The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-31 00:00:00

He should be exercising the patience of the meeting to too great
an ex :ant, if he was to go through all the statutes on this subject
but a 3 the Reformers were assailed on every measure they
took for the improvement of the condition cf the people, with
the terms revolutions and the like, I.e thcught it better that
they should proceed strictly on constitutional grounds, in
order to shew that they had no e i h to destroy, but
to renovate.--( Cheers. ) If they went beck to the early pe-
riod of the history of this couetry, it would be seen in the
time of Edward the Thii d, Parliament were called once
a 'ear; in the time of the Commonwealth Parliament were
called for three years, and in the time of William and Mary,
by the provisions of the Bill of Rights, it was stated that
Parliament should be frequently holden.—( Hear, hear, hear.)
After this Bill had passed both Houses of Parliament it
was resisted by the King, but Parliament declared it
necessary for the welfare of the empire, and denounced
those who should oppose it as the en, mks of the
tommonwealth ;—and it was ultimately passed.—( Hear.)
In the succeeding reign—that of Queen Anne—the succes-
sion was altered ; and at her death the Elector of Hanover,
under the title of George the First, ascended the Throne;
our ancestors, rendered cautious by experience—( Hear,
hear)—inserted in the Act of Settlement the right
of the people to Triennial Parliaments.,—( Cheers. ) Yet,
notwithstanding that, George 1., a few years after he came
to the Throne, consented to the repeal of that measure,
which he had promised to maintain.—(Hear ) And, let it
be recollected that the Government was then in the possession
of the people called Whigs.--( Hear, hear.) The Parlia-
ment which was then sitting, and whi.ch was elected only for
three years, extended its duration to seven years. —( Hear,
hear, hear.) Now, if they had a right to extend
their duration to seven years, they bad t n equal right
to extend it to 40 years.—(Hear, hear.) This infraction of
eternal justice (for what was just at all must be always just)
had never been atoned for.—(Cries of‘• Hear, In ar.")
The people did not at the time—either from not having
the power, or from the dread of incurring the danger
of a second revolution—redress the grievances; they waited pa-
tiently and prudently for that day, which they knew must
sooner or later arrive, when justice should be done.--( Cheers.)
The day of justice might never arrive in their day, but let
them resolve never to cease their agitation while they lived, or
until the obtained full justice.—(Cheers.) Th.!re was neither
law nor argument in favour of that dep rture from the
Constitution. It was afterwards urged that the Unions with
Scotland and Ireland were against any departure from the
present system, but, inihis opinion, there was no argument in
that at all. Those countries gave up nothing at their Unicn.
they, on the contrary, received many advantages ; however,
the people of both of those countries were loud in their de-
mand for the same return to the old English Con-
stitution. They had with them now ten millions more
of the people in consequence of those Unions.-1—( Hear.)
The last year of Parliament was acknowledged to be the best
for the people, because the Members were aware that they
must soon meet with their constituents—make it then certain
that they must give their constituents an account of acts
at short periods, and they must become honest.—( Hear.)
The only time he recollected the prerogative of the Crown
having been exercised for the benefit of the people was when
William the Fourth dissolved his Parliament for the purpose of
taking the opinion of the people on the Reform Bill.--( Hoar )
It would be in the recollection of the meeting what a singular
riot took place in the House of Lords on that occasion,
when the Marquis of Londonderry sprang across the table
and almost throttled the Duke of Richmond.—( Laughter. )
That was the only time the prerogative of the
Crown was exercised for the benefit'of the people. If they
had Triennial Parliaments they would not hear, as they had
lately heard, of thousands and millions of the peoph-•s money
being voted away, tnl of an extravagant Civil List.
Although they were now deprived of a King and
all his adjuncts, as had been observed by their Ho-
nourable and Learned Representative, they have now
only a little girl under twenty on the Throne, and yet
her Civil List was 60,0001. greater than it was during the
reign of William the Fourth.---( Shame, shame.) Night after
night important measures were carried through the
House, with about one hundred Members present, Wnot
one-sixth of the whole Members of that branch of the Le-
gislature.—( Shame, shame.) He maintained that these
evils, if not completely altered, would be much mitigated if
they returned once more to Triennial Parliaments. He
thanked them for their kind and patient attention, and con-
cluded by moving the resolution.
Mr. HARRIOTT seconded the resolution. Nothing was so
necessary for the integrity and independence of the represen-
tatives of the people as the shortening of the duration of Par-
liament.—( Cheers.) Nothing was so essential as a repeal of
the rate-paying- clause, which deprived many independent men
of the right of voting. He hoped the public generally would
soon see the necessity of lending themselves to the reform of
these abuses, and begged leave to second the resolution.
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
Mr. MATTHEWS moved the 4th rssolu.ion, and begged to
offer a few remarks on it, as it touched upon all the previous
ones. With respect to the Vote by Ballot, no man should be
more desirous of it than Mr. Arrowsmith himself, who
ought to well recollect the time, that he came forward
as a candidate for the office of Vestry-clerk for the parish
of St. George.—(l-lear, hear.) Ile (Mr. Matthews) on that
occasion worked gratuitously for Mr. Arrowsmith, and he
never witnessed greater bribery and corruption than on that
occasion, although Mr. Arrowsmith then refused to advance a
farthing for such a purpose, if it was to save his election.
But how Mr. Arrowsmith could now differ from these opi-
nions lie could not say.—( Mr. Arrowsmith intimated that he
did not.) Another subject alluded to by Mr. Arrowsmith was
the extended state of the constituency. He said the consti-
tuency amounted to 10,000 in the borough of Southwark, but
he forgot to add that by the rate-payers clauses, not less than
500 voters were disfranchised in the parish of St. George
alone..( Cheers. )
Mr. Annowsmern intimated that he was in favour of the re-
peal of that clause.
Mr. TOMPKINS briefly seconded the resolution.
The Hien BAILIFF was aqout to put tl s resolution, alien
a person at the lower end of the room oxcl.,imed, .eA Gen-
tleman wishes to speak to the resolution. Do you allow any
one else to be heard ?"

