The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-26 00:00:00

CORN-LAW MEETING.

A meeting was held at Guildford on Saturday, for
the purpose of adopting measuses to oppose the pro-
ceedings of the Anti-Corn-law League. It may be
necessary to state that a great number attended who
did not approve of the object of the meeting. Among
those present were—J. Trotter, Esq., M.P. ; R. D.
Mangles, Esq., M.P. ; Colonel Delap, Capt. Pyner,
Capt. Wright, C. Cooper, Esq. (Mayor of Guildford) ; C.
Barclay, G. Best, J. Bonsor, H. Currie, H. Drummond,
R. Gates, R. Goldhawk, jun., J. Ware, W. King, T.
Lomax, G. Marshall, Geo. J. Pardon, J. P. Shrub, E.
T. Upperton, &c., and between 400 and 500 tenant-
farmers. It was a very uproarious meeting, the mono-
polists wishing to carry everything their own way, and
the friends of free-trade equally determined to oppose
them. Numbers, however, prevailed, and the usual
sliding-scale resolutions were carried. Mr. Mangles,
the Member for the borough, made an excellent speech
against the resolutions.
Mr. R. GATES proposed the appointment of a Com-
mittee to act in defence of the agricultural interest, and
to correspond with the other societies in the country
formed for the same object.
Mr. PRICE advised the meeting to be careful how they
adopted this resolution, for he declared it illegal, and all
who assented to it rendered themselves liable to be in-
dicted.—(Laughter.) He added that Mr. O'Connell was
indicted under similar circumstances; indeed, his offence,
he considered, was not so bad as theirs.—(Laughter.)
Mr. PAINE seconded the resolution, and said he hoped
it would go forth that no candidate would stand any
chance at a future election if he did not pledge himself
to the principle of protection to agriculture embodied in
the sliding-scale.
A petition, embodying the resolutions, was then
agreed to, and a motion carried, that it should be pre-
sented to both Houses of Parliament.

THE ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUE.

Last night afforded another verification of the Tlonte
Secretary's remark, that " Leaguers meet in theatres." And
such a meeting! Our only regret is that Sir James was not
present. Had he been there to see the vast assemblage—to
witness the intelligence and enthusiasm which beamed in
every eye—and to hear the deafening applause with which
the various speakers were greeted, he would have quailed at
the sight and trembled at the sound. The unwelcome con-
viction would have forced itself on him, that to struggle any
longer against the tide of popular feeling, now so strongly
running in favour of corn-law repeal, were one of the most
hopeless enterprises in which any man or body of men ever
embarked—quite as hopeless as were the endeavours ofDame
Partington, with no other means of resistance than her mop,
to repel the aggressions of the rude Atlantic, v-tuka on the eve
of entering her humble domicile. If such a meeting as that
of last night could fail of its object, we should never hereafter
have any faith in the power of public opinion.
But the meeting of last night will not, cannot fail of effect.
It must contribute materially to accelerate the extinction of
the landlords' laws. The corn monopoly must now be felt
by all who were present, to be much nearer its end than it
was befete he meeting took place.
Of the numbers who last night crowded Covent-garden
Theatre, we shall say nothing. The place was crammed—
crammed to suffocation in every corner. But vast as was
the assemblage, great as was the concourse of persons pre-
sent, they were nothing as compared with the numbers who
would have been there, had there been room for all who were
desirous of attending. From what we have heard and what
we know of the eager desire to obtain tickets of admission,
we feel-that we use not the language of exaggeration, when
we say that at least from 20,000 to 25,000 persons would
have last night raised their voices in favour of repeal, had
tickets boon procurable, and the building been large
enough to contain them. As it was, it was a prodigiously
large assemblage. " Monster meetings" are no longer con-
fined to Ireland. They are no longer limited to the effort to
achieve a repeal of the union between that country and this.
We have now our " monster meetings " in Govent-garden
Theatre, in favour of another description of repeal—the re-
peal of the corn-laws. What is more, ours are weekly " mon-
ster meetings." The meeting of last night was emphatically
a " monster meeting." But for the unavoidable evil-of limited
space, the mass of human beings which presented itself to
our astonished view last night, would, we repeat, have been
thrice as immense.

