The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-30 00:00:00

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ANTI-CORN-LAW CONFER' INCE.
The Delegates met again-- this morning sihorbtlY after
twelve o'clock, at Herbert's Hotel, Palace• la d ; Mr.
P. A. Taylor irithe Chair.
The CHAIRMAN commenced the proceedings: by read •
ing the following letters :

"TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ~ANTI-CORN-1 :AW CON-

FERENCE.
" Bieester, July 28. 1842.
" Dear Sir,—Ours is altogether an agricultural
trict, and therefore the following facts will speak for
themselves. Three years ago there one
good house untenanted in Bicester. The still grow-
ing distress of the nation had not then reached
the occupiers of good houses in our neighbourhood.
Only two new houses have beers erected within
these last three years in our'town ; and yet there are at
this moment no fewer than thirteen good houses, in-
cluding some good shops, in this small place unoccupied.
The high price of provisions, but especially of bread, is
the principal lock by which these houses are kept shut.
"There are many good field-Labourers in this neighbour-
hood, who have not averaged more than three days' work
in. the week, during the whole of this sumnaer ; and what
will become of them, if spared to see the winter, God
only knows. Shopkeepers have declared to ate that their
trade was never in such a bad state before. *A mason
informed me a few days ago that he has been compelled,
having nothing to do, to discharge his men, and that he
did not know what to do for want of emplownent for
himself. He added—' A few years ago, when corn was
cheap, I could make 51. sooner than I can make 1/. now.
All the money that people can get is spent on bread.'
I have here given you the gdod roan's own story in his
own words. A clergyman, to whom I lent The Sue the other
day, said—' I see now that the Corn-laws cannot stand;
they must be repealed, fur though we advozato them
they are not the thing.'
" When with you in town a kind gentleman gave me
a• few tracts, ' A Dialogue on the Corn-laws, between a
Gentleman and a Farmer,' one of which I gave to it
farmer, who has, as the consequence of reading it, be-
come a firm advoc„ate for the repeal of the Corn-laws.
" Excuse my sending you these facts ; they are naked
facts, and I have no time to make them either longer
or shorter.

" With hest wishes for your prosperity and happineSs,
and praying earnestly for the speedy, entire, uncon-
ditional, and everlasting annihilation of the Corn-laws,
and of all Provision-laws.

I have the honour to be, dear Sir, your,: faithfully,
" \V. FERGUSON.

" To P. A. Taylor, Esq."
"Finsbury-street, London, July 29, 1842,
" Dear B;.r,—As a member Of the Anti-Corn-law Con.
ference, I antamxious, according to my ability, to pro.
mote the good cause that has called us together. Allow
me, then, Sir, to r.uggest the propriety of writing,
through our Chairman, to the Wesleyan Conference,
now sitting in London, praying them to take into their
serious consideration, the present distressed state of our
country, and urging them to nse their influence with the
Government in behalf of the starvine. millions. lam
sure the Methodist ministers are deeply' concerned, or
ought to be, in the welfare of the people from whom
they derive all their support, not only fur themselves
and: families, but the various institutions of Methodism,
some of which are at the present moment suffering for
want of supplies. And, I would ask, what means could
be used so likely to recruit their tends as a repeal of the
Corn-law, which would cheapen the people's bread, and
obtain for them employment, and thus enable theni
to give to the cause of religion that which the landlords
pocket on the high price of food ?
" The Methodists, as a body, have done much to en-
lighten this nation; and I trustthey will lend their assist-
ance now in the cause of justice and humanity, in pro-
curing labour for the idle, clothes for the naked, and
bread for those who are ready to perish.
I am, Sir, yours, respectfully,
" ALEXANDER RENFREW SHAW.
To P. A. Taylor, Esq.. Chairman of the
Anti-Corn-law Conference."
TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ANTI-CORN-LAW LEAGUE.
",11oniton, July 27, 1842.
" Sir,—On behalf of the friends of the League in this
place, we beg to congratulate the,- Delegates in having
obtained an interview with the Premier, and compelled
him to hear stubborn facts. We have no hopes of ulti-
mate success, but as the result of continued application
and perseverance. The powers that be, will never yield
to the claims of justice and humanity, until compelled
by an oppressed and injured multitude. We regret that
the friend who represented us at the commencement
of your sitting, was obltged to leave town after a few
days. The motto of every friend to the cause must
be—" Onward."
The pressure is comparatively little felt in this place,
but still there is sufficient to lead many to feel that
something is wrong in the state of affairs. The poor-
rates are steadily increasing. , For instance, in the year
1838, the amount paid on a property was 1/. 17s. 6d. ;
but on the same property_ the amount paid, for the year
ending 1841, was 4/. 12s. lid.
" The dull sale of cattle at the fair last week, may
lead some to ask—How is it? But, generally, the farmers
credit what their Tory chiefs tell them—That all present
distress is owing to the recklessness and bad management
of the late Ministry.
" Happily a more intelligent class is found in some
parts of the country ; and, supported by such, we hope
that the League will never abandon the. principle on
which it was framed, nor cease in its etfori,s, until its
object is accomplished—namely, the total abelition of
the unrighteous Corn-laws.
" We are, Sir, yours very respectfully,
" THOS. GROUBE, B.N.

