On this page
- Departments (4)
-
Text (16)
-
flmun 8. 1849. T«E NORTHERN STAR. '
-
iportrg-
-
¦CAUr — H BEAUTIES OF BYEON. Hg Skcokd S...
-
Bftafto*
-
THE COMMONWEALTH—A Monthly Record of Dem...
-
The History of Ireland. By T. WRIGHT. Pa...
-
The Plain Speaker. Edited by Thomas Coop...
-
The Colombo Observer thus enumerates the...
-
*«*« nu WKlTmGS OI LOTJISBUNC. (Prom the...
-
'H1CHARB COBDEN, THE MODEL AGITATOR.* Ma...
-
meWhmvw
-
SADLER'S WELLS. Shakspeare's King Johh-a...
-
Railwav. Sul-ghteb.—Seven sheep, out of ...
-
Vavietitfi.
-
To tiiosr Sbekixo Euplotmbht.—The Albany...
-
of^Q^dlijf ^\ imf ]m$$M ' -v ? -' : '""'...
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.
-
-
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.
Flmun 8. 1849. T«E Northern Star. '
flmun 8 . 1849 . T « E NORTHERN STAR . '
Iportrg-
iportrg-
¦Caur — H Beauties Of Byeon. Hg Skcokd S...
¦ CAUr — H BEAUTIES OF BYEON . Hg Skcokd Sbbjss . H OHiefolloivinglin ^ Wg li not addressed ft to " Fum the Fwrth , " v ™ evidently mtended lirto apply tothat royal worthy : — fS " The last of the Tools and Oppressors called # sr ' George . '" gfr TO BELSHAZZAlt . Hf Belshazzab ! from the banquet turn , jsjj Sor in thy sensual fulness fall ; M BeMd ! while vet before thee burn
. m The graven words , the glowing *» " ^ 3 fony a despot men miscaB Sv Crown'd and anointed from on high , 0 But thou , the weakest , worst of all—$£ Is it not written , thou must me I § f Go ! dash the roses from thy browgj Grev hairs hut poorly wreathe with them ; fe Youth ' s garlands misbecome thee now , p More than thy very diadem , % Tvhere thou hast tarnished every gem : — W Then throw the worthless bauble by , % Whichworn hy thee , ev'n slaves contemnj
, jjf And learn like better men to die I % Oh ! early in the balance weigh'd , % And ever light of word and worth , f "Whose soul expired ere youth decay'd , And left thee but a mass of earth ! I To see thee moves the scorner ' s mirth
i But tears in Hope s averted eye ; lament that even thou hafot birtlr—Unfit to govern , live , or die ! "We selected the above principally on account of its brevity , that ve mi ght have room to add f , the following tribute to the character and i motives of the Irish State Prisoners . The \ lines are extracted irom the Dublin University \ Magazine .
THE FALLEN . We had hopes that rose as proudly As each sculptured marble shrine ; And our prophets snake as loudly As their oracles divine . Grand resolves of giant daring , Such as Titans breathed of old , Brilliant aims their front uprearing , Like a temple roofed with gold . Souls of fire , like columns pointing ' , Flame-like upwards to the skies ; Glorious brows which God ' s anointing Consecrated altar wise . Stainless hearts , like temples olden ,
None hut priests hath ever trod ; Hands as pure as were the golden Staves which bore the ark of God . Oh , they built up radiant visions , Like an iris after rain ; How all Paradise traditions Might be made to live again . Of humanity ' s sad story , How their hand should turn the page , And the ancient primal glory , Fling upon this latter age . How with God-like aspirations , Up the souls of men would climb , Till the falTn , ensl aved nations
Trod in rhythmic march sublime : Beaching heights the people knew not , Till their prophet Leaders led—Bathed in light that mortals view not ; "While the spirit life lies dead . How the pallid sons of labour , They should toil and toil to raise , Till a glory , like to Tabor , Once again should meet earth ' s gaze . How the poor , no longer keeping Count of life alone bv groans ,
"With the strong cry of their weeping , Start the angels on their thrones . Ah , that vision's bright ideal , Must it fade and perish thus ? Must its fall alone he real , Are its rains trod by us ? Ah , they dream'd anlEldorado , Given not to mortal sight : Tet the souls that walk in shadow , Still bend forward to its light . Earnest dreamers , sooth we blame HOl
If ye failed to reach the goal—If the glorious real came not At the strong prayer of your soul . By the path ye ve trod to duty , Blessings yet to man may Sow , Though the proud and stately beauty Of your structure lieth low .
Bftafto*
Bftafto *
The Commonwealth—A Monthly Record Of Dem...
THE COMMONWEALTH—A Monthly Record of Democratic , Social , and Industrial Progress . No . L February . London : 16 , Great Windmill-street , That the Labourer magazine has ceased to appear must t > y this time be generally known to the numerous circle of readers who were purchasers of that periodical . The incarceration of Mr . Eksest Joxes , and the multifarious and unceasing labours of IVTr . O'CoJfxOB , left the Labourer almost unedited , and at
length caused its abandonment . Fortunately for the cause of Democratic Progress a successor to the Labourer has started into existence , the first number of which we have the pleasure to introduce to our readers . The Commonwealth , in form and price , imitates its well-known predecessor , but has this advantage to recommend it , that it has some twelve pages more than the Labourer contained . From the publisher ' s " Address , " we learn that the " leading principles" of which the Commonwealth is intended to be the
exponent , are : — " That Taxation without Representation , is Tyranny ; and therefore every adult , of sound mind and untainted by crime , ought to have a . vote in the election of those who impose taxes and make the laws . * * That Labour is the Source of all Wealth ; and those engaged in its production have the first ri ght to share in the results of their toil . * * That the Land , Labour , Skill , and Capital of a country ought to be combined and applied in snch a manner as to promote the well-being of every individual in the coxxvmunity- * * * That as an essential pre-requisite to permanent home prosperity , the capabilities of our own soil ought to be full y developed . " From tliese extracts it will be seen that democratic
and social reformers , trades unionists , and the advocates generally of a fair day ' s wage for a fair day's work , will find this publication the monthl y representative of their views , and advocate of their measures . The first article in the number before us is an elaborate and ablywritien account of " The Gold Region of California . " The subject will suffice to command the attention of most readers . " Pauperism and Poor Rates" is the first of an intended series of articles on the " Condition of England Question . " The valuable statistical matter , and the sound arguments based thereon , will give to this article a more than ordinary
interest in the eyes of political readers Another valuable article , entitled " Comparative Productiveness of Large and Small Farms , " we may warmly commend to all T ^ uo take an interest in Mr . O'CoSfKOIt ' s Land Plan , or who look forward to the establishment of Home Colonies as one of the means of social redemption . A review of the devolution of 1848 appropriatel y finds a p lace by the side of an article on Louis BlaxC . Of the latter of these articles our readers may judge for themselves , as we have extracted the principal portion thereof into another column tit" this page of the Star .
