Star.
London, England, 1826-08-19 00:00:00

PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED.

John Oliver and Thomas Tappenden, Herne, Kent, lime burners.
James Brown, Coventry, Joseph Skevington, Loughborough, and
John Hugh Platt Maddock, Belton, Leicestershire, bobbin and
carriage makers. Joseph Skevingfon and John Hugh Platt Mad-
dock, Loughborough, Leicestershire, lace machine builders and
lace manufacturers. John Stanton and Thomas Jeanes Holah,
Nickolas-lane, tea dealers. Joseph Blake and Henry Herring,
Kidderminster, Worcestershire, carpenters and builders. Thomas
Pritchard, Elstree, Hertfordshire, and George Matthews, Warwick.
lane, farmers. Richard Perry and Edw,ard Perry, IVolverhamp-
run, Staffordshire, japanners and tin plate workers. John Stoddart,
Susannah Stoddart, and Margaret Nicholson, Cockermoutb, Cum-
berland, dress makers. Richard Davies and Charles Williams
Jansom, Connon-row-wharf, and Holywell-street, Milbank, West-
minster, coal merchants. Allan Stewart, John Fergus, and
Christian Campe, St. Petersburgh, merchants. Thomas Tindal
and John Newman, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, attorneys at
law and solicttors. John 'Edwards and Marian Edwards, Whit-
church, Shropshire. currier*. George Edwards, jun, Charles
Edwards, and James Clark, Brandeston, Suffolk, grocers, drapers,
and general shopkeepers, as far as regards James Clark. John
Wooliright and Henry Shirborn, late of Bath, but now of Reading,
linen drapers. Thomas Morris, Thomas Parry Morris, and Wm.
Gr.gg Morris, Bristol, linen drapers. William Peel and Godfrey
Whitehead Mann, Blind, Halifax, _Yorkshire, maltsters. Eliza-
beth Reynolds, Joseph Sanders, and John Ellis, Stourport and
Bristol, carriers, as far as regards Elizabeth Reynolds. Godwin
Withers, Romsey, Southampton, and John Beale, Winchester,
drapers.

General Weekly Average of the Price of Britlah Corn, which
governs Importation, made up to the 12th of August.

Wheat 58s. lid. I Oats 28s. Id. I Beans 475. lid.
Barley 335. Id. Rye 445. lOU. Peas 595. ed.

The Average Price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, computed
front the Returns made in the Week ending the 16th day of
August, 1826,15 30s. 6cll. prr cwt. exclusive of the duties of Cus-
toms paid or payable thereon on the Importation thereof.

