The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-15 00:00:00

the People's Charter in the shortest time.—(Hear, hear.)
He did not think that the most effectual means to attain those ends
would be to pine the repeal of the Corn.laws before the Charter.
(Cheers from the Cl,artsts.) Did not the present constituency
send into Parliament a great majority in favour of the Corn.laws,
and could their repeal be expected until the constituent body was
enlarged?—(Cheers.) Was there ever such a disproportion
in the distribution of wealth as at present ; so much money
in the hands of one class, and so much poverty endured by the
other ?—(Cheers.) And was it not curious that the poverty should
fall on the unrepresented, and all the wealth on those who were

represented ?—(Loud cheers.) He (Mr. O'Connor) had lately
fallen in with a cobler, who told him a story about the Bishop of
Exeter. " Well, Daniel," said the Bishop, "I am informed you
are a Chartist, and, let me tell you, that you cannot be a
Chartist without being an infidel." "But, my Lord," said
Daniel, " I have got 10 children, and you have got none, and I
want something to feed them." "But don't you know," said his
I.ordship, " that God does not send any months without at the
same time giving food to till them." " Very true, my Lord," said
Daniel, "but his good designs are • thwarted by evil men. How
else, my Lord, could he have given me all the mouths and your
Lordship all that might fill them."—(Great laughter.)
If at quarter-day Sir Robert Peel, and his brothers in office, wire
to be refused their salary, it might bring them to their senses; and
they would then, perhaps, 'think of the comforts of the wor king men.
People had talked of the bad agitaton of Chartism. Let them show
him (Mr. F. O'Connor) an instance in which the Chartists had
refused patiently to listen to reason. The Whigs were originally,
opposed to them, but now the Whigs were opposed to themselves.
Lord John Russell wished for an eight shilling duty, while Mr.
Villiers went for a total repeal, and Sir Robert Peel came in at
the end with his slippery pigtiil.—(Cheers and laughter.) They,
the Chartists, knew very well the character of the Whigs. Thy
knew very well that the present agitation was merely got up to
get them back into office. —(Cheers from the Chartists.) For
seven years had the people petitioned the Whigs against those laws,
and during that time the Whigs told them that the distress of the
country was caused by fluctuations in commerce, attendant upon
all great commercial nations. But when they got on
the shady side of Downing-street, they said to them, the Char.
tists, " Do you assimulate your cause with ours, and let us get into
office again." When he (Mr. O'Connor) had gone to the Con-
ference held last week, they told him that he could not be ad-
mitted without a ticket, and thus was he prevented from going to
express the principles he held, and of advancing the great cause
to which he was pledged. One of the speakers at the Con.
ference had alluded to him (Mr. O'Connor) and said
there was a person going about the country in a fustain
jacket, while a black one would have suited him better. Me
(Mr. O'Connor) had come to that meeting in a black coat. He
never attacked a man behind his bask. He called on the gentle-
men of that Conference to name six, twelve, or eighteen of their
number, and they (the Chartists) would do the same, and meet
them, and put the principles of each to the test —(Loud cheers)
:Die Whigs had introduced the Reform Act, and that was to do
away with Toryism. That Act had been fully tried for ten years,
and what was the consequence of it? Why, it had put a majority
of Tories of from sixty to ninety into the House."—(A. voice,
" It was you and your party that put them there.")—
(Great uproar.) The Tories had property, which they con.
sidered the standard of the franchise; and so long as
another man's property entitled the elector to vote, so long
would the present state continue. The Charter would strike at
the root of all this—(Great cheering.) It would take the suffer-
ing from the people. He had sufficient confidence in the working
classes to feel that should a famine come upon the land, they would
bear the decrees of Providence with patience and submission.=
(Cheers.) Now, there was not a single article of luxury denied to
the table of the wealthy, while every thing OM, waY
necessary to support life was taken from the table of the
poor man. This was not the wish of an all.dispensing Providence.,
—(Cheers.) The battle was now between the two extremes—the
people and the aristocracy. The Whigs twelve months ago promised
them household suffrage, and if they were sincere, let them join the
ChartiSts, and go for the whole Charter, and thus, for the first
time, let the Whigs and Chartists be united. Let them all unite
in this object, and then would they be worthy of the name of
Englishmen, and thus would every poor man be proud to
say of England, '' This is my own, my native land."
—(Loud cheers.) After thanking the High Bailiff for the
pleasure, and the high honour conferred upon him, be said
he was proud in supporting the amendment of the working man.
Theamendment, "That the National Petition, or the Charter,
should be adopted instead of that submitted to the meeting," was
then put and carried by a small majority.
Three cheers were then called for for, Mr. F. O'Conner, which
was answered by a call for three groans for the same gentleman,
but the cheers had it.

