The Sun.
London, England, 1828-11-03 00:00:00

MR. COBBETT AND THE KENT MEETING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE /MORNING HERALD.

SIR,—On Monday last you published a long let•
ter from Mr. Cobbett,gi ving his account of the Kent
Meeting at Penenden Heath, and upon that account
you have founded charges, and inserted anonymous
communications, .which I am sure you would not
have done were yon convinced of their fallacy or
malicious tendency. As a proof that I had no wish
to obtrude upon your columns, I have abstained till
the present moment, and would have still abstained,
but for the following extract, which
you copied into
the Morning Herold from Cobbett'sßegister of this
morning :

KENT COUNTY MEETING.-TO THE MEN OF KENT.
Kensington, Oct. 28.
My Friends,--Ypu will see that the speech of SHIEL,
of fOur columns in length, was fabricated in London, and
actually printed, in all likelihood, In:peke was allowed to
open his mouth on Penenden Heath If you look at the
Morning Herald, the Times, the Chronicle, and the
Morning Advertiser, you will find the same speech, word
for word. •
Now, Sir, I appeal to your candour, whether it
is fair to give currency to such a statement after.the
explanation which you did me the honour to insert
in your journal of yesterday ? That explanation
was written in the presence of Mr. Sheil himself,
ou whom• I -waited, in consequence of the erroneous
reports in circulation respecting his speech. If Mr.
Cobbett's assertion of " actually printed in all likeli-
hood," were dwelt upon by certain papers, and taken
for granted as worthy of belief, I should not have
troubled myself to notice the circumstance, from my
knowledge of their party spirit; but when I see the
thing obtain extensive circulation in your paper, I
feel it not less an act of justice to myself than to
the Character of the Morning Herald to set you
right, at the same time that I vindicate Mr. Shen
from the ungenerous imputations"- which have been
lavished upon him in reference to the publication of
his speech.
I am sure, Sir, that'Your,wiSh is. to do justice to
all parties. If you doubt my Word, consult your
own Reporters, and they will tell you that Mr.
Shell's speech first appeared in the Sun Newspaper
on Friday night. Mr. Cobbett's insinuation that it
was printing- or printed while Mr. Sheil was speak-
ing on Penenden Heath, is incorrect. Equally in-
correct is he in stating that it is impossible to transmit
a report from Maidstone to London in less than four
hours. Mr. Cobbett knows nothing of what can
be done by express, if he adheres to that opinion.
My first express came in two hours and a quarter,
and might have come in two hours.
You have on more than one occasion designated
the publication of Mr. Sheil's speech as a fraud,
because it was not all spoken ; and some of your
anonymous correspondents haVe heartily joined in
the denunciation. But on whom was the fraud
committed ? "On " the ignorant impatience" of
the mob, who would not allow Mr. Sheil to finish
his speech ? Or, on the credulity of your readers ?
Were the men of Kent disappointed that they had
not crushed the arguments of Mr. Shea as they had
drowned his voice ? Who suffers by the " fraud ?"
No one. Mr. Sheil does not deny the author Ship of
the speech, or arguments, or whatever name it may
be called. 80, Sir, with what consistency can Mr.
Cobbett complain that a speech was published which
was not all spoken, when he publishes in your paper,
containing that complaint, a petition purporting to
be the petition of the Men of Kent, although-not
ONE WORD of that petition was read or spoken at the
Meeting? I have no wish, Sir, to apply harsh epi-
thets to Mr. Cobbett. Such weapons are accessible
to all, but they do honour to neither party. But,
while I disclaim personality, I may be allowed to
expose injustice. I respect Mr. Cobbett's talents,
but;l admire not his candour. •
As you have published Mr. Cobbett's account of
the Meeting, perhaps you will allow me, who was
also present, and had more opportunities of obser-
vation, to correct some of the errors into which he
has 'fallen: I request this favour, because Mr.
Cobbett persists in giving the same account in his
Register of this day which you published on
Monday.

