The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-20 00:00:00

stirENING ED/1104.

MEETING AT MANCHESTER.
(Abridged from the Manchester GwynMtn-)
CORN, SUGAR, AND TIMBER DUTIES.
A requisition, signed by no fewer than thirteen hun-
dred firms and individuals, merchants, bankers, traders,
and other inhabitants of the borough of Manchester, was
last week presented to the Mayor of Manchester, re-
questing hint to convene a public meeting of the inha-
bitants of this borough, for the purpose of expressing
their opinion at the present crisis. In the course of
Monday it Was generally known that the Chartists, as
'usual, had determined to muster all their force, with a
view of defeating. the object of the meeting ; and that
they had resolved upon attempting to place one- of their
own,party in the chair. Chartist -placards were posted
-'citithe walls, and carried by.men through the streets of
the. borough, headed " Beware of Whig treachery." It
celled on " the'men of Manchester" to be at their posts;
let.. their motto be, "The Charter and no Surrender ;
down, down with the Whigs 1"
..• The • meeting was held yesterday at the appointed
-hour ; but the -requisitionists were admitted by ticket,
•- from a quarter past teii o'clock, for the purpose of hold-
ing_tfmeeting to consider the resolutions to be proposed
'at the public meeting—an admirable precaution against
the violence orthe.,Chartists in taking the chair 1!y force.
131,-eci•.;ely at eleven o'clock, by order of the Mryor, the
-doors were thrown open, and the Mayor,
NEILD, Esq. having taken the chair, amidst loud and
continued applause, said that, in compliance with the
most numerously signed requisition ever presented to the
- authorities of Manchester, he had convened this meeting_
upon a subject of the greatest importance to every one of
ns—a subject that perhaps could scarcely be surpassed in
importance by Any that could be brought before us. He
had taken th'e eliair, according to the power vested in
him by law--(Hear)—he wished to allow fair and free
discussion.—(Hear, hear.)

Mr. Alderman KAY moved the first resolution. He said
he was not thereon the present occasion to say ,that we
were- obliged to the Ministry for having brought these
questions before us ; because he was one of those
who thought that Ministers ought to have propounded
these questions much earlier—(Hear,' hear)—and that
it was the people alone - who could settle this question,
whenever it was to be decided ; and that if the people
were wanting to themselves on occasions like the
•present, when assembled for the purpose of carrying the
voice of thousands, ay, of millions, to the places where
those abominabli laws ought to be altered, they had only
themselves to blame if they let these opportunities pass.
—(Applause.) He observed, in the whole course of the
legislation of this country, one course was steadily,.pur-
wed by the aristocracy, viz., to benefit themselves at the
expense of all other classes of the community, and to. be
entirely regardless or the misery, destitution,
.and want
they had forced on the people, provided they could get
into their own pockets for their own purposes the large
sums which they obtained from us, by the laws they had
passed in a manner ten times more odious than any
direct taxation they could impose.—(Applause.) How-
ever they might attempt to practise that maxim Which
they had learned from ancient times, of dividing, and
!he.': by governing us,—on this question at least, where
bur bellies and pockets were concerned, there was no
difference of opinion amongst us.—(Great applause.) He
tunclnded by moving the first resolution.
Sir Ticomis POTTER Was received with loud and long

theering. lle agreed in every word that his friend Mr-
ay had uttered, and he considered this a most momen-
to„ gad important meeting.,- He --had just come from
London having
been travaling.all night in order to be
, .
present, •ft,:k-avould have travelled three nights to meet
•
them.—(Cheers.) could assure them,
.that there was
'rent anxiety in London to bear the result of this meeting.
He was in the House of Lords at seven o'clock the night
before, and there-heard- the Earl of Ripon enumerating
the urospects of the country, and making it out that we
w,-; itt 4, progressive state of improvement.---(Hear.)
„,,,d over an account of the exports, and made it
. out that the last ,-oar's exports were fur greater than in
there was a great "hear, hear,
city ether year ; and the..
—(A voice—" Exports
/wait." amongst their Lordsh;:q.
machtt:GrY.") AY, machinery am: 'Val too. WhY,
be did not ber,•,we' there were a dozen Peers in _ he House
/hat understood 'anything about the subject. The pre-
sent was the caw,e of every class, of Tories, Whigs, 'Ha-
ttie:4ls, and Chartists ; and he hoped every class would
unite moat zealously in carrying these resolutions and
:heir memorial to the foot of the Throne.--{Hear.) The •
jaw of the country was in their hands ; and if they only
• -spoke put, and spoke loudly, they would have these griev-
ances re'd,:essed. He knew that the great bulk of the po-
pulation was sutferino•,• ' and, in fact, every class was mg-
' feting ; but it W..:s the duty of those in more competent
• circumstances to IN..:1( to the working classes.—(Hear.)
