be ifirobintts.

A meeting of the Anti-Corn-law Association and Registration Com- mittee of the League was held at Manchester on Thursday evening last week ; at which Mr. William Rawson stated, that, so far from having taken part in the late disturbances, the League had withdrawn their lecturers, one reason for doing so being the fear that the League might be mixed up with the excitement prevailing out of doors. He referred to Lord Chief Justice Denman's recently-expressed opinion, that the people have a right to meet and complain of bad laws ; and be intimated that the lectrnres would again be sent forth.

But the chief purpose of the meeting seems to have been to hear a speech from Mr. Joseph Brotherton, M.P. ; and he did speak at some length on the influence of the League and their lecturers upon the progress of opinion. He admitted that the lecturers had produced one kind of ".excitement "— " For my own part, I believe that truth has different effects upon different minds; and 1 do not believe the labours of our lecturers have tended so much to inflame the minds of the people as of the aristocracy. 1 have no doubt that the truth is apt to influence the minds of those who are anxious for its suppres- sion; and no wonder that its effects should tell even upon a patient people when brought to hear against falsehood, and corruption, and knavery, and despotism. It enlightens the well-disposed, but it inflames the selfish-minded and these who are disposed to promote their own interests at the expense of the welfare and happiness of the country."

He replied to the wish that the site of Manchester should be traversed by the plough, by showing that the manufacturers would not be the only sufferers-

" The boroughs of Manchester and Salford stand upon about 7,000 acres of

land. What it would let for as farming-land, supposing the towns had no existence, would not exceed 7,000/. a year. But what is the ease as it stands? Upon this spot of ground there are 300.000 human beings. The rental, according to the annual assessment to the poor-rates, is 1,200,000/. I dare say the agri- cultural produce consumed here does not cost less than two millions sterling per annum. Then supposing that Manchester was ploughed up, as the law supporters supporters propose, and suppose the farmers were compelled to send these grain abroad fur 20s., as they would be if they bad not this market in which they get about 50s. per quarter, what would be the consequence P I WU much

etruek with the observation of a Cheshire farmer the other day : he said, 'I was opposed to the repeal of the Corn-laws, but the late turn-out has opened my eyes ; for since then the produce disposed of there has not brought one-half the value at which it stood before."

"As like as two peas" is a common enough saying, but it could hardly have been in the mind of Mr. H. J. Conyers, the President of the Annual Epping Agricultural Meeting, on Friday, when, according to the Essex Herald, he thus delivered himself respecting the present state of ageo altare-

" Last year I told you that I hoped the Corn-laws would not be altered. I hope, as Sir Robert Peel said that he is not a class-man, and that he does not look to the right or to the left, but to the nation at large ; and I hope in what he has done we shall not feel ourselves injured or deceived. I hope we shall see the cloud passing by : I can say no more than this, that I hope we shall see better times; for I consider the present times very gloomy and very miserable for the agricultural interest ; but within the last week things have got a little better, and I consider the news which England has received on the subject of peace with America one of the greatest things for this nation ; for if we bad been obliged to go to war with that country, where should we have been then ? I hope Sir Robert Peel has done what he thought right for the good of the nation, and that what he has done will be found to have that effect. I hope Providence —for, as I said to Sir Robert Peel, we have two Ps, Providence and Peel—I hope Providence will give prosperity to the landed interest, and that I shall have the happiness of meeting you next year under better circumstances."

