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iS OF ENGLAND of th ' V ' ' " v^mmm^ ._ ...
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;iS ^ p CONDlTlON ENGLAND lHE QUESTION. ...
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PARLIAMENTARY AND FINANCIAL. ' . EEEORM....
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Is Of England Of Th ' V ' ' " V^Mmm^ ._ ...
OF _' _V _' ' " v _^ mmm _^ . __ _Sit _& _MmMiteiuzueij _, ¦¦¦ \ 1 — ' - ¦ _^^^^^^^~ _~~ _^ _~ _~*~^^^^ m _~* 2 _!!??^ mmm _' - _~~ _- _» i 11 _~—~———~ mmmmam _^~ _m—^—— :.,. - _. ' ' -
;Is ^ P Condltlon England Lhe Question. ...
; _iS _^ p CONDlTlON _ENGLAND lHE QUESTION . ( _Condewed from the _JfernittjJ Chronich . ) _^ hvnlTION OF THE LABOURER IN * _50 2 fDU 1 CORNWALL . - _-dostry of Cornwall is , from its position and J * _s of a varied character . It cannot be said re 5 0 _^ s any manufactures ,-in the ordinary accepta-¦ _opoSsK _^ term . ; but from its peculiar maritime ti ° ? , . _, L and from its being the extreme and the - _•" _wtnart 0 f the metalliferous peninsula which con"¦ _rttes the south-west of England , it sustains , along A its agricultural , a lar » e _fishiBg and mining _in-Vz-c Generally speaking , the various _pursuits of _^ oalture , mining , and fishing are carried on _sepa-^ ir from each other ; but they are sometimes " _jmbined in different ways and degrees—the agricul-{ _nrist being occasionally the fisher , and the miner S o -- to some extent , an agriculturist . Bnt it is _^ _qhjd , if ever , that you find the two pursuits of _¦" rticultnre and mining _combiued-themanwhois _^ customed to drive the plough upon the surface h iring apparently no inclination to descend below it "• _ifi ? "" .. _ .. _. _rmrnW : C _^ _. _TP . _TiSrL 1 . k _WTT
jn quest of a _livelihood . Besides , even were he to indmed , his-previous habits would by no means fit him for the vfork . __ The agrieulinral labourer is not a very adaptable animal . He may do his own work , but it is with difficulty that you can apply hira to anything else . "When he engages in fishing , itis only to do tbe more ordinary parts of the work . He works with , but is not of , the tribe of fishermen . Should he descend into the mine , the chances are that he would never emerge from it . It is a rare sig ht to see a miner a fisherman . When he is so , it js generally io the pilchard season , when there is a great demand for hands both afloat and ashore . In nine cases out of ten in which yon find him thus _employed he is a surface , and not an under-ground , man . Indeed , the latter entertains for lum the greatest contempt , refusing him a place in the _fraternit of miners .
y Cornwall i 3 dotted over with small rural towns , every one of which contains , more or less , an assemblage of tenements which are unfit to betoken the comp letion of thefiiat stage in civilisation . Some of them are crowded tea degree perilous to morals and disastrous to health . This arises not only from th- want of new , but also from the destruction of old , cottages . If the clearing system has not been carried on in Cornw-. il , the work has been as effectually , if not a speedily , done by the natural decay of cottages to save which from des truction no effort has been made . Take , as an examp le of what is to be found 5 n other portions of Cornwall exclusively agricultural , or nearly so , what has been done in this re-< -peet " in the parishes of St . Martins and Talked . In
area , both these parishes are large , and ( with but little exception ) they are both entirely under cultivation . - A great deal of labour is annually required for the tillage of so Iai-ge an area , and yet bnt few of the labourers who work in these parishes live in either of them . Thev have been gradually driven into the towns of East and West Looe , -where they inhabit the most wretched tenements , looking , in most cases , . filthy in the extreme , notwithstanding the very gene fd cleansing which cottages , here as _elsewhere , received under apprehensions of the cholera . Some of them have taken refuge in the small fishing town of Polperro , exerting a rather baneful influence upon the morals of the community . They have either been driven out of their cottages in the neig hbourhood ,
or induced to leave fr « mtbe high _reDts demanded , and bave made their way to Polperro , where there appeared to be some room to spare , and where rents are low . A part of Polperro is in the parish of Talland , hut lying as it does at cno of the extreme points of the parish , the labourers experience the greatest inconvenience in beim : obliged dai _' y to walk great distances to their work . The bulk of the labourers , employed in the parishes in question , reside in the two Ju > _oes and in Polperro 5 so that _tonoe of theni have tn walk as much as five miles to their work , this involves , in addition to a day ' s work , a walk of ten miles a dav—of itself , in the estimation of many , sufficient exertion for one day . This is certainly one ofthe greatest hardships to -which the poor are subjected from the want of cottages .
Some of the smaller tenements in Liskeard are crowded to an extent distressing to witness-many ofthe miners working in the Caradon mines , fully four miles distant , living in the town . This subjects them , in addition to their work , to a walk of eight miles per day ; but they are obliged to submit to this , as tbey cannot find quarters nearer the mines . Thehouses and villages between the town and the mines are absolutely glutted with people . One case , whicli may be given in illustration of the state of things in liskeard . was that of a man and his wife , who had a miner lodging with them , all three _occapving the same bedroom at night . On suggesting to the woman that this must be a painfhl situation to her , she observed that it was , hut that they con'd not of
help it . They had but two rooms , and neither them could occupy tbe lower room . Their rent was high , atd they were therefore obliged to keep a lodger , whom they accommodated in ihe only room at their command , which could be used as a bedroom . Another case was that of a widow , who was in search of alodger . Her house had but two rooms , the upper of _whiih was her bedroom . I asked her if she intended that her lodger , if she got one , should sleep below . She replied in the negative . I tben _su-rgested that Ihe lodger she was in search of was onewho would invest himself with a lawful title to the occupancy of her own chamber . She again replied iu the negative , and on my looking somewhat puzzled , informed me that it was her own intention to sleep below . The _tomu was so cold and cheerless
that she could not offer it to a lodger , yet such was the bedroom -which she intended for herself . She said that the arrangement would suit her very well , as the miner would go early to bed , and she . wonld have the lower part of the house to herself- 1 asked her when she expected him to get np , to which she rep lied that he was likely to do so at an early hour of _them-Toing , as he had to walk four mi ' es to his work . He wonld , in short , be np before her hour of rising , which made me suggest to her that , although she might have the lower part of the house to herself at night , she wonld not he equally favoured in _themonung . " Oh , sir / ' said she , " you mustn ' t think us so had as we seem ; we ' re drove often to do what we don ' t like to do , or we wouldn ' t have a roof at all to cover us . "
In examining into the state of the labourers cottages , 1 _discovered that as much fault was found by the tenants with the Duchy of Cornwall as with the private proprietors . At many points I was informed that the agents and managers of the Dnchy exhibit the utmost indifference to the comforts of the tenants , _suffering cottages to go to ruin , and listening to no remonstrance in favour of repairs . The present average rate of wages paid to the agricultural labourer in Cornwall is 9 s . a weak . This , however , be it remembered , is hut the money rate , and by no means indicates the real extent of tbe labourer ' s command of she comforts of life . In dealing with the wages of Cornwall , the element of cider has not to be considered , as in Somerset and Devon .
