Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 7th February 1852, Edition Town of 2, Page 125, Untitled Article

Page 125
Page 9
9 of 24

On this page

  • Text (4)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      —!; , » r TVova . Minister of Public Instruction , •^ J' or , nonSated President of the Council . bad bee ^ nomumtea this would seem ^ X fmKable , from the fact that Filangieri ^ KSroST as the new Chief Mini ster . 18 5 ? u w ^ i tarv wince " being now turned sixteen , " T ^ SSconstable of the Orde r of St . HS Sgdomtobesoeaailygoverned ! ^ AiAncona the guillotine is in preparation ( says the corespondent of the Dotty News ) , so that the £ « Sante apprehend that they will soon have to ^ ess sSnT sanguinary work / All the moderate artyln La Marca are now alienated from the Papal G r Seppard has entered into a contract with the municipality of Borne for lighting the city with gas . tTpis to have the monopoly of manufacturing gas for private houses and ^ shops for twenty-five . years . Eighteen months are allowed hun for the completion of the work . The question of Papal railways is still in

      suspense . _ __ . __ ,, , _ . „ . _ . . _ , ^ There has been a rather animated debate in the Prussian Chambers on the relations of Prussia to the Frankfort Diet . A resolution had been moved to the effect that the independence of Prussia was inconsistent with the pretensions of the ^ Central Diet , in which Austria was generally opposed , and always nreponderant , The Government moved the order of the day by a negative to the resolution , which was said to refer to " relations beyond the competence of the Chambers . " In the course of the debate-M . Manteuffel spoke disparagingly of Parliamentary government . Exceptions were taken to his words , and the Ministers explained that he did not allude to the Parliamentary system generally , but to its

      exaggeration . . The bill re-imposing the stamp duties on the press in Prussia has been printed . A duty is imposed on foreign newspapers by the following clause : — " Whoever takes a newspaper or periodical published out of the state of Prussia , has to pay a tax of twentyfive per cent , of the subscription price of the said periodical , exclusive of the postage , at the place of publication , or , at the least , two thalers a year for each periodical . " ' ¦ ' : _

      The number and size of political periodicals have so increased ( writes the correspondent of the Time *) that most of the Berlin daily papers will have to pay an average of four thalers a year for every subscribed copy ; one journal alone will pay more than a third of the amount of the whole revenue from this source , before 1848 , throughout the monarchy . More than one will have to pay forty thousand thalers a year—by the German standard , an immense sum . It may even inspire the

      Government with a little respect for journalism , at present suspected , fettered , confiscated , and liable to illtreatment of all descriptions , when it finds that one paper alone , from its little obscure offices , pays the yearly official salary of half the Ministers of-State . The Kreua Zeitung declares the tax exorbitant , as it will absorb nearly three-fifths of its gross revenue—an amount oi taxation imposed on no other enterprise in which large capital is embarked .

      The King of Denmark is to publish a manifesto relating to the future governments of Schleswig and Holstein , which is expected to settle finally the whole question . The Austrian troops will then be withdrawn from Holatein , and , it is hoped , from Hamburg also , as there could be no plea for their remaining . The exportation of grain is prohibited throughout the Russian empire . The Austrian provinces shew strong signs of disaffection towards the " paternal " government . In Dalmatia there have been desperate outbreaks of smugglers , on the attempt to introduce the Austrian customs , regulations , and taxes .

      In Croatia the discontent is aggravated by the recent ordinances ( of the 81 st of December ) abolishing their long enjoyed political privileges , as a reward tor . their fidelity to the royal house . , ! ilie fi entence ( says the Vienna correspondent of the ii » u ?») passed on the youth for not taking off his hat wnen the Emperor passed , is thus mentioned in the wiener Zeitung of yesterday : — " Louis Danzmayer , shopman , twenty stripes with a rod , and eight days ' arreBt m a military pnaon , for inflammatory demonstrations in a public place . ! " You may suppose what indignation the wording of this sentence has occasioned . It is unsafo for any stranger to whom the august Presence of the beardless Nero is unknown , to walk the streets of Vienna . fill - ¦« .- ¦••*• #

      t . , J , bll > th of a royal child scorns to bo a very important event in Spain . 9 einMif * ?* 0 tfe of Madrid announces that , in order to holrpJL ? u rec ° Heotion of the birth of the Infanta with tL tho throne , the Ayuntamiento had decided , both 52 , Wobat | on of tho Queen , that the children ' of ProviiWi . 1 rn on the same dtty » 8 her lloyal Highness , labourers ey , wero tlle legitimate children of . artisans not ex « n «' , i i ret | , red military men , whose pension did means of 2 •** 9 dally ' and who P « e 88 ed no ot " Avar itl ? rn ? Xl ! tenoe ' shoula e » oh ™ ° e « ve 0000 reals . Tho tho duvTf i'fl £ urt | lcr decreed that the children born on the 6 / mB ? ° "hnatenliig of the Prince . * , and placed in 3000 roal « 0 o , B dulo » w »« the first , should receive each Fund , and » ti ? 8 furna are to be "epositod in the Sinking tlusmonth ' th 'i ho » oomnu | atod intercata , to bo paid m on tho dfty they shall beoome of a Bo .

