The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-28 00:00:00

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ORN-LA.VV 'CONFERENCE.
The Delegates met again yesterday shortly after
twelve o'clock, at Herbert's Hotel, Palace-yard, P. A.
Taylor, Esq., in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said that their cause was progressing.
—(Hear, hear.) Every day brought fresh evidence of
its progression.—(Hear, hear.) Those who had read
the accounts of what had taken place at the late inter-
views between the Deputation from the manufac-
turing districts and the members of the Govern-
ment, must pz-reeive that the tone of Ministers was now
altered. They no longer said in reply to the statements
of distress, or the proposed suggestions for its remedy,
" You have not tried our Tariff, you have had no expe-
rience of our new Corn-law, you have had no time to see
the working of the sliding-scale, and already there are
symptotits of the approach of better times." But
Ministers, one and all, now said, 6' These
things are engaging the serious and anxious
attention of the Government."—(Hear, hear.) That
meant, if it meant anything at all, that they were
anxiously considering the subject, with a view to action ;
and they had, therefore, got to the point of forcing upon
Ministers that consideration and inquiry which they had
refused in the House of Commens.(Hear' hear.) The
Chairman then read the following letters from corres-
pondents in the provinces :

" Fenton, July,
.1842.

• "My dear Sir—The whole of the Sta-ffordshire Pot-
teries are now at a complete stand. Sixty thousand
people must be entirely thrown out of employ, and thirty
or forty thousand more or less injured by the colliers' strike.
" Masses of people are flying to the parish for relief ;
the poor-house is full, and thousands yet to claim relief;
the New Poor-law is virtually abandoned.
"'the people although generally well-behaved, are de-
termined on some grand, Change in our political system.
" The county Magistrates are in daily and nightly at-
tendance on the troops;, an awful explosion is expected—
when and how we know not, but all agree that it will
come.

Several county families are leaving, being fearful of
the groups of sturdy men who go about begging.
"The Magistrates are calling out all the manufac-
turers and shopkeepers as special constables, and an
increase to the police force will take place, thus adding
to our difficulties by enlarged rates, though necessa%
from present appearances.
The truth is, we have to thank the Corn-lit:.„s- for all
this danger and trouble, and most people a:, careless as
to the result, seeing as much to fear fro:., the aristocracy
(though under cover) as from the da,moeracy, who appear
to be less' selfish than the pracv,ted bands of landowners,
whose hearts are yet unsokened by the miseries of a
famishing,people.
" U' sieve me,m); dear Sir, your's, most obediently,
" C. J. MASON."
" Bath, July 22, 1842.
" Sir,—l wish it were in my power to give a more
.eheerinc, account of the state of things in this neighbour-
hood than you constantly receive from the manufactur-
ing districts; but though the suffering and destitution
here may not be so great or of so harrowing a de-
scription—yet, even here, things strongly indicate some
terrible convulsiou. A perfect stagnation pervades
all trades and professions. The depreciation in value of
all descriptions of property is truly awful—even in the
rural districts one-third of the labouring poor are with-
out employment, and I feel assured that nine-tenths of
tha whole population find their income (with the utmost
ecsnomy) inadequate to meet their expenses. You will
naturally ask how is it that no effort is to be made in this
neighbourhood to induce the Government to arrest the
progress of this desolating scourge ? I answer, because
we have no confidence that our present Government will
yield to anything short of a convulsion, and this we do
not wish to hasten by any co-operation with those who
see no remedy but in a total subversion of the present
framework of society. I believe that the unfettering of
trade will alone perfectly restore prosperity, and for this
reason I write to implore you will not, as a body, be
tempted to join in any movement that may be in con-
templation to effect any other change than a total repeal
of all restrictions on trade. If you can be instrumental
in accomplishing this object, you will have done more to
promote the happiness and welfare of mankind than has
ever been achieved by mortals. Wishing you success,

" I am yours, &c. R. SPENCER."
TO GEORGE TUOMPSON, ESQ., SECRETARY TO THE MEET-

ING OF ANTI-CORN-LAW DEPUTIES IN LONDON.

" Forfar, July 19, 1842.
" My dear Sir,—On my return to Scotland, end of
last week, I found the state of the people here much
worse than when I left for London two weeks before.
The number of the unemployed has greatly increased in
that time, and is increasing every day. Winders are de-
plorably ill off; many of those who do get a little em-
ployment can get no more than brings them in fourpenec
a week!!!

"In Kirrimpuir things are still worse. The unem•
Toyed and starving population have become quite de-
jected.. The most fearful prospects are now closing in
around all this district. The manufacturers here have
not a single ray of hope to encourage them
,in their
laudable endeavours to keep their weavers even in par-
tial employment. I cannot describe what'l have felt
this day on seeing so many who are willing to work
applying at my door fur a little charity, the greater num-
ber of whom have never till this morning stooped to ask
charity in. their life before 1 The Committee of the
Anti-Corn-law Association here request me to express
their decided approval. 61 all the steps the Conference
have taken ; and al. hough they cannot send up another
Delegate for %%Aut of funds, they most cordially confide
in the wisdom. t those gentlemen who continue to meet,
and arc.pl>qutred. to carry out any plans which the Con-
ference ina.y adopt or recommend to be pursued through-
out, tilt country at this crisis.
" On Monday evening upwards of 3,000 people as-
setubLd On a common i❑ the neighbourhood .of this
town, when I addressed them from an open carriage, for
anhour and a half,. giving an account of the Conference
up to the time I lett London, and of the state of the
country, as ;. brought put at our meetings. The Pro,
vust..aud some of, the "Magistrates were present. The
14rgeoseinbly felt deeply on hearing the details, and
approved of the. proceedings of the Conference.

