The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-06-20 00:00:00

TIE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 20, 1848.

A more singular position was never occupied by
any people than is that of Great Britain, at the
present hour. Never was a higher destiny placed
within the reach of any people, and at the same
time so obstinately lost sight of, or misunderstood.
'The indomitable enterprise of our forefathers suc-
ceeded in planting the British flag upon the soil of
lands previously unknown, or immersed in barbar-
ism ; whilst the fortune of war, or the inscrutable
decrees of Providence have given us noble colonies
in every clime, to serve as advanced posts for our
intercourse with, and our occupation of these new
worlds. We have sent forth a race of pioneers to
explore them, to ascertain their capabilities and
climate, their soils and their productions ; and
these hardy men now call upon us from the distant
places, which they have visited and adopted, to aid
them in fulfilling the mission upon which they
have entered. They ask of the toiling millions of
their fellow countrymen to quit the scene of their
ill-requited labour, to throw off their wretchedness,
to exchange the worn-out and over-crowded soil of
their native land for the expanse and the virgin
soil of another, which only requires the hand of
man to convert it into a garden. They ask of our
government to send out to them the hungry
thousands, who clamour in our streets, and are
only kept from outrage by the strong hand of
authority ; and they offer to find them remunera-
tive employment, and abundance. They ask us to
empty our workhouses, and they promise to keep
their inmates, and enable us to shake off from our
backs the burthen of taxation which is crushing
us. Nay, they are even willing to accept the aid
of the scourings of our prisons, and the houseless
outcasts of our great towns.
Australia, Canada, Sydney, and other Colonies
are crying out for labourers to till their fertile soils ;
for artizans, and handicraftsmen of every kind ;
for domestic servants male and female ; for indus-
try, both adult and non adult, for which they offer
a price beyond its utmost dreaming ; whilst, here
at home, the same classes are in excess over the
demand for them, jostling each other at every turn,
,-snatching the limed from each others lips and the
clothing from each others backs. In these new colo-
nies' superabundance of every article of necessity is
only checked by the scarcity of labour. They could
supply Europe with food of every kind, with mut-
ton, beef, wheat, Indian corn, and with wool, and
other raw materials to an unlimited extent, if they
-bad only a portion of the surplus labour which is
bow burthening this country. Yet we resolutely
refuse to give them the aid which they require.
The thousands of industrious emigrants who would
gladly rush to people the lands of Australia, Sydney
and other distant settlements, we leave to their
own resources, to struggle in vain against the
pauperism which is rapidly engulphing them, or to
seek, by the cheapest and the nearest way Ca-
nada or the United States, which they reach as
beggars, in nine cases out of ten, to scramble
westward and become unprofitable and miserable
squatters upon wastes, which they have neither the
capital, the implements nor the energy to cultivate.
We leave them, by our neglect, to retrograde into
the condition of hangers on upon the outskirts of
civilization, whose benefits they may not enjoy :
we drive them to harbour feelings of bitter hatred,
instead of affectionate remembrance of the country
of their birth : instead of becoming, as we might
have enabled them to become, thriving members of
well-ordered communities, knit to us by the ties of
gratitude and the memory of a common fatherland,
exchanging with us their abundance of agricultural
and other products and giving in return a prefer-
ence and a market for the industrial products of
Great Britain.

