The Leeds newspapers contain long reports of a meeting held

in that town on the 26th ultimo, "to take into consideration the condition of the unemployed and distressed poor of that district, with a view to the adoption of prompt and judicious measures for the alleviation of the same." The Mayor presided ; and the meeting is described as numerous and "highly respectable."

The Reverend Dr. Hook, Vicar of Leeds, moved the first resolution-

" That this meeting being fully convinced that a considerable number of the labouring class of the inhabitants of this town and neighbourhood is now out of employment, whereby destitution and distress prevail, and deeply

sympathizing in the painful condition to which so many industrious and peace- able 'bandies have been reduced by circumstances over which they had no con- trol, deem it an imperative duty to exert themselves to alleviate the sufferings of so many of their poor and distressed neighbours, whose exemplary conduct amid many privations entitle them to the commiseration and liberality of the inhabitants at large."

Mr. Baines, M.P., on seconding the resolution, entered into state- ments of details proving the great extent of the suffering which it was intended to alleviate.

The Reverend Mr. Sinclair moved that " a subscription be entered into forthwith."

These resolutions having been carried unanimously, The Reverend R. W. Hamilton moved and Mr. Jatnes Musgrave seconded the following-

" That the administration of the funds, either by finding employment or granting relief, be under the direction of a Committee consisting of the following gentlemen, and of the Committees of the Benevolent or Strangers' Friend Society and the Church District Visiting Society, and seven ot the working men to he hereafter named and approved, with power to add to their number." (The names of twenty-six gentlemen, including the clergymen of different denominations, are given.)

A scene of confusion occurred on the Mayor's attempting to put the resolution.

Mr. Charles O'Connor was unwilling to introduce politics, but as " one of the human family" he claimed a right to be heard. He wished to move an amendment that the funds subscribed " be not appropriated by any sectarian party's hand, but that a body of working men be in- troduced into the Comtnittee."

Mr. Robert Owen rose, but was inaudible amidst cries of' " No In- fidel " from the majority ; while a few called out "Let Mr. Owen be heard."

Order being restored with difficulty, a treasurer and two secretaries were appointed, on the motion of Mr. Giles, seconded by the Reverend Charles Wicksteed.

It was then proposed that the " Report of the Committee on Unem- ployed Operatives be read ; " when Mr. Bottouiley rose and spoke as follows— He wished to make a few remarks before the report was read. It was the more highly necessary that he should do so, inasmuch as he could state a great deal further, regarding instances of suffering which he bad witnessed on Wednesday and that morning, since the report was drawn up. At one house he found a tnan and his wife and four children, three of them recovering from a fever, and not a mouthful of bread to put into their heads. At another house ihey had lasted nothing better than potatoes and salt for two days. He went to another house where there was not so much fire in the range as he could hold in the palm of his hands ; they had no candle, and when a neighbour who was sent for came in with a light, he saw six or seven snit& children uestled around the fire-place ; they mut they had lived four weeks on four pounds of bread, a pennyworth of sugar, and a pennyworth of tea, and some- times they had a quartern of potatoes, at other times nothing. He had even found cases more heartrending than this. Ile bad seen a person that morning whose look confirmed his statement when he said that he had not broken huh fast since the first thing on Tuesday morning. Another man had told him that morning thud he had four children, and had been long out of employ, and that he believed it was from the want of the necessaries of life that one of his children was there dead in his house. Another nian had conic that morning to state that his landlord had seized all his furniture for rent, and bad turned him and his wife and three children out of the house to go where lie liked. As their worthy Vicar had made some remarks about working 1111:11 having some sluice in the manegement of the proposed fund, he would state a fact that hail come to his knowledge. There was at Holbeck an Overseer of the MIMIC of Theophilus Rhodes, who had hind confided to him certain articles of clothing tbr distribution among the poor, and instead of giving, to those who were in the greatest need, he had the poor standing starving at Ins hack-door whilst he was handing the :a ticks out of his front-window to those win, had bought -aoods at his shop ; he haul even given some to a man who had onlv it with anu Iwo children, and was earning thirty shillings a week, whilst he Ima neglected those who had next to nothing to cover their nakedness with. lmt many eases which he had visited, where he had witnessed this distress, he had heard men declare that unless by some means their children could be supplied with bread, they would be under the necessity of taking it Pom the common stock. "In that opinion," said Mr. Bottomley, "I myselj err-Hall!, agree ; fur I do declare, bethre God and man, that &pre I would starve I would take it where I could get it." (Loud applause from the distant parts of the court.) Mr. Mayor, this lanamtge may. be unpleasant to polite ears; but let them come to have the naked IraekS and hungry bellies that this usehil but suffering portion of society have, and I am satisfied they would not be so contented as others are but that they would be amongst the first characters as soon as want pinclied their stomachs, to go and take it from others." Clpplause.)

