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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.
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b- ' .-j- ,-. CCmfkiufdJrirn < mr tufhpege . J jtijflnh lory , ud elicit no remivrk from any one of i ^ atf Ho eeamre on tbe another , for allo-wing her £ agftter , noder such " drcnmstaneea , to continue her * a 3 r , and at the same mill too ? fo * an-ht ire are | t $ L to the contrary , evffi tmderthe wane " overlooker r | £ 15 eveit , if yo&xsn ; could I beBeveit , I ironM also | j * 8 SBred , that the hearts of them all were adamant . ' Hit your ready . answer is— " necessity has no laW!—¦ ie is poor . —Granted . That wight , then , to hare been fatted tn hex Ti&dka&on . No doubt , on the inquest , It « u ; though it i » omitted in the " report" Then fciin , my Meads , ire we left to believe , that the ^ . CO ^ U ^^ r ^ P ^ J
Horsoer and Jury never asked this poor woman if the Baiter or the overlooker did not wish the child to irssam at home , to be doctored and nursed , he allowing « y wages and paying the doctor ' s bill ? On this point , fee" report" is silent , intending , no doubt , that the rii ; lie should feel convinced , not only of the apathy , hsyof tbe brtrtsl , hard-heartedness of the Coroner and Jiay ; for the report" does not fall to inform as , that the surgeon had previously sworn , "I jm of opinion , that 5 f a proper conrse of treatjjent had been employed immediately after the teddent , life might hare been preserved . " Until I hsre better authority I cannot think thus hardly of niy
eountrymsn . It is evidently ths intention of this ] "Beporter" to convey tae idea , that the factory system , under ibe " -working" of Althorp " S Act , has , in the factory districts , brutalia&d all orders and conditions of men ! The poor bereaved mother , after stating when the child died , is reported to have told the jury— ' -1 never made any complaint to Mr . Addison till after ; Mr . Kirby was called in . " 2 foi a question is asicd I as to what Mr . Addison either said or did . Common I justice to his character demanded enquiry on this 5 point ; but no doabt , his tininess Is not " reported , " s lest a favourable impression should = fce made on the pub-% ? C by recording it " The reason why" the poor
a , woman " had not complaincdbefore was her husband mold not let her ; he said he -would see Isaac Roper i- himself . " Is it possible that such a statement could be t made befere a Jury , and elicit no question , why a hus-£ tend should refuse a wife to complain , even when their : _ daughter had received her death blow ? We are re . f- quired to extend our faith still farther , and admit this ¦; in the face of the fact , that this was not the first time r that the poor child had been beaten by Isaac Reper ; ^ the poor woman is made to say " Isaac Roper had t 2 at J her once before , and she left the mill and came home . " M The " Reporter"' would have you to believe that the - \ Coroner and Jury made no more inquiry ! If they had ¦
; been Bears , such a suspicion would be disgraceful ] r Then the poor creature adds— " My husband never did r : lee Isaac Roper about it , so I went my : ; lf to Mr . Addi-¦> tan . " If I could believe that , under such circumstan-? ees , the Jury were satisfied without sending for the : father of the child , I should be forced to believe that r _; each one was either a knave or a fool The whole thing is ibsomfalr incredible , most probably published : ~ for the express purpose of misrepresenting the " work-- ings of the Factorifs Act" The depositions taken before the Coronw » H 1 set the matter right It is a fact fiia * not one wort Is " reporter of the father ' s testimony , although he was required to prove or
disprove the statement of the surgeon , who had deposed : ?¦ : ftat " her parents ascribed her illness to a blow she ^ * . had received from the overlooker . " The father was * required also to confirm or rebut the statement of the ; | mother , and particnlariy to explain to the Jury what ¦ % were his reasons for making his wife take Martha ^ back to the mill , when Isaac Roper had beat her 1 w-¦ ~ -, fare , when she left tiba mill and came home . " And r | why , again , after the fatal blow , "he would not let % L | fi » mother complain "—and , also why , after having ¦ ¦
' / : I promised her " tbathe would Bee Isaac Roper himself , be nerer did see him . '" It is * fact , my friends , that by the garbled " report" presented of this " inquest , " ! " * e are lef t to suppose that the- father of Martha ¦ _ -- Uyers , whose evidence issonecesr -jy onalltheseimpor-¦ t-Jrt point * , wasaerereianifaicd before the Jury ! When v ISiaIlbeeonTUM * d , tnatsuthreaBy was the case , ( which I shaU be difficult to assent te , excepting upon tha eii-.- denee of the Coroner himself , ) I shall have a good deal , to say ; and bo will many others who hare been ae-L . toanded by the perusal of this " report "
k ~ Proceed we bow to the witnesses in extenuation y " David Marsden , imffl boy , said—I am about L . teen years old ; Martha Myers and me worked at the t » me frame ; Isaac Roper was overlooker in the room . F About five weeks since , at drinking time , Martha was l _ eoning in by my gate bottom ; she was about three KJ ttumtes too late , and Boper held np his arm a * if he ~ : was gping-te bit her as she passed him ; at the time p ; he did so , she stopped , and be hit her with his elbow , J or some part of his arm , over the neck or shoulders , *¦ ;¦ and she fell against an iron pillar with her head . He f ,. had not his fist doubled when he struck . He did not »; seem intent upon hurting her . He threw his arm
- round in this way ( describing the manner by the motion § ef his arm ) . If she had not fallen against the pillar , I E * tank she would not have been mnch hurt by the blow E £ «»¦ ^ Tabout a minute , and then got up , and went into C" her own gate . She coughed , and about a spoonful of * 4 ««> d came np by her mouth . She stopped at her work rj Bfltfcemill stopped . She contained at werk about w « n » week afterwards . To qnertiona by the Jury , wit-4 I * " ^^ Roper « trnek her becaase she was about r 1 three minutes too late . She lay on the floor about a ^ - .-1 mnrate . Roper did not pull her up by her hair . There » ' - ?!*** P n P ° n kcr head : I felt at it ; it was about the aze of a knor . She seemed sickly , and complained a uf her head aehing . "
» The testimony of the witness fully corroborates ttiat " - clthe mother of the victim . She said , - Isaac Roper £ | Jelled her against a pfflar , " —so says David Marsien , d % ko was witness to the whole transaction . It is a 9 matter of no moment , whether the " fist" of the over-* N looker was " doubled" or not This boy lets out a few *| Tery important facts , vii , the crime for which the poor * l ^ "" ^^^ "becauseshe was about three minutes too jyrj » e •'! " Then , again , she was so stunned , that " she m \ about a minute ,- - afterwards she got up , and went g &l teber work "— - coughed "— " about a spoonful of blood gJ eeae up at the mouth- " there was a lump npon her
p , fjfcad about the size of a knor " -and « she stopped at L . * ork till the mm stopped ! " And are we indeed ex-K apeet ^ to believe that any Coroner and Jury could hear P ? AataiBofiiroe ' ' ritllont making any inquiry after F ^ the witness , as to tho commiseration shown to the # 5 S erer ? Are we to beUeve that they would be « atis-M » d * i ^ the as 5 uranee , ttiat the slayer of the poor girl ^ u did not pull her np by the hair ? " If this indeed is ^ « o , then what a brutalising system must that of the ^ f-rfories be ! But , my friends , it is incredible - Ths ^ . Jttry and the Coroner could not surely be so hardened , | " ~ ¦ although ihe victim was only a factory slave ! P * The next witness .
