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TO THE MEMBERS 0? THE KVTIONAL LAUD COMPANY.
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Mr Chilbrbk, mt Beloved Chosrxk, Are you...
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TO THE EDITORS OF THE « NOT TINGHAM MERC...
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/ '//<- J** ^Xtf"*** *^ ¦ ' ' ..,v ^ ,/ ...
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AM) MTIONAL T^ §TTno>3. LOM)b¥, SATURDAY...
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V-. ¦ ¦ :¦: P>^^. ¦-- -WTi^ S^i r \ \ v\...
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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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To The Members 0? The Kvtional Laud Company.
TO THE MEMBERS 0 ? THE KVTIONAL LAUD COMPANY .
Mr Chilbrbk, Mt Beloved Chosrxk, Are You...
Mr Chilbrbk , mt Beloved Chosrxk , Are you not proud that conscious integrity thus enable * me to address you in those endearing terms ? proud , because you are aware that I would Wash to court your confidence , or ask your love , if I did not merit the one and deserve the other- I do not often lay yon under heavy tax , bat I ask yon this week to read every word of my refutation of the slander of the assassins who ha ? e attacked me . They hate attacked me because I am your friend , aad because I am the enemy of their oppression But when you have deliberately read all , and when Ton retire to yonr
"Cold quiet homes , " ask yourselves deliberately whether yon hare ever read or ever heard of so gross , so hellish , so unprovoked an attack made upon the public and private character of any individual . And then , my children , awarding to its venom you wiU judge of my value to yon , because yon will not be weak enongh to believe that any one of those assassins would have attacked me if my crime was ONLY perfidy to you . 'Where , my children , is the safety for any man ' s character , nay , the security for his life , if an un principled , uascropnlous ruffian becomes the hired
instrument of an unscrupulous assassin ? And after hiring made charges only sustained by words , to lell yon that he will not meet me in discussion , but prefers recourse to a method whichrequires a whole week to be answered . Now , my children , what is the crowning gem of the law ? It is that the accuser shall meet the accused , and charge him to his face ; that the jury and the judge may be able to criticise the countenance , the appearand , and the tone of voice of each witness ; as we are told , and often find , that there is as much to he gathered from the appearance of the witness , and the manner of
toe witness , as there is from the import of his vrords . Must there not then be presumptive innocence upon the part of the accused who boldly meets his accuser , and offers to pay the expense of his witnesses ; and presumptive guilt on the part of the ruffian Who Shrinks from the sustalnment of his charges ? Men of Manchester , yon must get "William Grooott to read ay refutation of every charge , and when I meet yoa on Tuesday night yon will not see hi me a crouching , cringing criminal , who dreads
toet verdict , hut the bold and manly accused , who courts yonr investigation . A public man is not worth a straw to a public cause who has not the nerve to sustain his "honour . And although a set of anonymous scribes have written to me threatening bb with danger from the League—whose concoction they say this is—if I go to Manchester on Tuesday , yet I tell them and you , that I will go to the Hall ofScience unaccompanied by a single
manmy conscience my body-guard—and there ; ! will go through every charge brought against me ; I will read some letters for you that will make the' Whistler' tremble , and I will take the fraudulent books and produce them to you—the books which the ruffian ' 'Whistler' tells yon were discovered to be fraudulent by Mr Barry . And now prepare your ears for a stunner—there is not a figure of mine in those books—NOT ONE .
There is only one fact , or rather onecircamstance , which 1 have omitted to allude to , and that is , the statement in the letter of the' Rambler , ' as to poor Tawes , of Berringsgate , having been subjected to the hardship of receiving £ 15 at three payments , in four manths— £ 6 £ 6 , and £ 3 . ( My Nottingham friends , how many « f you would like to take the infection , and catch the complaint ?) who came to me out of thevrorkhouse of Nottingham , received £ 15 in sixteen weets , has bis vegetables , potatoes ^ nd barley , his comfortable cottage , his outbuildings , and the
fresh air of heaven to breathe , and four fatting pigs within the stye ? Now , compare that with the workhouse fare , and the pauper's feelings , and don't you wish you were all paupers , like Tawes ? Ay , it is this pauperism that gnaws the hearts of the ruffians—they cannot bear my pauperism , which throws a man upon his own resources . And now , if I wrote ten thousand volumes to prove that my amotion to the Land Plan vs . greater than any per sonal consideration I could have , I could not core forcibly illustrate it , than by the following picture .
lie object of my plan Is to throw every working man upon his own resources , and' make idleness a crime , punishable by the scoff of the industrious . If , then , I look hut to my ovrn ephemeral fame , what I should have done , would have been to pet and pauper the occupants as they were located , and holding up their satisfaction and premature independence , as a false light to seduce the idle and the unthrifty into the belief that mere possession meant remission of labour and an idle independence . If I had practised this system , I would have been landed to the skies , and the condition of the occupants
would be held up as the envy and admiration of the nation ; but then the cow would soon be dry , and ay sad day of reckoning would come . For these reasons , then , I have appeared rather harsh , because I know that foolish favours and extravagance would destroy self-reliance , and create a kind of natural iSenesf . Yet , my friends , as yon will see in-my manifesto , I nave sent over a hundred bushels of the Wseed wheat to Lowbands , this week , and at fteendoffhe week I send the same to Heningsgite ; £ othat I am not thoughtless , when prudence affords the opportunity .
