The Sun. — 1840-11-21 (London, England)

GREAT MEETING OF DISSENTERS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE IMPRISONMENT OF MR. W. BAINES.  (Abridged from the Leicestershire lliercury.) On Monday evening a very numerous and highly-respectable meeting of the friends of religious liberty, called by the Leicester Voluntary Church Society, was held in the New Hall Wellington-strcEt, in this town, to take into consideration the steps to be pursued with respect to the imprisonment of Mr. Baines-. Mr. JOHN THOROGOOD, who had arrived in town but a short time before, appeared on the platform, accompanied by Mrs. Thoragood, and was received with enthusiastic and protracted cheering. After the tumult of ,ipplAuke had subsided, he was moved into the chair. Mr. THOROGOOD then rose amidst the most hearty and continued cheering, and as soon as he could he heard, addressed the meeting as follows :—My friends and fellow-countrymen, it is under no ordinary circumstances that 1 appear before you. 1 hare just been I to see our excellent friend Mr. Baines in his prison ; but I feel great pleasure in knowing that he is not laid in that place " as a murderer, or as a thief, or na an evil-doer ;" but through the contrivances of rapacious, and cruel, and tyrannical priests.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) It often gratified my heart, when 1 remembered how kindly he sympathised, with me, when I was lying in a damp and dreary dungeon. lam placed tonight in a situation which 1 could not have wished ; nevertheless, I could not refuse therequest of my friends here, when my fellow-sufferer for conscience sake, Mr. Baines, who treated me with so much kindness, was l3ing within the walls of a prison. lam sure you will excuse me. I ant not accustomed to address public assemblies, and 1 have had very little intercourse or communion with men whom I can commune with, with satisfaction. There are friends around me who will address you, and therefore I shall sly no store at present.—(Cheers.) The Rev. E. MIALL rose amidst loud cheering, and stated that an invitation to attend the meeting had been given by the Voluntary Society to the Members for the borough, Messrs. Easthope and Ellis, and to that consistent friend of religious liberty, Mr. Thomas Duncombe, M.P.—(Cheers.) It was with deep regret that be had to state that Mr. Easthope was suffering under severe indisposition, and could not therefore be present. Front Mr. Duncombe the following reply had been received :  My dear wish it was in my power to be with you on Monday evening, but unfortunately I have engagements on that day which preclude the pessibility of my being able to be present at your meeting. I should like much to have witnessed that righteous indignation which I am confident must be unversally felt, and I have no doubt will be boldly expresFed by the friends and fellow-townsmen of Mr, Baines, at this fresh act of cruelty and intolerance which the Establishment has thought it expedient to perpetrate. But after the encouragement and countenance which the Lords Spiritual as well as temporal gave, during the last Session of Parliament to the protracted persecution of poor John Thorogood by the Essex malig. nanis, I confess that I am not much surprised that other bigots should take courage and do likewise. How long this system is to last, I much fear must now depend upon the energy and determination of the great body 01 Dissenters themselves, for if you rely upon the Government, or the House of Commons as at present constituted, for redress, be assured you rely upon a broken reed, which, as was well said," not only basely fails, but also cruelly pierces the hand that rests upon it." With best wishes, I remain, my dear Sir, Your's very faithfully,