The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-07 00:00:00

• a peaceable and quiet meeting, creditable to the working
men. He fur one was not disposed to shake a rod at the
Government, but he would ask what would become of
the army and navy if all the working men with hungry
bellies were to declare that they would have justice ?
(Loud cheers.) If it had not been for the press, what
would they have known of the disgraceful conduct of
the Duke of Wellington in reference to the Paisley
deputation ?—(Groans and hisses.) The same press
would now diffuse to the whole country that South-
wark had had a large meeting, and a quiet meeting—a
meeting that needed no aid nor overlooking from the
police.—(Hear, hear.) He confessed he could not go
the entire length to which some present were disposed
to go, add he had had some difficulty, especially with the
last clause of the address, but be had waived his scruples.
After deprecating all disunion and differences of opinion
among Reformers, Dr. Bedford pr,oceeded to say that
distress was unquestionably attributable to class legisla-
tion.—(Hear, hear.) While that existed, there would
be no remedy for the evils. With respect to Universal
Suffrage, he believed that property would always have a
certain weight in society, and if Universal Suffrage were
adopted to-morrow, property would have the sway.—
(No, no.) Let him not be misunderstood ; by that he
meant to say that property would have a sufficient pre-
ponderance to counter-balance any evils that might arise
from Universal Suffrage.—(Cheers.)
Mr. PARKER (a working man) said the gratitude of the
meeting was particularly due to their revered and vene-
rated High Bailiff, who presided over them that day. Much
had been said about the extravagance that had been ex-
hibited by the Chartists at various public meetings, but he
would take occasion to say, that that extravagance, if
such it was to be called, was exactly similar to that
which was exhibited by the middle classes at the time
the Reform Bill was in progress. They had met there
with the view of bettering their condition.—(Hear, hear,
hear.) He, for one, stood before them an evidence of
the evil effect of the want of political power, for he was
a journeyman tailor, who in vain had sought for employ-
ment. There were 15,000 journeymen tailors, of
whom there were 9,000 out of employ, and 6,000 in par-
tial employ ' • and the result was, that the 9,000 were
continually knocking at the doors of the 6,000, and en-
deavouring to gain the work. They (the working men
did not want the 'property already acquired by others,
but they wanted a fair protection for their own labour.
He, as a working man, indignantly repelled the insinua-
tion that they wished to grasp the property of others—
(Cheers)—it was true they wished to acquire property
of their own to maintain, educate, and clothe their chil-
dren, but they had no design of spoliation.—(Hear,
hear.) All they desired was equal privileges with other
classes.—(Cheers.)
Mr. WiLsorr was glad to see that differences of opinion
had been merged. He was convinced that all the points
of the Charter were good and necessary ; but, as they
never could get half a dozen men to think exactly alike
on all the details of any one subject, those minor points
ought not to be absolutely insisted upon.
Mr. RIDLEY proceeded to say that he agreed with the
address as far as it went, and gave an account of the
distress existing among the people as it had fallen under
his own eye while traversing the counties of Essex and
Sussex. It had been said, and propagated widely too,
that the country was over-populated. No such thing.
There was enough of land to maintain five times the
population. The speaker then proceeded to condemn
the system of large farms, and contended, as we un-
derstood, that if the land were divided in allotments of
five or six acres, the occupiers would be far happier. If
the Charter were the law of the land, these things would
be remedied. If that were the case the working men would
not seek to become aristocrats or non-producers, but laws
would be passed that would give a man a living from his
labour, and then capitalists would find it to their interest to
go hand in hand with their men. All the miseries and suf- 1
ferings endured by working men were produced by class
leei slation. The legislators were aristocrats, and was it
to be supposed they would make laws to injure them-
yselves ?—(Hear, hear.) Look at the increase of gaols and
poor-houses ! In 1792 there were but forty-three pri-
soni in the country, and now there were from 140 to 150.
—(Hear, hear.) There was no hope for the people until
the Charter should become the law of the land.

The HIGH BAILIFF then put the Address, which he
declared to be carried unanimously.
It was proposed by Mr. SPURR, that as the Address
contained a request that the Queen would be pleased to
summon Parliament immediately, it would be necessary
to forward the Address immediately through the Secre-
tary of State, and a resolution was carried that the High
Bailiff do present the Address to the Secretary of State
to be placed in the hands of her Majesty.
Mr. MAYNARD (a Chartist) then rose to move the
adoption of " the national petition," which he read at
length. (The formidable extent of this document precludes
its admission into our columns.) After reading the peti-
tion Mr. Maynard begged to move its adoption, and that
the Members for the borough b 3 requested to present the
same to the House of Commons.
Mr. JEANS :ieconded the motion.

Mr. ITEAnNE:was_announced..to speak amid much up-
roar and cries of "No secretary to the Corn-law League."
When silence was obtained, he said he rose to submit a
petition somewhat different from that proposed, in many
of the points of which he could not agree. It was as-
serte l in that petition that Prince Albert had an allowance
of 10.:1 per diem, when the fact was that it was only
21.—(Great uproar.) Again be asked why it was they
had not mentioned the- salary of the Queen Dowager,
who received upwards of 271 every day. Was there
an alliance between the Chartists and the Tories, that
the salary of this lady had not been mentioned in the
petition ?. After stating the several points which he ob-
jected to in The-national petition, he, amid much confu-
sion, proposel a petition, whiCh stated that the distress
was to be ascribed to the Corn and other restrictive laws,
and praying that the Charter might become the law of
the land.

