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ilMlBr7. 1852. THE STAR OF FREEDOM. 5
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^ THE FALL O F THE FR E N C H REPUBLIC. ...
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LETTER OF ODILLOX BARROT. The Communal e...
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TO MR. WILLIAM NEWTON.—THE ADDRESS OF TI...
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Asiatic Cholera.—By letters received fro...
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Btmtftratic #lotam*M$s
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fsr Our Friends will oblige by forwardin...
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NORTHERN POLITICAL UNION. A public meeti...
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Death of a Spamsh Bull-fighter. —-The " ...
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ffiosomratfoe €«rottfrte
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gar "We shall be glad to receive Reports...
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GUIDE TO TIIE LECTURE-ROOM , Social Inst...
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New Universal Coin.—We have now before u...
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Urates' Etttclltgciw
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23- The Secretaries of Trades' Unions an...
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The Cosvict Mart Robins. -Worcester., Mo...
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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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Ilmlbr7. 1852. The Star Of Freedom. 5
ilMlBr 7 . 1852 . THE STAR OF FREEDOM . 5
^ The Fall O F The Fr E N C H Republic. ...
^ THE FALL O F THE FR E N C H REPUBLIC . Bt Xayier Durkieo . ( Translated expressly for the « Star of Freedom *) THE REPUBLICAN CARGO PCX OS BOARD . We arri ved at Havre at one o ' clock . At half-past one we ere on baard the Canada , which had to take us to Brest , * j , fre the Duguesclin lay ready to carry U 3 without loss of . ' to Cayenne . A narrow plank , which bent beneath the
, t 0 f the prisoners passed from the quay to an old rotten filiate which was unfit for use ten days after . The sailors ^ E te on the deck , armed with their uaardins-axesTf-every ffhere were gendarmes , with pistols in their belts , menacing riit . and irritated locks . Ti : ey foresaw that they also had to pni to sea for Cayenne , and tbey -would willingly have revenged themselves upon us for an opinion as unpleasant as onforseen . On the poop the Captain , Adolphe Bouet , himself hastened forward t he preparations for embarcation ; he walked to and fro , cursing the sailors , too slow at their tasks , and the prisoners , too slow in crushing together .
Arrived on the deck , we took d ff-rent directions , according to the position of the little provisional gaols to which we were destined on the square-deck , in the ba teriss , in the smallest works , beside the steam engine . I was myself placed on the square-deck ; I entered one of two compir tmenls or rather of two cages , which had been made with the help of black and dirty p lanks into a sort of railing . It was a space of about twenty feet Jong by twelve broad ; but at least a quarter of it was taken up by a mass of rubbish . In front five rays of doubtful and changing light p ierced the wooden wall . These were the scuttles that they were oblked to leave open in order not to suffocate us
altogether . We were a ready smothered . Yet the black wave of prisoners continued to descend the shaking staircase . They entered unceasingly , and crushed into every corner . Tormented already by the sea , th ? old frigate , as soon as the anchor had been H'i ^ d , pitched violently , then rolling to one side , threw us upon each other . It put me in mind of the winnowers , who , in order to g < t as much corn as possible into their sack ? , raise them up and let hem quickly down a ? ain . When tbe shaking was over we were a hundred and four in a space where thirty could hardly be Without being too much crushed \
The preceding evening I read at the fortifications of Ivry in be « ' Memoiresde Philippe d « Comir . es , " a description of the iron cage in which he was enclosed by his gracious sovereign , Louis XF ., and by the no les * gracious Regent Anne d . e Beai . jeu , the tutress of Charles , VIII ., Louis Bonaparte , distanced Louis XI . I thought of Philippe de Gamines , hut I no longer pitied him ; I envied his iron cage .
THE STYE . We ware long before remembering each other , and still ] ang rr before exchanging—not a shaka of the band , for that was impossible—hut a look with the friends whom we iad not seen at the fortification . In the hold , I saw two of my old friends of the Continent , and but lately members " of the Legislature , Alexandre Martin , formerly Mayor of Orleans , and . Michael Bautei , formerly a prefect , Pereira , and A uguste Tavernier , formerly chief editor of < he " Constitution" ti the Loiret . They were surrounded by seventy citizens of the L'i ret , of Sure-et-Loire , and of Seine-et-0 se , brutally carried off like us ihe preceding evening ; this teas the first razzia that had taken place in the prisons of
Oileans , of Moaiargis , Cartres , and Corbeie . Besides the two representatives , the prefect , and the journalist , of whom 1 have already spuken , there were there a member of the Council General , the Mayor of Esconne , and three other mayors , three physicians , two notaries , and industrial and commercial men , and cultivators , all proprietors—all fathers of families . Such were the Jaques of ihe provinces from whom Liuis Bonaparte pretends to have saved French society ' These are the men , compelled by the sabre and p istol ol gendarmes , and by cannon halls , to submit to tbe outrages ibat have been made upon them by tbe months of impudent pamphleteers—by the wretches who have in Paris shed blood like water , and c ' ad France in mourning !
In front , in tbe otiier cage , near the machine , there was the same eacuaiberment , the same stifling , the same torture . At last ihe anchor was raised , the steam put on , and we depar ted . The confusion redoubled , and the uneasiness became so extreme , that I would renounce from disgust to decry it , had I not promised to leave nothing unsaid . 0 twenty priso ers , fitieen , perhaps , sailed for the first time ; sea-sickness seized almotl all of fts , upon issui g from the road ; nothing was more heard but cries of pain and sounds of vorui ing . Ia the centre of the crowd there was one vessel fur that convenience , and ior all others ; but no one had strength enough to drag himself to it ; in consequence there was vomiting everywhere alike , so that the cage itself , became asreat receptacle of filth .
It was amid these convulsions and that horrible smell that tbey made the first distribution of hard and wormeaten biscuits . Three hours after , we had brought to us the principal aliment of the voyage , consisting of some handfuls of gourganes—a sort of blackish bean , which , although comfletely rotten , was as hard as a bullet , and which ihey had in vain attempted to cook with the help of a p eaiiful supply of potasse . As at Biceue , we were obliged to eat in groups of ten , from vessels as disgusting as those in the prison ; hut this time we had to eat without spoons , just as we could with out hands , or like pigs from a trough . I believed that I should get over these things here as in the casemates . M ^ re illusion ! My disgust this time was truly insurmountable . For three weeks I was obliged to grind betweeu my teeth a few morsels of hard biscuit .
