CHAPTER VI.
MEETING OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
The outward pressure acted upon the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. A requisition to the president, George Wm. Wood, Esq., M.P. for Kendal, to call a special general meeting, "to take into consideration the propriety of petitioning Parliament for the repeal of the existing Corn Laws," was signed by Henry Tootal, William Atkinson, J. C. Prescott, Alex. Henry (afterwards M.P. for South Lancashire), James Atherton, John Macvicar, John Smith, Richard Marsden, Henry Romilly, E. Gladstone, Thomas Townend, William Nield, John Bradshaw, jun., George Sandars, (afterwards M.P. for Wakefield), Thomas Bazley (afterwards President of the Chamber), Rupert Ingleby, Richard Birley, and William Gibb. The majority of the requisitionists were understood to be favourable to a moderate fixed duty, or a modified sliding scale of lower duties, such as Sir Robert Peel afterwards proposed, and, with the exception of Mr. Henry and Mr. Bazley, none took any very active part in the subsequent agitation for total repeal, and Mr. Sandars was rather opposed to it. At a meeting of the directors, a series of propositions, declaratory of the evils resulting from the existing laws, was submitted to their consideration, and received their approval; and the president was requested to draw up, in accordance with the declarations, the prayer of the petition to Parliament.
