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THE 2 TEWSPAPEB . In gown and slipper * loose ! j dress'd , And prwtt f Mt "brought—a "welcome guest , "What is il gives the meal a zest ? Tiie paper . When new-laid eggs the table grace , And smoking rolla are in their place , Say—what enlivens every face ? The paper . In vain the nrn la hissing hot , In vaxn : rich hyson Btorei the pot , If the -tile newsman has not brought The paper . What iBt can make the man of law XegJect the deed orplea to draw , Co . sa . Jt / ti , indictment flaw ?
The paper . What ia't can soothe his client ' s woe , And make him quite forget John T > ae , As well as Jlr . Bichard Roe ? The paper . " What 1 st absorbs the wealthy cit , The lialf-pay sub , the fool , the wit , The toothless aunt , the forward chit ? The paper . What iat informs the conntry round What ' s stolen or strayed , what ' s lost or found , — Wk » s born , and who ' s pnt nnder gronnd ? The paper .
What tells yon all that ' s done and said , — . The fall of meal , the rise of bread , ¦ Ana how the Taniees *¦ go a-he&d" ? The paper . What iB ik gives the price of stock , Tells of the plans of the new dock , And eTery ship that rounds " the rock" ? The paper . What speaks of thievea and purses taken , And murders done , and maids forsaken , And average price of Wiltshire bacon ? The paper . What is it tella the farmer ' s loss , Of oxen , cows , and sheep , and horse , Abdhow the tariff does him cross ? The paper .
Abroad , at home , infirm or stout , In iealih , or raving with the gont , Who possibly can do -without The paper ?
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TO THE TR 1 ESD 3 OF FBSEDOSI . Ye friends of freedom , -would yon brave Tyrannic rage , and free the slave Prom mis ' ry , want andpsi * ? Enlighten first the human mind With ideas of the noblest kind ; Then break oppression ' s chain Why do ye starve ? see nature ' s soil In rich abundance round you smile , The gift of earth and heaven ; The valleys sing , the hills rejoice , While man , the sla- ? e of eVry "rice , Rom all thpjr sweets is drives . -
Believe not those whose lawless might Usurps fcy frand , year native right , In palaces to dwell Their strength is in your lack of -sense ; To keep yonr labour , gold and pence , Their barrier , 1 b jour hell } 2 ? ow justice calls ; the truth obey i Tour mental fetters cast away , In reason ' s purest light ; And be ye free to breathe the air From all the ills oi sordid care , In moral manhood bright .
Stoop not ib Tain , to slave and toil Por titled fraud that robs the spD , And lives in idleness ; Tour gardens dress—your meadows mow . And reap the corn , you sweat to bow , To feed the fatherless . Nor be fey -views aDur'd astray , When on your radient sober way An erring world to sstc ; 2 ?« x lei ignoble passions rise To draw you from the peerless prize , To ruin and the grave .
When Tight shall reign , and kindness smile O ' er nstnre's rich prodnctire soil , Instead of tyranny ; Sublimely high your fiags nnfurl'd _ Win wave all o ' er this ponde rous world In glorious harmony . And labour ' s sons in peace will lire , "While heaven and earth their treasures give Han's social boors to bless ; Ho kings will rule—no lords be known , When men no proud superiors own , To blight their happiness . J . Booth . -frni Cottage , near Button MiD , Wigan .
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THE POOH MAN'S COMPANION , A POLITICAL AND STATISTICAL ALMANACK POB 1844 . Leeds : J . Hobson , Market-street . London : Cleave , Sboe-lane .-"Were we , of the race tha ; write , " at all like -ordinary mortals , we shonld occasionally find onrtslres in some queer dilemmas . For instance , an Editor i 3 allowed to praise or censure any book , the work of another j and who shall gainsay his perogatire 2 But let him torn Author himself , and let him ie judged by the law to which others are snbject , he
-srould be deemed presumptions indeed , were he to praise his own handiwork . Fortunately , " the mysterious vre" is often the " outward and visible sign " of some "best possible pnblciinstrnctor" with more heads than one . This , ( Allah be praised J ) is our case . True , we have not quite bo many eyes as Argus ; bu * we have more than one good pair constantly on the look ovx ^ and , this being the case , our readers may take it for granted that we have a head for every pair of eyes , to say nothing of " grey-goose Qtiihs" ~ iB proportion .
Courteous public ! we have a book to review : a Threepenny A-npn-yl of real " Useful Knowledge " and sterling common sense ; matters not to be got for ihreeptnce every dayj and indeed but rarely found in bookB of larger Hze aiid costlier price . Our readers will have not forgotten the name of the publisher ; and if any of them think they have heardsomewhere that the name of Editor x > t this paper is very like thai of the almanack publisher , we beg of them sot to forget what we have just said about heads ; and t suppose that " Ne . 2 , " M No . 3 , " -or any other ** No . " they please , is that which , under the Eiditorial H , " now diocourseth to them .
"W e had written thns far when , in castiDg our eyes Epos & back nnmber of our ever raey contemporary , F'mch , we observed a review by Punch ' s own self of "Punch ' s Pocket Book lor 1844 . "" Avast with all maiden-like coyness , after this 1 Gentle reader , whether it be " We" No . 1 , " We" No . 2 , or" We " No . 3 , 'twill matter not . We have Punch for a precedent ; and , quoting his words , we say , Hofogn ' s J ' oor Man ' s Companion for 1644 " is FiEST-EATE US EVERT DEPARTMENT . " To think of adding to the above reci-mmendation ; to try to improve upon the Delphian worda of the great oracle of wit and wisdom , Punch , would be worse than moon-struck madness . We might as irell try " To gild rtfined gold , to paint the lily ; To throw a perfume on thB violet . "
¥ e will , therefore , let our readers judge for themselves , so far as a specimen Tril ] enable them to do , of the work before us . Letm 3 premise the principal of the contents . In addition to the usual information in an Almap&ck , there will be found , amongst many other highly important tables , A return of the number of all persons committed to any prison in England or Wales , for any offence in « Union Workhouse established under ine provisions of the Poor Law Amendment Act . " This return comprises the years 1836 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 40 , 1 . and 2 , exhibiting , at one view , the working of the " Boon . " in the manufacture of *¦ ' crime ; " shewing that in the last seven years , do less than ten thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine
persons have been committed to prison / or breaches of workhouse regulations ! Then we have tbe expense , yearly , from ihe 1 st of January , 1816 , to the 31 st of March , 1843 , of the Yeomanry Cavalry ; i . e ., Peterloo Butchers , Yorkshire Noodles , &c . &c . Then a fblland complete account of thennmber of the British forces , and cost of the same Tot the last three years . Statistics of ih . e Metropolitan'Police . This alone would make the book worth all the money to any missionary about to proceed to Chisa , as from it he might inform the u Celestials ' of the blessings in store for them when Sir James Graham * i ? e * r Police" shall be established at Hong Kong ! The Bnmber of Private * nd Joint Stock Banks reziBtered
m each jear from 1820 to 1842 . Much valuable in * formation on Savings * Banks and Friendly Societies . The Statistics of Emigration for 1842 . " Legislative History of the Corn Laws . This is . * most important document , showing the dutiea payable on the importation of foreign wheat nnder the variona Acts which have been passed from the reign of Charles II . to the present time ; and showing also that M Corn laws" are not a matter of yesterday , as many suppose ; bnt that they have been in full operation for now nearly two hundred years . Then we have valuable Tables on Parliamentary Sepre&entation , Taxation , Education , &c &c . The Statistics oT Mortality in Engiandisa doeument of much interest .
