The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-26 00:00:00

REFORM LEAGUE.

At the meeting of the council last evening, Mr.
Edmond Beales, M.A., in the chair,
The PRESIDENT said, in reference to the course
taken by Mr. Cunnington with the object of effect-
ing a union with the Working Men's Association,
that it had been done without any previous com-
munication with himself. He had referred the
matter entirely to the League, and would have been
quite willing to carry out their decision, whatever
it might have been. He had been in Glasgow,
where a conference on Reform had been held, to
which he had been invited. He had found that
there was in Scotland a perfect identity of feeling
with themselves. The Reformers there fully ad-
hered to the principle of manhood suffrage, while
expressing a willingness to accept the bill which
was offered them as an instalment of their rights.
At the same time they objected to the difference
between the borough and county franchise, and
to the attempt to give an undue influence to the
landowners, as well as to the insufficient number
of representatives allowed for Scotland. Resolu-
tions in accordance with these views had beon
passed by large and enthusiastic meetings in diffe-
rent places. He had assured them that the
Leaguers in England were ready to support
the Scotch Reformers. He had never met with
a more cordial reception, and he could now safely
say that Reformers were united in England, Ire-
land, and Scotland. When in Scotland he had re-
ceived Mr. Cunnington's letter, for which he was
completely unprepared. He had then written to
Mr. Howell, referring the matter to the council, for
he would not allow any personal feelings or con-
siderations to stand in the way if they wished him
to agree to the proposal to take the chair at the
banquet in the Crystal Palace. The executive had
agreed to the compromise, but the council had re-
jected it by a large majority—(cheers)—and he
bowed to their decision. Their was another matter
he must now mention. A man who might be called
the apostle of liberty had been arrested. He felt
it would be their bounden duty to hold a meeting
to sympathise with him. (Loud cheers.)
Some discusdon arose as to the question of the
banquet, which had been adjourned to that evening,
and at length the minute of adjournment was dis-
charged by a unanimous resolution to pass to the
next subject.

Mr. LUCRAFT said that a perfectly sufficient
reason for the league not uniting in the banquet was
that they had themselves decided against holding a
banquet in the Crystal Palace in consequence of the
expense which this place would entail on working
men.

Other members followed, stating plainly that they
could not co-operate with the Working Men's As-
sociation. A long discussion then ensued upon the
attempt to enforce the payment of other than poor-
rates by the occupiers, and Mr. Acland was ap-
pointed to attend a meeting on the subject to be
held at Hoxton this evening.
The CHAIRMAN said that he was bringing out an
edition of the Reform Act, with notes, and gave it
as his decided opinion that the only rate necessary
to be paid to secure a vote was thepoor-rate.
A resolution was then unanimously passed, that
as the council felt that Garibaldi had gained more
freedom for the peoples of Europe, and with less
cost of blood and treasure, than all the Govern-
ments of Europe, and that his arrest was intended to
stop the progress of liberty, a meeting should be
called at once to sympathise with him. After some
discussion the secretary was directed to take steps
to call such a meeting for Tuesday evening next.
It was announced that the preparations for the
banquet of the league were in a forward state, and
time and place would be most likely announced this
week.

THE WESTERN FISHERY.—In the week ended on
Tuesday nearly 50 hogsheads of pilchards and a large
quantity of hake were caught on the Cornish coast. About
300,000 herrings were taken on the South Devon coast, in
addition to a few hogsheads of pilchards.