Ebe ifletropolfs.
A meeting of the Metropolitan Anti-Corn-law Association was held on Wednesday, at their rooms in West Strand, to petition the Queen not to prorogue Parliament until it has taken into consideration the Cora and Provision laws, with a view to their immediate repeal. Mr. Place was called to the chair. Three preliminary resolutions and a memorial were submitted.
The memorial to the meeting showeth-
" That your Majesty's people are suffering from a long and protracted state of commercial and financial embarrassment, unprecedented in extent and dura- tion.
" That, consequent thereon, the great masses of your Majesty's most indus- trious people are exposed to distress and suffering from a want of employ ment, aggravated by dearth and high prices of food in a manner unknown in modern time and which your Majesty's memorialists deeply lament are producing a frightful ul increase of disaffection, crime, pauperism, disease, and untimely death, among this important portion of your Majesty's people. "That it has long been the opinion of a large and enlightened portion of your Majesty's subjects, that the embarrassment and distress are to be attri- buted to the effect of those laws which restrict the supply of food, which pro- hibit a free exchange of the industry of the people of this country with that of others, and which impose indirect taxes pressing severely on the community, for the purpose of protecting particular interests, without reference to the public revenue. "That it was in vain that your Majesty's people approached the late House of Commons by petitions signed by upwards of one million and a half of your Majesty's people, a number unprecedented on any other occasion, earnestly praying for an Inquiry into the effects and operations of those laws, with a view to their alteration or repeal."
The memorial goes on to say, that the people were disappointed by tie refusal of the late House to attend to their prayer ; but they de- rived consolation from the Queen's mediation in calling attention to the subject at the opening of the present Parliament. In reply to that speech, Parliament at length acknowledged the importance of the con- sideration to which their attention had been directed. Thus, all par. ties had agreed to that acknowledgement ; and as the sufferings of the people would be greatly aggravated by the continued uncertainty as to the settlement of the great questions involved, and the inclemency of the approaching season it was desirable that their distress should be alleviated by the knowledge that it engaged the serious attention of Parliament. The memorialists, therefore, urged the prayer which they had met to make. Dr. Bowring moved the first resolution, and took occasion to state that an Assistant Poor-law Commissioner had been sent to Bolton to investigate the facts which he had brought before the House of Commons. Mr. James Wilson, who moved another resolu- tion, said that it appeared to him peculiarly proper to address the Queen on this occasion, as the Queen was the only sovereign who for a long series of years had been associated with the people upon a popu- lar question. To this remark Mr. Wilson appended a little anecdote. The character of Queen Elizabeth had been truly estimated by her Ma- jesty; for it was related of her that she had said to the Archbishop of Canterbury, "Elizabeth was a good sovereign, but a bad woman." Mr. Weir, who seconded the last resolution, insisted upon ;the necessity of nailing Parliament to the question' or it would wriggle out of it like an eel; and he thought the memorial a very good means of doing so. The resolutions passed unanimously, and the memorial was adopted.
On Saturday night, at the close of the week's labour, the stone-masons employed on the works now in progress at both the new Houses of Par- liament, to the number of 468, struck work, in consequence of some dispute between them and Mr. Allen, the foreman, in the employ of the contractors. The cause of grievance alleged by the workmen is, that Mr. Allen is too arbitrary in his conduct generally towards them, par- ticularly in not allowing them a few moments' respite from their labours to refresh themselves, which they have been heretofore accustomed to have, under pain of immediate discharge. During the whole of Mon- day, the men were outside the building waiting in the expectation that their grievances would be remedied ; but such not being the ease, on Tuesday morning the whole of them came to the works in a body and took away their tools, expressing their fixed determination not to return to work uuless Mr. Allen is dismissed from his employment as foreman.
The progress of the works is entirely suspended. Negotiations, how- ever, are proceeding between the workmen and their employers : Lord Ashley has interposed his rod offices ; and it is expected that the works will be resumed on Monday next.
On Sunday evening, the house of the well-known fruiterers in Pic- cadilly, Messrs. Levy and Salmoa, was destroyed by fire. The progress of the flames was so rapid that every floor of the house was burnt away, and the bare w"Ila were left to enclose a square area heaped up with blazing ruins, in iess than two hours. At first there were great alarms for the Duke of Grafton's mansion, which is the adjoining building: by means, however, c; some hose being carried through and over houses in Clarges Street, the flames were attacked in the rear, and at last so mo- derated that the thin party-walls became a protection sufficient to pre- vent more thaa a limited injury to the upper stories and to the roof. The Grafton family are not in town. Moses West and James Weaver, servants of the County Fire-office, who had carried a hose within the walls to play on the smouldering ruins, were struck down and over- whelmed by the mass of the front of the house, which fell without the least warning, soon after the fire was subdued. West was soon taken out quite dead. Weaver was at first thought to be killed ; but his groans drew attention, and attempts were made im get hila out. It was found impossible to do this from the side of the ruins themselves, on account of the scorching heat and the strength of the mmonry which lay over all the tedious work of piercing through the bottom of the wall of the next house was therefore resorted to ; and after five hours of persever- ing, poor Weaver was arrived at and dragged out, still alive, and even cheerful, though so crushed and injured that he cannot possibly live many days. West's death, it seems, has happened on his birthday : he was thirty-three years old, and has left a wife.
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