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The Census of 1841 , and tables compiled therefrom , is one of the most important features of the book . We give the following extracts from an article of surpassing importance entitled : —
THB STATISTICS OP CBIME . One of the greatest anomalies that presents itself to the mind of the enquirer , in relation to the Conditionof-Bngland-qnestion , is the fact that with the vast increase in onr means of producing vseaUh , and the increase in the aggregate amount of wealth , there should be such an increase in the amount of c&ihb . We have increased our means ol producing wealth ; for it is now computed , by persons conversant with the subjeet , that we have a non-consnming-producing power , mechaBlcal and chemical , equal to the labonr of six hundred million pair of " hinds , " in -addition to the manual labour of the county ; while , fifty years ago , the mechanical and chemical producing power was computed as equal to
only fifteen million pair of hands : we have increased the aggregate amount of wealth 1 b the country j for while the pessessions of onr legitimate aristocracy have tremendously risen in value , we have also had brought into existence beneath eur very noses , another XS . JSTOCEACY OP WEALTH AND LOKO CH 1 MNIES , more powerful , and more veealihy , than the legitimate aristocracy itself ; so much so , that It was made matter of hoaslat public meetings by the "Capitalists" themselves , that " they are able to buy-up the Aristocracy of England : " and we have also had an increase of crime ; for the Criminal Records , for the last forty years Bhew an increase SEVEN TIMBS in amount ! Of the three facts just enumerated there can be no doubt .
The latter fact ia moat humiliating to US , SB B nation . One of the old characteristics of England was , the good conduct of its population ; and in no particular was this good conduct more conspicuous , than in obedience to ihe laws . Englishmen have ever been famed for great skill , indomitable perseverance , and untiring industry : but , above all , and before all , hav » they been famed for a ready and cheerful obedience to authority . It has ever been matter of boast that the appearance of a constable ' s batoon was sufficient to uphold the majesty of the law : that before it the most turbulent quailed ; the most strong fell po-trerless . Nor was this ready and cheerful obedience to law , witheld from the enactments that secured life and property . In no country on earth was property more secure , or life or limb more respected than in England . It is notorious that this was the fact . Whatever , then , can have wrought the change in the character of our population that the Criwinal Statistics indicate ?
Such a result certainly ought not to have accompanied the increase in our means of producing wealth . Tfeat incra&se > ordinary men would say , should rather have tended to repress Crime : and it undoubtedly would have had such an tffdct , had proper means existed to dUinftuit to all their fair share of the wealth resulting from such increased means . There never was an Instance on earth of a hard-working and Ekilful population , who could by the exercise of their bodily powers and their ingenuity , procure the necessaries and some of the comforts of life ; there never was an instance of a people so situate , becoming thieves and robbers . Crime , under such circumstances , is comparatively unknown . But , on the other hand , there never tras an instance "where hardwork and great skill did net secure for the labourers plenty to eat , and drink , and -wear , that Cszme did not abound . And can this be wondered at ? Could any other result be expected ? Poverty is the great parent of Cbimb . It is the
fashion to attribute it to ¦ " ignorance " : bat an " ignorant" people , well-fed and well-clad , will not tbieve and steaV They may " shog-on * ' through life , not living ; dead to all intellectual sensibility ; unable to appeciate the least of the gJorious emanations of mind . Thfy may be all this ; but they will not pilfer and rob . They would have no inducement . The only wants they would know of , their animal ones , would be sufficiently provided for : why then should they not respect property ? But with an ill-fed people ; with a population starving ; with extreme poverty as the lot of THE wonK ^ Rs , amid stores of nnheaped wealth ; with a aute of things like this , what tl&e can be expected than that *• taking " should be resorted to ? Will "intellectual acquirements ' ever convince » people bo circumstanced that it is their dnty to starve ? Will all the " education" in the world teach men so situated , that it is their duty to lie down and die , that property may be respected ? It would be arrant folly to expect it !
Poverty amongst the workers mnst ever indnr e ceim e .-and the only -way to remove the foul stain from off the Record of our national Morality , is for our rulers to better the physical condition of the people . Thei havb the means to do this . Those means superabound . When they have acquired the knowledge how to apply them to that result , then will they decrease crime . But until they do so apply those abundant means , all their other effort * will be vain , as they have hitherto been . They may multiply the police and constabulary forces ; they may build a piison in every town ;
they may introduce their " silent" and their " separate " systems of discipline ; they may increase the rigour of the " rules j" they may do all this , and increase the number of places of worship , an 1 ministers of the gospel ; nay , they may even " educate" the people , either in Paseyite or Dissenting schools : they may do whatever they list , or misdirected ingenuity can devise : but until they mend the pbtsj cal CuSDition of the labourers , they never mil put a stop even t » the increase of CHIME . Let them however once exterminate Poverty ; and Crime tmU be found to have taken its flicht also .
That this work of extermination is much needed , the following CAH 5 JXG BECORD bnt too abundantly proves ! It is taken from the Criminal Returns for 1842 . iet it be looked at , even tt > ou ? h with shame ; for IT IS a great fact , and ought to be extensively known , that the proper means to remedy it may be devised . The tabular statement is extracted from the "Criminal Tables for the year 1842 ; " preceded by " Explanations and calculations , by Mr . Redgrave , of the Home Office , -who cempiled and prepared the said Tables . " " The Criminal Tables compiled from the Registers of Commitments for Trial , kept in the Home Department , again show a considerable increase ; and the number * in 2842 exceed those of the preceding year by 35 49 persons , « 12 8 per cent The progressive increase of Commitments , which , with a Blight exception in 1 S 3 S , lias continued during the last seven years , and within that period has reached nearly 50 -pet cent , ( 49-2 ; is shown by the following figures : —
1836 20 984 ; increase 1-0 per cent 2837 _ .. 23 612 ; „ 12-5 „ 1838 ...-23 . 0 S 4 ; decrease 2-2 „ 1839 24 , 443 ; increase 5-8 „ 1840 27 , 187 ; „ 11-2 „ 1841 ...., .. 27 , 760 ; „ 2-1 „ 1542 31 , 309 ; „ 12-8 „ " Within the above seven years , in the extensive and populous Counties of Tort , Lancaster , CbeBter , Stafford , and Salop , the Commitments have doubled ; and also in Monmonth , Rutland , and Westmoreland .
