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

NATIONAL CONVENTION.

The Convention met yesterday morning at the usual hour.
Mr. Dl7 NCA N took the chair.

The minutes of the last meeting were read end confirmed.
The discussion which took place yesterday between Messrs.
O'Brien and O'Connor was renewed, and occupied the Con-
vention the whole morning. It was a rather angry discussion,
but ultimately the following resolution was proposed :
" That this Convention deems it absolutely essential to the
success of the Chartist movement, and to the safety
of all who take a prominent part in it, that no public men con-
nected with our cause should be denounced in any assembly of
the people, or in any newspaper supposed to be in the interests
of the people, until alter the party against whom the denuncia-
tions may be levelled has been fully heard in his own defence,
in the presence of tho assembly, or through the columns of the
paper which would denounce him; and furthermore this Con-
vention records its solemn determination, collectively and indi-
vidually to treat all denunciations as calumnies and misrepre-
sentations against the parties who may be the objects of them,
unless the denunciations shall have previously invited or brought
the denounced parties in presence of the public, so that a fair
hearing of both sides may take place—the public as jurymen—
before any public censure is awarded. It is the conviction of this
Convention that in all matters upon which the opinions of the
principals of the Chartist movement may differ, the people are
the be,t judges of right and wrong; and whilst every individual
should be at liberty calmly to express his opinion upon ques-
tions of principle or policy, no one has a right to assume the
office of dictator, and violently denounce those with whom he
he may disagree.
This resolution was agreed te. . . _

A deputation was received from the National Association of
London, complaining of the conduct of Mr. Harrison, one of
the members of the Convention ; and also complaining of the
conduct of the Chartist lecturers, who were, they said, receiving
their ss. a-day, which they spent in pot-houses, thus making
the agitation a complete trade.
The Convention then adjourned.

ELECTION COMMITTEES.
NOTTINGHAM.
The Committee appointed to try the merits of the petition
against the return of Sir J. C. Hobhouse and Sir G. De Lar-
pent, met yesterday at twelve o'clock, in the Speaker's house;
Hr. G. Hayter, chairman.
The clerk having read the petition, which purported to be
that of Joseph Braithwaite and S. Hardwick,
Mr. Sergeant GouLauart said he appeared on behalf of the
petitioners, whose object was to bring to light the malprac-
tices which had existed for such a length of time in the town
of Nottingham, and which must be so universally reprobated
by all right-minded men. In establishing the allegations of
the petition, it would be necessary to examine at least 200 or
360 witnesses, and he was compelled to acknowledge that many
of those were persons not of the purest character, and were as
willing to become witnesses in support of one party as the
other. He, therefore, could not think of calling upon the
Committee to rely on their unsupported testimony, and he was
consequently instructed by his clients to state their determina-
tion to abandon the petition.
Air. AUSTIN, on the part of the Sitting Members, expressed
his satisfaction that. the petitioners had withdrawn their opposi-
tion to his clients' return, and said all that now remained for
him to do was to call upon the Committee to declare them duly
elected.

Strangers having been ordered to retire, on our re-admission,
The CHAIRMAN declared that Sir J. C. Hobhouse and Sir
G. De Larpent, were suly elected to serve in Parliament for
the town of Nottingham.