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~** ~ ' - : " •"-- : THE NORTHEK^ S . TA...
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Kow ready, Price One Shilling THK SKCOBD EDITION OF "
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MR. O'CONNOR AND HIS FRIENDS. i Mr. O'Co...
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THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1816.
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"THE NATION" AND "THE CHARTER." " We hav...
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"ME CHURCH RESTORATION FUND. When a coun...
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WEEKLY REVIEW. The food riots which have...
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Colonial aitir /omtpt %\tww
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Accounts to July Slat have come to hand ...
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Transcript
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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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~** ~ ' - : " •"-- : The Northek^ S . Ta...
~** ~ ' - : " " -- : THE NORTHEK ^ S . TA-JKT — " ' " ¦ — * -- ' ¦ - " ¦ "^"¦; - " : - - " Ootobeb 3 , 1846 .
Kow Ready, Price One Shilling Thk Skcobd Edition Of "
Kow ready , Price One Shilling THK SKCOBD EDITION OF "
Ad00412
UY LIFE , OR OUR SOCIAL STATE , PARt I . . a Poem , hy ERNEST JOXES Barrister at Law . Wc hope the author will be encouraged hy the nublie to contmuehismemoirs .-LUerary Gazette - „^^ ii ^ ^ 5 eanaeTentful , 1 UBto > 7-Ossianic imts quality . —Morning Herald Lady Caerleoa and " her Lord arc portraits true as anv that . Lawrence ever painted . Beautiful in description , tender , pathetic and glowing in the affections of the heart the author ' s penis not without a turn for satire . — Aaval and Military Gasctte . It hears forcibly and nusnently on tho existinc : state ot society , its vices , its follies , and its crimes . —Court Journal . In every page before us may be discovered some fresh vigorous and poetical conception . The fearful breaking down of the dykes is btautifully brought into the mind s « ye- —Morning Post . and
Ad00413
lXroatAST to todng and heat / toy hen . UNITED PATRIARCHS BENEFIT SOCIETY . Patron : T . S . Ddscombe-, Esq ; ., il . P . London Society House : —Bound Table Tavern , St . Martin ' s Court , Leicester Square , John Calf , Treasurer . . London Office : —13 . Tottenham Court , New Road , St . Pancras . Dasiil TTiluah Rnrrx , General Secretary . An opportunity is offered for a short time to Healthy ilen , under Forty-Five years of age , to become members -of this institution . It is Enrolled , and empowered by -Act ef Parliament to have Agents , Medical Attendants , Branches , and Branch Committees , with other important "pririlepes , and to extend over the United Kingdom .
Ad00414
A WEEKS READING FOR A PENNY . iSK FOP . THE I . OSDOS PIONEER—the Cheapest Penny Paper in the World : contains half-a-erowu ' s-¦ » orth of Readinjr , many beautiful Stories ; amongst other * " The Unweddedone , '' by Mrs . Fulhvood Smerdon ; "The Gascon , " a splendid Historical Romance by Amelia Eiwards ; " Marti . the Foundling , " bv Eugne Sue . & r . i"C & c . Published in Weekly Numbers at One Penny and Monthly Parts at Sixpence , bj U . I ) . Cousin's , Duke , street , Lincoln ' s-inn , London , and sold by all Booksellers-2 > o . 25 is tins day published . Part 5 is also ready . All fee Numbers are in print . Purchase one of them and jsdje for yourself .
Ad00415
DAGUERREOTYPE PORTRAITS , HALF PRICE at 14 S , Fleet-street , opposite the late " League ^ OSive . —Mr . TXJEUTON bess to inform the public , tha from the great improvements he has made in the art , he is now able to furnish exquisitely finished portraits at half the usual price . Minature likenesses for broaches rings , lockets , < £ c and the requisite gold mountings , furnished by Mr . E . equally low . —Pictures any description copied . — *„* The improved German and French lenses , Apparatus , Chemicals , Plates , Cases , and all Other requisites for the art to he had , as usual , at his depot , 1 . Temple-street , Whitefriars . A complete hook of instruction of this art . " s . fid . —Descriptive price lists sent gratis . —The art completely taught for £ 3 .
Ad00416
LITHOGRAPHIC ENGRAA INGS OF THS DTJSCOMBE TESTIMONIAL . M AY still be had at the Office of Messrs . H'Gowajj and Co ., 10 , Great Windmill Street , Haymarket , London ; through any r espectable bookseller in town or country '; or at any of the agents of the Sbrlhern Star . The tngraviug Is on a lar ^ e scale , is executed in the most finished --tyle , is finely printed on tinted paper , and gives a minute desesiptiou of the Testimonial , and has tiis Inscription , & c , & e . engraved up"iiit . PRICE FOUUPENCE .