The adoption of the amended petition was then put to
the meeting, bnt only four hands were held up in its

favour.

The National Petition was then pat and carried by a

great majority.

Oa the motion that the Members for the borough be
requested to support the prayer of the National Petition,
Alderman IltrwitEßY said that be could not agree to
such a motion, for though he approved of some parts eat
the petition, there. were other parts of it which he could
not approve of.—(Groans and interruption.) He had
waited until every person had spoken, and they ought to
hear what he had got to say. He said that there were
allegations in thee petition which were not true—(Great
uproar)—one of which was that certain men had been
tried by packed juries. He did not believe they had
been so tried.—(oe, oh.) The juries in this country
were pure.—(Renewed groans.) He would. like to ask
any ‘vorking man whether he would not rather be tried
by a jury chosen from the aristocracy than one chosen
from his own class —(" No, no.") The petition prayed
for the repeal of the Union with Ireland—(hear, hear)
—to that he could not consent.—(Uproar continued.)
ile had lived long enough to remember the anarchy
which had been caused in the time of the French Revo-
lution—

A Voice in the Meeting—By what?
Alderman liumrnEny—By the- same system which
the Chartists of the present day sought to establish.—
(Grnana and hisses.)
Mr. SPURR begged the meeting to be quirt. " Be,"
said he, " still as death."

Aldermen lIUMPIIERY —lf they had the Charter it
Nvoitld not be long before they were as still as death.—
(Uproar.) Much confusion here ensued ; the Chartists
per. isted in drowning the lion. Gentleman's voice by
screechings and howlings of the most varied description.
Amidst the din we understood him to contend against
the principle of the division of laid into small allot-
ments. Suppose, said he, the land were divided as you
require into small portions of five or six acres to each
person. Well, each man marries, begets children, say
five or six, or seven ; these children have an equal right,
each and every one of them, to an allotment as *ell as
the sire. Suppose, then, it were admitted that five or
six acres would support a family in comfort, how would
the subsequent subdivision among the children answer
the same purpose ? What would then be the condition
of the children, and of their children ?—(hear, hear,
and Chartist yells.) Among other absurdities it had
been objected that eight millions of waste land had,
during the reigns of the Georges, been taken into cul-
tivation for the benefit of the people.—(Great uproar,
and cries of "No, no !" during which Mr. Spurr denied
that that had been his argument. The greatest part, he
said, remained uncultivated, and much of that which was
in cultivation was compulsorily worked by the paupers
in the union workhouses, at the command of gentlemen
and noble lords.) But he (Mr. Alderman Humphery)
wanted to know how much of that land had actually
been thrown into profitable cultivation. Why, eight
millions of acres had been cultivat,sd for the benefit
of' the people.—(" Prove it, prove it.") It' the small al-
lotment system were carried into effect, not three months
Would elapse before large .farms would again exist:—
—(Tremendous uproar.) He would exhort them to go
home and reflect, and would recommend those who could
read to read their Bibles.--(The confusion here baffles
all description ; yells, execrations, whistlings, and hoot-
ings, contended for pre-eminence of discord, and effec-
tually arks7vhenetg2rtehfoerlelroe_r
nt.l..red.)
Member from continuing his
Amidst the confusion' Mr. MAYNARD withdrew his re-
solution that the members ‘: be requested to support the
prayer of the petition," and
requested
substtuted a motion that
The din that prevailed'
Mr. Wood only
at
testtehde to give it his support.
ting prevented us from vouchingconfcelrustiohne ofa thceureameyeeot-f
anin thatess transpired.
concluded at about a quarter
TYthheinbgus

past five.

STIANCE.A
_ --,—..
EXTRAORDINARY CIRCHN
ztriiaetrurred on the
Some. . adjoining Mr.
okuzfelaeds were
gular instance of the voracity of the •
bf the
one
in the
subsiding of the flood from the footpath
Oldham's mill, a few days since.
engaged in play, and dabbling with their naked
waters overflowing the banks of the Lean), wahpeinke
ofe about
juvenile party was seized by the foot by
41bs. weight, and such was the tenacity with which thist
tyrant of the watery clement kept its hold, that it
was
with no little difficulty the boy succeeded in shakily,- it
off, which having at length accomplished, he carried it
to the domicile of his parents, where it formed part of
the family meal a few hours afterwards.—Learaingior,
Courier.
THE REV. MR. HARRIS, OF ALFORD.--An
esteemed correspondent writes as follows :—The seces-
sion of Mr. Harris from the Protestant faith is contra-
dicted. He has, indeed, resigned the pastorate of the
Independent church, and has, I believe, attended the
parish church, where the doctrines of Puscyism are
preached. His little flock had become quite tired of his
genuflexions, crossings,-and saints' days. It would not
give me the least surprise to hear that Mr. Harris had
really become a Papist, as his practices haVe long been
tending in that direction. He has been living quite a
monkish life. He was originally a Catholic. He is a
man of highly respectable intellectual character; his
attainments are very considerable and ho is almost as
arailiar with the Fathers as.with his alphabet.—,Patriot.