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iYHE NORTHERN STAR^ Jura ,14, 1845 .
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Siaitfet IiUtUisettw* ^^
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PT^lol^^^^^ deliTer £h££ commenced by eu...
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L>*%C£Sia at Lwebiool. —On. "Monday the ...
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THE JSOKTHEM STAR. SATURDAY, JUNE 14,1845.
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LORD STANLEY'S IRISH LAND BILL. " A land...
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THE WORKMAN'S "SHARE" OF COMFORT. IBS SA...
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OPENING THE COAL MINES PURCHASED BY THE ...
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fo ^^^55^ ottlient^
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S. Bboadhobst, Oldbtot.—We think the cha...
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I MONIES RECEIVED BT MR. O'COXXOR. ¦ ™ ....
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Iyhe Northern Star^ Jura ,14, 1845 .
iYHE NORTHERN STAR _^ Jura , 14 , 1845 .
Siaitfet Iiutuisettw* ^^
_Siaitfet _IiUtUisettw _* _^^
Pt^Lol^^^^^ Deliter £H££ Commenced By Eu...
_PT _^ lol _^^^^^ deliTer £ h ££ commenced by eulogising the members of tte _SomersTownlocality for their f _»™ _** wearied exertions in the cause rf ** n »««~ j and congratulated them on ihe _^{ _" _^^ j _^ _fT _^ s £ ncd . In _speaking to the highly _™ por _^ t subject _amjWed for his lecture , Mr . II . Grath , in a Wm of glowing and fervid eloquence depicted the _degradatiun anlslavery to which lusfeUow-men were « , fc «« f _» j _-mosed the _jnmding and nefarious system
_, of _rouhery _yx _^ s _^^ ta _« ox _^ ih & ' * t < i _^ aa _% _^ asai » and its prostrating effects on their energies ]; pourtrayed _siti patriotic feeling and deep pathos the many scenes of misery , destitution , and starvation daily exhibited in the narrow , gloomy , and noisome courts and alleys of this vast metropolis , as well as in the cold and damp cellars of Manchester and other places , where masses of human beings are huddled together , inhaling a fetid atmosphere necessarily producing pestilence and death . He -vividly contrasted the above picture with the reckless extravagance , the luxurious magnificence , the pomp and splendour ofa _gJanblingandbloatedar ' _Mctracy- Hcexpatiatedonthe equality of man , asserted the inherent right of aU to ihe land , quoted the opinions ofthe Earl of Lauder-• dale , and other eminent staticians , as to its capabilities ; elaborately detailed the plan of the Chartist Co-operative Land Society , and concluded a most
excellent address amid the rap turous cheers of an fiBthnsiastic audience . A vote of -Blanks to Mr . M'Grath was carried _witiiacclamation . Ten enrolled their names as members , and after a vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting separated . TTm . _v- op _Sctesce , 10 , CnMBEHLAXD-BOW , Krxo ' sceoss . —On Sunday evening next , Mr . C . Bolwefl , ol Bath , will lecture in the above Hafl , at half-past seven o ' clock precisely . Cambehwii asd _WitwoK-rn . — -At a meeting of the Camberwell and Walworth Chartists , held at the Montpelicr Tavern on Monday evening last , it was inianmioudy-resolved , —• " That the Land plan , wisely directed , will prove a valuable auxiliary to the Chartist ¦ movement . " "That Messrs . Rhodes , J . Simpson , Ihgram , Sewell , Murhall , and Jordan , be a com-• mittee for the purpose of forming- a bran _<* h of the Chartist ("" © --operative Land Society in this district .
"V icira CojnnriEE .--This _Cfunmittce met at the Sail , Tumagain-lane , oa Sunday evening , June 8 th ; Mr . G . SI . Tucker was unanimously called to the chair . A letter was read from Mr . F . O'Connor , staling that he was absent from town , enraged on the Land project , wliich prevented his attendance on the occasion ; also stating that he had written to Mr . J . Cleave , but had not yet obtained a statement of the Victim Account from that gentleman . Oa the motion of Messrs . Milne and Cufiay it was unanimously resolved , " That the secretary be instructed to write to Mr . O'Connor , and request him to wait on Mr . Cleave personally , and report the result of hismission to this _(^ _iinrnittee at its next sitting . " A letter was also read from the veteran John Richards . On the motion of Mesas . Cuflay and Milne , it wa 3 _unainmopih _/ _Kstnveu , "Thatthesccretarvbeinstructed to write to Mr . John Richards , assigning the reason why Ms request and the vote of the Committee have sot been yet complied with . *"
The Chaetist _Meeid-g , at the Standard of _liberty , Brick-lane , Spitalfields , has -voted 10 s . to the unfortunate Mrs . Ellis , to be paid to her by Sir . Newby , who is authorised by the committee to pay debts , and receive all contributions .
