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      April 38, 1849. The Northern Star.

      April 38 , 1849 . THE NORTHERN STAR .

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      Tasso. (From The Sew York Tribune.) U A ...

      TASSO . ( From the Sew York Tribune . ) u A Prince of royal birth confined the Poet in a madhouse for more than seven years ; the great and wealthy left him to a precarious life ; hut a Mountain Robber , hy the road-side , controlled in his favour the instinct of his gang and craved forgiveness at the hands of the author of the * Gerusalemme . '" Uph of Tasso .

      The swarthy Captain of the hand Before the weary wanderer stood , And the keen poniard in his hand Sad often tasted blood . Awaiting hut a sign from him . In view were lawless men and bold , Deep scars upon their features grim Of strife and carnage told . " Thy purse , or life- !' - ' exclaimed the chief Bnt savage look and threafc ' ning tone Fear woke not in a heart where grief Held mastery alone . " Our trade admits of no delay—The quest-hounds of tho law are near ; No longer hesitate—obet , Or end your journey here !" " These hollow cheeks—this mean attire ,

      And hair untimely streaked with snow , But little aid from speech require To tell of want and wo . " Out spoke the robber in reply , More darkly frowning than before" Perchance some wealthy friend would buy Th y life with yellow ore . " Then mournfully the Pilgrim said : " At night upon the dewy sod , I often rest this aching head—My only friend is God ! Uot always was my fate so hard , Raised high my fellow-men above-While a proud Princess bade the Bard His lute-strings tune to love . " " Those rags do not become , I ween , The regal glance of those dark eyes ; 1 clearly trace in thy proud mien Some lordling in disguise !"

      "Ah ! I am not unknown to fame , Though a poor outcast now I roam ; Grim robber ! Tasso is my name—The world ' s wide street my home . ' * " Flame and the Sword I would defy To shield thy person , Child of Song ! A hundred deaths would rather die Than see thee suffer wrong . Thy verse , beneath his sable wave , Oblivion can never hide ; Forgiveness is a boon I crave , " The kneeling robber cried . Although the rich had heard him pour A prayer for aid with cold disdain-Though long within a cell he wore The flesh-consuming chain—A man whose soul was dark with crime , Whose heart compassion seldom felt , Before the Bard of stnin sublime In admiration knelt . "W . H . C . Hosxbb .

      A Chartist Prison Rhijib. To Spbisg. Spr...

      A CHARTIST PRISON RHIJIB . TO SPBISG . Spring ! Joyous , hopeful , heavenly spring , Bright thoughts of other days you bring , And childhood ' s prattling glee . Again , through daisied fields we rove , Or scamper by the shady grove The freest of the free . Through tyrants ' rule , those days are past , And we are in a prison cast , Apart from friends to dwell But stern resolve , and dauntless mind , And boundless love for human kind , Still consecrate our cell .

      Therefore , bear up ! avaunt , regret ! The mind of man ' s a kingdom yet Oppression can't subdue . No power on earth , though all conspire , Can quench that spark of nature ' s fire , When man himself is true . Then hail , sweet spring ! though dungeoned here , We ' ve left behind friends wo hold dear , On them thy gifts bestow ; And when thy next birthday arrives , We trust amidst our friends and wives To share thy genial glow . G . White . Kirkdale Gaol , April 16 th , 1849 .

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      The Prose Works Of John Milton. With A P...

      THE PROSE WORKS OF JOHN MILTON . With a Preface , Preliminary Remarks , and Notes , by J . A . St . John . Vol . H London : H . G . Bonn , Yorkstreet , Covent-garden . Two of the most popular works ef Milton will be found in this Tolome—viz ., the Treatise entitled "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates , " and the celebrated "Areopagitica , " or-speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing .

      The Treatise above-named { "The Tenure of Kings , & c . " ) was written for the purpose of proving— "That it is lawful , and has been held so through all ages , for any , who have the power , to call to account a Tyrant , or wicked King , and after due conviction , to depose , and put him to death , " & c , & c . We regret that Mr . St . Johk has considered it necessary to express in his notes a sort of half apology for the tyrannicide doctrines proclaimed and

      enforced in this Treatise . It is true that , as regards this nation , circumstances hare greatly changed since the time MiLTOJf wrote Ms treatise . There is no danger now of the arbitrarypowerofaKing ; but there isdanger- * -more than danger , of the arbitrary power of those who , '' deput ^ to redVess grievances , ' " tnem-Eelves become thegreatest grievance . " Tyranny is tyranny , whether the guilty parties be a would-be absolute King and Mb fu ^ -chamber , or a set of aristocratic Ministers and their

      pliant Houses of Parliament . Mr . St . John mighii therefore , have withheld his raptures concerning "our free institutions" [ fudge ) , and "the state of constitutional freedom we enjoy' ' ( oos 7 t ' . ) . Moreover , although in this country there is now only the phantom of Monarchy remaining , other lands are yet enrsed with the sway of purple-clad tyrants , to whom the arguments of Milton ' s Treatise are as applicable as they were to our " martyr"

      Charles—arguments which we should rejoice to see practi-1 eall y applied by the long-suffering nations . As a bold , honest , eloquent , and unanswerable defence of the rights of men against the right divine—or , rather , righf > ihfernal---of tyrants , this treatise on "The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates" will ever command the admiration of those who prefer freedom to slavery . We have room for only the following brief extract : —

      Surely they that shall boast , as we do , to be a free nation , and not' hare in themselves the power to remove or abolish any governor , supreme or subordinate , with the government itself , upon urgent causes , may please their fancy with a ridiculous and , painted freedom , fit to cozen babes , but are indeed under tyranny and servitude—as wanting fiat power which is the root ahd . source of all liberty ¦ i- to dispose and economise in the land which God hath given them—as masters of family in their own house and free inheritance . Without which natural and essential power of a free nation , though bearing

      high their heads , they can , indue esteem , be thought no better than slaves and vas * als—born in the tenure and occupation of another inheriting lord , whose government , though not illegal or intolerable , hangs . over them as a lordly scourge , not as a free government ; and , therefore , to be abrogated . The "Areopagitica "—< jr Speech for the Libertyof Unlicensed Printing—ig , perhaps , the best known of Miltok ' s prose works . ; and is certainl y worth y of the immortal reputation it has enjoyed from the time of its : first publication . How slow is the march of freedom

      The censorship has been only jo 8 t abolished in Germany , and is still maintained in Russia , although , two hundred ( and four ) years have elapsed since Mutox bo eloquently defended the right of free thought—and free expression It is the fashion to vaunt that the English liave long enjoyed a perfectly free press ; but the vaunt contains as much that is false as iaae . What though no censorship exists , there are laws to tax , plunder , and . fetter the press sufficient to render it the bound slave of Wealth and Privilege . In this metropolis there is not a single daily journal representing the Jaaea of the people , or devoted to the advocacy of equal rights and canal laws for all . The

      The Prose Works Of John Milton. With A P...

