The Sun. — London, England, 1839-01-02 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE TO-MORROW. Morning l7 minutes atter 41 Evening 34 minutes after 4 THE AGE," of SUNDAY NEXT, Jan. 6, 1839, will Contain the True Position of :AFFAIRS OF STATE. REVIEW OF THE YEAR 1838. STATE OF THE NAVY. And other ARTICLES OF IMPORTANCE. Cr An Early Edition is published on Saturday, at Twelve o'Clock, and may be delivered in Liverpool and Birmingham the same evening. Published by Thomas Holt, 1, Catherine-street, Strand ; and may be had of all Newsmen, in Town and Country. This Day was Published, No. 11. of an entirely Original Work, uniform with " Nicholas Nickleby," with Two Illustrations, by Pierce Egan, the younger, Price One Shilling, entitled, E FFINGHAM HAZARD, THE ADVENTURER. " I have set my life upon a cast, and I will stand the hazard of the die."—Shakspeare. Office, 268, Strand. TO CORRESPONDENTS. " Optimo Detur" should have sent his name and address from Dublin as well as his letter, which we might then perhaps have inserted. The publication of THY SUN NKWSPAPER commenced this day at 30 minutes past Three o' Clock i d P, '' sit->i) Zbv ~~!=;~ f/~` n--_.S WITH WHICH THE " TRUE SUN " 1S NOW INCORPORATED. i ! , _, ~~`~ `~~ ~? ~ry <; ~z LONDON : WEDNESDAY EVENING JANUARY 2, 1839 As the time approaches when an impression must be made on the Legislature in favour of abolishing the Corn-laws, it is natural that public writers and prac tical men should turn their thoughts to the means by which it may be accomplished. We have not been supine or negligent on this point, and have used our best exertions to stimulate our countrymen to meet and pronounce, in the names of righteousness and the public welfare, a solemn and universal condemnation of the existing system. Without such a condemnation the stupid, selfish landowners, will, we believe, never put an end to the frightful system of curtailing the supply of food and starving the people. They pride themselves, we are aware, on being proudly insensible to clamour, and on taking a calm and unperturbed view from the heights of patriotism, of the public welfare ; and may possibly, therefore, from the purest benevolence and most consummate statesmanship, abolish the Corn-laws without being asked. The working classes generally are resolved to leave them to the influence of these generous:and lofty sentiments ; and have declared, generally and solemnly, which is for us one of the worst features of the times, that they will not petition for the abolition of the Corn-laws, berause it is of no use petitioning such a Parliament as ours, and will only present one more petition, that for the National Charter, and th en w ill .help themselves. But whatever may be their conduct, it is the duty of the Legislature to abolish the Corn-laws as a scandalous violation of property, and alike injurious to morality and national prosperity. Of the inherent wickedness of those laws no man can doubt, and the Chamber of Commerce of Manchester—if national greatness means any thing— has clearly demonstrated their injuritZsness. The bulk of the population is hungry and exasperatt,', l ,- and though it might be impossible now to increase the quantity of food, the obstacles to its increase in future ought to be removed. As Colonel THOMPSON says " the people may or may not know what hurts them ; but as it is certain they know they are hurt, it would be the part of wise doctors to take down the mischief if they can, without waiting too long for the patient's opinion of his disease." The working classes are determined, it is said, to leave the landlords to their own lofty meditations : to the middle classes the Glasgow Argus recommends the following, plan of operating on the public and the Legislature : " Let numerous bodies of merchants, manufacturers, and traders, in London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Dundee, Belfast, &c., form themselves into associations ; let these bodies peti tion simul!ttneously for leave to be heard at the bar of the House of Commons, by counsel, against the Corn-laws, and for leave to support their allegations by evidence at that bar. With low mutterings of the discontented masses in the distance —with the incessant recurrence of seasons of mercantile dis tress—with the prospect of an insufficient supply of grain for the year before us—with Sir Thomas Lethbridge's letter to his agricultural constituents—with a Ministry possessing so narrow a majority, the requestfor a fair bearing will not dare to be refused. Battle will thus be joined on the explicit question, ought the Corn-laws to be perpetuated or not ? in the face of the public. The precision of the terms will prevent hedging and shuffling. The place where the investigation takes place will ensure atten tion to the proceedings. The examination of witnesses, night after night—the incessant reiterated discussions upon the relevancy and irrelevancy of evidence, &c., will ripen the public mind. The public opinion, thus awakened and formed, will be brought to bear in its full intensity upon the members of the legislature, who will be forced by their eager constituents to act in a straightforward manner. Around this central attack—converging towards it as to a centre—pub lic meetings to discuss the subject, petitions from all and any classes against the Corn-laws,itinerant lecturers upon these laws, will work with tenfold effect. By this means, the whole force of impassioned public opinion will be roused, and concen trated and directed against the master nuisance of our age and country. " Tbis is not mere speculation ; the experiment has been tried before, and successfully. At the 394th page of the first volume of the collected Speeches of Lord Brougham, will be found a history of the Orders in Council, and the means by which their abrogation was obtained. Our sketch of an attack upon the Corn- laws at the bar of the House of Commons, and its effects, is a literal counterpart of the narrative of the over throw of the Orders in Council. * * a 4, What has been once done may be done again." Such a scheme would tell admirably on Parliament, but in the first instance there must be money collected t o begin it, and more public meetings held to give im portance to the proceeding. Unless supported by the public, such tactics would be set down as selfish or factious, like the opposition of the town-clerks to Mu nicipal Reform. We do not, therefore, agree with the a'isgaw Argus in deprecating public meetings to procur: the abolition of the Corn-laws, which we think cannot be too numerous, nor can Anti-Corn law Societies be too soon formed. The lectures already delivered have beer; too advantageous not to make us ed. Most of the farmers, we wish to see them exterh:. l . believe, in Scotland are posed to the Corn-laws. Cr) All the most intelligent of then; certainly are, and we should not despair to see a number pf farmers in Eng land converted to the same way of thinking by some judicious lecturers like Mr. PAULTON anzl Mr. REID. It is not for their interest to pay additional rent on all that is consumed or used by their families, in their business, and by the poor ; it is not for their interest to have our markets always so much higher than those of other countries, that whenever the crop is short they lose the advantage of a proportionate rise in prices by the introduction of foreign wheat, and when it is abun dant they can