MR . CLARK'S _TOim . To ihe Chartist _5 oJv . —Friends , —As I announced in my last , I attended a large _' pnblic meeting of the inna & _tants of
_UACCLESEIEUl , held on Park-green , on Wednesday the 4 th inst . Mr . Allen , an old and staunch Chartist , was called to the chair , and , after a few preliminary remarks , introduced Mr . John West , who , in his usual happy and eloquent strain , moved the adoption of the petition oh the Land , as put forth by the Executive . ' Mr . West entered into a detailed account of the robberies that hare been perpetrated in the name of the Enclosure Acts , and concluded a most masterly speech by -recommending themeeting to re-commence the
• agitetion fbr their political rights , which would enable them all to partake ofthe benefits which the possession ofthe soil invariably confers upon those who are so fortunate as to enjoy it . Mr . John Warren seconded the motion of Mr . West , and I supported it , pointing out the value ofthe land fo such parties as I knew in different parts of the country ; occupying Email portions of it . The petition on being put was imanmiously adopted . After which it was announced tbat I would , in connexion with Mr . West , address another meeting at thc same place on the following Tuesday evening .
THE POnEBIES . On Thursday evening I entered upon the first of two nights' discussion with Mr . W . Evans , editor of the Potters' Examixicr ~ on " Hume Colonisation vcrsits Emigration . " The discussion took place on that evening in the Christian Brethren ' s large room , -which was crowded to suffocation . Mr . C . Stanley , president of the Emigration . Society , was agreed on try "both parties as chairman for the occasion . I opened the debate in a half hour ' s speech , in which I laid it down that it was rank delusion to lead the people to suppose that the "surplus population " could be removed by either emigration or home coloaisaiioo , _b-at-8 » tby theadoption ofthe Jatter we could afford the people a practical proof of what might be
done , did they possess the land nationally ; and also that far the same sum of money aa 400 families would lave to pay for their passage to America , they might fee comfortahly located upon at least two acres of land , with a comfortable cottage , well stocked , at _home- _^ and . ihus avoid a ll the dangers consequent npon transportation . ' Mr . Evans , in reply , admitted that home colonisation waa preferable to emigration , if it was " practicable , but it was not practicable ; and therefore he preferred emigration . He then entered Into the details of the emigration scheme , laying _particuj ' ar stress upon fhe price of land in America , and contrasted it with the price of an equal quantity of English land . I , of course , admitted the difference In the price of land in both countries , particularly in back woodsanddesertsof the Western States
of the American continent ; at the sametimepoinling ont the value of produce in both countries , and tbe -facilities for disposing of English produce , when American grain would remain unconsuraed for the want of a market . But leaving tho price of land entirely out of the quciioD , I contended tbat as it would cost £ 30 , according to Mr . _Evam ' s own shewing , to remove a family of five person ? , and as they wouhl sacrifice at least £ 10 in loss of time in getting to thar destination , that the same amount , £ 40 per family , would make them comfortable at home . The discussion was continued the following evening at the Sea Lion Concert-room , and adjourned until Wednesday , to take place at _Bursleni and as it is to be concluded to-morrow night , I shall reserve my rejnarhs npon it for next week ' s Star .
EI 0 CST 03 T . On Sunday evening I lectured to a numerous and attentive audience , in tbe large room Hilleate ; and on the following evening in the Castle-yard , on ihe Land . At the close of the second leeture I entered Into a lengthy discussion with the renegade Allinson , who offered some ignorant and silly objections tothe Land scheme . 1 lecture to-night here ; Mr . West will assist me . I forgot to state thai I enrolled twenty-five members at Stockport in the Land Society . One person , Mr . Beswick , paid me £ 10 8 s . id . for four shares . Macclesfield , Tuesday . Thomas Clabk .
HALIFAX . V 7 esi _Bjdisc _Ds-xegate _MEEicre . —This meeting -waa held on Sunday , the 8 th inst ., in the Working Man ' s Hall ; Mr . R . Sutcliffe in thc chair . The minutes of last meeting were read over and confirmed , after wliich the following sums wcre paid in for the Executive : —Bradford , Os . 4 d ., do . cards , ? s . & d . ; Hebden-brid ge , 3 s . 3 d . ; Halifax , 4 s . ii . ; littletown , ls . 6 d . ; Dewsbury , ls . Sd . ; Sowerby-helm , 4 s . Id ., do . cards , os . ; Lower Warley , Is ., do . cards , 3 s . The delegates , after discussing several subjects , and
particularly the Co-operative Land plan , adopted the following resolution : — " That in the opinion of this meeting a tour from onr worthy president _. Mi * . M'Grath , on the Chartist Co-operation Land Association , in the West Riding , would be of essential service , and tend greatly to forward that object : * we , the delegates of the -various localities in the West Riding , respectfully request Mr . M'Grath to take a short tour amongst us as soon as he can make itconvenient . " After the transaction of other detail business , the meeting adjourned to the second Sunday in July .