The press tells me that I will not bring an action against the Manchester Examiner . A gentleman of Manchester , who fears the publication of his name , informs me that the Manchester Examiner y / nSL not be stepped by threats , because a club has been esta-Misled to bear the proprietor harmless , if he can only break down the influence of Feargus O'Connor tefore Parliament meets . " This gentleman commences & letter thus—* Sir , though not an admirer of your
political principles , I an an advocate for fair play ; tten he discloses the whole secret , and tells me that if necessary forj the vindication of my honour , he * ul allow me to publish his same . Now , is there a * mViGg man in Manchester , or in England , who is Hot convinced of this faetj or could there be a Kurce of greater rejoicing to their opponents than tte realisation of the Melbourne definition of
Justice' KUIN THEM WITH EXPENSES ?' % children , there is no respect for a pauper The dependent beggar has no force to defend himself . acd as the case is yours , and not mine , I am 'Solved to meet those ruffians with their own Weapons ; and for that purpose , if you think my 08 is cood , after yon have heard my defence , I will
**! fpon every man at that meeting to subscribe his ^ as I have no right to be put to the expense gainst attacks , which , but for my devotion to you , * ° a ! ti never he made . And now , I call not only upon tte members of the Land Company , but upon all Elgk ad , to sustain me in . - this straggle against the ^ IBS-Sinr .
Our friend Sweet has secured the Exchange ^ oms , at Nottingham , for Wednesday night ; and . ^ rcy Erection , has left a challenge with the Jeremy manto meet me . There , too , I shall make * aappe . ; i for the sinews of war , begging that the j * ° r end the victims of oppression may not give any *™ g » hut that those better off may give according ™ tteir means . In next week ' s Swr you will see k result of those meetings . On Friday next , I go *? a ? fi : st bora at O ' Connorrille , there to distribute e premiums to the occupants out of my own ***«*; according to the conditions I laid down ; * i for that purpose , I invite the occupants to select ^ fcelihbonriBg farmers , and reqaeet their
attendance as jnd ges , to meet me at twelve o ' clock o *» Friday ; and if Tawes will have me as a guest , 111 dine with him , even upon his potatoes . In conclusion , my children , I have only to remind you of the ordeal to which my advocacy of Chartism subjected me many years ago , to call your attention to the triumphant manner in which I battled with and overcame the enemy , and I now assure you that , cams life or death , this Land Plan of ours shall succeed—no power on earth shall destroy it . It could not be great until it arrived at the dignity of
being dreaded ; and think of one man , and that man a foreigner- —a free gift made to the English people—filling thejttation with alarm , and entitling himself to the reprobation , the scandal , and the abuse of a venal , corrupt , and prostitute press . But in spite of all , my children , you will stand by me , and I wili stand by you , and we will stand or fall together ; hut I never will be rich while you are poor ; and my face shall never bear the blush that has been extracted from * the pale faces of little children , or the attenuated frame of oppressed and injured man .
Next week ' s receipts of the Land Compary shall prove whether or no the warning voice of the Dm * patch , which has gone throughout the land , as we are told , has destroyed confidence in the scheme and its propounder ! Secretaries of the North , and depositors of the North—withhold your funds till Tuesday night , until after the conviction of the press-gang and then , if you are satisfied with your security , I will receive them npon the platform . Men of Nottingham—do you likewise . And now , my children , assuring yon that I never was in better health or spirits in my life , I take my leave for the present , praying that God may forsake me when I forsake you .
On Monday evening I hope to meet . my London friends at the banquet , and now I remain , Yonr devoted , your fond , and affectionate father , Feabgos O'Connor .
To The Editors Of The « Not Tingham Merc...
TO THE EDITORS OF THE « NOT TINGHAM MERCURY , ' THE 'NONCONFORMIST , ' THE 'DISPATCH , ' THE < GLOBE , ' THE ' MANCHESTER EXAMINER , ' AND < LLOYD'S TRASH / Yotj Ruffians . I submitted yonr claim for preference to the ballot , and the Lord hare mercy upon your soul , * NottinghamMercury man '—you have been doomed as the first victim . The majority of yon , who have taken a license never before
accorded to the press of any country , have whimsically enough prayed for argument and not for abuse , as a refutation of what you call yonr ' facts / For those , upon whom what you call your'facts ' mightmake the slightest impression , I shall confine myself to the strictest rules of argument , while my summary of those arguments will consist of an amount of castigation never before so justly deserved by a half dozen of the basest culprits convicted upon the clearest testimony . I told yon that I was the propounder of a
science of which you understood nothing , and that I was the popular instructor of a new description of literature of which mere theorists and hired scribblers were hopelessly ignorant , and that their wrath against me would he in proportion to their mortification , in having been thus distanced by the working classes in the race of valuable and practical knowledge . There is not an opening that the most severe ' castigator could wish for that you have not given me , and whether it proceeds from the will of God , or the ignorance of man , there never was , in ancient or modern
times , such an exposure of editorial ignorance as I am now about to submit to the deluded dupes who have been the weekly purchasers of their nonsense , their ignorance , and their spleen . I rejoice that the . arithmetician who has dealt most largely in figures and finance , stands first upon the list—and for this simple reason , because my balauce sheet and my financial accounts with the' fustian jackets , the blistered hands , and unshorn chins , ' are my breast-plate and coat of mail—the life preserver that sustains roe in the hurricane and the storm , and , buoyed up by which , the working classes shall be steered into the harbour of
peace , prosperity , and independence . To you who have confided in me , those portions of my letter connected with your monies are addressed , and fear not , and doubt not , that , those questions disposed of , the six editors shall receive that well-merited castigation they have brought upon themselves . I now turn to the balance sheet , and , apart from the fact that it was submitted to the
consideration and the minute inspection of seven delegates , and to whom receipts were submitted for every farthing of money for which credit is taken in that balance sheet , I shall now canvass it , asking the reader to hold it in his hand while I not only refute , but tatter and demolish , the dishonest , the ignorant , the lying interpretation given of it by the Nottingham Mercury . This facetious ass has indulged in a loud bray ; to prove him ignorant would be no surprise , but to prove him a wilfully perjured witness will , henceforth , make htm the scom of
his townsmen . As other portions of the press , especially the Dispatch , and poor little Miall , of the Nonconformist , have pinned their faith and their charges upon the balance sheet , this portion of my letter will refer generally to all , and as the Mercury man has attempted an illustration of his charges , in a familiar dialogue between Tomkins and Robinson , in which the clownish witster very much resembles an elephant dancing a minuet , I shall endeavour to illustrate the true picture in more simple language .
