On this page
-
Text (4)
-
i^"~ .a jounds I could raise on that . *...
-
" Able and Interesting" Balance Sheet of...
-
FOKTSEA.—MlLlT*BT OUTBA«B — On Tuesday n...
-
A Pcm-titu Parson. -—Elizabeth was affia...
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.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
•Nottingham. (From Our Own Reporter.) Ou...
i _^ " ~ . _ _a _-jounds ; I could raise on that proper . * ' _P l _^_ d pounds , for whieh I should pay fo _ r _^ _^ ou 5 » u r fl < jne , nn _3 re _j ponnds to pay for _percj-f _^ Mes . Here , then , is security . What , say _^ !_ _KeA COT . « _J- t _^ _thoiisanapounds ? _ _^ d in throe years I could raise fifteen thoal * . ' _« _-. _il _ not upon the land , but upon the La-O _^ _-wAhad been put into the land . It is the V * that enhances the value of land . { Hear , J ** ' I can show , so that there may be no mis I *?' 1 _taniinf . how it may be done . If I bad two - _* _-S _^ ar-dsfaran allotment , Iconld get for tbis tti _^^^ _nndsin a year at the bank , but in the s" * tB « f rent 1 shonld get ten pounds . I pnt a man _d _& Ji _j _, _^ whose labonr would be worth ten jitO _vHw r _„* , _—v :- * . trnnU ho _twonff-fliTTinTinilo _ _*** . . iL . - ¦ T _r * m _\ A _i-tissAn that _nwMwrtJ
- _^ tf _ d then lour pounds for his house would » J _| _fijrfy tK > nnrls security for the eight pounds ts ** it _^ theman _' _a labour that increases thevalue _, f onr opponents donot reckon the labour ; they rs leave that out in their calculations ; they _^^ _sccount for the labour . ( Loud applause . ' ) 2 _£ ft is tho land _compared to the labour ? Give me 2 _ _-- » of landat £ 1 per acre , and I will make £ 50 _rstinthe year * tSesr , hear . » What proportion - Smdto labour ? The land of itself only paT 3 / _Jr per cent ., and when compared with labour , _fMaoce , asyon see , is greatly in favour oflabour . J ?? . _ a pothegm of philosophers , that'labour is the _JJJjb of wealth , ' but the Whigs say to capitalist ! , -. ot the source of wealth , and that ray plan must $ 1 Now , when I see Tawa coming back to the jnntnoase . I will say my Land Plan has failed ; _^ _IseoTar _TW Comingtothat ifb _^ _iwWIe _. and go-Lb his old abode , then I shall say it has failed .
_Mnphuse . ) I am confident of its success , and I y ? lv offer , as I did last night , wben I addressed £ re or six thousand people , to release such _meraieis as are dissatisfied . ( Applause . ) Y . n have been told that I am deceiving you ; that it is all a _jegg le ; that 1 am cheating you , and want to _commit a fraud . The ( Government has undertaken $ apply to the __ House of Commons for aa indem nity for violating the Bank Charter ; I undertake to relax the conditions of the rales , and fo take an indemnity from the Company , j _ 31 offer , if there be aay shareholder in Notthighain , who by penury is placed in circumstances to prevent bim carrying on his subscription , or if there tea man wbo thinks himself jugded , or if be * be
influenced by the « Whistler / or old Bailey ; or if he be < J * 3 S 3 tisfied with his allotment , and he will bring me his certificate , I will pay him back his money . ( _Tremendous applause . ) 1 will pay him here to-night ; I will pay him also four per cent , interest for his money , which ( he rules do not allow , and he may tike _hi 3 money home with him . ( Applause . ) With regard to the Bank , and the security , I have _actnaTy got from capitalists , by their own wish . £ 10 , 000 mortgage upon , land , in two sums of £ 5 . 000 sscb _, at fonr per cent , interest , and for this reason , the parties said they wonld rather have the land as _jecurity . The banks were only giving these _capi-{• lists three per cent , for their money , and they cere sure of my four per cent . But perhaps , when
the capitalists should go to the Bank some morning fir their interest , thc clerk may not be in the office ; gen where is ths security for their capital ? I will now draw a picture , but jou must bear in mind , _tht-ugh I charge Mr Bailey with a fault . I shoald res pect him if he acted as a gentleman . Suppose I had charged Mr Bailey with a mere simple dereliction ot duty , though he charges me with fraud , mis representation , cheating , and juggling ; bnt suppose I had done so in the _Nobthkbs S _?« t , and Mr Bailey had sent me a challenge , and instead of accepting that I had issued a handbill , as he has done , and headed it'The Press , the Press ; 'if I had said'No , I can ' t meet you , * I think you would burn the Star next Saturday . ( Hear , hear , and applause . ) This
ia precisely Mr Bailey ' s case ; he charges me witb cemraittimg a wrong , and he dares not face me . { Applause . ) I am proud of the position wbich I j occupy , no matter what abuse is heaped upon me , I aai prouder of _beinpyour bailiff than your mem- J ber , and depend upon it I would not be an honourable member and a dishonourable bailiff , for any advantages tins world could confer npon me . ( Applause . ) What do you tbink of the noisome beast , the _tronatural monster , who supposes I could for a . * _ 9 ment draw thelife-blood ofthe father , live On the sighs ofthe mother , and the anguish of the children , whom he represent * tbat I am deceiving . Does he ___ klredueemyielftoa par with him ? I , who have led a life of abstinence , that I may do ge -d ; of
_fi-sality , that I may be able te serve my conntry ? ( Applause . ) Last nigbt I confined myself to the district I _* was in ; I did not mention the name of the ruffian there . To night I confine myself to thiaapot , but at the same time , I am ready to submit the eon „ dact of my whole life a 3 a subject of inquiry- I tell the gentlemen of tbe press , that I am ready to give them tbe name of every nobleman , magistrate , clergyman , and country gentleman , resident within fifteen miles of the place where I was br * __ and born , and if any one can impeach me . and show me guilty ofa dishonest act , I will withdraw all claim to confidence . ( Applause . ) I do not come here to _glos 3 over a iife of crime ; I come here to defend myself—{ hear , hear , hear ) _--thoeg _ the whele world should
be assembled before me , and I claim a public and apatient heating . I defy Mr Bailey , or any one else , to prove a single charge against me . ( Applause . ) But I will tell you what the press Lias done by fabri--cating these chaises against me ; since these attacks , I am an inch and a half taller than I was . I began te stoop and had fears of becoming paralytic for want of exercise ; but now I feel robust and sfrong -train . ( Hear , hear . ) Had I been your cneaj , EUa Cook would have lauded use to the gkie ? , but as I am your friend , lam maligned and reviled . ( Appkum ) What should I be worth , to you i I were capable of being intimidated ? It is -the first instance of a gentleman standing before an audience like this and such as I stood before last
, night , and on Monday night at the _^ Crown and Anchor Tavern , being able to snap his _finiserasl -do , in defiance of all calumniators . ( Applause . ) Solongas the press confines itself to the exposure ot - _wrnns and error so long will I be supporter of it ; bat the moment it prostrates itself to destroy a man who is a supporter of the rights of the poor , 1 discard it , and rise superior to it . ( Applause . ) lam the _first instance upon record of one man whs , being injured , has beaten down the combined infiuenceof the press in this country , bnt I have not only withstood that power , but the cause which I have espoused is prospering . ( Applause . ) We were told some short time ago , that Chartism was nowhere : that democracy was at an end , and Chartism given