'. Another oTjat open air mecting is to be held to-
morrow morning, to Fiss somg strung resolutions, which
will bc.forwurded by the lit xL post to our representative
iu l'al41421!Olt, Mr. 'Fame.
,
lam, my agar Sir, yours very faithfully,
" WILLIAM LOWE."
TO THE CIL'.I2I.3IAN OF THE ANTI-CORN-LAW DEPUTIES

." , MEETING IN LONDON.
41j iStg to acknowledge thy letter without date in
yei2ly- to mine of the 4th inst., which did not reach
me until the 20th instant. While stating the rea-
sons for, my own conduct, it was far from my wish, in
therslightest degree, to interfere with or to obstruct your
labours, or even by implication to recommend that you
should violate your constitution. Time alone can of
course prove how far I am right in my conclusion, that
the object you are so laudably and zealously labouring
to secure-L-the total and immediate abolition of the Corn
and rr6Vision-laws—cannot be attained except by first
securing to the people a full, fair, and free representation
in 1,4 British House of Commons.
" Very sincerely and respectfully,
" JOSEPH STURGE.
4` Birmingham, 7th month, 22d, 1842."
To THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ANTI-CORN-LAW CON-
' FERENCE.

" Honoured Sir,—As there are so many Peel-ing ty-
rants who condemn the doctrines of the Conference, I
bavtimade free to send you two or three quotations from
the late Dr. Paley's Moral and Political Philosophy,'
to demonstrate that Archdeacon Paley, though dead,
still pleads for the famishing millions, in language some-
what stronger than any member of the Conference has
ever used. Natural rights,' says Paley, are a man's
right to his life, limbs, and liberty ; his right to the
produce of his personal labour.' A person is said to
have a right to a thing when it is consistent with the
will of God that he should have it.' Anether right,
which may be called a general right, as it is incidental
to every man who is in a situation to claim it, is the right
of extreme necessity, by which is meant, a right to take,
when it is necessary for our own preservation to do so,
the first food, clothes, or shelter, we meet with, when
we arc in danger of perishing through want of them.'
Among men you see the ninety-and-nine toiling,
getting nothing for themselves all the while but a little
-of. the coarsest of the provisions which their own industry
produces, looking quietly on while they see the fruit of
all their labour spout or spoiled ; and if one of the num-
ber take or touch a particle of the hoard, the others join-
ing against him and hanging him for the theft.' Ido not
say that the above are my doctrines, or the doctrines of
the Conference, 'but I do say that they have more
truth in them than I can gainsay. Go forward, dear Sir.
with your many coadjutors in this great and good work
of Corn-law repeal. "W. FERGUSON.
" Bieeiter, Oxon, July 26, 1842.
Mr. Alderman CHAPPEL said he wished to mention
one or two facts to the meeting. A number of gentle-
men had yesterday had an interview with Sir J. Graham,
which had lasted upwards of two hours. Sir J. Graham
in the course of the conversation, strongly insisted on the
fact that ninety-one new factories had been built since the
year 1837, as a proof that our manufactures had not
declined to the extent that many seemed to have sup-
;posed.. To that observation of Sir J. Graham he (Mr.
Alderman Chappel) replied. that those ninety-one new
mills would not give employment to the increased
number of our population in a single year. He would
allow 500 hands for each mill (and he was sure that
allowance was a large one), so that the ninety-one mills
built in four years, would give employment to no more
than 45,500 hands, while our population increased at the
rate of 400,000 a year.—(Hear, hear.) Lord Ripon, in
the course of the interview with him, observed that
America amid not grow corn for us, even if we were
willing to receive it. In reply to that statement of his
Lordship, he (Mr. Alderman Chappel) had said that all
the manufacturers of this country wanted was, that the
trial should be made. ft, was evident that the improve-
ments in the agriculture of 'this country could not keep
pave with the increase in our population. They should.
therefore, look for supplies of food from other countries
upon terms advantageous to all parties.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Alderman BaooKus, of Manchester. said that he
bad been for years in the habit of expressing his oppo-
sition to the Corn-laws ; and he remembered that some
time ago when he advocated a total repeal, he was told by
many that he asked for too much, that he should consent
to a compromise with the landed interest, and be satis-
fied with an Bs. or a 10s. fixed duty. But the very same
parties were now assuring him that even a total repeal of
the Corn-laws would not be sufficient to relieve the coun-
try from the present depression of its trade. He would
• recommend every friend of repeal to bury all party dif-
ferences, to bury the terms Whig and Torv.—(Hear.)
What had political differences to do with their proced-
jugs ? For his part, he did not care whether Sir R.
Peel or Lord J. Russell were in office, provided he could
obtain justice from either. If Sir R. Peel were the better,
it2z,a s he
ready s ho should
slidev have
man to-day, he should 'support him and if Lord John
Russell were ihe better.
Lis support. —Meth-(Heal', i,liap..to-mo
about, quicker even than Sir Bober Peel's sou.