NIGHT AT SEA . Night arrived , more intolerable than day , a horrible ni ght that was followed by seven others without bringing us a moment ' s repose . There was not room enough , not for only lying , but tor sitting . We sat down , nevertheless , vanquished by fatigue , aud attempted to lie on the iiard and dirty planks . A single sentence is sufficient to express that long mariyidom . We were piled upon eaci oiher ! Piled like caitle in ihe cart that carries them to the slaughterhouse ; like carcases in the ossuary 1 At every moment we felt ourselves trampled and crushed by the slightest movements of our companions in misfortune , and by continual rolling of the sick . Oh ! cursed as were the casemates the
eveniug tidore , they now appeared to us spacious and comfortable ! What a pkee of happiness and repose ! How we regietted that unhealthy straw , filled with vermin , where we could , at least , sle ^ p one hour out of the twenty-four ! How « e would have blessed the gale that would have carried us , with the rapidity of lghtnmg , to the barracks of Cayenne ! We would all have willingly accepted even Siberia or the Mines , a few feat of earth , « ither ot ice or of fire , providing that we ould have had the inexpressible happiness ot ih < -re extending our weaned limhs . This is the principal character of Napoleonic barbarity—it not only kills , it degrades . And it is principally because it degradt s —not because it kills—that it has lelt a teeling of inflexible resentment m the beans of the men who have been
subjected to its persecution , aud in tbe beans of those who have taken their parts through compassion and sympathy I Incapable of longer resisting so intolerable a position , I climbed like many otbtrs , aud lay down upon the rub ish and ropes , that lay along the scuttles—a true resting-place of the hermits of the middle ages . We had almost slept , but were imm . diatelv awoke and hurled to the floor , our Clothes Con pietely soaked . The sea , already tempestuous , Struck the sides of the frigate far above our heads , and the waves rushed in at every scuuK It wa , necessary to close the scuttles even a ' , tbe risk of suffocation . I painfully dragted mvse . f to the railing which separated us trom our guards . Opposite I saw my brother , wnoaitempted , like me , to obtain a breath of air , horrified by so many foeud exhalation * , and by the aspect of th .- gendaunes ! THE FLOATING BELL .
At daybreak , a brigadier ot gendarmerie descended and read to us a decree ot Docos , that lijjfct of the liberal Odillon-Barrot gallery , Marine Commissioner of Louis Banapine , which regulated the rations of the voyages the bscuiis or the bread of the forcafs , and thm , the gourganes daily , except once a week , wiien we had a little meat , or cod , rancid and hard as a psece of parchment from ihe Bibhotheq . ie des Cuartes . Such was the ordinary of tbe prisoners of tear , as we were called in the decree . At Brest , b .. « e * er , we had officiiUy g ; ven to us our true ttle of deportes . The compassionate minister allowed us a pint oi wine , but only at s ? a . But , as we had been only one day at sea , from Cherbourg to B .-est , and as the rest oi the time was passed in the roads , the result was , that during three months , we had nothing to drink but the corrupt water oi ihe Cbarnier . It will afterwards ba Understood what is meant by that ignoble word which I
now write ior the first time . Who the decree , the brigadier had btousul vis a piece of Mws by which we were consternated . We believed ourselves arrived in the road of Brest , when we were fifteen togo . es or more from it . The sea itself had barred our Passage ; driven back by the winds more than fifteen tagues , we had re-enured the harbour of Bre = t ; and it *« impossible for us to foresee when we should be enabled to at last escape from this floating hell . The six gaols formed in the frigate were opened one Iter ihe other , end we mounted on deck in turn . The wind blew violemlv , and our thin clothing was insufficient
to protect us from the freezing cold . The frigate was surround ed by a m « untainons horizon of waves , which broke o « r the vessel , and descended in torrents on our heads . ^« Were ovac ' -me with latigne and illness . Tiie surgeon ° 1 the ship appeared tor an instant among us with a smile ° Pon bis lips , and an almost insulting look . To ihose who thoug ht of complaining to him , be only replied by indecent pl ttsantnes and ironical encouragements . He already * «» that we were not / orcaf * ; it is even asserted that on «» m ing the true nature ot his cargo , Capiain Bouet was Staged at the indignity the Ministerial instructions had Put upon him . Very discreet indignatioPf I may add ; for
^ The Fall O F The Fr E N C H Republic. ...
from that moment we saw no more of the captain , or . any of his officers . The marine officers disappeared before the gendarme . Was this part he was made to play humiliation , or only indifference ? Both , perhaps ; but certainly the last . I was not so with the sailors—those noble children of the people , whom governments have not bad an interest in depravin ? , thank God ! in order to make instruments of oppression , and whose native goodness is sustained by bard labour and constant perils . The sailors testified to us , notwithstanding the more severe opposition , under brutal surveillance of the gendarmes , a generous sympathy which they never denied . That proud and independent heart , indignant at oppression , and open to every generous sentiment , which we found in the seamen of the Canada and tho Duguesclin , beats , I am sure , in the breasts of all the seamen of France ! May they here receive the expression of deep and thankful sympathy from us , the Republicans , whose woes they have so often consoled !
