The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-27 00:00:00

ANTI-CO RN-L eiNV CONFERENCE.
The Memb..rs of the Conference met yesterday at
Herbert's Hotel, Palace-yard, shortly after twelve
o'clock, P. A. Taylor, Esq., in the Chair, who com-
menced the proceedings by reading the correspondence
selected to be laid before the Conference. The first
W ZIA a communication from Forfar, addressed to Mr.
J. Hume, M.P.:—

TO JOSEPH HUME, ESQ., M.P.

, .
Dated Forfar, 21st July, 1842.
At a large public meeting of the inhabitants of Forfar, held
in the open air, on Thursday morning, the 21st July, at which
there appeared to be between 2,000 and 3,000 persons present.
The Provost having been called on to preside, the follow-
ing Deelarati3n was moved by the Rev. W. Lowe, seconded by
Air. Peter Thornton, and unanimously carried :
That this meeting, 'aware of the widely apread and daily
augmenting distress of the millions of the population through-
out the manufacturing districts, are convinced that unless re-
lief is speedily afforded, by removing those monopolies, and re-
dre3sing those grievances, of which the people righteously com-
plain, outbreak and revolution may immediately ensue.
That, with these facts before them, this meeting regards the
cruel indifference with which Parliament appears to treat the
woes and wrongs of an impoverished, starving, and almost ex-
asperated people, as the greatest insult that can be offered, in
return for their patient and peaceable endurance of unparal-
leled distress.

That fearing that her Majesty's Ministers may be so infa-
tuated as to attempt the prorogation of Parliament without
paying any regard to the present alarming state of the country,
this meeting respectfully, but urgently, call upon J. Hutne,
Esq., the representative of the Angus Burghs, in conjunction
with other Liberal Members of Parliament, to offer every pos-
sible opposition to the prorogation of Parliament, and to endea-
vour, by every constitutional means, to arrest the wheels of
Government, by the rejection or prevention of all votes of sup-
ply, until such time as some efficient measure of relief be adopted
for the country, and till the wrongs and just grievances of the
people are redressed.
That the Chief Magistrate of this town be requested and
authorised to sign this document, in the name of the thousands
now assembled, and forward the same, without delay, to J.
Hume, Esq., and that a copy of ihe same be inserted in some
of the local newspapers.
( Signed in the name, and on behalf of the meeting),
JOHN BOOTH, Jun., Esq., Provost of Forfar,
Chairman.
Sunday, two o'clock, 1842.
I do sincerely hope the Conference will neither break up,
nor allow the supplies to be voted, without ringing the his-
tory of our wrongs in the ears of our oppressors. The Con-
ference is doing immense good here. Nothing else is talked
about by Whig, Tory, or Radical, and I verily believe were this
the beginning, instead of the close, of the session, that Minis-
ters must yield. We must not give them a moment's peace
till Parliament breaks up ; and before it again opens we must
again be at our posts in London, determined to remain there
till full and complete justice is done to us. Depend upon it if
this is done, that no Ministry can stand the storm which will
be raised. Our friends in the House will be irresistible, and
the pressure out will make them so.
THOMAS WOOLLEY.
Brentford, Middlesex, July 23, 1842.
Sir,—l should be glad if you would lay before the Con-
ference the following returns, showing the increase of pauperism
in the Brentford Union since Lady-day, 1839. The people of
West Middlesex are slumbering in fancied security ; but it is to
be hoperl that the ten parishes which compose the Brentford
Union will now open their eyes to the fact that the general
distress has already began to affect them, and that their best
policy is to join heartily with you and the Conference in agi-
tating for the total repeal of the Corn and Provition-laws.
No. of Paupers at Lady-day, 1839 :—Out-door 1,382
In-door 360

1,74:2

No. of Paupers at Lady-day, 1842 —Out-door
In-door 451

4,195
1,742

4,095

Increase of the No. of Paupers 2,353
Money expended strictly for the relief of the £ s. d.
Poor in the year ending Lady-day, 1839 ... 3,837 4 11i
Ditto ditto for the year ending Lady.olay, 1842 5,903 13 8

Increase £2.,066 8 8}
The returns for the intervening years show a gradual increase,
and therefore Ido not think it necessary to copy them. I will
only add that these returns have recently been ordered by the
Board of Guardians. I think it would be well if our friends
who are members of Boards of Guardians would obtain similar
returns from their respective unions ; lam persuaded it would
then be found that distress is spread far more widely than
some persons imagine.—l am, Sir, yours respectfully,
ONE 01 THE GUARDIANS.

