Inhabitants of Glasgow
At Glasgow, on Tuesday, the 2d day of May, 1865, and within the Trades’ Hall, there was held a meeting of the inhabitants called by the chief magistrate. The hall was filled.
Andrew Galbraith, esq., merchant in Glasgow, moved that the acting chief magistrate be requested to take the chair, and that the city chamberlain be requested to act as secretary.
The motion was carried by acclamation.
Thereafter the secretary read the following requisition addressed to the honorable the lord provost of the city, and signed by a large number of the leading citizens:
“We, the undersigned, hereby request your lordship to call a meeting, upon an early day, of the inhabitants of Glasgow, for the purpose of expressing their abhorrence of the crime by which America has been deprived of her President, and their sympathy with the American people.” Together with the following reply by the acting chief magistrate, in the necessary absence of the lord provost, who is in London:
“In compliance with the foregoing requisition, I hereby call a public meeting to be held in the Trades’ Hall, Glasgow, upon Tuesday, the 2d May, at one o’clock.
“Acting Chief Magistrate.”
“Glasgow, May 1, 1865.”
The secretary then read the following telegram, addressed to him by the lord provost:
“Be good enough to deliver the following message to the chairman of the American meeting in the Trades’ Hall. Please to inform the meeting that I much regret not being able to be present, and as lord provost of the city to join with the citizens in the expression of their feelings of abhorrence at the barbarous crime which has been committed in the assassination of President Lincoln and the attack on Mr. Seward, grief at the national loss sustained by the United States of America from the death of so great and honest a President, and sympathy with his bereaved widow.”
The Very Reverend Thomas Barclay, D. D., principal of the University of Glasgow, moved the first resolution, which was seconded by Charles Gairdner, esq., manager of the Union Bank of Scotland, as follows:
[Page 223]“We, the citizens of Glasgow, in public meeting assembled, have heard with grief, and do hereby express our unmitigated horror of the crime which has suddenly deprived the United States of America of an upright and honored ruler.”
The resolution was carried by acclamation.
Henry Glassford Bell, esq., one of the sheriff substitutes of the county of Lanark, moved the second resolution, which was seconded by Sir Andrew Orr, of Harvieston and Castle Campbell, as follows:
“We embrace this opportunity of assuring the citizens of the United States of our deep and earnest sympathy with them under this grievous dispensation.”
The resolution was carried by acclamation.
James Lumsden, esq., merchant, Glasgow, moved the third resolution, which was seconded by Walter Paterson, esq., merchant, as follows:
“That the chairman be authorized to subscribe these resolutions in the name of the numerous and influential meeting; and that the secretary be requested to transmit them to the lord provost for presentation at the American embassy in London.”
The resolution was carried by acclamation.
Signed by me in name and by appointment of the meeting, and I have caused common seal of the city of Glasgow to be hereunto affixed, this 2d day of May, 1865.
Acting Chief Magistrate.
The right honorable the Lord Belhaven and Slenton, lord lieutenant of the county of Lanark, then moved that the thanks of this meeting be offered to Bailie Gilkison for the promptitude and courtesy with which he called this meeting and occupied the chair.
This resolution also was carried by acclamation.
Secretary to the meeting.