• op . Two years age , we eonld not make a policeman ; now we bare made a peer of Sir John Cam Hobhouse . Wehave as much power as the Queen . { Laughter and ap plause . ) Will not that give yeu : > n inaght into legis _ tion ? A man comes here , and you _jndse that he is not fit to represent you in the House of Commons , but tbe Queen thinks to the contrary , andso sends bim into the Honse of Lords . ( Hear , hear . ) Can there be a stronger exposure of tbe system tban this ? Ah 3 yoa do not hnow the reason why this fire is kept up against me , I confined myself at Manchester to the game there ; I took my boots to falsify the charges made against me . My Clerk went with me , and I submitted the accounts for examination ; I new come here for a like
purpose , as I consider the man whose conduct is such as to disqualify b jmfrom coming before his constituents 13 not worthy ofthe name-cf man . ( Applause . ) If 1 now appeal to you for ajustification ; if I now ask for an approval , and for an acquittal , it is on the greund of the past , which I will refer to . In 18321 was returned to parliament for my native county , " -gainst a powerful aristocracy , thirty-six noblemen , and the whole press combined as ia one common cause . The whole ofthe parsons , the magistrates , the landlords , and the press , were all opposed to me ; bat I triumphed , and was returned . Did the press then , venture an assertion against my honour or against my character ? They said I was a Democrat , aBadicaLand a devil— ( laughter and applause }—
hat not a word against my character . 1 StraggieQ again-rt these powers for three years , and in 1 S 35 I went to another election ; did th ey then venture an assertion against me ? I came here , and have you heard anything against my characler from my native country ? ( Cries of _« No , no . ' ) Now , I ask , if any man placed in the anomalous situation I was , has condncted himself more aa a gentleman and aa honest man , than I have done ? ( Cries ef * No , no , ' and applause . ) I ask yon to point out one single act of my life _unbecoming a gentleman or a man of , honour . ( Applause . ) Think ef the philanthropy of these men ! they say the 'Land Plan is bad , take « - __ you are not plundered . ' Not a word about the ' Poor Law Bastile , nor abont yonr masters wringing
the sweat out of your body . But the moment yon are about to be takea ont of your cellar , and £ 15 . or £ 20 , given to you . you are warned against yonr dangers . ( Applause . ) I wonder we have not all _theMe—odistical parsons in the conntry imploring protection for you ; I wonder that the pulpits do _notrin- * with the eloquence of these men , to prevent vou from becoming the subjects of delusion . I would recommend that fellow , Bailey , to tmn _person - he would find it a better occupation than to be the editor of the Nottingham Mercury- ( _Laugnter ted applause . ) [ Here Mr O'Connor convufaed his audience and the reporters with a sermon of a Methodist parson cautioning his beloted children and flork aMinst the snares of the Land Plan , and the
daonafele machinations ot ite projector , i he tone and emnteBanee of the preacher while delivering this discourse was the richest treat ; we erer * _wssed . _Etbtj mouth in tho assemWr . «¦ w , _oe Open , and every eye was staring , h- Vf cwld be n-arJtefidl natilthiscalm was succeeded !*! the most npioarions and _wnvulsive laughter . ] The press is Powerful when right , but powerle- when wrong . < _- _Hev , hear . ) Hume , the historian , has said the People are seldom wrong , and never rery long wrong _rli-sar _. bear , hear , and laughter > -and I w „ i add . rt does HotMuirethe aid of Feargus O'Connor to _Prora to a well educated people when the press is right and when it is wrong . The press may not wead the Land Plan , but tbey dread the lion ' s roar _-n self defence ; tbey dread a man who will aot be _.
•Nottingham. (From Our Own Reporter.) Ou...
put down ; tbey dread a man who will never aban - don thecause of the people , A „ Mr _Sweethastold you . if they could purchase inethej would ; but lam worth more thanall the government has got put together , for they know I could give them aid or injure tbem more than any ten men in the House of Commons . ( Applause ) If they laid me down , bank cheque to fill up against the Chancellor of the Exchequer , I would not give up the positienlnow Imi wi " . _^^ - _^ . _. _-dtho-gh lam charged with _havmg robbed , you . In what consists thevalue of tay situation ? It is in the retention of vourgood opinion . I havebeen frugal , and not spent £ 10 . upon myself unnecessarily for the last three years . in order to serve you , If I had monev I wonld not put down ; they dread a « _- ¦» _-1—^ ' ¦
spend it except in your cause . If I had one million to-morrow , I would have one million ' s worth of land . Tou may be sure I would not be a severe landlord . I would place those eloquent expounders of liberty , the cottages , near Nottingham and other towns ; and the _framework-knuter who was disinherited by his master , should have a home to put his head in , instead of walking in the fields to reflect upon the disparity between man and man , and being doomed to unwilling idleness and starvation . When a man is in his own castle , and has free labonr , he cannot be disinherited . There may be a glut in the market , of hosiery , and el lace— -a workman cannot eat them ; but if be have a surplus pig , he wiil never be without a surplus pair of
breeches . ( Laughter and applause . ) To raise produce on the land is not a competitive process of an injurious character ; and had there been an abundance of small landholders , there would have been no necessity to send onr gold to America , in order to pay for their corn . Tou would have had a surplus here . ( Hear , hear . ) It has been said , in tbat case where should we get a market ? Why you would create a market . If there were 3 , 900 women coming into Nottingham every market day , they would come for something , and tbey would carry away something from the shops . The towns-people would want milk , batter , wheat , poultry , and pork from the country visitors , and the latter would want articles from the shopkeepers . The system would be reproductive ;
it would work well for buyers and sellers . ( Applause . ) Touhave been told there is no security in the Bank , and that , when all the money is laid out , if you want to draw , there will be no money fer you in the Bank . Now , supposing I had £ 20 , 000 . in money ; I should always have £ 5 , 000 . of tbat lying in the Bank , tu pay for labour . Then £ 15 , 000 . would be laid out upon land , aBd there would be £ 5 , 000 . for ready cub . I have taken the precaution to adopt the rules ofthe Savings' Bank to prevent any run upon the Bank ; so that when a depositor wishes to draw out of the Bank , he must give notice ; and I have always two or three capitalists ready toletmehave money withont a mortgage by depositing title deeds forthe amount required . Tbis is the simple process . '
( Applause . ) Suppose I had bought 100 acres of land , and had given £ 30 . an acre for it . and sold some of it , as I have done , at £ 67 . 10 s . au acre , shoald I not be a gainer , and have moaey for building my bouses f That egregious blockhead , who makes hiB calculations without book , tells you I build a house for one hundred pounds ; but what do you suppose there is in that house ? There are three good rooms , a dresser np to the ceiling , and cupboards in two rooms , house-closet , back-kitchen , dairy , cow-house for two c * _ws , and a place for a donkey ( that ' s for Bailey ) , places for roots , stores , < £% ., a sty for four pigs , and the whole walled in and a gate attached , With lock and key ; there is all this for one hundred pounds . I told you this would soon
