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Jakuart 24. ' 1846. "' _____ THE NOKTHEl...
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4fom'p iflobeinents.
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" And I will war, at least in words, (An...
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THE PROVINCIAL ESTATES OF PRUSSIA. It af...
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THE ORDER OF TIIE GARTER
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Mtsteriotjs Occukkexck.—Suawciors Cass—O...
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THE "MORAL LESSON" OF 'ME GALLOWS. (From...
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Wombs Coxvicts yon Va.\ Dikmax's Land.—T...
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* In A 1'lta for tht Abolition of Capita...
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NO VOTE! NO MUSKET!! MEETING IN TIIE CIT...
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CHEAT MEETING AT THE SOUTH LONDON CHARTI...
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TO FEARGUS O'CONNOR, ESQ. Sin,—l-'or you...
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A Serious Accidkkt to a Solitary.—On Mon...
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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.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Jakuart 24. ' 1846. "' _____ The Nokthel...
Jakuart 24 . ' 1846 . " ' _____ THE NOKTHEliX ^ y _ jj ; ¦¦ - - - ¦ — - *— ¦ ^ «
4fom'p Iflobeinents.
4 fom p iflobeinents .
" And I Will War, At Least In Words, (An...
" And I will war , at least in words , ( And—should my chanw to happen—deeds , } With all who war with Thoushtt "
" And I Will War, At Least In Words, (An...
" I think I hear a Utile bird , who sings Th * people by and by will be the stronger . " —Bracir
The Provincial Estates Of Prussia. It Af...
THE PROVINCIAL ESTATES OF PRUSSIA . It affords us great pleasure to he able to announce to our readers that Chartism is at length beginning to be understood on the European Continent , because represented in the Continental journals . Our readers had proof of this in the Uighly-impwt ^ nt article which lately appeared in the Northern Star and Junes-, copied from the Aiwsouron Gazette . Tire prinripal contents of the Northern Star now appear regularly in several of the most influential of the Herman paneis . Thus , the " Fraternal Meetings ,: held in the past year , the "Message" of the Chartist Executive , the " Resolutions" adopted by the late Ciiarrist Conference , and the " Death of the Engluh Oligarchy , " are some of the articles which have recently been republished in several German journals , carrying our principlesand the name of this paper over the Continent .
"We take the following article -from the Times , addressed as a letter to the editor of that journal . If some of the sentiments contained therein do not accord with , or fail to express our own views , stUl the facte contained therein make the article valuable , particularly at this moment , when the greatest agitation pervades Germany , and all nations are anxiously awaiting the struggle which the insolenc ; and imbecility of the Prussian King are so well calculated to precipitate : — "The provincial estates were called into activity in 1 S 23 , but even at that moment the institution was
considered , or at least expressly announced , by the Covernnient itself , as only a partial and introductory fulfilment ofa far more serious promise—the grant of a national representation to all Prussia . It cannot be said that in this promise the King and his Cabinet were unjed on by any expressed desire or wishes on the part of the Prussian nation . In the month of November , 1 S 0 S , when in the whole of Germany not a soul dared to breathe a loud word about freedom , the famous Minister Vou Stein issued a circular , from which the following passages are extracts : —
A national representation is necessary ; the Royal power is , and will always be , sacred to me ; " but in order that this power may produce all the good it ean , it appears to me indispensable that we procure a means of knowing the wishes of -. he people , and giving strength and life to its resolutions . If all participation in the operations of the State is denied to tbe . pee . ple , iW quickW begin to look on the government with indifference , or even place themselves in opposition to it ; thence an aversion to all sacrifices , or at least tbe utter want of selfdevotion fur tbe existence of the State . Tbe representation of the jieople in countries where it has existed until tlie present is imperfect My intention is , therefore , that every nun invested with the rights of citizenship should enjoy the right of being represented , whether he possess a j
hundred acres of land or none , whether he be a cultivator el land or a manufacturer , whether he exercise a trade or be only by intellectual bonds connected with the Stats . Several plans have been presented by me ; ou their adoption or rejection will depend the welfare or misfortune of our country ; for it is only by such means that the national spirit can be strengthened and prosper " It cannot be pretended that little was promisednay , oifered , here—the constitutions in force , then , amongst which , certainly , the English occupied tlie first place , were considered to " be imperfect "—nor that the thing to be offered was not described in such precise terms as scarcely to permit of any doubt . But at that time Prussian statesmen were not satisfied with mere promises—they really meant what
they said . After Stein had , on the express demand of Napoleon , been removed from the Ministry , hU successor , Uardenberg , remained faVthfuUo the same system ; not only had he , in the many liberal laws he introduced , always a national representation in view—in February , 1 SU , he actually realised ^ the idea by assembling at Berlin a provisional national representation , under whose co-operation several laws of tha highest importance were discussed and sanctioned . So there we see Berlin has actually witnessed within its precincts a national representation , and at what moment ? _ In 1811 , when the power of Napoleon was unimpaired , and before ^ the Prussian n ? . tion had ever asked for it , the national representation was granted by the King on his own
tree impulsion . " But tbe King did not even stop there ; not satis-Jied to endow his own people with a constitution , ho wished to extend the samo benefit to all the other German States . After the termination of the war , during the negotiation of 1314 and lSlo , Prussia insisted in all her diplomatieal notes on the necessity of srantiug constitutions , and of empowering the German peopleeverywbere with the right of voting the supplies and taxes , " if the greater portion of Germany at this moment has constitutions , it is chiefly owing io the effor ts of Prussia ; and if those constitutions are deprived at this moment of all their value aud
efficiency , it is again chiefly owinu to the subsequent efforts of the same Piussia , at the Diet . Was this not cruel ! Better they had never been given , than only as a means of causing constant heart-burnings and wide-spread popular dissatisfaction ! It does not appear , however , that the King at that period entertained less benevolent intentions towards his own subjects . " On the 22 ud of May , 181-5 , the King promulgates his famous ordinance , which contained the following short paragraphs : — 1 . A representation of the people shall be organized . J . To that end the Provincial Estates shall b * convoked . Sic .
Z . From amongst those Provincial Estates shall ha elected the representatives of the country , which will sit at Berlin . 4 . The sphere of action of the national repn-Pentation - » vill extend to all that concerns legislatioii and puhlic taxation . 5 . A cemmisiion , composed of public functionaries , and inhabitants of provinces , shall , without loss of time , he convoked to Berlin . j " . "Ibis commission will occupy themselves—first ,, with the organisation of tlie Provincial Estates ; scc » iidh ; with the organisation of the national representation thirdly , with drawing up a constitution ou these base * . 7 . They will assemble on tlie 1 st of September .
"This 1 st of September of the year 1 S 15 has still to come , to the present day ¦ The promises , however , did cease less quick than the expectation rai > ed bv tbem . In a Cabinet order , dated from the 17 th ol' January , 1 S 20 , respecting the regulation of the national debt , it wa * said , that from thence no loan should be contracted * without the co-optrathm and sanction of the future Xatioual Representation . " Lastly , in the ordinance itself of the-3 : h of June , IJ 23 , by which the Frovinchl Estates were created at last , " it was added to a passage , in which the laws ta be presented to them were enumerated— * As long a > a general representation had not been called into existence ; * so that these Provincial Estates were generally considered as only an instalment to the accomplishment of the more important promise of a General . National llepraseutation .
