The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-02 00:00:00

men amongst them, tl.e sons of managers, perhaps, who before
the combination laws were repealed might have been bound
by onAs, but if so it was unknown to him. With respect to
the average amount of wajes, it was aLout 18s. a week, in
some instances it might amount to 305., or 355. but these ex-
ptions were very few, the average being 18s., and many
persons not receiving more than 10s. or 12s. a-week, labour-
in= for twelve hours a-day, in an atmosphere of 84 degrees.
In reply to another question which had been asked him, he
would reply, that the man who shot Graham wes rot, to his
knowledge, a member of the Association.
Mr. CAMPBFLL (Secretary of the Central Trades' Corn-
witet) sail—Workmen of the City of London, it is necessary
that 3ou should be informed of the real situation of these
peer men, who have been branded by the public press with
crimes of the blackest character.—( Hear, bear.) It is re-
e:.ssary that those charges should be investigated, in order
that the energies of the working classes of the United King-
dom may be roused to vindicate their characters from tl e
foul charges that have been made against them. The cot-
ton-spinners of G:a.gow are rot the only persons interested,
but all tie trades of the United Kingdom.—( Hear, hear.)
The columns of the public press have not only accused the
Association with the crime of murder, but actually announced
that the murderers had been arrested, and that the blocd-

been respcialsd to, and he was satisfied they would not relax
in their energies. The speaker then proceeded to inveigh, in
terms of biter indignation, against the mode in which the re-
cent trial had been coaductcd, and cited with great effect the
words of Shelley—
" Justice sits spilling at the sale of truth !"
In allusion to the judicial feature of the proceedings, he said
if they would substitute the word " judge" for ''priest," the
poet's language would not he obsolete for want of applica-
tion—namely,
The judge requires gold
To i ay the pangs of outraged conscience."
After some further observations, the resolutions were moved
err masse.
Mr. TONIF.Y, smith, experienced sensations both of plea-
sure and pain, on the present occasion—pleasure in witnessing
the zeal and fervour with which the cause of the victims of
oppression was taken up, and ►:ain to think that individuals in
the shape of men could be guilty of atrocities at which human
nature revolts. After the middle class had been, to the ex-
clusion of the working people, invested with electo-al
privileges, the first movement on the part of the Whigs was
to starve the men, women, and children of Derby. He need
not allude to that perversion of the law into an instrument of
oppression, by which the honest Dorchester unionists were
doomed to associate with felons, whose guilt was of the
deepest die. The cry formerly was—" Agitate, agitate, agi-
tate !" Now, when a purpose is gainee, the cry is—" Exter-
minate, exterminate, exterminate !"—( Cheers.) Lord Grey,
when about to secede from office, said he bad put down Trades'
Associations. Let me tell the Whigs, the sham patriots in
their tail, and the great Agitator himself, that nothing but the
suspension of the habeas corpus Act shall extinguish my zsal,
or the zeal of the trade to which I belong. The speaker then
dwelt forc'hly on the obligation of all the trades to use every
effort for the rescue of the persecuted cotton-spinners, who,
he was persuaded, were innocent. Their claim cn sympathy
was, that they now suffired for their fidelity to the principles
by which they pledged themselves to abide, when they joined
the Cctton,apinners' Association.—(Great cheering.) Mr.
Tomey concluded by seconding the resolutions.
Mr, FEARGUS O'CONNOR presented himself amidst loud
cheers. He said, I stand before you upon my privilege—l
stand before you as the first man who took up the case o the
cotton-spinners, at a time when their friends suspected them.
