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Northern Star (1837-1852), 16th March 1850, Edition 2 of 3, Page 6, &£i:JKetrw0H0»

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      E The Northern Stak Mauch 16, 1850. - ^^...

      e THE NORTHERN STAK Mauch 16 , 1850 . - ^^—» —mmMM ^— ¦ . ——« — —mmmm ¦ I I I I I ¦ ¦ 11 III m il I —»— __^^ . _ ldj _ ^ mmmmmmm ^ ^ KM ammm ¦ . —^^^^—w *^^——*^^ 7—^ - - ¦—— — : ~ . ~ ¦ ¦ I I ¦"

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      Ileimh Op Lonboh-Dobisc Ithb Week. — The...

      IlEiMH OP lONBOH-DoBISC Ithb Week . — The weekl y mortality continues to decline ; in the week en-ling -last Saturday - the deaths registered in London were 875 , bemg-a smalt decrease on the previous week . The steady decrease is exhibited in the following series of numbers , being the deaths returned each week since January , namely , 1 , 094 , 957 , 938 , 911 , 896 , and 875 . To compare the mortalitvofiast return with that ofthe same week in former years ( 1840-9 ) , it appears that only in . 1812 and 1 S 46 were the deaths less that 900 ; with three exceptions they were always above 1 , 000 , and in 1846 rose to 1 , 141 . The average often corresponding weeks , corrected for increase of population , is 101 ) 5 , compared with which the deaths in last week

      show a- decrease of 220 . Amongst epidemic ? , small-pox , scarlatina , hooping-cough , influenza , and typhus , show considerably less than the usual fatality ; measles and diarrhoe have now fallen to the average , the latter numbering 9 ; and in the whole epidemic class are enumerated 133 deaths , -whereas the corrected average is 196 . Sixty-five persons died of bronchitis , 74 of pneumonia , 17 of asthma ; the first being rather above the average , the la .-t two below it . In the class of diseases of the respiratory organs ( exclusive of pthisis . and hooping-cough ) 171 deaths- are included , whilst the corrected average is 207 . From pthisis , or consumption , 107 persons died in the week ; the average is 152 . An infant in Pheasant-court , Grays-inn-lane , is certified to have died ofthe impure air of an apartment . At Hammersmith , in Downt ' s-yard , King-street , the widow of a labourer sunk under the infirmity of age , having-lived 101 years . Mr . Roy , the registrar , States that she had been twice married , and

      after-Wards lived as a widow about SOyears . A certificate shows that she was baptised ninety-nine years ago , at which tune she was upwards of two years of ase . She has been in the receipt of parish relief for many years : and her general health , till recently , was tolerably good . In the last week 101 persons were registered who had died in workhouses , 67 who had died in hospitals , 8 in prison and Millbank Penitentiary . Ofthe 67 in hospitals , 12 occurred in naval and military establishments and 11 in lunatic asylums . The mean daily reading ofthe I arometer at the Boyal Observatory ; Greenwich , was above 30 in . on every day except Sunday ; the mean ofthe week was 30 . 179 in . The mean temperature of the week was 42 deg . i min ., exceeding the mean ofthe same week , ' on an average of seven years , by 2 deg . 7 min . On Sunday , Monday , Wednesday , and Thursday , the mean was from 4 deg . to 8 deg . above the average of these days . The births registered last week were 1 , 476 ,

      Mvstebious Death . —The body of a boy named John Jones , aged seventeen y ^ ars , was found on the 8 th inst , in the waters ofthe Grand Junction Canal , and it is generally supposed that the unfortunate youth has been robbed by a gang of miscreants , and afterwards murdered . Jones was in the employ of Mr . Taylor , a baker , of Old Brentford ; and on the 13 th ult , he left bis master ' s shop , with a basket containing loaves of bread , for the purpose of serving several customers residing at Tonshall and Han well , and did not return as usual . About a week afterwards the basket in which the deceased was known to carry his bread was discovered concealed in some

      bushes in Colonel Clithero s Wooii , which is contiguous to the Grand Junction Canal . A fresh search . was made for him , and it was not until the 8 th inst , that his body was found floating in the canal , a considerable distance from where the basket was found . When the body was removed upon the to < tius-path , it was found to be covered with bruises and contusions . Information was quickly forwarded to the -police , and the body was conveyed to the Victoria Tavern , in that parish , where the police district , surgeon attended , and carefully examined the body . He was of opinion that the deceased bad received some tremendous blows upon the hack part ofthe head during life . The deceased ' s hands were firmly clenched and filled with mud , as if he had struggled violently at tbe moment of death .

      FataIi Accident . —On Saturday an inquest was taken by Mr . Bedford , at the Westminster Hospital , on the body of Francis Barry , a « ed forty-four , who was killed by the horses and carriages of Earl de Grey . About a fortnight ago , about ten o'clock , the deceased was crossing the road opposite Fendall ' s Hotel , in Palace-yard , when the carriage of Earl de Grey came from the direction of St . James ' s-park , towards the houses of parliament . The coachman called to him several times , but deceased appeared tinsv , and staeeered aeainst the pole of the carriage ,

      and i ' . e was thrown down , the fore and hind wheel going over him . Had he stood still the carriage would have passed him , and the coachman did a'lin bis power . to pull bin horses up . He was at once conveyed to the Westminster Hospital , where be appeared to be suffering from the effects of some severe internal injury , aud he died * n the morning of the 6 th inst ., apparently from inflammation ofthe lungs , accelerated by the accident . The jury , after a very short consultation , returned a verdict of " Accidental death . "

      SuriDss Death . —An inquest was held by Mr . Bedford , at the Charing-cross Hospital , on the body of a I 24 U who was found in the streets under the following circumstances : — -It appeared that about four o ' clock on the morning of the 6 th inst ., as a policeman was-going round his beat at Charing-cross , he observed a man lying on his face in the Strand , and apparently quite dead . Witness had passed the place about ten minutes before , but the deceased was not there then . He was conveyed to the Charing-cross Hospital , and examined by the surgeon , but expired ia a very short time , and , as was subsequently discoveied , from disease of the heart . The deceased was respectably dressed , and had the appearance of a warehouseman ; but it is a Angular fact no one has called ro inquire after him , nor was a paper found on Mm vrbJck could lead to his identification . The clothes will remain in the possession of the constable for that purpose . The jury returned a verdict of «« Found dead . "

      ? ire is ToTiEJJHAM-counT-KOAB . —Oo Tuesday morning , between five and six o ' clock , a fire broke out on the extensive premises belonging to Mr . Gabriel , the steam saw mills , in Milford place , adjacent to London-street , Tottenham-court-road . The police discovered the flames breaking through thereof of the mill , which , though but one stay in height , extended a considerable depth in length ; a range of cow-houses ( belonging to Mr . Howe in Princes-street , Tottenham-court road , ) flanked one aide of the building . As soon as the police could arouse the family of Mr . Gabriel , wh- > resided in a

      dwelling abutting <> n the mills , they exerted themselves in the rescue of the cows out of the adjoining premises—a matter of n <» little difficulty , the poor animals being terrified by the flames emanating from tbe mills ; which by that tun * were on fire in every part . The brigade and west of England engines were soon on the spat ; but , notwithstandin g the great exertions used by the firemen , the flames could not bs mastered until the whole of the sawmills "were burned down and the valuable machinery destroyed . There were also many of the adjoining premises more or less injured . The total loss is aaid f « exceed £ 2 . 000 ,

