The Express.
London, England, 1851-04-08 00:00:00

NATIONAL REFORM ASSOCIATION.

Last evening the third monthly aoir,e, in fur-
therance of the principles of this association, took place at
the London Tavern, Bishmrcgate-street. Sir JUSIILIA
11".tt.Mst.rny, M.l'. the president, in the chair.
The CIIMIOI.IN, Mice some remarks as to the
objects of the association, oloerved that the object
of these meetings was to disseminate mama political
information, and thus to pave the way fur those peaceful
and constitutional change', which are us much In unison
with the genius of the wople us they arc just and desirable.
Mr. M I.ILL, in commencing his lecture observed that tko
sul

_abject he had Chosen was that of the franchise considered
as an instrutuent of the people's training; and its a orking
out this theme, he proposed to show that the great mass of
the people ought to have some power in the control of
public affairs. Let each man, he observed, a)w had arrived
at his majority have a vote, nut by virtue of his property or
position in society, but by virtue of his manhood. With
this advantage the people would la lifted into a position for
the formation of their character, moral, social, and political.
liy giving them a voice in the representation they would be
doing that which would not only be beneficial in its kind
but potent in its working. (Hear, hear.) The national
character was a growth, not a manufacture. It wile evolved, not
made. The people could nut be drilled into virtue. Man
must be led, not driven; and human nature in the aggre-
gate did not differ in any material degree from human
nature in the individual. It was nut possible by any pliy I-
cal power to raise man's nature, or to dignify his character.
Neither greatness nor goodness could he brought to a people
—it must be elicited from them, and this could only be done
by a species of moral fermentation, which truth alone was
capable of producing. With regard to the elective fran-
chise, he observed that the proper way to fit a man
fur the right use of it WILY to give it to him, and
let him accustom himself to the exercise of it.
lie contended that the franchise would exercise a powerful
influence upon the public by engendering a sense of mil-
respect, as there was a nobility in the nature of man which
would exhibit itself in all phases of life. Make a people
practically sensible of their own worth, and they will put
theca at suer on the high road to improvement ; but de-
spise: them, and tell them that they were worthless, and
you will lay them open to the worst and basest temptations
that could beset humanity. If statesmen and " philoso-
phers " were wise they would regard man as man, instead
of paying that exclusive homage to that about him which
was merely adventitious. Throughout Europe, restrictions
and exclusions were fast disappearing, and examples were
thus presented to the government of this country. Man
had been treated quite long enough like a wild beast, safe
only when securely caged, and the time had now arrived
when he should be placed in a position more honourable to
humanity. The people should be trained in a feeling of
attachment for the government and the constitution, and
the proper mode of encouraging them to nurture and ex-
hibit that attachment was to give them their right—the
franchise. The hon. gentleman concluded his lecture (of
which we have only been able to give a brief abstract) amid
prolonged cheers.
Mr. It. LE BLOND proposed, and Mr. E. CLARKS
seconded, a resolution expressing the thanks of the meeting
to Mr. Miall for his able lecture, and at the same time
acknowledging the importance of the principles and objects
of the association.

Sir F. KNOWLES, But., supported the resolution, and
pointed out the necessity of obtaining contributions towards
the fund for defraying the espcmes of this and similar
assemblages.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
After some little discussion, in which some irrelevant
matter was sought to be introduced, Use meeting separated
with a tote of thanks to the chairman.

FLAX-SEED AS FOOD FOR CATTLE.—At the last
monthly meeting of the committee of the Royal Irish Flax
Society, held at Belfast, among the correspondence sub-
mitted to the meeting were letters from Mr. Dorgan,
in which he &ilea the following report of his use of
flaxseed as food for all kinds of live stock "The value of
the seed, for feeding purposes, is a subject exceedingly well
worth careful examination. Every beast, pig, and sheep I
have, are getting prepared flaxseed food, and I mud you
the results would astonish you. I quite feel that, as a far-
mer, I could do no good without it, whilst with it I can do
mote than I anticipated could be done by agriculture.
When I entered on Kildinen, I bought some 300 head of
cattle, and some 60 or 70 pigs, as poor and bad a stock as
could be found. List summer I decided on getting rid of
them, and put them up this year ; though, from their bad
description, they are not in very high condition, they are
sufficiently forward to enable me to sell them in fair term;
but this has been, I may say, entirely done by the flaxseed,
as they have been only fed on straw and turnips with it."