Ad00417
A GOOD FIT WARRANTED . "j T-BSDELI , AND CO ., Tailors , are now maiinjr up i . vJ complste Suit of Supsriins Black , any size , for £% Superfine West of England Black , £ Z 10 s . ; and the very best Superfine Saxony , £ -5 , warranted not to spot or change colour . Juvenile Superfine Cloth Suits , 21 s . ; liveries equally cbaap—attbc Great Western Emporium , Sos . l aud 2 , QsLforaeiveti , London ; the noteii house for good black cloths , and patent made trousers . Gentlemen ean choose the coiour and ouaiity of cloth from the lances : stock ia Louden . The .- > , iof cutting taught .
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TO TAILORS . LONDON and PARIS FASHIONS FOR ATJTUilN AND W 1 N . TER , 1816-47 . By READ and Co ., 12 , Uart-.- 'trcet , ElQpmsbury square , London ; And G . Berg j , llolywell-street , Strand ; May be had of all booksellers , wheresoever residing . sow headt , By approbation of her Majesty Queen Victoria , and his Royal Hig hness Prince Albert , a splendid print ,
Ad00419
WEST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE , MICHAELMAS SESSIONSNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN , That tho MICHAELMAS GENERAL QUARTER SESSIONS of the Peace for the West Riding of tho County of York , will be opened at KNARESBOROUGH , on TUESDAY , the 20 th day of October , instant , at Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon ; and by Adjournment from thenco will be holdcn at LEEDS , on WEDNESDAY , the 21 st day of the same month of October , at Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon and also , by further Adjournment from thence , will be holdcn at DOJiCASTER , on MONDAY , the 20 tii day of the same month of October , at half-past Ten of the Clock in the Forenoon , when all Jurors , Suitors , Persons hound by Kecogmzance . and others having business at the said several Sessions , are required to attent the Court on the several days , and at the several Hours above mentioned .
Mr. O'Connor And His Friends. I Mr. O'Co...
MR . O'CONNOR AND HIS FRIENDS . i Mr . O'Connor begs to return his cheerful thanks to tha many individuals and societies who have forwarded various sums for his acceptance as a testimonial , ]) while , with the greatest respect , he begs to decline all gratuities of whatever nature . He is as fond of his independence as a beggar is of his idleness , and when he hears of his countrymen beiiig striken with famine , he would blush at being the recipient of a farthing that might be better applied in arresting the monster ' s march .
Mr . O'Connor also begs to inform those who subscribed to the Anti-Militia'Fund , that he has this day paid over the sun of £ i 3 s . 3 d ., the amount received by hkn to the Secretary , Mr . Stallwood , for the purpose of restoring it to the several subscribers . The working classes may rest assured , that when their confidence is ' made complete in poor as well as rich leaders , the accomplishment of their object will be near at hand .
The Northern Star Saturday, October 3, 1816.
THE NORTHERN STAR SATURDAY , OCTOBER 3 , 1816 .
"The Nation" And "The Charter." " We Hav...
"THE NATION" AND "THE CHARTER . " " We have received a printed address from the Chartists of England to the Irish peojile , with a request that we should insert it in the " Nation . " We desire no fraternisation between the Irish peojile and the Chartists—not on account of the lugbear of ' physical force , " but simply became some of their five paints are to us an abomination , and the whole spirit and tone of their jwoceedings , though well enough for England , are so essentially English that their adoption in Ireland would neither be probable nor at all desirable . Between tis and ( hem there is a gulf fixed ; we desire not to bridge it over , but to make it wider and deeper . " From the Nation" of Aug . 15 , 1846 .
ABOMINATION No 5 .-NO PROPERTY QUALIFICATIOK " . The object of the People's Charter being to destroy the influence of class legislation , it is manifest that , however the possession of the vote may arm the masses with the power of taking vengeance upon the treacherous who deceive them , that , still , their selection would be , after all , but a choice of evils , so lonfe as they were limited in the choice of representatives to that very class to whose influence tliey trace their every grievance and the law ' s every inequality .
From the year 1793 to the fatal act of Union , the Irish people possessed a very extensive right of franchise—a franchise which , in many instances , placed at the disposal of large landed proprietors the votes of from 3 , 000 to G . 000 of their slaves ; and yet , if the majority of those slaves had willed their freedom by a free exercise of tiie franchise , tliey would not have accomplished it , inasmuch as the crying injustice of that age was tyranny of the Protestant ascendancy , the power of the Stale Church , and the limitation of Ministerial patronage to Parliamentary partisans ; while the Catholic voters ,
though numerous , were confined to the selection of representatives from the tyrant class—none but PROTESTANTS BEING QUALIFIED to sit in Parliament . Here , then , was an extensive franchise wholly neutralised by a limited selection . In the same way , if the English working classes were now in possession of the Chartist franchise , with the limitation of choice to the monied classes , it would place them precisely in the same position as a flock of sheep with a wolf as their shepherd , or as a flock of hens with a fox as the guardian of the roost . Some persons may argue—and with a strong colour of truth—that , the suffrage once gained , all else would follow ; while we contend , that a Parliament of PROPERTY qualified representatives , elected
for SEVEN TEARS by Universal Suffrage , would he a den of the most unmitigated thieves that ever met to divide the spoil of conquest ; " no delusion , mockery , or snare" would be left untried at the hustings , while no treachery would be left unpractised in the senate . Popular dissatisfaction would very naturally follow popular disappointment ; while repeated class deception and cheat would constitute the only satisfaction ; and thus the value of the franchise would lose its charm in the facility of deception , and the people , from repeated failure and disgust , would become more than ever apathetic , from the belief that even untrammelled representation must be fraught with unexplained , but yet discoverable , difficulties .