      Times ie , indeed , at this moment the most formidable and deadly enemy of Justice , Freedom , and Truth , existing on the face of this earth . We have yet much to do before we shall enjoy that liberty for which Milton so bravely struggled— " the liberty to know , to utter , and to argue freely according to conscience . " The author of the " Areopagitica" commences his "speech" with the oft-reprinted motto : — " This is true Liberty , when free-born men Having to advise the public , may speak free , Which he who can , and will , deserves high praise ; Who neither can nor will , may hold his peace ; What can be juster in a state than this ?"

      The Presbyterians , then in power , had issued a decree "to regulate printing ; that no book , pamphlet , or paper , shall be henceforth printed , unless the same be first approved and licensed by such , or at least one of such , as shall be thereto appointed . " To show the injustice and absurdity of this decree , was Milton's object , and perfectly he succeeded . He argues : " As good almost kill a man , as kill a good book : who kills a man kills a reasonable creature , God ' s image ; but he who destroys a- good book , kills reason itself . ' ' Again : " It is true , no age can restore a life , whereof , perhaps , there is no great loss ; and revolutions of ages do not oft recover the loss of rejected truth , for'the . want of which whole nations fare the worse . " As regards the folly

      of attempting to protect public morals by so clumsy an invention as a censorship , Milton remarks : "If the amendment' of manners be aimed at , look into Italy and Spain , whether those places be one scruple the better , the honester , the wiser , the chaster , since all the inquisitorial rigour that has been executed upon books . " In a subsequent page he adds : " I could recount what I have seen and heard in other countries , where this kind of inquisition tyrannises ; when I have sat among their learned men , but who did nothing but bemoan the servile condition into which learning amongst them was brought ; that this was it which haddamped the g lory of Italian wits ; that nothing had been there written now these many years but flattery and fustian . " We extract the following passage on

      THE TTRANNr AND INFAMY OF A CENSORSHIP . What advantage is it to be a man , over it is to be ahoy at school , if we have only escaped the ferula to coma under the fescue of an iniprimateur ? if serious and elaborate writings , as if they were no more than the theme of a grammar-lad under his pedagogue , must not be uttered without the cursory eyes of a temporising and extemporising licenser ? He who is not trusted with his own actions , his drift not being known to be evil , and standing to the hazard of law and penalty , has no great argument to think himself reputed in the commonwealth wherein he was born for other than a fool or a foreigner . When a man writes to the world , he summons up all his reason and deliberation to assist him ; he searches , meditates , is , industrious and likel y consults and confers with his judicious friends ,-

      after all which done , he takes himself to be informed in what he writes , as well as any that wrote before him ; if in this , the most consummate act of his fidelity and ripeness , noyears . no industry , no former proof of his abilities can bring him to that state of maturity as not to be mistrusted and suspected , unless he carry all his considerate diligence , all his midnight watchings , and expense of Palladian oil , to the hasty view of an unleisured licenser , perhaps much his younger , perhaps far Ms inferior in judgment , perhaps one who never knew the labour of book writing ; and if he be not repulsed , or slighted , must appear in print like a puny with his guardian , and his censor ' s hand on the back of his title to be Ms bail and surety that he is no idiot or seducer ; it cannot be but a dishonour and derogation to the author , to the book , to the privilege and dignity of learning .

      Continuing his argument , MlLTOS happily observes : — " Truth and understanding are not such wares as to be monopolised and traded in by tickets , and statutes , and standards . * * * What is it but a servitude like that imposed by the Philistines , not to be allowed the sharpening of our own axes and coulters , but we must repair from all quarters to twenty licensing forges 1 " He adds : — Had any one written and divulged erroneous things and scandalous to honest life , misusing and forfeiting the esteem had of Ms reason among men , if after conviction this only censure were adjudged him , that he should never henceforth write but what were first examined by an appointed officer , whose hand should be annexed to pass Ms credit for him ,

      that now he might be safely read , it could not be apprehended less than a disgraceful punishment . Whence to include the whole nation , and those that never yet thus offended , under such » diffident and suspectful prohibition , may plainly be understood what a disparagement it is . So much the more when as debtors and delinquents may walk abroad without a keeper , but unqftensive books must not stir forth without a visible jailor in their title . Nor is it to the common people less than a reproach ; for if we be so jealous over them , as that we dare not trust them with an English pamphlet , what do we but censure them for a g iddy , vicious , and ungrounded people ; in such a sick and weak state of faith and discretion as to be able to take nothing down but through the pipe of a lieencer ?

      We might quote many examples of Milton ' s felicitous power of illustration , —suffiee the following : —" Well knows he who uses to consider , that our faith and knowledge thrive b y exercise , as well as our limbs and complexion . Truth is compared in scripture to a streaming fountain ; if her waters flow not in a perpetual progression , they sicken into a muddy pool of conformity and tradition . " Not a word need be said in eulogy of the glowing eloquence of the following passage : —

      Methinks 1 see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself , like a strong man after sleep , and shaking her invincible locks ; methinfcg I see her as an eagle mewing her mighty youth , and kindling her undwxled eyes at the full midday beam ; purging and unsealing her long abused sight at the fountain itself of heavenly radiance ; while the whole noise of timorous and flocking birds , with those also that love the twilight , flutter about , amazed at what she means , and in their envious gabble would prognosticate a year of sects and scMsms . After this extract we will only add the following quotations ;—Give jib ihtb libertt to know , io utter , and to abcwb pbxelt , acc 0 bms & to conscience , above ALT . LIBERTY .

