The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-05 00:00:00

MARYLEBONE.

Yesterday, pursuant to notice, a special meeting of the
of the par►sh of St. Marylebone took place for the pur-
e, of considering the apprehended famine, and the prO-
. :ty of memorialising her Majesty the Queen to use her
..ogative in convening Parliament and in throwing open
porta. Amongst the members of the vestry present were,
Right Hon. Lord Montford, the Right Hon. Lord Straf-
: 1, Mr. Joseph Hume, M.P., 31r. W. Williams, M.P., Sir
in M‘Taggart, Bart., M.P., General Sir De Lacy Evans,
in Bagshaw, Esq., Martin Thackery, Esq., Hugh fliers,
q., Join
_Williams, Esq., George Daniell, Esq., Alfred
Daniell, Esq, John Gomm, Esq., &c. &c.
George Daniell, Esq. (churchwarden), was called to the
auk. ,

Letters were read from Sir C. Napier and Sir B. Hall, the
Members fur the borough, expressing their regret that
they could not be in town in time to attend the meeting.
The CHAILMAN h vying briefly opened the proceedings,
John BAGSIIAW, Esq., proposed the first resolution,—
" That the extensive failure of the crops imperatively de-
mands that the most decisive and energetic measures should
be immediately taken to ensure a sufficient supply of food,
and to guard the country from the dreadful evils which have
ever followed in the train of scarcity,; and which, in the pre-
sent circumstances of the nation, would fall upon it with
more than ordinary force."