      Fjke Ajtxxhilatob . —Several interesting and successful experiments were exhibited last week , at the London Gasworks , Vauxhail , before ' a numerousenmpany of ladies and gentlemen , invited to witness the effesiive power of Mr . Phillip ' s new indention for extinguishing fires . After adverting fc > the inefficiency of water as a means of quepching flame , and the consequent loss suitained annually throughout the kingdom by the destruction of property , to . the amouut of about £ 2 000 , 000 , he introduced one of the smaller ofhis own machines , and explained that the agent by which he sought to accomplish bis objeciwas a mixture ' of gas and vapour . After several "' experiments on " a sni * ll scale , to show the success he had attained by these means the attention of the company was directed to a compartment of a

      large .- > pen building , quite twenty feet" high inside , which was fitted . np with partitions and temporary joistjng of light wood , well soaked with pitch and turpentine , and overhung besides with rags aud shavings suaked in like manner . The torch was applied to thU erection , ar . d the -flu'iies , which , ascended immediately , at length roared with vehemence which drove the spectators back to a distance of forty feet , and was already beyond the power of water . The inventor then brought forward one of his hand machines , and threw out a volume of gaseous vapour , which , in a half a minute , entirely suppre .-s'd an fl ame and combustion , and to show that the vapour which now filled the space was quite innoxious , JfoV Phillips mounted into ihe loft , and passed and repassed through the midst ef it with a lighted caudle in his hand . The machine with which this effect was

      accomp lished was rather larger than a goodsized coffee-pot , and consisted of three tin cases , one within another , and mutually communicating . There was a small quantity of water in the bottom of the machine , and in the centre case was a composite cake , of the sizs -. ti'l coiour <> f peat—containing , " in the muldUs of it , a phial of sulphuric acid and cholorateof po ? a # li . In ordir to pat the machine into action this phial is broken , and a gaseous vapour is generated so rapidly and "i : i such quantity that it immediately rushes oat from a . lateral spout with great impetur-sity . Mr . Phillips explained that a machine of any size could be jiiads according to the purpose for which it was intended ^ and'that a company was at length formed to cany the invention into effect The company present , who seemed taken by surprise , very cordially expressed their satisfaction with the success of the achievement .

      pKiPosEo Alterations is St . Paul ' s Chorch-TAarj . —A very genecal feeling-prevails throughout toe City in favour of the plan recently propped in fte Court oft Common . Council , for the removal of thecumbrousiwo n railings round St ; , Paul's Cthefj * . ^ « P « rtMm-to . th » Archbishop of Canterbury , thevbisbo ? of London , and Dean Millman will-be headed by three ofthe City members , Sir J . Duke , Baron Ruthschild and Mr . Masterman , and it is confidently expected that the removal will commence early w tbe ensuing month .

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      Atrocious Attempt At Pgrson.In Mancheste...

      Atrocious attempt at PgrsoN . iN Manchester . --A curious case is under investigation bythe police of Manchester . Two . well-dressed meni haviugTthe appearance of gentlemen , called a feww ^ eeks back at a large and respectablecigar shop ih'Mahchester ,. and were waited upon by a female . Itwas about ,, ten , o ' clock in the . even mg , and-having , purchased some cigars , one of them remained m converjsation with the lady , whilst the other : smoked his cigar . , at . the . door . The one who remained in the . shop deposited his cigars in a handsome box , apparently , of TO ' - and produced from auother . box , apparently . of . tne same metal , some lozenges , which he offered , to tne larivShe declined them at firstbut haying a . coia ,

      . , and being assured thev would remove it , flhe WAS Ultimately persuaded to use two of them . After loitering some time about the shop the gentleman departed and had been gone but a short time , when the effects of the lozenges became apparent . She was seizeo : with a burning sensation in the throat , followed by . vomiting , and had to be led home by a friend , these sensations were followed by . faintness , and pain of the eyes , which affected the sig ht . She was put to bed and lost all consciousness of what was passing . Three surgeons were ultimately called in by her friends , and an eminent physician , and with their assistance a portion of the contents of the stomach were dislodged , containing poison . She entirely lost

      the sight of her eyes for two days , and consciousness was affected for nearly a week . She has only this week been able to resume her duties at the shop , and tho particulars of the matter are now under investigation by Mr . Beswick , the chief superintendent of the : detective police , in the hope that he will be able to discover the men who administered the p . ison ' . The recent administration of a drug through the instrumentality of lozenges in a railway carriage has . led to the suspicion that the same parties have been at work in this case , and that the object was , had the poison taken effect sooner , to have robbed the shop . Some traces of the parties has been obtained , but they are not yet in custody .

      Elopement of Capt . . Douglas with Miss Elliott . —A painful degree of excitement prevailed in Cheltenham last week , on the subject of an elopement . The parties are Captain Douglas , late of the 16 th Regiment , whose name has . been recently brought before the public in connexion with a courtmartial , held in the island of Guernsey , and Miss Marianne Elliott , youngest daughter of Letsam Elliott , Esq ., a gentleman of independent property , resident in Cheltenham . The parties first eloped during the absence of the young lady ' s father on a visit to the Earl Fitzhardinge , ' at Berkeley Casile , a few days since , but a clue having been , obtained of her retreat , she was brought home on . the , following day , and precautions were taken to prevent a repetition of the indi scretion .. All the means taken j how ever , proved insufficient , and on the 7 th inst ., she

      quitted her fa-. her ' s roof in disguise , and came to London by the next train . Captain Douglas has a wife and two children , and has been resident in Cheltenham for some weeks . The young lady is only nineteen years of age , highly accomplished , and the idol of her family , Mr . Serjeant Warren , the author of" Ten Thousand a Year , " » ho defended the rapfain be ' ore tha court-martial , and addressed a letter to the Queen npon the hardship of his client ' s case , thus apostrophises him in one of the early pages of his pamphlet : — " Captain Douglas , himself a father —the father of lovely children , and one of them a son ; but the mere sight of them is agony , to him ; for ihey bear , alas la now dishonoured name , and are the unconscious offspring of a ruined , outcast —that gentleman I believe to be at this moment one of the most deeply injured men in your Majesty ' s dominions . "

      Rochdale Savings Bank . —The followins notice has been issued by Messrs . John and James Fenton : " In consequence of the position of the Rochdale Sayings Bank , Messrs . John and James Fenton beg to inform the public , that ihey have decided to . receive ac their bank any sums not lower than £ 1 ; hoping that shortly some other means ¦ mav be afforded for the public convenience . Their present rateofinterestis £ 210 s per cvnt . . Should the deposits of the Savings Bank be paid in cheques , Messrs . J . and J . Fenton will be glad to accommodate the depositors by - taking rhe cheques at their bank , the same as money . —Rochdale Bank , 6 th March , 1830 .

