The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-13 00:00:00

IS 177-. ARCH 13, 1849,

FINANCIAL REFORM.
ST. PANCRAS.

ies of
its in
1849,

Yesterday afternoon a meeting was held in the Vestry
room of this parish for the purpose of taking into con
sideration the present movement in favour of financial
and organic reform as proposed by Mr. Hume and Mr.
Cobden ; Mr. Healy, churchwarden, in the chair, sup
ported by Lord Dudley Stuart, M.P., and several oi,th►
more influential ratepayers of the parish.
A letter was read from Sir B. Hell, M.P., stating the!
he fully concurred in the objects of the ra, etinw. but re
gretted that a serious illness, which had deprived hire
of the use of one of his eyes, prevented him from beirn.
present on the occisior. A letter from Mr. Hume war
next read, expressing his regret that the nature of his
Parliamentary duties rendered it impossible for him to
attend the meeting.
Mr. HOWARTH, barrister, proposed the first resolu-
tion :—•• That the present system of taxation in this
country is both unjust in principle, and oppressive in
nperaticn, pressing with disproportionate severity on the
poorer and middle classes; and the expenditure of this
taxation is wasteful and unscrupulous, and requires a
thorough revision. This meeting, therefore, resolves to
co-operate with the Liverpool Financial Association, and
other similar bodies, in their efforts to effect a reduction
of the expenditure at least to the standard of 1835."
Mr. GOODWIN seconded the resolution.
Lord D. C. STUART said he was glad to have this op-
portunity of addressing the meeting, as he thought it de-
sirable that he should express to them his views and
sentiments upon this most important subject. It would
not at all surprise anybody who knew him to hear that
the object of this meeting had his full and entire con-
currence.—(Hear, hear.) He was deeply persuaded
that the most necessary thing for the people of this
country to accomplish was a reform in our finances.
—(Hear, hear.) He believed that was what they par-
ticularly wanted. It was this that the interests of the
country demanded. The people desired less taxation,
and they had a right to have less, and they had also a
right to possess more power.—(Hear, hear.) There were
two objects which had brought him to this meeting, and
they were all assembled here because they wished to for-
ward those objects. He was here not for the pur-
pose of moving or seconding a resolution—because he
did not think such a duty was required of a Member of
Parliament—but to hear an explanation of their wishes
and intentions, and to let them know what his own views
were. He was happy to say he fully concurred with
them in their opinions upon the subject of financial
and Parliamentary reform. It was his intention to
do all in his power to lessen the burden of
taxation at present imposed upon them, and to give
them those rights which they were justified in de-
manding, and the possession of which would, he was
suite sure, be conducive to the interests of the country.
Financial and organic reform were both required. Or-
ganic reform meant reform in Parliament. They wanted
Parliamentary reform because it was by means of
that alone that they could gain financial reform—that
they could obtain a diminution of the burthens which
weighed upon them. What they desired was cheap go-
vernment and the means of giving support to their wives
and children, and to secure to themselves that degree of
competence which every man ought to have the power
of enjoying. It was only by reform of this kind that
they could possibly obtain the object they had in view ;
for unless the House of Commons fully and efficiently
represented the people they would not be able to stand
against those persons whose interest it was to main-
tain and defend corruption. The House of Commons
should be a full and free representation of the
people, and in order to promote so desirable an object
it was necessary to have recourse to such means
as they were now adopting. It had been said that it
was only by agitation out of doors that anything good
had ever been accomplished. But he must observe that
if the House of Commons were to be a free representa-

Lion of the people, let all the people contribute- towards
it, so that no undue influence should be used to induce a
man to vote against his conscience, and there would be
no necessity for agitation out of doors. The reople
wanted one thing and the House of Commons wanted
another. The people demanded a diminution of our
taxes, and they were met by opposition from a majority
in the House of Commons, who falsely say they represent
the people.—(Hear, hear.) Fully concurring, as he did,
in the opinion as to the necessity for financial reform,
and as he had proved by his vete for Mr. Cobden's
motion, he would plainly state that if they wanted finan-
cial reform they must never leave off agitating for Par-
liamentary reform. Let them do all they could to rally
round Mr. Hume in order to help him to support the
views of Mr. Cobden. Let them take care no intimida-
tion was ever used towards electors. Let them take care