From a brief but pointed article by "A Con tnbutor" ( G . J . Holtoake ) , we give the fol lowinsr extracts :
TilE spt xra mw-njc srsnar . it seems for a time to destroy all hope , and to make a man despair of political improvement , when w sees flagrant iniquity flourish in high places , v jth the applause of the public . But despair not—What ever is corrupt is mortal In the late spy trials our Government came into ' outt , and accepted the aid of men , to obtain cona ctions winch rendered them execrable . The go-»• niment stooped iodo that whichit would be bound > rcwohatc anil punish in any member ofthe state . iw M done it . It dipped its hands in theblood of ot l 3 „ t - ? £ I ** ™ rst and most danger-S tw" 2 - ' { ! r cant och the People-it did "me TV ° ^ g ? ltcom - - Buttlie good wiU not = » ncTCr ?«^ came and never will come of it .
fc « m-informeX 7 r SSdJIi * ** ^ e veak ' or § Tft "
The Commonwealth—A Monthly Record Of Dem...
tion ^ ere error has to w rf wd preT ^ 2 LnB IfastaKm not do this , or does ftfcttolnUm . ofthe people , and ought to be ^™™ nff with all convenient speed . If , on the contra ^ the stlte shall initiatfdisorder-shall itself teach the lesson of rebelUonm order to imbrue its hands in the Wood of its chddren—language is inadequate to execrate it sufficiently , and the mind labours for greater ability of detesting it . Such a government dies by its own hand . The practice of employing spies has ever been reprehended by all who would makepolicy moral . Burke has described its revolting effects with an indignation ( which I am afraid he never felt after
he was pensioned ) every right feeling man shares . " Under such a system , " says he , " the obnoxious people are slaves not only to the government , but they live at the mercy of every individual . Thev are at once the slaves of th e whole community , and of every part of it , and the worst and most unmerciful men are those on whose goodness they most depend . In this situation men not only shrink from the frowns of a stern magistrate , but are obliged to fly from their very species . The seeds of destruction are sown in civil intercourse and in social habitudes . The blood of wholesome kindred is infected , the tables and beds are surrounded by snares ; all the means given to make life safe and comfortable are perverted into instruments of terror and torment . This species of universal subserviency , that make the very servant who waits behind your chair the arbiter of your life and fortune , has such a tendency , to degrade and debase mankind , and to
deprive them of that assured and liberal state of mind which alone can make us what we ought to be , that I vow I would sooner bring myself to sentence a man to immediate death for opinions I disliked , and so get rid ofthe man and of his opinions at once , than to fret him with a feverish being tainted with the gaol distemper of a contagious servitude , and to keep him above ground an animated mass of putrefaction , corrupting himself and corrupting all around him . It is thus that upright men feel towards the spy system— what must be their indignation of the plotting eystem , such as our government have lately identified themselves with ? How looks it in a court of law to see our judges , who vaunt the purity of their ermine , draw on the cap of condemnation with venal or blood-stained fingers . Yet it came , virtually to this when Powell , and others of his genus , were accepted as evidence for the Crown .
"When I was in Oldham , and other northern towns , in the summer , I found paragraphs creeping into the Erovincial press , which I foresaw were intended to e used in courts of law . I pointed out one in the Reason *? at the time , in -which things were charged upon Mr . George "White , which I believe he never said , and upon going to him and putting the case to him , I found his words had been entirely perverted . Our local magistrates , who have these things done through prejudice , should remember that nothing lowers the law so much as making it the handmaid
ef horrible malignity . Two persona were some time ago walking on the platform of a railway station on the North Midland line waiting for the train ; one , a well-coated , selfimportant manufacturer , turned to the other , who appeared in the rougher coat of a respectable artiran , and said : " " What a truly wonderful contrivance is this electric telegraph . " " Yes , " answered Third Class , " very wonderful , but I don't exactly see its use , " - " Not see its use I" replied Firsi Cu . es . " Why , see how it catches thieves . "
"Ahl" said Third Cuss , " its use is not quite perfected in that respect yet . " " Think you so ?' inquired Fmsr Cuss . "In what respect could it be improved ?" " Why , " replied Third Cuss , " it catches the thief who robs the rich man—it would be doubly useful in my opinion , did it enable us to catch the thief who robs the poor man . If the electric telegraph was universally employed , " added Third Class sarcastically , " we should find many a Manufacturer and Capitalist detected who now escapes . " First Class parted from Third Class to meet
again as Magistrate and Prisoner . Third , Class was our waggish friend George White , whose wit has many a time endangered his liberty . In the provinces the Spy and Plotting System has often been set going , to revenge defeated pride on hungry wit . Poor Ellis , now enduring twenty-one years' transportation for an offence which it seems he never committed—can illustrate this melancholy truth . In Kirkdale gaol lies George White , separated from his family , who are left in necessitous circumstances . Let our friends who execrate the Spy and Plotting System remember George White , West , Leach , and its other victims , who are now White ' s
prison companions . "We consider the Commonwealth a very desirable publication , and we have much pleasure in recommending it to the readers of this journal , and the friends of Democratic and Social Progress generally .
The History Of Ireland. By T. Wright. Pa...
