The Express.
London, England, 1850-07-18 00:00:00

STAFFORDSHIRE COLLIERY DISTRICTS.

TIPTON, Jur.v
The movement in this district for the purpose of
putting down the trystent of paying wages in mods instead
of money, is still planing, and the treat abolitionists
appear to pie strength as they proceed. With the view to
• salted expression of the opinions of the different einimia-
does delfts's* were appointed from oach eameiation to a
publics meeting to be held here last evening. This pines
seems to have been altered for the demonetration, as
being in fact the most native peat and centre of the iron
and coal district of South Staffordshire. Here the mag-
nitude of the operations serried en are more strikingly
apparent, and are indeed more extensive than eagware
in the neighbourhood. Situated at the foot of the
Dudley and Rowley Hill., well provided with canal convey-
ance for the discharge of its enormous product*, Tipton ha
sprang up within a comparatively recent date from a small
village with straggling houses and wake, scattered over a
large surface, to a large town containing a population of
from fifty to sixty thousand soul.. The town itself is the
most striking to • stranger that is to be found in this dis-
trict; at every tarn evidence is *traded of the occupation
of the people ; in the principal streets the clank of the
chain and the hammer, and the roar of the forge and the
Am, alone meet the eye and the oar. Away into the dis-
tance the acres is the same ; the great Bloomfield iron-
works themselves present the appearance of a town; here
alone many hundreds of hands are constantly employed, and
even now when the iron trade is 6o much Arrested, there is
little appearance of operations having bees slackened. Un-
fortunately at one or two of the works here otiose just
amid are honourable exellptions) the tocsin, sjstem ie
carried on, and the men, anx was to free themselves from this
tyrannies sort of interference with the rights of labour, have
formed an association of their own and joined in the general
anti-truck movement.