that the Members who represented them should not by
length of time forget the promises they had made to
them on the hustings. Let tl,tem have such men as
would insist upon a shorter duration of Parliament.
Supposing the most extended suffrage to exist, and the
size of electoral districts to be all that could be desired,
) et there was some reason to suppose that Members, in
the course of seven years, might not see the necessity of
supporting ad those measures which they had advocated
on the hustings.—(Hear, hear.) Of all dangers to
which the people could be exposed, the greatest was that
of being falsely represented in Parliament. Look at
what had occurred in France during the last year.
Louis Philippe had large majorities, but slid they pro-
perly represent the interests of the people? No, they
deceived the people—and caused it to be supposed that
they were satisfied when they were not so. But those
majorities did not prevent the sovereign from being
hurled from his throne, and the country from being
brought to a state of revolution. He would say to the
Government of this country. " Beware lest you fall into
a similar error." If you allow the duration of Parlia-
ments to continue as at present, there would be danger of
disasters similar to those which had occurred in France.
Let the Government place confidence in the people.
They have never yet deceived them, and never would, if
they gave them the power which they ought to possess.
Let them have a free government. The English people
were far too wise to wish for :Inviting that would
produce confusion and anarchy. Every Englishman
liked to see those burdeus removed from others which
pressed heavily upon himself'. Financial reform
was required; but, in order to obtain financial
reform it was necessary, as he had already ob-
, served, to lay hold of Parliamentary reform. Finding
them engaged in the good work, and having the honour
of addressing so numerous and respectable a meeting, it
was a gratification to him to have this opportunity of
saying he was thoroughly with them upon this question,
and he would not flinch from doing his part towards
assisting to carry out their objects.—(Cheers.)
Some confusion hero arose from the fact of a man in

the body of the room demanding the right to propose an
amendment, on the ground that he was a rate-payer of
ihe parish, and, after he had mounted the platform, con-
fessing that his name was not on the list of rate•payers.
A loud cry was instantly raised against him; but there
were many persons who defended him. The result was,
that he was thrust by force of arms from the platform,
amid cries of " Shame, shame!" on one side, and ex-
pressions of indignation against him on the other.
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
Mr. HILLIER moved the second resolution " That
this meeting approve of and support the measures of
reform proposed by Mr. Joseph Hume, M.P., in June
last, namely, household suffrage, vote by ballot, trien-
nial Parliaments, and electoral districts, but look forward
anxiously to the period when the increasing intelligence
of the ago will extend the right of voting to each male
1 adult not convict& d of crime."

Mr. HETHERINGTON seconded the resolution, and com-
plained that the House of Commons, as at present con-
stituted, was not a proper representation of the people.
Amongst the Members there were 251 relatives of
princes, 41 placemen, 89 soldiers, 11 sailors, and 72
lawyers.—(A laugh.) They should get rid of the pro-
perty qualification, so that they might, if they thought
proper, send such a man as himself to Parliament.—
(Laughter.) Not that he was ambitious of the honour,
but he had no doubt he should be a very fair expont nt
of the wishes of the people.—(Cries of " You would do
very well, Hetherington.")
The resolution was carried unanimously, and the fol-
lowing was also adopted :—" That a petition be presented
to the House of Commons by Lord Dudley Stuart, and
that his Lordship be requested to support the prayer
of it."

Thanks were then voted to Mr. Hume and Mr. Cobden,
" for their earnest endeavours to check the laviih expen-
diture of the public moneys, and to restore to the people
their just preponderance in the Commons' House of
Parliament."
After this the meeting separated.