P.S. In cons-quence of the increase in the number of pau-
pers the relieving officer has applied for additional assistance.
Nottingham, July 25, 1842.
Sir,—l am only just in receipt of the " Parliamentary Re-
gister" for Nottingham, and forward some showing the deficiency
of voters through non-payment of rates compared with last
.ear, agreeable to promise in my letter of the 16th inst.
Yours most respectfully, W. CRIPPS,
pro JOHN PLACE.

ST. MART'S.
Rates unpaid 265
Left the parish
Dead

335
New names on register 182—Deficient 153

ST. NICHOLAS
Rates unpaid 25
Left the parish ... 47
Dead

79
New names on register 61 ...

ST. FETER'III.
Rates unpaid 25
Left the parish
Dead

61
New names on register 51 ... 10

181 less than in 1841.

P. A. Taylor, Esq.
Mr. Alderman CHAPPLE, being called on, said he had
received two letters—one from his salesman, the other
from his son-in-law, both speaking of the great depres-
sion of trade. Having read the letters, he said, these
were short, but weighty statements, and contradicted the
assertions of the Manchester Guardian respecting the re-
vival of trade in that town. He had given some detailed
statements of the distress of the country, which had
gone forth to the public, but by no means to the extent
of which they were aware. When he went to reside in
the township of Chorley land was, let for agricultural
purposes at 2/. 10s. per acre, which had since been sold
for building, at from 401. to 120/. per acre. Another
case he was acquainted with was, that of a manufactory
where 25,0001. had been sunk within the last year.
Nothing could save the country except a removal of all
restrictions on commerce, and giving them a free inter-
course with all the world. He had lately been present at
an interview with one of the Ministry, who was
mentioning various difficulties with which the question
was surrounded ; he (Mr. Chapple) said the question
laid in a nutshell ; there were two persons wishing to
exchange their commodities, but a third party stood be-
tween them, and said they should not do it. So we were
half-starved for the want of their food, and they half-
naked for want of our goods. The distress could not be
seen in London ; they must go to the distressed districts
to ascertain the truth of the facts they stated. But
if some remedy were not applied the distress
would reach the metropolis ; if it went on in
the same ratio, the starving people would come
up by thousands and help themselves to their surplus.
The land must support the poor ; that was the first
demand en it. Thu clergy had secured their portion,
and the other part, the landlord's, would, in such a state
of things, be worth nothing at all.
Mr. GAstum, (of Warrington), after apologising for
his incompetence as a representative of the Anti-Corn-
law Association of Warrington, proceeded to draw the
attention of the meeting to the state of the manufacturing
towns of the north. They did not depend so entirely on
the cotton manufacture as Manchester; they had various
other branches of trade established among them,
and in all the depression which had fallen
on the commerce of the country, they had
hitherto maintained their prosperous condition ; but
now there was bankruptcy among their shopkeepers,
distress amonF, the operatives, and increasing poor-rates,
and it was evident that the only remedy was an organic
change in their commercial system. There was one view
of the question which could not be dwelt on too long—
that was, how could they effect their ends. The
great engine they must use to overturn this giant
monopoly was the people.—(Bear, hear, and cheers.)
They must instruct them in politics and political eco-
nomy. But when their lecturers were addressing an
agricultural audience, perhaps it would be advisable that
they should connect with a repeal of the Corn-laws a
repeal of leases, that they might show them the battle
they were fighting was that of the people at large. It was
admitted that their great engine must be the opinion
of the masses ; but they could not create an enlightened
state of opinion in a day, and their efforts should be di-
rected to diseminating information. ;among the people.
But those who had so long refused their just demands,
would only be moved by the prospect of the actual don-
r!,,e7lice)fdfu Jitthhersiri)esiiosetka_nce. If asked to be merciful, they
On what compulsion must 1 ? tell me that."
What had caused the downfal of mighty Rome ?—of
proud Venice ? Aristocratical oppression. Let them
look to Genoa and the other cities of Italy, and they
v;ould learn that sooner or later aristocratic oppression
would meet its just reward. The French Revolution
taught the same lesson. Let our own sordid bread-
taxers study that lesson. It had been asked who might
be considered the most ferocious murderer—he
who cut his victim's throat, or he who suffered his victim
to die a thousand deaths by famine. Throughout the
whole range of history nothing could be found more
horrible then the death of Ugolino—and how did the
conduct of the tyrant who starved him to death differ
from that of the English landocracy. The Italian was
actuated by feelings of revenge—the English aristocrat
ts.rt(a7ves—ortdhide
Esenlgyinshteraersits.tocTrahte letfatliaan
aeotfn.itoenal
thfoaonsiwti
aloi:uvtled(.)
lie knew that it had been proposed by
t,tri(miedporwo. h t:l6%poyesttehlty
wouldas Mr. Gallows GthalelomwstnKbnetwgarhte, to hang
Itlnnaneg.