A great Free-trade banquet was held in Glasgow City-hall, on
Wed- nesday evening. The hall was fitted up as it was for the banquet of -last year : forty tables were laid out in the body of the building, besides others in the galleries ; and they were covered with wines, coffee, fruit, cake, &c. The Western gallery was devoted to ladies, of whom shout 150 were present ; the whole assemblage numbered about .2,000. Among them were, Mr. Fox Maule, M.P., Mr. James Oswald, II.P., Mr. Cobden, M.P., Colonel Thompson, Mr. R. R. R. Moore, Mr. ,Bright, M.P., Mr. Hastie, M.P., the Reverend Dr. Wardlaw, the Reve- rend Dr. Heugh, Mr. Walter Buchanan, Mr. John Tennant, Mr. Alex- .ander Graham, and the leading Free-traders of Glasgow. The Lord Provost presided. Letters of excuse and concurrence were received from Lord Dunfermline, Lord Kinnaird, Mr. Charles Villiers, Mr. P. M. Stewart, and others. Most of the gentlemen named above delivered speeches ; and the eloquence of the evening flowed freely, with spirit -and vivacity. Mr. Cobden especially made a capital speech ; but for Abe most part it necessarily went over old ground, as it was his office to expound the new plan of the League, not yet officially explained in Scotland. In describing the total fusion of classes and parties to be found in the Anti-Corn-law League, he mentioned two of their sub- scribers— " Looking to the character of our contributors, we have men of every kind, from the Marquis of Westminster --(Loud applause)—down to the man at Tod- znorden, who sent up the card, literally with sixpence, signed 'Beggar John Moughtops.' (Laughter.) This man was pointed out to me, for I was curious to see him, as a poor cripple, walking on crutches, and who got his living as a -mendicant ; and so we have all kinds of contributors, from the Marquis of West- minster down to Beggar John Roughtops—every class and every kind of so• eiety, and every class of opinions that distinguish parties. And I venture to say, that the cause that has the support of the best of the land, from the highest of the aristocracy down to the lowest beggar that walks the streets, is a cause that never any thing can prevent from finally achieving a complete triumph." {Cheers.)
Mr. Fox Maule reported the state of opinion among Scotch agricul- turists, derived from communications with them-
" I believe there is a growing opinion among the tenantry, that the sooner .the Corn-law is settled the better, and that they will not consider any settle ment satisfactory which does not involve a total- repeal of these laws. (Ap- plause.) This I believe to be a growing feeling among the agricultural popu- lation : and our agricultural population, you will bear in mind, and the gentle- men from England will bear in mind, depend mostly upon leases and upon fixed engagements with their landlords." A change of Ministry was alluded to as probable ; and the allusion elicited vehement applause. At the close, the amount of subscriptions received during the evening was not read, as there was some misap-
prehension on the subject ; but the collection was to be renewed next day.
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