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Northern Star (1837-1852), 4th January 1851, Edition 3 of 3, Page 3

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      ^ ^^ Ijj&R Og. Habits Were So Unlikely T...

      _IAKUABY 4 , 1851 . THE N 0 RTHERNSTAR ' _^ ¦ ¦ _^ 3

      ^ ^^ Ijj&R Og. ^ ^^ ^Orwp.

      _^ _^^ _ijj _& r _og . _^ _^^ _^ OrWP .

      Who Made The Poor? Who Made The Poor ? \...

      WHO MADE THE POOR ? Who made the poor ? \ * of tie whose throne is heaven , God : by whom earth , was given , « _* j 8 t . therein is , seed , herb , and tree ; _inJ rL _, _^ at cleave the air , and fish that swim the 43 a i " j-• * bMit that range the field to man for food ; & Xot Go d the great and good , _^ _hose bounty ' s scattered o ' er pie earth like grain on gamer'd floor-He did not mak * e the poor J

      Bnt God made man . Who bade the planets roll , _^ li d fonnett the wond ' rous plan * That _eirds the eternal pole Oi Heaven , with world ' s illuming space ; He who to each assigned a place , Gave man a reasoning soul , Undo him stand on this terrestrial ball * _. i _- _. _^ m his own form—erect , and lord of all ssBlin" * c ome irahor 3 to their kind , ** Whose tongues almost persuade That _niuht were day—have bent their mind _Gi _' _d save them , to _degrade Their equal s lower than the brute , And ' _threaten those who dare dispute Tbe ir power , with dungeon gloom ; Yet " l _& e a _sq-iritfrom the tomb , Tlie « ice of Suture rises still ,

      i nd while one good man lingers here , Yet as it lmh , it ever will ; And thev who dread it shall revere The sound of its eternal troth , » s _ju ( he _carhuess of youth Er e \ varice Inred the soul astray , Or mad \ mbition led the way T _hrough patis , whose ruggedness i n To domes tfiat never sheltered Peace . Yes , yes , it shall be so ; The tyrani and ihe slave 1 * _muiual hate , shall ceage to go On < rrap p . inrr to the grave . Mind , " wakening o ' er the world ,

      Uplifts the mental dart - "finch , sadden as the lightning hurled , Strikes to the trembling heart Of pale oppression—deeper far Than all the brands and bolts of war . Let Reason give the word . Be that hy millions spoken ; "fiat , though the soldier grasp his sword But as a weapon broken ? "Twould idle in his hand remainrare bloodless battles Mind must gain . Man hath been taught io how To Cunning ' s traitorous sway ; But 'tis not a 3 it hath been . Now Behold the sturdy toiler ' s brow—There beams a calmer ray Of purer intellectual fire , Th an lit the aspect of his sire ; A prouder glance that seems to say ,

      " The worse , our mental bounds are riven , And soon shall dawn the glorious day , "We shall resume tlie gifts of Heaven . " for well he knows a sceptered Bang , Or coronetted Lord To be a vain , unwanted thing , Less worshipped than abhorred—To be the enemy of toil , All _locost , lik <* a thing of spoil !; ind passing by the guarded door , "Where stalks the weU-lashed sentinel , Need not be told " Who made the Poor ;" The fears of those within who dwell , If 'twere not known , the tale would tell .

      The day wiU come , it most advance ; Bat not at point of sword or lance , 'Mid pealing shot nor spreading flame And deeds of dread too dark to name-Intelligence shall in its might , And not in vain assert the right Of labour by its toil to live , Enjoying more than tyrants give . Libour creates the wealth it craves , Enweaves the cradles , shapes the graves ; Erects the palace , rears the tomb Where despots live or lie in gloom . God ' s handmaid Libour yet shall learn , All power usurped by Pride to spurn ; Tm wish and have , to ivill and make Oppression yield for Justice sake : Sbe asks but that her ceaseless cry ,

      In hut or hall , on heath or moor , h Justice—ere her clildren die Through want—from those who made the Poor . C . Cois .

      Luwnss.

      _luwnss .

      London Labour And The London Poor. By He...

      London Labour and the London Poor . By Heart _JLtriiEW . Nos . I ., II , ILL To the intrepid , honest , and able author of these papers we are indebted for the idea , and partly for the realisation , of one of tlie greatest and most important ideas ever given to the public . Political economists and statisticians are so commonly led astray by deceptive " averages , " that however correct their postulates may be , their conclusions no more square vita actual facts than those of the ingenious

      Professors in the College of _Laputa—they ought to be correct , but are not . We hailed the inquiry into the state of" Labour and the Poor , " by the Morning Chronicle , as the commencement of a new era in journalism , providing that inquiry was faithfully and impartiall y carried out It proposed to suppl y -what was one of the great wants of the age—an accurate anatomy of Eociety ; to depict the actual condition o tbe labouring classes—the sources from whence they drew their livingtlio modes in which their earnings were expended—the general circumstances by which

      they were surrounded—and the reacting influence of these conditions on their minds , habits , dispositions , and p hysicial well-being . [ Sever was there a more important or imperative task undertaken—we will not say b y any journalist , bnt by any government . To prosecute it successfully , required not merely the command of large funds by those who instituted the investigation , but what was far more valuable , and more difficult to obtainintellectual and moral qualities on the part of those engaged in it , which are rarely met with in combination .

      Of the gentlemen who embarked in this inquiry , Sir . Mayhew , from the commencement , " showed himself possessed in a hig h degree of the peculiar combination of faculties requisite for the task . He had the educated eye and quick perception , which enabled him to grasp the whole of any single group of facts , their relative position and bearing to other groups—the faculty of patientl y analysing these facts in detail , and tracing them to their source , and , above all , of , as it were , Daguerrotyping tie mental and moral phenomena of Labour Life in the very words of the

      parties themselves . It was his letters which excited the tree and genuine sympathy of the public with the suffering and toiling masses—a sympathy which evinced itself in an earnest , if not philosophical manner , by the pouring in of subscriptions , to be applied to at least the temporary relief of those whose toils , whose poverty and misery he so graphically portrayed . The other " Commissioners " were able men , but throughout their productions there was widently a pervading bias in favour of the fashionable generalism , and received canons t'f Political Economv . They *« eut about their

      work far more with a view to make facts square with _pregone conclusions than to state facts exactl y as they found them , and leave social philosophers to build up a sound _societorian system out of these facts afterwards . This tendency was especiall y observable in their early letters . Subsequently the _excitement aHd admiration created by the lively , life hke and striking p ictures ofthe condition of the _1-tbouriug classes , presented in Mr . Mayhew ' s fetters , led his colleagues in tho manufacturing _and agricultural districts to copy his example , and let the people speak for themselves . This _was however , done under careful limitations , and the tendency in favour of capital and things as they are , was always sufficiently apparent .

