The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-27 00:00:00

LAMBETH PARLIAMENTARY AND FINAN-
CIAL IIk:FORM ASSOCIATION.

A crowded demonstration took place hat evening
at the Horns Tavern, Kennington Common.
Sir JOSHUA WALMSLEY, M.P., having been called
to the chair, said—The business of the evening is to discuss
how we shill best promote the great objests for which we
are associated. N e have each a duty to perform, and
he will best fulfil that duty who acts as if success or [attire
were dependent upon his individual exertions. (Chun.)
The council over which I have the honour to preside are
manfully performing their part of the task, and so far have
great reason to be satisfied with the result of their efforts.
(Cheers.) In fact, no purely political agitation can boast
equal success in the same space of time. (Renewed cheer-
ing.)
Great progress has been made in that which is the
must difficult, and at the same time the most important,
part of their labours,—the restoration of confidence between
the middle and the producing classes, and such •
union as may best advance their mutual interests.
(Cheers.) l'roofs of this progress will be found in the
active exertions of the numerous local SLISOCiatiOOI
which have been formed in the various districts of the
country—in the gratifying resolutions which have recently
been sanctioned by large bodies of intelligent men enter-
taining more extreme opinions than our own, and in the
disposition evinced by the government to meet our de-
mands. (Cheers.) Much, however, remains to be done,
and the council arc endeavouring, by means of public meet-
ings, lectures, and numerous tracts, to prepare the public
mind fur the change which we hope is not distant. (Loud
cheers.) The names of the men who direct our councils are
a guarantee for their sincerity, their ability, and love of
liberty, and we confidently ask you to give them your sup-
port. (Cheers.)
After some further explanations, the chairman called upon
Sir F. KNOWLES, who moved the first resolution,
by calling upon the liberal and independent members of the
Rouse of Commons to urge on the government the neces-
sity fur an immediate extension of the suffrage, accompa-
nied by a more equal arrangement of the electoral divi-
sions, as the only security for the continuance and further
development of the free-trade policy, and us the only
means by which the peace and prosperity of the nation and
the stability of any future government could be maintained.
(Cheers.) During the late ministerial crisis the whig fac-
tion bad been irks', then the tury faction, then • combina-
tion of the two • but none of them would answer ; and so
they were obliged to adopt the advice of the Duke of Wel-
lington, and to stand "a. they were." (Laughter.) They
had returned in the order in which they had gone ; but they
did not, he was happy to say, occupy exactly the same
ground. (Cheers.) ills friend Mr. Roebuck had once
asked where the llriti-h constitution was written. Ile (Sir

F. Knowles) would tell them. It was written in the bosom j
of every Englishman whose heart beat true to the good of 1
his country. Loud cheers.) There the espy was correctly ,
written, and there its soundest interpretation was also to
be found. (Cheers.) l'reviously to the passing of the
Reform Bill, the people had noire of the constitution than I
they hod now, and, it was in fact, by that measure that
they were juggled out of their rights. (Hear, hear.)
With reqwct to the object of the uses lotion he would asa ,
what would be their conduct if they were striving to get
into a house the door of which was locked—they might call
it the " People's house "if they pleased I (Laughter.)
What would they do 1 Why, they would seek the tallest i
men to stand against the wall, and bid others to climb on
their shoulders; and when they had thus got in at the
windows they would walk quietly down stairs and open the
doors. (Cheers and laughter.) Ile wished the working
men and the middle classes to act in that way. (Cheers.)
Ile had read the report of the Mauchester chartists with
great pleasure. It was full of sound muse, and he only
wanted to see a similar one from the middle classes, and
the battle would he won. (Cheers.)
Mr. F. DOC ',TON, in *remotion the resolution, bade the
chairman look to his laurels, for Lord John Russell had
promised to bring in a measure for extending the suffrage.
(Laughter.) Any motion of the kind from the noble lord
would be about as satisfactory as the measure which was
carried b a large majority on the previous night. (Cheers
and laughter.) Those who were in favour of interference
were ashamed of it, and those who were not smiled at it.
(Loud cheers,) Any measure for the extension of the PM,
froze, emanating from Lord John Russell, would only he
an attempt to throw dust in the eyes of the people. (En-
thusiastic cheers.)
Mr. ALCOCK, M.P., supported the resolution, and jus-
tified the votes he had given in the house on various sub-
jects—particular on the, resolution of Mr. Disraeli. So far
from desiring to put a tax on eons, he wished only to take
the tax off barley. (Loud cheers.) The hon. member also
pointed out the injustice of the present electoral system,
and instanced the case of the surgeons, very few of whom,
residing in the country, notwithstanding the importance,
the education, and the intelligence of the cass, had votes.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. GOMIAMITII moved an amendment in favour of the
Charter, which was seconded by Mr. Ettiorr ; and some
confusion was created by a small knot of chartists at the
other end of the room. The amendment was only sup-
ported by about 30 persons.
The original motion was then carried, amidst loud cheers.
The CII.IIIOIAN said he did not wish a man to give up
the Charter—(cheers)—he admired the real and honesty of
the chartist+, and be bad taken some leaves out of their
book. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. HENRY SLACK then moved the second resolu-
tion, which expressed the pain of the meeting at the waste
of time in the House of Commons by the contending aris-
tocratic factions; and respectfully suggested to the Queen
that she should select as ministers such men only as were
pledged to free trade in its fullest extent, to financial ame-
lioration, and to parliamentary reform. (Cheers.) Mr.
Slack inveighed in strong language against the conduct of
Lord John Russell, who, after denouncing Lord Stanley's
policy as highly dangerous, had recommended the Queen
to send fur that noble lord. (Cheers.) The whigs out of
power were of some Use; for they could talk well if they
did not act well. (Cheers.) Out of office they would
drink willingly enough a bumper to constitutional prin.
cipltss • in office they would drink three to the constitution
of wl;iggi•ry. (Cheer+) The fact was, that there was
a kind of game—and a very good natured one it was
sometimes—(cheers)---a sort of bowl went round.
and while one was drinking the other would say
"Come, old fellow, you have had enough—let me have a
drink." (Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. TOWNSEND seconded the resolution, avowing that
he was a chartist. (Cheers.) Ile had no idea of Lord John
Russell's going to the country, on the eve of a general elec-
tion, with the cry of parliamentary reform, in order to get
into the house for another seven years. (Cheers.) He
hoped Sir Joshua Walmsley would tell Lord John so.
(Laughter.)
Mr. J. WILLIAMS, asked the meeting how they
could expect to get proper men into the house when they
made it so expensive. (hear, hear.) Why they, the glo-
rious reformers of Lambeth, had made that excellent man,
Mr. William Without', pay a great deal more than his re-
presentation of Coventry ever cost him. (Cries of " Hear,
boor," and " No.") Ile (Mr. J. Williams) was himself
one of the working classes. It was within a mile of that
place that he had held his first situation when he came up
to London a poor working boy. (Cheers.) It was a fortu-
nate omen for him that his first place was at Wilkes's num-
ber, No. 44, Newington-causeway, where he served fur
twelve months for 12/. (Loud cheers.) He was the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer to the Reform Association. (Cheers
and laughter.) lie had not a very great surplus, but he
was not in debt. (Laughter.) Mr. Williams concluded a
most humourous speech by calling on them to support
the Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association. He
was warmly cheered on resuming his seat.
The resolution was carried unanimously, and a vote of
thanks having been given to the chairman (who briefly re-
sponded), the meeting broke up.