tFL :- O ^ SUSan Cordin « . » » ill girl , said . I am going of ft * vE ^* - ^ ° " tbes " «» wa where Martha C ' l ^ tl ^ * " he ^^ ^^ to strike w ati ^^ S tii ' -sftpriSs KKSiisjir ^ . Ri - - ° -b - H ^ ^ ~ «> t » at « the mother and the boy L ^ J The poor victim felt the blow , and Marsden saw kjlf There is not one word in Cordingleys eviiMSrv eonttadirt *• ^ ™ er witnesses . I beg to ES ^ k t Lat " crouched" j . exactly in accordance If , l ^ itttte dialect of the Bradford factories ,
b * lfeir ^ ^ :, InoUier mm «« ^ d ^ w near R ^ lSf ^^ T ^ " ** ¦»* Remembered the time that C || Shefa ? SrSe ll d s--e * ¥ ? *** *™** lSSKt eS } ° " ? " ^^^ mdfcr his arm , and HlK « m « r mder ber 51 did not see her fall against wiuBuiiu i
lM ^ a < withhu > M ^> * \ ~ r ^ ' " - " otrucKwus ral ^ ££ ? J * &S ^ ^; I ^ ent to her after , ^ BlSifS t ^ ° f J * ' m ** b *» , and she told '• WlShiiJS * ^ . ** ber moa& - ** complained of 4 B 5 oSh ? % Toquestions put by the Jury ^ e said ^ i » w «^ i ' s « e » ae had t old the truth ; he SlaevaTLTl / 0 ? 161111168 ^ « " «» " ^^ Hb hand , but raiMarUia ber " **** dW nottD 0 Wtb « t ^ e had beat
Sitffl " &SaiB ! Thh loois ^^ s ^ Picious Sf ^ to . " ^ D 0 eontadicti ( m of the former witnesses ggj ™*^ witness , re ga ther a little further insight to ¦^ EClr- * «* Ropa ; " he has sometime * struck at us J ^ * 3 fcus haj ^ ngTer to hnrt thei ^ i dM 3 ^ StEaaJ ? StlaBse that no ^ e ^ on ^ asked . Why ^^« ^ Roper strike you ? I beg pardor , I keep for-| MF «» S Oat this is a gtfbiei report " l ^ fttt ^ aS ^ T' T * ** <* nM « W » . said she was : mmiTi * . -drt jr * . "g - I remember the time Martha V iK » e « £ » w £ •* * ™ ^ K » m at the time . I ^ mfi ^ Z ^ f ^ T yards tom ha ' J ^ not see ¦ -i W « d , and ^ t % ' - ^ CTOndl ' * a& ter foot sUp' » ere I dia att ^ T her head * gaiBst the V ' ^ l ^ ¦"' ¦^ 1 * " * ^ t »« struck at aiL She had not been
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toldby * fiy body what she was to say ; somebody had told her to take care and apeak the tmth . ' Boper had never struck asy-of them to hurt them . ; when he had Btrack them it was for being too late , and then he only gave them a tap with his open hand ; she never saw him strike any one -CfStii his fist " What , " crouch" a third time ! and from a factory girl ! And also death dealing blows from the heavy hand of an overlooker , described by a factory girl ai \* ' a tap !" Nay , nay , Mr . " Reportet , " this could never be . I must either believe that you have invented all this , or that thethree last witnesses have all , before they entered tbe Jury-room , been at one and the same school ^ KiSS ^ a ^ S ^^
where they have been taught to " crouch " at a gentte " tap . " What a difTerence the poor child is represented to have made between the overlooker ' s " open hand " and h ' " s " fist . "' No doubt she knew the difference There is , however , no reason why a Btroug man may not" feD" a little girl with his " open hand . " Well , now , Yorkshiremen , what say you ? Is Isaac Roper the guilty cause of the death of Martha Myers ? If the " Report" be correct , there is not a man amongst you who does not answer Yes . As a proof that the whole " repor t" is a guilty invention of some wicket designing knave , we are
told" The witness having withdrawn , the Coroner put it to the Jury to Bay whether they ware rr . usned , or -wonlO they wish lor further evidence . His own opinion was that there was no charge asainst the overlooker , if Cio evidence they had heard wai to be depended upon . " And we are requi red also to believe that not the slightest r ^ tonisliment was evinced by any one of the Jury when this astounding declaration was made by the Coroner ! The " report" continues : - " The Jury considered it unnecessary to pursue the inquiry any further , but they almost unanimously agreed in denouncing the practice of allowing the
overlookers the privilege of striking the children employed in factories at all . The better mode , it was considered , would be to quarter them when they were too long at their meals ; by so doing the parents would feel tbe effects of the children ' s negligence , and look after them to -prevent a recurrence . They also requested the Coroner to give Roper a caution not to practice the system ef striking in future . The Jury then returned a verdict of " Accidental death , " and Roper was called in and cautioned as to his future conduct ; he had had a narrow escape from being bent to York Castle , and it was hoped that this would be a ¦ vrarning for him . "
t It seems , then , that the factory system is still so cruel , thaWin the opirron of this Jury , if an overlooker is not allowed to give a factory slave her death blow , for being " three minutes too late , " he is justified in " quartering her" !! You know what this means . " Quartering" is robbing the slave of one quarter of a day s wages , for being three minutes too lato" ! !! Monsters ! that these jurymen must be , if the"Rrporter- has not libelled them !! I cannot understand
the logic of " cautious , " and " warnings , " and " nrrro-w escapings" to a man , wh ^ n the same authority declared " that there was no charge against him . " Can you ? I have now , my friends , gone through the whole of this most extraordinaiy " report , " excepting that it is stated , by way of inducing the reader to believe , that under the " working of the Factories' act , " these cases are so liitle noticed , ptb considered of such trifling im-Qtortance , that
" > ot one of the -witnesses couldStell exactly on what day the accident had happened . " I have now striven to do my duty , go ye and do yours ! Ascertain whether this " report" be true or false . K the latter , expose and denounce the villain who invented it But , if it be true , say—shall tbe lives oi the poor , oppressed , industrious factory slaves be any longer thus sported with ? You , who are the parents of factory slaves , will talk this matter over in your cottages ; you will look at the poor creatures , who .
under God , owe their liv « s to you , and you will swear , come what may , death shall not so cheaply be inflicted on them : You , who have felt for the sufferings of the black slaves , win now be forced to listen to the death groans of the whit 38 . Now , every man , woman , and child must repeat the name of Martha Myers , and swear Yorkshire shall no more be moistened by the blood of factory girls ! Let this inquest , if the " report , " if it is true , be the death knell to " Yorkshire Slavery ! " So wills the ' ¦ King" of tbe poor factory slaves .