reach the rich and monied men , and a friend of mine has bought 31 i acres of land in Lincolnshire , on whicb he is building twenty cottages , aud though he paid for an architect , he contracted for the houses , exactly of the same description as mine , and as he _ctnld not superintend them himself , they cost him £ 155 . each . Mr Allsop is the individual who has purchased this land , and he lives only a mile and a half from the city of Lincoln . Now , then , Robinson , _TBpmkins , and Simpkins , wbat do you say to that ? Where does tbe devil put- liars ! ' Down , down , ' said Tomkins , ' and Bailey will go there . ' ( Laughter . ) Now , I ara going to show you what your bailiff has done . * I am going to show how your bailiff ' s accounts are made ont . and the survei'lanee your bailiff is
under , I am going to call a meeting of all the men —the carters , masons , oTerseers , carpenters , and workmen ; I will not go near tbat meeting , but they shall give theiropinipn as to the manner in wbich I have discharged my trusteeship ; and I do not doubt but there will be an unanimous vote , tbat they believe in their souls , no man conld bave taken mere care of his own property tban I have done of your property . They will declare that I have made the best bargain , paid the highest amount for the best labonr , and taken care to have the best materials , or as good as can be obtained . These ruffians say there are no books kept but tbe accounts in tbe Northkbr Stab , Well , suppose Sweet sends me £ 55 . 17 s . 4 d . and I
have a letter the next week , to say that 4 d . had been omitted in tbe acknowledgments , why , directly , in the next Star , the omission is corrected . Thus the Stab , is a complete book , which may be referred to any day in the year ; whereas , had I made the entries in a book withont making them public , secresy might be alleged as a means I was adopting to deceive the subscribers . But how is it done ? Why I keep the money ; Mr Cunningham and Mr King call out the names of the tradesmen aad tbe labourers , naming the amount to be paid , and I pay them , and these two make tbe entries ih their respective books . There is not a word or figure of mine written in tbe books belonging to the Land Company ; and yet I am the man charged with
settia _* down ' more Trips , * and so on . ( Laughter . ) I am equally sorry that our time is so wasted upon so worthless a subject . I am sorry I bave not something worth being in Nottingham for ;" and as 1 shall be bete on Monday week , on our own business , which would bave served our purpose , I _sa-r it was unfair to call me here on such a poor and pitiful occasion . But it was the act of tbat reptile , that creeping animal , that wretched creature who does not know that two and two make four ; bnt yet who can make a balance sheet for me , and insert' more Trips . ' It wonld have been unfair to you if I had not , uuder such circumstances , have come to explain to you . Bailey remarks , 'Mr O'Connor _sajs he is the only man who can know or
understand the Land Plan . ' I can't help thinking of the Frenchman who was in the river , and cried out , * I will be drowned , and nobody shall help me ; ' and he kept crying in this way , till a man who stood near said , * Then be drowned and be d d , if you will !' The poor fellow made a mistake—he put shall instead of will . ( Hear . ) - Mr Bailey will impute to me what I do not mean . He Bays , Mr O'Connor is the only man who knows , and can understand , the plan . ' I say , I am the only man who does understand the plan from the first commence * ment ofits operations to the close , but it is in a different sense to wbat he means . One man may understand ose part , and another others , bnt 1 understand the whole , the buying of the land , the laying
out ofthe roads , the making contracts , tha purchase of guano , the valuing ef the land , and everything connected with the scheme . One man may know how to bay land , but not to make a contract . ; another may know how to lay out a road , but he may not understand how to buy bricks , and lime , and stones ; I know all these things and charge nothing for my knowledge . ( Applause . ) He says I paid £ 1 . for a post bag , bnt he forgot to put down that I pay £ 16 . a year for a postboy to carry it , and £ 10 a year to a woman for churning . I have paid above £ -30 . in three years for travelling the country , to bid for estates , and on business connected with the public—( hear , hear)—and some weeks I have paid £ 22 . out of my own pocket in a
similar manner , and there is no charge for these things . I repeat now what I have said before , I have never travelled a mile at your expense . ( Applause . ) Suppose I had pnt down travelling expenses , and shown the price of each mile , would it not have made a good margin , without' more Trips ? ' No , I have charged younothing ; and yet this fellow says , that he rejoices becaue I am not his representative ! He says he did not vote . I say be is not entitled to vote , because , according to our rules , a man who is not of sane mind and untainted with crime , is not entitled to vote . ( Laughter and applause . ) I ask you if there be any questions with reference to yonr personal feelings as to raymanagement of your property ? If there be anything that bas created alarm , or doubt
in your minds , that I _hafe left im » M * w $ I shall consider snch man as my friend if he will put the question to me . ( Applause . ) If ttere be any man here who requires infon Batioa , andhewill enly say on what point , I will tell Mm . ( Applause . ) Last _mghtamangotupin themeetingand asked , if it were true that No . 4 , Engineers Branch had sent for £ 30 . to my _bank _. and he wished to know whether he had got it 1 A man instantly jumped up , and said ' I can answer tbat question . I wrote a letter on Sunday night , and the money was down on Tuesday , with interest up to that day . ' ( Applause . ) If * Rambler' will go to our estates , he will find plenty of wheat seed for the occupiers to sow , for which they have not to pay
till tbe next harrest . ( Cbeers . ) This is the _system by which you are to be elevated , and by which you are to be redeemed from your perilous situation ; but your enemies wish you to think about matters of a scientific character , and of elevating yourselves in the moral scale . I again repeat , that if any one has a question to ask , I shall be anxious and ready to answer , and I trust you will all keep silence , that you nay hear the remarks . ( The speaker sat down amidst reiterated cheering and clapping of hand ? . ) No person rising to ask any question , Mr O'Connor observed , that any man who embarked his little all , or any ameunt tbat abstracted from his comfort , would not do his duty to himself or the directors , if he did not inquire fully into the affair .
Mr O'Connor , exhibiting signs of fatigue , called for water , but none was immediately procurable . Meanwhile one of his _deroted adherents produced a very small apple frem bis pocket , which Mr O'Connor eat , _rtniarkiug , tkat hesupposed theapple the Rambler ' gave to Tawes was about that sire ; and added , that he was sorry he had not a potato to pe in exchange . ( Lat / ' _- 'hter ) The honourable member then resumed
•Nottingham. (From Our Own Reporter.) Ou...
