Vrobintes.
A public meeting of the inhabitants of Liverpool was held on Mon- day, in Clayton Square, for the purpose of taking into consideration the great and daily increasing distress of the country, and to petition the Queen not to prorogue Parliament until remedial measures should have been adopted. There were, it is calculated, between five and six thou- sand persons present. The speakers addressed the meeting from the balcony of the Royal Hotel. Mr. Rathbone moved the first resolu- tion— " That the state of the country, even at this most favourable period of the -year, was one of privation and distress unparalleled in its extent and severity ; and was becoming daily more appalling in its effects on the physical, social, and =oral condition of the people."
He glanced at the general distress of the town— lithe meeting wanted any thing from him to convince them that the distress was indeed appalling. and that it was indeed increasing, he would advise them to go to the parish-office, to the pawn-shops, to the docks, and to the graving- docks. Go and ask the ship-carpenters, whether they were employed or not. No, they were not ; and he believed that he should be correct in stating that a large portion, if not even a majority of them, were in the receipt of parochial relief. Ask the sail-makers too, aud the rope-makers, and coopers, and la- bourers, whether they were fully employed ; and, moreover, make the inquiry whether, labour being scarce and food high, wages were also high. The an- swers to all these inquiries might be anticipated by every one. Among the instances of the local distress was the following— A most respectable passenger-broker bad told him the other day, that he had just entered one hundred Welsh farmers to go out to America ;—Welsh farmers, porfion of the protected classes, whose carved furniture proved how respect- they and their ancestors had been, leaving the land of their fathers ! These were the very persons who ought to improve the home trade: but they vete going to America, to do for that country what we wanted doing at home. Two Chartists and a working-man took part in the proceedings. A memorial to the Queen was adopted, to be forwarded to the Duke of Sussex for presentation.
At a meeting of the Manchester Anti-Corn-law Association, on Fri- day, it was unanimously resolved, "'['hat, believing this country to be on the eve of a revolution, and being utterly without hope that the Legislature will accord justice to the starving millions, a requisition be forthwith prepared, signed, and forwarded to the Members for this borough, calling upon them, in conjunction with other Liberal Mem- ters, to offer every possible opposition and impediment to the taxation of a prostrate people for the purposes of a bread-taxing aristocracy, that the wheels of Government may be at once arrested through the Tdection or prevention of all votes of supply."
A meeting of merchants and manufactures was held in a room of the Town-hall, Manchester, on Monday. The room was crowded to over- flowing. Mr. Robert Gardner, a Tory, took the chair. Only one reso- lution was proposed, and that was carried unanimously-
" That this meeting, considering the wide extent and deep intensity of distress occasioned by the depression of trade and manufactures—its constant increase, and the alarming consequences which may arise should no prompt remedy be applied—recommend the appointment of a deputation for the purpose of pro- ceeding immediately to London, and in cooperation with delegates from other trading and manufacturing districts, to obtain an interview with the whole of her Majesty's Ministers, and to represent to them the urgent and absolute =comity of adopting some measures for the relief of the country before the prorogation of Parliament."
The deputation was appointed ; and it consisted of Mr. Robert Gardner, Mr. Holland Hoole, Mr. G. R. Chappell, and Mr. Brooks.
A meeting of bankers, merchants, and manufacturers of Leeds, was held in the Court-house on Monday, "to take into consideration the present appalling state of trade and of the country, with the view of making another appeal to her Majesty's Ministers and Parliament on she subject before the close of the session, irrespective of all party-feel- ing end party-measures." The Mayor presided. A deputation was appointed to carry out the object of the meeting. In the course of the proceedings, Mr. Green stated that he had upwards of two hundred men dependent upon him, heads of families. He had been in business thirty years, and every year prior to the present he had had plenty of work, but he had now not a piece to give to his workpeople.
A large meeting on the same subject assembled in the County-hall in Coventry, on Tuesday; but the building was so crowded that the multitude adjourned to the open space outside, and were addressed by she speakers from one of the windows. It was stated, that not one loom out of five was at work in the city ; and that the suffering had extended to the watchmakers, who were "in a most awful state of dis- tress." Some Chartists joined in the meeting, and boasted that the In- come-tax had "done wonders" in uniting the middle and working classes. Resolutions were carried, declaring that it was utterly hopeless to expect substantial relief from the House of Commons as at present constituted; recommending that the Liberal Members be ex- horted to strive for a stoppage of the Supplies ; and directing a memorial 'to the Queen, to be forwarded to the Duke of Sussex for presentation.
The disturbance in the Potteries quieted down towards the end of lite week. Troops were encamped on the Pottery race-course ; but their manceuvres caused more amusement than resentment. The Earl of Dartmouth and other County Magistrates were understood on Mon- day to be in communication with the coalowners and battles, (a sort of .middle-men, who contract with the owners to do certain portions of work,) to effect an amicable arrangement. The reduction of wages which led to the turn-out was made on the works of Lord Granville and Mr. Sparrow ; and the Committee of the workmen offered, that if the masters who paid the old wages of 4s. a day would engage not to supply with coal the potters hitherto supplied by Mr. Sparrow and Lord Granville—and by this means very possibly prevent the resumption of the work in these collieries—their men should go to work that night. The arrangement had not been concluded on Thursday.
The colliers of' Kettley, about twenty-five miles from the Potteries, on the estate of the Doke of Sutherland, have turned out.
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