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Mabch 24, 1849. ¦ THE NORTHERN STAR. 7
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MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.—Tuesdat. Cactiox to ...
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DREADFUL FIRES. Loxdox.—On Sunday mornin...
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Paper Stamp, axb Advertisement Duties.—T...
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mptvm mxlimmt
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MONDAY , Marco 19. HOUSE OF LORDS. -TR.«...
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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.
Perby , March 17. A Ftcntixo Family—W. D...
signature was not Mr . North ' s or his own , but declined to say what North it was . . It Ws proved that notice had been served on the prisoner to produce note ; and Mr . Cooper , solicitor , vJre & gfj-gf . -tanj'ntog oaihe note strongly resembled Sheldon ' s .-Mr . C . North , of Trinity College , proved that the promissory note which he saw at T ^ j ^^ i ° ffice was not sianed bv him . _ The Lord Chief Baron thought there was no evidence ! £ W * $ ? * F- , The Prisoner throughout denied that Mr North , of Trinity College , was the Mr . Aortn whose name was si gned to the hill ; and the jury , therefore , " Acquitted" the prisoner .
BREACH OF PROMISE OF JIABBIAGE . Southee v . Gahhett . — Mr . Andrews and Mr O Malley were council for the plaintiff ; Mr Frendergast and Mr . Sanders appeared for the defendant . From the opening statement of the learned council it appeared that the plaintiff was a voun * lady of great personal beauty , the only daughter of a medical gentleman of long standing and respectability in this town , and that the defendant , at the tune -when the foundation for this action was laid , ¦ was an under-graduate of Catherine Hall — himself the > on of a medical man in the north of England . In early life the plaintiff had been a great invalid , and during along illness had fallen lame . From this defect , however , she had gradually recovered .
but still remained in delicate health , when she was introduced to the defendant at the house ofa common Mend . Ere long her attractions had elicitedgreatattention from the defendant , who was not much her junior , and in a short time he became her professed admirer and suitor , till in the month of May , 1847 , - he gave expression to his feelings in the following note , which may perhaps he given to to the world as a-remarkabl y " neat and appropriate mode of conveying an offer of marriage . — " Catherine Hall . —Since . my first introduction to you I have not been master of my own heart , and therefore I cannot do better than ( sic ) to offer it to her who has robbed me of it . Cyou will accept of such an offering , I am indeed a happy man . Believe me ,
your truly attached , H . W . G . "—This letter was enclosed in a very ilny envolope , addressed to 1 Miss Southee , Cambrid ge , " and , being shown by theyoungladyto her mother , was submitted afterwards to her fother , who thereupon wrote to the defendant a-highly creditable letter , wherein he delicately alluded to the state of his daughter ' s health , and , after admonishing the defendant that she would consequently require the greatest care , consideration , and affection at his hands , called upon him to examine well the serious nature ofthe oner he had made to her , and to pause ere he involved her in an engagement , which , unless honourably carried out on his part , would entail a load of misery on her , which would be considerbly
enhanced by her infirmity . The defendant responded to this appeal in a manner and with an earnestness which satisfied Mr . Southee that his affection for the plaintiff was not of a transient character , and from that time he was the accepted suitor of the young lady . In July he left Cambridge for a short time , repairing to his family at Liverpool , whence he wrote frequently , addressing the plaintiff as " My dearest Amelia , " and subscribinghimself as her " devotedly attached , H . W . Garrett . * At the installation of Prince Albert the defendant repaired again to the university , when he became the guest of Mr . Southee , and accompanied his family to all the gay doings of that event . On his return home he resumed his correspondence , which , at first , was
characterised by the same expressions of attachment to the plaintiff which had won her heart . In a short time , however , he alluded to certain losses which he had sustained , and ere his return to Cambridge , in the October following , she was simply "dearest Amelia , " while he was only "her attached H . W . Garrett . " When he came up in October he sent a friend to speak to Mr . Southee , touching his losses ; but that gentleman required a personal interview , ¦ wherein he put certain questions to the defendant relative to that subject , which were now described to have been but unsatisfactorily answered . On the whole the conduct ofthe defendant excited the suspicion ofthe young lady ' s father , who had heard rumours of another attachment , and after waiting
some little tune for "further and better particulars , " as the lawyers have it , he took upon himself —although his daughter ' s affections had been rather strengthened than weakened by the reported deficiciency in her suitor ' s fortunes , ( which at no time was ever supposed to exceed £ 300 per annum)—to address a pointed letter of remonstrance to the defendant , calling to mind the caution he had given him in the first instance , and requiring an explicit explanation of his motives for discarding his daughter , with whose feelings he , as her father , could not but deem that he had been trifling in a most heartless manner . To this letter no reply was g iven hy the defendant , who had in the meantime taken his degree , and had entered into holv orders , and no
solution of his conduct was vouchsafed till his marriage with " a lady in the north " was announced in the public prints . Stung to the quick by tins desertion of his daughter , Mr . Southee determined that this action should be brought ; and soon after the proceedings were commenced the defendant wrote a letter to the gentleman at whose house he had met the plaintiff , in which , after inquiring whether his friend had heard of " Southee * s proceedings , " and wondering why he had been " so sly about them , " the writer adding that he did not care for them , as " he had made a settlement on his wife of ah * his tin , so that neither Southee nor any one else could ever get a copper of it . " This effusion , so different from his first composition , his friend deemed it
his duty to show to Mr . Southee , and , as may he supposed , its terms did not" in any * way assuage the indignation of that gentleman , nor make amends to his unhappy daughter for that insult ¦ which the poets terms the " fprcke injuria ! forma . "The above statement having been made on behalf of the plaintiff , her father was put into the box to substantiate it , but his examination had hardl y begun , ere The Chief Baron interposed , and observing that as the defendant could not deny his promise and its breach , the only question was as to the amount of damages , and suggested that they might possibly be arrangedbetween the parties on terms comensurate with the circumstances of the defendant , who , as appeared from one of his letters , had
accepted the appointment of under master at some grammar school in the country . On this suggestion , the learned counsel entered into a close and lengthened negotiation , which finally resulted in the defendant s submitting to a verdict for £ 200 , accompanied by an express and suitable disavowal on his part of any imputation on the conduct or character of the fair defendant . On the contrary , the defendant , to use the language of his learned counsel , «• had always desired that his case should be conducted in a manner which might relieve the plaintiff from all blame and pain ; hut the truth was that he had formed a prior attachment in another quarter , which had only given way to the influence ofthe plaintifFs attractions , and it was . nerhans .
but natural and likely that the defendant should revert to his earliest ibve when removed from the immediate presence of the plaintiff . "—The Chief Baron expressed his entire approval of the course which had been taken in the arrangement of the case , and having passed a well-merited compliment On the first letter of Mr . Southee , added that the object of the action had been fully obtained , for the plaintiff had now the satisfaction of knowing that the change in the defendant ' s feelings towards her had not been actuated by any impressions in the slightest degree derogatory to her fair fame and reputation , which had been fully vindicated by these proceedings . —The jury then found a verdict , under his lordship ' s direction , for tbe plaintiff for £ 300 .
