verdure, and universal harmony, not simply for our own gratification, but that we may be the medium of dispensing the blessings we enjoy far and wide-(cheers.) We have all in our separate spheres, and limited as our orbits may be, high destinies to fulfil; and woe be to those who, from self-indulgence or criminal indifference, shall be the instruments of sacrificing hecatombs of human souls at the altar of Moloch, or at the shrines of avarice and ambition-(cheers). We are told that much remains to be done; that many have not yet commenced the experiment; that others have tried it only imperfectly; and, as far as my humble opinion goes, none have yet carried it far enough-(hear, hear). We have, however, ample encouragement to persevere; and I do trust that the very feeling, able, and eloquent speech of the noble Lord in the chair, the excellent address by which it was succeeded, and those which are to follow, will have the desired effect. His Lordship has alluded, in terms sufficiently significant, to the unfortunate condition of many of our fellow-countrymen who have embarked in wild and reckless speculations-(hear, hear). Now, Gentlemen, I would advise you to buy no more railwayscrip-(laughter); on the contrary, purchase shares in this company-(loud cheers). We have a flattering prospectus, and a very influential provisional committee (cheers and laughter); we may be slow in our progress, but we shall get our bill at last (great applause); and then, after a few instalments to enable the directors to cut through the mountains of ignorance, and to build viaducts over the stagnant pools of prejudice, our road will be open to all the world, and we shall carry conviction to every candid mind, by a moral force as true an irresistible as that by which we are physically and bodily transported from one extremity of the kingdom to the other-(cheers). When this halcyon period arrives-when this consummation takes place, our scrip will be exchanged for stock, and we shall receive most ample interest; for we shall have, first, the approbation of our own consciences, and, secondly, your improvement, happiness, and gratitude—(loud cheers). I will now conclude by relating a circumstance which is germane to the object of this meeting. I happen to know two fatherless lads, who are both apprenticed to the same master, and occasionally dine with me on Sundays. Some months since they came to my house to dinner, and, as usual, I asked them what place of worship they had attended that inorning. They looked rather confused, and at last admitted that they had not been anywhere. On inquiring the reason, they stated it as a fact that they had not left the shop until two o'clock that morning-(hear, hear). Of course, after so melancholy a statement, I pressed th matter a little further; and I then learned from them that this was not unusual, but the common practice, and that on other nights of the week they seldom left the shop before ten or eleven o'clock—(hear, hear). Now I leave this fact to work as I have no doubt it will work. I appeal to the me lical Gentleman who has just addressed us, and to the honourable Member for Finsbury, who is also a medical authority, and will probably speak in the course of the evening, whether these young men, with their physical frames so exhausted, can possibly be in a fit condition to do their duty either to God or man-(hear, hear).

The Rev. W. CURLING, on rising to support the resolution, said,—I am, my Lord. rather surprised to find myself the only clergyman or minister of religion who is to take part in the proceedings of this evening. Probably it arises from the fact that other clergymen or ministers of religion have not been invited to attend on this occasion. I cannot believe, my Lord, for one single moment, that any man calling himself a minister of the religion of Christ can be indifferent to the great work in which we are now engaged (cheers). I am convinced that it is a work that must make its way upon the public mind; and from what I have seen and heard already to-night, I am convinced that a very long period cannot elapse before the humble parochial clergyman must give way to the bishop of his diocese, who will come forward upon this platform, or upon some other, to plead the great and good cause of this excellent Association. My Lord. this is a day when efforts are being made, more than at any former period in our country's history, to improve, in one way or another, the condition of society. It is, my Lord, a pleasing circumstance; it speaks well for the feelings of a great portion of the community; it is a sign, amid all that is evil and depressing, that there is a work for good going on in the heart of our great city, bad as it is, which will extend, I trust, throughout our country, and eventually throughout the world-(cheers). My Lord, men seem to me, at least in some quarters, to be rising to a higher and higher sense of their moral responsibility, and to be more and more prepared to carry out, in full, benevolent, and practical action, the duties which belong to them. This is precisely what we want; this is what the state of our nation, and the state of the world at large, requires at our hands; this is what our common Christianity, the religion of "faith" that "worketh by love," points out to us as our great practical duty. My Lord, ours is a great commercial country, and this is an enterprising age. The schemes that are now continually afloat, to put money

