The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-08 00:00:00

THE DUKE OF GENOA AND THE
SPANISH CROWN.

The Gazzetta d' Italia says that the King of Italy had a
conference on Saturday with the Duchess of Genoa, as to
the acceptance of the Spanish crown by the young Duke.
According to the Florence journal, the Duchess asked for
time to consider, but left the King to understand that she
would not in the end oppose the choice of the Spanish

THE PRINCE OF IVALES IN YORKSHIRE.

The Prince of Wales has commenced his second visit
to Yorkshire this season. Leaving London by the
Great Northern express at noon, his Royal Highness arrived
at Holbeck at a quarter-past five. There his carriage
was attached to the North Eastern train to Ripon. His
Royal Highness on arriving in that city was heartily
cheered by the persons assembled on the platform, and
was received and escorted to Studley Royal by the
Earl do Grey and Ripon, whose guest he will remain till
Saturday.

GREAT MEETING OF PROTECTIONISTS
AT MANCHESTER.

A great meeting of the Manchester Reciprocity Asso-
ciation was held in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, on
Monday evening, for the purpose of urging the Govern-
ment to grant an inquiry into the present stagnation of
trade, and with a view to obtain justice for British
industry. The chair was taken by Mr. R. Haworth.
The first resolution was proposed by Mr. STAVELEY Hum,
Q.C., M.P. for Coventry, as follows :—" That this meeting
desires to express its sincere sympathy with those of the,
working classes, who are unable, from want of employ-
ment, to obtain the necessaries of life, and while
deeply sensible of the advantages of free trade
adopted universally among nations, looks with alarm
on the exclusion by hostile tariffs of British manufac-
tures from foreign countries, and considers that our pre-
sent commercial policy demands an investigation by com-
mittee of the whole House of Commons. And, further,
that a copy of this resolution, signed by the chairman, be
forwarded to the Right Honourable W. E. Gladstone." Mr.
Hill declared that as the imports of the country were
higher than the exports, the balance of trade was against
us. This year the balance was over 100 millions against
this country. Could they therefore expect a prosperous
state of affairs under such circumstances ? He contended
that the trade of England was in a state of stagnation, and
brought forward statistics to prove that pauperism was
increasing.

