The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-19 00:00:00

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any, many years. The prospect of winter ic, erelnrct
very
painful to every reflecting mind.
Many foundries in this county, both large andi a mall ones,,
have ceased to work altogether during the last eight's% n months,
and unless trade soon revives, many more mast stop, either to
save the remaining part of their property from the jaw's of unre-
munerating prices, or of necessity to be at once gaZetrA3, and I
fear that in these respects most trades are in the same cc:tradition.
I assure you, as I believe, nothing less than the removal of
commercial restrictions, especially that giant curse, The
Corn-laws," will restore permanent prosperity. I cannot Jest
satisfied until this is accomplished, and free-trade principkes
(which are our right) established. Wishing you health anus
success in the cause you so nobly espouse,
I am, yours truly,
I enclose a paper containing a partial account of
some serious disturbances in Staffordshire. I am informed
that 5,000 men were to have visited the Paynton col-
lieries this morning, but they went to Cheadle instead; they
may be here any day. They have filled uu one coal-pit with
coals that could not be sold ; they say they may as well 6gSt for
it as he starved to death. I sent our foreman, James Bain this
afternoon, and he has seen some of them They live by in-
timidating people to supply them with food, as they tramp from
place to place in such large bodies. An old collier of ours.
named Birch, told Bain that he had gone with the rioters one
day. and they had engineers with them, to at p all the
engines, or to let men into or out of the pits, &c.
The road was filled for seven miles with the rioters. They
had beaten some police officers, &c. &c. There are thousands
of colliers in this county whose earnings only amowit to a few
shillings weekly. They are starving ; and their present wants
and distress will be greatly increased by outrages of this kind.
'Things are deplorably bad. (In haste).
July 16, 1842.
The following hand-bills would show the distress in
Coventry, and the meeting convened by the Mayor would
show that their cause was progressing.in that city :

TO THE WORSHIPFUL THE MAYOR OF COVENTRY.
We, the undersigned, respectfully request that you will con-
vene a Meeting of the Inhabitants of Coventry, at an early day,
to take into consideration the alarming distress prevailing
throughout the country, and to determine upon the best
course to pursue in the present emergency.
JOSEPH CASH, HENRY BROWETT,
WILLIAM BROWETT, CHARLES BRAY,
GEORGE STRETELY, JOHN HAMPTON,
R. &c. &c. &c.
Coventry, July 14, 1e42.
In compliance with the above respectable and numerously-
signed requisition, I hereby convene a meeting of the Inha-
bitants of this City and Neighbourhood, to be holden at the
County Hall, on Tuesday, the Wth instant, at twelve o'clock
at noon, to take' into' consideration the sleet above-men-
tioned. W, HAW ES, Mayor.
_

---
Coventry, July 15, 1842.
STARVATION! STARVATION !! STARVATION I
A Public Meeting will be held at the County Coventry
at twelve o'clock, on Tuesday, July 19, 1842, to take into cots.
sideration the present alarming state of the country!
The hope that Parliament would pass some measure to relieve
' the present terrible distress, has proved delusive: being left with-
out help and without hope, there now remains but one course
for the people to pursue, which is, to demand by the irre-
sistible voice of assembled thousands. the restitution of those
rfghts and liberties t,f which a cruel and despotic aristocracy
have deprived them.
Among the Members of the House of Commons, the detail
of your wiNtt only excites derision, and these are they who are
stylod your :41iresentatires. In the House of Lords, the
most 1 rofound :tontempt of your welfare and happiness
is displayed : but twenty-one of these hereditary legis-
lators could be found to vote for an inquiry into the cause of
the distress of you and youi" families.
Let every man who wishes it, preserve the suffering millions
from starvation, be present at the .meeting—let all come fully
resolved to bury, in one common grav-.1, all petty differences of
opinion, and to unite in one common casitse—lei the banner of
Complete Suffrage be unfurled—let the pelmyle rally round it :
their only remedy is in a full, fair, and free re;re,entation.
Let every man, who is not a traitor to his cOuntry's cause,
attend this meeting. Let no hall be large enough to hold the
assembled thousands.

