The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-01 00:00:00

CHARTIST MEETING.
Yesterday evening a numerous meeting of the Journeymen
Tailors was held at the Institution, John-street, Tottenham
Court-road, for the purpose of advancing the principles con-
tained in the People's Charter.
Mr. CUFTEY having been called to the Chair shortly before
8 o'clock, said, as one of the trade who was anxious for the
ultimate success of the principles of the People's Charter, he at
once acceded to the proposition that he should preside over the
Meeting, and he hoped every person would be heard with
fairness and impartiality. The working classes in the connbry
had never before been sunk so low in misery and starvation,
and it was therefore the duty of every one, who wished well tohis
country and his specks, to unite heart and hand to exterminate
class legislation. If the people stood true to themselves and
their cause, and were not led away by the aristocracy and the
middle classes, who sought, by impracticable schemes, to deceive
them, they were sure of gaining their political rights. In the late
debate in the House of Commons his attention was particularly
attracted by the speech of Captain Rous, the Member for
Westminster, who might not inaptly be called " Young Glory."
—( Loud laughter.) That Tory luminary stated in his places
that the journeymen tailors in London were able to earn from
30s. to 365. a week, and he (Mr. Cuffey) requested the Se-
cretary of the Society to which he belonged to write a letter to
the Hon. and Gallant Captain, informing him that he had
grossly exaggerated the amount of wages paid to that class of
artisans, and in reply the following letter was received:—
" Sir, I bare to thank you for your resolutions, passed at a
meeting of the General Council of the National Charter As-
sociation, relative to the amount of wages, and to what they
are pleased to call the principles embodied in the People's
Charter.' In return, I send you a true copy of my speech in the
House of Commons. I have carefully read over your resolution.
You will permit me to observe that the working classes of all
descriptions in Great Britain are better off than the working
classes of the same rank in any part of the old world, and that
the wages you receive (when in full work) will produce more
comfort. Your misfortunes are owing to the increased popu-
lation in this over. peopled country. Every trade, every pro-
fession, is overstocked. We are starving one another, but She
remedy is s)rnple ; emigration to our colonies, where men of
your trade will earn great wages. I see no hardship in living
in another country, under a better climate; with all the
civil advantages of the mother country, and where the
tax-gatherer is unknown; this appears to be the only mod.
of redressing your physical ills by the exercise of your reason-
ing capacity. Depend upon, it, no political power will im-
prove your condition ; far it is a curious fact that those per-
sons who, through your exertions, are placed in high political
situations, advocate ' Free trade principles.' Free trade
will be your particular ruin. All the Continental workmen
can afford to under- work you, because they live upon coarser
food and choose to endure greater privations. What you call
privations they consider as comforts, their ideas being infinitely
inferior to yours ( Hear, hear) therefore, instead of
free trade, you want additional' protectiny duties,
which are not to be had namely, a fine or
tax upon British subjects who wear clothes made by foreign
tailors. I repeat, therefore, there is nothing like our
Colonies for our working classes, whatever may be their trade,
where the demand for labour greatly exceeds the supply, in-
stead of our old country, where the supply exceeds the de •
mand ; and I do not give you advice which I would not follow
myself, for I have visited every Colony, from Upper Canada to
New Zealand. Whatever may be our difference of opinion on
Political subj.-cts, you will be pleased to consider me willing
and anxious to serve you to the best of my humble abilities, and
be assured that I have nothing so much at heart as the amelioration
of all the working-classes, for, on their moral worth, their stern
courage, and good feeling, depends the prosperity of this great
empire.—Yours, &c., H. J. Rous, 28, Chapel-street."—LThe
passages in italics were underscored in the Gallant Captain's
manuscript.] The Chairman, after commenting at semi"
length, and with considerable ability, en what he styled the
overweening impudence of desiring the industrious and produc-
tive classes to leave their father land for the back woods, read
letters from Ales•rs. Uuncombe and Leader, M.P.s and Dr.
Al'Douall, apologising for their absence, and expressing their
concurrence in the object for which the meeting was called.
Mr. PARKER moved the first resolution, which was as fol-
lows :—" That it is the opinion of this meeting that the dis-
tress and misn'y that exists in the trade of journeyman tailors
has been brought about by and through class legislation, and
hereby recommend a union of the trade, with a view to alle-
via'e their sufferings." He said this meeting was called for
the purpose of testing the feelings of the operatives of the as est-
end of London respecting the People's Charter, and he was
happy, from the number and respectability of those in atten-
dance, to be able to say that the will had been warmly re-
sponded to.
Mr. thrones seconded the resolution.