The whole of the wages is paid in money , subject , though , perhaps , in different degrees , to some deductions common to other counties . I have already alluded to the comparatively high rent paid by the Cornish labourers , as being , pro tanto , a virtual rednctioo of nis wages . Bnt tiiis _js _^ not general , the highest rents being charged _^ only in those districts where , from the vicinity of inines there is a greater demand for , than a supply of , houses . This again , as already explained , onlyoccurs where mines have recently been established , so that it is far from being general . Still , however , in the neighbourhood of all mines , whether long or recently established , rents are somewhat higher than in the purely agricultural portions of the county- As mining operations are so
generally diffused over Cornwall , it therefore happens that there are hut few localities in the county that do not feel the effect of tlieir vicinity , in adding something to the rents . In the agricultural parishes most distant from them , the rents of cottages are on a level with those in the adjoining counties- Yon there , as in Devon , Somerset , or Witts , meet vritfa cottages with two or three rooms , rented at from 40 sto 50 s . a year . In these cases the cottagers enjoy their wages independently of any reduction on this account . -In all other cases , whether the rent he £ o , £ 3 10 s ., £ 1 , or £ 4 10 s ., the abatement which must be made from the nominal rate of wages is
about the same . Indeed , in many cases where the rents are highest , there is the least deduction to be made , as they are always highest nearest themine 3—the cottagers having thus a chance of mahing the difference wholly or partly up , and sometimes of adding to their means . But a little hack from the mines , -where the influence of high rents near them is felt , without giving the cottagers the'same opportunity , -the whole of the _differetce between tbe rents which they pay and the ordinary Tent of a cottage , may frequently be regarded as so much to be deducted from their _nbminaTamount of wages . But the most serious-deduction is that which must
hemadefor thehigh price which they are now paying for their corn . I have already alluded to the arrangement which baa elsewhere , asin"Watehire _; been prevalent—established for the benefit of the labourerof letting him have corn for his own consumption at " ¦ fi fed price , without any reference to 'fluctuations ia the market value of grain . Solong as the price of Sjain , _noiwithstanding its fluctuations , was generally high , the arrangement was advantageous to him : hut now tbat there is but little prospect of it ever ? Saia reaching the price at which it is sold to him , * t is obvious that the labourer must be iriured by its
_^ _ontinuanee . It falls at present wiih peculiar _ferity on the Cornish labourer . The arrangement hen-has been , for some time past , to let the labourer nave his grain for 16 s . and 8 s— that is to say , I 6 s _* _Wr bushel of wheat , and 8 s . per bnshelof barley . * J * Cornish bushel is double the size of the Win"ci l ester , so that , reduced to the measurement ap-? ie-aableby a Londoner , the arrangement is to _^ give 3 * corn at 8 s , and 4 s . - "Bu _^ -to adhere . "to the V " ni _* di measure , tho present price of tiie best wheat 28 about 10 s . 6 d . a bushel , and it is not the best Wi -W that the labourer gets here or _elsewhwe . The ;
;Is ^ P Condltlon England Lhe Question. ...
"r _^ . _^ - _^ Vf _^ *™ - , ueof thequality of graiii riven to pays 16 s . The maimer in which the * _aforiSnt operates is . this : In Cornwall , but Sr _? the labourers are paid by the _ week . Some art paid bv the fortnight , others by the _months Taking ! _flVas ?*« r -W *® _•*? _^ §? ? a man wouIa be entitled _l ° f % % fiinr W , - ? i ° _SopMng him tb have afamily , he would , during that time , consume about three pecks of wheat , and half a bushel of barley to . mix with the wheat . On being paid , at the end of the month , the value of these would be deducted from his wages . At the rate which he is obliged to pay . the wheat would come to 12 s ., and the barley to 4 s „ inall 16 s . He would , therefore , have but 20 s . __^ 1 - . Ll _.-x . - _ _Lii _ -- __» - .., - ! : . ' . _ - ' . " '
to receive as money Tt ages at ihe end of the month . The hardship to him is this : Supposing that he was paid his full amount of money wages , and _baught his wheat and barley at their real market value , how much of his wages _wouldhe have in hand , after he had purchased the necessary quantity for his family ' s consumption ? The " wheat , supposing him to purchase the same quantity as he receives , wonld come to 6 s . Od . Making a deduction of bnt Is . 6 d . from the price of a bushel of barley , he would get his half bushel for 3 s . 3 d . 5 in other words , he » ould get for 10 s . that for which he has now to pay 16 s . The difference of 6 j . spread over the four weeks makes a difference of Is . 6 d . between his Teal
and his nominal rate of wages for the week . This is but a small sum in " the estimation of many , but it is nearly seventeen per cent , of the wages of the Cornwh labourer , taking tbem at t :: eir nominal amount . To - how that it is no trifle to him , he conld pay his rent and send three of his children to _school by means ofthe difference which he would gain , but for the arrangement in question . It is obvious , therefore , that wheu this deduction is made from the nominal rate of wages in Cornwall , the real rate of wages will not be found to range much higher than in Devonshire , where the analogous arrangement is n _« t so hardupon the labourer , and a deduction must be made on account of cider .
Yet , notwithstanding the near approximation of his real rate of wages to the average rate in the _adjoining counties , the condition of the labourer in Cornwall is , on the whole , better than that of his class in these counties . This is to be accounted " for by the cheapness at which he can supply himself withfish . The most common and the most popular fish in Cornwall is tlie pilchard . " The failure of the potato itself is not more disastrous to the poor of the county than is a failure in the take of pilchards . The average price of them is from Is . to Is . 6 d . a hundred . This year they have , so far , been very abundant , and have sold as low as lOd . a hundred . After being salted , tbey are retailed at tbe rate of seven for 2 d . Such as can afford to lay in a stock for tbe year , will salt and lay by from 1 , 000 ti 1 , 500 pilchards , for the use of a family of , five or six . Others , who cannot afford to do this , buy them in greater or less quanti ties , as they can afford to do so , sometimes paying more for them , and sometimes less .
The traveller in Cornwall , whether in the highways or byways , is scarcely ever out of reach of the smell of pilchards undergoing the process of cooking . The-whole atmosphere of the county seems odoriferous with pilchards- As I now write , in the principal hotel in Redruth , the ** . hole house is pervaded with the odour of this favourite fish . They may not be as strengthening as animal food , but they form a nutritions item in the Cornish labourer ' s diet , which is almost entirely wanting : in that of the poor of the neighbouring counties . The potato , when abundant ? is the favourite vegetable taken with the pilchard . In the absence of the potato it 13 eaten with bread . "When used _wi-h the former , the pilchard and the potato are boiled _together . Sometimes the potatoes are mashed and baked before the fire , with the pilchards on the top of them , which diffuse their oil
through them , and give them a strong flavour . It is seldom that the pilchard constitutes an ingredient of the " pasty , " so commonly met with as entering into the labourer ' s diet in Cornwall . The mackerel frequently does , which can also be procured very ch aply during certain seasons of the year . Generally speaking , the * ' pasties" consist of potatoes and bits of meat , more frequently salt pork , covered with a father tough crust made of floor , and sometimes of flour and barley-meal mixed together . In the absence ofthe potato , the turnip _constitutes on * of the internal ingredients of the pasty . Sometimes it is merely a mass of dough , _lightened and sweetened a little by a few raisins or currants . It is few that can afford to have them frequently with meat ; They are generally made for the labourer himself , his family contenting themselves with lighter and more f _< ugal fare .