find no vent for it, and the price falls far below what remunerates them. They have been great sufferers by the variation in prices, and have in fact been impoverished and degraded into dependent paupers since the Corn-laws were enacted. It might not, therefore, be impossible to gain the support of the farmers by judicious lectures, and we should like to see the trial made. Too much agitation cannot, in fact, be excited; and we hope all means will be tried. We are glad to see that Colonel THOMPSON has published, in a separate form, at a very small price, the Corn•law Fallacies which have appeared in The Sun, with a dedication to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and an Appendix, consisting of extracts from his letters to his Hull constituents. Colonel THOMPSON justly takes some credit to himself for having, by his continued labours for twelve years, achieved some success; and we hope his exertions wilt speedily be crowned with a complete victory. On a future day, when our space permits, we shall insert the Dedication, and perhaps some passages from the Appendix. On the exclusion of the appropriation principle from the Irish Tithe Bill .Sir CHARLES STYLE makes some severe remarks ; he does not, however, forget to state what many persons consider a justifica tion of the QUEEN'S Ministers, in the course which they pursued in that question, viz., the concurrence of three-fourths of the Irish Members in the policy of the measure. After alluding to the probable consequences of the re turn of the Tories to power, which could not fail to be, in numberless respects, extremely prejudicial to the cause of Reform, the Honourable Baronet con cluded his address amid the loudest, cheers. The fol lowing resolution was then passed with acclamation, " That this meeting expresses its satisfaction with the services of Sir CHARLES STYLE, Bart., during the past session of Parliament, and feel 3 assured that his Parliamentary and public conduct will confirm!, to be such as to entitle him to the confidence and support of the burgesses of Scarborough." The second communication from our Correspondent at Manchester to-day spews that the arrest of Mr. STEPHENS is made a means of stirring up the people. The excitement on this sub ject, we are assured, is only beginning, while the name chosen for the Committee formed by Mr. FEAR GUS O'CoNNoit and his friends, "the Committee of Public Safety," is of ominous import. When Government, towards the close of last session, modified their plan for the carriage of the mail by railroads, yielding, perhaps properly, at the time, to the outcry raised by interested parties against such an invasion of private property, but still more to the apathy—if not the corruption, of the Members of the Legislature, we were not dis appointed at the result, because we saw that at no distant day, a general and not a partial mea sure, would be required to controul the pretensions and regulations of the Boards of Directors. Since that period the public have been wonderfully enlightened on the subject. Scarcely a day passes without com plaints from various quarters of the inconvenience to which passengers are subjected by the regulations of the Directors, or the negligence, insubordination, or insolence of their servants. Newspapers and periodicals both monthly and quarterly now take up the subject. and there seems to be a universal fear that unless the Legislature take some speedy steps to correct the evils which it has created, the public will be entirely at the mercy of a few Boards of Railway Directors. In des potic States the evil has been met at once. Austria, Prussia, and Russia have made ample provision for the benefit of the people, as well as for the convenience and interests of the various public depart_ ments, while in England and America, the only two great States in the world where freedom exists, time Government and the public at large are hampered am] controlled by a few irresponsible individuals. The PRESIDENT of the United States complains that the laws relative to the transportation of the mails are' not adequate to that service, now become almost essen tial to the public service, and at the same time protect the department from combinations and un reasonable demands." In an article on railroads in the Quarterly Review the . writer goes still further, attributes all the evil to the corruption of Members of the Legislature, and looks forward, unless the Government interiere, to the time when a fanatical or Jewish Board of Directors may close the high road, as suits their caprice, on a Saturday, or on a Sunday. This is no imaginary evil, for not long ago a motion was made at a certain Board of Railway Directors, and it was strongly supported, to stop all the trains on the Sabbath. Who, in fact, is safe against the freaks of the AGNEws, and PLUMPTRES, and the men and women that attack the QUEEN for walking among her subjects on the Lord's Day, unless the Legislature take the power out of their hands. No one wishes to deprive these Companies of their private property. On the contrary, they merit, and will obtain, ample remuneration for their great and hazardous enterprises, but the railroad high way must be made the QUEEN'S highway, and be open at every hour, and on every day, for the benefit of the great body of the community, on which principle alone all these hailway Bills have been passed. That is a principle which never can be lost sight of, whether in legislating on Railways already made or on those to come. The electors of Scarborough have had a meeting for the purpose of affording the Member for that borough, Sir CHARLES STYLE, an opportunity o addressing his constituents. The attendance was numerous, as was to be expected on an occasion of so much interest. Sir CHARLES, in a spirited address, commented upon the transactions of the last Session of Parliament, stating his own share in them, and the course he intended to pursue on the questions that are likely to become the subject of Parliamentary discus cussion in the approaching Session. We are glad to see the practice of rendering an account of their stewardship coming into vogue among the representatives of the people. An annual reckoning has, to a certain extent, the effect of short Parliaments. It keeps up in the mind of the representative a sense of his responsibility to the represented, which a seven years' tenure of the office is but too apt to efface. Until, therefore, the duration of Parliaments be short ened—be reduced to what it was before, at and after the Revolution, namely, three years, constituencies will do well to insist upon an annual conference with the person to whose care they have confided their most important political interests. There would be nothing formidable to the represen tative in such meetings, were every one as well pre pared as Sir CHARLES STYLE. The Honourable Gentleman has been exemplary in his attendance on his Parliamentary duties, having been present at 178 divisions, and can proudly tell his constituents that every one of his votes has been " dictated by a desire to promote the cause of Constitutional Reform, and give extension to the principles of civil and religious freedom." He declares in favour of the Ballot, Short Parliaments, and an Extension of the Suffrage, justly scouting the notions of the " finality" men, and standing up for those changes in the Reform Bill which are ne cessary to make