The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-20 00:00:00

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF.
LICENSED VICTUALERS.

The first anniversary meeting of this Association took
place yesterday, at the Half Moon, Clipstsne-street, .Maq-
lebone, to transact business, The object for which, this
Institution has been established is to protect the interesti:of
the trade from any encroachments, and particularly to gu4rit
osalost any legislative measures being adopted to the injury
of the trade, and the Committee are persuaded that the in-
formation ~,:hich they have been enabled to afford to various
members of parliament, has tended to remove many erro-
neous opinions entC.rtained by them with regard to the seve-
ral bills proposed in il:lrliament, for the regulation of trade,
and that the Association will be found ultimately highly
useful, and productive of the; greatest advantages to the
trade in general.
The SECRETARY (Mr. Keymer) ,pad the report, from
which it appeared, that Branch Associatioos had bceu formed
in Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Maccles-
field, Bath, Worcester, Sheffield, Chatham, Stroud, Roches-
ter, Wakefield, York, Bradford, Portsmouth, Windsor, &c.
It was also stated that there 1,080 members attached ..to
the Branch Societies.

The PRESIDENT (Mr. Morgan) and the Committee
which had acted with so much zeal during the previous
year were re-appointed, subject to the confi7mation of the
Branch Associations. The Treasurer (Mr. Wells) and

the Secretary (Mr. Keymer) were also re-appointed, sub-
ject also to the approval of the District Societies. The
accounts of the Association were audited and passed, when
there appeared a small balance to the credit of the Associa-
tion in the hands of the Treasurer ; but as it was antici-
pated that the Committee might be involved in conside-
rable expenses in protecting the interests of the trade in
the course of the ensuing session of Parliament, it was re-
solved that the members of the Committee should be em-
powered to receive subscriptions in aid of the funds of the
Association, from such members of the trade as might be
inclined to contribute to the promotion of the objects of
the Association. 'We subjoin the following extract from
the Report :
" Your Committee feel that it would be impossible to
enter individually into a recapitulation of the numerous
and important means which they have had recourse to in
order to accomplish the end they had in view ; still more
would it be so, to point out the multifarious ways in which
they have been successfully enabled to serve and uphold
the best interests of the trade. Those means and those
successes have had but one grand aim ; and to prove that
they have been signally triumphant, they need only remark
that through the instrumentality an 2 exertions of the Associa-
tion the Bill introduced by Mr. Bockingham in the Com-
mons House of Parliament was totally pnevented from passing,
while the measure given notice of by Mr. Warburton in the
early part of the last Session, not only never Jnade its ap-
pearance, but was absolutely strangled in its bil th, princi-
pally from the exertions and unflinching opposition which it
was known had been excited against it by the Association.
To account in some measure for the great influence thus
exercised, your Committee feel it necessary to state that in
several instances in which they had the honour to wait upon
different Members of Parliament, they found them so little
acquainted with the subject, as not to be by any means
alive to the injustice and irreparable ruin which those
measures were calculated to produce ; and it therefore
only became necessary for your Committee to set the subject
in its proper light, to convince them of the iniquity of the
contemplated enactments, and to render them willing sup-
porters of your cause, instead of being its enemies. In
other instances, in which Hon. Members had been pre-
viously prejudiced in favour of the Beer Bill, your Com-
mittee have been so far successful in their endeavours as to
prove to them the injustice of any- encroachments on the
present system, and to convince them that no alteration
ought to take place to the disadvantage of the Licensed
Victualler, without due compensation being ma.de.
" In conclusion, your Committee would again impress
upon you the necessity for renewed and increased exer-
tion, particularly on the part of the country Commiaees of
the branch Associations. Without their assistance, the
utmost endeavours of your metropolitan Committee will be
more than half-neutralized, and no effort ought to be spared
until every town and every village in the immediate vicinity
of those already enrolled had been induced to join the As-
sociation. With the ensuing Session of Parliament your
Committee feel assured the battle will again commence.
Measures of more than an ordinary and alarming nature to
the interests of the trade are threatened to be introduced,
and, in the words of a former address, they may peculiarly
say, at the present moment, that aggression, unless success-
fully resisted, will lead to aggression, and encroachment to
encroachment ; but, with justice on your side, you have
only to step forward manfully to the struggle, to be firm,
united, and persevering, and your triumph is secure."
The preliminary business having been disposed of, the
Committee sat down to a most excellent dinner, which the
hospitable proprietor of the Half Moon (Mr. Wells, a past
Chairman of the Committee of the Licensed Victuallers'
Society), had provided for them. Mr. Morgan (President
of the Association) took the Chair.
The cloth having been removed, and grace said,
The CHAIRMAN proposed " The health of the Queen,"
which was drunk with great enthusiasm.
Song—" God save the Queen," in which the whole com-
pany joined chorus.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " The health of the
Duke of Sussex and the rest of the Royal Family," Drunk
with great applause.
The CHAIRMAN proposed " Prosperity to the National
Association of Licensed Victuallers," which was drunk with
great enthusiasm.
Mr. WELLS said that the Licensed Victuallers had al-
ready established various Institutions, which had been found
most useful as contributing to the comfort and support of
their decayed members, and for the education of orphans;
but, beneficial and advantageous as those Institutions were,
he considered this Institution of still greater importance,
inasmuch as it was calculated to protect themselves, and