" In the third paragraph of the general law just quoted , of the 5 : li of June , 1 S 2-3 , where the sphere of action of the Provincial Estates was defined , it was said— - The pro \ inci » I estates arc the legal orj ^ ra of the different clasits of our subjects in each province . Accord-£ u-to this destination , we order—1 . That all prf . ivKts o * . law which concern oae province alone be submitted to its deiiberatiou ; - ' . As ioug af a *« ieral representation does not exi t we shall also submit to their deliberation all projects of general laws icspecringthe rights of persons aud propertr , and taxaticn , in as far as these law * c-noern the province ; 3 . We shall accept fr <« a the E-. tatfc * tlieir petitions or complaints referring to the special welfare or interests of the whole of tiie province , or part of it ; we shaU examine them , and decid-. - npon tlieir . merits ; 4 . The local affairs of the province will lie submitted to tlieir decision under a reservati--n of oar approbation and inspection .
" These were all the matters on which the Provincial Estates were to be consulted ana aske-i their advice , forthev could give no decision . But little as this was , even this little was talceii away by subsequent explanatory laws . The rigi-toi i-e : i : i < -ii was surrounded with so many forms and uifficn ' tics as to be reduced to almost nothing ; aad resi-ectiiu the projects of la ** s which were to be submittal to iae deliberations of the Estates , the govcrnmeu :, did not sven take the trouble to hear their avivsee on any o ; them . Thus , until the year 1337 , the representatives -sf the richest provisce of Prussia , wfiicli contains nearly tws millions and a half of inhauit-mts , die Ilhenish provinces , had only been convoked during those seventeen years to give their advice on tlie building and regulations of a madhouse ( at Sicburgh ) , some game laws , ami the mo-Je of putting Into execution in their province some laws already
• -tedded and promulgated without them . Tiie same Estates adopted , in their sitting of the I-Jtb of June , Y < m , a memorable address to the king , couckd in the most respectful terms , in which nothing was said about a general representation , in which they e . \' - jiressed themselves hiahly satisfied with the institution of the Provincial Estates , only praying the king to execute and observe the e ' ear law ? by whK-h their action was defined and regulated . The former much vaster promises had been already forgotK * n at that time , and this sentiment was general in the nation ; whose fault , then , wash that the air of Prussia rings again with those cries for a "cneral representation ? The nation was already satisfied with their Jot , when , behold , the present king again raised their expectations bv holding out new promises to tLini , which he made , as it had been done by his father , en his own impulse alone .
. "Corsiuered under this point of view , the Iloyal policy of Prussia appears both cruel and dangerous . 1 have in the preceding lines done nothing but merely transcribed documents and generally known facte ; but what a heavy accusation u \> they imply . '
Prussia was the first , on her own free impukw , to start the cry for constitutioial governmentallover Germany ; the constitutions in the smaller states chiefly owe their existence to the powerful efforts of Prussia in 1814 and 1 S 15 , and the same Prussia was also the foremost to stifle them , and deprive them of all power ! In the same mode she has deliberately fostered the same expectations amongst her own subjects , only in order to disappuint them . Indeed , Prussia has rendered as bad services to tha Absolutistsas to the Liberals of Germany . And tbispolicy and system is not limited to the constitutional
question . We have recently seen quite similar proceedings in the religions movement : it was through the protection and secret encouragement of Prussia that Rouge acquired the greater portion of his influence ; and when this man was near destroying the inttuenceof the Catholic Church in Germany , when the movement had already become too strong to master it , in steps again Prussia at the eleventh hour to thwart and oppose it , thus bequeathing to Prussia aud Germany the fruitful germs both of political and religions revolutions , of her own making and creation . It is the . governments , in my opinion , which have the greatest interest iu discouraging and putting a stop to such a perfidious policy which can lead to nothing hut turmoil and confusion . " London . Jan . 15 . " A FofflaosER . "
The Order Of Tiie Garter
THE ORDER OF TIIE GARTER
"Wisdsob , M 0 . SD . 4 y . —The Queen held a court this afternoon at the Castle . Burl Grey had an audience of herMajesty , and delivered the Ensigns of tie Order of the Garter worn hy his late father . Her Majesty held a Chapter of the Most Noble Order of the Carter . The Knights Companions having been robe * in the Armoury in their mantles and collars , passed into St . George's-hall , where they were called over by Garter King of Arms . The Xnights Companions present were his Royal Highness Prince Albert , his Boyal Highness the Duke of Cambridge , his Royal Highness Prince George , the Duke of Rutland , Duke of Wellington , Marquis of Exeter , Duke of Richmond , Duke of Buccleueh , Marquis of Lansdowne , Duke of Beaufort , Duke of Clevela n d , Marquis of Abtrcorn , Earl Talbot , and ths Earl of r « wis .
The officers of the Order attended iu their mantles , chains , and badges . There were present—the Pielate , the Bishop of Winchester ; the Chancellor , Out Bishop of Oxford ; the Registrar , the Hon . and Verv Uiv . the Dean of "Windsor ; Garter Principal King of Aims , Sir Charles Young ; and Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod . Sir Augustus ] , W . J . Clifford , Bart . The Queen and Prince Albert were conducted from the private apartments to the Garter-room by the Lonl Steward , the Lord Chamberlain , the Master Of the Horse , the Vice Chamberlain , the Treasurer Of the Household , aud the Comptroller of the Household . Her . Majesty being seated oa a chair of state , tbe Knights , attended by the officers of the Order , proceeded into the presence of tlie Sovereign ; the Chancellor remaining at the door , not haviag betn sworn .
The Kni-rhts Companions being seated , the Registrar signified to the Sovereign that tlie Right Rev . Dr . Samuvl Wilbw-lbrco , lord Bishop ol Oxford , attended at the door of the Chapter-room , and humbly prayed to be admitted to take the oath of oniceas Chancellor of the Most Xoble Order ; whereupon , hy hsr Majesty ' s command , the Chancellor , wearing his mantle of purple vtlvet over his episcopal habit , was introduced between Garter and Black Rod , tha former carrying on a velvet cushion the purse , gold ehain , and badge . Tho Chancellor knelt on the left hand of the Sovereign , and the oath wa « administered to him by the Registrar . His Lordship was then invested hy tlie Queen with the gold chain and badge , and having received from her Majesty tha purse , had th e 1 aour to kiss hands , said retired to his place on the left hand of the Sovereign .
The Chancellor signified to the Chapter her Majesty ' s Royal pleasure , that the two vacant stalls in the Royal Chapel of St . George , at Windsor , should b * tilled , and ashy the statutes none but knights can be elected , the Jlost Hon . George Charles llaruuis Camden was introduced by Garter King of Arms and Black Rod . The sword of State , borne by Sir William Martins , Gentleman Usher , having been handed to the Queen by the Loid Chamberlain , her Majesty was pleased to confer the honour of knighthood therewith . His Lordship , having kissed the Sovereign's hand , retired . The Most Hon . Richard Mar-piis of Hertford was introduced , aud knighted with the same ceremony .
The Knights Companion * proceeded to the election , and the sutrrages having been collected by the Chancellor and presented by him to the Queen , her Majesty commanded him to declare that the Most Hon . George Charles Marquis Camden had hern duly elected a Knight Companionof the Moat >" oble Order of tlie Garter . Then , by the Sovereign ' s command , his Lordship was received at the door of the Chapter-room by Earl Talbot aud the Earl of I ' owis , the two junior Knights Companions present , and Vas conducted between them to her Majesty , preceded by Garter ( bearing the ensigns of the order upon a crimson velvet cushion } and by Black Rod . The il . iriju ' n Camden knelt near the Queen , and Gartr King of Anns presenting oa his knee the Garter , the noble Marquis was invested therewith by the Queen , assisted hy the two senior Knights present , the Chancellor pronouncing the usual admonition .
