The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-13 00:00:00

LABOUR AND THE POOR.
Lat night a me,titg of a very singularandcuri curious
character took p!ao- at tl;e National Hull, Bolborn,
was a meeting called by Mr, Mayhew, the metropolitan
correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, of colter-
mongers, street-sellers, juggler% _ standing paterrers,
street performers, fly ins stationers, and 'labourers..
For some time be,ore the doors of the ball were
opened, large groups of men of the above callings were
to be seen in Holborn inquiring one of another the ob-
ject of the meeting. At the hour appointed, half-past
eight, the proceedings commenced ; the side gal-
leries of the hall were filled with costermongers; the
end gallery was oecupied by the street performers and
stationers; •and the assemblage in the body of the ball
was composed of barrow-men: altogether, we should
imagine. there were about 500 persons present ' -
On the platform. among other notables present, we
noticed many well-known London Characters, viz., the
tall man who relates en blidlesii variety of Conundrums
in our leading thoroughfares; the Highland dancer, in
costume, the French pabher, the man who vends the
wonderful soap, which is warranted to take out grease
stains, tar stains, wine stainf, Sm. &c. The entraixe
ut Mr. Nlii.)ht.w %as the signal .lor mo,t vociferous
cheering.

Mr. MAYIIEW, advancing to the front of the platform,
said, Gentlemen, my object in calling you la.re to-night
is to enable you to rush., a statement, in the mast unre-
served manner, of the difficulties that you encounter in
ob.:lining a living by vending articles in the street. I
assure you. my only motive is to hear your hardships;-abd
to place them be'ore the world, that the higher classes
may kr.ow something of the miseries endured by people
of your class. I have not been sent here by Govern-
ment, by Sir Robert Pee!, or any other person; but ibis
meeting is called by me, the cards were issued by my
direction,.the hell is paid for by me, and if there are any
policemen present, they have no more right to be here
than they have to be in my private house. I can
honestly say, I-believe the meeting to be entirely free
from their presence. ,I implore you to keep order. I knOw
you can do so. We shall thetrarrive at something that
may tend to alleviate your hardship. I tall upon the
delegate of stationers to come on the 'platform and
address you.

A very intelligent looking man here appeared and
addressed the meeting. He said—Five-and-twenty
years ago I first. made my appearance in the, streets of
London, and I can assure you the streets were then
widely diffetent from what they are at present. My
first tffort was to recite in public-housea, for I have re-
ceived the education of a gentleman; but that was not
to my liking. I then turned penny-showman. This
mode I adopted for ten years. This did not suit me, and
I tried every thing that my ingenuity or imagination
could suggest. It there are any old moo here, I dare say
they eau recollect, years that have long gone by, the
man who first sold the little silver spoons made to*go
through the eye of a needle. I am that man. Of the
misery and privation that I have endured, no person bpt
men'of " our class" can imagine. For weeks, aye, for
months, has the dry arches of Waterloo bridge been my
only shelter. Am I to be despised beCause- I 'prefer
getting my living in the streets to going into the Work-
house? My own conscience tells me no; bat am I nbt
so? We are driven and hunted about by the police like lc
many wild beasts, and yet our only crime is to get breed
for our starving families. The man then, in a 4 very
feeling manner, implored the meeting to keep order, that
a statement of their distresaes might go forth to the
public, and, above all, to the higher classes, whereby
they might be enabled to use their influence with men
in power to help them in any possible manner. The ad-
dress of this m4n was listened to throughout with the
most marked attentions

The costerniongera' delegate then followed. He ad-
dressed the meeting to the same effect as the preceding
speaker.

The delegates from the street-performers,' labourers,
barrowmen, and others followed, at the conclusion of
which Mr. Mayhew briefly addressed them, imploring
them to return peaceably to their homes.
Thanks having been voted to Mr. Mayhew for his past
exertions, the meeting peaceably dispersed.

CITY COURT OF SEWERS.
On Tuebday a Court was held at Guildhill, Mr. De•
puty Peacock in the chair.

THE GREAT CENTRAL GAS BILL.
The REMEMBRANCER informed the Court that the
Great Central Gas Company had carried into effect the
various conditions required of them by the Corporation
down to the present stage of the Bill in Parliament.
Mr. Deputy. LlAnarsors said it was probable that on
the next day of the meeting of the Court, he should form-
ally apply that the company be allowed at once to pro-
ceed with the operation of laying down their pipes within
the City, in order that the inhabitants might as soon as
possible be accommodated with gas upon the very
favourable conditions to which such multitudes had sub-
scribed.—(Hear. hear.)
After a conversation, in which several member& de-
clared that the company could produce the 75,0001. that
had been stipulated for at any moment when it might be
required, the conversation dropped.