The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-06 00:00:00

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be governed by words—will b egraded to a mere dia-
-1 tinction between hoe pocus.—(Great laughter.)
Will thEFoo o men and the spirit of a free country
result in such an ignominious and mystical catastrophe?
—(Bear, hear.) lam not one of those who, under any
circumstances, will despair. The agricultural interest,
and I mean by the agricultural interest two-thirds of
the English people, who depend directly or indirectly
upon the cultivation of their native soil, have been
oftentimes assaulted, though perhaps not under circum-
stances so particular as the present. But they have,
risen tram the sod they cultivate with renewed energy.
—(Hear.) They are like that great gentleman who sits
upon the throne of France, who bears a " charmed life"
—(Cheers)--and notwithstanding the pistols of the re-
formed tariff, and that infernal machine the Corn Im-
portation Act, I believe that they will baffle all the ma-
noeuvres and machinations of their enemies.—(Cheers.)
But my Hon. Friend has told you we are met here
to day, not so much to moralise upon the past as to
speculate upon the future. To his theme and plan every
man of intelligence did respond. I know that what he
states here be practises in another place.—(Great
cheering.) But I know, and I trust under other circum-
stances, we shall retrace our steps. I believe we shalt
retrace our steps. I expressed that opinion lately in
another place, and a great authority questioned the
justness of that. position. It was said then, that applied
to some events of no great importance, it might be true...
The instances I quoted were not very slight ones. I
referred to a throne which was subverted, yet before
which you now bow—(Cheers)---of an altar which was
overwhelmed, yet before which you now kneel. I spoke
of high courts of Parliament which were abrogated, yet
Nlembers of which are now meeting the farmers of
Norfolk and the burgesses of Lynn at this festival. I
referred to financial revolutions, which, after a century
are declared unjust ; of changes no less important
than the abrogation of slavery, which the Ministers
and political economists of the present day
have, scarcely with a disguise, confessed to be a
blunder; and according to the money, in opposition to
the moral, principle they are so. But if the principle
that the history of England is the history of reaction
be true, as Lord J. Russell admits, in slight instances,.
and be true, as I have proved, in great ones, it must be
admitted that it is a rule of very general application.—
( Hear, hear,) Mind I do not say universal application—
I leave rules of universal application to political econo-
mists.—(Loud cheers,) Gentlemen, the principle is in-
controvertible, and Lord J. Russell is the last man who
should controvert it. Why, what has been for nearly
two centuries the prime policy of the house of Bedford
and of the great historical party of which they are the
Ihiefs? Certainly this—to prevent the government of
reland being in the hands of the Roman Catholic popula-
tion.—(Hear, hear.) Now, gentlemen, I give no opinion
nosy upon the policy or impolicy of that course—l wish
to enter into no controversy upon it—l refer merely
to a political fact and to an historical illustration.
' No one can impugn the accuracy of my statement.—
(Hear, hear.) And I ask you now, at this day, what is
the prime policy of the house of Bedford, represented
by Lord John Russell, and of the great historical party
of which he is the able leader? Unquestionably to place
the Government of Ireland principally in the hands of
the Roman Catholic population. Lord John Russell and
the Whigs then are retracing their steps, and this is
another proof that the history of "England is the history
of reaction. The Hon. Gentleman concluded his address
by again referring to the Corn Bill, and saying that that
reaction would speedily lead to its repeal, and resumed
his seat amidst great cheering.
Various other toasts we then drunk, amongst which
Mr. Miles, M.P.,
were " The Health of the Earl of Oxford, the chairman,"
&e., but the party had not broken up
when our express left.

- -
APPREHENDED CHOLERA IN
THE METROPOLIS.
A public meeting was held on Tuesday, at the Lon-
' don Tavern, Bishopsgate•street, for the purpose of de-
; ciding as to the best means to be adopted in order to
prevent or lessen the evils that would result from the
breaking out of cholera in the metropolis. The room
was not very crowded, but several medical gentlemen
practising in the city of London and its suburbs, and
persons known to take an interest in the cleansing and
drainage of the City, were present, and took an active
part in the proceedings.
