The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-10 00:00:00

GREAT MEETING

OF THE

ANTI-CORN-LAW
LEAGUE

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

A general Metropolitan meeting of the members of
the Anti-Corn-law League was held last evening in
the Theatre-Royal, Covent-garden. The doors were
opened at half-past six o'clock, and notwithstanding
the unfavourable state of the weather, every part of
the theatre was crowded to excess long before the
commencement of the proceedings. Indeed, the thea-
tre was inconveniently crowded, and many persons
unconnected with the public press were permitted to
crowd into that portion of the house which hes
hitherto been appropriated to the exclusive use of
reporters, where, by the pressure which they created,
and by the incessant buzzing of conversation which
they kept up, they were a source of serious annoy-
ance and inconvenience to those whose duty it was
to take notes of the proceedings.
At seven o'clock, G. Wilson, Esq., the chairman of
the League, entered the house, and was greeted with
reiterated plaudits. lle was accompanied by Dr.
Bowring, M.P., R. Cobden, Esq., M.P., Cblonel Pey -
ronnet Thompson, George Thompson, Esq., W. J.
Fox, Esq., and several other influential members of
the League, who were loudly cheered as they ap-
peared upon the stage. Amongst those present we
observed :—George Wilson, Esq. (in the chair), the
Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, M.P., John Bright,
Esq., M.P., J. Stewart, Esq., M.P., Alexander Murray,
Esq., M.P., Major-General Briggs, Professor Key,
Professor Graham, Dr. William Cooke Taylor, John
Haughton (Broom Hall, Sunning-hill, Berkshire), Dr.
Cape, Dr. Bateman, Dr. Macdonnell, Captain Cogan,
W. Clarke, Esq., Mayor of Coventry, Messrs. John
Horton (Lincoln), Bowring, jun., C. H. Lattimore
(Berkbampstead), Abraham Bauer, George Brettle,
William Leaf, N. Overbury (Westbury), William
Leavers, David Dewar, W. A. Wilkinson, P. A •

