Hogsflesh, James

My Lord
I humbly beg leave to claim a portion of your Lordship's /
indulgence, to a perusal of this Letter, and trust that /
my presumption will be pardoned by your Lordship /
on a consideration of the Circumstances of the Case in /
Question / _
Feeling an inclination to apply for a portion of the /
Parliamentary grant, under your Lordship's circular, /
induced me to endeavour to get as much information as /
pos+sible, i heard much said at different times & places by /
different Parties wishing to Emigrate, and i found the general /
observation was that Government gave a decided preference /
to the Capitalist, who has no just claim to the parliamentary /
grant, whilst the Labouring Man for whose benefit it /
professed to be intended, would lay at their mercy, knowing /
a little of the state of the Public feeling, i could not help /
observing that those observations was founded on prejudice /
and a hostile feeling towards Government _ /
I attended a Meeting at the Crown & Anchor, Strand /
last Monday evening, which was very numerously attended /
and i beg your Lordships patient attention to the state of /
the public feeling manifested there. I mixed amongst /
the different parties who was talking over the subject, /
and what i then heard respecting the proceedings of the /
Capitalist, i must confes+s staggered my former Opinion and /
impres+sed on my mind that the Capitalist who is generally /
thought to be the bone of the Country, is now in reallity /
striveing to be the only gainer, to get the whole of the fertile /
Land in their pos+ses+sion, whilst the Labouring Men they /
take out, under the most unjust and hard Contracts, will /
have no Land, and be in a much worse situation than /
he is at present in this Country, thus the Labouring /
Man is made justly jealous of the Capitalist and is one /
of the principal reasons for such numerous individuall /
applications to your Lordship; another circumstance /
I must not omit noticeing, D\r/ WATSON of Spa fields /
notoriety, and a party of his reforming attendants was there /
and seized on every unfavourable circumstance, or narrative /
with avidity, to cry down the measure, representing it /
as a most heinous crime of Government. Some of their /
observations was, _ that the Emigrants would be stiffled /
in the Vessels for want of room _ that they would be kept /
on short Allowance _ that pretexts would be created to forfeit /
a part of if not all of the 108+ advanced _ that on landing they /
would have to fight for every Inch of ground, and keep their /
Arms continually in their hands to repres+s the incursions of /