Dorchester , March 1 G . Illegal Ixocclatiox . —M . Lymes , 58 , was arrai gned ou the coroner ' s inquisition , which charged him with causing the deaths of John Hoare and Samuel Hoare , at Broadwinsor . The children were the infant children ofa dairyman , who , instead of taking them to a properly qualified practitioner , allowed the prisoner to perform on them the dangerous operation of inoculation . The prisoner acted apparently from kind motives , hut the learned Judge pointed out that by the 3 and 4 Tic , cap . 29 , he had rendered himself responsible for the death of the children . Verdict , " Guilty . " Sentenced to two days' imprisonment .
Charge of SiABBEfo . —G . Davis was indicted for Stabbing William Bolt , with Intent to kill andfraurder him . The parties were conversing together in a public house at Weymouth , and their language getting warm the landlady took the prisoner by the shoulders and shut him out of the back door , which 5 & s opposite to his lodgings . The prisoner rushed into his house and seizing up a shoemaker ' s knife , returned , going round the house to the front door , and going up to the prosecutor he stabbed him deep jn the abdomen , inflicting a very serious wound . The prisoner was found " Guilty ! " aud the Judge ordered sentence of Death to be recorded . The assizes terminated at an earl y hour . Exeter , March 20 .
COMMITTAL FOR REFCSKG TO TAKE AN OATH . — ihecnerofthe court informed his lordship that a witness refused to be sworn to give evidence in a rase of housebreaking before the grand jury . —Mrs . « atson , the person indicted , having been called forward and questioned by the learned judge ; she ia repl y stated that she had conscientious scruples to taking the oath , founded upon the 5 th chapter of « . Matthew . She belonged to the church of Engine " , and ( having been informed that she must he *™ t to nrison if shp m > rc * = f /»/ i ;„ ! , « .. T-ofucnll she
woul d take the consequences . It was foolish , PerImpS j Ler haTin „ j ^^ of ft Dut flaT ing V ' " ^ of it she must abide the punishment . —Mr . or , ^ "miams then con sulted Lord Denman , and /^ j ^ S said he would give her an hour to consider of it , and during that time he would relommend Ler to read the articles of her religion . u sue persisted in refusing , he had no other altera tive hut to send her to prison . —Mrs . Watson said - "e w as very sorry for it . The hour would be of no *" ; she should he ofthe same resolution . —Before tohunecc-iijg another case , about two hows after-
Perby , March 17. A Ftcntixo Family—W. D...
wards , Mrs . Watson was requested to stand forward , and his lordshi p said he understood sho had in the interval seen a clergyman . Was she aware that the bishops and clergy felt no scruples in taking the oath , which she declined to take ?—Mrs ! Watson said she was quite aware of it . —The Judge : Then why do you refuse ?—Mrs . Watson : Because I see it in the Bible . —The Judge : And do you mean to persist in refusing to be sworn ?—Mrs . Watson : I do . —The Judge : Then , the sheriff must take you into custody and convey you to the county gaol . I have no other alternative . The contumacious witness , who is a middle-aged woman of very respectable appearance , was then removed in custod y . Possessing Fobged Baxk of England Notes . — A Policewoman . —J . Davis and T . Byrne were
arraig ned upon four indietmenta for having in then * possession two £ 5 Bank of England notes , knowin" - them to be forged . —Mr . Sergeant Manning and Mr . Hadow conducted the prosecution on behalf ofthe Bank of England , and Mr . Stone and Mr . Collier defended the prisoners . On the 5 th of Augu st last , a letter arrived at the Dorchester Post Office , in the Chard hag , directed to "Mr . Lock , Post Office , Dorchester , Dorset . " The name of the post-master at Dorchester happened to be Lock , and supposing the letter was intended for him , he opened it ,. and found enclosed two apparently genuine Bank of England notes , without any writing to show from whom they were sent . Mr . Lock gave the letter containing the notes to his wife , who locked them up in her drawer until the 9 th of August , when he
toon , them to Messrs . Williams ' s hank , Dorchester , and it was then intimated that the notes were suspected to have been forged . On the following morning , a letter , posted at Weymouth , reached the Dorchester Post Office , directed to the postmaster there , which requested that if a letter was lying in the Dorchester Post Office , directed to Mr . Lock , and sent from Chard , that it might be forwarded to Exeter . Upon reading this , Mr . Lock ' s suspicions were strengthened , and , by ' advice of fiis friends , he proceeded to Exeter on the 11 th of August , " and had an interview with the Post Office surveyor Of the district . The consequence was , that the letter containing the two £ 3 notes was re-sealed , the word "Dorchester" erased , and "Exeter" added , to give the appearance of the letter having been forwarded
from Dorchester at the request of the writer of the letter from Weymouth . The former letter was then onfidedto Mr . Pattinson , the chief clerk ofthe Exeter Post Office , and he placed it in the pigeon-hole marked "L , " where letters in that imtialdircctedto the Post Office are deposited . A policeman , dressed in plain clothes , was at the office in waiting the whole day of the 12 th . No one called ; but on the following day ( which "was Sunday ) the prisoner Davis knocked at the Post Office window , and asked if there was a letter for Mr . Lock . Mr . Pattinson said there was a re-directed letter in that name from Dorchester , and on producing it , Davis said it was his . He paid a penny charged for it , and walked away , being in company with the other prisoner , Byrne . Meanwhile Stuckes , the
policeman , naa heard the application , and watched the prisoners . Just at this time , Mrs . . Stuckes , in dischargeof her domestic duties , had brought her husbandnis dinner . He told her also to observe the prisoners . The policeman , Stuckes , and his wife followed them in the Hi gh-street , perceiving which Davis , who had previously opened the letter , crushed it in his hand , and passed it to Byrne . Stuckes made a dash at them both , and captured Davis , but Byrne eluded his grasp , and would have escaped had not Mrs . Stuckes collared him , and , in spite of great struggling , held him until assistance arrived . In the scuffle B yrne contrived to drop the
letter ; it was almost immediately recovered by Mrs . Stuckes , and found to contain the two £ 5 notes , which an inspector of the Bank of England now pronounced to be forged . "When informed of the charge at the station-house , both prisoners declined saying anything . On the person of Davis were found three thimbles , such as are usually emp loyed in thimblerig , - and Stuckes recognised him as a ferson he had seen frequently at the Exeter races , and who was known as Joe Rowe . Inside the lining of Byrne ' s hat was found a Bank of Elegance note . —The jury found both the prisoners " Guilty , " and they were sentenced to be transported for seven years .
