The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-03 00:00:00

CHARTIST DEMONSTRATION

Yesterday being appointed for the presentation. The
National Petition," the Chartists assembled in large bodies in
different quarters of the town, at an early hour. Soon after
nine o'clock the streets leading to Lincoln's Inn-fields were
thronged with members of the various Chartist Asssciations of
the metropolis and elsewhere, all wending their way towards the
principal place of rendezvous, viz., the square in Lincoln's Iran-
i fields. The time appointed for the formation of the procession
was one o'clock, and by that time the square was densely
crowded. The windows of the houses in the vicin ty
were occupied by spectators, principally ladies. The
members of the National Convention arrived in the
square at one o'clock ; those who were recognised by the as-
sembled multitude were greeted with loud cheering. The
AL-mbers of the Convention were preceded by the monster
petition, borne on the shoulders of sixteen able-bodied men,
selected from the different trades in the metropolis. It was
carried on a kind of portable stage or platform, which had been
constructed for the purpose, and was covered with ribbons, and
otherwise decorated. On the front was placed a placard, dis-
playing the number of signatures which it contained, and
from which it appeared that the number was 3,317,702.
The procession was formed soon after one o'clock, the peti-
tion being placed in front. After the petition came a large and
ample black flag, bearing the inscription " Murder demands
Justice. 16th Aug., 1819." On the other side the flag was a re-
presentation of the Manchester massacre. Next to this flag were
several staves, bearing on each a representation of the cap of Li-
berty.. Then came several flags, bearing each the inscription,
" United we stand, divided we fall." The first band followed these
flags. Next to the band was a flag, inscribed, "We
require justice before charity—the People's Charter and no
surrender !" and on the other side of it were these words—
" Every man is born free, and God has given man equal rights
and liberties, and may it please God to give man knowledge to
assert those rights, and let no tyrannical faction withhold
them from the people." Then followed the flags belong-
ing to the Huddersfield and Kettering Association, together
with those from the Association at the Tower Hamlets. Fol-
lowing these was another band, in the midst of which was a
flag inscribed " O'Connor, the tried Champion of the
People ! who can prove him otherwise? " The appearance
of this flag was hailed with a loud burst of cheering,
from the persons assembled in Lincoln's Inn-square to view the
procession as it passed. Immediately following this flag was
one bearing the quotation, from Exodus, " Whosoever shed-
deth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed." Several
other flags followed of a similar character, and by too o'clock the
procession had left the square. It proceeded up Great Queen-
street, Drury-lane, up Holborn, to Oxford -street, and would
arrive at the House of Commons at a quarter past
three. Every thing was conducted in. the most peace-
able and orderly manner. Not the slightest confusion
prevailed from the time of the assembling of the multitude in
the morning to that of its departure with the procession. The
following is

