The Express.
London, England, 1849-11-30 00:00:00

AMERICAN LAND SALES.rIMPORTANT TO

INTBNDINQ EMIGRANTS.

A scene of groat excitation was witnessed on Tues-
day evening last, in the Mecisnics' feminine', Manchester.
An Ameicao company had, few a eriesid.retne part •f the
year, been advertising in the newspapers of Liverpool, Mae-
Master, and Leeds, the sale of seven millions of ens of land
in Virginia and Tennessee, at the low pries of 4s, an acre ;
and the agents In these towns had sent out flambee &scrip.
tines of the soil sad climate, and the great advantages that
emigrants would enjoy who should settle upon it,
and had succieeded in persuading a number of
working mon to purchase allotments, and to pay
ten per cent, of the money to thus agents.
A wean, to "beware of land jobbers," published in the
Atomiser cad Timm by Mr. Prentice, had had some effort'
in arresting the 'annum of these blind harping ; but see
we.the dente to emigrate, and such the wish to be at ones
located in same one of the described estates, that there la
reason to believe the sales went on to • coesiderable extent
to many who bad not seen or heard of the friendly warning.
At the end of last week a placard appeared, announcing
that Mr. Joseph Beaker, of Wortley, near Leeds,
who had just retained from the United States, where
be had visited one of the estates advertised, situated
in Virginia, would give a lecture on emigration, and suggest
modes for avoiding imposition sometimes attempted, and
' that be had invited the agent for that estate to be present to
bear the exposition. Oa Tuesday night the Mechanics' In-
rheum well crammed to eau r. Mr. Banker seeing
Prentiss st the audience, requested that he would
take the chair, ass bevies been in America I ere% he
weld be able to contradict anything said that was fen, or
tears what was true. This appeal having been seconded
by the sedum of the audience and their vow,
Mr. PRENTICE took the chair, and said that he wee
glad to see amongst them one who had travelled muck in
the States Fir the express purpose of discovering the beet
field lee emigrants of humble means, and he expressed his
opinion from what he had seen of Mr. Banker's patented
letters, that he would give a fair and cornet opinion of the
e entry he bad vidted, and that his observations would
prove to be peculiarly valuable at the present time, when
attempts were being made to lades, people to buy lied in
districts where there was little prospect of any emigrant
making a favour, ble settlemsat.
Mr. BANKER began his lecture by saying he was glad
to ,have In the chair a gentleman who enjoyed the respect
of his fellow•townesses end who had proved, by his
" Tear is the Meted 'States," that he bad been en
attentive observer himself, and was thus well qualified to
judge of the correctness or the insecurity of sisals:nes made
by others. He was not there to advocate emigration. but to
give advice to emigrants, and to say who were fit to go, end
wbo were not Dr nken men need not go. They Will
held in utter contempt in America, and would and no em-
plos meat Idle men need not go, for the idle men were
also held in contempt. The hard-working man, who was
ace to be easily discouraged. and who could wait for
and search for work, and would be content to
meept smell wages until he got his hand in, was
the only mu to go. He wee au to speak with much
feeling on the seminar made by men who left their native
heel and eU its endearing ties to work their way amongst
managers, but ex:-reeved his belief th.t industrious and sober
men weed, from the higher pries of labour and the lower
poise of all the necessaries of Pie, soon place themselves lnc
meth more independent position than they could ever hes
es attain in their native country or in any of her colonies.
He then adverted to an estate in Virginia, advertised by Mr.
Moose, of New Volk, for which Mr. Saunders, of Mea-
-1 enister, was eget, and said that, after having visited end
asp. eted it carefully, he bad no hesitation in de-
claring it to be totally with for emigrant attic-
meats, and in character totally different to the
seem ses@ given ait by those who offered it sale.
Tea; instead of being worth four shillings an acre, he did
not believe it to be worth twopence ; indeed, that he would
n 4 accept it as • present. Aim, ample details in corrobora-
tion of his statement, he called en Mr. Saunders to contra-
dict his allegation if he could.
Mr. SAUNDERS thee stood forward, and emmenced
cres-examining Mr. Backer upon matters not at all con-
nected with the land, till the meeting growing bawl, nt de-
weeded that he should keep to the point' but as he Mill
went on with his irrelevant questions, the shouts of "keep
to the point " rose to a wild outcry, and be exclaimed,
" Are you Englishenea ? Am Ito have fair play ?"
The CHAIRMAN, having stilled the tumult, said
that Mr. Saunders would have fair play. He bad
a right to be heard, and en Baglish audience would
best -him it be kept to the point. Mr. Saunders bad
published a letter in the newspapers, in reply to one
of Mr. liankeen, saying that be had documents to prove
that Sir Cerise Lyell, Mr. Buckingham' and other high
autenittes had testand to the ease of the land. It would
shorten he proceedings greatly it he would at once quote
whet Sir Chan' Lyell says about the land. (Applause.)
Mr. SAUNDERS—I won't I'll put what questions I
like to Mr. Banker. [Here the tumult was renewed,
add the cries of " Sir Ceuta Lyell, Sir Charles Lyell,"
wrill deafening. Amidst the din. Mr. Saunders said, " I
have a witness here from West Virginia ;" and a decent-
lookieg elderly man came forward.)
The CHAIRMAN—Here is a witness, gentlemen, from
Virginia ; shall I, on your behalf, ask him a few questions ?
Mr.SAUNDERS —No, you shall not ; I'll question him

