The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-02 00:00:00

PENRYN AND FALMOUTH.

The Committee met at the usual hour, Mr. C. Wood in the
Chair.

The Committee proceeded with the examination of witnesses.
Williams, who was under examination on Saturday, was
again examined, and a woman named Jeffries, but noting par-
ticular was elicited. _

A person named John Goodman was next examined,
wbo proved that Mr. Searle, Mr. Tilly, Mr. James, Mr.
Ilice, and Mr. Harvey, were canvassing with Capt. Plumridge.
A person came up to Captain Plumridge when those persons
were with him, and asked what was his figure, to which Cap-
tain Plumridge replied, " I will walk as tar as either of them,
and two miles further if required."—( Laughter. ) He saw
James the day before the day of nomination, who said to him
lhat he had enlisted that morning. A person called Williams
came up, and said he understood Captain Plumridge was going
only three, to which James replied that he knew better than
that, and was eroyoNered to give more.
Cross-examined by Mr. CocKau RN—He did not much care
for a sovereign. He did not want it. He never took a bribe
for his vote. Wu examined before a Committee of the Houk

Z.

• of-Lards, which sat in 1821, for the 'purpose of hearing evi-
dence to disfranchise Pewyn. Said on that occasion that
he received 101. from Mr. Stanburg. He received it for leather
he sold him. Did not receive it for the purpose of voting for
any candidate that Mr. Stanhurg would bring forward. Was
interested in the election. Was always for justice and purity.
—(Loud laughter.) Went to Mr. Reed and asked him for a
sovereign. Went to Captain Vivian. Might have asked
him for money. Finances were low then. He pulled
out a bag of sovereigns. They were for the pur-
pose of buying leather. Might have told Captain
Vivian that he had plenty of money, and could have more.
Believes he did not ask him for money ; asked him to assist
him.—( Laughter.) He might have gone to Captain Vivian
to try the principle of the thing.—( Laughter. ) Means by the
principle of the thing, to see if Captain Vivian was a good-
hearted man.—(Laughter.) Mr. Reed gave him 31. r He is
the agent, he believes, for the petitioner. Won't tell where
the bag of sovereigns mtne from-. He got the sovereigns by the
sale of leather. When he said be did not know when
he got them, he did not then understand the question so well.
He saw Captain Vivian in the House of Commons; does not
recollect that he spoke to him. He asked him for his address.
Noir be recollects better that he spoke to Captain Vivian.
Captain Vivian was in the room and he knew it. Would be-
lieve Captain Vivian ifhe said so.
"tile witness was under examination when oar account was
brought off.

CHARTIST DEMONSTRATION.
(THIS DAY.)
This being the day appointed for the presentation of " The
National Petition," the Chartists assembled in 'large bodies in
different quarters of the town, at an early hour. Soon after
nine o'clock the streets leading to Lincoln's Inn-fields were
thronged with members of the various Chartist Asssciatior,s of
the metropolis and elsewhere, all wending their way towards the
principal place of rendezvous, viz., the square in Lincoln's Inn-
fields. The time appointed for the formation of the procession
was one o'clock, and by that time the square was densely
crowded. The windows of the houses in the vicin,ty
were occupied by spectators, principally ladies. The
members of the Natioital Convention arrived in the
square at one o'clock ; those who were recognised by the as-
sembled multitude were greeted with loud cheering. The
Members of the Convention were preceded by the monster
petition, borne on the shoulders of sixteen able-bodied men,
selected .from the different trades in the metropolis. It Was
carried on a kind of portable stage or platform, which had been
constructed for the purpose, and was covered with ribbons, and
otherwise decorated. On the front was placed a placard, dis-
playing the number of signatures which it contained, and
from which it appeared that the number was 3,317,702.
The procession was formed soon after one o'clock, the peti-
tion being placed in front. After the petition came a large and
ample black flag, bearing the inscription -‘ Murder demands
.Justice. 16th Aug.. 1819." On the other side the flag was a re-
presentation of the Manchester massacre. Next to this flag were
several staves, bearing on each a representation of the cap of Li-
.lperty. Then came several flags, bearit"r each the inscription,
United we stand, divided w e fall. " The first band followed these
flags. Next to the band was a flag, inscribed, "We
require justice before charity=the People's Charter and no
surrender !" and on the other side of it were these words—
" Every man is born free, and God has given man equal rights
and liberties, and may it please God to give man knowledge to
assert those rights, and let no tyrannical faction withhold
them from the people." Then followed the flags belong-
ing to the Huddersfield and Kettering Association, together
with those from the Association at the Tower Hamlets. Fol-
lowing these was another band, in the midst of which was a
flag inscribed " O'Connor. the tried Champion of the
People ! who can prove him otherwise? " The appearance
of this flag was hailed with a loud burst of cheering,
from the persons assembled in Lincoln's Inn square to view the
procession as it passed. Immediately following this flag was
one bearing the quotation, from Exodus, " Whosoever shed-
deth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed." Several
other flags followed of a similar character, and by two o'clock the
procession had left the square. It proceeded up Great Queen-
street, Drury-lane, up Holborn, to Oxford •street, and would
arrive at the House of Commons at a quarter past
three. Every thing was conducted in the most peace-
able and orderly manner. Not. the slightest confision
prevailed from the time of the assembling of the multitude in
the morning to that of its departure with the procession. The
following is