" To show how far this great increase has arisen in the Manufacturing , as compared with the Agricultural Counties , the following calculations have been made of the aggregate increase of Commitments , during the last three yean , in the thirteen English Counties , having relatively the largest proportional manufacturing and mixed , and agricnltnral population . In the Connties classed as agricultural , the agricultural population , in the Census of 1831 , ranged from 56 to 45 per eent . ; in the Counties classed aB manufacturing and mixed , the proportion of that population ranged from 96 to 71 per cent-Then follews & most valuable mass of Statistics ranged under appropriate heads and occupying not less than eight pages of Nonpareil type . We nave not room to enumerate even the heads ; the reader must refer to the work itself . The article thu 3 concludes : —
It must be borne in mind that the foregoing Tables and Calculations relate only to England and Wales . There are separate Tables for Scotland and Ireland . In Scotland , the number of persons committed for trial or bailed , for the year 1842 , -was 4189 . Of that number , 284 were transported ; 2609 imprisoned , for various periods ; 221 fined ; 11 discharged on sureties ; 20 received i . o sentence ; 31 ontlawed ; 8 found insane ; 388 not guilty ; and 616 diBchniged -without trial . If we add the 4189 offenders in Scotland to the 31 . 309 in England , we shall find the TOTAL NUMBER , of Committals for Crime in Great BB 3 Tak » , for tha year 1842 , to be 35 , 428 !
To show at a glance what the regular increasi of crime has been during the last forty years , the number of Committals for each year , from 1805 to 1843 is here given . It shonld be remarked that prior to the year 1805 , no anthentic record of committals vraa kept What reason onr forefathers had for not " booking " them , we can scarcely at present divine : it might be that there were so fete , that it was not deemed of importance to note thvm . Be that as it may , the Record since 1805 is sufficiently degrading to out national character . It plainly indicates that we have social diseases at work , eating into the moral heart of society : and the lesson to be drawn from it is , that we stand much in need of a physician . Where is that physician to be found ?
Sere are the facts : facts in figures . They tell a woeful tale : IUCBEASB OF CRIME .
Year , C - jf' J Year , j « j Year , ; * £ - * 1805 4 , 605 ! 1818 i 13 , 932 1 S 31 39 , 647 6 : 4 , 346 ! 19 ! 14 254 2 20 , 829 7 ! 4 446 ' 1820 j 13 , 710 3 26 , 072 8 ! 4 , 735 1 I 13 , 115 4 22 451 9 ¦ 5 350 2 1 12 , 241 5 20 , 731 1810 ; ' 5 , 146 S j 12 . 2 § 3 6 20 , 984 12 : 5 , 337 * 13 , 968 7 23 , 612 12 ' 6 576 5 14 . 437 8 23 , 094 IS j 7 , 164 6 16-164 9 24 , 443 14 6 , 390 7 17 , 924 1840 27 , 187 15 ' 7 , 898 8 16 , 564 1 27 , 760 16 9 , 091 9 18 , 675 2 31 , 809 17 13 . 932 1830 18 , 107
¦ We commence in 1805 -with 4605 , -we end in H 42 with 31 , 309 ; or just upon a seven times ikckease ! Ib not it time we asked— " w-here to are we going ? An article from the pen of the compiler on " The New Tariff—Free Trade—and tie Condition of the People , " concludes the work . The vrhole comprises sixty-four pages of closely but neatly printed matter , and the price Three Pence ! To our leaders
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A VOICE FROM THE VINTAGE ; or , THE FORCE OF EXAMPLE . By the Author of " The Women oj England" London : Fiaher and Co . This is a ** People ' s Edition , " price One Shilling , of a work not the Jeast recommendation of which is its author ' s name—Mrs . Ellis , the great female
moralist of the present day . As an authoress , Mrs . Ellis has , we believe , been the instrument of no small amount of good ; bnt hitherto her works have been shut out from the great bulk of the people whose means are not equal to the purchasing of expensive publications , aud we wish that the work before us had , if it coald have , —been produced at half its present price . No further recommendation will be needed than what the following extracts will themselves convey : —
IMS AVTH 0 H'S EXPEK 1 EKCE . " Without entering generally upon the question of health , a question which has been circumstantially examined by judges more able than myself , and in relation to which many important and interesting facts are now laid before the public , tending clearly to prove , that , instead of suffering from t otal abstinence , most persons by whom it has been fairly tried , have experienced not only no injury to their health , hut considerable benefit ; I may perhaps be allowed to add a few wordB on the subject of my own experience , which may possibly derive additional weight from tbe circumstance of iny
having been , for many years of my life , an obstinate disbeliever in the tfficacy of temperance principles to effect any lasting or extensive good ; while of all respectable societies , that for the promotion of total abstinence—that which I now esteem it an honour and a privilege to advocate , would have been most repulsive to my feelings to join . Indeed , such was mj contempt for the sjstem altogether , that I often pronounced it to be a mockery of common sense , and at the same time frequently asserted my belief , that nothing could be more likely than the restraint of a public pledge to create an immediate inclination lo break it .
" For two years—years I may say of total Ignorance on this point , during which I took no pains to make myself better informed—I treated the subject with the utmost contempt whenever it was brought under notice . By degreeB , however , it began to wear a different aspect before the world in geDeral , and facto were too powerful in its favour to be disputed . By degrees it began also to assume with me somewhat more of & personal character . I could not eee how I was right while
indulging m what was so fearfully destructive to others , and to some whom I had known and loved . Yet such was the force of habit ; such my -willingness to believe -what doctors told me , that wine was necessary to my health , at that time far from good ; and such , also , was my dependence upon stimulants , for increasing the strength of which I often felt miserably in want , that three years more elapsed before I had the resolution to free myself practically , entire , and I now trust for ever , from the slavery of this dangerous habit .
" Four years of tetal abstinence fiom everything of an intoxicating nature , it has now been my happy lot to experience ; and if tbe improvement in my health and spirits , and the increase of strength during that time , be any proof in favour of tbe practice , I am one of those who ought especially to thank © od for the present , and take courage fur the future . "Like many other women , and especially those who are exempt from the necessity of active exertion , I was , while in the habit of taking wine fox my health , subjeet to almost constant suffering from a mysterious bind of sinking , which rendered me at times wholly unfit either for mental or bodily effort , bnt whisht I alway « found to be removed by a glass of wine . Mr apirita ,
too , partook of the malady , tor I was equally anbject to fits of depression , which also were relieved , in some degree , by the Bame remedies . During the four years in which I have now enttraly abstained from the use of such remedies , I have been a total stranger to these distressing sensations of sinking and exhaustion ; and I say this with thankfulness , because I consider bucd ailments infinitely more trying than absolute pain . That time of the day at which it is frequently recommended to take a glass of wine and a biscuit , I now spend as pleasantly as any of the four-and-twenty houia , without either ; and when fatigued by wholesome exercise , which is a totally different thing from the exhaustion above alluded to , I want nothing
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more than test or food , and have not a symptom remaining of what I used to experience when I felt occasionally as if my life was ebbing away . Thus I am fully persuaded , in my own mind , and by my own experience , confirming aa it does the testimony of many able and important judges , that the very medloina we take in this manner to give us strength , does in reality produce an increase of faintaesB , laaaitude , and general debility . " ¦ Tbe "Voice" will be found an able auxiliary to the Temperance Movement , and should be read by all seekers after truth .