At half-past twelve o'clock the Rev. Jas. Harris was
called to the chair.
Mr. COCHRANE first addressed the meeting. He
commenced by alluding to the horrible nature of the
Asiatic cholera, and to the causes which produced it,
or at least considerably aggravated the symptoms.
These were the noxious vapours emanating from
drains and uncovered sewers, and the effluvia arising
from accumulated filth, such as rotten vegetables,
stagnant water, &c., which all must have noticed
more or less in different parts of London and the suburbs.
Amongst other things, he stated that in Westminster
alone there were I'o,ooo gully holes communicating
with sewers, one half of which were stopped up. The
result was the exhalation of pestilential gases, which
eve' in the absence of any epidemic could not fail
to prove highly injurious to the public health. For
the remedy of this evil the introduction of legis-
lative measurs had been recommended, but he
did not think it would be advisable to wait
for that ; ha thought the plague itself might makes its
appearance `before the evil was.,renaored;if people dt-
layed in the Ropb of such means its those alluded to%
being taken. He intended submitting a resolution to
theameeting, in wkich.the Lord Ma,yor would be re-
questO to convene a pUblic meeting, in order to take
measures for the removal of what might Le the causeSof
a dreadful calamity.
Mr. GOULD was happy to say that he had the Lord
Mayor's authority for stating that there was no such
thing as Asiatic cholera at present in the metropolis.
Ile therefore hoped the meeting would not come to any
resolutions which might tend to cause unnecessary alarm
to the public.—(Hear, hear.) He himself was of opi-
nion that the mere calling of a public meeting for the
consideration of such a question had been unadvisable,
but now that it was assembled, some good might be done
by considering the state of the streets of London with
reference to drainage and sewerage, and the good that
must always be produced by the promotion of habits of
cleanliness among the poor. He then called attention
to the baths and washhouses established in
Glasshouse-yard and East Smithfield, and to the pleasure
with which the poor resorted to them. There was no de-
nyima, the beneficial effects producedby these institutions,
but it was also worthy of remark that at the very door
of these free baths, dirt, stagnant water, and refuse of
all descriptions, were collected, thus directly counteracting
the advantages resulting. to the poorer classes from the
cleanly condition of their bodies and clothes.
Dr. CHARLES J. Cox spoke of the immense amount
of diarrhoea at present affecting the inhabitants of Lon-
don. It was chiefly found among the poor, and was oc-
casioned, in addition to other causes, by consumption
of unripe and rotten fruit, the selling of which, he said,
ought to be prevented by the police. He proposed a
resolution appointing a committee of medical men to de-
cide on some simple remedy for the prevalent disease,
and which should be sold by all the chemists and
druggists.
This resolution was subsequently negatived.
Dr. E. MooRE had had much experience in cases of
cholera. What was termed the English cholera was,
doubtless, very prevalent, and he had met with one
case in which the symptoms had been very similar
to those of the Asiatic cholera. He had informed
the Secretary of State of the fact, but had merely
received an acknowledgment of his letter. He
thought considerable blame was attached to
the parochial authorities for the filthy manner in which
the streets were kept ; the sewer rate was most con-
scientiously exacted, but though the outlay of a few hun-
dred pounds would render the neighbourhood in which
hellived (Bethnal-green) both clean and healthy, nothing
was done towards its improvement.
Mr. GOULD considered it unwise to become a meeting
of alarmists, for to that he thought it was approaching.
He hoped it would be perfectly understood by the public
that no cholera of the Asiatic description was at present
in London.
A very long and desultory discussiona)
which ended in the adoption of a resolution,callingupon
f ,or to consider the facts that had been
then took place,
the Lord
.5
condition of
to take measures
hptr ofovthe metropolis.
fbarrouirug
Mier a rote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting
improving the
forward
ea t
sanatorythe m
adjourned until Thursday next, at one o'clock.