On every ground—of interest, of philanthropy,
of justice to our colonists and to our suffering and
industrious poor, and consideration for those classes
upon whom the burthen falls at present of main-
taining them in compulsory idleness—the present
emergency calls loudly for large facilities to be
afforded for the purposes of emigration. Petty
and desultory efforts either of the government, or
of individuals, or of philanthropic societies, will
not meet the requirements of the case. A cargo
now and then, from the unions of Ireland or from
the Scottish Highlands, with a few reformed con-
victs from the Parkhurst prison, are only like the
drops of an April shower upon a parched wilder-
ness. We want a large and comprehensive mea-
sure, which will give assurance to the capitalists
and farmers of these distant countries of a constant
and continuous supply of labour, sufficient to
meet the progressive extension of their operations.
There is no fear that the very utmost we can
achieve in this way can exercise an injurious effect
upon the condition of the working portion of the
present settlers. There is ample capital at present
engaged in most of these colonies to quadruple
their cultivation ; and there is more both of capital
and enterprise at home, only waiting to carry them
out until the time when their possessors can be
made sure that hands will not be wanting.
It may he pleaded, no doubt, that the country
cannot at present spare funds. But we apprehend
that this plea is not a valid one; and we are pre-
pared to maintain that an extensive and well regu-
lated system of emigration might be carried on
without involving a farthing of ultimate cost to the
country, or to whatever local bodies may be found
willing to make the attempt. In the first place it
is by no means to be inferred, neither is it desirable,
that even a majority of the parties to be assisted
should be without funds, or require a free passage.
In the case of numbers, who would emigrate and '
become valuable settlers, it would probably only be
necessary to bring the rate of passage to the level
of that to the United States, to divert them to more
distant and desirable colonies. Arrangements
might be made, too, of a sufficiently binding cha-
racter for the repayment of the advances in these
cases to the colonial authorities. Another source
from which government would be enabled to pro-
tect itself from the effect of the primary outlay,
would be the largely increased revenue which would
be produced by the sale of colonial lands, which
revenue would begin from the moment that it was
known in the' colonies that supplies of labour were
coming. A large portion of the emigrants assisted
out would no doubt consist of the redundant fami-
lies belonging to agricultural parishes, at present
dependent for half their support upon the rates ;
and the permanent disposal of these in a land
where their labour would be eagerly welcomed,
would, we imagine, be so far a boon as to render
arrangements with the government for the gradual
liquidation of the first outlay, a matter perfectly
easy. Further facilities for the advancement of the
object in view might be found if earnestly sought
for. What, for instance, need interfere to prevent
some of our large ships of war, at present lying
idle in our dock yards, from discharging their
guns and ammunition, and taking out a thousand
passengers each, by the adult males of which, with
a proper complement of officers, and half, or even
a third of a crew, they could be efficiently navigated??
The machinery, however, of such a measure is a
minor matter, not worthy of being dwelt upon. A
committee of half a dozen practical statesmen could
settle the whole in a single sitting. The recogni-
tion of the broad principle of the question is all
that we contend for. And we contend for it on
other and far higher grounds than those to which
we have already adverted. We repeat, as we set
out with stating, that we -see, in the position of
Great Britain towards her distant colonies, a direct
calling of Providence to undertake the greatest
mission to which a Christian nation can be sum-
moned—a mission, too, which she alone, of all the
nations of the earth is capable of fulfilling. The
Almighty, in his goodness, and for his own high
purposes, has intrusted to her care, in the distant
antipodes, vast territories, upon whose soil and
varied and genial climate he has bestowed his

rarest gifts. He asks of us—he calls as to the
enjoyment of a privilege—to people its solitudes
with Christian men; to raise up under the foster-
ing protection of the British flag, his human in-
strument, a new world, to balance the folly, the
misery and the crime of the old. Such is the des-
tiny to which we seem to be called ; and it is one
of which we ought to be abundantly yet reverently
proud. We only glance here at this great feature
of the subject in hand. It is worthy to be dealt
with through higher channels than the columns
of a newspaper, and by more able hands than our
own.