BocHDiUB . —On Sunday last a public meeting was held in the Chartist Room , Mill-street , to consider the Land question , as passed by the late Conference —Frederick Greenwood in the chair . The rules from -the Northern Star were read , and a very instructive discussion followed . At the close of the meeting eight members enrolled their names , when it was-resolved to adjourn to Sunday afternoon next , in tiie same room , when farther Mormation will be -afforded . STRATFORD-ON-AVOIv . A Pontic Meeiesg was held on Monday at the Temperance Hall , to enrol members and explain the objects of the Cfo-operafive Land _Sm _iefy . Mr . liemine was called to the chair , and ably opened the prot * cedings . Mr . Staunton , in an eloquent address , _« S _^^ L , beac 5 _^ tobe _teived from the society , _wS _^ _^ Icall _* PB l 3 _uded . Manymembcre eren _^ _auL _r _** ™ r _™<* meet every Monday the _TempoiW _* _^^ every month at
Pt^Lol^^^^^ Deliter £H££ Commenced By Eu...
DODWORTH , NEAR BARNSLEY . A Pontic _Meeto _* was held on Monday last , and a branch of the Chartist Co-operative Land Society formed . Officers were chosen , and fifteen members enrolled their names and paid entrance money . The" is every encouragement that we shall get a great many members . BLACKBURN . A meeting of the members of the Land Society "was held at Mr . Norton ' s Temperance Hotel , Ringstreet . Eleven new members were enrolled , and took out cards . Another meeting will be held at the same place on Tuesday next , when others desirous of becoming members are requested to attend .
LIVERPOOL . At a _Pubuc Mbetko in this town , a committee was appointed to carry out the objects of the Chartist Land Co-operative Society . Mr . Wm . Parsons was appointed treasurer , and Mr . John Arnold was appointed secretary . A number of members were enrolled .
L>*%C£Sia At Lwebiool. —On. "Monday The ...
L _>* _% C £ Sia at Lwebiool . —On . "Monday the follow ing inquests were held before the borough coroner : — On Saturday evening Bernard Rochefovd , a shipkeeperon hoard the Isabella , lying in the Victoria Bock , was fonnd stretched on the quarter-deck . It was supposed he was in a fit , but on examination was found to be dead . The deceased had been seen sitting on the companion a short time previously , apparently in good health . There were no external appearances to account for death , and the case was adjourned for further evidence . —On Fridav , Mary Owens , daughter of Mr . John Owens , of Park-street , died suddenly under the following circumstances . The deceased complained of headache about seven o ' clock in the morning , and did not get up as usual . She was waited on during the day by her sister , but on her father going up stairs between two and four o'dock , she was fonnd in bed quite dead . The cause of death _waspulraonary apoplexy , induced by disease of the heart . Verdict accordingly . —On Sunday night last , John Fisher , a nightman , was suffocated in a privy in Burlington-street . The deceased with two others , went to remove the night soil from the abovementioned place , when one of them , Emery , went down , and shortly afterwards called ont that he was being suffocated . Deceased descended , and tried to render assistance , but being overpowered also with the smell , fell into the soil , head first , and was suffocated . Emery was -with difficulty extricated , and now lies in a "very dangerous state . —Verdict , Accidental Death .
The Jsokthem Star. Saturday, June 14,1845.
THE _JSOKTHEM STAR . SATURDAY , JUNE 14 , 1845 .
Lord Stanley's Irish Land Bill. " A Land...
LORD _STANLEY'S IRISH LAND BILL . " A landlord of straw can break a tenant of steel . " We have read Lord _SiASLS-i ' s speech introducing his " Tenant Compensation Bill" to the House of _landlords , with more than ordinary attention , and have been not a little struck with the confessions forced irom his Lordship on the occasion : forced from him , not from any lore of justice , but from the apprehension that if a " little bit" is not offered , " more" will be taken . "When the State physician was summoned to attend the Empress Maria Louisa in her confinement , Napoleon , & good judge of human nature , and not slow to discover the effect of circumstances on the mind , observing the physician's timidity , exclaimed , "Doctor , remember she is hut
a woman . " If the noble lords , whose aid Lord Stanley would now enlist to cure the Irish landmalady , had merely to deal with the complaint Of iheir patient only , we could understand a great portion of hia Lordship ' s speech , which under the real circumstances of the case , appeared rather perplexing and enigmatical . The Irish _fond-malady is the grievance complained of * and the noble lords , whose cooperation was sought , knew well that the rea question at issue was one affecting their own health , condition , and constitution . In fact , the House of Peers , ior ihe most part composed of land-lords who have large Irish estates as well aa English titles , was the very worst tribunal to which aa appeal for bettering the condition of their tenants could be made .