FATAL ENELOSION OF A BOILER AT STOWTIEATII
Cottiene.—On Monday last T. M. Phillips, Esq., held an
inquest in Wolverhampton, on the body of John Harris,
who had died at the South Staffordshire Hospital on the
previous Friday from severe injuries received by the explo-
sion of a boiler, at Stowheath colliery, on that day. Joseph
Horton, a machineman, in the employ of Messrs. W. and
J. Sparrow, at the colliery in question, stated that the de-
ceased, who was eJ years of age, was employed at the time
of the explosion as stoker at No. 5 engine at Stowheath
Colliery. On Friday afternoon last, about 20 minutes before
2 o'clock, he heard a report as though a boiler had exploded,
and ran out of the machine house, when he saw steam and
dust ascending near to No. 5 engine. He (witness) proceeded
to the engine, and found that the boiler had burst, and that
part of it had been blown away in different directions. Ile
did not see William Bott, who had been working the engine
that day. He then went down to the ash hole, where he
found the deceased buried under the brick and iron work of
the boiler. By the assistance of Mr. William Evans, John
Blakemore, and others, the brick and iron work were re-
moved, when he found that deceased was dreadfully burnt
and scalded upon various parts of his body, and that his
left leg was broken between his knee and ankle. Consider-
ing that Harris was in a dying state, he was as quickly as
possible removed to the South Staffordshire Hospital. When
he (witness) went to the engine-house, there were two men
sitting there eating their dinners : they were labourers,
and did not understand engineering or the management
of engines. Ile noticed that the plates at the crown or
bottom of the boiler were very much burnt, which ought
not to have been the case had there been sufficient water
in the boiler. The engine was not at work when the
explosion took place.—Mr. W. Evans, field engineer at
the colliery in question, stated that he examined the
engine and everything connected therewith on Friday
morning; it was then in perfect working order; the
pumps were all right, and supplied two boilers. There
was a good supply of water, and William Butt had the
care of it ; he understood the management of engines; he
did not make any complaint of any defect in any part of
the engine, its pumps, ese., or in the supply of water. He
(witness) was at the water engine, about two hundred
yards from No. 5 engine, when the explosion took place.
butt, the engineer, was in the water engine hovel at the
time, and consequently was not attending to his duties.
The witness here corroborated the evidence of Horton as
to the state in which he found the bottom plates of the
boiler. He added that the pump, feed pipes, &c. were all
in perfect working order, and he was sure that the explo-
sion, or bursting of the boiler was caused by the engineer
having neglected to pump sufficient water into the boiler
before he left the engine-house to go to his dinner. It was
the duty of the engineer not to leave the engine-house
during dinner hour.—John Blakemore, miner, son-in-law
of the deceased, stated that his father-in-law died at the
South Staffordshire Hospital (where he received every care
and attention) about half-past four o'clock on Friday after-
noon, between two and three houis after the fatal explosion.
—The coroner adjourned the inquiry, to afford time for
farther iavatiptioo.