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

LEAGUE

AT
COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.
The 6

Jrst great metropolitan meeting of the League
iiir the year 1845 took place last evening in Covent-
en garden Theatre, George Wilson, Esq., Chairman the League, in the chair. The proceedings commenced
at seven o'clock, but longbefore that time, in fact withinthe
4 eatre few minutes after the doors were opened,
th
was crammed to suffocation in every part.
Several
was not, we believe, a private box unoccupied.
',Several ladies were present.
At seven o'clock precisely Mr. Wilson, acco.nipa-
nlied by Air. Cobden, M.P. ; Mr. Milner Gibson,
J Mr. Christie, M.P.; Colonel Thompson;
-.
I'lsl, Esq , and several other staunch free traders,
'entered the 'theatre. As they severally appeared on
,1-1 n
,c stage, they were greeted with loud and long-con
utied cheering.
Esq ruolag those present we observed George Wilson,
IlebaCrdliaCiornblr_l:l,lion Charles Pelham Villiers, M P.,
Esq.,. M.P., W. D. Christie, Esq.,
IpP, Thoma:MilnrGibson, Esq., M.P., W. J. Fox'
h 1 Major-General Briges, Col. T. P. Thom son,
Captain
William Leaf, Dr. William Cook Taylor,l
le-aPAtain Cogan Colonel Henderson, IVilliam n.i. es.,
e' ex- Taylor )ju , George Ridout, -Joseph Ivime,
ualtes Watt') - Tn.Cumming,R. Scholefield (Roeb-
tittle) .
j.
(.4 le, . .
Wilkins er,stonber, Parker, Pugh, W• A.
lit. ie,, cin, George Thompson,G L. and J. 'Travers,
nell, Daniel Cooper,
S. 0 '.u.'er, R. Fowler,
`ernith, Edmund Garrett, °Larles Wordsworth,
(14,11.1:trs Harford Abraham Baner, N. O. verbure:
11\1\ee'se'euuol.v_),. Robert' o,verb ury
J. Hunt, J. L.
Wic,' of
Leicester), I. Alexander,
NNllliitin Biggs (ex
Au o, John Bedford, Rev. Henrye Bedford,v
J.
ll'ih()ll‘,i,ars,
hest n,
Samuel Maunder (Exeter), 1 :
TO. Cooe, Jones (Liverpoel), Thos. Owen,—
°414 Wilki Henry'
T S. Stock, G. Hoffman, A. lA.
atsoo, J. N• nseZi.or., Professor Granger, A. l I tillrn-
r., C. Lloyd, T. B. Barton, Win. Geesion, J
ard (Manchester).
'r
he SecßETeftY read the minutes of the last liteeting.
Colonel TnosirsoN then came forward and moved
fat the minute's be confirmed. The Gallant Colonel
- greeted with a cordial shout of welcome
o
taaliing.his appearance.
The motion was seconded by Mr. CHRISTIE, M.P.,
and carried.
, Ille CHAIRMAN then came forward
and spoke as
h,oelrleowwseLadies and Gentlemen,—Since we last met
Cation
have entered on the seventh year of this agid-
. Fresh arrangements have been made, an
fresh bonds have been ratified, by thousands in the
north, to stand tog ether with unswerving resolution
NI continue this agitation—(Loud cheers) —and, if i
" possible, to work with increased energies—to, =eiesk.
for the
labourer of this country the perm
Licll, t° Purchase his food in the world's market
p,--s'ead of being confined to the corn-stores of his
Tlace the Duke of Buckingham.---(Loud cheers.)
-"e sPace of `"ix years is not much in the history of a
halsejutitrY, but yetwithin these six years many change;
ve
taken place which are not undeserving of no-
ti
;ce• For instance, at the commencement of these
se,l Years the term 4‘ free trade," had a very
"Ifferent had
from that which is now at-
tached to it—then it meant anything, or everything—
every one
est Who stated it as his opinion that only the
Import slight 'should be made in our
; po •
Port duti ssible modification
was considered a free trader; in the
"toe manner as any person who proposed any, even
t
R core very slightest change in the corn-laws, passed for
n-law repealer. That delus
and now it is ion has passed away,
trader impossible to confound together the free
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 Admitristration failed.
We have seen another Administration introduce
tmeasures which were an approximation to free
1144, and which measures were carried. We
:zve teen an Administration, which came into
eeZ for the avowed purpose of upholding mo-
tile, Y, eonfessing the principles of free trade.—(Loud
111-ted 'We have a new corn-law, a tariff, and a
no shift torn Bill introduced and carried ; and yet.
single 1.)-4),r'n expedient, has detached from us one
N. piCh"lvidual, but we are still as firm as ever
end es-r;ciePles--(Cheers)—as determined to go on,
at ten enudent that the doctrines of free trade will
(Le.gth e . the law of our .