Need we say who was the " lion " of the evening? Who
but him who is at this moment the " lion " of the land ?
Everywhere all eyes are just now directed to Daniel O'Con-
nell. And this not only in every part of her Majesty's domi-
nions, but throughout the civilised world. Need we say that
all eyes "in Covent-garden were last night immovably fixed on
this extraordinary man ? We shall not attempt to give any
idea of the reception lie met with. Arc we asked the
reason why ? Because no idea can be given. The scene
which the theatre presented when he made his ap-
pearance, and again when he rose to speak, is not
to be described. Such a reception as he met with was
worth living for. It was more ; it was worth dying for.
o wTohuel d
"convicted n ot w
-
i l
" Convicted conspirator " though he be, there was not
lonineglyamhaonvge
ex n
immensethelag
conspirator" was, of all men in that vast assemblage, the
men most to be envied. Mr. O'Connell is threatened by the
Tory journals with two years' imprisonment. He must have
e dsituations multitude
N v t him.wh
felt hie reception last night to be more than an ample com-
pensation for whatever punishment may be inflicted on him,
even, indeed, should the threatened two years incarceration
in a gaol be extended to four. We question whether a public
man ever before met with such a reception. It was empha-
tically a great fact—a most significant circumstance. Never,
we are sure, did Covent-garden before witness such a scene.
Mr. O'Connell's speech was, of course, the speech of the
evening. Apart from the peculiar circumstances under
which it was delivered, it was one of the deepest interest. It
was decided in its tone—eloquent and powerful in its expo-
sures of the enormities of the bread monopoly—and most
withering in its denunciations of that heartless aristocracy
for whose benefit and by whose agency the corn-laws are
upheld.
Mr. O'Connell's speech will give a mighty impetus to the
cause of the League. One single sentence in that speech—
had he uttered no other—would have been of infinite service
to that cause. We allude to his assurance that Ireland will
offer no impediment to the achievement of corn-law repeal,
but that, ou the contrary, the entire population of that agri-
cultural country are strenuous advocates for the extinction
of the bread monopoly. The importance of this announce-
ment of Ireland's adhesion to the cause of corn-law repeal—
for it was never formally made before—it were impossible to
overrate. It will infuse fresh spirit into the minds of the
League : it will spread terror and dismay in the ranks of the
monopolists.
The other speakers of the evening were Mr. James Wilson,
Mr. George Thompson, and Mr. Robert Moore. For the
speeches of these gentlemen we must refer to the report of the
proceedings, which we give in another part of our paper.
We have repeatedly remarked since the resumption of
these anti-corn-law meetings, that every successive demon-
stration of the League was helping forward the consummation
of the great object it has in view. If that was true of any
previous meeting, it was doubly so of the demonstration of
last night. Every one present must have felt as if he saw.
the statute of the bread monopoly. smashed before his eyes.
What the six thousand persons in Covent-garden fancied
they saw last night, they will ere long see in reality. The
corn-laws are not worth twelve months' purchase.—Atirer-
tiser of Thursday.