"When we read the appalling accounts of Irish destitution arising out of _iand-lords' tyranny in the Devon Report , we expressed our conviction that Sir Robert Peel merely required a feasible pretext for dealing with the whole question of Irish agriculture—Irish fond-lord justice—tenant compensationand . above all , the question of tenure . Much importance , then , as we attach to _thespeech of Lord _Stasisvmintroducins the measure , the measure itself
lades into utter insignificance as a remedy for the admitted grievances . It has heen our lot on several occasions to canvass the probable effect likely to be produced by the Ministerial measures proposed for the amelioration of Ireland : and , however those measures may differ in their character or o ** ject _, we are irresistibly led to the conclusion that the effect or one and all must inevitably lead to an increased power being placed in the hands of the land-lords .
The Reform Bill , intended to extend the franchise , had , after the first experiment was tried , a directly opposite tendency . The _prescriptiTe don-union and controul of the . _& n < _tlord class induced them , in the first instance , to make the franchise as extensive as possible : but when the secret was discovered that priestly influence was mote powerful than the fondlords' controul , the " maw of the soil" waged deadly warfare against those tenants who wonld -sot -rote for them . Henoe the oountry _eomstituencles have d ' uninished year after year . So with Lord Eliot ' s
intended Registration measure . Had it passed into a law , a further inducement for ousting the Catholic tenantry wfuld have been presented to the Irish Protestant tent-lords : and while Lord _Sia-uby supposes thathe is proposing a substantive measure for thc improvement of Irish agriculture , we , with a better knowledge of the character and practice of those whom he would coerce into justice by law , beg to assure him that the inevitable result of his proposed bill will be , either a further clearance of Irish estates , or a large increase in that class called , "tenantsatwill . "
The leading features of the proposed measure are , _—comfsksatioh for building s , drainage , and conversion of unprofitable fences into profitable land : the compensation to be awarded by _conimisBioners paid bj the job , and to be regulated by a graduated scale of occupancy : the noble lord fairly enough reducing the price of compensation according to the amount of benefit that the tenant may have derived from the improvements . There are three main ingredients , however , indispensable towards the realisation of the proposed benefits . Firstly , _xbhubb ; secondly , _capital ; and , -Unruly , cheap _iaw , for the defence of the tenant .
Lord _SriSLEr dispenses with lato as a means of arriving at the question of compensation : but he does not dispense with the present expensive system , by which a landlord of straw is at all times able to break a tenant of steel . Now , to deal with a case precisely such as Lord Siaulm ' s bill proposes to meet , let us see the mode by which an Irish landlord could drive a coach and six through the proposed Act
with as much ease as "his Lordship says the farmers can drive a cart on the top of an Irish fence . "What more easy in a case where a tenant contracts to take a iarm without offices , with the full share of the proscribed mounds , and -requiring drainage , than for the landlord to insert a condition in the lease , setting forth that the performance of any of those three acts protected by law shall _sftnount to a forfeiture of thc lease ?
The notion wliich Lord _Stawusy had uppermost in his mind was some means by which he could compel the Irish landlords to grant leases of such duration as would make expenditure in improvements mutuall y beneficial to landlord and tenant . He was , however , aware that theopen and undisguised question of tenure would have carried with it an amount of - " Ministerial interference" that might have perilled the measure . He cannot for a moment suppose , however , tbat the Irish landlords can be forced out of their habitual practice , or that they can be brought
under obedience of laws now , while their contempt of all law , human and divine , has become proverbial , and is _unblushingly admitted in every line of their own report , when they were called upon to sit in judgment upon their own acts . His Lordship assures us that there is an incredible amount of money in the possession of Irish farmers ready to be called into active operation the very moment the prospect of compensation is presented to them . We entirely concur with Lord _Stanlei _' _s assertion . We admit , and it is beyond doubt , that there is an inoonceivable
amount of " gold guineas" in the possession of Irish farmers , especially those holding large mountainous districts ; but we further assert that the preference to bear any privation , rather than to spend a single one ofthe said guineas , proves the fact , that an amount of distrust exists , which no law , save ihe righteous law of " PERPETUITY , " can ever remove . The tenants possessed of money are fully aware tliat " a landlord of straw ean break atenant of steel ;" and are likewise conscious of thc fact , that if their money was expended in improvement , ejectment would very speedily follow . An increased rent would
be demanded , or the tenant would be ousted , to make way for a higher bidder . A lease in Ireland is no guarantee for possession : and what Lord _Siakley should have endeavoured to have enforced is , the certainty of tenure . But again we say , it was too delicate a subject to meddle with . His Lordship tells us , that the incoming tenant is invariably compelled to give the landlord , by way of fine , that capital which of right should be expended upon improvements . We have said the same thing over and over again . We have said , that frequent onstings are resorted to as a means of frequent lettings , to ensure fresh capital by way of fine—the heartless , ignorantlandlord invariably taking care to extract the last farthing as a fine from the incoming tenant .