A vote of thanks was passed to the High Bailiff, and the meeting
eparated at half-past three o'clock.

LONDON AND GREENWICH RAIL-

WAY COMPANY.

The Half-yearly General Meeting of the Shareholders in this
Railway was held yesterday, pursuant to public intimation, at
the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, William Shadbolt,
Esq., in the chair.
Mr. WILSON, the Deputy Chairman, read the report of the
Directors, from which it appeared that the profit from the traffic
during the last year was only 1,1371., a sum too small to war-
rant a dividend among the increased number of Share-
holders. The receipts for passenger tratfi I' as com-
pared with the same period of last sear, showed a
decrease in number of 41,321 passengers, and in amount of
1,635/. ; the Croydon toll had fallen short by 3741. 4s. sd. ;
the footpath being necessarily closed, on account of the new
works, made a deficiency of 1991. 12s. 9d., and a portion of the
rents have been absorbed by the new works, to the amount of
1-.4/. 10s. Bd.: whilst the only item of increased inceme ap-
peared in the Brighton tolls of 9871. 13s. 3d. The classes of
carriages on the line had lately been reduced to two, and the
fares had been fixed at 9d. and fid. The total expenses con-
nected with the line during the last six months, ending Dec. 31,
1841, amounted to 25,205/. 16s. Id., and the receipts to
26,137/. ss. 4d., showing a profit of 9311. 9s. 3d.
The Engineer's Report was then read. It was very short,
and merely stated that the whole of the works were now so
nearly completed, as to leave no doubt that they would be con-
siderably under the estimate, and within the specified time.
The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the Report"
Mr. WILSON seconded the motion.

Mr. HITCHINS wished to know why the fares had been al-
tered on the line? He thought it had done them a great deal
of mischief.

The CHAIRMAN said that they had altered the fares, in con-
sequence of a resolution adopted at the last meeting of pro-
prietors.
Mr. HINToN objected to the want of comfort in the six-
penny carriages ; he thought it a shame that a number of men
should be compelled to stand huddled together like a cargo of
pigs, or other cattle. With regard to the arches under the rail-
way, he understood that they had been lately asphalting them,
he hoped they had made them quite correct and watertight now.
There was great talk some time ago of getting 1,000/. a year
from these arches.
_

• The CHAIRMAN said the arches were now quite dry, many
of them were let, and there was every prcspect of letting more.
➢lr. HINTON wished to know how it was that none of the
Papers except the Courier ever published the price of
shares of this Company. It was explained that the Directors
had no control over this, every information was freely given
to gentlemen connected with the Press.
Mr. GOLDSMID said if they made the sixpenny carriages
too comtortable,,they should have no passengers in the others.
Mr. ENTWISTLE agreed with Mr. , Goldsmid. He could
mention at least half a dozen railways where the passengers in
the lowest class carriages were obliged to stand. There were
the Manchester and Leeds, the Northern and Eastern, the
Nottingham and Derby, the Brighton and Shoreham, the
Croydon, the Blackwell, &c.
Messrs. Walker, Wheeler, and other gentlemen addressed
the meeting at some length, when the Report was carried
unanimously.
The election of three Directors then took place,. in the course
of which a good deal of discussion ensued, which having been
set tied, the meeting soon after adjourned.

MEETING OF CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS,
YE STE RDAY. )—The Conservative Members of the House of
Commons met yesterday at the official repidence of Sir Robert
Peel, in Downing-street. Two o'clock was the hour ap-
pointed for meeting ; hut some time before that most of the.
Conservative Members were in attendance. •

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of
London had a lot2l interview with Sir James Graham at the
Home-office yesterday morning.

During the frost the men employed upon the forti-
rations in the Bois de Boulogne were engaged only on subter-
raneous works, at such a depth, that the soil over their heads
termed a solid vault; but when the thaw came this dissolved
in mary places, and became liable to fall in. The day before
yesterday, at that part which is opposite the Porte Alailiot, the
earth came down upon two men at work, and buried them both.
They were almost immediately dug out, but one was already
dead, and the other expired in• the course of the day.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Fth. 14.

The Loan CHANCELLOR took his seat on the wooliack
at Five o'clock.
MIXED MARRIAGES (IRELAND).

Lord STRAFFORD presented petitions from Lon-
donderry, Donegal, and other place.) in Ireland, praying
the House to legalize Presbyterian mixed marriages in
Ireland. _ _