I edited the Glasgow Libera or without fee or reward, when
that journal opposed, or rather censured, the Glasgow cot-
ton• spinners. I wrote two letters in their defence, and am
happy that I was instrumental in making it their advocate.—
( Hear, hear.) I travelled a distance of 2,000 miles to attend
both trials, and gave up my private business at a time when it
was of importance to me. I, therefore, think that lam un-
der no compliment to any man for being allowed to address
you this night.—( Hear, hear. ) Many attempts have been
made to cast me aside ; but here I stand before you, men of
England, and ask you where are those professors of universal
suffrage ?—( Hear, bear.) Where are those advocates of the
ballot ?—( Hear, hear.) In ten or twenty years, when these
unfortunate men have sunk into their graves, arid when it shall
be necessary to support a tottering Ministry, then we may get
some of them to take the chair.—( Hear, hear.) The elo-
quent speaker here reviewed the treatment which the Glas-
gow cotton spinners bad received, and concluded a most stir-
ring address by calling on the Trades to join heart and soul in
rescuing the poor men from the horrors of transportation.
Mr. VINCENT (Compositor) came forward, to move that
the petition, which is subjoined, be adopted by the meeting,
and expressed his disinclination to speak, in consequence of
the advanced hour of the night (it being now nearly twelve
o'clock), but the meeting insisted on hearing him. The
speaker observed—l can only subscribe my voice in promulga-
tion of the innocence of the cotton-spinners ; and I came to
the conviction that they were treated with injustice, on reading
the partial evidence brought forward by the prosecution. The
conviction of the men in question is, however, but one feature
in the great conspiracy ready to burst over the heads of the
working classes. Be assured, my friends, Government will
soon teach you what you have to do with politics. Daniel
O'Connell, in Dublin, has lately proved himself the active
enemy of the working people ; and the Whigs, to whose
service he is devoted, have been, from their persecution of the
Dorchester Unionists down to their coercion of the Canadians,
the oppressors of the people.—( Loud cheers.) I would im-
press on your minds one important consideration: you ought
now to be familiar enough with the hostile intentions of
Whigs and Tories, who arc more of selfish partisans than dis-
interested patriots, and to confide only in your own resources.
The people are not represented. The House of Commons is
the strong hold of our enemies—a trades' union in itself—a
House which exuludes the people from the privileges of the
Constitution, and sanctions that iniquitous tyranny which does
not allow the working classes, who are taxed and participate
largely in sustaining the burdens of the State, to have any con-
troul over the Legislature that imposes such taxes.—( Cheers. )
Universal Suffrage is the only remedy for the correction
of evil and the humiliation of tyranny.—(Repeated cheers.)
If Universal Suffrage were once conceded, men familiar with
our wants and wishes—men with brains in their heads not in
their pockets, would, by giving a faithful expression to the
public feeling, soon supersede the necessity of trade associa-
tions. We want such men in the House of Commons.
Landed Aristocrats and Capitalists have no sympathy with
us, simply, because they have an intersst in cpprefsion. We
have nothing whatever to expect from Whig or Tory, two fne-
tions alike tenacious of place and squanderers of the public
money.—(Cheers.) We should, as I said before, instead of
reposing confidence in any party, rely on ourselves—commune
with each other on our common interests—establish in every
locality mutual instruction societies—and asssert the supre-
macy of intellect over passion, by abstaining from intoxicating
draughts, which demoralise and debase human nature.—(lm-
mense cheering.) We should, my friends, qualify our elves
:'or moral warfare, by abandoning all stupid frivolities—we
should know our value—that the inherent capacity of the
working classes to create wealth gives them a title to some
degree of control over the acts of the Legislature. In a word,
we should know our rights and knowing, be resolved to main-
tain them.—( Cheers. ) The speaker invoked the working
classes—the men who heard him then, to come forward on the
present occasion, and give their enemies substantial proof of
their resolution to struggle for their rights, by manifesting their
sympathy with the convicted Cotton-spinners. Every honest
artisan should recognise in the persecution of the Cotton-spin-
ners, an injury inflicted on the whole operative community.—
( Loud cheering.) In consequence of the lateness of the hour,
the speaker concluded abruptly, by moving the adoption of the
petition.
Mr. SHARP seconded the petition.
The petition to the Lords to be presented by Lord
Brougham—that to the Commons by Mr. Wakley, to whom
a vote of thanks was unanimously passed.
A vote of thanks was also passed with great enthusiasm to
the Delegates, for their lucid and instructive statements.