myself.
line the tumult wit renewed, the old man retreated from
the storm, and Mr. Saunders said he should not allow him
to be ezamieed. Loud cries arise, " Let him keep to the
point or have dose," "He is only mocking lee," ' Let him
quote his autberdi.s," " Tars him oat," " Lyell, Lyell."
The CHAIRMAN again succeeded in stilling the tumult,
I and said he should be sorry if Mr. Saunders had any op-
portunity of saying that he had nut been heard. He had
already occupied their time a quarter of an hour in questions
which had nothing to do with the subject, and had produced
none of his promised authority. He would suggest that ten
minutes more should be given to hint without interreyties,
and if during that time he did not come to the point, he
would hen put it to the meeting whether their time should
be further wasted.
Mr. SAUNDERS said he would come to the point, but
the grocer part of the ten stioutes was taken up by cm.
meats on a letter of lir. Banker's, which did not relate to
the land at all. At length he came to it ; and to prove that
what Mr. Banker cell unceltivatable bills were only gentle
elevations, he read from an engineer's report VI to the
levels of a railway projected to run through Virginia:
" Here," said he, " Mr. Chairmen, is the map of the °len-
til., end the line of the railway."
The CHAIRMAN—Why, this railway does not ran
within Airy miles of the land in question !
Mr BAUNDERI3--I know it does not, but—
Here the ;ovations:sof the meeting became uncostrollable,
and Mr. Saunders retreated from the theatre, followed by
loud cries, amid which many opprobrious epithets were
mingled, and three most dissonant roan& of arenas.
Aher emir had been metered, Mr. COOPER said that
Mr. Banker had dons the public gnat service by the present
exposure, and moved a resolution to that effect, to be adver-
tised in the Manchester papers, that the public might be
made aware of the pc:medley taken.
The motion having been a, minded,
The CHAIRMAN said that a fair opportunity had bean
gives to Mr. Saunders to produce his promised authorities
in onsfradictlou to Mr. Banker's statement, bat, instead of
doing so, he had wasted the time of the meeting by questions
and observations that had not the slightest reference to the
question. For himself, he had full faith in those tratessente,
and he thanked Mr, Banker far having made them, end for
a lecture which had contained a great deal of very ezeellent
advice to intending emigrants • The motion was then put
and carried unanimouely, • Me a mite of thanks to the
chairman,