The Queen having received the Riband and George from Garter King of Arms , put the same over his Lordship ' s left shoulder , the Chancellor pronouncing the customary admonition . The Marquis again kissed her Majesty's hand , and having received the congratulations of each of the Knights Companions , retired . The Chapter proceeded , to a second election , and the suffrages having been collected by tha Chancellor , were presented to the Queen , when the Most Hon . Richard MarquU of Hertford was declared duly elected a Knight of the Most Xoble Order of the Garter : the noble Marquis was introduced , and was iuresttd by her Majesty with the Garter , aud the Riband and George with the like ceremonies . The Chapter being ended , the Knights Companions were called ovxr by Garter , and , together with the efficers of the Order , retired from the presence of her Majesty .
The Queen wore tlie mantle and collar of the Order at the Investiture . The Prelate stood on the right of the Queeu , tlie Chancellor on the left , the other officew of the Order remaiuinc at the bottom of the ¦ table . The Duchess of Buccleuch , Mistress of the Robes , and the Visountess Jocolyn , Lady in Waiting , were behind her Majesty on the left , and the Lord Chamberlain , with the Sword of State , on the opposite side . The oficevs of the Royal household in uniting occupied their usual stations . Sir Robert Peel and Sir James Graham were present at the august ceremony . After the investiture , the Duke of Richmond had an audience of her Majesty to present addresses .
The Court was attended hy tlie Marquis ot Angl » s » y , Gold Stick in Waiting ; Marquis of Ormonde , Lord in Waiting ; Admiral Sir Robert Otway , Groom in Waiting ; Colonel Cavendish , Silver Stick in Waiting ; Colonel Buckley , Equerry in Waiting ; Colonel Bouverie , Eyuerry in Waiting to Prince Albert ; tha Groom of th * Robes , Mr . Stuart Wortley , and the Hon . Mr . Forbes , Pages of Honour in Waiting , and the Field Officer iu Waiting . The Yeomen Guard , in their Coronation costume , were on duty in St . 'icurge ' s Hall , the Armoury , and the Guard Ch ; i' . uber . Sir George Let , the Lieutenant , Mr . KUerthorp , the Adjutant , aud Sir Samuel Hancock , Exon in Watiu- ; , attended . A guard of honour of the Grenadier Guards , commanded hy Colonel SputtUwoode , attended during the Court in the grand quadrangle with the hand of the regiment .
The Queen gave a grand dinner in the evening , to which all the Knights of the Order of the Garttr present at the Chapter were honoured with invitations , and were present , with the exceptions of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambrid ge , tiho left the C »* tle in the afternoon for Kew , and of the Marquis of Anglesey , who was prevented bj indisposition from being present , and -vvliu also took his departure from the Castle in the afternoon . Her Royal II ghness the Duchess of Keiit , the Duchess of liuct-leuch , tlie Mavchionrss of Caunleu , the Marquis oi Grauhv , the Earls ol Liverpool , Delaware , and Jersey ,
L-. tdy Fauny llowaid , Baroness de Speta , tiie Bishop of Winchester , the JJishop of O-tford , tlie Hon . and Very Rev . the Dean of Windsor , the Right llva . Sir M'Jberi Peel , the Right Hon . Sir James Graham , Majvr-General Sir Henry Wheatley , thcl ' rovost of Eton , the Kc v . Lord Wriothe-ley Russell , the Rev . Dr . Hmvtrey , Majur-Geueral and Lady Isabella Weniyss , Mr . and Mrs . W . liarcourt , Sir George and Lady Conner , Hon and Uev . C . Leslie Courttnay , Mr . RjiIjOi HciiHe , !* ir JohuM . Burg < iyne ( Grenadier Gin-rds ) , Lieutenant-Colonel Williams r- ! d Lite Guards ) , and Mr . Glover were also present at the banquet .
Dinner -was served in the Waterloo Gallery , the candelabrum of St . George , the patron saint of tha Most 5-jhls Order of the Garter , an-i the most maxniriceut in the Royal Treasury , forming the principal ornament in the centre table , which was covered with numerous vases , ice pails , and pine stands , and was brilliantly iiiutehmted with numerous candelabra ( filled with wax li-fhuj , the whole of silver gilt . The beautiful lu » : i es in this gallery were also lighted ou this occasion . The hand of the Grenadier Guards was in attendance in oae of the galleries during dinner .
Mtsteriotjs Occukkexck.—Suawciors Cass—O...
Mtsteriotjs Occukkexck . —Suawciors Cass—Or , Wednesday evening , or early on Thursday inoi'iiitig , a murder is juppoml to have been ommitted , in a barn belonging to Mr . Chariot-worth , at Loimiior . On ; onic of the servants going into the barn oa Thursday morning , they discovered a female ' s cap upon the ground , saturated with blood . The cap was tr-mmea witli pink ribbon , aud appeared to lie one that had h-elciiged to a respectable * person . We do not hear that there were any indication ! - ofa struggle havinc taken place in the bam , but there wore considerable quantities of bleed on different parts of the floor , and tu-ar to the cap an open razor was found likewise deeply stained with blood . A long track of blood was traced for a considerable distance on the wad which leads from the barn . Diligent search has been made hy the police and the iohaliitanta of thedistrict , without success . What renders the affair most mysterious is , the fact that no female or ether person ia tbe irei « nkourhtt- & k missing . — 1 'sccUtfild Chyfldcle ,
The "Moral Lesson" Of 'Me Gallows. (From...
THE "MORAL LESSON" OF 'ME GALLOWS . ( From Punch . ) Thousands of breasts beat horrid hope ; Thousands of eye balls , lit with hell , ' Burn * one way all , to see the rope Uuslacken as the platform fell . COVEKTBV PAXMOBB . Within these few days , the majesty of the law—as the Moloch is called—has on two occasions asserted itself by the hands of the hangman . A great moral lesson has been preached to the multitude—tho preachers a dead , law-slaughtered man aud woman Martha Browning and Samuel Guennell-suffoeated
carcases I—have been hung to a beam to illustrate the sacredness of human life . The law , to show its horror of the bloodsheddei , has shed blood . The rope and the knife were the death-dealing instruments of the murderers : but the homicides themselves were kille-J with all the solemnity of a statute . The first victims were smitten suddenly , secretly : hut the hloodshcdders , to expiate their crime , were strangled for a national sight . Lessons of Christian love and charity were thought to issue from the dead , distorted mouths of the law-killed malefactors . The hangmau was made the schoolmaster ; and the priest preached the loving-kindness and forgiveness of Christ to miserable creatures , to be in an instant slain by the law ' s revenge .
