The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-22 00:00:00

subject of one or two party attacks in the last session of
Parliament, and it appeared to me, I must confess, that there
was a small party in the House of Commons who appeared
to desire to drive us by taunts and reproaches into a war
with America, without at the same time committing them-
selves to that policy. (Hear, hear.) We were accused of
sacrificing the honour of this country; we were accused of
acting under the dictation of Mr Adams ; we were accused
of truckling to the American Government,and every possible
taunt and reproach was used for the purpose of inducing us,
apparently for the purpose of showing our spirit,to go to war.
At the same time, those who uttered these taunts and re-
proaches carefully abstained from pledging themselves to a
warlike policy. What would have been the result ? Why
if those taunts and reproaches had produced the desired
effect, and if we had been weak enough to be goaded into a
war, these very men would have turned round upen us and
denounced us for that very conduct which they themselves
endeavoured to force us into. (Loud cheers.) Gentlemen,
we did not fall into that trap, and if we had done so we
should have richly deserved the censure which would have
been bestowed upon us. (Hoar.) Gentlemen, I do not pro-
pose to address you at more length on the subject of the
American war. On that general question I have addressed
you once or twice before. I will not attempt to prophesy.
It is very easy to prophesy; and impossible to contradict
prophets at the time, but events frequently contradict them
after. Bat I will do no more than express a hope—a hope
I mt s: fervently entertain—that out of this horrible strug-
gle, out of this evil and this suffering, almost unparalleled
in the history of the world, Gol in his own time will deduce
this great good—the abolition of slavery. (Hear, hear,
and loud applause.) Sir R. P. Collier then proceeded to
comment on the foreign policy pursued by the Government
during the past session, and defended the course which had
been pursued in regard to the proposition for a European
Congress and the line taken with respect to the Danish
question. He then centinned—Well, gentlemen, I have
stated all that I mean to say upon the question of foreign
policy; and now a few words upon the subject of domestic
legislation. Now I very much regret that the question of
church rates appears to have been in so unsatisfactory a
condition that no honourable member thought it worth
while, or possibly thought it prudent, to challenge the opi-
nion of the House of Commons upon that subject. lely
old friend, Sir John Trelawny, who has faithfully served
that cause for a number of years, has finally thrown it up,
I am afraid, in disgust, and nobody appears inclined to take
lip his manila, and certainly it is very much to be regret-
ted, according to my view, that the Houle or your-
mons should have—what I cannot help calling it—fallen
back on the subject of church rates—(hear)—for two

sessions ago you will recollect for the first time we were in a
minority on that question, having been accustomed to ma-
jorities over since I have been in Parliament. (Hoar, hear.)
Gentlemen, a groat many ingenious suggestions have been
made for the purpose of settling this church-rate question
by a compro►nise. Almost everybody that I have met with
has some pet plan of compromising this question. I must
say there is one short, supple, and easy wary 'of settling it,
and the only way of settling it that I know of is to abolish
them altogether. (Loud and prolonged cheering) Gentle-

men, I will detain you but a very few minutes longer. Some
other questions in which I took a great interest have come
before Parliament this session. I may mention shortly the
questien of the ballot, on which my opinions are altogether
unchanged. Yon know I have always supported the ballot,
and I shall always continue to do 89. (Loud cheering.)
I will not now enter into a discussion on that
question, but will merely remark that one argument

in favour of the ballot has not been sufficiently dwelt
upon—namely, that you would not know the state of the
poll until the end of it, and therefore there would be an end
of that hanging back in anticipation of remuneration. I
am not going to discuss the ballot, gentlemen, that is all I
have to say upon it. I would further add, that I thought
it my duty to support Mr Baines's motion for the extension
of the suffrage. (Applause.) I have always been of opinion
that the suffrage may be safely extended, and I have voted