      Important Factory Case at Blackburn . —At the petty sessions on the Gth inst , the Messrs . Hopwood , cotton manufacturers of this town were summoned by the sub-inspector of factories , Mr . Ewings , for an infringement ot the act regulating the duration of the hours of labour in factories . An application for an adjournment by Mr . Clough , the advocate or the defendants , was refused . There were fifty cases , "nly one of which was beard , viz ., the case of Ellen Wood , whose evidence conclusively established the case against the defendants , die having cummeiici d work at six o ' clock in the morning of Wednesday , the 27 th ult ., and was still employed at her looms , on the occasion of Mr . E wing ' s visit at twenty minutes past six the same evening . After a short exultation , the bench fined ih- defendants £ 70 ( £ 3 each in ten cases , and £ 1 each in forty cases ) , ami costs .

      Alarming Firb at Manchester . —An alarming fire broke out in Bateman ' s-buildings . Blackfriars , on Sunday night , and wa * discovered by the . police . ibout ten o ' clock . One front of the pile of buildings is to the river Irwell . and was partially occupied as a cotton factory . It is five stories high , and the flames were seen fr « -m Blackfriars-bridgR , issuing from "the windows of the fifth story . When Mr . Rose arrived at the spot with the fire-engines of the borough , the flames had reached the next story belo-v ; and the buildings adjoining and surrounding being very closely packed together ! great alarm prevailed lest the fire should extend up to Dean ' s-gaie in which case it must have made havoc with a vast amount of property . One ground for fearing that the fire would not easily be subdued was that , besides the

      combustible materials in the upper part ofthe building , thtre was an immense quantity of tallow stored in the cellar , wh'ch had the flames have reached it , must have fed them , and placed them beyond control . Not many do-. irs distant there was also a gunsmith's shop , with a good deal of powder in store , and much fear was entertained of mischief on this account . ' Four engines from Manchester and three from Salford were set to work , however , with such effect , that iu half an hour the fire was under the control of the firemen , and before it bad reached the chief sources of alarm , whilst the destruction of property was limited to about £ 2 , 000 worth , a very small proportion of what it was once feared must fall a prey to it . The cellar story , filled with tallow , is occupied by Messrs . T . C . Horrocks and Co .. refiners , whose

      s'oek received no injury . The next floor was partly occupied by Mr . J . B . Thorpe , as a beaming and dressing room for the warps of cluth , and as a mechanics' shop- A good deal of the materials in this story were destroyed by the fire , but the floor was not burnt . Mr . James Buckley , wood turner , who had materials on another part of the same floor , sustained no damage from the fire . The third story was wholly occupied by Mr . Thorpe as a weaving ro : » m , and about thirty out of fifty-seven looms were destroyed . The fourth sto . 'y was occupied . by Messrs Gibbons aud Brown , mechanics , and their stock was entirely destroyed . The fifth story , in which the fire commenced , was occupied by Mr . Ileotor Christy , with cotton winding and dressing frames , and his property was nearly all destroyed . The roof , two of the upper floors , and part of the

      third were destroyed . Mr . Thorpe has an adjoining mill , and Mr . Christy another , and both these were o » fire several times , but the vigilant exertions ofthe firemen as often checked them and saved them from destruction . Another large cotton factory adjoining was also ort fire several times , but was saved with but Ihtle damage . Of the £ 2 , 000 worth of " property destroyed about £ 1 , 100 was in the stock of the several occupants , and the remainder is the estimated damage to the building , which is covered by insurance in the Phoeiix Company . The stocks iu various parts of the building are insured by the , Roval Exchange and Yorkshire offices . The flames shot up to a great height at one lime , and . being seen . lat a ^ reat distanc , drew together an immense concourse o * people . By twelve o ' clock the flames were almost entirely reduced , but several ofthe engines had to be kept p ' aying on the building all night .

      Ploughing By Steam . —A trial in this way was made at Grimsihorpe , on the 7 th inst , by Lord Willoughby d'Eresby , The machinery employed consisting of a small locomotive engine , with a capstan attached , moving on a portable railway . An ordinary plough , followed closely hy a subsoil ploUKh , was drawn by a chain from the capstan , wording , with perfect precision , and at a greater depth and speed than usual . Several gentlemen and farmers who were present expressed a favourable opinion of the experiment .

      A I'RADDDXENr Preacher .. —Tbe Kendal Meeury tells a story of a preacher who ma < le a great sensation the other day in one of the " secluded dales" in that neighbourhood . After he had astonished the entire neighbourhood with his eloquence , it was whispered abroid . that the admired preacher was not in holv orders and had unlawfully desecrated the nlace of worship . The rural dean has referred the case to the high dignitaries ofthe church , and the result is a ^ ssuS cited to appear befo - **

      Casus of Poisoning . —Some weeks after Christinas las' ; an old man . named Samuel TunnclifiV . formarly a weaver , and who resided in a small cottage ol his « wn at Bullerton , went to reside at Swinscoe , near Ashbourne , with ay , man named William ciiadwicfc , who had married ; his riewphew ' s daught er . Not feeling comfortable in his new situation , the intended returning to his cottage at > Bullerton , but he became nnwell , and died after eight or : ten days ' illness . After the " old manVJdeeease Chadwick , instead of employing a joiner -jot * uiidertker to provide a coffin , took the dimensions ofthe body himself , and had the . coffin made to order .--He then screwed down the lid with ; hia . own hands ,: and had the deceased buried in tb <> churchyard of Blore .

      Atrocious Attempt At Pgrson.In Mancheste...

      Immediately afteir this Kestarted , fj » r "BuUer ' tohland claimed the . old man ' a . property , which consisted of ja " uilimuSted" bbt'tage" aHd'Md ' pl 0 ts " of landj-valuedat about £ 60 . TunhcIiffeV ^ adi . neaVer relatives ,, who at ' the time were in possession of-the property , and ' circums tances' had raised : * suspicion that he had been fdully flealt-W . ^ b f jtbfthpdyjtwas exhumed , and ; the stomach and - ( . intestines subjected : to a chemical analysis , ' the :, result of which showed ' thalVthe deceased j had been PQ ^^^ 'On'the inquest ' which ensued ' 'besides the preceding ' facte , it was proved thatGnadwick had asked for arsenic at a shop of a drugg ist in Ashbourne shortly before the old man ' s death ; stating that he wanted to poison rats and mice . It was ! also proved that when Tunncliff & was dying ,

