Clir eau n The great meeting of tile Political Unions
of Birmingham and the neighbouring districts was held on Monday last, on Newhall Hill, Bir- mingham. At an early hour in the morning, the appearance of the hill was that of a great far. Numbers of booths and stalls were erected ; tall poles were stuck up in -different parts, to which the national colours were fastened ; waggons were stationed at certain distances, and capa- cious hustings erected for the leading members of the Unions. By half-past eleven many thousands, of persons were assembled, waiting the arrival of the different Ueions ; the members of which were to march in procession. The Halesowen and Dudley Unions arrived a little before twelve, headed by Mr. T. Attwood junior, with flags and music. The principal procession made its appearance on the ground about half-past twelve ; it was headed by Mr. George Edmonds, and accompanied by many bands of music, and a great collection of flags and banners, with various mottoes, devices, and emblems. Mr. T. Attwood, Mr. O'Connell, Mr. Mactlannell the Catholic priest, Mr. Muntz, and two other gentlemen, followed the bands and banners in an open car- riage. The number of persons present is stated by the True Sun to have been at least 150,000. ; the Ministerial papers labour very hard to reduce it to a small fraction of that amount. Every thing was admirably arranged and regulated for securing union and quiet : the various sig- nals were conveyed by the sound of the bugle. Mr. G. F. Muntz pre- sided. Mr. T. Attwood and Mr. O'Connell addressed the multitude at great length, and in strong language, against the policy and conduct of the Government. Mr. B. Hadley proposed the first resolution ; and Mr. G. Edmonds proposed a petition to the King, praying him to dis- miss the Ministers. A petition to the House of Commons praying for the repeal of taxes upon industry, and for a graduated Property-tax, was also agreed upon ; and the meeting peaceably dispersed.
A crowd of children employed in the Leeds factories, said to exceed three thousand in number, assembled before Scarborough's Hotel in Leeds, on Thursday week, to present a protest to the Factory Commis- sioners against their proceedings. The protest concluded in these words- " Better would it have been had a millstone been tied about yonr necks rind ye cast into the depths of the sea, rather than have been appointed to dishonour God, and wound the objects of his care by offending one of these little ones."
More than 15,000 persons were present as spectators, and the crowd was so great that many fainted. The assembly refused to disperse for some time ; but at length, after a speech from a Mr. Foster, moved off, with three cheers. Mr. Oastler, Mr. Foster, and other gentlemen, had subsequently a conversation with the Commissioners, in which the latter complained of being refused information as to the real state of the factory children. Mr. Oastler told them that their object had been long attained - any person could tell them that ten hours a day was too long for any Child to labour. The whole plan, he said, was a trick of Government, who were playing into the hands of the capitalists, in- tending to defeat Mr. Sadler's bill ; and he would be no party to it. So the conference broke up, in a very unsatisfactory uffinner to both parties.
Owing to the ill health in his family, which prevents his paying that attention, to his Parliamentary ditties which his constituents have a right to expect, Mr. 1). Ricardo has come to the resolution of accept- ing the Chiltern Hundreds, and thus vacating his seat for the borough of Stroud. Mr. Scrope has again announced himself as a candidate g and as yet we have heard of no one to oppose him.—Gloucester Journal..
A number of Liverpool merchants have formed themselves into a company for building ships in the Isle of Man, where Baltic timber- can' be imported at a duty of 5s. per load, and plank at Ss. per load, while in England the duties are 2/. 15s. and 4/. per load. . All vessels built in the Isle of Man are entitled to be registered as British vessels. The Liverpool and Sunderland shipbuilders have therefore petitioned Parliament to equalize the timber-duties in England and the Isle of Man.
Dr. Hennis of Exeter, the gentleman whom we mentioned last week as having been severely wounded in a duel with Sir John Jeff- cott, the Chief Justice of Sierra Leone, died on Saturday. A corre- spondent of the Times states that the quarrel did not originate in any thing connected with the .Macdonald family. A Coroner's Inquest was held on Tuesday ; and a verdict of " wilful murder " returned against Sir John Jeffeott and Captain George Halsted, Charles Mil- ford, amid Robert Holland. The Jury also state, that as Captain Hal- sted did every thing in his power to prevent the duel, they regret that the law compels them to include him in the verdict. Sir John Jeffeott had sailed in the Britomart from Plymouth for Sierra Leone ; and it is reported that, in consequence of' a memorial transmitted to the Colonial Office, a fast-sailing schooner has been despatched after her, for the purpose of bringing back the Judge to take his trial for the murder.
John Kerchin' aged twenty-two, of Queenborough, about a month ago married a girl of the same village, aged eighteen. On Sunday last, " after dinner, they both went to their bedroom, and, whilst he dressed himself in his best suit, she lay down on the bed, where he left her, saying he should go to church, and meet her after service at her father's. She fell asleep ; but awaking in about half an hour, found her husband suspended by the neck from the banister at the head of the staircase, to., which he had fastened himself by his handkerchief. She alarmed her neighbours, who procured surgical aid ; but to no purpose—life was quite extinct. On the following afternoon, and inquest was held; and' no evidence being adduced to prove aberration of intellect, a verdict of "Feb de se" was returned ; in consequence of which Ile was buried at twelve o'clock the same night, without the rites of the church; but on the body approaching the church yard, several members of the sect of Ranters sang a hymn, and the corpse was lowered into the grave, amid the shrieks of the distracted widow. No cause can be assigned for the suicide. Kerchin had been in work all winter (with the exception of a day or two during the month of his marriage) ; and, for any thing that is known to the contrary, he lived happily with his bride.—Leicester Chronicle.
A great sensation was created in Manchester and its neighbourhood. last week, by the sudden disappearance of Mr. William Gibson, the agent of the Savings Bank, and of his son, Mr. William Gibson junior, who was employed by his father as a clerk in the bank.
On Monday, a disturbance took place at Walsall, arising out of a strike for wages, by a number of Irish labourers. Three of the party were arrested by the Police, upon which the remainder threatened to pull down the prison miles§ they were released. They oppooea them% selves to, and overcame, the Police ; upon which a portion of the foot soldiers stationed in the place u-ere called out, and quickly quelled the dist urbance.—Hereford Journal.
Four dwellinghouses and a cement-manufactory, at Shoreham, be- longing to Air. Clayton, were destroyed by fire on Sunday morning. The damage is estimated at 3,0001. The wind suddenly changed while the fire was blazing, or the loss would have been much greater.
During the last ten days, the bines have almost literally been running up the poles. Several bines in the neighbourhood of Maidstone have g: own no less than ten feet in as many days ; a quickness of growth we believe almost unprecedented, and only to be accounted for by the very sudden advance of summer weather. Within these few days, the fly has somewhat increased.—Maidstone Gazette.
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