Ile was told that on .I;:iday last there were 4,000 or 5,000
horses in Hyde-park, with splendid equipages ; and he
did not deny that these people had a right to spend their
money as they- liked.; but he thought they should first
that. their fellow-creatures and fellow-subjects were
rule j-ft a state of extreme destitution.—(Cheers.) The
fact w,.ls, the people of London were ignorant of our con-
dition hei ; and, unlese we spoke out loudly, our griev
ances would of be.known,mgch less redressed.—(Cheers. -
The Rev. SCHOLEFIZLD was received with loud
hisses and groa.:!s, and crie§ of " You're a Tory
Chartist," which lase for some etioutes.—The Mayor
begged- that • Mr. Scholefield shouh: be heard.—Mr.
Scholetield again tried to speak, but the ;`..ooting• conti-
nued. :He said, if-I could be of service to ,he cause-
- that is my reason for being' here—(Whisth::7g* and
hisses.) You want cheap bread, you want cheap ttiffee,
and all the necessaries of life you want cheap. -You .oant
&hour, and to be rewarded for your labour.—(Renewe..4
hooting,. whieb preie.-2ted the remainder of the sen-
' -tenee from being heard.) The Chairman begged that
Mr. St hdefield should be he: rd.—Whistles and groans.)
Mr. SATI )LEFIELD—Your Cha;_rman has said; I am to
be heard; but, as you will not bear me speak, I will
read the amendment I have got to propose.—(" Go
and read it to Nightingale.") He then read it, but
the noise was so great that it was impostzible to hear a
single sentence.—Mr. ELIJAH DIXON nevi' presented
. himself amidst hisses and cries of " Put hint
.down,"
" Tory tool," " JNightingale," &c. The Chairmn en-
deavoured to obtain. a hearing for him, but in vain. •
The amendment was lost by an overwhelming majo- I
rity. 'Lie original resolution was carried amidst loud
Applause.
• Mr. Alderman Tr,YALKER then presented himself to

move the second resolution ; but the uproar was so great
• that'he could not at first be heard.—The MAYOR put it
to the meeting whether Mr. Walker should be heard,
and nearly every hand was held up for him.—Mr.
WALKEu then said,., it had been stated . in the House of
:Lords that the Corn laws were passed in order to ren-
der.us independent of any other nation for our corn.
He confessed he, had a suspicion that the real reason
for supporting these laws was to keep up rents and the
• price of corn, and to render the landlords independent
of the people. The landlords could fall back on their
resources ; they had resources which would not only en-
able them to live in affluence and splendour, but, if fully
developed, would enable them to compete with the fo-
reign grower. Surely we were not to be taxed to sup-
port an indifferent system of agriculture. He knew suf-
ficient of agriculture to he aware that good agriculture
in almost every county in England Was the exception,
and that bad agriculture was the rule.--(Hear.) He be-
lieved it was again in our power to repeal these laws—
(Cheers)—if, at the, next election, we supported such
.men only as would advocate that repeal, then, and not
till then, should we obtain it ; and, if we did not thus
act, we should have no right afterwards to complain of
being unjustly taxed. If the Corn-laws were repealed,
it would amazingly increase the constituency of Man-
chester, inasmuch a>s it would enable many now liming in
houses to become la householders.

, Mr. Alderman KERshaw cordially rose to second the
resolution, which his friend, Mr. Walker, had proposed.
BelieVing, as he did, in its affirmations, he hoped that
the meeting would pass it unanimously, and with seek-
-mation. There could not be a doubt that there was
great misery and. suffering in this district, produced . by
these suicidal laws, which denied the right of the people
to exchange the produce of their industry for the pro
ductions of other countries. Was there any distress in
' this country ? Was there any misery aMongour work-
.; ing classes ,?--(" Yes.") Was there any misery among
.our merchants and manufacturers ? Could spinners sell
:their yarns at a profit ? Could manufacturers dispose of
their goods at cost. price ? Were the: calico printers
emyloyed ?—(`.` No. ") Was the dyer better off ?
There was misery and distress, such as-' •he
never remembered during a comparatively long • hie
which he had spent amongst them.—(Hear, hear.)