Mr. WHEELHOUSE, M.P. for Leeds, in seconding the
resolution, intimated that the whole of our commercial
tariffs wanted revising from beginning to end.
Mr. NEWDEGATB, M.P. for North Warwickshire, who
was received with deafening applause, supported the
motion in a long speech. Ho began by expressing his
pride that during the whole term of his public life—
extending over a period of twenty-six years—he had been
consistently opposed to the system of free imports and un-
restricted competition. He had withstood the brunt of the
strong enthusiasm which was exerted by the agitation
in favour of what was called Free Trade ; and he
was proud to say that the men of North Warwick-
shire had stood by him throughout the whole period when
the opinion of this country was turned against the pro-
tective system, as if it were an offence. Turning to the
question at issue, the hon. gentleman said :—Few have
examined the subject more deeply than myself ; and my
opinion is this, that we must begin by a modification of
the system of free imports, and progress most care-
fully to the total abandonment of import duties as a
source of revenue. It is a system at which the
Americans scoff ; it is a system adopted by no other
country in the world. I came hero for a specific purpose;
it is to pray you all—to pray the intelligent commercial
men of Manchester, who are staying away from this meet-
ing to-night, like Sir Thomas Bazley—not to allow the
Government, by the use of the prerogative of her Majesty,
to tie us up to another treaty before the commercial
classes of this country, and before the representatives
of the people have been consulted upon the
terms of that treaty. Now, I have heard Mr. Glad-
stone in the House of Commons compare his treaty—the
Treaty of 1360—with the treaty which Mr. Pitt carried, the
Treaty between England and France of 1787. Take those
two documents and place them side by side, and ask your-
selves which is most for the advantage of England, and
which gives the preponderance to France ? Place them side
by side, and examine them for yourselves, and you will
know the audacity of the comparison which Mr. Gladstone
drew when he compared the Treaty of 1860 with the Treaty
of 1787, as it affects the interests of Great Britain. I say,
gentlemen, I have come here but for one purpose. I have ,
not come to debate upon the doctrines of free trade or of
protection. God knows they wore once familiar to me
enough. I have come to ask you to support us in the
claim that the result of the negotiations which are going
on for the renewal of this treaty shall be submitted to the
universal public and to Parliament before the Government
commit the Crown to an engagement which the people do
not understand. One word more : lam quite with you in
the principle of reciprocity. Well, now, I am very
unwilling to see this country bound again to France
under such terms as she rashly undertook—for they
were rashly undertaken under such a bad bar-
gain is it is known to be. Because, look at this.
It places the industry of England in this position :
Everybody wants to buy in the cheapest market. In these
days of distress you know the position of the working man
and his family. When labour has been short, he is apt to
run long scores up at the shop. Then he goes to the shop
and says, " I want such and such supplies." Perhaps a
higher price is asked than was asked before, than would
be asked elsewhere ; but the man has no alternative.
He has no money; he must pay the price, or there is
heavier discount charged on the account, which comes to
the same thing. That is not buying in the cheapest
market. Well, look at the position of England, when she is
bound to France to impose no import duty. She is like the
man in debt, because there is no equivalent restriction to
prevent a discount on her exports in the form of duties.
Therefore, I say this binding England down to free imports
whilst she secures duties upon her own imports
into France, is placing her in the position of a debtor;
it is treating the industry of England as if it were
bankrupt before its time. Again I pray you to speak
out—speak now, that you claim that her Majesty's
Government shall not commit this country again to the
engagements of 1860, or anything like them, with France,
until the representatives of the people have had an oppor-
tunity of speaking upon those tariffs—the same opportunity
that the Emperor of the French has promised to the French
Chambers. Are we less free than they are in France ? Is
our Parliament less representative? I say as a member
of the Legislature, and as the representative of a com-
mercial constituency, that I pray you to aid us in claiming a
fair investigation before any engagement such as that of
1860 is renewed by the Government.
The motion was further supported by Colonel RICHLRD-
SON-GARDNER (who unsuccessfully contested Windsor at
the general election) and carried with acclamation.
The following resolution was subsequently agreed to :
" That this meeting recommends all political organisations,
clubs, and other societies, to give their serious consideration
to the great importance of aiding the committee of this
association in restoring our national prosperity, and sug-
gests to all such bodies the necessity of holding meetings,
:ielivering lectures, distributing pamphlets, and petitioning
Parliament; and further, that the committee at once
establish a guarantee fund to meet contingent expenses in
bringing this momentous question under the consideration
of the House of Commons."

The Dublin Freemen Commission inquiry is still in
progress. On Monday a man named Noblett, who was em-
ployed at 76, Capel-street, where the bribery went on, said he
did not know what took place behind a baize screen in the
room. There was also, another witness stated, a bolo in
the panel of the door, which was covered with paper.
Forster was there (this is the name of a person who was not
forthcoming at the trial of the petition). One voter told a
witness (Watkins) that ho had "just got an envelope be-
hind the screen with .£5 in it." He suspected pretty
strongly that something was going on behind the screen.
One hundred and eighty-two" heads of families" of
Leominster, including the Mayor and ex-Mayor, have sub-
scribed to the following resolution : —" We, the undersigned,
believing the practice of bleeding calves to excess a cruel and
unnecessary one, agree to discountenance tie practice by
all possible ways and means in Leominster." Ugon this six
of the principal butchers of the town agreed to another re-
solution, pledging themselves to abstain from bleeding
eal VO3, " elievlng it to be a cruel and unnecessary practice."
Mr. Joshua Fielden, M.P., was present at the in-
auguration of a Working Men's Constitutional Association
at o:dhant, on Saturday. Ho said that though not a
Churchman himself, he was of opinion that the union of
Church and State was most important and valuable, and
that his " Dissenting-fellow Christians" had been guilty of a
great piece of folly in voting for a separation. The Irish
Church Bill had not pacified the Irish people, and there was
now a greater determination on the part of the classes it
was intended to conciliate to sot at defiance the power and
the laws of England.

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