The History of Ireland . By T . WRIGHT . Part VL London : J . and F . Tallis , 100 , St . John-street . This Part contains the history of Ireland from the close of the reign of Henrt V . to the end of the reign of Henk y VII ., embracing the reigns of the Sixth HElfBr , the Fourth FjWabd , and the Third Richard . During the ( English ) " Wars of the Roses , " Ireland appears to have been but little troubled by English interference . The English-Irish of " the pale , " were , generally , in favour ofthe House of York , and , when defeated , the adherents to the "White Rose "
usually took refuge in Dublin . In the reign of Hesbx YII ., Ireland was the focus of most of the intrigues directed against that Prince . Here the celebrated " pretenders" (" impostors" they are commonly called ) Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck , first made their appearance , and Bet up their claims to the sovereignty of the two countries . The facts worthy of notice throughout this period of Irish History ( nearly one hundred years ) , are exceedingly few . Of course , the Irish were , as usual , at war with each other . If , for a moment , two or three tribes became
united , for the purpose of executing some foray at the expense of the English settlers , momentary success sutficed to set them tearing each other's throats , to determine which faction should monopolise the spoils of victory . In almost every page , the Historian records the lamentable fact , that English tyranny was maintained only by Irish dissension . It is impossible to feel much sympathy for a people who , instead of directing their united strength
against their oppressors , chose rather to be engaged in everlasting quarrels among themselves , accompanied by the most abominable atrocities . These pages contain almost one uninterrupted record of strife , pillage , and massacre , followed by their natural consequences—famine and pestilence . The English settlers contributed largely to these horrors , but it must be admitted that the Irish did their part in making their country a " Hell upon earth . "
The last page of this part opens "Book HI ., " in which will be written "The Age ofthe Reformation . " The illustration to this partis a splendid steel engraving , of Henry H . presenting the Pope's Bull to the Archbishop of Cashel .
The Plain Speaker. Edited By Thomas Coop...
The Plain Speaker . Edited by Thomas Cooper , Author of the "Purgatory of Suicides . " ISos . 1 and 2 . London : B . Stefll , 20 , Paternoster-row . A new weekly publication , written with the power and ability for which the well known editor is celebrated . Some of Mr . Cooper ' s views we dissent from , out we have no inclination to be critical , when the work , as a whole , commands our good wishes . In the first number is a " Speech " which , the Queen " ought" to have delivered at the opening oi
Parliament ; and a letter to Richard Cobden , M . P ., both worthy attentive perusal . The second number contains a capital letter to " The Duke of Grafton , o descendant of one of the fifteen bastard children of King Charles the Second ; " headed by the appropriate motto , "Soft words butter no parsnips . " We may state an interesting fact , that the Plain Speaker will , in future , number amongst its contributors Mr . Jonathan Wooler , the talented editor of that once-popular publication , the Blach Dwarf .
The Colombo Observer Thus Enumerates The...
The Colombo Observer thus enumerates the advantages of Lord Torrington ' s rule in Ceylon : " Full dress levies , haughtiness and assumption ; the elephant kral and displays of temper ; rash and illadvised legislation , disturbances , rebellion , and bloodglied . " 2 ^ g
*«*« Nu Wkltmgs Oi Lotjisbunc. (Prom The...
*«*« nu WKlTmGS OI LOTJISBUNC . ( Prom the Commonwealth . ) Louis Blanc has lately occupied much of tho public attention , in consequence of the part he acted as a member of the late Provisional Government of * ranee : The foreign correspondents of the English newspapers have zealously laboured to defame him !? v eyes of tae British people , and they have no doubt succeeded to some extent , particularly with those wh » implicitly rely on the veracity of newspaper scribblers for their information relative to the principles and lives of public men . It is consolatory , however , to reflect that the influence of these men on society is becoming gradually more and more limited , The " prejudices which they
assume to suit the papers for which they write , being meant only for a temporary purpose , become in a short time " transparent to their readers , and their self-contradictions are so flagrant and numerous , that all they say is taken with a large reservation by such of their readers as possess tne least controul over their own judgments . It would be a mistake to suppose that Louis Blanc is an unpopular man even in this country , and in France he is venerated by all who wish to sec a peaceable regeneration of society , whilst he is hated with an intense hatred by the ignorant and grasping ofthe middle class , those who believe that the salvation of the world depends upon the glitter of their shops and the favourable state of their cash
accounts . In giving a sketch of the life and writings of Louis Blanc we shall endeavour to show as clearly as we can the character of his mind , and the mode in which it has impressed itself xipon the age and country in which he laboured ; for not merely as a historian , or as a politician , is Louis Blanc to be viewed . He is also a profound statesman and philosopher , the whole of whose ideas are devoted to the emancipation of humanity , not only from the tyranny of kings , but also from the detestable thraldom of commercial competition , an insatiable tyranny which is hourly destroying its tens of thousands , body and soul , quietly , but surely and remorselessly . Those who have watched the march of events in Europe within the last twelve months must have noticed the
remarkable prominency ofthe working men as actors in the movements which have taken place : previous to the revolution of last February , kings , priests and soldiers were the performers , and family , or class interests , were the moving pauses . The people , chained to the car of some selflsh dynasty , have been driven like dumb cattle in any direction indicated by kingly ambition , and their interests , their comfort and prosperity , were only studied as a means of giving stability to the thrones of kings or the tyrannic privileges of aristocracies . The February revolution of 1848 has , however , disclosed a new condition of things . In it the people not only manifested their power , but also made the influence of their ideas strongly felt in the political discussions that grew out of the political changes then made .
The painful situation of the working people has been a subject of much consideration on the part of the benevolent , and many have sought to mitigate their sufferings by the establishment of hospitals and other institutions of a similar description ; experience has , however , proved , that , though these are good in their way , yet they do not meet the evil with a view to subdue it . A few , however , with the same benevolent feelings , but with more practical wisdom , have examined into the causes of this suffering -with a view to its complete abolition , and they have discovered that this can only be done by a total , but gradual and peaceful , alteration of the whole constitution of society . This is , no doubt , an extraordinary recommendation to hazard , and yet the circumstances ofthe case seem fuUy to waranttheir audacity .