Firstly , then , I give you the first count in the indictment , which is the ' horse' count , and here I insert it , as it appears in the Nottingham Mercury 1—First , then , there ara twenty-three noraes which have costtogefher .. .. £ 915 I 4 Carriage and expenses .. .. 8319 4 "Wheelwright's Bill * .. .. 181 4 0 A Cart .. .. .. 11 0 0 A Tax-cart .. .. . 710 0 AlargeCart .. „ 810 0 Another Cart .. .. TOO Implements .. .. 41 3 7 Saddler / and Harness .. ¦ H 2 5 £ 1 , 264 10 8
You remember , when I went to Lowbands , that I wrote you a letter explaining the impossibility of procuring a sufficient amount of horse power to perform the herculean labour of drawing lime five miles , sand nearly four miles , stones , averaging nearly two miles , and bricks five miles , for the completion of forty-four cottages , with outbuildings and a school-house ,
besides drawing stones the same distance , to make about two miles of road and over 2 , 000 yards of paths ; independently of ploughing , harrowing , and rolling 150 acres of land , most of it three times ; drawing earth to make . land out of swamps ; putting out dung for more than forty acres of ground j doing the jobbing work for carpenters and plasterers ; drawing all the timber from where it was felled , and all the old timber in outbuildings to the saw-pits ; drawing timber to ; make " nearly two miles of strong palings , and drawing an amazing stack of
faggots and hard wood to the back of every cottage . As regards the item for horses , with the amount -you have nothing to do ; as Mr Dixon , who sold the horses by auction in London , will give you the amount to a penny of each , and Mr Alsopp , who paid the money for seventeen , will shew you his receipt for the amount paid ; while , men of Nottingham , your townsman , Mr Samuel Boonham , and Mr Doyle , one of the directors , will show you the receipts for the remainder of the horses . Thus , you see , even though above suspicion and not suspected , I am determined , as your honoured and trusted bailiff , to open every door to inquiry , and not
to shrink from the most paltry charge where your money is concerned . Thus , then , I account for the purchase of the horses , and presently I shall call your attention , not to their use only , but to their profit . The next item is 38 J . Ids . 4 d . for the carriage of those horses from London to Gloucester by railroad , expenses at Gloucester , and convey * ance from Gloucester , ^ to . Lowbands , by the ostlers of- the Bell Inn '; ~ Is ' nt it a beautiful thing to be able to meet the ravings of the rascals with such minutenessr The expense of transmitting horses by this line is 1 / . 3 ( . per horse , by a train that takes nine hours , and
li . 18 * . by a quicker train , that takes four or five hours ; and by mistake , or rather not knowing the difference , Messrs Doyle and Boonham transmitted about ten of the horses by the more expensive train . The next item is a wheelwright ' s bill , which belongs to the horse department , as do all the other items in the above list . And now , my friends , we come to another item belonging to the cavalry , the item of food , and which I also give you from the Nottingham Mercury , and from it I shall gladden yonr hearts , while from it I shall also convict him of wilful perjury . Hereitis ;—
March 16 , ( pray mark this date particularly , because we shaU have to call your attention to it afterwards ) : — je . b . a . March S 7 , Stage for Oats .. .. 61 0 0 — 27 , Gyngell for Beans .. 23 16 0 April 39 , Ireland for ditto .. 8 9 6 Majr 1 » , Fox for Oats .. .. 15 8 9 — 12 , Moore and Co ., Straw .. 86 ' 1 9 — 29 , Gjngell for Beans .. . 40 5 0 — 11 , Stannardfor Oats .. 20 9 0 June 18 . Griffiths for Corn .. 89 D 0 June 18 , wnffiths for Com . .. 38 0 0
— 26 , Fulhamfor Beans .. 28 0 0 — SB , Rnssell for Oats .. .. 50 11 <• July 17 , Folham , Straw .. .. 9 ^ 0 0 Ireland'or Beans .. 7918 0 — rr- ^ Creivs for Bran .. .. e H 0 —— Aston , ClOTer-hay .. 20 0 8 ¦ ¦ Hay on the farm at time of purchase , stated by Mr O'Connor to hare been consumed by horses , and rained by him in a separate form at .. 91 0 0 £ 530 19 9
Now , I will take this for a specimen of what the horses did cost , merely for argument sake , and then I'll show you from this provision list the profit that was made by . the Company by performing the operations with their own' horses , instead of hired horse power . This unfortunate fool was not aware , although he professes to have read the Star , that those horses were hired by the builder , and that if I had not bought those horses , the work couldn't have been performed within the next five years by hired norse power . But I will not confine myself-to showing this , but I will prove
to you the profit that we made , and the startling but irrefutable fact , that those horses , which cost 915 / ., are now the property of the Company for nothing , having actually more than earned their prime cost , thus furnishing you with the most apt and happy illustration of the difference between free labour and slave labour . And now , mark the simple manner in which I will demolish the pompous calculations of this pompous and ignorant buffoon . Those horses , when drawing stones , earned 10 s . 6 & .
a day each , never less than 9 s ; but I will take it at the latter sum . I had three shillings for each double horse-load of stones , which at six loads a day , came to 18 s . a pair , or 9 s . a horse . For drawing sand I had is . a double horseload , and drew three loads a day , which was 7 s . 6 d . a horse . For drawing lime each horse earned 8 s . 4 d . a day . At ploughing , each pair of horses earned about what cost me 15 s , that is , 7 s . 6 d . a horse ; but , if we average all at 8 s . 4 d , a horse , per day , we shall be undbr the mark .
