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      January 24, 1852. The Northern Star.

      January 24 , 1852 . THE NORTHERN STAR .

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      Battle Os Bravely

      BATTLE OS BRAVELY

      " { S i . beauty to melt on her lips ! ijeSKoM »* "ittre ? ' ^ Istreop leup-girdiDgits might to be free . To see men awake from the slumber of ages , With brows grim from labour , and hands hard and tan , Start np living heroes ! the dreamt of by Sages , And smite with strong arm the oppressors of man . To see them come dauntless forth ' mid the world ' s

      The midnight mine-workera and slaves of the sod , Show how the Eternal within them is stirring , And never more bend to a crowned clod . Dear God ! 'tis a sight for immortals to see , A People up-girding its might to be free 1 Battle on bravely , 0 , Sons of humanity , Dash down the cap from your lips , 0 , ye toilers ; Too long hath the world bled for tyrants * insanity , Too long our weakness been strength to our spoilers . Por freedom and right , gallant hearts wrestle ever , And speak ye to others , the prond words that won ye , Tour rights counaer'd once sha'l ba t ffung from ye

      never 0 ! battle on bravely , the world ' s eyes are on ye And earth has no sight half so gloriouB to see : As a People up-girding its mig ht to be free .

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      The Rights And Duties Of Property ; With...

      The Rights and Duties of Property ; with a Plan for paging off the National Debt . By John SanGSXER . London : Whittaker and Co . Political economy , though an important , is by no means a popular , branch of the tree of knowledge . How much of this may be owing to the intrinsic character of the study—how much to the style in which it has heen treated , we do not pretend to say , hut the fact is patent . To the general reluctance to embark in the study of this subject can alone be

      attributed the power which was , within the last quarter of a century , attained by a comparatively small sect of economists , who paraphrased the tenets of Dr . Adam Smith in a manner to suit the interests of one or two powerful classes in society , and adopted his mode of inquiry and reasoning to the new facts which have since arisen , with a very decided partiality in favour of the holders of land and capital , and an equally decided hostility to the rights and claims of Labour as the source of all wealth .

      The founders of the * Edinburg h Review were farsighted men . But for their persevering expositions of the principles embodied in « The Wealth of Nations , ' it is probable that , even among the upper and leisurely classes , the work itself would have heen regarded as more curious than instructive , more abstract than practical . The reviewers saw that by adopting the principles of economical science , developed by the Kirkaldy doctor , they could make themselves a power in the state . They did so ; and , especially since 1824 , a small school of thinkers have practically ruled the destinies of this country . They have trained a host

      of ready writers and fluent speakers , through whose instrumentality the public mind has been saturated with their doctrines , familiarised with their phraseology , and almost bullied into the belief that Political Economy , as propounded by them , is a perfect science—that nothing more remains to be learned or discovered , and that every opponent is either woefully ignorant , or lamentably depraved and anarchical . Their doctrines are alike potent in the closet of the Cabinet Minister , and the counting-house of the merchant . They stamp their imprimatur equally upon the Statute Book and the rules which regulate the

      commercial transactions of tho empire . They are , in fact , the ruling power in the country , notwithstanding the frequent and sad contradictions which the state of society offers to their theory . The facts which are at variance with that theory are either disposed of by ingenious sophisms , or admitted , but set down as inevitable and ineradicable social evils . Of late years , however , there have not been wanting instances in which there has been a disposition to relax the iron rigidity of the so-called science of Political Economy , and to admit that the error may be in it , and not in the social phenomena , of which it has hitherto not taken cognisance , or which it has failed to analyse and classify satisfactorily . The work of J . Stuart Mills is one of the most recent

      evidences of this progress among the recognised and orthodox Economists ; and it may be hoped that others , occupying a similar authoritative position , will follow the example of that eminent writer , and admit that the opposite , or Socialist School of Economists , are not so hopelessly and radically wrong as they have heretofore been supposed to be . It is a curious fact , that the Political Economistsproper have had scarcely any influence with the producing classes ; while their doctrines have received almost universal acceptance from those who live upon

      rents , annuities , or profits . The reason of this may be found in the fact , that the whole of them have assumed , as a starting point , that the present system and existing classification of society are natural , just , and final . In investigating and developing the laws evolved by that social machine , therefore , they suppose that the whole question is settled , and men have nothing more to do but to submit themselves to the operations of forces which—as certainly , invariably , and eternally—act upon society as the law of gravitation in the physical world , or attraction and repulsion in astronomical science .

      This is a great mistake , which the opposite or Socialist School of Economists have not fallen into . They accept every phase of society as merely successive developments of Humanity ; but they look into the organisation of man himself for tbe light by which alone we can be guided as to the nature of the external institutions , which will most completely harmonise with that organisation , and bring into play all its varied capabilities with advantage to the individual and the community . The essential distinction between the two schools is , that one makes Property primary , and man secondary ; whereas the other places the creator of Property before the creature .