Amongst this last number is Louis Blanc ; he is yet a young man , but the labour which he has bestowed on this subject , proves that it has had the entire use of his tunc and his faculties , Those who only know him through the newspapers know little of him ; those who write of him m the newspapers know less ; to know him he must be studied through every page of his writings , political and social ; it is there only it can be seen how completely he is devoted to the interests ofthe human family , and how wisely and powerfully he has laboured to promote them . There is no falser opinion than that which holds Louis Blanc as a destructive , or a disturber of the peace and security of so * cicty . His heart holds love for all ; its pity is for the people , and its indignation only for those who
rely upon brute force for the conservation , not of order , but of a most insensate anarchy . His " Organisation of Labour" we look upon as the least important of his works , considered by itself ; its great value lies in the powerful manner in which it exposes the evils of present society ; its adaptation to the public mind by its size ; the clearness of its reasonings , and the force of its conclusions . * * * His " History of the First French Revolution , " is as yet an unfinished book ; but , as far as it has gone , its scope is much larger , and its aim higher , than any work as yet produced in relation to that extraordinary event . * * * His " History of Ten Years" is his groat work . Great in its execution , and wonderful in the influence it has exorcised on
recent events . It is a complete key to the Revolution of February . It precipitated the event , and caUed out the actors . Vfc need not inform the reader that the author is a Republican , nevertheless monarchy and its supporters are treated with great candour and fairness . Partisanship is kept in abeyance , and public men spoken of with reference only to their individual worth . At first view it may appear that the supporters of Republican ideas meet with undue favour , but when we reflect that they have always , been the subjects of obloquy and reproach , an act of the commonest justice looks like an act of partiality ; whilst the tools of kings have been so grossly flattered by the sycophants of courts , and so puffed out of all proportion to their real merit , that to speak of them in the
language of truth and justice , carries with it the appearance of hostility . The character of Louis Philippe was , in this book , for the first time placed in its proper light . He is here viewed as a man totally without genius , but with wonderful capabilities for such government as depends on tact and cunning ; supremelyavaricious , and capable of great powers of dissimulation . When this estimate of the royalty of the revolution made its appearance —* " See , " cried the king's flatterers , " how far party spite can carry a man . Here is the great man of his age—the Napoleon of Peace—treated as a greedy , cunning , clever trickster . " Fortunatel y for Louis Blanc , the events immediately preceding and following the late revolution , have proved the correctness of his estimate to the _ letter , and the world now pronounces for the historian .
The great object of the writer ' s hostility , however , is the bourgeoisie ; that is , those citizens who , possessing implements of labour or capital , work with means of their own , and are not dependent on others , except to a certain extent . By the people he means the whole body of citizens who , not possessing capital , depend completely on others , and especially as regards the prime necessaries of life . He shows how the capitalists have carried on a war with aristocratic power , destroying its privileges and immunities , subjecting all power to the influence and control of the chamber , and confining all electoral power to themselves , excluding the people , and controlling the aristocracy , and thus , by the monopolisation of aU political influence , working out a policy which aims at nothing higher than a mean and selfish materialism .
It would occupy more space than we can at present give , to present the history of this struggle . When we review the book in its social aspect , ire shall allude more fully to this ; in the meantime wo shall conclude by giving a few cabinet portraits of men who have acted , and are now acting , a prominent p art in the politics of France , that the reader may judge , not only of the style and power of the writer , but also of his wonderful capability to correctly comprehend the character ot public men . M . Guizot . — " Another member of this ministry was 3 d . Guizot , a man of sour and haughty temp er , steeped in pride , impassioned under an outward appearance of calmness . Ysu could easily recognise the man b y his noble but melancholy forehead , and
his drily cut lips , his cold disdainful smile , a certain drooping ofthe body , the index of atooubtod soul . We have since seen him in the Chambers his bilious and worn features ^^ f ^/ Jf ? " ? from all around him . When provoked by his adversaries he bent upon them a look of piercing scorn , and ^ erected Ws Lad upon his bent frame with an KritaVe expression of anger and irony His peremptory gestures , and his dogmatic tones ( lie was rprotestant and a professor ) gave nun something ^ f the air of one who was not to be put down ; but his firmness was all apparent ; in reality he Sssed no activity , of n » nd or v » o ™ -of" ™ u . The consistency even which was remarked inM . <* / J SS Sdinit something of the pertmac tv of
thom-Tsterwho will not conaescenu w * - »"""" - „ nffi-S ^ t & srwas He took little neea ww t t of ] ianng that none might have causa to tl ^ ^ trusted in his ftrjmej ^^ be suspcctcd d ^ % trili Sent consisted in veiling of fearing the &•&* ™ £ h hich hc enunciated under the solemn W / W £ f and gentiments < i S hem ' , % ^^^ mimu * devoid of 8 ^ . r : _ x " e ( . tedness , the grave tenor ^^ taSr tt ^* - ** ' '
*«*« Nu Wkltmgs Oi Lotjisbunc. (Prom The...
