20,000 and 30,000 assembled. They cheered for the "ten
per cent," and groaned for the people still at work and
for the masters—the "shoddyocracy." At Wigan, 800
weavers are out on strike. The Manchester power-loom
weavers have resumed work at an advance of 5 per
cent.—they had demanded 10 per cent. The dyers are
still "out." In the Wigan district, some 16,000 persons
connected with coal-mining are idle from the strike of
the miners; coals are dear at Liverpool in consequence.

The Annual Congress of the Midland Association of
Mechanics' Institutions was held at Tamworth, on the
26th inst, and was attended by about fifty delegates
from the principal towns in the midland counties. The
Earl of Yarborough presided at the commencement of
the proceedings, but was soon afterwards succeeded by
Sir Robert Peel, Bart., the president-elect for the
ensuing year. Suggestions of a practical character were
discussed, some of which it was thought expedient to
adopt in the conduct of the various institutions, with
the view to increase their efficiency and usefulness, and
a very general concurrence of opinion was expressed on
the subject of the advantages which had been found to
result from this annual congress. There was a
conversazione in the Town Hall in the evening. Sir Robert
Peel delivered an interesting address; he said,—"Unlike
a conference which had recently been held elsewhere,
they had assembled to devise the best means of promoting
the cultivation of the peaceful arts and sciences by
the working classes in the country. This assembly had
neither for its object the crumpling up of Russia, nor
the protection of the Ottoman empire; the far nobler
object they had in view was to stir up a spirit worthy of
the working classes of this great country in respect of
that which most materially affected their interest, their
happiness, and their general welfare. What this
association had, too, especially in view, was to give to
the industrial branch of the community, at as cheap a
rate as possible, literature of the highest class. If that
were done, he believed the class they were anxious to
assist would avail themselves of the opportunity afforded
to them of improving themselves. All the scientific
researches of the age were directed to economising of
labour: the reaping machine, one of the greatest
novelties in that particular, was proof of that; to the
same object was directed the labours of M'Cormick,
Garratt, and Bell. When witnessing, the other day,
the splendid evolutions of the mighty fleet at Spithead,
and contemplating the gigantic Duke of Wellington
'walking the waters like a thing of life,' he could
not help feeling, if even that was a thing of war,
it was also an emblem of scientific knowledge and
artistic skill. With our knowledge, and looking at
what had been done in this country, there was no reason
why we should be behind-hand in anything capable of
being mastered by research and study. Yet we were:
that could not be denied. The fact was solely attributable
to the defective education of the people. Now, the
chief object of mechanics' institutions was to benefit the
adult population, whose progress in the acquirement of
knowledge had been impeded by the want of primary
instruction. It was true that the number of schools had
greatly increased since 1850, but still in Manchester, the
first provincial city in the kingdom, the absence of
education amongst the people was still very great. He for
one had the fullest confidence in Lord John Russell in
reference to this matter, believing, as he did, that he, of
all the statesmen of this country, was most capable of
dealing with this all-important question. And if government
did its duty, and took care of the education of the
children, society must do its duty also, and take care of
the adult population. Once do this, and those unhappy
disputes between the employer and employed would
very soon cease. Only the other day, when 20,000
men were out on the strike in the neighbourhood
of Stockport, he heard that in a few days the actual
loss to labourers and profits amounted to no less
than £150,000; lost, absolutely lost, as much as if
it had been a loan to the Emperor of Russia. The
same thing was going on at Preston, where he would
like to go and explain to the men the folly of their
proceedings, and endeavour to convince them that their
arbitrary measures—their combinations and strikes—must
result in injury to themselves, because, after all, the price
of labour must be regulated by the supply and demand
—wages being, in fact, entirely dependent on and
regulated by the standard of trade, its buoyancy and depression.
In this our age, great progress had undoubtedly
been made; there was, he believed, a disposition pervading
all men's minds to appreciate the blessings of peace;
it was our duty to make ourselves worthy the enjoyment
of those blessings; and we could not do so more than by
endeavouring to improve the moral and social condition of
the working classes." The meeting was also addressed by
Mr. M. Milnes, Mr. Adderley, Professor Playfair, and
other distinguished individuals.

A numerous meeting of the members and supporters
of the Free Trade Freehold Land Society was held on
the 26th instant, in the large room of the Whittington
Club, Mr. Wyld in the chair. In addressing the meeting,
the chairman said the society had adopted the
designation of "Free Trade," not with any view to the
promotion of the so-called political dogma in its general
acceptation, but only with a view to its promotion in
matters of land, so that the middle and working classes
in this country, by the possession of a right to the soil,
might be the better able to evince their attachment to
its government and constitution. Col. Dickson, Mr.
Grattan, and other gentlemen addressed the meeting,
and in the course of the proceedings, Mr. Martineau
stated that the subscribed capital of the society since
August last had amounted to £40,000, and that two
estates had been purchased (for which a ballot to rights
of choice took place at the close of the meeting), one at
Anerley, near the Crystal Palace, and another near
Canterbury. These would be divided into lots of a quarter
of an acre, and allotted to the holders of forty shares.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The foundation stone of the new palace at Balmoral,
was laid on the 29th of September by the Queen's own
hands. By her Majesty's wish the ceremony was
public. At half-past three the Queen and Prince
Albert, clad in the Stuart tartan, the Duke of Newcastle,
and the Court officials, arrived on the spot. Prayer
having been offered up, the Queen placed in the cavity
of the foundation stone the coins of the realm, several
newspapers, and a record of the event. She then took
a silver trowel, and dexterously laid on the mortar;
the stone was lowered; the regal mason duly applying
the square and plummet in workmanlike fashion, and
striking the stone with a golden mallet three times.
Corn was placed on the stone, wine and oil were poured
upon it, and the ceremony was over. Then followed a
competition for prizes, given by Prince Albert, to
proficients in Highland games and sports; after which
the workmen dined and danced in the Queen's "iron
ball-room."

Her Majesty and the royal family arrived at Windsor
Castle, from Balmoral, on the 14th instant.

The King of the Belgians, with the Duke and Duchess
of Brabant, the Count de Flanders, and the Princess
Charlotte of Belgium, arrived at Windsor Castle on the
21st, on a visit to the Queen.

Commander M'Clure has been advanced to the post
rank of Captain for his discoveries; and Commander
Inglefield receives a similar promotion for bringing home
the news of the discovery, and for having gone out in
1851, in his own yacht, the Isabel, and penetrated to the
open water of the Polar basin.

Sir James A. Gordon, recently Lieutenant-Governor
of Greenwich Hospital, has been promoted to the post
of Governor, vacant by the death of Sir Charles Adam.

The Colonelcy of the Twenty-second Foot, vacant by
the death of Sir Charles Napier, has been bestowed
upon his brother, Lieutenant-General Sir William
Napier.

The Queen has granted a pension of £100 to Sir
Francis Head, and £100 to Mrs. Moir, the widow of
"Delta."

The magistrates of Birmingham have unanimously
elected Mr. Hillyard of Nottingham, as the successor of
Lieut. Austen in the governorship of the Borough Gaol.

Scribe the dramatist, has just purchased the estate of
Courbetire, near Chateau-Thierry, for 260,000 francs.