Co., Wm. Ross, Thomas & Robert Barnes, Jas. Heywood (afterwards M.P. for North Lancashire), and Alfred Binyon, £100 each; and Mr. Alex. Kay, the mayor, £50. A meeting was held at Wigan, December 14th. The speakers were Mr. R. Thicknesse, Mr. H. Ashworth, Mr. Cobden, and Mr. Moore; and the subscriptions, including $100 from W. Thicknesse, and £50 each from Messrs. Joseph Acton, and T. Taylor and Brother, amounted to $434.
A meeting was held at Bradford, Yorkshire, December 19th, Mr. W. Rand, a gentleman of conservative politics, in the chair, who addressed the large audience very effectively. He was followed by Mr. Cobden, Mr. Moore, and Mr. H. Ashworth. Amongst the subscribers were C. H. Dawson, and Milligan Forbes & Co., £200 each; H. Leah, £100, John Russell, £50, Titus Salt, $100, R. J. Garrett, £100, L. Ripley and Son, £100, S. Smith and Brother, £100, D. Bateman and Sons, £50, W. Rand, £50, and Saml. Field, of Pudsey, £50. The amount subscribed was £1,709, which in a few days was increased to £2,002.
Other meetings closely followed, where the sums subscribed were, at Bamsley, £183; at Warrington, £340; at Todmorden, £503; at Macclesfield, £131; Nottingham, £580; Leicester, where £800 was subscribed by the Messrs. Strutt, £965; Accrington, £200; Dewsbury, £200; Oldham, £860; Bolton, £1,205; Pudsey, £112; and Coalbrookdale, £350.
The first meeting at Manchester to originate the £100,000 fund went far to convince the metropolitan press that the agitation would last while any Corn Law lasted. The Times acknowledged that the League was a "great fact." The seeming accession of that "leading" journal was looked upon by many as an opportune event; not that parties were so nearly balanced as that such a pronunciamento should give victory to one side or the other, but that it was regarded as an indication of public opinion, which the Times
