The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-01 00:00:00

Tii 00eris DongB.—A meeting of the Menu-
attaren of Biresiegbatin, consumers of copper, was held in
linreemotittee-inem dike Town-hall yesterday, to cwaider
Ike psepekti of taking steps to obtan • reduction of the
klieg em upper. —The Mayor baring been called to the
ellmir,eaid there ereald be no doubt tam taking the dilly off
Via en oval an be of benefit to the manulactieer,as would
Vllefts use by taking the duty off the an Ma!
LE the very nature of the smelting trade retaking
every large espltel, and thus throwing it into the lambed
very limited ameba, it was a class monopoly. The beadsl
posed by the government would never reach B= bllll4
consequence of there still being a duty on tie haesp.
per, which was the raw material of Birmingham's' tie
ew
wee that of the smelters. lie did not imagine whin waft
government proposition, that it was still intended Ilehrigfp
the duty on copper, and remit it on the ore, bemuse be did
*Mae how, oonsistently with their principles, the government
could do so. It woe so notwithstanding, and it therefore
only remained fur Birmingham to go to the government to
show the effect of retaining the duty on finished copper was
disastrous to them and unjust in principle, to obtain whet
they were met together to endeavour to secure—the remis-
non of the duty on the copper as well as the era. Atoll events
tithe government determined to peysevero, or declined to in-
terfere, he believed that the move cil principles upon which
trade was now conducted had a sufficient number of video-
•ites in the HMSO of Commons tc prevent the tax being con-
tieued.—Mr. H. Smith remarked that the object of the
meeting was simply this—to ask the question whether they
ought not new to try to obtain all those advantages which
extended to every other manufacture in the couutry—he
meant the purcnasing of the raw material in the market of
the world, end paying only that price for it which competi-
tion might fix. Under the present law they could not do so ;
they
_were entirely in the hands of the master smelters, who
'said do with them u they pleased. This, as many of the
gem lemee knew, was no question to Birmingham. In former
the course pursued by the companies in Cornwall
Yeilinniwansca was found to be an evil of such magnitude
Iket moral public companies were formed by subscription,
emormad into competition with those previously established,
MI Om in lOW degree mitigated the evil. It Win quite
eiwoossissiff my eset= about the propriety of granting
boom might be said about the netts-
li
•inteelend stimulating a young trade by pro-
Zarred ki
• eilitelepli did not think that at the present day
* e4eseent ereeld meet with much attention. But the
.M 0 was changed when these establishments had arrived at
gay, when the supply was not only equal te the
other
de-
fends beta great surplus was created and exported to ,
asenlies, there competing with what came from other
trialete. Om lowering the price, and enabling the foreign
esrmeiMmme not only to compete with those of this ,
einead, but to compete with them under their very
Illiredagnaaa. It was well known that a few years
age sew relaxation was given, and copper was admitted at
Canalia duty. It was sup Posed that to • certain extent it
would be productive of benefit to the consumon ; but with
the exception of some individuals, who undoubtedly derived
advantage from it, it was not equivalent to what was
paid for it. It did not find its way into the Lands of
the mercbants, and thence tpassed o the
into manufactur
aner, but,
on the contrary, generally tbe hds of
the smelters, who mixed it with their own ore ; bat,
bniag accompanied be the monopoly they enjoyed,
they could consequently ask any price for it they
chose by any increased demand, the manufacturers thus
deriving no advantage whatever on the reduction of the
duty on the ore. This was the case till 1846, when Sir It.
Peel, with a spirit that did him much credit, brought in his
free-trade me iaures. On that occasion they thought that
the manufacturers of Birmingham should be placed in the
same position as other branches of trade throughout the
oratory; that tiny should be dealt with by equal laws.
They expected that, from the soundness of the principles and
the power, ability, and character of the minister, that they
would tent be disapvinted. They did, however, suffer dis-
appointment; and they found that Birmingham wee still to
be subjected to the laws of monopoly in opposition to that
prineiple which was declared to bo the rule of the nation,
that when the manufacturer should be subject to competi-
tion, he should also be allowed to buy his materials at com-
petition price. Mr. Monts, at his request, waited on the
minister on the subject; but be was informed that govern-
Sent could not give up the 40,0001. per annum they derived
front Viet source, even although Birmingham should suffer
to that extent. Now circumstances had again changed.;
moreples o light had sho
ne in on te resent day, and the princi-
f free trade had beenrecognised. On that principle
they should consider whether they would not take steps to
bring the matter before parliament en affecting their inter-
ests. t appeared to him tha', forming, as copper did, the
staple of the great bulk of the Birmiogham manufactures—
employing, as it did, the great proportion of the population— ,
they bade right to claim the full advantage of this principle
vied those acts which were extended to other trades. If he
Smith) understood the CU3 right, it simply tame to
eithn that by the free importation of copper the in.
HMS of the smelters would be affected or they would
tell If they would mit be affected, then there was no
seeemity for the law at all ; but if they would, was it
just to add the duty to the price of the raw material, to
save the pockets of the smelters for the damage of the
manufacturers and the people ? There was no diffirence
between the question of free trade as it affected the farmer
and the smelter. Mr. Smith then alluded to the numbers
Zgf.inrtamia,rillu,f"..t.urrnui°l:,,iwrheiresh t
leciz
ire rtehde,yr e;iniadr ka-
might to claim the same repaid for their capital as was ex-
tended to Manchester,Glasgow, Sheffield, or Leeds ; but when
he looked to the working men—when he considered the little
trouble they caused the government, how intelligent and
well-conducted they were, and how patiently they bore &li-
tress the most extreme, he did sometimes think that govers•
meat forgot their existence, and that they bad a right also to
enjoy those privileges which others were entitled to. He
had made out a loose list, merely from recollection and off-
baud, of different trades in Birmingham—not individual
establishments —of which copper was the basis, to a more or
less extent. lie had reckoned thirty-two or thirty-tour of
them, and there might very probably be as many more.
After alluding to the question of competition, of which he
bad so fears, feeling convinced that the British artisan
could beat the foreigner, with all his advantages, provided
the raw material were obtained on equal terms, Mr. Smith
remarked that under the present laws they were now sub-
. jetted to the competition of the French and German manu-
facturers. This was one law that affected them; but there
was another. The smelters in Cornwall and Wales having
a monopoly of tie Engi.h market. PCii all that they chose
to send them, at whatever prices they might fix, and at
whatever short credit they might choose to determine. Mr.
Smith. after a brief recapitulation of all the arguments
against the present system, concluded by reading a resolu-
tion in accordance with the tenor of his address.—Mr. J.
Pemberton seconded the motion.—Messrs. W. C. Alston
and others addressed the meeting.—lt was agreed that a me-
morial should be presented to the President of the Board of
Trade, and that, if necevosry, a petition should be prepared
and presented to parliament. Tae proceedings concluded by
a vote of thanks to the chairman.