      Untitled Article

      NATIONAL DEFENCES . There is no abatement in public feeling on this topic . A body of influential gentleman at the West End have for the last few days been busily engaged in forming an assqeiation , having for its object the establishment of rifle clubs in the various districts of London . A numerous meeting was held on Thursday week , atthe Thatched-house Tavern , St . James ' sstreet , when several resolutions were unanimously carried , and a committee formed for the purpose of developing its plans . It is the intention of the committee to raise subscriptions for the purpose of procuring rifles for the use of such members as may be unable or indisposed to purchase them . Among the first subscriptions received for carrying out this object was one of 3 E 5 from Mrs . Alfred Tennyson , and another of the same amount from the Poet Laureate himself . The inhabitants of Winchcombe and its neighbourhood , headed by Lord Ellenborough and a few other residents of the district , are exerting themselves to get up a local rifle corps , and a public meeting on the subject is to be held on Saturday . Government proposes to call out the militia .

      Meanwhile we have heard enow of officers' opinions on the state of the army . A few remarks from " privates" are apropos and acceptable . The Times or Tuesday contained the following letter , signed William Seamore , and adding the respectable Seamore ' s address : — " I address you respectfully . Three of us pensioners almost always read your paper . My Jather was a gamekeeper . Before . t enlisted I was brought up to that too , and although I was not drilled and I lived irregularly , I could walk twice as far , and carry more weight of game —because I was not hampered with straps and ^ buckles and a stiff stock—than ever I could after I was a soldier .

      Many officers are sportmen , and could tell the Commahder-in-Qhief that there ought to be a new undress , a sort of dark mixture cloth made into a short ' waggoner , ' fastened round the waist with a belt , and round the wrists and neck with a button , made loose , because it would not show a man hiding half as much as the tight edge of a coatee . The stock is enough to break your neck when you jump down three or four feet , so there should be an indiarubber one , or cloth . There should be a good cap , like a huntsman ' s ; and all the boots are made a bad shape—if they were made as well as officers' shooting boots , they would not beat the men on the line of march as often a 3 they do . The clothes I

      mean would do for undress and fatigue at home , and would be the best for fighting ; and the full dress mightbe kept , stock , shako and all , for parade , and teaching recuits to look soldierlike and tidy , and for officers ' parties . The firelock is nearly twice too heavy , and kicks hard , and the lock too stiff . There is twice too much leather in all the belts , and they puyht to be coloured mouse colour , like I often did officers' hunting breeches . If there were inquiries made from three or four officers in every regiment in the service , and all they said put the ht uniform and

      together , they would soon find out rig accoutrements for fighting . I don ' t know the new invention of guns ; but the oartouche-box is too heavy , and placed wrong . When we are in a hurry , and firing quick , we always pull it round , and it ought to be made to come round easier ; I mean to the front . The knapsack ought not to be stiff and square , but made to buckle up small ; and let more things be taken out of it for long marches , and not polished ; then , like the tight clothes , it would not be seen lying down . This is a bad letter from an old man but if your honour puts it in I can tell you more

      another time . " From another quarter complaints of a different nature arc published in the leading journal of Thursday . A " Private Marino " is the writer . " Well , Sir , I commence my career with the shilling of the recruiting Bcrgeant , and after undergoing the usual allowanco of bullying from all ranks , from a lancecorporal up to an adjutant , and hearing the Queen s English mutilated by certain drill sergeants , who fanco that the chief part of their duty oonsjsts in making a ¦ assed lor wins vj

      noise . I am at length p duty — w , * »« been taught to keep my head up , to step in time , &call very good things in their way . I havo a stiff stock put round my throat , almost producing strangulation ; I am imprisoned in a tight-fitting coat ; I have a thing that I am told is a musket put into my hand ; and there is no doUbt but if I keep my boots marked ,. my buckles and belta properly dean , spend all my pay m buying new trousers and-canteen covers , and keeping a very awkwardly constructed knapsaok nicely , varnished , not forgetting to march into the field , when required , with a strictly regulated pace , I shall bo a credit to the oountry and become a great warrior . So fur ao good . But the wise gentlemen who have taken such paina to teach mo to do everything In a certain number of motions , and in strict time , havo quite forgotten to oxplnln to mo the uses of the weapon I am armed with . 1 havo no moans of knowing the range of my musket ; I . do . not know whether it carries its ball high or low ; whether t diverges to the right or left . I do not know the weight or measuro of » oharge of powder , should roady-mado

      cartridges fail , and could scarcely cast a ball even if I had a mould . Now , sir , it is all very well for me to assist my comrades to deliver a volley in excellent time . I can load and fire on the same principle as a parrot learns A , B , C , but I want some instruction in the properties of the weapon . If I were placed in a situation ( among the Kafirs , for instance ) , where every shot ought . to be of service * I might as well be . awned with a tobacco pipe . I know that I must fire at an object , but I also ought to be able to strike it ; but as I am at present taught , I should not know whether an enemy were within my reach or not , nor how to aim with a reasonable chance of hitting him . If I were to apply to the drill sergeant for any information of this kind , he would most probably call it ' pertinence , ' and put me in the guard-room ; or , perhaps , say , ' It ' s no business of yourn : I likes to see