Surely , then , when this practice constitutes the greatest portion of the " middle-man ' s" wealth , Lord _Stanley cannot for a moment presume that he will kill the goose with the golden egg by depriving himself of thc means of replenishing his exchequer by repeated _oustings ? For the g rievances described by Lord Stanley we have long ago prescribed the only remedies : namely—leasbs por ever , with a corn runt—abolition of the right to distrainr-a county registration court to keep records of all documents between landlord and tenant—a cheap and easy mode of ejectment when tenants ivill not pay their rentaud an equitable jurisdiction , without the power of appeal , to he given to the assistant Barristers at Quarter Sessions .
The evil ib much too deep to be removed by the proposed palliative ; for the administrators of the balm _wootn have the fower , and would convert it into poison . His Lordship should therefore take care to have a cotemporaneous measure of Emigration : for he may rest assured that , cheerfully as we receive his tardy admission of wrong , the Irish landlords wQl be yet more tardy in giving effect to a measure calculated to disarm them of most anomalous , iniquitous and disastrous powers . Upon the whole , we repeat an observation we made on the Queen ' s speech at the
opening of Parliament—that we gather much more from the sayings than the doings of Ministers : and what we value in the speech of Lord Stanley is , that whatever the fate of his measure maybe , those whose position enables them to judge of public opinion , have come to the conclusion , that wrong will no hnger le borne by the many—and that _iraiNMCAi . "dominion is unsafe in tbe hands of the few . The grievances admitted by Lord Stanley equally existed in 1633 , when , instead of remedying them , when his party "had the power to dose , he hoped to mm the sufferers into a tame submission to the usurper ' s
Our joy is that the land question has new become a value : that the cry for its possession makes the tyrant -usurpers tremble ! The "little nostrum" of the Noble Lord is merely intended to hush thc loud shouteof " RESTORE ! " " RESTORE !! " " RESTORE !!! " which will ere long penetrate through the black wool in their Lordships' ears . Let our readers look to other portions of this sheet for evidences of the deep interest Uken in the Land
question , and let them irom that fact take courage . Already the dmxxken would-be-protectoi * s of the labourers pence , see danger in their co-operation , and , as is their custom , cry out" Beware . ' Beware !! Beware !!! " Next week we shall put an extinguisher upon the alarmist ; and preserve that conn _, dence which the people ' s enemies lose no opportunity of destroying . The Land ' . The Land !! Hurrah for the Land !!!
The Workman's "Share" Of Comfort. Ibs Sa...
THE _WORKMAN'S "SHARE" OF COMFORT . IBS SANATORY CONDITION OF OUE LARGE TOWNS . Thb extracts that we give in another place , from the lucid and business-like Report of the Working Woolcombers' Committee in Bradford , cannot but have their due effect on the mind of the reader , whose eg pecial attention wo beg to direct to the horrible and humiliating revelations therein made . The reflections and the feelings which a perusal of the few samples we have given from the frightful mass of similar detail laid bare by the said Committee , will excite , will
assuredly be of _amost painful character ; hut we trust that they will result in a full determination on the part of the workers to embrace every opportunity ;* and use every exertion , to procure for themselves a greater "SHARE" of the " good things oflife , " which their labour causes to oe—that the scenes of squalid misery and dire destitution to which they alone axe subjected may be changed into those of plenty , happiness , and contentment—and the foul blot of extreme poverty and extreme luxury that disfigures our national escutcheon be effectually removed .