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j ' ¦—~"—————^ ^^^ K ^ sa day' to be held throughout th « nation , to celebrate tbe triumph of Protestanism amidst the blackened walls and tbe mangled corpses of the ill-fated inbaWtanta of Drogbedn / " 1
CHABACIBH OF CKOMWELL IN IBEtdJ »> , " Cromwell left behind him a name in Ireland , which is mentioned with horror down even to the present day . The corse ofJCrsmwell light on yon . ' * or , may you suffer all that | a tyrant like Cromwell would inflict—L » one of the moat blighting imprecations which an Irishman can use . The massacrea of Wexford and Droghedo are yet green in the memsry of the people of Ireland , ' and not only is Cromwell hated as the author of these horrible atrocities , but , as- if these were not enough , he is also denounced as the author of numberless cruelties and acts of destruction in places that he never ao much as visited . In almost all parts of Ireland traditions are preserved of the atrocity of the . Bloody Cromwell , and ruins are pointed out hundreds of miles
distant from the tract of country to which hla operations were comflnedi aa the work of this cruel antf exterminating destroyer . It would seem as if upon hia memory were J thrown the infamy of all the Crimea which the Royalists , Genfederatea , and Puritans had committed , even before he dreamed of coming to the oountry . The atrocities , also , of tha Parliamentarian army , which be left behind him to complete the subjugation of the country , seem all to have been set down to the acsount jof the Bloody Cromwell . ' « This is partly owing , says Dr . Taylor , ' to the artifices of those who wished to persuade the Irish , in a subsequent generation , to take up arms in defence of the Bouse of Stnart ; and atUi more to the conduct of his soldiers and their descendants , who ao long swayed the destiniea of Ireland . '" !
THE SIEGE OF DERBY— " NO SDK . BEHDEB , " " James and his generals were completely disconcerted by this spirited defence of the citizens . The siege was pressed , and the artillery plied their missiles of destruction against the ' place with greater perseverance than ever . The citizens , taunting James and his army , sent to tell them they might spare their powder and shot in making a breach , aa the gates were thrown open to them , and they might ente * if they dared . After eleven days of issault , James withdrew from the siege , irritated and disappointed ; and in a tone of querulous rage , he reproached tke Irish soldiersfor allowing themselves to be foiled , exclaiming that ' had they betn English they could have brought him the walls stone by stone . ' Marshal Rosen was left in command of the French and Irish forces ; and James left for Dublin , to open in person the Irish Parliament .
•• Marshal Rosen conducted the siege with vigour and perseverance ; but still without success . The gallant spirit | ef the garrison remained unabated . Though suffering from famine , from disease , and pestilence , their rallying cry was still , « No snrrender . ' Long nights of watching , daya and Weeks of fasting , and months of fatigue and Buffeting , and constant danger , had not broken down the spirits of the brave defenders of perry . Their clergy inspired them with new courage , preached consolation to them by day and night , and kept up their hope and faith by renewed promises of success . Two months had now passed , and the famine had-become dreadful within the walla . The most loathsome objects yrete devoured as food , —horse-Hesh , dogs , cats , rats , and mice , and even salted and
dried bides , were eagerly sought after and purchased . At length help approached : a fleet of thirty sail was observed within sight , laden with supplies for their relief . The help bad come from England , where the news of the garrison ' s brave defence had now leached . The fleet waaj nnder the command of Major General Ktrk , a thorough-paced miscreant , whose cruel butcheries iu the south of England , when in the service of King James , had made him both feared and generally deteated . It id inexplicable how William should have selected suca a scoundrel for the command in such a delicate and important affair as the relief of the
beleagued Protestant city of the north . But he did eo ; and Kirk ' , whose heart Waa utterly hardened against the Bufferings of his fellow-creatures , made no attempt to relieve the garrison , but taunted them With messages , and finally sailed away without granting them the slightest relief . The Irish army , encouraged by his delay , made haste to oppose him by throwing a boom across the river , and planting batteries against his ships . His ironical parting advice to the besiegers , before setting a&U down liocb Foyle , was to be good husbands of their provisions '—an advice from which they bad a too melancholy presaga of the dreadful suffering that followed .
" Fancy the thousands of hungry eyes watching the fleet of ships filled with provisions , almost securely within their reach ; and then , heart-sick , famished , and utterly hopeless , imagine tbe wild shriek ef agony which rose upon the air , when they saw the ships destined for their succour , swing from their moorings , set sail , and disappear . What a blight has now fallen upon tbe withered hearts of the besiegers . Surely they mast now surrender , having not a hope of rescue left But no ;! The cry is still ' no snrreDder !" Gaunt and half-dying men stalk , like spectres , about the streets , threatening death to the traitor who should speak of a surrender . The plague was now within the walla , to add its horrors to the famine and sufferings of the siege . Food , even tbe most leath ? ome , was scarcely now to be had ; but the garrison , with desperate , and seemingly not with empty threat , declared that they would ' eat the Irish , and then one another ,
sooner tban yield ! ' General Hamilton , one of the leaders of the besieging Irish , endeavoured to subdue the Derrymen by kindness and entreaty ; but they reproached him with hia treachery , and still reiterated ' no surrender 1 * * * " The garrison were now redaced to the very last atsge of famine and despair . Tbe preacher could now no longer cheer them . ' Oar spirits sunk , . and our hopes were expiring , ' says Mackenzie ; and the thou-8 ands within the walls of Derry looked forward only to capitulation ! or death . The defenders , but lately ao valiant , now wan and haggard , could scarce crawl along the dismal slieeta . Many fell down as they walked , and died where they lay . The air became laden with the noisome pestilence . Bat joy came at lasti Cheer up , brave mea | of Deny , tor help is Bt band . After all your long and weary watcbings , —after famine , and suffering , and wretchedness , —hope is fulfilled , and the defenders see relief approaching at last
" It waa a bright summer day , the 30 th of July , that straining eyes , looking out across the waste of wateis towards the north-east , beheld some Ships approaching . The news spread , and crowds turned out to gajie . Soon tbe ships werej seen beating up the beautiful waters of Lough Foyle , j and rapidly nearing the city . They proved to be the Dartmouth frigate , with a convoy of three vessels laden with provisions . The eyes of the famishing thousands were at once rivetted upon them , in all the earnestness of suspense and expectation . But there still lay j the enemy ' s boom between them and their approaching aid . The Irish meanwhile manned their batteries en either aide of the Lough , and thundered against j the approaching ships , which briskly
returned the fire . One of the victuallers now reached the boom , and striking against it with great force , snapt it asunder ; but the rebound drove the vessel ashore . The Irish shouted with joy , tbe besieged on the walls groaned in despair . Suddenly the Irish prepared to board her , when , firing a broadside against them , she righted , and floated off . The little fleet now passed the book together , aud sailed slowly and safely up to the quays of the city . The delirium of joy which succeeded can only be imagined . The multitude which crowded round the ships could only gasp their thanks : they had scarcely strength left to speak them . And yet strength was found to Lset tbe bells of the battered cathedral ringing , while the cannon thundered at onca death and rejoicing from the walls .
