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April 21, 1849. THE NORTHERN STAR,
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THE TWO WISHES. (From the Athenaeum.) On...
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HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION...
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William the Norman j or, the Tyrant Disp...
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The Progressionist. April. London ; F. W...
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Uniformity of Railway Accounts. By Georg...
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CHARTIST TRACTS FOR THE TIMES. No. V. Wh...
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Want or Fresh Air.—The Hon. Horace Mann,...
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THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. BT THOMAS MARTIX...
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Tire Income Tax.—On Wednesday the follow...
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TO LORDS JOHN RUSSELL AND STANLEY, SIR R...
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TO ROBERT OWEK
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My Dear Owejt , I look upon you as one o...
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Vavutie^
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Ambwcas Biblical Citmcis.v. —Tho America...
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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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April 21, 1849. The Northern Star,
April 21 , 1849 . THE NORTHERN STAR ,
Jportrs
jportrs
The Two Wishes. (From The Athenaeum.) On...
THE TWO WISHES . ( From the Athenaeum . ) One mora upon a rocky steep , High tip above the level earth Two youths , escaped the bonds of sleep , Felt first ambition ' s earliest birth . Aspiring o ' er the tardy race Of common minds that height to reach "Which towers above the common place , Each turned his glowing thought to speech * ' Brother , I would , " the elder cried , " Like this high rock my fate mi g ht be—Commanding nations far a ' nd wide , And famed throughout eternity ; O'er grovelling minds and puny things In kingl y power to soar and soar , — Mounting on still aspiring wings , Forthshadowing God for evermore !"
" ^ fot thus would I , the younger said , " Pursue the pomp of lonely state ; A simple wreath should crown my head , By simple goodness ^ rown to great . Would that my soul—like yonder sun-Still blessing all , by all things blessed , Her glorious race of love might run—God ' s poet from the East to West !" Each wish was heard . The years rolled by The golden time of youth lied past—And , changing with the changing sky , To men these brothers grew at last . The elder graced a kingly throne , In purple splendour full arrayed—The younger ruled by song alone , And reigned beneath the sylvan shade .
Lesser in love than pride of power His iron sway the elder bore , — Till , wroughtto madness , one dark hour Their fateful oath conspirers swore . 2 fot less in power than pride of love , His truthful songs the younger sang , — Till soon through every sylvan grove The lays of freedom loudly rang . Through many a grade of strife and wrong The tyrant ' s power and love declined ; Through many a golden sphere of song Still upward soared the Poet ' s mind . Till came , at last , the avenging hour That broke for aye the Oppressor ' s rod , That trampled down tyrannic power , — And crowned the poet half a god .
And still again the years rolled by ; And through a plain there went alone , With gaze towards the sunbright sky , The Poet—but the steep was gone . Shivered beneath the lightning ' s shock , Whose bolt its massy bulk had riven , In crumbling fragments lay the rock , While beamed the noontide sun in heaven . Still high above the exalted hills , As on that wishful morn he shone , That sun his burning throne fulfils In love serene , sublime , alone . And lofty powers of earth that frown Unkindly on the mean below God ' s wrath still hurls in thunder down , "Xeath Love ' s eternal changeless glow . Rome . C . H . Hiichisgs
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Historical View Of The French Revolution...
HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION . By J . Michelet . — Translated by C . COCKS , B . L . London H . G . Bonn , York-street , Covent-garden . The title of this work is well-chosen . "Historical View" is more fitting than " History " would have been . Michelet is not the man to write the History of his nation ' s internal and external struggles . He is too discursive , too obscure , too fuU of a narrow-minded "
nationality , " to write History as it should be written . But with all his faults as a writer , it is impossible for Michelet to write any number of pages—few or many—without interesting and instructing his readers by bis originality of thought and unchecked freedom of expression ; by his sometimes fiery , but oftener plaintive eloquence ; and bythematerials for thinking which he lavishes upon those who Trill but be at the trouble of giving him their Attention .
Michelet possesses one grand quality , —he is terribly in earnest . Introducing the case of Latui > e the celebrated prisoner of the Bastille , Vincennes , Charenton , and the horrible Bi-Cetre , he says : — "For my part I must acknowledge the extremely agonising effect which the prisoner'sletters produced on me . Though a sworn enemy to barbarous fictions about everlasting punishment , I found myself praying to God to construct a hell for tyrants . " Amex !
Intensely " national , " Michelet seems to have a profound contempt for England and everything English . He says many hard things that are true , and some that are not true , of our countrymen ; but we forgive him in consideration of the great lesson be reads us in his matchless exposure of the horrors of our manufacturingand commercial system . Some weeks ago we extracted ( and re-publisbed in the " Star" ) this most true aud eloquent portion of his work .
Michelet is an enthusiastic admirer of the Revolution , which he defines to be " The Advent of the Law , the resurrection of right , and the reaction of Justice . " The necessity of the Revolution—the natural results of long ages of oppression on the part of the privileged orders and of suffering on the part of the people—is demonstrated by the miseries borne with by the masses Jill no longer bearable . "Well does Michelet exclaim—" Kind-heartedmen , you who weep over the evils of the Revolution { doubtless with too much reason ) , shed also a few tears for the evils which occasioned it .
Michelet ' s examinations of the characters of sonic of the most famous of the Revolutionists are very curious , particularly his inquiry into the life and writings of Marat . Our author p hilosophically observes;— "A fact , too little noticed- —but which enables us to understand a great many things—is , that several of our ' terrorists' were men ot an exquisite feverish sensibility , who felt cruelly the sufferings of the people , and whose pity turned into fury . " As much a hero-worshipper as Car-ITLE himself , Michelet naturally leans to
Daxton , and sings the praises of Mirabeau . He acknowledges the corruption of the great orator , but , nevertheless , pleads eloquently for the restoration of bis remains ( if any there he ) to the Pantheon . He argues that " the banishment was deserved , but the restoration would be just . " The following extract tells the oft-told , but ever interesting story of
THE DEATH OF MIRABEAU . On Sunday , the 27 th of March , he was in the Country , at * his small residence at Argentenil , where he was charitably employed in doing good to the poor . He had ever sympathised with the miseries of mankind ; and he became still more humane at the approach of death . Here he was seized with a cholic , of which ho had previously had attacks , accompanied with inexpressible agony , and found himself dying alone , without a physician or any assistance . * Assistance came at length ; but it was of no avail , for , in five days , he expired .