      _^ 1-. _Mavhew _, on the contrary , began without prepossession or prejudice—he recorded * _jl phenomena that presented themselves to hl 3 observation , simpl y and truthfully ; but , ere long , what he saw and heard , produced on an honest , but warm-hearted man , their natural effects . It has been to us not the least _remarkable thing connected with this remarkable investi gation , that a gentleman like Mr . - _^ ayhew , whose previous associations and

      London Labour And The London Poor. By He...

      habits were so unlikely to lead him to snch conclusions , should have been driven by the force of facts and his own investigations , to the adoption of precisely the same _socio-economical creed as that held by the most thoughtful and intelligent of the working classes themselves . The result we all know . Honesty of purpose , and strict adherence to the maxim" Tell the truth and shame the devil , " are not the qualities which most certainly conduce to honour and emolument in the region of orthodox journalism . Mr . Mayhew was too truthful . He did not act on the advice of Burns to his vouuff friend : — _ihaVitavere so unlikely to lead him tA _pn

      Aye , free off hand ye re story tell , When wi a bosom crony : But yet keep something to yersel _Ye ll scarcely tell to ony . He told all—and , alas ! that all , somehow or other , came into collision with the worshi p of the golden calf aud the gospel of the Economists—and the consequence was , being an infidel to these"" sacred" things , he was made a martyr . The _ilforiuna Chronicle did not wantimpartiaitruth-telling " Commissioners , " but clever sharp fellows , who could see just as much as was convenient , and , when necessary , "run with the hare and hold with the hounds . "

      We have allowed Mr . Mayhew , in a previous number of the Star , to tell for himself the circumstances under which he left that paper , and we now heartily welcome the first three numbers of his new work , in which he presents faithfully and ably the results of his researches into the "Mysteries of London Life . " The first section of the inhabitants treated of hy him , is that designated b y him "The street folk ;'' and as far as he has yet proceeded , the new series contains an account of the numerous and varied occupations , recreations , and "habits of the class usually termed coster-mongers , which is not more valuable for its accuracy than it is surprising in its revelations of the actual life of this nomadic

      tribe in the midst of our dense and settled city population . We may say , however , to those who have read the letters in the Chronicle , that Mr . Mayhew ' s new periodical is b y no means a reprint of these letters . The valuable material he collected in the course of his inquiries is here systematised , classified , and presented iu all its fullness , breadth , and variety , under appropriate headings , and in a thoroughly artistic style . This , while it does uot detract from the merely popular interest of

      the work , adds largely to its value as one of reference and for literary purposes . The engravings from Daguerrotypes , by Beard , are wonderfully minute , aud yet forcible ; though whether it is owing to the sun by whom the portraits are painted in the first instance , or to some other cause , we know not , but the costermongers depicted to us have rather a holiday look about them , which does not exactlv _as * ree with our recollections ofthe class as a whole .

      The low price at which this important work is published—its bearing on all the great questions of social progress—and the thrilling interest which readers of every class in society must feel iu the revelations it makes , will , we hope , combine to give it the enlarged circulation it deserves . It excells the most imaginative romance in the strangeness of its incidents ; while the question it raises will , for the next generation or two , occupy the best energies and highest faculties of our greatest

      statesmen . Premising that Mr . Mayhew estimates the number of costermongers in London at 80 , 000 persons , and informs us they are all Chartists , a fact of which we have considerable doubt , we shall g ive one quotation , because it is appropriate to the present holiday

      season;—TIC . GAULEBY . On a good attractive night , the rush of _costere to the threepenny gallery ofthe Coburg ( better known as " the Vic " ) is peculiar and almost awful . The long zig-zig staircase that leads to the paybox is crowded to suffocation , at least an hour before the theatre is opened ; but on the occasion of a piece with a good murder in it , the crowd will frequently collect as early as three o ' clock in the afternoon . lads stand upon the broad wooden banisters about 50 feet from the ground , and jump on each others' backs , or adopt any expedient tbey can think of to obtain a good place . The walls of the well staircase having a remarkably fine echo , and the wooden floor of the steps serving as a sounding hoard , the shouting _whistling , and quarrelling of the impatient young costers

      is _increaj-ed tenfold . If , as sometimes happens , a song with a chorus is started , the ears positively ache with the din , and when the chant has finished it seems as though a sudden silence had fallen on the people . To tho centre of tbe road , and all round tbe door , the mob is in a ferment of excitement , and no sooner is the money-taker at his post than the most frig htful rush takes place , every one heaving with his shoulder at the back ofthe person immediately in front of him . The girls shriek , men shout , and a nervous fear is felt lest the massive staircase should fall in with the weight of the throng , as it lately did withthe most terrible results . If _' a hat tumbles from the top of the stairease , a hundred hands snatch at it has it descends . When it is caught a voice roars above the tumult , " All right , Bill , I ' ve got it " -for they all seem to know one another— " Keep us a pitch and 111

      bring it . T . „ . .. To anv one unaccustomed to be pressed flat it would be impossible to enter with the mob . To see the sight in the gallery it is better to wait until the first piece is over , the ham-sand wieh men and pigtrotter women will cive you _notice when the time is come , for with _them-st clatter of the descending footBteps thev commence their cries . There are few grown np men that go to the " "Vic" g allery . The generality of the visitors are lads from _' nhout twelve to three-and-fcwenty ,

      and though a few black-faced sweeps or whiter brown dustmen may be among the throng , the gallery audience consists mainly of costermongers . Toung girls , too are very plentiful , only one third of whom now take their babies , owing to the new regulation of charging half-price for infants . At the foot of the staircase stands a group af boys begging for the return checks , which they sell again for l _\ d . or Id ., according to the lateness of tbe hour .

