The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-04 00:00:00

MONTHLY STATEMENT OF LETTERS DELIVERED IN

THE UNITED KINGDOM :
Week ending Dec. 19, 1841 . 3,938,755
Week ending Dec. 20, 1840 . . 3,435,326
Week ending Nov. 24, 1839 . . 1,585,973
Increase since 1840, on the week's
letters .
Increase since 1839, on the week's
letters . . . 2,352,782

503,429

"MADAME DE SEVIGNE AND HER CON-
TEMPORARIES."—The work under the above title, is just
now most seasonably produced, for a more attractive
new year's gift to a lady need hardly be required. The
Literary Gazette observes,—" To all who are not familiar
with the mass of French memoirs, these sketches will
furnish much amusing food, tending to illustrate a cen-
tury of such social exhibition as the Court and aristo-
cracy of France produced from the time of Richelieu to
the date of a hundred years ago. These biographies
are always characteristic, often personally curious, and
historically instructive ; and the brilliant epigrams,
jeuz d'esprit, &c. which sparkle over the whole, give the
work a piquancy likely to reader it weediagly popular."

MORNING SUN

PUBLIC IIIEiTING AT MAN•

CHESTER,
A meeting of Deputies from operative Anti-Corn-VI
Associations was held on Saturday (New Year's-day), ,se
the rooms of the League, which had been lent for Is',
purpose. Deputies from many of the principal towns t
England and Scotland attended. A considerable nunibe
of communications were also received from Associatioto
which are not able to bear the expense of sending re
sentatives to the meeting.
Afterwards a public meeting of the inhabitants of
Manchester was held at twelve o'clock, in the Town-
the large room of which was Vied to overflowing. ir
meeting was held for the purpose of petitioning PI
formingment against the Corn-laws. The Chartists were pre.„
in a considerable body, about one-fifth of IP
entire number; and on John Brooks,-Esq., being
posed as chairman, raised a great clamour, but were
oH
titnately restored to tolerable order on one of their lead
declaring that they were in a decided minority.
After speeches from the Chairman, Mr. Rawson, ,
Falvey of Macclesfield, and two other gentlemen,
.10;
following petition was carried by a great majority tile
loud cheers:—
" To the Honourable the Commons of Great Britain

Ireland in Parliament assembled.
" The humble petition of the inhabitants of Manch/
ter in public meeting assembled : 0
"Sheweth,—That your petitioners conceive that
class in the community ought to be protected by law,
the perpetration of injustice ; that no individual or cla
has a right (under the protection of a Legislature wbili
ought to be the representative of impartial justice ,
all), to live without labour, eat of the produce of the 0
of any other individual or class; and, therefore, as it 11:1
often been declared by Parliament that the wages of
working men cannot be raised, maintained, or fi%e,'L
%
law, it is inconsistent and unjust by law to raise, ole
min, or fix the price of the food of the workin,.
man; and as they know it has been proved beforetub
Committees of your Honourable House that corn can
grown in Great Britain and sold by British fanner% 1
40s. a quarter, or 245. a quarter less than the price v'lll,,
it is the intention of the Corn-laws to fix it at ; and, ek,'
that by the evidence of Mr. J. D. Hume, given also 1.;
fore the Committee of your Honourable House, it Pio
been proved that the Corn and Provision-laws inflict 1
annual burthen upon the people of at least 58,000,00,
a sum three times as great as is the entire alio
wages of all the persons engaged in the cotton manu„.ol
Lure, and more than twice as great as the whole aro°'-j
of the annual wages paid to the millions of the best Pe'
agricultural labourers ; they do most earnestly F;
your Honourable House will immediately obey the l'ciok
of justice, by the total abolition of the unchristian tag
immoral Corn and Provision-laws, and thus show tollo
disposed otherwise to doubt it, that you are the supP;ol
of right, even though it may be upheld by wealth the
power, and not the upholders by the abuse of law ofli
tyranny and injustice of a small but rich and poifeP
fraction of the community.—(Applause.) fo
ie
" And your petitioners would further express to
Honourable House, that the Corn and Provison-lao?'0
the present or a similar form, have taken at 110,
58,000,0001. per annum out of the pockets of the i0"0
trious and suffining portion of the community for 1
years, and thus have inflicted a total burtheutij
1,300,000,0001., which vast sum has enriched and overbe
the landowners of the country at the expense of..:a;
misery and privation of the people and premature fifri
by legal famine of vast numbers. Therefore your ri,
tioners would humbly suggest to your Honours
House the immediate appointment of a Commili
whose task it should be to ascertain, in what manner
injured people of Great Britain and Ireland may be 0
compensated for the great loss and damage they hi
ri
for so long a period sustained, whether by a bounty°
the importation of foreign corn, or by any other or,
which shall, by the superior wisdom of Parliameo
pear to be best adapted to answer the object in view.
" And your petitioners, in conclusion, would 011
the attention of your Honourable House to the prey
unjustifiable small amount of the burdens of the 00,4
frayed by the land-tax; and would hurnbl pray 'I/
as the rental of land has risen enormously since the ir,
position of the present tax upon it, the tax may beoot
creased in proportion ; and that thus about 20,000, d
per annum may be taken off the shoulders of labour
placed upon the rich proprietors of the soil.
It was tken moved and seconded, that the petitioli
presented to the Commons by the Members for j
borough, and to the Lords by the Earl of Radnor,
the motion was carried without opposition.