      Chadnick pressed : him to sign a ; deed : which ,. however he did not do , and . that during the illness ~ 6 f deceased Chadwick gave him his drinks , The coroner ' s ju ry returned , a verdict of wilful murder against Chadwick , ' who is in custody . He is a remarkable fall man , with a heavy sluggish expression of countenanee , and is occupation is that of a labourer . He betrayed no emotion during the proceedings , but is said to have made statements since calculated materially to strengthen the evidence against him . Another case of poisoning has been discovered at Castle '; Camps , in Cambridgeshire , of which the folio wingare the particulars : •—Susan Lucas , wife of a labourer at Castle Camps , died on the 22 nd ult , after a verv short illness , lie the curse of which she

      exhibited all the symptoms of having taken arsenic , It was immediately rumoured that she had been poisoned by her husband and sister , who were said to have been guilty of . incest . In consequence the accused parties have been arrested , and the coroner ' s inquest has been adjourned , in order that medical evidence may be procured as to thecause of death . In the meantime the charge has been brought before the magistrates in petty session , and the witnesses' examined appear to establish a strong case against the . prisoners . The female prisoner , it was stated , prepared tbeTness for the deceased , which led to her illness ; and the male , it is said , had expressed his desire to get rid ofhis wife either by death or otherwise , " as lie had a bastard chijd coming . " They had both been committed to stand their trial at the assizes .

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      The Cullodkn Monument.—- The Inverness C...

      The Cullodkn Monument . — - The Inverness Courier says : "Thismonument has now progressed to some height , but the fund receives accessions so slowly , that the po-sibility is anticipated of seeing the monument struck in a half finished state , and go left soon to become a shapeless heap of rubbish , not much to tbe credit of that enthusiasm out of which the proposal arose . " i ;

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      Abolition Of The Irish Court.— 106 Quosh...

      ABOLITION OF THE IRISH COURT . — 106 qUOSHOH ofthe abolition of the lord-lieutenancy is privately debated in all parts ofthe city . Saunders' . . News Letter of Sunday last contains the following : — "The contemplated arrangement is to create a Secretary of State for Ireland with a seat in the cabinet , and to transfer to him ; by Act of-Parliament , such of the executive rights as are at present vested in the Lord ^ Lieutenant . The prerogative rights will igo to the Queen . This Secretary for Ireland will have a parliamentary Under Secretary , and an office establishment , uniting the Chief Secretary ' s OftVe in Dublin Castle with the Irish Office , in London .

      By the constant residence ih London of the Secretary for Ireland , Irish members of parliament will have the government of Ireland always on the spot , without dropping in at the Irish Office , or going to the Home Office , or writing over to a Lord Lieutenant of Ireland , as at present . These arrangements ' will of course involve soma others , and be perhaps themselves somewhat altered , but the abolition of the vice-royalty is expected to take place before the opening of next session . Such at least is understood to be the proposed changes . An occasional visit of the Queen is part of the plan . " Cultivation of the Soil . —In that quarter of the island where improvement was more imperatively needed , the symptoms of a return to a better state of affairs are gradually but surely gaining reality .

      Even in Mayo , the stronghold and last resting place of the famine , it is admitted by the Castlebar Telegraph , that the gloom is dissipating before the fair prospect which is at length dawning upon that impoverished district . At the assizes now being held in various parts of the country , there have been some convictions for offences of a very serious character . In Waterford , oh the 7 th inst " . two men , named Downey , were found guilty of the murder of Michael Hogan , a person who had been sent to the lands of Curragnun , in that county , to distrain for arrears of rent due by a farmer . On the 6 th inst at the same assizes , four men were convicted of having made an attack on the police barracks of Cappoquin in September

      last . During the trial there were fifty pikes , fixed upon ash poles seven feet long , lying on the table of the Court-house . These instruments furnished strong evidence of the intention of the parties under prosecution . In Limerick there was a conviction of two men for a whiteboy offence—an attack on a dwelling ; and , in the King ' s County , a man named John Ryan was convicted of the murder of Staff-Serecant Grant , who " was assassinated in November , 1848 , whilst on his way to Shinrone , whither he was proceeding to pay some pensioners . As yet few remarkable cases have been tried at these assizes . In Westmeath Mr . "William Vise , a

      person holding the rank of a gentleman , has been acquitted of a charge of murder for shooting a man named Flynn , who was one of a party , of men Who came to take forcible possession of a house . The case excited a good deal of interest when the occurrence took p lace . Mr . Vise is married to the niece of a deceased gentleman , Captain Ogle , and was in occupation of the family mansion at Dysart , in virtue of a will bequeathing the property to his wife , and disinheriting the nephews of the deceased . The latter came with a numerous party to take the house by force , when Mr . Vyse fired and shot one man dead , wounding another .

      Extraordinary Outhaor . —The Limerick Reporter contains the following strange statement . If unexaggerated , it is quite a ' new phase in the relationship between landlord and tenant : — " Great excitement has been created in the neighbourhood of Groom by one ofthe most daring attacks , made within our remembrance , by a party of fifty or sixty men , with whom was Mr . Bevan , of Glen Bevan , on a respectable farmer of the name of Fitzgerald , the holder of twenty acres of land at Bawnogue in that neighbourhood . It appears that Fitzgerald had been dispossessed , and was re-admitted by the land bailiff of Mr . Bevan ; but that gentleman , on the day of this awful occurrence , denied that he had given authority to the-land bailiff to admit the

      Fitzgeralds ; and such violence , was never , we believe , before witnessed in that . or any-other part of the country . To ' describe the fearful manner in which the Bevan party acted would be impossible . Demands were made on Fitzgerald to leave the house ; he declined-doing so . Then began the row . Sticks , stones , every implement that could be laid hold of , were used against the Fitzgeralds , who resisted , as well as they were ' able , the outrageous treatment they received at the hands ofthe Bevan faction . One of the Fitzgeralds was left for dead on the wayside with three fractures of the skull . The police of the Ballyeollen station were on duty in the neighbourhood . Their attention was attracted to the scene of the outrage . Had it not been for their interference further injury , and per * haps argreat loss of life , must have been the result . The constable and party succeeded in arresting four

      of the ringleaders whose violence they witnessed . They brtfught them before Mr . Lyons and Mr . R . Maxwell , handcuffed ; but , strange to say , those gentlemen refused informations against the depredators , whilst they took informations against the Fitzgeralds . The facts having , however , been laid before Mr . Gould , R . M ., he took the informations of the Fitzgeralds , and the case is to undergo a further investigation on Monday week , summons having been issued for that purpose . The Beven men , it need not be said , succeeded in ejecting the Fitzgeralds by this new process of entry and ouster ; . but with what result remains to be seen . The greatest excitement continues to prevail on the subject throughout the country . " Wo extract the following details of house-levelling and starvation from the Limerick and Clare Examiner