—Aa no one has asked any question , I will make one more observation . This man says I told yoa I had a cow that gave fifteen gallons of milk . Did yoa ever hear Buch blarney ? ( Hear , hear . ) I never said anythin * ' of the kind ; so that yen may see the extent to which a bad man will go to carry eut his ill purposes . ( Hear , hear . ) But I did say I bad one cow that , I'll bet him £ 10 ., will give ten gallons of milk a day upon good grass . And I have never estimated the milk of a cow at more than five gallons a day ; and everv calculation I have made with regard to the land bas been 80 to 100 per cent , under what the land would really do . ( Applause . ) What ' s the reason they never analyse my work upon Small Farms ? They dare not attack it , ( Loud applause . ) Thev have not reviewed _^
the last number of the Labourer . What ' s the reason of that ? ( Shouts of approbation . ) They dare not ! ( Repeated approbation . ) But there ' s an item _whicn I told you was not down ia the balance sheet . There ' s no charge for advertising forthe society;—rich as we are , we never spent a pound upon advertising . Now next time I have to put down on the credit account ofthe balance sheet , I sball put down nine or ten advertisements the papers are giving us for nothing . ( Laughter and cheers . ) The Dispatch says , ' We bave sent the war-song throughout the length and breadth of the land ; it comes from the sweet lips of our Eliz . i , and the people will not be pulled any more . ' But this week we shall have between £ 3 , 000 . and £ 4000 . ; what will they say to that ? ( Cheers
, and laughter . ) It is npon opposition that a cause thrives , and if they had let me alone , perhaps I might have gone to sleep . ( Amusement ) 'But I like to be goaded . Yon remember ho w I was goaded when they stuck up the little knot-stick parson Stephens here , I have battled with you as no man ever battled with the people before . ( Applause . ) I have gone to prison , and defied the judge and jury , and told them that if the law gave them strength and vengeance , God gave me pow ° r to resist them , and that I would live in a prison more happily huggin g these principles to my heart , tban out of it , hugging their principles . ( Tremendous applause . ) Tou are so dear to me , that it would break my heart if I lost the ' affection of one of you . What does a man lire for , if it is not to
leave a name to band down to posterity ? I was _gettiag old for want of work . I wanted to throw * ff my steam . ( Lond laughter . ) I feel my wind and my pipes better ever since I have been engaged blowing the reptiles off the face of the earth . I knew that you did not require my presence here . But I knew that falsehood , like a snowball , gains strength by its progress , and that it was better to come and put the extinguisher upon the farthing candle at once . ( Uproarious laughter . ) Now I hope from my soul that Mr Sweet will not burn the Nottingham Review next week . ( Shout 8 of'No , no , theJf-rcuri / . ' ) _TestGod forbid 1 should say the Review . Tou will see a better report in the Review than you can sre in the Stab next Saturday . But don't bnrn the Mercury , or you
will make a plague in Nottingham , for it is the most stinking , rotten thin , you ever heard of . ( Great laughter . ) The next time Mr Bailey condescends to notice me in the Nottingham Mercury , I hope he will also condescend to come before his townsmen , and if be can destroy the character of your representative , it is bis duty to do so . What bas led to the present corrupt system is the want of proper vigilance over the representatives . But is it net a proud thing for you to see a representative who stand- before you as your honoured and trusted bailiff ? ( Cheers : ) I consider this a greater dignity than being a member of Parliament . ( Applause . ) The deed will soon be registered ; and- God knows no man was ever more anxious to get rid of a fever or cold than I am to
get rid of this itch in my skin . ( Hear , hear . ) The moment that it's registered , that moment I will assign the _whsle of the property to trustees . This Land Plan has not been completely registered , to please you ; it is registered to please your enemies ; to silence the men who have nothing tn do with it . ( Long continued cheering . ) It Vhall not he handed over to the trustees without becoming security for four per cent , on the capital of every man who has deposited his money in the bank . —( Hear , hear . ) It shall become security : and then I will present to a proper accountant , —I will present'to this fellow , if he knows how to put figures together , —such a balance sheet as ne treasurer of any fond bas put together ever since the
world began . —( Applause . ) I wdl show you not a farthing received for any services rendered by me ; and before Parliament meets , I will _cume down here and meet all classes ; and frequently , during the session of Parliament , will take counsel from you ; and you will find , that while I am just to you , I wiil be jost to the other classes also , and will do as much for the town of Nottingham as it I _belonged to tbe pampered classes . —( Hear , __ hear . ) I will bring on jour grievances , and the grievances of all classes upon all occasions , before tbe house ; and , in order to prove to you that I am a staunch supporter of the rights ol universal suffrage , aB soon as ever the
session closes I will come into your market-place , and if it is yonr will that I resign your trust , I will do so , and cease to be your member . ( Tremendous applause . } Can conduct ever be suspected , coming from one who pnts himself under popular control ? It has been a fancy with the press that a gentleman demeans himself by coming before the 'unwashed . ' Bnt my friend ? , I want to wash you . ( Laughter ) Tou are now mucb sweeter than the _aristeoracy ;—cleaner ;—you feed them , and _drws them , and perfume them , till the air they walk in stinks . [ Mr O'Connor sat down amid riotous applause , at fiftee ; minutes to eleven . !
Mr Sweet then introduced to the meeting , from Horncastle , in Lincolnshire , a Mr W . Jee , deputed by the friends in that place to pay into the bands ol F . O'Connor , Esq . M . P , the ' whole ofthe monies of the branch at present collected , amounting to £ 68 . Oi . lOd . ( Lond approbation . ) Mr Dormas proposed the following resolution : — That this meeting views with the utmost contempt the efforts that have been made by different sections ofthe press to shake the confidtnee of the British working classes in the honour , honesty , integrity , and fidelity of
Feargus O'Connor , Esq ., M . P . for this borough , with a view to counteract and undermine Ms influence in the British Honse of Parliament : and that this meeting as . _sures that honoured and distinguished gentleman , he continues to have their unqualified and implicit conn _, dence , whioh has been , and continues to be so deservedly placed in his hands ; and further , that we pledge ourselves to co-operate to the utmost of our power , with our brethren in bonds in all parts ot Great Britain , in raising the sinews of war , that Mr O'Connor may avail himself of the law in punishing or bringing to justice those execrable reptiles , who like vampires are thirsting for his blood .
( A voice . 'They'll never tet it . ' Mr O'C : 'If they do , they'll give blood for blood . ' ) Mr Dorman made a somewhat lengthy speech and sat down amid great applause . Mr Hbmh having seconded the resolution , it was unanimously carried . Mr Swebt , having incurred expenses to theamount of £ 3 , hoped that those present would deposit their pence in boxes to be held at the door . Mr _O'CosnoR again rose and spoke as follows : — Having now discharged my duty to Mr Bailey , I have a few words to say to you as your representative . It is assarted by the press , that when I get iato the honse . I shall soon find my level ; I was there before and I did find my level , and that level was independence and uprightness . ( Hear , bear . ) And when _Igo into the house again , Ishall
go with more knowledge and better tempered down ; and that portion of the press which is building on the presumption that I am going there as an inflated _, furious , ridiculous declaimer _, will perhaps find out their mistake . ( Hear , hear . ) The great value I _s ! sall be to the working classes in the house will consist in the fact , that I bring an amount of practical knowledge not possessed by others , to bear upon the labour question ; and in the fact , that while collegians—that while ministers—that while drawingroom gentlemen and perfumed lords pride themselves upon the education they have received from books , I pique myself upon the education and information which I received from the people lookin g for justice for themselves . ( Tremendous applause . ) This is
what will make me powerful ; and I would be inoperative in that house , —I would be a _ronentity , —a disgrace to you and a nullity to society , if I had not sufficient discretion to know how to bring my knowledge to bear upon that house . ( Applause . ) I pledge myself to you , men of Nottingham , and however they may try to hoot me down , they sball not do it ; andi pledge myself to you , that however the press may be opposed to my principles , they shall not be able to expose my follies as a ranting _demagogue . I tbink I have nous enough not to talk nonsense in a criticising discriminating assembly ; and I have this power now whicb I had not before , tbat what the press makes me say in folly on Monday , you will see trans * lated into _nndeistandable _Englu-h on Saturday .
( Loud approbation . ) I assure you tbat thc experience I hare gained is worth mines of gold ; and if I were asked from what source I bave derived my most valuable education , —whether from book ? , or conversation—from the aristocracy with whom I have rorx ' d most extensively , or from the middle classes , with whom I hare not mixed much , —or from the workmg classes , with whom I have always mixed— ( _applause ) —I would say , all my knowledge derived from books or other sources , is dross , nothing , nonsense , compared with the education , the knowledge , the information I have derived from the working classes . ( Uproarious plaudits . ) This is my power—this _» my strength ; this is your power—this is your strength ( cheers ) — that whereas formerly they misrepresented you , and no advocate pleaded your out oi
cause , no one knew yonr case , and it was only misrepresentation on both sides that the government was allowed to glean what it considered the balance of truth . ( Dear , hear . ) And novr I wdl tell the whole truth , and nothing but the truth , so help me God . ( Loud applause . ) And who can tell the truth , and stand bythe truth , without supporting labour , and standing by labour ? ( Bursts of applause , and cry of No ono . *) No one . Good God 1 when I go through your lanes aud alleys , and seethe little decrepit children with their pale little faces and their tottering limb ? , that ought _' _. to be exposed to the free air ; wheh I see your pale wires , that under other circumstances would be the friends af your hearts , the pride of your bosoms , and the honour of your house _, hold- ; when 1 see you , squalid , emaciated , workdestroyed , tbat others may lire upon the sweat and
•Nottingham. (From Our Own Reporter.) Ou...