      At each step np the well-staircase the warmth and stench increase , until by the time one reaches the gallery doorway , a furnace-heat rushes ont through the entrance that seems to force you backwards whilst the odour positively prevents respiration ' The mob on the landing , standing on tiptoe and closely wedged together , resists any civil attempt at gaining a glimpse of the stage , and yet a coster lad will rush up , elbow his way into the crowd , then jump up on to the shoulders of those before him , and suddenly disappear into the body

      of the gallery . „ . .... . The _eallery at " the Tic is one of the largest in London . It will hold irom 1 , 500 to 2 , 000 people , and runs back to so great a distance , that the end of itis lost in shadow , excepting where the little _eas-iets , asainst the wall , light np the two or three faces around them . When the gallery is wcU packed , itis usual to sea piles of boys on eaon other * shoulders at the back ; while on the partition boards , dividing off the slips , lads will pitch themselves despite the spikes . As you look up the vast slanting mass of heads from the upper boxes , each one appears on the move . The huge black heap , dotted with faces ,

      :. nd spotted with white shirt sleeves , almost pains the eve to look at , and should a clapping of hands commence , the twinkling nearly blinds you . It is the fashion with the mob to take off their coats ; and the cross-braces on the backs of some , and the bare shoulders peeping out of the ragged shirts of others , are the onlv varietv to be found . The bonnets of the "ladies" are hung orer the iron railing in front , their numbers nearly hiding the panels , and one of the amusements ofthe lads in the back seats consists in pitching orange peel or nutshells into them , a good aim being rewarded with a shout of

      Iauehter . "When the orchestra begins playing , before " the gods" _liaTC settled into their seats , it is impossible to hear a note of music . The puffed-out cheeks of tbe trumpeters , and the raised drum-sticks tell vou that the overture has commenced , but no tune is to be heard . An occasional burst of the full band bein « r * caag ht by gushes , as if a high wind were _rasiiTff R ecognitions take place every moment , and " Bill Smith" is called to in aloud voice from one side , and a shout in answer from the other asks «« -Whit's nn " Or family secrets are revealed , and « Bob TriHer" is asked where « Sal" is , and vep lSamid froar of laug hter , that she is _a-larn"i _^ _XS _^^^*^ _^ / 0 , ric _^ , _?' - ' t ! _Jti , rshoulders at the door , and doub-•! - Umi ? -nllf _Mol S 3 rolls down over the heads " _v t tlvS a trail of commotion , for each one S S _^ _ffl _' . MSr "t tto feH _» w . _P-sently

      London Labour And The London Poor. By He...

      _faS h . T * K ° _- _5 _* ' and then ev « y _do rises _SS _«^ _r _^ H and shouting ; three or four E _^ . « iiT" * t 0 _« the audiencc *™ g their _KS-S Ti _% lna 88 see _» s like microscopic _tnZ _^ J _^ _^ m { ion ceases suddenl ? ft _!? _aV _* ? ' andthen the cries of L ? _rlnn ? k ° _rd-a - " _Ord-a-a-r ! " make more noise than ever . _JSmlT * ° " rrl alIery is nofc t 0 De m 0 *' ed ° y touching sentiment . They prefer vigorous exercise to any emotional speech . "The 6 hild ofthe Storm ' s " declaration that she would share her father ' s death _. afi _^ u , _^ _. _* , _^ :- . __ _, ..

      or imprisonment as her duty , " had no effect at all compared with the split in the hornpipe . Ihe shrill whistling and brayvos that followed the tar s performance showed how highlv it was relished , and One " fJOd" wont so far a * to ask "how n r u done _' " Tue comic actor kicking a dozen _lolisn peasants was encored , but the grand banquet of the Gzar of all tho Russias onlv produced merriment , and a request that he would " < _-ive them . abit" was made directl y the Emperor took the willow-patterned plate in his hand . All affecting situations were sure to be interrupted by cries of •¦ ord-a-a-r ;'' and the lady _begaing for her

      fatner s me was told to "speak up old gal ; " _though when the heroins of the " dummestic dreamer" ( as they call it ) told the general of all the Cossack forces " cot to be a fool , " the uproar of approbation grew greater than ever-and when tho lady turned up her swan s-down cuffs , and seizing four Russian soldiers shook them _successively by the collar , then the enthusiasm knew no bound ' s , and the cries of Bray-vo Vincent : Go it my tulip ! " resounded from every throat . Altogether , the gallery audience do not seem to be of a gentle nature . One poor little lad shouted out m a crying tone " that ho couldn't see , " and instuntly a dozen voices demanded that he should be thrown over . "

      Whilst the pieces are going on , brown , flat bottles arc frequently raised to the mouth , and between the acts a man with a tin can , _giitterin" in the gas-light , goes round crying , " Port-a-a-a-r 1 who ' s for port a-a-a-r . " As the licat increased the faces grow bright red , every bonnet was taken off , and ladies could be seen wiping the perspiration from their cheeks with the play-bills . "So delay between the pieces will be allowed , and should the interval appear too long , some one will shout out—referring to the curtain— " Pull up that there winder blind ! " or they will call to the orchestra , saying , "How then you catgut-scrapers ! Let ' s have a ha-purth of liveliness . " Neither will they sutler a play to proceed until they bave a good view of the stage , and "Higher the blue , " is constantly shouted , when the sky is too low , or " Light up the moon , " when the transparency is rather dim .

      The dances and comic songs , between the piecc 9 , are liked better than anything else . A highland fling is cei tain to be repeated , and a stamping of feet will accompany the tune , and a shrill whistling , keep time through the entire performance . But the grand hit of the evening is always when a song is sung to which the entire gallery can join in chorus . Then a deep silence prevails allthrough the stanzas . Should any burst in before his time , jt shout of " orda-a-r" is raised , and the intruder put down by a thousand indignant cries . At the proper time , however , the throats of the mob burst forth in all their strength . The most deafening noise breaks out suddenly , while the cat-calls

      keep up the tune , and an imitation of a dozen Mr . Punches squeak out the words . Some actors at the minortheatrcsmake a great point of this , and in the bill upon the night of my visit , under the title of "There ' s a good time coming , boys , " there was printed , " assisted by the most " numerous and effective chorus in the metropolis "—meaning the whole ofthe gallery . The singer himself started tbe mob , saying , " Now then , the Exeter Hall touch if you please gentlemen , " and beat time with his hand , parodying M . Jullien with his baton . An " anacore on such occasions is always demanded , and dispite a few murmers of " change to Duck-legged Dick" invariably insisted upon .