And there is no mockery in this—none ! In many foolish phases , under many wicked forms , appears the wonderful knowledge of the legislature ; but it the great Enemy and Mocker of man would show the fiends the greatest aud foulest example of human folly and wickedness in the guise of justice , surely he would point to the hanging carcase of a man , killed according to law , and , with a chuckle , cry , " Behold , the Wisdom of Parliament 1 " True ; lie may mourn the good old faggot times , when he snuffed the sweet odour of roasting flesh—of law-tnimcd men and women in Smithfield ; nevertheless , there still remains for him neighbouring Newgate ; and still Sir James Graham sits paramount—Justice in granite—at the Home Office J What double lessons of morality did the wisdom of the Secretary set the contemplative populace of Londan last Monday > eek ! flow cuhniin-ly , too , were the practical themes ordered—that the half-taught of the Old Bailey might , following the
hangman , be completely edified iu Ilorsemonger" ane ! Should Parliament , in its growing tenderness for the multitude , some day appoint a national Master of the ltevels , Sir James Graham , above all other claimants , must fill the post . His willingness to deny the mob the execution of Mary Furley must ever he gratefully remembered by the visitors of the Old Bailey . And there again , thoughtful Sir James did all he could : he at least whetted the appetite of the multitude with theswect death-warrant ; though only eight-and-forty hours afterwards it was recalled , —the woman having suffered only eight-aiid-forty hours of needless agony . Nevertheless , it was a fine thought to threaten her , just in solemn sport , with the hangman—even it may be at the time it was determined only to expatriate her . Now and then a wise , benevolent statesman may permit himseil' to play with heart-strings , even as iS ' ero played upon the fiddle .
But a great reform has taken place . 1 he press is excluded from the inttriorofaprisonort killing days . This tremeiidoussagacity of Sir James will very soon render turnkeys reporters ; for somehow anecdotes ol the condemned cell will find their way into print . We have full evidence of this . For instance , we gather the subjoined glad tidinjs from the newspapers : " In the course of some conversation she ( Martha Browning ) had with the chaplin , she has expressed an opinion that the spectacle ofherbtiti' ; publicly executud would be calculated to hava the effect of preventing others from committing a similar crime , and there Is very little doubt she will meet her dreadful fate with the utmost tirniness . "
Now , did the reverend Mr . Davis himself furnish our brethren with this intelligence ? On the other hand , did the enlightened chaplain—the mouth-piece of mercy , as the preacher of the New Testament—did he himself first suggest such an opinion totheculj'rit , to be afterwards blazoned as her own penitent conviction ? We more than suspect this of Mr . Davis ; and for this shrewd reason : we well remember his funeral discourse to llocker ; in which the chaplain took it upon himself to answer the opponents of legal mauslaying , hy dilatiug on the great moral example afforded by public hanging ; it was so awful , so tremendous a lesson to the depraved and thoughtless . * And can this really and truly be the solemn conviction of Mr . Davis , minister of the Gospel ? And if it be , we ask of the man , is he Wind—is he deaf ? Has he no perception ?
Whatin the acting of his dreadful functions , when he issues from Newgate door , what does he sec—what hear ? Does he behold an awe-stricken multitude ; a mass ofashy human faces , smitten with terror—eyes flowing with tears , lips moving with prayer against temptation ? Does he lit ten to a low yet fervent murmur of devotion ? No—no . He sees around him horrid looks—cannibal eyes , whetted with a foul appetite , nurtured by the gallows . And he hears a cry of "Hats off ! " that the public killing ofa manor woman may be as fairly seen by all , as by the expectant gazers of an opening pantomime . And yet with these sights and sounds—things , wc should think , apt to disturb the rest of hidy men—with these horrors acted about him , Mr . Davis translates hanging into a moral example . Tlie dreadful , curious looks of the Old Bailey , arc the looks of penitence —and the savage oaths of blasphemy are muttered
prayers . But to return to the double horror of Monday week —to a consideration of its moral efficacy . W hat was the scene in the Old Bailey on the previous Sunday I Let the tlobc answer : — " During the whole of the day , a vast number of idle and dissolute girls audbovs continued luiterins in front of the prison , uttering the most disgusting and ribald jests . " Hanging , however , impart * advantages to some people—namely , to the householders of the Old Bailey ; for on the Sunday
evening" If any respectable person was passing , his ears were assailed with the following questions by the persons above noticed : — ' Do jou want a room , sir ? A fine view of the scene , sir . You can have every accommodation and plenty of refreshment already provided ; a good tire , sir , « o that you will not feel the cold . '" And so pass the night with brandy and cigars , awaiting the advent of the great moral teacher , hangman Calcraft . At au early hour tlv 3 mob assembled , " aud , according to the papers , brawled and fought . The killing at the Old Baiiey perpetrated , the Chronicle tells us" Soon after the jreat bulk of the crowd began to disperse , a great portion of whom , we regret to say , proceeded with great speed to the next sad scene of action at Horiemciiger-l . -iiie . "
And thus had the benefit of a twofold moral lesson—a lesson whose efficacy was shown in tights at the gallows' foot , and wa * mort impressively declared by the subjoined paragraph in the same copy of the Times that narrated the two acted moralities . " Guildhall . —John Atbury aud Henry L > . e , two lads , were committed to Rridewell lor a mouth for attempting : o pick poeketg at tho execution iu tlie OKI llaili-y . ' ' What say * the Reverend Ordinary to tills ? Is it not clear that the Old Bailey gallows is too often the half-way post to Bridewell—the seeing a Newgate exhibition merely preparatory to an abiding in Newgate walls ?
And now , a final word to Mr . Davis . We doubt not that he , and every other gaol chaplain appointed to pre .-u-h love and mercy to the culprit while the law waits to kill him , do conscientiously fulfil their duties : we make no question that they can reconcile together the function of a minister of the Gospel , who j reaches forgiveness , with tho duty of the heathen priest who assisted at the slaying oi" the victim . We cannot . To hear the peaceful words of the Redeemer breaiked iu the ear of a man about to be strangled , is , to our mind , to listen to a most awful State hypocrisy—a most appalling mockery of the greatest attribute of Jesus , wc speak as the ignorant laity ; but we speak our honest thinking . According to our view of G'hristiaiiiir , it ought to he as difficult in a Christian State to find a Christian clergyman io assist at the deprivation of human life , as , thanks to the humane instincts of the common mass , it seems difficult to obtain a wretched mercenary to do the
killing . Is it to expect too much , to hope that some day the chaplains of the gaols will vindicate their Christianity ; and , as one man , petition Parliament against death-puniihmeiit ? We throw out this suggestion to Mr . Davis ; let Newgate begin the work . Let the chaplains learn the lesson set them by the excellent Lord Nugent at Aylesbury , and show with him , that even the Bible , which is now made their great argument for the hangman , does not , truly translated , command man-slaying . We say again , let the gaol chaplains , with one accord , lift their voices in solemn condemnation of the barbarous , the ignorant practice of judicial man-killing ; nor will their appeal to the wisdom of Parliament be less benevolent , less Ci . ristianlike , if assisted by the dulcet accents of , here and there , a bishop .
Sail , nave we this eonvi ' ovt * . wneiher the men oS God assist the goodly work or n <> , the gallows is doomed , is crumbling , and must down—overthrown by no greater instruments than a few goose-ijuills .
Wombs Coxvicts Yon Va.\ Dikmax's Land.—T...
Wombs Coxvicts yon Va . \ Dikmax ' s Land . —The Fairy steam-packet , belonging to the Woolwich Company , brought down 72 female convicts on -Monday from Millbank Penitentiary , and put them on board the Emma Eugenia hired convict ship , moored oil * the Iloyal Arsenal . 100 additional were expected at Woolwich ou Wednesday for embarkation for conveyance to Van Diemau ' a Land . We hope that these unfortunate women will have a better liite than , those who preceded them some time back .
* In A 1'Lta For Tht Abolition Of Capita...