      Mr . Saugster belongs to the last school of economists ; and yet in his lucid and admirably written work he has never shifted the ground from the premises assumed by the orthodox economists , nor carried the question beyond the limits they arbitrarily prescribe . He does not attempt to develop any new form of society , or busy himself with the construction of Social Utopias or Communist Icarias . Accepting in the main the definitions and the dogmas propounded by the admitted authorities , he shows , by a skilfully combined process of exhaustive reasoning and felicitous illustration , that our present system is subversive not merely of the principles of abstract

      justice , but also of the great canons of political economy itself ; and by so doing , has not only done good service individually , but has also shown toothers what may be effected by this new mode of advocating the true doctrines of social scieuce . Seeing the enormous aud overwhelming power which within the last thirty years has been acquired by a sect of active , clever writers , taking a class view of these qucstkns , wh y should there not now be a practical and a combined effort made to form a school oi writers who could treat the question in a comprehensive and cat holic spirit , and , atthe same time , with that logical rigour and mastery of detail which should , in due

      time , command general assent \ A Quarterly Review established for that purpose , and properly supported , would be certain to succeed in effecting this object , because , though not so well represented in the newspaper and periodical literature of the day , there is no doubt that large numbers among the educated and wealthy classes feel the inefficiency of the popular economic creed , either for present purposes , or the solution of future social problems ; while the industrial masses , where they have thought at all , are thoroughl y at variance with a philosophy which dooms them—with

      a few fortunate exceptions—to a life of unremitting toil aud -scanty remuneration . In a few years such a school of writers , steadily pursuing a definite policy , and expounding their great theme with that variety of illustration of which it is susceptible , would undoubtedl y make itself felt both in Parliament and in the press , and effect , peaceably , such a change in the current of public opinion , that the vast powers , which are now perverted and misapplied , would become a source of universal prosperity and well-being in the best sense of these two terms . Towards this new school of literature , as we hav e said , Mr . Saugster has made a valuable contribution

      The Rights And Duties Of Property ; With...

      and we cannot too strongly commend his work to those who wish to master the fundamental p rinciples of Political Economy , and at the same term , to see these principles applied to existing institutions by a fearless and a just writer . Beginning at the beginning , he briefl y defines the origin of the time , the scope and objects of the science , and its gradual growth . From this foundation he proceeds to discuss the nature of Labour , its results arid claims . Having shown that Labour is now partially , but will one day be solely , the means by which man may earn his bread , that nature , though not parsimonious in her

      gifts is irregular in her distribution of them , and that man has received the world as his inheritance , and must perfect his title by completing the work which Nature has commenced , the author enters upon one of the most searching expositions of the ' Eights and Duties of Property * in all their phases which we remember to have met with , and which at the present moment , whenthese questions are attracting so much attention , cannot be too earnestly recommended to the attention of all who take an interest in these allimportant questions . We have left ourselves scarcely any space for the numerous passages we had marked for extract . We must , however , find room for the following : — PERSONAL PROPERTY CONSTITUTED BY NATURAL RIOHT . Since nature has given the earth and its products equally to all , any natural right to personal property is destroyed ; for where unlimited equality of possession exists , there can he no personal property . As it is the right of one individual , or corporate body , to enjoy certain privileges to tbe total exclusion of every one else that legally constitutes property ; and as there can be no natural right to personal property , it necessarily follows that property must bo of social creation , having its foundation on social rights , and those rights cannot be otherwise based than on conventional reciprocity . By legal appropriation , therefore , personal property does not exist bat by social right only . —In order , therefore , that property may be tolerated

      by society , it must fulfil and discharge through the medium of its possessors , the conventional conditions implied by the social compact . If it fail to do this through any of its holders , it has broken the compact , and must revert to the sovereign head of the society , that he may put his executive prerogative in force , and compel the recusant party to fulfil its obligations to that society whose property it originally was , and who only parted with it on certain recognised conditions and considerations . If any of the parties , who tacitly undertook by their act of taking possession to fulfil those conditions , should refuse or wilfully neglect to pe form them , then have they forfeited the right to the property which they hold : and the property equitably

      reverts to the original granters ; that is , to society in the aggregate . The very act of the possessors of property invariably appealing to society for its protection when at any time it is assailed , proves that they themselves really feel and understand from whom they receive it in trust , and for the benefit of whom they are indulged in holding possession . If they hold it not from and for the benefit of society , why appeal to society to arise and protect it ? for if ic were not held by them for the benefit of society , this call to arms by ihe possessors of property would be tantamount to summoning society that had been expropriated and plundered of its rights to put on its buckler , and unsheath its sword in order to enslave and annihilate itself .

      Property is the social share guaranteed by the laws of property to each individual proprietor , in exact proportion to his perseverance and dexterity in prosecuting the unsocial struggle between capital and labour . Property was created by society , and is now perpetuated and augmented by it from the surplus revenue of the labour of the industrious classes , —or rather , it might be described as proceeding from the savings effected by society on its gross revenue by the people not living up to their income ; in other words , by the producers of wealth abstaining from spending the full amountof their production , and thus denying themselves the present enjoyment of the whole of the fruits of their labour for the future gratification of becoming proprietors , and thereby recompensing themselves for their present self-denial by the interest and compound

      interest which property bestows on its possessors . This interest , compound interest , and rent , which property holds out to its votaries / and actually puts them in possession of , through means of its laws , exclusive of society , are the source of the evils which at present render society a turmoil and a warfare of capital against labour ; for by these laws the proprietor obtains a commanding position , from which he finds it easy to subjugate the labourers ; and the higher he ascends the hill of property , he is able with greatey effect to hurl the weight of capital on the labourers in the valley ; so that they are obliged to labour not only for their simple existence , but also to produce wealth for him , which he at his pleasure ( not being responsible ) may forge into future chains to bind them still faster , or to annihilate them by its weight .

