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    76 THB. X.E A3>E R; V^o. 357, Saturday,

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    Public Meetings. Sir Edward Btttavkr Ltt...

    sors of the workman , and attributed their distress to the land monopoly and the state of feudalism brought in by William the Conqueror- A Mr . Macray , a shoemaker , observed : — " There was emigration as one remedy to their p resent state ; but the Government would do nothing in that way unless it was to get them scuttled . ( Hear , hear . } If the Government wanted them to fight their battles they would pay 1007 . per man for their passage in the Himalaya , but for their own good they would not give them one hundred pence . ( Hear , hear ^) The working classes were rob"bed annually of 300 , 000 , 000 / . more than they consumed , and therefore their oppressors would not mind spending 100 , 000 , 000 / .,

    if necessary , to keep them down . ( Hear , hear . ) The governing classes would care nothing for their meetings if they said they only wanted to be fed and cared nothing for politics ; they would then feed them as they did their horses—( A Voice : 'I wish they would' )—( laughter )—and be glad of such a bargain . " ( Hear , hear . ) The same speaker observed that " the British workman now , when out of work , was absolutely valueless . There was a time when his dead body would fetch lOt ; but it was not worth that now ( laughter ") , for the ' base , brutal , and bloody Whigs , ' to whom they owed nothing but their detestation , first sent them to the workhouse , and then gave their bodies to dissection . "

    The Lord Mayor has publicly denied at the Mansionhouse that he had authorized ( as had been asserted ) the assembling of the artisans in Smithfield . He added , however , that he had no power to prevent the meetings .

    THE WAR AGAINST CHINA AND PERSIA . A . public meeting of the inhabitants of Birmingham waaheld at the Music-hall , Birmingham , on Monday night , Mr . Alderman Baldwin in the chair , to take into consideration the present Persian and Chinese wars . Among those present were Mr . Joseph Sturge , Mr . W . Morgan , Mr . J . S . Wright , Mr . J . Partridge , Mr . F . Wells , the Eev . C . Vence , the Rev . A . O'Neill , Mr . C . Sturge , Mr . J . Betts , and many influential persons . Mr . W . Morgan , who moved the first resolution deprecating the recent hostilities against China , expressed an opinion that , like the last war against China , they had arisen out of a contraband trade in opium . He reviewed the

    history and general condition of China , and , after entering into various details to show the injurious effects of the traffic in opium , quoted the official correspondence from the London Gazette , and expressed an opinion that we had not a clear ground of quarrel against the Chinese on the present occasion . All the circumstances , he said , proved that the sudden resort to arms could not be justified . The Rev . C . Vence , who seconded the resolution , observed that the proceedings of the British fleet had been hurried and precipitate , and that the conflict was as unmanly as it was unjustifiable . ( Cheers . ) This resolution , and one condemning the war against Persia , were agreed to , and petitions to both Houses of Parliament founded upon them were adopted .

    MANCHESTER COMMERCIAL ASSOCIATION . The annual meeting of this association was held at Manchester on Monday , Mr . J . A . Turner presiding . The chairman , in commenting upon the annual report , referred to the proud position which tnis country held during the negotiations for the conclusion of peace last year . He believed we might look back with satisfaction to the course of trade since peace was established , for at no period in the annals of our commerce had any approach been made to the amount of business carried on . Our exports had exceeded those of any other period by 20 , 000 , 000 / ., for they amounted to the enormous sum of 115 , 000 , 000 ? , and he believed that while the mercantile interests had been flourishing , the population of the

    country had been well employed , that generally contentmeat had prevailed , and that we might , on the whole , consider ourselves in a very prosperous condition . But there was one cloud in the distance , and that was the probable distress we were likely to experience before long from the inadequate supply of the raw material which gave employment to such vast numbers of the inhabitants of ? this district . ( Hear . ) In ten years , from 1847 to 1856 , the imports of cotton into this country had exactly doubled , for in 1847 they were 1 , 284 , 000 bales , while in 1856 they were 2 , 467 , 000 bales ; but such had

    been the progress of the cotton trade , that , whereas at tlie end of 1847 tho stock in Liverpool was 451 , 000 bales , cr twenty weeks' consumption , at the end of 1856 the stock was only 382 , 000 bales , or eight weeks' consumption . That was the total stock at the end of a year which gave an American crop of 3 , 500 , 000 bales , and all authentic accounts pretty nearly concurred in tho anticipation that there would only bo 8 , 000 , 000 bales to meet the requirements of tho present year . The report laving boon received , and other formalities gone through , ¦ the meeting ; broke up .