Nevertheless , on Monday , the 28 th , though death was stamped upon his countenance , he was obstinately resolved to go once more to the Assembly . The question on the mines , a very important affair for his friend , M . de Lamarck , whose fortune was engaged hi them , decided him . 3 Iirabe . au spoke five times ; and , though more dead than alive , was once more victorious . On leaving the Assembly all was over .. With that last effort he sacrificed the rest of his life to friendship . On Tuesday , the 29 th , a report that Mirabeau Was ill spread a strong sensation throughout . Paris , and all men , even his adversaries , then felt how much thev loved him . Camille Desmoulins , who was then waging war so violently against him , feels his heart vcarn once moro towards his former friend ;
and the ' furious editors of the " Revolutions of Paris , " who were at that moment proposing the suppression of royalty , say that the king has sent to inquire about Mirabeau , and add , " Letusieel grateful that Louis XYL did not go himself ; it would have occasioned a fatal diversion ; for the people would have adored him . " On the Tuesday evening the crowd thronged about the sick man ' s door . On . the Wednesday , the Jacobins sent him a deputation , headed by Barnave , from whom he received with pleasure an ohlioin ' ' expression that was related to him . Charles de Lameth had refused to join the deputation . Mirabeau was afraid of being beset by priests , and had <» iven orders that the curate should be told , if he came , that he had seen , or was to see , his friend , tho bishop of Autun .
. _ . Nobodv was ever more noble and affectionate in death ; He spoke of his life as of the past , and of himsslf , who had been , and . had ceased to he . He
Historical View Of The French Revolution...
would have no other p hysician than his friend Caba , " nis , and was totally given up to friendship and to the idea of France . What gave him the most uneasiness in dying , was the doubtful threatening attitude of the English , who seemed to be preparing war . " That Pitt , " said he , " is governing with threats rather than with deeds ; I should have given some trouble if I had lived . '' They spoke to him of the extraordinary eagerness of the " people in inquiring about his health , and of the religious respect and silence of the crowd which wfic * ifi ~» if ? nf trmihlincr liim * ' Ih t + Tia nnnnln " was afraid of troubling him " Ah ! the people "
. , said he , " such good people well deserve that a man should sacrifice himself for them , and do everything to found and strengthen their liberty . It was my glory to lh-e for them ; and it is my consolation to feel that I am dying amidst the people . " He was full of gloomy presentiments about the destiny of France : ' ¦ I am carrying away with me , " said he , "the funeral of monarchy , its remnants will become the prey of the factious . " The report of a cannon having been heard , he exclaimed , with a start : " Is this already the funeral of Achilles ?"
"In the morning of the 2 nd of April , " said Cabanis , " he ordered his windows to be opened , and said to me in a firm tone : « Friend , I shall die today . On such a day , it only remains to perfume oneself , and then , crowned with flowers , and surrounded with music , to be lulled agreeably to that sleep from which there is no waking , ' He then called his valet-de-chvunbre : ' Gome , ' said he , ' prepare to shave me , and to dress me carefully and completely . ' He ordered his bed to be moved nearer an open window , in order that he might contemplate the first symptoms of vernal vegetation on the trees in his little garden . The sun was shining , and he exclaimed : ' If this he not God , it is at
least his cousin-german . ' Soon after he lost the use of his speech ; hut he still replied by signs to the proofs of friendship which we showed him . The sli g htest attentions affected him and . caused him to smile ; and when we approached nun he did all ho could to embrace us . " His sufferings being excessive , and as ho was unable to articulate any longer , he wrote the word " Sleep ; " and , desirous of abridging this useless agony , he asked for opium , and expired about halfpast eight , after having just turned round and raised his eyes to heaven . The plaster that has taken the impression of his countenance thus fixed , exhibits only a sweet smile , a calm sleep , and pleasant dreams .
Pains-talcing readers will be cautious of how far they allow Michelet to lead them when discussing the character of Robespierre . The following extract introduces
ROBESPIERRE AT THE JACOBIN CLUB . The Jacobins are a meeting of distinguished and educated n . en . Here , French literature has a majority : Laharpe , Cheuier , Chamfort , Andrieux , Sedaine , and so many others ; and artists are also numerous , —David , Vernet , Lame , and ( the representative of the Revolution in the theatre ) the young Roman Talma . At the door , to examine the cards , are two censors , Lais , the singer , and a handsome youth , the promising pupil of Madame de Genlis , —the son of the Duke of Orleans . That dark man at the bureau , who is smiling grimly , is the very agent of the prince , the too notorious author of the liaisons Dangereuses , Laclos and , as a remarkable contrast , M , de Robespierre is speaking in the tribune .
This is an honest man , who adheres to principles a man of talent and austere morality . His weak and rather shrill voice , his sad and meagre visage , and his everlasting olive-green coat ( his only coat , thread-bare and scrupulously clean ) , altogether bear witness that his principles do not enrich their votary . Though seldom listened to at the JTational Assembly , he excels and will ever excel at the Jacobins . He is the society itself , —nothing more or less , expressing it perfectly , moving with it at the same pace , without ever outstepping it . We will follow him very closely and attentively , noting and dating every degree in his prudent career , and noting likewise on his pale countenance the deep traces that will be made by the Revolution , the untimely wrinkles of vigils , and the furrows of meditation .