      Though all the winds of doctrine were let loese to p lay upon the earth , so truth be in the field , we do injuriously by licensing and proMbiting to misdoubt her strength . Let her and falsehood grapple ; WHO EVKU SSEW TRUTH MI TO THE WORSE IS A FREE AND OPEN I . VCOVXTEK ? Besides the above-named works , the present volume contains " Tracts on the Commonwealth . " - " Observations on Onnbnd ' sPeace , "

      " Letters of State to most of the Sovereign Princes arid Republics of Europe , " "Notes on Dr . Griffith ' s Sermon , " " Of Reformation in England , " " Of Prelatical Episcopacy , " " The Season of Church Government urged against Prelacy , " , " Of True Religion , Heresy , Schism , and Toleration ; " and "Of . Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes , showing that it is not lawful for . any poweron earth to compel m matters of Rehgion /'

      We hope to notice Vol . HX in next Saturday ' s . "Star . " We repeat our earnest good wishes for the . widc-spread circulation of this cheap , valuable ,, and most interesting edition of the prose works . of g lorious John Milton .

      Inquiry Concerning Political Justice, An...

      INQUIRY CONCERNING POLITICAL JUSTICE , and its influence on MORALS AND HAPPINESS . , By William & ot > i WKf . Londoti "; J ..-TTatsofl , 3 * . Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row . The fourth edition of Gooliotit's Political Justice , in two handsome rolumes , an invaluable addition to the excellent political works pre- ! viousl ypuhughed bvMr . WaXsOJ ? . Thi admirable

      s work was first published in January , 1793 . Tory terrorism was then in the ascendant ia this country , and fierce was the persecution waged by both aristocrats and moboerats against the few good men and true who dared to defend tho cause of justice and proclaim the principles of equity . At the moment that the first edition of this work made its appearance , the " Life-and-Portune-Men" were forming associations and subscribing to public funds , for the purpose of prosecuting , persecuting , and hunting down every

      man suspected of entertaining ff Jacobin opinions . " Every publication which advocated Reform—political , social , or religious—was voted " unconstitutional , " and the cry of "Jacobin , " like that of " mad dog , " sufficed to cover any amount of persecution , legal or illegal , directed agaipBtthe obnoxious party so entitled by popular ignorance or aristocratic villany . Speaking of hia own work the author wrote ( in January , 1793 ) : —" All the prejudices of the human mind are in arms against it" " But , " he added , " ft is the property of truth to be fearlesi andf to prove victorious over every adversary . , It requires no great degree of fortitude to look with indifference upon the

      false fire of the moment , and to foresee the calm period of reason which will succeed . " Despite the rancour of- the enemies of Justice , the first edition having been disposed of , a second was published in October , 1795 . A third . edition appeared in . 1797- From that time but little was heard of this work , until recently Mr . Watson published a fourth edition at a mere fraction of the original price . What that gentleman ' * success may hitherto have been we cannot say } hut this we will say : He has deserved success , and we earnestly hope that the speedy sale of the present , and the demand for a fifth edition of this sound , eloquent , and admirable , work , will be his reward ,

      , ThefirBt volume is divided intofour '' books , '' subdivided into chapters , treating of a vast number of questions—metaphysical , moral , p olitical , and social . The reader will derive considerable assistance from a summary of the principles established and reasoned upon by the author , prefixed to the first volume . Wo select a few paragraphs for extract t —•

      POVJSRII A CRIWK . The manners prevailing in many countries are accurately calculated to impress a conviction , that integrity , virtue , understanding , and industry , are nothing , and that opulence is every thing . Does a man , -whose exterior denotes indigence , expect to be well received in society , especially by those who would bo understood to dictate to the rest ? Does he find or imagine himself in want of their assistance and favour ? He is presently tattght . that no merit can atone for a mean appearance . The lesson that is read to him is , " Go home , enrich yourself by whatever means ; obtain those superfluities which are alono regarded as estimable , and you may then be secure of an amicable reception . " Accordingly

      poverty in such countries ie viewed as the greatest of demerits . It is escaped from with an eagerness that has no leisure for the scruples of honesty . It is concealed as the most indelible disgrace .. While one man chooses the path of undistinguishing accumulation , another plunges into expenses which are to impose him upon the world as a more opulent man than he is . He hastens to the reality of that penury , the appearance of which he dreads ; and , together with Ms property , sacrifices the integrity , veracity , and character which might have consoled him in his adversity . * * * . If admiration were not generally deemed the exclusive property of the rich , and contempt the constant lacquey of poverty , the love of gain would cease to bo ail universal passion . A LBSSOS MUCH NEEDED BT SELFISH ARISTOCRATS .

      Few things have contributed more to undermine the energy and virtue of the human species , than the supposition that we have a right—as it has been phrased—to do what we will with our own ; It is thus that the miser , who accumulates to no end that which diffused would have conduced to the welfare of thousands ; that the luxurious man , who wallows in indulgence , and sees numerous families around him pining in . beggary , never fail to tell us of their rights , and to silence animadversion and quiet the

      censure of their own minds , by observing , "that they came fairly into possession of their wealth , that they owe no debts , and that of consequence no man has authority to inquire into their private manner of disposing of that which appertains to them . " We have in reality nothing that is , strictly speaking , our own . We have nothing that has not a destination prescribed to it by the inscrutable voice of reason and justice , and respecting which , if we supersede that destination , we do not entail upon ourselves a certain portion of guilt .

      FALSEHOOD AXD TRUTH . It has been taught that men would tear each other to pieces if they had not priests to direct their consciences , lords to consult for their tranquillity , kings to pilot them in safety through the dangers of the political ocean . But whether they be misled by these or other prejudices , whatever be the fancied terror that induces them quietly to submit to have their hands bound behind them , and the scourge vibrated over their heads , all these are questions of reason . Truth may be presented to them in such irresistible evidence , perhaps by such degrees familiarised to their apprehension , as ultimately to conquer the most obstinate prepossessions . THE VAST IHPOMAKCE OS H 0 KESTY AND C 0 URAO 1 S .