One man , with a large family , describing his food told me that for the last week tbey had but a pound and a half of animal food for the eight of tbem . I asked him what it was , to wbich he replied that it was some fat mutton , with which they flavoured their potatoes . * * Have you a good supply of potatoes ? " I asked him . " "We _hav-e to buy all we eat , " he answered , " "We could not live on turnips and barley alone . " " Why did you not plant some ? " . I inquired . " Because I gave up the little ground I had , " said he . " And why did you give it up ?" *• Because the potatoes have failed so . "
" But they have not faileo so badly this year . If you had held your land , and-planted some , you mig ht now have had a good winter ' s supply for yoiir family . " ' That ' s all very -well , " he replied ; " but when a poor man comes to pay a shilling a yard ( twelve feet square ) for ground , * and gets nothing from it for , two or three years , he ' s very likely to lose heart , and throw it up . I did , and so have many more . " " You have-fish occasionally ?" " Yes ; but we can ' t often afford it . " " Then what is your chief diet ?" " Bread ( frequently barley , ) potatoes , and turnips . There ' s my dinner to-day , sir , " he continued , breaking a pasty in two , -which he took from his pocket . The tough , black crust enclosed a quantity of watery-looking turnips . "And can you do a day ' s work on that ? " I ashed him .
" Such as it is , sir , I can , " he observed "but it isn't snch a day ' s work as a man conld do on meat . "
THE SILK "WEAVERS OF MACCLESFIELD . Macclesfield is situated amongst the Cheshire hills . The population ofthe townshi p was , by the last census , 50 , 035 , and it has since increased , but b y no means rapidl y . The manufacturer of silk may be said to be the only one in Macclesfield . There is but a single cotton-mill in the town . Silk has been the staple of the plaee for more than half a century . . Before that time "Macclesfield was but a paltry _village " We took the trade , " said a manufacturer to me , "from Sp italsfield , and now the conntry places about are taking it from us ; and with every successive stage ofthe expansion ofthe manufacture the wages seem to come down . " About one-half of the _labouring population of Macclesfield work at home , and the other half in the mills . The home-labourers are
exclusively weavers , and include a large proportion of men ; the mill-labourers are principally engaged in tin-owing , doubling , and other processes , analogous , in a certain _degree , to the drawing and spinning of cotton-mills—in preparing the threads which are intertwisted by the loom . By far the largest proportion of the mill p opulation is female , the weavers who work looms in the mills being in-Considerable in number , compared with those who work at home . I may add , that the amount of silk thread spun in Macclesfield is much greater than the amount -woven there , the -warp and the shute , being prepared for the loom , are sent out all over the silk-weaving districts of Lancashire and Cheshire , for the process to be completed . The
wages earned in and out ofthe mills in Macclesfield do not materially vary . The throwsters and spinners in the mills have the most regular work . The wavers can earn higher wages _when in employment , but their looms stand idle npon the average fully three months in the year . A weaver may , one season with another , make from 10 s . to 12 s . a week ; a female throwster or doubler in the mill from 8 s . to 9 s . The rate of wages , hours of work , species of employment , and other particulars will ; however , be best understood from the following details ofthe different branches ofthe silk trade , gathered from personal observation of every department and of every process , and from the personally collected testimony of the workpeople .
I premise by stating that I took great pains , in traversing the silk districts , to ascertain whether accounts of ; the" distress in S pitalfields seemed to have reached or to have affected the country weavers . In general , I found the people knew veiy little and cared very little about the matter . - It was only the state of their own district in -which they appeafed . to take any interest . There did not seem to be any general ideas prevalent upon the causes of the distress of tho metropolitan silkweavers . My details npon the subject were listened to with an apathetic " Aye , indeed—well , tbey do seem very poorly off , to be sure . " I frequently put the question as to what my listeners thought could be the reason why a trade which was comparatively good in one part of England should be so bad
in another ; but heads were invariabl y shaken , and a stolid " "Well , -I dunna know , indeed , sir , " formed the most frequent response . One man , indeed , said he supposed government intended to root out the Spitalfields -weavers altogether ; and another-was of opinion that much ofthe Spitalfields distress was caused by there being no throwing mills in London , and the weavers hein _» thus rendered dependent . for their supplies of thread upon Italy and France . Such answers were , however , the exceptions to the rule . Nine-tenths of the people inew nothing and cared nothing , about _SpitaffieluS _"^ or their brethren there _^ -the apathy in tliat respect being very different from the ' mutual understanding and the constant mutual correspondence _feept up between the unions aad operative
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a » sociationS of the various towns ! The ' Ten Hours Bill applies to silk _fadtoriesi -with ' certain modifications as to infant labour—a child being there accounted "a young person * - at - eleven * years of age , instead of thirteen—a concession made by the Legislature , ¦ - on account '; of the healthier' and cleaner ' _species of employment carried on in the silk-mills . The winding is effected ' of course , by _s ' teani power , the bobbins and wheels being arranged upon long frames , attended b y women and g irls . Eaoh women has the charge of Your and a half of these frames , and she has an assistant girl under her . The work consists principally in shifting the wheels and bobbins when they respectively get
empty and full , and in re-uniting the fibres which may chance to break . The dunter , as the principal operative i 3 termed , gets about 7 s . Cd . per week , and the little girl , her assistant , from 5 s . Cd . to 6 s . In the process of cleaning there is a similar system of frames and female attendants , the latter being , however , almost entirely girls . - The silk is wound from one bobbin to another , passing through an implement very like an all but closed pair of scissors , which' clears away all sorts of extraneous dirt and filaments . The labour of the girls is purely of a superior tending species , their charge being to renew the broken threads , and to keep u p a due supply of bobbins . The wages earned are from Gs . to 0 s . 3 d . per -week . It will be seen that the work exacted from both these classes of females is
exceedingly light and simple . Still , ' aa in the cotton processes , they require to be continually upon their legs . The thread is next carried to the doublers . The term explains the nature of the operation , which is in a certain degree analogous to the drawing process in cotton manufacture . The superintendents of the frames are still young woman ; and their work requiring more attention and moro skill than those demanded by the inferior _operations , their wages average 7 s . 6 d . The thread is now ready for being spun , or , to speak more comctly , twisted—an operation generally known as throwing . The apparatus used for this process differs materially from the cotton mule , having no backward or forward motion . Each- machine is a
compact series of spindles , bobbins , and wheels , ranged one above the other , so as to necessitate the spinner or throwster availing himself of a triangularbuilt ladder , placed upon small wheels , in order to enable him to superintend the working of the higher ranges of spindles . The motion of these is excessively quick , making , in many instances , not less than 3 , 000 revolutions in a minute . The spinner , in attending to the lower tiers , has a good deal of unpleasant stooping work to perform , and- the atmosphere of the room has , generally speaking , a sickly oily odour . Each spinner is attended by a boy , who pieces , as in the cotton mills . The men earn about 12 s . a week—some little more , some a little less—and the boys about 0 s . Gd . . All these
estimates of-wages , I ought to mention , arc to be understood as applying to ten hours' daily work . The thread , having been spun , is now taken to the dyers , where it is tinted with any hue desired . On it- * being brought back , a series of reeling and winding operations , very similar to those already described , is gone throug h . These are , : > s formerly , conducted by Young women and girls , but their wages range hig her than those of their predecessors —averaging from 7 s . Cd . to 8 s . per week . A number of purely technical processes—depending upon the sort of pattern which is to be woven—are gone through before the silk is finally ready for the loom , Xo descrip tion of these would be at all intelligible ;
but I may add that one of them , called "bear-warping , " is the highest species of labour performed by women in silk mills , and briDgs them not less than 12 s . per week . Another operation , called " coupling and knitting , " also connected with the arrangement cf the silk for the pattern-weaving looms , is conducted by women and little girls . The work here is light , and little skilled , consisting principally of _paasing threads through the constellation of holes in thc passing cards , masses of which arc to be seen hanging from tlie top of Jacquard looms . The young women earn only 5 s ., and the little girls not above Ss . A superintendent , who also works , has 10 s . per week .