For nearly a quarter of a century had he been engaged
in assisting to conduct a large trade, but he never knew
sines like the present.—(Hear, hear.) What caused this
..distress ? The resolution stated that it was the conse-
quence of suicidal laws—laws which sapped the founda-
ton of our
rosperity—laws which were monstrously-
laws
unjust which prohibited our exehano'ing our call-
-
_ noes Ni,,th the people of other countries, who would send
us in reta cotton, rursne:,sugar, coffee, and every neces-
saryrn of life.--.--(APP. - „ ) They would not be content
to, have the prosperity of this great country hindered for
the benefit of a class ; that the trade and commerce of
this country should become i locked up in monopoly. He
trusted that they would show that they understood their
.own interests, and that they were now prepared to state
the Legislature what they wanted. Ministers , had
1..3
duty was
proposed a fixed duty
of Ss.. but he said a fixed
a filed injustice.—(Hear.) But he was disposed to act on
the.philosophical principle, that if he could not get all he
wanted, he would take all he could get ; but he would
not give up his claim to the whole. He had an account
relating to an examination which had been made into the
condition of the working population, of this district. It
related to 10,132 families, comprising 45,591
Of these there were, hand-loom weavers, Englipersots:.
sh, 62,
families, and 1,812 children ; of Irish, 924 families, and
2,4:73 children ; making a total of hand-loom weavers of
families, and 4,485 children. Of English, in
various trades, 5,105 families, and 12,629 children ; of
Irish, 3,47 t: families, and 8,716 children—making a total
of English fir lies of 8,581, and 21.345 children. Novi'.
to show what ,vas ,;he condition of these families, he would
read to them another-;able. Of children under 12 years
Hof age, and dependent, thb:e were 15,856 ; children under
12 years of age, partially emp:,ived, 415 ; ditto, fully em-
ployed, 629 : more than 12 years o: age, dependent, 4,275;
partially employed, 1,526 ;Ifully employ Ad, 3,229 ; heads
of, families out ,61 employ, 2,149 ; partially employed.
4,793 ; in full employment, only I,43o.—(hear, hear.)
Another invtigation was made, which related to 2,000
families, hazing 5,565 children, being 8,866
.persons,
whose weekly earnings were 5281. 10s. 100., giving an
Warne of Is. 2,14 per head per week for 8,866 persons,
f0r.2,000 families an average of ss. Sid. a week for
filleUfausily. Another investigation was made in order
td coned this, if correction were needed. It related to
':,24oolTother families, and 8.136 persons, whose weekly
ificonse amounted only to 6281. 10s. 10d.. giving an average
of.bnly .61s- 6t per head per week, or 6s. 31d. per family
gis:lee— some districts of the town, the people, in
uence of their poverty, had been feeding upon
Loose who w(3111G1 give them credit, in the hope of better i
days. The poor had not been able to pay their debts ;
and in district No. ',there were 50 provision-dealers who ,•

stated they had made bad debts to the amount of 6,250/.
—(Hear)-50 others in Newtown district, 6,2451.
(Hear)-50 others in Deansgate had made bad debts to
the amount of 5,051/. ; and 50 others in the neighbour-
hood of Portland-street, had made bad debts to the
amount of 6,118/. So that these 200 provision-dealers had
made bad debts to the amount of 23,644/. When they saw
this, and looked on the enormous tax paid to the landlords,
let every one make it his business to do what he could
for the repeal of these laws. His firm, conviction was,
that if we had the repeal of the Corn-laws we should
then have prosperity in this manufacturing district ; and
that it would also benefit those who at present could not
see that the agricultural and commercial interest must
rise or fall together.
Sir T. Porrea said, having taken, an active part in
this investigation, stated by his friend Mr. Kershaw, he
could vouch that it was true.—(Cries of " We know it.")
He could assure them there were 2,000 families that
had not a bed to lie on ; and they .might depend on
this statement.
The Mayon then put the resolution, which passed
almost unanimously, there being only six hands held up
against it.
Mr. T. BAZLEY, jun., moved the third resolution.
Ministers had proposed changes of a very moderate
character ; but, as far as they went, we might venture
to approve of them, and be thankful that at last sound
principles were recognised by Ministers of State in both
Houses of Parliament. He confessed that his sympa•
thies and expectations were with the present Ministers,
and not with that political party who had enacted the
obnoxious laws we were now met to oppose.—(Ap-
plause.) The time of the Legislature had been con-
sumed in party conflicts and petty struggles, and the
great class interests had been paramount, while the great
body of the people had been held in slavish subjection.—
(Hear, hear.) That was an astounding fact, that these
class-sections taxed us to a greater extent than Govern-
ment did for the exigencies of the State.—(Hear, hear.)
