The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-07 00:00:00

MEETING AT MANCHESTER.

A meeting of the Manchester Commercial Asso-
ciation was convened at the Board-room, King-
street, yesterday morning, in consequence of the
defeat of Ministers, "to consider how far the inte-
rests of commerce with China are compromised by
the existing state of affairs in that country." There
was a more than usually numerous attendance_
about 100 of the leading foreign merchants and ma-
nufacturers being present—and the meeting had to
be twice adjourned, first to one of the committee-
rooms in the Town-hall, and then to the Mayor's
parlour, for increased room. Mr. J. A. Turner,
president of the association, took the chair, and
there were present—Mr. Malcolm Ross, the vice-
president ; Mr. Robt. Smith, China merchant ;
Mr. R. J. Farbridge, do. ; Mr. Halliday, of Halli-
day, Wise, and Co., China merchants • Mr. T. A.
Gibb, of London, China merchant ; Mr. Thomas
Finlay, of Rawson and Co.' China merchants ; Mr.
Reiss, of Reiss Brothers, China merchants ; Mr.
W. Entwisle, of Loyd, Entwisle, and Co., hankers;
Mr. T. Cardwell, of Cardwell and Pearson, India
merchants ; Mr. William Cassels, of J. Peel and
Co., India merchants ; Mr. Pierce, of Pierce and
Co., India merchants ; Mr. John Pinder, China
merchant • Mr. Richard Birley ; Mr. Samuel Schu-
ster, of Leo, Schuster, and Brothers ; Mr. Clayton,
of Clayton and Gladstone ; Mr. Murray Gladstone ;
Mr. Latham, of Gladstone, Latham, and Co., India
merchants ; Mr. D. R. Davis, of George Fraser,
Son, and Co. ; Mr. Bradshaw, of Bnidshaw and
Wanklyn ; Mr. Rhar, Mr. G. Balfour, Mr. W. R.
Wood, Mr. Thomas Swanwick, Mr. James Chabot,
Mr. Thorpe, &A.
The CHAIRMAN said it was not his intention to
make any lengthened observations, as he considered
he had fulfilled his duty by having, as president of
that association, called its members together, that
they might have an opportunity of expressing an
opinion on the present state of public affairs, espe-
cially as connected with our official relations in a
foreign country. This was no political mee.tin ; they
knew nothing of politics in that ;ooni. He was glad
to see around him men—so far as heat all knew their
opinions--of almost every shade of politics, and he
was glad to see on this occasion snob an assemblage
of merchants, -manufa::Lu. Hen, slid largo trtstler au
was seldom-seen in the city f Manehest-r. It was
a sign, at all events, that they had been ready to
respond to the invitation of the directors to say that
they were not indifferent to the question at issue.
The hon. member for the city of Manchester had
taken upon himself to observe, in the course of his
speech in the Hou=e of Commons the other day,
that he had received no intimation of any particu-
lar interest felt in this question at Manchester,
except that a memorial had been sent to him from
a public meeting in that city on the subject. Now,
what was that public meeting ? As he (Mr. Turner)
understood, it was a gathering of friends of Mr.
Urquhart, and of persons among whose names not
halt-a-dozen could be found who were at all known
as occupying a position in that city. (Hear, hear.)
He saw a very different assembly before him to-
day, for here, as he had sire
said, was a most
influential body of gentlemen. And,
although ii
had been imputed to them by another hon. mem
ber of the House of Commons that they were a se.

of selfish merchants—inTacl,l);believea the impu-
tation
merchants gene_
rally,
thathad bueleenyawpeprleieda tsoeSt
ortftisl i
selfishm
individuals,who were utterly regardless of all consequences,
that assertion altogether. The gentlemen whom he
provided they served their own interests—he denied
saw before him were not a set of selfish merchants,
but a set of indignant men, who had seen, to use
Lord Palmerston's expression, "a fortuitous con-
course of atoms" gathered together in one lobby,
actuated by very questionable motives. Whatever
they might say, he believed the parties to that corn-
binatiou had gained very little credit,,,and did not
much like the position in which they had placed
themselves. He regarded this vote as a disaster,
because he was satisfied that as soon as it was known
,
that the House of Commons did not support the
Government on the measures of their officials the
effect would he mo.t injurious throughout the
East. Whether those measures were right or
wrong he did not now inquire, since it was
the duty of our G )vernmetrt at all events to
support their subordinates abroad, or these last
would not have courage to fulfil theirduty. (Hear.)
This meeting was, therefore, not assembled in sup-
port of any particular Government, but in support
of our mercantile position in all parts of the world,
on which be was satisfied a very bad effect had been
produced by the recent vote. He knew not how
the injury was to be repaired ; but, at all events,
let that association do all they could to show the
Government that they wished our servants abroad
to be supported in maintaining the firm and hon-
ourabla position of this country wherever we had
representatives. (Cheers.)
Mr. W. R. WOOD moved the first resolution.
He observel that, while this was not a meeting for
any political purpose, neither was it a meeting to
try the conduct of Sir J. Bowring or Admiral Sey-
mour. He believed the conduct of such matters
was best left in the hands of the Executive Govern-
ment. He did not therefore propose to follow the
example of another assembly, which had unfortu-
nately pronounced on the conduct of Sir J. Bow-
ling. He had confidence, and until the last few
days should have said the country had the firmest
confidence, in the character sad judgment of Lord
Palmerston and Lord Clarendon, relying that they
would send out no instructions which were at vari-
ance with the interests and honour of England, or
with what was due to the interests of justice and
humanity. (Hear, hear.) lie believed the hon.
member for the West Riding of Yorkshire had in
this matter been perfectly consistent. He believed
there was no doubt of the hon. gentleman having
declared, on a former occasion, that from his
earliest years he was most earnestly attached to
what might he called the principles of peace, and
i
that those measures n connection with which his
name would be handed down with glory to poste-
rity had been to him matters of very secondary
importance. Certainly, he (Mr. Wood) did not
attribute to the honourable gentleman
.for one
moment any desire, by the success of his
motion, to take a place on the Treasury
benches ; but in this respect he could not say
quite so much for sonic of Mr. Coblen's allies. He
could not help recalling the fact that during a great part of his (Mr. Wood's) political life the
great Conservative party of th's country had been
lel by a man from whom it was often his fate, at a
humble
all who knew him, must feel, had ever at heart the
honour and glory and interest of England ; and if
Sir R. Peel had now been the leader of the Oppo-
sition in the British House of Commons he ven-
tured to express his belief that this vote would not
have been arrived a+. But when the members of
that association considered the conduct of others in
that house, itwastheir duty in some degree per-
haps to look at home. He had heard with sur-
prise the observations, quoted ba• the chairman, of
the right hen, member for Manchester, which would