London, April 14, 1848.

Dear Sir,—Business continues exceedingly dull on this side the Atlantic. The political horizon is overclouded and threatening. We are in daily expectation of the breaking out of an Irish rebellion. If the Irish are really unanimous in favour of repeal, there seems to be no good reason why they should not have their desire; for even a total separation would be no injury to this country, though it is to be feared that it would be disastrous to the Irish.

CHARTIST AGITATION.

Mr. Feargus O'Connor, you may be aware, is M.P. for Nottingham, and leader of a section of the Chartists. He has got up a Convention here calling itself the National Convention, some of the Members of which, if the newspaper reports are correct, deliver themselves of the most profound nonsense. The object of the Convention is to take charge of the National Petition. The petition is excellent; but I have no confidence in the movement. It was to be presented last Monday, and the Convention arranged, that there was to be a great procession to accompany it to the door of the House of Commons. They were to meet in Kennington Common, to the number, they said, of two or three hundred thousand. Large bodies were to come up from the country, to join the procession. Flags and vans were to come up from the O'Connorville estate, and everything was said to have been arranged for a most imposing demonstration.

GOVERNMENT OPPOSITION.

The government took alarm at these movements, and raked up an old act of the reign of Charles II., which prohibits more than ten persons to go to the House of Commons with a petition, or more than twenty to sign one.—On the strength of this act, they issued notices forbidding the meeting. The convention declared that they would hold it nevertheless, but at the same time issued a proclamation assuring the inhabitants that they would be peaceable. The government persisted in saying that they would prevent any attempt like that, which could have no other end but to intimidate the House of Commons. Here there was war declared on both sides. The police offices, on Friday and Saturday, were crowded with people, swearing in as special constables. About 200,000 were sworn in. The Queen went off to the Isle of Wight.

PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE.

On Sunday, barricades of wood and bags of sand, with loop-holes for guns to fire through, were built on the top of the bank and Tower; cannons were placed in the post office, and a revolving battery erected in Somerset house. Fire-arms had been sent to all the public offices, the Bank and the private Banking Houses, all the clerks being sworn in as special constables, and informed that they would have to remain to defend the premises all Monday night. After such extraordinary preparations and the bringing up of 6 or 8,000 military to London, for all the available troops were brought up, even Windsor Castle was deprived of its usual guard, and placed under the protection of the Buckinghamshire yeomanry, people began even to talk of a revolution here.

THE DAY APPOINTED.

On Monday morning the shops on the principal roads into the city were all closed.—Small bodies of special constables were to be seen walking about in all directions. The gates of the Bank were guarded by soldiers with fixed bayonets. The Exchange was closed all day; a few hundreds of special constables and policemen being shut up inside, to be called out if needed. All the bridges were guarded by strong bodies of police and specials, who, however, did not object to the people going over to the South side of the river. Placards were posted about, forbidding carriages to stop in the streets, and some streets they were altogether prohibited from entering. All the Park gates were closed.—Hardly any business was done. Almost all the shops were kept closed all day. At about two o'clock, I went to the Stock Exchange—the members were singing "God save the Queen"—all business being suspended, by consent, until next day.

THE CHARTIST MEETING.

About 3 o'clock, a second edition of the "Times" came out, announcing that the meeting had been held, and had dispersed quietly, and that Feargus O'Connor had taken the petition to the House of Commons without his army, which he ordered to disband.—Went up to the House of Commons about 9 o'clock, and found all London perfectly quiet. Thus ended the most extraordinary day I have ever seen; a day in which people had apparently conspired to make fools of each other. The people in Paris fully expected a revolution here, and it is evident from the newspapers that they are quite taken aback to find the whole pass off without a drop of blood being shed. The only place where anything like a riot occurred, was Blackfriars Bridge, which our sapient authorities cleared at 1 o'clock, and kept guarded by an immense number of police and special constables. They formed a compact mass of six deep right across both ends of the bridge, and so when the people came straggling back from Kennington Common, they were stopped, and those in front could not return in consequence of the great numbers behind. At last when they had accumulated sufficiently, they carried specials and all together before them, but not without a few hard blows of the batons.

PRESENTATION OF THE PETITION.

Feargus O'Connor presented the petition in the evening, and said that it had 5,700,000 signatures. It was to have been taken into consideration to-night, but last night the Petition Committee reported that it had only 1,950,000 signatures, and that many of these were forgeries. The Queen and Sir Robert Peel, and many other great men are made to sign it, and the Duke of Wellington figures on it seventeen times; besides, there are all kinds of nicknames, pug-nose, long-nose, &c., passing for signatures. This disgraceful business naturally called forth strong language. One of the members of the House said he would never believe O'Connor again in his life. Hereupon a scene got up, and Mr. O'Connor said that that expression must be explained elsewhere, and left the House. A duel was prevented by the interference of the Speaker, who sent the Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest Feargus. He says that he will not make the motion of which he had given notice, in favor of the principles of the Charter. I fear this affair has injured the cause of progress in this country.

R. S. D.