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Agricultural Report, 865.

Brewing, 353, 1001.

Bank, forgeries upon the, 614.
Budget, 699.

"Breach of Faith," 29, 30, 158.
Board of Agriculture, 129.
Bank of England, 179.
Bank Notes, forgeries of, 181.
Baking, 188, 476.

Bull-Frog Farmers, 274, 360.
Corn Bill, 278.

Commons, House of, 186.
Clergy, the French, 536.

Courier Newspaper, 550.

Cottage, the English, 480.

Duelling, 870.

Debt, the National, 549, 572, 611.
Edinburgh Reviewers, 414, 508, 618.
East Indies, 1061.

Enclosures, 522.

Farms, Large and Small, 507.
Food, prices of, 1052.
Fundlords, 760.

Gold! precious Gold! 416. 497, 569,
785,

Golden Age, the approaching, 145.
Gridiron, feast of the, 298, 145.
Hounds, Sale of the, Bedingham, 336.

Humanus, 76.

Humbug, the stealing of an, 806.
Loaves, farthing, 243.

Malt Tax, 1, 20.

Debate, on, 34.

Mangel Wurzle, 589.
Money Hoarders, 1009.

Magistrates, the Manchester, 581.
Nation, the Grand Council of, 713.
Peel's Bill, 159, 170, 241, 289, 408.
Poor-Laws, 424, 433, 723.
Poor Laws, Debate on, 966.
Poor's Rates, 530.
Public Credit, 553.
Pitt Clubs, 641, 919.
Play-Actors, 244.

Plagiarisms, list of, 255.
Reformers Moderate, 218.

Rump, the Westminster, 200, 907, 914,
Reform, 542.

Scrip Castle, 122, 617..
Serfs, 27.

Scotch Impudence, 577.
Savings Banks, 126, 345.
Stocking Weavers, 73, 187.
Turnips, Swedish, 577.

"Wisdom the Collective," 937.
Yeast, 191.

COBBETT's WEEKLY POLITICAL REGISTER.

VOL. 39.-No. 1.] LONDON, SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1821. [Price 6d.
Publi hed every Saturday Morning, at Six o'clock.

ΤΟ

GAFFER GOOCH.

borrowed the money: pay it like

honest men; or, surrender your

On the Blessings of "Agricultural all. That is the law; and, since

"Distress."

Kensington, 3, April, 1821,

DEAR GAFFER,

you have abused those, or, rather, him, who would have had you "break faith," he will now endeavour to induce you to keep faith; to keep that faith, for havdoubtless, by their old and con- ing advised you to break which stant invisible friend, and having you have so unmercifully abused with them the underworkings of him.

THE Holy Alliance, backed,

the Old Bourbons and of some I mean to speak to you, GAFothers that shall (for reasons too evident to be stated) be nameless

FER, in the present letter, of the
Blessings of " Agricultural Dis-

here, have, it seems, triumphed tress" of the probable result over the Neapolitans, who have, of the Proceedings of your Comwithout doubt, been sold by those mittee; and of the final effects as whom they were so stupid as not to the "Lords of the Soil." But, to treat a la Francoise; but, first of all, let me say a word or GAFFER, the Holy Alliance have two about the constitution of the not triumphed over our, and the Committee and about the nature world's, best friend, the DEBT! of its proceedings. The case of the "Lords of the The Committee consists of per"Soil" and of the Boroughs is in sons selected by a majority of the your hands. Is it not a difficult House; and the Ministers have case? I told you that it would be on their side such majority. Howe difficult. Is it not here an affair ever, the members of the Comof women and boys hallooing at a mittee are also members of the market-place for cheap corn. It House. The House is, as Mr. is an affair of" public creditors;" PERRY has it," the Grand Counan affair of "good faith." Come," cil of the Nation ;" and, as come, my good lords of the soil, the Committee is selected, the let us have no shuffling. You Committee must be something of

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Printed by C. CLEMENT, and published by JOHN M. COBBETT, 1, Clement's Inn. [Price Sixpence Halfpenny in the Country.]

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essence excessively "Grand." deeply concerned) to be informed Therefore, if this Committee of the nature of the evidence, fail to produce a remedy for the while the Committee was yet complained-of evil, to whom, or sitting; for, then, it might have to what, shall we look? How occurred to many of us to offer desperate, will be our case! If, our evidence; which might have indeed, the Holy Alliance could served to weigh against that of hafford any assistance, we might the witnesses already examined. live in hope; but, the malady is Or is the Committee secret as qoffackind to set the Holy Alliance well as select? And are the witat defiance; and even the Old nesses select as well as the ComAlly of that alliance. mittee? And, if so, who selects

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The nature of the proceedings them? These are very material of this Committee is a matter full questions; and, I do assure you,

port shall make its appearance. The Report must, of course, be founded on the evidence given before the Committee; and, there

of interest, or, at least, of cu- GAFFER GOOCH, that they will riosity. Its business is to inquire; be frequently put, when the Reand, of whom? It is to inquire into the allegations of divers petitions. By the way, the petitions sof more than a million of men, who prayed for Reform, werefore, every thing depends on the never referred to a Committee! who and the what the witnesses (There was no inquiry then! Now, are. To ask a farmer whether these men, cannot pray any more. he is in distress, is to ask him They dare not meet to agree on whether he gets as much money praying, while the farmers, nick-as he wishes to get, and that is › named agriculturists, have formed associations all over the kingdom! And, they are praised, and their praises are chaunted, up to the skies!