And now we come to dispose of the item of food . Eight shillings and fourpence a day is 2 ? . " I 0 s . a week , and this beast—who marvels at the horror of those horses consuming 1 / . 3 s . per week , but never shudders at the abomination of the system which causes human beings to starve around him—sets this item of 1 / . 3 s . per horse down as one of his prominent charges , but the ruffian never stopped to inquire what the hired labour would have cost us . Take , then , 11 . 3 s . for food , and not 4 s ., but 7 s . 6 d . for attendance , for I give my carters 15 s . per week , and a man attends two , which is 7 s . 6 d . per horse , that is , for food and attendance . It 10 s . 6 d ., learioff a profit of within a fraction
of a pound per week for each horse , « r 23 / . a week profit—and without mentioning one of the most profitable items , which I shall presently take into account , namely , the dung ; and hence , upon the five months included in this fellow ' s livery bill , andtakingit as correct , although I shall show a wilful error of 130 / ., the profit for those twenty weeks made by the Company would be 460 / , besides the dung of twenty-three horses for that time , But I wpn ' t stop here ; it did not cost me that amount to feed them , and at a portion of the work done by them I saved more than 10 s . a day per horse , between free and hired labour .
My friends , there is an item m the Hermgsgate account which the arithmeticians have not touched , which is 220 / . for London dung , and 90 / . for carriage , making 310 / ., and I made with those twenty-three horses and twentythree cows at Lowbands , and put it out too , more than double the quantity that was put out at Herringsgate . Now , 1 * 11 show you how the account would have stood for horse labour . I'll take one house for you . There are 120 loads of stone , that is , one-horse loads , in each house and outbuildings , which , at Is . 6 d . a load , makes 91 . Estimate the school-house at
four houses , we have forty-eight houses ; multiply forty-eight by nine , and you have 432 / . which drawing the stones alone would havecost . Sand for forty-eight , about 1201 ., including masons and plasterers . Carriage of lime 48 / . ; carriage of bricks for outbuildings , 501 . Now , those four items alone come to 650 / ., being 120 / . profit over and above the arithmetician ' s ac count for livery , and without a fraction for ploughing , harrowing , rolling , drawing out dung , drawing stones for two miles of road and 2 , 000 y ards of pathway , drawing timber , jobbing , and drawing thousands of draining tiles seven miles .
Now , then , I contend for it , that , taking all done here , and there , into account , the horses are yours for nothing without even taking their dung into account . Nay , more , I gave 186 / . for one team , and after working them hard " all the winter , I refused 300 / . for them , and I undertake to say , if I were now to sell those twenty-three horses , that 1 would ^ make a profit of over 500 / . uponj them . There ' s the value of free labour over slave labour . Those slaves are our own , and we have an interest in their lives and their health . You can see your faces in them , and they prance after twelve hours' hard work . Oh 1 but , ' what a horrible thing , what a disgraceful thing , what a hard-hearted thing , to feed
those . horses so , while the poor Irish are starving , ! says our arithmetician ; Why , you slave , those very horses gave employment to twentynineof the very poorest of the Irish people who came begging for work for God ' s sake , and they , were so satisfied with their lot that they followed me here . ' . My friends ,, did , this funny fellow imagine that stones , lime ,-sand , -timber , bricks , tiles , slates , ranges , andpoves , were all to jump together , as if b y ^ ma ||> ,. and form themselves into houses ; or , i dJ ^ rpu ever hear of so much work being- donejfpr the same amount of
money ? . But th & fool was not aware that I was paid in cash by the builder , at the rate that I have set down for every article . Thus , I prove him guilty of folly ; and now , I'll prove him guilty of wilful , palpable , and cor--rupt falsehood . You see the article * 36 L Is , 9 d Moore and Co . straw . ' Now , look at the" bit lance sheet , and there you will find the item stand thus "^ Moore and C ; p ( V cattle and straw , 36 / . - Is . 9 d . " Now , I ask you , readers , if you , require more , to convict this fellow of a base attempt'to commit a wilful fraud upon you . Can any thing be more clear and nalnable ?
There was a cow and a bullock included in this item for straw , —the straw was under 61 ., and I had four large three-horse waggon loads , and which was bought by auction , and was worth double the amount . Now , you see the last item for hay on the farm , 94 / . Now , that hay was consumed almost exclusivel y by the cows , ( of the produce of which this impartial critic says there isn ' t one word of account , although in my letter accompanying the bar lance sheet , you will find profit on cows ABOUT 75 / ., ) and that item stands in the same account , as used by horses upon the farm ,
while it fed twenty-three cows , from the 8 th of March till the 23 rd of August , and of which , there was over 75 / . profit made , but which could not be stated in the balance sheet , and for the simplest of all possible reasons—because the balance sheet was made up to the 16 th of August , and the cow were not sold till the 22 nd . of August ,, and the ' money that they fetched was in the hands of the Gloucestershire Banking Company on the 23 rd of August , and I bought those cows to make dung , not to make profit ( and although your tenderhearted editor . talks waggishly about having twenty-three cows , I assure you , that many a mason , many a carpenter , many a carter , and
many a labourer , went away sorrowing that there wasn ' t enough of milk for all , and of their milk , their calves , and their dung , I made nearly 200 / . profit , as the dung could not be purchased at any price . And , just think , instead of selling the produce off that farm , of its being refreshed by the manure of twentythree cows and twenty-three horses . Now deduct that 94 / . for hay , and 30 / . of the 36 " / . is . 9 d . not paid for straw , and you havefthe livery bill reduced to about 400 / ., while the cost for drawing stones alone , to the cottages alone , and no mention of dung , amounts to 432 / . Now , arithmetician , what do you say for yourself ?