Richard Oastleb , No . 106 , Sloane-street , Chelsea , March 20 th , 1840 . PA You shall have O'Connell in a rage at Oastler next week . I cannot mix it with this all important snbject . Now , my men , to your work ! We have been quiet long ! We knew that Althorp's Act could never " work well ' . " That it was intended to be a delusion ! That we were expected to be so disgusted by it , as to be for ever sick of all factory legislation ! We hare been supposed to be sleeping ! We were watching ! Let the Short-time Committee be ready tofnrnish Lord Ashley with whatever information he may requ're
Our enemies hope to get rid of all law on the subject , and failing in that , to obtain an eleven or twelve hours ' act for aD ' children above eight or nine years of age . ' We , however , look with confidence for a good , efficient Ten Hours' BilL If peace , obedience , subiniision . patience are not now rewarded—if , after all our bearing with this law—after givins it the opportunity of a fair and undisturbed trial , it has proved a failure , no one can blame us . Its concoctors have been its workers : and we have not
impeded . ' But , if we are still to be treated with contempt , cruelty , and scorn , why then be ready , men , women , and children for another tus ! and such a tug as England never witnessed . ' We will no more hoist the white flag ; that was our standard . ' If we are forced to march again , black shall be our colour ; our only motto , " Martha Myers , aged fourteen years . '" Under that flag we will march to victory ! What sayyeu ? Are you ready ? I know that you are ; and so am I . The Ten Hours' Bill quietly , or onwards we will march ! " All Yorkshire shouts— " We will ; we will !" r . a
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TO THB EDITOB OF THK KOfcTHEH * STAB . MR HARTWELL AND THE DORCHESTER COMMITTEE . London , Monday , March 16 th , 1840 . Sin , —Havinstaken a prominent patt in the late movement , and knowing as , you must , the seriousness of the accusation of pecuniary delinquency attaching itself to a man ' s' character , I fully rely upon your impartiality for the inieition of the following letter explanatory of the repor t of yonr " London Correspondent" in your journal of Saturday last , Msrchl-Hh . so far as that report relates to myself and the " Dorchester Committee . " Allow me to state I mate no complaint against your correspondent , whose report is , I hive no doubt " substance of what occurred at a meeting he attended in his official capacity ; at the same time I have to say , that tbe statements made at that meeting , the character of which I shall presently explain , are destitute of truth .
The report states that certain sums of money had been entrusted to Mr . HartweU to pay a lawyer ' s bill , which he neglected to do . This I totally and unequivocally deny . " That I threatened to bring an action for libel against the Committee . " This is also untrue . The simple facts of the case are these ; divested of that colouring given to them by private pique and party malignity ; in statins " * hich you will bear with me , -while I briefly glance at my connexion with the Dorchester Committee : — From the month of February , 1835 , to July , 1839 , I had the honour ( I mighl almost" say the misfortune ) to act as Secretory to tiie London Dorchester Committee , during which period tiie exertions and immense sacrifice of tame made by me ( ruinous to myself as a
working man , evea my enemies acknowledge ) principally contributed to that success" which has attended the labours of the Dorchester Committee , and during the whole of which period I can state , defying contradiction , that I never received one farthing from the funds for mytervices . During these four years and a half , the whole of the fenda collected ( with a few trifling exceptions ) pas * ed through my hands , amounting to upwards of £ 1 , 306 . I have had more than £ 100 at a time , in hard cwh , in my possession for days togetherthe receipts
, of dinners or benefits ; I had a general power to draw any money from the Treasurer their families might reqrne ; and" I challenge any man to point out a single art ofmine during that period , affording him ttie slightest opportunity to charge me with anything savouring of dishonesty—I challenge any one to Insert and prove its tenth , that I ever , while Secretary , received any snm or sums of money which hare not betn duiy inserted in the Subscription Book , and acknowledged in the printed monthly lists of the Committee .
Your correspondent reports , that at the meeting which he attended , it was said , " a certain sum of money had been entrusted me to pay a bill , which I had neglected to do . " Any stranger to the transaction reading this would naturally infer , that at a certain time I received from the Committee , as their treasurer , a particular sum of money to meet a demand upon them , and that I tad appropriated the money to my
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own a . 0 , leaving the bill unpaid . But what are the facia?—In the summer of 1888 , tba , lea *>« £ the farms on wh > ch the men were to be placed , were purduc ' sd , and I enjaged a solicitor to prepare the necessary l ^ raJ docunenis . Nearly the wboie of the money then Bubccrlbed waa ab orbed in the purcbr ^ and the outfit of he raeqf ^ &d the Penny Tribute was cet on foot , for tiie purpose of raising additional funds . For sometime before the period of the men entering upon thk 4 NP , - the attendance of the Committee ( who had been ' % ar ! od by four years sitting ) at tbe weekly meetbrj bejan to relax , and after that period it was rare that even once a month , upon a summons , more than fou
r or five could be got together , upon which occasion any business was postponed until another evening tu the hope of a better attendance . During this time , extending over a period of « ix months , the whole burden of attending to the finances fell upon me , entailing upon me an additional sacrifice of time and considerable anxiety . The procession and dinner accounts were remaining open in different quarters , the penny tribute coining in in small sums , and constant payments being made by me to the men and their families for the purchase of furniture and other necesstry articles , and the accounts which had heretofore been kept with great accuracy , for the truth of which I refer to the . worthy treasurer , W . D . Saull , Esq ., got into confusion . '
The Christmas of 1839 approached , and at one of the sma'l committee meetings it was agreed that a final balance sheet should be draw a up , every liability of tbe committee being put in it , so that the exact amount of money might be ascertained which "was to divide amongst the families . Being compelled to attend the Convention , and also embarking in a newspaper speculation , prevented my devoting so much time to the Dorchester bnsiness as I had formerly done , and it wa << April , 1839 , before the balance sheet was finished and audited by five of the committee , Messrs . Tomey , Lake . Gardner , Walker , and Iuiacs . Tn this balance sheet was included the lawyer ' s bill ( which had been delivered in January or February ) , and one or two items which were not settled , but the amount of which
were known , in order , I before said , that tbe total sum duo to the men might be ascertained . This balance sheet sliowed that after the lawyer ' s bill and other items were settled , £ 29 would remain in my hands to hand over to the committee when called for . This was duly accounted for , and I was authorised to pay the outstanding bills , including the lawyer's . The balance sheets were published the latter part of May , 1839 , about which time the Convention , of which I was » member , went to Birmingham , when I had settled all but the law / er ' s bill . On my return in July I paid Messrs . Lofty and Potter ono of their bills , and the other was paid in October , 1839 . The irregularity of this transaction consisted in the bills not bting paid at the time they were reported to the committee as settled .