      What is it that , at this day , enables a thousand errors to keep their station in the world ; priestcraft , tests , bribery , war , cabal , and whatever else excites the disapprobation of the honest and enlightened mind ? Cowardice ; the timid reserve which makes men shrink from telling that they know ; and the insidious policy that annexes persecution and punishment , to an unrestrained and spirited discussion of the true interests of society . Men either refrain from the publication of unpalatable opinions ; because they are unwilling to make a sacrifice of then- wordly prospects ; or they publish them in a frigid and enigmatical spirit , stripped of their true character , and incapable of their genuine operation . If every man to-day would tell all the truth he knew , it is impossible to predict how short would be the reign of usurpation and folly .

      PERSECUTION ASD MA . RTTRD 0 M . The wise man will avoid persecution , because a protracted life , and an unfettered liberty , are likely to enable him to produce a greater sum of good . He will avoid persecution , because he will bo unwilling to add fuel to the flames of contention . He will regret it when it ' arriveg , because he believes it to he both wicked and mischievous . But he will not avoid it by the sacrifice of a virtuous but tempered activity . He will not regret it with a mean and pusillanimous spirit , but will meet it when it can no longer he prevented , with that dignity of soul and tranquillity of temper that are characteristic of true wisdom . He will not imagine that the cause of truth will perish , though he should he destroyed . He will make ' the best of tho situation to which he is reduced , and endeavour that bis death , like his life , may be of use to mankind .

      We shall take an early occasion to return to this work , which , in the meantime , we have much p leasure in recommending to our readers .

      Rotal Roiytecbnic Institbtion. ~ On The ...

      Rotal roiYTECBNic Institbtion . ~ On the entrance of the visitor to this establishment , the eye is attracted by the variety of apparatus exhibited connected with practical science and domestic industry . For instance , there is a power-loom for weaving checks i cotton-spinning machinery of all descriptions for making hose , & c . ; a warping-web ; ivory , hard-wood , and brass turning ; and Napier ' s patent printing-machine , all in full work . In the centre of the Great Hall are two canals , in which are numerous models of vessels , steamers , < fcc . . here , also , the Diving-bell is exhibited , with the divers , who exhibit the latest deposits of nautical apparatus , and among them is a mattress stuffed with small cork shavings , for the purpose of preserving life from shipwreck , and for use at sea as a bed . During the dav and everv exhibition . Doctor Bachoflher

      f ives interesting lectures ou Chemistry and Natural 'hilosophy . Among all these highly interesting and useful objects , the Fine Arts , are not forgotten .. as Sculpture , 6 cm and Seal Engraving by'Mr . Gilford ; Painting , by Mr . Rivers ; Glass-blowing and Lithographic-printing are also exhibited to the visitors . The Dissolving Views are got up with great care and attention , and exhibit interesting objects . Among them is a view of California , the rtew El Dorado , and all are highly-finished pictures . Mr . Beard carries on his process for taking portraits by the action of light , termed Photography .. Great improvements have lately taken place m this wonderful art > as may be seen in the rooms of the institution . A most efficient orchestra , conducted by Dr . Wallis , D . M ., justly adds to the pleasure which surrounds the visitor , itnd gives a most excellent

      finish to the whoie . : . xT Sir John ' Franklin's ExPEDmos .-NoTicE to ? Mari * ers . —The following has . been received at LioydVfrom the Admiralty ; - ' « Twenty thousand pounds sterling reward , to begiven byhcr Majesty g Government to such private ship , or distributed amonfc . such private-ships , or to any exploring party or parties , of any country , as may , in the judgment of the Board of [ Admiralty , have rendered efficient assistance to Sir John Franklin , his ships , or their crews , and mayhave contributed directly to extri-Vard

      cate them from the ice . H . G . ^ , Secretary to the Admiralty . London , March 23 , 1849 . " The attention of whalers , or of any other ships or oarties" disposed to aid in this service , is particularly directed to Smith ' s Sound and Jones s Sound , m Baffin ' s Bay . , to . Regent ' s Inlet and the Gulf of Boothia , as well as to any of the inlets or channels leading out of Barrow ' s Strait , particularly Wellington Strait , or the sea beyond , either ; northward or southward . — " Vessels entering through Behring s Straits would necessarily direct their search north and south of Melville Island . ¦ ¦ ..

      „ The Armagh Gazette states that Dr . Kierafl will be appointed to the Catholic primacy . He has been appointed vicar capitular , though' the Rev . Mr . iennox had a majority tf the votes « f the clergy .

      Rotal Roiytecbnic Institbtion. ~ On The ...

      S mSl NE AND SHADOW ; A TALE OF THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY . BT THOMAS MARTLV WHEBUER , Late Secretary to the National Charter Association and National Land Company .

      Ciuptbr V . If to the city sped—What waits him there ? To see profusion that he may not share—To see ten thousand baneful arts combined , To pamper luxury and thin mankind ; To see each joy the sons of pleasure know Extorted from Ms fellow creature ' s woe . Hero while the courtier glitters in brocade , There the pale artist plies the sickly trade ; Here while the proud their long-drawn pomp display , There tile black gibbet glooms beside the way ; The dome where Pleasure holds her midnight reign , Here richly deck'd admits the gorgeous train ; ruraultuous grandeur crowds tho blazing square , The rattling chariot * clash , the torched glare . Goldsmith .