"On the day following , Marshal Rosen raised the siege , which bad lasted onu hundred and ¦ five days . Altogether , about 0 , 000 people bad perished within the walls , during that period , from famine , disease , and the shot of the enemy . And thu ? ended toe famous aiege of Derryi one of the best contested struggles between half-armed . citizens behind their walls , and a numerous and ] well-appointed army . Though the defence was one | of Protestants against Catholics , yet it was a defence of which all Ireland may be justly proud . There is one other noble defence of the same kind which it yet falls to us to record—namely , the defence of Limerick , by tbe Irish Catholics , which also proves , no less than Deny , the indomitable courage , fortitude , and endurance ; , of which all ranks and classes of Irishmen are capable . It is now full time that history weve deprived of its party taint , and that Irishmen of all creeds cherished in common the memory of such glorious defences as those of Derry and Limerick .
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DESTRUCTION OF THE INQUISITION AT [ MADRID . Tbe Rev . Mr . Kellogg , Principal of Knox College , Illinois . United States , and who recently attended the annual meetings of the London Missionary Society at I / eeds and Bradford , sent the following account of the destruction of ! the Inquisition at Madrid , first , to the Western Citizep , published at Cbisago . lIUinois ; and afterwards to a London paper . It is the substance o 7 a lecture delivered by Colonel Lemanonski , in the cabin of a eteam-boat , in which they were fellow passengers . Colonel Lemanonski was for more than twenty years an officer under Napoleon . He has fought scores of battles , received fourteen wounds , lived on horse-flesh and tbe barkj of trees , with snow and ice for his beverage , and once , at least , in his life , maddened with thirst , has opened a vein end drank his own blood . After these deeds and sufferings of martial life , tie has been for some yaars a minister of Christ in the "United States . But . adrem . —
In tbe year 1809 , beiag then at Madrid , my attentioa was directed to the Inquisition in the neighbourhood of that city . Napoleon had previously Issued ft decree lor th « suppression of this institution , wherever his -fkto . lion * troops should extend their aims . I remindad Marshal Soult , then Governor of Madrid , of tUs dS 0 N 6 , who directed ine to proceed to destroy it . I informed him thai my regiment , the 9 th of the Polish Lancers , was insufficient for such a service , bat that if he would give me two additional regiments I would undertake the WOtk . He accordingly gave me the two required regiments , one of Which , the 117 th , was under the command of Colonel de Lite , who is now , litre myself , a minister ef ttbe goapeL He i » pastor of one of the evangelical ctrai&eB in Marseilles . With , these troops
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I proeeedef . ' forthwith to the Inquisition , which was mtoatea ab * a / - five miles Yrom the city . The Inqdisitioa WMBttrronndex i by a wall of great strength ; and defended by about 400 soldiers . When we arrived at the wall laddrawed one of the sentinels , and summoned the boly fathers to surrender to the Imperial army , and open toe gates of . the Inquisition . The sentinel ^ who was standing on the wall , appeared to enter Into conversation for a few . moments with some one within , at the close of whkb he presented hia nmake * and shot one of my men . 1 'his was a signal forattack , and I ordered my troops to - fire upon those who appeared on the wall . ' ' > t an
It was soon obriotn tha ^ was unequal warfare . the walls of tbe Inqniait ion were covered with the soldiers of the boiy office ; there was alsa a breastwork upon the wall , behind which they kept continnallj » , only as they partially exposed themselves when they discharged their muskets . Our troops were to the open- plain , and exposed to a dt structive fire . We had no cannon , nor could we scale tl " ie walls , and th * gates successfully reaiated all attempts at forcing them . I 8 aw that it was necessary to chang e the mode of attack , and directed some trees to be cut down and trimmed , and broaght on the gronnd to bt used as battering rams . Two of them wets taken up by detachments of men , aa numerous as could work to advantage , and brought to bear upon the walls with all the power which they could exert , regardless of the fire wbidi
was poured upon them from the walls * . Presently the * walla began to tumble , and nnder the well-directed an * persevering application of the ram , a breach was made , and the imperial troops nuhed into the Inquisition . Here we met with an incident which nothing but Jesuitical effrontery is equal to . The Ihqaisitor-General , followed by tbe Father Confessor in their priestly robes , all came oat of their rooms as w © were making our way into the interior of the Inquisition , and witli long faces , aud arms crossed over their breasts , their fingers resting on- their shoulders , as though they ' had been deaf to all the noise of the attack and defence , and had but just learned what was going on , they addressed themselves in the language of rebuke to their own soldiers , Baying- ^ " Why do yon fight our friends , tb& Fren « hf "
Their intention , apparently , waa to make us think , that this defence was wholly unauthorised by them , hoping , if they could produce in our minds a belirf , that they were friendly , they should have a better opportunity in the confusion and plunder of . the Inquisition to escape . Their artifice was too shallow , and did not succeed . I caused them to be placed under guard , and all of tbe soldiers of the Inquisition to be secured as prisoners . We then proceeded to examine the prison-house of helL We passed through room after room , found altars and crucifixes , and wax candles in abundance , but could discover no evidences of iniquity being practised there : nothing of those peculiar features which we expected to find in an
Inquisition . Here was beauty and splendour , and the moat perfect oxde * on which my eyes had ever rested . Tho architecture—the proportions were perfect The ceiling and floors of wood were scoured and highly polished . The marble floors were arranged with a strict regard to order . There was everything to please the eye and gratify a cultivated taste ; but where were those horrid instruments of torture of which we bad been told , and where those dungeons in which human beinga were said to be buried alive f We searched in vain . The holy fathers assured us that they had been beliedthat we had aeen all ; and I was prepared to give up > the search , convinced that this Inquisition was different from others of which I had heard .