Coventry, July 16, 1842.
Dear Sir,—l have deferred replying to yours of the 12th
ult., in order that I might send you the result of the exertions
that were being made to get up a public meeting. From the
enclosed handbills you will see that we have met with the most
signal success. It is signed by some of the most influential
men in the town. The Mayor has agreed to preside.
The universal cry is, what is to be done next ? All seem
to agree upon the urgent necessity of taking some decisive
course. 'Why do not the League at once declare their belief in
the utter hopelessness of obtaining justice from the aristo-
cracy, and their determination to assist with all their power in
agitating the Complete Suffrage question. Purify the Com-
mons. Let them be in reality the representatives of the people
-,-they have been so nominally long enough ; all parties are
tired of their misrule. The Commons' House must be made
democratic ; the spirit of the age demands it; starving thou•
sands demand it. Distress here is increasing—the people are
growing exasperated—the aristocracy are drawing down upon
themselves the vengeance of injured millions. Let them be-
ware, in time, ere it be too late. We expect to send one or
more Deputies up from the meeting. I originated the meet-
ing, you may, therefore, suppose that I have plenty to do,
which most plead my excuse for not answering your truly ao.
ceptable letter sooner.—l am, dear Sir, yours truly,
J. B. BROWETT.

P. A. Taylor, jun., Esq.
The following letter was from a Deputy, who, not
being sufficiently accustomed to speaking, sent it to him
(the Chairman) that it might be read at the meeting-, as
a report from his district :
Finsbury-street, St. Luke's, July 16, 1842.
TO r. A. TAYLOR, ESQ. CHAIRMAN OF THE ANTI•CORN-I,AW