The Mayor protested against this language, and hoped the report might be read without further remark. • •

Mr. Bottomley declared that he stated not his own opinions alone, but those of many around him. He then read the report, una enivrd into calculations to show that 1,000/. a week would be required to relieve the 10.000 sufferers at the rate of 2s.. a week to each person. Dr. Williamson said, that he could not allow a persoa holding Mr. Bottomley's opinion to be upon the Committee ; and he moved a reso- lution— " That no person entertaining the opinion that it would be right for any person, under any circumstances, to take by fraud and violence the prove' ty of others, be deemed c!igible to form one of the Committee for the management of the proposed fund" Mr. llottomley moved an amendment, that the Committee be com- posed entirely of working men.

Mr. Richardson spoke earnestly in support of Dr. Williamson's reso- lution, amidst groans and hissing from a portion of the mooching-

" Let me entreat you, if you have auuy. compassion upon the ten thousand toffortunate individuals who are now suflering from want—let me entreat you, I say, not to tell the gentlemen who are ready with their purses, that you will insist upon their subscriptions, because if you do, the consequence will be this—that, as Britons, they will be hound to declare that they will not have their property wrested from them by force, but that they will defend it. (Cheers and hisses.) You will compel them by this conduct to shut their hearts against the sufferings of the poor. (Great hissing.) Will you hear ? ("No!" Down wi' greet") 1 feel that at this moment, I stand in time most responsible station that I ever occupied in the whole course of may life. 1 have on the one band tett thousend clients who demand my advocacv—ten thousand suffering poor„ who are calling for bread. (Much hissing.) Who is willing to give that bread, and who has said that subseriptions shall be raised? I am mail), to give may small mite, according to the means that I have received from a kind Pro- vidence, to relieve the want which in this town of Leeds has arrived at so pain- ful an extent. I say I am ready to give, but I never will give it under a threat. (Great cheering and hissing.) Let me point out to you what must be the con- sequence of that course of procedure which Mr. Bottomley has recommended. The consequence will be this—that an immense force of constables must be brought into operation for the purpose of carrying the law into effect, because, believe me, all experience proves that the law is sufficieutly strong for the pro- tection of the persons and the property of the rich. (Tremendous hissing.) Do you intend to negative the resolution which has been proposed? (" Ves, yesP' " Aro, nor) I know the present odium and personal danger which I incur in making this speech; but I. appeal to that God who can protect me; anti if, by the baud of an assassin, I should be sent to another world, I could make even that fact the strong instrument of protection for the property and lives of those by whom you are surrounded." Mr. George White said, it appeared that this was the situation in which the working men were placed— If they came there and told the truth, their families might have to starve; and he said that if they negatived the resolution, it would he calling men thieves and robbers. The men who could relieve their distresses were the men who were responsible to them. There was one man sitting on the bench, who was responsible to his country and his God for them fellows who had brought the country into this state. Were they to go home like a hotly of contented slaves, thinking that a penny or twopence would be doled out to them, and were they to tell a lie to get it? No, rather let them speak out their prin- ciples like men. He never would consent to tell a lie against his feelings. That which had been stated by friend Bottouiley was the general feeling of the people.

