Page:History of the Anti corn law league.pdf/297

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CORONER'S INQUESTS.
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apertures through which heaven's light enters your dwellings, who leaves you a schedule in which to enter your dogs, horses, and carriages, passes over the landowner, leaves no schedule there in which to enter the last year's rent roll, under certain penalties; but he takes out his old valuation, dated 1696, and gives the landowners a receipt in full, dated 1841, upon the valuation made a century and a half ago! I say we are indebted to Sir Robert Peel for calling our attention to this subject. I exhort the middle classes to look to it. It is a war on the pockets that is carrying on and I hope soon to see societies formed calling upon the legislature to revalue the land; and put a taxation upon it in proportion to that of other countries, and in proportion to the wants of the state."

The company was subsequently addressed by the Rev. Mr. Berry, of Leicester, Dr. Bowring, M.P., Mr. Evans, M.P., Sir John Easthope, M.P., and Sir George Larpent, M.P. I find in my paper, close to the report of the proceedings of this midland gathering, the following verses by Dr. Bowring, embodying in poetic form the feelings of millions at the close of this year of wretchedness—to be followed by one of still more deplorable misery:—

"DIED OF STARVATION"—CORONERS' INQUESTS.

"I met Famine on my way,
Prowling for human prey,
Clogg'd with filth, and clad in rags,
Ugliest of all ugly hags.
Lo!a sceptre wreathed with snakes
In her wither'd hand she shakes;
And I heard the hag proclaim—
'Bread Tax,is my sceptre's name!'
On remorseless mission sent,
Maiming, murdering as she went,
Spreading death from street to street,
I heard the hag repeat,
(Shuddering while I heard and saw,)
Mine is RIGHT and MIGHT and LAW;'
Then to solitude I flew
'Gracious Heaven can this be true?'
On my trembling knees I fell
'God thou God of mercy tell,
Can the very fiends of hell