The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-09 00:00:00

TION,-FEBRUARY 9, 1

SECOND EDITION.

MEETING OF THE ANTI-CORN
LAW DELEGATES.-(THIS DAY.)

INTERVIEW WITH LORD MELBOURNE

Zoe Delegates met at Brown's Hotel this afternoon at the usual
hour.

Among those present we observed the following Members of Par.
liament and Gentlemen :—Sir G. Strickland, M.P., Mr. 11'ark Phil.
lips, M.P., Lord Nugent, Mr. G. A. Young, Mr. Ewart, Mr. Howard
Elphinstone, Mr. Bcnj. Hall, M.P., Mr. G. W. Wood, M.P., Mr.
Scholefleld, M.P., and Mr. Villiers, M.P.
Lord NUGENT stated that he rose for the purpose of handing a

letter to the Chairman, signed by the Vestry Clerk of the
parish of St. Marylebone, on behalf of the Vestry of that
parish, appointing himself (Lord Nugent) and Mr. Gilbert Young as
Delegates to this Association. His Lordship expressed his pride and
pleasure in accepting this office, and that he was sent here to repre-
sent a large and populous parish, in which the feeling on this subject
was almost unanimous.
The letter was then read by the Chairman. It was signed "C.
Flood," Vestry Clerk, and after stating the appointment of Lord Nu-
gent and Mr. Gilbert Young as Delegates, it proceeded to express
the lively interest the Vestry and Parishioners take in tl is subject,
and their destre to assist the exertions of the Committee by every
means in their power. . .

The CHAIRMAN expressed the great pleasure he felt in receiving
Lord Nugent and Mr. Young as Delegates from Marylebone.
The CHAIRNIAN said it teas his duty now to communicate to the
meeting that the Delegates appointed at a previous meeting, con-
sisting of himself and the Delegates from Glasgow, Leeds,
Liverpool, Bolton, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, had
waited on Lord Melbourne this morning, and had had an
interview of an hour and a quarter's duration with his Lordship,
who received them very kindly, and listened very attentively to
their stattments. If it was the pleasure of the gentlemen present,
he would mention what the general facts were which they had laid
before his Lordship.---(Yes.) They explained, then, to his Lordship the
reason for their waiting on him in so small a number, that they
thought it was the best course, and one that would be more agree.
able to his Lordship ; that they were sent as representatives of the
Delegates from different parts of the country, on the question of the
total and immediate repeal of the Corn-laws, and they were anxious
to lay before his Lordship their reasons for taking this step. They
endeavoured to show his Lordship that their exports to Europe were
now confined chiefly to raw materials, that their exports of manufac-
tured articles to Europe had been constantly diminishing since the

xce, while their exports of raw materials had been increasing, and

that notwithstanding the population of Europe ince the Peace
had probably increased 50 per cent, our exports to Europe
were less by 20 per cent, for the last five years than
they were the first five years after the peace. These exports were
now principally confined to cotton twist (a raw material in the first
process), iron, steel, coals, wool, and different other articles
which fund hid foreign manufacturers with the means of manu-
facturing fort temselves, and of competing with British manufacturers
in u•_utral markets. They also stated to his Lordship that
in many cotton articles, woollens, hosiery, and in hardware and
cutlery, the Germans and Russians a ere not only supplying the de.
mand of their own markets, but were also supplying foreign neutri.l
mat kits. It was difficult, in the first instance, to establish manufac-
tories in any country, but when once established they progressed ra-
pidly. The articles in which the foreign manufacturers had the great-
est superiority were those itt which manual labour formed the chief
ingredient ; but that, from the great increase in machinery in
almost every town in Europe, and from the continual export of our
mechanics and artizans, there was the greatest reason for fearing
that by-and-bye the superiority which we at present possessed would
be lost, and that foreigners would compete successfully with us in our
natural markets. Mr. Stanfield, the Delegate from Leeds, read an in-
teresting paper to his Lordship, relating to the exportation of foreign
and British woollens.—(Mr. Greg asked whether Mr. Stanfield would
not read that paper. The Chairman said he had better first conclude
Isis statement, and continued.)—As regarded cotton hosiery—it
was stated to his Lordship that so lately as 1614 we
exported cotton hosiery from this country to Saxony
. .