The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-16 00:00:00

GREAT MEETING

OF THE

ANTI-CORN-LAW
LEAGUE

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

The first great metropolitan meeting of the League
for the year 184.5 took place last evening in Covent-
garden Theatre, George Wilson, Esq., Chairman of
the League, in the chair. The proceedings commenced
at seven o'clock, but long before that time, in fact within
a few minutes after the doors were opened, the
theatre was crammed to suffocation in every part.
There was not, we believe, a private box unoccupied.
Several ladies were present.

At seven o'clock precisely Mr. Wilson, accompa-
nied by Mr. Cobden, M.P. ; Mr. Milner Gibson,
M.P.; Mr. Christie, M.P.; Colonel Thompson ;
J. Fox, Esq., and several other staunch free trade's,
entered the theatre. As they severally appeared on
the stage, they were greeted with loud and long-con-
tinued cheering.

Among those present we observed George Wilson,
Esq., Chairman, Hon. Charles Pelham Villiers, M.P.,
Richard Cobden, Esq., M.P., W. D. Christie, Esq.,
M.P., Thomas Milner Gibson, Esq., M.P., W. J. Fox,
Esq., Major-General Briggs, Col. T. P. Thompson,
Messrs. 'William Leaf, Dr. William Cook Taylor,
Captain Cogan, Colonel Henderson, 'William Wiles,
P. A. Taylor, jun., George Ridout, Joseph Ivimy,
James Beattie, J. Cumming, R. Scholefield (Roch-
dale), J. Gerstonbery, Parker, Pugh, W. A.
Wilkinson, George Thompson, L. and J: Travers,
R. Palmer, R. Fowler, Gosnell, Daniel Cooper,
S. Smith, Edmund Garrett, Charles Wordsworth,
Summers Harford, Abraham Baner, N. Overbury
(Westbury), Robert Overbury, William Biggs (ex-
Mayor of Leicester), F. Alexander, J. Hunt, J. L.
Ward, John Bedford, Rev. Henry Bedford, Thomas
Ruston, Samuel Maunder (Exeter), W. J. Bow tr,
Wm. Cooke, Henry Jones (Liverpool), Thos. Owen,
Thomas Wilkinson, J. S. Stock, G. Hoffman, A. K.
Watson, J. N. Senior, Professor Granger, A. liar-
rison, C. Lloyd, T. B. Barton, Wm. Geesion, Juhn
Burd (Manchester).
The SECRETARY read the minutes of the last
meeting.
Colonel TnompsoN then came forward and moved
that the minutes be confirmed. The Gallant Colonel
was greeted with a cordial shout of welcome on his
making his appearance.
The motion was seconded by Mr. CHRISTIE, M.P.,
and carried.