THE PETITION.
To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland,
in Parliament assembled.

The Petition of the undersigned People of the United Kingdom.
Showeth—That Government originated from, was designed
to protect the freedom and promote the happiness of, and ought
to be responsible to, the whole people ;
That the only'authority on which any body of men can make
laws and govern society, is delegation from the people ;
That, as Government was designed for the benefit and pro-
tection of, and must be obeyed and supported by, all, there-
fore, all should be equally represented ;•
That any form of Government, which fails to effect the pur-
poses for which it was designed, and does not fully and com-
pletely represent the whole people, who are compelled to pay
taxes to its support and obey the laws resolved upon by it, is un-
constitutional, tyrannical, and ought to be amended or resisted;
That your Honourable House, as at present constituted, has
not. been elected by, and acts irresponsibly of, the people ; and
hitherto has only represented parties, and benefited the few,
regardless of the miseries, grievances, and petitions of the
many. Your Honourable House Las enacted laws contrary to
the expressed wishes of the people, and, by unconstitutional
means, enforced obedience to them; thereby creating an un-
bearable despotism on the one hand, and degrading slavery on
the other •
That if your Honourable House is of opinion that the
people of Great Britain and Ireland ought NOT to be rur.ty
ItETRESENTED, your petitioners pray that such opinion may
be unequivocally made known, that the people may fully under-
stand what they can or cannot expect from your Honourable
House ; because if such be the decision of your Honourable
House, your petitioners are of opinion that where representation
is denied, taxation ought to be resisted ;

That your petitioners instance, in proof of their assertion that
your Honourable House has not been elected by the people, that
the population of Great Britain and Ireland is at the present
time about twenty-six millions of persons • and that yet, Oct of
this number, little more than nine hundred thousand have been
permitted to vote in the recent election of representatives to
make laws to govern the whole ;

That the existing state of representation is not only ex-
tremely limited and unjust, but unequally divided, and give,
preponderating influence to landed and monied interests, to the
utter ruin of the small-trading and labouring classes ;
That the borough of Guildford, with a population of 3,920,
returns to Parliament as many Members as the Tower Ham-
lets, with a population of 300,000; Evesham, with a popula-
tion of 3,99 b, elects as many representatives as Manchester,
with a population of 200,000; and Buckingham, Eveshain,
Totties Guildford, Honiton, and Bridport, with a total popu-
lation Of 23,000, return as many representatives as Manchester,
Finsbury, Tower Hamlets, Liverpool, Marylebone, and Lam-
beth, with a population of 1,400,000! these being but a very
few instances of the enormous inequalities existing in shit is
called the representation of this country;
That bribery, intimidation, corruption, perjury, and riot,
prevail at all Parliamentary elections, to an extent best under-
stood by the Members of your Honourable House ;

That- your petitioners complain that they are enormously
taxed to pay the interest of what is termed the National Debt
—a debt amounting at present to eight hundred millions of
pounds—being only a portion of the enormous amount ex-
pended in cruel and expensive wars for the suppression of all
liberty, by men not authorised by the people, and who, conse-
quently, had no right to tax posterity for the outrages com-
mitted by them upon mankind. And your petitioners loudly
complain of the augmentation of that debt, after twenty-six
years of almost uninterrupted peace, and whilst poverty and
discontent rap over the land;
That taxation, both general and local, is at this time too
enormous to be borne • and in the opinion of your petitioners is
contrary to the spirit of the Bill of Rights, wherein it is clearly
expressed that no subject shall be compelled to contribute to
any tax, talliage, or aid, unless imposed by common consent in
Parliament ;