The evil is as extensive as the order o labour itself , lt is by no means confined to Bradford . Were similar means taken—similar inquiries generally instituted—the mass of want and misery thus exposed to view would be overwhelmingly frightful ! What a picture of the " highest state of civilisation " would be presented ! Let the sinks and stews of Leeds , Manchester , Liverpool , and the great wen itself , with those of the intermediate towns , be hut explored as in the Bradford case , by parties willing to tell the truth , and the prudish morality of the age , all stiff and starched as it is , would _St"ftVt . back
with affinght at the hideous reality thus made apparent . Itisimpossible forpen to describe , or even the mind to conceive , the full extent of the atrocities and infamies that would be thus dragged to the face of diy : but one thing , and one thing alone , in relation to the matter , we may set down for fact : the parties enduring the _misery—subject to the want—destitute of every comfort-abiding amidst filth , and squalor , and disease , and wretchedness of every description : tfic parties to whom is apportioned these tilings , as their "SHARE" of "National wealth , " woidd be found to be those ivho labour with their hands—ihose
who - produce wealth in abundance to make life a joyous existence for all , did the principle of equity in distribution at all prevail . Our life for it , that you would not find any of the _tax-mters dwelling in the " _Kctono-streete" of Bradford , Manchester , Leeds , or London , except it be some old soldier-pensioner , whose reward for glory is not sufficient to provide him with " _'bacea and heavy-wet" for one week out of the thirteen . You would not meet with any of the " pretty misses" of the pension-list in your " _^• - ''• -streets or "HoIgate-squareB . " Lady Juliana Hay , go intimately connected with John Cam Hobhoobe , late _Secreta-ry-at-Wai'undertheWhigs _. wouldnotbefound dwelling in " Comtncrcia _^ street . " The recipients of
the dividends on account of the debt , would be found located in far different localities to that of "Back-lane , Westgate , Bradford ; " nor would one of the bead weight men , or thc receivers of half-pay , be found in " Nelson-court ' . " You might as well hope to find p ower _unasaociated with tyranny , as a banker reposing his limbs on THE BED OF SHAVINGS at" Spink ' _s-huildings , White Abbey ;" and a millowner or merchant occupying the BED IN THE COAL-HOLE of " Victoria-street , " would be as rare as frugality and humility at a court ! Nay , yon will not be able , throughout your whole searchand you may run the whole number of courts , and alleys , and stews , and dirt- " places " through—to find a single petty huxter or chandler ' _s-shop keeper , obliged to herd with "fifty-five persons in eleven
apartments , with on ly nam beds , being six per . sons to bach bed ! " No . Those of all these genuses and classes will be found far otherwise situate than the wretched inmates of " Case No . 83 , at _GRACE-cAwreft-strcet , White Ab bey , " where " a man , Ms viife , and four
The Workman's "Share" Of Comfort. Ibs Sa...
children , together with his mother , LIE IN ONE BED ! " No , your "Club-houses , " and your " Goldensonaves ! " with their " four persons working in an upper apartment where a man and his wife sleep ; " and where " they had to cease from work whilst the woman was lying in ; " and where " they now work , with her lying in bed exposed to their gaze , AND HER DEAD CHILD IN THE SAME ROOM ' . "—these places , and your " Thomson s Buildings , " with their eight people to one letroom , of an average size of seventeen feet by fifteen , "
where "the brother axd sister had to work together , with only one _apai'tment and one bed !"theso places and these things are exclusively " ENJOYED" by the workers—the toilers—the producers ; are aU that a "high state of civilisation " can afford in return for that superabundance of wealth which has enabled our merchants and manufacturers to exchange the comfortable dwelling fbr the mansion—the _Jand-lord to leave the manor-house for the palace ; and all ivho live without labour to wallow in luxury without end .
And we are told , by high authority , that this is fate !—that it is ordained to be so , and that we cannot help it ! This very week , during the discussion on Mr . Villiers ' s motion for a repeal of the Corn Laws , in answer to the argument that the state of the working classes was most unsatisfactory , as compared with thc state ofthe other classes , Sir Robert Peel said : — It is my confident belief that , establish what system of Corn Laws you please , you mast expect to find such differences in this country and in a state of society like this ; you must expect to find those extremes of wealth and poverty . ( Hear , hear . ) They exist , I believe , in every country on the face of the earth . Indeed , the more civilisation and refinement increases , there is a greater tendency towards these extremes .
Here is a doctrine ! " Civilisation " and " Refinement" means more riches to the rich and more poverty to the poor ! What apostles of "civilisation" wc ought to become . ' What a call duty has on us to extend " refinement . " It follows , then , according to this doctrine , that th poorer the mass of a people become , in comparison with the livers out of their labour , the higher is the " state" of civilisation such nation has attained—the greater her progress towards absolute refinement ! Ireland , therefore , when she had her millions existing on sea-weed , and her thousands dying for want of even tftat means of sustaining life , was in the highest state of beatitude and bliss any of our people have yet realised !