During the American war a distemper broke out ill the English fleet , for which brimstone was recommended . In one ship the supply ran short , and one cane fell to the lot of the first lieutenant and the surgeon , which the lieutenant broke into two very unequal parts , and , holding both on his hand , he said to the surgeon : " As I divided it , you shall have your choice ; but I'll take this half , snatching the LION'S SHARE . " Now , such would be precisely the choice of a constituency , however large , so long as the selection of representatives was trammelled by any limitation whatever . Our notion of universal
suffrage is not merely confined to the simple possession of the vote , it extends to its free and unshackled exercise as well . The present war , which has been so long raging , is the war of labour against the dominion of capital ; a dominion acqu ired solely by the possession of privileges from which labour is excluded , and we hold it to be an impossible thing for the owners of that capital , although elected by labour , to do justice to labour ; it implies a voluntary surrender of a portion of that property to another party , which system , use and custom , has
marked as its own . "We think we see Coliden , Bright and Mark Phillips standing on the hustings as the champions of enfranchised labour , with the limitation of choice to the monied class , and surrounded hy the masters of the district , a portion of whose property , nay all , depended upon the perpetuation of the dominion of capital , and all surrounded by their enfranchised slaves in cohorts , under the command of their respective overseers , and we have not , under such circumstances , sufficient faith in public virtue to leave the selection , even of a choice of evils , to the slave class . The great value of all
"The Nation" And "The Charter." " We Hav...
the points of the Charter is , that they constitute one great whole , and we contend for the free exercise of the grand point—UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE , upon the legal maxim that when a lessor confers a right upon a lessee , the law presumes that he is endowed with the untrammelled use of that right , though unnoticed or unprovided for in the title which creates it . Thus , if A . leases to B a portion of land in the middle of his deer park , without any mention or
provision for access to the house of B , the law presumes the right of passage , however long or inconvenient , to B , and supports him in his claim , upon the fair and equitable grounds that right of unimpeded use follows possession , or otherwise possession would be a farce . Now , here is strictly a case in point , and how then can a voter be said to be equitably in possession of his vote , while the passage to its free use is obstructed bv the toll bar of
PROPERTY QUALIFICATION . " INTER PARES NOT EST POTESTAS , " says the law ; " There is no superiority among equals . " But the House of Commons cannot say this , inasmuch as the vote of a Scotch member , who may not be worth a baubee , may neutralise the vote of an English member worth £ 200 , 000 per annum , as in Scotland no other qualification is required beyond the mere choice of the electors . Again , when any requisite which prudence demands can be dispensed-with , or got over by a fiction , the requisite itself becomes a ridiculous nonentity . For instance , there are scores of
members who have mt a borrowed qualification , conferred by some wealthy patron for the occasion , and no doubt with an understanding that a suitable return of becoming gratitude shall be rendered in the honourable shape of subserviency . , The professed reason of the necessity of property" qualification is , to enable the member to live independently , and free from the suspicion of being influenced by government patronage : and , truth to say , the violation of this law , in favour of Scotland , may , in some measure , account for the slavish ' prostitution of needy Scotchmen ; while their subserviency does not at all
strengthen the necessity , and for this simple reason , because the Charter provides for the decent and independent support of all members , by making provision for their honourable payment for public services . Here , then , we find , that in one country , where representation constitutes one-twelfth . of the whole , the rule does not exist , while in the other two it may be , and is , extensively violated ; thus destroying the original intention of protecting the constituency against the effect of ministerial corruption of their representative . Hence we show , that the original , and indeed the only assigned purpose of property qualification , is not in operation in one country , and is violated extensively in the other . But ,
further , we shall show that this presumed safeguard against the temptations to which poverty would subject representatives , is not equal in its application , but , on the contrary , that , under the present system , a majority of the whole House may consist of memhers , from whom no other qualification than that" of birth , or heirship , is required . Firstly , then , the eldest son of a pauper Peer is qualified . Secondly , the eldest son of a qualified Gentleman , not in Parliament , is qualified . And those , respectively , have but to plead as their qualification , the one as eldest son of a Peer , the other as heir-apparent to a property over head and ears in debt , and from which the father may not allow him sixpence a-year .