The HIGH BAILIFF requested the Gentleman to come
Forward,

Here an individual got on the platform, stating that he was
not an elector, but he requested to be heard.
The HIGH BAILIFF said it was for the meeting to say %%he-
ther they would hear him ; for his own pact, he should be
happy to do so.
The question was then put, and declared to be carried in
favour of the individual being heard.
Mr. HARDING, for such was understood to be his name,
then came forwtird. He trusted the meeting would par-
don a working man for addressing them. He thought
the resolution that had just been read so excellent, that
he would not have addressed the electing but for
another proceeding that had taken place. It was because he
believed Mr. Harvey---(Cheers)—was not only the repre-
sentative of the miAlle classes, but the wording man, that he
came forward to support the resolution. He wished to say a
wurd in ref3rence to another resolution whice had been agreed
to. The last speaker had spoken to she subject of the Vote
by Ballot, and he begged therefore, that the meeting would
allow him to speak to the question of the extension
of the Sufi'. age. The meeting had just sanctioned an
resolution to which only a dozen or so of hands had been
held up, and if the Reporter of the Times, or any other
Tory paper was present, they would say that it had not
been carried unanimously. He would tell the men of
Southwark that the working classes had no faith in the

LEFT SPEAKING.

We shall give the conclusion in our
SECOND EDITION.

"LEADERS OF THE BAND."—We hinted in a
late notice of Pilati's concerts, that the gentlemen heretofore
known by the abo►e title were fast becoming, although musi-
cians, persons of little note. A further instance of the truth
of our remark has been recently given. At the first " Trial
Night" of the Philharmonic Society, a week or two since, it
was remai ked that the elevated platform in the centre of the
orchestra, formerly appropriated to the "leader," had been
removed, and that the personage in question took his station
in the band, simply as the first of the ti,st fiddles ! But this
is the age of reform and improvement in music, as in other
matters.

THE ROYAL EAR FOR Music.—When rehears-
ing the music intended to be performed on the occasion of
her Majesty's visit to the City, Sir G. Smart, addressing the
performers, recommended them to be very particular in the
performance of their respective parts, remarking that our
gracious Sovereign has so exquisite an ear fur music that sho
could detect the slightest inaccuracy. We are most happy
to have this testimony to the skill of so exalted a personage.
Such a patroness cannot but stimulate the exertions of the
musical world, and advance the interests as well as the progress
of the science.

The Prince and Princess of Capua have just arrived
at the Hotel Windsor, Rue de Rivoli, at Paris.

THE FROST AND TIIE RIVER.—So rapid was the
thaw on Monday morning that at eleven o'clock a considerable
portion of the ice in St. James's Park was covered with water.
A large body of skaters, however, continued to enjoy their
favourite amusement. On the river the large floating sheets
of ice are now breaking up, and innumerable small pieces,
which afford no dangerous obstruction to the navigation of the
river, are being carried away by the reflux of the tide. Barges
find now but slight impediment in drifting with the tide.
It is a curious fact, that during the performances in
Drury-lane, on Saturday evening last, there was not a single
Christian in the dress-circle. The evening's entertainment
was for the benefit of a Jewish charity, and the disciples of
this persuasion presented on the occasion an exclusive and -
dazzling array of gems and beauty.
On the coast of Donegal, where the most enterpris-
ing arrangements have been made for prosecuting the herring
fishery this year, great destruction has been effected by the
late gales. A number of boats have been lost at sea, and it
has been ascertained that 21 fishermen have been drowned.
On Saturday, a report was current in Dubliriii,vethnatbayflseterteossf
15 boats had been lost off the Rosser.
A fox, which had no doubt been d
of weather to seek its food out of itsfieuslud in thealliauiitsr,ea vsliaosfseßeaniloeny
Friday, by numbers of peoples in a
Hall, near this town ; nor did it appear to be much disconcerted
by the halloos of the spectators, as it very leisurely turned
its tail to their shouts. A hare was seen in a garden near to
Salem Chapel, yesterday morning, and so far from displaying
its natural timidity, it continued to feed upon the leaves of a
few plants, even after a stone had been thrown at it, accom-
panied by a shout.—Halifax Express.