      Taits Edinburgh Magazine. January, 1851....

      Taits Edinburgh Magazine . January , 1851 . London : Simpkin , Marshall , and Co . The opening article in this number is entitled to the careful perusal of all who wish to understand the essential difference between Continental and English Government . It is an examination of the "Bureaucracy and Military Systems of France and Germany , " based on Mr . Laing _' s recent valuable book on " the Social and Political State of the European People in 1848 and 1849 . " The writer says , bureaucracy is one of those peculiar features which pre-eminentl y distinguish the social structure of continental countries . "Mr .

      Laing , " he adds , — Calls _itfunctionarism , which is perhaps , . 1 better name . This is a difference whicb , even more than that connected with the partition of the soil , pervades the daily and domestic life of the nation , and modifies its whole aspect ss presented io the eye of the passing stranger . In England the civil servants ofthe Government are few , unconnected , and unobtrusive ; on the Continent , they are innumerable , omnipresent , and constitute a separate , organised , and powerful class . Iu England they confine themselves to . absolute necessary functions ; on the Continent they interfere in every transaction and event of life . In England , as a general rule , a man is

      only reminded of their existence by the annual visit ofthe tax-gatherer , unless , indeed , he has to appeal to the law , or has rendered himself amenable to it ; on the Continent scarcely a day passes , scarcely an operation can be concluded , without coming into contact or collision with one or other of their number . Many of the duties performed by officials on the Continent are here performed by elected _parish or munioipal functionaries ; many are left to individual discretion ; many more are not performed at all . With us a man ' s free will is limited only by his _neighbour ' s free will , or his neighbour ' s rights ; in France and Austria it can be exercised only subject to Government permission previouslv obtained .

      Restriction is tbe exception here , it is the rule there . Throughout the Continent a citizen cannot engage in business , build a house , or take a journey , without leave ; and leave is only obtained through an established routine of tedious and annoying formalities . " In France , Switzerland , Belgium , and the constitutional States of Germany , " says Mr . Laing , " people call themselves free , because they enjoy more or less of the forms of representative government , and have more or less political liberty ; but they have no more civil liberty , and no more sense or feeling of it , than when they had no constitutions at all . They live , act , and have their being under a system of interference in every man ' s movements and doings , precisely as in Austria , Prussia , and States without any constitutions or political liberty . * * The reality of civil liberty in the free use of time , industry , and capital , and in

      the free action ofthe individual , is unknown to the continental man . It is amusing to hear a German or a Frenchman discussing constitutional forms of government , universal suffrage , the qualifications of representatives , the equal rights of citizens ; and , when he has settled all these points to his satisfaction , in a theory whieh proves very clearly that we enjoy no real liberty in England , and do not understand its first principles , to ask him to take a jaunt with you to Tours or Marseilles , Cologne or Leipsic . * Oh , ' says he , 'I must run to the bureau for our passports . I must get them signed by the proper authorities , countersigned by other proper authorities , viseed by the proper authorities in every town wc stop at on our journey , in order to prevent trouble with the police ; and I must get this done before the bureaux are shut for the day , or we shall have to wait till to-morrow . ' To be free and

      independent in the sense that the common man in England is free and independent , seems not to be a want in the mind of the continental man , even of fortune and education . The English traveller in France or Germany who has gone himself to the Hotel de Yille , or the passport orBce , to have his passport vis ' ecd and signed , instead of leaving it to his Dalit de place , and who has seen the crowd of tradesmen , country dealers , travelling artisans , and peasants from the neig hbouring villages , who have been at the fair , standing for hours to have their papers examined and signed , will return with a pretty distinct idea of the difference between political and civil freedom , between the mind , spirit , character , and social state of the English , and ofthe continental people . "

      The working of this _Bystem , in its various phases , is very ably analysed by the writer , though we arc not quite certain that both ho and Mr . Laing are somewhat one-sided in tbeir estimate oi it . Seeing so clearly as they do all its defects and mischievous results , they have unconsciously forgotten what might be urged on the other side . It would , we think , not be a very-difficult matter foran advocate of functionarism to gather a host of facts , relative to the sanitary , social , domestic , and moral operation of our local and municipal system of self-government , which would make a formidable show in favour of the other side . On the whole , however , we agree with the following statement of the essential difference and comparative results of the two

      systems : — The different ideas which lie at the root of the two systems may be thus stated : a certain amount of wisdom is required for the conduct of affairs , and the management of associated life . This requisite wisdom is supposed by functionarism to reside in the rulers , and by municipality to reside in the people . In England and America we assume that every man understands his own interest , and

      Taits Edinburgh Magazine. January, 1851....

      _™ Jm ct ° _wn _business better than any government can do it for him . In Franco and Germany _nlrTr _* ¥ _^ ° P e le are _^ knowing and incompetent , and will mismanage both their own private affairs , and all associated business unless _SEl , ! dir _, ected b y th 9 roPer _* o _** knowledge r , _lrf nC f ° _^ trainC j and eduCated Class Of rulers . The fundamental notion on which the superstructure of continental bureaucracy is built , is —not only that the government is wiser than its sub-ccts but-that the wisdom of its subjects _sociSSn ordi » _* ycases of . individual or Now , it is evident that this assumption has an alarming tendency to realise and iustifv itsnlf Tim

      incapacity which is presumed will sooner or later oe created . A people that is always regarded as in a state of pupillage , and kept in * lead ' ing-strings , can never emers e into mature manhood . Itis undoubtedly true , that trained functionaries may often be _aine to manage each individual department better than municip al or parochial amateurs could do . _S . ? i t ! ley wiU often avoid those mult tudinous failures , those abortive experiments , and those monstrous and costly blunders , through which a self-governing people struggle onward to sensible and wiseresults at last ; but , in the first place , that invaluable national education which is carried on during tbo progress of these efforts , and the elimination of these errors , is enrirelv lost under the bureaucratic system ; and , in the second place , the pians adopted not _beinii wrought out bv the _neonle .