After the usual compliments to the Chairman, the meeting
dissolved at one o'cicck this morning.

money would be shortly divided among the officers o
public justice.—( Laughter.) The prejudice originated by
the press had such an effect on the public mind, that five of
the jurymen informed the counsel for the defence that they
could not sit as jurors on the trial of the accused cotton-
spinners, in consequence of the feeling created in their minds
aeainst them by the statements that had been daily circu-
lated, and which had so biassed their judgments that they
could rot discharge their duties with impartiality.—( Hest.,
hear.) Lords Medwin and Cockburn complimented the
Sheriff of Lanark for having found out the conspiracy, and
the Sheriff in reply said he was delighted that a conspiracy
of twenty years' standing had been brought to light, and
which, consisting- of 100,000 persons, had paralyzed the arm
of the law.—( Laughter.) The whole press, with two ch•
three honourable exceptions—the Northern Star, the 'Northern
Liberal, and the Liberator of Glasgow, re-echoed the asser-
tions made by the Sheriff. In consequence of so serious a
charge the Association called a meeting for the following
Monday, at which they invited Sheriff Allison to attend, in
order that he might prove the charges he had made against
that body.—(Hear, hear.) This functionary wrote a
letter, stating that his office prevented him vindicating any
act of his in his official capacity, and declining to retract the
general assertion made by Oh, oh.) There are ao
moresthan 800 cotton-spinners, and he should be glad to know
what became of the hundred thousand whom he said a ere
con: Airing against the life and property of their fellow-men.—
(Hear, hear.) He could not avoid referring to the language
of Mr. Millar, Captain of Police, when he spoke of the moral
courage of the men who had arrested the conspirators.—" Oh,"
says 1 c, " I cannot forget the moral courage of my men when
they entered the house of the conspirators, every room of
which was filled with assassins, whilst the streets were crowded
with hundreds of the same faction."—( Loud laughter.) Of
what number did this band of conspirators consist ? Of thir-
teen members of the Association, who were sitting together
after paying only Is. to each man who had been out of emrloy,
and giving a small portion of meal for his week's support.
True, those men had notice that they would be arrested, and
so conscious were they of their innocence, that they waited
the arrival of the officers, who arrested them at ten o'clock at
night, and committed them to the dark and cold cells of
Bridewell, where they were left without light or heat until 11
o'clock the next niorning.—(Shame, shame.) When the
keeper was spoken to for not having treated them more
mildly, he said, " What could I do for men who were deli-
vered to my charge as conspirators, assassins, and murderers?"
One member of the Association hearing that he had been ac-
ccaed with murder, called on the Fiscal, and offered to submit
himself; but days elapsed before he was taken in charge, when
he wee sent to gaol for seven weeks ; at the expiration of
which time he was allowed to go in search of such bail as he
could procure for his appearance. How was it possible for
them to expect justice when the witnesses for the prosecution
not only received asstsrarices of protection from the prosecuting
Counsel, but were told h," the Judges to speak out with ccnti
dence, as they would be protected by the strong arm of the law.
Next the burning of Hussey's Mill was charged against them.
The man (Nl•Kinnon) whose duty it was to open toe factory in
the mornings stated that he found in the wareroom two yards of
rope-yarn, with wrappers of brown paper introduced between
each, and which had been saturated in nitrous inflammable
matter. These ropes, which were analogous to coil-rope,
were found opposite a small glass window, but not burning,
only a little consumed.—( Oh, oh.) When examined as to
their not being on the premises when he closed them at night,
he never answered the question, but, throwing out his arms.
and looking wildly round, with a yell fell fainting to the ground.
—( A thrill of horror here pervaded the meeting.) The occur-
rence put the whole Court and Judge in a great fright ; in
vain medical assistance was brought in • be only recovered from
one fit to faint into another.--( Oh, oh.) His evidence could
not be given. What did the public press say of that? Why,
that he had been seized with an epileptic fit, to which he was
subject. A more barefaced falsehood never was advanced, as
he always had enjoyed strong robust health, and was never
subject to fits. (Hear.) The evidence of Dr. Corkindale went
to prove that the ropes could not but have burst out in a fit.me,
if left lighted, of so cembils,ible a nature was the matter
with which they were impregnated. Besides, from the dis-
tance of the window from the ground being thirteen or four-
teen feet, it was impossible that it could have been thrown
from the outside.—( Hear.) The public press had exerted
its utmost to keep out of view all the exculpatory evidence.