Bat Colonel De Lile was not so ready as myself to give up the search , and said to me , Colonel you are commander to-day , and , aa you flay , so it must be ; bat if you will be advised by me , let this marble floor be examined more . Let some water be brought in , and poured upon it , and we will watch , and see , if there is any place through which it passes more freely than others . " I replied , "do as you please , Colonel , " aud ordered water to be brought accordingly . The slabs of marble were large and beautifully polished . When the water had been poured over the floor , much to the dissatisfaction of the Inquisitors , a careful examination was made ef every seam in the floor , to see if the water passed through . Presently Colonel de Lile exclaimed , that he had found it By the side of one of these
marble slabs the water passed through fast , as though thete -was an opening beneath . AU hands wsxe now at work for further discovery . The officers with their a words , and the soldiers with their bayonets , seeking to clear [ out the seam and rise up the slab . Others , with the butts of their musketa , striking the slab with all their might to break it , while the priests remonstrated against our desecrating their holy and beautiful house . While thusengaged , a soldier , who was striking with the butt of his musket , strack a spring , and the alas flew up . Then the faces of the Inquiaitora grew pale , and , aa Belshatzar , when the hand writing appeared on the wall , so did these men of Belial shake and quake in every bone , joint , and sinew . We looked beneath the marble slab , now partly up , and we saw a staircase . I
slapped to the table , and took frem the candlestick one of the candies , four feet in length , which was burning ' , that I might explore what was before us . As I wm doing this , I was aTrested by one of the Inquisitors , who laid bis hand gently on my arm , and with a very demure and holy look , said , " My son , you must not take that with your profane and bloody hand ; it is holy . " " Well , well , " I said , " I want something that is holy , to see if it will not shed light an iniquity ; I will bear tbe responsibility . " I took the candle , and proceeded down the staircase . I now discovered why the water , revealed to us this passage . Under the floor was a light ceiling , except at tke trap door , which could not be rendered close ; hence the success of Col .
de Lite ' s experiment . As we reached the foot of the stairs we « ntere * d a large square room , which was called the Hall of Judgment . In the centre of it was a large block , and ^ a chain fastened to it . On this they had been accustomed to place the accused , chained to his seat . On one side of the room was one elevated seat , called the throne of judgment This the Inquisor-General occupied , and on either side were seats lesa elevated for the holy fathers when engaged in the solemn business of the Inquisition . From this room we proceeded to tbe right , and obtained access to small cells , extending tbe entire length of tbe edifice ; and herd , what a sight met our eyes ! How has the religion of Jusus been abased and slandered by its professed friends .
These cells were places of solitary confinement , where the wretched objects of Inquisitorial hate were confined year after year , till death released them of their sufferings , and there their bodies were suffered to remain until they were entirely decayed , and the rooms bad become Jit for cithers to occupy . To prevent this practice being oflwnaive to those who occupied the Inquisition , there were flues or tubes extending to the open air , sufficiently capacious to carry off the odour from those decaying bodies . In these cells we found the remains of some who had paid the debt of nature ; some of them had been dead , apparently , bub a short time ;
while of others , nothing appeared but their bones , still chained to the floor of their dungeon . In others we found tbe living sufferer of every age and ef both stxes , from tbe young man and maiden to those of threescore and ten yeais , oil as nafced as toften they tcere born into the world . Our soldiers immediately applied themselves to rele . using these captives of their chains , stripped themselves in part of their own clothing to eover these wretched beings , and were exceedingly anxious to bring them up to the light of day . But aware of the danger , I insisted od their wants being supplied , and being brought ; gradually to the light as they could bear it
When we had explored these cells , and opened the prison doers of those who yet survived , we proceeded to explore another room on tbe left Here we found the instruments of torture , of every kind which the ingenuity of men or devils could invent At the sight of them , the fury of oar soldiers refused any longer to be restrained . They declared , that every inquisitor , monk , and soldier of tbe establishment deserved to be put to the torture . We did not attempt any longer ' to restrain them . They commenced , at once , the work of torture with the holy fathers . 1 remained till I saw
foui * different kinds of torture applied , and - . then retired from the awful scene , which terminated not while one individual remained of the former guilty inmates of this anta-cbamber of hell , on whom they could wreak revenge . Aa soon as the poor sufferers from the cells of tbe Inquisition could with safety be brought out of thsir prison to the light of day , ( news having been spread far and near , that numbers had been , rescued from the Inquisition , ) all who had been deprived of friends by tbe holy office , came to inquire if theirs were among the number .
O , what a meeting was there 2 About a hundred who had been buried alive for many years , were cow restored to ^ the . active world ; and many of them found here a son and there a brother , and some , alas ! could recognise no friends . The scene waa such that no tongue can describe . When this work of recognition was over , to complete the business in which I had engaged , I weafc to Madrid , and obtained a large quantity of gunpowder , which I placed underneath the edifice , and in its vaults ; and as we applied the slow match , there was a joyful sight to thousands of admiring eyes . O ! it woald have done yon * hearts good to see itj the walls and massive towers of that proud edifice were raised towards the heavens , and——the Inquisition of Madrid was no more !!
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? Tbe fourth kind of torture from which this , then , dating man of many fights and many borrow , harried away with sickened heart , was called the Virgia When used , the prisoner was compelled to embrace it , and it waa ao constructed with , machinery inside , that it returned the embrace with unrelaxing and murderops hog : for its embracing the prisoner caused it to throat forward some iron Bpikes concealed in ita fcwaat , which then pierced the breast of the prisonw . Shus bonnd and pierced by the Tirgin ' s embrace , the victim , learned , by lingering torments , the horrible wwkery of . the religion of love in the deadly cruelts of Ita take profeasora .
Music ** thieves . —On the night of the 5 t& instant five men , aimed with pistols and bludgeons , entered the house of John Melia , a farmer ( about eight o'clock in the evening ) who resides at TrJsterna , barony of Moygoisb , and feloniously carried away the chanter of his bagpipes , leaving him , as Shakspeaae says , " melancholy aa the drone of a Linteolnstiire bagpipe . " Sab-Inspector Porter , " that he may go pipe for ^ justice , " has offered a reward for tbe apprehension of % ( mq discordant villain ? ,
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we can conscientiously recommend The Poor Man ' s Companion , feeling assured that they have but to read it to acknowledge , as they will do one and all , that it i «> " tibsx bats in evsbt dkpabx-KENT . "
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THE SPEECH OF MR . GEORGE GAME DAY , ON "FREE TRADE" AND THE "FREE TRADERS . Tenth edition ; Price Sixpence . London : Olliver , 59 , Pall-mall . We have heard much of the "triumphs" of the Anti-Corn Law League * t thevariouB county meetings held within tbe last twelvemonth . These triumphs have been trumpeted forth as a sort of wholesale conversions of the farmers ; but which conversions we know to be all a hum , the meetings being composed generally not of farmers but of oountry Shopkeepers , and all the hangers-on and dopeBof the League which can be collected together for miles round by the thirty shilling agents sent
for that purpose a week or two previous . Ui coarse a few farmers attend the meeting out of curiosity ; and when the counter jumpers and penny-wmstlers have had their yell for "Free Trade , " forthwith we have it announced that the couuty of — has proclaimed for the movement ! or that - —Bhiro has issued its " pronunciamento . " GloriouB triumphs ! " Down with yonr dust , boys ! Swallow yoar gruel , you Spooney , and tip us your five hundreds . We re the lads to spend it for you" ! At some places the farmers have mustered , and the result has been the thrashing of the mouthers , instead of the"
conversion" of the listeners—Huntingdon to wit . There Bright John ana Roguey O'Moore got such a dressing as will induce them , we should think , to eschew any further attempts at ' * pronunciameutos" in that portion of " the agricultural districts . " Take our advice dear John ana Roguey ; confine your display 3 to tickst meetings and eighteen penny admission " talks . " Don ' t try the open air . The . Day-light is far too strong for you whose "deeds being evil , " have had to grope through the " darkness" of in-door " snuggeries" wherever you are known , because , being known , you are justly hated by your wretched serfs and trampied upon slaves .