m .5 established as
plllneeec,i,/,'.) Six years have disposed;vetohoe,arotnna
ore s'3
host of fallacies. For instance,
f of the
or the s
old cry, " Don't depend upon foreignersofthe
Cry, ",Thatch of your food ;" we hear no more
waßes ~ eap food will bring down the rate of
heave F.., ii.hese fallacies, like a host of others, are
re -,Med. In Parliament they ere scarcelyt
tUivriet ().' and we certainly possess this great
teore ag , that in Parliament no question
thet
:1001 ale3l•}' "upported than this question of
o' the corn (Immense cheering.) The
1,4_ Polist new.enapers stated some time ago that the
Ntre
tovell,. was dead.—(A. laugh.) The meetings in
e, ' garden were suspended; there were no other
-gad
these gs held in the country; and, as they saw nothing,
eer4
dgentlemen took it for granted that nothing
lotiß
..._°rlrre"(A- laugh.) This delusion did not last
there. -krtcnewed laughter.) In a few days after
the tWere leaders in these same papers saying that
aoestietague was not dead, but that it was just as un •
old er utional as ever.—(A. laugh.) There was thie.
."(11,e3e' eraised of " Bring out the Attorney-G rie
or te wed laughter.) Where are the law officers
c ''"e Crow e
'`ce her] L.--n•-----(Continued laughter.) If our ad-
nothin-' ",,cen taken, you would long since have heard
idea 4°l the League."—(Continued laughter.) The
tate:, which some People seem to have of the consti-
-11 thn is Chi me
if ever a grievance is discussed it
li,,ieondedtyireoeftlyttconstitution to suppress the dis-
sZntoeue-t t (Cheers.) And nothing will
hose gentlemen until some fine morning they
ataedir friends, M. Cobden, Mr. Villiers, and others,
eesweng before " twelve good men and true," to
rise tor an indictment as bulky as that which gave
eheei.jo the Monster trials in Ireland.—(lmmense
thatefforts Their last attack has been upon our
that then the registration courts. But I think
~. plan which our friend Mr. Cobden proposed
reetv'eeeks since, cannot have a better certificate of
reie,lnendation than the outcry which has been
v,zl3 qragainst it by the tnonopolistd. Since that plan
forty st broached, we have held forty meetings
hio business meetings in Lancashire and York-
reeei---t° induce our friends to qualify. These
Noe Ile? Were purely business meetings. I have had
Ally
in APerience in public meetings, and I never saw
these Here business meetings so largely attended as
tee frirneetinfes have been.—(Cheers.) We want
dle,e,e,e,n(is in Yorkshire, in Lancashire, and in 'ANL&
hilt
0; too come forward, not in a spirit of jealousy,
the
e_nes tninendable rivalry, to see who shall qualify
we..Leoe t voters for the next election.—(Cheers.) These
I,,irrl ()unties in Which any man may be proud of
klat a freeholder. They were not made by the
posit""racY Th • - • - ''
eo b ' ey NVere not raised to their present
the hi, 3' tbe .aristocracy. They owe nothing to
thl e otection or to the care of the aristocracy. But
tlit,_,y to the
3' tire indeb %lel tsekdi for the position which they occupy
I% the industry the muscle, the
loc,teh, the toil, and the capital of, the operative,' the
ouell,atile, and the merehant—(Cheers)—and they
racy
not longer to be held in thraldom to an aria-
leeioY which is in op?osition to the principles en
I.titicl their prosperity is founded (Loud cheers )
qii, Mil he addressed this evening by M Milner
Mr.
°llr°,,tl.---(Chet.rs)—the Alernbe; for Mancheste,r
l'ti 'lie" Mr. Cobden—(Loud cheers)— and :,or.
k, ..--(Cheer,.) I have great pleasure in calling on
• Gihs,ii
itei4r. •rlit-.Nlilt Ginsox, M.P., then came ferward,
his
blNtiaids rsejesiyeidl with loud cheers. When the cheer-
n s me_ 0 lde , the Hon. Gentleman commenced
teatt i,,rees as follows :—Ladies and Gentlemen It
address deemed.. a great privilege to be perniitte7l to
gsth„ '0 Imposing an assembly as that a hieh i"
..t, ,red , . . .
‘:, tire, Logether Within these walls. But I must
le 63 that
tie 44., ) great as that Privilege is, I feel some
a seb"lculty in attemptin to throw fresh light on
I)ltt'i•ct Which has been sgo ably and so. frequently
, ined hv _ _
ti ,le ~,,
i-, 1110Ier persons than myself, and which, I
ae,,lic ran ,e,.,.• .'?'They unclerstio,l by,
tb.-
..::-c%tt b.:llk
befolf Iligent audience as I eee gathered to-
c nie. I have heard of an actor who,

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