      The practical result of this system is well depicted in the subjoined passage : — By the constituted rights of property , the labourer does not labour for himself ; in a majority of circumstances , he is only used as a machine to produce wealth for others , as the allotted share of his productions is simply as much as will enable him to accomplish his task most advantageously for the benefit of those who profit by his labour . Every machine , besides its original cost , requires an amount of expenditure to keep it in working order ; thus , the labourer must be kept in efficiently working condition , so as to produce the moat profitable amount of work . When he is able to labour , he is sustained in motion for the advantage of the wealthy , who do not at all take into consideration , in paying him his wages , that they have allowed

      • mm nothing on bis original cost , whioh they did not pay , as they were obliged to do when they purchased their machines , aud which they must repair and renew at their own expense ; neither do they count on allowing him a recompense over and above what is necessary for his actual consumption , so that he may provide a fund to support himself in his old age . Such being the case , the labourer when exhausted and unfit to perform any longer the work assigned to him , is sent to the hospital to be repaired , or to the workhouse to break up by the course of nature at the public expense , thereby rendering the last asylum of the labourer one of the authors of his misery , in the victims who are being driven on towards the same altar , being obliged ultimately , ( as labour only is productive ) to bear the expense of keeping up workhouses , and all other charitable institutions .

      Our readers can apply for themselves the p rinciples embodied in the extract which follows , to the present state of affairs between the operative engineers and their employers . Labour could not sufficiently protect itself without the aid of society , so neisher can society exist were labour to withdraw from supporting it ; both are therefore indissoluhly dependent upon each other for support ; so that they must to a certain degree stand or fall together . If the protection of society were to be taken from labour , man would retrograde towards a state of primitive barbarism , where society would become extinct ; not quite so with labour , that , though it nrght be reduced to its lowest ebb of production and usefulness , would nevertheless survive

      its degradation , and phenix-like arise out of its very ashes , tore-establish its ancient power and to resuscitate its former concomi ants , society and property , with all their train of dependants . Thus , the eternal round of man ' s happiness and misery is continuously produced through apparent discord ; not politically understood , but which , when comprehended , will be ultimately turned by political economy into an universal harmony . However , before this desirable altitude shall have been half attained by society , the labourers will have long and painfully to suffer , in hearing their burdens up the hill of transformation ; and hecatombs of victims will havo to bleed , on the altar of

      selfish monopoly and irresponsible property . All , therefore , that can be practically done , by political philanthropists , during this disastrous march of society , will be to alleviate , as much as possible , by judicious council , the privations and sufferings of tho Industrious classes , that will have to pass through the heavy and well-directed cross fire of monopoly aud property , unitedly pointed against them in their ascent : and moreover , to endeavour to bring about , as quickly as possible , a reconciliation between capital and labour , with a recognition , by property , of the claims of the labourer to a just participation in its benefits .

      The relation in which labour the parent of society , and property the child of society , stand connected , is so very close , and they are so much dependent upon each other in this relationship , to effect either good or evil , that it is the duty of the state , the guardian of social rights , delegated by society , with foil power , to maintain an equipoise of justice between the exorbitant demands sometimes made by labour on tho one hand , and that of the haughtily uncompromlssorial pretensions , steadily urged by property on the other ; to restrain labour from asking too much

      concession , and to constrain property to grant what may be considered to be for the general good of society . If any of the landed proprietors , or great capitalists of the country , monopolise those resources , from the beneficial use of which the industrious classes might derive a competent living , then it is the dutv , as well as the privilege of the government , to afford protection to the oppressed , by demanding of the trespassers to respect social obligations . And , in case of their non-compliance , the state has the power vested in itself , to enforce that obedience which the preservation of social order requires .

      In the second part of this work Mr . Sangster developes a plan for liquidating the National Debt , which , whatever may be thought of its practicability , will be admitted to bo just , inasmuch as it throws the major portion of the burden on property , to protect which that debt was professedl y incurred . Apart however from the interest which the details of this p lan may excite , the general reader cannot fail to be instructed by the excellent and well condensed history of the debt itself , the pretences on which it was contracted , and the details which are given respecting the number and classification of the fund-holders .

      * The History and Mystery of the National Debt * is not the least valuable portion of Mr . Sangster ' s valuable volume , to which we shall probably be indebted in future for much instructive matter on most important aud pressing social and financial questions .

      The Rights And Duties Of Property ; With...