_TVe now pass to the weaving department . Very little silk—and that onl y of thc coarsest kind—is woven by power . A small quantity of bandannas are thus turned out in Macclesfield ; but in the production of the higher class of silk fabrics , and in all fancy goods , the delicacy and intelligence of human labour is requisite , and tho Jacquard is never beholden for its motion to the steam engine . A Jacquard weaver in full work , at a superior piece ol goods , can still earn as much as 35 s . a week ; but taking-the year round , including his seasons oi enforced idleness , his wages , at least so far as Macclesfield goes , may be stated as . _iveraging 10 s . to
lis . In this estimation masters and men very generally agree . - From ' the mills I proceeded to inspect the habitations and workplaces of some of the domestic weavers . A street of medium appearance having been pointed out to me as being solely occupied by silk hand-loom weavers , I visited five of the houses , taking them at random . * * * In theapartments there stood , I think , ' five trcddle looms and a Jacquard , and a young man and two g irls were at work . The male weaver informed me that he was making silk fcr _handkerchiefs . He was a journeyman , and he paid 5 s . a week rent for tho Jacquard at which he was seated . He paid the rent to the undertaker . The undertaker was the man
who rented the whole house , to whom the looms belonged , and who also found work for the journeymen and apprentices . In short , the undertaker seemed to act as a middleman between the weavers and the masters . The latter gave hini out the prepared silk , on his promisin f that it should be returned within a certain time , woven—and then he in'turn distributed the material to the workers , bargaining for the completion of the job by the stipulated period , but not interfering with the hours of labour , which , except in the case of apprentices , are at the option ofthe weaver . The undertaker sometimes worked , and sometimes contented himself with acting as a sort of agent . Very often he had afamily who worked for him . If he had hot he took
apprentices ; and let out his looms to journeymen . The weaver to whom I was speaking said that he could make , when in full . ' wb ' rki 23 s . a week ,- but that was only for the best pieces of weaving which he had to do . Besides , he was generally out of work altogether for about three months in the year-Striking an average , he though t he could earn about lOsi ' a week the year round . For this he cenerally worked twelve hours a day . Although the rent ofa Jacquard was os ., the other looms eould be rented for 3 s . Cd . The second weaver whom I visited was unintelligent , and gave little or no information . The third was an old man ; and disposed to be _frasklv communicative . He . believed that the Macclesfieid-silk weavers were better off than the
generality in the country places—in Middleton , " for example- _^ -becaiise In Macclesfield the better sort of fabrics were generally produced . He ; himself was making silk for handkerchiefs . He considered that the weaving of eight dozen a week was very fair work , and he was paid 2 s . l _^ d ; per dozen . He was thus earning rather less than - 17 s . per week ; For this ho toiled sometimes twelve , sometimes thirteen hours a day . He had' work , he thought ; for twothirds of the year . Machinery , in his estimation , hadgreatly injured the trade . ' "Why else was it that thirty years ago he could earn as much in one week as he could do now iri three , working very hard , too ? He thought , upon the average , that people worked twice as hard now as they did when he was
a boy . * The work was more "drierd" ( more-continuously difficult ) than it was in tho old time . People were more easily satisfied with silks then than new . At present they were hard to please , and every thing went so much out of fashion , and fashions " changed so fast , that it was difficult either for master or man to suit the market . The lowest of silk weaving was the manufacture of greys , for bandanna handkerchiefs . ' Tho weavers were paid 5 s . Id . per cut for this sort of silk twenty years ago . JJow thoy couldn't earn more than 2 s . Cd ., with harder -work , because the " shute" ( the thread carried across the warp b y tho shuttle ) was finer and required greater care . The lowest amount of wages made by a weaver he put
down as about 7 s . Sd . to 8 s . "Working figured goods with the Jacquard , they could make a considerable deal of money , " 24 s . or 26 s . a week ; ' but the _Jacquards were standing still half the year . - The nian whose information I am recording was an undertaker , and his journeymen paid him 3 s ., 3 s . Gd ., and 5 s . for loom rent . : He went os to say , that the frequently recurring periods of stagnation in trade kept the weavers poor during- the _^ time' they had full work . " They were -busy sometimes , " but' they were poor always . -Twenty years ' ago'the people lived better than now . ' They had ' plenty of substantial food , but at present , where one got it a dozen missed it . The people in the mills were better Off , particu 7 Iarly the _throwsters _. thah the peop le out of them , because the mill hands had more regular
employment . It was the sudden changes in tho _tastofor fancy articles that made the sudden fluctuation in tbe demand for goods , and occasioned a great deal ot the poor weaver s poverty . ' Mayhap the master would give ah order for a certain pattern . Well , all at once the taste would ' pass away , aiid the silks would-lie upon the shelves . Soem ' mut' new was always coming hp , and that made the changes fiom thebusy times to the ' slack times ; The trade was very uncertain- so uncertain , that the masters _irere afraid to speculate so much as they would ii they _could sell their < goods steadier / and therefore they gave small orders—great ones might be left upon their hands ' He thought : that , one with another , the _weaverB in the mill mig ht earn 12 s . or 14 s . a week ' ; 'working at home he would not put the average higher than 10 s . a week . ' _' '' ..
