TILE LONDON UNIONS.—Sir Francis Burdett has abandoned the Na. tional
Union, on the ground that it is intended to be a permanent body, in other words it is not to be dissolved at the passing of the Bill. He might have stuck by the Union until the Bill was passed ; there may be ample opportunity for discussing the question of permanence before that time. We fear the Union is about to be turned into a spouting-club. There was a great deal of talk the other night, on a motion about Radical Reform, by a Mr. De Santos ; and a Mr. Grady made a strenuous effort " to rip up Mr. Sheil," as he termed it, but was not heard. What the public wants is business, not oratory. These itinerant declaimers are a nuisance, which if the society would last to the end of Sir Francis's lease, it must contrive to get rid of.
ETRE BIRMINGHAM UNION.—The Council of this great and influential society held its weekly meeting on Tuesday, when the subject of the late proclamation was introduced and discussed. Mr. Attwood calls the pro- clamation a wise, friendly, and beneficial measure towards the people. It appears, from Mr. Attwood's statement, that the Council have the undivided honour of rejectin.-'s the plan of organization ; and that no
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hint was ever given to then. Minister or any one for him ; nor
was the proclamation at all known when Mr. Parkes made his admirable
speech. The petition to the King to create Peers for the purpose of passing the Reform Bill, which had been suspended from a fear that such advice might lie deemed intrusive, was again.-brought forward ore Tuesday, and unanimously agreed to. Ezirl Grey is to be requested to present it to the King. UNION CLuns.—The Welsh Calvinistic Methodists ;have declared against these societies of the colliers, miners, and others of the Welsh founderies. They require all their brethren immediately to separate from them. The Merthyr-Tydvil workmen have very generally aban- doned the oluhs, and returned to their work. Very great praise is due to the masters for their liberality and good sense, displayed towards the returning workmen. " The latter," says the Cambrian of the 25th ult. "were received without reproach at their former wages, and money was ad- vanced to enable them to resume operations." Trade continues miserably dull at Merthyr. ESSEX COUNTY MEETING.-011 Saturday last, a second or adjourned meeting of the requisitionists for a Reform meeting was held at Chelms- ford; at which the principal county-gentlemen of the Liberal and Whig party attended--:.when it being announced that the deputation to the High Sheriff, requesting a county meeting, had failed, it was unani- mously agreed to have a meeting without his concurrence; and five ma- gistrates accordingly convened the county on their own responsibility, for Saturday the 10th of December. There were upwards of fifteen hundred respectable names to the requisition ; but the Sheriff is of course wiser than the fifteen hundred—he is a man of ten thousand.
THE LIVERPOOL. ANTI-REFORM ADDRESS.--Up to Saturday night this address had not obtained mdre than GOO names, out of a population, in- cluding the suburbs, of 203,000 souls. At the Exchange News Room, which has above 1,200 subscribers, it received only 117 signatures, and not more than 41 at the Underwriters' room.—Liverpool Paper.
MANCHESTER OpEaarivEs.—These men had a meeting at Peterloo, on Monday, with a view to pass certain general resolutions of right. The meeting was thinly attended. The secretary was drunk. We are sorry to see even the least-informed of our countrymen making fools of them- selves after such a fashion. There were several alarms of police, and much trepidation, but no interruption took place. The resolutions were the same as those meant to be voted at the White Conduit meeting.
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES.—The Manchester magistrates have or- dered very strong defences to be erected on the walls of the New Bailey prison in that town. MANUFACTURING DrsrnEss.—The operatives of Paisley are described as in a very wretched state ; a meeting has been called to promote a sub- scription for their relief. At Glasgow, it appeared from the Lord Pro- vost's letter to the Home Office last week, not less' than three thousand persons were out of work, and that number is said to be now doubled. Some disturbances have taken place at Bilston, but they were not of se- rious import, and were speedily suppressed. THE IRISH MAGISTRACY.—The new Lieutenants are about to " purge the roll," as the Scotch call it, of all absentees, and persons who will not or cannot attend to the public duties they are chosen to perform. ORANGE UNION.—The Irish Anti-Reformers have determined to establish a Union Club of their own, for the purpose of dividing the country. On this point, great unanimity may lie anticipated among our neighbours. It is the one only thing on which they ever agreed.
Ma. STANLEY.—The departure of this gentleman from Dublin, to attend his. Parliamentary duties, has given rise to many speculations among the . Irish quidnuncs. The opinion of the O'Connell journals coincides with their wishes, that he is not to go back again.
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