COIZVXIgENCE.
My dear Sir,—Being little aeeustomed to public speaking, I
can scarcely trust myself to address ateandience so highly intel-
ligent as the Conference over which you so ably preside. I
should not, however, be doing justice to my own feelings, nor
the feelings of my constituents, were Ito remain silent upon a
subject in which the life or death of millions are concerned.
The parishes of St. Luke, and St. Leonard, Shoreditch, from
which I am deputed, in company with several other gentlemen,
are two of the most populous parishes in the metropolis. We
are a mixed multitude, engaged in almost every trade and' call-
ing that can be named. This will be seen by the fact
that, on our large committee, we have men engaged
in forty different occupations; and one and all de-
clare that, during • all their ' experience in business,
, never do they remember trade so bad: az,d money so scarce.
Some, who three years ago, paid AOL wages, new geared). PRY
101. ; and those who, twelve months bark, rook 201• over the
counter weekly, now only take four or fiveoots. Others
declare that some days from ten to twenty men, INV.?
r
first-rate workmen, call at their shops, asking for empiof them
.:vmen!,
and offering to work for any wages, however small, to keep,their
families from starving. One gentleman, who lets a conaCr-
able number of small houses out in single rooms, reports that
more than half his rooms are empty, and those who do occupy
his rooms are often unable to pay any rent, and many take
flight in order to get clear even of one week's rent, not, he
observes, from dishonest motives, but from shear poverty.
butchers state that full one third less meat is consumed by
their regular customers than they consumed two or three years
ago. Bakers estimate a falling off of more than a fourth in the
sale of their bread to their regular customers. Many parents
who sent their children to boarding schools in the country
have withdrawn them, being no longer able to pay for
their education. :Numbers who formerly occupied a whole
home, now let out part of it to enable them t•
pay their rents. Indeed, wherever I turn I behold
ruin and poverty staring me in the face. If something be not
done, and done speedily, too, God only can tell what will be the
result. I will not conceal from the Conference the tact that
we have determined never again to petition the present House
of Commons. We are convinced it would be madeess to do
so, and believe the remedy for our grievances lies amongst our-
selves. We are ready to fall in with any well concerted plan
that the League may determine upon, in order to free ourselves
from this almost Egyptian bondage. That Heaven may smile
upon our efforts, is the wish of your humble servant,
ALEX: RENFREW SHAW.
He (the Chairman) announced, on Friday last, that he
expected in town the Provost of Paisley, and one of the
Baillies. Provost Henderson was in the room, and be
would now address the meeting.--(Loud cheers.)
Provost HENDERSON then addressed the meeting and
said-that he did not appear before them as a delegate,
but he came to London to represent to the Secretary for
the Home Department, and the other Members of
Government, and to the London Relief Committee, the
desperate condition of the inhabitants of Paisley, and the
difficulty of the Magistrates to maintain the peace of
the town.—(llear, hear.) When he arrived in London,
he saw the Secretary of State for the Home Depart-
ment, who thought proper to blame him for
leaving the town, over which he was placed, in
its present state. He told him he should have
remained at his post, and, in the prospect of outrage,
ought not to have left the town. He (Mr. Henderson) re-
plied he was taking the best mode to preserve order, in
corning to London to represent the state of the place ;
and that it was from the hope derived from such repre-
sentation that the peace was preserved.—(Hear, hear.)
Paisley was a large manufactunng town, but had been
little noticed from its proximity to the snore important
town of Glasgow, till lately, when it acquired a miserable
notoriety, from the amount of its distress. It contained
a population of from 50,000 or 60,000 persons, and was
largely engaged in the manufacture of the finer branches
of hand-loom weaving. They had no improvements in
machinery which would cause the distress.—(Hear,
hear.) On the contrary, whatever were the improve-
ments, they rather increased the trade.—(Hear, hear.)
The great leading cause of the distress Was that they
were deprived of their markets, and particulary of
America, which had plenty of grain to give them in ex-
chan(r'e for their manufactures.—(Hear, hear.) The
manufactures of Paisley were of a fancy description,
and were not purchased by the great mass of society.
in 1819, in 1826, and in 1837, Paisley had suffered from
severe depression, and now for twelve months, , while
thousands of hands were ready to work, the people
, ' were enduring heavy calamities, because they
had no markets to which to send their goods.
The people there were sober and industrious,
moral and religious. They easily imitated what was
brought to perfection elsewhere, and made original in-
ventions themselves. They had built principally by
voluntary contributions houses of worship, which
were able to contain half the population, which
were now greatly. abandoned because the people had
no clothing to visit them.—(Heat, bear.) That
was the reason they assigned for not coming to the
•
places of worship. 'two years ago the town of Paisley
, partook of the general revival of trade, and not
, a single house was to be . let.acturi W hat wits
f the fact now ? Out of manufacturing houses to
I the amount of fifty-six, which were under a single in-
dividual, thirty-six had become bankrupt.---( Hear, hear.)
Out of twenty-five where there were two partners, twenty
[ had become bankrupt. Out of 106 individuals who were
were now bankrupt (Hear, hear.)
master manufacturers as partners, or as acting for them-
was unpare hided for the misery it,
,siell,ve-e,s..,usa:v(en-asii,vicy
fliettal on the manufacturing population, and his convic-
tion was, that ball as were the horrors of the Ifrl'ill:11 ROO•
hition, they hod suffered as severely as if they had
gorse through a revolution of the same kind.— (Hear.)
He would now thank the meeting for a hearing
upon allother point.—(Hear.) In addition to, Vie mi.
series with which the
people of 'Paisley were afflicted,
they were maligned as being lazy, idle, and unwilline, to
work ; and the magistrates and pastors of every gio-
initiation were charged as misusing the public niney
In the Houses of Peers and Commons, at the Home
Office, and at the
Treasury, they were,' met with
the cry that they had abased the funds in their
I'ln,d,'' He • - tWk. tl:v..;- apietzet , cryortztlity of
1 C-,laitt=lrgn!:?; the persons wh,, made- thuse Ch'llV33
I 1 against the Committee of Paisley to make good such
i c1"1-(4. la a public Rioting, vr iii Ow rivss,--(iicar.)