it " an instrument for obtaining and securing good government for the people." On the Canada question, Sir CHARLES always voted with Mi nisters, because he looked upon that revolt " as one of the most unjustifiable acts of rebellion in which an igno rant people, at the instigation of unprincipled leaders, h a d ever been engaged." This is the true character of the Canadian insurrection, which has been, and still is, entirely misunderstood by many superficial or ill-informed persons, who cannot, or will not, see the least difference between it and the great American outbreak, though the object of the latter was to throw off the chains of slavery imposed by the mother country, that of the former to afford an opportunity to one part of the population to oppress, and tyrannize over, the other. The Paris Papers of Monday have arrived with let ters from Madrid of the 24th ult. Their Contents are of little interest. On Sunday evening, the King Of the FRENCH received the address of the Chamber of Peers, to which his MAJESTY returned a gracious answer. From Madrid we learn that Senor PEREZ DE CASTRO, the Spanish Ambassador at the Court of Lisbon, has accepted the Presidency of the Council. The Sultan has sent a diamond snuff-box to Admi ral STOPFORD, as a mark of his Highness's sense of the services rendered by the Gallant Admiral to the Turkish fleet. 31 A N C LI ESTE It. MAN CHESTER-YESTERDAY. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Contrary to the expectation of many persons in authority sere, the day has hitherto passed over without the slightest appearance of riot. At an early hour great crowds were observed pouring into the town from the various surrounding districts, under the impression that the further examin ition of the Rev. Mr. Stephens would take place, as had been in the first instance arranged by the Magistrates. At ten o'clock several thousands had assembled in front of the New Bailey, but the information was quickly circulated that the proceedings had been postponed till Thursday, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Vast numbers, however, continued to arrive in the course of the day, and although at no subsequent period were there more than two or three hundred persons on the bridge and in front of the building, a continued stream of human beings flowed towards and from that part of the town up to the hour at which I write (5 o'clock, p.m.) The great bulk of these appeared to be operatives, but I did not observe a single bludgeon, stick, or other offensive weapon in the hands of the many thousands that passed me during the day. Mr. Feargus O'Connor arrived this morning by the early train from London, and put himself in immediate communica tion with the leaders of the Chartist party here, in order to concert the measures to be taken by the friends of Mr. Ste phens. I understand that a meeting of the Delegates from various manufacturing districts took place to-day at Ashton, but what the result of their deliberations has been has not yet transpired. It is understood, however, that the delegates will assemble here to-night, or in the course of to-morrow, and that a " Committee of Safety" will be appointed to sit from day to day until the final determination of the authorities with respect to their leader is known. Most of the shops in the principal streets have been par tially closed during the day, but as this has been the custom time immemorial in the manufacturing districts, New Year's Day being high holiday with all the working classes, the cir cumstance excites no attention. A troop of the Queen's Bays, with drawn sabres, has been rather ostentatiously parad ing the streets from an early hour; the horses appeared jaded and broken down, as if from unusually severe duty. The 86th Foot, stationed at Stockport, have received orders to hold themselves in readiness at a moment's notice, and apps rently nothing has been left undone on the part of the local authorities to exhibit so imposing a display of force as might be calculated to intimidate the people should any popular out break be meditated. So far a 3 my observation has hitherto gone, nothing of the kind has been contemplated, or even sug gested. Mr. Stephens addressed his flock at Ashton on Sunday evening, and so great was the crowd assembled long before the hour for commencing the lecture, than an adjournment to the Market-place took place, where the Rev. Gentleman, from a waggon, spoke for a considerable time in a very fervid and impassioned strain, but without any allusion to the position in which he himself was placed. His denunc'ation of the Poore law Bill, I am told, was most powerful and effective, and some statements were made by him relative to this measure which were most astounding and incredible. I hope to be able to send you an outline of his address for to-morro ir's Paper. The following (Monday) evening, he delivered a farewell address to his flock at Hyde, and since then he has remained at his residence at Dukinfield, near Ashton. The town is fast emptying of its extraordinary influx of visitors. Not a single drunken man have I seen in the streets to-day, and in fact the excitement is apparently less than on any similar saint's day for many years past. Should anything important transpire in the course of the evening, I shall forward it in time for a second edition. BY EXPRESS. MANCHESTER POLITICAL UNION MANCHESTER, LAST NIGHT (TUESDAY), A meeting of the Council of the Political Union of Man chester took place this evening at the Mitre Hotel, for the purpose of devising the best means of supporting their champion, Mr. Stephens. At half-past seven Mr. HEYwoou was unanimously called to the Chair. Mr. FeAnnus O'CONNoR came forward, and said he felt great pleasure in addressing the honest working men of Manchester. Their friend, Mr. Stephens, had been made the subject of Whig prosecution : it mattered not whether it originated with the Government or its subordinate agents. He (Mr. O'C-) had lately addressed a letter to the men of Wigan, which was also read to the men of Leith, pointing out that no protection existed in the ele ments of the law, as at present constituted, for the protec tion of those who advocated the interests of the working. classes ; and that their best defence was in the muscles and sinews of the people.—(Loud cheers.) On the present occasion Mr. Stephens bad been laid hold of, and he trusted, that through the exertions of the people, he would be made an honourable instrument to promote the cause of Radi calism and independence. If they succeeded on this occasion against:Mr. Stephens, they would put down the present movement of the working classes. It de pended upon the support which Mr. Stephens re ceived whether he would be offered up as a victim or not. Mr. Stephens was neither a Whig, a Radical, nor a Tory, and that was one of the reasons why they all admired him. Although he did not belong to their party, the Radicals, he admired their principles so much that he was one of their best friends and advocates, and he (Mr. O'Connor) looked upon him as more valuable than ninety-nine of every hundred Radicals. It depended now upon them whether Mr. Kenworthy, the newly-fledged Magistrate, and his as sociate, another Whigling, Mr. Smith, would carry their persecutions of Mr. Stephens to a successful termination. It was unnecessary for him to go over the nature of the evidence given against Mr. Stephens on the former occa sion, but he had no hesitation, as a barrister, in saying that it had completely broken down.