. -
'KB GAME or FOOT-BALL.—On Shrove Tuesday
• vast number of people from the various hamlets and vil-
lages surrounding Kingston flocked into that town to witness
the game of foot-ball, which, according to ancient custom, is
annually played on the above-named day. As the foot-ball
is kicked through the principal streets of the town, the whole
of the shopkeepers put up their shutters, to prevent the de-
molition of their windows, consequently all business ie sus-
pended, and the day is one of general holiday. At eleven
o'clock a procession, composed of the principal tradesmen
in the town, started from the Town-hall, in the market-
place, and paraded round the town, accompanied by a
splendid band. The procession was enlivened by the dis-
play of a great number of flags and streamers. The pro-
cession, on its return to the Town-hall, divided itself into
two parties, and immediately commenced the game, one
party having a gold-coloured and the other a silver-coloured
all. The game continued until six o'clock, when both
balls having reached the place from whence they were
started, the playing ceased. The band struck up " God
save the Queen," after which the players, well tired out, re-
turned home. The superintendent, an inspector, and several
sergeants of the V division were in attendance to preserve
order, but all went off well, and their interference was not
required. Three years since an attempt was made to put
down this 'game both at Kingston and Richmond, so far as
kicking the ball through the streets went, but although at
the latter place the police succeeded in effecting their object,
at Kingston they got sadly maltreated, and it was afterwards
deemed advisable by the municipal authorities not again to
interfere. At Hampton-conrt, Hampton-wick, and Ted-
dington, the game of foot-ball was also played. In the two
former places the ball was kicked through the streets, and
trade was suspended, as at Kingston ; but at Teddington the
players confined themselves to a meadow in the vicinity of
the village. At either of these places there was not the
slightest disposition to riot manifested.
A notice has been posted up at Boulogne, stating
that the Commissary of Maritime Inscription has been in-
formed by the consular agent of France at Brighton, that
eight fishing-boats, from various parts of France, had been
arrested for being found within the English fishing-lines,
wiithout either blue flag or streamer, and contrary to the
treaty of 1839 ; and that with great difficulty the consular
agent had prevailed on the English authorities to let them
go without subjecting them to fine or imprisonment, as the
case warranted ; but that hereafter no such indulgence was
to be shown to any vessels taken in similar circumstrnces.
ST. STEPHEN'S, WALBROOK.—On Thursday an ad-
journed meeting was held in the Vestry-room, Roger Cunliffe,
Esq., in the chair, for the purpose of further considering Mr.
Alderman Gibbs's accounts. Messrs. Howett, Rock, and
other speakers, having expressed themselves much dissatis-
fied with the conduct of Alderman Gibbs, and the manner
in which he had prepared his accounts, and having stated
that the parties selected by him as auditors had not been ap-
proved of by the vestry, and that three of them were unable
to manage their own affairs, resolutions of want of confidence
in Alderman Gibbs, and declaratory of the incompetency of
the auditors selected by him, were passed ; after which the
vestry adjourned. Dr. Croly was present, but took no part
in the proceedings.
THE SPITALTIEI2DB WEAVERS. —Last week, a
general meeting of the journeymen broad silk weavers,
of Spitalfields, Bethnal-green, and the vicinity, was
held at the Crown and Anchor, Cheshire-street, Water-
loo-town, to hear the report of the committee relative to
their interview with Mr. W. E. Gladstone, President of the
Board of Trade. Mr. Gale having been called to the chair,
briefly stated the object of the meeting, when Mr. Slier-
wood, ono of the- deputation who waited on the Board of
Trade, said, that at the interview there were present Mr. W.
E. Gladstone, President of the Board of Trade, the Earl of
Dalhousie, and Mr. G. Shaw Lefevre, with whom they re-
mained two hours, and by whom their representations were
listened to most patiently. The object of the deputation WM
to show the intense privations and sufferings endured by the
labourers in consequence of the operation of the principles of
free trade. They pointed out that in thg nar 1797 the
weaver at Manchester received 26e. 8d..1,er week, whereas
'4 6d
the wages of the weavers now were 3
.. They urged that
the Government should, as formerly, give ,
them
- some legie-
that a lavi was pass lative protection. In the
reign ofEdward.they stated
ovary
ve
IV
ed
protect the working man, and in
every successive rei
gm to that of Elizath same system
was adopted, v.inen the sheriffs and magistrates were em-
powered tAS r.,ee that the price of food and articles of necessity
should "ltot exceed the means of the labourer to purchase
them. The effect of the present system of free trade was,
that ttie manufacturers amassed immense fortunes, much
large' than was ever in the power of the farmers to obtain.
Kr. Gladstone directed the attention of the deputation to the
difficulty of giving legislative protection, but assured them
th at Government would be most anxious to take their re-
Pnesentations into consideration. The report was agreed to,
aud a resolution was unanimously adopted; advocating a
legislative enactment for the protection of labour. Another
retiolution was carried, thanking Mr. Oastler for his exer-
genie in their cause. The meeting separated about 11 o'clock.