* In A 1 'lta for tht Abolition of Capital l ' unishM ( nl ^ \ the Uev . Mr . I ' vne , of Hook , Sum-y , be states , on tbt authority of the llev . Mr . Hoberts , that in one inst Mi { : « it was proved that " outof 1 « 7 criminals , 1 G 4 li'ii' . been themselves spectators of ex ecutions ! " "Vet tho 0 * .-dinar-,-of Sewgate argues for the bent-lit of hanging , ar . though it were to the Ordinary a dear ijnd "• vested hit * aesl . "
No Vote! No Musket!! Meeting In Tiie Cit...
NO VOTE ! NO MUSKET !! MEETING IN TIIE CITY OF LONDON . . An overflowing and most enthusiastic public meeting was held af . the-City Chartist Hall , 1 , Turnagain-lane , Fai-ringdon-streSt , to protest against the embodiment of the militia , on Sunday evening , January 18 th , at eight o ' clock . Mr . William Dear , an old militia man , was unanimously called to the chair . He said he could not agree with the idea of embodying the militia at the present time , as it did appear to him to fee done for no other purpose than that of putting down democracy in America —( hear
, hear )—and ho did not like the idea at any time of taking away the son , the prop , and even support , of an aged father or mother —( hear , hear)—or the new married husband from the yoang wife oi his early and best affections ; or the honest industrious man from his home , breaking up his business , and sending him forth to be , at least , a wandering vagabond on the face of the earth , dressed in-the disgusting bnbiliiueiitsof a Government slave . ( Loud cheers . ) Mn T . M . Wheeler came forward , ami read tlie oi-iowMig resolution , the reading of which was received with great cheering : —
That m tho opinion of this meeting the contemplated embodiment of the militia force is an act of tyranny towards tho unrepresented classes of the community , violating tho first principles of justice , and tli . it it would stamp the working classes of this country with eternal infamy if they allowed it to be carried into effect witliout protesting against it by the strongest effort the law and constitution allows ; and that this meeting further believes that ths alleged cause for this tyrannic act , viz ., tho prospect of a war with America relative to the Oregon territory , is one in which their best interests are perilled , which can only tend to throw into confusion tha dearest interests of tlie empire , and that they will not allow their famil y tins to be torn asunder , their domestic cbmfijrta to be invaded , and their liberty sacrificed , in order that their brethren in' America may bo slaughtered , aud a fresh impulse given to despotism and misrule .
in moving the adoption of the resolution , he said , it was an approve 1 maxim " that taxation without representation was tyranny , and ought to be resisted . " If this bo true , hy what , stronger name snail wc designate the compelling of the' unenfranchised to serve in the militia —( hear , hear )—in an ensanguined livery ? and where was the man that would not blush , aye , even deeper than the scarlet coat he would be compelled to wear , to bo placed in such a disgraceful predicament ? ( Loud cheers . ) 1 here was no necessity forgoing to war with America about the Oregon territory . If land was wanted , there was plenty to he had at home . ( Great cheering . ) At any rate , he was resolved not to he a
militia man ; and if the givingvent to that assertion was treason " he was proud to be a traitor , ave , and prouder still to he surrounded hy so many hundreds of such " traitors . " ( Tremendous cheering . ) Mr . D . W . Buffy seconded the resolution , eloquently describing the militia force as a snare , designed to fill the regular army ( which enlistment had failed to do ) with tools of tyranny , leaving wives to become widows , children to become orphans , converting our youths into debauchees and bloodshedders , taking them from their virtuous homes and callings , and sending them forth to spread desolation , rapine , and murder far and wide . ( Great cheering . ) The resolution was put aud carried uaanimouslv amid the loudest applause .
Mr . Stalhvooti rose to move-That a committee of five persons bo elected by that meeting to aid and assist in getting up a demonstration against the proposed embodiment of tho militia , and take such other steps as may he deemed necessary . He said Lord John Russell had slated , in ids recent Glasgow oration , that there was no necessity for a a war with America , that there were other and better means of settling such disputes , and that the interests of the two nations were too much bound up together to make such a circumstance imminent . ( Hear , hear . ) Lord Morpeth had echoed these sentiments . After the able and eloquent speeches of the preceding orators , it would ill become him to descant on the evils and horrors of war . However , he trusted thev
would do something more than meet and hold up their' hands for ievolutions ; he would not counsel violent resistance to the law , but nothing wtis ever obtained worth the Imvini ; , except by moral daring . He rememljered during the struggle for a free press , that his friend , Henry Hctherington , was charged with violating the law . "No , " responded Hctherington , ' I do not violate the law ; 1 only give it the alternative , 1 must either have my paper stamped , pay a fine , or go to prison , and " l prefer going to prison . " ( Laughter and cheers . ) Now the result would be , that should any of his family ha drawnj he should advise them to give the alternative ; that was neither to serve , find a substitute , nor pay the fine in money—( loud cheers );—for lie did think
the man who disliked to become a man-butcher himself ! yet would tempt another man through the means of his poverty to do so , was a mean , despicable scoundrel indeed . ( Great cheering . ) It might he said your family exempts you . Yes , but soi * e of that family ' would s * mn Im ; of the age that the law set down for the period at which liability commenced , and his paientai affection naturally made him desirous of protecting his children , lie had in-tilled into their young breasts a natural hatred of bloodshedding , and he had no hesitation in saying that they would be found equally resolved with himself ; and were it otherwise , he we uld discard theni , disown them , were they ever to don tlie scarlet livery of a hired murderer . Far better , and much more
honourable was it even to sutler the prison gloom than to have the crime of murder on their souls . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr . Brown , in seconding the motion , said that although the major portion of the press should smother their opinions on this matter , yet the Northern Star would proclaim aloud their sentiments to their American brethren on this subject . ( Loud cheers . ) He should like to know if tlie persons composing that great meeting were ready to don the scarlet livery and become the willing tools of despotism . ( Loud shouts of "No , no . " ) Surely those who would find a substitute , or pay a fine in cash , were greater slaves than thoso who carried the musket without being first in possession of the vote . ( Loud cheers . ) Well , he should much like to have
their unmistakeable opinion on tlie subject ; and would , therefore , take a show of hands of all such who had , like himself , determined never to incur such an indelible disgrace . ( Here every hand was hehl up , amid the most enthusiastic cheering . ) Mr .-William Benbow said , he thought this delicate ground to tread on , he must say that he would rather light with the Americans than against them . ( Loud cheeis . ) A Militia Law was essentially British , and he held that every man should have the vote , and have arms in his hands , and also be taught the use of them ; so that he might he enabled to protect that vote and their homes . ( Loud cheers . ) The law had been much distorted , and men had now been taught that they had " nothhig . to do with the laws but to
obey them . He was of opinion that the people should act individually in this matter , to prevent their being taken hold of as conspirators against the law . ( Hear , hear . ) He was beyond the age himself , but he had sons that were liable " , and if the suffrage was universal , and the war a just one , he would say to those sons , take your pints honestly , fight like Br itons , and dio , if needs be , like Grecians . ( Loud cheers . ) He was proud to see such meetings , ami hoped that cveiy man would act as became him in his individual capacity against the present iniquitous system . ( Loud eiiecrs . ) lie was of opinion that no faith could be placed in cither Peel , KussolI , or Morpeth . 1 » you want your work well done you must do lsyoiirse ' ves . ( Much cheering . ) Mr . 'fallow , of Leicester , said , very probably his son might be drawn , anil as he very cordially agreed
with the last speaker , he should feel it his duty as a father ^ to say , don't serve nor find a substitute , nor pay a line in cash ; Jar better would it be to have all your chairs , . tables , sheets , and bedding taken from you . ( Great cheering . ) Mr . Staliwood said that these meetings were called at a very fitting time , seeing that the matter will he brought before Parliament , and a short bill passed before the embodiment took place ; it would , therefore , be their duty to memorialise the Premier , petition the House , and bother the Parliamentary represcatatives to support thciriiiemorials and petitions . ( Cheers . ) The resolution was unanimously adopted , am \ Messrs . Dear , Cover , jtin ., Dunn , Overton , and 'I . M . Wheeler , were ejected the committee . A vote of thanks was then passed to Die chairman , ami the meeting separated , evidently pleased with its deliberations and tiie preliminary steps taken .