( t-vro memorandums being shown to Mr . Tomey to that effect , ) which arose in consequence of the excitement of the Convention , the nightly meetings that took place in London for months , and a calamitous domestic affair , which absorbed all my attention . The bills , however , were paid , and the receipts in my possession one six months , and the other three months before the committee were aware they were not settled at the timo stated . There is no doubt there was an irregularity in this case , which I explained to the committee , the majority of whom was satisfied there was no dishonesty of intention on my part ; but two or three personal enemies of mine on the committee ( Messrs . Lake , Bush , and Simpson ) caught hold of the opportunity , an 1 have busied themselves ever since in uttering the most atrocious calumnies against me . Those were the men I threatened to to bring an action against , ( and not the Dorchester
Committee as a hotly , ) a threat which I would have put into execution bad they had the courage to have put me to the test Several of the committee have absented themselves in consequence of the outrajeous conduct of this faction , who , taking advaijhgo of this , have brought up a " select" number ef fri ^ Kls . on certain nights , to bully any of the committee w"ho ' ¦ dared" to differ from them . It was at one of—theae meetings that your correspondent -wasinvited towlend , in order that he might run the risk of publishing , in the shape of a report , what they had not tho couia ^ e to put forward themselves , when , in the absence of myself and friends , they indulged in their usual amusement , abusing every one who differed from them . I did attempt at first to arfcoe with them , but finding they were bent on mischief , I have latterly left them to their own argument .
With respect to the letter of Messrs . Lofty and Potts , that was written in reference to an ex parle statement sent up by the above parties , and requires no further explanation than what I have given above . Such , Mr . Editor , is the fair statement of the cace . I have served In the ranks of those struggling for freedom for these ten years past , during which , time I defy malice to prove anjihing derogatory to my character ; I have cerved the Dorchester Committee gratuitously fer nearly five years , and I challenge any member to prove , now they have published their balance sheet , that I owe the fund a single fraction ; while I am prepared to prove that by my exertions I have lost pounds . No man ever yet mixed himself up in public affairs , but he found enemies and calumniators ; I do not expect to be an exception .
I neither intend to waste my time , or take up any more of your valuable space , upon this subject I rely upon my past sacrifices and character as the guarantee that I have not acted with any dishonest towanls the Dorchester Committee ; and , trusting you" will find room for this explanation , in as conspicuous a place as that in which the reports appeared , I am , Sir .
Your ' s respectfully , Rouert Hartwell , Compositor . 85 , Cornwall Road , Lambeth , London . P-S . —I feel much pleasure in submitting the following testimonial , signed by a majority of the Dorchester Committee , which consists of fourteen members , recording their deliberate opinion of my character . The opinion of men knowing all the circumstances I need not comment upon . It will have its duo weight R H . 41 We . the undersigned members of the London Dorchester Committee , deeply regret that any
misunderstanding has arisen betwixt any members of the Committee and Mr . HartweU , after the salons exertions and ereat sacriSce of time made by him , while acting in the capacity of Honorary Secretary to the Committee ; and while we regret that any irregularity should have taken place , such irregularity having been completely rectified without the interposition of the Committee , and even before they were aware of its havin < r taken place , we can conccientiously exonerate Mr . HartweU from any dishonest motive or intention of injuring the fund subscribed for the Dorchoster Labourers ; a fund that he was highly instrumental in getting together .
J . B . Day , Ropemaker . Thomas Peak , Ropemaker . Johs Jones , Smith . William WALKER . Wheelwright James Gardner , Smith . Richard Passmore , Carpenter . William Wenlock , Cordwainer James Barnes , Bricklayer . Jas . Gray , Tin-plate-worker . "
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . LETTER V . ON ENGLISH BANKING AND USURY
" Are we not ashamed to pay money 1 Not satisfied within the limits of our own means , we , by giving pledges and forming contract ? , manufacture the miserable yoke of our own slavery . Fly the tyrant usurer ; the debts of these barbarians beget sooner than they conceive ; they demand as soon as they lend . The usurious borrower heaps debt upon debt , and sinks in multiplied embarrassments . "—Plttktrch de Fiiando cere alieno . Sir , —You -will perceive by the abovo quotation , that the opinions I have promulgated in tbe preceding chapters upon the subject of Banking and Fuuditig are far from teing original ; that the tendency of
usury , and " going beyond our means , " is to encourage debts , or monetary contracts , by which we have reduced ourselves to a state of internal " slavery , " " multiplied embarrassments . " Paine and Cobbett have reiterated the same doctrine ; they , too , have rebuked their countrymen , and , like Plutarch , have warned them to " Fly tbe tyrant usurer . " They also foretold that the system of Funding , or borrowing money at interest , and Banking , or lending for usury , would heap debt upon debt , until the nation would be brought down to poverty and ruin ; and our figure of 8 and eight 0 > , is an awful proof of the correctness of the views of Plutarch , Paine , and Cobbett
The practice of usury has ever been considered by civilians and moralists as a vice of tbe highest degree . In the good old days of Christianity , when ( as the Protestant fanatics tell us ) " bigotry and superstition covered tbe land , " this accursed sin of usury was interdicted by tbe Corpus juris canonici , or " Body of the canon law , " compiled from the constitution and rescripts of the - various Popes and councils in early times , and which are preserved entire to this day . The writings of the Greek and Roman authors before Christ , as well as those of St Basil , Clement , Chrysostom , Aogostin , Leo , Hilary , Gregory of Nypsa , Jerome , Lactanthu , Ambrose , Tertullian , St . Thomas , and other pious and holy fathers have severely condemned the practice of usury and money-changing . Our early Saxon , ancestors forbid it under the severest penalties ; and by the laws of Edward the Confnior , usurers were banished the
kingdom , and their property confiscated . Such was tbe law in England , until the reign of Ibat impious and adulterous monster , Harry the Eighth , - who professed to reign by the " Grace of God . " He it was who set aside the good- old laws , and legalised usury at ten per cent It was afterwards suppressed by the 5 th and 6 th Edward YL , c 29 ; but , in fourteen yearsafter , it was re-enacted by the ISth Elizabeth , cap . 8 , at the same time the 5 th section of the act recites , " forasmuch as all usury being forbidden by the law of God , is sin and detestable , " still the law legalised Turn / , and it remained in full force until the twentyfirat James I . cap . xviL , when tfaenrtoof interest on loans and pledges was reduced to eight per cent for B ^ ven years , which was afterwards reduced -to six per cent by Charles II ., and again by Queen Anne to five per cent , at which sum it now remains as tho amount of extortion which can be legally practised ugon the
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peojl ^ . Since the great pawnshop was establfohed , an&thv " mttomttfamf pawned without " eqnity of redemption , " great merchants Praise loans on unsold merchandise , and extravagant lords , ladles ' , knights , eequ ^ *» accommodated in " promise to pay ' upon , mortgage upon their estates ; besides , numbers of usurer ' s shops or banks have gprnns « P to encourage usury by receiving deposits of money at a low rate of L ^ i 3 . *¦? a lending it out again to others at ibe higheBtrate allowed by law . Te each an extent had this system of usury monopolised the real wealth of the ootttttey , and § 6 Aerioua were the evils pressing npon the social system , by tbe operation of simple and compound wterest , or charging Intereat upon interest , i ^ at t -VA . » stop ' to compound Kjfe' ^^