      At the close of a fine July day Arthur Morton , the term of his apprenticeship having expired , after seven years' absence , once more visited London . The beauty of the evening had drawn forth the myriads of the metropolis from their close-heated rooms and workshops to the streets and lanes of this giant-heart of the mighty centre of tho world ' s civilisation ; and as he traversed suburbs , and mile after mile of glittering shops passed like a fairy scene before his view he felt something like regret at the opportunities of acquiring wisdom and experience ho had lost by passing his apprentice years at the small town of M , but with hearty resolution determined that future exertions should not be wanting to distil the essence ot wisdom in

      the vast human laboratory he was now entering . London ! thou mighty shroud for misery and want , and equally mighty emblazoner of luxury and pomp , who can look on thee after years of absence and not feel amazed at thy stupendous concentration of all that is rich and rare in talent , art , and science , and also all that is base , vicious , and degrading , so mixed and mingled together that it would take the wisdom of a life to dissever the pure from the impure ? To thee fly the outcasts from all the nations of the earth , The tyrant monarch , driven from his throne , and the patriots flying from the despot ' s rage . Thou openest thy embracing arms to all ; genius flies to thee as the enlightened almoner to reward and extend her flight : poverty rushes to thy

      embrace , that it may reap the reward of toil or die in thy enfolding arms . In thy vast panorama what sudden changes of scene meet our view ; one moment the gorgeous palace , next the den of crimethe merchant ' s mansion and the debtor ' s gaol—the senate house and tho gallows drop—the gin palace and the house of prayer . Each passing moment introduces new actors to the scene ; now the monarch great in her high-sounding titles , next the infected courtesan , the titled lordling , and the adept in crime—the millionaire and the starving artizan—the Christian bishop and the Atheist priest . All—all find room in thy capacious bosom—all minister to thy greatness , and contributetorendertheeaworld in thyself—a complete microcosm of humanity ; thy

      mighty arteries now bursting with excitement , anon gliding with the Iangour of exhaustion , but , alas . ' seldom pulsing with the healthful glow of serenity . With such reflections as these Arthur Morton pursued his way towards his uncle ' s residence ; but his reception there was so cold and chill , and the plea of having no bed aired so iced with inhospitality , that he gladly turned his steps to an inn for his night's repose , and , thrown on his own resources with but a guinea in his pocket , was left to Struggle with the mighty crowd of the mighty town . Oh , that cant phrase , " thrown on their own resources ! " how glibly it slides off the tongue of our sapient legislators , who never apply it but to the industrial classes , whilst not a law is made , nor a custom enforced ,

      but tends to dry up and cripple those resources . Ye legislators , wrapped up in the party-coloured raiment of your political economy ; ye idle drones in the world ' s great hive , the day will yet come when you will , indeed , be thrown on your own resources , and then will the miseries that you have inflicted on others , have to bo endured by yourselves . Day after day did Arthur wander from street to street seeking employment , but in vain ; trade was unusually dull , and the country apprentice was not sufficiently initiated into the mysteries of London Trade Societies , to be a successful competitor with older hands acquainted with the ways of town . His few shillings were now gradually sinking into pence ; starvation was in his thoughts and

      approaching towards reality ; of friends he was utterly destitute , and his pride revolted against again seeking Ms unfeeling relative . Once his thoughts turned upon his old acquaintance , Walter North , but he was estranged and far distant ; the image of his sister , the lovely , the tender-hearted Julia , crossed his imagination—it had often done so during tho long wearisome years of his apprenticeship—for she was his first and only female friend , but he shrank from informing her or her parents of his destitute condition ; and thus was he alone in that most lonely of all places to the poor and friendless—busy , bustling London . Oh , how changed was the current of his thoughts , from those with which he entered it but a few brief days previously . Hopes and

      anticipations of profitable employment , and vague dreams of future greatness , were then rife in his mind ; now all was dreary and desolate , hope was sinking low in his bosom , and its reaction , despair , was fast usurping its place . London , the great nursing mother of the kingdom—he did not anticipate she would refuse to own and embrace him , and bitterly he felt his lot . Ah ! little did he know the fickle nature of this wizard mother ; she receives all in her mighty womb—on some she lavishes kindness and favour , but her lodging houses in her courts and alleys could tell a fearful tale of the thousands who have died from the neglect to give them proper sustenance ; yea , her pride , the mighty Thames , could ( five up hosts of pale and shrunken ghosts ,

      who , neglected by this pitiless mother , have flown to her cold and watery embrace , from fear of that most direful of all spectres—famine gasping in the lap of plenty . Sad and awful spectacle ! becoming , alas ! too familiar to impress ns with all its horrible reality . Were it not so , we should rush to the rescue of sinking humanity , and indignantly demand that the guilty record should be blotted from the annals of our land . Would that the grave could give back its unburied dead , and then' gaunt forms pass in review before the eyes of our legislators , shouting in their terror-stricken ears , , * Died from your neglect !" then mi g ht we wring from then' fears that justice which they have denied to our repeated appeals . Ireland , thOU sepulchre of famine ' s dead ! what a terrific host wouldsfc thou add to this muster roll . Numerous and hard-hearted as are thy enslavers , they would shrink before the host of their murdered

      victims , and thy dead children would burst those fetters which frantic efforts of the living serve only to strengthen and rc-rivet . Let this Golgotha bo removedrrom our sight . Humanity sickens at the scene—our chill bloodboils in our veins—and we pray , as a last resource , that the wild justice of revenge may rid us of their and our oppressors ; that the stain of thy blood—so deeply redly dyed—may be washed from our hands ; that the crimes of centuries may be forgiven , and that we remain no longer the reproach and scorn of the world , Let the careless , and the lukewarm , bear in mind , that " He who permits oppression , shares the crime , " and awaken from their criminal apathy . Let not thisjwithering reflection blight their latest moments : that they might have saved their country—might , but would not . s ( To be continued . )

      Apropos Of Speech-Making. When A Nation ...

      APROPOS OF SPEECH-MAKING . When a nation is troubled with wind in tho stomach , it has no remedy left but to belch it forth . The empty stomach of Ireland has long been subject to this complaint , and for seventy years she has done little else than make the world aware of it . " . . . First , Grattan and Curran , the philippic-makers of our better-fed age , uttered it , ana then O'Conncll and Shell—voluminous valves—let off the unwhole some flatulency , and in these last days a dozen mouths have done nothing butbelchfor the poor old widow-weeded island . And of this what has come ? What of it ? What Of it ? That future our fancy hung with garlands is crushing our souls to death , between its caudine forks .