his maanprs , marked him out from the frivolous and RtJ l oc ety , i" which ho moved . Add to this , that he had the art , like Casimir Perier , of ennobling mean desi gns , and of serving whilst appearing to reign . " a f ; ?*? ^ " No one » ft » all , was better calculated than Af . Thiers to lead the bourgeoiiU ; his shrewd intellect ; his subtle , but good-humoured countenance ; his easy , unaffected manners ; his lively chattering , and the careless grace with which , i "l Ilgh $ of niB own importance when need was ; all these rendered his superiority light to be borne , and all the better secured its empire . All this was of service to him amongst a class which likes leaders Of easy access , and who do not stand too stiffly upon their personal merits , He had risen frem a
very low station , and this gave him a claim to the favour of thejjaryemw , who beheld in him the legitimacy of their own fortunes . And , then , what a fecundity of expedients did he display ! What a vi » vacity of intellect ! What aptitude for comprehending , for explaining everything ! M . Thiers was a journalist , a man of letters , and a financier ; hc would have made himself , had occasion offered , feneral of an army , and , even despite the direction is studies had taken , there was nothing he so much envied as the career of a warrior . In the History of the French Revolution , he had affected a great knowled ge of strategy ; and nothing would have so delighted him as to mount his charger , reviewtroops , and curry popularity among the' soldiers . Eloquent
ne was not , and his small figure was strikingly to his disadvantage in the tribune ; but he wa ' s so lucid in his exposition of affairs ; he spoke with such a heartiness of his love for his country ; his pantomime was so expressive ; his shrill and feeble v 01 ce M < niircd such a plaintiveness from fatigue , that he obtained success by means of his very t ! v 4 * ' ^ y tllc ausence ° f ai ' ° blo appearance , by diffusencss , excessive negligence , and commonplace demeanour and tone . No one better than he knew the art of . assuming mediocrity in an asscm . bW . ilis ideas were manifestly turned towards the empire ; he would have the executive to be active and respected ; he disdained it when scrupulous ; as for principles , he had a hair-brained , and
sometimes impertinent scorn for them ; for , in politics , he recognised no other divinity than force , and this he adored in its most opposite manifestations , provided always it showed no features of rigorism . Hc loved it equally well as a means of tyranny and as an instrument of revolt ; he had admired it in Bonaparte ; he had admired it in the impetuous Danton ; and he would have admired it even in Robespierre , if in Robespierre he had not found it united with austerity : for the rest , he had no consistency in his conduct , little depth of sentiment , more restlessness than activity , more turbulence than audacity : he proved himself , at times , adequate to an emergency , and he would have . ' possessed elevation of mind , had he
been gifted with more elevation of heart-. In many respects , M . Thiol's was a Danton in miniature ; he had , nevertheless , much more probity than he was given credit for , and his enemies threw out unjust accusations against him in this respect ; but being a man of imagination , loving the arts with a childish passion , devoured by frivolous wants , capable of forgetting the affairs of state for the discovery ef a bas-relief by Jean Goujon ; impetuous in his whims , eager to snatch the enjoyments of the present moment , he gave a ready handle to calumny . Though , individually , he had no rancour or malice , as a minister he was much less averse than M . Guizot . to violent measures ; it is true , that he did not , like M . Guizot , make a parade of despotism ; he would gladly have terrified his enemies , without feeling any desire to boast of their fears ; the essential thing for him being to put in operation the system of
intimidation which M . Guziotlaid down in theory ; for the one panted to act , the other to appear . Sometimes , after resisting pernicious designs in the council , M . Guizot stood up in the tribune as their apologist , and uttered implacable words , words of that kind that stick fast in men ' s minds , It was not 80 with M . Thiers , who was an indefatigable corrupter of the press , and skilful tamperer with public opinion , and the successful flatterer of that portion of the bourgeoisie which piqued itself upon liberalism and national pride . At any rate , M . Thiers possessed neither love of humanity , nor an apprehension of its possible progress ; guessing at nothing beyond the horizon , hc made little account of the people ; he admired it only in the battle-field , where it rushes upon destruction , and thought it good for nothing , but as matter to he worked upon by those insolent speculators , who , under the usurped name of statesmen , parcel out amongst them the spoils of nations . "
'H1charb Cobden, The Model Agitator.* Ma...
' H 1 CHARB COBDEN , THE MODEL AGITATOR . * Ma . Editor , —The above heading is the thesis of an article which appeared in the Spirit of the Age newspaper of Saturday last , in which the writer essays to convince his readers that Mr Cobden is an agitator of such rate and extraordinary qualifications that the annals of popular movements cannot furnish his parallel . The writer not only quaffs his goblet of turbid laudation to the excellencies of his friend , but at the same time pours copiously the phial of his condemnation upon all agitators and agitations , save Cobden , and Corn Law Repeal 2
The one is the model agitator , and the other is the bright oasis in the desert of political movements . That the partisans and friends of Mr . Cobden should express their admiration of that gentleman is perfectly natural and fair ; but in so doing they have no right to misrepresent the motives , deride the objects , or depreciate the means of other pioneers in the path of progress . The following extract from the letter of ' Ion' may be viewed as a fair sample of the wholesale condemnation heaped upon all men and measures , not within the holy precincts of Anti-Corn Law Leaguism ; - — ' The loud invectivethe untiring accusation—imputation which knew no justice , and mendacity which knew no tinth ; and
everlasting appeals to tie pasiions , and a pandering to popular vanity , which made the people who tolerated it seem not worth the saving ; these were the censtituent elements of old demagoguism . If statements were made they were random ; if arguments were used , they were perverted , strained , or illogical—everything was sacrificed to bouncing , and no-victory was esteemed like that of a cheer . What wretched—what miserable , impotent propagandises was this ? Clap-trap was its staple , and delusion its . end . And yet in too many quarters , even now , men delude themselves that this species of exhibition is patriotism , and can serve a useful end . ' Now , there is a specimen of modest diction , which
would require some diligent searching to find its parallel . For my own part , I can saj that I have been an observer ofthe progress of several agitations in this country , and I think it may be affirmed of them , without at aU incurring the charge of being hyperbolical , or in the slightest degree of derogating Mr . Cobden ' s real merits , that they have been as ably , as truthfully , and as disinterestedly conducted as any with which that gentleman has ever been allied . Indeed , it requires very little controversial tact or logical dexterity , to fasten upon the great champion , and the squires of the immaculate League , the greater number of the charges enumerated in the above paragraph , and sought to be
attached elsewhere . Talk of invective , accusation , and denunciation 2 Why every man in England knows that every epithet of opprobrium in our language has been brought into requisition by the League orators to designate tbe aristocracy of this country . Some of tbe choicest samples of respectable Billingsgate ever heard , have been fulminated from time to time by the satellites of ' Ion ' s' model agitator . And as regards ' random statements , ' ' perverted arguments , ' ' the bouncing , ' the ' cla . i » -tra . p , ' and the ' delusion , ' all the world knows that these were the weapons supplied frem tbe League armoury , wherewith to fight its battles . Many are the starving
stock' mgers in the Midland Counties ; many aie the wretched weavers of the North , whose miserable wages were mulct on the Saturday night , to promote that great and glorious change , that was to make England an El Dorado of peace and plenty , who , in the bitterness of their disappointment , execrate the whole tribe misnomered Free Traders , for the rank impositions and heartless delusions practised upon them . Notwithstanding the dogmatism of * Ion ' upon this point , there is a large portion of the thinking community exceedingly . sceptical as to Mr . Cobden ' s consistency . His profession of Republican principles , and his repudiation in the House of Commons of the idea of man having natural rights , is a paradox which I shall leave the admirers of his
consistency to reconcile . The people are just becoming cognizant of the fact that all the predictions ofthe great political oracle of the League have so far been rather reversed than fulfilled . There is yet no sign of England becoming a corn-exporting country ; there is yet no tendency to enhancement in the wages of labour ; neither is there any proof of that increased trade and commerce which v ? ere with such oracular confidence predicted as the consequences of triumphant Leagueism . Those who are not oblivious of these things will be rather inclined to regard Mr . Cobden ' s political prescience as a somewhat questionable matter , as a thing the existence of which may with some show of reason be denied
, ' Ion' goes on to tell us that Mr . Cobden ' took no steps but upon the firmly paved ground facts . ' I must take exception to this assertion . That Mr . Cob-
'H1charb Cobden, The Model Agitator.* Ma...