^ JS ^ . ^^^ . interest by legal enactment It Is this abominable sin of nsnry that compels us to pay £ 24 , 000 , 000 of public toes , raised out of the industry of the nation as interest of the grand swindle ; aud it is this infamous robbei / , in the shape of Interest of a debt that never was justly contracted , or , in fact , contracted at all . that fosters the yonng daughters of the old * lady in London , for , without the debt , or the interest of it , continually floating amongst the smaller banks ; they could not exist at all , as almost all the bants , more or less , ' do business" with tho Bank of England , as commission agents for the receiving of dividends ; in fact , many of them are the holders of stock , ( as the t ' ebt is technical ' y called ) , and , consequently , do business on their own accouufc ; what the banks do not do in this way is either done by lawyers or brokers , who have extensive
ageiicie * and country . A poor man pledging bis clothes at a pawnbrpker / s shop , in order to raise food for himself , or perhaps a starving family , feels the effects of the pawnbroker ' s rapacity , when he demands twenty-five or thir . y per cent , interest upon the loan advanced , before he can again redeem his pledge . Such is private usury ; but , how much more must the nation feel the effects of public usury , when , as Colqudhon states , " Two fifths of the earnin Ss of a labouring man , or eight shillings out of twenty is required to pay tbe interest of the " grand swindle" alone ; which sum is divided amongst the receivers of dividends ; the Governor and Company of the Bank of En ^ laud for management ; Private : md Joint Stock Bankers in town and country ; stock-brokers , lawyers , and agents ; and another six shillings more out of the remaining twelve is exacted and distributed amongst the horde of placemen , pensioners , and sinecurists , in the army , navy , church , law cour ts , and civil
establishmentsnot forgetting the head of th « firm , the Royal Family , with all their appendages , palaces , p «« ks , and German hangers on , besides ; the remaining six shilings is left to purchase all the necessaries and comforts of life . You nevd not be astonished at this . Six shillings is qtitte enoujh for aa independant labourer ! Lord Brougham's Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge , says the Poor Law Commissioners , can fatten paupers at 2 s . Id . per head per week in the Union worlihousea , and that prisoners sentenced to hard labour in gao ' s , can be supported at Is . 6 d , per head per week . Surely b " x shillings out of twenty is enough for an honest labourer ,. especially when he knows that to murmur will only add to his burdens the expense of barracks , standing armies , and police , martial law , transpor tation , and perhaps execution staving ' V- ' m in the face . Private usury has ruined thousands of manufacturing tradesmen who have fallen victims to greedy grasp-alls , but public usury has over been the ruin of
nations whenever the governing power has suffered the national faith to be pledged to usurious contracts , and the nation ' s resources tD be mortgaged to meet the annual demands of the usurers . History points out numbers of Instances proving this fact ; but history no-whfere shews us a nation suffering as England now does with such an enormous debt and civil and military expenditure . No other nation eoMld support such burdens . France sunk under a similar feiiovancef because her people were not so industrious nnd so patient under misfortune as oar people are .. Their revolution swept king , queen , nobles , debt , banks , clergy , pensioners , in fact , the whole machinery of the country aud government , tyto ope vortex , and they perisbed together . Our country is fast approaching the same fate , and uniess
the rage for speculation ceaies , the debt be equitably adjusted , currency placed upon a proper aud sure footing , and regulated according to tke seasons of the year , instead of upon the principles of competition , ( and Jfthis was done , we should need no banks , nor bank notes ) the government of the country reduced to the simple and cheap form of our ancestors , making every man , by his representative , a law maker , and holding him responsible for his allegiance to the laws ; unless these things are done , the country mnet inevitably perish . Blackstone admits that usury is necessary for the ^ ke of commerce ! Perish commerce , say I ! if our country Is to be ruined for the sake of encouraging a few ' thrifty merchants , and that too at the expense of the social happiness of the whole
community . Let the following facts be distinctly understood by the' people , and they will soon understand what virtue there is in usury and banking . I told yon in the last letter it was tho pelicy of joint stock bankers as well as private bankers , to get as many of the notes and bank post bills into circulation ns it is convenient for them to do , taking care to do it gradually until their credit * ts . fully established . I know a young man , who was onca a clerk in a commission warehouse , that carried on an extensive bnsiness ; he became cashier ; in a ^ short time after his employer Buggeuted that 'he ; , , and the . employer ' s son should become partners In a spinning and weaving raanufaetotjr' This wns agreed upon ; tho young man had not a shilling in tho world , and all tliat his
employer did towards setting them up was , to recommend them to the Bunk , where they got an advance cf £ 3 , 000 a manufactory was built in tho town of Ashton , and filled with new machinery ; hands were employed , and in a few weeks they sent several thousands of calicoes into the commission *> hops , and obtained advances upon them , which enabled them to carry on . The yonng firm " did business" with the bank who advanced the first money ; bills were regularly taken up ; tbe bankers ' notes got into circulation . So far all was fair . In about five years after the dignity of the new " cotton lords" received a shock . In 1836-7 there was a bit of a panic ; their bankers were more careful in their advances ; the young firm had all their goods in the pawn shops , fashionably styled " commission houses ; " tht-y
were obliged to abate their extensive trade ; money was scarce—the mill worked shor t time , at last it stopped altogether . Their splendid mansions , carriages , horses , furniture , mill , machinery , overs thing was brought to the hammer ; the mortgagee bought the mill and machinery , the rest were scattered abroad . This Is the way we "drive a roaring trade ; " these hell holes of hanks encourag * commerce , and commerce encourages them ? theeeampX who build factories and fill them with machinery purchased with the hank notes , always take care to keep their credit good at the banking shop , and fling -their losses upon the smaller tradesmen Bank notes have always produced ruin in the end , or as the Frenchman said , " They aro strength in the beginning , but weakness in the end . "
In 1828 , the amount of Bank of England notes in circulation was ~ . £ 20 , 969 , 492 Ditto ditto Country notes 1 , 497 , 872
Making a total of £ 22 , 467 , 304 In 1838 , the amount of Bank of England notes in circulation was ~ £ 18 , 350 , 000 Ditto Joint Stock Banks ditto-, 4 , 259 , 467 Ditto Private Banks dittos . 7 . C 42 . 104 £ 30 , 251 , 571 Total in 1828 ~ £ 22 , 407 , 364 Increase in ten years of Bank notes ~~ . £ 7 , 784 . 207
In 1828 , the official value of manufactured goods exported ~ £ 55 , 691 , 327 In 1838 , ditto ditto 72 , 548 , 047 This shews that whilst we wore increasing the circulation of Bank notes to the amount of £ 7 , 784 , 2 it 7 , we ¦ were also increasing our foreign trade £ 0 , 940 , 720 . This proves not the prosperity of the country ; for i !» e panic and monetury ; embarrassments of 1 S 39 and 40 , pleariy give the He to prospmty talkers . The stopping of the mills in Lancashire and Yorkshire , and tho destitute state of the people of the manufacturing districts , shew that the speculation game is no . The breaking of a few banks , the Gazqtte , and insolvent list prove the effects of over-trading and relying upon foreign trade for domestic prosperity . R . J . RlCUAB » SON . Salford , March 16 th , 1840 .