      The Christian Socialist . Vol 2 , London ; Bezer 183 , Fleet-street . ¦ ¦¦' We have , on so many previous occasions , expressed our approval of the spirit in which the conductors of this periodical discharged their disinterested and selfimposed duties , that it is unnecessary to say that we commend it in its collected form . Like many other experiments of earnest and sincere reformers , we find it has not met with pecuniary success , and the present volume closes its existence as the 'Christian Socialist ' though it is perpetuated under somewhat different management under its second title , the ¦ ' Journal of Association , ' from which we infer that in future it

      will be more a record of facts , than an exponent of principles , or a vehicle for discussion . It is in such works as these that the future historian will find registered the gradual , intermittent , but upon the whole , steady march of society onward to the discovery and application of , higher principles of social action , and in this point of view they possess a permanent and increasing value . : But apart from the recommendation of the volume , in this respect , it contains numerous papers of permanent interest , and all of them inspired by the spirit so admirably described in the following lines , which we transcribe from the title page ;

      We sought to speak the truth in love to ail-Always we have not done so , which we mourn Not mourn we for the jeers of party scorn , The hate of all that unto self stands thrall ; Not mourn we over ill success , but call It joyful to do right , a nd go forlorn Of earth ' s praise to God ' s glory . Yet the corn ' Shall grow , that these our rude hands do let fall ; Yet shall brave hearts , made braver by our speech , In higher tones , yet larger lessons teach . We men may fail , but God ' s word cannot lie ; Duty , Faith , Love , are yet the threefold truth Whereon earth ' s life must feed or earth must die ; But in these three words lies a fount of deathless youth

      The Literary Almanack, And Publishers, 1...

      The Literary Almanack , and Publishers , Booksellers , Authors ' , Editors' and General Reader ' s Directory for 1852 . By J . Passmohe Edwards . London : Horsecshoe-ourt , Ludgafce-hill . Mr . Edwards has struck out a new idea . We have not only anotheralmanack , but one peculiarly adapted for the large and important class whose wants it is designed to supply . Of course it can scarcely be expected that perfect accuracy should characterise the first issue of such a work , but as far as we have looked into it , it merits the praise of fulness and correctness , and any defects will be discovered and

      rectified m future editions , by the co operation of the various parties to whom such a publication must prove a decided acquisition . It gives a coinple (» list of the books published in 1851 , a classified list of the London aud provincial newspapers , stating where and when they are published , when they were established , their politics , price , and circulation . This is followed by a similar list of weekl y , monthly , and quarterly publications , and an alphabetical list of the principal publishers in the metropolis , the principal colleges , learned institutions , museums ,

      schools of art , private galleries , and pictures , in London , and mechanics and literary institutions in England . The mere enumeration of these items will at once suggest the wide-spread usefulness of an . almanac which ought to have been issued sooner for the pecuniary interest of the publisher . Among other contents we should not omit to notice the obituary of eminent persons for last year , which is carefully and impartially done , and an equally painstaking collection of literary and artistic memoranda , which those engaged in these pursuits will find valuable for reference .

      Wealth: Hw To Get, Preserve, And Enjoy I...

      Wealth : hw to get , preserve , and enjoy it . By Joseph Benxley . London : 13 , Paternoster Row . It would be a work of supererogation to analyse or review a book which has reached a third edition , and which its author has now printed in a cheap form for that wider circulation which its contents so well deserve . Mr . Bentley has devoted himself with unflinching devotion for very many years to the cause of popular education , and few men have written better or more practically on * the subject . His statistical contributions , the result of his own extensive and unwearied personal investigation and inquiry , are of great value to all who take an interest in a question which underlies all others , and which

      must be mastered before any general or permanent improvement of the masses can take place . We may briefly state , that the special topic of the volume before us is Industrial training for the people , and that it contains a very large collection of statistical and practical information respecting the various Insurance Offices and other means of investing Savings , and guarding against all the contingencies of life which are susceptible of being foreseen and prevented , or ameliorated by prudence , self-denial , and the present state of the science of Assurance in this country . As a sample of the way in which this question is treated , and also as containing useful information as to the principles and modes of operation of Life oflices , we extract the following : —

      When the first of these most valuable institutions was established in 1700 , by the Bishop of Oxford of that day and other benevolent forethoughtful men , tluss principles were then very dimly seen ; and to make up for this uncertainty , for to the uninformed nothing seems more uncertain than human life , they subscribed a large capital , to give the public confidence that all the engagements of the office would be fulfilled . Since that day , however , knowledge has been wonderfully increased , and on no subject more usefully than this , the statistics of human health , life , and conduct . We have indeed attained such a position , in reference to these apparently most uncertain of all earthly things , that we can pronounce with the most

      surprising accuracy , the exact amount of sickness , disablement from work , death , pauperism , or crime , that will befall any considerable number of men or women ; if we can obtain tolerably correct answers , to some half a dozen or half a score simple questions . Wc may not be able to point out each individual from the crowd , that will be disabled from work at any particular time ; who will die within a certain period , or commit some broach of trust , or become bankrupt , or go to the workhouse , or be taken to prison , in any year that may be mentioned ; but we can tell how many out of the whole number will , in the average of each future year of life , meet with any or all these misfortunes .