      Hut being forced upon them from without , will seldom either be well adapted to their wants , or havo so strong a hold on their affections . The incapacity for sell-government which bureaucracy has engendered among the continental nations was strongly shown in 1 S 48 . They threw off their sovereigns , they proclaimed republics , or substituted other dynasties ; but they had no ability to organise new institutions , they could not emancipate themselves from the old army of civil functionaries , because they ivcre unable to dispense _xvith them ; and thus , one by one they gradually fell back under the old regime . Whereas in California , peopled by a sudden influx of emigrants , wild in their tempers , lawless in their habits , greedy for gold , thirsty for

      sudden opulence , without chiefs , without guidance , without control , the innate and ineffaceable genius of a race of men long accustomed to govern and to guide themselves , has enabled them , with an almost miraculous rapidity , to educe order out of the chaos , and to establish something like a civilised and legal community , without the smallest assistance or interference on the part of the central authority . In England , wero our complicated go . vernment of King , Lords , and Commons , swept away to-morrow , wc could soon re-organise the ruling hierarchy , perhaps on a better footing than before because every town , and almost every village , could afford us most of the materials , and much of the experience , required . But , in 1818 and 1849 , all the collective wisdom of tho

      bureaucratic countries of Germany and France , with a Clearfield before them , were able to strike out little that was sensible , and nothing that was now . One thing is , howover , abundantly evident —that bureaucracy creates a class numerous and powerful , which , though nominally the servants of the nation , become , to % great extent , its masters . It is perfectly alarming to think of the swarm of official locusts , who eat up the substance , and interfere with tho business of the people ; and there being little doubt that much of the system is kept up

      exclusively for their benefit , the difficulty of changing it will be proportionall y great . We have an example at hand which will strike all parties who have made a run across the Channel for a few days' ramble in France . The passport system is an unmitigated nuisance—a source of official eitortion for no possible public purpose ; and yet , when the Government lately endeavoured to abolish it , the functionaries were too powerful for them . The nuisance still exists in all the plenitude of its abomination . A glance at the comparative number of functionaries on the continent

      and in this country , will explain why this has occurred : — In Prussia we have no means of ascertaining the truth . In Austria , with a population of thirty-six millions , they are stated at 120 , 000 . In Franco , also , with a population of thirty-six millions , they arc variously given by different authorities , according as these take in only the regular and permanent paid officials , or add to these tho unpaid , the occasionally paid , and the retired ; but the lowest estimate exceeds 350 , 000 . Wo believe the following will be nearly an exact list of the actual employes under each department , who aro paid in some shape or other , leaving out . the pensioners and the municipal authorities . It is taken from a recent report to the Legislative Assemblv : — Ministry of the Interior " 344 , 000 „ of Justice 11 , 100

      „ Worship and Instruction 50 , 000 „ Public Works , Commerce , and Agriculture 10 , 000 „ Foreign Affairs 032 „ War and Marine 43 , 633 „ Finance , Customs , & Excise 70 , 000 535 , 305 Compare this enormous army of paid officials with tho modest government provision in Great Britain , which bas a population of thirty millions . In 1835 the whole civil service of the State was conducted by 23 _. 57 S persons ; and since that period , we believe , the number has rather diminished than increased .

      The exposition of " The Military Organisation of France and Germany , and its social consequences , '' will amply repay perusal ; and although we do not come to the same general conclusions as the writer , we cannot but commend this instructive paper to the though ttul consideration of all , who are desirous of studying social science , by the light of the experience derived from varied and differing social institutions . From a sketch entitled " Places I have Seen , " we take the following brief glance at the present condition of the late Daniel O'Council ' s residence : —

      Darrynane nestles in a thick wood which springs luxuriantly up , sheltered from the Atlantic hy a stalwart arm of the mountain , which encircles and seems to clasp it to its rugged bosom . A medow of the most vivid green lies in front of the building , and stretches down towards a bright strip of sandy beach ( a beautiful object on a rock-bound coast ) , which shoots out towards the little island on which stand the fragments ot the abbey . The mountains close round the bay on the land side , and the fantastic forms of Scara and Hog Island seem to guard it to seaward like two gigantic _sentinsls .

      "The last _jintleman [ car-driver , interloeutor ] " as I druv to _Derrynnno before the Liberator died —rest his _soule!—was a mighty grate inimy ofthe Liberator up in Dublin ; only he came down here to see him on some law business . ' Don ' t take the horse out , ' says he , I'll ounly be stopping a quarther of an hour . ' ' Very well , sir , ' says I . Well , "fir , the Liberator wouldn't hear of it : first he must see the bounds , or he couldn ' t talk to him at all ; and thin he must see a hunt , aud shure he couldn't do that till tho nexth day ? and tbin there was Misther Maurice ' s yacht , the same ye see yender ; and thin , bcyunt and above all , there was the champain and the clar't as must bo dhrunk . And so , to make short work of it , bedad he stopped there three days , aa' myself with him ; an' sure it was , little himself and the Liberator were inimies afther that . Ah , sir , there ' s a change since those times !"

      A change indeed ! The very bridge over which the mighty ofthe land , by genius , learning , birth , and wealth , flocked to the presence of him who waa then mightiest among them , over which the hare-footed post-boy , with his tin horn dangling from his nek , bore those missives , dated " Darrynane Abbey , " which shook the kingdom from Cape Clear to Fair Head—that very bridge is broken down , and lies in fragments ' in the bed of the stream it spanned .

      "Webster ' s Duchess of MaliV' is a genial and admirably-told prose version of the tragedy , which has recently been revived at Sadler ' s Wells , and carries the sympathies and the interest of the reader along with it throughout . " What is it all about , " treats of the Papal question in a deprecatory and depreciatory tone , declares that there is no ground whatever for the alarm and indignation which has been so universally expressed ; and concludes thus : —

      _ Dr . Wiseman ' s documents are no new manifestations ofthe nature of Popery , and his appointments confer upon it no new power . Still more—and here again we approach the root of all the mischief done out-of-doors , and rumoured ns likely to be done m the Cabinet and Legislature—you ought not , and you cannot legislate against influences . We ought not—it is persecution : if we , as Liberals think Romanism has a despotic tendency , Tories think Protestant dissent has a democratic tendency ; and if legislation , or attempts at it , had a beginning , where would be the end ? Wo cannotall history shows in letters of blood that those things are too subtle for laws and penalties : hi the present case , to forbid the names would be pal tryto forbid the thing would be persecution ; but both are practically impossible . The check and cure for

      Taits Edinburgh Magazine. January, 1851....

      bad influences is the application of good ones . We say with Milton , " Let Truth and Falsehood gran _, pie " and perish all force and "protection " as puerilities and poltrooneries . A similar view is enforced in " A Speech of Oliver Cromwell , in opening Parliament , '' in which tho manuei * both of Carlylo and the Great Protector is happily imitated . The other articles are of average merit aud interest .

