better profit from it, if it had not been for your legislation. If the sliding scale had not been altered, these two millions would never have come in."

Mr. Cobden—" Oh, yes : the only difference would have been, that if the law had not been altered, the whole of the two millions would have come in at a shilling duty."

Mr. Moore having delivered a speech, Mr. Olives moved a resolution to the following effect-

" That the meeting felt their cordial thanks to be due to Mr. Richard Cobden, M.P., for the excellent address with which he had that day favoured them ; and they desired to express their entire concurrence with him in the opinions and arguments which he had laid before them respecting the injurious effects upon the agricultural interests of what were called protect- ing-duties on the importation of agricultural produce."

The resolution was put, and carried almost unanimously ; only five bands being held up against it. Thanks were also voted to Mr. Moore ; and the usual compliment to the Chairman closed the pro- ceedings. A deputation of the League were received by a meeting in the Town- ball at High Wycombe, on Thursday ; and a resolution for the total and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws was carried unanimously.

The farmers of Buckinghamshire gave a dinner to Earl Stanhope, in the County-hall at Aylesbury, on Monday, " for his recent exertions in the cause of native Industry." The attendance was very numerous. Mr. Rolfe, of Beaconsfield, took the chair. The principal speeches were those of Lord Stanhope, Dr. Sleigh, and Mr. John Bell ; Mr. Cobden's arguments and conduct, and the misdeeds of Government, being the topics. As specimens of the tone of the speakers we take two short passages the first is from the speech of Mr. Bell, the editor of the Agricultural Advocate, whose health was drunk-

" Their quarrel was with currency bills that made money dear, and for which they were indebted to Sir Robert Peel; their quarrel was with new Corn-law Bills, new Tariffs, and impending Canada Corn Bills, and with other measures ; the sole object of which was to make all the products of industry cheap, at the sole expense of the producers. Their quarrel was with treachery such as they bad witnessed in high places; and they were bound, in justice to themselves, their families, and their country, to come forward and make their stand. If Sir Robert Peel and his supporters in Parliament had not deceived them, then they must have greatly deceived themselves ; and they owed it to truth and themselves either to repudiate those who had deceived them, or to declare their opinions so that they could no longer be mistaken : if they did not, what would the inference be, and what would be the result of the next election ? (Hear!) Let them make their principles manifest ; let there be no possibility of mistake ; and let it be understood that the man who should sup- port Sir Robert Peel at the next election must be prepared to inscribe upon his electioneering flag, Peel and wheat at 40s. the quarter.' Peel and cattle depreciated forty per cent." Peel and prosperity to the usurer.' Peel and starvation to the cultivator.'

Responding for his own health being drunk, the Chairman said— He wished it to be clearly understood he had never been deceived by Peel ; he had always considered him a slippery article. (Loud laughter.) He had always thought him a man not to be depended upon. (Loud cries of " Hear, hear I") But Peel hadthe gift of the gab, and, he was sorry to say, had wheedled many who ought to have had more sense. (Cheers and laughter.)

The Chelmsford Farmer's Club met on Friday, to consider the in- tended bill for introducing wheat from Canada. Sir John Tyrrell, M.P., attended as a member of the Club ; and endeavoured to prove that the bill would not be p very dangerous to British agriculturists as many feared. Other gentlemen took an opposite view ; and after a long dis- cussion, in which Sir John was put upon his defence, and very hard put to it, resolutions against the bill were adopted.

The East Essex Agricultral Society met at Colchester on Saturday, for a similar purpose, and adopted a petition against the bill.