The meeting last evening was held in one of the castle
meadows st the foot of the Dudley Hill. At ab oat five
o'clock some five thousand persons marched on the ground,
peeceded by bands of music, and banners bearing various
inscriptions amongst these were "Shun and abhor the
lawany shop," " Women avoid thatnearny shop," " He that
swims in sin will sink in sorrow," " Be courageous and keep
bees the tommy shop," and others of a similar character.
Mr. W. ENGLAND, of Dudley, having been called to the
emir, opened the be.in.se in a spirited speech, denouncing
L• pitnerel terms the twang system.
Mr. W. FINCH, peperenaker, of Tipton, moved the first
resolution "That the payment of the wages of labour in
goods, instead of money, whilst a direct violation of the law
of the Land, is an urjust encroachment upon the rights and
liberties of tie working min—destroying to a pm, at extent
his free agency—redoctng him to the roe dit:on of a 'vassal of
his employer, and at the tame time robieng him of much of
the produce of his only property—the labour of his hands."
The speaker declared it to be his opinion that the affect of the
truck system was to rob the poor man of 2C per cant. of bM
earnings; they needed the assistance of persons whose Massa
placed them above them in the social *ale to get such •
scandalous tax on the working man's labour put down;
thereinto did he for one cordially assist in this cause.
J JONES, a gun-lack filer, of Darluton, seconded the
resolution. Heald " Fellow-workmen, if you want toped
old Tammy to death, you must pia heart and hand In
the cauee' and autraibe your pennies week'y to carry on the
war. Let every men and bey, wheelie, he walks in the pit
or at the forge. only chow a paper spirit, and before wary
long there won't be a ' Tommy shop' in the district. At
present the slaves in the West Indies are better off than we
poor workers; cad there's no help fur us hut by ourselves
throwing eff the chains. At Darlaston, without any assist.
aver, we formed an emaciation long since; we established •
penny suhscription, to which all the men contributed. We'!
spent 2001. in earying on informations, and now I hope that
we have nearly riven ' Tommy' out of our perish. I'd tell you
one case of Tommy, and there's thousands more like it. I
knowed a man that sent hie wife to a place in Darluton
with two locks ; she saw the misses, who said to her, "What
do'et want for the locks ; I've only tot three farthings 2
(she's worth B,oooo—perhaps you'll want • bit o' bacon;"'
and the poor woman said, "Very welt " So sane bacon
was traduced at 81. a poui.d. The tommy submit cut off a
pound cif the fat side, but as the knite went about two,
inches into the " roady," she said to the poor woman,
"Now, between thee and me and God, I must charge thee
eightpence half penny for it." And that (said the speaker)
is the way the pcor man is paid for his labour, and the way
he is cheated. Stich a system ought to be put en end to,
and. if the men will only unite, before long it shall be.
Mr. ROBINSON, of Walsall, moved the second resolution
"That the truck system is at one* dienonouribte to the
true k master, and dangerous to his moral principle, joss-
much al it puts into his hands an engine of extortion, which
he has in his power, and may he tempted to regula'e is his
necesei'y a avarice may dictate, and by the use of which he
has an urijuat advantage over the horourabte money paying
master, enabling him to nedereell, and ultimately to ccmeel
him to adopt the am,, system, or relinquish the unequal
romp atition."
Mr. WILKINSON, of Walsall, said that the association
had resolved to go to parliament for the purpose of obtaining
such powers as would prevent the tommy masters invading
tt e 'Truck Act. Re urged the men to be true to t: snide e.
mid their somas was beyond a doubt.
Mr. GEORGE DAWSON, M.A., of Binninettam, next
addressed the meeting. He had come forward (he said) to
In e part with the men in this matt r, because they were the
• he at, and the oppressed.
The meeting was next addressed by Me ens. Sergeant and
Linsey, of Biletoo, and by Mr. Boyle, of Wolv riamp on,
Alter which the following re lution was put and carried
"That the direct tendency of this practice is to break
down and destroy the honourable and fair competition of
trade, to ruin the retail dealer and middle classes of society,
dissolve the due and reciprocal rapist sr d confidence between
the employer and the employed, degrade end subdue the in-
dependent spirit of the strength of our country—the working
classes ; to create a population of unprincipled servants and
heartless masters ; and, in the issue, to bring about a disrup-
tion of the body politic, with all the calamities of • servile

war." .
In a subiequent resolution the meeting pledged itself to
an untiring coarse of efforts for the abolition of the " truck
system " A petition to parliament was also adopted.
The intention is to make spoilt:aim to parliament in the
next session for an amended Truck Act. The aseociations
here resolved that the following are eseenial provisions ;
" To compel masters to pay their workmen within half a ,
mile of their works ; to enable the middlemen as brittle•
eollien and con•ractere in ironwork', to ley information, and
se ter actions against their masters ; to obtain a weekly pay-
ment of wages ; and to ex'end the time when informations
may be laid to twelve months."
From one end of the district to the other the men an
exerting themselves as manfully as their position enables
"hem to do ; but there are thousands of instances where,
from the fear of losing their employment, they bear the
grievance with manifold murmurs.