The CHAIRMAN then came forward and spoke as
follows :—Ladies and Gentlemen,—Since we last met
here we have entered on the seventh year of this agi-
tation. Fresh arrangements have been made, and
fresh bonds have been ratified, by thousands 'in the
north, to stand together with unswerving resolution
to eontinue this agitation—(Loud cheers)—and, if it
be possible, to work with increased energies—to seek
for the labourer of this country the permis-
sion to purchase his food in the world's market
instead of being confined to the corn-stores of his
Grace the Duke of Buckingham.—(Loud cheers.)
The space of six years is not much in the history of a
country, but yet within these six years many changes
have taken place which are not undeserving of no-
tice. For instance, at the commencement of these
six years the term " free trade," had a very
different signification from that which is now at-
tached to it—then it meant anything, or everything—
every one who stated it as his opinion that only the
slightest possible modification should be made in our
import duties, was considered a free trader ; in the
same manner as any person who proposed any, even
the very slightest change in the corn-laws, passed for
a corn-law repealer. That delusion has passed away,
and now it is impossible to confound together the free
trader and the monopolist ; the division between them
is perfect and complete.—(Cheers). During these
six years we have seen an Administration attempt an
approximation to free trade. We have seen it intro-
duce measures which were an approximation to free
trade. Those measures and that Administration failed.
We have seen another Administration introduce
measures which were an approximation to free
trade, and which measures were carried. We
have seen an Administration, which came into
office for the avowed purpose of upholding mo-
nopoly, confessing the principles of free trade.—(Loud
cheers.) We have a new corn-law, a tariff, and a
Canadian Corn Bill introduced and carried; and yet
no shift, no expedient, has detached from us one
single individual, but we are still as firm as ever to
our principles—(Cheers)—as determined to go on,
and as confident that the doctrines of free trade v. ill
at length be established as the law of our land.—
(Loud cheers.) Six years have disposed, too, of a
numerous host of fallacies. For instance, we hear no
more of the old cry, " Don't depend upon foreigners
for the supply of your food ;" we hear no more of the
cry, "That cheap food will bring down the rate of
wages." These fallacies, like a host of others, are
now exploded. In Parliament they are scarcely
heard of, and we certainly possess this great
advantage, that in Parliament no question is
more ably supported than this question of the
repeal of the corn-laws.--(lmmense cheering.) The
monopolist newspapers stated some time ago that the
League was dead.—(A laugh.) The meetings io
Covent-garden were suspended; there were no other
meetings held in the country; and, as they saw nothing,
these gentlemen took it for granted that nothing
was done.—(A. laugh.) This delusion did not last
long.—(Renewed laughter.) In a few days after
there were leaders in these same papers saying that
the League was not dead, but that it was just as un-
constitutional as ever.—(A laugh.) They was thi
old cry raised of "Bring out the Attorney-General.
—(Renewed laughter.) Where are the law officer,
of the Crown?—(Continued laughter.) If our ad-
vice had been taken, you would long since have heard
nothing of the League."—(Continued laughter.) The
idea which some people seem to have of the consti-
tution is this—that if ever a grievance is discussed I;
is the duty of the constitution to suppress the dis-
cussion directly.—(Cheers.) And nothing
content these gentlemen until some fine morning then
see our friends, Mr. Cobden, Mr. Villiers, and others,
standing before " twelve good men and true," ts
answer an indictment as bulky as that which gev.
rise to the monster trials in Ireland.—(lmmene
cheering.) Their last attack has been upon our
efforts in the registration courts. But I think
that the plan which our friend Mr. Cobden proposed
ten weeks since, cannot have a better certificate of
recommendation than the outcry which has beer
raised against it by the monopolists. Since that plan
was first broached, we have held forty meetings—
forty business meetings in Lancashire and York-
shire—to induce our friends to qualify. These
meetings were purely business meetings. I have had
some experience in public meetings, and I never sae
any merely business meetings so largely attended a-
these meetings have been.—(Cheers.) We wan,
our friends in Yorkshire, in Lancashire, and in Mid
dlesex, to come forward, not in a spirit of jealousy,
but of commendable rivalry, to see who shall qualif
the most voters for the next election.—(Cheers.) Thest
were counties in which any man may be proud of
being a freeholder. They were not made by the
aristocracy. They were not raised to their present
position by the aristocracy. They owe nothing to
the protection or to the care of the aristocracy. But
they are indebted for the position which they occupy
solely to the skill, the industry, the muscle, de
sinew, the toil, and the capital of the operative, th(
mechanic, and the merchant—(Cheers)—and then
ought not longer to be held in thraldom to an aris-
tocracy which is in opposition to the principles on
which their prosperity is founded —(Loud cheers.)
You will be addressed this evening by Mr. Milner
Gibson—(Cheers)—the Member for Manchester:
our friend Mr. Cobden—(Loud cheers)—and INIr
Fox.—(Cheers.) I have great pleasure in calling or,
Mr. Gibson.

Mr. MILNER GIBSON, M.P., then came forward
and was received with loud cheers. When the cheer-
ing had subsided, the Hon. Gentleman commenced
his address as follows :—Ladies and Gentlemen,—LP:
must be deemed a great privilege to be permitted to
address so imposing an assembly as that which is
gathered together within these walls. But I must
confess that, great as that privilege is, I feel some
little difficulty in attempting to throw fresh light ot,
a subject which has been so ably and so frequently
explained by abler persons than myself, and which,
doubt not, is thoroughly understood by the great bull(
of such an intelligent audience as I see gathered to-
gether before I have heard of an actor who,