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into the pockets of our capitalists and others, are producing a very feverish effect upon the public mind; and the love of money, increased through the many modes in which it is now thought to be easily obtained, is, I fear, as your Lordship said in opening these proceedings, exercising, to a great extent, a most injurious influence. My Lord, it is well when men remember, that if property is theirs, and station and influence are theirs, there attaches also responsibility to that property, that station, and that influence, which we are bound by the most sacred obligations to discharge for God's glory, and for the good of our fellow-creatures-(hear, hear). And although, as your Lordship expressed it, covetousness, or a devotion to mammon, is now, to a considerable extent, the prevailing sin of this particular age-a sin under which we are suffering, I believe, from the frown of the Almighty; yet I do also believe that there is a growing conviction, the result of extended Christian knowledge, that money is not to be possessed on its own account. Our various charities, the various societies, of one kind or another, which are springing up on every side, to present some new antidote to some newly-discovered evil, and to improve the condition, physical and moral, of those by whom we are surrounded, seem to declare that that Christian aphorism is written deeply on very many hearts, in this great metropolis and elsewhere, "No man liveth to himself." My Lord, let us hope that this Christian feeling will spread far and wide; let us hope that, as our means increase of benefiting others, our efforts will increase; let us hope that, as our country rises in commercial prosperity,-a prosperity which is only the result of that "righteousness which "exalteth a nation,"-let us hope that the wealth of the nation will be laid on the altar of the public good, and then we shall be a nation worthy to be loved and worthy to be imitated, and our intercourse with other countries, which will presently be so easy, with the various new modes of accommodation now in progress, instead of exporting our country's vices, will carry to distant nations the seeds of moral and religious principle, those seeds which, planted in other soils, will, by God's blessing, prepare the way for the great millennial harvest. My Lord, we must look to our own country; and we must seek, by every means in our power, to improve the condition, physical, moral, and spiritual, of our own land, dear to us as it must be because it is our native land, if we would have our country ready to undertake that great work of evangelizing distant nations, which I believe in God's providence, from the fact that he is just now opening other nations to us, he is about to call upon us to undertake-(hear, hear). And, my Lord, if a moral impression must be made, I look for that impression to the minds of those young men, the thousands upon thousands-the sixty thousand, as I hear, in this metropolis alonethe thousands and tens of thousands in our other great cities and towns, who are located in these different places for purposes of business, and who, if they could develope their powers, which they cannot do now because they are improperly confined, would be most valuable assistants in any cause of benevolence, humanity, science, or Christian truth. My Lord, the young men who fill the shops of our great metropolis are a class of persons whom the Christian philanthropist must look upon with feelings of deep concern and of lively interest; for what is their condition? We heard their condition physically, very plainly, and very affectingly laid before us by the Gentleman who preceded me. He gave a most affecting, a most pitiable, and a deeply-interesting account of the evils that resulted physically from long hours to the bodily frame; and when I heard him assert that sickness, suffering, and death are the inevitable result of too-long hours, and toogreat confinement within the closed doors of a shop, I said to myself, "The case, then, physically considered, is fully and unanswerably established; and it is impossible for a discerning, rightly-thinking, and Christian public to oppose the object which this Association is pursuing"-(cheers). My Lord, man is not the creature of a day; man is born to live through everlasting ages. He ought to cultivate human science, though now he cannot but there is another science which he ought to cultivate, and that is the science which belongs to the salvation of his immortal soul. My Lord, your own mind has, I am well assured, from the observations with which you favoured this meeting at the commencement of its proceedings, drawn this conclusion-a conclusion which every man of right mind must arrive at-that the highest knowledge that man can reach, the knowledge that most profits himself, and that tells most beneficially on those around him, is the knowledge of the Supreme Being, that which brings God before him in his attributes, in his omniscience, holiness, truth, and love, which shows man that he is a moral agent, that he is a being responsible to that God who is the "rewarder of them that diligently seek him," and which forewarns him, by a consideration of the account which he must one day give to the Judge of all, to "live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world"-(cheers). That, my Lord, is the knowledge which, I grieve to think, so few of these young men can now attain unto, and that is the knowledge which to-night, as a minister of religion, I do say they have a right to demand at our hands; and it

