The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-04 00:00:00

DEPRESSION OF TRADE.

MEETING Or SHOPKEEPERS.--A public meeting of
shopkeepers was held on Thursday evening, at the
Spread Eagle Inn, Hanging Ditch, for the purpose of
carrying into effect the following resolution, adopted
at a previous meeting of a Committee appointed by that
body :—" That it appears to this Committee that de-
legates should be appointed to wait upon her Majesty's
Government, and other Members of Parliament, to
make known to them the distrass of the shopkeepers
of Manchester, and to urge them to the adoption of
such measures as shall give them immediate relief;
and, as no such delegates were nominated at either of
the meetings held at the Town Hall, it further ap-
pears to this Committee that another meeting should
be held for this purpose, such meeting to be called
by circular." Mr. Owen was called to the chair.
He stated several facts coming within his own
knowledge, tending to show the distressed condition
to which men of almost every branch of business
were reduced. Several respectable manufacturing
establishments had stopped working, and hundreds of
the labouring classes were thrown out of employ.
One respectable firm in Manchester had that day
stopped in consequence of a certain failure. Another
house had this week turned off upwards of 150
hands, and it was in contemplation to turn off many
more. In consequence of the number of persons
thus thrown out of employ, the poor-rates were in-
creased. The overseers of the township of Manches-
ter had lately published a rate of 3s. 4d. in the
pound, and stated that they had already advanced
20,0001. on legal orders made upon them. Several
factories in Unsworth, Pilsworth, Pilkington, Rad-
cliffe, Halshaw Moor, Worsley, Eccles, Barton, and
Pendlebury, had stopped. A great portion of the
goods manufactured in those-places was exported to
the continent of Europe ; and, as they had to pay a
duty of from 9d. to 16d. per lb., it was impossible to
pay a remunerating price to those employed in their
production. Mr. Owen presented the following
table of the number of acres of land in Great Britain
and Ireland, distinguishing those that are cultivated
from those that are uncultivated and unprofitable :

Acres Acres Acres un-
cultivated. cultivated. profitable.
England 25,632,000 3,454,000 3,256,400
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
British Isles 383,690 166,000 569,469
Total

It was impossible that the people of these coun-
tries could be adequately supplied with food for any
considerable time from such a source. Mr. Alexan-
der Wilson moved that a deputation should be ap-
pointed to wait on Sir Robert Peel, and such
other members of her Majesty's Government and
Members of Parliament, as may be practica-
ble, to lay before them, on behalf of the shop-
keepers and traders of the borough, the appalling
facts relating to the state of trade which are so unde-
niably manifest, and entreat them to adopt some
means that shall give immediate and permanent re-
lief. On the motion of Mr. J. Gadsby, seconded by
Mr. Birch, a deputation was appointed, their expenses
to be defrayed by subscriptions raised from the shop-
keepers and others. It was also resolved—" That this
meeting calls on the shopkeepers of the neighbouring
towns to appoint a deputation to meet in London with
the above-named gentlemen."—Manchester Guardian.

MEETING OF MERCHANTS, MANUFACTURERS, AND
PRINTERS.—On Tuesday last, a, meeting of parties
interested in the manufacturing or printing, or the
sale of worsted and woollen goods, or mixed worsted
and silk, or worsted and cotton fabrics, was held at
the Royal Hotel, convened by twenty-four of the
principal firms in these branches of trade, "to con-
sider what measures ought to be adopted to prevent
the increase of duty on those fabrics contemplated by
the Prussian Commercial League." The meeting was
attended by nearly all the merchants and manufac-
turers in these branches of business. Mr. Edmund
Peel Thomson was called to the chair. It was re-
solved that a memorial be drawn up, stating the im-
portance of this branch of trade in this district, and
the injury that would accrue to it if an increased duty
were imposed by the Prussian League. After having
been signed by twenty-five merchants, eighteen print-
ers, and nine manufacturers, it was forwarded on
Thursday evening to T. Milner Gibson, Esq., for pre-
sentation to the Premier.—Manchester Guardian.