We were compelled to pay for our food and our colonial
produce from 50 to 100 per cent. more than we could
obtain these comforts of life for in the open markets of
the world—(Hear)—while, as we were the cheapest
producing manufacturers on the face of the earth, we sell
to others our labour at a cheaper rate than they could
obtain our produce for in any other quarter. Was it
just, then, that our working classes should continue to
be placed in that state of thraldom, and they and their
families starve while capital was daily decreasing ?
(Cries of " No, no.") He observed that in the House of
Lords, Lord Ashburton had declared that protection was
a kind of component part of the British Constitution
and that from the time of the Norman, conquest, to the
present moment, protection had been, the rule of the
Legislature.—(Hear.) Now, he would tell his Lordship
that the Normans robbed our Saxon forefathers of the
soil—(Hear)—and that the menials of an adventurer
became the lords of the land ; and then he would give
his Lordship joy of such authority.—(Laughter.) But,
for the Duke of Wellington to declare in his place that
the taxes on corn were levied upon the people to render
us independent of other countries, in the event of a war,
was a policy much more to be deplored than the other.
—(" True,'r " We'll not erect a monument to him."
Let us buy freely of every land—(Hear, hear)—and,
by our commercial intercourse with the world, make
every man our friend, and then we should not need to
contemplate war.—(" Hear," and cheers.) Until our
commerce could be placed upon the solid foundation of
exchanging one substantial comfort of life for another,
we should have fluctuations and repeated intervals of
distress, with perhaps an occasional gleam of prosperity,
only to be succeeded by an increased depth of suffering.
—(Hear.) Let us struggle then for our rights ; for our
labour ought to procure for us food and every comfort;
it was ordained by the Almighty that it should be so.—
(Applause.) Will you not help us to open our doors,
and let the tide of commercial and social prosperity flow
in upon us ?—(Cries of " Yes," "We will,' and great
cheering.)
Mr. J. B. SMITH, President of the Manchester Cham-
ber of Commerce, was greeted with loud cheers. He said
he had much satisfaction in seconding the resolution just
proposed, because it involved an important principle,
which should never be lost sight of'. He held that no
---;slature could justly impose any taxation, except for
Le,
of revenues—(Hear.) All protective duties
ath•eurepunrpouthaing more or less than legalised robbery.—
v"eiriear"t and
on
cheers.)
The measures proposed by Go-
nmen are a step the way to the abolition of mono-
polies, and as such he accepted them with pleasure—
(Hear)—but we must never lose sight of the question
till the monopoly was altogether abolished.—(Cheers.)
Monopolists had always been great prophets of evil,
when their monopolies were to be touched. He remem-
bered its being prophesied, that if the slave trade were
abolished, Liverpool would become an insignificant fish-
ing town.--(Laughter)—but what was Liverpool now ?
Again, when it was proposed to abolish the East India
Company's monopoly, Committees of the Houses of
Lords and Commons were held, before whom witnesses
of the first character, merchants of the first eminence,
came forward to show the great evils that wogs follow
from the opening of the trade to the East Indies and
China to the whole of our merchants, instead of eon-
fining it to the Company. The East India Compeny
held a special Court, at which !hey solemnly passed this
extraordinary resolution :—" That no addition could be
made to the trade of the East Indies and China—
(Laughter)—that the Company had suffereel loss in at-
tempting to extend it ; and that the opening of the
markets of the outports to trade would be no other than
ruinous transfer of it into new channels, to the destruc-
tion of many costly establishments, and the beggary of
many thousand industrious individuals."—(Laughter.)—
Notwithstanding all these fearful forebodings, the trade
Wag opened, and what were the consequences ? .At that
time the trade to India and China amounted in value to
1,874,0001. Hear what dreadful ruin followed the open-
ing of the trade 1 In 1839 our exports thither amounted
to 5,600,0001.--(Hear, hear, hear.) When they heard
the Duke of Wellington telling them, that, if the Corn-
laws were repealed, we should all be starved—(Laughter)
—they could refer him to that resolution of the East
India Company. If they heard the Duke of Bucking-
ham bemoaning the fate of the poor agricultural labourer
who got Bs. or 9s. a week now, and lamenting how much
i'se would be injured by a
Company.—(Laughter.) The getting cheap bread, let them
"
reimensber the East In.'.
had been throwing out all
monopolists in Parliamen:
t they had caught a great
sorts of (oats ;and they thoug.l.