Shrewsbury , March 23 . Charge op Mubder . —Richard Wilson was indicted for the wilful murder of his wife , Anne Wilson , on the 10 th February last , at the parish of Drayton-in-Hales , by drowning her in a canal . — Mr . Phillimore and Mr . Bailey were counsel for the prosecution ; and Mr . Kenealy for the defence . —It appeared tbat the prisoner was a pensioner living in Hankelow , in Cheshire , and was in the habit of coming to Market Drayton to receive his pension . On the above day he and his wife came to Market Drayton for that purpose , and they remained there till late in the day . About five o ' clock they were seen -walking homewards by the side ofthe Shropshire Canal , and appeared on good terms ; he calling her " my dear , ' * and speaking kindly to her ,
until she , in consequence of being lame and drunk , eould not walk as fast as he wished . He thereupon abused and beat her , and threatened to throw her into the canal . She replied that he would not dare to do it . He said he would do it before she got home . He then knocked her down and abused her again . After some angry language he pulled her up and made her move on . About five or ten minutes after they had gone out of sight ofthe witness who saw this last transaction screams were heard , and a cry of murder . Soon afterwards they were seen going along the canal bank by another witness , who heard them occasionally interchanging terms ot endearment and sometimes quarrelling . He walked about half a mile with them . They were both tipsy . She was lame , and unable to walk without
the aid ofa stick . He walked with them to near a bridge called " victoria Bridge . When they got near that she became vcr j lame and was unable to go on , and lay down . The prisoner begged of her to go on . She said she could not . He said , " your eyes , if you do not I will drown you . ' She replied , he dare not . The witness then left them . That was about six o ' clock . About seven o ' clock that witness again met the prisoner at a lock-house , called the Adderley Lock-house , and not seeing the woman with him asked him where she was , and he said he had left her near a bridge , called Simon ' sbridge , on the side ofthe canal , waiting for a boat . The witness took another man with him , and went back to the place indicated , and a considerable distance beyond it , but could find no trace of her .
About nine o clock the next morning he saw her body taken out of the canal , near Betton Woodbridge , about 200 yards from the spot where he had last seen her with the prisoner , and he found her stick in a field about thirty yards from the spot where the body was found . The canal at that point runs through a cutting five or six yards deep . The embankment is exceedingly steep and high , and on the top ofthe embankment there is a high hedge , and inside the hedge the stick was found . It was utterly impossible for her to have climbed the embankment , or to have flung the stick from the footpath ofthe canal up over the hedge . On cross-examination , this witness , John Williams , said that from the first time he had seen her and the prisoner she was unable to walk , and moved on with great
difficulty . It was starlig ht and dark when he parted from them , and she was then lying against the side of the footpath . Boats were in the habit of passing about that time on the canal , and about an hour afterwards a boat came up in the direction in which she was . coming . Her bonnet was not found . The body was first seen floating on the surface of the water , by a boatman , who was passing in a boat . The body was lying straight , and her clothes were lying straight . Her gown was wrapt round her left hand . This , the boatman said , might have been caused by the flush of the water . Her shawl was wrapt two or three times round her head . This , in the judgment ofthe same witness , must have been done by some one . There was no sign of blood upon her . Her cap was not torn , and presented no
sign of a tear . About ten o'clock on the Saturday evening prisoner called at a public-house in his neig hbourhood , and had a glass of ale ; and on the landlady inquiring for Ms wife , he said he had left her on the canal side waiting for a boat ; and on his proceeding to go away , and her asking him why he went , he said he wanted to go home to prepare a cup of tea and a good fire for his wife , as the boat would not pass tifl about half-past twelve o clock . He appeared as if he had been a great deal the worse for liquor , but was then recovering . Sometime later in the evening he went to another pubhe-house , and offered to treat a young man to a quart of ale , and on the landlady saying it was too Me and his wife would not like his stopping out late ,
he said sho would not know ot it . on nemg questioned the next morning by two pohce-con stables , he said he had last seen her the night before coming from Drayton on the banks of the canal . He had occasion to stop behind for a short time , and on again walking along the canal , and not . overtaking her , he shouted out , but he admitted that he . had since made no inquiries amongst the neighbours respecting her . On being charged with having drowned her , he exclaimed , "My God ! has the poor thing done anything to herself ? I hope she is not dead /' On being taken towards the lock-up house as he was pasang that part of the road parallel to the spot where the body was found he was greatly affected , and when he reached the lock-up house he affliction
exhibited all the signs ofa man in deep . When he wastaken to the place where the body lay , he said , "Oh , dear ; oh dear ! I doubt I shall suffer for this . If I do I shall die ! innocent . These hands never put that poor body in the water . On going near the body , and removing the shawl which covered the face , he became insensible , and the policeman was obliged to hold him up in his arms , and take him out into the open air . The surgeon who examined the body said there was no mailc whatever of violence to be discovered upon it . —Mr . Kcnealv addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner and after a careful and minute analysis of the evidence bv his lordship the jury almost inimediatelv returned a verdict of " Sot guilty . "
Perby , March 17. A Ftcntixo Family—W. D...
Leicester , March 21 . Cave t \ Hawkins . —Action for Seduction . — The plaintiff was a farmer and grazier living at Frolesworth , in Leicestershire , and defendant was also a farmer , formerly residing in that * parith . In the yf 1810 , the defendant ( who was about thirty years old ) became acquainted with Catherine Cave , daughter of plaintiff , who was about seventen . The intimacy was formed without . the knowledge of her parents , and ihe place of meeting was frequently in the plaintiff ' s garden , to which defendant had access by getting over a hedge from a road . This intimacy was kept up until 1847 , . when Cathtrine Cave was found to be pregnant . This was represented as having so serious an effect on the health of her mother ,
that she died a few months after . The young woman was confined in February , -1848 , and was so affected by her misfortune having caused bet mother ' s death , that her health declined , and the . never recovered . After the birth of the child defendant was applied to to contribute to its maintenance , but he refu ed . An application was then made to tbe Lutterworth bench ofmagistiates , who made an order upon defendant . This order was appealed against , and the court of quarter sessions quashed it on account of informality Another application was made to the same magistrates , and they had to adjourn . ' their court , on the 13 th of February last , to the bedroom of tlie young woman , for the purpose of taking her evidence , « s
she was , at that time , on her . sick bed , and , indeed , died on the following day . Another order for 2 s . Cd . p--r week was made upon defendant- Evidence was cilled to prove tliattheyoung woman superintended her father ' s dairy , and was a very good cheese maker . This was dOue , as Mr . Humfrey informed tbe jury , because the law required proof of " loss of services '' to sustain an action of that kind . No evidence was called for the defence ; but Mr . Whitehurst delivered a long address , intended to damage the evid ence for plaintiff , and the character of the deceased , Catherine Cave , but he called no evidence in support of his defence . After a , rather lemrthy consultation , the jury gave a verdict for p laintiff—damages £ 100 *
Mabch 24, 1849. ¦ The Northern Star. 7
Mabch 24 , 1849 . ¦ THE NORTHERN STAR . 7
Middlesex Sessions.—Tuesdat. Cactiox To ...