blood extracted from you , how could I , professing tho lovel do for your _cIass ; -how could I , who now stand up proudly as the Mender of tbat class , deceive you ? ( Tremendous applause . ) My friends , the world without your affection , wonld be as a Wank to tne . Where could I to-morrow ? how conld I enjoy myself to-morrow ? where would be tbe balm which now solaces me under all my trials , if it were not to be found in yonr confidence and _affec'iins ? ( Loud plaudits . ) Say to yourselves , * This man has been amongst us fifteen years ; he has come here as our champion , as the defender of our cause , and when he met our enemies , and a member of the Cabinet , he * d not turn from his principles or desert our cause . ( Loud applause . ) Then ask yourselves . ' Do = ___ , g
we see anything in bis kindness , in hia life , which leadBus to suppose thathe would be happy under the sting of our reproach and censure ? ' ( Great cheerirg . ) No ; but justly to Jose your affection , would be to lose my own existence ; and , so help me Gud , if I bad my choice this moment , whether I would deservedly lose your affections , or lose my life , I would prefer the latter . ( Loud and long-continued expressions of approbation . ) I would be as a loathsomo thing for each passer-br to point the fingure _' of _scorri'ar , if , after being so long wedded to so much miserv , I could betake myself to another class ; but what is more , — a ™ here s your still greater security , —1 am not worth 2 d . now to any other class ; I am ticketed , thouehnot f . \ r Bale- _'bushteri—because directli 1
stood up to support them , the NonTiiBiw Stab would flash in my lace . One man would get up and read this paragraph , nrd another man would read that paragraph ; and all the _nnjjers yon have , and mora if you had there , and your toes too —( laughter)—would be pointed at me . There ' s your guarantee . There ' s your security . I _spf ak to masons , & o ., and I love their frugality , their simplicity , and their children . Newspapers said it was a pretty incident when the Queen kissed an infant Marquis latrly;—I consider it no condescension to wipe a little child's little nose , —the child of an humMe labourer , and kiss that little child —( hear , be » r)—aad I am never so happy as when I have thirty of them sitting on the grass with their little cats and dogs—telling roe their little stories .
( Loud applause . ] And there is not a child in Lowbands that is notfonder of me than ofits own father and mother ; and the only contest they had in the summer , was who sbould have my finger and walk with me . ( Hear , hear . ) My friends , I shall always _endeavour to deserve your confidence . ( Long-con tinned cheering . ) I beg leave , befoie I conclude , to tell jou that the Municipal elections are at hand , — that these are the Normal schools ; if you hope to preserve the power which secured for you the roan of your choice on the last occasion , you will exert yourselves in the _strugule , and place men of your own stamp in the corporation of _tbisrtown , ( Hear , hear , hear ) Don ' t be brined . ( Applause . ) Don ' t sell your birthright for pottage , —( hear)—but stand
firmly by your order , and the more virtuous you are , the greater will he your power . ( Loudappiauso . ) To show you that I am of a forgivi * u disposition , I beg leave to propose a solemn vote of sympathy aad compassion for Thomas Bailey , of the Nottingham Mkrcort _. and that this meeting pledge itself to use its best endeavours , by all emollient , placid , soft , and easy means , to restore that erratic gentleman to a state of sanity nnd honesty , which will once more entitle him to be placed in the ranks of citizens , and confer upon htm tbe right of the suffrage . ( _Laughter . ) And I hope , that so far from opposing this man , you will administer to him that comfort which , in his present circumstnnres , he stands in need of . I trust you will make all allowance for the
situation in which the monkey is placed , and allow bim to go to tbat eminence in the tree from whicii he may see himself reflected in his native folly , and perhaps , after proper training , he may become an honest man , and a useful member of society . ( Laughter and applause . ) I ' m glad he ' s gone to live at Base-ford ; there could not be anything more proper ; and if it had not been christened so before , we would christen it now . ( Laughter . ) It reminds me ofthe old tale of the traveller , who saw a corpulent fellow stand at thc door of the sign of' The Hog . * lie waa the landlord . The traveller asked
him the way to such a town , and he gave him a very bluff , surly answer . 'I beg pardon , ' said the traveller , ' I took you for the master of the house , but I see you are the sign . ' ( As the fun of thi s gradually dawned upon the audience , a roar of laughter rose , from small _beginnings , increasing gradually till it spread all over tho hall . ) If I were to press another resolution , it would be camyassum tor the sentleman who has been sent to-night to represent that newspaper ; for he would have no easy task . And now _tpu will see wbat will be piade of it . You will hpar " of Mr O'Connor ' s vulgarisms , and of not meeting their argument , and so on . But mark
!' An ounce of civet , good apothecary . ' When a man charges you with murder , 70 U don't stop to discuss the breed of horses , and if ho refuses to meet you , you call him a vagabond , and _ a scoundrel . And if Mr Bailey had come here to-night , I would have met him like a sucking dove , and whispered tho softest nothings into his ear . ( Laughter . ) I wonld have argued witb him , and shown him his folly ; but if I convinced him , he would not cease to bs your enemy . ( Applause ) _Pernuade Tom _Baib-y "gainst his will , Hell be of hie own opinion still .
The resolution was carried _unaniiv 0 U 3 ly , and vote ? of thanks were given to ' our little general' ( Mr James Sweet ); to the Mayor , for the use of the room ; and to the Nottingham Review , —codpled with a recommendation by Mr O'C , to pcrfons who _touk in the Stab , to take in the Review . He should give Mr Sweet instructions to send a copy every week , to himself personally , besides tho one sent to his office . Mr Sweet announced the sum paid in thnt night , as t 250 .
The meeting , after threo rounds nf cheers for Feargus O'Connor , the Charter , & c , Ac , broke up at a quarter past eleven o ' clock .
I^"~ .A Jounds I Could Raise On That . *...
_rtpYE _MBEB 6 , 1847 . THE NORTHERN STAR . . 5 ! _£ I ¦ mmmmm _^ ' _^ _"" _*~*******"" SS" ~ s ¦ - _¦ _¦ _¦ _¦ _¦ _•¦¦»* _h _*») _.- " *~~~ _"s- _^ = _---- _^ -3 " _*^~~ _^ j _¦—^ _^_^_ - — , t •¦**¦ „ -. , _^„
" Able And Interesting" Balance Sheet Of...
" Able and Interesting" Balance Sheet of Alexander Somerville , alias" One Who has Whistled at the Plough ? ] alias " The Flogged Soldier _? alias " 77 / Convicted Thief ? alias " The Correspondent of the Manchester Examiner ? alias " The Friend of Joshua Hobson . "
( Thefollowing is from the Daily papers of August 6 ' 7 » , 1841 . )
EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OP SWINDLING . On Thursday , William Hopkins , landlord of the _Hole-in-the-Wall public-house , Fleet-street , appeared before Sir Peter Laurie , who sat for the Lord Mayor , at the _Afansion House , to answer the com * plaint ofthe British Auxiliary _Legion , under General Evans , in Spain , under the following circumstances : —Captain Roberts said tbat he . appeared to support the summons , in consequence of reading the following letter : — King-street , Lonj ? Acre , June 23 .