THE LONDON LODGING HOUSES . i -The lod ging house which 1 shall more ' _particulsrly _dfairibe makes up as " many as eig hty-four 'bunks , " br beds , fcr ! which 2 d . per _' nig _& _iscbir-jea . " , ' , For this sum the pftrtieVl _^ gihk ' theblor tl * right w
;Is ^ P Condltlon England Lhe Question. ...
f _> ht ! , e _2 _£ > *• _« " _> e of ' the kitcben ' fbr the 'following _^ _$ * _$ ? _flfaM _cbdk _toeir foW ' _" _TifiMfflen 0 i _fiW ; , at five o clockin ' 7 tue ' mormngfan _& _^ _abpu _^ _en o ' clock ; at ' ni ght , ' after , wliich h ' ouCno fresh ; lodger _is . taken _inland , all those ' ) who . slept in ibe house the might before : but _. who ; have not _siifV ficient money to pay for their bed at . thattimeare turned out . strangers who arrive in the course of the day must procure a tin ticket , - by flaying 2 d at the wicket in the office , - previously to being allowed to enter the kitchen . . The kitchen is about ' fortv feet long by fifteen feet wide . The _sleeping-room is about forty . ei _g htfeet : deep by about fortv feet wide . *
The - bunks are each about seven feet long and one foot ten . mches wide , and the grating on which the straw mattress is placed is about twelve inches from the around . - The wooden partitions between the bunks are about four feet hi gh : The covering * are a leather or a _^ rug , but _leathers-are generally preferred . Of these . 'bunks there are five rows of about twent y-four deep , two rows being p laced head to head with a gangway between each of auch two rows and the other row against the wall . The average _numhir of persons sleeping " in this house 01 a night is sixty . Of these there are generally about ihirty pick pockets , ten street'beggars , a few infirm old people who subsist occasionally upon parish relief , and occasionally , upon charity ' : ' ten or fi " teen dock labourers ; about the ' same number of low and
precarious callings , such , as the nei ghbourhood affords , and a few persons who have been in good circumstances , but who have been reduced from a variety of causes . At one time there were as many as nine persons lod ging in this house who subsist * d by picking up dogs' dnng out of the streets ; getting about 5 s . for every basket fiill . The earnings of . one of these men were known to ' average . 93 . ' a week . There are generally lodging in tiiehouse _' a few bone grubbers , who p ick up hones , rags , iron , & c , out of
the streets . Their average earnings . are about Is . per , day , There are several mud . larks , or youths whogo down to the water-side when the tide isout , to see whether any article of value has been left upon the bank of the river . The person supplying this information to me , who was for sopie time resi * dent in the house , has . seen brought home , by these persons a drum of . figs at one time , and a Dutch cheese at another . Thesewere sold in small lots or slices to the other lodgers .
The p ickpockets generally lodging in the house consist of handkerchiefrstealers , shoplifters- —including those who rob the till as well as steal articles from the doors of shops . Legs and breast of mutton are frequently brought in by this cless of persons . There are seldom any houe » breaker 3 lod ging in such places , bccauie they require a room of their own , and mostly live with prostitutes . Besides the pickpockets , they are also lodging in the house speculators in stolen goods . These may ' 1 ) 8 ( locklabourers or Billinsgate-porters , having a few shillings in their pockets . With this they purchase the booty of the juveniletbieves . 'I have known ' says my informant , ' _thesef , _speculators wait in the kitehen , walking about with their . hands in their
pockets , till a little fellow would come in with such a thing as a cap , a piece of bacon , or a : piece of mutton . They would purchase it , and then either retail it amongst the lodgers ; in the - kitchen or take it tb some ' fericp , ' where they would receive a profit upon it . ' - ; -The general feeling of ttie kitchen—excepting with" four or five indviduals—is to encourage theft . The _encourajeinent to the . ' gonoff '( a Hebrew word signifying young thief , probably learut : from . the Jew * fences ' in the neighbourhood , ) consists in laughing at ' and applauding his dexterity in thieving : and whenever anything is brought in , the' gohbff ' is ' greeted for hU good luck , and a general rush is made towards him to see the produce of his thievery .
The beggars who frequent these houses go about different markets and streets , asking charity of _th-.-people that -pass by . They generally , go © ut in Couples ; the business of one of the two being to look out and give warning when the policeman is approaching , and of the other to stand' shallow 'that is to say , to stand with very little clothing on shivering and shaking , sometimes _sv-itH bandages , round his legs , and sometimes ; with his arm in a sling . Others br gs * scran' ( broken victuals ) of the servants at respectable houses , aud bririg . it home to the lod g ing-house , where they sell it * . You maj see , I am told , the men who lodge in the place , and obtain an honest living , " watch for these beggars
coming in , as if they were the best victuals ' in the city . My informant knew , aii instance bf a lad wh seemed tobe a very fine little fellow , and promised to have been possessed of excellent mental cap . v hilities if properly directed , who came to the _lo'lfcin-f-house , when out of a situation , as an errand boy . He stayed _ihere a inonthor six weeks , during which time he was tampered with by the others , and ultimately became a , confirmed ' gonofF . ' The conversation _amo-igths lodgers relates _xhiefly to thieving aud the bast manlier , of stealing . By way of practice , a boy will often pick the pocket of one of the lodgers walking about the room , and if detecle ;! declare he did sot mean it .