ST. TnoMAg's 110"i1TAL.—Yesterday afternoon the
annual court of the governors of this ancient charity was held
in the brudnoom of the hospital. The report for the put
year was read, which stated that during that period there
had Wan admitted of sick, wounded, maimed, and diseased
Front 4,737 in-patients and 60,109 medical and surgical
outpatients. There were remaining under cure, 417 in-
patients ani 9,831 out-patients.
Ptriala COLLEGn.—The annual distribution of
rizes for proficiency in the various departments of know-
ledge cultivated in this establishment took place yesterday.
The Earl of Devon in the chair. The retints of toe Princi-
pal and Professors having been rind, all of which were
highly satisfactory, the Chainnua delivared the prizes, accom-
panied by suitable address,' to tie students, after which the
prosedings closed. The folios ing ars the names of the
gentlemen who obtained prizn and ustimonials :—Mstkte-
malice —Vass 1., Ist d v., Kershaw, It ihertson; 2nd die.,
llayton, fi nearby. Class 11. let div., Wade, Fowler, Stubbs;
2nd div., Milligan, J.:freak, Pay, Lamb, Slaney. Class
111. Knox, Fryer, Deering, Thackeray
Smart Wortley. Greek.—Woodward, Hallam. History
Leith, Candy, Roweroft Geography.—Fowler, Roberson,
Candy. English Literature.—Woodward, Jeffeock, Stuart
Wortley, Milligan. Frock Literature.—Class I. Jeffeock,
Thackeray, Milligan. Clan 11. Stubbs, Candy. Gerona
Literature.—Chas I. Nethenole, Kettlewell, Candy
Class 11. Jeffeock, Russ, Leith. Free-hand Drawing.—
Soues,Themseen,Sneyd. Civil Department:—Cksmistrymaill
Physiet—ltoberteon, Stubbs, Blaney, Delgado, Milligan, Bon
any. Best thermometer-B*ms. Practical ehenaistry—Wooa-
ward, Odes. Geology and Mineralogy—Kershaw, Briscoe,
Soares, Slaney. Architecture—Class I. Robertson, Rayon;
Class 11. Sewell, Delgado; Clue 111. Soues, Lamb, Pery,
Hyndinan, Fowler. Civil Engineering—Class I. Hayton,
ilowerby, Robertson ; Clue 11. Sewell, Stubbs, Delgada;
Clam 111. Soares, Lamb (./Eq.), Fowler, Pea (-Et 14
Geodesy and plan drawiza—Clites I. Kershaw, Sowerby ;
Class 11. Myers, Stubte, Wade, Del,
Mgado, Jeffnelt. Clue
111. Lamb, Sneyd, Fowler, T illigan. For the
most accurate measurement, Kershaw. Machinery and
drawing—Clue I. Heron, S4werbe. Drawing—R.bert
so. Clue 11. Stably', Betsey, Myers. Drawing—Myers.
Sewell. Class 111. Hyndman. Drawing Hirndstan,
Manipulation, Briscoe. Military department.—Fortifies
tion—Kettlewell, Leith. Knox, Looglleld. Fortification
drawing—Thomeson, Kettlewell, Leith. Milit •ry Draw-
ing—Thomason, Elwes—For best account of battle of Blein-
hens, and plan of battle-field—Soares.
FIRE AT BRIGHTON AND BURNING OP A CORPSE:

In the fropt pitAteVof No. 18, Cavewtifiestreet, Brighton,
the body of Ur. Jeffery, the late occupier, lay in its coffin
on Saturday night. Between three and tour o'clock oa
Sunday 'Doming the room was found to be in flames, which
were rapidly oommunicating with .he Ip.ck parlour and the
other parts of the house. At half-put four the firs-engines
were sent for at the Town-ball, and in the courts of half
an hour they were on the spat,
and had onmmenced
" playing." The front and back parlours of No. 18, and
coignr parlour of No. 19, were burning fiercel. The
was consumed, end the body partly reduyced to
ashes. The bed and furniture were destroyed, and though
the &mu did not asc.:nd beyond the first story, the heat
was so intense that the upper parts of the house were all
charred and blackened. But for the timely arrival of the
engines, and the fact of there beieg scarcely easy wind,
the house—if not the entire street—must have been dr
stroyed. Brig/don Guardian.
Cl/11AP POSTAGE IN AMERICA.—The cheap postage
system continues to work well. The four last years of cheap
postage, compared with the last four years of high postage,
produced as follows :
rues Postage. Map
Year 1812 Doh. 4,518,000 Year 1849 PtrB,BB7.ooo
Lets 4,206,000 1647.
1814 1 4,237,000 11411 4,574000
1143 3,189,002 1149............ 467031000
I —Now reels Gorier.