The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-03 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, 1111JRSDAY EVENING, MAY 3, 1860.

OUNTRY APARTMENT S.—To be LET,
\--) Furnished, THREE BED ROOMS, a Sitting Room,
ard use of a Kitchen, near a healthy village twelve miles
from London. The house stands in a very extensive garden
and is dose to Bushy Park, at an easy dist nce from two
stations. Omnibuses p .ss within a few minutes' walk to and
from London, and the stations several times during the day.
To those seeking rural retirement and quiet comfort this ad-
vertisement offers unusual advantages. Address, M. E.,
Hampton Wick, Middlesex.

THE REFORM BILL.

A public demonstration, originated by the North
London Political Union, was held in the Britannia-
fields on Tuesday, for the purpose, as stated in the
bills, of answering "the foul and cowardly insults
and calumnies given utterance to by the enemies
of the people in the House of Commons, as also to
petition Parliament in favour of the Government
Reform Bill." The meeting was called for eight
o'clock, and previous to that hour a considerable
number of people had assembled in the vicinity of
the spot where the proceedings were to take place.
The numbers kept gradually augmenting until a
quarter past eight, when the chair was taken by
Mr. B. Lucraft, who was unanimously voted to it.
There was a large assemblage, principally of the
class of respectable working men.
The following petition to the House of Commons
was proposed :--
" To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain

and Ireland in Parliament assembled. --
" The humble petition of the members of the
North London Political Union and others, inhabi-
tants of London in public meetineassembled,
" Sheweth—
" That your petitioners have read with astonish-
ment and regret that certain members of your
honourable house oppose their enfranchisement, on
the ground of their poverty and ignorance, and
that the constitution, property, and social order
will be endangered. We deny that the object of
the working classes in obtaining the franchise is
the subversion of the constitution plunder of pro-
.e. /yawl- tijoslestrudioftardercz-But on
e'contrary, we desire to see the constitution shed-
ding its glory on all around, and to protect from
plunder the people as well as property, that
social order may be preserved. lire, therefore,
pray that your honourable house will pass, with-
out further delay, the measure now under dis-
cussion for amending the representation of the peo-
ple. We also pray your honourable house to show
the working classes that respect to which as men
they are entitled, by discountenancing the use of
such terms as have been used towards them by the
opponents of the bill. We also pray your honour-
able house to remember that you are no more than
men. And also, not to forget that, notwithstand-
ing we work with our hands for our daily bread, and
for the bread of our families, we are men, and your
equals. And we further pray your honourable
house to consider that such terms as clowns, scum,
boors, ruffians, and the like, applied to the great
body of the working classes, by their offensiveness
are likely to create an antagonism disastrous to the
best interests of the nation."

Mr. LONGMEAD moved an amendment to the effect
that the petition be not adopted, but that Lord
John Russell's measure be allowed to fall into the
contempt which from its insignificance it merited.
Mr. ARABIN seconded the amendment, but on the
chairman taking the sense of the meeting the amend-
ment was declared to be lost, and the resolution and
petition carried by a large majority.
The proceedings then terminated.

ing visible in the various journals it makes us
suspicious. The French soldiers appeared at the
races the other day with their side arms, while our
men were there without. There was nearly a row,
and I assure you no good feeling exists. Our popu-
lation is about 6,090. Ships arrive daily, and
average in number 1,000 per annum. We have
about 600 liberated Africans, who are hardy fellows
and work well; they earn from 3s. to ss. per day."

FIELD-LANE _REFUGES AND RAGGED

SCHOOLS.

'Yesterday evening the 18th anniversary mcetir.7
of the friends and supporters of those admirable
charities took place at St. Martin's-hall under the
presidency of the Earl of Shaftesbury—the Bishop
of Ripon and others being present on the platform.
The meeting having been opened with prayer,
Mr. TAWELL, the secretary, read the report,
which gave in most lengthy detail the result of the
operations of the charities during the past year.
The report stated that the large free day schools
were in full operation for infants, boys, and girls ;
375 fresh scholars had been admitted during the
year, making 3,830 since the opening of the present
premises. On one occasion, when 510 children were
present, 123 were found to be either fatherless or
motherless, 12 were orphans, 17 destitute ; the
parents of seven were in prison, and of two in mad-
houses, and 13 were deserted by either father or
mother. Every afternoon the girls have a sewing
class. The new articles made by it were sold to
scholars at one-third the cost of the material. Those
made from worn material were given to the most
destitute ; and but for this assistance many of the
children would be naked. During the past year
166 scholars had obtained situations from the day
school, 83 were sent to refuges, 64 to the Royal
Navy, 44 to the Shoeblack Society, 14 to the Cross-
ing-sweepers Brigade, and 11 restored to their
friends, making in all 382 provided for. The winter
average attendance at the boys' night school was
150, and the boys' industrial classes had been very
well attended indeed ; 288 fresh pupils had come to
the tailoring class and 328 to the shoemakers.' The
girls' industrial or servants' preparatory class con-
tinued to be of the greatest service ; 56 girls from
the class this year received prizes for retaining
their places over 12 months. The penny bank in
connexion with the ragged school had 313 depositors,
who had paid in during theyear X 173, and withdrawn
£196, leaving in the hands of the treasurer a ba-
lance of £59. The large amount of the withdrawals
had been mainly occasioned by the builders'
late strike. The male night refuge, with the excep-
tion of about 6 per cent, was frequented by youths
and destitute men of good character. During the
year it has supplied 32,736 lodgings and 72,000 Boz.
loaves of bread to 8,147 persons, of whom 747 have
been provided for and are now earning their living,
and many others had got, through its aid, into re-
gular employment. The new female night refuge
had admitted during the year (though only opened
on the 21st Dec. last) 1,368 women, who received in
all 16,660 lodgings and 34,000 loaves of bread, with
coffee night and morning; 205 of these poor crea-
tures had been provided with clothing and sent to
domestic service or into refuges, and 215 to other
kinds of industrial occcupation. The girls' refuge
for the most respectable girls from the general re-
fuge had proved a most valuable branch, and the
Clothing Society, Maternal Society, the Bible
schools, and ragged church service, had all been of
the utmost use, and the latter especially was well
attended and fully appreciated. The annual sub-
scription had increased, though at present, unfor-
tunately, it did not nearly equal the expenditure.
The balance in hand from last audit was £1,914 17s.
90., and this, with the receipts and subscriptions,
amounting to £5,643 17s. 42d. made the whole sum
to be accounted for during the year, including in-
terest on the limes' Fund, £7,558 15s. 2d. Of this
sum £2,937 4s. Bd. had been expended, including
£1,421 for the new refuges. The remainder, with
the exception of £776 10s. 6d. balance in hand, had
been invested. Thus on the whole the report stated
that upwards of 10,000 of the poor and destitute
had been participators in the benefits of these
charities, and of this number 1,580 had been removed
from the streets and placed in positions, where, by
the exercise of their own industry, they were en-
abled to maintain themselves respectably and inde-
pendently.
On the motion of the noble CHAIRMAN, seconded
by the Bishop of RIPON, the report as read was re-
ceived and adopted, and the meeting, which was
addressed by many friends of the refuges and
ragged schools, terminated with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.