whale arming the saints.—(Lau.: hter.) The taxa-
tion on corn and provisions alone am2unted (accord-
ing to the evidence of a man who was patter quali-
fied to give evidence on that question than any
other
person, Mr. Deacon Hulme) to more than fifty millie."B
per annum.—(Hear, hear.) This taxation was levied in
a manner which we did not see. When a fixed duty was
levied upon corn, we could see the operation, and the ex-
tent of it ; but, as had been said, a fixed duty was a fixed
i ijustice, and he hoped this was only a step, and it would
depend upon the people whether it were only a step, to
the total abolition of the fixed duty.—(Cheers.) But
look at the tax on sugar. According to the present law,
we could have none but British colonial sugar, as the
duty of 7d. per pound on foreign sugar was quite prohi-
titory.—(Shame.) The consequence of this was, that
our colonies not growing enough sugar for us, the price
rises ; and last year it was so high as to put it out of the
cower of the mass of the country to buy it. He had in
his pocket a memorial sent to him per Great Western
steamer, from some unknown hand, and which he had
received only on Saturday last. It was the memorial
of Joshua Leavitt to Congress, praying for the adoption
of measures to secure an adequate market for American
wheat. This memorial was presented to the American
Congress, and by them ordered to be printed. He
stated in this memorial the astounding fact, that a large
tract of country, comprising about half a dozen States,
forty years ago had only a population of 50,000 persons,
and now the population was 2,970,000 people.—(Hear,
hear.) There was an increase in forty years ! These
people grew nothing but agricultural produce ; they
were all in want of our manufactures ; but they had
nothing to give in exchange for them hut their corn and
timber ; and Mr. Leavitt complained, that, for want of
markets for their produce, they were unable to consume
various comforts supplied by manufactures, &c. He
said, " The best authorities agree, that a very large pro-
portion of the misery which we hear of among the the-
tory children is the result of the Cornslaws—(Hear)—
first diminishing the employment and the wages of the
parent, and then raising the price of his provisions,
until sheer want drives him to sacrifice his children
for bread. Thus, while we (Americans) are'' wanting
goods (not, indeed, the necessaries of life, but the
comforts of civilized and refined life), our national
revenue falling short, and our granaries bursting with
mpoor
on ip:srtiisnhoitnsgof with
our hunger.—(Hear.)
nature,
the enlightenedabundance, England's mills are standing still, and her
—(Hear: Surely,
)thecom
and
philo-
sophic benevolence which reeards
human happiness as
the great object of human society and government, re-
quires a faithful examination of
na-
tions." These were most enlarged this system by all
and philanthropic views,
and he rejoiced to see them taken b
the other side the Atlantic. Wheny our brethren on
he saw our ships
leaving our ports, not laden wi •
th our manufactures,
with freights far more precious—with but
our tools, with,
our machinery, and with our industrious artisans,—he
within confessed that his heart sank him.—(Hear.)
When they called to mind the atrocities of Louis
the Fourteenth in the revocation of the edict
and the banishment from France ofe industriousof Nantes,
Protestant manufacturers, who were driven to
asylums in England, where they laid the t)'seek
founda-
tion of our manufactures ; when we reflected upon
the atrocities of the Duke of Alva, who drove the
vers from Flanders also to seek an asylum here • wea-
se
views these acts with disgust and horror. i3ute Inert
should we say to the laws of our own country which
t
banish our industrious artisans, to seek in foreign lands
that which they were denied in their own ? It was true
they were not driven out by the sword, or the strong hand
of persecution • but they were effectually driven away by
laws which prohibit them from exchanging the products
of their industry. in their own land, for the produce and
the food grown in other countries.—( Hear.) He believed
that, at present, we only knew one portion of the pro=
posed financial measures ; the Custo.ns' Bill was not yet
brought in—(Hear)—and he was happy to hear that tfie
Customs' Bill would contain provisions for doing away
with all prohibitions.--(Hear, hear, and loud cheering.)
He knew that by the law at present acid an atrocious
law it was—beet; mutton, veal, pork, cows, oxen, sheep,.
and lambs, were altogether prohibited from coming into
this country. This prohibition, he understood, was no
longer to continue ; the Government were determined to
abolish it—(Great cheering)—and, therefore, he hoped,
when their whole measure of commercial reform was
known, it would be something well worth contending for.
—(Loud and long cheering.)
Mr. Alderman COBDEN was loudly cheered. He con-
sidered that we had made, since we last met, an immense
advance in the great question of free trade. We were
doomed, in this world, to move forward step by step ;
there was no other way of getting on.; there was a be-
ginnings a middle, and an end, in all things ; and he
hoped that we were getting into the middle of this, ques-
tion now. But we must not pause there we must
not give up our principles, because other men had agreed