That in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, thousands
of people are dying from actual want; and your petitioners,
whilst sensible that poverty is the great exciting cause of crime,
view with mingled astonishment and alarm the ill provision
made for the poor, the aged, and infirm ; and likewise perceive,
with feelings of indignation, the determination of your Honour-
able House to continue the Poor-law Bill in operation, notwith-
standing, the many proofs which have been afforded by sad
experience of the unconstitutional principle of that Bill, of its
unchristian character, and of the cruel and murderous effects
produced upon the wages of working men, and the lives of the
subjects of this realm;
That your petitioners conceive that Bill to be contrary to all
previous statutes, opposed to the spirit of the Constitution, and
ao.actual violation of the precepts of the Christian religion ; and
therefore,, your petitioners look with apprehension to the results
which may flow from its continuance ;
.That your petitioners would direct the attention of your
Honourable House to the great disparity existing between the
wages of the producing millions, and the salaries of those
whose comparative usefulness ought to be questioned, where
riches and luxury prevail amongst the rulers, and poverty and
starvation amongst the ruled ;
That your petitioners, with all due respect and loyalty, would
compare the daily
.income of the Sovereign Majesty with that
of thousands of the working men of this nation ; and whilst
yoUr petitioners' have learned that her Majesty receives daily
for 1, er.private use the sum of 164/. 17s. 10d., they have also
ascertained that many thousands of the families of the labourers
are only in the receipt of-34d. per head per day;
Nat your.. petitioners have also learned that his Royal
ilifiltniikk,P64'ce:4illkert receives each day the sum or 1041. 25.,
ihtinismdehiNo to exist upon 3d per bead per day;
have heardwith astonishment that
utt,your Petitioners also
the King of HanoVer daily receives 571. 10s., whilst. thousands
'of the tax-payers of this empire live upon2d. per head per day ;
That your petitioners have, with painnnd regret, also learned
th6.t the Archbishop of Canterbury is 'daily in the t eceipt
521. 10s. per day, whilst thousands of the poor have to maintain
their families upon an income not exceeding twopence per head
per day
That notwithstanding the wretched and unparalleled condi-
' lion of the people, your Honourable House has manifested no
disposition to curtail the expenses oft he State, to diminish taxa-
tion, or promote general prosperity ;
That unless immediate remedial measures be adopted, your
petitioners fear the increasing distress of the people will lead to
results fearful to contemplate ' • because your petitioners can
produce evidence of the gradual decline of wages, at the same
time that the constant increase of the national burdens must be
apparent to all ;
That your petitioners know that it is the undoubted consti-
tutional right of the people to meet freely when, how, and.
where they choose, in public places, peaceably, in the day, to
discuss their grievances, and political or other subjects, or for
the purpose of framing, discussing, or passing any vote, peti-
tion, or remonstrance, upon any subject whatsoever;
That your petitioners complain that the right has unlawfully
and unconstitutionally been infringed ; and five hundred well-
disposed persons have been arrested, excessive bail demanded,
tried by packed juries, sentenced to imprisonment, and treated
as felons of the worst description ;
That an unconstitutional police force is distributed all over
the country, at enormous cost, to prevent the due exercise of
the people's rights. And your petitioners are of opinh,n, that
the Poor Law Bastile and the police stations, being co-existent,
have originated from the same cause,—viz., the increased
desire on the part of the irresponsible few to oppress and starve
the many ; . -- - . -

That aw vast and rnconstitutional army is upheld at the public
expense, for the purpose of repressing public opinion in the
three kingdoms, and likewise to intimidate the millions in the
due exercise of those rights and privileges which ought to be-
long to them ;

That your petitioners complain that the hours of labour, par-
ticularly of the f,:ctory workers. are protracted beyond the
limits of human endurance, and that the wages earned, after
unnatural application to toil in heated and unhealthy work-
shops, are inadequate to sustain the bodily strength, and supply
those comforts which are so imperative atter an excessive waste
of physical energy;
That your petitioners also direct the attention of your
Honourable House, to the starvation wages of the agricultural
labourer, and view with horror and indignation, the paltry in-
come of those whose toil gives being to the staple food of this
people;
Tbat your petitioners deeply deplore the existence of any
kind of monopoly in this nation ; and whilst they unequivocally
condemn the levying of any tan upon the necessaries of life,

~/

and upon those articles principally required by the labourin
classes, they are also sensible, that the abolition of any one
monopoly, will never unshackle labour from its misery, until
the people possess that power under which all monopoly and
oppression must cease ; and your petitioners respectfully men-
tion the existing monopolies of the suffrage, of paper money, of
-machinery, of land, of the public press, of religious privileges,
of the means of travelling and transit, and a host of ether evils,
ton numerous to mention, all arising from class legislation, but
rilich your Honourablehouse has always'consistently endea •
voured to increase instead of diminish ;

