The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-28 00:00:00

REVIEW AT WOOLWICH ON SATURDAY.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge was
U.) pleased with Us recent visit to Woolwich, that he
p‘trpoied paying it another visit, and yesterday was ori-
cinully intended for the purpose. It has, however,
been ultimately fixed for Saturday, and the orders have
been issued to all the troops in the garrison to be pre-
parcd for the occasion. His Royal Highness will ar-
rive at Woolwich about 11 o'clock, and will visit the
saricus objects worthy of notice. He will then inspect
th, Regimental School ; and the field batteries will
counnenee precisely at two o'clock, and conclude with
a splendid scene on the common and firing in the
It is to be hoped the weather will prove fa-
vourable on this occasion, that the public may not be
ppointed in witnessing the whole proceedings.

MEETING RESPECTING INDIA.

AIANCEESTER, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
➢IR. O.CONNELL IN ENGLAND.

This evening, at six o'clock, a public meeting was
LL-A.. in -the Corn Exchange in this town, for the pur-
pc,:e of firming an association, to be called " The
Nortltern Central British India Society," which, in ad-
dition to the importance of the subject as extending the
field for the production of cotton, derived some portion
,of iiderest from its being announced that Mr. Daniel
VConnell would be present. The large room, which is
t":lculated to hold about 2 500 persons, was well filled,
by parties whose political opinions seemed generally to
cci,,ecle with those of the agitator.
The chair was taken by Mr. John BROOKS, borough-
reeve of :Nlanchester. The chairman stated the object
for which tLe meeting was called. The society which
was to he forroz.d would have for its object the ameli-
oration of the condition of the people of India. An-
other object would also be effected by it, namely, the
.extinction of slavery in the United States, which at pre-
zect existed to a fearful extent.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. GEORGE HADFIELD then rose to propose the
first resolution, and concluded by condemning, in strong
-servos, the exl!,-tence of the Corn-laws.—(Cheers.)
Mr. CAtENDIET. seconded the resolution.
C. TuomesoN. the anti-slavery lecturer, then
presented himself. The resolution referred to the mode
the largest portion of the British empire was
governed ; it pointed out many and extensive evils ex-
that country,, and it referred to one in particu-
lar. in order to induce a confident expectation in those
larhd have taken op the question, that, if its merits be
.c&ndidly and extensively canvassed, the people of this
'country will unavimously, promptly, and strenuously
ea.l upon the Legislature to free India from the
evils that now afflict her population, and elevate it
!to that station of social comfort and political freedom to
which, as subjects of this realm and enlightened people,
'they are entit:-Id. Mr. Thompson then referred to the
fact that since his lectures had been delivered on the
subject, they had becn published in a volume in Ame-
rie,i, as a proof that the society was gaining ground,
mid to the feeling manifested at the Anti-Slavery Con-
vention, by the delegates from the United States, who,
without exception, reiterated their opinion that this
great measore of justice to India was the sheet-
anchor of their hopes—that they looked to it as the
great and potent measure of their hearts' desire. The
speaker then at great length produced authorities to
prove that the great impediment to the eultivat'ont of
land in India by the native population was the present
mode of letting the land and claiming so high a land-
tax us about two-thirds of the produce. Every kind of
cotton required by the spinners of this country would
be produced in India, of the best quality, of unlimited
extent, and a constant supply, were it not for that in-
cubus oc Lhe soil in the shape of land-tax. At present
the amount of exports to India did not exceed
4,00 000 Cr 5,000,000.
The motion was then put from the chair and carried.
\VATKINS proposed the second resolution, to
the effect that if the evils now existing in India were
r, moved, it would greatly augment the resources of