for that measure many years, viz., the £6 household suf-
frage. Gentlemen, the £6 household suffrage will be adopted
when the people of England are determined to have it, and
not before. (Hear.) I may mention that I had great pleasure
in supporting the bill of Mr Bouverie for enabling dissenters
to take degrees and vote at Oxford, tending to liberalise
that University. I will not dwell further upon the various
measures of the last session, but will merely observa this in
conclusion, that notwithstanding the depression of the cotton
trade, the prosperity of the country had been such, that
the Chancellor of the Exchequer was enabled to take off
£2,000,000 from our taxation, in addition to £10,000,000
which he had previously remitted to the people of this
oountry. I was about to say in conclusion, that there arm
some politicians who may bo called habitual detractors of
their country. Such are they who affirm that we have lost
all our prestige in Europe, that wo have sunk to the rank of
a seeond or third-rate Power, or that we are become a by-
word and a reproach among nations. Why are these state-
ments made? Simply because wo have not engaged in
unnecessary and Quixotic European wars. (Hear, hear.) I
can rememb _r many other detractors of our country. There
have been those--and I am old enough to recollect them—
who complained that when the Reform bill was passed the
sun of England's glory had set for ever, (Hear, hear, and
laughter). There were others, who at the passing of any
measures of free trade prophesied the irretrievable ruin of
this country. I maintain that all these detractors have
been, and are, in the wrong. It is because we have ab-
stained from unnecessary wars, because we have hus-
banded our resources, and applied ourselves to the
extension of our commerce, that we are as strong and power.
ful as we have become. (Cheers.) If any just or necessary
cause of war should arise—and there can be no just or neces-
sary cause of war unless it be the repelling of aggression,
or the vindication of our national henour—l fully believe
that we are able to put forth stronger Efforts than we have
hitherto dons, and I believe, moreover, that the continent
of Europe know this well. (Cheers.) I further maintain
that there never was a time in the history of this country

when wo were more powerful, more prosperous, or more

respected. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I have now done. lam
to be followed by my very worthy colleague, Mr Morrison,

and lot me bespeak your kind attention for him. (Cheers.)

Mr MORRISON also addressed the meeting, and at the
close of his speech a vote of confidence in the two bon.

gentlemen way passed.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, Oct. 21.—The market for shipping
yarns has again been almost a blank. To do busi-
ness spinners must have acc:pted much lower prices.
The market for these goods closes very dull, with
less disposition than ever on the part of buyers to
operate. Home trade yarns have been very quiet,
and spinners anxious to sell. Prices are ld. to 10.
per lb. lower than on Tuesday. In cloth also prices
have kept tending downwards, and at pretty much
the same rate of decline that has taken place from
day to day in cotton at Liverpool. Very little
business could be effected to-day, and what sales
have taken place have been made at very irregular
prices, and at a reduction generally from Tuesday's
rates. In addition to the failures mentioned in pre-
vious reports, several stoppages of manufacturers
were mentioned en the Exchange, including ono
at Manchester, two at Burnley, one at Blackburn
(to the amount of about £3,000), and one at Rad.
cliffe. At a meeting of creditors held this after•
noon of Mr. Atthur Heald, a small manufacturer
at Kelso, Messrs. Fitzgerald and Co., accountants,
stated the liabilities at £6,000 and the assets at
£2,539. An offer of 10s. in the pound was made,
but the creditors thought 15s. might be obtained,
and the meeting was adjourned. A gloomy and
very uneasy feeling appears to prevail generally.
Merchants' letters from Liverpool and London, as
well as foreign correspondence, are said to read
badly and give cause for much apprehension.
Private letters from Rio are said to represent affairs
there as much worse than accounts which have as
yet found their way into the papers. One letter
gives the failure at considerably over 100 in
number.

CARDIFF, 20th—Many of the shippers of steam
coal are unable to get the requisite supply, owing
to the pressing demand from Staffordshire. There
is a fair icquiry on export account, but had not the
present demand from Staffordshire existed, it is
doubtfal whether the trade would have been able
to maintain its position as regards prices. The
colliers in the Aberdare and Merthyr valleys are
fully employed, and it is satisfactory to report that
the men continue to work with regularity, and the
attempts made to induce them Ito take an active
part on behalf of the Staffordshire miners have
completely failed. In house qualities there is a
good business doing, and, with the approach of
winter, prices are getting firmer. Coke is in average
request. The iron trade retains its vitality, although
the export demand has fallen off to some extent.
Rails are quoted £7 to £7 108 at the works, and
bars, £7 5s to £7 12s 6,1. The forest remains at a
standstill, and at Aberaman important extensions
and alterations are about to b.; carried out.

NOTTINGHAM, 21at.—At the Exchange-hall to-
day the attendance was tolerable, but business was
very flit, Spinners tried hard to support late rates,
but where sales were forced lower rites had to be
submitted to. The demand for hosiery yarns was
flit, and prices were is per bundle lower than last
week. Silks very firm, and tending upwards.
Brown nets wero an exceedingly slow sale, end there
was not sufficient business done to test prices.

While the steamer Aquila was on her passage
from Jersey to Weymouth, on Tuesday, one of the passen-
gers, a commercial traveller from Bristol, threw himself
ov,ihoard. 110 was, however, saved by a boat from the
steamer.