THE PETITION.
To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland,
in Parliament assembled.
The Petition of the undersigned People of the United Kingdom.
Showeth—That Government originated from, was designed
to protect the freedom and promote the happiness of, and ought
to be responsible to, the whole people ;
That the only authority on which any body of men can make
laws and govern society, is delegation from the people ;
Thar, as Government was designed for the benefit and pro-
tection of, and must be obeyed and supported by, all, there-
fore, all should be equally represented;
That any form of Government, which fails to effect the pur-
poses for which it was designed, and does not fully and com-
pletely represent the whole people, who are compelled to pay
taxes to its support and obey the laws resolved upon by it, is un-
constitutional, tyrannical, and ought to be amended or resisted;
That your Honourable House, as at present constituted, has
not been elected by, and acts irresponsibly of, the people ; and
hitherto has only represented parties, and benefited the few,
regardless of the miseries, grievances, and petitions of the
many. Your Honourable House has enacted laws contrary to
the expressed wishes of the people, and, by unconstitutional
means, enforced obedience to them ; thereby creating an un-
bearable despotism on the one hand, and degrading slavery on
the other •
That if your Honourable House is of opinion that the
people of Great Britain and Ireland ought NOT to be FULLY
REPRESENTED, your petitioners pray that such opinion may
be unequivocally made kritrmn, that the people may fully under-
stand what they can or cannot expect from your Honourable
House ; because if.such be the decision of your. Honourable
House, your petitioners are.of opinion that where representation
is denied, taxation ought to be resisted ;
That your petitioners instance, in proof of.l heir assertion that.
your Honourable Mouse has not been elected by the people, that.
the population of Great Ifritain and Ireland is at the present
time about twenty-six milliohs of persons ; and that yet, oat of
this number, little more than nine hundred thousand have been,
permitted-to-vote in-'the recent election orrepresentativis to
make laws to govern the whole ;
That the existing state of representation is not only ex-
tremely limited and unjust, but unequally divided, and gives
preponderating influence to landed and monied interests, to the
utter ruin of the small-trading and labouring classes ;
That the borough of Guildford, with a population of 3,920,
returns to Parliament as many Members as the Tower Ham-
lets, with a population of 300,000; Evesham, with a popula-
tion of 3,998, elects as many representatives as Manchester,
with a population of 200,000 ; and Buckingham, Evesham,
Totnes, Guildford, Honiton, and Bridport, with a total popu-
lation of 23,000, return as many representatives as Manchester,
Finsbury, Tower Hamlets, Liverpool,_ Marylebone, and Lam-
beth, with a population of 1,400,000! these being' but a very
few instances of the enormous inequalities existing in whet is
called the representation of this country;
That bribery, intimidation, corruption, perjury, and riot,
prevail at all Parliamentary elections, to an extent best under-
stood by the Members of your Honourable House ;
That your petitioners complain that they are enormously
taxed to pay the interest of what is termed the National Debt
—a debt amounting at present to eight hundred millions of
pounds—being only a portion of the enormous amount ex-
pended in cruel and expensive wars for the suppression of all
liberty, by men not authorised by the people, and who, conse-
quently, had no right to tax posterity for the outrages com-
mitted by them upon mankind. And your petitioners loudly
complain of the augmentation of that debt, after twenty-six
years of almost uninterrupted peace, and whilst poverty and
discontent rage over the land;
That taxation, both general and local, is at this time too
enormous to be borne ; and in the opinion of your petitioners is
contrary to the spirit of the Bill of Rights, wherein it is clearly
expressed that no subject shall be compelled to contribute to-
any tax, talliage, or aid, unless imposed by common consent in
Parliament ;
That in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, thousands
of people are dying from actual want; and your petitioners,
whilst sensible that poverty is the great exciting cause of crime,
view with mingled astonishment and alarm the ill provision
made for the poor, the aged, and infirm ; and likewise perceive,
with feelings of indignation, the determination of your Honour-
able House to continue the Poor-law Bill in operation, notwith-
standing the many proofs whizh have been afforded by sad
experience of the unconstitutional principle of that Bill, of its
unchristian character, and of the cruel and murderous effects
produced upon the wages of working men, and the lives of the
subjects of this realm;
That your petitioners conceive that Bill to be contrary to all
previous statutes, opposed to the spirit of the Constitution, and
an actual violation of the precepts of the Christian religion ; and
therefore, your petitioners look with apprehension to the results
which may flow from its continuance ;
That your petitioners would direct the attention of your
Honourable House to the great disparity existing between the
wages of the producing millions, and the salaries of those
whose comparative usefulness ought to be questioned, where
riches and luxury prevail amongst the rulers, and poverty and
starvation amongst the ruled;
That your petitioners, with all due respect and loyalty, would
compare the daily income of the Sovereign Majesty with that
of thousands of the working men of this nation ; and whilst
your petitioners have learned' that her Majesty receives daily
for ker private use the sum of 1641. 17s. 10d., they have also
ascertained that many thousands of the families of the labourers
are only in the receipt of per heeil per day;
That your petitioners have also learned that his Royal
Highness Prince Albert receives each day the sum of 1041. 25.,
whilst thousands have to exist upon 3d per head per day;
That your petitioners have also heard with astonishment that
the King of Hanover daily receives 571. 10s., whilst thousands
of the tax-payers of this empire live upon 2id. per head per day ;
That your petitioners have, with pain and regret, alse learned
that the Archbishop of Canterbury is daily in the receipt of
b2l. les. per day, whilst thousands of the poor have to maintain
their families uilon an income not exceeding twopence per head
per day ;
That notwithstanding the wretched and unparalleled condi-
tion of the people, your Honourable House has manifested no
disposition to curtail the expenses oft he State, to diminish taxa-
tion, or promote general prosperity ;
That unless immediate remedial measures be adopted, your
petitioners fear the increasing distress of the people will lead to
results fearful to contemplate ; because your petitioners can
produce evidence of the gradual decline of wages, at the same
time that the constant increase of the national burdens must be
apparent to all ;