On the 17 th June last , a " county meeting" was held at Huntingdon , when , after Messrs . Bright and Moore had had their say , Mr . G . G . Day , a gentleman residing in the neighbourhood , replied to their mystifications , andof coarse the ' gentleman'repeaJers ( . John ana Roguey ) did not fail to exhibit their good breeding by the most unseemly and disgraceful interruptions during the speech of their talented opponent . We hardly wonder at their loss of temper ( if they had- any to lose ) when we consider the terrific castigation to which they were subjected . Their
constant interruption is a proof how every stroke of the lash wielded by Mr . Day told upon tbeir wincing carcases . Mr . Day took up the arguments of the Freebooters one sfter the other , and in the most admirable manner confuted their miserable sophisms , " tearing them to pieces and hurling them in their teeth . " The result was their complete discomfiture ; , their free-trade amendment being rejected by a large < majority . No extract that we could find room for would do justice to this excellent speech . The whole must be read for the full appreciation of its merits .
At the oloBe of the " speech" is an exposure of the unblushiBg falsehoods of Mr . Roguey Random Robert Moore which would make that personage , were he not a Leaguer , ashamed to exhibit himself' in the company of any man or men having the least regard for truth . A precious specimen he is of the honesty of the whole gang . The present edition being the tenth , we should suppose that the original cost of publication has long since been returned . We therefore Bubmit to Mr . Day the propriety © f publishing a " People ' s Edition" at the price of a penny . At its present price it is beyond the reach of the mass of those who ought to peruse it . Hoping that this suggestion may be be acted upon , we , in the meantime , heartily recommend the present Edition to Chartist lecturers , working men ' s reading rooms , and all who can afford to purchase it .
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THE REBEL PROVOST , OR THE TWO CITIZENS . Glasgow , Miller , Bell-street . This is » tale of Glasgow ia the olden time , by J . O . La Mont , whose recent work , " The Grave of Genius , " we lately reviewed . It is in the author ' s nsual style , having for its moral that whioh the author never omits , the beauty of virtue and tbe advancement of the cause of universal liberty . We give the annexed picture of Glasgow as it teas : would that some features of the picture had been retained amidst the mass of modern improvements ; there would then be less of that misery and filth abounding which so disgraces the " Queen of the West" at the present time .
GLASGOW AS IT WAS . " An hundred and thirty years ago , the Weatern Metropolis possessed not even the aemblance of thoBe township qualification * that now elevate her to the highest and the first rank amongst the structures of the universe . With solitary exceptions , her streets were narrow , crooked , and ditty ; the houses , then , though chiefly built of free-stone , presented not tbe traits of beauty and of elegance in their externals , that so much adorn and enrich her present appearance . They were built of irregular height , and boasted no feature in architecture * aave what the eccentric , or , if you like it , independent whim of the lairda thought proper to evinee . Tbe Tolboothi the Hie * Kirk , and the College were the pride of the citizens in the oldsn time , as the twa latter especially claim the admiration of her sous in our own day .
" The Saut-Mercataftd Hie' | Grate were then the prlncipal marts of beauty as well as trade . In both atreets , adjoining the Tolbootn . the shops were all within piazzas , which gave the city in that quarter an elegant appearance , by the number and regularity of the lengthy line of pitlars . The wares within , especially in the Saut-Mercat , were of costly materiel chiefly intended for the '' custom '' of the wealthy citizens . However much a modern may doubt or ridicule the belief , it is a fact , and the remaina of elegance still observable attest its truth , that to a stranger visiting Glasgow these shops appeared of singularly imposing grandeur .
"The Saut-Mercat and Hie' Gate , by right ef eminence as direct thoroughfares , and trade emporiums , claimed priority of attention from strangers who might then visit tbe gude toon . The curve-line formed by the junction of the Hie' Gate and . Saut-Mercat described the entire longth of the city , which might extend some three-fourtha of a mile , a little way from the Green , or Clyde , en the south , to the upper termination of the Hie' Gate , at the " Castle Loan" On the north-westward , where the present commerce , trade , and grandeur of Glasgow seat their focus , there was , at that time , scarcely a vestige of hamlet or inhabitants . Towarda the north-east , from the Galloway to tbe Hie ' Kirk , tbe city was chiefly populated ; and there did the toiling and the laay , the virtuous and the ne ' er-do-weel ,
tbe thrifty and tbe vicious , accumulate comfort and peace , poverty and crime . From lack of labourers , few of the puir folks of those days , willing to labour , went to the labour market without returning with their due reward . Young men , by industry and frugality , and the perseverence of a few short years , seldom made respectability an aim without attaining thbir object . The Worthy had always affluence within their reach , without grasping at a favourable circumstance , or seizing an advantage . There were no aigna of poverty apparent , unless where and when indulgence in sloth , or participation in crime were the agents visible that ranked the fallen with the few who were shunned by the well-meaning as wicked and worthless . "
Though printed at Glasgow , we presume the work can be had of the London publishers .
