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VOL. 43. No. 13.] LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPT. 28, 1822. [Price 6d.

Published every Saturday Morning, at Six o' Clock.

"of the world" would go to

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FARMERS.

pieces, and that all would be confusion, uproar, confiscation, revo

On Sinking or Swimming, and lution, rape, and the devil knows Standing or Falling, together.what.

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At the time when this chainspeech came out, I took the li

berty to caution the Farmers and

You, who have families that their Wives not to place too much you wish to preserve from abso-reliance on a metaphor. I told lute beggary or pauperism; to them, that the Duke, who is a you especially I address this Let- learned man of very high Norter. For about three years we man blood, spoke in language have been hearing of t'ie fellow- too sublime for our vulgar capafeeling between the Landlords cities; and that, though he did and Tenants. We have been say, that we were all links of the hearing the former assuring the same chain with himself, his latter, that they will "not desert meaning might be different from them; " that they will "sink or what we, of the "lower orders," swim" with them; that they will might suppose it to be. Then "stand or fall" with them; and there was the word broken. His the new Duke, he of Bucking-Grace was pleased sublimely to ham, told them, that they form observe, that, if the chain were a link "in that " chain" of once broken, if any of the links which he was a part; and that, if failed, such and such would be the chain were once broken; if the consequences. But, he did any of the links failed, the whole not define what he should deem a of that strong and bright chain, breaking, or a failing, of a link. which was the "envy of sur- We might, indeed, gather from "rounding nations and admiration what he afterwards published,

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Printed and published by C. CLEMENT, No. 183, Fleet-street.

and which I conveyed very faith- [vice. These are, at any rate, not fully to the Farmers' Wives, that beggars; not totally pennyless, he did not look upon a link as repeat this advice, the moral having been broken as long as justice of which I have before a farn-house, belonging to four fully proved; and, in order to hundred acres of land, was sup-enforce it, I now lay before you plied with a whole pound of red the case of Farmer VAWSER sugar a-week. So that, at this and Landlord WOODWARD, which rate, the landlord might be pretty will give you as neat a specimen safe, the link landlord might be as you can possibly desire of sound and strong, long after the" standing or falling, and of sinklink tenant might be in a verying or swimming, together." corroded and rotten state.

Whether any of this Duke's tenants have fallen into what one might call breaking I know not. I know that there are a couple of very bright links, in two of the Wynns. I know, that there is a Freemantle and a Dr. Phillimore that are another couple of bright links in the envied and admired chain. I know, that the Duke swims, though by no means a feather; but, whether any of his tenants have sunk, I really do not know, except from that sort of hearsay, which, just at this time, I do not think it right to repeat.

You are to know (those of you who have not already been fully informed of it,) that, in this me tropolis of "prosperity," in this wen that is sucking up all the wholesome blood of the body and. turning it into corruption, there is a place called the Insolvent Deb tors' Court. To this scene of misery are brought the unfortunate beings, who are in prison for debt. Here sit little Judges to order the discharge of Debtors, if nothing be alleged and proved as to their having acted fraudulently; in which latter case the Judges have the power to order them ton On the subject, generally, of be kept still in prison for any "standing or falling, sinking and length of time not exceeding two swimming, together," 1 cautioned years. Into this Court, on the all tenants, in every part of the 6th of this month, came Farmer kingdom. I told them to rely on VAWSER and his Landlord Woon : no such vague professions; to WARD and now, from the Mornlook to their own safety in time;ing Chronicle newspaper of the to be assured, that the distraint 7th instant, you shall read, and, I would come; and that all the fine hope, you will attend to, what professions would be nothing in passed, it being of vital importanswer to the Sheriff. I toldance to all farmers, and espe them to cut and run, if they had cially to such as have wives and not time regularly to heave the families that they wish not to die anchor; for, that, if they remain-in a poor-house. I have numbered ed; if they went on hoping for the paragraphs that the referring things to come about, ruin, beg to them. as I proceed in my regary or a poor-house, must be marks, may be more easy. their lot, be the length of their 1. Yesterday Daniel Cowherd purse what it might. Some, and Vawser came up to be heard on his these not a few, followed my ad-petition to be discharged.

2. The insolvent had been a far-vent repeated his opinion that his mer at March in Cambridgeshire, landlord was fully paid; and said and his discharge was opposed by his own insolvency was owing to the Mr. Cooke on behalf of his land- derness of the furm, which Mr. lord, Mr. Woodward.

