The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-31 00:00:00

TH BUILDART STRIKE AND THE WAR-

---OIPIOZ.
A general delegate meeting of the trades of
London was held last evening at Shaftesbury-hall, Alders-
gate-street, "To take into consideration the interference of
the government is trade disputes, as shown at Chelsea,
where soldiers have been sent by the War-office to perform
work where the building operatives are ou strike, and to
devise means to frustrate the unconstitutional conduct of
the government in supplying men to fulfil private cue.
trade." Mr. N MAO*, chairman of the London TradeaCouncil,
was called to Use chair. Delegates from the following trades
were present Amalgamated Engineers, plasterers, brick.
layers, ladies' shoemakers, carpenters, Ixotelosers, brick-
makers, tinplate.workers, cigar-makers, *oookbinders, um-
brella and parasol silk-weavers, ropemakers, masons,
painters, boiler-makers, saddlers, carriers, ironfounders,
wire-workers, lootandcers, sine-workers, coopers, plumbers,
rug-makers, silk velvet-weavers, I:rushmakers, type-
founders, silver spoon-makers.
The CHAIRMAN having briefly opened the proceedings,
Mr. HON/.LL, the secretary, entered into the fact, of the
ease, with which our readers are acquainted.
Mr. HEAP, of the Amalgamated Engineers, moved-.
"That this meeting, consisting of representatises of the
metropolitan trades, views with surprise the cooduct of
the present professed liberal government in lending Sappers
sad Miners to a private contractor where a dispute existed,
and that such a proceeding is an unwarrantable interfer-
anew between employers and employed, and therefore de-
serves the severest coodemuation of ell claws of workings
la the United Kingdom."
Mr. UODDA RD, bookbinder, seconded the resolution.
Several delegate. having spoken in support of the resos
lotto., it was put to the meeting anti carried unanimously.
A deputation was thee appointed to wait either upon the
Premier sr the Secretary for War, to "remonstrate with
the govenneest upon their unjustifiable interfersuoe, and
to egosst that the flappers and Miners be removed from
the Chelsea barracks."

Mr. Pmts, rierpeuter, maid the courlitions upon which
the &ppm bed been supplied to the ouuttuctor, on his
own 1f
arphee Lion. were as follows :-.r. Higgs had leen
an with MSappers, for which he paid into the War-
ds. &l. per day each, the wee receiviug 2s. 4d. each
per day. The Sappers themselves were is a state of mut;oy
at the treatmeut they were etperiesacing from the con.
tractor, and several of them haviag positively refused to do
some of the work allotted to them, were emit back to
Chatham yesterday.

Coxsomeriox or Fotutus Wuirs.—This morn-
log, in obedience to the order of the House of Commons, a
return was issued from the "dice i 4 the Inspector-Geneml of
' Imports and Exports, of the quantity of foreigo wine cleared
fur consumption, sod the number of testa made for
ascertainment of the duty, in the quarter ended the
30th day of June, 1961. The total quantity of
wine entered for consumption within the quarter
was 2,60;;.855 vinous, of which Frame supplied
661,144 gallons; Spain, 931,152; Portugal. 621,035; Ger-
many, 50.1%; Holland, 121,492 ; and other countries (in-
cluding wine vatted in bond), 218,816. The total number
of tests of wine made in the same period was 29,873. At
Lard°, there were 4r61 Bristol, 436; Folkestone, 1,152;
Gloucester. 1,346,- sad Liverpool, 2,566.
Tux WHEAT EARVINT IN TIM EASTERN COUN-
TIIK—We learn that the wheat harvest is already in exten-
sive operation throughout the south of Essex, Cam-
bridgeshire. and Suffolk. The general appearance of the
crone in those districts promises rather more than an average
yield. In some instances the wheat has been laid by the re-
cent storms,

••
GREAT-• WESTIERN Fern.—The annual fete in aid
of the deservieg fund koowa as the Great Western Rail-
way Widows and Orphans' Fund took plees yesterday at
the beautiful wt of Vircount Barrington, Itsokett-park,
Shriveehern, Berke, and was attended by a company as
lamp, if not tuore numerous, than on previous occasions.
As to former years, the directors liberally granted the use
at !pedal trains, which conveyed thotteards of visitors from
P.iddington, Gloucester, Reading, and other stations on the
hoe. The bands of the Paddington Rdlee and the lth
Bade Volunteers were also present. Spacious marquees
for refreshments, &c., were erected on the ground. The
whole arrangements were well carried out by Mr. Baker, of
Paddington, end the committee generally.