Mr. FEARGUS O'CONNOR rose to address the rceeting, and
was received with loud cheers. He said the main-spring of
legislation should be free and impartial discussion. They
were for that principle, because they knew the truths they ad-
vanced would become more self-evident by it, whilst those whose
deeds would not be ir the light sought to malign and misrepresent
the arguments of their opponents. Nothing could speak more
forcibly in favour of the people than the manner in which
Young Glory's" letter was received, for a grosser tissue of
absurdity was never penned. In that letter it was stated that
the distres'cs of the people arose from over-population ; but
any man of common perception must see that the class of per-
sons to whose Secretary it was addressed was interested, above
all others, in a large population, for unless the overplus went
naked, the tailors, of all others, were most interested in having
a large population. The Member for Westminster told them
to emigrate to a foreign land. They would do no such thing.
But he (Mr. O'Connor) would tell him what they would do.
The working bees might yet, in a voice of thunder, tell the
drones to emigrate, or, perhaps, they might sting them out of
the hive—( Hear, hear, and cheers)—for if emigration
were necessary at all, let the idle and the slothful be the first to
go. and the industrious producers be the last. As the Chairman
had very properly observed, the aristocracy told them to emigrate
to the Colonies where they and their connections were pos-
sessed of large grants of land, which they intended to make
available by the capital of industry ; while as being the authors
of the infamous Poor-laws, they would cry out, "be joyful," as
they saw each ship load of emigrants depart from the shores of
England.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) He was astonished to
find that those who were comparatively comfortable were satis-
fied with the compararive comfort, for. he thought the working
classes of this country had no right to be satisfied with-
out increasing production. The rights of all descriptions
of property were protected, save those of labour, whi h
ought to be the most respected ot.all. In travelling through the
country a person will frequently see placards in grntlomen's.do.,
mains, having such inscriptions as these :—" Whoever is f mud
trespassing here will be prosecuted according to law," but no
one saw a caution to the effect that, he who trespasses on-the
poor man's labour should be punished. Such a thing was
never thought of, because they who could make the law to,
prevent others from trespassing were themselves the tres-
passers. There were two classes whom in his heart he dis-
pised, and those were the persons who, having votes,
gave them corruptly, and those who, not having theM, re-
fused to struggle to gain them. He would tell " Young Glory"
there was no necessity for the people of England to seek
foreign clime for food. He also disagreed with those who
c nsidered that the people were necessitated to bring the
waste lands of this country into cultivation, in order to enable
them to raise the necessaries of life. He might be allowed to
liken the waste lands of this country to the cold meat in the
larder, which .would serve those who came after
them. There was capital to so large an amount vested
in manufactures in other countries, that it rendered

them, in some degree, independent of England; and if
they were to let their lands out of cultivation, as some folks

advise, the foreigners, who hate England, would, in the time of
scarcity, turn round and say, England at one time put an ex-
clusived duty upon her manufacures, and now we will put the
same upon our corn. For ten years, whilst in office, it was
Lord John Russell's cry that the sufferings and privations
of the people were the consequence of great commer-
cial prosperity in the country ; but the moment he
found himself on the bleak side of the Treasury benches, then
his political vision became cognizant of the fact, that the dis.
tress was general throughout the country. He (Mr. Feargus
O'Connor) and his colleagues, Aim were struggling to gain the
People's Charter, were accused of being firebrands, agitators,
and torch and dagger-men by the Whigs, but seven
months had now ela;wed, during which it was acknow-
ledged by all parties that the most appalling distress prevailed,
and yet there had been no violation of the law, whilst during
their time the Whigs could not agitate for three months
without such events as the burning of Bristol and the sacking of
No tingham. The people should be cautious, and not join this
deceitful faction, for their policy always had been first to urge
the people on, then when they got into power upon their
shoulders, turn round with state prosecutions and packed
juries. He did not care for parties or factions, but let
any one point out to him a principle, and to that principle he
would adhere. The mass of the people had witnesses' the
introduction of steam and its manifold applications; they had
witnessed all the great magical improvements of their genera-
tion, political and scientific, but yet, could they lay their
hands to their hearts upon returning to th it squalid houses,
and say those grand developments of nature's resources
had in the slightest degree ameliorated their social position.
Mr. O'Connor concluded amidst loud and long continued
cheering, by parodying an old proverb—God gave us the land,
but the )evil gave us the landlords.

