The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-08 00:00:00

ANTI-CORN-LAW. CONFERENCE.
The meeting of the Delegates of the Anti-Corn-law
Conference was resumed yesterday, at the Crown and
Anchor Tavern.
A. TAYLOR, Esq., took the chair shortly after
eleven o'clock.
The CHAIRMAN said, it might be well to announce
that the Conference was open to the public, as spec-
tators and hearers, though not as speakers or voters.
He mentioned that in order that, through the press, it
might go forth to the public. He had reason to believe
that many gentlemen who were absent yesterday would
have attended the meeting, had they not thought that
some process of ticket getting would be necessary to
secure their admission.—(Hear, hear.) He wished also
to announce, that they would that day be occupied
ix endeavouring to convey to the public, a just
though it must be a very faint idea of the sufferings
which were now felt in the manufacturing districts of
this country. It was doubtless tedious and fatiguing to
hear hour after hour the reiteration of misery from the
mouths of the various Deputies, but it was a most im
portant part of their duty. Nothing would act upon the
public mind and the public viympathv so strongly as the
honest representation of deep and unmerited distress.—
t Hear,: hear.) Many gentlemen had yesterday expressed
511 anxious desire that the meeting should proceed to the
discussion of the remedy to be provided for the suffer-
ings et the people ; and as it was desirable that eiwy
gentleman should have an opportunity of expressing
his opinions on this subject it had been arranged that
until. two o'clock the meeting should be engaged
in hearing general statements of distress, and that atter
that time they should proceed to the consideration of
remedies, when any gentleman would have an opportu-
nity of expressing nis sentiments.—(Hear, hear.) The
Rev. Dr. thrmar had received some letters from the
country, which lie would read to the meeting before the
regular business commenced. Before he sat down he
begged to suggest to the meeting a topic of congratula-
tion, namely; that the Times newspaper, whose blame was
praise, after being so long silent upon their proceedings,
had that morning done them the honour of abusing
them.

The Ilev. Mr. BONNER then read the following let-

tars :--

My dear Sir—l have just time before the post goes, to write
you two or three lines. I am just returned from Dudley, and
I find they are now getting as bad off as their neighbours ; two
tradesmen (both extensive business 4), one a draper, and the
other a grocer, have closed to-day, and the Sheriff's-officer
told a friend he had eight writs to serve yesterday.
While I have been trout home, considerable parties of the
cllliers and miners have called to solicit charity ; they come in
bodies of seven or eight, and will not go without relief. The
consequence has been a meeting of a few gentlemen, and just
now Mr. Richard Thompson end Mr. William Eowen called
for my signature to a memorial to the Board of Guardians and
Poor-law Commissioners to relax the In-door relilf clause, and
give moie liberal out-door relief immediately ! It is signed
by about 100 tradesman already. Mr. Thompson said—" We
are us a most alarming state, and if something is not done, the
me a will take it where they can find it !!" So many have
been with Mr. Pratt, the Relieving-officer, and they are so de-
termined in their demands, he has to-day been obliged to have
three of the constables at his door to protect him, and keep the
people quiet.
You may tell them in London, if this neighbourhood once
rises, the food-tax will come off, and bring everything else
with it. Excuse haste ; but twenty-four hours have advanced
events in this neighbourhood, and another twenty-four hours
may do something more. Yours very truly,
ROBERT DEW.

Bilston, July h, 1842, Half past eight o'clock,
Dear Friend,—You will be surprised, no doubt at receiving
a letter from me, you having left the town so . lately, but the
distress of this town and neighbourhood is increasing so rapidly,
that I thought a few lines would not be thought amiss. Since
you left, Mr. Riley's three furnaces are put out of blast, so that.
the unemployed have much increased, and the town is inundated
with' starving people. Yesterday they surrounded the Reliev-
ing-officer's house for help, to such a degree, that it was thought
necessary to procure the help of all the constables to keep the
I;eace. lam glad, however, to be able to inform you that.
nothing serious has yet occurred, except itbe the alarm which
sue:. scenes are calculated to inspire.
You will see by the enclosed address to the Guardians, that
the town is doing all they can to meet the distress and to keep
the people from actual starvation • but this can only be tempo-
rary. To muffle their minds, they have been informed that a
deputation is gone to London to press upon the Government the
necessity of repealing the Corn and Provision-laws, and to
open the ports to free trade. Surely this is not too much to
ask when a nation is starving from dear food and scarcity of
employme.A. Hoping you and the Deputation every success,
I remain, Dear Sir, jour's truly,
Bilston, July (1, 1,842. G. BARRON.
The following was the address to the Board of Guar-

that.; :
TO THE WOLVERHAMPTON BOARD OF
GUARDIANS.