MIDDLESEX SESSIONS . —Tuesdat . Cactiox to Servants . —T . Rixon , 19 , a very cunning looking fellow , was indicted for stealing two coats , value £ 5 , the property of the Hon . George Waldegrave , from the mansion of Earl Waldegrave , in Hjirley-street . —There were other indictments agairist thejprisoner , Charging him with stealing a largo ) qu antity of wearing apparel , the property severally jof Tiscount Chewton , Hon . Sarah Annersley , John ] Warren j George M . Lesse , and Matthew Gunning . Evidence was given in support of two : of these indictments , and the facts disclosed showed that the prisoner was a very artful person , and possessed of consummate impudence . He would provide himself with a large milliner ' s basket , and assuming the air of a regular distributor and collector of bonnets ,
would call at various houses in the neighbourhood of the west-end squares , and inform the servant who answered the bell that he had been sent from some well-known millinery or dress-making establishment , in either Regent or Oxford-street , for some articles of clothing , to be altered , cleaned , or exchanged . While the ' domestics were making inquiries relative to the articles supposed to have been sent for , the prisoner took advantage of their absence , and crammed every coat , hat , umbrella , and pair of boots the hall might contain into his capacious basket , and on those occasions when he did not carry the basket he contented himself by throwing alb the coats he could lay hold of across his shoulders , and made off as quick as his legs could
carry him . That was the mode in which he effected the felony at Earl Waldegrave ' s . —The jury found the prisoner " Guilty . "— -Mr . Serjeant Adams said that the prisoner was far too clever to be allowed to remain in this country , and , therefore , to see what his wits would do for him in another , the sentence was that he be transported for seven years . —The prisoner left the dock bowing very blandly to the judge and the officers ofthe court . Felony by a Clergyman ' s Soxs . —Charles and John Remington , the sons ofa beneficed clergyman , were indicted each of them , for stealing a pair of trowsers . The prisoners pleaded guilty . The Learned Judg e said that he had in his hands a letter from one of the parents of the prisoners , and
proceeded to read in an undertone to the magistrates on the bench . The letter contained the names of se . - veral very respectable persons , and was couched in very pathetic and feeling terms ; in addition to which it alluded to matters of a private nature which were not intended to be made public , and therefore it was not read aloud . The learned judge said that it was a very painful case , and taking into consideration all the circumstances , the sentence was that Charles be kept to hard labour for three months in Westminster Bridewell , and John for the like period in Cold Bath-fields . —The prisoner John said that both he and his brother were extremely sensible of the consideration and leniency his lordship had shown them .
Juvenile Cunning . —A diminutive boy , apparently ten or eleven years old , was convicted of having walked into a shop and stolen 2 s . from the till . —Serjeant Adams asked the prisoner how old be was — Prisoner . —Sixteen , sir . —Mr . Serjeant Adams said that showed the sort of boy ho was ; he said he was sixteen years old , whilst he could not be more than ten or eleven , his object being to get an extra allowance in prison ; a prisoner of ten years old having somewhat less than one of sixteen . ( Laughter . ) Subsequently the prisoner was sentenced to three months ' hard labour .
Dreadful Fires. Loxdox.—On Sunday Mornin...
DREADFUL FIRES . Loxdox . —On Sunday morning , shortly before three o ' clock , the extensive soap factory belonging to Messrs . Paton and Charles , 148 , High-street , Wapping , was discovered to be on fire . In a few minutes the brigade engines from Schoolhouse-lane , Wellclose and Jeffrey-squares stations attended , when the firemen found the flames ascending through the roof high into the air , completely illuminating the river and the surrounding districts . Such a fearful aspect did the flames at one period present that it was deemed advisable to send to llotherhithe for the floating engine . It was not until nearly fifty feet by thirty feet of the roof over the main factory was burned off , and two vats ,
containing about four tons of tallow , were seriously damaged , that the five -was extinguished . The loss , although very considerable , will not prevent the firm from carrying on their business . Fortunatel y Messrs . Paton and Charles were insured in the Sun fire-office . The ori g in of the fire was said to be the spontaneous ignition from the steam apparatus , One ofthe workmen at Messrs . Paton and Charles ' s , in rendering assistance at the fire , fell down one of the pits , and was seriously if not fatally injured . ToTTENnAM-CouRT-RoAB . — On Tuesday night , about a quarter before eleven o ' clock , the oil and Italian warehouse belonging to Mr . Bowman , No . 3 , Tottenham-court-road , was discovered to be on fire . An officer sprung his rattle and raised an alarm , and after repeatedly knocking at the front door he succeeded in arousing the inmates , consisting of Mr . and Mrs . Tompkins , the lodgers , with
their two children . These parties were sleeping on the second floor , and upon being aroused from their slumbers found the building so filled with sulphurous vapour and smoke that none of them were able to make their descent by the staircase . Mi * . Tompkins made tbe best of his way to the front room on the second floor , the only place of escape left , when the police called to him and told him to remain until the fire-escape arrived . The man , apprehensive that some ofthe gunpowder or other inflammable articles would explode , was just on the point of throwing his family out of window , when two of the Royal Society ' s fire escapes arrived . The conductors having mounted their machines , they entered the second-floor , and in the back room they found the inmates , whom they assisted in escaping . The flames were not extinguished until considerable damage was done . Mr . Bowman was insured in the County Fire Office .
