The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-31 00:00:00

HYDE PARK.

From the appearance of this Park last night it
would seem that the notice prohibiting the meeting
in favour of reform had not been read, or, if so, no
notice had been taken of it, for between eight and
nine o'clock there could not have been fewer than
60,000 persons assembled in different parts of the
park. The whole of the spaces in Park-lane and
Bayswater-road where the iron railings had been
torn down, were enclosed by lofty and substantial
woodwork, so as to prevent the crowd from doing
further damage. The police authorities acted very
judiciously in allowing all the entrances to the park
to be thrown open, and all who chose to enter were
allowed to do so perfectly unmolested. This had
the desired effect of allaying any angry feeling of
the people.
Until nine o'clock no attempt at holding a meet-
ing in any part of the park occurred, but shortly
after that time a man, who said his name was Dick-
son, and that he worked at a timber wharf in Upper
Ground-stree, Blackfriars-road, managed to col-
lect round eim some 2,000 or 3,000 persons, when
he proceeded to address them.
A VOICE interrupted him with the observation
that the Attorney-General had decided that meet-
ings in that park were illegal, and he was breaking
the Act of Parliament, and what he was saying was
calculated to make the people come into collision
with the police if they were called upon to disperse
the company.
The SPEAKER asked what had the conduct of the
Government led to ? Why, to put the country to
an enormous expense to repair the damage done by
those who had no idea of committing any breach of
the peace until they were exasperated by the cruel
conduct of the police towards unoffending persons,
including mere children. It might be said that in-
stead of meeting in the parks they could assemble
in the Agricultural Hall and other similiar build-
ings. Well, they had a meeting going on in that
hall, and no doubt it was a great meeting ; but let
them look round that park, and just tell him whe-
ther the Agricultural Hall or any other hall would
contain the many thousand persons who had come
forward not for the purpose of speechifying, but
merely to show by their presence that they wanted
reform.
A VOICE.—Here comes the police.

Tc oi ma
me ;
obnultywaeadarreeasninogt
holding
you eaSe
The " people," however, put a stop to the
speaker by singing " Rule Britannia," and " God
save the Queen" followed, which had a thrilling
effect from so many hundred voices.
hqi PatiEyAp. Ku
Eb
Rlic—mij ee
et 't
i themng .

The only excess that took place was that per-
petrated by some boys and roughs who tore up two
or three of the young trees.
By eleven o'clock the great mass of people dis-
persed in the most peaceable manner.

THE BIRMINGHAM REFORM LEAGUE.

Letters have been received by the Birmingham
Reform League from the borough members in re-
sponse to an invitation sent to them to attend an
out-door meeting this evening on the subject of re-
form.
Mr. Scholefield declines, on account of having
arranged to attend the Chamber of Commerce on
Thursday. Mr. Bright's letter is as follows
Rochdale Jul 27
_ _ y .

meeting on ocnannthoet
must ask your friends to excuse
attend
of theee
at once enter on those of public meetings in con-
nection with the greatquestion on which the session
has been mainly wasted.
me if
t‘ Dear
ifst . aSmA.i rfutenraibt unable
ee
to
labours

,4 I suppose your meeting will be held in the
open air, and I dare not attempt to sileak in the
open air.

" I hope before another session some steps may
be taken to enrol working men, now unenfranchised,
in associations, which will enable them to bring
their demand for the suffrage with increased effect
before Parliament during the next session. Some
concession to them cannot be far off, and the extent
of it will depend much on their own organised
efforts on behalf of their own cause.

" I regret very much not to be able just now
to take part in your movement.—l am yours re-
spectfully, " JOHN BRIGHT.
" Mr. John Oxford, Birmingham."

A BOSTON SWINDLE.—We are constantly dis-
covering, in our exchanges from distant cities and towns,
advertisements of a literary weekly, " devoted to filo inte-
rests of professional literateurs," called The Spirit of the
Press, and an illustrated weekly, with a most brilliant list
of writers and at an astonishingly low price, called The
Mirror of the Times, both professing t o be published in
Boston, by "Messrs. W. S. Sanford andeo." No street or
post-office box is given. By the amount of money spent
in advertising, it would seem that this firm is doing a very
largebusiness and, as everybody in Boston must imow,
it is on an entirely
fictitious basis, there being no such
paper published here, and no such firm known to the public.
—Boston Advertiser.