Gentlemen, We, the undersigned inhabitants or rate-
payer's of the township of 13.1ston, truly aware of the very great
distress produced among the working classes of the district, by
the unparalleled stagnation of trade, especially the coal and
iron trades, feel it our duty to urge upon the. Board of Guar-
iliane, in the strongest terms we can, the necessity of affording
a liberal out-door relief to the unemployed and their families,
(Wring the continuance of the present depression. We cannot
bit feel deeply the lamentable condition into which numberless
pocrfan.ilies in the township are at this moment plunged, a
cone Lion very clesely bordering upon actual starvation ; and we
therei.vre sign this memorial in testimony of our willingness to
bear.thes„burden of any extraordinary rates which the liberality
• ripw e.ve upon the Board may occasion.
Bilston, julx b, 1842,
This addi,Se was signed 4 the lending Conservatives
in Coe: town, 1;214.41nen of the highest respectability,
hanker', magistr,:ti,s, and other persons of weight and
influence in the town. •
Ali;.'CL'Br...l.cost requested to be informed whether any
.ct.tninimication had ueen rt eeived from Sir R. Peel or
tbi Duke of Sussex?
G. Tromt.s.:oN replied that no communication had
Qs i.e..- been roc eiVed either from his loyal Highness or
the li'zinte Minister.
iV. Ft:nct7soN, of Bicester, then rose to ad-
AresS'the ince:jug upon the condition of his own district.
:47eotif"thC; itiouirit which he had made, as well as front
his •
oWtipersorial oli;,:rvation, he was convinced that the
ilistrt,ss 'of die country wzs not confined to Manchester,
Leeds.; Newcastle-upon-'Pyre, or in short, to the whole
,of die manufacturing districts, Ina that it extended
,equally to the rural districts. The ncst field-labourers
in his own neighbourhood received about 6:. per week ;
ithat was the average wages, including lost time. The
condition of the poor in general was most painful to
'witness ; the privations they endured were incredible.
(In entering the house of a poor man a few days since,
eta found that all that the family had to sit upon was
u, stone. There were no beds in the house, and the father of
fainily was without a shirt. On calling a second time;
lit • fourth the poor woman, who was the mother of the
to :slily, pouring cold water upon mouldy bread, and when
it 4 gave them a trifle she thanked him, and said she had
b en praying all day to God to put it into the heart of
sr 'tile person to give them half a dozen potatoes to keep
tl em from dying. It was his belief; that the distress
i Well prevailed so universally was mainly to be attri-
bi tted to the present Corn-laws. He would thus define
e onward march of the ruin to which this country
tie ”rxied to be hastening :—positive, Corn-laws ; comport',
tit e, starvation ; superlative, death.—(Hear,, hear.) Let
thr :in reverse this present system, and they might then
ipt the following motto :—positive, free-trade ; com-
pat Ative, commercial prosperity ; superlative, universal
'rite monopolists could not say that the distress
s ras.,partial, for it extended t) every part of the country,
-to ,the agricultural, no less than to the manufacturing,
istriet,;.
Mr. SYDNEY SMITII begged leave to interpose for a
nteunent, for the purpose of reading a Report which had
her ea communicated to him by a friend, and Which he
ha I been particularly struck with. It was a Report
wl dell had been put into his hands by the Secretary of
th z. Uxbridge Anti-Corn-law Association. It had been
:awn up by an individual who did not wish to give his
so complete was the reign of terrJr in that neigh-
• eirhood ; but it was well calculated to show that deep
41i stress prevailed in an agricultural district, even in the
•inity of the metropolis. Mr. Smith then proceeded to
rea I the following communication :--
Uxbridge, Middlesex.
speaking, the trade is exceedingly depressed, all
loudly . eomplaining, more or less, of the alarming prospects, but
a very „ A-id! proportion may be said to be doing even tolerably
well. Os le grocer, on being questioned said—" Where I tised
to take Ido not take 51.' Another said—" I used to be
able to mak e a comfortable living for my family, but now I
cannot make ends meet." The Metropolitan police not having
been extender to Uxbridge above a year or two, no return can
be made.
1835, britkl: tyers' wages, 11. 2s. ; 1842, 1/. 2s. In the former
year .good mph sy and .many at work. Where sixteen found
fall *mployr, in It 35, not more than four or fivescantily in 1842 ;
average earnings; 'srss by 3s. or 4s.
Ik;i3s. tailors froot 11. 11. weekly, to 1/. 4s. 6d. ; fell work for
ma sly hands. 18.42, wages same ; not the same employ ; not
me re than one-third, f the hands employed; and those, through
• having full yogis,, , have a difference in their incomes of
fro •4s. 63. to 6s. or weekly.
:1833, carpenters' wages; 11. 2s. 184 same when in full
wek. Average employmecit as compared with 1831 about the
wan Le as bricklayers. Numb.? of hands employed in buildings,
as oarpenters, bricklayers, is, 1836, 177 ; in 1842, 76 ;
sho wing a falling off of 101 indoiduals. Every other kind of
en q to y is proportionally diminished..
3 835, Shoemakers and cobblers IN/al lit. to 15s. weekly ;
ire 1840 from 9s. to 15s. The latter cum is, however, rarely
tuned, through lack of employ. The average may be taken
at: from 7s. to 135., the nature of the employ making the differ-
er see. Very few have anything to do at tile beginning of the