—(Cheers.) if equal justice were dealt out to the rich and the poor—if the humble Ra dical were placed in the same position as the truculent Whig—if the Magistrates were appointed by the will of the people, to deal out justice to the whole people, they would have at once discharged Mr. Stephens, and passed a vote of censure upon the persons who had put them to the trouble of hearing it. The Government, seeing the excite ment and indignation the affair bad caused, were now throwing the onus of the arrest on the County Magistrates, and on that Manchester buoy, John Edward Taylor ; he did not moan the boy as the emblem of youth and innocence, but the great inflated thing, whose head could not be discovered from its heels which enabled vessels to find nut the right channel.--(Great laughter.) That lying fellow it was who had brought the Government into its present awkward position. They had now laid their hands upon Mr. Stephens—they believed that terror had been struck into the camp of the Radicals, and that they would be able to make a martyr of him.—(Loud cries of " Never.") If agitation was good for anyth . ng, now was the time to organize it as systematically as Daniel O'Connell himself when drawing the pence of the poor into his pocket. With that view he hoped and trusted the people would attend Mr. Stephens on the day of his trial without any arms or warlike instruments, or without any banners or music, but firm collected, and united.—(Loud cheers.) He hoped as they had given many days to tyranny and oppression, they would g ive one da y to virtue and justice. He would propose to the m the establishment of a Provi sional Committee to sit constantly and send forth ad dresses to every Radical Association throughout the Kingdom, and to produce such an organiza tion, as that all the Unions would be ready to act upon the instructions sent forth to them. Unless some protection was extended to Mr. Stephens, he would inevi tably be sacrificed. Unless they showed the Magistrates that the power and determination of the people was superior to bad laws, their friend would be sacrificed. If they wanted to know the value of public opinion, let them look at the law of libel, of treason, or of sedi ti ; they would find that prosecutions which were sustained forty years ago, would not now be listened to , or suffered. Why was that ? Was it because their rulers were more loth to oppress the people ? No—but because the voice of knowledge was more powerful than themselves. If the Government was successful in the present instance another leader would be immediately attacked and annihilated. If they were cowards, and determined tosurrender the present victim, in God's name,let themsayso. He trusted the Com mittee to be established that night would prepare an address which would be distributed throughout the land, and which would induce them to show their moral and physical force, and come in tens of thousands, on Thursday, to support their friend.—(Cheers.) Let there be no offensive weapons--let them bring no banners, or m usic, orflags—but by their power and moral influencolet them e xhibit such a front as would make the enemies of the p eo ple quail. There were present reporters from The Sun an d the Times news papers ; and with respect to The Sun, he would say that it was the only paper which bad given a fair and impartial report of the proceedings in London when he (Mr. O'C.) had endeavoured to place the sentiments of Mr. Stevens and his own in a proper light before the public. The cause of the English Radicals was now in the hands of an a ged Whig Magistrate, and his colleague, q young puppy, who had no more brains than there were in the wig of the most ignorant barrister that ever entered a law Court. — (Great laughter.) Did they, however, suppose that the country would submit to the incarceration o f Mr. Stephens ? No, they would meet in their thousands and tens of thoasands, while Lord Melbourne—that faded beau—who was paying his addresses at the same time to the young Queen and her mamma, was issuing proclama tions against torch-light meetings ; but, thank God, they bad tits moo ; and if the moon denied her light they would have thO darkness, which was the most appropriate to those who wura suffering under the tyranny of the Tories, and the treachery of the Whigs. The Government had Mr. O'Connell at their back, who had been ferreting out cases of high treason, and who had denounced him (Mr. O'Connor), as a firebrand. He, the bully, the beggarman, the ruffian, the vagabond, had 4ctnally enlisted him (Air. O'C.) for a guinea, as an Irish volunteer in . . THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 1839 18:31, while he pledged his honour that the money was to purchase arms to fight for the Repeal of the Union, if the Whigs refused to concede it.—(Loud groans and hisses.) There was a cowardly blackguard for them!—there was the man who had sold England and pawned Ireland, and re ceived 1,0001. from Potter of Wigan to purchase the last drop of the liberty of the poor factory children, which was blistered with their blood !—(Tremendous groaning.) Potter never denied that he had paid that 1,000/., and that foul transaction sunk O'Connell deeper, if possible, in de gradation. Why had they not arrested him (Mr. O'Connor) ? Because he was too cunning for them ; he had been in the habit of watching rogues, and was too cunning for them. If they deserted Mr. Stephens now, he (Mr. O'Connor) would desert them. He would move now the appointment of a Provisional Committee of Public Safety, and he trusted their resolutions would be so framed as to steer clear of all legal quibbles. He had no doubt that he' should be singled out as the next victim, but if the Whigs dared to send him there, the brave working-men of England would come in their thou sands, their tens, their fifty, or their hundreds of thou sands, if necessary, and say, " Come out ; you have been long enough there."—(Great laughter and cheering.) Mr. O'Connor concluded an eloquent address, of which the above is a mere outline, by moving the appointment of the Committee. Mr. WHEELER seconded the motion. He regretted that the meeting had fallen upon that peculiar day, 'be cause all those who were most anxious to attend the meeting were enjo)ing the society of their families. He trusted they would not believe that there was any apathy among the people of Lancashire or Cheshire, for if Mr. O'Connor, or any other of the friends of the people told him it was his duty, he would to-morrow have ten thousand men at his back to release their champion from his thraldom.—(Vehement cheering.) They were all aware of the persecutions he (Mr. Wheeler) had suffered, but he would never be deterred from doing his duty.—(Cheers.) Mr. DOYLE suggested the propriety of adjourning the proceedings till to-morrow evening. He thought it would be better for all parties that they deliberated fully before they took any decisive step.—(Hear.) Mr. COBBETT was glad an opportnnity had been afforded him of giving them his opinions on the subject. He did not think there was any necessity for the appointment of the Committee suggested by Mr. O'Connor. Mr. Stephens had been arrested, he believed, because he was one of the most honest and indefatigable friends of the people. —(Hear, hear.) He had undergone one examination, and the result of the next would be, either to discharge or to commit him finally. Under the circum stances in which he stood he did not see any necessity for the step proposed. All they had to do was to show the public and the Government that they were determined to support him, and he was satisfied they would do that.