The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-23 00:00:00

11EETING AT KiNNINGTON COMMON.

Mr. NEE ox begged to ask whether a letter had been
received from the men of Wandsworth, announcing a
meeting to be held that day at Kennington Common, to
elect a Delegate, and requesting the assistance of the Con-
vention ?

The CEAIRMAN replied in the affirmative.
Mr. MILL: submitted that they had nothing to do with
the election of a Delegate by any body of men.

APPOINTMENT OF MISSIONARIES.

Mr. Dnuoas said the Committee appointed for the pur-
pcse of reporting upon that subject had never assembled,
and therefore he had no report to make. Ile submitted
that as the motion for the appointment of the Committee
had been carried by only a small majority, jt would be as
well to pass it by for the present.
Mr. WitirrLß thought the proper course would be to
convene the Committee and make the suggestion to them.
Mr. LovierT thought it was a very slovenly way of
doing business, and that it was a great neglect of duty
not to have assembled and prepared a report.
Mr. FCoST, as one of the Members of the Commit-
...

. _
tee, would suggest the postponement of the question, ti
to-inorz ow, when they would be prepared with a report.

THE PEOPLE'S 611ARTER.

4 Mr. MILLS said the Committee appointed to arrange
the presentation of the petition to the Members of Parlia-
ment, to whom it was to be confided, bad nearly corn-
• piked its arrangements.
1 Mr. LOVETT said the Members cf Parliament to whom
the petition was to be confided, were recommended to
bring in a Bill embodying the principles of the Charter.
' They should recollect, however, that the Reform Bill had
been destroyed in detail, and if they allowed their Bill to
be mangled in this manner, it would he just such another
I:ieee of humbug as the Reform Bill. —( Hear, hear.)
.• -, Dr, FLUTCIIEU would ask whether the people of England
could secure the Charter being adopted in all its in.
violability without the assistance of the people in Parlia-
ment. If the five leading principles of the Charter were
adhered to, he thought there would be no objection to some
modification in the detn,ils.

The CumnatAN said the conversation was altogether ir-
regular, there being no question before them.
riNANcns.

M•. RooHas then reed the r(port of the receipts and
expenditure, v.hieh showed a balance in Land of 1,0461.0:.4d.
Dr. FiAtTonua handed in two guneas National Rent
from Weoix Bromwich.
The CIiAIRMAN announced that Mr. Robert Flames had
paid a second subscription of Il.—(Cheers.)
Mr. PITKEITIILUY moved, that on Friday neat, and on
future Friday mornings, the names of the Delegates be
called over at eleven o'clock, or earlier, and that a return
bo made as on other days of their attendance.
Mr. Maus° seconded the motion, which, after a short
Conversation, was carried.
ABSENCE OP NIE3IBER3.
_ _

