The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

Mttropolitun.

A GREAT MEETING OF THE UNEMPLOYED WORKMEN
of the building trades was held at Smithfield on
Monday. Upwards of 10,000 persons were computed
to be present. The meeting was called by the com-
mittee of the unemployed members of the building
trade, for the purpose of taking into consideration
the present distressing position of that body, there
being upwards of 25,000 at present unemployed in
London alone.

Mr. OSBORNE said the meeting was called for the
purpose of enabling the committee, which had been
appointed to submit certain resolutions to the
meeting. It would be in the power of any person to
move amendments, but he must protest against any
agents of Mr. Bronterre O'Brien or other persons
turning the meeting to political purposes. The
meeting bad been convened under the auspices of the
Lord Mayor, and was purely social.
Mr. Hum' PIERCE, the chairman, then rose and
addressed the meeting at some length. He said it
would be needless for him to go into the facts and
circumstances connected with the depressed state of
the building trade :
At the present time there were upwards of 15,000 per-
ions connected with the building trade in London unem-
ployed. Ile should like to know how this depression bad
been brought about. It was all very well for the Govern-
ment to state and to blazon abroad to foreign nations the
glorious prosperity of this country, but let it look at home
and see the number of unemployed artisans, before they
entered into costly wars, for what they called the indepeit.
deuce and welfare of the people—whom he (the chairman)
hail no doubt were much better off than the workmen of
this country. He was one of the ♦ictims of supply and
demand, which modern political economists pretended was
the solo cause of the present deficiency of labour. From
that he demurred. For, while he saw around him the
splendid pageantries of accumulated wealth, revelling in all
the abmidancies that a bountiful nature could supply;
while ne saw the English Government fitting out its
ambassadors and consuls in the most magnificent style,
imposing on the world the splendid spectacle of a people
without poverty—while such things were blazoned forth to
the world, they were required by the calls of their own
necessities, and by the principles of their own national
dignity, to challenge the display of so flinch grandeur, anti,
at any rate, to reveal their own sufferings as the dark side
of the picture.
At the present time there were upwards of 25,000 men
in the building trade alone willing to work, but unable to
obtain employment—men who were doomed in the present
state of society to an isolated starvation, and educated with
a fuse dignity and an unfair knowledge of their position
in society. They dreaded the exposure of applying to the
poor law for that relief which was their undoubted right.
These things demanded their most vital attention ; and
whilst they heard of different schemes for their benefit,
let them not forget the real cause, nor be deceived by the
quackery which applied the ointment to the superficial
sore, without salving the malady that occasioned the
gangrenous wound front which they were suffering. Out
of the population at present in London n quarter of a
million workmen were unemployed. That was a grievous
state of things. The suggestion was that they should
apply rn maxAe to the various unions for relief. They
must remember that the poor law was a national right.
Let them ask what could be granted, like men of common
sense, fur what they required, and not waste their time
and labour in discussing the utopias of vain men or the
political crotchets of professional agitators. Hitherto,
Englishmen appeared to ha actuated by false pride, for
when out of work they seemed to think it a degradation to
apply for relief at the union; but they should remember
that the poor law was a national institution, anti that the
relief it gavo was their own. They should enforce that
right, when necessity compelled it, and then such a pres-
sure would be brought to bear upon the ratepayers that the
Government would be obliged to retrench some of its use-
less expenditure, and apply the saving to the construction
of useful public works. It was neither politic nor dignified
for the Government to go pa►ading the wealth and luxury
of the country! before the eyes of foreign nations, when so
Many of her people were on the point of starvation ; and

SATURDAY,

he was, therefore, sure that if they would only unite in
obtaining the objects stated in the resolutions they would
succeed. Let them apply to the several unions for relief
en maw, and the Government would soon do something
for them.

Mr. W. J. M'HEATH moved the first resiolution, as
follows :

That the unemployed workmen here assembled being
fit objects for relief under the poor law, should forthwith
apply, in masses, at their various parishes and demand
such casual support, while out of work, as they are by law
entitled to ; and in the meantime the executive council
shall draw up a petition in the name, and on behalf, of the
unemployed, praying her most gracious Majesty the
Queen to call the attention of the Government to the ne•
cessity of employing the surplus labour population upon
the waste land of the country ; granting them also the loan
of a portion of the surplus revenue for draining and tilling
the same, to the end that their present impending ruin
may be prevented, and corn produced in sufficient abund•
ance to meet the wants of all.
The mover, in a long and eloquent speech, endea-
voured to prove the absolute necessity of adopting
the resolution.

