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Rh to read it, as it give a faithful picture of the prevalent distress. Coming further south, in the agricultural counties of England the poor-rates were at this moment rapidly on the increase. They found in these counties the farmer who was paying £300 a- year, saying that he must reduce the wages of his labourers because of that great boon of the government which was to assist the revenue and commerce—because he would have to pay the income-tax, he must therefore reduce his wages. A gentleman had come up from Manchester with him, one who did not agree with them as to the means they proposed for the relief of the distress, and he said that the population of Somersetshire were living on charity. If they went on to that part of the country, they would find that 20,000 or 30,000 persons were now out of employment who were a short time ago in comparative comfort. In Ireland, they found that famine was stalking through the land, and that riots were taking place, men being killed by the police, merely because they endeavoured to obtain food. How, then, could they sit calmly by? Humanity, if nothing more, would call them from their homes. But there was a feeling of policy—their own safety and the safety of the country, were at stake."

There was one remedy, he said, and that was rejected by the legislature. Much would depend upon the course which the delegates should pursue at the termination of their labours that week. He prayed that they might act wisely and firmly, that they might enable the government to see that the time was come when this question could no longer be tampered with—that the time was come when justice and mercy must take the place, of cruelty and oppression—and if the government should still refuse to hearken, he for one trembled at the result.

Mr. Thomas Flint, of Leeds, followed, and gave a frightful account of bankruptcies and insolvencies in that place, followed by a great diminution of employment and wages:

"These failures had taken place among parties who were supposed to be perfectly safe—who had been considered hitherto out of harm's way; and even among those which had yet stood firm, there was a nearer approach to insolvency than they dared to contemplate. At that meeting allusion had been made to the enormous deterioration of mill property—a deterioration then stated to be from 30 to 40 per cent. If mill property was now brought into the market, the deterioration would be found to amount to upwards of 70 per cent. He would relate an