The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-19 00:00:00

GENERAL MEETING of ARTISTS.
On Saturday evening a meeting of artists was held
at the Freemasons' Tavern, relative to a scheme en-
titled " The National Art-Union," " that promises of
support and cordial co-operation have already been
received from the artists generally," and also to ex-
press confidence in "The Art-Union of London."
The room in which the meeting was heldwas crowded
to excess. Amongst the gentlemen present we noticed
T. Wyse, Esq., M.P. ; Mr. Clint, Mr. Phillips, R.A.;
Mr. Cooper, R.A. ; Mr. Knight, A.R.A. ; Mr. Her-
bert, A.R.A. ; Mr. H. Riviere; Mr. Pool, Mr. J.
Britton, and W. Warten, Esq.
T. Wyse, Esq., M.P., was called to the Chair. Mr.
Fahey was appointed Secretary.
The CirAmmAN then addressed the meeting, which
he said was called for a simple and obvious purpose
—namely, to enable the artists at' London to say how
far a prospectus issued from "The National Art-
Union" was, correct, in reference to this new scheme
having received promises of support avid cordial co-
operation from the artists generally. He was glad to
see the meeting so well attended, because showed
the deep interest which the artists felt in the ii•nestion
at issue. From the high, moral, and intelle,"thal
character of the artists of London, it was clear th..".t
they must be anxious to advance by every means in
their power the great principles of art. It could not
be supposed that they had any limited or monopolising
object in view. The effect upon the public mind from
seeing the prospectus in question issued, might be
that the artists were dissatisfied at the ." Art-Union of
London." They were there to express their opinions
upon that subject.
Mr. CLINT then moved the following resolution,
which was seconded by Mr. HURLSTONE, and unani-
mously agreed to :
"That it is the opinion of this meeting, that the
assertion contained in the prospectus of the National
Art-Union,' that promises of zealous and cordial co-
operation ye already been received from the artists
generally,' is unfounded, and, therefore, likely to con-
vey to the public au erroneous idea of the opinion of
the profession."
Mr. WARREN then moved the second resolution,
which was as follows : .

" That The Art-Union of London,' in its princi-
ples, is worthy of the cordial approbation of the
artists ; and that this meeting begs to tender to the
President, Committee, and officers of that Society their
warmest thanks for their constant exertions in pro-
moting the interests of art."
This resolution having been seconded, was, after
some discussion, agreed to, as wasalso the following:—
" That copies of the foregoing resolutions be for-
warded to the Committee of The Art-Union of
London."

Thanks having been given to the Chairman, the
meeting separated.

There were only two or three dissentients to the
resolutions.

ANTI-CORN-LAW MEETING.

On Monday evening, December 12, an Anti-Corn-
law meeting was held in Accrington. The large room
behind the Red Lion Inn, occupied by the Anti-Corn-
law Association being likely. to be found too small, a
large weaving shed belonging to Messrs. Cunliffe
and Co., engravers to calico printers, &c., which
in consequence of the state of trade has been for some
time unoccupied, was kindly lent for the occasion.
The Reverend J. Harbottle was called to the
Chair. The Chairman briefly opened the meeting
by remarking that the room in which they were
then assembled, with its hundred silent witnesses,
bore testimony to the pernicious effects of the Corn-
laws ; silent looms and motionless wheels proved
this. He, however, felt himself less qualified to speak
on this part of the evil than on its immorality. He
viewed the Corn-law system as a great national crime,
a sin against God. It was a system of deep deceit,
dire dishonesty, and monstrous cruelty. He was
glad they were about to be addressed by Colonel
Thompson, who, like Milton's Abdiel, had in former
years warred against this system almost alone. But they
were also favoured with the presence of Mr. Paulton, a
well-known and successful lecturer on this subject,
who would first address the meeting. Mr. Paulton
then addressed the meeting for about half an hour,
showing in a clear and forcible manner that the
Corn-laws were in plain terms starvation laws ; their
object being to render food more difficult to be pro-
cured by the consumer. Colonel T. Peronet
Thompson then addressed the meeting for about
an hour, in a remarkably lucid, interesting,
and convincing speech. He clearly showed the
necessity of union among those classes suffering
through the operation of the Corn-laws. He entered
at considerable length on the rather difficult ques-
tion of machinery, and showed that it was demon-
strated in some sorts of manufacture, that machinery
had led to a vast increase of the demand, by means of
which the operatives, though likely at first to be
losers, became afterwards great gainers. At all
events, since it was impossible to prevent the progress
of invention, he urged the absolute necessity of the
utmost freedom and extension of trade in order to
prevent the disadvantages as much as possible. The
Colonel sat down amid loud and repeated applause.
About 2301. has been collected in Accrington and
the neighbourhood towards the great League Fund,
and it is expected to be made into 4001.