Woodward, when he knew he was losing by it in the year 1817, had given him to understand he would give ut a reduced rent, but had afterwards: refused to make any abatement,

5. Mr. WooDWARD, the landlord, was examined by Mr. Cook E.--He had been frequently at the insolvent's house, and had seen three account books there within the last twelve months. He did not see the insolvent's property that was taken in distress; about 300/. of it had been bought for him; he did not

3. Mr. Cooke's examination of the insolvent consisted of an in quiry into the disposal of his property. The insolvent stated, that in the year 1817 he sold his shure of an estate which was then in Chancery for 1.8001, and in the year 1820, he received a leg of 300l. He left his farm in December last, because he was threatened with a distress by his landlord, and with an exccution by creditor of the name of Lee, to whom he had given a warrant of attorney for 600/. He had then 96 which he s be offered it to the insolvent's law for 140/. in part payment of a brother-in-law for 50. profit. debt of 250/, he had borrowed from 6. The insolvent was re-examined him. He removed some of his fur-respecting the three books seen at niture to his brother-in-law's house, his house, and said two of them and left part in his own to be taken were in his possession in town; by his landlord. His landlord one was the labourers' book of the brought an action against his brother-year 1821, the other the menioin-law for the furniture removed, randum book he had mentioned and it was given back to him. He the third was in the country, and kept no account books, but of the was the labourers' book of the year labour done on his farm, and a 1820. memorandum book, in which he entered the corn he sent to market.

sold to his brothethink he got a very great bargain;

7. Mr. CooKE prayed the Court that the case might be adjourned till those books were produced.

4. Mr. Heath, who was Counsel for the insolvent, examined him in explanation. His farm contained 500 ueres ; he held it eight years at the rent of 800l. a-year; he did not think there was any rent due to his landlord, though he claimed a year's rent at Lady-day last. The landlord entered his first distress in De cember for 501.; he was in possession a considerable time; and made two sales which produced 4501. put and sold every thing, that was possible to sell the growing crops consisting of 100 acres of wheat, and 30 acres of coleseed, worth at least 3. per acre; he also sold every thing that was moveable, even the fixtures out of the house; and the furniture he got 9. The COURT adjourned the back from the insolvent's brother-case, to give time for the produc in-law was worth 100 The insol- tion of the books.

8. Mr. HEATH said, he must agree in that prayer, because he could not wish that the insolvent should be discharged with a sha dow of imputation on his charac ter; though, said the Learned Gentleman, I must regret that in the mean time my feelings may cool before I can have an opportunity to observe on the persevering ops":

another distress after He pression of the landlord, who, in

these times, after receiving such a
rent for such a length of time, and
taken the last remnant of pro-
perty his tenant had in the world,
now seeks to keep him in prison,
though it is doubtful whether
is due to him.
any thing

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Now, in the first place, I know nothing of either of these parties I take the report, as I find it in print. You will observe, that the effect of the opposition of WoonWARD has already been to retard the discharge of VAWSER, and, if finally successful, would have the effect of keeping him in prison for a long while.

gain; for, that he offered his bargain to the farmer's brother-inlaw at a profit of fifty pounds! Good God! here is a landlord, buying in the distrained goods of his tenant; offering to let them go to another at a profit of fifty. pounds upon only three hundred pounds; that is to say, at a profit of more than sixteen per cent.; and here comes this landlord before this court, to object to this ruined tenant being set at liberty! This is what they call sinking or swimming together!

In the 4th paragraph you find, that WOODWARD gave the farmer to understand, that he would lower the rent! How amply does this agree with the cautions that I gave you all, long enough ago. However, the farmer really deI said that they would talk in this served this. He had an opporvague manner, about standing or tunity of reading my writings as falling together. I by no means well as other men had. If he wish to insinuate, that all land-did read them, he must have lords are of the same disposition, known what his fate would be; or are likely to act in the same or, being obstinate, or prejudiced, sort of way; and we have seen that many of them, following the example of Lord Fitzwilliam, have acted in a really honest and conscientious manner. But, when a man's all is at stake; when it depends upon his conduct whether his wife and family shall have bread to eat, it surely becomes him to take care what he is about; to make his bargain safely, and to have an obligation, and not a mere verbal promise for the fulfilment of a compact so important.

or perverse; hating that which he ought to have loved, reviling that which he ought to have cherished, he set my writings at defiance and pursued the path to ruin. If he did not read my writings, it was his own fault. He must have heard of them first or last. There is no part of the country in which they are not heard of, at any rate; and, if he suffered himself to be led into condemnation without reading, how is it possible that I, or that any one else can say that In spite of this giving to under- he has not received the wages of stand, we find the landlord enter- his unjust prejudice. It is no ing with two distresses and sweep-answer to me to o say that he was ing every thing away, even to the told this and that about Cobbett's fixtures in the farm-house. We writings. He should have read. find him pursuing a part of the I will engage that he read Webb farmer's goods. We find him Hall's trash in the Farmer's Jourbuying in the things himself; or, nal; that he read newspapers of at least, having them bought in some sort or other; and that he for him; here comes the landlord thus assisted in, supporting the in his own person, and says in the vile frauds that the press has been fifth paragraph, that he did not practising upon the country for think he had a very great bar- so many years.

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