tlis country.
Ti.e motion being seconded,
Mr. JosENE PEACE moved the appointment of a
Committee for the purpose of carrying into effect the
objects the society had in view.
The motion being seconded,
Mr. O'CoNNELL rose, and observed that the subject
was ab? most important he, at least, had ever been en-
gaged in ; it involved the happiness and prosperity of
nearly 1"0,000,000 of human beings resident in the
Ei,tlndics; awl would increase the comfort of the la-
bourinz population at home. He would now address
liiinstof to the threo points he had proposed to lay before
them. The first of these related to a subject which,
.at first view, might appear trivial it was salt.
Tiic people of India fed principally on vege-
tabios ; rice was their main food, and it re-
quired, for the preservation of health, a portion
of that ingredient. What was the cenduct of the Go-
wrnment? Had it allowed the people to take the salt
and distribute it? It had done no such thing, but bad
taken ail itself, and not left the poor even salt to their
porridge. No person is allowed to take the salt on
bats of death. The next point of misgovernment to
winch the Hon. and Learned Member referred was the
opium monopoly, and to support the horrible traffic in
this we wore to incur the expense, and perhaps the dis-
grace of a war. India would produce cotton, rice, and
indigo, in abundance ; but the Government interfered,
,and would not allow their cultivation, but compelled
people to produce that poisonous drug.—(Cheers.)
next point was the land revenue. The great tax
io India was the land tax. The Government was sup-
ported by a certain quantity of the produce of the land.
The ancient chiefs of India took from the people one-
sixth of the produce. They were succeeded by Ma-
homed, who increased it to one-fourth. Then came the
tgovernment of England, and they insisted on having
ene (calf, and that half was what the children in Ireland
callad the biggest half.—(Cheers and laughter.) The
manner in which the tax was collected was most oh-
aioxious. A young man whose friends had patronage
was sent out to the East Indies ; he was placed in power
4o fix what should be the proportion paid by the
and more he made the tax the more likely
fzivlLL ,s
he
to be noticed by the Government.—(Cheers.)
The Non. and Learned Gentleman then quoted from
t he instructions of the Government to their taxing offi-
wers, to show that the s} stem was one calculated to pre-
t.•et the cultivation of the soil of India. That country
*E,3 the most productive on the earth, it would bring
ket..., three crops 3 year ; but ruthless man had interfered
oroi turned that heaven into a chaos of
Britishfirst obtained
tio:_sessjon of the country. In 1764 a famine broke out,
till 1766 ; it spread through the entire
anentire.
coast of Coroto-.ttndel, and 1,000,000 die
sweepingd.
In
other famine oceu"."red in Bengal Presidency,
off at least three mili'ons of human bei::'ss.—(Utte..
of
" Shame.") " Murder, i say (said Mr. O'Connell) and
not 'shame, for it is to be attributed to British misrule."
Their warehouses were full of food, and yet the
i_•.eople were left to starve. The next famine began in
1772, and concluded in 1782. It extended through
Coromandel, and not less than half a million perished.
In 1792 and 1798 there was another, and again in
.180-1. In 1820 anotller great famine ravaged the
country, again in 1823, and in 1833, 1834, 1835, and
iS;.',6 a repetition of it. Again it broke out in 1837,
:and is still raging. And during these famines it was
toot an uncommon thing for women to offer their ail-

dren for sale into perpetual slavery in order to save their
lives, and soldiers were obliged to be stationed on the
coast in order to prevent mothers from drowning their
infants rather than the morning's sun should dawn on
their famished existence. This was result of Bri-
tish misgovernment.
The resolution having been carried,
Mr. BROTHERTON, M.P., proposed a vote of thanks
to Mr. O'Connell, which was seconded by Sir THOMAS
POTTER, and carried.
The meeting shortly afterwards separated.

BARBAROUS MURDER OF AN
AGED COUPLE AT PEOVER, CHESHIRE.

On Monday night two murders were committed at
this place. Peovcr is a delightfully secluded spot, dis-
tant about two miles from Knutsford, and the scene of
the murder is the green lane which skirts the noble
park and ball of Sir Harry Mainwaring, Bart., and
forms the bye-road from Knutsford to Macclesfield.
The victims are Mr. and Mrs. Cook, a retired farmer
and his wife, one in the seventieth and the other seventy-
one years of age. He married late in life, and the house
in which he dwelt consisted of four bed-chambers up
stairs and three rooms and a scullery underneath.
His household consisted of himself; his wife, and a
servant girl, of about fifteen years of age. On Tuesday
morning the alarm of murder was given by the ser-
vant girl, and on the neighbours entering the cottage
in the house part, or kitchen, they found both Mr. and
Mrs. Cook lying murdered on the floor. Mr. Cook was
partly dressed, having his trousers and waistcoat thrown
lightly on. Mrs. Cook had nothing on except her
usual night attire. They had evidently been both in
bed. The body of Mrs. Cook was nearest to the door.
She was lying nearly on her face, and her husband quite
so. Her body was in one corner of the room. There
was a stream of blood on the floor leading from Mrs.
Cook's bady. Her skull was dreadfully fractured, the
brain protruding, and, in addition, two heavy wounds
were inflicted on her shoulder and under one of her
ears. Mr. Cook's skull was also fractured, and other
wounds on his head bespoke the barbarous at-
tack that had been made upon him. On the
table was placed a heavy axe besmeared with blood, and
bearing such other marks on the heavy or hammer end
as to leave no doubt as to its being the instrument with
which the murders had been perpetrated. It was im-
mediately identified as Mr. Cook's property, and was
usually deposited, along with a saw and other tools, in
the shippon adjoining the house.
In the course of the morning the bodies were exa-
mined by Mr. Dean, surgeon, of Knutsford, and he did
not hesitate to assign the cause of death to the blows
inflicted, or to say that the death of both parties must
have been almost instantaneous. The bodies were not
moved until after they had been examined by the
Coroner's Jury, which met at the inquest held in the
afternoon of Tuesday, at the Mainwaring Arms, before
C. Hollins, Esq., Coroner of that district.
The Jury, after a full inquiry, returned a verdict
of " Wilful murder" against some person to them un-
known.