The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-21 00:00:00

that nothing he could say alter the character of this bill
He had always thought that the political education of
Englishmen took place in their own localities, and that
in each locality every man became accustomed to govern
himself and his own affairs. He looked with extreme
suspicion upon any attempt to wrest out of the people's
hands the management of their own concerns. (Cheers.)
He looked upon this as ore of the most iosidions at-
tempts of that, kind, and promised them that so far as
his abilities permitted he would oppose this bill in every
respect. (13enen el chetr,.) He was not content with
any one of its provisions, and he hoped the hon. member
would steadily adhere to his determination, on the mo-
tion for the second reading of the bill, to move the for-
ma! amendment that it be read a second time that da♦
six months ; but at 11 meaning by that amendment to
turn it out with every possibte ignominy. Some gen-
tlemen had talked of the candour and good intentions
of Sir George Grey. He (Mr. Roebuck) had uo faith in
them. (A. laugh.) It a man brought forward a bill of
this kind he did it with his eyes open ; and the only
effect which this measure could have would be to wrest
power out of the hands of the people, and to place it
in the hands of the Government. It was the peculiarity
of the Whigs to fancy that they had an eternal lease of
power. (A. laugh.) It had been his fortune, however,
to see them out of power on several occasions, and he
anticipated that be should see them out of power again,
nntwitbstand n 7, their strong vitality. If power was
withdrawn in this case from the hands of the people,
and put into the hands of the central Government, the
meeting might assume that the police concerns in their
several localities would be no better managed than the
Government conducted their own affairs. (Hear.) H.
bad, as they knew, taken part recently in an inquiry
into the way in which the Government had managed
its own affairs in a memorable case ; and of anything
more disgraceful than their conduct in managing the
army no body of men in their senses were ever
guilty. He was sure that if the management
of that army had been intrusted to any municipal
corporation in the kingdom the country would never
have heard of the disgraceful proceedings and disasters
which Lad ensued. (Cheers.) That being the case, he..
looked with jealousy on any relmquishment of power
into the hands of the Government. He believed it was
for the benefit of the whole country that the people
should look to municipal government. It was part of
their education, and every extension of municipal privi-
leges was pro tanto an increase of the power of the people.
As he had great faith in his countrymen, as he had faith
in the municipalities of this kingdom, and as he had great
faith in freedom, he would oppose this bill. (Cheers.)
The resolution was also supported by Mr. Alderman
Lloyd, of Liverpool. the Mayors of Leicester, Brighton,
Leeds, Sheffield, Worcester, Stratford-on-Avon, and
Winchester, and by Mr. Bass, M.P., Col. Smyth, M.P.,
and Lord Henry Lennox, M.P.

The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
The Mayor of PORTSUOUTE briefly moved the second
resolution, to the effect that the meeting, having taken
into consideration the bill in question, felt bound to offer
it their most strenusus opposition, and, at the same tisae,
regarded the continued endeavours of the Government
to reduce the responsible representatives of free munici-
pal constituencies to the condition of mere fiscal agents
of a Mini,ter of the Crows as displaying a tendency
towards centralisation of a most objectionable character,
calculated ultimately to subvert and destroy the prin-
ciples of local self-government, deliberately recognised
by Parliament, and confirmed and extended to the people
by the Municipal Reform Act.
Mr. DuNN, a member of the town-council of New-
castle-upon-Tyne, seconded the resolution, expressing
fully and faithfully as it did the feelings of the municipal
body to which be belonged, as evinced at a special meet.
ing held to consider the provisions of the measure on the
preceding day, and at which a deputation, headed by the
May( r, was to proceed to London to take part in this
movement.

The resolution was supported by the Mayors of Sur •
derland and Nottingham, and carried unanimously.
Mr. ROEBUCK, M.P., wished to impress on the meet-
ing that the whole of this battle would really be fought
in the Housi of Commons, and he hoped every con-
stituent woul I do his utmost to put the member v;hore•
presented him there in the right course. (A. laugh.)
The tneetin; was subeequently addressed by Sir
Joshua Walms'ey, M.P., Mr. Wells, M.P., and the
Mayors of Cambridge, Halifax, and Rochester, and by
Alderman George, of 11,,tutscy.
In the course of the meeting Mr. Roetuck, Lord
Henry Lennox, Sir Joshua Walmsley, and the Mayor of
Birmingham proceeded to the Home-office to learn from
Sir George Grey when he would receive the meeting as
a deputation, the right hon. genilmiau havingprevionsly
written to them to say he would be prepared to grant
them an interview. They did not find hint at the Home-
office, hut, before the me t og separated, a letter was re-
ceived from it George stair g that he woult receive
them to-morrow (this day) at 2 o'clock.
A vote of thanks to the i.hairtnan concluded the pro-
ceedings.

THE MOWER GUN AT THE MERSEY STEEL
AND IRON COMPANY'S WORKS.

This marvellous piece of ordnance, the greatest wonder
in weapons of modern warfare, is progressing rapidly to
completion. As soon as the huge mass left the hands°
the forgers it was transferred to the lathe-room, in an.-
other portion of thee extensive works, and tinily since
has been undergoing the operation of turning. The
first effort of the artisans in this portion of the este-
bliArneet was to turn the outside of the piece, and give
it the ordinary appeeranc3 of a cannon, which it now
assumes. This, though it is not finished as regards tae
polish to be given to it, proved the sterling qualities of
the iron. But, evidently to show what would be the
ultimate finish of the ote;sde, a little more than two feet
from the muzzle has been perfected, and certainly no-
thing can exceed the richness of the polish imparted to
it, which is a further test of the excellence of the ma-
terial. The exterior being so far completed, 'the opera-
tion of boring was commenced about 10 days ago with a
cut of 11 inches, and up to Saturday evmen: about 6
feet 6 inches of a eavite had been made. Strangers
who are permitted to witness the progress of the work
are a4onished to see with- u hat ease the huge mass is
turned by the machinery ; ande tint% itbstending the
out is so large in oismeter, not the slighte. t in pediment
appears to be imparted to the momentum of the peat
revolving body. The uninitiated in such a seem are
amazed to know that the operation of boring is going on,
so noiselessly does the instrument cut its way into the
iron. As may be expected, from the great bore which
s hem.- made, the operation is very slow. The success
attending the forging of this immense piece of iron at
once disproves the statements which were made some
time aro, that large bodies of iron could not be forged
for ordnance without crystallisation. A finer and-better
material in every respect was never turned out of the
hands of the artisan than this great body, which, so far,
has been the admiration of everyscieritific man who has
seen it. Some idea of the vastness of this gun may be
gathered from the following particulars of its dimensions :
—When finished the barrel will be 15 feet long ; it will
be 27 inches. in diameter at the muzzle, or 84i inches in
circumference, and 44 inches in chant ?ter at the breech,
or 1381 inches iu circumference. The bore will be 13
feet 6 inches long, and 13 inches in diameter. When
completed, it is estimated it will have cost the company
3:0001. in material and labour alone. The gun is ex-
pected to be ready in about six weeks, and, with the
trunuions complete, will weigh something over 24 tons.
When finished, it will he drawn through the town by 20
of the company's fine horses, and will ultimately betaken
to Waterloo to be tested. The charee will be over 100;b.
of gunpowder, with one of the shot of 3021 b. Mr. Clay,
the talented manager of the works, is superintending the
whole of the work.—Live pool rims.