den i « a cautions , calculating politician no we will deny j nevertheless , it is obvious to those who can take an impartial retrospect of hit public career , that even h « has been sometimes wont to indulge is th « vagaries of theory . Speeches of Mr . Cobden ar » producible in abundance , in which he says that after the Repeal ofthe Corn Laws , England would become the granary of the world , and be a corn-exporting country . How could this position be reconciled with the assertion that we should hare increased commerce in the same ratio as we imported grain ? Mr , Cobden and hii omniscient co-agitators were in the habit of presenting Corn Law Repeal in three different respects , as circumstances requited . In the first
place , Repeal was sought in towns , where the audiences consisted of the shopkeeping and working classes , on the ground that it would increase wages and improve trade . Time has shown this to be claptrap of the first water . Then the light in which the cause was set before the agricultural clodpoles wa ? , that it would enable the farmer to obtain better prices for his produce , and Baptist Noel argued that it would secure to the landlord a better rent . And the third position , which is significantly suggestive of the real motives ofthe misnomered Free-traders , was taken up in the legislature , which was that
Repeal was required to enable the British manufacturer by cheap production to maintain his position in the foreign markets of the world ! It always puzzled simple-minded men to understand that if the high prices of our manufactures was an impediment to their disposal in the foreign market , how such impediment could be removed by enhancing the cost o f production , or , in other words , by increasing the wages of labour . It requires no argument to show that any one of these positions is contradictory of the other two . So mnch for the consistency o ! the omniscient agent .
1 Ion has fallen into another error when he claims moral heroism for the Leagners . He would have us believe that the League missionaries were ever willing and anxious to engage their opponents in controvemal warfare . Why there is no fact in the histoiy of political agitation more notorious than the habitual aversion of those gentlemen to discussion . It is well-known that doubts were entertained as to the value of Repeal ; and it is also well-known that whoever presumed at any of the League meetings to express his dissent from their orthodoxy , was met with contumely and reproach , and in a multitude of instances has had his temerity chastised by the blud geons of the police , at the instigation of the orators
themselves . This may appear to « Ion' to be « quiet ' 1 refined and 'polished' agitation , but to the TUlgar optics of common people it seems quite another thing . Before Mr . Cobden ' s time , we are assured that political agitation was an immense bubble . Of course we are expected to infer that he made it a great blesiing , But , soberly and seriously , what has Mr . Cobden done to . warrant this wholesale panegyric ? What boon has this ne plus ultra of agitators conferred upon society ? We have vet to learn the answers . It is true that fc « has , aided by a vast sum of money , much of which was risen in a somewhat questionable mode , been instrumental in effecting the repeal of the Corn Laws of 1815 1
That he was ardent and persevering in the pursuit of his purpose is conceded by all , but that purpose was wanting in the length , breadth , and depth , which would make it the enduring basis of an honourable and dignified political reputation . I must , with all respect for ' Ion's * jud gment , demur to the assertion , that agitation anterior to the Cobden era was an immense babble . The Charter and Socialist agitations have done much to arouse from torpor and inaction the national mind , and to concentrate it upon those great social and political problems
which wisdom and justice must solve ere liberty or happiness can prevail . Catholic emancipation-Negro emancipation—municipal and parliamentary reform were bo many recognitions of true principles —steps , though small , nevertheless as important in the path of progress as Corn Law Repeal or Financial Reform . And the agitations which won these concession ? , were character ised by leadership as sound , efforUs persevering , talent as genuine , and genius as bright as the Anti-Corn Law League , in its palmiest days , could boast of .
It seems rather inconsistent in the writer to denounce the loud invectives in which some agitators indulge , while , at the same time , he is bitterly inveighing against all agitators , save the model one . If invectives be reprehensible in others , by what immunity is it indulged in by 'Ion' ? He arrogates to himself a censorship to which 1 , for one , am not disposed to recognise his claim , Had he adduced facts , instances , circumstances , and made them the groundwork of his conclusions , he would have acted fairly , but when he indulges his penchant for censure by a sweeping condemnation of the public con . duct of all save his own protege , he does injustice to men to whose hearts the weal of humanity is near and dear . Modes of agitation , like everything , are
susceptible of reformation and improvement . Experience will show the inefficiency of some means and the necessity of devising and applying others . We must not , however , be surprised in a nation like this , writhing as it is under an accumulation of political and social wrongs , to hear occasionally the angry remonstrances of the bruised spirit—the bitter ebullitions of the seared heart . Such has been humanity in every age and clime , and such was designed to be by the inscrutable power that made the instinct to resist oppression an ineradicable portion of the nature of man . 1 am not tbe defender nor apologist of all that has taken place in the Chartist movement , for that is the agitation censured by implication , and I do not think that ' Ion' would like to be held accountable for all the
sayings and doings of the Leaguers , notwithstanding the enthusiasm of his admiration of the model agitator . If errors have been committed , bitter and indiscriminate censure will not correct them . Man may be reasoned out of his faults but cannot be bullied . The vain assumption , however , of the part of censor , and the haughty exercise of his prerogatives , so far from tending to improve , only beget disgust . Let our wise men , therefore , when they deign to dispel our ignorance and give us the guidance of their experience , do so without the censoriinsness of the cynic or the anogance of the pedant ; and the people will not be found wanting either in attention , respect , or reverence . London , Jan . 24 , 1849 . Junius .