Adverse winds kept us eight days at Cherbourg—eight days of misery to which we can find no term of comparison , unless it " be in the details of the tortures of the press iu the archives of ancient Chatelet . Ah , w < -ll ! I declare—and I do not fear that the police , so ready at every basenesss , will dare themselves to affirm the contrary—almost all accustomed to live in comfort amongst so many poor country people , whose lives , till then so peaceable , were suddenly exposed to every mental torment , to every horror the body could suffer—to a veritable tempest of eight days' continuance—not one , on the Canada , showed any weakness-not one showed any desire to yield . Tnere had not yet been time to shake and break down the firmness of tho old men nnd the fathers of families , or to work the grief of wives and children . On
the Canada the steadfastness of the Republicans has been perfect . They there formed an atmosphere of resignation and courage , where the hearts , at least , of the victims r- spired and dilated at ease . Every night , to fortify each other in the trial , we recounted the persecutions constantly unchained under tho old regime against the men of faith and devotion , the dungeons of Paris , the cells of Doullens , the long weariness of the double-barred loges of Mont Saint Michael , so energetically described by my friend . Martin Bernard ; the most convinced pointed out the future , and succeeded in re-animating the hopes of all . Every evening , notwithstanding an absolute interdiction , an i , in spite of the insults of the guard * , we sung hymns of tbe Republic , and of Socialism . When we sung on the larboard , the prisoners enclosed oppnsite us keut silence , and when
we had ceased the hymn re-commenced on the starboard The sailors braved their orders , and , mingling with the enraged gendarmes , listened to us with visible emotion . Lacham-beudie repeated those fables which breathe at once a sweet charity and an ardent faith . Other poets recounted the miseries of the European peoples , and denounced the cynicism of their oppressors . One of them , a younjr man , who will one day be celebrated , if ho be not carried off by the Bonapartist reaction , recited to us a brilliant satire , with which the massacre of Nap les and Sicily had inspired him . lie denounced to the indignation of Humanity tbe Royal perjury of the 15 th May , 1 S 4 S .
Each of his verses was a crushing allusion to the massacres of Paris and the provinces , and to the Presidential p < rjury of the 2 nd of December , ISol . The son of Queen Hortense stood in the same pillory as the son of Queen Caroline . Louis Bonapnto was crushed as . Botnba . The rage of the guards reached its paroxysm ; the heat instructed amongst the gen ^ arnvs cried : — ' It is in vain that you use ancient historical nauKS ; we understand it all . Silence , or I will fire I" The mistake was laughed at , but it was necessary to he silent . Xo historical or literary opinon can be otherwise than respectable when supported by a pistol shot . ( To be Continued )
Letter Of Odillox Barrot. The Communal E...
LETTER OF ODILLOX BARROT . The Communal elections are over , and decided in favour of the government , of course . France is now thoroughly sick of the " election" farce , so much so , that notwithstanding the government exertions , it was with the utmost difficulty they could got so many persons to record their votes as would suffice to render ( he elections legal . The electors of the Aisnc desired to bring forward that precious p iece of " liberal" humbug , Odillon Barrot , who declined in the following letter which was published in the " Independance Beige . " Bou ^ ival , July 23 . Gentlnnen and Honourable Friends , —I am sensibly touched at the steps you have taken with reference to myself , but it adds t ^ tiil more to my pain . I had contracted the pleas i ng h : ibitof living with you and our other friend ? of C > ecy in a perfec < community of Rentiments , ideas , and opinions . Revolutions had in vain convulsed tlie State , hut they made no change in our reciprocity of good feeling . I was on as good terms with our h-inest operatives the day after the revolution ot the 24 th of February , at that meeting , so numerous , so solemn , which tfck place in the Church of Crecy in presence and under the sanction of religion , as I had been previously wiih the electors of 200 f . in onr electoral councils . The reason is that in our
department , unlike what takes place in others , we are not party politieiins ; we do not aim at satisfying individual or local celSshnes ? , and the aim of our efforts is the moral and material wellfare of all withou' . distinction of rich or poor . Thus the Revolution found us very nearly uni-ed by the same sentiment , and we but slightly felt those cla < s hatreds which in other parts ot France have left such profound traces . There is no doubt that the Revolution of 1318 . l > y giving ti > the country institutions for which it had not been sufficiently prepared , exposed it to anarchy , and was destined to produce the reaction which we now behold . Hut , in tine , that Revolution had remained pure from all violence again-t property or persons ; it was nothing more than the imprudent exaggeration of our old Libe ral principle . I have not , then , considered that I ought to refuse the mi sionyon then entrusted to me to ngnlate , if possible , the course of that llevolutaon . to conjure tbe dangers itbrouglit with it , and to extract the good whose germ is always in sincere and free institutions , however defective they may otherwise be . I employed , as deputy or as Minister , all my faculties and energies for that object . Y « u were pleased to acknowledge my efforts .- and to applaud them . It is not my fault , you know , if ihe vices' of the constitution have uotbeen amended by legal means , and if once move an opportune reform did not prevent a violent Revolution .
But now that on the rains of the constitutional and Parliamentary government of my country is founded , not in the form of temporary and incidental dictatorship , butaga permanent government , the most absolute power that perhaps exists in the world—now that France , traversing the fatal circles around which she ha- ; been turning for sixty years past , has again pssed from the most excessive liberty to authority the most concentrated and the most devoid of all serious control—when the deceitful form ? of universal suffrage and of popular sections , with theabsence of all free discussion , of all possible assembling , of all previous concert between ihe electors , leave to the candidates indicated ly the authorities the secure chance of success , and do not seem to have been maintained hut only tn mark ills faUe semblance of liberty , the sad and humiliating realities of despoti-m—what co-operation can you require of me ior such a government ? What good could I do !
The implicit adhesion which I should pivebymy oath to the destruction of onr dear and old liberties , would it not effect ten times more evil than any good resulting trom my presence in the Comicil-General ? I appeal to you . mj dear fellow-citizens . Habituated , as we are , to think very nearly in the same way , to consult each other , m it were , say if , by the determination I adopt , and which pains my heart so much , I do not render to our liberal cause the last and only service I can render to it . The good that we have commenced in the canton of Crecy has made sufficient advance to malce it almost a matter of indifference , so far as regards onr material interests , whether I remain or do not remain your representative in the Council General . And as to the public and moral interests , believe me it is much better for us all that I should maintain our faith in liberty , and fidelity to our liberal banner . It is much better when it is everywhere proclaimed that France is not worthy of that liberty she has followed ami st so many vicissitudes , earned by to many sacrifices , that there should still be men who persist in believing-her worthy of it . I ought , and I desire , to be one of those men , should I die before Tsee my hopes realised .
Pardon me for this long tetter ; the situation is difficult , and with the renwmt-rance « f the < - ' uties of gratitude which attach me to you I feel the want of opening , asjtvcere , before you my whole soul , and of laying before ou the real motives which induce me to answer to your pres-inj invitation by a refusal which causes me much pain , hut whieli , I hope , will not deprive me of your esteem nor of your Iriend-h'p . Receive the assurance of my orofound consideration , and of my inviolable attachment . ( Signed ) Odillon Babhot .