— (Cheers.) If the Committee was appointed it would con vince the public that he had not the hearts of the people completely with him. It would be said that they could not show their affection for him without Committees and Unions and circulars. No ulterior steps could be taken to assist Mr. Stephens—it was the same with him as it would be with any other in similar circumstances, and he must abide by the result. Mr. Stephens (as Mr. O'Connor had said) might be tried not only for what he himself had done, but for what others had done. The evidence would, however, go before the Jury, and their proceedings, finding their way into the columns of the Newspapers, would be submitted to the Jury, and malice or misrepre sentation might in that way prejudice his cause. He was therefore opposed to the appointment of any Com mittee—let them leave the matter to be conducted by his legal advisers, and take no steps further than the meetings which were taking place generally all over the country, ex pressive of the sympathy and confidence of the people, and which would not, he was satisfied, be without their due weight. Mr. Wheeler said he was ready, and that the people of Lancashire and Yorkshire were ready, to do whatever Mr. O'Connor advised them to do. He believed that to be the case, and it was there fore showing a want of confidence, and taking unnecessary precautions, to adopt the present proceeding. He thought also it would be most injudicious to advise the people to attend on Thursday next, because he felt satisfied they would come without being required to do so.—(Cheers.) He had given his opinion, and he left it to the meeting to decide as they thought best. Mr. O'CONNOR explained. There was nothing so ne cessary as unanimity, and he would go great lengths to secure it. He would have no objection to postponement if that were deemed necessary, but he objected strongly to the proposition of Mr. Cobbett. The duties of the Com mittee would be various, and it might be found necessary to collect funds, which could not he done without the appointment of a Committee. When a trade was oppressed, what was the first thing they did ?—Appoint a Committee. When any great undertaking was on foot did they not always commence by forming a Committee?— (Cheers.) If it were asked, " who are taking part with Mr. Stephens ? Who are Isis friends ?" Why, the answer would be all Lancashire, disunited and unconnected. He (Mr. O'C.), could not be one of the Committee, butthey had Mr. Cobbett, who had hereditary claims upon their confidence and gratitude.—(Cheers.) Let Manchester do its duty, and all parts of the country would unite with it. He had not recommended the people to organise themselves on Thurs day next, for he was satisfied every man in his heart resolved to be there. He would therefore recommend them to appoint a Committee, as a great centre and rallying point for their future operations. They had nothing to fear from a Commit tee composed of their own body, for there was more honesty and independence among the bard working operatives than among the thin-skinned and white-gloved aristocracy.— (Hear, bear.) He would, to promote unanimity, .suggest the postponement of the appointment of the Committee to-morrow night, when they would have thousands of the honest men of Manchester around them in the Carpen penters'-hall.—( Cheers.) Mr. COBBETT seconded the amendment of Mr. O'Con nor. He misunderstood the meaning of Mr. O'Connor's original motion, which he thought was to get up a demon stration in favour of Mr. Stephens.—(No, no.) Mr. Itusd.rox would vote for the immediate appoint ment of the Committee, because he felt satisfied that the more immediately they exhibited their strength and their independence the sooner would be their triumph.—(Cheers.) Mr. WHEELER trusted the Committee would be ap pointed to-night, and not leave the matter to a large public meeting where their enemies might find entrance. At the last public meeting they had held, a person in the crowd called out—" Wheeler, why don't you tell us to go down and liberate him at once ?" He (Mr. Wheeler) saw at once that the man was an enemy, and scouted the pro position.—(Cheers.) Mr. PRENTICE was for the immediate appointment of a Committee, because if they did not act with promptitude he feared it would be too late to do anything efficiently. Some discussion then took place as to the night when the general meeting would take place, and it was finally decided that it should take place on Wednesday night, at Carpenters' Hall. Mr. F. O'CoNNoR, seeing that the feeling of the ma jority of the meeting was in favour of the immediate ap pointment of a Committee, would now move the appoint ment of a provisional Committee to assist Mr. Stephens, and to support him in the prosecution to which he was sub jected—the Committee to consist of seven.—Agreed to. The following Gentlemen were then named as the Com mittee :—Mr. J. Rushton, Mr. Heywood, Mr. Cobbett, Mr. Willis, Mr. Prentice, Mr. Doyle, and Mr. Wheeler. Mr. RICHARD OASTLER was then called upon, and ad dressed the meeting at some length. We must postpone the insertion of his speech till to-morrow. After some further discussion, the meeting separated. THE REV. MR. STEPHENS. MANCHESTER, TUESDAY NIGHT. Mr. Stephens arrived from his house yt Duckinfield, near Ashton, this afternoon, accompanied by Mr. Oastler, Mr. F. O'Connor, Mr. Richardson, and a number of his friends. A private meeting was held immediately afterwards, at which I understand it was resolved to send for Mr. Charles Phillips, the barrister, to conduct Mr. Stephens' defence on Thursday. Mr. Condy acts as his advising counsel here, and Mr. Law, who was his solicitor, when the case came before the Magis trates on Friday last, is also retained. Mr. Stephens is rather low-sized, and of a delicate frame. His manners are extremely mild and prepossessing, and his disposition the very opposite, so far as any faith can be placed in physiognomic characteristics, of the descriptions given of him by Mr. O'Connell and others. Mr. Oastler appears to be deeply interested in the r,?sult of the investiga tion, and is most zealous in his advocacy of the Reverend Gentleman. _ The excitement in the neighbouring districts continues unabated, and it is supposed that several hundred thou sand persons will march into Manchester on Thursday morning. Meetings were held last night at Bradford, Rochdale, (in which town the excitement is most alarming), Staley Bridge, and several other places. Two troops of the Queen's B a ys were ordered this morning from Manchester to A s h ton , a nd the most erensive preparations for the preservation of the peace are being made by the civil and military authorities here. I enclose a letter to Lord John Russell, which has been very extensively distributed and placarded here in the course of the day : " Mr. Orme's Fallow Field, near Manchester, " Dec. 29, 1838. " To the Right Honourable Lord John Russell, Secretary of " State for the Home Department, &c. &c, " MY 1/04P,—:-Y Ol l are aware ee the state of excitement into which this