We now learn the reason why our " fain-givers , " who are not sent to protect us , were so anxious to " reduce the people of Eng land to live on a coarser sort of food . " Itwas an _earnest desire to promote " civilisation !"—to extend " refinement ! " But i f increased poverty and miseiy for the toilers , with all their attendant woes of depravity , Yice , and crime , on the one hand , and increased means of dissipation and profligacy for " the favoured ones of fortune " on the other , is the " tendency" of " civilisation " and ¦ ** refinement , " are not these rather curses instead of blessings ? Would it not be better for ihe
workers at least , that we should remain rude , and uncooth , and uncultured , and uncivilised ? Where is the advantage of " refinement" to the [ producer of wealth ? Where is the inducement for him to become a " civilised" being ? . "Man here below requires comforts and conveniences . He will have them if he can get them . This is apparent in the deadly struggle constantly going on even in " refined" society —each one endeavouring to secure to himself as goodly a " SHARE" of the creature-comforts as his ingenuity and cunning can contrive to compass , regardless of whom he deprives . Plenty has always
been considered the forerunner of happiness and contentment . But if with " civilisation" there is no hope of _securing'plenty to the mass ; ifthe tendency of " refinement" is to widen the extremes of wealth and poverty ; if up-heaped piles of gold , princely residences , splendid equipages , and all the blandishments of art to the few , and potatoes and sea-weed with the Irish hovel or the Bradford "COALHOLE" to the many , is to be the award of " civilisation , " is not the " savage" state to be preferred , where the principles of equity , equality , and fai play haye an intimate heaving onthe condition o the whole people ?
If Sir Robert Peel had said that it was the tendency of our taxing-system—the tendency of our Banking-system—the tendency of our fictitious capitalthe tendency of oim debt and its Dividends—the tendency of our manufacturing system , with its machinery monopolised in the hands of a fewleviathans—the tendency of our stock-jobbing , our sharebrokering , and all our other infernal modes of usury and gambling—the tendency of our blessed profitmongering system : if Sir Robert Peel had said that it was the tendency of these hell-dcviscd schemes to " absorb the wealth out of the hands of the producers into the lap . of the greediest aud most _ine-Ol'able of tyrants , " and thus make thc rich richer , and the poor poorer , he would have said what was
the truth . But these are not the result of , or consequent on , true civilisation . These are measure * of iniquity , compared with which , fei' devastation and ruin to all that ( should constitute true nobility and true greatness , the most barbarous engines of oppression ofthe most savage times were innocence itself . These are bars to the progress of civilisation ; nnd when they are removed out ofthe way , we shaU find a state of society develope itself in whieh equity and justice will obtain , and individual interest be absorbed in general weal : but until the causes abovenamed are effectually removed , tho evils of extreme poverty and extreme wealth can never cease out of the land . Effect will follow cause , as surely as that water will find its level .
With the measures taken to bring the sanatory condition of the working population before public attention we most heartily coincide . Thc more inquiry there is on that head—the morothe facts are made public , the more manifest will be the injustice of dooming the workers to unremitting toil and abject misery , while those " that toil not neither do they spin " are arrayed in all glory and power . The stronger the contrast between the luxurious ( prodigality and sensual profligacy of the _hi-ih and mighty , and the filth , disease , and wretched viciousness of the labourer , the sooner an end is put to disproportionate
inequality , if care he taken to hold up the humiliating contrast to public gaze . Let us have St . Giles and St . James fully J aid open to view ! Let us see the Bed Costume with , its single persons bearing the spoil of kingdoms on rheir backs , on the one hand , and the inmates of the dwellingin " Back-lane , Westgate , Bradford , " on the other , with its " thirteen persons lying huddled together on two bundles of straw , m a damp floor , four of them being females ! . ' " Let us see "the silks and satins , the velvets and the blonds , the lace and thc ribbons , that flaunt through the state apartments of Bucking ham Palace , in
contrast with the nakedness of " Golden (!) _-square _, White Abbey . " Let us have tho wearer of £ 60 , 000 worth of jewels at a state ball set up for the public to gaze at—and thek thepariah * of "Duke-street" and " Holgatc-square ! " O yes ! Let us have the facts a ** to the actual condition of both sections of " civilised " society truthfully set forth ; and we shall have done much towards preparing the public mind for the consideration of a remedy for the destitution consequent on our nefarious polity . Let the workers , therefore , in Manchester , in Bolton , in Ashton , in Oldham , iu Bury , in Rochdale , in Halifax , in Huddersfield , and in aU other places , follow the example of their
brethren of Bradford and Leeds . Let them organise their Committees •— form thek districts — visit each house—record thc facts—and publish them , tliat our rulers and the people at large may know what Englaxui really is . Be it the business of such Committees to take attention bekvu the surface of things . Outwardly , the aspect of societ y is calculated to deceive . Who , that traverses the streets of this internal wen , and sees the piles of wealth up-heaped on every hand—who , that strolls " into the park" on a fine summer ' s afternoon , and sees the countless throng of " beauty and fashion , " vicing i n exhibition of means— who , that sees these things and a thousand other such , can think of the dwell
The Workman's "Share" Of Comfort. Ibs Sa...