INCENDIAB . T FlKE AT BLACKMORE , ESSEX . —On Saturday night last , the buildings upon Wyatt ' s Farm , Wyatt's Green , in the occupation of Mr . William Greenwood , were found to be on fire . An alarm was raised , and a messenger despatched for the engine at Ongar , which was promptly conveyed to the spot , and every exertion was made to arrest the progress of the raging element . The flames however , spread with uncontrollable fury , and two barns , a range of sheds , three waggons with other implements , some hay and straw were speedily consumed , the total loss being roughly estimated at 4700 . The stock was insured m the Sun Fireoffice to Christmas , 1847 ; but it has been uninsured in that office since that period , and we are informed
was not protected in any other ; the buildings also were uninsured . ¦ Little doubt is entertained that the conflagration v ? as wilfully occasioned , aud Superintendent Flood , who with several constables were in attendance , ascertaining that a man named Robert Ufford , had been recently discharged by Air . Greenwood for misconduct , on inquiry found that , he was seen oh the premises shortly before t he lire broke out , and soon after it was discovered was met in the fields a short distance from them , going in the direction of Blackmore . These suspicious circumstances , in connexion with the confused ^ account he gave of himself , induced the officer to take himmto ! ustody , andtheaeeused examination before a magistrate on Monday , was fully committed for trial .
Paper Stamp, Axb Advertisement Duties.—T...
Paper Stamp , axb Advertisement Duties . —The letter-press printers of Glasgow , at a meeting held on Tuesday last , unanimously agreed to petition the House of Commons for a repeal or reduction of the dut y on paper , the stamp duty on newspapers , and thedutvon advertisements , as inflicting injurious restrictions on their profession , by which large numbers of them are out of employment .
Mptvm Mxlimmt
mptvm mxlimmt
Monday , Marco 19. House Of Lords. -Tr.«...
MONDAY Marco 19 . HOUSE OF LORDS . -TR . « smmTioN to toe Colonies -lari Grey in repl y to Lord Stanley , stated that since the ob ject of transportation had been discussed in that House the Government had been made aware that the step contemplated of sending convicts to the Cape had been received with disapprobation m that colony . Despatches had been received transmitting a memorial from the colonists in opposition to the proposition , which there would be no objection to produce . Out-door PAT ™ . —The Earl of Cahlisle , in moving the second r eading ofthe Out-door Paupers Bill , explained that inasmuch as parishes could send pauper children out of their jurisdiction to be
maintained and educated it was necessary that the buildings which were devoted to their reception should be under the efficient supervision of tho Poor Law Commissioners , as well as ot medical inspectors , this being one of tho principal objects which the measure proposed to effect . The bill was then read a second sime . Polish Refugees . —The Earl of Eaumox moved or a return of the number of Polish refugees receiving allowances f or subsistence and medical expense between the 28 th of March , 1843 , and the 20 th of March , . 1819 . Ihe noble earl , after referring to the class of medical relief that had been supplied , complained , that , while the country was undergoing all sorts of shifts in order to reduce the expenditure , the Polish in
refugees England were receiving iust as large an amount as ever , and protested against thejeople being taxed beyond what they could boar on behalf of a lawless and turbulent race , who had no claim whatever upon them . Whether they looked to tho barricades of Paris , to the rebellion in Hungary , 01 'to the insurrection In Vienna , it would be found that the Poles were always revelling in scenes of anarchy and bloodshed . The Marnuis of Lansdowne was not prepared to deny that dlStrCSS to some extent prevailed among the agricultural classes ; yet the poverty of the country was not so great as to render it necessary to depart from the princi ple of extending sympathy with a liberal hand to a people driven from their country by a calamity which deprived them of a
national existence . Whatever , the conduct ofthe Poles had been in other countries , they had not misbehaved themselves in this ; and the effect of the bounty bestowed upon them here had been to prevent their engaging themselves in such scenes as the noble lord had described , the rule being that if recipients of it left this country they forfeited their claim-to further relief . At the same time , tho greatest care would be taken in the administration of the grant in order to prevent abuse . Lord SiANiiBY was of opinion that if , as statedby the noble earl , the assistance afforded had not been given to relieve distress , but applied to medical cases , arising out of-profligacy and vice , it ceased to be medical charity altogether , and was a monstrous abuse .
The Marquis of Londonderry contended that great abuses existed also in the relief of Spanish refugees , which class of persons were in fact a disgrace to any country . The return , in a modified form , was then agreed to , and their lordships adjourned . HOUSE OF COMMONS . - Mr . Mraiz moved the second reading of the Birmingham Borough ( Exemption from County Rates ) Bill . Lord Brooke objected to the bill on two grounds —first , that the county lunatic asylum and gaol would be of service to Birmingham , and secondly , because the bill would go to alter the general law of the land , which , if desirable , should be effected by a general measure , including other towns similarly circumstanced . The noble lord moved that the bill be read a second time that day six months .
After a debate , in which Sir G . Grey opposed the second reading ofthe Bill , Ml ' . MuKtz referred to the almost unbearable amount of rates already levied upon tho people of Birmingham , and varned the Homo Secretary if they were increased , a disturbance in the borough might be the consequence . On a division , the second reading was carried by a majority of 8—the numbers 70 to 05 . Indemnity to the Canadian " Rebels . " — Mr . Hawes , in reply to Mr . F . Mackenzie , as to a bill being in progress in tho Canadian legislature for indemnifying certain persons for losses incurred
during . the rebellion in 1837 and 1838 , including thirty-eight persons who had taken part in the rebellion , stated that no despatch or communication had reached the Colonial office that such a bill was under consideration . Adulteration op Coffee . — Mr . Ansiey put several questions on the subject ofthe adulteration of coffee by the use of chicory , iu consequence of the treasury minute which was issued two years ago suspending the Act of Parliament which prohibited the sale of chicory from being used for the adulteration of coffee .