      Take for example tho case of life . Here , suppose we have three men before us , just twenty years of age ; each , apparently , enjoying equally good health , and tho same probability of living to the utmost duration of life . But though we cannot easily perceive it , there may be a considerable difference , in tho constitutional intensity or tenaciousness of vitality , possessed by these three men . The dwellings in which they live , and tha employments by which they earn their bread , may he very different , in their healthful tendencies . One may bo in these things most favourably situated , as regards , all the essentials of prolonged life—ho may have tho good fortune to inherit the best of constitutions from his parents , with such knowledge and prudence as will enable him to avoid abusing it

      —he may always have good sense enough to live in the most healthy of houses , and follow the trade that will be most conducive to his own health—and doing those things , and enjoying all these blessings , wo may estimate this man ' s prob ' able expectation of future life at eighty years . Having now lived twenty , that he may not die before he is 100 years of age . The second of these men may only possess these advantages in tho ordinary degree , in which they are now enjoyed in our country . His parents may have been moderately healthy , for a year preceding and following his birth—they may hare paid about as much rational attention to tho rearing and the education of their son , as most parents are in the habit of doing ; and , should he avoid following an unhealthy trade , and living in a house

      injurious to health ; should his life be moderately prosperous , and should he obey the laws of health in a fair degree ; then these things all being so , we may calculate this man ' s probable expectation of life at sixty . four years—that having now lived twenty , he may expect his life to be continued till be is about eighty-four years old . Supposing the third man at present to enjoy none of these advantages—that his parents knew not or disobeyed the laws of health—that he himself does not heed them or care about them , either as regards his persons , his home , or his employment—then , in that case , this poor unfortunate though now apparently very healthy fellow , cannot expect to live beyond his sixty-eighth year . Having already passed twenty summers , we cannot estimate his future ones at more than forty-eight . Tho utmost duration of life in these three men would thus be , eighty , sixty . four , and forty-eight

      years respectively ; notwithstanding their apparent equality in this respect , at present . One might lire something over , and another not quite so long a period of time in these individual cases ; but , tailing a larger number , say five or ten thousand individuals , such is found to be the extreme decrement of life—the rate of mortality—the law of vitality among men , at the present day , in our own country . By actual experiment in veal life , as tested by the recorded duration of millions of lives , it is found that , if we take this extreme duration of human life , the present unexpired portion of it , in any given instance ; and divide those probably remaining-to-be-lived years by two , we obtain the actual number of years that will be lived , by any large number of men in England . This rule has been practically adopted by actuaries , for a quarter of a century ;¦ and it is now set down among our natural laws by . men of science , with such physical laws as those which govern the flowing and ebbing tide , and the setting of the sun ; or moon . Nearly two hundred millions sterling' of property in our country reposes on this law , in greater safety than any

      Wealth: Hw To Get, Preserve, And Enjoy I...

      other existing wealth , and more than £ 5 , 000 , 000 sterling is annually paid iu premiums , entirel y on the faith of it Any actuary would take these three men ' s lives snn » ni ing each of them warited'to secure £ 100 to his relatives or friends , whenever they happened to die ; and , without sav ing a word to them , would calculate thus in his own mind " — "The utmost expectation of life in these men now is ' eighty , sixty-four , and forty-eight years respectively . Di - vided by two , their certainty of life is forty , thirty-two , and twenty-four years , and each must pay to our office such an annual premium , as will be sure to amount , during these years , to the sum we engage to pay at death ; with all expenses and risk ; and leava . a j > ro / i ; on the business that will make it worth our timo attending to it . " Valuing each of these according to the rules laid down by his" professional craft , " modified by the resolvesof , his . Board of Directors ,

      these three men . would be told by the officer the terms on whioh his , office would become bound to , pay the required sum at death , be it £ 100 or , £ 5 , 00 . 0 .. Practically , this business is transacted , by' the party proposing to assure his life filling up , truthfully , all the questions in the proposal paper of'the office—being examined by a duly qualified medical officer—furnishing personal testimonials from some respectable party that has known him" for ajo ' umber of years , and from his own medical attendant if any ; and if not , from a second person , as to the past f apid present health of the proposer and his family ; and after appearing personally before the board , or before the agent of the office , all these facts thus brought together , are submitted to the Directors , and they decide on the terms under which they are willing to accept the life proposed , for the sum named in the documents .

      Literary Extract. Thb Domestic Tragedy O...

      LITERARY EXTRACT . THB DOMESTIC TRAGEDY OF THOMAS HOLCROFT THE ¦ DRAMATIST .. William Holcroft was his only son , aud favourite child ; and this very circumstance , perhaps , led to the catastrophe which had nearly proved fatal to his father , as well as to himself . He had been brought up , if anything ; with too much care and tenderness ; he was a boy of extraordinary capacity , and Mr ., Holcroft thought no pains should bo spared for his instruction and improvement . From the first , however , bo had shown an unsettled disposition ; and his propensity to ramble was such , from his childhood , that when he was only four years old , and under the care of an aunt in Nottingham , he wandered away to a place at some distance , where ; there was a coffee-house , into whioh he wont , and read the newspapers to the company , by whom he was taken care of , and sent home . This propensity was so strong in him , that it became habitual , and he had run away six or seven times before the last .