The sanitary state of these houses is very bad , Not only do the lodgers generally swarm with vermin , but there is little ' or no ventilation to the sleeping rooms , in which sixly persons _^ of the foulest habit ? , usually sleep every night . There are no proper washing-utensils ,, neither towles iior basius , nor wooden bowls . There are one or two buckets , but theseiarehot meant for the useof the lodgers , but for cleaning the rooms . The lodgers never think of washing themselves . The cleanliest among tbem will do bo in the bucket , and then wipe themselves , with their pocket , handkerchiefs or the tails of tlieir shirts . ¦' . '¦ . ' . ' . '
A large sum to be made by Wo beggars in one week is one pound , or ten shillings a piece—one for looking out , and the one fori' standing shallow . ' The average earnings of . such persons are certainly below eight shillings per week . If the report of the constabulary force commissioners , states ; thattwehiy shillings per week'is the average sum earned , I am told , the , statement ' . must have been furnished b y parties who had either some object in overrating the amount , or else who had no means of obtaining correct information on the _subject . From all my informant has seen as to the earnings of those who make a _tradsof picking pockets and , begging , he is convinced that the _au-ount is far b ' elow what is generally believed to be the case . Indeed , nothing but the idle roving life that is connected with the business could . compensate _. tiie thieves or beggars for the privations they frequently undergo . ; :
According ; to the report . of the constabulary force Commissioner's , there were in the metropolis , in 1839 , 221 of' such houses as the one at present described , and each of these houses - harboured daily , upoii aii average , no less than . eleven of such characters as the foregoing , making in all a total of 2 _^ 431 vagrants and pickpockets sheltered by the proprietors of the low lodging houses of London . The above twopenny _lodf-jng-house has , on an average , from fifty to sixty person ' s sleeping in it nightly , yielding aii income of nearly -63 per week , ' - The - ' three-penny lodg ing-houses in the ' same neighbourhood average trom fifteen , to twenty persons per night , and produce a weekly total of irom 2 O 3 V to 25 s . profit , the rent of the houses at the same time being only from 58 . to 63 . per . week .. ; < :
There is one question worthy of consideration-Does the uncertainty of dock : labour generate thieves and vagabonds , ordo the thieves and vagabonds crowd round thedocks ' so " as 1 to he able to gain ' a day ' s-work when unable to thieveT . According to returns of the metropolitan policel'iorce , / the value of the property stolen in this district in the year 1848 was - £ 2 , 007 , of which , only . -6365 were recovered . The number , of robberies was 521 , ; the average amount of each ' robbery being -63 17 s . 0 _$ d . The amount recovered averaged 14 s . on ' each rohberyi '
The lod ging-houses just described are not'the lowest ofthelow : Thereare " ' cribs' in' the _metropolis where the / charges ' fpV' ' a . , night ' s _restore less , the accommodations more ! meagre even more degraded : ' ; than those ; lof . the ; tworpenny refuges 1 . lately visited . i = In some > places a jenny only is demanded for ; shelter for the ' . nujht , * and there congregate the most " wretched -and demora . lised of all characters _^ : ' . 'Tlie 'commonest , prosi ' tutes thieves _/ beggars _, \ a ' nd , v _^ dens of iwquity , and allowed to , sleep pjrpmiscuously in one small room ., There , is , little orrino _, furniture in the house , so that . no beds are . provided-for . the
money . . The lodgers—male and female- —men ; i women , boys , and g _irls- _^ all lie huddled together on the floor ; the average nightly'muster being about thirty of the most miserable and infamous of human bein | 8—a mass of ' poverty , filih , Vice , aiid Crimean assemblage ; of . all that is physically : ' _lbatlispme and morally ojElfeus ' _.-i , _' chaos of want , intemperance , ignorance , diseaj _*^ shamele 8 snes 8 , that can be paralleled in no other part of the gbbe _but . _tbis , the . first city of the world —the focus , of wealth and intellect—the pinnacle of ' •/ _iTiUsittwn : _^^ ' ' The generalit y of the low _iedging-hw _^ j _penafr . twopenny ., shA threepenny as well—I am _wi-
;Is ^ P Condltlon England Lhe Question. ...
_forced _byfonewho has ; lived in them and _amonR them for ; many , _months-r-a . man of superior _infeb l ' gehce _anid education _j-. be it understood ;—are kept by _personsJutterl y deficient of all moral sense ; and who-either _^ winfe at or " encourage ¦ ; the robberies which ' are continually concocted under their roofs . Nearly all the p _rbprietordi ta ' citly allow , the produce of the ' t lodgers ' pilferings to be introduced and shared in the kitchen , and many of them are known to be receivers of stolen goods , pledging for the pickpockets they harbour in their houses whatever plunder they may bring home , and demanding of them twopence and the duplicate for so doing . - Indeed , . so general is the latter practice among the lodginghouse-keepers of the East-end of London , that these are the ' regular terras' of the class .
But there are dormitories lower and . lower still in the scale of comfort , cleanliness , and civilisation . Such sleeping p laces are frequented' by . those who want-even the penny to provide them with-the luxury of mere walls and roof to shelter them from the wind or the rain . Hence , if it be possible to conceive a class of beings still more wretched , more vicU ' usVor more criminal than those visiting the lowest lod ging houses of London , they are to ' be found nestling under the arches of the Blackwali Railway . There may be discovered whole families ,
_homeles 8 and penniless , huddled close togetherchildren cradled as it were in vice and crime , check bi jowl with the vilest prostitutes and the meanest thieves . Or elae they may be seen ranged along the wall of a neighbouring sugar baker ' s , warming themselves upon ihe pavement heated by the inelting-pah beneath .: To behold , the drowsy , ragged , destitute crowd gathered there at three o ' clock in the morning _. is a sight to shock the most callous , and one that it is painful even to imagine . ( To be Continued . )
Parliamentary And Financial. ' . Eeeorm....
PARLIAMENTARY AND FINANCIAL . ' . EEEORM . MR . G . THOMPSON AXD THE . ELECTORS OF THE TOWER HAMLETS . An aggregate meeting of the electors and other inhabitants of the Tower Hamlets was held on Monday evening , at Sion Chapel , near "Whitechapel Church , to aid in the movement for promoting a reform in the representation and public expenditure of the country , and at the same time to afford'to Mr . George Thompson , one of tho members for tho borough , tho _^ opportunity of making his . annual statement to his constituents with reference to the proceedings of the Rouse of Commons during the last session , and the future prospects of the cause of reform in this . eountry . The building in Svhich the meeting was held is said to contain the greatest amount of available space for a public meeting in the borough , affording accommodation for about 5 , 000 persons , and was filled in every part .
Tho chair was taken , pro Urn . by Mi \ Fry , Mr . Hall , who ; had been announced as thc chairman , not having arrived at the hour named for opening the meeting ( seven o ' clock ) . - Mr . Hows rose to move , tho first resolution as follows : — "That in : the deliberate judgment of this meeting a thorough renovation ofthe representative system of this country is not only justly demanded as the constitutional ri ght of the people , but as necessary to the abolition of the political , financial , and . ecclesiastical abuses so loudly complained of . This : meeting , therefore , rejoices in the establishment of the / National Reform Association , and tenders to its president , Sir Joshua "Walmsley—( cheers)—the assurance that they will do all in their power to sustain the body , over -which he s © ably presides , in their efforts to secure the patriotic objects to which they are devoted . "/
- . Mr . Hall , having taken the chair , apologised for not having been present at the hour appointed , and explained that he had mistaken the p lace of mooting . He was glad to . see that ho was supported by Sir J . Walmsley and Mr . Thompson ; he regretted that Sir William Clay was not present . . ( Hisses and groans , and a voice —• "No . bo is one of the Whig tail . " ) They had , however , a - sufficient ¦ substitute in his old friend ; Mr . Williams , the late member for Coventry , and nothing would give him greater pleasure than to see ; him returned at the next election for a constituency like that ho was now addressing , and again sitting at the right-hand of Mr . Hume , and -aiding-, him in his efforts to economise the public expenditure . He should confine himeelf
sn the present occasion to dealing with some figures , to show the impossibility of returning : to the ; protective system . When he told them that 12 , 000 , 000 of the people were at this time fed by agricultural produce imported from foreign countries , ' they would agree that that was a fact so _start-lingj that none . but a madman would think of returning to a system by which that large number of their fellow-countrymen would bo brought to starvation ; 'and thousands more bo reduced by the high price of provisions whicli must ensue , from competence , te poverty . It was fitting that the Times , which . was always opposing itself to the popular feeling , * should know that fact ; and it should remember that though the Times could not