Mr. Cobbett was stationary in a waggon ; I rode
about while the meeting was forming, and had op-
portunities of seeing the people who flocked to the
ground. After eleven o'clock I mingled in the
circle, and otherwise, till the meeting broke up, and
therefore heard and saw what Mr.Cobbett could not.
First, then, Mr. Cobbett is wrong in impugning
the correctness of your report, while his own is not
only incorrect, but decidedly partial. The meeting
might have presented to his-eyes " the finest, the
grandest, the noblest sight, that they ever beheld ;"
but those eyes must have greatly magnified the ob-
jects, when he says that

There were not less than two thousand men on horse.
Loch, more than a hundred post.chaises, and other car-
riages of that description.
'Why, Sir, there were not 500 men on horseback,
nor fifty post:ehaises. I had several saddle horses on
the ground myself, and though I would not speak
of the men on horseback to within thirty or forty,
yet I am certain that they did not amount to five
hundred ; and your Reporters will bear me out in
this.

As to the sobriety of the people, it was generally
correct...A multitude of country people do not get
drunk before ten o'clock in the morning; but I have
seen many, very many Brunswickers, half-seas over,
and some of them trying to pick a quarrel. In fact,
three of them attempted to pick a quarrel with my-
self, when making up a part of the report for Lon-
don, one of them insisting that " the papers must
be about them, and he hated all sorts of reports."
" No Popery" was the watchword ; but few under-
stood its meaning.
Mr. Cobbett's estimate of his own Radical ad-
herents is as liberal as his " men on horseback and
pout-chaises ;" he rates them at 15,000, meaning
thereby to include nearly all within the circle; but
the portion who stuck by him did not certainly ex-
ceed 150. Mr. Cobbett yields the palm to Lord
Winchelsea's generalship, and says--
1 perceived nothing unfair on the part of Lord Win.
chelsea or any of his people; and if they did triumph,
they triumphed as fairly as any men ever triumphed in
the world.

How does this tally with the following paragraph
in the next column, when the motion or petition of
Lord Winchelsea was carded ? Mr. Cobbett says--
I prepared the immense body of Radicals by whom I was
surrounded to keep their hats down when thefirsi question
was put, and to hold them up when the second motion was
' put. This instruction was necessary, because nobody
could hear the mumblings of either of the Sheriffs any
more than they could hear the clock strike at York. Ac-
cordingly, when Mr. Hodges's motion was put, almost the
whole of the pit, as we may aptly call it, kept down their
hats, and, when the second question was put., I, standing
upon the raves of a waggon, taller' than almost any body
else, and distinguished dom almost all others by a very
light-coloured coat, a very red-coloured face, and a very
white-cloured head, lifting up my hand As high as I could
stretch it, cried out in a voice as loud as I had at com-
mand, " Now, my boys !" ,and, all the whole meeting,
Brunswickers and all, with a small exception in the three
waggons of the Liberals that were nearest to- the Sheriff,
and a small platoon of those standing in front of him, held
up their hats. The Radicals, and I myself, were astonish-
ed to perceive that the Brunswickers voted with us. The
Radicals were running about and asking one another, and
came crowding to ask me, whether we had not carried it ;
whether we had not got the day ? The Brunswickers now
gave three cheers ; the Sheriff's were in their carriage in a
moment; the whole meeting was dissolved and dispersed
in five minutes , we learned upon the Green; that the.
Brunswickers had carried it, but node Ot4M4 ever knew the
cause until Saturday morning, When -I Sent to the High
Sheriff for my petition, and when I was inforMed that IT
lIAD NEVER BEEN PUT AT ALL ; and that it had
not been put because I called the petition the petition of
the PEOPLE of Kent, and not the petition of the FREE-
HOLDERS of Kent ? So that, here was a pretty. pro-
ceeding.
A pretty proceeding, truly ! and in excellent keep-
ing with Lord Winclielsea, and his' party's fair
triumph.
• Again, Sir, with respect to Mr. Shell's speech,
Mr. Cobbett betrays his spleen while he forgets him-
self. He says, when Lord Darnley sat down,
There arose loud calls for L 9 'd Winekelsea, Mr. Sheil