Cheat Meeting At The South London Charti...
CHEAT MEETING AT THE SOUTH LONDON CHARTIST HALL . On Monday evening , January Ittth , a public meeting was held , pursuant to public notice . Before the time for commencement arrived the hall was literally crammed , and was at furnace heat ; "so oppressive was it , that loud shouts of " Open the windows" were raised , some of them being already unclosed . Mr . Ju ! m Gathard was unanimously elected to the chair , aud call « d uti Mv . T .. Ol & vk to move Uiet \ v » t resolution , lie sai / i : We have met here to pledge ourselves to supp-Mft one glorious institutions . We are asked to raise a militia force for that purpose , and , ol ' C 8 iirse wc will raise an awkward squad from tlie Andover " Union , which shall be led by the Windsor Bar c-p . iving Mold-Marshal . ( Loud laughter . )
But , badiiir-ge apart , he . would bo happy to fight for his laud m ' jd ' his home , if the Government would he kind enov . i-h to show him where that land and home were , ( Qieers . ) When ho had a vote , and was proton-led under the constitution' he should he incl ncd r <* ligh ' -ifor tho constitution , and not before ^ ( L oud (• hcei . * . ) ]_«( , the aristocracy who monopolised the land , light in its defence . Let those who want kings ti . i . ' . ntfor them ; and , after the rule of the immaculate Oeorges , lie had nn doubt they were very torn ! of kings . ( Laughter . ) lie said , if the militia was to b < J embodied , let them select men win ) had an interest , in lighting . He thought it would be good policy for aiiy working man , when asked to serve , to * ay , " "' 1 am a dangerous man—1 nm a Chartist . " It would be verv dangerous , he thought , to put a musket in the hands of the poor handloom weavers ,
Cheat Meeting At The South London Charti...
who only received eight shillings each for a hard week ' s work . ( Hear , hoar . ) Place a musket in such a man ' s hands , and tell him ho is to shoot his enemies with it , and , egad , many a member of Parliament would be found scampering off . ( Loud laughter and great applause . ) First let us leal we are men ; givu us a vote , and then tho musket to protect it ; but , as it is , he must and would shout , " No vote ! no musket ! " ( Tremendous cheering . ) Mr . Feargus O'Connor , in rising t » second the resolution , was greeted with loud and long continued applause . He said ho was glad to find the fear of the bayonet could draw such meetings together . We have IVoquentlv been denounced as physical force Chartistsbut surely when we meet to
, repudiate the bayonet , we must lie moral force men . I perceive , too , that the bavonet has also brought two gentlemen from the press here . Well , he was glad to sec them , and if the press only thundered as loudly against the musket as lie bad in favour of the vote , he had no doubt that knowledge would triumph over the cannon ' s roar . ( Loud cheering . ) Mr . Clark had well said , show him where his land was , ho would he ready to fight for it . ( Hear , hear . ) We heard much of loyalty , but immediatel y tho smallest privilege of the aristocracy was touched , their loyaltr oozed out , „ . like Rob Acre ' s courage , at their linger ends . ( Hear , hear . ) For his part , he was like the iiii'l who wanted something to love—he was seeking far something to bo loyal to . ( Hear , hear . ) He
looked on this movement as an attempt to put down democracy in America . Were they prepared to go to war against their own principles ? ( Loud shouts of No , no !) Ho ( Mr . O'Connor ) had predicted this movement long ago ; he had shoirn that the league and visits of kings and queens was to suppress tho rising liberties of the people . Had that attention , which was then due , been given to his warning , such a moment as the present would have never taken place—( hear , hear )—but , alas ! the people were apathetic until something like the present piece of" attempted despotism roused them to action . Perhaps it was well that they should lie scourged a little up to their own affairs ; they had too long been scourged up to serve the interest of their
oppressors . ( Hear , hear . ) Thank God , they dare not raise a militia force in Ireland . Mr , O'Connor then eloquently described the horror the Irish people had of such a force , and forcibly depicted the ruthless scenes enacted by a militia cor-, -3 in that unfortunate country about fifty . years ago . Of their brutal ravishing * of Irish maidens—of their disgraceful advertisements for maidens of s ' x ' een as camp follower * , and the compelling them so to act under pain of death . Aye ( said Mr . O'Connor ) , for justly denouncing such brutal scenes of cavaage and rapine my venei'rthie undo , Arthur , is now in the fortyninth year of his bauialiment * , hut , notwithstanding this , Tarn here still to denounce , still to call for retribution for the past wrones committed , and to
demand justice for my much injured country . ( Tremendous cheering . ) Now ( said Mr . O'Connor ) 1 will imagine , that I am in France , and Jemmy Graham's spies will please to mind that Isay Fi aiice . ' ( Laughter . ) Well , just imagine that forty thousand men are raised , and sent from that kingdom to America ; think you the Americans would receive them as enemies 1 No , certainly not ; but as brethren , with , " Oh ! in your country population treads on the heels of subsistence ; but here we have plenty ol land ; cultivate , then , and enjoy for yourselves . " The men would reply , "Wo were sent here for the purpose of dcavoiism , but ire will now remain liere for our own purpose , and extend the glorious principles ofbrotherhoouand democracy . " ( Immenseapplause . ) Mind , I do not say this would be the case with
Englishmen or Irishmen . 1 speak of Frenchmen . ( Boars of laughter and great applause . ) Well , but should a large army be sent to America from even this country , perhaps some honest member might be found in the House of Commons to propose , as the economists havo told us , that we have a surplus population , and , acting on the principles of free trade , move that the men should be allowed to remain in that country , the Americans taking the labour of the Englishmen in exchange for their land —( hear , hear );—such a philanthropist would assuredly receive the thanks of his country . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr . O'Connor next reviewed tho anti-social hearing of the militia question , as evinced in dragging the newlymarried man from his bridal bed anil the affectionate arms of * the woman he has sworn to lore and to cherish : in the bereavement of the widow or the
helpless infirm lather , by taking from them the prop of their declining years , their only son . ( Great sensation . ) Here , said he , is a glaring instance of there being " One law for the rich and another for tho poor / ' Tlie rich man pays a fine of £ 10 and is excused , or finds a substitute at a much less cost , while the poor man , who has not the means to do either , is compelled to leave his business , and break up his humble but happy home , and become an unwilling soldier . ( Loud cheers . ) No wonder that such things caused dissatisfaction in the breasts of working menno wonder that men were found who preferred being fined , who preferred having their goods seized , or their bodies incarcerated ; sure was he , that were he placed in similar circumstances—that rather than