P . S . 1 shall iijmy next say a little about metallic currency , and expose the fallacy of paying the debt without an equitable adjustment ' ' R . J . R .
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Mr . Editor , —On looking over the Northern Star oi to-day , I find a mistake as regards the amount sabscribed by a few '¦»• friends to liberty of speech , " in Long Buckby , near Daventiy . Instead of six shillings , there inserted , the amount should hav « been one pound six shillings , towards the Defence Fond of Mr . Henry Vincent ; yon will pleate to correct the mistake in yo n * next week ' s publication , and you will oblige Your obebient Servant , i D . E . Lever . Long Buckby , 15 th March , 1840 .
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HYDE . Mb . Editor , —Knowing yonr willingness to correct any errors whith may . appear in your valuable paper without any apolngyf i beg leave to call your attention to a gross error in the repoio of the late Manchester Delegate Meeting . The report says that I told the meeting Hyde was , if necessary , ready for physical foree . I aald no auch thing . I said . Hyde , which some time since was reported to be ready for anything , was now sunk into a complete state of apathy . Now , Sir , repor ts like these , if uncontradicted , are , in my opinion , calculated to do more harm to the people's cause than anj ihing else which could be done , even by our enemies Hoping yon will insert these few lines in some conspicuous part of your paper , I teg leave most respectfully . to subscribe myself , , , Yours , truly , la the rause of freedom , - S . Royse , Tailor , Gcorgc-street , Hyde , Cheshire . March 16 th , 1840 .
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even loved him the more , the more he loved her , to ende-n-iog a power hath beanty in its purity . ' They were to tamai-iicd on the morrow ; and I , subduing my passion to a bister's love , aUe . ucd the solemn , ceremony , aud agreed to accompany them from * lorence to the sea coast , where we ai . cook shipping for Syracuse , the residence of Bia > ica ' 8 lamiiy . * " On our voyage we were overtaken by a cir-rm ; the frail vessel , wh ' ch had lft'n on the watoi > 1 h-: o a logjStraihed under their strong st'trin a ; , and creak .. J p j if Us ribs'were severing . High wave followed fc ? gb wave as if they were indeed rotwaves , but moiniLii' <» sliding off the face of the earth , into tae fie ? , of srooe —when , rolling tome way over the common level of the waters , they fell with a c ushing noise into llie bed of the sea . At length the furv of the tempest seemed gathered , aud agaiii tlie j igbinu ? g . ^ Miced ven loved him the more , the more he loved hT ^ a
a'oog the deck , and mingled with the wa-l . wg waves ; so that it was not easy to say whether the water wag not lightning , or the lightning" water , for they appeared oue . The crazy vessel now dipped down , and now heaved to tbis side , and row to the other , like a toy in the hands of the nrghty tempest . Tho master gave command , seeing that the f . ea broke with every rush over the ship , that those who fV-r red the paril should go below ; bnt not one of n ! the trembling throng siirred from where they h U ! by tho ship , —for alisawthe worst , and none t' > ng : it it possible to escape from it . Biauca clunir , i : s > : ienfc horror , to her husband , who Strove to com . il her andbiU hertaUe heart . The old man covo ; -.. l his grey head with the foldings of hi ** cloak ; ami , ss he sat motionless aud word less * seemed the vevv resignation of despair .
" The storm increasing , the vessel was u riven on the rocks ' , but again floated off , without . sinking . It was true that she had endured but httle hurt , and , with tbe recoiling rush of the v , are ? ,, was thrown , afloat again ; aud eve the master could leap to tho holm , to put her fauh-or out , a strong sea came driving before the wind , which now blew as itwould part the pole 3 , and again fi-.:: ;> her , as if she were no mightier than a t > ea-fehell , wpor . the sharp rocks . She broke at the ' blow like parted bread , the atern half of bar'huge bulk tunabliD ^ over into the sea , while the head of the vessel lay lV'Uajg oa the rock . Then the shriek of dismay and death went up from men that were never more to call on Heaven ; for the most of the crew were crow ded about the uelm ; and , when it parted , went down with her , never again to rise with life . The venerable Baptitta , Guido , his fair wife , and my v . . •• otcheS self , still clung to the chains at the bow : but not
long held we there , for a strong wave came mounting at our backs , aud in a moment ) we were hurled with tlie halved vessel down from the reef into the gaping aby ssmal depth it had left in the sea . A gain tho fraumentinounted to the surface of the sea , ana we had all held to each other and to the ropes which were * coiled round Our bodies , save the feeble Biauca . who had sunk out of the grasp of her husband , but being entangled in the coif of the ropes , was not s ^ -cpt ia into the sea . We might hear another wavt- cowing with a rushing wave towards us , as it had deter * mined we should be its prey ; when Guiuo-, i ' . oiu" -, with tbe calmness of courage , that , if he wait -d it , our escape was . hopeless , cried out , " Father , take thou . the care of the Lady Errainia , as I wijl of thy daughter , aud let us at once leap beyond tlis reef into the sea , and rtruggle for tho land . " And now , shrink not as from the serpeut-ueid , to hear me tell tbe story of that crime which baa cursed mo heie , and may hereafter : for ,
" O ! it is monstrous ! monstrous i Methought the billows spoke and told me of it ; The winds did sing it to me ; and the thunder ,. That deep and dreadful organ-pipe , pronoun c . 4 The name . " Guidonow cried out , " Bianca , my beloved , where art thou ? " The fatal love which had fed up .-h me , like a flame upon a liviug sacrifice , oven in tb ' i awful hour burnt bensibly in . my hateful heart ; an <* , prompted by that miserable passion , and the love of him and of life , some fiend answered , surely with my tongue , " Here !"—and he caught at me as a desperate drqwner doth at a floating weed , and leaping into the &iea , cried to the old man , " Follow mefather , follow , mo ! " But he heard him not : fort
saw that he was dead , and had failed on his swooned child , who , as we leaped into the sea . shrieked out * and audibly informed me that she still lived , though my struggling soul wonld fain have quieted its conscience with the thought that she was dead , and so have palliated to itt-elf , if it failed ' afterwards to Guido and to Heaven it 3 damnable deceit . Guido heard not her cry , or if he did , took it . In the stunning turbulence of the tempests roar , for miue . Fot a long time he buffetted the waves with a giant ' s strength , and a ' courage that could not be weakened ; and still as he ! boat the waves aside , or brt'oitcd themlike a living rock , he cried , " Beof jgood cheer , my Bianca , I shall save thee yet ! " ^ 4 . nd when I neard him call ; ou her banie , my heart smote so
fearfully within me , that though I was sure Gf death if I had disclosed that I was Erminia , I thiiee had nearly confessed the truth ; but iny love of life , and cruel Imp of him , stifled my voice . Twice I saw , in tho glariug fliBh of the lightning , that he gazed upon mo , to . see if I had life : for ' tTRTfear of disclosure , and the peril of the waters , made me voiceless and BtreDgthllsB , and I lay almost lifeless iub ? » clasping arm , as ho struck through tho waves with the other . He looked onmo again , but the wotora had washed my long hair over my face , so that he knew me not .: and still he clasped me tenderly , and beathis burdened way through the sea . Longtime thi' 3 he contended resolutely with death , m hen , ju ^ t as hi * strength was spent , and he had bade me commit my soul to Heaveiiho descried li
, ghts not far b- lore OBj and faintly tojd me still to hope , for we were near land . Thia nerved him auew , and he plied his w ay lustily , till at length we touched the rocky shore , where , summoning a desperate man's aught , he clambered up the low , craggy cliffs , and , feeling the firm eartn under him , dropped to the ground tiooi utter exhaustipu ; For some time I feuew not what occurred ; for safety then seemed more dreadful to me than the dangers I had pasted through , and I Bwooned . When 1 recovered , I found Gnido endeavouring to bring life back , by cherishing me in hig bosom . Aud ever and anon he would call for help as strongly as he might , to the distant flehermen ' a cottages , where he had first discerned ihe lights which led him to tho shorn .