Mr. FEARCWS O'CONNOR then rose to move, That no
blender of the Convention should, from this day forth, be
seat on the business of agitating, or as a missionaty, until
atter the presentation of the National Petition. Before
entering into his reason for bringing on this motion,
ho must complain that the notice, which he had given
ten days before, had been passed over altogether, namely
for a vote of 3001. for the purpose of assisting public meet-
to be held during Whitsun week. Ile did not find
that that notice was on the order paper at all ; but as he
had taken the opinion of several Members of the Con-
vention, and as, perhaps, it would be advisable to alter the
terms of the motion, he would postpone it for the present,
and give notice that he would bring it on to-morrow. He
would now proceed to the other motion, of which he had
given notice. On taking down the names in the first
instance, it was agreed that 49 Members should be ap-
pointed to the Convention, and it was supposed it would be
easy to keep up that number either from the working classes
or from those whose income gave them more time on their
hands ; but he found there were thirteen gentlemen who
did not attend at all, while there were six deserters. That
made nearly one-half of the number originally constituted,
and he feared it would afford a strong argument to their
enemies, Whigs and Tories, against them, if they could
not ensure the attendance of a greater number of Delegates
them had occasionally attended. Among those who had
never attended, or had only attended once or twice were,
were Messrs. Bunce, Wroe, Vincent, Good, Lovelace,
Itlehards, of the Potteries, and Richard Cobbett. If the
country had known that those individuals would have
neglected their duty, they would have taken care to pledge
the Delegates that they would attend the Convention. He
did not seek to fill up the places of those persons who had
not attended, but he sought to fill up the places of those
who had deserted. He sought from this day forth, or as
soon as it could be put in practice, to bring the whole of
the members of the Convention there, and to make them
remain there until after the presentation of the National
Petition. They proved by the last vote of the House of
Commons that the Whig party was stronger than ever,
and the whole of that strength of the Whigs
would be united to oppose every wish and object
of the Convention, and the only means by which they
could enforce their claims was by showing at all events
that there was as great a feeling among the leaders as there
was among the people. At one time the Convention was
in advance of public opinion—it was now behind public
opinion.—(Hear, hear.) Public opinion had not received
any very great spur from the Convention, but on the con-
trary the apparent neglect of several of the Delegates had
thrown a damp on the cause. The men of Birmingham
had taken up the cause, and determined to repair the loss.
The men of Perth, of Yorkshire, and Nottingham would do
the came. If this motion was carried it was his

intention to propose, on a future day, that they should not
go back to their constituents, not having expended their
,fueds, which bad been raised at very great risk indeed by
many of the working classes ; and he thought that some of
the gentlemen required a little fresh air; that the Con-
tention required a little more popular control. lie thought
they bad sat long enough in London, and that was his rea-
son for postponing the motion for the 3001., because he
should follow it up by a motion that the Convention should
for the retaainder of its term, be called a perambulating
Convention. He would propose that they should sit in
Airmingham for one week, and go to every large town,
from thence to Newcastle.—( Hear and a laugh.) That
might be laughed at, but after the National Petition had
been presented and rejected, London would have done as
much as it could do, and as much as it would do. But he
had no hesitation in saving, that if all the Delegates had
attended from the commencement, more would have been
done in London. The cowardice of some, and the lukewarm-
ness of others, had thrown a damp on the cause of the people.
The people expected more from the Convention.—( Hear. )
He did not attach blame to any but those who undertook
the trust and had not discharged their duty. Mr. Good,
they were told was agitating in Brighton. That was un-
doubtedly a grand object, but when Mr. Good undertook a
trust he should discharge that trust. Mr. Vincent had
Leen returned as a Delegate, and he had only attended one
cr two days. Mr. Osborne had been returned as a Dele-
gate, and Mr. Osborne had only come as an ambassador to
tell the good that had been done and would be done.
Mr. Lovelace might be excused because he had given suffi-
cient reason for his non-attendance. Mr. Whit:le had drawn

their attention to an Act which had been introduced by Gc.
uernmcnt into the House of Commons, and it was necessary
tho Convention should show they were not afraid, and it
was their duty to make a great struggle. The}' had been
talking a lung time about moral force, but he would tell
the ecnventi3n that unless they exerted tliemcelves the
people, in spite of them, would have recourse to physical
• lore,-; and it they did the entire onus would fall on those
c'ilo,,lpherswho hail advocated moral force. IC there was
tittewartnnss shown by the timidity of silne, and the in-
convenience cf others, these men who wanted breakfasts and
dinners, and had given their De:e .ates money to tell
them how to get hrc.akfts!'s and dinners, finding that morel
power had altogether failed, would get their breakfasts end
dinners without them.—(Hear, hear.) Although they
gi igh t tell them the 6th of May would be nothing mor:
than a skirmish, that it would not be the great day of battle,
vet if they sat there as a mere money Parliame,t, holding
'
owiey in their hands, and Leasting of the economical
,
- had done their duty, while
yr in crotch tue,,
taann .