As to the wheelwright ' s account , in the first inventory , of 181 / . 4 s .. and saddlery 54 /;; what do you think of 15 s . a piece for forty-five box barrows , which the occupants got for 13 s . i What do ' -you think of about a score of navvy barrows ? , What do you think of timber carriages , carts , and six waggons at 20 / . a waggon ? The man has not seen the wheelwright ' s bill yet . Did he think the horses were to draw without carts , and without harness ? Why , the booby , we have them all , and of the best quality , and nearly as good as new . I paid 11 / . for the best-constructed-new carts ,
and 20 Z . for the best-constructed new waggons ' , would this undertaker make them cheaper ? "Oh , but Tomkins , " says Timkins , "the first of these items is a credit taken for . 84 / . 16 s . paid to an auctioneer , for selling something , no doubt , though the account ostensibly furnished for your enlightenment does not condescend to say what ; 84 / . for an auctioneer ' s bill ? for selling the rubbish , we suppose , on the Lowbands estate . " Now that ' s from , the Nottingham Mercury ; and now , Timkins , hear my answer . If I were to give you every item in every account , not six Stars , nor yet ten Stars ,, would contain my balance sheet ; but if you wish for a little information upon this head , Timkins , it
is 84 / . 16 s . paid to Messrs . Bently and Saunders , auctioneers , on the 2 nd of March , for goods purchased at Mr Lakin ' s auction ; those goods consisting of a waggon , three very fine carts , harness complete for thirteen horses , ploughing harness for three pairof horses , £ patent weighingmachine , some harrows , and three ploughs . Now , Timkins , what will Tomkins say to 84 / . les . for SELLING some rubbish at Lowbands . Then , Timkins , we come to the disgraceful charge by your bailiff , of 72 / ., the contribution of seventy average subscribers for land surveying . "Did you expect , that , my children , from your political daddy ? " Such is the language of your social critic .
, My children , The'contributions of seventy of my children at the average of 4 / . —which is a three-acre allotment—would be 280 / ., and the contributions of eighteen would just amount to the 72 /; and didn't I show you , in one of my letters , that ; the surveying and making out the title , and . paying for stamp and conveyance , would amount to nearly the whole sum paid by the shareholders located upon any . estate , and from this fact did I not illustrate the value of co-operation ? But , not to rest here—there ' s no such item in the balance sheet as 72 / . for -surveying Lowbands . ' Timkins ,
there ' s only 32 / . 2 s . 6 d . ; and mark , Timkins , all the timber , the hay , the straw , the crops , and everything chargeable to the purchaser , and valued by the surveyor , as well as laying out forty-five allotments , which altogether took two professional men more than ten days , at three different visits , from Watford , in Hertfordshire , to Lowbands , in Worcestershire ; and mind , ; Timkins , although the god Mercury tells you that surveyors will survey land at 3 d . per acre , that yet , Timkins ,
inasmuch as it takes longer to skin an ox aud cut it up into joints than to knock the ox down , so , Timkins , does it take twenty times , yea forty times , as much labour to carve an ' estate into joints as to lump it into a large farm . And then , Timkins , the rate of valuing timber and other things is five per cent , upon the first hundredjpounds , and two-and-a-half per cent , upon the remainder ; and that alone , Timkins , upon nearly 700 / . worth ol property , would be 20 / . Timkins , Timkins , I say , you look pale and aghast . ' 'Yea , verily , 'lomkins , lam flabbergasted . ' .-.-.
' Well , but fomkins , what do you say to 100 / . for guano , to try ' experiments with ? ' 'To try experiments with guano ' . Why , bless the man , isn't it what the farmers are running mad after . Jand wasn ' t ; it mixed with ashes as manure for turnips / and didn ' t every fouracre occupant get four bags , every three-acre occupant three bags , and every two-acre occupant two bags of it , bags and all , Timkins ; and two bags contained 2 j cwt ., ample for an acre , Timkins , and of the very best Peruvian guano , and our daddy , Timkins , never tried a spoonful of it in experiments , and all those bags , T imkins , after about thirty acres of turnips , were sown for the occupants , Timkins ; nine tons of guano , enough for seventy-two acres , better than picking oakum in bastile , TimHns . ' . 'Well , Tomkins , what say you to' 007 , for tax
cart and horse , and harness for your bailiff . ' Ha I ha 1 my eye , Timkins , ' ! wish you saw the turn-out , and our bailiff going to fair and market in it—a butcher ' s trap , . Timkins , and a shabby one , all cost 71 . 10 s ., a hired pony , Timkins , twenty years of age , and harness tied up ; but our bailiff is a disgrace to us—but I ' m ashamed to meet him , going to Gloucester , with those swells of farmers , Timkins . When oar bailiff is not using the trap , it ' s jobbing for carpenters . ' 'Tomkins , draw my coat over my head to hide my shame . ¦ But , Tomkins , a pound for a letter bag' ] 'Timkins , I'll tell you about that bag . Chartist Jack used to bring the letters in his pocket , and one dav the
postmaster brought a registered letter after Jack had left , and on his way to Lowbands he found one of the letters which Jack had dropped . It had money in it . iTimkins , I was present , when Mr Cullingham , the overseer , said , 'Good God , how lucky-really , sir , you should have a post-bag with two keys . ' Well , Timkins , don't you thinkthe bailiff was very wrong in not having , a post-bag before ? There are a , hundredlefters sometimes , and do you think that such correspondence should be left to chance for a pound ? Timkins , I would ' nt make it for 21 . Timkins , is ' nt all this very paltry ? ' * Oh . ' Tomkins , oh . ' I sha )} die of shame : but tell me about the watch