      On Sunday , November 8 th , 1789 , he brought his father a short poem . A watch , which had been promised to him as a reward , was give to him ; his father conversed with him in the most affectionate manner , praised , encouraged him , and told him that , notwithstanding his former errors and wanderings , he was convinced he would become a good and excellent man . But he observed , when taking him by the hand to express his kindness , that the hand of the youth , instead of returning the pressure as usual , remained cold and insensible . This , however , at the moment , was supposed to be accidental . He seemed unembarrassed , cheerful , and asked leave without any appearance of design or hesitation to dine with a friend in the city , whioh was immediately granted . He thanked his father , went down stairs , and several times anxiously inquired whether his

      father was gone to dress . As soon as he was told that he had left his room , he went upstairs again , broke open a drawer , and took out forty pounds . With this , the watch , a pocket-book , and a pair of pistols of his father ' s , he hastened away to join one of his acquaintances , who was going to tho West Indies . He was immediately pursued to Gravesend , but ineffectually . It was not discovered till the following Wednesday that he had taken the money . After several days of the most distressing inquietude , there appeared strong presumptive proof that he , with his acquaintance , was on board the Fame , Captain Carr , then lying in the Downs . The father and a friend immediately setoff , and travelled post all Sunday night to Deal . Their information proved true , for he was found to be on board the Faroe , where he assumed a false name , though bis true situation

      was known to the captain . He had spent all his money , except fifteen pounds , in paying for his passage , and purchasing what he thought he wanted . He had declared he would shoot any person who came to take him ; but that if his father came he would shoot himself . His youth , for he was but sixteen , made the threat appear incredible . The pistols , pocket-book , and remaining money were locked up in safety for him by his acquaintance . But ho had another pair of pistols concealed . Mr , Holcroft and bis friend went on board , made inquiries and understood he was there . He had retired into a dark part of the steerage . When he was called , and did not answer , a light was sent for ; and as he heard the ship ' s steward , some of the sailors , and his father , approaching , conscious of what he had done , and unable to bear the presence of his father , and the open shame of detection , he suddenly put an end to his existence .

      The shock which Mr . Holcroft received was almost mortal , For three days he could not see his own family , and nothing but the love he bore that family could probably have prevented him from sinking under his affliction . He seldom went out of his house for a whole year afterwards ; and the impression was never completetoly effaced from his mind . —Miss Mitford ' s Recollections .

      Mr. Thackeray's Lectures. This Well-Know...

      MR . THACKERAY'S LECTURES . This well-known and popular writer is at present delivering a series of lectures on the writers and literary men of England , in the time of Queen Anne , in the Marylebone Literary Institute ; they attract large and fashionable audience . ' , and are distinguished for the felicitous style in which the wittiest literary man living treats of his predecessors . Speaking of Congreve's literary efforts , they were summed up as a feast flaming with lights , at which men and women eat round the table drinking wine and bandying wit as immoral as it was brilliant . But wit without love was a sorry feast , mad intoxication at night , indigestion and blank headache in the morning . As for love , Congreve made love in full uniform , with fiddles playing , as the young officers in

      ' Grammont ' s Memoirs' marched to the siege of Lerida in evening costume . AU was hollow and artificial . One flash of Swift ' s lightning , one touch of Steele's feeling , one beam of Addison ' s sunshine , would cause his playhouse taper to disappear for ever . Willingly the lecturer , and most willingly the company along with him turned to the honoured name of Addison . Full justice was done to all his merits of skill , of good nature , and of character . But here , again , a longing look was cast back at the luck that followed writers in Queen Anne ' s lime , as the success of' The Campaign ' was recounted to the audience . That liberal angel that enabled Addison so' To ride the whirlwind and direct the storm , ' as to get into a snug haven in the shape of a place

      worth £ 1 , 500 a year , was humourously wooed to the second floor windows of modern authors . The « do' on Lord Soraers was made apparent by a recitation of the last lines of the poem of which Moses ' s poet would spurn the parentage . The company heartily enjoyed the joke , perhaps not remembering that places are given for just as foolish reasons at the present moment . Addison never wrote love sonnets , because he knew little , about women , and his matrimonial reminiscences were by no means calculated to stimulate complimentary effusions . He was a man of the clubs , and the mall , and hence tbe charm of tbe ' Spectator , ' to which full justice was done , and the criticisms were rightly appreciated . The lecture on Steele introduced a vivid picture of the stale of society at that day .

      His audience seemed as much surprised and delighted as if some wonderful traveller had just arrived with a com - plete history of a newly discovered continent and its peopl « which had never before been heard of . The ' Exeter Fly , ' performing its journey in tbe incredibly short space of eight days , surprised a generation who make excursionsjto Bath and back on a day ticket ; and the country inn with its snug kitchen , in which the curate smoked his pipe while the soldier talked of Ramilies aud Malplaquet , and the mysterious gentleman , who owned a famous grey mare , and sat in the corner coolly waiting the departure of the stagecoach , which it was his intention to rob , were described whh all the fidelity of . a Flemish picture . Then camo a description of the 'fast' men of six score years since .

      Tbe trial of Lord Mohun for the murder of Dick Mountford , and the attempted abduction of Mrs . Bracegirdle , were admirably told , with the stern justice of his peers , who could not think of hanging one of their order for merely ' pinking' a play-actor . Then there was the lower stratum of society , quite as jolly and nearly as profligate , with its captains from the Low Countries , its bailiffs and its coffeehouses . All these things Dick Steele had seen and mingled with—had gone home tipsy after many a bottle , in many a tavern , and had run from many a bailiff . Steele projected first the ' Taller , ' and afterwards the ' Spectator' and 'Guardian , ' and by their success completely eitinpUhed the ' British Apollo , ' and all similar rubbish . His first comedy was 4 damned for its piety , ' but he persevered ,