    THIC BOOT AND SHOB TRADE . A large meeting of master boot and shoe makers of the metropolis , including m any of the principal members of the trade , was held on Monday night at the Freemasons' Tavern , with tho view of adopting Borne Common course of action to accommodate their interests to the unprecedented rise in the price of leather of late , and especially within the last nix weeks . Mr . Medwin , of Regent ' s Quadrant , acted as ohairmnn . It appears that , from a variety of concurrent cause * , the price of

    leather is from fifty to eighty per cent , ( many of the speakers estimated it at even a higher figure than that ) more than it -was a year ago . This is not confined to London , but is general throughout the whole country . Not wishing to run the risk of losing old customers by making a corresponding increase in the price of boots and shoes , the masters during the last year have struggled on at the old prices , hoping that the rise was only temporary and exceptional ; but they have done so in many case 3 without deriving a farthing- of profit on the whole transactions for the twelve months , and in other cases by sustaining heavy losses . The scarcity and consequent high cost of leather are chiefly attributed by the trade to the enormous consumption of the article during the war , when at the same time no raw hides were imported into this country from St . Petersburg ; to the greatly increased

    quantities of leather now being exported to the United States ; to the murrain among cattle in South America , whence we have been accustomed to derive large supplies of raw bides , to the exportation of boots and shoes in incredibly large quantities to the Australian colonies since the gold discovery ; an & jto a decrease in the supply of leather which we have heretofore received from France , resulting from the extensive substitution of leather for wooden shoes among the lower classes in the French provinces . The meeting entirely repudiated the idea of anything like a combination among themselves , or the trade of which they are members , for the purpose of forcing a rise of prices on the public . Eventually , a resolution was passed by acclamation , recommending the adoption by the trade of an average advance in the price of boots and shoes in proportion to the rise in the price of leather .

    CRIMINAL REFORM . A meeting was held on Monday evening at the Clockhouse , Chelsea , to hear statements from several reverend gentlemen who take an interest in the cause of criminal reformation , and to raise subscriptions in aid of the reformatory on Brixton-hill . The chair was taken by the Rev . C . J . Goodhart . One of the speakers ( the Rev . J . Cohen ) gave some very interesting particulars . He said : — "It should be remembered that all criminals who applied at the reformatory were not of the lowest class . They had recently had within their walls a young man who was the grandson of an admiral , one who was a surgeon , and one who was the son of an eminent barrister . ( Hear . ) He remembered once to have been

    particularly impressed by a sermon preached at Cambridge during his schoolboy days . He had since lived to see the son of the clergyman who had preached that sermon an applicant at the reformatory . There was another case , still more affecting , to show that the advantages of these institutions were not monopolized by the lowest class . A missionary having gone to India to preach the gospel , fell a sacrifice to the climate , and his wife followed him soon after , leaving an only child to be brought up by strangers . That child returned to England , and , having no father ' s care , no mother ' s love , soon fell into the ways of evil . After a short career , he applied to the reformatory , and he ( Mr . Cohen ) had had the happiness of being instrumental in restoring him to society .

    There were other cases of a different class , which showed how gladly these reformatories would be entered by many a repentant thief , if the state of the subscriptions permitted of their extension . He remembered hearing' of a professed thief falling into conversation with a j'oung man who was going to the bank—the object of the thief being to rob the young man of the money he carried . He asked him the direction of a certain street , when the young man , fearing nothing , said he was going that way , and would show him . As they walked , they conversed , when the young man happened to mention , as a singular

    thing , the thieves' meeting of the night before , convened by . Lord Ashley and the reformatory in Westminster . The moment the thief heard there was a reformatory in Westminster , he forgot his intended theft , and immediately went and presented himself for admission . ( Cheers . ) So respectable was his appearance , that he was taken for a gentleman coming to pay his subscription ; but ha remained and was reformed , wont to America , and returned , not liking the place , and , before emigrating again to Australia , gave five guineas as his subscription to the institution . "

    DOCK WARRANTS . In consequence of the decision pronounced in the case of Kingsford and Swinford v . Merry by tho Court of Error , a meeting was held on Monday , in tho London Tavern , over which Baron Rothschild presided . A considerable number of persons connected with mercantile affairs attended , including tho following : — Sir James Duko , M . P ., Mr . Woguolin ( GovernoiTof the Bank of England ) , Mr . S . Grogson , M . P ., Mr . A . Hastie , M . P ., Mr . Moffatt , M . P ., Mir . , T . P . Gaaaiott , Mr . James