      —: J * . On Saturday last W . Leake , Esq ., sub-sheriff of the county of Limerick ,, accompanied by a large party of police from Newcastle and the adjoining stations , and a number of , bailiffs , proceeded to the lands of Itaheenagh for the purpose of dispossessing a bbdy of occupiers . The wretched work was soon accomplished . After turning out thirty-four families the bailiffs proceeded in their work of demolition , and ; rapidly and summarily executed the task assigned them . The dwellings which were habitable a moment before , were in ruins the next . A long rope was attached to the rafters in , such a manner that the entire , roof was dragged off ; in a haul . No scene could be more heart-rending . Old mfih and women ., voune mothers with infants at

      their breasts , weeping children of every age were put out together .. Some of them were stretched on the bed of sickness in fever and dysentry . It would move a heart of stone to . hear these poor creatures demanding a respite for a few days until they would be able , to . rise , ' or would have breathed : their last . The . houses demolished and tho victory gained , the landlord . cautioned the relieving officer of the district against giving relief , lest any of the poor creatures should , . attempt'to find . shelter in the locality . 'Let them go to the workhouse . ' Thus , in one part of the electoral division of Kileedy were thirty-seven families thrown houseless on the wdrld , as they could not afford to pay former rents , an impossibility which the landlords themselves have fully demonstrated . „ The whole of these families , amounting , at five members each , to 185 souls , must

      Abolition Of The Irish Court.— 106 Quosh...

      Kecohie chargeable on the rates and resources of the Newcastle union . ' . ? . ' ... ~ . 4 « - £ - . young womnn , "' Mary Donnellan ; - ofRinanaV left the'Erinis ; Fever ; Hospital , fand . endeavoured toi crawl homo , faint , and , lasting ,,. a , distance , of , ten ; miles ; ish ' ei gotinto some kiiid . of a ' wretched " old . hoyel , ; where she' was found next day . dead of hunger ! and exhaustioh , arid her face eaten away byrats ., ' - ' '' - •''/; ' ! ,::: ; ¦/'; : p '•; ' : ¦/ . - ; ; . ; . ,- !• ¦ -- : " " "A hitherto ; powerful athletic man , Michael O'Brien , for strength the pride ' of the village , died of starvation on Monday at a place , very , properly denominated ' « the hulk , ' and there he remains till the hour I write ( Thursday ) imihterire'd . This man ' received a marriage portion of £ 70 . and leaves now _ .. ....,,- , " . - : , ' t . * ' *•„ - » . l _ V- ' _ .-a 1 ...

      a widow . and . six ^ children , one of . whom is a stalwart form of living death , bones and sineWS , kept together byijhe use of a few stqleu turnips , for , tne last eighteen days . I saw crowds of hungry " candidates last night about ten o ' clock , returningfrofn their unavailing mission to the workhouse , ' ¦ in the most lamentable state ; of . destitution , after , their fourteen miles' journey . ' : ' . Would to God that some Christian friends who ' read this unexagge ' rated statement would transmit to Rev . Mr . Furness ; P . P ., fome assistance to help his deplorable flock in this their time of fiery ordeal . Rents in this ' 16 * cality are enormous—in some cases £ 415 s . an acre ;; and in others £ 3 ; and down to £ 1 15 s ., without any authentic reduction that I could yet learn . " '

      It would appear , from the subjoined paragraphs , contained from the Nenagh Guardian that the land is as fertile a source of contention in the county Tipperary as ever . ; . , ;; . . ' . - ,. - . " On the 6 th hist , as Michael Ryan , of tipper Church , was in the act of seizing a cow , under a distress for rent / duo by a man named James Ryan , John Ryan struck him with a pitchfork on the head , from the effects of which he lies dangerously ill / his skull being fractured , but it is hoped he may yet recover . , "At one o ' clock on the morning of the 7 th inst , three brothers , named ,. James , John , and David Carey ] seized for rent cows belonging-to Denis , and Pat Sweeney , residing near Cashel . After the seizure having been made a quarrel took place and

      a riot ; ' ensued , in which both tho Sweeney ' s were seriously , wounded , one of them having received a blow of a stone , which fractured ' his "head , and placed his life in imminent danger . " - Pibact . —A most , shameful . outrage was committed last week by the inhabitants of Boffin and the neighbouring island , upon an Austrian vessel . named the A velette Bochesi : It appears that tlie vessel sprung a leak , and becoming unmanageable from stress of weather , she . drove on Shark Head , whereupon Mr . II . HUdebrand , with tho coastguards and others , came to * their assistance ; but finding it impossible to , bring " off the vessel , they immediately returned to Boffin for further aid , ' after wliieh a large number of persons ; armed with hatchets ,. headed by apersonnamod-Grady ; attacked the crew , and plundered the sailors and vessel of every portable article ., The ruffians actually forced some jewels , worn , by the .. captain and mate ,-

      from their person ' s . . Eleven of these pirates . hate already been lodged in gaol , and it is probable that an admiralty commission will issue for their trial tit the ensuing assizes .- ;;;] ¦' . The authorities seem to be taking timely precaution to prevent anything like a renewal of the Dolly ' s Brae affair on St ; Patrick ' s Day . ' Strong detachments of military and constabulary are being sent to those parts of Ulster where there is reason to apprehend the Ribbon party may be disposed to celebrate the feast of the patron saint . Some com-, panies ofthe 1 st Royals , and a portion of the Enniskilling Dragoons left here on Monday for the north . Repeal Association . —Bankruptcy looms over Conciliation Hall . The rent has fallen to £ 9 , and an adjournment of three weeks is agreed to in order to give the small : leader time , to start it ; in the provinces , in the hope of raisin * the wind outside the pale of an ungrateful metropolis .

      Powder-Mill Explosion, And Loss Of Life....

      POWDER-MILL EXPLOSION , AND LOSS OF LIFE . A fearful explosion took place On Monday afternoon at the powder mills of Messrs . Curtis and Harvey , near Hounslow , attended by a lamentable loss of life among the workmen present when the accident happened . The buildings are situated about ' two mihs from the Hounslow . Railway-station ,, and about half a mile oh the southern side of the public highway , and are surrounded by a belt of stately trees . They are approached by a narrow cart-road , and the situation in which they are placed appears to have been carefully selected to prevent the occurrence of a catastrophe like that which has just taken place . On Monday afternoon , about half-past 3 . o ' clock , the inhabitants of the surrounding district were startled by a found resembling the discharge of a whole park of artillery , which shook the houses to their foundations , and made the inmates rush forth in terror and

      dismay to learn the cause . A dense cloud of smoke was seen rising . in the air , and the bodies of men hurled aloft with portions of the , building were observed to drop among . the trees which surround the mills . Scarcely had this taken place when another explosion , of ' still greater violence than the first , was heard , and the roof of one of the corning-houses was blown upwards to a great height . A third explosion then took place , louder than all the rest , and so tremendous that its effects were sensibly felt at Brentford , Kew , and even Richmond , from which places several hundred people started to ascertain what accident had happened . It is also' said that horses and pedestrians nearly a mile away from the mills were thrown down by the concussion ., Several other explosions are . said to have taken place after this , but owing to the confusion and excitement which prevailed it was impossible to ascertain the exact

