The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-21 00:00:00

missioners. The economy was too great, and the supplies ,
given from the very first have been inadequate for human support. '
We implore of Government the privilege of obtaining for
our distressed people the necessaries of life duty free ; and we re-
turn grateful thanks fur the great good which was done our
community by the remission of duty in two instances on Ame-
rican beef, sent by a benevolent friend at New York. What
was thus done on a small scale, and without any loss to any one,
may be done in such a measure as to prove a source of prompt
supply, as well as a means of soothing wounded feelings.
" We bear cheerful testimony to the peaceable and orderly
behaviour of our townsmen. Much as they have suffered, and
dark as are their prospects, they have conducted themselves as
became good citizens. Those who are not in the daily habit of
mingling with the working classes cannot form any idea of. the
severity of their sufferings, or of the becoming spirit with
which they have borne them.
"We deprecate experiments on the feelings of men. There
is a point beyond which patient endurance may not go ; and
we earnestly emplore her Majesty's Government to interpose
with effective measures of commercial and charitable relief
for industrious working men, before it be too late to do so.
" In fine ; as Ministers of God for good to our fellow-towns-
men, we would represent to Government the serious obstacles
which stand in the way of all our moral and religious efforts, by
reason of the great number of able-bodied and industrions men,
who cannot find employment ; the deep poverty of so many
families; and the spirit of disaffection and discontent which is
beginning to pervade the community."
Ho concluded by reading a statement of the prices at
which American beef might be sold in the English

market.
Some discussion followed in consequence of a Captain
BARRETT remarking that the worthy Provost had not
convinced him of seven-eighths of his statements; after

which,
Mr. LAWRENCE HEYWORTH addressed the meeting to
the same effect as the statements made at the meetings
of the Conference. _ _

Mr. HooLE, of Salford, said that he had been forty
years in business, twenty-nine of which he was engaged
in manufactures. He had, till within the last two
months, between 700 and 800 men in his employment,
on premises which cost him 100,0001. The amount of
wages which he paid weekly was 4001; or 20,0001. per
annum. But he found it impossible to carry on his
business so as to remunerate him for his time and
capital, while the present restrictive provision and com-
mercial laws were in existence. They caused the high
price of food, which prevented the manufacturing popu-
lation being able to obtain subsistence.
Mr. WILKINSON read a petition from the Cobbett
Club, which had been presented to the House of Com,-
mons, calling upon the Legislature to furnish a sum of
money to alleviate the distress of the people, as twenty
millions sterling had been granted to put an end to
slavery. He moved a resolution, to the effect that the
House of Commons be called on to adopt the course re-
commended in the petition • but no person having
seconded the motion, it dropped.
Dr. SLEIGH proposed a resolution to the effect—That
it was of importance that the question of the cause of
the distress should be fully discussed, and that, there-
fore, an impartial and dispassionate public discussion of
the subject ought to take place, with as little delay as
possible. He admitted Chat great and alarming distress
prevailed throughout the country, but he did not think
that that distress had ever been traced to its true causes,
or that the subject had ever been fully discussed. He
thought that an inquiry should be instituted into the
matter. The Learned Gentleman who stated that he
was the representative of " the Society for the Protec-
tion of British Industry," complained that, on various
occasions, the advocates of a repeal of the Corn-laws
had refused to enter into a discussion with him, as to the
merits or demerits of these laws.

Mr. Wm. STocxs, of Huddersfield, seconded the reso-
lution. He had been himself a manufacturer and a
tradesman ; and he believed that it had never been shown
what was the source of the decline of our trade, and that
it had never been fairly traced to the Corn-laws. He
thought that an inquiry should be instituted into the
subject.
Mr. BRIGHT, of Rochdale, observed that the same
means of discussing the connection of the Corn-laws with
the distress of the country were open to the advocates of
those laws as to their opponents. He would remind Dr.
Sleigh that he had himself gone down to Manchester to
lectura in favour of the Corn-laws, and if he could not
gain an audience there, it was because the inhabitants
had already fully made up their minds to the fact, that
the Corn-laws were the main cause of the decline of
their manufactures. He also wished to remind the
Learned Gentleman that he had declined to meet Mr.
Brown at Bristol in a discussion on the subject.—(Hear.)
He belie'ved, too, that Dr. Sleigh had the honour of being
the particular friend of the Duke of ;Buckingham.—
(Hear.) He wished further to bring to the recollection
of the gentlenien present, that a large nleetin., having
been lately held at Stevenson-square in Manchester, to
pronounce an emphatic condemnation of the Corn-laws,
a cheque for 1501. was cashed at the time in a bank in the
town, with the name of the Duke of Buckingham ;
and it was confidently asserted and believed, that the
money was distributed among ill-disposed parties to in-
duce them to disturb the proceedings at that meeting.—
(Hear, hear.) Dr. Sleigh complained that the question
of the Corn-laws was not discussed ; but the fact was,
that it was fully to talk of discussion now ; for nineteen
out of every twenty members of the community were
perfectly satisfied that the Corn-laws were unjust and
wicked, and that they were rapidly undermining the
prosperity of the country.—(Hear, hear.) No extension
of foreign trade could increase the amount of food grown
in a country ; and therefore, unless a free importation of
corn was allowed, no extension of trade could materially
alleviate the condition of the country. Nineteen-twen-
tieths of the people of Manchester believed that the re-
peal of the law would relieve their distress : 63,900 of
them had signed a memorial to the Members of the town,
begging them to prevent the granting of the supplies, by
every means in their power, acd to prevent the proroga-
tion of Parliament until the question of the Corn-
laws should be taken in consideration.—(Loud cheers.)
If the Corn-laws were repealed, and the price of food
lowered, that class of operatives which was now enabled
to earn sufficient to purchase food, but stood in need of
clothing, would have immediately a surplus for the pur-
chase of clothing; and the first article that was bought
in consequence of that fall in the price of food would be
the first step towards a revival of trade.—(Cheers.)

