The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-08 00:00:00

THL EARL OF DURHAM.

(From the Hull Rockingham.)
The following letter has been received by George Cook-
man, Esq., Mayor, from the Right Hon. Lord Durham :
" Cleveland-row, Jan. 1, 1839.
" Sir—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your communication of the 29th December, requesting me to
name a day when I can have the pleasure of dining with the
Town Council and the inhabitants of Hull, and at the same
time soliciting as long a previous notice as possible.
" It will be impossible for me to absent myself from Lon-
don before the meeting of Parliament, for the following rea-
sons, the weight of which I feel ceitain you will duly appre-
ciate :

" One of the most important of my duties in Canada
was to prepare, as her Majesty's High Commissioner, a re-
port on the state of our North American Colonies. This
task, although nearly performed, remains to be entirely
completed, and admits of no delay. The Report will com-
prise a great mass of evidence relating to those colonies,
with a very full representation of what I believe to have been
the causes, past and present, of the unhappy condition of
some of them. It will also contain the suggestion of a plan
of Government for the future, based on information acquired
on the spot, and embodied in the Report as to the complaints,
wants, and interests of the several races and communities, sub-
jects of the British Crown in that quarter of the empire.
" You will readily understand that the completion of this
arduous task, together with the necessary preparations for
bringing the subject of Canadian affairs before the House of
Lords, engages, for the present, the whole of my time, and
will not, in fact, leave me an hour to spare before the meeting
of Parliament.

" Ili these circumstances I feel that I shall best reconcile
my public duties with my private inclinations, if I postpone
receiving the mark of honour and respect which you propose
until after the meeting of Parliament, when I shall have the
honour of giving you timely notice of the day which I may then
be enabled to appoint.
" I remain, Sir, your obliged and faithful servant,
"To the Mayor of Hull, &c." " DURHAM."

ADVICE TO WORKING MEN.

CORN-LAWS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN,

SlR,—The period being close at band when Parliament is
to assemble for the transaction of business, the public atten-
tion is now directed to a consideration of the measures likely
to come before the House. Various are the surmises regard-
ing the line of policy which Ministers are likely to adopt ;
many the schemes that are broached ; and many are the mea-
sures of importance debated upon. Among all those measures,
important as they no doubt are, there is not one, I will venture
to say, of more immediate and pressing importance than the
question of a repeal of the infamous Corn-law. Will you have
the goodness to admit of a few words upon this subject from a
member of that class of the community who are made to feel
the greatest amount of immediate suffering from the operation
of this cruel, oppressive, and injudicious
The feelings which have actuated the landowners in adopt-
ing this measure, seem to me very similar to the policy of a
certain Minister of the last century, who, when some
one complained to him that his measures were not cal-
culated to favour the interests of a succeeding genera-
tion, is said to have replied, " Never mind, they will
last my time." Our landowners apparently have looked
only to the immediate benefit they were likely to deiive ; they
overlooked the sufferings of the working millions, already
borne down by heavy and grievous burdens. But, more than
this, they seem to have lost sight of the ruin which was
almost certain to fall on the heads of their successors. The
direct effect of this law has been to cripple and injure the
commerce and manufactures of this country—the great source
of her wealth—to retard and impoverish the great body of
consumers ; and, ere long, its consequence will be the ruin,
the inevitable ruin of the sources from whence the wealth of
the landowners spring. The markets must ultimately sink,
and they will then have to share the general poverty, which
they have so largely assisted to produce. Much, very much
evil has already been done, and much more will ensue, unless
the people be up and doing. Let it be remembered that the
power is in the hands of the people, and they have only to ex-
press their wish's constitutionally, but determinedly, to achieve
their object. Let every working man who possesses the
smallest degree of iefluence (and there are few indeed who do
not possess some) draw up a petition, stating plainly, yet re-
spectfully, the objects and wishes of the petitioners. To do
this can be no difficult task, and involves but a trifle of ex-
pense. By a little exertion on his part he may procure the
signatures of all within the circle of his acquaintance, who are
in any way favourable to his views ; many thousands will sub-
scribe their names irt this way, who yet do not,take sufficient
interest in the matter to attend any public demonstration on
ihe question. The petition being enveloped, can be forwarded
by post to any Member of the Lords or Commons known to
be favourable to the object. And though the mass of the
labouring population may suppose themselves but indifferently
represented in the present House of Commons, they will yet
find enough of honest men to represent and make known their
wishes on this, or on any other question of similar importance,
when forwarded to them in a similar manner. If a few work-
ing men in the different parts of the kingdom will follow the
above plan, the result of their labours will be to bring forth
the united voice of millions. This is but to exercise an un-
doubted right of every Briton. Here is no injurious agitation,
no violence, no pursuit of a visionary and ill-defined object ;
but the constitutional expression of our opinions upon an evi-
dent and palpable evil, accompanied with a prayer for its re-
moval. Let this method be unceasingly pursued in this, and
other important questions; the voice of the people, in a just
cause, must ultimately prevail. If 'Ministers are favourable
to our views, this support will strengthen their hands. If
they are indifferent, this expressed wish of the people will
point the course which they, as public servants, ought to pur-
sue. The power resides with the labouring and productive
masses thus legally and peacefully to attain those ends so de-
sirable and necessary to their welfare and happiness. Vio-
lence and turbulence cannot but injure ourselves and retard
the great cause of freedom and justice. Peacefully, but un-
weariedly, let us pursue our object—raise a loud, unanimous,
Ind determined voice—our triumph will be certain and
assured. I am, Sir, very respectfully your's,
A WORKING MAN.
8, Norfolk-street, Middlesex Hospital.

THE ROTUNDA AT THE BANK.—The right of
the Bank of England to exclude the public from the Ro-
tunda has been-established by the verdict of a Jury in the
~ase of an action for assault, brought at the London Ses-
sions on Saturday by Wm. E. Merdas, a bank porter,
against Mr. Matthew Costam. They found the defendant
guilty, and the Recorder sentenced him to pay a fine of .51.
to the Queen.