THE leaning with which the majority of the Town
Council were likely to approach the question, to be
decided at the special meeting held on Wed nesday
last and adjourned over to Friday, with respect to
proceeding with or abandoning the Rivington Pike
scheme, was pretty well known. The Water Com-
mittee, with a few exceptions, have satisfied them-
selves of the advantages of the scheme in question,
and the oracular correctness of Mr. Hawksley's
opinions ; and we do not hesitate to say, that they
are at present prepared, and expect to receive for so
doing the sanction of the Council, to press forward
the scheme upon the evidence as it stands. It is
true the report of the committee, approved and con-
firmed by the Council, does not go this length. It
only authorizes the committee to do what, we should
supposed had been done already, before the sanc-
tion of Parliament could have been procured for
that scheme; viz :—to prepare plans and specifica-
tions, and go into details of the estimates. We
presume that these will be the "working plans and
specifications," the completion of which at a serious
cost, is as effectually and truly a step in advance as
if they had proceeded to purchase the land and
break ground. The public must not deceive them-
selves on this point, or be drawn from their pre-
sent firm attitude of opposition to the scheme.
The promise to come again before the Council pre-
pared with proofs of the correctness of the estimates,
before " entering into any contract in reference to
the new works" is scarcely a concession at all to
the feeling of the town upon the subject.
It is not the substantial correctness of Mr.
Hawksley's estimates which is principally called in
question. These may possibly be as near the
truth as most estimates for great works of the
kind are. It is on other, and far more important
ground that a pause in the headlong career of the
Council is called for. The production and verifica-
tions of the working drawings, nay, the actual
letting of the whole contracts within Mr. Hawks-
ley's estimates—will not satisfy the public mind.
We are not as yet sufficiently assured of the fact that
it is necessary to go to Rivington for water, or
or that we shall get it if we do go. The fact has as
yet to be tested by experience—by actual boring—
whether or not by sinking more and deeper wells
we shall not find ourselves in possession of abun-
dance. Mr. Hawksley's working drawings will
prove nothing as to the amount of compensation
which maybe extracted fromus,by the bleachers and
printers in the Pike district, for compensation, &c.,
under the various clauses of the act of parliament
referred to in the able speech of Mr. Josias Booker.
They will prove nothing as to the correctness of
Mr. Hawksley's estimate of the rain-fall of the
district, or of any other thing connected with the
scheme, beyond the fact that a certain number of
miles of piping, a certain number of roads. bridges,
aqueducts, and other works can he constructed for
an original outlay, of a certain amount of money.
That the works so to be constructed will be pro-
ductive of profit or loss to the projectors they
prove nothing at all about.
It has been urged, in reply to those who now
ask for time to examine and inquire into the
question, that all these points have been fully
discussed, before a Committee of the House of
Commons and the Commissioner sent down to
Liverpool to make investigations on the spot ; and
that, if the public have not been attentive to the
evidence, they ought to have been. We may,
however, recal to memory, that on the first
origination of this and other rival schemes the
public were in almost a fever heat on the subject of
water, anxious to have it at any cost, and from
whereever it could be got. Men in such a state of
mind are not always very prudent; do not always
look before they leap. Besides, a new state
of things has arisen within the last two years.
We cannot afford to ride a hobby at so high
a charge as we could have done two years ago;
and the alleged scarcity of water has since been
sbewn to be—by the aid of the additional Green-
lane works, and more liberal management of the
old companies—a kind of bugbear which will not
be in a position to bite severely for a few years to
come. Moreover, we find public men changing
their minds upon this very subject—men of large
experience in local matters, and men of great engi-
neering and geological skill—and why may not we,
who acknowledge to have allowed ourselves to be
committed and bound down by an act of parlia-
ment, without having taken the trouble of forming
an opinion at all ? We can remember, for instance,
that, two or three years ago, Mr. Hawksley, at that
time engaged in opposing a Corporation scheme,
declared in evidence that Corporations were the
worst people in the world to have anything to do with
water supply ; and that their management was al-
ways more expensive than that of private Companies
—(we can give his exact language from the short-
hand writer's notes if required); but does Mr.
Hawksley say anything of this kind now ? Of
course not. He has changed his opinion. We can
remember a letter too, addressed to Mr. Harmood
Banner, during the enquiry for the purchase of the
Harrington and Bootle Company's Works, in the
following extract from which we find nothing indi-
cating any suspicion on the part of the writer in the
deficiency of the red sand stone supply of Liverpool :
" When we erected our new premises in Benson-street,
we put down a 50-horse engine, and to supply that, and
our general establishment, we sunk a well. This well is
just 400 yards distant from your well in Hotham-street.
At eighty feet from the surface we found plenty of water.
The bottom of the lodge is 114 feet from the surface, and
such was the rush of water that it required all the force of
the engine, night and day, with an 11-inch pump, to
enable us to excavate our lodge. The entire cost of sink-
ing this well was £232. Our consumption is very great ;
supplying a 50-horse condensing engine, and thirty horses
with water, together with mortar mills, the dwelling-
houses, smithies, and workshops, and keeping immense
tanks and cisterns constantly full, and yet we discharge
every twelve hours 80,000 gallons of pure water into the
public sewers, for which we have no use ! And this is
daily occurring close to a double row of cottages inhabited
by working men who are, no doubt, paying for their
water. So plentiful is our supply, that on one occasion,
working the engine at full speed from three in the morn-
ing till nine at night, we only lowered the water seventeen
feet, leaving seventeen feet of water in the chamber ; and
beyond this we could not reduce it. I never heard that
our well, so close to yours, at all diminished your supply;
and, pump as much as you please, I have no fear of your
injuring us. Now if I add the cost of the pump, the
cost of an engine to raise 1,500 tuns a-day, with men's
wages, wear and tear, &c., it will not cost quite
one penny per tun to raise the water, and let it not
be forgotten that water is not an article of manufacture,
but merely requires an excavation, and a pump to raise it
to the surface. Yet. if I recollect rightly, your charge to
the Commissioners is fourpence per tun. lam borne out
in my calculation by Mr. Wicksteed, the engineer of the
East London Water Works Company, who gives in the
Sanatory Report, vol. 2, page 12. a detailed estimate of
the cost of raising 1,000 gallons of water 100 feet high ;
and which he asserts is less than one halfpenny per 1,000
gallons. You will therefore believe that my penny against
your fourpence is a sufficiently liberal calculation." _