manufacturing district has been thrown by the arrest of the Rev. Josephißayner Stephen's, You are also aware that this excitement has been increased by the extraordinary mea sures which Government (confiding in Taylor's veracity) have thought it needful to adopt, in conscrenoe of the posityp declaration of the editor gf the Manc tsip. Guardian, that Mr. Stephens was the author of the fire at Mr. Josect's mill I in Ashton-under-Lyne.' " The object of this letter is to caution your Lordshis against placini , any reliance in future, on the representationp of that well-known slanderer, John Edward Taylor. " If proof be wanting of that man's falsehood, he has fur nished it this day, in his report of the examination in Mr. Stephens' case before John Kenworthy, Esq. You will there find that John Edward Taylor, instead of confront ing Mr. Stephens, as any man of honour and prin ciple would have done, and proving the charge which he made against Mr. Stephens in the Guardian to be true, is now employing himself, under cover of his edito rial office, in misrepresenting the worthy Magistrate, whom he has made his dupe, and is actually preparing the public to believe, that Mr. Stephens is about to be victimized by a prejudiced Judge 1 In the report of the examination of the witnesses again=t Mr. Stephens, even befog• yesteriay's ex imination was closed, and, consequently, before the case was adjourned to next Thursday, your Lordship will find the following, in the third page, sixth column, of to- day's Manchester Guardian Mr. KENWORTHY said—' We are determined to commit him (Mr. Stephens) to Kirkdale.' Now, my Lord, if Mr. Kenworthy did, under such circum stances, say so, he is no longer eligible to sit on the Magisterial bench, because, contrary to his oath, he has unjustly prejudged the case ; there cannot be two opinions upon that point. I am bound, however, to assert, that I do not believe Mr. Ken worthy said anything of the sort. I was carefully listening, at that time, to every word spoken; I heard no such expression; I have asked others who were present, and they assure me that such words were not spoken in their hearing by Mr. Kenworthy or any one else. How then is it to be ac c.ninted for ? My Lord, I will tell you. Taylor knows well enough that he is the wicked inventor of the plot against Mr. Stephens—he is aware of the odium which must await the dastardly persecutors of Mr. Stephens; and after deceiv ing the Government and the Magistrates, he now wants to creep out of all responsibility, and make the public believe that Mr. Kenworthy had predetermined to commit Air. Stephens ! What steps Mr. Kenworthy will take against Taylor I know not. It is clear the matter cannot rest where it is. I deem it my duty to lay the circumstances before your Lordship, because I would warn you and the Government against believing any report given by John Edward Taylor. I have the honour to be, my Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient servant, RICHARD 0 ASTLER. P. S.—Your Lordship need be under no apprehension about disturbances in this district, unless you are resolved to try to enforce the damnably accursed New Poor-law, or to refuse justice to Mr. Stephens. John Edward Taylor may be safely left in the hands of Mr. Kenworthy. R. 0. CHORAL HARMONIC SOCIETY. The third concert for the present season of the above So ciety took place last night at the Hanover-square Rooms. Both in point of selection and performance it proved superior to many former concerts of the Society, but was not equal in the latter respect to the first of the season. The Society, however, is evidently progressing, and with a little more atten tion at their weekly practices, we may expect a still nearer advance towards perfection at their succeeding efforts. The conceit opened with Paer's very pretty overture " Agnese," played with spirit and correctness ; in Weber's " Ruler of the Spirits," the orchestra was not so successful. The tribute of an encore was nevertheless deservedly paid to the composer. In the course of the evening several choruses were sung, and accompanied remarkably well; amongst them were " The many rend the skies" of Handel, and Mozart's " Questo eit fin." A beautiful madrigal of Feata, " Down in a flowery vale," was also well sung. The serenade from " William Tell," " Fair as a bride," was not quite so correctly given as at Covent garden Theatre. We missed se veral points in the instrumental accompaniments. The singers were Miss Cooper, Miss Flower, Mr. Leffler, and Mr. W. D. King. Miss Cooper has improved amazingly ; she possesses a beautifully clear flexible voice, and uses it with considerable judgment. In the characteristic song of Auber, " I love her, how I love her l" accompanied by herself on the pianoforte, she sang with exquisite feeling, and was enthusi astically encored. "Tu die accendi," Rossini, was also sung by her in good taste, and in a very spirited style. Miss Flower also had an encore in a very pretty ballad by Mortimer, " Go, forget me l" Mr. Lefflor's " Lascia amor," of Handel, was sang in a bold and masterly manner, and was much ad mired by the dilettanti present. Mr. W. D. King, in Pur cell's " Mad Tom," sang with much judgment and feeling, and, except by Braham, we never heard this celebrated scene given with half so much effect. Loder's " Three ages of love," sang by the same gentleman, we did not much admire. The instrumental pieces were a Concerto on the oboe, played with a beautifully mellow tone, and great neatness of execution by Mr. Keating ; and a Duct Concertante, piano-forte and con certina, by Mr. Frederick Lyon and Mr. Sedgwick. It was much applauded. The Concertina, however, is but a toy at last, and more suited to the boudoir than the concert-room. The concert concluded with Rossini's overture to " La Ceneri n tola," which as usual for the terminating piece was played to nearly empty benches. The room was entirely filled with the subscribers and their friends. In the course of last week, the officers of po:ice here discovered three of the swell mob, who are reported to have been for some time plying their trade in Glasgow, and apprehended them, when upon examination, one of them turned out to be a returned convict named 'Macdonald, the same fellow who so lately bothered the police of Glasgow. He was very unwilling to recollect any of his aliases. A number of skeleton keys and other implements of robbery were found upon them.—Edinburgh Advertiser. Two fashionably-dressed young men, named Brady, were on Friday charged with having violently assaulted a surgeon, named Johnston, residing at No. 4, Commercial terrace, Limehouse. It appeared that Mr. Johnston had seduced a sister of the defendants', and being about to get married had deserted her. On Wednesday the young lady had introduced herself into the drawing-room with her in fant, and exposed her seducer before a large party of his friends. On the following day she again visited the house, when complainant sent his servant for a policeman to re move her. The servant, however, who swore that Mr. Johnston had knocked down, kicked, and otherwise ill treated Miss Brady, instead of going for a policeman, went and informed the Messrs. Brady of what she had seen, and they returning to the house of complainant, inflicted upon him a sound thrashing with a stick, but not, as they, affirmed, till complainant had first struck them. The young lady was called, and admitted she might have done wrong. The sitting Magistrate (Mr. Norton) replied, that if the complainant thought he could find a Magistrate to punish a brother under the circumstances detailed he must be very much mistaken indeed. He (Mr. Norton) for one should not do so ; hut, in discharging them, he would re commend that neither of them should for the future go near the complainant's house. The defendants, whose feelings during the proceedings appeared to be dreadfully excited, were then discharged. The charge was originally the capital one of cutting and wounding, but Mr. Norton finding nothing to justify so serious a charge, ordered the defendants to be taken from the felons' bar and placed else where. MONKEYANA.