The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-19 00:00:00

LEAGUE

AT
COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

A great metropolitan meeting of the members of the Anti
Corn-law League was held last evening in Covent-garden
Theatre. At half-past six o'clock the doors were opened,
and by a quarter before seven there was not a seat in the
theatre unoccupied. There were a great number of ladies in
the boxes. Precisely at seven o'clock George Wilson, Esq.,
chairman of the League, entered the theatre, and took the
chair amidst the most enthusiastic cheering. He was accompa-
nied by R. Cobden, Esq., M.P., ; John Bright, Esq., M.P. ;
and W. J. Fox, Esq., who were received with loud applause.
Among those present, we observed George Wilson, Esq.,
in the Chair; Richard Cobden, Esq., ALP., John Bright,
Esq., M.P., Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Esq., M.P., John
Homing, Esq., LL.D., M.P., the Hon. Charles P&ham
Villiers, M.P., Thomas Milner Gibson, Esq., M.P., William
Johnson Fox, Esq., John Houghton, Esq., Dr. Buck,
Mr. W. E. Hutchinson (Leicester), Major-General Briggs,
Captain Cogan, Dr. Haslam, Professor William Graham, Mr.
W. Leavers, Mr. D. Dewar, Mr. J. Hutton, sir. P. A.
Taylor, Mr. A. Fordati, Mr. J. Butler, Rev. J. G. Adeney,
Mr. R. IRicardu, Mr. J. Burt, Mr. J. Clode, jun., Mr. A.
Novello, Mr. G. Offer, Mr. J. Bell, Mr. R. Davison, Mr. J.
Ashton, Mr. W. Burton, Mr. G. Smith, Mr. W. Taylor,
jun., Mr. John Jervis, Mr. J. B. Allen, Mr. S. Lees Ala.n-
chester), Mr. J. Taylor Crook (Liverpool), Provost Hender-
son (of Kircaldy), Mr. Alexander Wilson, Mr. T. Powell,
Mr. Joseph Ivimey, Mr. P. J. Templeton, Mr. James Farrer,
Mr. Alexander Powell, Mr. W. H. Patching, Mr. John
Porteus, Mr. J. Tibbitts, Mr. John Watson, Mr. James
Waterman, Mr. J. Baynes, Mr. J. Hodgkin, Mr. W. Ellis,
Mr. J. Blackburn, Mr. J. Faulkner, Mr. W. Gover, Mr. R.
Burnett, Mr. J. Miller, Rev. Mr. Whitehead, Mr. H. C.
Wilson, Mr. A. K. Watson, Mr. W. Poulter, Mr. G.
Hawkins, Mr. J. S. Stock, Rev. A. M. Walker, Mr. S.
Lucas, Mr. J. P. Burnard, Mr. J. A. Lyon, Mr. W. A.
Wilkinson, Mr. G. Crowley, Mr. T. Smith, Mr. Joseph
Phipps, Mr. P. Granger, Mr. J. Benham, Mr. C. Latti-
more, Mr. Richard W. Cole, Mr. H. Crompton, Mr. R. G.
Welford, Mr. Henry Hull, Mr. J. Hickson, Mr. H. Cole,
Mr. G. Wade, Mr. T. Miller, Mr. T. Falvey, Mr. J. Simp-
son (Edinburgh), Mr. H. Keeling, Mr. J. Chalmers, Mr. T.
Waterlow, Mr. J. Sewell, Mr. T. Bourcicault, Mr. W.
Hampton, Mr. R. L. Tweedale, Mr. James Hendry, Mr. R.
Fitly, Mr. C. Fox, Mr. G. Hyde, Mr. G. J. Dixon, Rev.
T. Sadler, Mr. E. Brain, Mr. J. Gosnell, Mr. J. C. Wil-
_ _