COURT CIRCULAR.
OSBORNE', MONDAY.
Tho Queen and Prince Albert took their usual early
walk in the grounds at Osborne this morning.
The Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal rode,
and the younger members of the Royal Family walked
in the pleasure-grounds.
There was no addition to the royal dinner party yes-
terday.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, accom-
panied by Prince Ernest of Leiningen, arrived in town
at half-past eleven o'clock yesterday morning, from her
residence, Frogmore House, near IVindser. Her Royal
Highness was attended by Lady Fanny Howard,
Baron( ss de Speth, and Sir George Cooper. Prince
Ernest was attended by Mr. Sparc.
Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians and the Duke
and Duchess de Nemours, and also the Prince of Hu-
henlohe Waldenbourg, visited the Royal Duchess in the
afternoon, and partook of a thjeuner a ith her Royal
Highness, at her residence, Clarence House, Sr. James's.
The Duchess of Kent left tone at half-past three
o'clock, on her return to Frogmore House.
Governor Sir George Anderson had an interview with
Earl Grey yesterday, at the Colonial-office.
Mr. Dodd had an interview with Sir George Grey
yesterday. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Gregg had also an in-
terview yesterday with the Right Hon. Baronet, at the
Home-office.
The lion. Captain Berkeley, R.N., and Capt. Wash.ington had an interview with the Railway Commissioners
yesterday, at their office in the Board of Trade.
Mr. Tidd Pratt had an interview with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer yesterday. Mr. Traill had also an in-
terview with the Right lion. Baronet, at his official resi-
dence in Downing-street.

[PRICE SD.

HAYMARKET THEATRE.

Last night the tragedy of Othello was played with
the principal characters reversed—that is to say, the
\lcor was acted by Mr. Kean, lago by Mr. Wallack,
Desdemona by Mrs. Kean, and Emilia by Miss Laura
Addison. As might have been expected from the
,tyle of Mr. Kean 's recent acting, he made especially
prominent the tender and pathetic side of the Moor's
character. The address to the Senate, and all those

earlier scenes in which love for Desdemona is to be
exhibited, were given in the best possible spirit. The
oem teousness of the noble warrior was rendered with
easy grace, arid the indications of deep affection were
evident without being exaggerated. During the in-
terview with Ingo, Mr. Kean most excelled where
Othello is still in a state of doubt. The intense sor-
row of his countenance when suspicion was first
awakened, and his honest clutch at a hope, when he
exclaimed, " I do believe that Desdetnona's honest,"
were touching in the extreme. The return to
sorrow in the last act, when rage had done its worst,
and he had only to mourn for its consequences, was
exquisitely pathetic. It was surprising that one fine
touch was overlooked by the audience. This was an
acknowledgment of a participation in the attempted
.nurder of Cassio, expressed in the look by the mono-
syllable " Ay," and illustrated by Mr. Kean with a
movement of countenance in which sorrow and shame
were finely concentrated. The devotion of Desde-
mona to her husband, and her agony of grief when
her fidelity was suspected, were, of course, finely
rendered by Mrs. Kean, who, moreover, " looked" the
character to perfection. Miss Laura Addison brought
hack to the stage the stormy Emilia, whom Mrs.
Kean had removed, and the energy, which she cer-
tainly did not lack, called forth all her peculiarities of
declamation to a striking degree. Mr. \Vallack's

Lip is infinitely better than his Othello. Both cha-
racters are mere conventional interpretations, but the
" ancient" gives less scope for extravagance than
the "noble Moor." A new farce, by Mr.
Stirling Coyne, called Separate Maintenance,
concluded the evening's entertainment, amid
roars of laughter. It is wondrously extravagant and
improbable, but Mr. Coyne has the knack of uniting
extravagancies and improbabilities with a spirit of
genial " fun" that renders them most palatable. A
husband and wife who lead an existence of small bick-
erings agree to divide their house between them, the
large central room in which the action takes place
being cut in two by the seam of the carpet, so that
each may possess a half. The emancipated husband
talks of amusing himself at the Casino, and the "femme
libre," to awaken his jealousy, Entertains asmall party
of female friends, dressed as young officers. Finally
both pretend to commit suicide, and a most comical
scence is produced by each mistaking the other for a
ghost, and confessing his and her peccadillos. Of
course, the scene leads to a discovery and a recon-
ciliation. The reader has only to fancy Mr. Keeley
in a perpetual state of annoyance, Mrs. Keeley as a
lady standing up for her rights, and Mrs. Humby as
a housemaid, half-stupid wonderment and half-cun-
, ring, to be aware of the perfect manner in which this
little farce was performed. The house was crowded.