That your petitioners know that it is the undoubted consti-
tutional right of the people to meet freely when, how, and
where they choose, in public places, peaceably, in the day, to
discuss their grievances, and political or other subjects, or for
the purpose of framing, discussing, or passing any vote, peti-
tion, or remonstrance, upon any subject whatsoever;
That your petitioners complain that the right has unlawfully
and unconstitutionally been infringed; and five hundred well-
disposed persons have been arrested, excessive bail demanded,
tried by packed juries, sentenced to imprisonment, and treated
as felons of the worst description ;
That an unconstitutional police force is distributed all over
the country, at enormous cost, to prevent the due exercise of
the people's rights. And your petitioners are of opinion, that
the Poor Law Bastile and the police stations, being co-existent,
have originated trout the same cause,—viz., the increased
desire on the part of the irresponsible few to oppress and starve
the many ;
That a vast and unconstitutional army is upheld at the public
expense, for the purpose of repressing public opinion in the
three kingdoms, and likewise to intimidate the millions in the
due exercise of those rights and privileges which ought to be-
long to them ;

That your petitioners complain that the hours of labour, par-
ticularly of the factory workers, are protracted beyond the
limits of human endurance, and that the wages earned, after
unnatural application to toil in heated and unhealthy work-
shops, are inadequate to sustain the bodily strength, and supply
those comforts which are so imperative after an excessive waste
of physical energy;
That your petitioners also direct the attention of your
Honourable House, to the starvation wages of the agricultural
labourer, and view with horror and indignation, the paltry in-
come of those whose toil gives being to the staple food of this
people;
That your petitioners deeply deplore the existence of any
kind of monopoly in this nation ; and whilst they unequivocally
condemn the levying of any tax upon the necessaries of life,
and upon those articles principally required by the labouring
classes, they are also sensible, that the abolition of any one
monopoly, will never unshackle labour from its misery, until
the people possess that power under which all monopoly and
oppression must cease ; and your petitioners respectfully men-
tion the existing monopolies of the suffrage, of paper money, of
machinery. of land, of the public press, of religious privileges,
of the means of travelling and transit, and a host of ether evils,
too numerous to mention, all arising from class legislation, but
which your Honourable House has always consistently endea •
voured to increase instead of diminish ;
That your petitioners are sensible, from the numerous peti-
tions, presented to your Honourable House, that your Honour-
able House is fully acquainted withe grievances of the working
men ; and your petitioners pray that the rights and wrongs of
labour may be considered, with a view to the protection of the
one, and to the removal of the other; because your petitioners
are of opinion that it is the worst species of legislation, which
leaves the grievances of society to be removed only by violence
or revolution, both of which may be apprehended if complaints
are unattended to and petitions despised ;
That your petitioners complain that upwards of nine mil-
lions of pounds per annum are unjustly abstracted from them
to maintain a Church Establishment, from which they princi-
pally dissent; and beg to call the attention of your Honourable
House to the fact, that this enormous sum is equal to, if it does
not exceed, the cost of upholding Christianity in all parts of the
world besioe. Your petititioners complain that it is unjust,
and not in accordance with the Christian religion, to enforce
compulsory support of religious creeds, and expensive Church
e,tablishments, with which the people do not agree;
That your petitioners believe all men have a right to wor-

ship God as may appear best to their consciences, and that no
legislative enactments should interfere between man and his
Creator ;