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THE BAIRNSLA FOAKS' ANNUAL , AN POGMOOR OLMENACK FOR 1844 . LeedB : Alice Mann , Duncan-street . London ; Strange , Paternoster-row . Thi ? , as itB title betokens , is an Almanack in the Barasley dialect , and will be found amusing to those who admire comicalities of this sort . As a specimen of the author ' s " style" we give the opening of his preface : —
"TUT HEADERS . " Well , ah do declare , bah time duz bnt slip on , ta besuar . Wha , it nobbat looks like ' t tutber day ain ah wrate to yo befoar , it duzint hacktiy ; an here we ar , poppin into anuther year , sz tbowtleas an SZ uncon-B&rn'd $ z a donkey goiii past a guide-poaat- Well , so it iz ; an , e wun sense , its happan az weel it iz so , for if wo wor ta try ta think a all at bed past , an wot wor ta cum , wha , we sud want heads az big az maantainB , an memories ez strong &z Samson ' s arm . Then , wot objects we snd look )—wha , it ad tack a man three weeks ta wesh hiz face ; an wun on bjz thioks ad be sa paaxfal , it ad be enif ta knock a Btoan-wall doan a
mile of £ Hey , yo may weal laugh ae me aayin so ; bat then , yo naw , am nobbut e jokin like , becos my real , jenuine idea iz , at we owt to be conaarn'd ivvery day a a wer lives , fooath abagbt wet wiv dun , an wot wir goin ta do ; if we doant , we sal spend wer bit a time in a backads an for&da way , summat like a spinner in a band walk . But , al say no more up a this bead , for if a do , sum on yo a ! begin s roarin , a see that varry plainly ; an ah suddant like ta witness owt at soart , cos sum ^ on yo iz nean bo varry hansutn when yor sznilein . Well , then , enuf's bin sed up a that subject ; an , it next place , ah mean ta tell yo at hav been aa near lost az o tutcher e explotin t ' gravity at gloab . "
For the author ' s adventures while M explorin t ' gravity at gloob " , we must refer our readers to the «¦ oimenack" itself , the price of wbioh is Sixpence . i
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THE PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF IRELAND . Parts 2 and 3 . London , Strange , Paternoster Row . This work , the fiist part of which we noticed some time back , is continued with unabated spirit . Tbe following extracts—all wo can find room for—will best exhibit its merits : —
i CROMWELL AT DROGHEDA . " Arrived before the town , Cromwell immediately summoned the governor to surrender , which waa refused . Some delay occurred in the arrival of tbe artillery from Dublin , but do sooner had it come up , tban he commenced thuudering against the walls , and speedily effected a breach . He now determined to take tbe place by storm . Twice did his bravest men mount the breach , and twice were they repelled with great alaughter . Cromwell rallied them to a third effort , and himself led tbe assault . A terrible struggle ensued , but the impetuosity of tha besiegera bore down every opposition , and they were at last successful . Colonel Wall being killed at tbe head of his regiment , bis soidiers threw down their arms ,
on tbe piomiau of quarter ; and Cromwell and his men now ruaaed into the town . The garrison , however , was not yet subdued . They had thrown up three Intrenchmenta behind the walla , and defended every inch of ground , fighting bravely and desperately at tbe corner of every street . At last , the town was completely in the hands of the enemy , and all resistance ceased . A dreadful slaughter immediately ensued . Cromwell , with an infernal coolness , issued his orders for the massacre ef tbe entire garrison , and they were accordingly indiscriminately put to the sword . A number of the inhabitants—soldiers , officers , priests , women , and Children—took shelter in the great church of the town ,
where they imagined they would be safe from the fury of Cromwell ' s soldiers . But the sacredneas of the place did not 8 ave them from destruction : they were butchered like the rest . The brave governor Sir Arthur Aston , Sir Edward Tetney , Colonels Wrutren , 'Fleming , and Byrne , together with all tbe officers , were put to the sword , though they had been promised mercy when they laid down their arms . The horrible alaughter continue J for several days : it is said that for neatly a week the atreeta of Drogneda ran with blood . Thirty only of the brave defenders of Drogbeda survived ; and these , even more luckless than the test , were shipped off as slavea to the plantations in Barbadoes .
" Lest our statement of the above transaction may appear exaggerated , we shall give Cromwell ' s own account of it , in a dispatch written on the spot , immediate / y after the town had been taken . After describing the desperate resistance of tbe enemy , admitting that' through the advantages of tbe place , and the courage God was pleased to give the defenders , our men Were forced to retreat quite out of tbe breach , not without some considerable loss ;'—he adds , that his veterans were induced to make a second attempt , ' wherein , ' says be , * God was pleased to animate them so , that they got ground of the euemy , and , by the goodness of God , forced him to quit his intrenchments , and after a very hot dispute , the enemy having both horse and foot , and we foot only within the walls , tbe
enemy gave ground , and our men became masters . ' Then he adds , having effected a passage for hia cavalry into tbe town , ' the enemy retreated , diverse into the Mill-Mount , a place very strong and of difficult access , being exceeding high , having a good graft , and strongly palisadoed ; the governor , Sir Arthur Aston , and diverse considerable officers being there , our men getting up to them , were ordered by me to put them all to the sword ; and indeed , being in the heat of action , I forbade them to spare any that were in aims in the town , and I think that night they put to the sword about two thousand men . Diverse of the ! officers and soldiers being fled over the bridge into the other part of the town , where about one hundred of them possessed St . Peter ' s church ( steeple , some the west gate , and others a strong round tower nest the gate called St . Sunday , —tbeae being summoned to yield to mercy , refused ; whereupon I ordered the steeple of St . Peter ' s church to be fired . Tbe next day the other two towers were summoned , in
one of which waa about six or seven score , but they refused to yield themselves ; and we , knowing that hunger must compel them , set only good guards to Bucure them from running away , till their sComacbe were come down . From one of the aaid towers , notwithstanding their condition , they killed and wounded some of our men t when they submitted , their omcera were knocked on the head , and every tenth man of the soldiers killed , and the rest shipped for the Barbadoes ; the soldiers in the other tower were all spared , as to their lives only , and shipped likewise for the Barbadoes . I believe all the friars were knocked on the head promiscuously but two , the one of which waa Father Peter Taaf , brother to the Lord Taaf , whom the soldiers took the next day and made an end of ; the other was taken in the round tower , under the repute of lieutenant , and when he understood that the officers in that town had no quarter , he confessed he waa a &iar , but that did not save him . '
" Such was the siege and butchery of Drogheda—the successful issue of which Cromwell , in bis dispatches to tbe Parliament , ascribes ' to God alone' ! characterising it as ' a marvellous great mercy . ' It is indeed horrible to find tbe name of the Most High bo often employed by legalised destroyers , to give a sanction to their works of carnage , The Mahomedan conqueror puts a whole nation to the sword , and straightway he falls on his face and cries , ' Allah , il Allah ! God is great" The Imperial Catholic tramples down She population of the ricaeat and moat fertile countries in the world , and then goes in procession to the
magnificent cathedral , where , amidst the hallelujahs of a thousand choristers , he gives praise to God , as the worker of all hia cruelty t And the avenging Protestant , mad with- fury and fanaticism , immolates crowds of defenceless beings , and while still reeking with tbe blood of slaughtered 'women and children , be turns up his eyes to God , ami returns him thanks for the' marvellous great mercy' ! I wish '— -thus runs the conclusion of Cromwell ' s despatch to the Parliament' 1 wish that all honest hearts may give the glory of this to God alone , to whom the praise « f this mercy belongs . ' And the Parliament responded te the call of Cromwell , for it forthwith appointed < A thanksgiving
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THE ** ORTH&R * f STAR . -3
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 16, 1843, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct959/page/3/
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