dog . ' 'Why , Timkins , who is without a watch dog ? The ' animal is worth 10 / ., and I'll tell you , in such a place property must be scattered all over , and , Timkins , one cold night at twelve o clock , I was walking along the high road through the estate , where some paling had been stolen , and I heard a roar like a lion , at twelve of a cold night , Timkins—and I shook in my breeches , Timkins—because I stepped on the land off the road as it was wet ,
and who should be at my elbow but bailiff King and bailiff O'Connor , Timkins ; and , Timkins , Aston refused-3 / . many a time for the dog—and , Timkins , never be without a good watch dog in a strange place . ' ' But the collar and chain , Tomkins . ' ' Rubbish , Timkins ; O'Connor never chains even the horses —the animal hain't . Costa penny , Timkins , but the 3 / ., not even a house , Timkins ; sleeps on the dunghill , and , God help you , Timkins , if you attempt to steal . Timkins , the dog cost each fifty members one farthing . '
'Well , Tomkins , now 455 / . for Ghinney—who is he ? ' ' Who ; no one , Timkins ; he means Chinnery , Mr Roberts ' s clerk , whom the shareholders all , know ; and , Timkins , the stamp for the registration deed cost about 400 / ., and the making out title of Minster Lovel estate , and stamps and conveyance , and Snig ' s End and Mathon . Why , Timkins , this is but a small item , when one stamp cost 400 / . ; and ; Timkins , don ' t think our bailiff can do the government . ' 'Oh I then , Tomkins , what a world it is , and how sore beset with liars and sinners ; its shocking , Tomkins , its dreadful , the Lord
will destroy the world for its sins . Well , Tomkins , we go on—Lyal 80 Z . What ' s that for , Tomkins ? ' ' For naught , Timkins ; there ' s no such item' in the balance sheet . ' 'Oh ! Tomkins , is that the Devil I see coming—take this wicked paperjout of my sight / ' No , Timkinsj no , go on . ' Tomkins , 256 / . for ironmonRery and plumber ' s work . What ' s that ? ' Why , Timkins , I suppose only on account of glass for forty-four houses and school house , for lead , for valleys and chimneys , for all are leaded , Timk ins . And , Timkins , lead pipes for forty : four pumps and pump heads , Timkins , and
stoves ; but it must be only on account , Timkins , as lead is 20 / . a ton . ' Oh ! Tomkins ; where does the devil putliars ? ' 'In the bottom , Timkins . ' ' 01 then , Tomkins , the Lord have mercy upon poor Bailey of the . Nottingham mercury . Tomkins , he says that Goatman and Tripp were made make-weights , an d put down to balance . ' ' Timkins can you read ? ' 'Yes , Tomkins / 'Then see this balance sheet , and behold they are put down according to the date of payment , in order that the accuracy may be tested by the date of . cheque ; and Timkins / don't you think that both Tripp and Coalman had a good spell at our bailiff s
sheet . ' ' Well then , f omkins , is the balance sheet all right ?'' No , Timkins , it is not , there is a great blunder and a great omission , I admit / 'Well , TomkinSjthen the . Mercury is right after all ? ' ' Stop , Timkins , in Richardson ' s account , who is the blacksmith , and made all the chimney bars and shod horses , I find the following sums : 24 / . 5 s . ; 18 / . , 5 / . ; 8 i . \ 12 / . ; and they are cast up as 44 / . 4 s . 5 d ., instead of 67 / . 5 s . Od ., making an error against our bailiff , and in favour of the Company , ' of 23 / . Os . 7 d . ' ' Well , the omission , Tomkins . ' 'Why , Timkins , not a fraction in the account for even the . travelling
expenses of our bailiff for two years and a half , for travelling the whole kingdom and examining estates , and attending auctions . Timkins , if the blacksmith ' s account bad been cast up in favour of the bailiff , what nuts , eh ! and would ' nt it soon be detected , but not one word , Timkins , about the only error in the sheet , because the error is against our bailiff . Now , Timkins , this paragraph concludes with the assertion that each cottage has cost 100 / ., besides the land . * Well , now Timkins , just see how out of a jumble of confused notions the man is obliged to arrive at O'Connor ' s very
conclusion . Why , man , he has always estimated the'eost of a house at precisely 100 / . ; but , Timkins , they hoped to puzzle poor folk with this price for this thing , and that price for that thing , but in the end they mustagree with our bailiff . Now , Timkins , just suppose if O'Connor had built the mud hovels spoken of at first ; but , Timkins , dash it , they'd CRUCIFY THE MAN THAT WOULD SERVE THE POOR . Timkins , I saw the cottages . There are three large rooms , with dresser , cup-board , and sideboards , a beautiful range and stoves in
the rooms , a back kitchen , dairy , house for two cows , stall for pony , room for roots , privy , duck and hen house , and place for four pigs , and a walled-in yard with a gate to it , the best guttering round the house , and a pump in every man ' s back kitchen , and all built of the best materials . ' ' Well , well , Tomkins , I have nearly done , just a word ; 1 , 700 / . to Tripp , for timber . ' ' Timkins , it is not 1 , 600 / ., tot it up , and , Timkins , think of timber , SLATES , DUTCHESS SLATES , Timkins—ah 1 they dazzle their " envious eyes—LATHS , Timkins , and TILES for every