by so doing enabling them to supply the funds necessary to
support and sustain the Institutions already established.—
(Hear, hear.) He felt convinced that all that was neces-
sary to secure its ultimate and permanent success was, that
it should be made known to the trade that such a Society
existed, and when they were made acquainted with the ad-
vantages which it was calculated to confer, they would not
be bacward in supporting it.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " Her Majesty's Minis-
ters, and may they bring forward measures beneficial to the
country." Drank with great applause.
" The Members of both Houses of Parliament, who had
supported the rights of the trade," was the next toast,
which was drunk with great enthusiasm.
Mr. HIBBLE then proposed " the Branch Associations
of the Society." He said that the toast was one which
claimed their peculiar attention. It was only by the as-
sistance of the branch societies they could hope to effect
any beneficial effect ; they would contribute in supplying
the necessary funds for the protection of their interests.
It was said that they wished to have :a monopoly ; he
denied it. By the law as it stood at present, the magis-
trates had the power to grant a license in. any neighbour-
... .

hood in which such additional acommodationwas requir-
ed, and there was no instance in which a new neighbour-
hood had been formed where any such accommodation bad
been withheld from the public. He considered it to be the
duty of the Legislature to protect the property of the Li-
censed Victuallers ; they bad invested capital in their
houses, which they bad purchased under the sanction of
the law, and it was therefore unjust to destroy the interests
which were created under such sanctions. He was no
enemy to competition ; it existed in the trade fir all bene-
ficial purposes, and he felt convinced that any extension of
that principle would prove injurious. The cry at present
was " Open the trade," but those who held out such lan-
guage were ignorant of the ruin and distress in which its
adoption would involve many meritorious families. Mr.
Hibble concluded a very eloquent speech, which we regret
our space will not allow us to do justice to.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed " The Charitable Insti-
tutions connected with the Licensed Victuallers."
Messrs. BALDRY and WELLS acknowledged this toast.
" Mr. Anderson and the Press" was then drunk with
every mark of respect.
The healths of the Treasurer, Deputy Chairman (Mr.
Toombs), and Secretary (Mr. Keymer), having been
drunk the company separated much pleased with the even-
ing's entertainment, in the course of which several ad-
mirable songs were sung, which, with the good feeling which
. prevailed, contributed to the enjoyment of the evening.

About one o'clock on Sunday morning, Mr. Richards,
of the King's-road, who formerly carried on an extensive
business as a linendraper, in Oxford-street; London, and
had retired to reside permanently at Brighton, suddenly
jumped out of bed, and, after complaining of a pain in the
chest, died almost immediately.—Brighten Gazelle.
On Tuesday night a Custom-house officer, stationed
on board the John Bull steam-ship, lying off the Tower,
came upon deck about eight o'clock, to take his watch,
and soon afterwards went forward and leant on the rail.
Unfortunately, it was not made fast, and gave way, pre-
cipitating the officer into the river. The splash was heard
by the crew, and immediate assistance was rendered, but
the poor fellow never rose again. The deceased, who has
left a young wife and two children unprovidod for, was a
respectable and steady officer, and his loss is much regret-
ted at the Custom-house.

Yesterday morning Henry Marlow, coal merchant,
residing in Albany-street, Regent's Park, was drowned near
Blackfriars-bridge. He was crossing some planks placed
across coal barges, and from the sudden spring of one of
them he lost his toot-hold, and fell between two barges.
Before assistance could be rendered the body was drawn
beneath the tier. He has left a widow and five children.