The Sun.
London, England, 1825-11-04 00:00:00

ETII E TI M FA.]

We hear of more combinations among the
workmen at Brighton, and other places in Eng-
land : but the proceedings in the North are more
'curious,. being more novel. Mr. HuMe, it appears,
.has begun to have the same apprehension of going
on with the 6( operatives " that Buckingham had
to adVance with the crouck-back tyrant in his
career of mischief, and his attempts' at dominion.
Mr.. Hume flinches, and may therefore, perhaps,
feel the same ingratitude from his late colleagues
that Buckingham, when his obsequiousness was
at an end, experienced at the•hands of Richard.
-The Aisociated Trades of Glasgow meant to
have presented their patron . with a piece of
plate on Thursday week last. A deputation from
their body waited on him for the, purpose in
Edinburgh. The magnificent gift was ready—a
man bore it as the Spartan thief carried the fox
tinder his coat ; but the magnificent gift was de-
clined in-a speech of considerable length, which
•was.afterwards presented in =writing to the depu-
tation. In this instrument ' he `.says with strict
propriety and considerable address, " So long as
" any class of operatives consider me exclusively
" as their advocate, while their employers or
(6 any of them look on me as an enemy, it• would
" be .most improper for me, conscious as C am of
" the strictest impartiality in every act, to accept
"tokens of esteem from one, in which the
" other .did not concur." The day after this,
.a deputation from the colliers of Lanark,
Dumbarton, and Renfrewshire, waited on the
Hon. Gentleman for the, same purpose, at the
Waterloo Hotel, Edinburgh. Here are the in-
habitants of the shades below as well as of the
shops above. These latter operatives were re-
ceived with the same speech, and their present
in like manner respectfully declined. A post-
script ,or apostille was now added to the Weavers
lecture„applicable to the peculiar trade in which
the colliers were engaged. - In this they were told
Allow me to say, that you are placed in a pe-
" culiar and most dangerous situation, and stand
" aloof from the rest of the- working classes.
" If the measures of the .colliers have been,
" as they are reported to have been, (though
" possibly wrongfully, and by interested. par-
" ties), the result of a determination to lessen
" the supply of coal, and thus to raise its price
and the... wages, they will do incalculable iv-
" jury to all classes, without doing any benefit to
" themselves. Coal is not only absolutely neces-
" sary for the vast and various manufactures of
" this country, but is equally necessary for the
" poor man and his family, of every trade and
" profession. To. create an artificial scarcity,•
" therefore, where, Providence has provided natu-
" ral plenty, must deeply injure all classes, and
cc not, I think,.benefit your own. You may pos."
sibly keep wages and pikes higher for a short
" time ; but if more -coals were brought into the
(4 market at a cheaper rate, there would be more
" people to buy them ; the poor, in many places
(4 where they now do not, would really enjoy their
" firesides ; the artisan and the mechanic would
4( be enabled to do more business ; a greater
• " quantity of staple. commodities would -be pro-
" duced ; and the demand for coals would thus
" increase with the supply. Prices would cer-
" tainly become lower; but your weekly earn-

" ings, I am convinced, might not, and would
" not."—There is much good sense in all this, no
doubt ; but it comes late. There are many other
sensible hints, also, in the speech, but they have
been given before. We hope they will avail at
last ; not because Mr. Hume has adopted them,
but because they are just and reasonable. We
do not hear what is to become of the two pieces
of plate