It maj be asked, why did they not secure an impartial rt port ?
They attempted it by engaging Mr. M'Gregor at two guineas
per day, besides an additional sum of one shilling per each
sheet. This entaried on them a ccst of 1501. Mr. M'Gree•or
was to have given eads day's evidence, so that it could 'be
published on the following day ; but on the close of the trial
he had not sup.died a portion to the party who had engaged
him. He did not act so to the Lord-Advocate and the So-
licitor-General, both of whom he supplied with minutes of
the evidence, and the whole proceedings.—(Shame') On
the prisoners perusing what was expected to be the moat im-
partial account of the trial, they all signed a letter, stating
that it was full of mistakes, inaccuracies as to dates and
statistics, and abounded with ridiculous conclusions ;" and
such as would almost justify them to say that it was made out
for bad purposes.—(Hear.) Hackett had been charged wilt
raising the sum 11,881/. 6s. 6d. in 1837, to forward the ob-
jects of a secret association, and the association was accused
with spcn&ug that amount in one year ; whereas, the amount
was the gross sum raised from 1819 to 1837, and was laid
out for the follow,.ttg purposes :-9991. 10s. were advanced to
the Johnstown cotton:. spinners, to support men struggling for
their just rights.—( Hear, hear.) 7131. 14s. were advanced
to the operative cotton-spinnces of England for the same pur
poses. 3601. for public proceeor;scsrs for the repeal of combi-
nation laws ; and a similar sum was exrended on the de-
putation that attended the Parliamentary investigation.
7211. were laid out in endeavouring to 01,!etin a Bill
for the reduction of the time of labour in the heated
atmosphere of the factories ; 4,375/. were expended
on emigration ; by which the surplus hands who were
willing to leave their native land, in search of labour,
were furnished with the means of so doing. Each man on
his departure was supplied with 101. in money, for which they
were to give a bill as guarantee against hi 3 either returning
within three years or working within certain precincts.—
Hear, hear.) This was headed persecution instead of pm-
secution-monev, which was the mere clerical error of an aged
Secretary, and of this error the Crown availed itself. 100/
were used during the Reform Bill in purchasing splendid flags,
&c , in the vain hopes that the Bill would better the condition
of the working-classes, but all these anticipations went to tl e
ea inds.—( Hear, hear.) 9781. was expended by the trades in
establishing an independent newspaper, that would redress
their wrongs and assert their rights—(hear, hear)—and 180/.
Was Landed the cabinet-makers, 340/. the block printers.
3 024/. the Staffordshire potters. Thus was that sum disposed
of, and lie was confident that there was not a tradesman in the
United Kingdom who would not follow the example of the
Glasgow Cotton-spinners in a similar way.—( Hear, hear. )
The money legally collected was disposed of in acts of
charity and philanthrophy.—(flear, hear, hear.) The un-
fortunate men who were now under the sentence of seven
years' transportation are undeserving that punishment, and
as ould not have been subjected to were they Englishmen, as
proved in the case of the men in Manchester, who though con-
victed of an assault, were only sentenced to nine months'
imprisonment—(Hear)—and another, a gamekeeper in Glas-
gow, was only confined for killing a poacher, who had not
immediately left the lands on his bidding.—(" Oh, oh," and
cries of " Shame.") They should petition not only the
Commons' House, but the House of Lords also ; and froin
an interview he bad had with a Noble Lord he could t 11
them that there was a Nobleman in that House who would
present their petition in favour of their fellow-tradesmen
now in the Hulks on the Thames, and support with all his
powers its prayer.—( Cheers.) Lord Henry Brougham we;
the Peer who will act that noble part.—(Loud and continued
eheere.)
