The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-29 00:00:00

.
14

WITH
"T, RE TRUE SUN" IS NOW
INCORPORATED.

LON :
MONDAY EVENING, J DON
ANUARY 2% 1811$.

The Tory papers, and even papers of a very di.
ferent cast, denounced such meetings as those held a,
the Crown and Anchor and other places, to discuss
the conduct of this country towards Canada, and at-
tached blame to, the Government for permitting them.
It was natural for the opponents of Government to
urge them to pursue a violent and unpopular course,
and tk.,e result has shown that Ministers acted wisely
in 'not following their advice. If a question cannot
tear discussion it must be bad indeed. They would
also have thrown }lr. ROEBUCK into gaol, in place
of allowing him to be heard the bar of the House
of Commons in behalf of
':ne Canadians. There could
not have been a T:nore certain way of exciting
he people of thisS country in their favour. He was
fully heard/ rnd the question was fully discussed at
these meetings, and the consequence has been an
anatii:mous conviction that no case was made out to
Vstify rebellion. The Whigs did right in not follow-
ing the example or the advice of the Tories ; and they
will act wisely in pursuing the same system in their
treatment of the Canadians who have t:Aen up arms.
The general voice is in favour or. the most lenient
punishment to the rebels. SP
verity would only in-
crease the difficulty, and enr.ast the sympathy of thou.
sands in this country on Ckeir behalf.
A -

A this period of '..xtreme and unusual severity and
suffering, all matters relating to the supply of food or
fuel become PrArticularly pressing and important. The
latter just now is as necessary as the former. The
poor ar perishing around us of cold, as well as of
hunger. Every where their cries strike the ear, and
their gaunt and shivering forms pain the eye. We do
tot remember any period of greater or more general
destitution. 'What, then, shall we say, if in this Vast
'and enlightened metropolis a system exists, under the
sanction and surveillance of tlie LORD MAYOR and
rAldermen, for limiting t!,,e supply of coals, for the
:express and avowed Pl:apose of keeping up their price?
Net such, we can "..ssure our readers, is the fact. The
tLORD MAYO ;t and Court of Aldermen were reluctantly
;engaged OP. Saturday in hearing evidence upon the
iiubjett: We speak advisedly when we say " reluct-
ly." For what reasons we know not--a majority of
*he Aldermen not only wink at, but positively appear
;to approve, of the scandalous conspiracy between the
pit coal monopolists of the North, and the coal mer-
chants in London, to keep up the price by keeping
down the supply. The plan is not to unload, weigh,
and deliver more of this necessary commodity that is
..
ust sufficient to meet the immediate demand. All,
who will not comply with this regulation are kept out 0
,the trade, and coals refused them at the pits. Vessels ar
ept in the pool laden for days and weeks, in order
Co carr
n this system, and " worthy and worshipful Alder
en" are heard to justify it, by exclaiming, " Surely •
eople have a right to bring as much or as little of their
erchandise to market as they think proper." We
hould like to see the same argument applied to bakers.
Suppose a similar monopoly carried on by a similar
achinery were proved to subsist between them and
the farmers, and the supply of flour and of bread wa.
' lways kept beneath the public demand, in order t;
keep up or raise prices to a half-starved people, woul.
those equally sapient and patriotic gentlemen ventur:.,
to justify that ? We trow not ; or, if they did, w.I
should expect some of those cold mornings to see the'
portly bodies hanging a la lanterne from the lamp'
posts. Yet, where is the difference ? Fuel is as ne.
cessary to the poor as food, and it is wilfully
and sys=
1
tematically withheld from them by means which w
hail take an early opportunity of exposing in detail
ust before the frost commenced there were abou
00 vessels in the Pool, of which about 500 we
aden with coal—of these only 40 were allowe.
to he brought into the market. Next day then,
were 586, of 'which only 50 were allowed to be unladen
This is a constant practice ; and, as we have said, al
who will not comply with it are shut out of the trade
n Saturday, a Mr. THOMPSON, of Oxford-street
ho describes himself as a ship-owner, gave evidence
efore the LORD MAYOR and Court of Aldermen. He!'
swore that a vessel called the Eliza, of which he was
part owner, and of which a Mr. YOUNG was the cap-
tain, was engaged in the coal trade ; and that having
tefused to act upon the system of the monopolists,
iliad endeavouring to break through it, his contumacy
Was communicated to the coal owners of the North,
and his vessel was refused coals. An action had been
brought is consequence ; but rather than suffer it to
come into Court, the parties voluntarily paid all the
penalties and expenses, through the medium of their
li tipper," or coal agent ; promising, at the same
time, that the Eliza should never again be ob-
structed in obtaining her cargo. This promise
they have not kept ; and Captain YOUNG, it
appears, has been before the Committee of Coal
.Owners in the north, of whom Mr. BRANDLINO
formerly M.P., is Chairman, and they have agreed, upon
being threatened with another action, that he shall
have coals to deliver, and sell as he pleases, on payment
of one shilling per ton more than the rest. Is not
this most mischievous and most abominable ? We