The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-15 00:00:00

WEAVERS' ME

[From the Glaegna, Cervitieb• of Tuesday.]
Ch the evening of Friday last a meeting of the operative weavers
of Paisley took place in the Burgher Meeting-House, George- I
street, for the purpose of ascertaining how many of the manufac-
turers were paying their weavers agreeable to the new table of
prices. The house was nearly fall, and after a Preses was chosen,
the Committee read the names of such of the manufacturers as had
subscribed the table ; and as each individual's name was read, the
people in the meeting were required to state if they knew whether
he was paying conformably to it or not. By this mode of proceed.
ing, it was made to appear, that out of tad manufacturers who had put
their names to the table, about 12 only were paying according to
it ; that many of them were paying much lower ; and that of the
greatest portion of them no person present could render any account;
PO that it would appear that they employ no workers at all, at
least none of which the meeting had any knowledge. Several per-
its delivered their opinions against attempting to obtain a rise of
wages at a time like the present, when so many hundreds of the
best workmen are starving for want of employment, and who would
be glad to get webs at any price. After some observations of this
nature, a person proposed as a Resolution,
" That tne weavers of Paisley feel grateful to such of their em-
ployers as have expressed their readiness to raise their wages, and
they are of opinion that every really humane man will rather not
employ workers at all, than employ them at such a low rate of
wages as is incompetent to subsist them ; but that this meeting
cannot avoid expressing the rooted conviction of their minds, that
the condition of the artisans of this country cannot be materially
improved but by such an alteration of the Corn Laws as will ena-
ble them to purchase their bread at as cheap a rate as the people of
other countries. They are also of opinion that this desirable object
cannot be attained, so as to do justice to all the industrious classes
of the community, without a great reduction of taxation."
This Resolution was warmly seconded by a number in the meet-
ing. but as keenly opposed by others. The feelings of the different
panics were manifested by hissing and cheering; and the personal
altercations of those who partook in the war of words, might have
served as no bad representation of the scenes that were recently ex-
hibited at Somerset and Preston. " Do you think 1 am an ass ?"
said a stickler for the table, to his opponent : he was instantly an-
swered, Yes," with the appearance of as much complacent good
will as he could have desired had he been asking the loan of a
shilling.
When the Preses signified his intention of patting the Resolution
to the vote, its opponents became so clamorous as to prevent it for '
a time ; and on a show of hands being taken, whether they should
persevere in their endeavours to cause the manufacturers to conform
to the table, it appeared that a majority were for doing so. As
soon as the Preses declared this, those who were in the minority
spontaneously rose to depart, when, with a sudden impulse, a uni-
' versal call was made to put the Resolution so lately rejected, which
was accordingly put to the vote, and carried unanimously, with
great cheering.
A Committee was then nominated to prepare a petition for a
repeal of the Corn Laws, and a reduction of taxation, to be sub-
mitted to a public meeting of the inhabitahts of Paisley.

BARBARO.S Mu twEa.—The neighbourhood of Ball's-
bridge was yesterday evening the scene of another atrocious
murder. The wretched culprit is, a man of the name of
Murray, who lived in the lodge of Mr. Dawson, of Daw-
son Park, near the Botanic-garden ; the unfortunate
victim was his wife. As there was no examination of the
guilty man last night, we are ignorant of the circumstances
that led to the commission of this horrid crime. All we
know is, that a gentleman of the name of Arclier happened
to be passing at the time, and attracted by the cries of the
unfortunate woman, he rushed into the lodge, where he
found her a mangled corpse. He immediately armed him-
self with a bayonet which was in the place, and kept
Murray a prisoner, while information was sent to College-
street Police-office. On the intelligence reaching the office
two officers were despatched to the place, and Murray was
brought into town a prisoner, about eleven o'clock last
night. A Coroner's inquest will sit on the body this morn-
ing. Some of the wounds were inflicted with an adze, and
some of them with a heavy oak stick, which is now in the
police-office. It appears to us to be the handle of some
carpenter's instrument, probably the adze, with which the
tirst wounds were inflicted.—Dublin paper of Thursday.