M r. CUTTIBEIITSON, a delegate from the Cabinet-makers'
Association of Glasgow, seid that the attack made on the
Association was a firebrand thrown amongst the Trades by
d esigning, avaricious capitalists. —( Hear, hear. ) The Trades
wi 11 appear before the public as soon as false prejudice
vanishes, like gold which is more refined by the furnace.—
( Hear, hear.) The defence cost the Association 3,000/.,
towards which they had only 1,500/., of which 500/. was an
£nnonymcus contribution.—( Cheers.)
le reply to a question, he said that Hacket had left six
helplese children, the eldest only ten years of age; Gibbs
three helpless children ; and Hunter, one infant.
Mr. NoeltaN rcse for the purpose of moving the adoption of
the re .olutioez, which he read es follows :
" That the Trades heard, with extreme regret, the late
proceedings against the men now under sentence of transpor-
tation, and who were unjustly condemned for crimes which
Were never sanctioned by them. and that they believed that
charges of twenty years' standing were brought against the
Association to prejudice the case of the men on their trial.
" That whilst the'v challenge Parliamentary inquiry into the
proceedings of the Ola;::,row Association, they do not recog-
nise the right of Parliament to interfere in the regulation of
the workine-classca, as Parliament does not represent them,
but, on the contrary, the opulent classes only.
" That a petition be prepared and submitted to both Houses
of Porliament, praying a mitigation of the sentence passed
against she Glasgow cotton-spieners."--(cheers.)
He then observed, that about four months shine an appeal
was made on behalf of the Cottcn-quinners• Let no man re-
gret the result of their exertions, or co,:!Lidor them abortive;
for, if not crowned with success, they had the :_'onsolation of
reflecting that they had done their duty, and, in all prohesility,
through their exertions, bad succeeded hi rescuing the men
now in the hulks from an ignominious death on the scaffold,
He was proud that the appeal to the London tradesmen had

Labour being, as is universally admitted, the bass of
wealth, everything which affects its operation must necessarily all
excite the gravest attention of all communities capable of ap-
preciating the paramount influence which its judicious regula-
Con must ever exercise on the General welfare and prosperity.
There can be no greater mistae than to suppose that em-
ployers, by exacting from the workmen the hardest terms,
which will merely leave to the latter the means of existence,
or that workmen, by enforcing from the employers terms
beyond what the profits will afford, can ever secure to them-
selves any permanent advantage. They may, it is true, derive
temporary benefit from such extortion ; but on whichever side
the encroachment may occur, the aggressor must be ulti-
mately involved in the ruin of his victim, and the stranger will
reap his harvest midst the sufferings of both. In all social and
commercial relations retributive justi"e is ever active in its
manifestations. If the employer grinds down the workman to
the minimum of wages and the maximum of labour, he may no
doubt for a time realise larger returns than with a fair average
of labour and remuneration, but he is certain to meet with a
reaction from competition, and the moral and physical deteri-
oration of the labouring classes, which will far more
than counterbalance his temporary gains. Ott the other
side, if workmen will extort from their employers wages
beyond what the profits of the trade will afford, capital
will be directed into other channels, foreign competition and
manufacture will push native labour from the market, and the
artisan, in driving his employer into the Gazette, will force
himself upon the parish. Thus, no trade can ever prosper
wherein the interests of the employer and the artisan are not re-
ciprocal. In connection with this subject w,ll be found in this
d ty's Ackert.se• a v-ry :nteiesting detail of facts connec:ed a it!
the recent trial of the Glasgow Cotton-spinners, given by
the delegates of their Association, at a meeting held
last night at the Mechanics' Institution, Southampton-
buildings, Holborn. The statements made at this meet-
ing place the subject of the combination in a light very
far diff rent front what appeared in the reports of
the late prosecution. Without venturing a commentary on a
subject of such extreme delicacy, we direct the earnest at-
tention of our readers to the statements of the Glasgow
Delegates, which, both on direct and presumptive evidence,
make out a most exculpatory case in favour of the men now
under sentence of transportation. We have not space to
pursue the subject at present, but would most impressively
urge upon masters and men the necessity of a mutually good
understanding, and the folly of continuing a course of hostility
which, under the most favourable results, must prove in-
jurious to both parties.--11foraing Advertiser.