      Works Received. The Girlhood Of Shakespe...

      WORKS RECEIVED . The Girlhood of Shakespeare ' s Heroine . Tale H . The Thane ' s Daughter . Simkins , Marshal , it t ' o . The Poetic Companion . Xo . I . The Public Good . No . XIII . Romanism , the Reli gion of Terror . By S . P . Day . 2 btini . _* cnrf _' s Parisian Costumes . Simpkins _, Marshall » fc Co .

      ^ Wftlic Slmugimf-Itt*.

      _^ wftlic _Slmugimf-itt _* .

      Drurt-Lasfi Theatre. After Three Years' ...

      DRURT-LASfi THEATRE . After three years' absence Mr . Walter L . u _* y has returned to the London stago . He made his reniree on Saturday evening Iast _. atDniry-lano Theatre , in the character of Wildrako in the * Zoue Chase , which he had never before sustained in London . The novelty of a now partwa 3 not necessary as a stimulus to the many admirers of Mr , Walter Lacy ' s acting . He had left behind him a reputation as being one of the very few gentlemanly light comedians of whom wo can boast , while ho had also shown , in some few characters , a large amount of histrionic aptitude , ami no little originality in his

      conception and grasp of characters . We need scarcely say that Mr . W . Lacy received a warm and cheering welcome . His Wildrako is a highly intelli gent und humorous embodiment of the quaint fancy of Sheridan Knowles ' s muse . The sheepish shyness and the love-taught cunning aro artistically blended , nofc forced into violent contrast . The groat scene , where he frightens Constance out of coquetry , by announcing his intended marriage , was a striking instance of this artistic intelligence . Mr . Lacy is not an actor content to raise a vulgar laugh at the expense of the consistency of the character ho is for the time embodying . Of Mrs . Nisbctt _' s Neighbour Constance what can wo say that has not heen said a thousand times by a thousand admirers ? It is one of the richest , raciest , and

      most buoyant outbursts of unforced , flowing humour of which our stage can boast . Who that has ever heard her joyous , ringing laugh , as she chuckles over her tormented cousin but feels the same sensation of springing pleasure as when hist he was under its magical influence ? Mrs . Nisbett probably never played this , her favourite character , with more elaboration and finish than on this occasion . She seemed on her mettle , and therefore carried her audience in triumph . A new comer , Mrs . Parker , sustained the part of the Widow Green with much tact and humour . This is the lady who made a hit in a small part , that of a cynical American Puritan , in Mrs . Mowatt ' s comedy of Fashion , at the Olympic Theatre . The piece was well acted . Miss F . Vining played with much delicacy , dignity and feeling as Lydia ,

      Tho new pantomime , entitled Harlequin and Humptu Dumpty , or Robbin de Bobbin and the First Lord Mayor of Lun ' on , is eminently successful , and the principal pantomimic personages are ably represented by Mr . Duclin ( Harlequin ) , Mdlle . Theodore ( Columbine ) , Mr . J . Duelin ( Pantaloon ) , Signor Parkini ( Sprite ) , and Mr . Seymour ( Clown . ) On Tuesday night Mr . Bar ' ratt made his debut in the character of _Falstaff , in Henry the Fourth . His physique is decidedly in his favour ; but he is filso an actor of intelligence and discrimination , and of no little humour . He was very successful ; and , if his performanse in other characters be at all equal to his Falstaff , ho will prove an acquisition to tho stage . The play was well acted and well mounted ; Mr . _Vandenhoff sustained the part of Percy , and Mr . Anderson tbat of tho Prince .

      Standard Tiieatiie. This Elegant House, ...

      STANDARD TIIEATIIE . This elegant house , which has been greatly enlarged and * newly decorated , still continues to attract crowded audiences . The new drama of _Pridt and Patience commences the evening ' s performances . Mr . Lyon , as Sir Robert Marston , shows , in a strong light , the baneful effeets of ancestral pride . Mrs . llonnor _, as Lady Marston , gives great effect to a well conceived character ; and the acting of Mr . Cowle , as a returned convict , burning under a sense of treachery and injustice , was true to nature , and well received by the audience . Mr . G . Nelson , as a wily lawyer , and Mr . H . Lewis , as a sharper , made the most of their respective parts . Miss E , Terry and Mrs . Cowle also contributed greatly to the success of the piece , nor must we omit Mr . Gaston , who , as the meddling servant , and the treacherous friend , had a wide scope for his well known abilities .

      The performance concluded with a new pantomime , entitled Harlequin Buttercups and Daisies ; or Great A , Little A , Bouncing B , the Cat ' s in the Cupboard and she can ' t see . " The plot , trifling and insignificant in itself , by judicious acting and welltimed hits at the events of the day , kept the audience convulsed with laughter . The scenery and decorations were most magnificent . Mr . II . Saunders , as Harlequin , M . SLlvani , as Silver Sprite , and Messrs . Buck and Doughty , as Clowns , maintained tbeir well-earned fame , and contributed greatly to the hilarity of the audience ; whilst an Elfin band of fifty children , as Buttercups and Daisies , and their various transformations , gave great delight to the juvenile portion of tho audience . The whole concluded with a novel moving Panorama of the principal shops in Shoreditch , and the curtain fell upon a crowded house , amid great applause .

      Astley's. The Performances During The Ho...