When we find such opinions operating in the
mind of such a man as our excellent townsman,
Mr. Samuel Ilolme, so very recently as two years
ago, and that gentleman now one of the most
eloquent supporters of the Rivington scheme, as
evinced by his able speech at the meeting on
Wednesday, we say that the public has a full
right to have time to sift thoroughly the evidence
and weigh the new facts, which have brought about
changes so sudden and so signal.
We must confess that we have little expectation
of producing any effect by the ordinary measures
hitherto used by the constituencies to procure a
postponement of further proceedings with respect
to this measure. Individual remonstrances with
the representatives have failed to move them.
Ward meetings havebeen held with similar want of
effect. The last resource must at length he tried.
His worship the Mayor must be solicited to call a
town's meeting, at which the sentiments of the
public can be fairly tested. If those sentiments
are averse to the further progress of the scheme
at present, we have only the hustings in November
to appeal to. The demonstration which a town's
meeting would call forth could not, however, we
think, be set at defiance, and would spare us the
ungracious task of opposing old and tried friends,
who, perhaps, have only offended us upon this
question.

At a meeting of the Court of Examiners, held on Fri-
day, Mr. John Sinclair, of this town, was admitted a
member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

SERIOUS FALLING OFF IN OUR EXPORTS TO

BRAZIL AND CUBA.

It was predicted that one result of our free trade policy
towards these countries would be a large increase of our
exports to them of manufactured goods, if in the first
nineteen months following the Sugar Act of 1846 there
was an increase over the corresponding months antece-
dent of £455,381 of nominal value. It was stated, how-
ever, in committee of the House of Commons, by a
Liverpool merchant, engaged in the Brazilian trade, on
the authority of his captain, for twenty years in the habit
of going to Rio Janeiro, " that he had never in his life
seen in Rio Janeiro such a quantity of goods as there
were then ; he thought there must be enough to last them
four or five years." This evidence has been proved to be
true by the diminution which has taken place in the ex-
ports during the first four months of the present year.
Of "plain calicoes" we sent to the Brazils in the first
four months of 1847, 25,153,708 yards, and this year only
12,669,453 yards. Of printed calicoes, we sent in 1847,
19,825,571 yards, and this year only 8,902,881 yards. To
set against this decrease there was a slight increase to
Cuba, the quantities being plain calicoes, 1847, 955,066
yards, and 1848, 1,140,278 yards ; printed calicoes, 1847,
874,930 yards, against 1,283,547 in 1848. The aggregate
decrease, however, in the last four months, has been
12,369,043 yards of plain calicoes, and 10,514,073 yards of
printed calicoes, or one-half of the exports of each article
in 1847.

A FACT FOR THE PSEUDO-HUMANE ON THE
OLD SLAVERY QUESTION.

In a pamphlet just published by Mr. Jacob Omnium,
a gentleman well informed on West Indian affairs, a fact
is stated, and the authority for it is given, which ought
to be regarded with attention by that class of free-traders
especially, whose quondam horror of slavery and the slave
trade has of late, as noticed by Dr. M'Neile on Tuesday,
so mysteriously vanished. We quote the paragraph con-
taining the fact in question :—" in 1828 the British West
Indian slave colonies, not however importing slaves,"—
mark that circumstance, gentlemen of the Society of
Friends !—" produced 198,000 tons of sugar. Cuba and
Brazil importing annually, according to the accurate and
well-informed Mr. Bandinel, (first Report of Mr. Hutt's
Committee on the Slave Trade, p. 220,) 94,000 negroes,
but 93,000 tons." At that time, the pararaph goes on
to say that the West Indians were able, in addition to
supplying the home market, to have a surplus for Europe.
Now, what in 1828 must have been the nature of the in-
stitution since put down—slavery under British laws—as
compared with the slavery of Cuba and the Brazils, from
whom we are now receiving our slave-grown sugar ?
Without importing an additional slave, we could in 1828
supply ourselves arid a portion of the world besides. Our
hands were clear at least of the sin of man-stealing.
Ours, too, must have been a mild sort of slavery—one
under which human life was fostered—one under which
it was not necessary to wear down our poor toilers to a
premature grave. But to enable Cuba and the Brazils to
produce 93,000 tons of sugar, with other produce of course
—and we too raised other sorts—it required an annual
importation of 94,000 negroes—one human being, and a
fraction, for each ton of sugar I We make no comment.