That your petitioners direct the attention of your Honourable
House to the enormous revenue annually swallowed up by the
Bishops and the clergy, and entreat you to contrast their deeds
with the conduct of the founder of the Christian religion, who
denounced worshippers of Alammon, and taught charity,
meekness, and brotherly love.
That your petitioners strongly complain that the people of
this kingdom are subject to the rule of irresponsible law-makers,
to whom they have given no authority, and are enormously
taxed to uphold a corrupt system, to which they have never in
person or by representation given their assent;
That your petitioners maintain that it is the inherent, indu-
bitable, and constitutional right, founded upon the ancient
practice of the realm of England, and suppoited by well-ap-
tproved statutes, of every male inhabitant of the United King-
dom, he being of age and of sound mind, non .convict of crime,
and not confined under any judicial process, to exercise the
elective franchise in the choice of Members to serve in the
Commons House of Parliament ;
That your petitioners can prove that by the ancient custom
and statutes of this realm, Parliaments should be held once 1
in each year;
That your petitioners maintain that Members elected to
serve in Parliament ought to be the servants of the people, and
should, at short and stated intervals, return to their constitu-
encies, to ascertain if their conduct is approved of, and to give
the people power to reject all who have not acted honestly
and justly;
That your petitioners complain that possession of property is
made the test of men's qualification to sit in Parliament ;
That your petitioners can give proof that such qualification
is irrational, unnecessary, and not in accordance with the an-
cient usages of England;
That your petitioners complain, that by influence, patronage,
and intimidation, there is at present no purity of election; and
your petitioners contend for the right of voting by ballot.
That your petitioners complain, that seats in your tionour-
able House are sought for at a most extravagant rate of ex-
pense, which proves an enormous degree of fraud and corruption;
That your petitioners, therefore, contend that, to put an end
to secret political traffic, all representatives shoulo be paid a
limited amount for their services ;
That your petitioners complain of the inequality of repre-
sentation ; and contend for the division of the country into
equal electoral districts; •
. •
That • your petitioners Complain of .the 'many grievances
borne by the people of Ireland; and contend that they are
fully entitled to a repeal of the Legislative Union..;
That your petitioners have viewed with great indignation
the partiality shown to the aristocracy in the Courts of Jus-
tice, and the cruelty of that system of law which deprived
Frost, Williams, and Jones, of the benefit of the objection
offered by Sir Frederick Pollock during the trial at Monmouth,
and which was approved of by a large majority of the Judges;
That your petitioners beg to assure your Honourable
House that they cannot, within the limits of this their
petition, set forth even a tithe of the many grievances
of which they may justly complain ; but should your
Honourable House be pleased to grant your petitioners
a hearing by representatives at the bar of your Honour-
able House, your petitioners wig be enabled to unfold
a tale of wrong and suffering —of intolerable injustice,
which will create utter astonishment in the minds of all bene-
volent and good men, that the people of Great Britain and Ire-
land have so long quietly endured their wretched condition,
brought upon them, as it has been, by unjust exclusion from
political authority, and by the manifold corruptions of class le
gislation ;

That your petitioners, therefore, exercising their just consti-
tutional right, demand that your Honourable House, to remedy
the many gross and manifest evils of which your petitioners
complain, do immediately, without alteration, deduction, or ad-
dition. pass into a law the document entitled " The People's
Charter ;" which embraces the Representation of Male Adults,
Vote by Ballot, Annual Parliaments, No Property Qualifica-
tio;,, Payment of Members, and Equal Electoral Districts.
And that your petitioners, desiring to promote the peace of
the United Kingdom, security of property, and prosperity of
commerce, seriously and earnestly press this, their petition, en
the attention of your Honourable House.

And your Petitioners, &c.

THE NATIONAL PETITION.

Longbeiore the hour fixed for the meeting of the House
yesterday, Parliament-Street was erowded with persons as-
sembled to " see the procesSion of the working clas'ses
accompanying the Xational Petition to the House of
Commons ; su "that 'it was a'work of some difficulty for.
those who were' dgirons•:OCObtaining admission to the
House "to Make their -iv'ay through the crowd. The
petition Niras'enclesed in a frame Work of wood, and its
size "mils Such, that the, framework had to he taken oftand
the petition itself to be Unrolled, in Order to get it through
the door leading from the lobby to the House. On the
gallery being opened, the petition appeared a conspicuous
object, having been placed immediately in front of the
table ; it was unrolled,and formed a pile, or
.stack of
loose paper, as high as the tabie itself, and extending a
considerable distance along the floor of the House.

