The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-24 00:00:00

Ai PPALLING STATEMENT.

At the Anti-Corn-law Tea Party, held in the Corn. Ex-
change, Manchester, on Thursday, several excellent speeches
were made by Lawrence Heyworth, Esq., of Liverpool ; T.
Milner Gibson, Esq. ; the Rev. Wm. M'Kerrow, the Rev.
D. Hearne, and others. We regret that we cannot find room
for them, but the short one, made by the Rev. Mr. Hearne, it
would be a sin to omit. It tills a tale more frightful than any
that has ever fallen under our observation. The Rev. Gentle-
man (a Catholic priest) said he was not much acquainted with
the commercial bearings of the subject, and therefore he could
not enter into them. He would leave to others the task of
explaining why wages were low and corn high in this country,
while in America wages were high and corn low. He came
forward to bear his humble testimony to that awful and conti-
need distress which is raging in Manchester, and which
threatened, unless means were taken to alleviate it, to
bring about a diiruption 'of social order. In his ministerial
character among the people he had witnessed the effects
of a, famine now and again, but he would say that this
was no temporary distress ; a famine had been raging in
the district where he lived since 1838, which proved the evil
could not be .a pass-Hg one, and he attributed it to nothing else
hut the low rate of wages—( Hear, hear)--which scarcely sf-
forded to the poor labourer the means of feeding himself and
offspring. The meeting could scarcely form a conception of
the misery and destitution prevailing in the district, of which
he was a witness on this occasion. He went lately to ad-
minister the consolations of religion to a poor dying woman.
On arriving at her bed-side sne seemed to• be alone. He
asked if she was. " Johnny," said she, and immediately a
sack in the corner of the room began to move, and then
another began to move, and out of these tumbled the
poor woman's sons, their only bed being the inside of
sacks filled with shavings.—( Hear, hear.) He had about
20,000 of his flock living within half a mile of his chapel.
Scarcely a single Catholic, unless in cases of sudden death,
breathed his last without sending for the priest, and of these,
and he spoke from personal observation, at least one-half died
from starvation.—(Hear, hear.) Talk of war ra'vaeeing a
country !—better by far was he who died by the sword than he
that was striken by famine.—( Hear, hear.) He could bear
but too strong testimony to the opinion expressed by Mr.
M'Kcrrow that men in want of temporal comforts were but ill-
fitted to receive the consolations of religion—for he had found
how difficult it was when the poor man was dying. with his
starving children around him, to stop. the word of blasphemy
issuing front his lips, in his parting breath.

CORN-LAW S-MARGATE.
• (FRO3I A CORRESPONDENT.)

The following Correspondence relating to a petition in
favour of the Corn-laws, from the guardians of the Isle of
Thanet union, is well worthy of being made public at this
most important period. If you have room in your Monday's
Edition, the whole of this affair will come before the public
before the petition is press nted to the House :

" To TIIE-POOK-LAW. COMMISSIONERS FOX ENGLAND AND

WALES.

" 21, Dane-hill-row, Margate, May 13.
" Gentlemen,—l am requested by a numbe- of rate-payers
of St. John, Margate, to forward to you the copy of a le:ter
received by Wm. Hall, Esq., guardian of the poor for Mar-
gate, from the Clerk of the Ise of Mallet union. .

•' Isle of Thanet Union.

" Notice of motion by Mr. Thomas Hooper; on Friday,
the 21st May, 1841 :—That this Board send petitions to both
Houses of Parliament against the proposed alterations in the
Corn-laws.

" ' May 10. (Signed) " WM. FREENIAN, Clerk.'
" The rate-payers desire to know whether the Commis-
sioners advise or sanction boards or guardians, administersag„
the laws for the relief of the poor, to employ thcii clerks, itf-
other officers paid out of the poor's-rate, in furthering the
political views of individual members; and whether the notice
of motion conveyed by the Circular signed by Mr. Wm. Free-
man, Clerk to the union, be legitimate to the business of a
guardian, as defined by the 38th clause of • the Poor-law
Amendment Act. The rate-payers earnestly desire the Com-
missioners to apprise Mr. Thomas Ilooper, and the guardians
of the Isle of 'l'hanet union, how obviously improper it is to
employ the officers of the union upon any business not strictly
defined and limited by the statute.
" I have the honour to remain, &c.
" EDWARD AIOTTLEY.
" To the Poor-law Commissioners."

The Poor-law Commissioners, in consequence of the above
remonstrance, sent the following lettter to Air. Wm. Free-
man, th 4. Clerk : ,

" '5,211 A.

" Poor-law Commission-office, Somerset
House 19th May, 1841.
" POLITICAL MEETINGS OF BOARDS OF GUARDIANS.
" Sir,—The Poor-law Commissioners transmit herewith a
copy of a letter which has been addressed to them by Mr.
Edward Mottley, on behalf of certain rate-payers of the parish
of St. John, Ma, gate, in the Isle of Thanet union, respecting
a notice of motion given by Mr. Thos. Hooper, a guardian of
that union, for Friday, the 21st inst., that the board of
guardians of the Lie of Thanet union send petitions to both
Houses of Legislature against the proposed alteration in the
Cern-laws.'

" The Commissioners desire to state, that having already
in a letter to the board of guardians of the Derby union ex-
plained their views as to the impolicy of discussing at meetings
of hoards of guardians matters which are not within the func-
tions of the board, deem it right to call the attention of the
guardians to that communication in the official Circular of the
4th of April, 1840, herewith transmitted to the guardians.
" E. CHADWICK, Secretary,"