476 [ASSEMBL"J 



He gave a toast "Success to the Cumberland and Westmorland 

 Agricultural Society."' As to the corn law question, I am sick of 

 the very name of corn. He had never asserted, as many foolish and 

 thoughtless people, in the giddiness of the moment, had done, that 

 repealing the corn laws would make the loaf larger or price smaller j 

 and if I had said it, the e^'idence would have been against me every 

 hour since. Some agitators said that it would lower the wages of the 

 working class. Oh, then said the people, if it would lower wages, 

 God forbid the repeal of the corn laws. But it will cheapen bread, 

 said the agitators 7 We are not sure of that, said the people. Noth- 

 ing more was said on lowering wages, and no more public meetings 

 were held, except hy ticket. 



The great object of this meeting is the improvement of the green 

 earth. I must be permitted to say that this improvement, which was 

 every man's interest — the interest of the landlord, of the tenant farmer, 

 of his workmen, and of all the people, whether connected with land 

 or not, as consumers, ought to be strenuously, actively and unremit- 

 tingly pursued. I hardly know wheat from barley myself, and with 

 .wheat and rye I might be taken in. In short I know almost as little 

 about agriculture as the Legislature does ; it was utterly impossible to 

 know any less ; for they had passed a law — it is a model act ; it 

 imposes various penalties for over driving cattle. They did not know 

 an ox or cow to be cattle, and in the interpretation clause, which they 

 passed very carefully, they said, putting forth all the knowledge they 

 had, "^ cattle shall he taken to mean horses.'''' Not very like to be over 

 driven. " Goats," do. " Mules" hardly ever seen. " Swine" not 

 to be driven. They might as well drive the Legislature ; the only way 

 to drive them is to pull them back. 



And a farmer ought to keep regular and accurate books, as much 

 so as a manufacturer or merchant, otherwise he never could tell exact- 

 ly what state he was in.. My agricultural friends must not start back 

 from pen and ink, but must adopt a good system of accounts 



The noble Lord sat down amidst loud cheers. 



