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

the president for the evening, disclaimed arty tam
of toadying to the Government of tho country, who
would probably have learnt by this time that the
people were determined to insist upon their right
of public meeting in the parks, and read apologies
for non-attendance from Mr. Butler and Mr.
Ayrton, the two members for the Tower Hamlets.
Mr. Butler assured the promoters of the meeting
that he was with them in heart, though he might
possibly be absent in body, and Mr. Ayrton pleaded
business in the House of Commons affecting his
constituents. After exhorting those present to
show by their conduct that evening that they could
not be stigmatised as the roughs or as the scum of
London, he called upon
Mr. COMPTON, who, in moving the first resolu-
tion, expressive of a determination to procure for
the working classes by every constitutional means
that franchise to which they were justly entitled,
advised his hearers to take all they could get—to
accept any instalment with pleasure, looking with
confidence to further concessions.

Mr. BRISTOWE, a working mason and builder, in
seconding the resolution, regretted the indifference
which was exhibited generally by the working
classes towards Reform, and advised his audience to
adopt as their motto, " Manhood Suffrage and no
Surrender."

Mr. DUFFIELD moved a resolution attributing the
disturbance in Hyde-park on the previous Monday
to the " unconstitutional and uncalled for" inter-
ference by the Government with the meeting which
had been appointed in the park for that evening.
The resolution also thanked the Council of the
Reform League for " the firm and dignified man-
ner in which they had vindicated the right of public
meeting." In proposing this resolution Mr. Duf-
field was convinced that the Government could
not have acted in a manner more likely to promote
the cause of Reform had it been favourable instead
of hostile to the question. The Government " had
written its own condemnation with a policeman's
staff dipped in the blood of the people." He
thought it would be advisable for them to show
the country and Her Majesty that they had not
the slightest confidence in the Derby Government,
and that the present Ministry could not by any
possibility receive any sympathy at their hands.
Mr. JONES, in seconding the resolution, regretted
that Mr. Gladstone could not follow the example
of Oliver Cromwell and clear the present House,
replacing the gentlemen now in the west by some
men of sterling ability, of whom numbers were to
be found in the east.

.

The compliment paid to the Council of the
League was acknowledged by Mr. Baxter Langley,
but about this time a cry of police was raised, and
the greater portion of the meeting vaulted over the
railings with a promptitude which rendered it
rather doubtful whether they intended to fight
or run. The alarm, however, was a false one,
and;the crowd returned to listen for a few minutes
longer, when the meeting was brought to a con-
clusion. All the speakers advocated a quiet and
orderly behaviour, and it is but due to those who
took part in the proceedings to say that there was
not evinced the slightest disposition to mischief or •
disturbance. A small procession was formed for,
the journey to the Agricultural Hall, but the ma-
jority of those present strolled about the park until
the hour of closing the gates, when they left for
their respective homes.

lIYDE 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-street, 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 coald 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.
The SPEAKER.—Let them come ; but we are not
holding a public meeting. I am only addressing
you quietly.
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.
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 July 27
.

must ask your friends to excuse
in
e" Dearffl
aSmi r
,u—nable to attend the meeting on the
31st inst. After the labours of the session I cannot
at once enter on those of public meetings in con-
nection with the greatquestion on which the session
has been mainly wasted.

" I suppose your meeting will be held in the
open air, and I dare not attempt to speak in the
open air. 4
" 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 the 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
Mims• of the Times, both professing t o be published in
Boston, by " Messrs. W. S. Sanford and Co." 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
large business ; and, as everybody in Boston must know,
it is on an entirely fictitious basis, there being no such
paper published here, and no such firm known to the public.
—Bosom Advertiser.