LIVERPOOL THE FIRST PORT IN THE WORLD.

We take the following figures, showing the increase of
the business of Liverpool over that of London, from the
excellent circular of Messrs. Stitt, Day and Co. They
have been gathered from parliamentary returns :

TOTAL CLEARANCES OUTWARDS OF EACH PORT DURING 1847.
LIVERPOOL. LONDON.
Tons. Ships. Tons.
With cargoes, 2598 British ships.. 771,857.... 2664.... 656,500
1409 Foreign d 0... 548,289.... 892.... 156,448

With cargoes 1,320,146 812,948
In ballast.... 438 British ships.. 198,469. ... 1276. 377,216
~ • ... 83 Foreign d 0.... 23,888.... 2106 320,770

Total tonnage .. 1,542,503 1,510,934
This must be gratifying to every lover of the good old
town ; but it is still more gratifying when we look at the
fact that whereas of the total amount of tonnage only 521
ships, 222,357 tons came here in ballast, London had
3,382 ships, and 697,916 tons in ballast. It will be noticed
that the total amount of tonnage cleared from Liverpool
exceeds that of London, our metropolitan city.

Messrs M'Clellan and Lee, of Price-street, have pre-
eented to the Industrial Schools a costly and richly-
executed banner. _

Mr. A. Wilson, son of the Rev. A. Wilson, of the
Scotch Church, Rodney-street, was in the first class at
Trinity College, Cambridge. He obtained the University
Exhibition at the Collegiate Institution last year.
THE HISTORIC SOCIETY.—The inauguration of this
society will take place this day at the Collegiate Institu-
tion, His Worship the Mayor in the chair, when it is
Jioped all lovers of archaeology will enrol themselves as
members. Lancashire and Cheshire are very rich in an-
tiquarian remains which have never been properly looked
into, -and we anticipate great good will result from the
working manner in which this society is about to carry
out its intentions—that of thoroughly investigating all the
British Roman and midiceval remains, &c., and publishing
the results of its labours. Already the society has had
several valuable presents ; and the exhibition of antiqui-
ties and historical documents, which will be laid before
the society at its meeting this evening, will continue open
for the inspection of the public, gratis, the whole of to-
morrow (Wednesday).