    Cooko r Mr . Powlea , Mr . Crawford , Mr . J . W . Hall , Mr . William Scovcll , Mr . G . Scovell , Mr . Corrio , Mr . GaBaiott , Mr . Hodgson , Mr . Travers , & c , & c . Tho Chairman called attention to th « judgmont of tho Court of Error , and explained that in consequence of that decision the holders of bills of lading , delivery orders , or dock warrants , having given full value for any of those documents , and having advanced money upon them , were not to bo considered tho legal holdors or proprietors of the goods which those warrants represented , unless they could prove that tho titlo of every person through whose

    hands the warrants had passed was perfectl y goodtherefore , they could not be shielded by any precautions they might take from the evil intentions of badl y-dls * posed persons . Several other speeches were delivered and resolutions were adopted , in accordance with the object of the meeting . With reference to the case Kingsford v . Merry the Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer observed on Tuesday : — " The Court of Exchequer Chamber has been supposed to have overruled my direction at the trial . The fact was that the Court of Error did not overrule either my direction or the ruling of this Courtbut by some mistake , very mucli to be regretted , the case was presented to the Court of Error on a totally erroneous statement of the facts . " Mr . Baron Martia confirmed this statement . LORD ADOLJHUS VANE TEMPEST , M . F ., ON THE CRIMEA V

    WAR . Some remarks on the disastrous condition of our army before Sebastopol in the winter of 1854-5 were made by Lord Adolphus Vane Tempest , M . P ., at the Durham Athenseuvn , a few evenings ago . His Lordship was with his regiment in the Crimea , and therefore spoke from experience . A large portion of his remarks had reference to the recently-published work entitled Experiences of a Staff" Officer , which he criticised in no friendly spirit . " This book , he had been told , had created a great sensation in fashionable circles ; but , for his own part , having read it himself , he could state that he did not know a more complete exemplification of the fable of the ' daw in borrowed plumes . ' The book contained a great deal

    of most fulsome eulogy of Lord Raglan , ¦ which , though an evidence of gratitude , was by no means a token of discretion . The writer , who was no doubt comfortably provided for at head-quarters , -was pleased to give the British army some advice—and that was , to make the best of everything . .... The ' Staff Officer' stated that , on visiting the hospitals in December , Loid Raglan declared them to be in as good order as circumstances could admit of . Good order ! Did Lord Raglan call it good order when some of our men were lying ill of brain fever , without so much as a blister to be applied to their headswhen others were suffering under the worst forms of dysentery , without proper drinks to assuage their thirst ; and when the only alleviations to their sufferings were

    obtained from a source which , without meaning any reflection upon the parties who had promoted it , he must say England had no right to be dependent on?—he alluded to the Times Fund . " After referring to various particulars of the unhappy state of our army , with which the public are already only too familiar , his Lordship proceeded : —" From his own experience , he should say the regimental system was that which stood the severest test . He saw the head-quarter system fail , the commissariat system fail , the transport system fail , and every department of the army fail , except the regimental department ; and he believed that the soldierdita the army would -willingly bear their testimony to the fact that the regimental officers had done their duty from the time they went out to the period of their return , as they had acted up to the advice of the ' Staff Oflicer '

    and made the best of everything , getting the men to do the same . " Further on , Lord Adolphus said : — " Lord Raglan was seldom seen out , and one of his aides-decamp happened to hear by accident that the men were having green coffee served out to them . This was reported to Lord Raglan , and Lord Raglan sent for the Commissary-General and made a great disturbance ; but it was quite by chance that he heard of it . ... Tiiere had been a great deal of discussion as to whether the Government at home or tho authorities in the Crimea were to blame for tho evils to which ho had alluded . His own opinion was , that a great part of the evil was owing to the expedition having been sent out at so late a period without sufficient provision in the first instance ; and at the same time he did not think that so much had been done by the authorities in the Crimea as ought to have been done . "

    MK . JOHN FROST AT NOTTINGHAM . Mr . Frost , tho Chartist , has been making an onslaught on the aristocracy , and on tho system of transportation , at tho Assembly Rooms , Nottingham . He said he had converted one of the most eminent judges of Van Diemon ' a Land to tho principles of tho Charter . In the colonies , it was not an uncommon thing for the convicts to murder those who would not submit to the propensities of their companions . The lecturer expressed his intention of compelling the Government to bring him before a committee of tho Houso of Commons . If they refused , ho would appeal to the people of England . It was evident , ho said , that there must be a change in our present system , and he believed ho could point out n sure remedy for tho horrible state of things which at present exists . THE INOOMK-TAX MOVEMENT .

    _ Tho public agitation of this important subject continues . This week , we have to chronicle meetings at Hull , Haverfordwost , Preston , Walsall , Doncaator , Nor wich , Stourbridge , Wells , and Ballymena ( Ireland ) , — all with results favourable to an energetic demnnd that Parliament Should remove tho war addition to the tax , and give to tho remaining por-ccntngo a fairer adjustment . Tho most important meeting of tho week , however , was at Exotor Hall , London , Mr . Alderman Wire in the

    76 Thb. X.E A3>E R; V^O. 357, Saturday,

    76 THB . X . E A 3 > E R ; V ^ o . 357 , Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 24, 1857, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24011857/page/4/