serve in the militia , or find a substitute , he should submit to tbe alternative . ( Tremendous cheering . ) Now was the time for speaking—we are not yet at war ; & bill must be brought bei'ore the House before an embodiment can take place , and , therefore . it was right your sentiments should be known—his own opinion was greatly in favour of the no vote no musket priscu'le , ( Immense applause . ) Pailiamentis about to meet , and tlie "League" expects "free trade" on Thursday next ; but mark my words , no men were evermore disappointed than they will be , than even the " mighty Thunderer , " the Times , will be , looking about for a spot on which to cast anchor ; and , deper . d on it , they will ultimately land on our tight little island , " the People ' s Charter , and
then none will shout louder than the Times and the " League , " "Novote , no musket ! " ( Cheers . ) Mr . O'Connor then passed a warm eulogy on Mr . Cooper , the Chartist poet , and said that two others of our great literary men , Douglas Jerrold and Charles Dickens , have connected themselves with a daily newspaper , which makes its appearance on Wednesday next , tinder the title of the Doily AVim , and which " , he trusted , would prove an advocate of the rights of the millions . ( Hear , hear . ) He never puffed " or endeavoured to push his own paper , but he recommended them to see tbe Daily Neics , and if they found it a good one , let them take care it was fbttiid in every coS e-hou . ve , chop-house , . ' dohoi'se , or cook shop thoy were in the habit of using ; ami if they only did tlieir duty in this respect , the pennies of the working men will be found to have more weight than the pounds of the rich . ( Dear . ) You
now know your duty , go and do it ; let not this night pass without forming a committee to cany out the doctrine of no votk no musket ; pour in your petitions , respectfully asking what you ave to fight for ; whether it is to uphold Poor Law Unions , to support a standing army in time of peace , stcormovaut church , a rapaci' -ils clergy , Coercion Bills for Ireland , rapine and slaughter " abroad , and despotism at home ; and if their honourable House will only show you that you have something worth fighting for , vou will fisht like an Irishman . Mr . O'Connor resumed his seat amid thunders of applause . The resolution was supported in fervid speeches by Messrs . T . Cooper , Doyle , and D . W . Kuflv , and carried unanimously . Mr . T . M . Wheeler , iu one of the most eloquent and manly speeches it was ever our fortune to hear , moved tlie adoption of tho following petition : —
To the HonotiraUe the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled . The petition of the undersigned inhabitants of the boroughs of Lambeth and Soutlnvark respectfully . showcth , That thoy have learned with alarm , commingled with feelings of indignation , that tbe Executive Government contemplates the embodiment of the militia force . That your petitioners presume to tell your honourable ) House , that in their judgment such an act would be one of palpable injustice to the unrepresented classes of this empire , inasmuch as it will eventuate in taxingthousanils of them to find substitutes , in mulcting them in hues of ten pounds each , or in coercing them to pursue , for seven shillings per week , a vocation from which their souls recoil with horror and disgust .
That your petitioners are solemnly impressed with the conviction that it is the very essence of tyranny , and iu direct contravention of tbe spirit of the constitution to compel men to sacrifice their time and money for the upholding of institutions in tlie formation of which they are fotbidden to take any part . That in the opinion of your petitioners it would accord mere with reason aud justice to draw the militia from that section ol the community from which your houousable House emanates . As they possess a monopoly of legislative power , as well sis a monopoly of fhc nation ' s wealth , it appears but equitable to your petitioners that thev should likewise possess a monopoly of its cares .
That your petitioners think that civcumstancesprescnt or pro spective do not call for the embodiment oi" the militia at this time , seems that profound truaqusHity prevails at home , and that wc hav .-, at a most enormous cxpewse , a numerous and well-disciplined army , and a powerful and well-equipped navy , to assort th # rights of the privileged orders when assailed abroad . That your petitioners , therefore , call on your honour , lable House to throw tho shield of your protection over the vo ' eli-is outcasts of Kngland ' s constitution , by preventing the raising of the militia , or , if it must be em . bodied , to cause it to be drawn from the privileged orders , as they alone will be benefited by its Misterics . And your petitioners will ever pray . Mr . P . M'Grath , in an eloquent , impressive , and excellent speech , supported the petition , whi h was adopted by acclamation . ¦
It was unanimously resolved that the petitio lie si-ned by the chairman on behalf of the meeting , and forwarded to T . S . Duncombe , M . P ., lor presentation ; and ( hat the members for tlie boroughs of Lambeth and Soutlnvark be requested to support its pniver . It was also " resolved , " That Messrs . J . Gathard , Knight , M'Gratli , Clark , and Doyle , be a committee to csrry out > jie objeefs of the meeting . " A vote of thanks wr > , s then given to the chairman , and th « meeting was dissolved .
Cheat Meeting At The South London Charti...
Cabusle . — A meeting of the friends of libarty will bo hold at No . 6 , John- > trcet , Caldawgate , on Monday evening next , at eight o ' clock , to taka into consideration the propriety of having a public meeting to petition Parliament against the attempt to make an oppressed people serve unwi . lingly in the mditia .
To Feargus O'Connor, Esq. Sin,—L-'Or You...
TO FEARGUS O ' CONNOR , ESQ . Sin , —l- ' or your able letter ou the projected embodiment of the militia iu the -Star of last Samrdav vou are eminentl y entitled to the thanks of tho woikinitelas .-va of this country . Like a ti usty > entmel on Jaboui- ' s tvatcli tower , you have sounded the alarm , and thus prepared the people for the approach of their cnein ' ws , for which I here tender you my gratitude , and trust Unit tha Sw . r , in connection with other agencies , will be the weans ot ' evoking a spirit in the country which nill show our Toi-y rulers the wisdom Of relinquishing their militia project .
The Executive of th « National Charter Association are , to tlieir credit , at their posts , endcavourinj ; to arouse tho people from quiescence , to stem the torrent of tyranny which threatens to overwhelm them , and with a success which au-jurs well for the result of the agitation , as the enthusiastic and crowded meetings in the City and Lambeth Cfiartiat Halls on Sunday and Monday evenings last amply testify . Let every borough in Uritain pei foi m its duty aa did Lambeth on Monday night , and the discomfiture of tho tyrannical , mulei ' mg , and plundering military scheme is inevitable .