—In the Secondaries' Court on Fri day a person named Howard recovered 251. damages from the owner of a monkey, whose appearance, uninvited in the bed-room of complainant's wife, about four months ago, had frightened the lady into fits, from the effects of which she was still suffering, and was now under medical treatment. By some means the animal had strayed from its master's premises and got into Mr. Howard's house, and the first glimpse which Mrs. Howard had caught of it, as she lay ill in bed at the time, was while it was sitting on her dressing-table fighting its own shadow in the looking-glass and chattering vehemently. The usual evidence of injury, and the amount of doctors' bilis having been adduced, it was attempted to be shown in defence that the plaintiff had been guilty of negligence in leaving his doors open to the intruder. In the pleadings the monkey was termed " mischievous, savage, and ferocious by nature ;" while Mr. C. Phillips, for the defendant, contended that it was a well-behaved brute ; it had been playing in Mr. Du crow's corps ever since the unfortunate visit, and during that period had never misconducted itself in the le a st, The offender was in the neighbourhood of the Cozirt, but was not produced. IMPORTANT QUESTION RESPECTING POOR RATES.—A question of considerable importance is at the present moment agitating many parishes throughout the kingdom relative to the excusing, on the ground of poverty, the payment of poor-rates. Since the passing of the new Assessment Act, it is compulsory on all parochial officers to introduce into their rate-books an assessment of all the property within the parish, and as it must necessarily oc3ur under those circumstances, that the names of many persons are introduced who, from poverty, are unable to pay, it is provided that the overseers, or other persons having the care and management of the poor, shall from time to time make out a list of such persons whom they may consider fit objects to be relieved, and submit it to the local bench of Magistrates for their approval and signature. In many parishes it is the custom for the list to be made out at a public vestry, and in other parishes the task has been per formed by the overseers solely. At Twickenham, in con sequence of there being considerable arrears on the books in respect of rates m a d e un d er the new system, a committ ee of the parochial officers have been for some time sitting to investigate the claims of the respective parties to be re lieved ; but we understand the Board of Guardians of th o Brentford Union dispute their right to do . so, and coptowl that the Poo r L aw A mendment A c t having rewtoved the 4 ` care and maintenance of the poor" from the hands of the overseers and parochial offiemN, and vested it the hands of the Guardians, those boards alone have now the power to recommend to the Magistrates. The same point has been raised in other Unions, and in consequence the Vocis Law c orm i ss i gn os have been a ppli e d to oil , o.N e eet, AttPl 4l o - teneral on th e construction have t a ken the opinion of the Ave quoted, Which has not yet con s t ruc tion of the words been tnaciP :tt which is s a id to b e in favour cf that laced pn them by the Guardian: ) , Rho.uld that be the ease, w ill a dd greatly to the thttie,s of tb e variQua Wards, it „: CRIMINAL COURT-(THIS DAY.) OLD COURT. THE FORGERY ON THE BANK AT TORONTO. John Hannon was charged with having feloniously had in his possession, on the 14:h September last, a copper-plate, with an engraving for a promissory note, purporting to be of the Upper Canada Bank, under the name and style of the Direc tors and Company of the Toronto Bank. Mr. Bonict;l and Mr. DOANE appeared for the prosecution. Mr. PRENDERGAST defended the prisoner. Mr. BODKIN stated the nature of the case. The prisoner had recently come from the Province of Upper Canada, and on the 13th of August he presented himself at the shop of Mr. Ilayes, engraver, Regent-street, and desired Mr. H. to call upon him at Betty's Hotel. Mr. Hayes called accordingly, and the prisoner then produced a genuine note of the Toronto Bank, and ask( d Mr. Hayes to engrave him a fac simile, which he air ed to do. the price fix ,d being fourteen gui ne is. The plate waa commenced, and in the course of the work the prisoner frequently called at the shop of Mr. Hayes, and seemed very anxious for its completion. In the course of one of the conversations which took place, the prisoner described himself as one of the members of the bank, and said that Mr. Ridout and Mr. Proudfoot, whose names were affixed to the note, were his partners. When the plate was nearly completed, the prisoner asked Mr. Hayes if he could engrave the names of Hawdon, Wright, and Hatch, of New York, who appeared as the engravers of the genuine note. Mr. Hayes refused, and said that if he wanted a name engraver he would put his own name on the plate. The prisoner said he would rather have the other names, and offered an additional guinea to have it done. Mr. Hayes, however, still refused, and the pri soner at last said that it was of no great consequence, as he could get it done in America. The plate having been thus far completed, was delivered to the prisoner on the 13th Sep tember, together with eighty impressions, which he had de sired Mr. Haves to take for him. During the progress of the affair, the suspicions of Mr. Hayes bad been excited by the request of the prisoner to have the names of the New York engravers affixed to the plate, in consequence of which he communicated with the agents of the Toronto Bank in the city, and an arrangement was made by the police to take the prisoner when he went for the plate; but on receiving it he instantly disappeared, and got away. Shortly after this he went with some other persons into a brothel, where he lost the plate and the impressions, and gave the person who kept the house into the charge of the police fcr having robbed him. He, however, did not appear at the police-office, and the woman was discharged. On the 18th September he again presented himself at the shop of Mr. Hayes, stated that he had lost the plate and the notes, and would trouble him to engrave another. He then presented him with another genuine note, cutting off the names of Mr. Ridout and Mr. Proudfoot, and also that of the en.. gravel sat the bottom of it. He desired the plate to be made as much a fac simile as possible, and stated that he should have some Montreal and other bank notes to engrave, and that money would be no object. Mr. Hayes immediately com municated with the persons connected with the bank, and on the 27th the prisoner was apprehended. In the meantime it appeared that the prisoner had