The author , in describing an infamous plot of the " Jacobin nobles" to render the tribune of the Democracy ridiculous , records in the following extract MIRABEAU ' S ESTIMATE OF ROBESPIERRE . To make a man ridiculous , there is one easy way ; which is , for hit friends to smile whenever he speaks . Men are generally so frivolous , so easily led , and so cowardly imitative , that a smile from the left side , from Barnave or the lameths , infallibly excited the risibility of the whole Assembly .
One man alone seems to have taken no part in these indignities ; and this was the truly powerful Mirabeau . He used always to reply seriously and respectfully to this weak adversary , respecting in him txe image of fanaticism , sincere passion , and persevering labour . He shrewdly distinguished , but with the indulgence and generosity of genius , Robespierre ' s profound pride , the religious faith that he had for himself , his person , and his words . " That man will go far , " said Mirabeau , " for he believes all he says . "
The constant tension of his muscles and his voice , his straining utterance , and his short-sighted look , left a painful , tiresome impression which people tried to get rid of by laughing at him . To complete the measure of annoyance , they did not allow him even the consolation of seeing ' himself in print . The journalists , through negligence , or perhaps on the recommendation of Robespierre ' s friend * , cruelly mutilated his most elaborate speeches . They were obstinately bent on not knowing Ids name , always
designating him as a member , or M . 2 f ., or Mr . To forgot such mortifications , so extremely galling to his vanity , Robespierre had no resource , neither family nor the world—he was alone and poor . He used to carry home with him his mortification to his deserted neighbourhood , the Marais , and to his lonely apartment in the dismal Rue de Saintonge : a cold , poor , and ill-furnished lodging . He was very frugal , dining for thirty sous ; and yet he scarcely had money enough to purchase clothes .
In the following extract the author states THE PEOPLE ' S OPINION' OP ROBESPIERRE . One countenance alone comforted them , and seemed to say , "I am honest ; " and the dress of the man and his gesture seemed to express the same . His speeches were entirely on morality and the interests of the people , —principles , eternally principles . The man himself was not entertaining , and his person was austere and melancholy , by no means popular , but rather academical , and , in one respect , even aristocratical , in extreme cleanliness , neatness , and style of dress . He seemed also a stranger to friendship and familiarity ; even his former college companions being kept at a distance .
In spite of all these circumstances , little calculated to make a man popular , the people so hunger and thirst after righteousness , that the orator of principles , the partisan of absolute right , the man who professed virtue , and whose sad and serious countenance seemed its very image , became the favourite of the people . The more he was disliked by the Assembly , the more he was relished by the galleries ; bo he addressed himself more and more to this second assembly , which , from above , presided over the deliberations , believed itself in reality superior , and , as the people , the sovereign authority , claimed the right of interfering , and hissed its deleirates .
We conclude our extracts with the following exciting account of
A SCEXE AT THE CORDELIERS . What a crowd ' . Shall we be able to enter ? Citizens , make a little room for us ; comrades , you see I have brought a stranger . The noise is deafening ; and , by way of compensation , one can scarcely see I Those smoking little lamps seem there only to render darkness visible . What a mist envelopes the crowd ! The air is dense with the hum and shouting of men ! A young lady enters and desires to speak . Why , this is no other than Mademoiselle Theroigne , the handsome amazon of Liege ! Behold her in her red silk riding-habit , and armed with her large sabre of the 5 th of October . The enthusiasm is at its height . "It is the Queen of Sheba , " cries Desmoulins , " who has come to pay a visit to the Solomon of our district . "
She has already passed through the whole of the Assembly , with the springing gait of a panther , and ascended the tribune . Her beautiful , inspired countenance , beaming with enthusiasm , appears between the sombre apocalyptic visages of Dantonand Marat . "If you are truly Solomons , said Th 6 roigne , " you will prove it by building the temple , the temple of liberty , the palace of the National Assembly . And you will budd it on the spot where the Bastille formerly stood . " What ! whilst the executive power inhabits the finest palace in the world , the pavilion of Flora and the porticoes of the Louvre , the legislative power is still encamped , in tents , at the Tennis-Court , the M . enus , or the Riding-School—like oSoah ' s dove , i m ? n find no resting-place ?
• " Things cannot remain so ' The people must learn , by Slmply beholding the edifices which tho two powers inhabit , where sovereign power resides . What is a sovereign without a palace , or a god without an altar ? Who will acknowledge his worship ? " Let us build up that altar ; and let all contribute , bringing their gold and precious stones ( for my part , here are mine ) . Let us build up the only true temple . -No other is worthy of God than that where they pronounced the declaration of the rights of man . As guardian of that temple , Paris will be less a city than the common Patria of all others , the meeting-place of the tribes , their Jerusalem ' " ¦ " The Jerusalem of the world ! " exclaimed the enthusiastic auditory ; for a roal frenzy , an ecstatic
Historical View Of The French Revolution...
Joy , had possessed the whole Assembly . If the ancient Cordeliers , who had formerly given free course to their mystic ravings , under those same vaulted roofs , had returned that evening , they would still have found themselves at home among their fellows ; for , all of them , whether believers or philosophers , disci ples of Rousseau , Diderot , Holbach , or Helvetius , all prophesied , in spite of themselves . . The German Anacharsis Clootz was , or imagined himself to be , an atheist , like so many others , Irom hatred of the evils that priests have occasioned
( Tantum religio potuit suadere niahmm !) But with all his cynicism and his ostentation of doubt , this son of the Rhine , and fellow-countrymen of Beethoven , felt strongly all the emotion of the new religion . The most sublime words inspired by the great confederation are in a letter from Clootz to Madame de Beauharnais ; nor did anybody express any more strangely beautiful on the future unity of the world . His accent , his German slowness of utterance , his smiling serene countenance , and that beatitude of a mad genius , inclined to jest with itself added amusement to enthusiasm .