When in 1838 the price of food was raised, the working-
men had immediately less surplus wages to expend in
clothing ; the falling off had begun then, and had con-
tinued until now increasing.—(Cheers.) Nothing would
relieve a hungry people but a supply of food.—(Cheers.)
Could anything be clearer than that ?—(Cheers.) They
talked of British industry and British agriculture, as if
the weaving of cloth was not as much British industry as
the digging a hole in the ground and putting wheat in it.
—(Cheers.) How came one branch only to be thus fa-
voured and protected. Surely it could only be because
some one got a profit out of it.—(Cheers and laughter.)
Why not regard other branches of British industry as
well as the agricultural ? 'Thiess the people had the
means of obtaining food, the evil would extend until it
reached Loudon. There was intense suffering in the
agricultural districts : true, the inhabitants were scat-
tered, and had not the means of meeting and making
their sufferings known, but the suffering was increasing
in those districts. He had only on Sunday last met with
an agricultural labourer from Wendover, in Bucks; that
man had told him that great distress existed in that
county ; that the labourers were much better off six
years ago, when food was cheaper; although wages had
now been increased Is. a week, yet corn had increased

- -
so much more in price, that the labourers were infinitely
worse off.—(Cheers.) He likewise had told him (Mr.
Bright) that married men were allowed higher wages
than single men. The fact was, the agricultural labourers
were kept in a state of serfdom—(Cheers)—treated as
horses, oxen, asses—given just sufficient food to sup-
port them, and nothing more. The manufacturing
labourers, if it were attempted to treat them in
this way would leave work directly.—(Cheers.) He
opposed the motion of Dr. Sleigh, because no good
coull arise from it. Every one had made up their minds
on the subject.—(Cheers.) The question was, as re-
garded the supporters of the Corn-laws—the question of
might against right.—(Cheers.) They believed that the
opinion of the vast majority of the inhabitants of London
was, that the Corn-laws were bad—they were desirous
of obtaining an expression of that opinion.—(Cheers.)
He knew they could not stir up a large city as they could
a small village ; but if the City of London would once
stir up a repeal of the Corn-laws, they would produce
such an effect upon the Government, that the laws must
be repealed.—(Loud cheers.) He would not submit any
resolution to the meeting. The meeting had been called
for the purpose of laying before the merchants and
traders of the City of London, a statement of the distress
existing throughout the country. No resolution had
been prepared to be submitted to the meeting on the
subject, by those who had made the statements. Having
heard those statements, it was for the meeting to come
to any resolution they might think fit on the subject.
Dr. SLEIGH then rose to explain, but as he frequently
wandered from the point, he was subjected to almost con-
stant interruption. He made a long rambling
statement about a letter written by his son to Mr. Brown
at Southampton the week before he proposed meeting
with that gentleman in Bristol, which letter contained
the reasons for his failing to keep his appointment.
The Learned Doctor, at the conclusion of his explana-
tion, took occasion to deny that be was connected either
directly or indirectly with the Duke of Buckingham.
Mr..CoATEs, of the Tower Hamlets, was chairman of
an Anti-Corn-law Association in that district, where
they were most anxious to discuss the question, and he
would undertake to give Dr. Sleigh an evening if the
Learned Doctor would give good and substantial bail
for his appearance.—(Cheers and laughter.) He did not
think the people of Bristol had lost much by the absence
of the Learned Doctor.—(Laughter.)
Mr. WILSON, of London, thought the object of the
meeting had been somewhat lost sight of in the discus-
sion which had been raised by Dr. Sleigh. Those manu-
facturers were merely desirous of laying a statement of
the case before the merchants and traders in London.
They did not teke upon themselves to propose any reso.
lution. The resolution proposed had not come from any
of the merchants or traders of London, and therefore he
hoped it would be rejected.
The resolution of Dr. Sleigh was then put and nega-
tived almost unanimously, only one hand being held up
in favour of it.
Mr. SmART moved a resolution, which lie had intended
to move as an amendment if Dr. Sleigh had pressed his
resolution. It was, that the meeting was of opinion that
the cause of the lamentable distress was the existing
Corn-laws, and therefore pledge themselves to use every
legal means to procure their abolition.
The resolution was seconded by Mr. SHAW and sup-
ported by Mr. ROBERTS; when put to the meeting. it was
carried unanimously.
Mr. BRIGHT moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman,
which was briefly acknowledged, and the meeting
separated.
It is probable that a second; and more public meet-
ing, will be held iu the City.

During the last week. there were landed and em.
barked at the Red-house Pier, Battersea, 7,389 persons.