SIB , —In compliance with jour ( mhos , and , at tlie game time grateful for ; our kiwi consideration , I _hereby endeavour to transmit to you a few of the name- _onhsae _unfortunate individuals , who , liko myself , have _beun defrauded by that prince of _siviudlew , 'Alexander Somerville . — £ . b . d . James M'Culloch , 8 th Scots ... 7 13 8 Robert Johnson , ditte ... ... 3 10 John Holland , ditto 10 13 0
Eobert Cohen , ditto 7 10 0 Samuel Cuddy , ditto 9 3 0 James Callagher , ditto 3 17 2 'Edward Fieldi , ditto 2 17 2 Daniel Grady , Gth Scots ... 5 0 8 James Mullin , ditto 7 12 6 JohnXullin , ditto 9 2 6 HeBry M'Every , ditto 9 2 0 James Stuart , 4 th _regiment ... 9 3 0 James Scott , 2 nd Lancers ... 17 . 2 8 _VMU _163 t 3 kUU _, _4 UU _LlUllVtrS ... -I | - * O
£ 112 4 2 These , sir , are only a few of ibe too many instances which I can recollect of duplicity practised by _Aisxandur _Somerrille on those who were so unfortunate aa to bucome a _pray tohU insinuating and ar . ful way of victimizing . I havo the honour to be , Sir , Your most humble servant , Robert M'Cobwck . Late 8 * h Scots , British Auxiliary Legion . To Captain Roberts , British Auxiliary Legion .
Captain Roberts stated that tho complainant was a private inthe Lancers of tho British Anxi ' _. iary foree , who served uuder General Evans in Spain , and on the dissolution of that force Scott retired to _Belf _. iHt , in Ireland , whero he worked for somo tim 8 as a _woodturner , until he met with an accidont , by which he lost the use of one of his hands . Some iiwe after this accident , an advertisement appeared in the London journals , as well a 3 tbe provincial ones , and placard ? , signed ¦ Alexander Somerville , ' stating that he was an agent for the recovery ot gratuities and pay due by the Spanish government tothe British legion ' and which was secured under the convention of both countries ; he undertook not only to recover the amount , but mske them an advance .
Sir Peter Laurie—Was this the Somerville that made such a noise at the Reform Bill , and figured away in the Scots Greys ?—Captain Robert * said that it was , and proceeded to state that every soldier on his discharge obtained certificates for his gratuities and pay , which , being _endowed by the
" Able And Interesting" Balance Sheet Of...
_folders , were transferable . Scott , on ? ee ' ns" Some ' v ibes _hand-bills in Belfast , applied to him by letter , to which he received the following answer ' . — , 4 , _Brydgeg . street , Strand , London , Jan . 13 . Sie _, —1 beg to acknowledge tbe reeeipt of your lettsr , nnd bave to -ay , tbat 1 can # 0 _nothing with your cer . tifl . _ales until I see tbem , and have submitted _thtm to the judgment of the Spnnish _Commissiencr who is _appointed to -inspect them . Tbe moment he sees them , and says they are good ones , I shall instantly send you money for _thi-m , I shall either purchase them at 13 s . in the pound , or get yon the instalment- , keiplag 2 s . each for my trouble , or I will do anything else you may Instruct me , if that is in my power . Only , as 1 hove been t « ken In by purchasing ond lending money on bad _doimments received already , I cannot do anything with you until I show your papers to the Commissioner , which , if you send them soon , I shall endeavour to do next wetk . _g _
I sm , yours _faitlifti ' Iy , A . _Sohebvii-le . Mr _Jamfs Scott , 5 , _Mttchell-str-ei , Belfast . Sir P- Laurib—What was Somerville _originally ? —Captain Roberts—Ho wa 3 originally a labourer >« . 1 stone quarry , and was latterly an orderly to Colonel Jacks . Subsequently he went to Glasgow , and commenced agent for thc recovery of the British claims , and , _Beiftst'being so near , he despatched his _emissaries out there . —Sir P . Laurie—What was the price ofthe certificate?—Scott—Aa offer of 13 _i . in thc pound was made to me . —Captain Roberts—The father of Scott , on receiving Somerville ' s letter , forwarded the certificate unendorsed , and of whicii they heard nothing until they made application to the Spanish Government , and thefollowing answer was received from M . _Castaneda , tho Spanish comaiissioner : —
' 163 , _Albanr-strect , Re _* ent ' s-park , April 21 , 1841 . Jakes Scott , —In reply to your application _resprctinjr _cfriifientes , I have to inform jou , that the one for arreftr of pay was _preneuted at the _ftffice by Mr W . _Hs > _pUin 8 , of the _Hole-in-the-Wall , _Fhet-street , London , nrbo obtained o final certificate ol the same In Ms ovrii name . The other , for gratuity , was also presented at the office by the same person , who received the first and second instalments , payable thereon , on tho 14 tb of Fe . brunry last . _Mieozi Castaneda . '
Accordingly an application wns made tu a Mr Bradhurn , a gentleman much employed in thu recovery of Spanish claims , and he took Scott t * Queen-fquare police-office , when Scott declared that he never endorsed them ; also a declaration to the same effect wag obtained from his father , notwithstanding they were sold in this market to Mr Hopkins , and they bora the _endorsement of Scott ; nnd what was required of Mr _Hopkins was , that he should give up the _certificates which he holds of Scott ' s , and the endorsement on which is forged .
Mr Hopkins—I bought them in the market at the _maiket price , and they are transferable by endorsement . —Sir P . Laurie—There is no doubt but Somerville torgfd the endorsement . Pmy , Mr Hopkins , how much did yon give for them ? Mr IIopki »«—Twelve shillings in thepmmd . Sir P . _h-jurie—To what amount of Scott ' s did you purchase ? Mr Hopkins— About £ 11 . Sir P . Laurie—Pray , whom did you _purchtise them from ? Mr _Houkins—From a Mr Gilberr . Sir P . Laurie—Where is Mr Gilbert ? A person of the name of Williams , who _represented himself _» s his clerk , _Baid he was a livery stable keeper , and he got them from Mr Baudry , who keep * thc Britannia public-house , _Conimercinl-rond , and _Baudry got them from Somerville , and Gilbert gave 55 s . per cent , for them . Sir P . Laurie—I suppose Baudry and tlie other parties are dealers in them ? Williams—Yes , they are , when legally endorsed :
Sir P . Laurie—Well , Mr Hopkins , had you not better give thera up ? Mr Hopkins—I have not got them . Sir P . Laurie—Where tire t ' i 9 y ? Mr Hopkins—I sold them . Sir P . Laurie—When ? Mr Hopkins—About six weeks after I purchased them . Sir P . Laurie—WheH had you notice ofthe forgery ? Mr Hopkins—Abou' the 19 th of July . Sir P . Laurie —Did you sell them before you bad thc notice ? Mr Hopkins—I did ; it was decidedly wrong to have purchased them without ascertaininc the genuineness of tho endorsement , but when I purchased them from Mr Gilbert , I had no doubt of everything being correct . Mr Williams—Gilbert purchased them frem Baudry , and ho had them from Somerville . Sir P . Laurie—Oh , yes , we know that ; but what I want to ascertain is . whether it was likely that Hopkins , Gilbert , and Baudry , had any knowledge of the trick plaved by Somerville ?