"Why , indeed , has nature , " said he , " placed Paris at an equal distance from the pole and the equator , but for it to be a cradle and a metropolis for the general confederation of mankind ? Here , the States-General of the world will assemble ; and I predict that the time is not so remote as people believe . Let but the Tower of London fall to pieces , like that of Paris , and tyrants will be no more . The flag of the French cannot wave over London and Paris , without soon being hoisted all round the globe Then there will he no longer either provinces , armies , conquerors , nor conquered nations . People will go from Pans to Pekin , as they do from Bordeaux to Strasbourg ; the ocean , by a
bridge of ships , will join her shores ; and the and tho west will embrace in the field of confederation . Rome was the metropolis ot the world by war ; Paris will be so by peace . Yes , the more I reflect , the more I conceive the possibility of one single nation , and the facility with which the Universal Assembly , sitting at Paris , will conduct the government of the whole human race . Ye rivals ot Vitruvius ,-listen to the oracle of reason ; if universal patriotism kindles your genius , you will know well how to make us a temple to contain all the representatives of the world ; there are wanting scarcely more than ten thousand . " Men will be what they ought to be , when each will be able to say : * The world is my country , the
world is my own native land . Then , there will be no more emigrants . There is but one nature and one society . ' Divided powers clash together , and nations are like clouds which necessarily burst against each other , " Tyrants , your thrones are crumbling beneath you . Abdicate , and you shall suffer neither misery nor the scaffold Ye usurpers of sovereignty look me in the face . Do you not behold your sentence written on the walls of the National Assembly ? Come , do not wait for the fusion of sceptres and crowns ; come forth to welcome a revolution which delivers kings from the snares of kings , and nations from the rivalry of nations !" "Longlive Anacharsis ! " exclaimed Desmoulins . " Let us open with him the cataracts of heaven . It is nothing that reason has drowned despotism in France : it must also inundate the globe ; and all
the thrones of kings and Lamas must be washed from their foundations by this universal deluge What a career from Sweden to Japan ! The Tower of London is shaken . An innumerable meeting of Irish Jacobins has had , from its first sittings , an insurrection . At the rapid rate at which things are going , I would not give a shilling for the estates of the clergy of tho Church of England . As for Pitt , he is destined to be hanged ( lanterne ) , unless , by the loss of his place , he prevent the loss of his head , which John Bull is about to demand The inquisitors are already being hanged on the Manganarez ; the breath of liberty is blowing strong from France to the South ; aud presently people may safely say'Therearenolongerany Pyrenees ' . ' " Clootz has just transported me , as the angel did the prophet Uabakkuk , into the upper regions of policy ; and I now throw back the barrier of the Revolution to the uttermost parts of the world !"
This volume closes with an account of the King ' s flight to Varennes . We believe the continuation of the work has alread y appeared in Paris , and we trust that , by an extensive sale of the present volume , Mr . Bohx will be encouraged to continue the publication of Mr . Cocks ' s admirable translation . Good and cheap—remarkably cheap—this volume commends itself to every student of history—to all who desire to know the unparalleled events of the wonderful Revolution of
William The Norman J Or, The Tyrant Disp...
William the Norman j or , the Tyrant Displayed . A Tragedy . By It . Otley . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row . Regarding this tragedy it will suffice that we quote the following observations from the author ' s preface : — " The personages are delineated and coloured as they are to be met within history ; the language is that of the author ; but many of the sentiments and articles of faith are not his ; but are peculiar to the age and the personages who are made to speak them . The Monk Egbert and the royal Savage are truthful portraitures of priests and kings in general , in all ages and in all countries . In the reign of the Norman William , some hundreds of thousands of the industrious
peasants of England were driven into the fenlands of Lincolnshire , and perished of cold and hunger ; in the reign of Victoria the first and last , several hundred thousands of Irish peasants , surrounded by wealth , civilisation , and religious devotion , have died in one year from the same causes . The worthless splendour of palaces and thrones , has always been accompanied with the sighs of sorrow and the death groans of the unoffending industrious people . " We may add , in the words of the concluding lines of the tragedy : — '' Why should vain man , thus be the scourge of man , And Heaven foredoom a race to sweat and toil , To gild a palace and exalt a knave ? If not—an idiot , madman , fool , or slave ?"
The Progressionist. April. London ; F. W...
The Progressionist . April . London ; F . Ward , 54 , Paternoster-row . Another cheap monthly publication , " devoted to the advocacy of social , political , and moral reform . " The number before us contains articles on "The People's Charter , " Temperance Reform , & c , & c .
Uniformity Of Railway Accounts. By Georg...
Uniformity of Railway Accounts . By George King . London : E . F . Gooch , 55 , King William-street . The object of this pamphlet is "to attempt an elucidation of certain points of railway economy , and to offer such suggestions with respect to them , as will , if acted upon , place railway property generally upon a sounder basis ; * and will , by the aid of a better and more uniform system of accounts , enable a more correct judgment to be formed than is now possible , of the respective merits of each railway , and its value as an investment . "
Chartist Tracts For The Times. No. V. Wh...
CHARTIST TRACTS FOR THE TIMES . No . V . What is Liberty ? How shall toe obtain it ? By the Kirkdale Chartist Prisoners . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row ; Leeds i J . Barker , Wotttey . By far the most eloquent , and not the least important , of this series yet issued . We earnestly recommend . the Chartists in every locality to form committees to promote the sale of these tracts . Their circulation would effect incalculable good . Pinched for room this week , and pressed for time , having received this number onlyjust before going to press , we must postpone till our next the quotation of several eloquent passages we have marked for extract .
Want Or Fresh Air.—The Hon. Horace Mann,...