UNLAWFULLY SIGNING A LUNACY CERTIFICATE.—
J. Arthur, a surgeon, was indicted, on Friday, in Lon-
don, for having unlawfully signed a certificate.—Mr. Bod-
kin appeared to prosecute, at the instance of the Com-
missioners of Lunacy. The prisoner signed the certifi-
cate in question, not from any corrupt; motive, but as an
act of kindness to a man whose wife had been for some
time a confirmed lunatic. The certificate averred that he
had seen her the same day, and that she was a lunatic;
but the defendant had not seen her that morning. The
lunatic's husband was anxious to have her removed to a
private lunatic asylum, and he asked Mr. Arthur as a fa-
vour, to sign the certificate, a favour he very imprudently
granted. The commissioners did not press for punish-
ment.—The defendant pleaded guilty.—Mr. Baron Rolfe
said he was very glad that the commissioners had insti-
tuted this prosecution, for it was fraught with consider-
able public importance. He should order the defendant
to pay a fine of 20s. ; but if any similar case came before
the court after this public example the result would be
very different. The defendant paid the fine, and was
liberated.
MR. REEVES.—In presenting the following condensed
extract from our contemporary, the Albion, of the 22nd
ult., we would remind our readers that the subject of it,
confessedly the bset English tenor singer of the present day,
appears at the Grand Concert of the Roscoe Club, at the
Theatre Royal, on Monday next. The long popularity of
Mr. Reeves, in Liverpool, before he attained the national
and European celebrity he now enjoys, renders his debut,
as primo tenore of her Majesty's Theatre, a circumstance
of no little interest to the early admirers of his genius. A.
triumph more complete and unequivocal, in every pos-
sible sense of the term, no tenor within memory, on any
stage, ever accomplished than he has done to-night; and,
in modern times at all events, it is paralleled only by his
own success on his recent first appearance at Drury-lane.
The part, he chose, or rather that was chosen for him, to
suit the long-announced soprana, Madame Tadolini, was
Carlo, in Linda di Charnouni—a character of indifferent
importance, as compared with many others in his role—
Edgard°, for instance, in the Lucia—but one which he
invested with an effectiveness never imparted to it, either
vocally or dramatically, by any other representative. His
reception was of the most animated kind imaginable, and
every instant he was on the stage contributed to augment
the feeling, till partiality became enthusiasm, and en-
thusiasm vented itself into plaudits and acclamations
seldom indeed manifested towards any one, and probably
never before in the same degree, within these walls, in
behalf of a native artist. We observe, from the pro-
gramme of the forthcoming Concert, that two of the
pieces are from the opera in question. One of these is a
duet, in which our favourite, Miss Birch, takes the other
part, and in which, at her Majesty's theatre, Reeves and
Tadolini received a rapturous, and even double encore.
The programme, as a whole, manifests much taste and
judgment, the selections are exceedingly attractive, and
the combination of vocal and instrumentel talent is of so
high an order, that we augur one of the fullest and most
fashionable audiences ever beheld at our theatre.
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OBTAINING MONEY UNDER FALSE
obtained from him a sum of money under false pretence.
It appeared that the prisoner had taken to the complain-
and a quantity of metallic substance representing "gold,"
ant that notwithstanding the acuteness of the two parties
with whom he had dealt, (both Jews,) they were
taken in, and found that "it is not all gold that
glitters." Mr. Levi said that the prisoner had, a
day or two ago, called upon him, and offered him for
sale, a quantity of gold filings, or gold turnings—
(shavings we suppose)--and pushed his bargain so
strongly, that he was induced to be a purchaser. The
vendor asked 50s. an ounce for the material. and com-
plainant gave him 455. and a gold ring, to make up the
balance, thinking himself quite safe, and secure of a
handsome profit. Mr. Marks, another gentleman of the
Jewish persuasion, was, it appeared in evidence, after-
wards honoured by a friendly visit, by the same specula-
tor, and also purchased a quantity of the same " dross,"
which had a very bright and captivating appearance—
albeit the descendant of Moses did not discover the cheat.
The representation was, that the gold was just imported
from China. A third party, named Healy, a gold refiner,
also purchased some of the lot, and afterwards found that
it was not the genuine metal. It appeared that the com-
plainants had tested the metal in the usual way by acids,
and being scarcely satisfied that it was " sterling," had
expressed a doubt. The prisoner, it was admitted by one
of them, had told him that he was commissioned to sell
for gold, whether it was gold or not. It was sworn to by
one of the parties deceived, that there was only half-a-
grain to the drachm, or 10 grains to the ounce, of pure
gold in the composition ; but it was so cunningly wrapped
up in real gilding, that the deception was not detected in
the first tests. The stuff was a composition of gold size,
blended with some mineral substance, and so gilded over
with real gold, that the acid applied to test it did not fro,
mediately disclose the deceit. The prisoner was corn-
, mated for trial,

PUBLIC MEETING ON REFORM.

Yesterday evening a meeting took place at the Portico,
to consider the propriety of petitioning the House of Com-
mons, in support of Mr. Hume's motion, for the adoption
of " extended household suffrage, equal electoral districts,
vote by ballot, and triennial parliaments." The placard
convening the meeting was signed, on behalf of the com-
mittee, by Lawrence Heyworth, Esq., and seven other
gentlemen of standing in the town. The room was filled,
as was the stage, and the greatest unanimity prevailed for
some time.