      and both on the stage and in the serial succeeded in establishing purity of language and of sentiment . Steele wrote more than half of the papers in the ' Tatler , ' ' Spectator , ' and ' Guardian , ' and , therefore , should have some share of the laurels which are too exclusively given to Addison . His career as Prince of Bloomsbury , ' oppressed by his allies , of Chancery-lane ( the bailiffs ) made everyone laugh . Last , though not least in interest , came Steele ' s literary merits , which the lecturer pointed out with his usual exquisite discrimination , dwelling in forcible terms on his naturalness , his feeling , and his truth ; and the justice of the

      criticism was completely affirmed-: by the different effects produced upon the audienceby the . extracts from Swift , Addison , and Steele , wiih which the lecture was brought to a conclusion . Swift ' s . savage sentiments , met with no response ; Addison ' s sublime reflections in ^ Westminster Abbey were coldly listened to , ' but Steele ' s touching little story about the scene between his ' mother and himself over his father ' s coffin melted both the lecturer and his' audience , and sent both home convinced . that Dick , though be did take an extra bottle of Burgund y on occasions ; was still a man that « everybody liked , ' and that everybody had justification for their liking . . '¦' ¦ '' ¦ '

      Fattctiw

      Fattctiw

      Con.—What Article Of Ladies'winter Attir...

      Con . —What article of ladies ' winter attire does a stupid negro resemble?—A ; sable muff . The man who ate his dinner , with the fork of a river has been attempting to spin a mountain top . A Cold . —A correspondent , of a "Picayune" paper is afflicted with such a cold in his head , tbat he can ' t wash his face without freezing the water . A Question fok Considkhawon . —When an extravagant mend wishes to burrow your money , consider which of the two you had rather lose . Wisk men aie instructed by reason ; men of less understanding by experience ; the most ignorant by necessity ; and brutes by nature .

      A „ . . DICTIONARY ( PEOPLE ' S EDITION . ) AnrT" ^ ' 811 Disabilities Bill . A « 7 vZ rllam , ent t 0 vote supplies . V **!™ w * n .-Lord John Russell ' s Measure of Reform . discuSnTnt SSSal ? ° ^ H 0 USB * " ** ABSORBHNT . -rhe Englfgh Church . J ^ htR }*^™^ - * ' * complained of Shaks-CI ™ w A * 2 u ° eSf r'ly rau * r « J Hamjet- . But he has Skakspeare Breat m ^ Hamlets h ^ m ' uraered Delicate WoRKS .-Women are a great deal like French watches-very pretty , o look at . but V- difficulty toS gulate when they once take to going wrong , UH , uuy l 0 rt A Ca . uiion .-A young man has died at Hull from mittine tallow on a pimple on his face . The tallow contained arsenic and verdigris had accumulated on the candlestick , oou "''

      . Good Advice . —Always do as tho sun does—look at the bright side of everything ; it is just as cheap , and three times as good for digestion . Sheridan , having threatened his son Tom to r . ut him off with a shilling , received this retort . — "Where will vou get it ? " ' A monster gun has been made in America , which throws a ball three and a half miles ! Its culiber is twelve inches . There is one gun in the British service that throws a solid shot two and a half miles . Our Social System . —The institution in Manchester for taking charge , during the day , of the children of women

      employed in factories is succeeding admirably , and the charges have been reduced from 2 s . Cd . to 2 s . per week . [ Query . What are the workwomen ' s wages ?] The Three Losses . —It is a Spanish maxim that "he that loseth wealth , loseth much ; he who loseth a friend , loseth more ; but he who loseth his spirits , loseth all . " So keep up your spirits , and a fig for care I Temperance . —Our physical well-being , our moral worth , our social happiness , our political tranquillity , all depend upon the control of our appetites and passions , which the ancients designated by the cardinal virtue of temperance . — Burke .

      A _ Long Nose Warranted . — A certain manufacturer having by accident received a severe cut across the nose , and having no court-plaster at hand , stuck on his unfortunate organ one of his gummed trade tickets , on which was the usual intimation , ' « Warranted 350 yards long . " February 1852 .-Therc will be five Sundays in February next . _ A similar event will occur after twenty-eight years , viz ., in 1880 . Afterwards there will be no similar occurrence for forty years , viz ., 1920 ; because the year 1900 will not be leap year , owing to the dropping of a day on the completion of each century . EXTRACTS FROM " PUNCH . " Hushaby . Baby . —France is enjoying its Little Nap— 1 "A Makk- Shift Existence . "—Making shirts at Sixpence a-piece . " The Head and Front " op a Woman ' s "Offending . "—Appearing at tho breakfast-table in curl-papers !

      A Melancholy Reflection . —A very young placeman was heard to remark , " How very soon one grows Grey in the public service !" "Clenlinessis next to Godliness . "—This is literally true in a street near Trafalgar-Square , for the Baths and Wash-houses there are next door to a Chapel 1 Sound Advice . —Master Tom . "Have a Weed , Gran ' pa ? " Gran ' pa . " A what ! Sir !"—Master Tom . "A Weed !—A Cigar , you know . " Gran ' pa . " Certainly not , Sir . I never smoked in my life , " —Master Tom . " Ah ! then 1 wouldn ' t advise you to begin . ' ' The Treks of Liberty . —The French trees of liberty are all to be cut down , and the wood given to the poor for fuel . Thus Frenchmen have liberty to—warm themselves . An impudent Bird Fancier . Strange that Louis Napoleon should have such a predilection for the Eagle . The Kite , by all accounts , is the bird whioh he has been most used to flying .

