asantry; and asked the
landlords, after they had brought their labourers to such a melancholy
state, whether they could have anything to fear from risking this
inquiry? What had government done for them in their financial scheme?
Nothing that was calculated, if he had heard aright, to benefit the
agricultural population. Well, then, what would they do? Protection had
been a failure when it reached a prohibitory duty of 80s. a quarter; it
had been a failure when it reached the pivot price of 60s.; and it was a
failure now when they had got a sliding-scale; for they had admitted the
lamentable condition of their tenantry and peasantry. Let them accede,
then, to his proposition for a committee, and he would pledge himself to
explode the fallacy of agricultural protection, and to put an end to the
present system within two years from the publication of its report. Mr.
S. Herbert, secretary at war, announced that government would meet Mr.
Cobden's motion with a direct negative. On a division the motion was
negatived by a majority of two hundred and thirteen against one hundred
and twenty-one.

On the 3rd of June Mr. Ward resumed his exertions to obtain a select
committee to inquire into the existence of the peculiar burdens and
exemptions of the landed interests. Taking advantage of an admission
contained in a speech of Sir James Graham, that during the last twelve
months pauperism had diminished, and trade and commerce had improved in
the country because the price of wheat was low, Mr. Ward said that he
was not going to underrate the benefit produced by an abundant harvest,
but he believed that still greater benefit had been effected by the
the liberal policy of government. The idea that there were any peculiar
burdens on the land, was a fallacy peculiar to English gentlemen
brought up in the school of the corn-laws. He denied that the land-tax,
poor-rates, tithes, county-rates, highway-rates, the malt-tax, and
similar impositions, were peculiar burdens on land; but if they were,
he contended that there were to be set against them the exemptions
enjoyed by the land in not being liable to the legacy and probate duty,
and in the cultivation of it being relieved from the horse-tax, from the
tax on husbandry servants if employed for domestic services, and various
other taxes. Mr. Ward moved for a select committee of inquiry into this
subject; and his motion was supported by Dr. Bowring, and Messrs. Cobden
and Vernon Smith. Sir