To Mr. William Newton.—The Address Of Ti...
TO MR . WILLIAM NEWTON . —THE ADDRESS OF TIIE OCCUPANTS OF O'CONNORVILLE , HERTS . Honoured Sib . — "We , the allottees of tho people's 6 r == t estate , beg respectfully to approach you to do honour to those principles of truth and justice you have expounded , and which thanks to the growing intelligence of the age are making rapid progress in the minds of the thinking portiou of our fellow-men . \ It is , Sir . with the most profound respect and admiration for the talent you have evinced , that we tender our grateful acknowledgments for the noble stand you recently made in the interests of labour , as the candidate for the suffrages of the Tower Hamlets , and the position you so manfully maintained to the close of tbe contest , notwithstanding the gross and inconsistent inequalities in the representative ivstem .
Be assured , Sir , your position is pre-eminently a proud one . "When we consider the enormous power wielded b y wealth , and its command of intimidation and falsehood , bribery and corruption , also the magistrical and parochial influence against which you have had to contend , every man most conclude with us , that you fought the battle bravely . We venture to hope that at no very distant period you are destined to become the parliamentary representative of the large and important borough in which you reside . Sir , we regard thel , 0 fJ 5 honestvotesrecoi ( Ied inyourfavour as a glorious triumph for pure Democracy and the toiling masses . We look on this event as the drawing of a new era in the political hemisphere . It is a " great fact , "
which the Mammonites opposed to the lights of labour will con template with dismay . Sir , your political and social sentiments being in perfect accordance with our own , we cannot withhold our small need of praise for the part you have so nobly played ; and we earnestly entreat you to continue in the same course till you arrive at a triumphant if sue . In the next stiugtsle our most fervant aspirations will he zealously < ffered up for your comp lete success ; and we feel assured that every industrial pulse throughout the country will throb with delight at ihe elevated station to which an upright and honourable son of labour has arrived to advocate the just rights of his oppressed fellow-men .
We are , Honoured Sir , your Admiring Brethren in the cause of human redemption , the allottees of O'Connorville . Signed on their behalf . George William Wheeler .
Asiatic Cholera.—By Letters Received Fro...
Asiatic Cholera . —By letters received from a correspondent , wc learn that cholera has again broken out in a most virulent form on the frontiers of the kingdom of Warsaw , and that between forty and fifty oases have occurred within the space of two days in the city of Warsaw . Ic is further stated , that medical arrangements have been made in all parts of the country , with a view of being prepared for the calamity , should the epidemic unhappily again become general throughout the kingdom , the cholera broke out on the 10 th ult ., at Flechon , in tbe G and Duchy of Posen , and in ten days it carried off seventeen parsons out of twenty-two who were attacked .
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Fsr Our Friends Will Oblige By Forwardin...
fsr Our Friends will oblige by forwarding reports of Chartist meetings , and other Democratic proceedings .
LOUIS BLANC . TO THE EDITOR OP THE DAILT IIBWS . Sir , —I read in the " Daily News " : — " It is given out as certain that Louis Blanc has made his peace with the French government , and will he allowed to return to France hy the intended amnesty of the 5 th of August . " Of all calumnies with which I have had to contend in my life this is one I could never have expected . That which is given out as certain is a gross and infamous falsehood , spread bv the French Government , for the purpose of
deceiving the people of Paris , who shall not on this point be deceived . 1 can affirm that . Therefore , if I stoop to give the lie to such an imputation it is only with regard to those who do not know me , for those who know me will shrug their shoulders every time they are told that I am capable of making my peace with the tyrant of my country . I cannot say whether an amnesty will take place or not ; but when I return to France it will he with liberty , not otherwise . Amnesties are for the guilty . I am . Sir , vottr most obedient servanr , London , August 2 . " JjOUis Biasc .
Kossuth ' s Financial Affairs . —The following appears in the New York " Daily Times" - .- "New York , Thursday , July loth , 1852 . —Governor Kossuth having sailed for Europe , after giving a month ' s notice of his intention so to do at an early day , and inviting all persons holding claims a » ainst him to present them for liquidation , it becomes my duty to state to the American people , that every such claim has been settled , and that all the Governor ' s pecuniary enyagements vrere adjusted to bis entire satisfaction , and , it is to bo hoped , to the satisfaction of all who had such transaction with him . —Paul Hajnik , Treasurer of Governor Kossuth . "
Halifax—A meeting of the Democratic Association of Halifax was held in the large room , Labour and Health fen , for tlie purpose of bringing the society into better working order . A lengthened discussion took place on the best means to bp adopted to bring our principles to a successful issue . " Physical Force , " ' " The Antagonistic Policy , " and the system of " Individual Dictatorship , " were each in its turn examined and discarded . It was finally agreed that argument and persuasion should be our only weapons . It was " therefore resolved : — , r That a code of rules , in accordance with a strictly conciliatory policy , be irepiired before the next meeting , which will take place next Monday night . " At the close of the meeting a guarantee fund was entered into , for the purpose of defraying the expenses of Mr . Uarney ' s intended visit to Halifax . The utmost good feeling and unanimity prevailed during the whole evening .
Nottingham . —Secular Hall . —The two leading papers of our town—the " Review" and " Mercury "—have reported Mr . Broom ' s lectures , which shows that they look upon us as an important Society . Mr . Broom has lectured in the Market-place on " Political Teetotalisnv . " Last Sunday morninw , on the Forest , on " England , France , and America compared . ' He sho ved tho superiority of the American over our government . He dwelt at considerable length upon the conduct of America and England upon foreign questions . Our wooden walls , he said , had become rotten , tainting the atmosphere of duty , and diseasing justice and integrity . He detailed the sufferings of poor Mr . Murray , which aroused tho indignation of the audience . The subject will be continued on tbe Forest , at half-past ten o ' clock nest Sunday morning . In the evening , Mr . Broom lectures in the Hall .
Northern Political Union. A Public Meeti...