Mr. HANDLEY seconded the motion, which was
carried with acclamation.

Mr. OSBORNE proposed the next resolution :

That the Government open an extensive system of
emigration for all those who, be►ng unable to procure em-
ployment, do not wish to be put upon the land, but prefer
to leave their native country, thereby to add to the wealth
of the colonies, and he enabled to better their own condi-
tion at the same t►me.

For some time past he had been in the habit, when •
ever he had an opportunity of speaking, of saying
that emigration must be the means of finding an
opening for the surplus population. He did not
mean to say there was a surplus population, but at
present thousands of persons were out of work, and
even if they got relief now, the question was whether
next year they would not be in the same position.
They wanted an outlet for the great masses of the
people, in addition to the employment which could
be bad by the cultivation of the waste lands. Nothing
could be better than emigration.
The resolution, having been seconded, was carried
nem. con.

Other resolutions of a formal nature were pnssed,
and the meeting, considering its immense number,
conducted itself in the most orderly manner, and
bhortly after was adjourned till Monday next.

The report which appeared in some of the evening
popers, to the effect that a resolution was carried
suggesting " the abolition of the duties upon all
articles of consumption," is incorrect; no such mo-
tion was proposed.

A HOUSE IN DORSET-STREET, SPITALFIELDS, fell is
on Sunday afternoon, burying two children of a poor
man, one McStory, and who, although speedily ex-
tricated, died shortly afterwards from the injuries
they had received. Upwards of thirty persons usually
inhabited the house, but most fortunately all the
other families were out for the day, or the conse-
quences might have been very disastrous.
THE COLLEGE OF PEEcErrons on Saturday last
held their half-yearly meeting of members at the
offices in Queen-square, Dr. Humphreys, of Chel.
tenham, president of the council, in the chair. Dr.
Humphreys, on taking the chair, delivered the usual
address. The secretary read the report for the half-
year, which stated that the objects of the institution
were being in every respect progressively oorked out.
The balance-sheet showed liabilities to the amount
of 32:1/. Bs. 4d., and avets to the amount of
2081. 155., being a balance against the college of
1161. 13s. Rd.

THE ANTI.. POOH-LAW-BOARD LEAGUE held a public
meeting on Monday evening at the Marylebone
Court-house for the purpose of " protesting against
the unconstitutional and irresponsible power" of the
Poor-Law Board, and to adopt measures for effecting
(through the medium of Parliament) a thorough re-
formation of the law governing the Poor Law Board.
Communications were read from Sir B. Hall, M.l'.,
Sir James Duke, M.P., Sir R. Brooke Pechell, M.P.,
Apsley Pellatt, Esq., M.P., Sir John Shelley, M.P.,
and other members of Parliament, expressive of their
opinions in favour of the objects of the League ; and
also a long letter from Viscount Ebrington in defence
of the Poor Law Board. Mr. D'lffanger moved the
adoption of a petition to Parliament embodying
several resolutions against the power exercised by
the Poor-Law Board. He said that the I'oor-Law
Board was a species of inquisition and centralisation
such as wa, adopted in France ; but even there it was
beginning to be repudiated. The motion was carried.

THE COMMITTEE OF THE STOCK EXCHANGE have
unanimously passed the following resolution, the ob.
aervance of which may go far towards preventing
further frauds of the class in which Redpath was so
extensively engaged. The facilities hitherto given to
clerks and other employes to speculate on the Stock
Exchange was remarked last week by one of the sitting
magistrates. The resolution is as follows :

The committee particularly caution members of the Stock
&Osage against transacting speculative business fur

JANUARY 17, 1857.

clerks in public or private establishments without the
knowledge of their employers. Members disregar.ling this
cwition are liable to be dealt with in such a manner as the
committee may deem advisable.

