The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-14 00:00:00

MANCHESTER.

The most important of these meetings was undoubtedly
held in Manchester. How many attended it would be
difficult to say with so many different estimates. The
Liberal papers say that 20,000 persons joined in the pro-
cessions. The Daily IVcws declares that not more than
20,000 were interested in the meetings. This statement the
Times also endorses. The Daily Telegraph puts down that
not more than 30,000 were in the Pomona Gardens (where
the meeting was held) at one time. The Standard says
200,000 helped to swell the procession, and also gives the
information to its readers that the 100,000 persons ex-
pected in the Gardens was far exceeded. It was announced
by the speakers at one of the meetings, in the midst of the
addresses, that there were 180,000 present, and " the cry
is still ' they come.'" This much is admitted on all hands,
the number of tickets distributed beforehand was enor-
mous enough to be in keeping with the highest computa-
tion, for they were avowedly " sown broadcast" through-
out the country, with the determination to have a
greater assemblage of people than ever was known. It
was asserted that 70,000 special railway tickets for the
day had been issued, and there have been believers that
the whole of the 70,000 Conservative passengers thus
booked for Manchester, on their arrival, "fell in" with a
procession of at least an equal number of citizens, march-
ing four abreast.

The weather was very favourable, and everything passed
off as well as the most enthusiastic Conservative could
desire. The rendezvous was in Albert-square, a large
area, the east side of which will be occupied by the new
Town Hall, and in the centre of which stands the
Albert Memorial. Early in the afternoon curious
sightseers thronged the Square, and waited much longer
than had been expected for the arrival of the first
nsirt. of +l-in nrocession. ^g 4h^ I—.l
ward associations, which took up its place a few minutes
before three o'clock. Other Conservative, Constitutional,
and Protestant defence associations followed in quick
succession, representing the various wards in the city,
and many towns and villages in the district which this
demonstration was to represent. The printed list of asso-
ciations represented, issued by the committee, enumerated
107 places (including the several townships in the city of
Manchester and borough of Salford) " together with
ninety-seven other Protestant organisations, including the
Orange lodges." They came with bands of music,
banners, many of them new and very elegant, and insignia
of various devices. The flags were mostly of orange and
blue, and the majority of the processionists wore favours
of the same colours. While they were assembling in the
Square, the demonstrators amused themselves with singing
national airs, and a new hymn composed by a clergyman
of Tintwistle to the tune of " Auld Lang Syne." Among
the tunes played by the bands was the "Boyne Water."
The procession moved off at a quarter before four
o'clock, and the last portion of it—the Orange lodges—
had entered the gates of the Gardens a few minutes after
seven o'clock They marched in files of four. A large
number of people assembled at the Gardens without taking
part in the procession. Eight platforms, some of them
consisting of waggons, had been provided in the Gardens
and the adjoining fields, and the speaking began at the
principal one as soon as the head of the procession
arrived.

As the various sections of the procession arrrived, the I
several platforms were occupied, and the speaking began.
The chairmen were Messrs. R. 11. Hutchinson, of Black- •
burn ; W. W. Schofield, of Rochdale ; Booth Mason, of
Abergele ; P. Boyle, M.D., of Manchester; J. W. Mac- I
lure, of Manchester ; J. Smith, mayor of Blackburn ; W.
W. B. Hulton, of Hulton Park ; and S. C. Nicholson, of
Manchester. Each chairman announced, at the request of
the demonstration committee, that they had furnished no
money to the outlying towns, but that each organisation
had borne its own expense. Among the speakers
were the Earl of Carrick, Lord Claud John Hamilton,
Lord James W. Butler, of Dublin, Captain Fleetwood
Hesketh, of Southport, the Hon. M. Portman, Sir J. E.
E. Wilmot, Bart., Major-General Beatte, R.E., of Lon-
don, Mr. W. T. Charley, M.P., and several clergymen,
including Drs. Foley, Henderson (Belfast), and Massing.
ham.
The following are the resolutions which were passed at
each of the eight meetings :—" That we view the obliga-
tion imposed by the Coronation Oath upon every Sovereign
of these realms since 1688, not as a mere compact between
the sovereign and people, revocable at pleasure, but as a
most solemn pledge to the Almighty, from which the
Legislature has no power to release ; and any attempt
to force on the Sovereign an act inconsistent with such
pledge, on the plea that the nation is willing to•forego
the obligatiOn, We deem to be an insult to the Sovereign
and an assumption of the power of dispensation, which,
as Protestants, we must ever repudiate. That the bill
for the disestablishment and disendowment of the Irish
branch of the United Church of England and Ireland
will, if it become law, destroy the Protestant constitution
of this Protestant kingdom, lead to Papal supremacy in
Ireland, and shake the rights of property. And that we
therefore call upon the House of Lords to reject the bill."
"That we protest against the confiscation of the property
of the Church in Ireland, and against the proposal to
hand over a large portion of such property to the Roman
Catholics. That we feel grateful to our brother Protes-
tants in Ireland for their firm and temperate stand
against the combined forces of Popery, Infidelity, Radi-
calism, and Revolution. That we heartily join with them
in declaring our determination to uphold the Legislative
Union between Great Britain and Ireland so long as the
spirit of the international compact is respected and held
inviolate by the British Parliament ; but that, should the
fifth article of the Treaty of Union, which is expressed to
be essential, fundamental, and perpetual, be repealed, we
I shall be forced to regard the Union as virtually dissolved.
And that we strongly condemn the conduct of the
Government in releasing the Fenian prisoners, and thereby
giving encouragement to Fenianism, the existence of
which is made the pretext for despoiling the Church in
Ireland." The third resolution authorised the chairman
to sign a petition embodying the foregoing resolutions,
which was to be sent to the Earl of Derby for presenta-
tion to the House of Lords on Monday.
At the principal platform, at which Mr. B. H. Hut-
chinson, of Blackburn, took the chair, the following
rider to the second resolution was also adopted, on the
motion of Sir J. Eardley Wilmot, Bart., who said he had
been asked to propose it :—" That we particularly requ est
the lords spiritual of the kingdom, and especially the
Archbishop of York and the Bishops of the United
Kingdom, to take part with the House of Lords in reject-
ing the bill." In other respects the proceedings at all the
platforms were identical.