NORTHERN POLITICAL UNION . A public meeting called by placards , headed as above , was held in the Democratic Lecture Hall . Ram-street , Newcastle-on-Tyne , on Monday evening , August 2 nd , at eight o ' clock , Mr . M irtin Judo was called to the chair . Mr . James Charlton moved : — " That in the opinion of this meeting , the principles contain- d in the programme of tbe Northern Political Union—namely . Manhood Suffrage , and the Billot , with the extension and consolidation of the Reform interest in this borough and neighbourhood—furnish a scheme of reform entitled to the confidence and support of this meeting . " Seconded by Mr . John Cockburn , and passed unanimously .
Mr . Peter Murray moved : — " That the prominent objects of tbe Union be to take cognisance of local and parliamentary elections , to secure men to the council board and the House ot Commons , who will represent the interest of the entire people . " Seconded by Mr . John K-ine . Mr . James Henderson moved , and Mr . Binnis seconded — " That tho following address be adopted , " which was unanimously a » reed to : — The following were appointed a Committee to carry out the objecis of the Union . Mr . Johnson , Josiah Thomas , Martin Jude , James Charlton , J . Cowen , John Cockburn , Angus M Leod , Mr . Thompson , Peter Murray , John . Reed , John Kane , Mr . Glendinning , J . Henderson , Mr . Woodger , and R . Warden . Jajibs Oha ' bltow , Secretary pro tern , 4 , Angus-court , Newcastle-on-Tyne .
ADDRESS OF TOE COUNCIL OF THE NORTHERN POLITICAL UNION TO THE MEN OF THE NORTH . Fellow Countrymen , —Circumstances which have transpired during the late elections exhibit , in a most painful manner , that the wraith producers have not that political power to which they are justly entitled by their numbers , and the value of the services which they render to the nation . They also show that the so-called Commons House of Parliament is not composed of the Representatives of the Commons , but is , in a great measure , composed of the nominees of the Landed Aristocracy and the Factory Lords of the Manufacturing Districts . And , moreover , the result of the polling at the various polling places in thi-s district —notably the number of votes polled for Beaumont , at
Allendale , and the number polled for the Tory Lords in North Northumberland—show that other influences decide clectiotia , besides agreement in political principles and es . teem for the character and past actions of the " candidates . Nor are we at a loss to know what those influences are . Men vote according to the dictation of a landlord , an employer , a mortgagee , or a good customer . And although these parties may not directly tlirea'en the electors with a notice to quit , a demand for immediate payment , or the loss of employment or custom , yet , as we know , that a wink is quite as convincing as a nod to certain animals , so we know that men dependent upon the continuance of these favours for the means of living , will very seldom vote in open opposition to the parties who have the power to crush them .
Tnese things are wrong , and must not continue . But without organisation thopeople are powerless . " We are a numerous people , yet we want strength . " Wo want strength , because we do not act in concfirt—because we cannot concentrate our forces on a given object , and pursue it steadily till ic is accomplished . To meet this necessity a number of men , belonging to various classes in society , including many of th old and tried Reformers of the distrie , with others who are yot young in the political arena , have formed an Association under the title of the' Northern Political Union . " The objects of this Association are . 'Firstly , The securing
to the people of Manhood Suffrage , with only the moral restrictions of a suspension of Electoral Rights in cases of conviction for crime or misdemeanour , and in cases of proved imbecility . And , secondly , The protection of the Billot . These measures , by greatly increasing the number of the electors—by striking off the register the names of known bad characters—and by giving the right of secret voting , will do away with all bribery , intimidation , and other unconstitutional influences at both Parliamentary and Municipal Elections . Thus making the-members of the Lower House of Parliament , and tho Councillors in our Municipal Boroughs , what tbey wore really intended to be by the constitution—Representatives of the People ,
As the objects of tbe Union are perfectly legal and constitutional , so also will be the means used for their attainment . They will consist of—1 st . Tho dissemination of sound political information , by means of lectures and public meetings , tracts and newspapers . It is also intended to establish , as soon as it can be done with safety , a small monthly periodical , giving correct statements of the progress arid tendencies of political movements , particularly in our own districts , with reports of the condition aud prospects of the Union . 2 nd . The appointment of a Registration Committee , to attend to the Registration of all such members of the Union , as are entitled to voto either as Parliamentary or Municipal Electors ; but who from ignorance of their rights or other causes have not effected their own registration .
3 rd . Tho appointment of Election Committees , whose duties shall be to w . iteh over all the elections in the district ; to induce popular candidates to come forward , when ever there is a reasonable chance of success , and to solicit support for those candidates . Theso Committees shall also keep a correct list of the votes given upon questions of public importance by the Members of Parliament , Town Councillors , Poor Liw Guardians , < fcc , of the district , so that when they offer themselves for re-election they may be tried by their past conduct , and not by their present professions . 4 th . Besides the means already mentioned , it will be the duty of the members of the Union to meet at stated times for Conference or Political subjects , and matters of business . To ^ pp ort the principle * of the Union at all public meetings , where it can be done without a breach of courtesy and good feeling . And also to lend their hearty co-operation to other Associations having the same or similar oojects in view .
Such , friends , is a plain statement of our principles and mode of action . We place it before you in confidence , and ask for your assistance . Of course funds will bo required to carry on ihe work . Ihese will be r < alised by a very small weekly subscription from each member , aided by the larger donations of those in more affluent circumstances . Believing that the spirit of sturdy independence which animated your fathers in their struggles for freedom still lives in you , we feel assured of your support in this righteous endeavour to make the government of the United Kingdom an expression of the will , and the laws a reflex of the intelligence of thn peopie .
Death Of A Spamsh Bull-Fighter. —-The " ...
Death of a Spamsh Bull-fighter . — -The " Heraldo " announces the d-ath ot a professional bull-fighter named Jimenez , moiegeneiall y known under the name of Cano , of th- wounds which he received in the last bull-fight at Madrid .
