2 AUGUST 1851, Page 1

The meeting of farmers at Ipswich may be regarded as

a " sign of the times," though it is not altogether unequivocal. From some of the names of those who were present, and the connexion with an agitating society that has not yet attained any marked success, we might regard it as one of the many mechanical devices to eke out political activity at dead seasons. On the other hand, it is a novelty to see farmers entering into political agitation inde- pendently of their landlords; and in Suffolk, we may remember, behind the farmers stand the pauperized mass of agricultural la- bourers.