Want or Fresh Air . —The Hon . Horace Mann , alludin" to ill-ventilated school-rooms , remarks as follows " : " To put children on a short allowance of fresh air , is as foolish as it would have been for Noah , during the Deluge , to put his family on a short allowance of water . Since God has poured out an atmosphere fifty miles deep , it is enough to make a miser weep to see our children stinted in A Safe ' investment . —Dr . Franklin , speaking of education says , "If a man empties his purse into his he-id no man can take it from him . An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest . ;' Trumps . — A gentleman playing whist with an intimate friend , who seemed , as far as hands were concerned , to hold the Mahometan doctrine of ablution in supremo contempt , said to him , with a countenance moro in . sorrow than in anger , " My good fellow , if dirt were trumpsj what a hand you would have !"
The Nineteenth Century. Bt Thomas Martix...
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY . BT THOMAS MARTIX WHHKMR , Late Secretary to the National Charter Association and National Land Company . Chapibr IV . Strange that the mind should ever dwell upon Those years of childhood , ever fondly cling lo every dream that waits on memorj ' a dawn , O ershaaowing youth with gay imaginings ; Like wild flowers , ' neath whose buds live waters run , Scented by tangled buds , that o ' er them fling An arch that hides their source , but bathes the tide
In sweets unmatched in all its wanderings wide . Bute . Arthur Morton found plenty of leisure in his uncle ' s lonely house to continue his studies , but solitude had lost its wonted charm ; he longed for the presence of his bosom companion ; he yearned to commence his career m the world , to relieve his relative of the burthen of his support . A , spirit of independence is generally combined with a shy and reserved disposit ion ; the mind naturall y bans upon itself , it considers favours as heavy obligations , and , conscious uf its difficulty adequatel y to acknowledge them , is anxious to avoid their incurrence . Arthur therefore , requsted that he might be apprenticed to some handicraft , in order to suable him to earn his future subsistence . This agreed too well with his uncle ' s
wishes to be denied , and Arthur was speedily consigned for seven years to the care of a Mr . Austin , a printer , in a small town about thirty miles south of London . A parting visit was paid to his friend Walter and his sister Julia , and with many protestations of kindness and mutual remembrance , they parted , and years rolled by . and Walter North had forgotten the very existence of his quondam friend and schoolfellow ere they met again . Dear are the reco lections of our schoolboy hours . Memory imprints the names , features , and remembrance of the protmnmt actors upon the tablet of our brain ; though seas divide , though all trace of their existence is lost , yet can its potent spell collect the scattered family , and vividly recall the dear
remembered past . But , alag for schoolboy friendships , how seldom are they lasting ! How few of the number can we recall , even by name , when twice seven years have past ! Love , the grand wizard , blots out the record , and the battle of life destroys its very existence . True , there are exceptions ; and Arthur Morton , as far as the ordeal of time had yet been tried , was one . Never was the image of his friend entirely absent from his mind . In sickness and in sorrow he flew for consolation to the recollections of the past , and friendship supplied to him the place of parents and of Kin . For some months a regu ' ar
correspondence was maintained between the mends , but by degrees it ceased on the part of Walter . Several letters having been unanswered by his friend , Arthur at length received one from Julia , informing him that her youngest brother was dead and that Walter was taken into partnership with his father , and had removed to Liverpool , to superintend a wholesale establishment they had opened in that town , and the neglect of Walter in not writing must be occasioned , she presumed , by the extra duties he was called upon to attend to , at the samu time as-uving him of the best wishes of her parents , and of her own undiminished friendship .
Welcome was this letter to our hero , the first he ever received from a female . Often did he gaze with fondness upon the neat handwriting and Mie pretty signature ; and though he deeply felt the continued neglect of his friend , yet , with true faith in his friendship , He excused it on the ground that he was occupied with business , that he had many other ties , many other outlets for his affections , whilst he was alone in the world . Courteously did he reply to the letter from Julia , and enclosed one for Walter . An answer was returned , stating lhal she had duty forwarded it to her brother . Patiently did he . vail for Walter ' s answer to this last appeal to his friendship ; but it came not . He had no excuse to continue his correspondence with Julia , and , being too diffident to
frame one , all correspondence between himself and his only friends finally ceased . Long and wear ' ry did the seven years of his apprenticeship pass . His master was a demure , hypocritical pretender to sanctity . His youth had been passed in excesses , from which his constitution » as now suffering , and , unable to < njoy pleasure himself , be detested even the semblance of enjoyment in others . His wife was a thin wiry woman , wrapped up in her own merits , and jealously alive to the nemerits of all around her , not forgetting tlmseof her demure rib . Family they had none , much to the chagrin of the self-sufficient Mrs Austin , whose irritable temper kept the whole household in continual hot water . Such being his domestic position ,
with few acquaintance , and none intimate , no w nder that he relapsed into his old habits < f reserve and abstract mediiation . But a change had been worked in the character of his thoughts , chiefly wrought by the practical nature of his avocation . They printed the County Chronicle , a Liberal newspaper ; and new views of society thus accumulated , he no longer pondered on imaginary dreams . He looked at the world by which he was surrounded , the laws , and the customs adopted . He saw the injustice of the former , and the general absurdity of tbe latter , and wondered such things were . Oh ! how often did he —when speculating on these things in his lonely rambles—give vent to the aspirations of his soul , and unconsciously fit himself for a future career , of which the idea had not then entered his imagination . The good people of M , when they met the young enthusiast , and overheard his solitary , but not silent
musings , and observed his general absent manner , thought , and significantly said , that all wa » not right there , pointing to his head . 13 ut he was so goodtempered , so well-conducted , and inoffensive , that he was a general favourite . Attentive to his business , simple in his habits , never causing any anxiety or trouble , even his sour master and termagant mistress could scarce behave unkindly to him . During this time he only received a letter from his uncle at long intervals , which generally contained a-small remittance . The last , containing a £ 5 note , informed him of his marriage , and that he must no longer L ok to him , but depend on his own exertions for his support . Arthur grieved not at this intimation—but the cold language in which it was conveyed certainly made him feel more lonely than heretofore . His friends had deserted him—his only relative had coldly cast him off ; but he had sipped of sorrow until the bitterness thereof was destroved .