Ffiosomratfoe €«Rottfrte
ffiosomratfoe € « rottfrte
Gar "We Shall Be Glad To Receive Reports...
gar "We shall be glad to receive Reports of Progresa from Managers or Secretaries of Co-operfaive Associations and Stores , in England , Ireland Scotland and Wales . '
CO-OPERATIVE LEAGUE . At a meeting on Tuesday , July 27 , William Conin- > hnm Esq ., in the chair , ° ' Mr . Llotd Jones read a paper on Co-operative Stores and Co-operative workshops , and their valuo in the socia l movement . Ho noticed it as a distinctive feature of the Social Reformers that they did not attach so much importance to what is called political freedom , although ho did not deny its necessity , as they did to the development of the self-controlling power to the individual members of the commonwealth . At the same time there were great differences between them as to the means of effecting this ow ' ect " Nowin every end there must be a proportion b etw een the
, means , and tbe end and the means winch wc bad to use for effecting the ends of Social Reforms must be founded upon that which exist in tho world as it is . Co-operative S ' ores and Workshops appeared to him to be one of the best instruments hitherto devised to aid the masses of the community in working out their deliverance from the tyranny now exercised over them by the evil actions of the material forces of the world . The Co-operative Workshops gave the working man the control over his own work and all profits subject to any payment which ho might agree to make for the use of capital . It did not follow that they would materiall y increase the demand for labour , except in so far as they might load to the consumption of tho profit which would otherwise be only accumulated . Co-operative workshops
became much more important when connected with the Co-operativo Store . The essential idea of theso institutions was tho union of a number of persons for the purpose of supplying themselves with articles of ordinary consumption . This gave tho benefit of greater cheapness and of freedom from adulteration , advantages not to be despised . But it gave also an opportunity of controlling and directing it and tho profits arising from it , an immense source of power , which might bo used to attain any of the hi gher ends which we might have in view . Some looked down contemptuously on trade , which it was the object of these institutions to carry on . But the nobility of the art depended upon the spirit in which it was done ; and all the influential powers now in tho world arose from the use of
such means as those which these Workshops and Stores placed in tho reach of the working body of the population . Mr . Stiles gave an interesting account of the progress of a great Store formed in Westminster more than twenty years ago—of tbo great zeal displayed by the members for tbe education of their children—of the immediate cnuse of the failure of tho Store in tho want of business habits in the members , and in the absence of any organisation like the Central Agency , for tho supply of trustworth y material . Messrs . Jennison , Coningham , Saull , Furnival Woodin Foreman , Arnaud , R . Cooper , and Vansittart Neal alao took part in the discussion . Mr . Jonks , in reply , noticed the great difference in the constitution of the present from that of the former Stores : namely , that the profits were divide- ' among the buyers iii proportion to their purchases , paying a good interest to capital , while in the old Stores the profits went onl y to the capital .
CO-OPERATION IN AMERICA . A small association of sixteen persons left New York a week or two since for Wisconsin , with a view of carrying on agriculture and mechanic arts in some part of thai State , probably in Washington County , upon cooperative principles . The members of this little band were mainly of French and German origin ; and they go out to make a beginning , with tho idea that others will join them as they advance . Of the sixteen , eight were men , four women and four . children ; thoy carried with them a good supply of tools , and a small capital ; each will retain his private property ; and tliey hope by combining their efforts and by the greater economy of living as one family , to show -omcthing handsome as the product of the first year ' s exertions . The profits they will divide equally , and the care of the sick will be borne by tho community at large , which they call , La Grande famille [ The Groat Family . ]
Bingle ? , August 3 rd . —My Dear Harney , —Some unknown friend present ' d me with a copy of tho " Star " last Sunday morning which reminds me of my duty . I , therefore , enclose to you , in postage stamps , my subscription for the next quarter ' s " Star of Freedom . " As I am engaged as agent of tbo Grocery and Drapery Store of the Industrial Co-operative Society , Bingley , 1 shall bo glad to send you occasional reports of our progiess and proceedings . Perhaps our society differs some little from a great many now in existence . Our funds have been raised in £ 2 shares ; that sum has never been exceeded . Each share may be paid by instalments of sixpence per week ; one-half of the profits is divided annually , according to the amount of money each has expended at the society ' s stores ; the other half forms a common fund , which is never to be divided , hut goes to extend our operations to other branches
of business . On Saturday next we intend opening a butter shop ; Mr . T . Cooper is appointed agent . This is not a veiy good time to commence what the Scotch term the " fleshing" business , but it will be Bingley Feast on August 20 , and we think that will help us , it being notoriously a beet eating time . We have all some friends or relations coming to see us and taste our beef . Therefore , wo have resolved to kill two or three good fat Scotch heifers , perhaps a lamb and a calf , & c . This will add some little to our income , which now amounts to £ ' 36 a week . We think we have done and aro doing very well , for it is not yet two years since wo made the first purchase . £ 10 was all we had to purchase weights , soles , and stock our shop with ; now wo have a good stocked shop , nnd will soon have two ; and evoiy tradesman is ready to solicit our custom . But , Sir , I must draw to a conclusion , and say a little at some future time .
Yours Fraternally , Wm . Hallam , 3 o-opornt . ive Warehouse , ; 27 , Chapel Lane , Bingley . [* ve trust our friena will keep his promise , and communicate the experience of himself and friend ; not forgetting to add thereto notes of progiess . We trust , too , that our Co-operative friends throughout the country will do the same . We are most anxious to give the fullest informat on to the public concerning tbe principles and progress of the Co-operative cause ] Act to Legalize the formations of Industrial and Provident Societies . — We perceive that the Co-operative League has reprinted tin ' s valuable Act with some explanatory observations , as the second part of the appendix to the 2 d . number of tho League ' s " Transactions . " Tbo ; ic £ with the explanations may be had for two-pence at tho publishing office of tho '' Star of Freedom . "
Guide To Tiie Lecture-Room , Social Inst...
GUIDE TO TIIE LECTURE-ROOM , Social Institution , Charles . street . Old Garratt , Manchester . —Aug . 1 st ( 11 a . m . ) , Dbicussson , ( 7 p . m . ) a Lecture . City Forum Coffee House , GO , ltedeross-street , —Every Sunday , Monday , and Thursday , ( 8 |) , a Lecture . Commercial Kail , fhilpot street , Co iimercial-road-east Theological Discussions every Sunday morning ( U ) , Sunday evening ( 7 ) , Tuesday ( 8 ) , Thursday ( 8 ) , and Saturday ( S ) . Temperance Star lintel , Swan-street , Briggato , Leeds . —Every Wednesday ( 8 ) , a Discussion , Working Men ' s Academy , Edgar-street , Preston . —Lecture evcrj Sunday at 10 J a . m . — Discussion every Sunday evening . Areopagus Coffee and Heading Itoom , 59 , Church-lane , White , chapel . —Every Sunday , Monday , and iWdnesdtiy ( 8 ) , aLesture oi Diecussion . City Forum Coffee House , GO , Red Cross street . Every Sunday , Monday , and Wednesday ( 8 ) . a Lecture or Discussion .