rope at the satuetime with his Lordship, and had the mo-
d,sty to continue to speak while Lord Winchelsea was
speaking, until the cries of " down Shell !" made him
desist. We shall by and bye find that there was something
besides mere modesty that urged this gentleman on to
speak. We shall find, in short, very cogent reasons for
believing that his speech was actually printing, if not print-
ed, in London, before he began to speak it I
Now, Sir, a little lower down the column—for I
quote from your own paper—Air. Cobbett says Mr.
Sheil •

Was not heard, at any time, that is to say, not a word
that he uttered was heard so as to understand his meaning,
at more than ten feet from where he stood. It was quite
surprising to behold his gesticulations and the foaming of
his month. With that foam he be4pangled the whole of
the fore part of his own dress, and the hats, backs, and
shoulders of the Reporters, the whole band of whom were
assembled under the side of his waggon, as busy as bees,
writing all the time, and he stooping down as if he was
speaking to nobody but them. It was clear to perceive
that he was in search of such immortality as it was in
your power, Sir, to give him, and not in search of suc-
cess with his audience, who loaded him with every epithet
of coutempt that could suggest itself to the mind of a great
multitude of persons, of an endless variety of situations
in life.

I have interlined the whole band of reporters,
&c. to show you the absurdity of Mr. Shell's speak-
ing to nobody but them, if his speech was "actually
printing, if not printed, in London, before he began
to speak it !" Why should Mr. Shell be in snitch
of such immortality as it was in your power to give
him, if he had insured it already ? But the ab-
surdity needs no comment. The whole band of re-
porters was not under Mr. Shell's waggon. There
were not above three there. The body of reporters
was before the Sheriff's waggon. But I will not
enlarge any more. Mr. Cobbett stands self-con-
victed. he truth is that he can never• forgive Mr.
Shell for having been suffered to speak before him-
self. The meeting throughout was one scene of
ruffianly • clamour : it was not the clamour of men
who disapproved of a speaker's sentiments, but the
uproar of those who were predetermined not to
hear any speeches at all except those of their mas-
ters. I mingled in every part of the circle, and can '
speak to the character of the meeting as being that
of a packed crowd on the part of the Brunswickers,
and a collection of people on the Liberal side indif-
ferent to the business of the day, solely for want of
concert. They laughed at the Brunswickers, but
were not serious among themselves.
As to Mr. Shell's speech, little of it could be heard
at the Sheriff's stand, and still less by Mr. Cobbett,
who kept raving in spite while Mr. Sheil spoke.
In fact, after. Mr. Cobbet t failed first in obtaining a
hearing, he never stopped speaking and bawling out
the most opprobrious epithets against whoever ad,
dressed the meeting. But, although he was so libe-
ral in his abuse of others, he has not reported one
specimen ,of the many sarcastic strokes of wit or
malice so frequently flung at himself. The only time
that Mr. Cobbett remained silent was when Lord
Radnor was praising him. Then, indeed, he looked
unutterable satisfaction, scarcely daring to glance
aside -lest he should miss a word of that " unex-
pected" eulogy which fell, amid thunders of .indig-
natiorsand scornful wonderment, from the lips of his
Lordship.

Mr. Cobbett's chagrin was manifest at his repeated
disappointment ; but when Mr. Sheil was heard be-
fore him, his wrath knew no bounds.