      number . The scene which followed baffles all descriptionwomen rushed madly forward to ascerta ' n the fate of their husbands , and children also hurried to the spot to know if their parents had been injured . Adreud * ful spectacle presented itself when the crowd ol anxious inquirers reached the mills . No less / than seven ofthe buildings . were found levelled to the ground , and scattered in different directions were the miserable workpeople , some bleeding profusely , while others , scorclied and blackened by the explosions , could hardly be identified by their friends . Five were quite dead , and in the surrounding fields the shattered remains of three or four human bodies were found , so that the whole number killed on the spot is supposed to be eight or nine . Several of the sufferers

      still alive are so frightfully injured that no hope of their recovery is entertained . Respecting thecause ofthe explosion nothing is at present known . It is believed that the first took place in one of the corning houses , but ; all the workmen employed there have been either killed or so dreadfully injured as to be unable to give any . account of the way in which the accident happened . Besides the destruction of the works already alluded to , all the . small houses occupied by those employed on the premises have had the flftss in their windows broken , and the roofs displaced . Every exeition appears to have been made as soon as the extent of the catastrophe was known

      to obtain medical-aid for the sufferers , and to extinguish the flamesi . which followed the explosion . A body of police happened luckily to be at Hounslow to prevents walking match , which was expected to come off . from taking , place on the public thoroughfares . Their services were aoplied t" keeping off the crowd of spectators attracted to the spot , and a large party of the 11 th Hussars arrived with the fire engine from the barracks , and soon extinguished the fire in the ruins . Until night closed in men were employed in searching ^ the surrounding fields for the mangled and shattered remains of the unfortunate beings who had perished in the explosion .

      FURTHER PARHCCLARS . On Tuesday morning the extent of injury to life and property by the dreadful explosion at the powder-mills of Messrs . Curtis , and Harvey , near Hounslow , was fully revealed . , It was then ascertained beyond doubt , that eight human beings had thereby been killed , and that two more had' been very seriously hurt . ; The names of the unfortunate victims are as follows : —Richard Glazier arid Henry Strange who perished . in tlie sporting powder dusthouse ; Robert Goddard , who was in the sporting powder covning-house when the accident took place , and who liyedTor an hour and a half after the explosion . John Compton was with him , and , though much injured , still survives . James Perry , who was in the middle glazing-house , at the , time , was

      killed ; and William Pierce , his companion , was seriousiy hurt , and is , since dead . In the roller corning-hou ' se three men perished , their names being William Borrows , Thomas Tenfold , and James Bookmaster . To this list the name of Henry Gutford , nextiri authority to the foreman ofthe works , must be added . When he heard the explosion he threw himself into the river Colne , which passes close at hand , and in that position he remained while the roof of one " of the buildings was blown right over his head . He has sustained some injury ,: and appears to have owed his life mainly to the shelter which the river afforded . In order to render the account of this intelligible , it is necessary . to g ive some description of tho manner in which the powder-mills arc arranged . Messrs . Curtis and

      Harvey ' s works are within about two miles of Hounslow , and cover a large area of ground , pro-, bably from fifty to sixty acres , the whole being , en ^ closed by . a handsome park railing , with a thick fir . p lantation . shutting it in on every side . The area itself is dotted by fir and alder plantations , in the midst of which are situated "the various buildings where the manufacture of powder is carried onsuch as the glazing mills , corning , mills , pressing houses , & c .,. these buildings being thus placed , in order that , in the event of ah explosion , the trees being thickl y planted , might deaden its force , and prevent an extension of tho / accident . The result of the present catastrophe would appear to prove that tho plantations of trees aro not a sufficient safeguard . No less than five separate buildings —the first , at least 100 yards from the second—successively exploded ; the whole time occupied by the

      Powder-Mill Explosion, And Loss Of Life....

      accident being actually under two minutes . These five buildings must be .. understood to form only a 'Very small . portion ^ of'Wssrs / 'Gurtis'and-Harvey ' s works , ' erections of ay similar ; . character ? being , very inumerousiabaut . thelgrounds . ihadditionio-which : the firmhave veryiextensive - premises . within the enclosure , wherothe earlier stages of the manufacture ; such as the grinding , the charcoal , saltpetre , dro .,. are carried on by steam power , and . near . to which } are situated the offices : The works are jbounded on the eastby the river Colne , which supplies all-the water-power ¦ required > for the corning and glazing mills , and upon the banks of this river stood' three of the buildings destroyed . ; . ¦ ... m

      The ; accident was ; very distinctly observed by some agricultural labourers , who were at work in a field , within the enclosure , the plantation running between themselves and the river .. They describe the first explosion to have . taken place in what is stated to have been a treble dusting house , this being . the technical . ' term for . the place in iwhtch first-class powder is subjected to a finishing process , namely that of separating any particles of dust from , and making it up in packages for sale ; . This building was situate on the west side of the plantation , about two hundred yards from the river . When it . exploded there appears to have been only two men working in it . The stock of powder it contained was , however , about eight or nine barrels of one hundred weight each , and as a matter of consequence , every particle of

      which the building was composed , from ^ foundation to the roof , was . thrown , up into-the air to an enormous altitude , and scattered about . in every direction . Some , portion of the ignited splinters were blown ; in the direction of the river , and fell upon a cbrhin " house situated about the centre of the plantation ; The next instant this building was razed to the ground by an explosion which , 'in its turn ,, communicated with a second corning house oh the banks of the river ! -From this ' building the force of the explosion directed itself up the banks ofthe river , arid ' next destroyed ' a glazing-house , ' . from * which it spread to , a pressing-house , after , which it did no further mischief . By the explosion of the lower corninfe-bouse \ a mixing-house , was fired , which

      burnt [ itself out before the fire engines on the estahlishment could be brought to play upon it . " The whole jbf the buildings within the enclosure were niore or less injured by the explosion , the tiles being torn off the roofs , and all the windows broken , and the effect of the accident upon the plantation was frightful , the largest' trees being snapped off and rooted up in every direction . . "' . ' , '"" - It appears to be quite ascertained that the mischief commenced in . what is called the "Treble Dusting-house , " i . « ., ; the house for " dusting " or cleansing sporting powder , which was . situate on the eastern margin of a" fir plantation , with a field of "turnips on'the one side of it and the wood on the other . ' In this small . building no machinery of

      any kind was kept which could at allleadito such a oastrophe . . ; Two ; small spindles and a sieve of copper wire were the only implements employed ; and how airiythih ' gcould have . arisen to create combustion here is the mystery which must be solved before , the origin of the accident can bo understood . : The appearance presented at all the spots where the great explosions , took place is , as nearly as possible , the same hot one stone being left upon another , the trees for some distance around being shattered , overthrown , and scorched , and the ground being strewed with bricks , pieces of timber , and fragments of machinery . A portion of a- water-wheel was resting between the boughs of a fir tree , near its summit , and several heavy rollers , after being hurled upwards to a great , height , had imbedded themselves deeply in the earth , Besides tfr . e five

      great explosions , two smaller ones occurred in other portions of the works ;! but as these did not do much damage beyond displacing a few timbers in the roof ,, it , is not necessary to . enter , into any details with regard to them . Amon g the heavier disasters of the day , the composition-house , that in which the materials of gunpowder are brought together , took fire , and everything , except those solid portions ofthe machinery which would not burn , was reduced to ashes . This record of the disasters which have overtaken the works of . Messrs . Curtis and Harvey would not be complete without mentioning that the roofs of nearly all the buildings within reach of those where the explosions took place have been almost entirely destroyed , the tiles being displaced as if by a hurricane . The windows have also been blown in and the plaster shaken off the walls .

