The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-11 00:00:00

AVERAGE PRICE OF SUGAR

The Average Price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, com-
puted from Returns made iu the week ending the Bth day
of March, 1859, exclusive of the duties of Customs paid or
payable thereon, on the importation thereof into Great
Britain :

Per cwt.
From the British possessions in America 28s bid
Muscovado, the produce of the Mauritius 28s 9fd
Muscovado, the produce of the East Indies 31s 3fd
Average price of the foregoing 29s d

COURSE OF EXCHANGE.—This DAY.
Amsterdam
:- Ditto
Rotterdam — 11 171 11 17/
Antwerp
Brussels — 25 30 25 35
Hamburgh
Paris
_ _ _ ___

Ditto ...
Marseilles .

3 Months. 25 30
25
_321

25 35
25
_37i

Frankfort on Maine
Vienna
Trieste
Petersburgh
Madrid
Cadiz
Leghorn
Genoa

117 i
11 1.5
11 18
35i
49
49
29 70
2.5 45

118
11 25
11 28
35
4
49
9
29 '2f
25 521

Naples
Palermo —
Messina —
Lisbon
Oporto
Rio Janeiro
New York — _

40
1191
120
52
52i

40k
1201
1201
52,
53i

E.I. Co's big. House Ns. 60d
Calcutta, Co.'s rupee 26 24i
Bombay ditto
Madras ditto — 26 24}
East India Company s Bills drawn, from the 24th ult. to
the Bth inst.

Bengal £o 0 0
Madras 0 0 0
Bombay

£0 0 0

Foreign Gold in Bars (Standard) per oz. £3 17 9
Mexican Dollars
Silver in Bars (Standard) „ 0 5 1

THE GOVERNMENT REFORM BILL.

GREAT MEETING IN THE CITY-(THIS

DAY.)

A public meeting of the citizens of London was
held this day, at two o'clock, in the Guildhall, for
the purpose of taking into consideration the Re-
form Bill introduced into Parliament by her Ma-
jesty's Government.
Long before the hour fixed for the commence-
ment of the meeting the hall was densely crowded.
Mr. Ernest Jones was amongst the crowd, appa-
rently not having been able to procure a ticket for
admission to the platform ; there appeared also to
be a good sprinkling of " non-electors" present in
obedience to the circular issued by Mr. Jones for
them to attend and support him in his endeavours
to advocate their interest.

Two o'clock was the hour fixed ; at which hour
the Lord Mayor entered the hall, and took the
chair, accompanied by Sir J. Duke, M.P., Mr.
Crawford, M.P., Baron Rothschild, M.P., Mr. D.
W. Harvey, Mr. Sergeant Parry, Mr. W. Leaf,
Mr. Ingram Travers, Mr. Hall, Mr. Tite, M.P., Mr.
Cox, M.P., Mr. Briscoe, M.P., and about 100 other
gentlemen of influence. Lord J. Russell was not
present.
The LORD MAYOR, in opening the proceedings,
said the present meeting had been convened in con-
sequence of a requisition signed by upwards of 900
gentlemen. He trusted the meeting would give
a patient hearing to each speaker.
Mr. SAMUEL MORLEY, on coning forward, said
he regretted that, owing to the absence of gentle-
men who generally took a prominent part in politics,
he had been called upon to move the first resolu-
tion, which was as follows :

" That the Reform Bill submitted by the Government
to the House of Commons is unworthy of the acceptance
of the citizens of London, as a settlement of the claims of
the country to a just and comprehensive measure of re-
form, inasmuch as it disfranchises those electors who now
possess county votes in respect of property situate in
boroughs, and enables the proprietors of freeholds within
boroughs to vote without requiring their personal presence
at the polling place, or their residence in the borough ; and
because it does not provide the protection of the ballot for
the electors—does not extinguish any of the small and cor-
rupt boroughs—does not assign any increase in the number
of their representati' es to those leading boroughs in the
metropolis, and throughout the country, which are now so
inadequately represented ; and lastly, because it does not
confer votes upon those large portions of the working classes
who have shown themselves fully competent to exercise the
franchise. This meeting, therefore, is of opinion that the
bill ought to be rejected on its second reading."
The bill he looked upon as a complete failure. It
in reality settled nothing. The glaring inequalities
of the present system were left untouched. The
Tower Hamlets, with its 25,000 electors, would still
remain only equal to Thetford, Arundel, and Caine.,
which would still return three aristocratic nomi-
nees. (Cheers and hisses.) There were a number
of fanciful franchises erected, but
they would b e
utterly worthless. The ballot was ignored, and in
its stead a system of voting papers was sub-
stituted. Such a circumstance of itself was
enough to justify the rejection of the bill. He
regretted the absence of many gentlemen who
ought to have attended, because it showed there
was not that unanimity which it was so desirable
should exist. Ho called upon the meeting to agree
to the resolution, and thus show that they were
determined to have a complete and thoroughly effi-
cient measure. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. P. A. TAYLOR said he had great pleasure
in seconding the resolution. He thought the bill
was a sham and a delusion, and that the sooner it
was got rid of the better. They had heard a great
deal about different reform bills, but the bill that
would meet with the acceptance of the country was
that whic h would confer the greatest amount
of freedom ontthe electors. Lord John Russell had