In this manner passed his apprentice years , dark shadows with occasional gleams of sunshine . Hi * character was fast maturing—he was emerging from tho part of a dreamer to that of a worker . But a want was still gnawing at his heart . lie was alone in the midst of a crowd—he longed to have some definite object « to do , some satisfactory employment for his mind . He wept in very bitterness of spirit at the vague , unsubstantial nature of all that he saw , or was surrounded by . His spirit yearned for something , of the very nature of which he was yet unaware . He would have turned a religious fanatic ( the ultimatum of many minds similarly constituted ) , but his shrewd sense had shown him the hypocrisy of the Austins , and further experience had not demonstrated to him whether religion was aught more than a cloak to vice , or , at best , a Sunday garment , worn because it was customary . Poor by ! the germs of young ambition were rising in thy soul , and
thou wast unconsciously feeding that fire which more often consumes than enlightens . Like the bird charmed by the rattlesnake , thou fluferest uneasily before it , but cannot resist the spell . Thou seest naught but the fascination , and rushest blindly , yet wilfully , into its toils . Oh ! why should high and lofty inspirations be productive only of misery and destruction to their possessor , causing him to sacrifice all that renders lire endurable , in order that he may promote the good and well-being of that public , who , in return , either persecute or ridicule him , until death mercifully snatches him from their fangs ? Oh ! when will that true millennium arrive—that millennium of reason and liberty , which Voltaire and Rousseau were the prophets ; Paine and Robespierre the harbingers ; and Shelley—the amiable and gloriously-gifted Shelley—the Messiah ? Speed , ohi speed , its advent .-( To be continued . )
Tire Income Tax.—On Wednesday The Follow...
Tire Income Tax . —On Wednesday the following notice was issued from the office of the commissioners of the income tax in the City;—" That all persons are required by the Property and Income Tax Act to make returns of their profits , from trades , professions , & c , within twenty-one days , as the assessment made in the year 1848 , under schedules A and B , in respect to lands , tenements , ifcc , remains in force for three years from the 5 th of April in that year , no return is required to be made for the present year under these schedules , except in cases where lands , tenements , Ac , have been
charged in the assessment already made , or where any buildings have been since erected . " A Meeting , of the in and out-door workers of journeymen tailors of the West End , took place on " Monday night last , at the " Coach and Horses , " Silver-street , Golden-square , upon the Trades Organisation of Labour . Mr . Goodfellow in the chair .. Messrs . Rcardon , Thompson , Nowoll , and others , addressed the meeting . The meeting was adjourned to Monday next , at half-past eight o ' clock , and the out-door workers were particularly invited to attend .
A New Coxvict Setilemkkt . —Her Majesty ' s Secretary for the Colonies having consented to the transportation of convicts to Moreton Bay , New South Wales , a vessel is about to lio despatched with 400 males to that colony , a great number being Pcntonyille exiles , who , from good conduct , have had their sentences mitigated . Probable Defeat of the Ministry . — It is said , on " high " authority , that there will be a majority against them of upwards of forty on the oontemplatod repeal of the Navigation Laws , and that Lord Stanley has tho . list in his , pgoket .
To Lords John Russell And Stanley, Sir R...
TO LORDS JOHN RUSSELL AND STANLEY , SIR ROBERT FE ^ L , AND MESSRS . COBDEN Alx . D JFEARGfUS O'CONNOR . Gtemxejien , —You are the active leaders of different sections of the British population ; but so divided into opposing parties that , individually , with your follower * , you cannot accomplish any substantial change for the benefit of tho empire ; while unitedly you may easily effect the most permanent advantages for every class at home and abroad .
But you cannot unite in any practical measures , and therefore all classes suffer , and many most grievously . A question arisesthe tr ue answer to which is of the last importance , not only to every British subject , but to the people of all nations . You cannot unite because each of you is a leading advocate of a false principle , and , in consequence , of injurious and very defective practical measures . Each can , therefore , discover the error of the others , but through the prejudices of the education and position of each , is blind to his own .
Could you be united in the advocacy of the same general principles , provided they were based on truth and , therefore , universally beneficial for practice , the nation could be easily induced to adopt them . Of yourselves , it is true , in accordance with unchanging laws of nature , you can only think and act as you are doing ; but like all other men , you can be acted upon by new influences , and especially by truths , when plainly stated . I will here state to you irresistible truths , in order to create these new influences in your mind , that those who now suffer from your want of knowledge may he relieved , and that all classes may ho essentially benefitted .
It may first he useful to remind you of some general truths , which admit of no doubt , 1 st . That the object of human existence is individual happiness . 2 nd . That the highest individual happiness can be attained only when all are happy . 3 rd . That the highest individual happiness can be experienced onl y -when all the organs , faculties , propensities , and powers oi ^ each individual shall be well cultivated , and regularly exercised , according to the peculiar constitution of each , to the point of temperance . 4 th . That to attain the highest happiness for each individual , all should be secured in the
enjoyment oi the necessaries , comforts , and beneficial luxuries of existence ; and be physically , mentally , morally , and practically , as well formed and educated as the born organisation of each will admit , aud be well placed in good society . 5 th . That to attain this happiness , useful , beneficial , aud agreeable occcupations , as far as practicable , should be provided for all through life , according to the natural , physical , and mental powers of each . 6 'th . Also , that the most useful and valuable wealth should be everywhere made to abound , and be justly distributed . 7 th . And that a cordial and sincere union
should exist between man and man , and peace be permanently established between all nations . 8 th . And lastly , that the many evils and inconveniences arising from various languages , and apparent opposition of interests , should be overcome as soon as practicable , and humanity trained to become of one language and one interest . All will admit that these principles and practices are necessary to secure the hi ghest ha ppiness of all , but that they cannot be at once attained .
