The Sun.
London, England, 1840-02-21 00:00:00

MEETING OF THE WORKING
CLASSES TO ADDRESS THE QUEEN.

(From the Bristol Gazette of yesterday.)
Friday, the day on which the meeting of the inhabitants
of this city was held last week, having been found to be an
inconvenient time for the working men to meet to express
their loyalty and evince their attachment to their Queen,
by offering their sincere congratulations on her auspicious
marriage, it was subsequently detereained to hold another
meeting for that specific purpose, and a requisition having
been prepared, it was presented to the Mayor by Mr.
Visger, asking for the use of the Guildhall on Monday. at
one o'clock. His Worship having kindly consented thereto,
at the appointed hour the doers we: e thrown open, and, in
a little time, the Hall was thronged in every part, and it
is but right to add, that the whole proceedings were eon
ducted with a decorum and propriety seldom equalled, and
never surpassed, by assemblies which boast to be composed
of more aristocratic materials. The political allusions
were but few and distant, and one spirit of enthusiastic
loyalty and affectionate sympathy towards the Sovereign
pervaded the whole assembly.
Shortly after one o'clock the lion. F. 11. F. Berkeley,
accompanied by 11. Visger, G. E. Sanders, John Hare,
and W. Herapath, Esqrs., entered the Hall, and was re-
ceived with deafening shouts of applause.
On the motion of Mr. Simeon, seconded by Mr. Metcalf,
Mr. DUTTON took the Chair amidst loud cheers. He
said he was proud to meet such a numerous meeting of his
fellow workmen on the present occasion, for it showed that
poor and humble as they might he, they had kind hearts
and warm feelings towards her Majesty.—(Cheers.) At
the meeting on Friday, his friend Mr. Simeon, thinking
that a sufficient opportunity had not been given to the
working men to express their feelings of loyalty, moved an
adjournment, but a reconciliation was effected, which
brought about the present meeting. Their friends, Mr.
Visger and Mr. Hare—(Cheers)---I..ut their shoulders to
the wheel, and a requisition was presented to the Mayor,
who readily granted the use of the Hall. There would be
an Address moved to the Queen, and he hoped that an
gentleman who might speak would keep clear of politics,
and all behave in a peaceable manner, so as to show the
Mayor and the citizens of Bristol that the working men
could conduct and carry through a public meeting as well
as any other body of men.—( Cheers.)
Mr. METCALF said—Mr. Chairman and Working Friends,
•it is with feelings of unmingled pleasure I rise to address
you on the present occasion. All those who have ever
heard me know that I am one who reveres and loves the
institutions of my country, and that I have ever advocated
their preservation, as far as they were consistent with right
and justice.—(Cheers.) It is, therefore, with pleasure
that I rise to move an Address to our Sovereign on her
auspicious marriage, reverencing her, as I do, at the head
of those institutions ; loving her, as we all do, as our
young, kind, and gracious Queen.—( Cheers.) lam glad
of this opportunity of declaring that I rejoice that our
country is governed by a Queen, Lords, and Commons,
and I trust that our posterity, to the latest generation, will
live under the same form of Government. I think we
have a great blessing in our present Sovereign. She has
been traduced, but she has ascended above her calumnia-
tors pure as the mountain snow, and clothed with every
virtue which can grace her sex, or add a lustre to the high
situation she adorns. I have watched the conduct of
the Queen, and I have seen many acts of greatness and
goodness. The last time we had the honour of meeting
in this hell, was on an occasion which proved her, in my
estimation, every inch a Queen.—(Cheers.) We have on
the throne a lovely and virtuous fema'e:; she had been
much slandered, and if her conduct had not given univer-
sal satisfaction, it was because her Majesty bad discovered
the truth of the old adage, that it is impossible to please
every one. But the Queen alone had not been maligned ;
those who have assailed her, have assailed likewise her
people. The same parties who have calumniated the
Queen, designated the labouring classes as ragged Radi-
cals, the swinish multitude, Chartists, Socialists, &c. We
will forgive them their epithets if they will give us our
rights.--(Cheers.) Mr. M. then entered into a short dis-
quisition on his political opinions, and said he hoped to
sec the day when every man could read and write, and
they would not then see a juryman sitting on a question
of life and death, so ignorant that he could not write his
name.--( Cheers. )
Mr. DARRELL seconded the motion that addresses should
be presented to her Majesty and Prince Albert, which
was carried by acclamation.
Mr. SIMEON, in rising to propose the address, was re.
ce:ved with loud cheers, and after giving an explanation of
his conduct on Friday, for moving an adjournment, said
the Address is drawn up as conciliatory to all Parties as
possible, for it was thought right and proper to avoid all
polities on the present occasion. If we had followed the
example act us by the first public body in this city, our
address would not have been altogether free from them.—
But we are desirous of showing to the whole kingdom
that the working people can pass their adiress without
division—that there is but one sentiment of enthusiastic
loyalty in their breasts. The city of Bristol was not be-
hindhand in testifying her loyalty when the Queen was
proclaimed ; she was not backward when the Queen was
crowned, and now on this at least as interesting an occa-
sion, she shall not be behindhand so far as the:working men
are concerned.—(Cheers.) The Queen has endeared
herself to us, she is essentially the sovereign of the people.
As far as was possibly in her power, she has done a great
deal, and she is entitled to the respect and affection of her
people.—( Cheers.) lam not going to touch upon poli-
tics, but I may say the way in which the Queen has lately
exercised the highest prerogative of her crown, the prero-
gative of mercy, has endeared her to us.—(Cheers.) I do
not think I shall be out of order if I explain what those
acts of mercy are—they are acts of mercy towards political
prisoners—(Cheers)—towards individuals who have strug-
gled in the ranks and in the cause of the working classes.
In the address we tell the Queen that her acts of mercy
have endeared her to us, c...nd I did not think it would be
out of order to „ate rhea those acts were, and to express
cur wish that they should be cam .1 fuether. --( Hear, and
cheers.) But I will not put one word in the address, for
it is nay firm determination to keep faith with the gentle-
men who procured us the use of the hail.—( Cheers.) My
only object is to let the public know that the working
classes are loyal because her Majesty is merciful.—
(Cheers.) I was not loyal when the Sovereign broke
faith with his people; I became disloyal, and should again
under like circumstances. The address from the Town
Council is one which is not fit to be sent to the Queen of
these realms. I respect every man's politics, whether he
be a Conservative, a Whig, or a Chartist, and there are
some of all sorts here—( Cheers)—and however I might
differ from any one, I would not meddle with his religion
—(Cheers.) He concluded by proposing the address,
which was seconded by Mr. MONTALBEET.
The CHAIRMAN having put the question, it was re-
sponded to by a unanimous shout of " Aye" from all parts
of the Hall.