      Did ever speech-making make or save a country ? In that monster agitation , got up by Demosthenes , when he hurled his high and haughty defiance at Macedonia , what did the Athenians gain ? They were , as far as we can see , left worse than they were found . Cicero , another great orator , talked Caesar into empire , while- Cajsar himself made the shortest possible speeches- ^ -witness , '" Veni , vidi , vici . " > The orator , indeed , is seldom the deliverer of his people . Every now and then a race or nation noed a voice to proclaim its conclusions or celebrate its advance ; but in danger or decay it is rigid selfreliances , and intense application to practical work , that c * . n alone save it .

      Hear ye not this truth echoing out of the high places of history , oh people of Ireland . —AW York " Nation . "

      .An Obvious Ikferexce.—An Iowa Stump Ora...

      . An Obvious Ikferexce . —An Iowa stump orator , wishing to describe his opponent as a soulless man said , " I have heard some persons hold the opinion , that just at the precise moment after one human being dies another is born , and the soul enters and animates the new-born babe . Now I hare made particular and extensive inquiries concerning my opponent ihar , and I , find that for some hours'Before he drew- breath nobody died . Fellowcitizens . I leave you to draw the inference !'

      What Is Liberty? (From No. V. Of Chartis...

      WHAT IS LIBERTY ? ( From No . V . of Chartist Tracts for the Times . Edited by the Kirkdale Chartist prisoners . ) Liberty appears to us as a manly form , who plants his foot firmly o » the earth , and erecting his head to the heavens , as the source of life and intellect , resolutely maintains a rigid determination that neither his mind nor his manhood shall be made into merchandise by any earthly muck-worra . * . # . # M e take the Word liberty , in , its widest and most comprehensive state , neither pinning our faith to Republicanism , Chartism , Socialism , or Communism ; except inasmuch as each or all are capable of

      developing man ' s physical and mental qualities for a superior state of existence . In this respect we are friendly to each of these sets of principles or theories , without looking at either , as an ultimatum . But monarchy ,, which includes the vile aristocratic principle , we look upon as the deadly upas that poisons every vestige of justice and humanity with which it comes in contact ; and as such , in all its grades and phases , to be shunned , abhorred , and driven from society . It is founded on fraud and pretence , bloodshed and ignorance , and at variance with the laws of nature . It is a lie and a libel on humanity , and the sooner the , world is rid of its presence ,

      the better will it be for the peace and harmony of the human race . You who require proof of these assertions , read any history—we care . not whichand you will find it full ef scarcely anything else than the wars and devastations which kings have inflicted on mankind ; therefore with thtm no real lover of his species can sympathise . Personally , Kings and Queens may be as good as other people , and , for ought we know to the contrary , Queen Vvitommy be as good and as virtuous as any of her subjects j but it is not with persons but principles , which we have to deal , and the influence which they exercise on the destinies of nations .

      Were we asked whether we are Republicans ? We should reply that if by a Republic was meant , one who desired a government by the people , for the people , for the benefit of all , where each citizen should have equal power and protection , and where the tawdry trappings of royalty should be utterly cast out , —where man would be taught to view in his fellow-man , a brother , and not an article of trade or profit , —emphatically , Yes ! But if the word « Republic' was to be a mere name , or cloak under which all the vices and even forms of royalty were to be maintained , such as that under the presidency of Louis Napoleon in France , we should scout the idea

      of such Republic , as a gross cheat . The Republic of America is little better in our estimation , for it is the upholder of slavery in its most odious and revolting features , and the evils of our commercial system are as predominant there , as they are under the inert despotic monarchies . If the honest friends of Republicanism in France are fairly represented in the accounts which we have read , we warmly sympathise with them , and should not blush to declare ourselves , with them , Red Republicans , and we shall rejoice at tha ultimate triumph of the Social and Democratic Republic . As we have previously remarked , we attach no importance to names , or phrases ; we desire the reality .

      We desire our readers to bear in mind our solemn conviction , that even under a Republic they may suffer all the disadvantages which result from Monarchies , if they permit similar institutions to exist . For this reason , we should oppose the office of president , as under that title , and with the power thereunto attached , the office is liable to he abused , and the worst consequences ensue , especially in young republics . But the existence ef abuses in a free and veritable republic is the fault of the people who permit them , and by no means an argument in favour of a monarchy . The Causes of Revolutionary Failures . —

      Political mengers' scoffs shall not deter us . Hear us , brothers I Political theory is one thing , and social application another . The mass of worldlings will applaud your political theory , whilst they will use hell ' s devices to mar its social application . Herein is the secret , and we shall show you how it works . In all political struggles , the people are uniformly honest and sincere , and the same feelings which they possess themselves , they as willingly attribute to others ; but bankrupt demagogues and political charlatans step in the front rank when no danger is to be apprehended , and snatch away that for which the people are contending , or have secured , and by plausible speech and cajolery defraud

      them of their newly-won rights , because they were not sufficiently versed in the method of maintaining them , that they might be enabled to barter them for their own advantage . Suppose them to be elected as a Provisional Government , they pretend to act cautiously tor the better security of the people . Elect them as members of a National Assembly , and they are for mediating between the vanquished oppressors and their victims , until , by vacillation and diplomatic fencing , they espy a chance of overturning the very system which they were chosen to protect . This mainly arises from the undue importance which the people attach to what is termed

      respectability ; for , instead of appointing an honest workman to be their guide and safeguard , they thrust their favours on the bourgeoisie , or middle men , who uniformly betray them on the first opportunity . The application of political theory to social practice is the question which concerns the real seeders for liberty . We want substance , not / om , and until the people have sufficient intelligence to see clearly into this matter , liberty will be a dead letter to them . A people depressed and degraded , may be roused up to a tumultueuj and momentary effort to be free , bnt lacking a true knowledge of what liberty means , they are incapable of maintaining it ,

      Historic Parallels. Bvoxararte Axn O'Bri...