      ASTLEY'S . The performances during the holidays commence with the grand historical drama of Kenihvorth . Wc have already noticed this piece , and can only Bay that , independent of tho plot and dialogue , which arc excellent , tho dresses , scenery , decorations and properties cannot be surpassed , and are but seldom equalled in any theatre in the Kingdom . Tho scenes in the circle are more than usually attractive owing to the introduction of M . Plasche " the great barrel equilibrist" to an English audience , whose daring ascent from the circle to the top of the stage on a small beer barrel , propelled by his feet along a carriage-way of plank not a foot in breadth , which is raised several feet in heigth , and forms a

      very steep incline , excited intense interest . Some singular gymnastic feats were exhibited by the Francisco family , which riveted theattention ofthe house , and elicited hearty expressions of approbation . Mr . John Bridges went through an astonishing act of horsemanship as the Bounding springer ofthe Alps . A dance was then performed with singular accuracy by two horses , under the guidance of M . Ghclia , and the " Scenes of the Circle " wound up with a variety of dances on horseback by Miss A Bridges , The entertainments of the evening were concluded with the new and original grand , historical , equestrian , Christmas Pantomime , " entitled Harlequin and O'Donaghue ; or , the Wkitc Horse of Killameu , which entirely succeeded in attracting the attention of the audience . Dermot Astoro , betrothed to Kathleen , is entrapped by an emissary of the evil spirit of Ireland info drunkenness and gambling . A _Berics of

      adventures succeed , In which the Fairy Prince of Killarnoy _, _ycleped O'Donaghue—a splendid looking personage , whose white horse plays a prominent part—appears as the supernatural champion of temperance , and rescues poor Dermot Astorc and Kathleen from all their difficulties , to be changed into Harlequin and Columbine , and the entertainment closes with a succession ot amusing pantomimic transformations . Among the most ramarkable hits are , " the Great Exhibition of 1851—the Sweedish nightingale at New York—and Jim Crow , ( both represented as birds , pursued by American managers , with salt boxes , sprinkling salt upon their tails , )—the American sea serpent—clown ' s balloon ascent on a real donkey—Batty's menagerie—Haynau at the Bankside brewery , and the bedchamber scene . Tho pantomime concludes with a grand allegorical tableau . This house is nightly crowded to the ceiling .

      Uj*J - Queen's Theatre. An Interesting D...

      Uj _* J - QUEEN'S THEATRE . An interesting drama in two acts , written by Miss Mellon , and entitled The Witch of _Vesuvius , has been produced this week . This piece possesses more than ordinary merit ; the plot is good , and the language abounds with sparkling wit and thrilling narrative . The principal parts aro well sustained by Mr . E . Green , the Mistes F . Hamilton , E . Farrell _, C . Gibson , Rivers , and Mrs . C . Boyce . It would not be good taste on our parts to particularize the acting pt the above artistes , whose talents have deservedly gained for them the appellation of favourites , ihe pantomime , by Mr . C . S . James , of Cinderella , is 0 the most splendid description . Twenty new and

      gorgeous scenes have been painted by Mr . C . J . James , the spirited manager and lessee , and the whole is presented on a costly scale of grandeur . Mr . Ambrook a ppeared as Harlequin , Mr , Harrison as Clown , Mr . White as Pantaloon , and Miss C . Gibson as Columbine . Tbo acting and singing of Miss E . Farrell , as the Fairy Fiction , and also of Miss Hamilton , who personated the Prince , deserves especial notice . Miss C . Gibson is a most graceful and ag ile Columbine , and the evolutions of the corps de ballet ( her pupils ) were loudly applauded . The pantomime is a decided hit ; the actors endeavoured to outvie each other , and the house , which was crowded in every part , was kept in a continual roar of laughter and delight ,

      Paum-Ft.

      _Paum-ft .

      Riches Are But Ciphers-It Is The Mind Th...

      Riches are but ciphers-it is the mind that makes the sum . Q _j _I'estion- * ? oit Debatixg Owns . - Can a man while asleep m the day-time have the night-mare Use or Moxey .-To some men it is indispensable to be worth money , for without it they would be worth nothing . P- . MX Q _. uESHTASs . - _'Did yo ivver naw onny ooiMy we creakin shoes , but wor suar alias to get ta plaices a _wurship hue ? Did yo _iwer uw onny bod . lv go _tnt _knife-bo . V for a knifi _* . hut wotthey _alla . uma 0 Y nforJt _t'f lirst 2 _—loqmoor Olmenack :

      # What Euhoi- sax Capital denotes a patient who is always changing |„ mc ( iiciue ? _ Constantinople ( Constant to no pill . ) ' What AnB the most unsociable things in the world _i—Mi _. cstones—you never see two of them together . Win * is a vain young lad y like a confirmed drunkard . '—Because neither of them are satisfied with a moderate us ? ofthe glass . Matui . mo . vial bliss has been said to ba something like butter ; the thinner we spread it the further it gnen . A student in » ant of money sold his books and wrote home— " Father , rejoice , ' for I now derive my support from literature . " A skcrut is like silence , you cannot talk about it and keep it ; it is like monev . when once you know there is any concealed , it is hall-ilisuovere . l .

      Mikb _, speaking of a celebrated musician , said : lie has led a very abandoned life . "— " O , ves , " replied Scaley , " the whole towr of his life has heen base . RoiiB .-An Irishman said ( hat Rome had the most laineant _government in the world . You might kilU man m tne street , and nobody t ook the laist notice of it . " You CHARGE me fifty sequins , " said a Venetian gentleman to a sculptor , " for a bust that cost vou only ten days' labour . "— ' You forgot , " replied tho artist , ' that I was thirty years learning to make that bust in ten days !" A uunAi . poct , in describing his ladvlove , saysshe is as graceful as a watcr-lilv , while her breath smells like an armful of clover . His case is certainly approaching n crisis .

      London Chaiutiks . —These charities annually disburse in aid of their respective objects the amount of £ 1 , 70-1 , 733 , of which upwards of £ 1 , 000 , 000 is raked annually by voluntary contributions ; the remainder from fuuded property , sale of publications , & c . " _Ficoi-ns vo . vt lie , vill they ? " muttered a cockney arithmetician , who had just reeled out of an anti-temperance resort , and was holding on to . 1 lamp-post . " Veil , perhaps they vont , " remarked an observer ; " but 1 see a linger as vont stand anv how !" " Win , Sarah , I am told that when yon met your old flame , Mr . J ., the other day , he treated you quite bearishly . "— " Indeed he didn ' t ( blushing ); ho seemed very glad to see me . "— " That is what I mean . I understand he gave you a prodigious hugging . "—Sarah screamed ami fainted .