The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied that he had received accounts from various quarters stating that a duo admixture of a certain quantity of chicory improved tho coffee , and tended to promote its use , especially among the labouring classes . It was undoubtedly true that a great reduction in tho price of Ceylon coffee had taken place , but which might bo attributable to the quantity introduced , as also to the introduction of a very inferior description of coffee grown by the natives of the island , and not well prepared . But undoubtedly , with the low prices which prevailed last year , tlie consumption of coffee ought to have increased instead of diminished , as was the case ; which ,
however mig ht be accounted for on the supposition that chicory had been substituted for coffee , and that a portion ofthe revenue which the Exchequer ought to have received had been diverted into the pockets of the dealers in the former article . It would not be desirable to put a duty on chicory at the present time , but it was proper that the parties engaged in its cultivation should be warned that such might be the case hereafter , in order that they might not then say they wore wholly unprepared for such a result . Education in the Army . —In answer to a question from Mr . Ewabt , *
Mr . F . Maule said , his Grace the Commander-in-Chief had determined to institute a test of education for officers previous to their obtaining commissions in the army . It was also intended by his Grace to have two examinations on the promotion of officers from the rank of ensign to that of lieutenant which were to be entirely of a professional character—to ascertain that those officers were thoroughly acquainted with all the duties entailed upon them by their profession and by the regulations
of tho army . Then there was to be a third examination of subalterns before they got their company , which would be of a more enlarged character as to their skill and knowledge , and would be the final examination to which officers " would be subject . The Commander-in-Chief had entered into this inquiry iu the spirit which public opinion had manifested for some time past , and with a view to the efficiency of the army . ( Hear . ) Army Estimates . —The House having gone into Committee of Supply ,
Mr . F . Maule said the number of troops which it was proposed to maintain for the ensuing year was 103 , 254 , her Majesty ' s government having considered that , look . ng to the state of the colonies , and the general aspect of affairs , the country might be relieved from the cost of 10 , 000 men , the number of troops borne on the rolls of the army last year being 113 , 847 . He then reviewed the various demands for troops , for which the government had to provide . First , with respect to affairs abroad , although the alarm had to a great extent passed away , yet their aspect was not such as to permit this country to assume an entirely indifferent attitude . Secondly , in regard to the colonics , although hereafter the force there might be diminished , at
present it was not considered by the government safe . or prudent to reduce its amount . Thirdly , for the preservation of peace and order at home , he stated that of the 53 , 000 troops at home , 27 , 000 and a fraction were located in England and Scotland , and 25 , 000 and a fraction in Ireland ; and he demonstrated the necessity of keeping a sufficient number of troops in readiness to meet applications irom the civil magistrates to preserve the peace of towns b y referring to the number of such applications during the past year in England , and by suggesting the expediency of repressing with promptitude any apprehended collision with the civil power . Upon the last head , the furnishing reliefs of our troops in the colonies , Mr . Maule cited an opinion expressed by
Sir R . Peel , who , m 1845 , said it was the duty of those in charge of our military arrangement to take care that men sent abroad in the service ofthe country should not be exiled , but should be allowed to return to their homes within a reasonable time ; but if the House complied with the proposal Of Mr . Hume for a further reduction of 14 , 000 men it would not be possible to carry out the wholesome rule of relieving corps in India in fifteen years and in other colonies in ten years , with an interval of five years at-home . Mr . P . Maule then took a rapid glance at the various items , pointing out the decrease which had taken place in most of the money charges , and observed that the present expenditure for the army was very little hi gher than that of 1835 , the gross charge on the army estimates
of that year being £ 5 , 5 ) 06 , 782 , and that of 1849-50 , £ 6 , 142 , 211 . the increase being only £ 235 , 000 . He concluded with a defence ofthe army against the attacks of the Financial Reformers , and especially on tho " clothing colonels . " He wished , before he sat down , to say a few words in refutation of charges which had been brought against the army in general by a body of individuals who had constituted tkemselves a Financial Reform Committee in Liverpool . ( Hear , hear . ) He would not have noticed any of these charges if they had been founded m fact or iu truth . ( " Ueav , " and cheers . ) lie did not object , and he was sure no persons in the army would object , to the closest scrutiny into the whole expenditure of that service , * but with such a scrutiny , the officers ofthe army had nothing
Monday , Marco 19. House Of Lords. -Tr.«...
to do ; it rested with the officials of the government , and with the determination of that House . Ho would not object to any scrutiny into the expenditure of the army conducted in a fair and proper manner ; but , as the statements put forth by the Financial Committee of Liverpool were neither founded in fairness nor in justice —( cheers)—ami as they would tend not only to do infinite injury to the army , but to tho very parties who were putting forth those statements , he thought it necessary to say a few words on the subject . The committee to which he alluded had attacked the system of clothing the army ; but surely they mig ht have attacked that system without imputing motives—( hear , hear)—to the colonels : whoso duty it was to provide
the clothing for their men , not by any arrangement of their own , but under a system which had existed for upwards of 140 years . ( Hoar , hear . ) ' The committee mi ght certainly have inquired into this matter , before insisting that the colonels and quarter-masters of reg iments laid their heads together to change the pattern of the articles with which the soldier was compelled to provide himself , in order that their own profits might be enhanced . ( Hear . ) The system of clothing the army had been the subject of " several inquiries , and if the parties b y who m those inquiries had been conducted had not been able to recommend a better plan than that now pursued , he did not think it very likely that the Liverpool Committee would do so . In 1783 , the
clothing system was inquired into by the Commissioners of Public Accounts , who stated that they could not recommend' any change , cither in point of economy , or of satisfaction to the soldier , hi 1798 , the subject was inquired into by the Finance Committee , and in 1808 by a military commission , with tho same result . ¦ In 1833 , a commission of that House , many of whom , he would venture to say , were as prejudiced as anymembers ofthe Liverpool Financial Committee , went into the consideration of tbe subject , and they agreed unanimously to a report containing these passages : — " It further appears that tho wholesome cautions and cheeks by which the supply of clothing by the colonels has been accompanied , have invariably secured the comfort and satisfaction of the soldier , and the
complete efficiency of this branch ofthe public service . The committee are not , therefore , prepared to suggest any change in this long-estabhshcd system , which , although at first it may appear anomalous , and to involve the objectionable principle of giving profit to the colonels out of monies ostensibly voted for another purpose , secures the responsibility of those officers for the just and punctual distribution ofthe clothing to the different regiments , dispersed as they arc throughout various and ¦ distant colonies , and which at the same time protects the public from the losses to which they would be exposed by the accumulation of stores of this description supplied under the management of public hoards from extensive establishments , superannuation allowances
to those , who conduct them , nnd from that multiplicity of accounts which a transfer of the charge of this supply from those in whom it is now vested into any other hands must inevitably produce . " He thought , then , that it was somewhat hard to charge upon the " clothing colonels , " as they were most invidiously called , the responsibility o ' f a system which they had not themselves created , which had undergone no less than four scrutinies , and for which no substitute had been proposed . ( Hear , hear . ) But he was sorry to observe that the Liverpool Committee did not confine themselves to these insinuations against the colonels ; he had read their pamphlets with great earc and it seemed to him their chief object was to run down
the officer m the opinion of the soldier . ( Hear , hear . ) The officers of the army were held up to odium , and it was said the army was erected and maintained for the benefit of the aristocracy . Indeed , the whole tone of the pamphlet was , in his opinion , dangerous in the extreme , not only to the constitution of the army , but to the very existence of good order in this country . ( Hear . ) Now , if the soldier should , from any circumstance , lose that confidence which he now justly reposed in his commanding officer , and if he consequently lost his regard for discipline , he ( Mr . F . Maule ) had no hesitation in saying that the army would become at once an armed rabble . ( Hear . ) If this were the case , who would bo the first to suffer from such a state of things ? Not the officers of the army ; not the landed gentry , who lived on their estates in the country ; but tho inhabitants of towns . Instead of having orderly and well-behaved soldiers , who kept