With your permission , sir , I would subjoin a few observations on the cruelty and injustice of constraining the peacefully disposed people of tliis country to punuc the horrific vocation ot phmtiwing and throat-ciitting for the benefit of England ' s C'Aratiim aristocracy . 1 will supposeacase , the reality of which will oc « w in hundreds of instances if the militia aru drawn . In this ideal case , the nefariousness of the scheme will be clearly seen . Lst us suppose the lot to ftdl upon a young niaclmnie , earninjf £ 110 s . a week ; he is the solace , titer mainstay of tlie tottering existence of parents who ave rapidly hasteain ** to the end of life ' s journey . Making what is called , a respectable appearance in society , the demands upon his earnings prevent his accumulating any savings ¦ h 8 lias . ' .-either tho means of providing a substitute or paying
ten pounds to exempt him from service -, if he refuses to serve , imprisonment is his doom . He submits to the fate to which injustice consigns him , enters the militia , and mark the consequences . His aged parents , deprived of their support , seek an asylum from starvation in the gloomy workhouse , and there , attired in the degrading ; garb of pauperism , fid on folon's fare , immured in sepZ vattt cells , they spend lifo ' s winter in wretchedness and sorrow , while their .-on , torn from them , shoulders his musket and marches to uphold the very system that degrades and starves Ills old parents , and eii-dawa and robs himself , This militia law is unequal b . operation , and therefore unjust . The wealthy man purchases exemption from service for ten pounds , the pour man must serve at a very great loss . A man who can earn thirtv
shillings a week serves his Queon and country in tho militia for five years at seven shillings a week . At his avocation he would in these five years earn £ : ; S 0 , at that which law forces him to follow he obtained hut £ U 0 . li e i s therefore r obkeJ , in the Queen ' s service , for the benefit of his country , of the sum of £ 200 . Such is the justice which the class-made laws of England mete out to the working classes . There is no necessity for raising a militia , for peace holds dominion at home . Dm , it maybe said , that war menaces abroad . Well , the militia , by law , cannot be sent out of the country : and I believe no one contemplates tlw landing of the b-diigercut Yankees on our shores . Then the services of the militia will never be required . Hence the fatuity of embodying , at an enormons expense , a large military force , for the exercise of whose prowess an opportunity will never occur , llut it will be urged by the hoary rererers of " things as they are , " that the army may be reqaimd to assert Britain ' s honour abroad , and that the prasonee ofa military
force at home is indispensable to keep the people iu order ; to preserve intact our time-hallowed institutions from the assaults of the sauuls . Uut has not Sir Hubert a resonree in the armed peelers ? And , again , there are the Chelsea pensioners always available . These are paid bygovernment with the people's money , and available in every emergency for government purposes . It is a sound principle in the philosophy of politics , "that allegiance is due only where protection is rendered . " In Great Uritain the working man is denied protection ; the fences of labour ' s vineyard have been levelled , au < l its fruits fall a prey to the hungry cupidity of landlords , fundlords , and profitlords . And yet men are compelled to peril their lives to uphold » system fraught with siich destructive consequences to their interests ! Oppression is attaining its culminating point , in that country where the people are not only constrained to minister to the aggrandisement of the oppressor , but to become the rod in his hands to scourge themselves .
If a militia must be embodied , v-wson and justice proclaim una voce , let it be from those of the community who enjoy a monopoly of the good things of the land . It the glorious Constitution is menaced , let its admirers d-ifend it ; if our time-hallowed institutions—those relics of ancestral wisdom—are endangered , let the cost of their conservation fall on those who piotitby their existence ; if British ilomim ' on is to be extended over Oregon , let It be by those who will be advantaged by territorial acquisition ; if our holy Church , so prolific of blessings to its votaries , is in danger , let its thousands ot ministers , oliicer « d by the bishops , form themselves into reverend brigades , and rally to its support : but , in the name of reason , justice , and common sense , lc the working men of Uritain , who have no predilection for the vocation of murder , who desire to earn bread by honest industry , who yearn for ths reign of liberty anil truth , be allowed to live in " peace on earth , and -iooil will towards men . " Yixdex .
A Serious Accidkkt To A Solitary.—On Mon...
A Serious Accidkkt to a Solitary . —On Monday evening week , shortly after six o ' clock , a lire was discovered in oneot the bedrooms of Bellevue Villa . Bath wick-hill , Bath , the residence of the lion . Mrs . Southwell . An alarm being given , Captain Carroll and the police brigade were almost immediately on the spot . Inspector Smith having procured a ladder , ascended and readied the window of the room , where he perceived the curtains of the bed to be on five . Having broken the window , Smith and another ' policeman entered , and found the Hon . Mrs . Southwell on the floor insensible , both of her arms being a little burned . The flames of the curtains were speedily extinguished , and Mr . Kilvert , surgeon , attended the lady , and dressed the parts which had b » en scorched . But for the aid of the police , there is little doubt the house would have fallen a prov to
the fire , and its owner ( who is very eccentric , anil resides alono ) would have perished in it . The peculiarity of the habits of this old lady has for a long time attracted the notice of the police and others who havo had occasion to call at the house . It appears that for upwards of ten years no domestic of any kind has been permitted to reside with her , so that the * cause of the accident cannot be stated . The method hy which she has been supplied with the necessaries of life has been from a plan of her own contrivancetaking them in at her drawing-room window bymeans ofa string : and basket , her orders bavin" been previously given through the kindly c-IHees of some parties in hor confidence . During this Ion ;; period the residence has undergone no cleansing ; and the person of the old woman presented a most filthy spectacle , and had apparently been as great a stranger to any ablutions .
Mas Burst to Death in a Chimst-v . —On Tuts- - day morning week , a man named James Ilorrox , a i coal miner , was found hnrnt to death in a chimney , . at Air . Dearden's colliery , Uirtle-cum-lSamford , > , Lancashire . It appeared lie had called for assist- > ance , when the workmen proceeded to pull down the 6 chimney , but he was dead when they extricated him , i , and his ' body burned almost to a cinder . lie had d been seen in a state of intoxication tiic previous is evening , and it is thought he went fo sleep iu the ? iu cabin , and that finding the door was fastened , auii . d . supposing the lire inside had been raked out , he at- ttemptcd to get down the chimney , but got fast and d was burned .
ExTOAOitDixAuv Suciot .. —An occvtvreiwc of a very ry painful nature took place on the Great Western Haif-ilway , at Tiverton , on Monday week . . John Chambers , s , a labourer in the employ of Me-. srs . Stothertaml Co ., ) ., left his work about nine o ' clock in the morning of o that day , as was supposed to "O to breakfast . Ko-s " o thing , however , was heard of him at , home . Aboutiui twelve o ' clock ho was seen sitting , apparently inii a desponding mood , on a stiie adjoining a path whiehicl crosses tlie line at the rear of the Royal Oak Inn jm Twcrtoii . On the approach of tiie twelve o ' clock up m
train he-rushed forward and threw himself dovrn im ii front of the engine , and was iu a moment depvivedvei of life , his body being left on the rails a mangled nnilim bleedkg spectacle shocking to humanity . The le » de » are ( Useribc'l as completely severed from the trtmkml and other injuries are visible in various parts of tin tli body . It appeal's that the poor fellow , whose tin in timely death wo havo thus to record , has been fot ft some time in a low and melancholy state , aitvibiribi table to tho pressure of poverty , heightened by a recencei illness .
Suicide or a Ijcessko Victualler . — On Mondaiul * evening Mr . "Wakley , M . P ., held an inquest at thi ; tl Yorkshire Grey , Londou-su'ect , Fitmiy-so , uare , oe , the body of Mr . John llemy Lovridgc , landlord trd that house . Charlotte Parker , a " nurstry-maisnai proved finding deceased hanging from the bed-post lost his bed-room , at half-past " six on Friday eveniiifnii She had heard him go up stairs about one hour prr p viously . She instantly raised an alarm . Mr . Tiiouuioui Colborne , architect and railway surveyor , said he ime ii lodged with deceased since the itii of December , air , a had known him about five vears auo living as a pi a * . vate ccntleman at Lvmimrton . lie had altered -red
his appearance since he had become a iieenseu \ m \ tuallcr . Witness saw him last alive on Thursdursi night , . when he appeared in good sniriti , though iighi complained of pain in the head . When the last wist \ Hess raised the alarm , he hastened into deceaseieasi bed-room , found him hangim : as she described , mi ,. cut him down . He had been dead sonic time . X . Derbyshire , deceased ' s medical attendant , proven t en t he laboured under determination oi blood to ! to : head , vertigo , mid perspective delirium tnmo •*•»*• treated him to obviate the latter . ^ crdic , . deceased hanged himself , and wa * of unsound mimlunn tho time . "
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 24, 1846, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_24011846/page/7/
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