A man, named Rheiner, employed in keeping in re-
pair the road over the Splugen, has trained some dogs to
search for and discover travellers in distress or caught in the
snow. Last week one of these sagacious unimals returned in
the night from his watch, and conducted his master to a spot
where he had found a man senseless from the cold. The un-
fortunate traveller was carried to a house, where means of re-
suscitation were employed with success. and the next morning
he was able to continue Lis Journey. —Galignani's 'll-essevyer
A Belgian journal states that a vOl.lng (girl, not more
than twenty years of age, who about five Years ago wished to
marry in opposition to her parents, who were farmers at
fleyst-op-Denberg, had been confined ever since by them in
a cellar, and fed only upon bread and water. She was at last
released from her horrible durance by the burgomaster of the
Commune, but being unable to support her sudden exposure
to the open air, died in half an hour aftee her liberetion. Ht r
father, mother, Itud uncle were arrested, and taken to tho pri-
son of Mechlin.

Yesterday morning the body of a newly-born infant,
wrapped up in a piece of green baize, was found under an arch-
way on the Wcodbridge estate, It was. quite dead, and w4s
taken to the workhouse for a CoronErf:, inquest. The above
A,pot has been for a considerable time the retwt or thieves,
vagrants, 88d Shp worst of characters, and has long been corn,
d of as a nui
plained ~a44;.e, several :loadchildren have at va•
y tip as times boen found on OW 44. We apt:,

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1838.

UNITED STATES' NEUTRALITY.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA,
A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas, information having been received of a dangerous
excitement on the northern frontier of the United States, in
ccnseque• ee of the civil war begun in Canada, and instruc-
tions having been given to the United States officers on that
frontier, and applications having been made to the Governors
of the adjoining States to prevent any unlawful interference
on the pact of our citizens in the contest unfortunately corn
menced in the British Provinces : additional information has
just been received, that. notwithstanding the Proclamations of
the Governors of the States of New York and Vtrrnont, ex-
' horting their citizens to refrain from any unlawful acts within
the territory of the United States ; and, notvvithstandin, the
presence of the civil officers of the United States, who, by
my directions, have visited the scenes of commotion with the
view of impressing the citizens with a props r sense of tin ii
duty, the excitement, instead of being appeased, is every day
increasing in degree—that arms and munitions of war, and
other supplies, have been procured by the insurgents in the
United States—that a military force, consisting, in part at
least, of citizens of the United States, had been actually
organized, and congregated at Navy Island, and were still in
arms under the command of a citizen of the United States, and
that they were constantly receiving accessions and aid :
Now, therefore, to the end that the authority of the laws
may he maintained, and the faith of treaties observed, I Martin
Van Buren, do most earnestly exhort all citizens of the 'United
States who have thus violated their duties, to return peaceably
to their resp,.ctive homes ; and I hereby warn them, that any
persons who shall compromise the neutrality of this Government
by interfering in an unlawful manner with the offairs of the
neighbouring British Provinces, will render themselves liable
to arrest and punishment under the laws of the United States,
whit h will be rigidly enforced ; and also, that they will receive
no aid or countenance from theiy Government into whatever
difficulties they may be thrown by the violation of tLe laws of
their country, and of the territory of a neighbouring and friendly
nation.
[ Given under my hand at the city of Washington, the sth day
' of January, A.D. l 838, and the sixty second of the inde-
pendence of the United States. M. VAN BUREN.
By the President :
JOHN FORSYTH, Secretary of State.

MESSAGE TO CONGRESS.
IN SENATE, JAN. 5.

DISTURBANCES ON THE NORTHERN FRONTIER.

The Clair communicated the following Message from the
President of the United Statcs, on the subject of the war in
Canada :
To the Senate and House of Reprosentatives of the United