Under this latter head , we may naturally presume that many prodigal sons are qualified , whose only inducement to obtain a Seat is , to secure a livelihood by political prostitution . We , therefore , find , that the majority of government patronage is conferred upon those who measure the recompense by the necessity of keeping up a luxurious idle life , in which they have been reared , rather than by any rule of honest frugality . This tribej for the mos t part , constitutes the LICE UPON THE BEETLE'S
BACK ; the leeches of labour , who most hate the thing they live upon , to show their station and their independence . This tribe also constitutes a needy reserve for a profligate minister to fall back upon . To the eldest son of a needy Peer , or of a needy qualified Squire , with some county influence , £ 600 , or £ 300 a-year , is but a mere fly-blow . And hence the necessity of lucrative government situations , to meet the luxurious habits of a corruptible needy aristocracy .
Furthermore , the practice of qualifying members is too notorious to require comment , and , presuming £ 450 a-year , for life , to be the average qualification of all members , that is , makinc a sum of the £ 000 a year for a county member , and £ 300 a year which is the qualification for a city or borough member , and supposing the classes , for argument sake , to be balanced , and deducting 53 Scotch members who require no qualification , we find that the remaining 005 require , amongst them , as a Parliamentary qualification , the annual amount of £ 272 , 250 , an amount nearly possessed by several of the most
wealthy , and out of which the whole house , sons of peers , poor gentleman and all , might be qualified by ' any one corrupt member . Indeed , if £ 600 a year is the honest amount upon which a country gentleman can live in independence , it is rather derogatory to our ministers , that , being for the most part borough representatives , they are only obliged to swear to £ 300 per annum ; such is the case with Lord John Russell , the Prime Minister and member for the citv of nations , and such is the case with the
late Prime Minister , Sir Robert Peel , member for Tamworth . We think we have now fully explained the absolute necessity of the removal of all qualifications , save the choice of the electors to insure the untrammelled exercise of the franchise , as well as the absurdity of a property qualification being a protection against ministerial influence , and we shall proceed to give the sum and substance of a valid Parliamentary qualification from one who calls himself a high legal authority : —
" My dear , You need have no conscientious scruple upon the subject . I enclose you an equitable title from my son-in-law to enter upon his estate , in the county of —— , aud to distrain for aud levy £ 320 a year for your life . " " My son is qualified hy a letter of credit to the same purport upon the propert y of Dr . what you will have to swear to is , that you are , in law or equity , in possession of £ 300 a year , mind—IN EQUITY , and the enclosed confers an equitable title of which you can compel the legal fulfilment . Believe me , that it is AN UNUSUALLY GOOD QUALIFICATION , and one to which you need have no scruple in swearing . " " Yours truly , — _/>
"Me Church Restoration Fund. When A Coun...
"ME CHURCH RESTORATION FUND . When a country , pre-eminently distinguhhed for the fertility of its soil , the salubrity of its climate , and the industry of its people , is stricken w ith periodical destitution , and not unfrequent visitations of famine , the cause becomes matter of grave and serious consideration . We cannot , without doing violence to our feelings , treat the present state of Ireland according to the cold and measured language of philosophy , political economy , or strained
philanthropy . We cannot reconcile the forced marching of troops , the transmission of ammunition , and the activity of otherwise indolent magistrates , with the government ' s affected desire to lessen the calamity while it is engaged in devising permanent measures of relief . It js true that the Times newspaper , and other equally credible authorities , have endeavoured to impress the English mind with the notion that the religion , characteristic idleness , and hatred of English laws of the Irish people , constitute the great barriers to improvement .
"Me Church Restoration Fund. When A Coun...
We have frequently shewn , however , that in belgtv tm , aud other purely Catholic countries , that the CatlioJic religion so far from operating as a cause ol discomfort , is the medium of the greatest tenderness , care , and StfHfade of the wantsof the poor , while the secured possession of . the land g ives a free current to industry , unequalled in any other country in tbe world ; while the i . ws , being enacted for their protection instead Of thei r persecution , are obeyed with reverence and respect . Indeed , in auswer to the taunt of religious inferiority , we need but point
to the condition : of the English poor , as contrasted with the English aristocracy , in the days of Catholicism and her monasteries , as compared with her palmy days of Protestantism , bone-picking , and Poor Law Bastiles . It is no answer to us , that the working people of the 19 th century are a superior race to those of the 15 th century ; because , as WC justly judge by comparison , we answer , that the line of demarcation b y which the hig her and lower classes are now divided , is Stronger and DlOrc strikingly unjust than in the days of Catholicism and
monasteries . We have too often shown that there is a premium in Ireland for idleness , and a heavy tax upon industry ; amounting , in fact , to ejectment , and all the persecution consequent upon the necessity of justifying tyranny , to require extensive comment at the present moment . We have traced idleness and improvidence to its natural source ; while everyday gives proof of characteristic industry in its frightful hordes seeking employment in the world's artificial market and England ' s fields ; unseated by the dangers of the sea , or the terrors of the most unhealthy clime However , as we write to lead to a correct notion of the causes of Irish suffering , we may here draw a plain picture of the real cause of Irish idleness , the truth of which will be admitted from a glance .