[The ingenious conglomeration of "hopes" and " fors " is almost enough to turn a man's brain. But the eloquent gentleman has been misinformed respecting the alphabet ; for, on further inquiry, he will learn that there are more than two Ps: we have, for example, Piety and Profanity, Profundity and Puerility; and if he will consult the dic- tionary, he will find a great number of Ps which it were tedious to par- ticularize here.] Lyons, one of the men who attacked the mill of Mr. Morris, in Sal- ford, has since died of the injuries which he received in the repulse by Mr. Morris's workpeople armed with pick-sticks, with which the assailants were severely beaten. He was buried on Monday, in Mr. Scholefield's burial-ground; and the weavers determined to make the funeral the occasion of a "demonstration," and to form a procession. The Magistrates issued a notice, declaring such processions illegal. Nevertheless, a large number collected, and did march in procession. The authorities, backed by a police force, met them about a quarter of a mile from the burial-ground, and the crowd then dispersed ; only the relatives of the dead man being permitted to follow the corpse. A large concourse, however, had assembled within the burial-ground. On the arrival of the body, Mr. Scholefield mounted the monument recently erected to the memory of Mr. Henry Hunt, and delivered a funeral oration ; the crowd joined him in singing a hymn; and the body was consigned to the grave. While the funeral-service was performed, the mob who had been turned back repaired to the power-loom mill of Mrs. Ritson, where they demolished the windows with sticks and stones, smashing more than two hundred panes of glass ; and then they scampered off before the police could reach the spot. They performed the like mancenvre in the evening ; breaking the windows of Messrs. Morland's mill.

A Coroner's inquest was held on the body of Lyons on Saturday, and the inquiry was continued on Tuesday. Witnesses deposed that the people of the mill behaved with unnecessary violence, striking even persons who were quite passive : one Wrigley struck Lyons after he had endeavoured to get away. The Jury returned a verdict of "Justifiable Homicide." The weavers were dissatisfied with the decision ; and it is said that they have employed a lawyer to indict Wrigley and others at the Assizes.

A Mr. Woolley having written a letter to the Manchester Guardian, stating that he paid 9s. or 9s. 8d. average wages to his power-loom weavers lor two looms, "The Consolidated Association of the Operatives of Power-looms of Manchester, Salford, and their vicinities," issued a placard, charging Mr. Woolley with a double dishonesty—first, for having been a party to statements made in the Anti-Corn-law Conference, of an opposite kind ; and then with having, in stating the amount of wages in his mill, made no account of the "abatements "—" fines for time, fines for cloth, hand-brushes to pay for, broken windows to repair, shuttles to replace, and many other things too numerous to mention in this placard" ; deductions, say the Consolidated Association, which reduce the average of nett wages to 7s. a week. Mr. Woolley answers in another letter, in which he observes, that the Consolidated Association do not deny that he pays 28. 8d. per week above the average ; and then he enters into some general arguments to show that wages would be higher if the Corn-laws were repealed.

The turn-out at Stockport is considered to be quite broken up: all the mills were at work on Monday, and they had nearly their full comple- ment of hands.

There is a new turn-out at Bolton which ought not to be confounded with the political movement which has just subsided. The Bolton spin- ners, after having been partially turned out by a body of strangers, re- sumed their work ; but thinking that they were entitled to an advance of wages, gave regular notices to their employers that such advance was required; and the demand not being complied with, the greater part of them left their work last Friday night.—Manchester Guardian, Sept 21.

Richard Pilling, the Chartist leader at Ashton-uuder-Lyne, with five other men who have been active in promoting the disturbances among the workmen in that neighbourhood, was taken into custody on Friday evening. On Saturday, they were examined at the Town-hall, on the • charge of having conspired to create a suspension of labour, by insti- gating the workmen to strike for an increase of wages. Meetings were held, at which Pilling, as chairman, directed the movements of the people for turning out the hands at the different mills ; and these men, with others, formed themselves into a committee, which granted written • licences to allow certain individuals who applied for the permission, to on their works. The charge of conspiracy was made out against eprispners ; and they were ordered to find bail for their appear- awn at theSessions.

The men of Merthyr never followed their avocations with more regu-

larity than they do at present. The discharged Chartists, it seems, cannot get employment anywhere. If Chartists' meetings are held, not the least disturbance has taken place here.—lifonmouthshire Merlin.

The Hampshire Advertiser says that a band of Chartists have been discovered who had conspired to destroy the Queen. Peirce, a grocer at Southampton and a Chartist, says the tale, had the oath proposed to him about a five months back, by three London Chartists who called at his shop. He communicated the matter to the Secretary of State ; and being brought to London, he identified Francis as one of the three. On Friday the 2d instant, and the following Tuesday, according to his own account, he was shot at by Chartists who waylaid him. The Globe, however, has an elaborate statement to show that Peirce, who is a ruined man, has got up the story as a desperate expedient to raise money. One fact alleged against him is, that he has shown holes in his hat as bullet. holes ; but that one of them is torn as if made by a broomstick, and the two holes are so placed that the bullet mast have passed through Peirce's head.