Mr. lIIJME, M.P., said he felt great pleasure in sbconding
the resolution. He thought the time was come when the
people of this country should rise as one man and demand
that the restrictions upon food should be at once and for ever
abolished.—(Cheers.) When they looked to what would in
all probability shortly be the state of the poor in Ireland,
when they looked to the state of our colonies, and our own
manuficturing towns, he could not say but he thought every
one must be apprehensive of the most serious results.--(Hear,
hear.) In the event of a famine occurring, either by means
of the failure of the potato crop, or other articles of con-
sumption, could it longer be tolerated that, merely to keep
up the price of corn and put money in their own pockets, the
lauded aristocracy should drag fifteen millions annually
out of the pockets of the labouring and industrious classes ?
—(Hear, and cries of "_No, no.") He (Mr. Hume) was de-
lighted to see the progress which had been made in public
opinion with respect to the necessity of opening the
ports. Ile was convinced, if that were effected, we should
not only have free trade in corn, but free trade in every-
thing else.—(Hear, hear.) He was of opinion that every
class of persons, and even the landed proprietors themselves,
suffered by monopoly, whilst it had a tendency to demoralise,
and to create crime as well as distress, amongst the poorer
classes of the people.—(Hear, hear.) He was not aware if
there was any foundation for the gratifying announcement
which appeared in some of the papers of that day, that cer-
tain members of the Cabinett had declared in favour of free
trade. Ho could only say, if such were true, lie believed they
would receive the almost unanimous support of the nation.—
(Cheers) Sir Robert Peel was bound by his oath of office
to do his duty to his Sovereign and his country, and having
declared that the principle of opening the ports was founded
in justice as well as common sense, if he did not, aow the
opportunity offered, use his influence to do so, a strong re-
monstrance from the people might have its due effect.—
(Hear, hear.) Ile (Mr. Hume) looked towards Ireland with
the greatest apprehension. Ile had received that morning
a do ument from Ireland, showing the result of an official
inquiry gull', on there, with the Duke of Leinster at its
head. With referetice to the potato crop, every clergyman
in every town in Ireland had been communicated with, and
the munber of persons who returned their potato crop as
having felled to the extent of one-third was 158 ; more than
ono-third, 435; mere than one-half, 134; and three-fourths
of the crop, 40. Now, if this were the case, it was
llts his (Mr—Hume's) opinion calculated to excite serious
prehensions. In Norfolk, on land of his own, the failure
of the 'crop was ti the extent of seven-eighths, and sup-
,.ding that failure to be general, it was sufficient to excite
ies most serious apprehensions, not only with regard to the
to of our fellow-tubjects in Ireland, but at home also.—
, dear, hoar.) It was quite clear that the people of
„..gland could not think of shutting up their pockets and
:!,)w their Irish brethren to starve.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr.
dome) perfectly coincided in the resolution, and hoped they
. said not separate without either coming to a strong reso-
.... ion of remonstrance with the Minister, or go so far as to
cc the subject upon the attention of her Majesty in an
' tress to to the Crown.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. WPLLIAMS, M.P., had great pleasure in giving his
pport to this resolution, and he thought, when it was
,onsideved that Marylsbone had a population equal to one-
half of the counties of the kingdom, and was superior in
wealth to many others, that the opinion of the vestry, as the
repeesentatives of that • wealth and population, would not be
disregarded.—(Hear.) The country were deeply indebted
to his friend Mr. Hume, for it was the returns obtained by
that gentleman in 1840 which threw the monopolists on their
backs, and which would eventually secure the entire aboli-
tion of the corn-laws. The Governments of Holland and
Belgium no sooner saw the prospect of a scarcity of food
than they threw open the ports and even the despot of Rus-
sia had shown in this respect more sympathy for his people
than had been manifested by the landed aristocracy of Eng-
land.—(Hear, hear.)
The resolution was carried unanimously, amidst great
applaupe.
Air. jOSEPIL moved the second resolution—
" That a failure of the crops, At all times most disastrous,
is enormously aggravated by the laws which, under the false
pretence of protecting the home grower, and encouraging
agriculture, prohibit the free importation of foreign corn, and
thereby render the first necessary of life scarce and dear to
* rapidly increasing and industrious population."
Mr. Jonx WILLIAMS seconded the resolution.
This resolution having been carried, without a dissentient,
Mr. soDEN proposed the next resolution—
" That it is the bounden eat of her Majesty's responsible
ad vie do
to direct the ports to e immediately opened for the
adinissssi of articles of food from foreign ports, free of duty,
and to advice her jestsMt
possible o i
ppeetunity, n order, at once and for ever, to put an
end to a system which h;ricbueleti.nurep.,rotyheedsotuorbeee tolfsebbitltigerht
dis-
sension commerce, the bane of a
amongst classsee, and tne cause of penury, fever,
mortality, ar.d crime among the people,"
Mr. GLASSIN, in seconding the motion, congratulated the
meeting upon the unanimity which prevailed in it, notwiths
standing there were gentlemen of all shades of political
opinion present.
Mr. H. C. VcriesoN moved an address to the Queen founded
on the resolutions.
Lord MONTFORT, amidst loud cheers, seconded the pro-
position.
The motion having been carried, General Evans, and ut
or two other gentlemen, addressed the meeting, and after
thanks to the chairman, it separated.
The following is a copy of the address alluded to :-
- "TO THE QIIEFI'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY.
"The humble Address and Petition of the Representative
Yee,try and Ratepayers of the parish of St. Marylebone,
in Ow county of Middlesex.
" Mo t gracious Majesty,
"we, irdiak liNesty's-lOytit and devoted subjects, the ves-
trymen and konielioliiera of the• parish of St. iflailleboan,

most humbly submit to your Majesty that the said parish
contains upwards of 14,000 houses and 140,000 inhabitants.
" That it has pleased Divine Providence to visit the British
isles with a deficiency of produce used as human food by
vast multitudes of your Majesty's subjects, and which for
many weeks last past lias occasioned', a gradual rise in the
price of all kinds of provisions consumed by the people, and
created great and daily increasing alarm for the future in the
breasts of your Majesty's petitioners.
" That this alarm has been, and is, augmented by the
operation of an unwise law, which imposes grievous import
duties upon corn and various articles of human food the
produce of parts beyond the seas. That' this law vexatiously
and cruelly prevents your Majesty's subjects relieving them-
selves from scarcity add high prices by making purchase of
bread corn, and ether produce in foreign markets, and your
petitioners humbly and dutifully submit to your Majesty
that sueliitafe of 'the law, at a period of national apprehen-
sion and anxiety, is against the principle of common right,
justice, and humanity.
" We, your Majesty's petitioners, therefore humbly pray
that your Majesty will be pleased to call the Imperial Par-
liament to assemble without delay, to the end that such
measures may be adopted therein as may seem expedient in
the present perilous emergency.
" And your petitioners will ever pray."