Mr. KNIGHT proposed the next resolution, which was
seconded by Mr. M‘Gaant, a working-man, in a very able
and effective speech. The resolution was as follows—" That
this meeting is of opinion that the only means left for the trade
and the working-classes generally of bettering their condition
is by adopting t'le principles contained in the People's
Charter."

Several other persons addressed the meeting, and it broke up
ahout 12 o'clock.

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.
Loxnox, Frs. 28.—Wind this day at noon, W.
DEAL, FEB. 26.—Wind S. W. to W.N. W., moderate. 27,
A. S. S. W. ; r. sr., W. S. W., moderate— Arrd. Milford,
S .ields, for Grenada. Arrd. from the River, Eliza,' Sc,
Helena; Ocean, Sierra Leone ; Orleans, Hobart Town ; Mid•
Lothian, Bombay; Eblana, Trinidad; Hope, St. Vincent. It'
has blown hard throughout the day, during which several
vessels drove considerably, but have brought up with a second
anchor. It is now (7, r. as.) more moderate. The Ergo, for
Malta, slipped anchor and cable, and proceeded for Ramsgate.
LIVERPOOL FEL 27.—Wind S. S. W., fresh.—Arrd.

dale and Trinidad packet, Demerara—sailed 16th ult. ; Sharon,
Pennington, New Orleans; General Parkhill, Hoyt, and George
Wa.hington, Burrows, New York—sailed Bth inst. ; Gazelle,
Newfoundland; Magellan, Bouch, Lima; Jem, Menzies, Tam-
pico; Adams, Gay, New Orleans; Gondola, Rennie, New
York and Charleston—sailed 6th inst. The General Parkhill
and George Washington, got in contact this morning in the
river ; the latter lost bowsprit, had bow stove, Ike.
PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 27. —Wind S.S. W. to N.W., strong.—
The Isadore, from Cardiff to London, which was ashore near
Ryde, has been got off, and towed in here.
COWES, FEB. 16.—Arrived the Medora Norna, Bridgeman,
Charleston ; Magnet, London, for Grenada.
GUERNSEY FEB. 2.3.—Sailed John, Havannah.

BRISTOL, FEFL 26.—Sailed Emley, St. Vincent.
SWANSEA, FEB. 25.—Arrd. Enchantress, Edgar, Cuba.
FALMOUTH, FEB. 25.—Wind N.W., to W. S. W strong
breezes, and squally. 26.—Wind W. S. W. to N. W., do., with
violent squalls.—Arrived the Wanderer, Palk, Ancona; Tyrian
packet, Vera Cruz, sailed Bth ult., Tampico 19th, Havannah
2d inst.' with 170,000 dollars; I3raganza steamer, Gibraltar,
left 17th inst., Cadiz 18th, Lisbon 21st, Oporto 22d. and Vigo
23d ; Traveller, Brand, Jacmel, soiled 3d inst. Eliza,
Comish, Constantinople, sails split, &c. ; Briton's Queen, bound
fur St. Michael's, with fore and mainmasts carried away, 24th
inst., in lon. 9.

CORK, FEB. 25.-81 d., Mozambique, for Bermuda.
i(iNsALE, Fitz. Cantab, Rio Grande; Diadem.
Bahia.

SOUTHAMPTON, FEB. 26. Sid., Mary Wood (s.), Gibraltar.
OFF DARTMOUTH, FEB. 25.--Eli,e, 'Baltimore, for Bremen.
PLYMOUTH, FEB. 27.—Wind, variahle—Arrd., Wolverme,
Portsmouth, for China. It has blown all night fr, in S.S.E.
to S.S.W., but is now moderate. The William and Charles,
Butcher, fouled another schooner in the Sound, slipped, and
ran into the pool with damage.
PENZANCE, .FEB. 23.—Arrd. William and Ann, Casey,
Swansea, with bowsprit, &c. carried away, and other damage,
having been in contact ?:ith a large brig 18th inst. off Lundy.
MILFORD, FEB. 26.—A head-board, marked " Michael
Edwards," in gilt letters on a black ground, was picked up
yesterday near the Crown Bock.
GALWAY, FEB. 25.—The Albert Edward, Prince of Wales,
sailed the 18th inst., put back 20th, with pumps out of work-
ing order; ,be hat had to discharge part of
cargo, but will
proceed in a day or two.
DUBLIN, FV3. 25.—Arrd. Demerara, Miller, Demerara. •.