      Rather Equivocal . —A Morning Paper , in an article on the Paris Exchange , says— " On the Bourse , at the opening , a rumour hud been artfully got up tbat the President had been fired at , and with such success as to havo caused a fall . "—Of which ? President or prices ? The Crown Jewels of the City . —To commemorate the acquisition by the Corporation of London of the privilege of levying a tax upon coals , it is proposed that the Lord Mayor ' s Cap of Maintenance shall be decorated with black diamonds , which would be the brightest jewels of the civic Crown . Food for Foreign Powder , —The British troops are all picked men ; but since they now-a-days neither know how to ride nor fire , or , if they do , have horses tbat won't go and muskets that won't carry straight , the circumstance iu question will not appear until they get into action and arc picked —off by the enemy .

      Inconsistency in the English Character . —The character of John Bull presents strange anomalies . Appended to advertisements for servants wo constantly meet with the intimation that " No Irish need apply . " It is singular that we English , who are so fond of the Turf , should exhibit so very unreasonable a prejudice against a Rice .

      TE DEUM . Being ihe real Prayer of the President on Ms Prie-Dicu at thi late Installation .

      BI r . ir . horne . Oh , God of Bayonets , all my own , I thank thee on this day , When Notre Dame , with priest and psalm , My glory doth display . I thank my generals , prefects , tools , For deeds of skill and note ; For barricades and massacres , And for my people ' s vote . I thank the priesthood for their aid , And will remember them ; I thank the friends of " order "—trade—I thank the press ( ahera I ) I thank Baroche for his good speech—My mission ' s own suggestion ; Though dishes cook'd with forced-meat balls Require a strong digestion .

      But most of all I thank myself , And . my nepotic will ! Ambition and hypocrisy , That shall direct me still . Wherefore , oh God of Bayonets , Grant me my uncle ' s crown , ' And you shall soon invade a land , And sack a wealthy town . " Going to Die . " — " Mother send me for the doctor . " " Why , my son ? " " Cause that man in tho parlour is going to die—he said he would if sister Jane would not marry him —and Jane said she wouldn't . "

      Rich and Poor — "Ma , " said an inquisitive little girl , " will rich and poor people live together when they go to heaven ? " "Yes , my dear , they will all be alike there . " " Then , ma , why don ' t the rich and poor Christians associate together here ? " The mother did not answer . What is a Lad ?—The other day' says the " John O'Groat ' s Journal , " the teachers of a lady ' s school in Wick , while putting a company of juveniles of ( he gentler sex through their facings in the spelling-book came to the w » rd "lad , " of which , in accordance with tho modern method of tuition , she asked the signification . One little puss , on the question having been put , with a sidelong look , blushingly answered , " For courtin' wi '; " a reply which we record for tbe advantage of future lexicographers .

      Tit for Tat . —A chimney-sweeper s boy went into a baker's shop for a twopenny loaf , and , conceiving it to be diminutive in size , remarked to the baker that ho did not believe it was right . "Nevermind that , " said the man of dough , "you will havo tho less to carry . "— "Very true , " replied the lad , and , throaingthrechalfpence on the counter , left the shop . The baker called after him that he had not left money enough . "Never mind that , " said the young sooty , " you will have the less to count . " Timely Preparation . — " John , " said an angry parent to his son , who had committed a misdeed , "John , go to the

      next room and prepare yourself for a severeflogging . ' Theboy departed , and when his parent had finished the letter ho was writing and sought the offending youth , he . was surprised at the swollen appearance of the young rascal's back . " What does this mean ? " he asked : " what is on your back ?"— " A leather apron , " replied John , " three double . You told me to prepare myself for a hard flogging , and I did the best 1 could ! " The hard-set features of the father ' s countenance relaxed , as also did the muscles of the hand which grasped the whip , and he let John off ; "for that once , " with a gentle admonition , "

      Royal Performbrs . —Once , at Marie Antoinette private theatre , the little comic opera of Hose and Colas was performed by the royal family and court . The queen played a part in it ; and , just as she finished one of the songs , a sharp hiss was heard . The spectators looked at each other in surprise ; but Marie Antoinette , who felt at once that in all the crowd of grandees and courtiers there was but one person who would Venture to take such a liberty , came forward to the front of the stage , aud , addressing herself to the king , after saluting the audience , " Sir , " said she , -since you are not satisfied with mv singing , if you will take the trouble to step out , your mowv shall be returned ^ at the entrance . " A thunder of app rise greeted this sally , in which the king joined most heartily . ' J

      " Let her Be . "—A Detroit mercantile gentleman , who was travelling eastward a short time since , went to the clerk of one of the Ontario beats to be shown to his stateroom . The clerk handed the applicant a key , at the same time pointing to a door at some little distance , marked " B . " Our friend went , in the direction indicated , ' but opened the door next to his own , marked " A ., " where he discovered a lady passenger making her toilet , who , upon the stranger ' s appearance , utteieda low scream . "Goawny ! go away !" screamed iholady . "Letter B . " yelled theclerk . "I am not touching her at all I" shouted the indignant merchant .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 24, 1852, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_24011852/page/3/