Mr. CHARLES EDWARD RAWLINS was called to the
chair, and in his opening address, said that he most
cordially agreed with Mr. Hume in putting off the
debate on his motion until it could be fairly heard
and appreciated. He (the speaker) would have preferred
a measure of larger extent ; he wished, in fact, to have
the full extent of " manhood suffrage." He thought this
was due to every mand of sound mind, and unconvicted
of crime, and that all such ought to have a vote in the
election of their representatives. Annual parliaments
might be too short, and seven years was too long, but he
was inclined to give support to Mr. Hume's motion so far
as it went, until they could obtain all they required,
" manhood suffrage."
Mr. JOHN SMITH, of the Mercury-office, after an
argumentative address, moved the first resolution. He
was of opinion that not only housekeepers, but lodgers,
should be possessed of the elective franchise.
Mr. ROBINSON (stated to be a working man) seconded
the resolution in a spirited address, which was listened to
with much attention and applause. He noticed the
extravagant expenditure of the Government,—the pen-
sions, royal palaces, sinecures, over-paid churchmen,
patronage, &c., which deprived the people of their
due share in the representation. Out of six hundred
members in the House of Commons, 423 were
influenced by interested motives. He enlarged upon the
injustice and extravagance of the Government and the
Royal Family, without, however, blaming our gracious
Queen, for whom he claimed all due respect. They asked
for reform constitutionally, and gradually. It was for
them to tell Lord John Russell that they had a will of
their own, and that they might yet achieve universal suf-
frage. He prognosticated much from the mind and pro-
gression of the people, and urged peaceable and moral
force to accomplish all they desired.
Mr. WILLIAM RI striolv spoke in favour of moral re-
form. He observed upon the present extravagance of the
Government, who spent about sixty minions a year—a
larger amount than ever before was known. This was
not a reform, and the] people would have no ]more of it.
An allusion made to the obtaining the whole of the charter,
was received with loud cheers. The free traders had had
their turn, and now was the time for the Chartists to have
theirs. He believed that if the wealthy wished to enjoy
their substance in peace and quietness, they must exert
themselves in doing justice to the industrial classes.
He contended that no good could be effected without a
reduction of the taxation.
The motion was put and carried by loud acclamation—
not a dissentient hand held up.
Mr. FERRAR moved the second resolution, in a
lengthy address. He knew not the points of the Charter,
but he believed that every man untainted by crime
ought to have a voice in the choice of their representa-
tives. (Cheers.) He had looked forward for something
good from the present parliament, but he was disappointed.
In the reign of Tiberius, several of his subjects in the
provinces, it was thought by his ministers, might be taxed
a little more, His noble reply was, "It is the property
of a good shepherd to shear his sheep, not to skin them."
He read an extract from a letter which he had intended
to send to Lord John Russell before the recent revolution
in France, and which embodied, in strong language, the
rights of free-born Englishmen, and urging a reverting to
first principles, and a freedom from the burthen of the
national debt.

The petition was read by Mr. JACKSON, and was unani-
mously adopted.
It was agreed that it should be presented by Joseph
Hume, Esq.
After some other remarks, by various speakers, a young
man, (from Manchester,) apparently about eighteen years
of age, presented himself on the platform, with a greasy
card in his hand, and began, with great self-possession, to
preach about the six points of Chartism. He was called
to order by the Chairman, but the meeting seemed to
be strongly inclined to listen to him, and some
confusion arose. The Chairman said, with a view to
conciliation, that the meeting, though called for a specific
subject, would, no doubt, hear the gentleman at the
proper time, after the resolution was secondegl.
Mr. L. HEYWORTH seconded the resolution.
A purely Chartist amendment was moved by the well-
known Jones, who, amidst several attempts to interrupt
him, advocated the six points, in opposition to the ori-
ginal motion ; and another Mr. Jones rose to second the
amendment, when Mr. Thomas Bolton rose to order, and
contended that no amendment could be put. The meet-
ing became uproarious, and the seconder proceeded ; and
from his prolixity we were compelled to leave. There
seemed little doubt that the pure Chartists would have the
majority. The demi-Chartists on the platform seemed
throughout not a little put out by the false position in
which they had placed themselves. To enable our readers
to judge of the strength of the two parties when put
together, we ascertained that whilst the Reformers (1)—
Chartist and demi-Chartist put together,—only filled the
little Portico, the Sparring-match in the Music-hall, close
by, for the benefit of the Tipton Slasher, was a bumper.

The resolutions (two in number) were to the effect
that "the House of Commons does not truly represent
the people," and that " the motion of Mr. Hume is to
be regarded as an important practical advance towards the
full, free, and fair representation of the people." The
petition prayed that " every male householder in the
kingdom may have the right of voting for members of
parliament, with the protection of the ballot, and that
members of parliament may be returned from equitably-
adjusted electoral districts throughout the country, and
for a period not exceeding three years."