Yet it is now practicable , in consequence of immense modern discoveries and inventions to make a daily advance in peace and harmony , towards the attainment of this most desirable state of united human existence ; and by its progress to give a cheerful , healthy activity to the physical and mental powers of all . Pardon me for saying that you , gentlemen , and your partisans , are without any real knowledge of human nature , so as to know how to educate it from birth , or ho ^ w to construct a rational or progressively prosperous state of
society , ion have hitherto only advocated measures based on the principle of evil , and upon this princi ple you never can succeed to introduce any permanent benefits for your fellow-men . Your proposed measures , if successfully carried out , would produce misery continually ; they are words proceeding from false imaginations and there is no substance in them . "When these clouds of error , created by your respective false positions , can be removed from your minds , y ou Avill discover how much more easy and delightful it will be to introduce practical measures to insure , happiness than to recommend those based on the principles of evil . The latter can produce onl y disappointment to the many and increasing
danger to the few . If it can bo proved to you that , by simple , plain , and economical measures , based on the principle of good , till the industrious classes may be continually well and profitably employed ; their children made to become valuable members of society , always creating more real wealth than they consume , and by these and other improvements made , gradually to diminish ignorance , poverty , disunion , crime and misery , will you forget your little potty party politics and personal strifes , which produce so much trouble , anxiety , and evil to all and good to none ? Form a committee of inquiry , and investigation of these allimportant subjects , I will undertake to demonstrate to it tho truth and practicability of all which has been now stated .
I address myself to you unitedly , because , in the false and artificial state of the public mind , and with tho irrational views of those whom you respectively represent and lead , it cannot be expected that , individually , you could have sufficient moral courage , absence of prejudice , and varied knowledge , to investigate subjects so comprehensive and new for practice , especially when it is known that all which has been made to influence you from birth has been most erroneous and irrational .
Unitedly , however , it is expected that the prejudices of one would counteract the prejudices of the others ; that the deficiency of practical knowledge on some subjects of one would be remedied by tbe knowledge of others ; thus , when the truth , in principle and practice , shall be fully placed before you , their order , simplicity , innumerable advantages , and beauty , exhibited in one comprehensive view , each part consistent with , and supporting the others , you will acquire the necessary moral courage to declare to your respective partisans in both Houses of Parliament , tho
important discovery that the world , so far , has been governed solely on tbe principle and in the practices of evil , to the great injury of all ; that the population of tho world has been thereb taught to be irrational in thought , word , and action ; also , that it will now be for the high permanent interest of every one openl y to abandon this principle of Evil and Falsehood , and gradually to supersede all the irrational practices which have emanated from it ; and that , instead of continuing this heterogeneous mass of inconsistencies , follies , and wickedness , vou will now assist with your
united influence to establish society-at once on the principles of Good and Truth , and gradually supersede in practice existing erroneous arrangements without creating disorder or illwill through the change ; and effect these results by commencing according to a well-considered " and arranged plan , a new combination of external arrangements to create the wealth required , to distribute it wisel y , to reform the character based on truth alono , to govern without producing fear or punishment , and , by a M'oll-devised process , change every inferior circumstance for those only ^ hich ' are superior ;
To Lords John Russell And Stanley, Sir R...
from n ? Ui f ?» sures to effect this change 111 fw S " irrati ° naL aud miserable to an tnat will produce continual progressive Jesse * * " 0 more simpie «* ""?<*«> menfolk ""^ ° 0 Ur P" * " * gwart-. ment establishment s , or than some created and conducted by private individuals . j > ot to make this letter too long , I havo now only to state that it is in your power , by the adopiion ot the means recommended , gradually and peaceably , and most beneficmll y for all to tennhiateignt'rance , poverty , disunion , war ! crime and misery . If you , Gentlemen , will make tho attempt as proposed , I promise you full and complete success , and , from your success , tho most
heartfelt satisfaction / with your labour of love for the human race . But to allow Ireland ! to remain in its present condition , -with the immense resources © f the British empire , will demonstrate profound i gnorance , or the essence of cruelty , in the statesmen by whose legislative acts ifc ia governed . . Kob & kt Owes . London , April , 1849 .
To Robert Owek
TO ROBERT OWEK
My Dear Owejt , I Look Upon You As One O...
My Dear Owejt , I look upon you as one of the boldest aud most consistent men of this or of any other age , and I have sufficient courage to ' acknowledge that I have a great regard and affection for you , while , at the same time , I am very angry with you for placing mo in sucli btid company . That is all I shall say for the present , next week I shall answer your letter ; tmd when the columns of the " Star" are relieved from Parliamentary twaddle , and when its space is more at liberty , I will challenge you to a controversy between your opinions and mine . Meantime , 1 remain Your affectionate friend , Feaugvs O'Co ' tfOK .
Vavutie^
Vavutie ^
Ambwcas Biblical Citmcis.V. —Tho America...
Ambwcas Biblical Citmcis . v . —Tho American editors have been terribly perplexed to account for Jacob ' s conduct in the following passage ;— " Jacob kissed ltachel , and lifted up his voice aiid wept " "We subjoin a few of tho comments : — If Rachel was a pretty girl , and kept her face clean , we can't see chat Jacob had much to cry about . —A « i (/ York Globe . How do you know but that she slapped hia faco for him ' . —New York Delta . Gentlemen , hold ' your tongues . Tho cause of Jacob ' s weeping was the refusal of ltachel to allow him to kiss her again . —Taylor Flag . It is our opinion that Jacob wept because he had not kissed llachcl before , and regretted the time he had lost . —Age . Green , verdant , all of ye . The fellow boohooed because the gal didn't kiss him . —Mxitchetter
Exa-. Greener yet ; what Jacob imagined sweet , proved bitter , and , disappointed and disgusted , lie wept over Ida own folly .- — Cokdvater Standard . Sour grapes , old boy ! To kiss a sweet , pretty girl , systematically and understanding !} -, as Jacob did , will lift any sensible man ' s voice so high , that the returning force of nature alone squeezes a juice of satisfaction out to heal his blistered lips . Try it ! Tho disease and cure are both delicious . — Montreal Herald . Diffiokxck . —An Irishman charged with an assault in America , was asked by the judge whether he was guilty or not ? " How can 1 tell , " was the reply , " till I have heard the evidence !"