Let us presume , then , that a poor tenant takes twenty acres of land , at a rent of £ 1 per acre , or £ 20 a year , upon the usual tenure of ACCEPTED PROPOSAL . In less than three years , that man will have improved the value of his holding to £ 25 a-year ! and thus will have established a legal arid equitable title to one fifth of the value of the farm . This title , however , he cannot sustain , except at an expense which he cannot meet ; and AS A
LANDLORD OF STRAW CAN BREAK A TENANT OF STEEL , the luxurious tyrant , whose wants are increased by his tenant ' s industry , lusts after his tenant ' s share of the land ; he ejects him , ousts him , blasts his character to justify his own tyranny , and sends him upon the world as a NATURAL HATER of the laws that have oppressed and robbed him . The tyrant then lets the joint property of himself and his ejected slave to another slave , whose improvements are , in turn , subjected to further competition .
Is it wonderful , then , that such being the rule 0 ' Irish landlords , that the poor should rather gauge industry by the measure of possession than by the scale of interest . As Ireland is purely an agricultural country , the question of her soil , as applicable to the wants of her people , is the one question of pressing and paramount importance . In order , then to prove that the charge of idleness is a libel , we
vouch for the following fact . Suppose the tenant who has been ousted from his twenty acres of landi held at a rent of £ 20 a year , was to receive ten acrCS ) or one half the amount , at £ 20 a year , or the full rent of the whole on lease for ever , we pledge our existence that , thus protected , he would not only pay the double rent to the day , but , if allowed , he would purchase the fee-simple , at any exorbitant rate of purchase , by instalments , in less than ten
years . What then becomes of the unchristian charge of Catholicism , idleness , and hatred of the laws ? Have not Protestantism , dangerous industry , and the Saxon laws , been the greatest enemies and oppressors of the Irish people ? And who loves his enemies , who cheerfull y obeys his oppressors ? Take away Protestantism the blight of industry , the unjust laws of the landlords the bane of improvement , and give Ireland to the Irish , and in less than ten
years , when the Upas tree has been removed , industry will flourish , improvement will progress , aivd Ireland , as of yore , will be the fairest spot in the world ; sending , as she has aforetime , her philosophers , teachers , and scientific men to all quarters of the habitable globe . Ireland can now boast of her butchers , and her flippant-tongued patriots , and a just and prudent system would turn characteristic virtue , talent , and bravery , into their proper and legitimate channels of industry and improvement .
With these views of the capability of the Irish soil and characteristic industry of the people , we highly approve of Mr , O'Connor ' s proposition for the application of a portion of the Church property to national purposes ; and , in truth , we know of no service which should he more cheerfully undertaken by the overfed shepherds than that of feeding and protecting their flocks in the hour of famine , and the surrender , of a ' portion of their unnecessary wealth to secure their flocks from a recurrence of those evils which threaten danger to the whole establishment . Let us then see whether the amount of
restitution to its original purpose , proposed in Mr . O'Connor's admirable resolution , exceeds the necessity for the call , or whether the relinquishment of so small a portion of trust property would tend to weaken religion , to reduce clergymen below their present sphere , or to endanger the remnant of their then better secured property . We will estimate the whole property of the Church of the three kingdoms at eight millions sterling per annum , which , at forty years' purchase , or two and a half per cent ., would realise the enormous amount of £ 320 , 000 , 000 , or nearly half the amount of our national debt . The interest of ten millions sterling , at two and a half
per cent , an amount at which jobbers would gladly lend , amounts to £ 250 , 000 a year , or one thirtysecond part of the present Church property—that is , the bishop who now receives £ 3200 per annum , would then receive £ 3100 per anuum , or £ 100 a year less , and the parson who now receives £ 320 per annum would receive £ 310 per annum , or the triflin g sum of £ 10 a year less than his present income , and thus from tin ' s mere paring from an overgrown accumulation of usurped property , much odium would be taken off the possessors of the remaining bulk , while the application of the extracted pittance would make a garden of a country now threatened with famine .
Where is the pious pastor who would refuse this trifling aid to his perishing flock , or do we live in such an age of darkness that the terror of our State Church rulers will attempt to stop a universal necessity by temporary expedients , and reject the simple remedy for its correction . Such a fund as this , and applied to the purposes defined iu the resolution , would recall Irish emigrants from their strange
homes and would relieve the English labour market of a disastrous competition which depresses wages ; to the amount of one hundred millions annually . However , we but talk to the winds , we are throwing pearls before swine , for the obstinacy of the gorged leech will still induce it to cling to the sore that it has created until the restless patient with one pro . voked aud dashing bound will rid himself , and for ever , of the monster .
Weekly Review. The Food Riots Which Have...