      To My Fellow Countrymen. Are You Aware, ...

      TO MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN . Are you aware , fellow-countrymen , " that the bodies of those who die in the hospitals are sold by doctors to medical students as they say to teach them anatomy , but really to fill their pockets ! !! Your legs and arms are sold just as if it were a butchers' shop , and all this done under the plea of science ! ! Oh ! oh ! the guinea trade . —Fellowcountrymen !—The only thing really required is bone setting , which might be learnt from lithographic designs , without desecrating the remains of the poor and making money out of their dead bodies . Surely there must and will be a day of retribution !! What would the rich say if their remains were hacked and cut up as those of the poor are in the hospitals ? Mr . Morison , the Hygeist , has clearl y shown anatomy to be a perfect humbug . ; Yours , & c , A HjGEIST , London , March 12 th , 1850 .

      ... A Romanch Op Real Life — Same Twenty...

      ... A RoMANCH OP Real Life — Same twenty-five years ago , a stranger—a Scotchman—came to Huddersfield , took lodgings , and after a little inquiry , took premises and commenced business in the retail flour and corn trade . He would then be nearly fifty years of aye , and called himself Alexander Black , in which name he has continued to trade in Huddersfield up to the period of his death , which occurred some few weeks ago . From the first of bis reaching the town , he paid attention to several females , and made offers which were declined . At length a young girl who obtained her livelihood by . delivering milk for sale , listened to his overtures ; but as her mental qualifications were scarcely deemed high enough for the " Canny Scot , " he took the precaution to send

      her to a boarding school and other places of instruction , to qualify her to be a helpmate for him . In due time she was married in the name of Black . Fortune seemed to smile upon the Scotchman , for his business visibly increased , and also his means ol enjoyment—a dwelling , of a higher class being occupied by the couple . At length there ' seemed to be a turn to this good fortune , and most people were surprised to hear that a fiat of bankruptcy had been issued against Alexander Black . The fiat was prosecuted ; it was under the old bankrupt law , when the examination of the bankrupt was taken in presence of the creditors , generally in the town where the bankrupt resided . While A . Black ' s examination was proceeding ; the sheriff ' s officer in attendance , having reason

      to believe that all the property that Black possessed had not been given up , left the room , and went in search of the ( fliiddersfield ) wife , to whom he represented that he had been sent by her husband " for that money , " and that unless it was sent , he ( the husband ) would have to be committed to York Castle . This representation operating on the fears of the poor distracted' wife , she went to the biding place , and produced £ 1 , 100 in gold , which she delivered to the sheriffs officer , and which was by him speedily laid before the assembled creditors , to their great astonishment and delight . This bankruptcy being worked to the end , and a certificate obtained , our Scotchman commenced the world again in the same line of business—borrowing 4200 to enable him

      to do so from the very sheriff ' s officer who had so cunningly stript him of the secret £ 1 , 100 ; and whoae faith in Black ' s integrity seems to have been of an extraordinary kind : It should here be mentioned that the affair of the £ 1 , 100 so preyed upon the mind of the HuddersReld wife , that she was for a considerable period an inmate of a lunatic asylum j and in a few years after her release she died , leaving our Scotch ' townsman apparently a widower . A few weeks tigohe also died — and . then camo the revela-: tion ' s we have now to detail . Fortune . had ; again smiled upon him , and having some £ 1 , 500 to dispose of , he willed small portions amongst some members ofthe family he had married into in Huddersfieldsome other portions to his housekeeper , and the rest to parties whom he named , residentinScotland , and whom he described as his nieces and nephews ; To

      this will his old friend , the sheriff ' s officer , was made one ofthe executors . When one of the " nephews " came from Scotland to look after his interest , he came furnished with-proofs to show that Alexander Black was not the name of the party who had been so long known by it ; that his real name was — , what , for the sake ofthe family in Scotland , we do not here mention ; that the " nephew '' was the ' veritable son of the ostensible ' Alexander Black ; that the said son had four brothers and sisters still living ; ihat the mother of these children , and the first wife of the said Alexander Black , was also . still living , oeing now upwardsr of eis-hty years of age ; that et the time "Alexander Black" left Scotland , he left a secondwife behind him , who is also still living ; that he had fled from Scotland on account of these mar « riages , and his whereabouts not known , for a considerable period . —Leeds Mercury . . ,

      Revenue oi ; the TJuchy of , Corn wail ' . —The accounts of the revenue of the Duchy ' of Cornwall up to the end of . 1849 have been published . The whole income received , including arrears of outstanding accounts , - amounted . to £ 51 , 882 13 s . 2 d . Tha sums paid to his Royal . llighness ' s use out of the , gross income amounie ' dto £ 20 , 55 ? 10 a ., and the payments to the account of the B-uke of Cornwall at the Bank of England were- ^ 3 , 750 .- These sums ,- together with £ 5 , 244103 . remaining at the bankers , to the credit of the . account of the Council of his Royal Highness the Prince of . Wales , and the various items for salaries , law expenses , repairs , " tithes , & c , make up the expenditure side bf the balance . " ' ••' ; ' A' hoy ; -fifteen ' , years of age , has been arrested at Leghorn , for writing-a revolutionary letter to another boy ,

      ... A Romanch Op Real Life — Same Twenty...

      THE CONDITlQftodF iSfcGEAMif RICHkD ' OASrM'S ^ bDiiESS ON THE : ;; t-v ; rights of' labour ; - ¦¦• ¦ ¦ - ¦ ¦ .-• , At a meeting of delegates' from ^' the London Trades held at Si . i Andrew ^ Coffee House , Hoi . born , for the purpose of considering the best means to be adopted at the present crisis , to so arrange the trade and industry of i England , as shall tend to enable the industrious portions of society to lire b y the . fruits of their labourr-Mr . George Read in the « .. «_ -. -..-J- ' -. j ^ w ' k . ' , _ 4 '"

      chair—Mr ; Oastler delivered the . following , address : I came here , , ' sir ; at your invitation , and was told that this assembly would Decomposed of thoughtful , steady , and respectable . working men , ih whose judgment the different trades of London confide . I am , then , ' about to speak * in the presence of the head , the heart ; and the eye of the different Indus , trial branches of this greatmetropolis , and , through them , to the whole of the working classes of this mighty empire' ; for it it true ' a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump . '¦; The subject upon which I am called to speak is : the most important that can occupy . the mind-of : man , embracing , as it does ; the well-being of every class in society , and of

      each individual , , ceraposing those various classes , f rejoice at this opportunity , of communing with tbsughtful working men thereon , the other classes being too much ' engaged \ in ,, pleasurable , coramer . cial , or party political pursuits , to allow themselves any opportunity ' seriously to enter into the invest ! , gation of this most solemn subject ; least of all have those men in whom others hahitually confide —I mean the great leaders of the different ' contending parties in the two houses of Parliament — any , even the most distant opportunity of devoting