Heuoes . —It were well if there were fewer heroes , for I scarcely ever heard of any but do more mischief tban good . Those overgrown mortals commonly use their will with their right hand , and their reason with their left ; their pride is their title , and their power puts in possession ; tiieir pomp is furnished from rapine , and their scarlet is dyed with human blood . If wrecks , and ruins , and desolations of kingdoms are marks of greatness , why do we not worship a tempest , and erect a statue to a plague . A panegyric upon an earthquake is every jot as reasonable as upon such conquests as these . —From Pearh of Great . Price . Why is a man who carries a watch invari . iblv too late in his appointments ? Because he is always behind his time .
SACRED 2 OE MEMMUIU OP 1 I DE TJOSETIC SUZ , WITCH EXPIl-nED MAKTSII , 1849 , A V II T V It L I N O U It I N G -1 s L- M w E E X , IX DE GREATEST 1 'AXE Oph do Publishers' windo . KNOTT WITI ITSELF , BUT DE CORS Ol'JI WIT I . V OMR 3 , ' ITZ BKSEKS WILL BE SINSEERI . I RlCOISETUD
by its sunvvmo r-unusiiKi . -. Afllixj-uns soar long tyme it boar , Fizisliuns was in " vane ; It wood kuott sel , sow duun it jilitl , And eye hope dey wont tri it a ^ ane . WRKK-WUY-ESS-KAT ICX I'ASEY !! —Man in the iloon . A man being commiserated with , on account of Ms wife rutiumgr away , said , " Don ' t pity mc till she conies back again . " Scotland . —The number of counties is
thirtythree : the number of parishes ,, in 18 'J 1 , was IMS ; and the number of post-towns , sub-officer , Ac , according to the last published lists of the 1 ' ost-orHco , is 894 ; the number of banks and banking companies , with their branches , is GOO ( this does not in * elude savings' banks , of which there is a branch in almost every post town ); the number of newspapers is 01—of which only one'is published daily , three thrice a week , seventeen twice a week , fiftytwo once a week , six fortnightly , and twelve monthly .
The Holy Land . —The & cw Orleans Delta says : — A colporteur [ Anglica : hawker ] opened the door of an Irishman ' s shanty in the Second Municipality , and , putting in his bond , in a very pious tone asked the owner of the domicile , who happened to bo in at the time , " if he would accept of a tract of the Holy Land , " meaning of course , an essay on that interesting portion of the world , — "lis , be jabers , " was the reply of the Ilibcrniiia , " a houl section , if you give a good title deed . L ' ut I should like to know if there is much of it prairie , or if new settlers are subject to the agur there ';"
Monopolies . —If tho power of the people be committed to a single person , the common interest is submitted unto that of a family ; and , if it be committed to a few , it is submitted to the interest of a few families . —Harrington . " I can take no p leasure in you when you get into one of your snappish ways , " as the rat said to the trap . Notiiixo New u . nder the Sun * . —There is no new thin" : under the sun . JI . Stanislaus Jiilien has discovered that the Chinese in the third century of our era were in possession of an anaesthetic agent which they employed in the same manner as we uso chloroform and ether for producing insensibility dui-inar surgical operations . 1 " a biographical notice
of Ifoatho—who nourished under the dynasty of Wei , between the years 220 and 230 of our era—it is stated that he gave to the sick a preparation of . Chanvre ( Ma'yo ) , who in a few moments became as insensible as one plunged in drunkenness or deprived of life - . —then , according to the case be made incisions , amputations , and the like . After a certain number of days the patient found himself re-established without having experienced during the operation the slightest pain . It appears from the biography of llan that this chanvre was prepared by boiling and distillation . There can be but little doubt that this antesthetic agent of the Chinese was the Indian hemp { Cannabis Indica ) , which is taken even now by the Arabs to produce an agreeable
drunkenness . Abstemious ASH Steamious . — " Is Mr . abstemious in his living ? " asked a physician of a rather obtuse attendant upon a paticnA labouring under an inflammatory complaint . " He ' s abstemious enough in the eatin' part , but he's rather steamious when you come to the drinkin ' . " Calves . —A person , riding on horseback , met ono day an awkward fellow leading a calf , whom he accosted as follows : " How odd it looks to see ono calf leading another ! " " Yes , " said the man , " but not so odd as to see a e-alf on horseback ? " The horseman went on his way , and was seea no moro . Tun Tiiox Cnow . v tor Lombardy .. —This famed
symbol of kingship was deposited in the Catuedral of Monsa ; it is a broad circle of gold , set with largo rubies , emeralds , and sapphires , and was secured m an- ornamented cross placed ove * an altar , closely shut up within folding-doors of gilt brass . The crown is kept in an octagonal nurture in the centre of the cross . It is composed of six equal pieces of beaten gold , ioined together by close hinges ; and tho jewels and embossed gold ornaments are sot in a ground of bine and gold wisniol , interesting as exhibiting an exact resemblance to the workmanship
of the enamelled part of a gold ornament now in the ¦ Ashmolean Museum , which ci : c ; belonged to King Alfred . Rut for those who have an " appetite for relies , the most important part of this crown is a narrow iron rim , which is attached to the inside of it all round . The rim is about three-eig hths of an inch broad , and a tenth of an inch thick , made out of one of tho nails used in the Crucifixion . Tne crown is said to linvc been presented to Constantino by bis mother ; and the sacred iron run . from winch . it has Us name , wa g ( o protect him m battle .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 21, 1849, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_21041849/page/3/
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