SEVERAL FIRES broke out in different parts of the
metropolis on Thursday morning. In Stepney, the
Old Kent-read, Pimlico, Goswell.street, and East-
street, Manchester.square, fires were raging about
the same period. In two eases the deaths of persons
burnt have ensued ; in Pimlico of a Mrs. Pelham,
and in Old Kent road of a Mrs. Westcott. A great
fire also broke out on Thursday night, at Mr.
Soulter's, a ship-chandler, in Shadwell, and de-
stroyed property to a vast amount.
A GREAT ANTIMPIUM TRADE MEETING was held
at Freemasons'-hall on Thursday evening. The
meeting was addressed by Mr. T. Chambers, the Hon.
A. Kinnaird, the Rev. Baptist Noel, and others.
Resolutions condemning this infamous trade, which
had now risen to an import into China of 78,000
chests annually, were unanimously passed, and a
petition to Parliament adopted, pointing out the
illegality of English vessels being permitted to carry
on such a trade in direct violation of treaties, and pray-
ing for the interference of the House to compel the
East India Company to put an end to the trade.

_ .
PROFESSOR SAFFI delivered the first of his lectures
upon Italy on Thursday evening at the 3larylebone
Institution. The lecturer, confining his attention
mainly to the past, traced the misfortunes of his
country from the establishment of the temporal
power of the Popes, and the consequent alliance be-
tween the heads of the Church and foreign despots.
During the middle ages the l'opes had upheld the
national dignity, but a decline had commenced in the
sixteenth century, and had continued till the out-
break of the French Revolution, which had generally
been hailed as an auspicious event by the more intel-
ligent Italians, although they were subsequently de-
ceived in their expectations. The influence of Napo.
leon was, on the whole, to be regarded as beneficial,
and the " Kingdom of Italy," which be established,
at any rate impressed the people with the notion of
national unity. The grievances which resulted from
Austrian dominion were set forth by the professor in
full detail, and the whole concluded with a panegyric
of Mazzini, and the expression of a belief that the
power of the Pope was morally defunct and only pre-
served:a fictitious existence. The lecture-room was
numerously attended.
AT THE USUAL MEETING OF THE COURT OF SEWERS
a conversation arose respecting the late scaffold acci-
dent in Cornhill, in the course of which Mr. Deputy
Harrison stated that he was authorised by the pro-
prietors of the premises where the accident took
place to mention that they had in the first instance
erected a scaffold at an immense expense, which they
had been told was quite sufficient, but, in order to
prevent such accidents in future, they were prepared
in a few daysi to remove their business to other
premises. Mr. Heywood, Surveyor to the Court,
said the scaffold was as sufficient as it could possibly
be, and no more could have been done unless the
shop had been closed. The accident in question had
in reality occurred in consequence of the incautious
conduct of the workmen. They were about to raise
a stone to act as a lever for a huge iron girder, and
proper tackle had been fixed, which the builder, not
an hour before, had told,them to be sure to raise;
but as soon as his back was turned, they tried to raise
it without using that tackle, and the consequence
was, that when it got to a certain height, it over•
powered them, came down, and knocked over one o f
the men, fell on the edge of the platform, and then
bounded below, upon the head of a man, who was
standing under the edge of the scaffold looking
upward.

THE ItEGISTRAR•GENERAL'S RETURNS Show a low
rate of mortality. The deaths of 1,135 persons only
are returned, against 1,663 births.

Vrobincial.

THE OLD MANSION ON RICHMOND-GREEN, known
as Hope-house, and devoted for several years to a
school for the education of daughters of naval
officers, was destroyed by fire early on Monday morn-
ing. The house having recently been purchased by
the promoters of the new Cavalry College, a number
of workmen had been actively employed in order
that it might be opened for business on the Ist of
February. The fire was discovered about half past
five in the morning, but, as little water could be
obtained for nearly two hours, no portion of the
mansion could be saved, and when additional engines
arrived, the exertions of the firemen were almost
useless. It is supposed that the fire must have
occurred from the carelessness of the workmen in
leaving charcoal fires burning without any person to
attend them. The mansion and premises are Insured
in the Sun and Phoenix Fire Offices. It is stated
that the destruction of the house will not materially
interfere with the proposed opening of the college,
u: its promoters will during the rebuilding either
take premises in the immediate vicinity, ur oucupy
Ihuir present boost; at Ituelitiniptuu.