Yr, sek.
Agricultural labourers from 9s. to 123. ; during hay-time
as 4 harvest from 15s. to 18s., but this is only for a short time,
as 4 it seldom reaches the full amount because of dids. uctanions for i
ra. It y days. Some weeks they are glad to earn 4, d this
has to support a wife with three or four children. This class
of : people suffer extremely; no class more so in England.
D 3 ing the winter, in its most extreme state, some are for days
wit lout tire. Instances have been known last winter where
fats ilies have, been without fire for three weeks togetlier; and
'rat . go without food for days. If it had not been for the
y
Ora atanly-disposed last winter many must have been starved
as, t '.eath. The peasant seems to look at it as a matter of course,
and resigns himself to it accordingly. He is frequently driven
to
II r!"hing, p!undering hen-roosts, gardens, and orchards.
~. h:-.t ehitit is braught into the world by charity, its first
_ r
)::,:a'e. given by charity ; as it grows up, and is able to run
a 0, t he is taught to giiout and beg the remains of the tea and
, -pot; ane,if a girl, is frequently driven to prostitution in
4. 'dee to get a morsel of bread. It is no uncommon thing for
rant p 1 taverna to e .
their daughters to be guilty of unchastity for
I tire—nay, to sanetiinni;and receive the proceeds of their
He t isildren's shame. dare not complaih. The farmer and the
I ay nee of the soil have him entirely in their power. Should he
,e 4, there i 3 either the tread-mill or the'
I. A 1835 the quarters loaf of 41b. 6oz .
soldunion.
f
o
yr 6d. and 7d. ;
in k. 84.2, 9d• for the 41b. loaf.
Ie 1,b'35, beef from sd. to 7d. ; mutton,
4d. to 6id. In 1842,
beef him:, Bd. to 11 d. ; mutton, 7d. to 9d.
A n intelligent joiner, in contrasting his earnings and the price
of p covisiols iu 18:15 with the present year, states, that to snake
up 1 . he difference it requires 14s. or Ins•,
placing everything on
ass,,. equality.
2t ir. G. TnomPsoN said that he wished to read a por-
gtlime of a letter ke had received from Wales, which would
lend to confirm'. the statements of the Rev. Mr. Fergu.
Ftrn, .rid Mr. S. Smith. Mr. Thompson then read the
:following communication:—
Maisypandy, July 4, 1842.
The state of the poor is certainly in this part getting worse
-meekly. The markets are rising, particularly corn. Barley