      A late traveller , after examining the murderous furniture with which Gibralter is supplied , says it ' s a marvel to think that soldiers will mount such places for a shilling , and ensigns for fonr-and-nim peuco a day . By the way , how it strips war of its glory to apply arithmetic to it—dou't it ? Tun Secuet of Gueat Acquisitions . — "The chief art of learning , " says Locke , "is to attempt but little at a time . The widest excursions of tho mind are made by short flights frequently repeated ; the most lofty fabrics of science aro formed by the continued accumulations of single propositions . "

      Education . —He that has found a way to keep a child's spirit easy , active , and free ; and yet , at the same time , to restrain him from many things he has a mind to , and to draw him to things that are . uneasy to him ; he , I say , who knows how to reconcile these seeming contradictions , ha « , in my opinion , got the true secret of education . —facte , Fiohting in Peace . —Maloney says that Ireland is the only country where people can fight in peace and quietness . In London they jerk you up " with an act of Parliament , " if yon only have a taste of a brush in the back yard . At Donnybrook , on the contrary , you can fight all day , and with as much comfort and respect as if you were _goiim to church .

      _Ixtern'al Convulsions of the Earth . —The Newfoundland Times give facts establishing the probability that the whole island is rising out of tho ocean , with a rapidity which threatens , at no distant period , to materially affect , if not utterly destroy , many of the best harbours on the coast of Newfoundland . A similar upheaving has been noticed iu Sweden for nearly a century . A Hint to Quick . Writers . —Locke says , that the faster a man writes the slower others read what he has written . Napoleon could write fourteen pages in a minute ; unfortunately , however , each page consists of eight blots and a splatter . Some of his lines to Maria Louisa appear to have been scattered over the paper by the explosion of a bomb shell , they are so knocked into cocked hats and mashed cockroaches .

      A Pabental Hint . —When an accident occurs , learn whether it was through misfortune , negligence , or wilfulness before you pass sentence . Accidents are frequently of great service , and children often learn more caution and real information from their occurrence than from fifty lessons . Be it remembered , that the perfection of science h owing to the occurrence and remedy of its early accidents . A Sio . _v Painteu carried u bill to a lawyer for payment _. The lawyer , after examining it , said , " Do you expect any painters will go to heaven , if they make such charges as these ?"— " I never heard of but one tbat went , " said the painter , " and he behaved so bad that they determined to tnru him out , but there being no lawyer present to draw up a writ of ejectment , he remained . "

      _Sbcurts . —The Russians have a singular method of extorting disclosures from the prisoners . In their libations is mixed a drug , which has the effect of rendering them delirious , and in this state they are watched and interrogated , when secrets are dividged . A Law * asked a very silly Scotch nobleman how it happened that the Scots who came out of their own country were , generally speaking , men of more abilities than those who remained at home ? " Oh , madam , " said he , "the reason is obvious . At every outlet there are persons stationed to examine all who piss , that for the honour of the country no one be permitted to leave it who is not a man of understanding . "— " Then , " said she , - "I suppose your lordship was smuggled . "

      M ' lle France , at the Boston theatre ( U . S . ) , after executing a brilliant pas , was called before the curtain . She acknowledged the compliment three times , and at last advanced to the footlights , and addressed her admirers as follows : — " Lady et Gentilhomme—I av take vara grand plaisirat niose agreeable compliment at your hand . I have no comprehendez le Anglaise moch—by bye I know him better —den I was tell yon how moche you do me pride . " Tremendous applause , of course .

      Irish Roads , —An _Englishman having asked a son of Erin if the roads in Ireland were good . Pat replied , " Yes , they are so fine that 1 wonder you do not import some ot them into England . Let me see , there ' s the road to love , strewed with roses ; to matrimony , through nettles ; to honour , through the camp ; to prison , through the law ; and to tho undertakers , through physic . "— " Have you any road to preferment ? '' said the Englishman , "Yes , faith , we have ; but that is the dirtiest road in the kingdom . "

      " _Beautt , " says Lord Kaimes , '' is a dangerous property , tending to corrupt the mind of the wife , though it soon loses its influence over the husband . A figure agreeable and engaging , which inspires affection without the ebriety of love , is a much safer choice . Tho graces lose not their influence like beauty . At the end of thirty years , a virtuous woman , who makes an agreeable companion , charms her husband more than at first . The comparison of love to lire holds good in one respect , tbat the fiercer it bums the sooner ifc is extinguished . "

      Charming Beds , —It is said that a German is constructing a musical bed for the Exhibition . When the . occupant presses it , soothing airs will be emitted ; and , * thus lulled , "he may sink _luxuriouslv into the aims of sleep . " A Frenchman has invented something more useful which he calls Un LitaRevcille Matin , or , in plain English , abed which awakens the sleeper at any fixed hour at which he may wish to rise . By the adaptation of a simple contrivance to clock-work , tbe bed is made to incline forward , and the sleeper is thrown on his feet , his character for punctuality in his matinal engagements bein g ensured at the risk of breaking his nose .

      Liabilitt 01 ? Clerks . —The cashier of Mr . Fry , builder , St . John ' s Wood-terrace , lately had one hundred and nineteen . sovereigns out of one hundred and twenty abstracted from a bag of silver and gold coin in an omnibus , and his employer _suaimoned him in the Court of Common Pleas to replace the money lost , as was alleged , through negligence . The defence was , that the theft Was not attributable to negligence , but to the dexterity of the thief . The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff , takingcare to exonerate tbe unfortunate cashier from the slightest imputation on his character .

      _Lodoixo-House _Kkhpi-us' Logic—The _Lodgmg-Ilouse Keepers of London aro beginning to calculate the probable profits of the Great Exhibition season of 1851 , or , in other words , they are •' counting thoirchickens before they are batched ; " that is to say , before thev shell out . Somcbedy has said that 4 , 000 , 000 of strangers will be poured into London , and as there are not more than 1 , 000 , 000 beds to let , the rules of arithmetic call upon us to divide one by four , and as four into one won't go , we _rccorcmcnU some of the intended visitors , before they leave a comfortable bed at home , to " sleep upon it , until they have made sure of a substitute .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 4, 1851, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_04011851/page/3/