At longth we descried a light approaching th # Bpot where we lay , still on the grouDd , and could hear the loud halloo of the comers ; and , after some time , guided by his continual cry , a fisherman earner up with a torch . As it neared us , I shrank from it like a foul and guilty thing , that loves darknocs rather than day , but in vain ; for Guido'a anxious eye looked at last on my face , as the light fell on it , when , uttering a dreadful shriek of dismay ana despair , he dropped me from his arms , and starting from the grounu , like one made instantly mad by some sudden stroke upon the brain , he rushed , staggering and Btrengthiess , but wildly , to the clifc 1 clung to him heavily , to prevent him from again leaping into the sea ; but I dared not speak to him ,
save dj reeole , inarticulate cries . He glanced at me a look which withered me , and shaking me like a > serpent to the earth , with a terrible cry . flung himself from the cliff into the sea . I beheld him beating his way back to the wreck , as the lightning momentarily flashed from the firmament ; anii , at length , I saw him grasp . at some white burden on the waters , and again turn for the shore ; but suddenly his right arm ceased to strike out ; and though I kept my breaking eyes fixed on the same spot , when the next lightning flashed , I Baw that he had sunk ; when , crying to God in my despair , I fell on my face , and was insetmbie to all about me !" A thrill of horror ran through theveinH of the auditors ; Caesaudra fainted , and was led upon deck , but the disclosure seemed to have a different effect upon the narrator . A flood of tears came to her relief , and wh «? n Mrs . Brilliaut shortly returned , sheproceeded , evidently relieved by her disclosure Kunbjr dcuxuivruiuu
v » w «« . , uue naa so long neeiectf d to divulge . " "Sinee that dismal period , " ah © eontmutd , " and oh ! it is now long , long since , —I have wandered through many lands , and voluntarily faced many dangers-dangers that would , in other minds , have denoted the presence © f some courage;—but in vain Unl etill on I * cried the voice of restlessness ; and I M last ^ resolved to dedicate the remainder of my weary life to repentance and religions Beclusion lhe former commander of the vessel in which we now are , though a Frenchman , was not unknown to my family ; from him I solicitated and obtained protection , and a promised return to Europe . Would it not , then , add to my already too deep guilt , were I now to conceal the secret wish I entertained , that the engagement which led to our capture , might terminate an existence , which I have felt too long insnpportable . Heaven , however , decreed otherwise : and thus
again" I , in mine own -woe charra'd , Could not find Death where I did hear him groan !" Therefore , all that a broken Bpirit aud a truly contrite heart can offer at the Bhrine of mercy , I will now cheerfully devote .. To none , however , save yon , have I ever related this guilty adventure ; and evea mtbi 9 , perhaps , I have been less impelled by motives of confidence inspired by your kindness , or of justice to mankind , than , by the more selfish motive of endeavouring to lighten the burden that opposed me . Already I feel the disolosnre as a relief to my heavy spiritand all that
; I now ask , ia the charity of your Bilence . nntil , as a recluse in one of the religious establishments of my native country , I can . dispense my fortune , which is still ample ,- in works of chanty , and devote my time to prayerafor pardon to thethrone of mercy . " r *** - ™ It being now past the usual hour of separatlnK mutual salutations were exchanged , and tha ladies eeparated to their respective places : whilst the captaia and lieutenant went Hpon deck to make their jM [ We fehonld states that the work from whidpSt above extract is > taken * is chiefly from theffiSB our Dondon Correspondent , on which accotfiBS well as on that of its merits , we would r&col 3 B it to our readers . ] M ^ BS
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W . 'tf . ryV / A »/ V' < V * V ''* ' j ~ i *« -. r i- ^ r f ff ffff i " v * f * - * r / yy < - »*¦< - ¦ rii * n / j- nr . -. r . THE ENSLAVED . Up , Briion 0 , up ! ye trampled slaves , be free I Yonr banner , hope—your watchword , Liberty : Determination be your motto now , Stern be each eye , unflinching be each brow . Plant firm the standard—let it wave on high ; To crouch in servile fear is infamy , Britannia ' s slaves ! TJp , Britons , up!—what J fetter'd are ye now ? Boose , every arm ! g ' auce , every burning brow Flash from each thigh a weapon , Multitude ! Forward I ye trampled , on—yet unsubdued—The badge of Freedom wear on every breast ; For yet with . plenty shall your homes be blest , Britannia ' s slaves !
Oh Liberty f abused , deformed , disgraced , By tyrants mocked-,, hy knaves and fools misplaced ; Rouse from thy slumber—from thy shackles bound , A million at thy voice will start around . Unfurl thy banner . Justice ! alance thine eye ; Nerve the weak arm with strength ! Ye glorious free , Help us to conquer ! I heard a sigh beneath the banian tree . I looked , and lo ! tbe heir of misery I His fettered lianJs he clasped , in anguish groaned , Then looXert to heaven 1 The waving forest moaned i The pale moon gazed . Just like some giant oak By lightnings scathed , he lay , and thus he spoke" Oh England , hear !