WEEKLY REVIEW . The food riots which have occurred in several ' , districts ef Ireland , are a melanchol y indication of the extent and severity of the calamity which afflieU that unhappy country . It is creditable to the Government , that , according to tho means placed > t their disposal by Parliament , they are exerting themselves vigorously for its alleviation . The landlords , too , appear to be roused iafco activity , » i ]
Weekly Review. The Food Riots Which Have...
however unwilling or unable , are forced into co-operation with the superior powers . A large number of presentment meetings hare been held , and consider * able sums Voted' for works of various kinds . The majority of these will , " we fear , be found of little , or questionable utility ; but when a nation is starring , there is no time for that deliberation which is requisite for the planning of comprehensive , useful , and permanent enterprir . es . It is somewhat curious to mark the littleness of the men at the head of the
Repeal agitation , in this trying season . The meetings at Conciliation Hull have dwindled into a mere farce , of which the | dullest portion is the long epistles from Mr . O'Connell , senior , which are dutifully brought forward by his son and successor . Long as O'Connell has lived upon the Irish people , and traded upon their miseries , he has never conferred upon them One practical benefit ; and at the present moment hia ingenuity can devise nothing better than a sort of left-hand , informal , and powerless meeting inDublin . ef delegates from the landlords . Cui bono ? What good would Ireland reap from sach a meeting ? It is not from sach crude assemblies that Its
salvation can be looked for . Perhaps , the real reason which induces him to make the suggestion is , that it might tend to revive his waning influence . The fimes , in one of its leaders , and speaking on this jsubject , says , with area force ' and justice : ¦ " In one respect the great liberator is facile princeps of his species . In the power , and it may be added ' in the readiness , to improve on all occasions to his purpose , he never had , he never will hare , his match . Yet he has great and many competitors in that line . Let an earthquake , or a conflagration , devastate a city , and immediately , as from the bowels of the earth , rushes forth aband of plunderer * ready to reap a bloody harvest from the field of
dostruction . A noble Indiaman drives to the shore , and human vultures from afar scent the fair spoil , and fight with the elements for their prey . Not a calamity comes but the afflicted sufferers , or the ter . tificd expectants , are appealed to hy ingenious men , dexterous to profit by their misery or their fears . But we should think there never was a man who could turn everything to his purpose with such relentless steadiness , such admirable tact , and calm ingenuity as Mr , O'Cosneli ,. He can turn everything to his account . The great chijfonnier of Irish miseries , as he ranges from heap to heap , can discern a profit in the most out-of-the-way and refuse commodity . Nothing comes amiss to his sack . "
In a subsequent part of the same article we find the following passage , > hich might stand mutatis mutandis for Mr . O'Connor and the Star ;— . "As for our treatment at the hands of this impartial and generous Moderator , that is a very minor affair . We mu * t fairly own to have deserved Mr . P'Connell's invectives . We have surpassed all other writers and speakers in the industry and fidelity with which we have ' . published to all Europe the
miseries of Ireland ; we have described in the most moving , and , to us , the most painful terms , the features of a deteriorated race ; we have 1 : sh , ; d on the landowners to their duty ; we have v ea ' cened the bonds of Irish coercion ; we have demanded from the seil the regular employment and relief of the poor ' , —ivhat more could we have done to secure the hatred of one whose ascendancy is bound up in the continuance of every Irish misery and wrong f "
It is to be hoped that the termination of the too long protracted reign of imposture and humbug is approaching . Publie attention is , however , not entirely concentrated on Irish distress . The condition of the Highlands and islands of Scotland has attracted the attention of the press . The Chronicle was the first to send a correspondent specially to examine and report as to the state of the people in the north . The celebrated Tines' commissioner speedily followed , and the result is the publication in both journals of a mass of interesting and at the same time painful information . Landlordism produces in the Highlands of Scotland the same evil fruit as it does in the wilds of Kerry . The Times '
" commissioner' when speaking of the proprietors of . the soil , says : — " Instead of opening up the resources of the country , tliey have shut them up by reverting to the barbarism of the primeval ages and to the style of agriculture followed by Lot and Abraham . Instead of fostering a spirit of independence they have broken their spirits , and ' cleared them out , ' and driven them hopeless to the coast to earn their livelihoods by an unknown and dreaded occupation . " The result is , that similar misery is found in the districts thus treated to those -which exists in Ireland , and no doubt ere long the cry for assistance from England will be heard from them . Is it not time to compel the landlords to do their duty or give ; place to those who will ?