CLERICAL
ORDERA Ile COUIICIT, appear in last night's Gazette,
stdborlidng the seclenattiesl oomenisaioners to tell certain property ,
formerly beloosing to the arehdesconry of Llandaff, and certain other
property. formerly belonging to the chanccEorehip of the cathedral
chaotic St. Paul, London.
FROM LAST NLalcT'S " GAEETTE."—CMBRIDGE TIOVRE,
Yob. 21.—The Duke of Cambridge hat been pleased to appoint the
Rev. It. Burney to be one of his royal highness's chaplains.
PREvIIRMENTs —Bev. B. L. Bowman, to St. Philip's C.,
Liverpool ; din. Manchester.—Bee. W. M. Du Prti, to St. Ma
—Rrgaret
P. C., 'Winton; dia. Chichester ; 1501. ; pat., Rev. F. Readaes.
O. T. Hall, to Souther, It., Norfolk; dlo. Norwich; 7001., with red-
dew; pat., G. ILO, F..q.; vice Roe.C. Mien, dec.—Rev. J. Hamil-
ton, to St. Martin-m-the-Fields Union C.; ilio. London.—lter. J.
ZOOM, to Wakefield C., Pork.v.ire ; din. ton.— Rev. F. J. Owen, to
Llansair-Dyfryii.Ciwid V., lichhighsturc ; do. Bangor ; 2811., with
riMdiliee pat, the Bishop of itanitor.—Rev. T. Stacey, R. of Gelly-
Me, In Its chspain ts the sits^ilf Glansorgiushire.—lter.
di
Walker, to "frovriw R., r Vinrhychiryn C., Carnarconshire ; dio.
Bangor; LGSM.; pat., the Bishop of Bangor.—lter. N. Wilson, to
Dodgy. C. •, co. and dio. Chatter ; 117/. ; pat., T. Lech, Fag. Rev.
J. R. Woodford, to the newly.conititutel dittriet of St. Mark, Patton;
es, and die. Oh ; pat.. the Bishop of Wowaester.—Bev. T. P..
Marshall, to Stanton Wyelic It., Leleettersh. • din. Peterbo. • pay,
the Hari of Cardigan.—ler. C. S. lionrchicr, IL of Great Hailing.
ourv, to be chaplain to the nigh sheriff of fee:.
*Ao•NClES.—Cytyline C., Denbighshire; din. Bangor;
Rev. B. J. Owen, prom. Ely, canonry in the cathedral of ; COOL and
upwards, with restelenao (to be appropriate' to the profetnarthipa of
Hebrew and Oreek in the University of Cambridge? ; alto Swaffham
Prier at Mary V. M. St. Cyrilk V.; Soil., with ?etude:ace : patt. Lice
Bishop sod D. and C. of Ely, alt.; co. Cambridge ; dio. Ely; Rev. G.
Jews, dec. Hammel' C., Norfolk i ; do. Norwich ; Rao. 6.1'. a
11,
,Uansantfresd V., Cardigan
91/.: pat. the Bithon, of Rt.
relPs; and Ftbyd.Oryw P. C., iiveeleiceltshire; 1481. • pats. the
inhabitants; dm. St. David's: Rev. W. Hubert, doe. Cbaphilocies
to Jeffrfs Hospital awl to the Ironmonger's Company, London ; Rev.
Tallance, doe.

NAVAL.
POlLtellOinft, Fan. 29.—The port admiral has recrived
orders to act ea he judges beet in deepatching to the French coast, at
any hour, any of the steara.vemas now in rcadiness for special ser.
ADIMIALTY, FEB. 29.—Aryo1vviearrra.—hla•ter's As-
sistant : A. P. Clitihoos, to Pan Josef. Midshipman : J. Jenkins, to
PowaifuL
Lieut. C. Jefferis to be retired eonsmander under the
regulations of 100.