their hands from picking and stealing , and who offered no violence to their neighbours , walking through the streets , they would have a disorderly rabble , thieving in one direction and assaulting in another , and the peaceable inhabitants would rue the day when the Financial Reform Committee of Liverpool , or any other Reform Committee , began to hold up the officers of the army to odium and reproach . He did not make these observations from any objection to inquiry into tbo expenditure of tbe public money ; but because he thought any inquiry on this subject should be carried on with due regard to the feelings of the officers of the army , to the discipline of their men , and to the safety of the public , aud not in a manner which might tend to destroy that respect for authority and discipline without which the British army , instead of being a boast and protection , would be a disgrace to this country . ( Hear , hear . )
Mr . Hume confessed that the condition of the army had been much ameliorated , and urged perseverance in the system of improvement . With respect to the Liverpool Association , ho thought his right hon . friend might have omitted his allusions to that body . He ( Mr . Hume ) was not rfmember of that association only because he resided at a distance , and had laid down a rule to confine himself within what he considered his own legitimate limits . ( Laughter . ) He thought the Liverpool . Association had done good service in opening the eyes of the country to abuses in regard to the national establishments . He had often heard it remarked that the man was a benefactor to his
country who made two blades of grass grow country who made two blades of grass grow where only one grew , before ; and he also thought that he was a national benefactor who could make in future £ 5 go as far as £ 10 did at present . ( " Hear" and laughter . ) The charge against the Liverpool Association was that they had accused the colonels of regiments of being tailors . Mr . F . Maule . — The charge against the Liverpool Association is that they accused the colonels of combining with the quartermasters for the purpose of cheating the soldiers . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Hume admitted that that was a groat error , and most unjust accusation . ( Hoar . ) This he knew
from the investigation before the committee in 1 S 33 , for which he moved ; but at tlie same time he must observe that at that period " the artillery were clothed better than the line ( though the clothing of the latter had improved since the sitting of that committee ) , and no colonel was connected with the clothing of the artillery in the same way as in the line . While willing to accord to colonels of the line all that their rank and station entitled them to , he still retained his opinion , that connecting the colonels with the clothing of the men was placing the former in an anomalous situation , and that it would be better not to afford even a nretence for
charges such as the right hon . gentleman had alluded to . He thought it therefore hard that a severe charge should nave been made against tho Liverpool Association for an error into which they mig ht have been led in consequence of the anomalous position in which the colonels wore placed . He denied the validity of all the four reasons assigned by Afr . F . Maule for the number of men proposed , deprecating foreign intervention , advocating a reduction of the forces in the colonies , and calling upon the government to discountenance tho applications of magistrates at home , who were too fond of calling for military aid ; and he moved to reduce the numbers to 89 , 254 , explaining the gronnds upon which ho fixed upon that number .
Mr . If . Drummoxd : The hon . gentleman the member for Montrose said , he thought there ought to be a great reduction in our military establishments , and he complained that there was much extravagance shown in all these matters . Now undoubtedly there was a great expenditure under this head ; but lie thought it was evident that the more we increased in trade , in manufactures , and population , the more we must increase in a force or some kind , and he did not much care whether that force appeared in blue coats or in red , ( Hear , hear . ) It was not tho country boobies ( as the country gentlemen mi ght perhaps be called on the other side ) who caused this increase , but it was the mayors of enlightened town constituencies in the manufacturing districts who
called meetings with one hand , an < T with the other applied for military aid to keep them in order —( a laugh )—for just in proportion as these merchants and manufacturers were cowards the ono minute they were bullies the other . ( A laugh . ) They were the people who led us into war in China and South America , as the House had heard the other night , and now they turned tail upon her Majesty ' s government , and charged it with having incurred the expense . ( "Hear , hear" and laughter . ) Now ho thought that if they entered into war they should not come out of it till they had conquered . ( Hear , hear . ) Either they should not begin to fight at all , or they should fi g ht if it was necessary till they were dead . ( "Hear , hear , " and laughter . ) But thev were told that these things were only said
on the word of military men ; tbat these military men were not proper judges how to defend the country , and that civilians were the only good judges on such a matter . Now , this fallacy lay at the bottom of the whole question , and it was , therefore ; well to examine it a little . It appeared to him that it was a burlesque of the old saying , " Who drives fat oxen should himself be fat . " ( A laugh . ) In other words , " Who pays a general must himself bo a general . " ( A laugh ) . It was gravely maintained by the hon . gentleman the member for the West Riding that it was a question for the tax payers , and not the military , to decide what was the proportion of men necessary for the defence of the country . ( Hear , hear ) . " Hear , hear ! " Why , if gentlemen opposite did not see the absurdity of such
Monday , Marco 19. House Of Lords. -Tr.«...
an argument , ho hoped tho country won ! . ! , no would tell them that timy were not c-. ipi . r ^ nt judges of this matter . What would they tl ! , i : k if a party of general officers were to go to Mam-hest' -r to instruct them how to make cotton twist i ' ¦ \\< -m . hear , " and a laugh ) . Would thev not ans - ¦¦ v ihat thoj-were a sot of meddling foofs ? On ih > same principle , he held that gentlemen in thai House were going beyond their borders , that tin' ' wore pr osummg-too far when they entered itpo ; i a Witter of which they wore essentially , and necossai-- . , ; md naturally , not judges . ( Hear , hear ) . TIk- ' ' - . on gentleman the member for the West ltid'nui-, innwl ever , said , " You only arc the judges—ta !; . ' nve therefore , how you perform your duty ; vov . : > -. v tout
here to determine upon all these economic :-. ' . juirstions . " Now he held that , as judges of tin' «; :: ;«<• before them , they had nothing to do but to divhit ; according to tbe opinion of her Majesty ' s govcn , iiienfc , who oiily could know what the circumstances of die country required . ( Hear , hear ) . It app-. 'aivd to him that on sueh a question they were all .- ; ,. « : ill y stupid —( a laugh)—and that they ought to pui confidence in those persons who must , of ncce . *!? it ; ,- . be better informed than the gentlemen seated ok the other side . ( Hear ) . He believed that a mon up . right man , or one who would give more satulactory testimony regarding what he saw or heard , did not exist than the hon . member for the West Ktfing ; but they must recollect also that there v , » i ? not a ,
man in the country who stood convicted of k'ii ; g so utterly unable to give an accurate opinion of the state of Europe as the hon . gentleman was . ( A laugh ) . No man had been so unfortunate' in his prophecies—none had ever been so completely refuted b y the events . ( Hear , hear ) . He spoke of our having near us peaceable and friendly neighbours ;—why , he might go to the Zoological Ourriuiis , and , because he saw the tigers lying quietly in their lairs , he might speak of them as peaceable and harmless animals ; and , perhaps , he might amusi himself w : th the antics ofthe monkeys , But let them be set loose , arid he would find what altered creatures both tigers and monkeys would become . ( A laugh ) . In France the whole nation , to a man , had been
rendered able to express their opinions , and they had just run mad after the ghost of a gray greatcoat and a very little hat . ( A laugh ) . They had just given to the world the information that the time when they were happiest was not a time of free trade , hut when they were under the Berlin and Milan decrees ; that the time they were looking back to with the greatest delight was , when they were under an absolute emperor , and that tho thing they were aspiring to again was another thirty years of war with England . ( Hear , hear ) . Mr . M . Gibson , in reference to what had fallen from the hon . gentlemen opposite , would admit that , if he wanted to know how to deal with a regiment , when it was brought into the field , lie would
apply to a military officer ; and if he wanted to know how a ship was to be kept away from a Ice shore , or handled in battle , he would apply to a professional man j but he would not apply to the professional man on matters of general policy , or as to what was necessary for the safety of the country , ( licar , hear . ) He declined altogether Betting * up military and naval men as a sort of independent government in the state . ( Hear , hoar . ) On the contrary , he regarded them as public servants , and not as the only persons to be consulted as to tho number of men the establishments of the country required . There were always complaints of the great ' difficulty which government felt in resisting the demands of the army , & c , for grants , and if it were not for
what were called the gentlemen of the Manchester school , those appeals would become altogether mesistible . He would support the motion of the hon . member for Montrose , mainly because no reason had been shown for keeping so " large a force in our colonies . As to the committee appointed to inquire into the condition ofthe services , he could not help expressing a wish that they had been empowered to inquire into the amount of the forces required , SO that they mig ht have the whole question thus brought before them . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . J . O'Coxxell urged that by acceding to the just demands of the Canadians and Irish two-thirds of the forces employed in those countries might be reduced .