The treatment of the poor in St . Pancras continues to form tho ^ subject of discussion in the columns of the daily press ,, and in the parish were the malpractices complained of have taken place . Various meetings have been held , at which the opinion was expressed that , notwithstanding the Directors have white-washed themselves , by their report of last week , and the vestry have aided this selfaxculpatory process , the matter js not ended , nor can it be until it is more fully investigated , and a complete stop put to the abuses which have been brought to light . Mr . Wakley , whose indefatigable zeal in such cases of oppression deserves the highest commendation , has been the medium of two
commucationsto The Times , setting forth the tacts connected with the case of the two inmates of this workhouse , both of which very forcibly illustrate the animus of the authorities and the nature of the system carried on by them . The first of these statements is from a pauper named Buckenham ; He states that—He saved some money by a course of industry , and had then been persuaded to go to an uncle , whose seventy proved unbearable . In a moment of excitement the youth attempted suicide , and thus furnished an excuse for an order being got , against bis will , for his admission into the Whitet-hapel Workhouse . Hence he was removed by a ' friendly
pas' to St . Pancras , and his money was paid over to that parish . lie made 'several attempts to release himself from a life of indigence by obtaining employment , but he was never able to get more than a few shillings of his money at a time from the parochial authorities . Those sums being insufficient to sustain him till he could find occupation , he was compelled to return to tho house to prevent absolute starvation , and then it was that lie was made to submit to the most abominable tyranny . Themoney belonging to him in the hands of tho parish was refused , and , finding it fmpossio . ' e to obtain a restitution of his own savings , ho applied to the
Clevkcuwell magistrates , lor which on the following day he was ' thrust into the oakum-room . ' Had his claim been a mistaken one , the authorities had no right to punish him for attempting to enforce it ; but it was subsequently found to be so unanswerable that a balance ol' £ l llfs . 6 d , was restored to him on his discharge , after various deductions had been made for board and other items . During a part of the long period that his money was detained by the parish , he was ' closely confined under lock and key , though continually geeking his discharge , which lie couid not even get an opportunity of applying for , until one day , observing the doer open , he forced his way before the committee . We discharge was then given
him , but his money was still refused ; Alien , having made another vain attempt to e » iu a living , and after removal to the Fever Hospital in a dangerous state from typhus , he became once more an inmate of the workhouse . Threatened with the oakum-reom if he left tbe house again , and afterwards should be compelled to return , he was for some time deterred by the master ' s threat from seeking better fortune . ' A natural and laudable inclination to try to earn an independent living once more prevailed , and he discharged himself , in tho hope of finding work ; but in four days necessity compelled him to return , and he vtaa consigned to the oakum-room , where he has continued for nearly two years a prisoner .
This infamous and illegal treatment has ruined his health / broken his spirits , and enfeebled hia mind , and he now fears that he is doomed to be a burden to others for the remainder of his life . The second case is that of the witness , John Witt , whose manly and straightforward exposure of the trick that was attempted to be played off with respect te the rations allowed to the paupers , we gave in the Sto ' -oflast week ; for the evidence he gavejon that occasion , The master and the agent of stores took hold 0 t some frivolous pretext to deprive the poor old man
of the privilege ot earning 4 d . a-day , wtfich ; he had been previous ly doing by his trade as a carpenter , 'there haa bean no disguise of the deling axcAtsd m their minds towards him , since he proved that the provisions laid before the ! board " were undoubtedly madfc up to deceive the board , both as to quantity and quality , " He , however ,-felt , - as he says , that" if the paupers did not tell the truth for themselves , no one else would . " and f o * tab , h 0 has been since subjected tp all kinds of potty anftbyances by the workhousa t yrants . When paid the shilling for his earnings oh tho last three dav ? he had worked
Weekly Review. The Food Riots Which Have...
previous to his occupation being taken frosa him , the master pushed the money to him , saying ' You are a martyr to th « cause "—namely , the cause of truth and justice . Had the pauper told a falsehood respecting the provisions submitted to the board , he would no doubt have been allowecLto earn his 4 d . aday as usual . " " His Btatement is net confinedto his own grievance * , but points out many gross abuses that have long existed in the management of . St , Pancraa Workhouse . He sneaks of 80 men being employed
to pick feathers in two small room ? , — low , damp , ill-ventilated , and productive of cramp and rheumatism , as well as other disease ! engendered by an up . wholesome atmosphere . He states that he never did anything for which he had to be fined , imprisoned , or otherwise punished , in the workhouse ; but those who are have to sleep in a room to which they walk up a ladder , thro « gh a trapdoor , secured by a padlock underneath , so that in case of fire or any other calamity there would be no means of escape or of procuring assistance .
All these abominable facts have ' occurred in a parish which is noi subject to the control of the Poor Law Commissioners , and the authorities oi which cannot therefore shelter themselves under the excuse that they were compelled to carry out the orders of Somerset House . St . Pancras is also famous for being a Radical or Liberal parish , and in the vestry room the copy of an address presented to the Queen on her accession to the throne , tastefully written and framed , hangs on the walls in which the poor law is strongly condemned , and the right ef the poor to humane and kindly treatment is strongly enforced . Yet , in spite of all this
theoretical liberality and humanity , such is the actual treatment ot the poor under their care ! How is this ? Does it not appear as if there was a natural antagonism between the rate-payer and the pauper ? Does it not indicate that" the love of money" is ao strong that it overmasters in the minds of the trading classes all other considerations ? Private Mathewson , whose evidence in the ease of the late military murder at Hounslow gave so much offence to his superiors , has been ' . speedily made to feel their vengeance , and affords another illustration of the manner in which power is prostituted to serve the
purposes of private revenge . He has been tried for insolence to a sergeant ; the same offence for which , it will be remembered , he formerly . received 100 lashes ; on that occassiou , he answered "Halloa " to a sergeant , on the present he was a little mora offensive . But the court-martial who tried him , was not composed of the same officers . This regi ment has been moved to Ireland , and perhaps the temper of his new judges is not of that Draconian severity which seems to characterise the tribunals over which the colonel of the 7 th Hussars presides The sentence is not yet known .