" WILLIAM WItIGIIT."
Mr. G. BEACON wished to ask the Chairman if any
members of the 'League had entered into communications
with clergymen or gentlemen of the Methodist persua-
sion, for the purpose of urging them to advocate the cause
of Corn-law repeal. Gentlemen of that persuasion seemed
strangely insensible to the efforts made for the abolition
of the Corn-law.
The CHAIRMAN said that no communication had been
entered into on the subject to which Mr. Beacon had re-
ferred. He certainly could not help feeling surprised
that the leading members of the Methodist persuasion
seemed so indifferent to the agitation now going on
throughout the country for a repeal of the Corn-laws,
especially as a great portion of the members t)f that de-
nomination were greatly interested in the question.
Mr. SIDNEY SMITH said that though the clergymen
of the Wesleyan persuasion did not in general seem dis-
posed to countenance the efforts of the Anti Corn-law
League, many individual Methodists sympathised in
their endeavours. The fact was .that the Wesleyan clergy
seemed to have a tendency towards the Church. He re-
membered that when Sir G. Murray stood for Man-
chester, in opposition to Mr. M. Philips and Mr. Greg,
be had the support of Dr. John Bunting, who came down
specially from London to assist him in his canvass. Dr.
Bunting might be considered as a sort of Pope among the
Wesleyan Methodists.
Mr. BROOKES stated that he had reason to know that
a rumour which some parties seemed anxious to propa-
gate to the effect that a change for the better had taken
place in the trade of Manchester, was altogether un-
warranted. He believed that no improvement had
taken place in the trade of Manchester, or could be ex-
' petted while our commercial policy remained unchanged.
The experience which he had had led to the conviction
that it was nothing but the improvement in machinery
which had prevented this country from being beaten out
of the market.
Mr. S. SMITH said at the present time the consumption
of sugar by the people of France was three times as
great as the consumption of this country, and if sugar
were admitted as it ought to be into this country, no
one could doubt that there would be a corresponding in-
crease in the consumption.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. PHILLIPS. of Melksham, Wiltshire, said that the
neighbourhood in which he resided was in a worse con-
dition at present than it had been at any former period.
To give some idea of it he would state that he was told
the other day by a man who had a small field, the grass
of which he wanted to have turned into hay, that on
the circumstance becoming known lie had applications
from no less than forty labourers. his own trade,
which was the cloth trade, he had been obliged to re-
duce one-third, not by discharging any hands, but by
putting them on short time. Ile had found it absolutely
necessary to curtail his operatiette. He trusted that the
country would at length be convinced that the word
protection simply meant taking money,out of one man's
pocket and putting it into another man's pocket.
Mr. CLARK, deputy from the perish of ,st. Pancras,
said that ho had that morning received if letter from
Nottingham, stating that there was no prospect of in-
creased work for the stocking makers of that town, and
that four hundred were turned out of work last'Wed-
nesday. The party who wrote the letter had not the
least idea of his making use of it at that meeting.
Mr. BONNER, of Walsall, said he wished to read to
the meeting the following let:er :
" My dear Sir,—To day the
Bmill
ils trorns ,
hJaiNi.leye 20
n 8 ,t
ilotd2 .
to
visit the collieries still at work, and they have in every
instance compelled the men to desist. . I have heard of
four or five parties going about, each consisting of 400
or 300 persons, principally young men and boys.
" The company I saw myself pass from Morley,through
Bradley and Ilalefields, thence to Barber's-fiold•
and
Stonefield, consisted of about 500 persons, and they
effected their object, although the proprietors of the
works were by. I have heard, in one or two cases, they
plugged the boilers, so us effectually to pr,event the
mines being worked, and they threatened to injure any
man they might find at work after notice ; and they
made inquiry as to the stock of coal in the iron works,
saying they should set fire to any large stock they might
• find. Unfortunately for the iron men, there are no
stocks, so that should the colliers stand out only one
week, most of the mills and forges must also stand, thus
' increasing the evil by throwing more out of employ-
ment than there are now, which must not be. During
their progress they have asked for food and drink in such
a menacing way, that they have obtained it from the
publicans and other respectable inhabitants to the extent
of what was in their houses. None of the parties are,
However, composed of Bilston minersetontlhpeeyileadp!toeagir.vtoe
ile oli
isi t
ar
~i hone
st_iel.r wi
1,
ifonr:eiknr
sit 1
sißrptlrteiex:d
rva iyeosl:
),,t)
elftl,o:
racll&i
tkahlelt:i
ir)aeniiipto,l)egteileiVtet
Ise di nesbur v ; and
(avildioresta4itaertiindesiele\r\it.tieoronCr
hundredtiTt,vanntt
elxspstiren.ig
soltt.-(‘:r.ang eiisi
Dragoon Guards) are at WaiSall. One man has been
taken up by our constables this
Wolverhampton, and an inquiry ; afternoon, and sent to
is now going on into the
circumstances ; and as to the
stop-
ping Messrs. Frimstone •
ker's-hill colliery - •
persons engaged in
and )immack's mines at Bun-
ker's-hill yesterday. We have no business, and
so many porters come round
our doors, for it is d'ffi • I that
with-
out they obtain .
con-
tinues
we are obliged to lock
i tu tto get them to go away a
few
days soml something. If this state of things
of distress, and it Tiger, we shall have .a great increase
.
impossibic for the masters to give
the wages required'. and sell iron give
the by the men, at its
present price, without bringing min .to themselves ; be-
sides, there are no orders, or nearly none, even at the