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like asking a drunkard if he be thirsty, and whether a glass of: gin would do him good. To ask a farmer what is the cause of his distress, is to ask him whether

But, avho are to be the wit prices be not too low; and to ask ›nesses examined by this Commit-him to point out a remedy, is to stee? Is it opinions, or is it facts, ask him, whether he does not that the evidence is to consist of? think that there ought to be a It would have been advantageous new Corn-Bill, to which if he do for us (as the whole nation is not answer in the affirmative, he

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is a bastard son of the soil, and Bankers. They belong to the

system: they are legitimate children of Pitt: they keep his birthday: and, they must not say any thing that has a tendency to discredit the system! So that, their evidence will not, perhaps, much serve the " Lords of the Soil," upon the whole; for, unless these can get a dig at the Lords of the Funds, all their efforts are unavailing.

But, now to the matter to be inquired into. What is it? Whether the farmers be in distress? That point is settled.But, what is next? A remedy? Oh, no! The proof of the existence of distress is by no means sufficient to warrant any legisla tive measure for the removal of

has not in him one drop of true blood. It is manifest, therefore, that the public will pay very little attention to evidence of this sort. There is another awkward thing, too. The "Lords of the Soil" will naturally desire to see a clear case made out against the Lords of the Funds. Now, strange as it may seem at first sight, I am deceived, if this species of select evidence will afford much in support of the idea, that Peel's Bill has been the great cause of the distress. Those big farmers are, for the most part, Lords of the Funds themselves! What they have there is dearer to them than their leases. They will cling to that. They are, too, money-lenders, perhaps, though that distress, even supposing such they bawl about distress; distress meaning, in their dictionary, a - diminution of gain. There are farmers enough who are ruined;munity in general, that the dis-` and, if they be brought to tell their tale, we shall hear them >with attention, especially if they give an account of the rent they have been paying, and of the true state of their labourers. But, if big farmers be the witnesses, ten to one they have, each of them, fitted out an attorney or two that they have bred upon their farms. Nay, there are some of them

measure to be within the power of the legislature. For, if it be necessary to the good of the com

tress should be left without a remedy, it ought so to be left; unless we adopt the monstrous doetrine, that one particular class is to be relieved by means that would injure all the other classes. Low price of corn is what the farmer complains of. This injures him; but, if it be found (as I am sure is the fact), that the low price is good for the labourer,

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then the benefit is greater than heard of before! Our fathers the evil. The thing ought not, used to talk of the market price. in fact, to be called agricultural That was the only price that they distress; but merely a pinching ever heard of. What is meant

of great farmers and landlords. by "a remunerating price ?" These do not make above one Who is to tell what it is, except against twenty of the labourers; by the market? What an auand, if the latter gain by the pre-dacious thing to say, that the sent state of things, this state of whole of the farmers of a nation things ought not to be called agri- cannot get a remunerating price, cultural distress. The labourers when all the lands are cultivated, live by agriculture, or, rather, and when men take their farms recently, have starved by it; and, at their own pleasure! What an therefore, they, as well as the impudent thing! What should landlords and farmers, ought to be we say to a butcher, who was to taken into view; and, I insist, petition for a remunerating price? that, if the labourer's lot have I am losing by my business,' been mended lately, it is not agri- says he, " pray cause me to have cultural distress, but agricultural" a higher price for my meat; "a happiness that the present peti-" pray pass a law to relieve my tions complain of. butchering distress.”

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I have observed, that, in the "out, you blackguard," should presenting of these petitions, the we say. Well," replies he, number of acres of land, the pe- I must leave off butchering, titioners occupy has always been" then." Leave off, with the poked forward, and not the num- "Devil to you," we should reber of petitioners. "A petition join, "who cares? If you can"from occupiers of 200,000" not get money enough by "acres of land." This is the " butchering go at something way in which the thing has been " else. Trouble us, at any rate, faced up. Perhaps the number" no more with your impudence." of persons did not exceed eighty, This is the way we should treat a or a hundred at most. The acres butcher; and, what reason is it is that petition! And, I be- there for our treating the farmer lieve, the acres, that is, the Land- with more ceremony? If, indeed, lords, do really make up the the farmer, the butcher, the taygreater part of the bona fide pe- lor, the landlord, or any body titioners! Now, what I should like Lelse, comes and complains of conto see produced would be the pe- tracts violated, and especially by titions of the five thousand labour- acts of the legislature; if he ers, who do the work on the complain of laws, or regulations, 200,000 acres of land.. Let me uncontroulable by him, which has see these men petition for " a re- plunged him in dis ress; that is "munerating price." And then to say, if he complain of partial I will say, that the petitions are laws, we attend to him. And, if worthy of attention. "A re- the farmers and landlords were to "munerating price!" Was there complain in this way, they would ever such a coxcomical phrase be listened to in spite of all that

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