called on Mr. Martin, in Long acre, and asked him to engrave a fac simile of the lower part of the note, which had been cut from that delivered to Mr. Hayes stating himself to be Mr. Ridout, and that Mr. Proud foot was his partner. Of course, the plate could not be prc.. duced, it having been lost ; but one of the impressions from it had been preserved by Mr. Hayes, which would be identified. Witnesses were then called to substantiate the facts stated by the Learned Counsel in his opening ; at the conclusion of which, Mr. PRENDERGAST took an objection to the form of the in dictment, which, he submitted, could not be sustained. The charge was laid under the 18th section of the Act, which regarded notes payable only in this country, and not notes payable abroad. The 30th section, which extended the forging or uttering to places abroad, left out the offences punishable under the 18th section, and did not extend to pos.. session, the offonce now charged against tho prisoner. After Mr. BODKIN had been heard in reply, Mr. Justice BOSANQUET said the Court would revery° the point for future argument, of which the prisoner would of course have the benefit. Mr. PRENDERGAST then addressed the Jury at some length on behalf of the prisoner; after which the Learned Judge summed up the evidence, and the Jury returned a verdict of Guilty. NEW COURT. (Before Mr. CommoN SERGEANT. ) Caroline War I was indicted for stealing two duplicates, two breast-pins, a chain, value 305., and a gold pencil-case, va'ue 31., the property of Wm. Cochrane Williams. The prisoner's defence was that she found the articles. The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty, accompanied by an earnest recommendation to mercy. The Commotv SERGEANT sentenced the prisoner to thre e months' imprisonment and hard labour. _EAT ,ENTS.—The proceedings on this question before Lord Moncrieff, as Lord Ordinary, terminated on Thursday, when his Lordship ordered the Council on each side to prepare cases, which are to be considered by the Inner House, We understand the question will be taken up and decided by the whole Court.—Edinburgh Advertiser. SIR W. GOSSETT.—Last week, as Sir William was leaving his dressing-room and proceeding down stairs, his foot slipped, and he was precipitated to the bottom with such violence that his collar-bone was broken, and other wise slightly injured. ANTI-CORN-LAW ASSOCIATION.—On Wednes day last a meeting was held at the Crown and Anchor Inn, Belgrave-gate, when it was unanimously agreed thata, Branch Society should be formed and a Committee chosen for the purpose of forwarding the object of the Association. During the evening a stranger from Nottingham amused the meeting by several striking facts illustrative of the baneful effect of the Corn-laws, which he, as an individual, had experienced on the Continent. The gentleman's name is Mr. Madder, the Patentee of a new and ingenious improvement in the stocking-frame. He most earuestly requested the men of Leicester to agitate for the abolition of the iniquitous monopoly appropriately callecl 'by The Sun the " Devil's Laws." [We are glad to S.:VI that the diffe rent Wards in the town are about, to form District or Branch Societies. Every mar.';ufacturer, banker, mer chant, farm er , tradesman, anti artisan, should at once enroll themselves in one of thr,im, all, except the Aristocrat and great Landowner, being equally interested in the prompt removal of an impost alike disgraceful to the Senate which enacted it and to the people who have so long suffered it to remain ori the Statute-book.]—Leicestershire Mercury. It is our painful duty to record the death of Captain Johnston, of Sands, under the following very melancholy circumstances :—He had gone, on Friday, the 14th inst., to dine at Blair Castle, which is about a mile distant, and not having returned by ten o'clock, which was considered a late hour for him, being a person of very sober and re gular habits, his family became uneasy, and sent a mes s-nger to Blair to inquire into the cause of his detention. The servant was there informed that Captain Johnston had left for home at a quarter past nine o'clock. He ac cordingly returned to Sands and communicated the intel. ligence, which produced great alarm, as the night had been very hazy, and there were two very deep quarries near to a by-path by which he usually came. His eldest son and the servant s h a vi ng go t li g ht s , i mme di ately went m search of him, and, melancholy to relate, found him in on of the quarries quite dead. He had fallen from a heigl:A of nearly forty feet, and had alighted on his head, As Captain Johnston was universally respected his tragical end has produced a great sensation in the neighbourhood. He has left behind him his lady and a fine family to deplore his loss.—Edinburgh Courant. On Sunday morning last a remarkable circumstance occurred at Bradgate, near Rotherham. Whilst a boy was passing over an old well, with a lighted candle, foul air ignited, and com..lnicatin g to a b arn c l ose by, t h e property of , Mr. James ri rn arris, of Rotherham, ironf oun d er , d estroyed Iron ) se",,nty to one hundred loads of wheat and other pro- Per'.y, the whole of the value of from 2001. to 3001. --Liver pool Chronicle. We are sorry to have to record an attempt to set fire to the warehouse in Peat-lane of Messrs. Box and Harri son, manufacturers. It was fortunately unsuccessful, but we regret to have to put on record an endeavour so much exceeding in malignant villany any thing that has of 1a.,0 years taken place in this generally peaceable town. P. ap pears that the wife of a person employed in the bre:wery of Mr. Banks, and who had to be up very early 0 ,0 Monday morning, saw a light in the warehouse abtr: e mentioned, about half-past eleven on Sunday night-, 'as she was sitting up to call her husband. The cirnmstance naturally ex cited suspicion, as there were no men at work on the pre mises, and the alarm was given. On searching it was found that a fire had beenk~,;ldled of peats in the watch-house, near to two I,_:cge barrels, containing each of them above 90 gallons of oil. The fire had burnt off' all the hoops of the barrel nearest to it, and some of the staves were much blackened, and the flames had reached to a basket of wool which had been placed on the top of the other. A very short time longer and the inflammable liquid would have been poured out, and the whole premises would have• been in a flame. The author of this act is at present undisco vered.—Kendal 111ercu 'y, MEETING OP THE WORKING CLASSES.—The largest meeting ever assembled in Exeter took place on Tuetiday evening last, Dec. 18, 1838, at six o'clock. The meeting was convened by the Buckfastleigh Working Men's. Association, for the purpose of explaining more fully e d eir uhjects and principles. The meeting was intended. io have taken place in the open air, in order to d€ 4 .eat the machina tions of their opponents, who mustered strongly to oppose them ; hut to their consternati-A and dismay the people tlarched into the field. 1 10::.ited by the Buckfastleigh band of music, accompanied by many belonging to the Ashburton band, with different banners and emblems of the Working Men's Association, " United we stand, divided we fair a bundle of rods with a crown of laurel on it, " Unity is strength," " Live by labour and be free," with a variety of other appropriate tiags,—Devonshire Chronicle.