Mr. Giles and Dr. Hook suggested that probably "friend Bottomley" had said rather more titan he intended ; and they endeavoured to restore the meeting to good-humour ; but Mr. Bottomley again rose to address the " persecuted and insulted working men "- lie said he considered it the greatest sin that man could commit against either God or ma;, was the sin ot sell-merder ; and he considered that a man who allowed himself to he starved to death in the midst of plenty committed self-murder equally with the man who cut his throat. As he had said before, different people had observed to him that things were coming to that pass that

if they did mot get bread for their children %vim were crying for bread, they would be under the necessity of going and helping themselves; and he would say again, that if he were under similar circumstances, he would not hesitate a moment in going and relieving himself. ((heers.)

Mr. White moved an amendment, that "It would be a crime for any Man to suffer' himself or family to starve in the midst of plenty." The Mayor refused to put this amendment, and called for a show of hands on Or. Williamson's resolution. The first show of hands ap- peared to the Mayor to be in favour of the resolution ; but a second show was taken, and then the majority in its favour was put beyond doubt, and it was declared to be carried, amidst shouts of " No, no " The meeting separated peaceably.

At Leicester, on Monday, a meeting was held also to provide relief for the unemployed operatives. From a correspondence between the Mayor and the Poor-law Commissioners, read by the Mayor to the meeting, it appeared that the Commissioners had deemed it expedient to relax the execution of an important provision of the Poor-law. They wrote to the Mayor "that they had partially suspended their order in the Unions of Bodoni, Hinckley, and Bosworth; and that they would authorize all Unions having poor residents in Leicester to relieve them without removal, on condition of their making a report of such cases."

Several speeches were delivered on the necessity of relieving the ex- isting distress, which is most severely felt in Leicester. The Reverend . A. Irvine said-

" As the minister of the largest foul most populous parish in the town, be Intl abundant opportunities of seeing the distress which prevailed. lie had seen at his own door that morning from twenty to thirty poor peoole, earnestly but respectfully asking for relief, a great monitor of ,viumi were destitute only through lack of employment. In vases of sickness relief might be afforded ; but it was evident that, in times of general distress like the mimeo, an in- dividual could do hut little, lie was therefore happy to tell those whom he could not relieve, that a subscription was about to lie opened. The distress which prevailed was very great ; some were absolutely dyboi from want ; others were selling or pledging the last article which they possess,al to purchase breath. He hoped that, under these ciretonstences, the rich and the rim. would he united by One common bond, as Chriatians and as men ; and he trusted that efforts would be made on a liberal principle to meet the emergency at which they had arrived." „

It was resolved to commence a subscription immediately. The num- ber of applicants exceeded three thousand persons.

An Anti-Corn-law meetina was held at Leeds on Thursday ; and a petition to both I louses of Parliament, "to repeal the restrictive Corn- law," carried by an overwhelming majority. Some Chartists were present, and Mr. Bottomley moved an amendment- " That this meeting is of opinion that the present int:mums and diabolical Corn-laws will never be repealed by the present corrupt I louse of CO1111110118 ; and Otis meeting is also of opinion flint the repeal of the (liwn-laws, with the present expenditure and taxation of the country, instead of lising a gond, would lw a positive evil: and this meeting is bather conviocod that the present Cormlaws never will be repealed until Universal Suffrage becomes the law of the hind."

Only about a hundred hands were held up for the amendment, al id they belonged to persons thns described in the ..L'ora lag Chnonirle's account of I lie proceedings-

" The Socialists and, Cluatists had inada dliacnt efforts to muster :cud-

twee, in order to d til e I I I1V 111061, :111 :11,1,1,111:1 Alt ill favour of Universal Suffrage ; but 11,1 failure cm1,1 be more sitjnal or emitemp: - ible, for out of an essemblage of ups ails of 0)0) pertains, the advocates of In- fidelity and Revolution did not number more than one there were so many ; and those per,,ons are men of known ilk: and dissolute character, willing to he drilled for any norposo, however ha.itt, so that they are paid for it, and occupying the very lowest athin in soviety." This is called by the Morning Chruniek, a " signal " defeat of the Chartists and Socialists.