PETERSFIELD.
A public meeting was held at the Town-hall on Wednesday evening last to take into consideration the best means of celebrating this national event. There was a large and respectable attendance, and great interest was manifested in the coming event. R. S. Cross, Esq., having been elected to the chair, opened the proceedings with some appropriate remarks, after which the Rev. J. M. Sumner moved the first resolution, which was as follows:— ‟That this meeting regards the approaching marriage of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales as an important national event, and deems it desirable that measures should be taken to afford the inhabitants of Petersfield and Sheet an ir opportunity of testifying their loyalty on that auspicious occasion.”—This was seconded by Mr. Harffey, and carried unanimously with acclamation.—The Rev. M. A. Smelt moved, and Mr. Minty seconded, the next resolution, to the following effect: ‟That, in order to carry out the foregoing resolution, a committee be appointed to make arrangements for giving a public dinner to the adults of Petersfield and Sheet (men and women), and tea and buns to the children.” A lengthened and animated discussion ensued upon this resolution as to the scale on which the the proposed festivities should be carried out. From the general tone of the discussion, which was rather desultory, we gathered that it was the unanimous wish of the meeting that the whole of the working classes should be invited to partake of the proposed dinner, and especially that all the children in the district should be regaled with tea and buns; but, although this was clearly everybody’s wish, some of the speakers expressed a doubt as to whether sufficient funds could be raised for carrying the affair out on so extensive a scale. These doubts were, however, entirely removed when, towards the close of the proceedings, a subscription list was opened and passed round the room, and it was found that upwards of 40l. was contributed on the spot. A committee of twelve was appointed to canvass the district for subscriptions, and the meeting was adjourned to Saturday (this) evening, at seven o’clock, when the committee will report the result of their canvass. The form of demonstration proposed is a monster dinner to the working classes in the Square (under canvas) and tea and buns to the children. One important feature in this movement is the entire absence of all party and sectarian spirit. The most perfect harmony pervaded the meeting, and, the only desire of every one seemed to be to give the working classes and the children something which they might have cause to remember as long as they live.