kitchen , Timkins , and all the partitions of timber , and the carriage of all , ten miles , Timkins . Timkins , you groan / 'Tomkins , will you stand my friend ? ' 'How , Timkins ? ' Will you let me have 2 / . on my club note to get one of those cottages and have asharein yo « r bailiff ' s plan ? Why , Tomkins , I couldn ' t build such a cottage for 200 // 'No , Timkins , a contractor asked our ' . bailiff 248 / . a ^ house , for finishing them , without the offices , Timkins / ' Tomkins , hold me the candle and I'll make a blaze of this lying Mercury . ButTomkinswill it
, , require 550 / . to locate each occupant , as stated by the Mereury ? ' ' Nonsense , Timkins , nonsense , Doesn ' t the fellow show you that 1001 . builds the cottage , and if the land costs 50 / . an acre 200 / . will locate a two acre man ; 250 / . a three-acre man ; and 300 / . a four-acre man / Well , but how ivas the 44 , 000 / . expended in locating eighty and erecting two school houses ? ' « Why , Timkins , take bo th balance sheets , that of 19 th Dec , 1846 , and 4 th Sep ., 1847 , and you will see that the whole amount received o last balance-sheet for Land and
Bank was—18 , 200 / . to 5 th . Dec , and that includes 1 , 850 / . profit on : Calender ' s farm in stead of 1 , 350 / . and 40 , 770 / . from December to 16 th last Aug ., mnking in all , short of SQfiOOh . received / f Well , but Tomkins , how does he get the 70 , 000 / . or 75 , 000 // 'Why , man , in the ; first balance-sheet there is 4 , 550 / . charged tor bailiff from the treasurer , a double entry ; and : in the last there is one item 8 , 750 / . charged . ' in' the same way , making , in all , . 13 , 300 / ., charged « s paid by Mr Roberts , a ? well , as-all ' paid for Land ; it ' s quite right , Timkins , hut . the fellow didn ' t wish to see it . Now , limkins , pay attention to simple figures ; up to the 16 th of August , short of 59 , 000 / . had been r « - ceived , and on the 16 th of August there was in hand , —
London Bank ... ... £ 21 , 310 G . ' oBcesterauire Bank ... 6 , 030 Half Notes aud Bank Orders ... 890 Paid Deposit on Mdthon ... 2 , 000 Ditto on Minster Lovel ... 900 In Meadow Land and Timber ,, Lowbands ... ; ... 1 , 100 Horses , Cows , Implements , Carts , Waggons , and Harness ... 2 , 000 Expenses of Registration Deed , aud Minster Lovel conveyance ,. and Costs of Company ,., fQQ
£ 34 , 930 The funds ef company , On 16 th Aug ., 34 , 830 / . deducted from the total amount received from all sources up to that date , 59 , 000 / ., leaves 24 , 070 / .. Now , Timkins , 24 , 070 / . is the sum total spent up to 16 th August , and- put down each school-house as two and a half cottages , and you ' have eighty-five locations completed for 24 , 070 / . ; and now , Timkins , divide eightyfive into 24 , 070 / . and you will find that it is short 284 / . for each , and mind , Timkins , that includes Herringsgate , with its five-roomed and four-roomed houses , and a first expert ment , and all built of bricks , drawn many miles , and no system in the beginning / 'Tomkins , what very ugly . CUSTOMERS FIGURES ARE . ' . ' . ' How they , do tell tales and make the black ink blush . Why ,
Toivikins ^ lt's exactl y . ' yourbailiff ' s calculation . * 'No , no , Timkins , it includes capital paid to most of the occupants , 500 / . or 600 / . worth of other property , not justly , chargeable to occupants . ' Now , Tomkins , do you believe that your bailiff is the only man who understands the plan ? ' 'Yes , Timkins , I am sure of it , that he is the only man who understands it , from the purchase of the Land to the boiling of the potatoes ; though , you know , all great works must be worked in their several details . The inventor of the spinning jenny could not , perhaps , weave a piece of cloth , nor could the weaver repair the machine , so you see , Timkins , how the great web of life is woven by each taking his part / ' Now , Tomkins , one word more and I have done— -how do you account for the letter of " the Rambler ?"—here it is : '—
THE O'CONNOR ESTATES . TO MB EDITOll OF . THE NOTTINGHAM JIEECDUV . Sib , —Porceiving that you take great interest in Mr O'Connor's Land Man , and are desirous of giving information to the public" on the subject , I take the liberty of sending you particulars of a visit I have latterly made Herringsffate , ( O'Connorville . ) Having been on tramp through the country in search work , I took it into my head whilst in London that I would visit Herringsgate , or what is styled the O'Connorville Estate ; which step I was Jed to take in consequence of having heard so much fuss and talk about it before I ltft home , and thinking , therefore , that I might get a little work at shoe-mending among the occupants . Accordingly , on the 1 st of September , I set out from London , going by Watford , distant from London about
fifteen miles . The next morning I set out for Herrings , gate , about seven mile * from Watford . I reached the O'Connorviile Estate between ten and eleven o'clock in the forenoon . The first personl inquired for was Taws , or Tors , from Nottingham , When I came up to him I asked him if h « were the person that came ontofltedford workhouse ; ho told me he was : he said ho was sorry he could not askc me to have nnjtbingto eat , for they had nothing tut a few potatoes for themselves to eat . They had potatoes to breakfast , dinner , and supper ; and that they should not have nearly enow to servo thejwinter . I staid talking with him for a full hour till they went into the cottage to get their ( Sinners ; and , to my great surprise , they had not sufficient potatoes boiled for their dinners ; they therefore set a few more on the fire , to be boiling while they eat the first lot , for the pan was too small to boil enow at * ne time ; for they appeared to have scarcely anything in the cottage , cither in the shape of utensils er furniture of any kind .