do without the people , the people could do without the Times . ( Hear , ; and cheers . ) The imports for eleven months . during the past year had been of oxen and cows , 49 , 804 ; sheep and lambs , 110 , 763 ; swine , 2 , 454 ; bacon , 375 , 227 cwts . ; butter , 251 , 074 cwts . ; wheat , 3 , 65 G ; 910 qrs . —( cheers)—barlev , 1 , 270 , 555 qrs ., - -oats , 1 , 205 , 055 qrs . ; rye . 203 . lC 7 qrs . ; heans and peas , 645 , 458 qrs . ; Indian corn , 2 , 129 , 300 cwts . ; buck wheat , 307 cwts . ; oatmeal , Indian , and other corn meals , 100 , 184 cwts . ; flour , 3 , 071 , 120 cwts . ; eggs , 91 , 733 , 902 —( a laugh)—hams 11 , 833 cwts . ; cheese , 3 _" _* 5 , 250 cwts . ; pork , nnd other salted and fresh meats , 464 _. 01 G lbs . ; poultry value sterling , £ 350 , 000 . These were all articles of human food . ( Cheers . ) Then tako
wool , and the . raw articles of our manufactures . The imports of wool had been 70 , 284 , 837 lbs ' in the same time , and of hides 628 , 481 . Now lot him ask what would have been the position of thc population of this country but for those imports ? ( Cheers . ) But the Protectionists told them that they must pay for them all by exporting the precious metals . Now , in this respect , what was the fact ? There was more gold in the Bank at this moment , and more gold spread through the country , than was ever before known . And while our import of raw material had increased so had our exports of manufactured articles in the same proportion , thus showing that this importation of food , equal to the consumption of 12 , 000 , 000 of people whs paid for by the
products of the energies and tho industry ofthe working population . ( Cheors . ) Were it , riot for this wha _( would havo been tho coridition ' of the manufacturing interests of this country ? The artisans would have been thrown but of employment , and tho mills would have been standing still . For it was idle to suppose that the continent of Europe could pay for our manufactures except by tho produce of their own soil . These wore facts which everybody but the senseless . agriculturists , whoso skulls aye so thick it is almost impossible "to drive senso'into them _^ cannot fail to understand . ( Hear , hear . ) ¦' "Dr . Oxlev briefl y seconded , and Mr . T . Dick supported , the resolution . Tho resolution was then put and carried _unanimouslv .
Sir J . Walmsley , M . P ., who , on coming to the front of the platform , was loudly cheered , next spoke . He said—I now appear before you as the President of the Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association , and I should be alike- unjust to the association and to my own character if I heard -at any " meeting at which I may bo present sentiments-uttered ' which I thought unjust ' or incorrect , and did not , when I had the opportunity , state my own opinion in regard to'them . I stand not here at the present moment to advocate manhood suffrage , but ; to support' to the best of my ability those principles which have been put forth by able and good meii , and by the virtuous of " all ages ; in favour of the lights of thc people , and to restore
thoso rights which the constitution confers upoii all men but which"have been violated by the present . and preceding governments to the greatest possible extent . ( Cheers !) An observation has been made which I must , ' standing hero as the president of the association , say thatI do not concur in : My friend , tho chairman , has a perfect right , as a resident among you , - arid as an ejector of the Tower 'Hamlets , to say what he pleases on the subject , ' but I disclaim , , as the _^ president of the association , any attempt bn the part of that association to ' dictate to the ele ' ctbrs . of the Tower Hamlets , or to say to yon who shall be your representative , and who shall not . I must go ' still further and say , that I consider such observations in thVabsence of Sir W . Clay ' are not justified as issuing from the chair of a ' meeting like the present . ( A Voice , "Why is he not here , then l" ) Aye , that is the question , flag lie been asked ? . ( Cheers , and some confusion . ) I-rim hot here to throw the applo of discord ambn « ist you ,
but to do justice as far as I can to all . ( Hear , hear . ) Arid _Tsay itis the question ; has Sir William . Clay been asked to appear here this ' eveiiihgi and if not ; I say such observations froiri the chair are uncalled for . ' ( Cheers . ) ' It is the privilege—it is the right of Eiiglishmen to g ivo a fair hearing to all . ( Hear ' hear . ) There is yet another observation I feel it my duty to refer to—I must reprobate such remarks in speaking of the agricultural classes as " senseless masses , ( near , hear . ) Thoy ave . riot ¦ so ' . ' ., They are irien as able , as industrious , ' and as _indefatigable , ' as yourselves . It is true they'haye . been misled b interested partios—but havo you never been misled ? --- ( Hear ; hear . ) How long is it since you have come to your senses ? ( Hoar , hear . ) How \ _longjis it since you were on tl . e > ope side _tMreds >' .. and-on the : other" blues , ' . 'l : and ; were ioajoled byjithoso _. vwho ; when / their' purpose . iwas _seryed _. _lhad no better name . for you than : a . " senBe-• le-s rabble ? " ( Hear , hear . ) I _believer-agricultural class are awakening rap idly to a true souse ot
Parliamentary And Financial. ' . Eeeorm....
theircondition , and will soon be found seeking the friendshi p of tho other classes . They want more than you do assistance to rescue them from _thosorfdonv under which they have been so long labouring . ( Hear , hear . ) ; Let us show kindness to them , goodwill and brotherly feeling , and not insult them by calling them asense _^ s mass . ( Loud cheers . ) We arc met here , gentlemen , for a two-fold purpose—to submit to you the principles of a Parliamentary Reform Association , and to do honour , or rather to hear and examine what Mr . Thompson has to say to _hiscpnstituents . I am proud to hear my testimony , not onlym the Tower Hamlets , but throughout all England and Scotland , to tho honourable and patriotic conduct which my honourable friend has ohserved-to the constitutional princinles which ho
nas enunciated not here onl y , but _throughout » great portion of the kingdom , when _standing forward to demand the just rig _' _-u of tne people amongst the nobles of the land , and wholly irrespective of what mi ght bo the consequences to himself . Hut this was what was to be expected of him Look at his antecedents — at his indefatigable exertions in striking otf the shackles' of the slave exertions which never ceased until his object was attained . Such were his antecedents ; and now lie comes forward to travel , without fee or reward , and to give his time and his talents , from one end of the country to another , to abolish the slavery -which still exists among the white men—for the millions in this country arc still little better than serfs in the hands of the oligarchy . ( Loud cheers . ]
The few momenta I shall occupy on this platform shall be expended in endeavouring to induce union amongst you that you may concentrate your energies on one single point , and , throwing aside yonr minor differences , endeavour to do justice to yourselves and your fellow-men . To the middle classes I would venture to say , * ' What do you owe to the industrial classes ? " You owe everything to them . You owe to them your-ships , your _commoree , your railways , your buildings , your luxuries , your comforts , and even _) 'our necessaries of life . ( Cheers . ) You owe to the working men ofthe country everything you possess . ( Cheers . ) And shall these working men be longer delayed their just rights ? Shall those who have so long knocked at the door of the constitution still be denied
admission ? ( Cheers . ) Away with such a thought . ( Cheers . ) But you will be denied until you arc enabled to convince your ruler ' s and your governor * that you are determined to have them . ( Cheers . ) It has been intimated—it is the on dit ofthe day—that we are to have some extensive reform ; in short , that the wind is to bo taken out of onr sails , so that we shall have no further _occasion to agitato . I hope it is so . But we will cease to agitate only when the just ri ghts of the people are granted . ( Cheers . ) 1 would especially caution yon not to be led a _A-ay by any sham reform , such as wb havo had before . ( Hear , hear . ) Should they grant you an extension of the suffrage , vote hy ballot , triennial parliaments and the abolition of the property qulifieatiori , bear in mind that is riot the test . The
test is such an apportionment of theriieiiibors to the population , as shall make it no longer possible thai the votes of the representatives of such places as Thotfordor Harwich , with a corrupt constituency of two or three hundred , shall be equal in the results to those of the borough of tho Tower Hamlets , with its 15 , 000 electors . This is the question to which I would draw attention , that in all your endeavours tb obtain reform , do not forget this is the pinching point among the oligarchy , who have hitherto divided amongst themselves the spoils of the people . ( Cheers . ) One word more . I havo received a letter to-da ' y , without any signature—and lam not fond of anonymous correspondence—in reference to
the conduct cf a hi ghly talented individual who if * present . The letter was to this effect : —Sir , —Perhaps you will have no objection to ask Mr . Thompson the professed opponent of monopoly , to explain why he took charge in the House of Commons ofa bill for continuing the Commercial-road turnpike monopoly , signed ¦• A Member of the National Parliamentary Reform Association ? " All he could say was that if Mr . Thompson could not answer _thia question satisfactoril y to his constituents he was unwoithyto represent them ; but in that case it would be the first time he ever heard of Mr , Thompson ' s being connected with a job . ( The hon . _gentleman ¦ ¦ retired from the ' front of the platform amidst long and protracted cheering ) .