That your petitioners are sensible, from tho numerous peti-
lions, presented to your Honourable House, that your Honour-
! able House is fully acquainted w ithe grievances of the working
men ; pnil your petitioners pray that the rights and wrongs of
labour may be considered, with a view to the protection of the
one, and to the removal of the other; because your petitioners
are of opinion that it is the worst species of legislation, which
leaves the grievances of society to be removed only by violence
or revolution, both of which may be apprehended if complaints
are unattended to and petitions despised ;
That your petitioners complain that upwa'ds of nine mil-
lions of pounds per annum are unjustly abstracted from them
to maintain a Church Establishment, from which they princi-
pally dissent; and beg to call the attention of your Honourable
House to the fact, that this enormous sum is equal to, if it dors
not exceed, the cost of upholding Christianity in all parts of the
world besiae. Your petititioners complain that it is unjust,
and not. in accordance with the Christian religion, to enforce
rompulSory support of religious creeds, and expensive Church
establishments, with which the people do not. agree; •
That your petitioners believe all men have a right to wor-
ship God as may appear best to their consciences, and that no
legislative enactments should interfere between man and his
Creator ;

That your petitioners direct the attention of your lionouralle
House to the enormous revenue annually swallowed up by the
Bishops and the clergy, and entreat you to contrast their deeds
with the conduct of the founder of the Christian religion, who
denounced worshippers. of Mammon, and taught charity,
meekness, and brotherly love.
That your petitioners strongly complain that the people of
this kingdom are subject to the rule of irresponsible law-makers,
to whom they have given no authority, and are enormously
faxed to uphold a. corrupt system, to which they have never in
person or by representation given their assent;
That your petitioners maintain that it is the inherent, indu-
bitable, arid constitutional right, bounded upon the ancient
practice of the realm of England, and supported by well-ap-
proved statutes, of every male inhabitant of the United King-
dom, he being of age and of sound mind, non .convict Of crime,
and not confined under any judicial process, to exercise the
elective franchise in the choice of Members to serve in the
Commons House of Parliament ;

That your petitioners can prove that by the ancient custom
and statutes of this realm, Parliaments should be held once
in each.voar ;
That *your petitioners maintain that Members elected to
serve in Parliament ought to be the servants of the people, and
should, at short and stated intervals, return to their constitu-
encies, to ascertain if their conduct is approved of, and to give
the people power to reject all who have not acted honestly
and justly; • '
That ydur petitioners complain that posses.ion of property is
made the test of men's qualification to sit in Parliament ;
That your petitioners can give proof that such qualification
is irrational, unnecessary, and not in accordance with the an-
cient. usages of England;
That your petitioners complain, that by influence, patronage,
ant intimidation, there is at present no purity of election ; and
our petitioners contend for the right of voting by
That your petitioners complain, that seats in your Honour-
able House are sought for at a most extravagant rate of ex-
pense, which proves an enormous degree of fraud and corruption ;
That your petitioners, therefore, contend that, to put an end
to secret political traffic, all representatives should be paid a
limited amount for their services ;

That your petitioners complain of the inequality of repre-
sentation ; and contend for the division of the country into
equal electoral districts;

That your petitioners complain of the many grievances
borne by the people of Ireland;'' and contend that they are
fully entitled to a repeal of the Legis'ative Union:;
That your petitioners have viewed with great indignation
the tartiality shown to the aristocracy in the Courts of
Jue-
t.ice., and the cruelty of that system of law which deprived
Frost, Williams, and Jones, of the benefit of the objection
offered by Sir Frederick Pollock (luring the trial at Monmouth,
anal which was approved of by a large majority of the Judges;
That vour petitioners beg to assure your Honourale
Horse that. they cannot, within the • limits of this their
petition, set forth even a tithe of the many grievances
of which they may justly complain;, but should your
Honourable House be pleased to grant your petitioners
a hearing by representatives at the • bar of your Honour-
able House, your petitioners will be enabled to unfold
a tale of wrong and suffering of intolerable injustice,
which will create utter astonishment in the minds of all bene-
volent and good men, that the peopl.e of Great Britain and Ire-
land have so long quietly endured their wretched condition.
brought upon them, as it has been, by unjust exclusion from
political authority, and by the manifold corruptions of class le-
gislation ;
That your petitioners, therefore, exercising their just consti-
tutional right, demand that your Honourable House, to remedy
the many gross and manifest. evils of which your petitioners
complain, do immediately, without alteration, deduction, or ad-
dition, pass into a law the document entitled " The People's
Charter '•" which embraces the Representation of Male Adults.
Vote by Ballot, Annual Parliaments, No Property Qualifica-
tire., Payment of Members, and Equal Electoral Districts.
And that your petitioners, desiring to promote the peace of
the United Kingdom, security of property, and prosperity of
commerce, seriously and earnestly press this, their petition, en
the attention of your Honourable House.
And your Petitioners, &c.