CaDtainRybertss ; tid that hedid not believe they had . * Sir P . Laurie—What has become of Somerville ? Captain Roberts—Aftor _finishing his agency opo rations in Glasgow , he published a work called ' A Narrative of the British Campaign in Spain . ' which sold very well , and he subsequently came to London , and published a sixpenny wi rk in fifteen numbers , which ho called * A Narrative of the Wars of Europe , ' which also sold well , and a part of which apppared in the Dispatch . Sir P . haurie—Oh , in the Dispatch ; then he was one of the pillars of the
Dispatch ? Captain Roberts—Yes ; and for which he wastiedup ; he subsequently fell out wiih tho Dispatch , nnd published a letter in the Morning Ad vertiser , and he had lately . become an advocate for military _flying . ( Laughter . ) Sir P . Lautie—However , it appears that those _jarties did not know ofthe forgery . Captain Roberts— Certainly ; I ' m ? ure they were not cognisant of it . Sir P . Laurie—Why did Somerville choofe Glasgow as the field of his operations ? Captain Roberts—Because we enlisted 2 , 500 men there , and upwards of 100 in Belfast , Sir P . Lnurie—How many _ceniflcates are still out ? Williams—Upwards of 4 , 000 .
Captain _Roberts—My object in seeking this publie inquiry is to spoil Somerville , which , as suro aa it is made publio , it will do . Sir Peter Laurie—It does you infinite credit to come forward in behalf of those poor plundered men . Prav , Mr Hopkins , to whom did you sell your Berlin " _cates ? Mr Hopkins—To Mr Gilbert . Sir P . Laurie—Tn Mr Gilbert , from whom _yr-u bought them , how came that ? Mr I 3 o ; kin?— "When 1 _hear-1 there was a _Livelihood of there being trouble about them . Sir P . Laurie—How oame you to suppose that there was to be any trouble about them ? Mr Hopkins—From a letter 1 received _fr-m Mr Kirkman Lane , the attorney . Sir P . Laurie—Did you sell the certificate back to Gilbert before or alter you received Mr Kirkman Lane ' s letter ? Mr Hopkins—Oh , before I received the letter . Scott—Nd , you did not : for two months afterwards I saw iny certificates in yeur hands .
Mr Hopkins—No , you did not : I showed you the certificate of another Scott . Scott—There was no other Scott in the 3 ame regiment . Sir P . Laurie—It appears that there has been moat _extrasrdinaay _dea'ings in these certificates . Capt . Roberts—Most shameful . I know where one person holds £ 900 . of these certificates , composed entirely of tho two months' and six months' gratiiitie .-, the former £ 3 . and the latter £ 9 . for whieh a mere trifle was given ; aud tlio publican ? , Jews , and crimps of Portsmouth ob tained hundreds ot them for a pot of beer , or a glass of gin . Sir P . Laurie—Oh , shocking ! shocking I Captain Roberts—And 1 kn"w that one physician , at the Wcst-cnd , holds £ 15 , 000 . worth , purchased throush an agent .
Sir P , Laurie—Well , I think , as these parties bave creditably coiuo forward 10 meet the charge , and as they are _respectnb ' e people , they will give to Scott anything they mado by thc purchase of the certificates . Mr Hopkins and Mr Williams having agreed to do so , Sir P . Laurie inquired _whatbaiamo of Somerville ? Captain Roberts said that it was reported that he was in tho Isle of Man , nnd _begged to say , that as the ease would no doubt go before the publio , he did not , in the most remote way , impute anything improper to Messrs . Ilopiuii _!> , Gilbert and Baudry , Sir P . Laurie perfectly concurred in thp observation , and _c-ngratu ! attd Captain RoL'crts on the victory he had _achieved . The parties then left the ofilce . [ Will William Grocott read the above to my Manchester children on Sunday?—F . O'C ]
Foktsea.—Mlllt*Bt Outba«B — On Tuesday N...
FOKTSEA . —MlLlT * BT OUTBA « B — On Tuesday night , about halt' past eleven o ' clock , a picket ol the ttojal Marine Artillery went through _Oyster-street in pursuit of . 1 prisoner who had _eicaped . _Imagining that lie was concealed in the house occupied by Mrs Fennel ! tliey I-nocked at the door , but the inmates _being all in bod they were refused _uduiictuuee . The _picket _immediately burst open tlie door with the butt end of their guns , an I entered the hnuao tilth drawn _swurds , to the great terror of the inhabitants . Tbeir search proving quite intffectual _, the pickotproceeded through the premises into _ahoujcln White llart-ro « v , » nd searched there . Tho whole of tliis time the lost man wus standing under a doorway _opposite . Inspector Way had in ba sent for before th- ; _s-.-ldiersnould remore from thu house .
Thk _Choleba . —Tha report that tho _chob-ra had broken out in Moscow has , we are sorry to say , _i-ct-n confirmed : _iiliei-n pcrsims ( viz .. tlcrtn men . and tour 110 . min ) have been seized with it . They _b-long chiefly to tbe lower e ) _as-es , and bad been _previously ill from eat . ing fruit and being e-posedto ihe weather ; of these > if teen p-rsons 1 in » have died . A neek _before it ap . peared at Moscow a _eatie occurred at Sorputhoff _, in the government of Moscow , where a traveller fiom Woro . _neaich , who arrived tlwre on the ' 2 >» d of _September liekened and died soon ahev .
Ceiefi . —A social meeting 0 " the _Crl . ff branch of th , _abova-ociety was hold in the Weavers'Hall , on _Fridaje the 29 th ult . Mr John M'Nab iu the chair . Mr !>• _Serlmger gave tbe first toast of the eveniing , ' _Fenrgu * O'Connor Esq ,, MP ., the founder of tbo National Lsna Company . ' MrG . Maibboo gave , « Th » National Land Company , ' and _delivered a ma »! erl- speech at great length . Mr D . ' _M'ArUr gave ' Co-operation . Mr Jatnos _M'Ainsh gave ' The Korthebw Stab . ' -He meeling was numerously attended , " and admirab !) con . ducted throughout ,
Foktsea.—Mlllt*Bt Outba«B — On Tuesday N...