THE " QUARTERLY REVIEW" AND THE ANTI-
CORN-LAW LEAGUE.—For a long time the cry of
the Tory press was, that the Anti-Corn-law League
was utterly powerless and contemptible ; that its
members were few in number, despicable in talent,
and opposed by the great mass of the population.
Now, however, the tactics of the party are changed ;
the importance of the League is too manifest to he
denied ; and the Quarterly Review, the great
literary organ of the Conservatives, comes out with
an article of no less than seventy-one pages—all
written—no, not exactly written, but manu-
factured with paste and scissors—to prove that
the League is not only the " foulest and host
selfish," but " perhaps the most dangerous
combination of recent times." If all this is
true,—if the League is as dangerous as it is repre-
sented, and if no more formidable resistance can be
made to its schemes than that with which the Quar-
terly now treats its readers, the cause of monopoly is
desperate indeed. A more wretched thing of shreds
and patches, a more contemptible collection of excerpts
from newspapers strung together by trite and bald
remarks, establishing no more connexion between
them than that which results from contiguity—a more
pointless and inconclusive production altogether—
certainly never came under our notioe. It is very
much like one of the articles of the Manchester Chro-
nicle on the same subject, expanded from a column
and a half to seventy-one pages, without an additional
atom of fact or argument, or, so far as we can discover,
even an additional falsehood, to season the dull and va-
pid mess.—Manchester Paper.
BANK OF IRELAND.--A meeting of the proprietors
of the Bank of Ireland Stock was held on the 12th
inst., to receive a report from the Board of Directors
for the past half-year. The report recommended the
usual dividend of 4 per cent. for the half-year, being
8 per cent. for the year upon the original stock of the
Company, now quoted at 179 i. In answer to a
question from one of the proprietors, it appeared that
the Directors had to take 15,0001. from the reserved
fund to make up the present dividend. Heretofore
the dividend has been paid out of profits. Perhaps
no fact could be mentioned more strikingly illustra-
tive of the stagnation of trade in Ireland than that
now mentioned. When such an establishment as
the Bank of Ireland is thus affected in regard to its
profits, commercial distress must have been severe
indeed.—Atlas.
THE UNEMPLOYED IN PAISLEY.—The number of
the unemployed in Paisley is now upwards of 10,000,
and is still on the increase. The scanty pittance al-
lowed them is this week reduced one-half, owing to
the weekly remittances from London having become
less, and the Committee (now, it is said, clear of debt)
are unwilling to guarantee a further allowance. What
step will be taken in this exigency we cannot tell.
Perhaps the county gentlemen, who were to meet on
Friday, would do something to alleviate the distress.
At their last meeting they resolved to raise 3,0001. by
voluntary assessment over the country.; but it is
agreed on all hands that not more than 5001. will be
derived from this source—a sum altogether inade-
quate. Paisley, Greenock, Kilbarchan, Johnstone
all are suffering. Even in the Mearns, according to
the statement made by the minister in the Presbytery,
the distress is very great, 500 additional having
lately been thrown upon him and a few others for
support. Renfrew and Lochwinnoch, as well as
Barrhead, according to their respective ministers'
statements, are likewise suffering severely. Let the
ministers and others unite in the crusade for free
trade, for to us it seems that that is the only means
whereby we can expect permanent relief—Correspon-
dent of the Citizen.
THE NEW GERMAN TARIFF.—We have great
satisfaction in stating, on the authority of several mer-
cantile gentlemen, all possessing excellent information,
that the new tariff of the German League will not
augment the duty on those fabrics which are so ex-
tensively made at Bradford, Keighley, and the reigh-
bourhood, for the German market, namely, the figured
goods—Orleans, merinos, alpacas, fancy lastings, &c. ;
and that the higher duty will only apply to the printed
goods, and the waistcoatings which contain a pattern
produced by a second weft. Such, at least, is the in-
terpretation put upon the tariff by the official persons
who will have to carry it into execution. It would be
unjust and ungenerous if we did not add that the
letters from Germany award great credit to our Go-
vernment for their active exertions to prevent the
trade of this country from being injured. If Sir
Robert Peel would go a step further, and abolish the
Corn-laws, he would give is security to our trade ,
which it can never possess till that all-important mea-
sure shall have been taken.—Leeds Mercury.
Lord Fitzgerald and Vesei left town on Saturday
on a visit to Sir Robert Peel, at Drayton Almon