      I either their time or their great talents to the inveg . ligation and mastery of this . all-important science . They , therefore , habitually evade the subject , and for the last thirty years have persuaded themselves , and acted on that persuasion , that Adam Smith had dived into its mysteries , unravelled its intricacies , and settled the question . Of course , none of them can have carefully collated Adam Smith . If they had , they-would have discovered , that Adam Smith didnoteven pretend to have settled the question ; hut had left it as full of doubt as he found it . It

      is , however , a melancholy fact , that , for thirty years that delusion has operated upon the legislature of England , and the ' absurd notion , that every indivi . dual in seeking his own aggrandisement must necessarily perstte that Course which will benefit societ y ( which means neither more nonless than that a cunning and a selfish rich man needs no restraint in bis dealings with the honest and industrious ) , has been the principle adopted by every . government , as the foundation of all the newfangled experimental acts that have recently disgraced our statute books , and destroyed the value of labour ... Well , then , upon this principle our English society ^ has been conducted for the last generation ; and what is the result

      ?misery , wretchedness , destitution , and despair accumulated in masses , such as man never bad before to study . Our philanthropists stand aghast / and hope to find relief by removing a few thousands of the sons and daughters of adversity to distant climes ; but still the tide of misery keeps flowing , and after all the efforts of tlie benevolent , the mass of wretchedness increases , until even if the most hardened of the sons of man , dared to dive into the depths of that fearful misery , which , like a sea of death , surrounds' us—ay , even if their hearts were as hard as nether millstones , they would feel for others , and weep as if they were stricken in grief , and clothed in sackcloth and ashes . There is not in

      nature an effect without a cause . Our business to * night is , if possible , to find out , why , amidst so much industry and such immense masses of accumulated wealth , there should exist such boundless shoals of rapidly increasing misery . There is no man who more admires the spirit of philanthropy which is abroad , than I do . But , desirable as philanthropy is , noble as it is , it is nevertheless more excellent and more wise effectually to prevent , than vainly attempt to relieve . Relief , when successful , is not even a remedy , except when followed by prevention , proving the wisdom of the old proverb— prevention is better than cure . ' I was the other day in company with one whom I consider to be the greatest

      philanthropist in this City , devoting , as he does , all his time and all his large income to feed the hungry , to clothe the naked , and house the houseless . I said to him , * Far be it from me to check the generous impulse of your nature ; but let me ask , does it never occur to you , as you survey the groups of the destitute , why are they so ? ' ' Yes , ' he replied ; « but that requires a greater and more expansive mind than mine ; I must be content to occupy a lower bench in the school of philanthropy . My mind is too narrow to grapple with that broad question . ' That cause must , however , be discovered , that j ' m . mense question must be grappled with , or the whole of , British society will very soon be dissolved . Some

      years ago we discovered in the factory districts one of these causes , and for upwards of thirty years we grappled with it . We thought we had corrected it , but at present it seems we shall have that struggle to recommence . ' There we found that the strong athletic able-bodied man was thrown out of work j the order of nature was reversed , and to secure cheapness , women—nay , very babes , were made to do the work assigned by God . to men . To such an extent was this cruel and unnatural system carried , that I have known babes of five years of age absolutely worked seventeen hours out of the twentyfour . But then so darkened was the public mind , that it was said to be a sin to interfere 1 What was

      the consequence upon society ? Was it their benefit ? If the accepted principle of the day be true , society must have been improved thereby . Has it been so ? Ah , no ! It began by destroying the home of the working man ; he had no wife there , no child ' there : it was to him no longer home ! If he could not find other employment , his big and manly heart no longer brooking to be fed by those whom he had sworn to . nourish , his very soul was demonised , and he became a criminal ; another son of labour was then called in , to watch his depredations and apprehend him . Thus were two sons of labour rendered worse than useless to society , all the expenses of litigation and maintenance for idle men—who ought and who would have been usefully employed under wise arrangements—all these

      expenses being borne by the parishes . Idleness encouraged , and property burthened—man taught to hate , who ought to have been taught to love . And how did the wife and mother fare ? She , brokenhearted , toiled from early morn to late at night , wasting her strength until strength was gone . She then was pauperised , for the gain of her employer , but society maintained her as a lingering and expensive atom oh its surface . The babes were often pitied by their mother earth , and called too early . to cradle in her bosom , there to sleep the unbroken sleep ofthe long , night of death ; and if , unhappily , yes , I say , unhappily ( for in that struggle , death is preferable to life , )! . they were spared on the surface of the earth , they became degenerate . I will not trace them in their downward course . Those homes

      were not destroyed by the 'dogs of war . No : England had cried ' Havoc , and let slip the wolvei of avarice . ' the loss and misery I have just glanced at , is a beneficial change , if the teachings of Adam Smith are true—they are the natural result of ' let ting things alone , ' allowing every individual to take his own course , in seeking his private advantage : 'this disorganisation of society is wise , if the so-called dictates of common sense' be true ; for those men , women and children , of whom I have been speaking , are ' the few' who-are then justly sacrificed tb the

      interests of' the many , ' Goods , required by ' the many , ' are made cheaper by the sufferings of these ' few , ' and thus , our wise philosophers tell us , ' the benefit to society is i great 1 ' How contrary is their teachings to that of God , who , in the Book of Tiuth , assures us , ' Love worketb no ill to his neighbour . ' He careth for all . How then , upon his plan , should the factory system have been introduced . Every invention that destroys the value of the labour . oi . ; man should have been rejected , until man ' s loss of labour could have been

      compensated by its use . Till then , that invention became destruction 1 Every ; contrivance to increase production by destroying . the health and home-happiness'of those engaged therein , should have been rejected , until it had been also discovered how to use it without such penalt y , least' of all , should inventions have been encouraged , that removed the burden of labour from man , to cast it upon wome and babes ! r Again , it is madness to stimulate productfon by new inventions , having no regard to an

      increased- demand ! The science now miscalled political economy , has cast off all these considerations—cheapness , and cheapness only , being the goal at which it aims ! And we are , forsooth , we pr o ^ ssing ' Christians , are frightened by the phu > so ' phic , bug-bear . — If , we . will hot thus encourage production , other nationsi will ! ,,: If we wiU n ° * allow , free ; scope : to capital and ingenuity , other people willl .-And :: t hus * they will undersell us , and we shall lose our trade , and our wealth . ' he «

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), March 16, 1850, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_16031850/page/6/