FEARGUS O'CONNOR AND THE PJ 1 ESS
GANG . The following article ! , translated from _DxeReforme , tlie most able of the French journals , and a consistent supporter of thc rights of labour in nil countries , will cheer the wot king classes of England with the proud consolation , that henceforth the battle of universal liberty is not to be _confinnl within tbe limits o f cur sea-bound dungeon . The Reforme says : — . About two tears since the Chartist working men of England founded an association for the purpose of purchasing land and dividing" i- i" small allotments among the members . It is hoped by these means to reduce thc press-are of competition in the manufacturing ; labour marfeet , and by drafting a
number of working men on io 'he Land Io establish on democratic p rinciples a new class of small proprietors . This undertaking , founded hy Air Feargus O'Connor , has already achieved such success , that it , consists ofa vast number of members , and has at its command a sura of _£ 60 , 000 ., while its subscription list , as published in the Norther ;* Star , exceeds £ 2 , 500 . per week . In fact , this Society , of which 1 purpose ere long to give you a more detailed account , has assumed so powerful an attitude , that it begins to disquiet ihe landed aristocracy ; since it is evident that , if it progresses as it has commenced , it will end hy becoming a national movement for ( he re-possession ofthe land h y the people . This p lan finds no _bstter favour at the hands of the middle classes , since thev behold
in it an agent of popular power , capable of redeeming the working classes from their tyranny * . The members of the trading class , indeed , whether calling themselves more or less liheral _. are particularly opposed to the Land Compamy , as they find , the Chartists , since its formation , already more inde * pendent of their patronage . These so-called radicals , therefore , astonished at the cold way in which the people receive their lukewarm liberalism , incessantly attack Mr O'Connor as the only obstacle in their way towards attaching ihe working classes to their views . It was sufficient that the Land Plan waa originated by Mr O'Connor for it to receive the unmitigated hostility of the middle classes . At
first they affected to ignore it ; then , when the conspiroey of silence was 110 longer of use , they attacked the plan , endeavouring to show that it was founded 011 erroneous premises , and must end in a signal failure . And , last of all , when the society kept prospering in despite of Hum , they returned to the tactics ihey _hsd followed for the ' last ten years , bat always without the least success , — they assailed Mr O'Connor himself , tried to throw suspicion on his character , and to undermine h s reputation as the incorruptible and unpaid Bailiff of the _Working Classes . In pursuance of this object , _five'or six papers , that had evidently preconcerted their plan , seized on the occasion of Mr O'Connor ' s
publishing the balance sheet of the Land Company , to open their attack- The Weekl y Dispatch , The Globe , The Nonconformist , The Manchester Examiner , Lloyd ' s Weekly Newspaper , and The Nottingham Mercury , accused Mr O'Connor of the most barefaced robbery , and tried to give a colouring of proof to tlieir accusations , by quoting and disturbing the very figures of the halance sheet . Not satisfied even with this , they dived into the private life of this celebrated Agitator , and hurled at him a mountain of accusations , in the expectation lhat he would , be crushed by tbeir serious naturG and accumulated wei ght . But O'Connor , who , for the last ten years , has never ceased
contending with the sham-radical press , instead of bending before the storm , published in the Nobthern Star of the 23 rd of October , a reply to the six editors , which , as a masterpiece of polemical writing , recals to our minds the happiest efforts of William Cobbett ;• refutes each accusation seriatim , and , in its turn assuaiing the offensive , retiirts hy a crushing and truly dignified rejoinder . This vile attack , and this _convincing answer , have , if possible , but increased the people ' s confidence in Mr O'Connor . The Northern Star of thc 30 th of October , contains unanimous votes to that effect , passed at public meetings held by Chartists of more
than fifty localities . But O'Connor still _dfsired to give his opponents an opportunity to attack hira before the public . He therefore challenged thera to prove their charges against him in a public meeting at Manchester and Nottingham . Not one of them ventured to appear . At Manchester Mr O'Connor addressed more than ten thousand men in a speech of fonr hoars , hailed throughout with thunders of applause , and receiving , amidst rapturous acclamations , an unanimous vote of confidence from the meeting . So great was the crowd , that besides those within , another meeting of from ten to fifteea thousand men was held simultaneously without the walls , and addressed by several speakers .
" When his address was concluded , Mr O'Connor announced that he was ready to receive thc payments of the members of the Land Company , and received , on the platform , a sum exceeding : £ 1000 . " On the following evening , Mr O'Connor held , at Nottingham , one of the largest meetings ever kno _» ii in that town , amid equal demonstrations of _enthusiasm . " This is at least the hundredth time Mr O'Connor has similarly and signally tritiiiiphed over the calumnies of the middle-class press . Unmoved by his assailants , this indefatigable patriot pursues the even tenor of his way , and the unanimous confidence of the English people is the best proof of his coura . e , his energy , ami his integrity . ''
A Pcm-Titu Parson. -—Elizabeth Was Affia...
A _Pcm-titu Parson . - —Elizabeth was affianced tc a young _elergjraanoftheiuime of Owlet , a fellow —and aa odd fellow—of Baliol , and a minor canon of Salisbury . Owlet waa a man of much learning , eccentric habits , aud _Puset ideal opinions . lie doated on the dark ages , indeed was bo fond if obscurity , that he was hardly ever seen or known to be abroad _exctpt in the twilight . lie was particularly bent up & u reviving tho Mystery Plays and Moralities , and had quarrelled whh his tiean for objecting to the representation of Balaam in his cathedral .
_Paop . & tion or Female to Male _Ceiminals in Lives . Pool , —At tbe la « t Liverpool _Quarter Sessions , the _recordt-r . iu his charge to the grand * u * y , said he hxd before had occasion to remark on the large number of Tvunieu brought _bif-ra ihe court . The total number committed for trial iu England and Wales in 1805 Lore tbe proponien ot one t male to every feur _jnalo offenders . On r < " _orctieo to the calendar before them it would ha found Clint out of 118 persons aveusod , no fewer thm 5 _fl were _wonu-n . He _ventured to suy tint sueh a propord tion wa- unparalleled iu any calender _hitherto priute * any _n-here ,
Holland Pabk Footpaths . —At a meeting convened by HrH . D . Griffiths , secretary of the West Loudon Ceutral Anti . Enclosure Association , held nt PlarWa _llooms , 111 _Edgeware-road _, on Monday evening . Nurem . ber the 1 st , Mr G . ll . _Sasse in the chair , the _feliowing _reaolution _, moved by Mr Stallwood , _seconded by Mr B _^ . leB , was carried with only ono dissentient : — ' Tnat this meeting is fully convinced that tlie publie an ! Lord Holland are tqually _an-1 fully satisfied with the diversion <» f footWrtj- as proposed by Lord llollaud , and sanctioned by the vestry ond Highway Board ofthe parish ot Saint Mary Abbotts , Kensington , acd satisfied hy n public _meeting convened by the secretary of the Wtst _Lon-Joa _Cru _^ ral _Axti-Euelosuro Asscchlhn , held iu then rooms , on Monday the _lS ' . h of October last . ' [ W _.- ean give no more ofthis storm ia a teapot .- — Ed . N , _S . l
_BiBMiNOHAM , — Ship Ink . —At our usual _nec-kt y _nueiing ou Sunday _etenieg last , Mr Carland in the chair , the following resolution was unanimously pa , std : —Moved by Mr Fussell aud sieonded h y Mr Foster' That we , the members ol the Land Company , tree-In * at the Ship Inn , seeing that it is the wish ofour talented friend aud bailiff , F . argu < O'Ooi . nor , Esq . , M . P ., to purchase the mansion and * portion of the land niljoiniug thereto 011 the Oxford _E-tata for his own use , we _respectfully recommend 10 the _mnnbi-n this _propriety af giving instruciioiis to their delegates to thu next conference , to _yote for the _authorisation of the trustees to
transfer to Mr 0 Connor the aforesaid mansion , with the _eleven sures t . f land _artj-miiug _there' . o , ai a free gift _froai the _members , and as a small acknowledgment tor the honesty , _integrity , aad disinterestediuss _, with _wiush be has ever dUchi , rged tbe ardous and _response duties of principal manager if our Company ; but should the law uuder which the Company is registered prevent the trustees giring tho es'ate 10 Mr O'Connor , ilim they shall b _« empowered to mil it to bim at a mere !} nominal price . ' The 1 rport of tho Manchester - _'inlNuttinyhsiu meetings will be read a ! the l _' tople ' a Hall , on _Tuesany evuiing , _No-ewber Dili , at eight eight o ' _closk .
Mottram—On Sunday last , we had a numerous and spirhed meeting . T _* _- e folio"" "'!? _motions w . re carried unanimously :- ' That all shareholders pay up their _locel eipenses ; and that » he _Secretary deduct all arrears Irom the suberipiioug of thoso mem . bers in _srrears , " ' That Mr Jo ' an Campbell b » the room Steward for tho ensuing year , at £ 1 per annua . ' The Secretary announced that , notwithstanding thn wide spread poverty , and want of employment , tbe re _eeipti were upwnrds of twenty pound- for tbe Land Fund . After business had closed , Mt Robert Wild ad . dressed the members and _friouds at considerable length , on the ' Laud Question , '' The Land and _Labour Bank , " The Position and . Proipeets ot tho Workings , ' lie n _« _nt rapidly over the movements abroad , ' Tie _Amaricau War , ' 4 c , and sat down _loudly applauded . The next meeting will be held on tht 21 st of Novumber ,
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 6, 1847, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_06111847/page/5/
-