MEETING OF THE

would be a great national sin to withhold it from them any longer-(cheers). It appears to me that the correction of the evil of which we so properly complain, the keeping young men hard at work from early in the morning down to the latest possible hour at night -an evil so hurtful to their bodily frame that it brings them to the grave, and so ruincus to their bodily interests that it draws off their thoughts altogether from things eternal, and absorbs them in things temporal,-it appears to me that the correction of this giant evil-for giant it is, but, great as it is, it must be overcome-(cheers), and it shall be overcome-(loud applause)-is in the hands of ourselves, the public-(hear, hear). If we will not buy, our tradesmen clearly cannot sell-(hear, hear). There, my Lord, you have an easy and a most effectual remedy. And what I want to know is this-(it is a question well worth putting, and one which reasonable men ought to answer)-I want to know why we, for the sake of our own convenience and our own gratification,—a convenience, too, and a gratification at most but very small-should so largely interfere with the comfort, the happiness, and the well-being of others?-(hear, hear). I say so, my Lord, when I see our Sunday traders selling only because people will purchase(hear, hear); and I say so when I see our Sunday trains running so extensively, to the prevention of that rest which servants, as well as masters, have a right, by God's law, to enjoy on God's holy Sabbath-day, just because men, who wish to take journeys in a general way, will not exercise a little good management and a little self-denial-(cheers). I say, therefore, my Lord, that if the public, who feel so strongly to-night, if I may judge from their cheers, will only act as energetically out of doors, and carry into operation the principle which they approve so applaudingly with their hands, the work is done (hear, hear, and cheers). The thing must soon be brought to a termination; it cannot remain where is; it will force itself on the public mind, that it must go on(cheers). We have no wish to interfere between the employer and the employed; we have no wish to introduce a collision between them: both will be benefited by the measure which we now propose-(cheers). And I think, my Lord, that if further information is diffused through the land, very many employers, who have hitherto done nothing, will be amongst the foremost to get rid of the evil. You must come into Southwark, and you must extend your operations there and in other parts, and I will do my best to help you if you do-(great cheering). We claim freedom, my Lord, bodily, mental, and spiritual freedom, for our fellow-creatures-(loud cheers). We ought to keep no man in bondage. My Lord Ashley-and you, my Lord, have nobly seconded his efforts-my Lord Ashley contended for a similar principle in the British House of Commons; he contended for it manfully, and at last he carried his point, and shortened the hours of factorylabour. My Lord, we must persevere, and we shall be successful. The work is God's, and because it is for his glory, it must be triumphant-(loud cheers). I have great pleasure in supporting the resolution which has been proposed to the meeting-(applause). The resolution was then put from the Chair and carried unanimously.

The CHAIRMAN said,-I am requested to mention that there is another minister of religion present besides Mr. Curling, in order that it may not be supposed that the contrary is the fact. (A voice on the platform, "Two.") There are, hear, two present.

I mention this lest the meeting should imagine there is any apathy in that quarter— -(hear, hear.)

THOMAS WAKLEY, Esq., M.P. for Finsbury, then came forward to move the next resolution, and was received with deafening and long-continued applause. After the cheering had subsided, the Hon. Member said,-My Lord, Ladies, and Gentlemen, permit me, in the first place, to thank you for the very cordial reception which you have bestowed upon me, and, in the next place, allow me to express to you my very deep regret that I am labouring under so severe a cold that I shall speak with great pain to myself, and, I fear, with greater pain to you-(cries of "no, no,”). conferred upon me the distinguished honour of being invited to this meeting, and knowing that it was my duty to be here, I have come, I assure you, at no inconsiderable But having had inconvenience to my self-(applause). I owe to you, as well as to my constituents in Finsbury, many apologies for not having been one of the first to present myself to your notice; because this is a cause in which I have ever felt the most ardent interest, and it is one which I have supported in parliament from the first hour that I had the honour of a seat in it-(cheers). And permit me, with reference to that subject, to congratulate you on having in your chair the distinguished Nobleman who is now before you-(applause), who is equally esteemed for his virtues and admired for his abilities and consistency. With such a name, and with such a leader, triumph, complete and unequivocal, must soon be yours-(cheers). Such a cause, with such support, and having such objects in view, cannot by any possibility fail. My Lord, the object of the motion has been treated in a variety of ways, anatomically and physically, by my distinguished friend, Mr. Grain