      HISTORIC PARALLELS . BvoxArARTE Axn O'Brien . —On the 25 th of May , 1 S 45 , Louis Napoleon Buonaparte made Ms escape from Ham . On the very same day Smith O'Brien was discharged from the coal cellar of the House oi Commons , after twenty-four days' imprisonment . In December , 1848 , Louis Napoleon is President of the French Republic ; Mr . Smith O'Brien a prisoner and all but forgotten . We copy the above from Douglas Jerrold s newspaper . It is easy and hot very dignified to jibe over the fallen—and Mr . Jerrold , as editor of a Whig newspaper , which has quite enough serious business to do , if it does it , cannot always forget the vagabond show-box , and Punch ' s grin . He must , therefore , be forgiven if he play the fool over the misfortunes of a brave man .

      Yet the above coincidence suggested to our minds a week or two since , when we had to chronicle the § residential election of tho prisoner of Ham , very ifferent reflections . Perhaps it would be better for Englishmen in general , and those tinged with utilitarian Radicalism in particular , if they took a warning with their laugh . If Mr . O'Brien should hereafter attain tho rank in his native land to which his courage , and sincere unselfish love of her entitle him , it would not be an event so strange as that the scapegrace of Boulogne , a vain , ambitious , selfadulatory man , shoula now reign in the land whore so lately he lay a captive . In days like these there is no lease of empire ; and England is not so stable that she can afford to joke on her fall . —From the New Yorh" People . "

      The Bitbr Bit.—A Few Days Ago A Sheriff'...

      The Bitbr Bit . —A few days ago a sheriff ' s bailiff , in the county of Sligo , arrested a man for debt , and directed his steps towards the county prison at Sligo . On the way they shortened the road by conversation , ar id , occasionally , a " blast of the pipe , " entering now and then a house to obtain a " coal . " One of the cabins they visited for this latter purpose happened to bo a shebeen house , and after a glass or two the prisoner remarked the potteen was so good and the road so long they might as well have a bottle of the stuff to keep their courage up , and the landlady securing the cork , the bailiff having a capacious coat pocket , he deposited it therein . Passing through the village of Skreen they entered the revenue police-barrack to "light the pipe , " and while engaged in this delightful occupation the

      attention of one of the " revenuemen" was caught by a very significant wink and a nod from the prisoner , which he read to be that contraband goods were at hand . Directing his attention to the pocket of the fiinctionary of the law he perceived an unusual projection , and , knocking against it accidentally , he demanded to see what it was . To this the bailiff demurred , alleging it was a sample of turf he was taking to Sligo , but the revenue ' s sense of smelling was too keen , he hunted up the game , pulled out the cork , and pronounced it unchristened nnttcen . To pass over such a breach of the law on

      the part of one of the executive was not to be thought of , he accordingly requested the bailiff ' s attendance before a neighbouring magistrate , enforcing the invitation , by a pair of handcuffs . It was in vain to say nay , the revenue was inexorable , and the " bailiff was " agreeable to go , " if the prisoner would accompany him . To this , however , the revenue officer objected , he had no charge against him , and the debtor , with a peculiar application of Ms thumb to the tip of his hose , having wished the bailiff " the top of tfhe morning , ' * proceeded on his way home rejoicing—ifowo Constitution .

      The Bitbr Bit.—A Few Days Ago A Sheriff'...

      Lireiitt . — « Shame , that any should have been found to speak li ghtly of liberty—whose worth is so testiacd—whose benefits are so numerous and so ncli . Moralists have praised it—poets have sung lt-tno gospel has taught and breathed it—patriots and martyrs have died for it . As a temporal blessing it is beyond all comparison , and above all praise . It is the air we breathe—the food we eatthe raiment that clothes us—the sun that enlightens , vivifies , and gladdens all on whom it shines ' —without it what are honours , and riches , and all similar endowments ? "What is slavery , an > . l what docs ib do ? It darkens and degrades the intellect—it

      paralyses the hand of industry—it is the iiourishcr of agonising fears and sullen rovegc—it crushes the spirit of the bold—it belios the doctrines , it contradicts the precepts , it resists tho poiver , it sots at defiance the sanctions of religion—it is tho tempter , the murderer , and the tomb of virtue—ami either blasts the felicity of those over whom it domineers , or forces them to seek relief from their sorrows in tho gratifications , the mirth , and the mswbiess of tho passing hour . "—Dr . A . Thomson ' s Sermon .-. 1829 . POVKRTT AND IVeALTII . —If HCll , it IS CaSY CO COIL ceal our wealth ; but if poor , it is not quito so easy to conceal our poverty . We shall find that it U less difficult to hide a thousand guineas than one hole in our coat .

      A Great Fact . —Tho very worst Roman republican government that ever existed ( savs the Morning [ braid ) cannot be worse than tho God-abandoned government of the host of the popes . A GB . U . VT . Truth . —Tho parent who would train up a child in the way he should go , must go in the way in which he would train up the child . " A Comfort !—A dying West India planter , groaning to his favourite negro servant , sigheff out , "Ah , Sambo , I ' m going a long—long journey . " " Nobbormind , Massa , " said the ni ^ scr l-oaxinsly "him all down hill . "

      A Thifuxo JliSTAKE . —A good lady who had two children sick with tho measles ivrote' to a friend for the best remedy ; while the friend had just received a note from , another lady inquiring the way to make pickles . In the confusion the lady who hall inquired about tho pickles received the remedy for tlwi measles , while the anxious mother of the sick children read the following : —" Scald them three or four times in hot vinegar , sprinkle them well with salt , and in a few days they will he cured . " The Satcrhalu of Chimb . — " The assizes , " remarks the Gloucester Journal , " arc the saturnalia of crime . Tradesmen count their gains ; the inns resound with jollity ; tho streets are merry with music ; and 'the founders of the feast '—the thieves , ruffians , and manslayers—caught in tho drag-net of tho law , arc torn with expectation , or overwhelmed by despair . "

      Choose vour Compast . —An amusing incident occurred some time since at the city clerk ' s office . A stout Irishman came in at the same time with an enormous dog , and said to Mr . M'Clcavy , who sat at his desk , " May it plaze year honour , I want a licence . " Mr . M'Cleary quietly wrote out the licence , and handed it to the man . "And how much am I to pay ? " " Two dollars . " " Two dollars ! A friend of mine got ono here only a dav or two ago for fifty cents . " It must be » mista ' ke , " replied Mr . M'Cleary . "I have been a great many years , and never issued a dog licence under two dollars . " " Dog ! " cried the Irishman ; " hang tho do « . _ I never saw the baste before . I want to geb married . ' "