Mewhmvw
meWhmvw
Sadler's Wells. Shakspeare's King Johh-A...
SADLER ' S WELLS . Shakspeare ' s King Johh-a , play altered as little as possible from the original text—was produced on Monday night , for the first time in London since it was brought out by Mr . Macrcady at Drury-lanc . There is great merit in Mr . Phelps's performance of King John . The dialogue with Hubert , in which he makes known that the life of Arthur is an impediment in his way , was given with much subtleness , and hc was highly successful in rendering the restless anxiety and infirmity of purpose which mark the latter part of John ' s career . The Constance of
Miss Glyn was excellent ; her grief and her indignation have no lack of intensity , she seems filled with a determination to give all her words and all her by-play their full expression , and some of her points are made with striking effect . The character of Hubert was well sustained by Mr . G . Bennett , and the celebrated scene with Prince Arthur ( very prettily acted by Miss Mandlebert ) , received the accustomed applause . Mr . Marston ' s conception of Falconbridge was very good . The decorations at this theatre have been executed with care , the most effective scene being the view of S win stead Abbey . The house was crowded in every part .
SURREY . A new drama , entitled The Bivouac of the Hills , or the Bridal , was produced here last night . The plot is destitute of novelty . A quarrel takes place between a private soldier and his commanding officer about the sweetheart of the former , resulting in the condemnation of the soldier , who is saved at the moment of execution by the lady , whose heroism secures a husband and rids licr countiy ( Switzerland ) of its French invaders by the same act . The piece which was respectably acted , especially the part filled by Mr . Emery , and well put upon the stage , was successful , and may possibly run for some weeks .
Railwav. Sul-Ghteb.—Seven Sheep, Out Of ...
Railwav . Sul-ghteb . —Seven sheep , out of a flock which had strayed upon the Kendal and "Windermere line on Thursday evening week , were killed by the mail-twin from Birthwaite , or so mangled that it was-found necessary to slaughter them , The accident arose from the inefficiency ofthe fencing . Alittle girl at Leebrook was choked last week by swa llowing a screw . From the Broker , Virginia mine , 2 , 8 < 12 pennyweights of gold have been taken out by twelve labourers in two months . The Cdlifornian Herald , printed on yellow paper , typical of the golden treasures . in that peninsula , is announced for immediate publication .
The New York Harbinger states that a Yankee in Boston has taken passage for California with a venture , consisting of five thousand bonnets ! There has . been an enormous emigrant arrival in New York during the year just brought to a close . The total number arrived is not far short of 300 , 000 . The great proportion of these have found their way to the Tar West , „ .....
Vavietitfi.
Vavietitfi .
To Tiiosr Sbekixo Euplotmbht.—The Albany...
To tiiosr Sbekixo Euplotmbht . —The Albany Express has the following advertisement ; — " Wanted , an able-bodied Irishman to hold my wife s tongue—ehe and I botli being unable to keep it quiet . " ° Impcdbxcb . —When hypocrisy has lost the mask of shame she puts on painted prido , and she is then called impudence . —Bujon . Sb eer Wokk . —The following curious extract is c from the Morpeth Register : — " 1711 , September 2 S . —John Brown and Lsther Burns , after three times calling-, was married in the gaol by reason he could not sot libQi'ty to come to church , and
Susanna , their daughter was baptised that same ( day ) and tke bride was churched that day also . " Military Wit . —A soldier one day entered a country shop , and seeing a small quantity of red herrings upon the counter , asked the shopkeeper , — " What is them ? " The shopkeeper replied , " Them ' s sodgers , sir . " " Well , " exclaimed tap son of Mars , " I shall take them up as desertajrs , for they are here without leave of absence , " aud with that he walked off with the lot , to the no small surprise of the shopkeeper . Tkue . ' There are manv who decorate the tombs of those ' whom , when living , they persecuted with envv . —Socrates .
A * Texder Pair . — A rustic recently offered for sale in Matlock Bath , two over-sized and corpulent gecso , but had , contrary to usual custom , tied them Fast by the necks , and seemed very anxious to sell them as a couple , and not singly . He found a purchaser on his own terms , and the buyer was led to inquire tha reason for the apparent eccentricity of the vendor , when an explanation was rendered as follows : — " "Whoi , sir , the poor things have been an affectionate couple on Tansley Common for the last twentu-jivc years , and I thought ' twould be a pity
they should be separated at last . " A Goon Law , axd a Good Reasok ron it . —It was one of the laws of Lycurgus , that no portions should be given with young women in marriage . When this great lawgiver was called upon to justify this enactment , he observed , " That in the choice of a wife merit only should be considered ; aud that the law was made to prevent young women being chosen for their riches or neglected for their poverty . " Jonathan Again . —A genuine Yankee adventurer , having heard that a new speck had been discovered on the sun ' s disc , asked it it was a " safe spec" as he wanted to do a little trade in that quarter .
A Lo . vo Shot 1—A person shooting last winter on Mount Lebanon , when near the . summit , on the side of a deep declivity , put up a hare , which took a downward course , and which he immediately shot ; but the impetus of running caused her to roll over scvaral times . The snow Btuck to the skin , and formed a ball , which increased every turn , Dragged down by its own weight , which kept augmenting , it rolled to the foot ofthe mountain , and was so large and so hard , that tho chasseur was obliged to call some peasants to " cut it open with their axes and spades to get puss out ofher shroud . "—American Paper . Mourvino Habits op Different Nations . —In Europe , black is generally used , because it represents darkness , which death is like unto , as it is a
privation of life . China , white , because they hope the dead are in Heaven , the placo of purity . Egypt , yellow , representing the decaying of trees and flowers , which become , as they die away , yellow . Ethiopia , brown , denoting the colour of the earth , from whence we come , and to which we return . In some parts of Turkey , blue , representing the sky , whercthey hope the dead the dead arc gone ; but m other parts , purple or violet , because , being of a mixture of black and blue , it represents , as it were , sorrow on one side and hope on the other . Why is a blacksmith the most likely person in trade to be corrupted ? Because hc is surrounded by vices and old jilcs .