New Universal Coin.—We Have Now Before U...
New Universal Coin . —We have now before us a specimen of a new univercal coin , designed to facilitate the system of exchanges among tho different civilised nations of the world , and which , if adopted , would certainly tend materially to put an end to tho confusion about the currency of various places , of which every traveller has had such annoying experience . The designer of it is a gentleman well known in tho scientific world for his politicoeenomic essays on many important subjects , Frofessor Neilson Hancock , and the coin is executed , ' with very great taste and skill , by Mesrss . Allen and Moore , of 35 and 36 , Great Hampton-row , Birmingham . Without diagrams it is not easy to give an exact idea of it , but the description may be thus given : —The coin is of silver , containing 37 parts of that metal to 3 parts of copper . Its weight is one ounce troy , and its value . in ; thecoin of Great Britain and Ireland . is 5 i . 2 d . The weight is expres-ed in English , German , and French , on one side , and on the reverse the proportions of
the two metals in the same languages . Its value , in the existing currencies of 12 countries , is likewise stamped on it thus : — Ennland , 5 s . 2 d . ; America , 1 dollar 19 threefifth cents ; France . G francs 30 centimes ; Naples , 1 ducat 50 grani ; Austria , 2 florins 27 three-fifth fcreutzer ; Prussia , 1 thaler 21 two-third sillier grosschen . On the reverse : — Spain , 1 dollar 5 reals , 28 maravedis ; Portugal , 1 milrei 71 £ reia ; Russia , 1 . rouble 60 copecs ; Holland , 2 gulden 99 cents ; Hindustan , 2 rupees 10 annas lOpice ; China , 7 mace 8 candareens 4 four-fifth cash . There is no device of any sort , if we except a very minute representation of the terrestrial globe , which hardly deserves the name ; and it is a plain , unpretending , but thoroughly useful piece of money , and well calculated to servo the purposes for which it has been designed . On the continent of Europe , cspcciallv , it would be very desirable to have such a coinage in Jteu of the miserable deprecated currency now so general there . — Cork Southern Reporter .
FiuaniFui / Isuicide os the Cheat Westers Railway . — On Saturday afternoon tho village of Cholsey , Berks , closely adjacent to tho Wallingford station of the Great-Western Railway , was most painfully excited in consequence of a determined act of suicide by a man in tho employ of the company , named Thomas Watts . On Saturday morning last he left home to see , as was his custom , where his or ins men ' s services wore needed , and about , twelve o ' clock was observed to be standing , apparently in a thoughtful mood , near to th e Wallingford station . Shortly after that hour an express train was seen coming up , aud on its approach towards the station the deceased ran forward and threw himself across the rails . By the engine be was struck and knocked forward at least 150 yards , and tbe whole of the carriages passed over him , mutilating him in a dreadful manner . The remiins of the unfortunate deceased being collected together , were conveyed to tho nearest tavern , there to await an inquest . Earthquake in Ayhshire . —me " Ayr Observir " states that a severe shock of earthquake was felt at Kimi . rnock , on Monday night week , about ten o ' clock .
Urates' Etttclltgciw
Urates' Etttclltgciw
23- The Secretaries Of Trades' Unions An...
23- The Secretaries of Trades' Unions and othei bodies associated to protect and advance the interests of Lab > ur , will oblige by forwarding reports of Tradi a' M-tetings , Strikes , and r . ther information affecting the sosial position of the Working Glasses , NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNITED TRADES . 259 , Tottenham-court-road , London . " fiat justitia . "
"If it were possible for tho working classes , by combining among themselves , to raise , or keep up the generkl rate of wages , it need hardly be said that this would bca thing not to be punished , but to be welcomed and rejoiced at . "— Stuast M . u . We alluded in our last article to the wide-spread popu « larity of the idea of a National Union of Trades , a « exemplified at . uhlio meetings b y Trades' circulars and addresses , and in numerous pla ' . form orations ; and also to the singular failure of all parties , hy embodying this erratic mental image into a veritable existence .
Is this attributable to any presumed insurmountable difficulty in working out the idea , some collision of sentiment as to the principles upon which such an institution should be based , to the nature and character of the machinery by which it should beset in motion ? Or , is it to hea . 'cribed to a want of earnestness and sincerity in its ostensible advocates , to whom has been entrusted the very important duties of inauguriiiK a K reat National Labour Movement ? Never , in the annals of Labour , was the nrcssi'y fur such a movement more strikingly manifest ; and never was that necessity more universally acknowledged . The Satraps of Bucklersbury have issued their decree , and maintained it to this moment with preeminent success , and labour crouches meanly and basely to lick the hand that chastises it . The chivalry of honest industry lies paralysed .
The Sidney Smith ukase , prohibiting union to the working men of England , upon pain of starvation , is ster otvp ^ d by its authors , dedicated and recomrae ded to the en ploying class of this land of boasted freedom . And who cau doubt that this free and easy mode of dealing with labi ur willhave its admirers and imitators ? When Lord D « rhy and his friends threatened to disinter and re-animate the dead and putrid body of Proiecron , Mr . Cobden rushed to Manchester , and , as if by magic , ca '' ed up into life and action the Anti-Corn Law Leagie , Hs invocation was promptly , vigorously responded to ; nearly £ s 0 , 0 u 0 was subscribed in a few hours , and a return ' o tbe taxed loaf became an impossibility . It may bo thus seen that Capital knows well how to protect its ntereits , and thoroughly appreciates the use and power of combinative action .
