The Sun.
London, England, 1832-05-15 00:00:00

" MEETING ON REFORM.

"The Inhabitants of Manchester will meet in St. Peter's.tield
on Monday, at twelve o'clock, under the requisition already
Published, for the purpose of taking into consideration the best
Means of supporting the petition to the House of Commons, sent
on Thursday night from Manchester, to stop the supplies till the
Reform Bill be passed unmutilated."
" ALL HANDS ALOFT.—THE CRY IS, EITHER NOW
OR NEVER.
" It is particularly requested, that the shopkeepers, manufac-
turers, and masters of Manchester will close their shops, mills,
and Warehouses, on Monday the 14th of May, 1832, in order
that every man may have an opportunity of attending the meet-
ing, which is to be held on Peterloo, for the purpose of devising
the most Judicious measures to be acted upon at the present mu,
rnentous crisis, and the utility of withholding all supplies.
"Ily order of the Council of the Political Union of the Work-
ing Classes."
Some paltry knot of individuals, however, for, whether
truly or not we cannot say, the Tories as a body disown'
any knowledge of the proceeding, have been endeavouring
to stifle this intended expression of public feeling, and as a
counterpoise to the preceding placard, have issued the
following
" All hands at home. The cry is harmony, peace, and
good will. Inhabitants of Manchester !—Keep away from
Peterloo on Monday. The King, the patriotic King will
call to his Counsel another Ministry, one who will bring
forward and pass a Reform Bill without delay, a Bill
which will confer upon every man his just and natural
rights. Keep therefore to your shops, your mills, your
warehouses, and your families. Do not be deluded by
either Whigs, Tories, or Demagogues, their only object
being to create anarchy and confusion for the promotion
of their own selfish ends."

As this Meeting, though originating from respectable
individuals, was avowedly intended to be joined by the
class of Radicals who have hitherto not been very mild in
their conduct and demeanour, the authorities of this town
were rather apprehensive that the exasperated feelings of
the multitude might boil over, and some injury to the per-
sons and property of those individuals who were known to
be adverse' to their views, might possibly take place.
They, therefore, took every necessary precaution to pre-
serve the peace of the town, by calling out all the special
constables and military, stationing them in convenient
flocks, to act in case of need. Almost immediately before
the time of the Meeting to commence, individuals were
found to be plentifully circulating the following insidious
placard amongst the people in the principal streets of the
town :

" MEN OF MANCHESTER,
Do not let the King, whom you have idolized, suspect you to
be a headstrong, ungovernable, and worthless race of beings--
Let him see that you are peaceable, deliberate, and judicious.
Do not let him compare you to a ripe and ready bridegroom,
who would run a-muck at all he meets, because, forsooth, he
cannot get what he wants the first time of asking ; but let him
see that you can act dispationately and discreetly,. AS WISE AND
coon MEN ; that you are not weak enough to suffer your senses
to be stolen away by any party or faction, be it Whig, Tory.
or Radical. Compel his Majesty, by your conduct, to respect
and rank you amongst the rational and thinking part of the
community.—Show to him, in this moat trying moment, that
your judgment can rein your passions. Be quiet for a time, and
all will yet be well. Be otherwise, and you will retard that
which you seek to get. Recollect Rome was not built in a day."
During the morning a conference took place in the
Committee-room of the Town hall, between the gentle-
men who had called the meeting and delegates from the
various bodies of working people in' the town, as to the
course to he punned at the meeting. Many were for
going to the full extent of universal suffrage, annual Par-
liaments, and vote by by ballot, but the more moderate
party, by strong arguments, as to the necessity of only
endeavouring to obtain at present what there was
a proba-
bility of being got, and by consenting to the introduc-
tion of an address to the King, in which the right of all
men to a share in the choice of the representatives was
admitted, succeeded in inducing the ultra-radicals to con-
sent to the mild language of the resolutions subsequently
passed at the meeting.
At twe've o'clock, the time appointed for the meet-
ing, there were assembled on the plain and its approaches,
from 60 to 70,00 individuals, which number would
have been doubled perhaps, but from the per..
tinacity of acme individuals who would not per-
mit their workmen to cease labour. As bad been
previously arranged on at the private meeting at the
• Town-hall, Charles Walker, Esq. the son of the
late eminent Reformer of that name, took the Chair,
amidst tremendous cheering, the hustings being sur-
rounded by bands of music and emblematical flsgs.
Amongst the latter were some bearing the following in-
scriptions: —" We will not live upon potatoes—those
that will not work shall not eat." " The Reform Bill or
no supplies." " The King, his Ministers, and Reform,"
with a black line struck across " the King his Minister."
Another flag bore a representation of the Peterloo Mas-
sacre, supported on the hustings by Mrs. Fildes, of
Peterloo celebrity ; and another, the portrait of the King
with his bead downwards. After the dense multitude
bad stationed themselves in something like order, and
sib-nee was partially obtained, the Chairman opened the
business of the meeting by apologizing for his in-
capacity to fill the arduous office they bad
called hint to, from his being totally unaccustomed
to it. After reading the placard convening the meeting,
• the Chairman continued, that he had to request that in
their proceeding, ti,ey
would be firm and unanimous, but
- temperate and moderate in their language. Nothing had
ever been gained in this country by intemperance either of
language or conduct; and it would be a disgrace to this
towel if they could not carry on their proceedings with the
same unanimity as the people of Birmingham and London,
and other places bad done. He entreated the meeting to
imitate their example, and avoid all petty jealousies. Let
Uefermers of every class and grade unite to obtain, by