Georoe TnoMPsoN then came forward , and after the enthusiastic cheering with which he was greeted had subsided , spoke as follows : —With regard to tho matter to which that letter refers , I certainly allowed my name to be placed at the back ofthe bill brought into the House of Commons to obtain for the trustees of certain roads in this nei g hbourhood a renewal of their leaso ; but when I saw the solicitor for . the bill I stated that if I allowed my name to be used ministerially a 3 one of tbo members for the Tower Hamlets , I was not to be considered as any way pledged to the bill , but should reserve to myself the right of opposing it altogether , or bo alter , it by abridging the power of the trustees , as might appear to be strictly just as between them and the people , of this great district . It was oil that
understanding -uono that my , name was . placed on the back of the bill in connexion with that of the other member for the Tower Hamlets . . Iu the meantime—that , was before the measure came _, before the House—I had several interviews with those who thought themselves aggrieved by tlie heavy tolls charged , I made myself master ofthe whole question , and in . the committee devoted my time to such an adjustment ofthe matters pending between the inhabitants and trustees as strict equity and justice demanded . ( Hear , hear . ) I sat in a judicial capacity ; both parties were witnesses _^ my conduct , and fearlessly I appeal tb every spectator of that conduct to say if I did not , as a just and honourable man , hold the balance fairly between the ono party and the other . ( Loud cheers . ) I rejoice
iliac this meeting affords mo tho opportunity , of presenting myself before so many of those whom I have the honour to represent in the House of Commons . ( Cheers . Having given . no vote in that House contrary either to the professions which I made when ! sought to enter it , or to the dictates of my conscience , having to the best of my ability endeavoured to discharge my duty faithfully and independently , and having no desire to continue in that House when I cease to enjoy the confidence of those who sent me there , I am not afraid of coming before you . ( Renewed cheers . ) I cannot say that ithas been my happiness and privilege to assist in carrying thvongh Parliament any great measure of legislative justice to the people , cither for the enlargement of their rightful . political power , or the diminution of thoir
heavy and intolerable burdens . In the late session of Parliament thc government ,-and a large majority ofthe House , have resisted alt attempts to reduce the public expenditure , and all measures in favonr of parliamentary reform , ( Cries - of " Shamo _. l As far as any result in the House of Commons is concerned , all the motions on theso subjects , however ably brought forward and discussed , have been in vain . One fact , I think , must have been long apparent to those whom I address—that legislation , - in all but its last stages , and as a matter of form , has to bo done out of doors ; . ( Hear , hear . ) I mean that legislation which tends in any degree to advance the social or political welfare of the people . ( Cheers . ) The House of Commons ; may be left to vote money , and thoy- will do it—to sanction any
abuse , and they , will do it—to support any job which will increase the patronage of the minister , and they will doit ; hut that house must not be looked to for any measure of real reform until- -the people havo settled thequestion out of doors —( hear , hear )—nor then , until they show a determination not to rest satisfied until theirdemands arc granted . ' ( Cheers . ) Why is this ? Because in the vast majority of cases , the members of the House of Commons , availing themselves of tho present imperfect , i corrupt , and unconstitutional system of elections , have virtually returned themselves by money , by family influence , or by other equally exceptionable moans—and , having done so , sit in tlio legislature , not to promote the wishes or the welfare of the people , but to support those abuses by which
they and their immediate connexions profit , and through which large numbers of them derive their sole support . Hence tho absolute necessity of » thorough renovation of tho representative system . ( Hear . ) But it is some consolation to know thaSfc if little that is good beyond the repeal of the navigation laws has been done within the walls of parliament , much that will eventually determine the charactor of our future legislation has been don © out of doors . ( Much cheering . ) Never , perhaps , in the history ofthe country were the peoplo hetter informed on the questions that most affeet their interest or which relato totheadniinistration of public affairs . Nor is this remark applicable merely to the British isles .--The'inhabitants of'our colonial dependencies arc _besinnina to think and' to ' act for
themselves—( hear , hear )—and to follow the example of their fellow subjects in the parent country , hy demanding -the - . right of managing their own iiffairs-. ( henr / hoar ) i-nnd of regulating tho expenses which have to be defrayed out ' of their ' own pockets . Theso . agitations at home and . abroad havenot been without their effect upon the minds of hor Majestv ' s advisers .- ( Hear . ) The shadows which coming events have cast before , have been observes , and we now hear rumours of ministerial intentions and measures during the session , which will open on Thursday next . - ( Cheers . ) " " In three days tite curtain will bo drawn up , tbe oracl © will speak , an * _3
we shall bave the opportunity of asking the stagemanager what' now pieces ho intends to bring out . ( Laughter and cheers . ) While it maybe interesting to speculate upon the mtentions . of the governriiciriv it is of much greater importance that w _$ should ho agreed ; _Preference to what we ought'to do , ami what'we moan to do , ' ourselves . J ( Hear / _hercr _^ While the present House of Commons continues , " *** must take what we can get ; and be ' as . thankful a * we : can " ; ( Cheers , -and : a voice : '" That •¦' will-fc _£ thank you foi'in 6 thing . " , ); The quesUon' 6 _fquestl _^ ' is , _whatimeasiires should the people themselves j"b _« termine to prosecute _^ _irrespeotive > of -the -views the cabinet , and regardless altogether tithe ****
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 2, 1850, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_02021850/page/7/
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