The manner in which tbe Press treats the Protectionist and Chartist Demonstrations , deserves a passing notice . If two or three hundred farmers meet together in any part of the kingdom , to listen to stupid speeches , until even their patience can no longer bear the infliction , forthwith " our own special reporters" are dispatched by express trains ; and the columns are filled the following morning with an awful lot of dreary , frowzy , unmeaning trash , heavier than the lead in which it is set . This same verbiage is then duly commented upon in the ] "leader " columns , until tho public are heartily sick , nauseaed , and bored with the whole affair .
A Chartist meeting is held in the Strand , in the heart of London , in orie of its best halls for public assemblies . Thousands attend , and their enthusiasm is kindled by eloquent and glowing addresses , in which the great principles of civil and religious liberty are boldly and powerfully expounded and defended . Next morning the press says not a syllable on the subject ! or , in the small exceptions , notices it in so fearful and gingerly a style , that the terror and shaking of the editors shine through it , in the most unmistakeable manner . "Well ; " Wait a little longer . "
The "Monster Statue" of "the Duke" has at length been elevated to its experimental position on the top of the triumphal arch , and the " competent persons" who are todeclue its fitness , will now have an opportunity of exhibiting their critical powers . Its removal from the studio of the artist was made a sort of Cockney holiday , in which Royalty itself took part . So long as such things occur among us , the prospect of any real elevation or improvement is a distant one . The era of true " Hero Worship , " has not yet arrived . The Benefactors , not the Butchers of mankind , will then receive statues .
The registrations proceed quietly . offering no noticeable point for comment , and the multiplication of electioneering rumours begin to foreshow we are near a General Election . It is , however , we believe , now settled that there will be no meeting of Paito ' ment in November .
Colonial Aitir /Omtpt %\Tww
Colonial aitir / omtpt % \ tww
Accounts To July Slat Have Come To Hand ...
Accounts to July Slat have come to hand from the Cape of Good Hope , which represent the Kaffirs as still plundering aud harrassing the colonists , but at the same time gradually retreating before the European and Colonial force directed against them . This force , though far inferior in numbers to the invaders , has , of course , the advantage of superior discipline , and " material , " and under the command of Sir Peregrine Maitlaud , will no doubt speedily relieve the colonists from the further inroads of their barbarous assailants . The " London Gazette , " of Tuesday , contained a series of very lengthy despatches from Sir Thomas Cochrane , commanding the British naval forces on the coast of Borneo .
These dispatches contain an account of an expedition directed against the Sultan of Borneo , Omar Ali Saffudes . The expedition seems to have been ban-en of any effective results ; true , the English took and demolished some forts , burned several houses belonging to the Sultan , or his adherents , in the interior , and carried away a number of brass cannon antf other spoil ; but the grand object of the expedition , the catching of the Sultan , was not accomplished . That worthy gentleman , believing that " He who fights and runs away May live to tight another day , "
managed to beat a retreat , and to keep out of the way of the English during their unwelcome visit . Why the expedition was undertaken is not at all clear . The Sultan is charged by his English assailants with a number ol crimes , principally of a throat-cutting character ; it does not appear , however , that any of tlifl . ^ rictinig were English . It strikes us that tho real object of this expedition is not avowed ; we cannot but regard it as the precursor to desi gns upon Borneo . similar to those so successfull y carried out against India . How far such acta are in accordance with the plain principles of honour and justice may be easily determined . Wo often hear in these times of tho peaceful and humanising influences of commerce ,
indeed this has been a favourite clap-trap with the Free Trade gentry , but there ia no fact in history more incontrovertible than this , that priestcraft , national vanity , and commercial rapacity have been the principal causes- of human slaughter . The bloody conquest of India was effected step by step tinder the pretext of protesting ourmerehanU , and now the same gam © is commenced in Borneo . Of course , Sir Thomas . Cochrane boasts of the humanity and disinterestedness of his motives , but these are the usual masks worn at the outset of such undertakings . Again , he wishes to " promote " jcivilization ; " so say the French in Algeria and the Americans in Mexico , — " tanta-ra-rara rogues all I "
We stated in last Saturday's Northern Star , that the French Democrats designed to dine together on the 20 th of Septeihber , in celebration of the glorious event celebrated by the Fraternal Democrats in London , but that they had been prevented carrying their design Into execution by the arbitrary conduct of the police and government agents . Wo have since received tho following communication from a correspondent , by which it will be seen that a number of banauet § id * $ &» P ^ C * " » aris ' in spHe . of the brutal
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 3, 1846, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_03101846/page/4/
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