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ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY 

 OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



The general meeting of the Local Agricultural Associations took 

 place at the Freemasons' Tavern on Tuesday, the 15th ult., for the pur- 

 pose — first, of forming a grand Central Society; and, secondly, of 

 obtaining a Committee of Inquiry as to the best mode of alleviating the 

 present agricultural distress. 



It was amid " hopes and fears" that we found ourselves in the great 

 hall, surrounded by no small number of wealthy and influential landed 

 proprietors of Great Britain ; — of hopes, because we did hope that some- 

 thing might, haply, be proposed, which, while it should improve the 

 aspect of agricultural affairs, would yet steer clear of political manifesta- 

 tions; — of fears, lest such should not be the case. If it was with mixed 

 feehngs that we attended the meeting, so was it with mixed feelings 

 that we listened to the proceedings. That we were gratified to hear 

 voices upraised in defence of the farming interest of the country, we 

 gladly and readily admit ; still, we cannot say that we listened without 

 a dash of a contrary feeling to the proposition, made by Earl Stanhope, 

 " of replenishing the country with paper — paper of a valid description ;" 

 in short, " an issue, to an immense extent, of the lowest denomination 

 of Exchequer Bills." 



Before, however, we proceed to make any observations upon the 

 remedy suggested, we will give the motion in the words of its mover, 

 the noble Earl himself — viz. : " That nothing can remove the present 

 overwhelming distress, but the adoption of some measure which will 

 either raise the price to the level of the burdens imposed, or bring down 

 the burdens to the level of the present prices." That one of the two 

 things must take place, we feel convinced ; but we cannot say that we 

 advocate the one which manifestly found most favour in the eyes of the 

 meeting— that of factitiously raising the price of wheat from 40 to .50 

 shillings the quarter ; since, however advantageous such a price might 

 be to the farmer and agricultural labourer, we hold that it would not be 

 equally so to the manufacturer and mechanic. 



As to the attempt to work upon the fears of the fundholder by the 

 declaration, " that, if the price of wheat was factitiously reduced, those 

 who had money in the funds must be prepared to endure the loss of it" — 

 we can only say, that, should a factitious scarcity of gold be, for a 

 time, created under the influence of such fears, and the price of agricul- 

 tural produce fall, pari passu, the blame will rest far less with the funded 

 than with the landed interest who conjured up " the ghastly spectre." 



" Oh ! the debt !" we have heard a conservative " blue," of the softer 

 sex, exclaim : " mere moonshine — nothing but moonshine, I do assure 

 you." Moonshine, indeed, it may be, in the opinion of those who 