a bill, but without it was a large and comprehenr
, sive measure it would be rejected. The country
would never submit to the leadership of any person
who entertained narrow_ and confined ideas on the
subject of reform. (Cheers.)
The LORD MAYOR was then about to put the
resolution when Mr. Ernest Jones advanced in
front of the platform and asked permission tospeak
before he did. so. This was- a signal for the'com-
mencement of a tremendous uproar. The Lord
Mayor said he would take the sense of the meeting
as to Mr. Jones being heard. A scene of great
confusion ensued, during which time Mr. •Jones
made his way to the platform, but he very shortly
after quitted the hall without addressing
the meeting amidst loud cries of "Smithfield,
Smithfield."

For some time it was impossible to restore order,
but, upon its being done, the Lord Mayor put the
resolution and declared it carried unanimously.
Mr. Sergeant PARRY then came:forward to move
the second resolution, which was to the effect that
a petition to Parliament be drawn up, founded on
the foregoing resolution, and forwarded to Lord
John Russell for presentation, and that the other
members be requested to support it. The learned
gentlemen denounced the Government bill as a sham
and a delusion, and as one that ought to be scouted
by every honest and sincere reformer in the coun-
try. Its provisions curtailed the franchise instead
of extending it, and the working man was left in a
worse position than he was before. He thought
that as the working classes were the producers of
the national wealth they ought to have a voice in
the national representation, and that no Reform
Bill should be accepted which excluded them from
their just rights. • (Loud cheers.)
W. LEAF, Esq., briefly seconded the resolution.
The LORD MAYOR put the resolution to the
meeting and it. was carried. His lordship said
Baron Rothschild, Sir J. Duke, and Mr. Crawford
were present, but Lord John Russell had sent a
letter of apology, (Hisses.)
The letter of his lordship was as follows :
" Chesham-place, March 9, 1859.
" Sir,—ln answer to your letter respecting a public
meeting of the citizens of London on Friday next, I beg to
state that as we are within ten days of the discussion on the
Government Reform Bill in Parliament, I think it will be
best that I should reserve the expression of my opinions for
the House of Commons. lam glad, however, that my eon_
stituents are going to meet to express their own views.
It is my conviction that if the bill were to pass in its
present shape the disfranchisement of the freeholders,
where property is situate in the boroughs, would deprive
the counties of their most liberal element, and would enable
landholders to revive in small boroughs all the evils which
prevailed before 1832.
" The proposal of voting by written papers would facili-
tate transactions the most dangerous to the independence of
such boroughs.
" The refusal to extend the franchise to the industrious
classes in towns is another invidious and noxious quality of
this bill.—l remain, sir, your obedient servant,
(Signed) " J. RUSSELL.
" S. Morley, Esq."
Sir J. DUKE then came forward and said his
political views were pretty well known. He had
always supported the ballot, the abolition of
Church-rates, and other liberal measures—
(cheers)—and he thought the Government Re-
form Bill ought not to be allowed to be read
a second time. (Cheers, and cries of " Mantle,
Mantle.") He had great pleasure in moving a vote
of thanks to his lordship, who had come forward
at some inconvenience to preside at the meeting.
(Cheers, hisses, and cries of " Mantle, Mantle.")
Baron ROTHSCHILD came forward to second the
motion, but the meeting refused to hear him. The
hon. member stood forward some time, but seeing
that all attempts to address the meeting were hope-
less, retired ' • upon which a man named Bradlough
endeavoured to make himself heard above the
tumult that prevailed. Cries of " Forward,
forward," arose from all parts of the hall, and
upon the speaker attempting to comply with the
wishes of his party, he was unceremoniously seized
by one of the City Marshals, who with great
violence thrust him into one of the adjoining
rooms. Another tremendous burst of indignation
followed, amidst which the Lord Mayor dissolved
the meeting.

Upon 1111. Bradlough making his appearance on
the steps in the hall leading to the Court of Alder-
men, he was vociferously cheered by the mob re-
maining in the place. He was proceeding to
address the meeting in the usual Hyde park style,
when the police made their appearance, and
marched in single file to the back of the speaker.
The crowd imagining that some forcible steps to
clear the hall were about to be taken, made a hasty
retreat, and in a short time quietness again reigned
in Guildhall.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.