hams, Mr. R. B. Lopez: Mr. J. Grieve, Mr. H. White-
side, Mr. W. H. James, Dr. Evans (Southampton), Mr. J.
Duberly, Mr. Edward Davy (Crediton, near Exeter), Mr.
Henry Cooke, Mr. Pritchard, Mr. D. Keane, Mr. W. Geesin
Mr. T. Sheffield (Carlisle), Mr. Henry L. Keeling, Mr. John
Wood (Glossop), Mr. Edward Wray, Mr. Frederick Sherlock,
Mr. Dick, Mr. David Aumonier, Mr. T. Mason, &c., &c.
The CHAIRMAN, having advanced to the table, proceeded to
address the meeting as follows :—Ladies and Gentlemen,—lt
is no great novelty to see this place on these occasions filled to
overflowing, but certainly looking at the appearance presented
by every part of the House at this moment, I must confess that
it has never before been my lot to behold a more brilliant as-
semblage than that which I have now the pleasure of seeing
before me.—(Cheers.) It may naturally be expected that
some allusion will be made this evening to those proceedir.gs
which have for a time superseded the necessity of our assem-
bling together here as usual. These our nocturnal meetings
have only given place to another method, perhaps more agree-
able, and certainly equally gratifying, of disseminating the
principles of free trade—l mean the Bazaar.—( Loud cheers. )
There is not any necessity for me now to refer to the imme-
diate reason for holding it. It was no secret, twelve months
ago, that the League had determined, for the purpose of meeting
the contingent expenses of carrying on this agitation, as well
as for the purpose of enabling the country generally to demon-
strate the interest which it felt in the cause of free trade and
the abolition of all monopolies, to raise a fund of 100,0001. It
is equally well known that from the first the ladies have at-
tended our meetings, and countenanced by their presence the
greater portion of our public proceedings, and that at the time
when great distress prevailed in the manufacturing districts ;
and when we petitioned the Legislature on the subject the la-
dies memorialised her Majesty, beseeching her to look with an
eye of compassion on the sufferings of the people, and in order
to alleviate them to permit the corn then in bond to be de-
livered to them duty free. The signatures to this memorial
were obtained by ladies, who canvassed them from door to door
in the depth of a severe winter in the manufacturing districts.—
(Cheers.) They did more. They held a Free-Trade Bazaar
in Manchester by which they realized for the League the sum
of 10,0001.—(Cheers)—and to show their unabated interest
in the Anti-Corn-law movement they proposed to complete the
100,0001. by holding a bazaar in this theatre last year.—
( Cheers.) The bazaar last year was postponed for reasons into
which it is now unnecessary to enter. It has been recently held
in this theatre, and with what success I shall presently show—
(Cheers.) New, as I have said before, if pecuniary contribu-
tions alone were what we had looked for, a bazaar would in all
probability have been the last thing to which a power-
ful body like the League would have been willing
to commit itself—depending as it must necessarily do on such
a variety of circumstances. In the first place we proposed to
make it a national exhibition, and it was a national exhibition.

—(Cheers.) We received contributions from Shetland, at
one :end of the kingdom, and from Cornwall at the other—
(Cheers)—and I think all those who had an opportunity of
seeing the bazaar will agree with me in saying that never has
there been seen collected together in this country such a pro-
fusion of beautiful, ingeniously constructed, and useful articles,
the production of which,reflected the greatest credit on the skill
and industry of the working men of this country.—(Loud
cheering.) It is not my intention to enter into minute details
respecting the peculiar circumstances of holding this bazaar. I
may however state, that in many districts of the country, from
which it was difficult to furnish contributions of

goods, small purses were sent, and from many
other districts we received contributions, both in goods
and money. Every county in England made some
little acknowledgment, for the purpose of manifesting the in-
terest which it felt in the progress of the free-trade cause.—
(Loud cheers.) Where manufactures could not be sent, small
purses had been made up and forwarded. There had been re-
ceived through the Bazaar from--
Money Sub. Sales.
s. d. s. d.
Devonshire, Exeter 41 5 9... 96 13 6...
Northamptonshire 17 10 6... 124 0 8...
Wales (Swansea) 32 4 0... 131 1 6.,
Cheshire and Derby-
shire
Nottinghamshire
Gloucestershire...• 1 15 6.•- 239 2 0..
Staffordshire
Agricultrl. counties lB2 13 6... 69 6 11..
Sussex
Leicestershire
Cumberland, North-
umberland, and
Durham 7O 7 0... 253 1 1..
Warwickshire 2B 10 0... 387 10 10.

Total.

.E. z. d.
136 3 9
141 n '2
163 5 6

172 15 8
232 7 1
240 17 6
227 10 5
252 0 5
264 9 10
297 15 6

doal bitook ialeig """ 30 16 0... 519 5 4..
London
Scotland '26o 9 0 ..1,744 5 2.
Yorkshire
Lancashire, Man-
chester
Other towns 2,209 12 3...2,398 8 2.
Post-office -
Confectionary 428 1 0
Book Stalls 571 5 2
Model Room
Glass Stall .. 80 18 0
Fairy Glass l4O 10 0
Medals
Curiosities
Received at the doors •
Beds for Labourers
Subscriptions subsequent to Bazaar ........