When Mr. Cobbett, at length, obtained an unruly
hearing, the first sentences, which could be distinctly
heard through the clamour, announced ma amend-
ment to the petition. "An amendment by Cob-
bett I" was the muttered whisper of doubt and
scorn which ran through the crowd, and the coun-
tenances of the Liberal party fell down in shame
and disgust, while those of the Brunswickers
brightened into incipient signs of triumph. " That's
right,
.go it, old boy, and the day's our own !"
was ejaculated by some ; while others bestowed
terms of abuse. " He has put his foot in it at last!"
" Is that Cobbett ?" and " * * * has done for
them," broke out in sullen murmurs from the dense
crowd within the circle ; while Sir J. Brydges, Sir
E. Knatchbull, and others, chuckled with delight
that Cobbett had marred the business of the day, so
far as the Liberals were concerned, by thus throw-
ing the apple of discord among them.
In fact, Mr. Cobbett's amendment secured the
triumph of the Brunswickers; perhaps he meant it
so to spite Mr. Sheil, and make them amends for
having written twenty-five years in favour of Catho-
lic Emancipation.--1 remain, sir, your's obediently,
THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
112, Strand, Nov. 1.

NEW APPLICATION OF THE STEAM-

ENGINE.

The following extract from that valuable periodi-
cal, The London Journal cf Arts, shows how rapidly
the application of steam'power is extending through-
out almost every department of the Arts. We in-
tend to take an early opportunity of visiting the ma-
nufactory referred to by our monthly cotemporary:—

A new application of the power of steam and ma-
chinery for working marble and the other costly
stone used in public and domestic architecture, has
been some time in operation, and is now advanced
towards perfection. We have been favoured by the
patentees, Messrs. Tulloch and Co., with a view of
the machinery, and the process of manufacture,
which is carried on at Esher-street, Holywell-street,
Millbank, 'Westminster, and we are satisfied that it
is calculated to add considerably to the durable ele-
gance of all our internal architecture.

The great expence of the various descriptions of
marble, as well as other ornamental stone, and thence
the necessity of having recourse to moulded and
other obvious substitutes, is occasioned chiefly by
the cost of carriage, and by the wages of 4abour to
the mason. There are few species of stone which
are relatively expensive at the quarry. The ex-
pense of carriage has already been much diminished,
and rail roads and other improved modes of convey-
ance may be expected, which will occasion a further
reduction of this part of the cost. The application
of steam and machinery, to perform the labour of
fashioning the sto►je for use, must be looked for to
reduce the main expence. It appears to us that
Messrs. Tulloch and Co. have succeeded to a con-
siderable extent in the attainment of this object.
When we visited the manufactory, their ►machinery
was in perfect operation. The first of their series
of machines was a new steam saw for cutting the
marble, and on a large block fourteen blades at once
were at work, dividing it into as many slabs. The
patentee had, in this instance, succeeded in produc-
ing the motion usually commenicated to the single
saw, moved by hand labour. By the hand, only
One blade is worked at once. By the new machine
as many blades may be worked at the same timeras
there are slabs required from any block of .marble.
Here the saving of labour is immense, and the saving
of time no less advantageous. This machine also
appears to us to perform the labour more 'safely and
accurately. .

The next machines were one for sanding and
grounding slabs of stone, and another for polishing
them. The former, of which we could only convey
an accurate conception of by means of drawings, ap-
pears to us must also supersede hand labour; and
demonstrably produce a more perfectly even surface
than is at present attained by the old mode. We
speak from an examination of a great variety of spe-
cimens, when we state that the machine for polish-
ing does produce a far higher, and - more durable
polish on almost every description of marble, than is
usually communicated by hand labour.
There are two other machines, each attended
with similar advantages of expedition, accuracy, su-
perior workmanship, and cheapness for cutting up
the materials into smaller dimensions, and working
and polishing mouldings, &c. The machinery is at
present applicable only to plane surfaces, circles and
regular figures. For irregular forms and ornaments,
such as
Corinthian capitals, the hand of the sculptor
or
llatgi irlearequired, r theoblt:etd,
and
nd
must most common
pro thec: es
ss masonare
l as
b
re-
duced in expense by the new machinery. We saw
specimens Of the complete work; in Wapi4Cent
e-