Taylor, J. A. Lyon, William Hargreaves, George

Offer, R. G. WeMord, P. Morand, E. Aranjo,
Lindsay Travers, J. Poulter, C. J. Baker, Press
Granger, H. L. Keeling, C. Gilpin, Shepherd Sand-
ford (Little Mallingfield, Suffolk), Thomas Ball
(South Shields), W. Coxhead (Bath), H. Penny, J.
Levesque, F. Hardy, G. Hilditch, Clement Kemp,
W. K. Morris, J. Ferrirsr, Charles Spiers, John Sy-
monds, Benjamin Clark, W. Robinson. C. Fox, Wil-
liam Ellis, H. 11. Duff, James Waterman, Henry
Allen (Arundel), J. Clode, jun. (Windsor), G.
Hawkins, J. Fenwi';k, Robert Weir, G. H. Ashurst,
J. P. Barnard, Henry Hull (Uxbridge), Henry
Lloyd Morgan, J. Stone, Town Clerk of Leicester,
Edward Smith (Sheffield), Edward Smith, Samuel
Bailey, Henry Scott, Henry Elkington, T. K.
Pritchard, T. Dyson, D. Miles, P. Mackenzie, M,
Hooker, W. Geesin, P. Douglas, W. E. Tuke, James
Hurnard (Colchester), George Ridout, Richard Bur-
dett, Richard Ware Cole, J. Biggs, ex-Mayor of
Leicester, Fitzherbert Bugby (Stepney College),
M. Buzlago (Azores), G. Ridge, T. Baldwin, A.
Anderson, William Evans (Manchester), Malcolm
Ross, and Edward Walker (Manchester).
G. WILSON, Esq., then took the chair, and called
upon the Secretary to read the minutes of the last
meeting.
The SECRETARY having read the minutes,
Dr. BOWRING, M.P., moved that they be confirmed.
Mr. KAY, the Mayor of Manchester, seconded the
motion, which was carried by acclamation.
The CHAIRMAN then came forward, and was received
with the most enthusiastic cheers. After the applause
had somewhat subsided the lion. Gentleman spoke as
follows :—Ladies and Gentlemen, we have permitted
a greater length of time to intervene between this
meeting and the last than has usually been permitted
to elapse, in accordance with our previous arrange-
ments ; and although there can be no question that, at
no very remote period of our agitation, such a circum-
stance would have been laid hold of by the mono-
polists as a proof of the declining state of the League.
and would have given rise to prophecies of our speedy
and utter extinction, yet I rejoice to say that I see no
such symptoms on the present occasion.—(Cheers.)
The monopolists have been silent on the subject. We
may meet frequently or only occasionally, or even
suspend our meetings altogether for a time, but de-
pend upon it enough has been done to instruct the
most ignorant, and to enlighten even the
moat obtuse of the members of the Society for the
Protection of Agriculture—(Cheers)—as to the folly
of conceiving that any change in the nature of our
public demonstrations, or any diminution of them,
can affect in the slightest degree the action which the
League exercises on the public mind, and which it
will continue to exercise and to increase, until the
corn-laws shall be entirely abolished.—(Loud cheers.)
We are met here for the last time previous to an
event to which a great deal of public attention has
been directed ; and which will have the effect of still
further propagating our principles throughout the
country—l mean the Anti-Corn-law League Bazaar.
Now, if any one thinks that from previous exhibitions
of this description he can form the slightest idea of
that which we propose to hold here, he grossly
deceives himself.—(Cheers.) In the first place ours
will not be a mere metropolitan exhibition. It will
not be a mere provincial exhibition. It will be in
every sense of the word a strictly national demonstra-
tion—(Loud cheers)—in every respect one worthy of
the League—(Cheers)—and of the cause for the pro-
motion of which the League was established.—(Re-
newed cheering.) We shall of course have the usual
contributions which are generally exhibited at ba-
zaars ; but, in addition, we shall have special contri-
butions from every town in the kingdom of any mark.
—(Cheers.) We shall have lace from Nottingham
and Leicester. Sheffield and Birmingham will fur
nish us with hardware. We shall have minerals from
Cornwall; shawls from Paisley. Every variety of
production which the ingenuity and industry of the
manufacturers of England call into exertion will be
there, in addition to all that is usually contributed to
exhibitions of a similar character.—(Loud cheers.)
I am free to confess that if the promotion of the col-
lection of a fund were the mere object we had in
view, a greater amount might be procured by means
of a general subscription than we shall be likely to
raise by this exhibition. But what we want is to se-
cure the general co-operation of those in supporting
our measures, whose co-operation will be more valu-
able than any amount of money we may procure.—
(Cheers.) 'We want to see assembled in this theatre
our friends from all parts of the kingdom. We want
to give them an opportunity of conferring together;
of conferring with one another—of knowing
each other—(Loud cheers)—and we think that
by these means we shall give an additional
impetus to our cause, and double the resolution of
each individual to promote the grand object which
we have in view.—(Loud cheers.) At the same time
we have the pleasing satisfaction of knowing that
this bazaar will not interfere in the slightest degree
with our usual course of operations.—(Hear, hear.)
The lecturers will be diffusingistrit knowledge
l through-
out
the agricultural
There will be the daily as usual.—(Cheers.)
(Chee.rs.)
meetings of the. council as
usual—(Cheers)—and the stpririneoFesetd.attention will be
devoted to our registration
tngs as
(Immense cheering.) Our regular a will visit
the different boroughs and counties for this purpose,
as they would if no such exhibition a 741 taking
Lehlyheel
place here.—(Cheers.) There is not
is not
or pinion of the machinery of the League w.
in the most perfect order, and which will
continue to be so, as much as if our attention con-
tinued tinued to it exclusively, without suspense or inter-
ruption from the proceedings here. We shall thus
succeed for a fortnight in arresting public attention
to this theatre, and to the cause which this bazaar is
intended to support; and it must be satisfactory to
those friends who seven years ago were without
mark or favour in the country, and who assisted at
that time to lay the foundation of this League which
is now become one of the greatest and most influen-
tial Rowers ever known in this country—it must be
satistactory to these men to know that their most
sanguine expectations of support from the people are
tenfold more than realised.—(Loud cheers.) The
speakers this evening will be Mr. Cobden—(lmmense
cheering)—Colonel Thompson—(Loud cheers)—and
Fox—(Cheers.) I will not detain you longer,
but will at once call upon my Gallant Friend Colonel
Thompson to address you.—(Loud cheers.)
Colonel P. THOMPSON, who was received with the
utmost enthusiasm, supposed that it was in virtue of
his seniority that he had been put forward.—(A
laugh.) As this was no Government procession, he