The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-15 00:00:00

CHARTIST CONVENTION.

(THIS DAY.)

The delegates met this morning at the usual hour,
but in consequence of the number who had left as mis-
sionaries to various parts of the kingdom, the number
was rather limited; Mr. M'Grath in the chair.

THE PUBLIC PRESS•
Mr. STEVENSON brought forward a motion, denouncing
the press of the country as the enemies of the working
classes of the country, more especially the Morning
Chronicle, the proprietors of which belonged to a class
who had received great assistance from the working
classes. The Convention had no objection to a report of
their proceedings going
before the public, but he pro-
tested against the abominable misrepresentations of their
proceedings in the Morning Chronicle and other papers.
Mr. ADAMS made a most violent attack upon the
gentlemen attending to report their proceedings, whom
he was pleased to denominate as men who would sell
their country for a crust of bread, and were either
traitors to the cause of truth, or had not the moral
courage to give fair reports of their proceedings, think-
ing that they might lose their situations. An observa-
tion of Mr. Lund, 3 esterday, that the press would write
down Jesus Christ as a devil to serve their purpose had
been taken notice of as blasphemy; if that was consi-
dered as blasphemy, he would continue to be a blas-
phemer.

- Mr. GRAHAM protested against entering into a theolo-
gical discussion.
Mr. ADAats explained that he did not mean to bring
on any discussion of that sort.
Mr. SHERRIN thought that the press ought not to be
interfered with, and that the resolution ought not to be
brought forward.
Mr. COCHRANE, pointing to the reporters' table, said
that they were the persons who would write anything
according to their own interests, and he believed that
these infamous reporters of the public press were now
inwardly sneering at the expressions of the delegates.
(This pointed attack was received with loud cheers from
the people assembled in the galleries.)
Mr. WILKINSON thought that it was most cowardly to
attack gentlemen who had not the opportunity of reply-
ing or defending themselves.
Mr. CIIFFAI thought that the Convention had not
taken the proper course with regard to the press, if
they had anything to complain of they ought to call
the printer and publisher to the bar of the house.—
(Loud laughter.) That was the course pursued in
another place, and what did it end in? Why nothing.
—(Cheers and laughter.) For his part he had nothing
to complain of, for the press appeared to be very friendly
to him, for any thing which he said in that assembly
which those around him considered very shocking, was
invariably suppressed by the gentlemen of the press, he
believed, with the best feelings, viz., a regard for his
(Mr. Coffey's) personal safety.—(Cheers and laughter.)
He found that he had become a very popular man lately,
and as such had received various letters, one or two of
which he would read to the Convention. The Hon. Dele-
gate then proceeded, amid roars of laughter, to read the
following letter from Col. Sibthorp:—
"If Mr. and Mrs. Cuffay have no objection to take
their meals with a gentleman rather opposed to them on
political questions, Colonel Sibthorp would be de-
lighted to see them at a family dinner on Wednesday,
the 19th, at six o'clock.
"Colonel Sibthorp is much pleased with Mr. Cuffay's
moderation in the Convention, and will have great
pleasure in making his acquaintance. Nobody dines
with Colonel Sibthorp on that day but Mr. Disraeli
and a gentleman from Philadelphia and bis lady.
" 27, Chester-street, Grosvenor-square.
" To Mr. Cuffay."
Mr. COFFAY also read the following letter, purporting
to come from Miss Martineau:—
"Dear Mr. Cuffay,—l am so sorry to see by
the papers that you are in such distress. I shall
be happy to give your wife a day's washing every
week, and the scraps of my house, and I could find
you some employment at a friend's house in shoe.
cleaning.—Yours, &c ,

"HARRIET MARTINEAU,

" To Mr. Cuffay."
Mr. Cuffay proceeded to state that if people thought he
was a tool he did not care for it, and he did not pay any
particular attention to what people thought of him.—
(Cheers.) He thought it most ridiculous to press the
motion to a division, and he begged, therefore, to move
the previous question.
Several delegates having supported the original
motion,

Mr. CUFYAY, with some warmth, said that he thought
that the Convention ought to consider itself highly
honoured by being noticed by the press at all. He did
not complain of anything the press said of him, as the
world well knew that he was opposed to the present
system of things, and prepared to do anything at any
time to upset the Government.

A very:animated discussion ensued, in which several of
the delegates supported the opinion that the working
classes ought not to frequent any house where the papers
opposed to them were taken in.
The CHAIRMAN did not approve of any particular
paper being made the subject of a motion, and advised
that the name of the Morning Chronicle be expunged
from the motion, as if, some months hence, a pane of
glass should be broken at the office of that paper, it
would be laid at the doors of the Convention. The press
was the main upholder of the present form of the go-
vernment, and without that support it could not exist.
He proceeded to state that the Chartists were not
men of blood, but were determined to obtain
their rights. 1)o what they would, they 'could not
please the writers for the press ; their language to
the Chartists seemed to be "you can and you can't,
you shall and you shan't, you'll be d---d if you do,
and you'll be d--d if you don't."
The motion having been amended by the omission
of the Morning Chronicle, was carried by a large ma-
jority.

MEMORIAL TO THE QUEEN.
Mr. WALTER then brought up the report of a com-
mittee appoint/ d to draw up a memorial to the Queen,
praying her Majesty to dismiss her present Ministry,
dissolve the Parliament, and call to her councils per-
sons favourable to making the Charter the immediate
law of the land.

The memorial having been read was, after a few verbal
alterations, unanimously agreed to.
Mr. CHILDE then moved that meetings be held
throughout the country for the purpose of adopting the
memorial, which it was then suggested should be signed
by the chairman on behalf of the meeting, and that the
ground occupied by the meeting should be measured,
and the area forwarded by the chairman to the Execu-
tive in London.
Several delegates said that the people would not be
put to the trouble and expense of signing any more
petitions or memorials on the subject.
Mr. CHILD said that he waited upon several persons
with some of the sheets of the last petition, and was
told by many of them that they would not sign the peti-
tion any more; that the House of Commons were too
great a set of thieves ; and if that petition was not
granted, they would then be prepared with something
harder than pen and ink.
Ultimately a motion was agreed to for the appoint-
ment of two tellers, who should inform the Executive of
the numbers attending such meeting.

such a promise, he shall immediately give notice thereof
to the Prussian Ambassador in London, who is ordered
there to requ, st the British Government to send cruisers
to the Channel and the Sound, who might inform vessels
b utid to our ports of the intentions of the Danish Go-
vernment, and summon them to make for some British
or Norwegian port, i❑ order to escape the danger of
which they might be threatened."