" I f , joan in bondage , while in Freedom ' s land , Bem-ath the caiess of her guardian hand , Ye know not slav'ry—wear no galling yoke , Nor toll for others' wealth . " As thus he spoke , Another voice cried—" Hold ! your eyel'ds steep With bitter tears , and bear the tearing whip Both undisguised . " With yon 'tis open , avowed slavery ; With us 'tis masked—a dftiunvd treachery . Toil'not for others' wealth I What meanefch then That thousand squalid checks—thw . e sighs ef pain ? One in his chariot drives amid the throng , The thousands round him scarce can creep along , By famine crushed . "
Ye who are left , last of the garrison Which right defended , quit yourselves like men . The dwelling fired , and murder , ate not yours : The steady oye , the unilinching hand , insures The fall of despotism—the tyrants' flight ; Then sheathed the sword , and ended thus the fight , Britain is free ! Jonathan Lbfevre . Bristol , March 11 th , 1840 .
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SWARTHONE . Mountain , that overlooks bpth land sea ! Higa battle-ground of glorious liberty ! Here fought our pristine sires , and here they fell , Dying for freedom which they loved so well . Death more than life!—no home like such a y : ave ; Better to be no more , than be a slave . This monumental mound—this tumuli , That crowns the mountain ' s brow , a landmark high Seen all around , far off on Whitby strand , And hail'd by seamen when they make the land ; Oft have I gr : ed on it—a nat ' ral throne .
Where sits great Liberty , stern and alone : A spirit king , his realm the rugged moor , Bare , vtithout shelter , like the truth-taught poor . Here the free winds o'er barren heather si- . h , And pensive plovers on thq grey stones cry . Oft have I mused upon this lonely grave , Heaped o'er death-smiling patriots vainly brave . White innocence still crops the flowers that spring From their unvanquUhed < lnBt ^ an <\ NfiM birds sing Hi ^ h overhead , as though their souls had como To chaunt of freedom o ' er their time-enduring tomb J . W . Aislaby , March 13 th . - >^
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TO MY MELANCHOLY . Come , thou sweet mistress of my ev ' ninj hours , Companion of my walk , tint otherwise Were lonely , let us wander ' neath the towrs Or this grey pile , and hear tho fit ' ul sighs The mournful breeso heaves through ite wasting walls Bark ! * tl 8 the surge of Time ' s uuweaiy billow , That on the ear so sad and solemn falls ! They hear , it not , the sleepers ; they whose pMlow , Dreamless and cold , Ues doep beneath the toil ! Would we were with tfceui , pale-eyed Melancholy Free from the weight , the burthen of L'fe ' s toil ; Far from deceit , from Insult , and ironi folly : Bonded no more by e ' on affection ' s cba n ; Reckless of all , as of the wind and rain ! W .
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THE ITALIAN LADY'S TALE . ( FROM THB PO 8 T CAPTAIN , ) A small Volume , price 1 « . 6 d ., Jmt Published , in Parts and Numbers , by Mr . Cleave , Shoe Lane , London . ' Though I killed him not , I am the cause His death was so effected ; better 'twere I met the ravening lion when he roar'd With sharp constraint of hun »* r ; better 'twere That all the miseries which Nature owe ? Were mine at once . " Shakspeare .-For many evenings , the amusements * had consisted of tales , related alternately by each of the company . The Italian lady had been several tiwes excused , when the next tale devolved upon her ; until one evening , after rather more than usual pressing , and while a-clond of deeper sorrow impended over hobrow , she thus addressed her companions : —
I am the daughter of ncble parents , whom I will not name— for they should re&i , uudisgraced in their tpmb 3—who left me solo heiress of a large estate in the moat fertile fields of Italy . I hud fair and stately halls , vassals tor service in court or Sold , ladies for attpudance , and every thi- ) g needful or unneedfiu , with which human pride can i > e pampered , and honour or humour desire or deserve . Mistress of theas enviable possessions , I had many princely suitors , who met with such honourable entertainment as their many pleasant qualities merited . But there wi's one never 6 een amoug tho&e flattering suitor ? , who was a thriving wooer of my heart , though he had never worshipped at its shrine ; aud might have had that woman's toy . as a gift which he was either too humble or too proud to ask .
"This was the noble gentleman called Guide de Mcdicis , the owner of a poor estate , touching upon the wider skirts of miue . He was of an auok-at race of poets , painters , sculptors , legislators ^ an d members of all the intellect of Italy—that proud land , where the hand 4 t humble genius is of m « -re nobility than the entire body . of merely honourable birth , But he of whom 1 speak is now cold in a grave only vaster than his great capacity , the earthembracing sea ; and could the © miserable and shameful tears , wiych fal at the recollection of the wrong which I itave done him , out water that sea , they would not enough mourn him who is the dr « wned hope and pride of my dear father-land ; vainly , therefore , Uo 1 weep a sin which tears may tiever wash away , nor my life or death atone for to heaven and my eou vy .
f lie lady , as well as her auditors , here became bo deeply affected , that she wa-j for some moments uuftble to proceed . At length , however , with a sigh that would fam have pai-ed the soul from its frail tonemunt , she continued : — " From some iuquiries which I had made amont ; this gentleman's domestics , I learnt that his heart ( which I had thought po < &ible to be mine ) was irrevocably given to the fair Bianca , daughter of Baptista Buonaventi , an old merchant of Florence ; and that , in a few days , he was to set out tor Syracuse to claim her hand , in fulfilment of a solemu compact , made when passing his noviciate in that city . This intelligence came like death upon my heart ; and for many days ,, I held myself averse from the gay
company and the old courtesies of my house . My noble friends saw my spirit to be nick , and ttvove to come at its disease ; but I had already formed my resolution , rather than confess my weakness , « o die of an undiscovered grief , and , since my malady was hopeless , that it should be also voiceless . I preserved that strict silence which is alone the security of eeereay . But , nevertheless , I wept my sorrows in the loneliness and darkness of the sleepless night ; aud this I did , till the paleness of my cheek was now so constant , instead of its wonted ruddiness , that it was scarcely noticed , either by the pitying kind , or the prying curious . At leugtli , Guido left his house for Florence ; and I , unable to support his absence , followed him iu secret , and became introduced to his intended bride . w Bianca BuonavenU was indeed a woman worthy of a sculptor ' s love ; for all those beauties which
Art has imitated from Nature were mingled in her . In her form were blended all that I had till then thought the idealities of Grecian graco and Roman Majesty : in motion , she was stately as k \ e swan , and swam the air rather-than walked the earth . Her step was an audible music ; her voice sweeter than the recollected music of a dream . Her mind was a book of pure and wise thoughts ; written surely by some hand divine . Her countenance was snch as angels wear—and theirs were made fair that man . might love-Heaven , where all is beautiful . Love shone in her eyes , bnt with eo holy and placid a fire , —two sister stars burning ia the winter heaven beam not a chaster light ; wherever they turned , all eyes were illuminated , and whatever she looked - upon reflected back . tho beauty she turned upon it . Indeed , iuall those fair aud admirable qualities which make woman worthy of that paragon of earthly creatures —man , —she was perfection . That Guido should love the geutlo girl was no longer wonderful ; for 1
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 28, 1840, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/king-y1kbzq92ze2677/page/7/
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