But to pass on , they made a very scanty meal of potatoes and salt , > nd I am sure none of them had enough dinner , for they all seemed toerave formore . They gave me about three potatoes for mine . If I had had any money in my pocket I should have given them some , but 1 had not any . I had two very fine apples in my pocket and I gave the apples to them because I saw they could not aiford to give me the potatoes . I told theai I expected to find them in quite different circumstances , — in the midst of plenty , according to the Star , and what I heard O'Connor say at the Election . I told him what O'Connor said in referenc * to him being so comfortable , and having fourfat pigs in the stye , and I said what O'Connor did sayabout him it was to a many thousands of people ; he tola me that O'Connor told a many , both in theater and by word of moutlv ; he also told me that ho wished he never had had anything to have done with it . His wife and some of the biggest children likowise said that they wished they never had como , ; and ns fov the four fat . pigs , be said , at the time that Feargus O'Connor told the people of Nottingham , ho had but had them two weeks .
He showed me the pigs , they were little ' uns about four to five stone each . I asked him if he did not receivo £ 15 when he came to the cottage ; he said no , but he had received £ 15 altogether , in three , or four ( I wont say which ) instalments , and so he could not not lay it out to the best advantage . lie said they had only had one pound of butter since they had been in the cottage ; nor had they had any cheese , nor anything else as a substitute ; and they had lived very hard since they had been there . Why , said I , when I was coming here Lexpected to find you all in the midst of plenty , and that you would have found me some jobs atriioe-monding . Ah J says he , O'Connor tells a many lies about the land and cottages . They all seemed alarmed for the next winter .
I turnedmy attention then to the land . I said why the land is full of stones . Yes , he said , but the soil is good , though I believe this land 9 f mine has never had any manure on it since the world stood .. I believe thing * were stuck in the ground anjhowi The land appeared tome to be of a light sandy nature , bat I never saw land so full of stones in ray life . Taws told me there wore many other inconveniencies , — a great deal of trouble to get water and coal , which latter article is very dear , and two or three miles to go to bay anything . I asked him if Mr O'Connor came frequently to see them : he said he believed ha had not been for three months . I took a deal of aotice of the potatoes ; they ran very small , and not so
I good as we get here at Nottingham . I went to the next cottage . I told the Missus ( for the husband was at work ) that I was a person from Nottingham , and entered into conversation . She said she could not ask me to have anything to eat ; she showed me a piece of a loaf , and said that was all they had to servo them the week out . She told me they came from Manchester . She said she was very sorry they ever had anything to do with the Land Society , —said they were far more comfortable before they came ; she was very much alarmed at the thoughts of winter ; had sold part of their barley , and three pigs , — she said she wished she was back at Manchester , —there had been a many lies told ahout this place .
After a little more looking about me , I left theO'Connorville estate with the thought on my mind that it was a very poor concern . If you think these remarks worth your notice , they are very much at your service ; if I had thought to have given my remarks to your newspaper , I would , have takan more particular notice of things . Your humble servant , Nottingham , Sept . 16 . a Rambles . ' Well , Timkins , read the following answer , printed in the Nottingham Review : '—
THE ALLOTTEES AT O'CONNORVILLE . TO TUB XDJTOBS OS THE NOTTlNQHiK KBVIEW , Denman-st / eor , New Hadford , October 12 th , 1 M 7 . Gentlemen , —Seeing a letter in the tyrcury , signed « A Rambler , 'containing some remarks upon the condition of the allottees at O'Connorviile , and amongst them Charles Tawes , who was a member of this branch I thought it my duty to inquire into the auttieuttcttyof those remarks , and for that purpose I sent to Mr Wheeler ( late genoral secretary to the Company , but now an occupant there ) , the Jftrcurj ; containing the letter , requesting his ° f HI tlUth ° "' Xhe followin S l «» copy & ™* , „ „ . . . 'O'Connorviile , Monday Morning . ?
• ear } £ ~} only "ad your newspaper on Saturday night , and had previously seen the article aUudcd to in » Lincoln paper , but was not aware It was the same . I have spoken to Tawes on the subject ; he says that he has received six or seven letters relative thereto . It is true , he says , tbat such a man Called upon him ; also that he had only potatoes for dinner , and th ' t they boiled them at twice , the pot being too sn . all . It is also true that he left an apple on the shelf , but against their wish . Tawes explanation is as follows;—He says he had but potatoes lor dinner ; I have sometimes had the same ; but it has been owing to our being out of meet , a :. d too bnsy to go to llickniansworth to gat any . This I believe was the caso with Tawes ; but where you have an abuudanco of fresh , fine vecetables , the necessity for meat is not always
ao great ; te-dny , though I had plenty ol meat on tbe table , I did not touch it , having plenty of beautiful cauliflowers-one measuring thirty-six inches in circumference—the produce of my own allotment . Tawes has pJentv of pots or kettles to boil potatoes , but being busy getting in his barley , and wood fires requiring consider , able attention , they only put on a small pot , as it would fit in the grate better , aud they boiled what they thought to be as many potatoes as they could eat , and from the appearance of the wife and children , I should say that they are far from being in a starring condition . It is true that he received bis money in three payments , two six pounds and one three pounds . It is also true thatnieither V . r O'Connor nor the directors have been to visit us for some months ; out their presence is not necessary now that the estate is completed . ( Continued to the Fifth r * ge . )
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 23, 1847, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_23101847/page/1/
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