PUBLIC MEETING.
In pursuance of a public notice, signed by arespecta-
ble number of manufacturers aad tradesmen of this.
town, calling a meeting of the hw-payers, for the pur-
pose of considering the propriety of addressing the King..
praying him to convene Parliament, for the purpose of
revising the Corn Laws, and of effecting a reduction in
the national expenditure—a numerous Assemblage of
persons collected at the Manor Court Room, where the
meeting was advertised to be held.
About twelve o'clock, Mr. EDWARD BAXIRR was.
called to the Chair. This Gentleman, after stating leis.
ownsinability to fill so important a situation' exoreseidi
his regret that the meeting had not been called .4 thaw
p rsons to whom custom had riven the authodlerd.
doing so;. and he also regretted that, by an habitual re-
fusal on the part of persons in office to call public
ineisiugs; the important keratosis of the (owe of Min-.
chester were deprived of the legitimate influence to
which they were entitled. A requisition had, he said,
in the first. instance, been presented to .the Church-
worth ns, requesting them to call the preseht meeting ;
but those Gentlemen had alleged, as an excuse for their
refusal, that it was not within their province to do so;,'
and as it was considered useless to apply to the 80.
roughreeve, a number of respectable Gentlemen thought •
it necessary to call the-meeting, for the purpose of
laying before his Majesty the opinion of the inhabitants,
that Parliament should be convened with all 'conve-
nient dispatch, to relieve the distresses of the suffering .
people, before they were driven to desperation.. It was •
not from any disrespect to the people generally•that the •
meeting was confined to the lay-payers, buil& the
purpose of 'hewing that the Resolutions did not ematiat e •
from the persons who suffered most by the present dia. :
tress. He should be happy to hear any Gentleman who
would confine himself to the subjects of the Reolutions
which were to be proposed. : •
Mr. R. POTTER rose to propose the first Resolution.
When such a country as England, with her great capi-
tal, her skill, and unwearied industry, was labouring
under calamities, it was the duty of the people to -in-
vestigate and discover the causes of, the distress, and,
in doinA so, it was as necessary that the inquiry should
be conducted with the utmost calmness..—(Cheers).—
Mr. Potter then•went•on to prove that the operation of
the Corn Laws, and the excessive amount of taxation,
were the ptincipal causes of the present disttess ; and .
referred, in support of his opinion, to several speeches
of Earl Grey, Mr. Brougham, and Mr. Burke. He said,
when the people found their incomes 'educed br ihe".
operation of the law, they had a right to say to Govern-
ment that they expected relief, leaving it to the Govein:-
ment to devise the method of carrying their exptes,d;
wishes into effect. There was no doubt but deep dis-
tress prevailed, to an extent of which few were aivire.-
He, as a member of the Relief Committee, had some
opportunity of witnessing such scenes of misery, as, if
he were to unfold, would harro.v up their very souls ;
and great as the distress was in Meneester, it was still
greater in some. of the surrounding districts. In Burn-
ley, out t f a population of 11,000, 8,000 Were rec, iving
relief. U4d.r such circutmtances, he thought it incum-
bent on the people to demand the s-everest retrenchment
of the public expenditure.—Mr. Potter then moved.-7
Ist. That this town, and the manufacturing districts, of,which
it is the centre and the mart, are suffering, at the present moment.
under the pressure of distress. which is wholly unexampled in-its
extent and duration. which has already brought to insolvency and
ruin great numbers of manufacturers, and dealers, and merchants,
whose honest acquisitions appeared to have placed them beyond
the reach of embarrassment ; which is daily augntenting the da-
culties of those whom it has not yet overwhelmed; which has.de•
prived of all employment many thousands of skilful and industrious
families of the labouring classes, degrading them into miserable
dependents ou the scanty pittance furnished by the poor rates, and
by charitable relief; which is continually adding to the number of
those who are so dependent; which is, at the same time, gradually
forcing down into the ranks of the necessitous many of the persons
by whom those rates have been paid, and that relief has been gieen*; '
and which is thus threatening to involve in all the horrors of men-
tion this most thickly-peopled portion of the three kingdoms"
Mr. DAVID HOLT seconded the resolution, and bore
testimony to the accuracy of the statement 'which liad
been made respecting the prevailing distress, to which
I e thought the attention of Government, and of all
classes of the people, shculd be immediately directed..
Mr. LILLY, a corn-dealer, thought the Meeting had
been prematurely called; and. he also thought that the
subject of National expenditure, if introduced into the
intended address, would cut like a two edged sword.
In h's opinion, the subject of the Corn Laws, and that
of the National expenditure, should be kept separate.
Here there was considerable disapprobation evinced by the
Meeting, and Mr. Lilly found it difficult to proceed. The Chair-
man condemned the interruption; and said, if the sentiments of
Mr. Lilly were not in accordance with these of the Meeting, it
would be easy to chew it when the resolution was put to the vete.
Mr. LILLY resumed, and expressed his regret that the
Meeting had not been called by the authorities—
(Hisses). His great objection to any expression of opi-
nion on the Corn Laws was, Oat if the manufacturers
commenced the work .of calling public meetings, the
agricultural interests would form associations to coun-
teract the manufacturers, and the county
_Members
would be sent into Parliament pledged against the re-
peal of the Corn Laws, as man; of them now were
against the Catholic Question—(Hisses).
Mr. Lilly's observations were frequently Inaudible, in consequence
of the uproar which prevailed during his speech ; he concluded by
moving an adjournment for three months, which motion was not
seconded.

The CHAMIAN then put Mr. Potter's resolution, which was
curled.

M. J. SHUTTLEWORTH rose, in furtherance of the ob-
jects of the meeting, to propose a resolution against the
Corn Laws, and he did so with perfect satisfaction,
because he thought no other subject surpassed that of
the Corn Laws in impOrtance, whether the injuries which
they inflicted in their various modifications, or the ad-
vantages of their repeal, were considered ; anJ in inves-
tigating the subject, it would appear that the conduct of
Parliament was not deserving public approbation. The
growers of corn were the legislation, and their acts
proved that they were not superior to selfish and sinister
interests, but wished to float on the surface of society,
like Leander on the Hellespont, at once the pilot, pas-
senger, and hark—(clear). With respect to the argu-
ment, that taxation required Corn Laws, he would say
that taxes fall as heavily on manufactures as on corn—
and any argument in favour of corn, derived from taxa"

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