Mr . W . P . Wood thought the government was the best judge of these masters , but right in throwing the responsibility on the House . Mr . v . Smith and Mr . Rice concurred in thinking that the colonies should be made to maintain \ i \ emselvcs . Captain Boldeko contended for the necessity of a systerii of reliefs , and therefore could not consent to reduce the army below the number of men proposed to be voted . Sir W . MoiEswORTir stated his reasons at some length , chiefly with reference to the colonies , for voting for Mr . Hume ' s amendment . Mr .. S . Crawford contended that if the people had an extended franchise and a greater voive in the legislature , there would be no need of standing armies in the time of peace .
Mr . Cobdex , after a brief reference to the colonies , attacked the Sccretary-at-War upon a " Home Question . " They were told that the troops were required on account of our domestic condition . He must confess he had heard with very great regret the remarks of the right hon . gentleman the Secvctary-at-War , with respect to the necessity of keeping troops at homo for the purpose of keeping down the people , That was the first time siu .-h an object had ever been avowed by any member of any government , for it had hitherto been always denied that troops were kept to repress the people . ( " Oh , oh ! " ) It was a very alarming and melancholy state of things that it should be avowed in 18-H < tfiafi we kept nil a large force to keep down the people or .
England—Englishmen , who had been always considered peculiarly suited for self-govcrnnieiit here or abroad , and who had always claimed the princi ple of being governed by the civil power . ( " Oh , oh ! " ) The right hon . gentleman distinctly avowed that object , lie said it was for the purpose of keeping peace among the people . Some remarks had been made as to the state of tho manufacturing towns . Ho perfectly admitted that the mayors and magistrates of some large towns had sent for some troops last year , but there must be some fault in the system when such a reinforcement to the civil power was called for . He thought , on behalf of the middle classes , that those who were responsible for the government of the country should introduce some aree measure with respect to the working-classes ,
to bring tho two into harmony , and that they should , l > y bringing the latter within the pale of the constitution !* take away tho disaffection and discontent which induced the necessity for employing troops . With respect to the immediate vote before the House it must be borne in mind that troops had become really much more efficient than they had been a few years ago . A great authority—General Gordon—stated to the committee of 1844 that 1 , 000 men could be sent from London to Manchester in nine hours , and would arrive there fresh as when they started ; whereas , before the introduction ot railways , they would have taken seventeen days for the joiirney , and would have arrived fatigued and exhausted . ' Though he did not admit the necessity
of repressing the people by armed mon , railways had g iven tenlold force to their military establishments , and if they were necessary the number of men might be reduced , and yet the same amount offeree be available . He maintained , however , that in large or small towns peace might be maintained by the civil power , if government would sauciiou a mode by which an organised body—not of military or of National Guards—but of special constables , could be always in readiness to assist the magistrates . Why not imitate America ? New York was larger than Liverpool , and yet there were neither soldiers nor barracks there , and the peace was kept by the police . There was a fluctuating population of English , Irish , and foreigners , and he contended that what could be done at ^ cw York with
Englishmen could be done with Englishmen at home . The hon . member for West Surrey ( Mr . Drummoml ) had made some remarks which he would not have referred to but that they might produce ill feelings elsewhere . The hon . member had called the French tigers and monkeys , fit for exhibition in the Zoological Gardens . Perhaps the French might not know that the hon . gentleman was a privileged member of the House , and that he was so nckle in his aversions and likings that they might find him next week calling them doves and lambs . The right hon . gentleman tlie Secretary-at-War referred to the state of
the continent as a reason for a large standing army . He would admit , if tho right hon . gentleman pleased , that the French and tho other continental nations were going to fight with each other . But that was not the question for us to consider with respect to our forces . What we had to ask was , if anybody was coming to fight with us ? Was there a symptom or a tendency of such a disposition on the continent ? Such being the case , and having no enemy ho knew of to dread , he thought there was no necessity for keeping up a larger military establishment than had been found necessary in 1835 and 1830 .
Lord J . Russell replied to this with truly aristocratic insolence and falsehood . The hon . gentleman objected to what he called the system of using troops to keep down the people , and said that the principle had been for the first time avowed by his right hon . friend the Secretary-at-War ( Mr . Fox Maule ) . Sow I heard what my right hon . friend said , and I certainly heard nothing from him to such an effect . ( Cheers . ) My right lion " , friend stated most truly that during tho past year there had been many applications—the greater part of
them , from the mercantile and manufacturing towns , not by the military , but by the civil authorities , for troops to preserve order . ( Hear . ) But were these troops to keep down the people \ ( 1 Ic ;\ y . ) By no means . They were to keep down a certain number of ill-conditioned and disaffected persons who wished to commit djjordev , to promote tumult , and probably to gain an opportunity for plunder , and with whom it is a libel and a calumny to co-ifound the people of this country . ( Great cheering . ) The hon . gentleman asked why should not the municipal
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), March 24, 1849, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_24031849/page/7/
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