THE WESLEYAN MISSIONARY
SOCIETY.

The annnal meeting of the Wesleyan Missionary So-
ciety was held yesterday in the great room, Exeter Hall.
The body of the hall was filled chiefly with ladies, and
the platform was occupied by a large number of preachers,
friends, and supporters of the Society. The Rev. Jabez
Bunting read the report for the past year, from which
it appeared that the receipts amounted to 101,6881.25. 4d.
—(Loud cheers)—and the expenditure to 98,7541.75. 9d.,
leaving a surplus of 2,9331 14s. 7d. The present num-
ber of principal or central mission stations, called cir-
cuits, occupied by the Society in the several parts of the
world, now enumerated, is 261 ; the number of Mis-
sionaries employed, exclusive of catechists, 368 ; the
number of full and accredited church members, ex-
clusively of those under the care of the Society's Mis-
sionaries in Ireland, is 87,258; and the number of scholars
in the mission schcoolslis nearly 60,000.

POISONING CASE AT WEEKLEY.
COMMITTAL OF THE SUPPOSED MURDERER.

(Abridged from the Northampton .211ercury.)
An inquest has been held by Thos. Marshall, Esq., on
the body of Mrs. Ward, wife of Mr. J. Ward, miller, of
Weekley Mill, near Kettering.
Mrs. %Vard was 71 years of age, and was in her usual
state of health on Monday, 25th inst., when she ate a
small quantity of asparagus with her breakfast, and
afterwards complained that she did not feel very well.
About eleven o'clock she ordered her servant girl
(Sarah Goss), to prepare a basin of milk for her lunch.
The milk was prepared, and on partaking of it she
observed that it had a nasty taste, and inquired of
the girl what she had done to it. She replied she had
done nothing to it. Whilst this conversation was going
on Mrs. Ward, jun., wife of Mrs. Ward's eldest son, a
farmer living about a mile distant, called in to see her
mother-in- law, and the mother complained to her that
the milk she was eating had not a right taste. The
daughter tasted it, and after a short time she said she
was sure that it was not right, for it burned her stomach
though it was now cool. Mrs. Ward, jun. again ate
several spoonfuls, and now felt the same burning sensa-
tion. They both soon became sick, and a man was im-
mediately sent for Mr. Wyman, surgeon, of Kettering,
who attended as quickly as possible. The old lady lin-
gered till five o'clock, when she expired. Mrs. Ward,
jun. has not quite recovered.
A jury was empanelled on Tuesday, and the inquiry
was adjourned till Wednesday, to give time for analysing
the different fluids. Mr. Wyman, by various tests,
having discovered arsenic in all of them. At the ad-
journed inquest on Wednesday, after a very lengthened
investigation, it was elicited from the stable-boy that he
i.eard the girl ask the waggoner on the preceding Friday,
to bring her an ounce of arsenic from the druggist's at
Kettering, which the waggoner, on examination, ad-
mitted. The girl, upon re-examination, admitted that
she did send for some arsenic, but not liking to
keep it by her, she had thrown it in the fire. The
jury now insisted on a policeman searching her
boxes, and in her bonnet-box was found a packet of
arsenic. A small quantity was also found in a cup-
board in the kitchen. The body meanwhile underwent
a post mortem examination by Mr. Wyman, assisted by
Mr. W. Gibbon and Mr. W. Rotighton, surgeons, of
Kettering, when the stomach was found in a highly in-
flamed state, and there were particles of the poison still
remaining on its internal coat. The Jury pursued their
inquiries with unwearied assiduity until 12 o'clock at
night, when they adjourned the inquest to Thursday,
and about, five o'clock on that day pronounced a verdict
of " Wilful Murder" against Sarah Goss. She has
lived in the family only since December, and is a na-
tive of Sudbury, in this county.