Mr. M'KAY then moved the address to Prince Albert,
and in dning so he agreed with Mr. Simeon that it was
her Majesty's late acts of mercy which had tended very
much to endear her to the people.
The motion having been seconded, and put from the
Chair, it was carried by acclamation.
Mr. LEWIS then moved that the foregoing addresses be
presented to her Majesty and her Royal Consort by
the Lord-Lieutenant of the City and County, the Lord
MO Steward, the M,-tubers of Parliament for the city,
and Harman Visger, and John Hare, Esqrs. Mr. Lewis,
introducing the resolution, eulogised the conduct of the
Hon. Member, Mr. Berkeley, in taking every opportunity
of consulting with his constituents; if more honourable
members followed in his footsteps, they would reap a
double advantage. They would ascertain more correctly
the feelings and sentiments of their constituencies, and
they would have the satisfaction of knowing they had done
their duty.—( Cheers.) He could not also put the re-
solution without expressing his thanks to Messrs. Visger
and Haro for the manner in which they had put their
shoulders to the wheel, and assisted in getting up the pre-
sent meeting.—( Cheers.)
The resolution was carried amidst loud applause.
The Hon. F. H. F. BERKELEY, on rising, was re-
ceived with the most deafening applause, and said,—" It
is now my duty to address you, as you have appointed me
one of those to take ‘. your Address" to the foot of the
throne; and I am not sure, even if you had not appointed
me, if you had left the business to remain in the hands of
my worthy friends Mr. Visger and Mr. Hare, that I
should not have ventured to address you. I should have
claimed the right so to do as a free burgess of Bristol, for
such you have elected me, and I should have addressed
you also as a working man—(Clacers)—for the only dif-
ference between us is, that your workshops are here and
mine is in London.—(Cheers.) If you find that I have
done your work well you will retain me.— (Cheers.)
Your employers will discharge you if you do not give
them satisfaction, and you have a perfect right to do the
same by me. But I resemble you in another respect—l
am an independent workman—(Cheers)—and if, upon
comparing our sentiments, I had found that I could not
conscientiously do your work, I would never have gone
to the shop.---( Cheers.) lam deeply gratified at this
meeting, but I am not surprised at it, as I have on many
occasions taken an opportunity of becoming acquainted
with the feelings of the working-men of Bristol. There
are here Tories, Liberals, Whigs, men of all shades of
political feeling, and I have not heard a dissentient voice
—and why ? because your Address is unexceptionable ; if
it had not been so it would have been cavilled at, and op-
portunity taken to dissent from it. You hold a strong
moral position from your conduct this day. If on a future
occasion you should deem it necessary to lay your griev-
ances, real or supposed, before the House of Commons,
with how much more force, with what stronger claims to
consideration and respect, will you do so after the proof of
unity, strength, and intelligence you have this day given.
The most constitutional speech ever delivered by Lord
John Russell, and one which endeared him to me more
than any other, was the speech he made at a dinner at Li-
verpool—( Loud cheers)—and for which, let me say, he has
been most ferociously attacked by the party who object to
the meetings of the people. No language could ever fall
more becomingly or gracefully from the lips of a Prime
Minister. " I object not," said his Lordship, " to the people
meeting, so long as their proceedings are regulated by the
law, to ctscuss any real or imaginary grievance ;
they have a constitutional right so to meet ; it is by dis-
cussion that the truth is elicited, and I have that confidence
in the English people to know that the truth will ultimately
prevail."—(Cheers.) But at the present moment I mus
Leny myself the gratification of entering upon political