The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-09-07 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

rnnded, that the meeting do adjourn till this day fortnight, with a'
request to the Directors that they would attend on that day.
fliis motion was carried ; and, after thanks had been voted to
the Chairman. the meeting separated.
The following are the names of the original Trustees and Direc-
tors. dec.:—
Imperial Distillery Company—Capital 600,000/, in 12,000 shares
of FAL each.
Trustees—Sam. Bosanquet, Esq., Peter Moore, Esq. 31.P.,and
John Fred. Pigott. Esq.
Directors—S. B. M. 11 trrett, Esq. 31. P.. Chairman ; Wm.
Aston, Esq., J. 1. C'airtltomr, Et 9. 31. P., John Dungan, Dal_
John Gray. Esq., Robt. clone, Esq., A. W. 31aetinnon, Esq.
F.R.S., Wm. Russell. Esq. M.P., Matthew Sorters, Esq.,
Col. Talbot, 31. P., Ruben '1 aibut, Esq. 31. P.. and John Wilke,
jun. Esq.
Auditors—John Campbell, Esq., John Fairlie, Esq., and Win.
Kershaw. Esq.
Bankera—Messrs. Dosattqliet. Pitt, and Co.
Standing Counsel—Chas. Bellamy. Esq. and John Evans, Esq.
Solicitors—Messrs. Fisher and Norcutt.
Distiller—Mr. Thomas Baird.
Engineer-51r. W. Griffith.
Sccretary-31r. W. lane.

EXTRAORDINARY MEETING ON TILE DIS.
TRESSES OF TIM COUNTRY.

The following advertisement appeared in most of the dally papers
of Tuesday:— " Kings Head, Poultry.
" To morrow, the 11th instant, a Meeting of Oentlemen will be
held, at one for two o'clock precisely, for the purpose of taking
such measures as may be deemed requisite for convening a public
Meeting no the consideration of the Revision of the Corn Laws,
and taking measures for the permanent Employment and e puiuble
Remuneration of the Agricultural and 51aeufacturing Labourers."
Yesterday we sent a Reporter to note the proceedings of the
"Gentlemen" who thus anonyninusly invited public attention. On
his entering the room, he found four elderly persons, and some two
or three young men, seated at a table, with a parcel of papers ar-
ranged before them. The first duty was that of appoint' tg a Mr.
LIVESEV (one of the elderly ones) Chairman. This being over,
A Mr. Wisss, or MILLS (we know not which), opened the bu-
siness of the day, ty commencing a speech upon almost every topic
which the prolific 'science of political economy embraces. He first
minutely traced the history of the poor's rates, from their origin,
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, up to the present day ; and, after
disseetating upon the pernicious nature of the system which threw
the labourer upon the parish for subsistence, instead of his receiv-
ing a fair remuneration in the Aerie of wages, the worthy gentle.
man proceeded to argue, that it was but justice to the labourer that
he should be fully rewarded for his toils. la support of his argu-
'en', he quoted O'iser Goldsmith's political work, known by the
title of the Deserted Village, and some letters front alr. Hume (not
David Hume, the historial, but Joseph, the M. l'.) Mr. Hume
declared, that by tile present system consumption decreased iu the
exact proportion as the population increased.
here the speaker was interrupted by a respectable merchant, who
had been drawn to the party (for we cannot call it a Meeting) by
the specious terms of the advertisement, Ile !aid that he under.
stood their object at present was to consider the propriety of re-
questing the Lord Mayor to convene a public 3leetistg. upon the
subject of the Corn Laws, and not to enter upon discuassnin of any
other topics; such discussions being better reserved for a future
public Meeting. He suggested that the advertisement should be
read.
The advertisement was looked for, but could not be found.
After some converaation upon this subj-ct, Mr. Mills (who ap-
peared to take the resumed his lecture. It would be idle to
attempt to follow the political theorist, unless we had space for
Adam Smith, in 5 ens. quarto. Sir Matthew Hale's opinion and
reasons in favour of a minimum of wages, together with the lucu-
bration* of ale Hale. of Spindliest% upon the same subject ;
and though last, not least, the Report of the Committee appointed
by the House of Commons upon the subject of Emancipation.
Suffice it to say, the sneaker recapitulated every thing that has
been said upon Ate cultivating of waste lands, of the mischiefs at-
tendant on machinery, the payntint of wages nut of the poor's
rates, the fixing and minimum of wages (for, said he, the poor are
entitled to fifty millions sterling a year more than they now receive
for their labour), the repeal of the Corn laws, the establishing of
a free trade in every thing, so that the whole world may form one
great nation, ant England become a mere province of it, like as a
county is now in respect to England; and, finally, the necessity of
raising a rate to employ the Irish peasantry. %' ti ins were the
interruptions the speaker expesienced, especially by the gentleman
above alluded to. who thought there was too person present of
sufficient respectability to justify the lord Mayor in convening a
fleeting at their requisition ; tut this did not deter Mr. Mills from
proceeding to read a string of Resolutions expressive of opinions
on the subjects we have just enumerated. Oae old fanner-like mast
(a Mr. 111as:fail). indeed, somewhat .agreed in thinking that the
names of persons better known were desirable ; for he declared that
there was not a single person in the room capale of legislating on
the affairs of the country, and asked whether they thought Lord
Liverpool and Mr. Ilusktssen would take then' by the hand.
Mr. MILLS regretted the absence of 31r. ILiskisson on this
important occasion, and then said a great deal about Mr. Fox and
the Whig Club.
Two or three other persons followed this gentleman in nmelt the
same strain ; but it was finally agreed to abandon the Resolutions,
and confine themaelves to declaring the necessity of sending a
requisition to the lard Mayor, to call a Meeting on the subject of
the Corn Laws and the distresses of the country. A Sub-Corn-
mit tee, we understood, was to be appointed, in order to obtain the
signatures of some gentlemen whose names were somewhat know,.
at least to the citizens of London, and whose respectability would
justify the Lord Mayor in acceding to their request.
The CHAIRMAN then observed, that as the topics which were
adverted to in the rejected resolutions were of the gravest import,
he should be happy to bear the sentiments of any gentleman pre-
sent upon them.
One of the younger members' of this club (as we gravely surmise
it, after all, to be then asked whether the causes of the existing
distress were temporary or permanent
The CllAle max thought they were not of a permanent nature,
but still they would continue until they were removed by an Act
of the Legislature.
The speaker then declared that he must speak out. He was one
of those who thought the Repeal of the Corn Laws nothing—free
trade nothing—the cultivation of waste lands nothing—a minimum
of wages nothing-50 long as the taxes continued to be so enor..
moms. After exhausting the subject of the currency, the history
of which he faithfully gave from the incorporation of the Bank of
England, in William and Mary's time, to the Act of the last Sea-
Sion, he unequivocally pronounced himself in favour of a free
trade in taxation.
At this point our Reporter looked at his watch, and observing
that full two good hours had been spent in listening to this kind of
thing. and not having the most remote prospect as to when this
new City Parliament would adjourn,he deemed it prudent to retire,
and his example was followed by everybody else except the mem-
bers themselves. Under special far Our, perhaps, we may be able
to obtain the result of the debate, In which ease our readers may
depend upon having it faithfully repotted to them.

Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East
India House, when the following Captains were sworn
into the command of their respective ships, viz.:—.Captain
John Rennie Manderson, of the Bridgewater, and Cap-
tain Thomas Baker, of the Lowther Castle, consigned to
Bombay and China.
EXTRAORDINARY INCREASE.—There is now in the
possession of Mr. Thomas Lockhart, land-steward upon the
estate of Sir Thomas Trowbritlge, Bart., Rockville, East
Lothian, the produce of two pickier, of barley ; upon the
first there is ninety-five heads, fifty-five of which arrived
at maturity ; the remaining forty were not fully ripe when
pulled, but all the heads perfectly formed. The produce
of the second was fifty-four heads, thirty seven of which
arrived at maturity ; the remainder were in the same state
as the former. Now, supposing twenty-two pickles a head,
the produce of the above which came to perfection would
be 2,024 ; and bad the remaining pickles been allowed
time to ripen, their produce would have been 1,234—in all
3,27 B—the produce of two pickles town. The above were
selected as a curiosity by Mr. Lockhart, when he was su-
perintending the reapers.
For some time past the Tower-ditch has been the ren-
dezvous of all the depravity of the east end of the town ;
its unfenced state, and the mutilated condition of its em-
bankment towards the thoroughfare, has presented a more
than common inducement for the congregation of vaga-
bond!, and afforded a facility of escape, from its sloping
banks and shallowness of water, to thieves, who, while the
officers were in pursuit of them, might easily slip down the
Rides, and thus baffle every attempt at their apprehension.
These facts have been long a matter of notoriety, and an
annoyance of a very sensible nature to the inhabitants of
Tower-hill. They have, however, on a representation to
the Government, been met with attention; and the evil is
now in the course of being remedied. Two gentlemen
on Tuesday waited on the magistrates a tLambeth-street, and
informed them that a communication had been rec.:in.('
the inhabitants of Tower-hill. representing the state of the
from the Board of Works, in reply to an application from
ditch, and the asylum it afforded to thieves, informing them
that his Majesty s Government had given orders to have a
strong iron railing thrown round it. In the course of its
erection it was apprehended that some injury would be
done to the work, and they wished that orders would be
given to the police for its protection. The magistrates re-
plied certainly, and Mr. Wyatt observed, that as the work
of reformation was going on in the Tower district, be
wished that some attention would be directed to that into-
lerable nuisance, the " Proof House," in Church-lane ;
the peace of the inhabitants was not alone disturbed by its
terrific explosions,
but the lives of his Majesty's subjects
were endangered by the starting of horses In that narrow
thoroughfare.