      Wnv akj > Because . — "Why is a hungry man waiting for his breakfast willing to be a martyr ?—Because ho longs to go to tho sKak . A Dauntless Patriot . —The Act for the Militia being passed ( 1050 ) , the command of all the forces and garrisons settled on Monk , and the fleet in his power jointly with Colonel Montague , the pretended parliament authorised their Council of State to provide for tho public safety on all emergencies , and to dispose of affairs as they should think fit , till the meeting of the next parliament ; which , boin < r done , and the House ready to pass the Act for thoir own dissolution , Mr . Carew , who had been as forward as any man in the beginning and carrying on tiic war against the late king , moved , that before they dissolved themselves they should bear their witness against the horrid murder ( as ho called it ) of the king . This unexpected motion prevailed with many

      then present , to deny their concurrence to that act against the king , though not to reflect in the same manner on those who had been concerned in it . And ono of them concluding his discourse , with protesting "that he had neither hand nor heart in that affair , " Mr . Thomas Scott , ( who had been so much deluded by the hypocrisy of Monk ) in abhorrence of that base spirit , said , "that although he knew not where to lay his head at that time , yet ho durst not refuse to own , that not only Ms baud but his heart also was in it ; " and after iic had pronounced divers reasons to prove the justice of it , he concluded , " that he should desire no greater honour in this world than that the following inscription should be engraved on his tomb : — ' Here licth one who had a hand and a heart in the execution of Charles Stuart , late King of England . ' "Ludloiv s Memoirs , 1698 .

      The SjsAsoff . —Old Candlomas-day was hold in great repute previous to the change of style in the year 1752—honcc the ancient rhyme" If Candlemas-day be damp and black , It will carry cold winter away on its back ; But if candlemas-day be bright and clear , The half of winter ' s to come this year . " If this proverb be true , we may expect from the "bright and clear" aspect of tho weather on that day , that " half the winter is yet to come . " Important to Lovers . —Rousseau says , that to write a good love-letter , you ought to begin without knowing what you mean to say , and finish without knowing what you have said . Newspapers is the Reign OF Jamks II No

      newspaper was published ofecner than twice a week . None exceeded in size a single small leaf . The quantity of matter which one contained in a year was not more than is often found in two numbers of the Times . After the defeat of the Whigs , it was no longer necessary for the king to be sparing in tho use of what the judges had pronounced to bo . his undoubted prerogative . At the close of his reign no newspaper was suffered to appear without his allowance , anil his allowance was given only io the London Gazette . The London Gazette came out only on Mondays and Thursdays . The contents generally were a royal proclamation , two or three Tory addresses , notices of two or three promotions , an ac ^ count of a skirmish between the imperial troops and the Janissaries on the Danube , a description of a highwayman , an announcement of a grand cockfight between two persons of honour , and an advertisement offering a reward for a strayed dog .

      The Frkv : Trade Creed . —A frenchman was seen bargaining for half a dozen sheep . '' What are you about ? ' said a friend . '' I have heard say , " replied Monsieur , " you must 'buy sheep and sell dear . ' I shall buy de sheep and sell do venison t " A Conjugal HiVr . —In former days , Mr . Graham was session clerk and parochial teacher of ; and although he faithfully and ably discharged all the duties of his double office , still ho occasionally fell into the sin of drinking a little too nnich . His spouse , as a matter of course , was sorry to witness this failing of her guidman , and often remonstrated with him on tho impropriety of his conduct . But the husband turned the point of her rebuke by simply exclaiming : — " True , I get mysoP whiles half fou ; but , do yc no ken , my dear , that if it Jiadna been for that bit fau't , ye ne ' er wad hae been Mrs . Graham ?"

      The Hop Tax . —Dancing with a sprightly maiden of fifty , while your charming Sophia is polkaing it with a handsome dragoon . Sharp Practice . — On the 10 th inst ., a man named Williams , the head of the Dudley scavengers was buried in St . Thomas ' s church , having previously " shuffield off his mortal coil , " to the great affliction of his disconsolate helpmate , who followed his remains to their place of sepulture , like Rachel , " wiping bitterly , and refusing to ho comforted . " On the next morning this bereaved and brokenhearted fliobe donned , not her " kirtle green , " but her widow ' s weeds , and hastened to Scdgley parish church , where she was united in tho hands of holy matrimony to a male friend who had mournfully joined the funeral procession on the preceding day . The widow had , haply , in mind Tom Moore s lines : —

      " Then waste not the time m digressions , For not to be blessed when you can , Is one of the darkest transgressions That happens' 'twixt woman and man . '" The Pope . —What a grand subject for a history the Popedom is ! The Pope ought never to have affected temporal sway , but to nave lived retired within St . Angelo and to have trusted to the superstitious awe inspired by his character and office . He spoiled hia chance when he meddled in the petty Italian politics .

      Fbench asd English Womeh . —A French -woman in f ; he decline of life is one of the most beautiful companions in the world . She retains a desire to please ( tho real source of coquetry ) to tho end of her days ; and this desire prevents her froai being cither cross or stupid . She dresses well ; that is to say a woman of forty does not , in France , dress like a girl of fifteen ; she takes care in the morning to arrange her hlond so that the coming wrinkles may appear but the shadow of the lace ; her figure is well sustained ; but by the aid of a little rouge and

      pencilling , her eyes the only beauty in a French face , look brilliant , and what is better still , good natured , to the last . Our women in England at forty or thereabouts , if they decline to act "miss In her teens , " take too long " to whist and heavy dinners . We cut short half our davs with this arrangement , and . mistake stupidity for wisdom ; as if there was more wisdom required in counting the spots on card-boaras than in creating mirth or clipping the hours wings with diamond scissors . —Mrs . S . C . Hall . Vanitt — " There is not a mite in the world ( says Lavater ) , but what thinks itself quite the cheese . .

      Vmttie*.

      vmttie * .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), April 28, 1849, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_28041849/page/3/