      a man do wot he ' s told , and ask no questions . ' " My remarks will apply just as well to naval actions , for certainly regular volleys would be of little avail against the bulkheads of a ship ; all the service must be done by individual shots and independent firing . Now , Sir , there are hundreds of my comrades as ignorant as I am of the uses and properties of a musket , and perhaps many thousands in the service are in the same predicament . With all due deference , do you not think that , instead of worrying and harrassing men with such trifling non-essentials as canteen covers , buckles , &c , it would be more to the credit of our rulers were proper means taken to render the men efficient by thoroughly explaining and pointing out the uses of the weapons they are armed with , and allowing every man to practise individually and learn the trim of the article he has to defend his life with ?"

      Add to these , letters almost daily from Sir Charles Napier—bitter , trenchant , and alarming ; descriptions of needle guns and Minie rifles , and inefficient heavy ship guns ; and you , dear reader , safe at home , may form some notion of the chances of your excellency ' s repose being disturbed some bright morning by the crack of foreign fire-arms . Here is a description of the Swiss rifle—the rival of the fatal Minie : — " This weapon weighs only 9 £ lb . The bore is ¦ very small . The ball weighs only 255 grains—hardly onethird as much as that of the Minie rifle ; and in form it is not unlike a piece of tobacco pipe , tapering to a point , and nearly an inch in length . As for the range of this

      Swiss rifle , we tieed only mention that , at a distance of 1000 paces , 100 balls- ( fired from a rest ) struck a target of eight feet six inches square , and penetrated ; three planks of deal placed one inch asunder , besides passing half through a fourth . At this range , the extreme height of the trajectory—the patch of the ball in the air—was thirty-three feet six inches ; whilst , at a range of 500 yards , it was only eight feet six inches . Consequently , if fired at a mark 500 yards off , the ball could scarcely fail to 6 trike any soldiers , cavalry or infantry , who might be between the gun and the object . Owinfc to the lightness of the ball , a soldier armed with this rifle can carry 150 rounds of ball cartridge , whilst he can only carry forty rounds on the Mini 6 system . There its

      are minor advantages claimed for this weapon over competitor , in loading and firing , one of which is so singular that we will mention it . jThe Minie ball is furnished with an iron thimble , fitting into a hollow in its lower extremity , into which the explosion of the powder drives it , so as to force the lead into the grooves of the rifle and to prevent windage . Now , if this hollow is not shaped with great care and exactness , the explosion will sometimes drive the thimble completely through the bullet , leaving the latter jammed in the grooves of the rifle , in the shape of a long cylinder , and of course completely destroying the efficiency of the weapon . Few sportsmen , we suspect , were prepared to hear of so extraordinary an instance of leading . On the other hand , the Swiss projectile , being solid , is subject to no such mishaps . "

      The same journal , the Morning Chronicle , suggests the addition of a bayonet to the rifles of the volunteer corps .

      Untitled Article

      INTRAMURAL INTERMENTS . A deputation waited on Lord John Russell on Saturday , from the parishes of Marylebone and St . Pancras , to lay before his lordship the views of tho parishioners on intramural interments , and to present a memorial praying that the parochial authorities might be authorized to purchase sites for extramural interments under local control . Lord John Russell , in reply , spoke as follows : — " Gentlemen , I can only state to you , in reply , that the matter has been for some time under the consideration of the Government ; that the general principle of tho measure to be produced has been agreed upon , and that Lord Seymour has been charged by me with the duty of preparing the measure and carrying out its details . I believe that we are all agreed on the general principles , and these only I shall' touch upon at present . In tho first place , we ore agreed that there is a great desire , and I think a very just desire , that interments should not go on within the metropolis . In crowded streets it is not fit that there should be burialg ' rounds , and where tho number dying la very largo the result muBt be very injurious to the publio health . In tho next place I should Bay that I entirely agree that anything that can be done by tho parochial authorities would be better done by them than by tho Government , or by a bonrd appointed by tho Government . In tho third place , that it is a matter of no little difficulty to accomplish tho object in such a town as this is , considering tho vast size of the metropolis . I am told that such things are arranged differently in other towns , and I can conceive it ; but in this town we have to oonqider that if tho burialgrounda to be provided are to be free from bulldingu , they must be at a considerable distance If wo go to St . Panoras , we find

      Untitled Article

      ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE QUEEN OF SPAIN . The Morning Chronicle yesterday published the following telegraphic despatch . " Madrid , February 2 . —An . attempt has just been made on the life of Queen , Isabella II . At present the wound does not seem dangerous . " , THe Constitution adds : —" The 2 nd of February was the day on which she was to take her first-airing , and go to the Church of Atocha , to be churched . "

      Untitled Article

      Fw , 7 » 1852 , ] gfrg ' : m , $ * 9 $ , t * 125

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 7, 1852, page 125, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1921/page/9/