ger, of St. Thomas's Hospital. I ought to tell you that he speaks to you from authority. He is a man of great attainments in his profession; he is one of the most distinguished anatomists and physiologists that, not only the metropolis, but even Europe, can boast of -(cheers). You have heard from him what must be the physical evils arising from over-exertion. The laws he has laid down, the principles he has enumerated, are known to be true by all who have studied the subject. But it does not appear to me that there is any question in relation to that matter. I believe the evils are universally admitted: the question which we now have to determine is, "Shall the corrective be applied?" The question has been discussed morally, it has also been discussed religiously. The themes which it embraces are, in fact, of universal interest and application; and any one of them would be sufficient to exhaust your patience if it were fully entered into. But the evils arising from the present system are so obvious, so fully developed and made manifest to the senses, that all must see them who are not wilfully blind; and I am rejoiced that many, who might have believed that they had an interest in upholding a system which is productive of such physical and moral calamities, have themselves had the patriotism, the manliness, and the nobleness of spirit to step forward and say, We will be the first to emancipate the slaves from thraldom"-(cheers). The manner in which this Association has been conducted is calculated to produce support of that description. There has been nothing of vindictiveness--no acrimony of spirit-no casting of severe and foul aspersions upon those who have not agreed in the object; but, like rational and intelligent men, who were prepared by study, and enlightened with knowledge, the conductors of this Association have proclaimed to the world, "The only instrument that we will use is reason: our cause is a just one; and if we fail, at least we will not be accused of injustice" (cheers). I say, therefore, that, next to those who were instrumental in originating this great social movement-the greatest which I recollect to have witnessed in a long course of public life, and one the effects of which will extend down to future ages, and grasp the entire habitable globe-I say that, next to them, we are indebted to those employers who have nobly and generously stepped forward to rescue those under their roofs from the degradation and misery in which they were involved(cheers). If this had been a mere movement confined to the linendrapers of London, I would not have been here-(cheers). But the benevolent, noble-hearted, and enterprising young spirits who first agitated the question said, Let us make known the evils which we ourselves suffer, and let us see if we cannot succeed in relieving thousands who are similarly situated to ourselves." What! shall it be said that other trades, with such an example before them-these able young men having also enlisted in their cause the ladies, whom I now see before me-(cheers), shall it be said that other trades will not follow in the wake?-(hear, hear). I will not believe it. This question has been long agitated amongst the suffering labouring classes. They have succeeded partially, through the aid of able and benevolent leaders, in rescuing themselves from the difficulties under which they were placed. That subject having still to undergo further discussion, still to undergo further inquiry, you come in now to aid them, you the powerful middle class; and with your intelligence, your wealth, your influence, with such a combination, and having also the support of religion, failure, I say, is impossible-(cheers). Why it is the cause of every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth. Industry is a thing which is often applauded. The most industrious of people, we hear, are the English people. But it is a very curious thing that they who are so extremely lavish in their praise of industry take deuced good care never to be industrious themselves-(laughter). If it be such a good thing, I wish they would practise it a little; but the cry always is, What an industrious, persevering people are the English! A surprising people! Look at their energies! see to what extent they carry their powers! how unlimited are their resources!" To be sure: nobody doubts it. But, then, I wish those who are so lavish in their praise would remember what that industry produces for them. Look at the man who labours through the week to add to our stores of wealth, and who on the Saturday night receives six shillings for his toil; to live upon which he has before him an industrious anxious wife, and three, four, or five helpless and almost infant-children. Well, I say, that they who commend the industry of that man should ask themselves these questions: "Is it not possible to improve his condition? Shall we be unmindful of his cares, of his sorrows, of his privations?" The fact is that labour is not always agreeable. It is very often painful, as is quite clear from the fact that those persons very seldom labour who can afford to do without it-(laughter and cheers). I say, then, that the great question which has been mooted by this magnificent Association is one which intimately concerns the whole social system of this country; and if I mistake not, it will prove the greatest social movement that has ever been made or instituted in the United Kingdom-(cheers). I hear it said, by some parties out of doors, that there is no possibility of carrying on