THE WARRI 0 B , Mark ! where carnage and his conquests cease ; He makes a solitude and calls it—peace \—Byrcm . War—Dr . Johnson laughed at Lord Karnes opinion that war was a good thing occasionally , as so much Vivlour and virtue were exhibited in it . «« A fire , " said tho Doctor , " might as well be considered a good thing . There arc the bravery and address ot the firemen in extinguishing it—there is much humanity exerted in saving the lives and properties of the poor sufferers ; yet , after all this , who can say that a fire is a good thing ? Women of Nazarrtu . —The women of Nazareth are lovely ; I never saw so many beautiful women , and there is no abominable veil over their faces . Thev wear their raven hair cut straight over their forehead , which , though it mars the intellectual beauty of the-brow , yet gives a certain piquancy to the expression .
Belling the Belles , —The women of Poland hava a watchful eye over their daughters , and make them wear little bells on their persons , to denote where thoy are and what Ihey are about . * Female Temper . —No trait of character is more valuable in a female than the possession of a sweet temper . Home can never be made happy without it . It is like flowers that spring up in our pathway , reviving and cheering us . Let aman go home at night , wearied and worn out with the toils of the day , and how soothing is a word dictated by a good disposition . It is sunshine falling upon his heart . He is happy , and the cares of life are forgotten . The Swokd and the Pen , —That was a beautiful tribute of Napoleon to the supremacy of mind over
physical force in the long trial . " Do you know , Fontanes , " ho said , " what I admire most in the world ? It is the powerlessncss of force to found anything . There are only two powers in the world —the salire and the pen—and , in the end , the former is always conquered by the latter . " Bath . —Iu the year 1760 , subscription rooms were opened for prayers at the Abbey , and gaining at the rooms . At the close of the first day , the number o £ subscribers for prayers was twelve , and for gaming sixty-seven . This circumstance occasioned the following lines at the time : — " The Church and Rooms the other day Open'd their books for Prayer and Play : The Priest got twelve , Hoyle sixty-seven ;
How great tho odds for Hell ' gainst Heaven ?" Force of Habit . —Lord Campbell , in his " Lives of the Chancellors , " says that Lord Tenterden , the celebrated judge , expired with these words on his lips— " Gentlemen of tho Jury , you will now consider your verdict . " The Miser . —A Fable . — " What an unfortunate wretch am I , " complained a miser to his neighbour . ' Some one last night has taken away the treasure which I buried in the garden , and laid a cursed stone in its place . " "And yet you have never used your treasure , " answered his neighbour . * ' Only bring yourself to believe that the stone is still your treasure , and you are none the poorer . " " If I am none tlio poorer , " returned the miser , " is not some one else the richer ? So much the richer !—the
thought is enough to drive me mad . '—Lessing . "I believe you , my Boy !"—" What would my poor mother think , if she knew I were here ? " said one . officer to another , during one ofthe terrible charges at Waterloo . " Pooh , man ! " said the other , " that's nothing to the funk my tailor would he in if ho knew the chance he has for his bill . " " What ' s the Price of Babies ?"—" Well , m ' m , and what are you axing for Little Johnny the day ?" asked an Irish mendicant in the costume of a " Distressed Mother . " " Only sixpence , " answered the purveyor of sympathetic objects . " Och , g'lang widyou ! exclaimed the haggling twYWcr , " Sure I'd get a cripple for fourpence ! ' The Poor Man' akd tub Miser . — A poor man
once came to a miser , and said "I have a favour to ask " " So have I , " said the miser ; " grant mme first , then will I comply with tliine , " " Agreed . " " My request is , " said the miser , " that you ask me for nothing . " Difficulties of Authorship . —There are three difficulties hi authorship ; to write anything worth the publishing , to find honest men to publish it ; and to got sensible men to read it . Amkkican Feasting . —A Kentuckian , on hearing praised the Rutland punch-bowl , which on the christening of the young Marquis , was built so large that a small boat was actually sot sailing on it , in which a boy sat down who ladled out the liquor , exclaimed — " I gucsa I've seen a bowl that 'ud beat that to eternal smash ; for , at my brother ' s christening , the bowl was so de ep that when we young ' uns said it warn't sweet enough , father sent a man down in a
diving bell to stir up the sugar at the bottom . An IKGEKIOUS ARAB . —Mr . J . R . Gliddon relates in his lectures on Egyptian Archaeology , reported in the Arclueological Journal of the past and present month , that "An Arab discovered tho northern airchannel ofthe Great Pyramid to be open from top to bottom , by placing a cat at the outer orifice , and her kittens at the other , shutting them in with stones . The mother soon found her way down through the Pyramid , to her little family ; thus proving that this hitherto mysterious passage communieatod with the outside . Previous to the clearing of these passages the air in the Pyramid was quite suffocating . ' Truth and Kindness . —In the minds of the best of men there is , always has been , and always will be , some difference of opinion as to what is true ; but everybody knows and feels what is kind . " How old are you , Sir ? " said a clerk of
indictment to a convict at an asauc . " I believe , sir , I ' m pretty well as old as I shall be , " he replied . And m good truth , for hc was luingcd on tho Monday following . Legal Humbug . —At the late Staffordshire sessions it was formerly decided that a widow is not a single woman , and a thief got oft' in consequence of such a misdescription ot * the owner of stolen Home . —How sweet a thing is love not acquired—it is a feeling that has where . It is born with us , brough world to carry us on with joy in to the humblest heart that ever « Mtt
Of^Q^Dlijf ^\ Imf ]M$$M ' -V ? -' : '""'...
of ^ Q ^ dlijf ^\ imf ] m $$ M ' -v - ' '""' ¦ t TO ^® tT ^ -, y , ; j $ tm ^^ wM ^^^ i ' Si ^ ' * - ^ th ^ UMmf ^^''><* £ fc fe ^ f " r ^ $ & 5 » W ¥ > ' J ^ ' " ^ ?*' $ * " x-aY - - 'friffix lii ' M' HZK . ' l ^ r ey jd wn ^ ' ^^ l ^ * ¦ £ £ , mh ' && Ld ^^ 5 » W "t" ^ '' ^ *"? $ * " x-aY - - 'friffix lii ' M' HZK . ' l ' i' * b * : rr * : 9 . ! i * i' ^ 4
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 3, 1849, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_03021849/page/3/
-