_ What a sad contrast does the apathy and tame tubmissiveness of Labour present to tbe sensitive activity aid untameable ambition of money . Tbe one—jealous of the sli ghtest encroachment upon the least of its most questionable privileges ; the other—a » jectly indifferent to the most barefaced violation of its deare . t and most invaluable ri ghts , and jealous of nothing and no one but itself . It is true , the working men of London , Mancheater , Birmingham , and other places have had their gatherings ; their speeches , numerous and eloquent , in favour ol tbe popular sentiment ; they have shouted and huzzaed , and voted by acclamation its adoption ; have appointed their delegates to give effect to their will—and what is the result ? They have either been faithless to their duties , or have
shrunk back , overwhelmed with the difficulties of their task . And what can be the monster difficulty before which so much talent and apparent devotedness turns hack amazed ? What the nature and character of the mi ghty bugbear that blocks up the road to national action ? We know of no difficulty but such as zeal , fidelity , and energy can conquer . There is not a single principle or condition which we have heard or seen advanced as necessary features in a National Labour Movement , that is not to be found embodied in tbe constitution and laws of tbe National Association of Trades . The organisation and entire machinery for working an extensive movement is in existence ; the result of much ex . perience , and having passed through the ordeal of dangers and oppressions , to which the las ' - few years has subjected
the labour interests of this country , with advantage to its members , and with credit to its executive , it is presented frankly and unreservedly to the working men of the organised Trades as th ; desideratum they are seeking ; the very thing which their delegates have been commissioned to originate . We invite them , therefore , to resume their labours ; to summon the Executive of this Association to assist them in their deliberations ; to investigate , unprejudicedly , the fitness and applicability of our princi ple and constitution to their ideal of what is requisite for a national organisation . Let them , in a fair and liberal spirit of inquiry , examine , and , if necessary , enlarge , amend , and improve ; hut let them , at all events , upon a principle of honour , fulfil their mission , and , at least , strive to realise the expectations which have been formed of their sincerity and intelligence .
The Executive of this Association have no mere personal motives to influence their conduct . They have been generously and trustfully charged with the carrying out of an important experiment , and their highest duty and ambition is to promote by any and every means at their command the success of that experiment . Thay would , therefore ; hail with delight the accession to the rank of the National Labour League men of experience , influence , and talent of a superior standard to any they can lay claim to , and will he , at any time , ready to surrender , cheerfully , the honours aid responsibilities of their position into more competent hands , contented with what they believe to be an honour to them , of having maintained the principles of the Association unimpaired , amidst difficulties of a must formidable character , August 5 th . Wm . Peel , Secretary .
BRADP 0 RD-W 00 LCOMBERS' MEETING . proceedings of committee . Another large open-air meeting of this body was held I near Philadelphia chapel , BoUon-road , on Monday last .. Mr . John Clayton was unanimously called to the chair . Hej exhorted iho « e present to r . ive a patient hearing to all who ) might address them , and stated , that if any of them had any ? objection to mak « to the proceedings of the committee hes hoped they would do so publicly , so that their businesss mi ght be conducted in a satisfactory manner . Mr . Georgee White , secretary , then proceeded to report the preceedings , 8 of the committee for the previous week . He first read thee form o ( application to the manufacturers lor an advance o h ) wages , and then read over the names of those who hade
be ^ n visited by the deputation , together with their answerss The report wa-i highly satisfac tory . The following eni-iployers consented to give an advance of wages , and some oo them have already done so - . —Wood and Walker , Titus Saint G . II . Leather , Tremel and Co ., Wilkinson and Bottomley . y Thomas Wilier , John Wade , Swithern Anderton , Danieie Illingworth , Mr . Hartley , Henry Mason , Mr . Ramsdenn Cowling Ackroyd , George Turner , Mr . Spiro , Christopheie Wand and Co ., Mr . K rsbaw , and others . The secretarr then proceeded as great length to address the meeting iiii explanation of the business t ansacted by the committee . Iiii was then resolved to send deputations to Halifax and Keigh-bley to procure samples , and the meeting was adjourned to tboe ollowinj ; Monday . AH present expressed themselves highiyly sitisefid with the proceedings of the committee .
THE TEN HOURS FACTORY QUESTION . -MEETINGG OF DELEGATES . On Sunday last a meeting of delegates from factory opp-eratives was held in the Cotton Tree Inn ( Mr Wm . Fair '*)/) , Great Ancoats-streets , Manchester . After considerable dis-scussion , a delegate from Ashton-under-Lyne moved the foUllowing resolution : —'' That our endeavours during the pre-esent year to vindicate the present factory law , and to securere the necessary improvements , have the approval of a majorityty of the factory workers represented at this meeting , as evi . fi . deuced hy the reports of their delegates here assembled jl we therefore pledge ourselves , should any further agitationon : he necessary to accomplish the above objects , to urge uponani our respective constituencies to provide such funds as mayay be necessary , and thus make the present Factory Acteff c-ctive for its intended purposes . " The Blackburn delegatatei seconded tbe resolution , which was carried .
The Cosvict Mart Robins. -Worcester., Mo...
The Cosvict Mart Robins . -Worcester ., Monday . —Thishisi unhappy woman , who now lies under sentence of death for ' orthe murder of her child at Oldsamford , in this county , haaasi confessed the justice of her sentence . Sho admits that shohoi threw her infant into the coal-pit , but states' that at tliehei time she was in a slate of distraction , the child ' s fatherier doing nothing for it , ana her own father refusing to admiinit ; her into his house . A petition has been signed by the Highght Sheriff of the county , Sir E . H . Lechmere , and by otliener magistrates and clergy , praying that her life may bebe ! saved , and the High Sheriff is about to present it to thehei Home Secretary . —A singular case of suicide by a boy hasiasi just occurred here , which is attributed to tbe fact of thoho pending execution of this wretched woman , A youth , ; h , named Ward , hung himself to a shelf in his master ' s ( a ( a pawnbroker ) warehouse , tying himself up with a cord , andndi swinging himself off from a pair of steps . He was talkingng ; about the execution an hour or two before , and some peoplcplci thinn be was trying an experiment in hanging , when ho iostasti bis footing and was strangled .
"Massa says you must sartain pay the bill to day , " eaidaidl a negro to a New Orleans shopkeeper . Why , fie isn ' tn ' tt a < rai i I ' m goine to run away , is he ? " was the reply . " NotM uaotly dat ; but look heah , " said the dark y , slyly and myste-iteriously , " he ' s going to run away beself , anu darfur wuntsntsi to make a big ra se . " Tub Potato Debase in Scotland . —In some pWtB 61 6 the fjutiiatfta ine potato tUaease turn reappeared .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 7, 1852, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_07081852/page/5/
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