A prize-fight at Salisbury, on Monday last, was attended by pecu- liarly disgraceful circumstances. Lenton and Coombs, two young men about eighteen years of age, first cousins, were animated by a spirit of rivalry for some time, and a match was arranged for Monday. There were about two hundred spectators. The fight lasted for nearly an hour; when Lenton became quite exhausted, and was heard to say that he would give in. At that time he was ghastly pale, and trembled from head to foot ; but be was persuaded to have "one round more," and he stood up for that purpose : while Coombs was patting himself into the posture for renewing the fight, Lenton fell, a dying man. The con- quering party drew the stakes, and retired from the ground ; and Len- ton was carried to the Salisbury Infirmary ; but he died soon after he reached it. One of the seconds has been arrested, and the police are in search of the other parties. A Coroner's inquest was held on the body on Tuesday. Witnesses described Coombs as having struck several " unfair " blows, and espe- cially as having purposely fallen on his adversary ; one of them con- sidering that the fatal injury was then inflicted. The Jury returned a verdict of "Manslaughter" against Coombs; and the Coroner issued a warrant for his apprehension and committal to be tried at the next Assizes.

A correspondent of the Mining Journal relates a noble instance of self-devotion in humble life- " A. few weeks ago, two miners, Verran and Roberts, were at work in South Caradon new shaft, (which is intended to be sunk perpendicularly through a granite country, to intersect the lode at the depth of one hundred and forty fathoms.) The present depth is about ten fathoms ; and they had prepared a hole for blasting, the fuse inserted, tamped up, and all ready for firing. On these occasions the men are drawn up by a windlass; and as they are only three in a core, there is only one man at the brace, and he can only draw up one at a time ; consequently, after the whole is ready, one man is drawn up, and the kibhle lowered in readiness to receive the last man, who has to put fire to the fuse, and then both men at the windlass draw him up with the utmost speed, in order that all may get out of the way when the explosion takes place, which is sometimes so violent that large atones are thrown up at the top, car- rying with them part of the roller and windlass to a considerable height. It unfortunately happened, that, as the safety-fuse with which the hole was charged was longer than was necessary, they inconsiderately took a sharp atone to cut a piece of it off, and ignition instantaneously commenced. They both flew to the kibble, and cried out to the man at the trace to wind up '; but, alas! after trying with all his might he could not start them. At this awful mo- ment, (while the furious hissing of the fuse assured them that their destruction was within half a minute's march of them,) Verran sprang out of the kibble, exclaiming to his comrade Roberts, ' Go on, brother, I shall be in heaven in a minute ! ' Consequently Roberts was drawn up, and Verran threw himself down, and placed his poor devoted head under a piece of plank in one corner of the shaft, awaiting the moment when he should be blown to atoms. Just as Roberts got to the brace, and was looking down with trembling apprehension on the fate of poor Vt.rran, the whole went off with a tremendous explosion, and a small stone struck Roberts severely on the forehead as he was looking down the shaft. To the inexpressible surprise and joy of the men at the brace, they heard Verran cry out— Don't be afraid, I am not hurt !' Roberts im- mediately descended, and found that the great burden of the blast was thrown in every part of the shaft except the corner where poor 'Ferran was coiled up!"

The jubilee of the Preston Guild, which takes place every twenty years, was held last week. It consists of a series of festivities, the most prominent of which were a procession to the church, in which the ladies joined, the performance there of the Messiah oratorio, and a grand ball to close with on Friday night. Several of the manufacturers gave their hands a holyday and paid their wages. It is estimated that the influx of strangers swelled the numbers in the town to 80,000. The total sum received by the Guild was 25,0001.; and after the payment of all ex- penses, 3001. remained to be distributed among various charities.