era in " Lower West-street , Tetley-row , " _unlefiB the fact of their existence is thrust beneath his nose ? Dive , therefore , into our alleys . Explore the back courts . Turn up the sinks and the stews of our large towns . Never mind the hideousness of thc sight the intolerable nature of the stench . Those are the means by which you will arrest attentionby which you will induce a misgiving th ought that all is not right . Those are the means by which yon will aid in the desire pretty fairly set in , to promote Sanatory Reforms .
Whatever will improve the character of the dwellings aud the neighbourhoods wherein the workers are by hard necessity compelled to herd , will undoubtedly he a benefit not only to the immediate residents themselves , but to thc whole of society . Health is incompatible with filth . Poverty is the parent of disease , aa well as of crime . Fever and bad ventilation are constant companions . Whatever , therefore , will serve to cause cellar dwellings to be given up ( if better are provided)—and the streets and houses to be drained , paved and flagged : whatever will induce h abits ( and give the means ) of clean liness , will be of benefit , and ought to . be promoted
by evoiy friend to his kind . But while a helping hand is thus given tothe efforts of the Sanatory Baformer , it will be necessaiy to guard against the notion that even the utmost he can do will remove the monstrous disparity that exists between the two extremes of society . He may make the condition of the workers more tolerable . He may somewhat improve the character of their " _homeb _. " He may provide " pettys , " and drains , aud ash pits , and cause their dwellings to be whitewashed out : but he will not much increase their store , or add to their means of procuring food and suitable clothing . TAfltwill have to be the result of other measures .
He will do good , much good , as far as he goes : hut ifthe £ 50 , 000 , 000 a-yeav taxation is to be exacted ; if the debt is to continue ; if equitable adjustment bo not resorted to ; if paper money he not wholly and entirely put down ; if tho Land be not in the _jj-jss-jb sion ofthe peop le ; ifthe workers do not learn how to retain for consumption the main of that they produce without the intervention of _proM-mongers of any kind ; if the infernal system of stock-and-sharejobbery , and all usury , be not abolished , root and branch ; if these things are not done , farewell to all hope of stopping the " _absorption of wealth
from the hands of its producers into the lap of the no n-producers "—and farewell all hope of making the condition of the workers at all befitting human beings . Measures of Sanatory Reform are excellent in their way : but they are not all that are needed . However , we are quite content to "take the good the gods send us . " Sanatory Reform will aid materially in hastening the day when the workman will be " first partaker of the fruits . " The question is one on which all parties and all sections can unite and co-operate . It will bring otherwise antagonistic elements into contact . It will make those who have
hitherto _bei _* n held aloof from each other , somewhat acquainted . It will break the cordon of _exolugiveness , and uproot much prejudice . It will show to those " above " that in the mass " below" there are human feelings and sensibilities—human affections and sympathies , wliich need but the opportunity to chord with - _*¦&• - _ own . It will induce an amount of kindliness , of forbearance , of true charity for the motives and actions of each other , that will of themselves he the prelude to a happier day , when Mb . sections can see each other as they really are , and not attribute to each other a monstrosity of feeling and action which neither inherently possess .
The promotion of alljmeasurcs of Sanatory Reform , therefore , is a duty incumbent on ns—one which , as far as we are concerned , shall never fail performance to the utmost extent of our power . But while we do this , we shall at the same time inculcate the belief that other measures—measures effecting our fiscal , political , and social polity—are needful and indispensable to enable the working portion ofthe community to enjoy the fruits of their own industry . The first of these is political power , as tne means ; social m _ppixESs w ins end : and the measureg we have indicated above aro necessary to that end . With political _powER'those measures are easy and safe , and the end certain : without it , the workers ill always be serfs and slaves .
Opening The Coal Mines Purchased By The ...
OPENING THE COAL MINES PURCHASED BY THE LANCASHIRE MINERS' PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION .
( From _ottr occasional Correspondent . ) We are about to commemorate an event which will be regarded by our readers as one of no ordinary importance . All struggles of the people are worth y of attention ; and the struggle which takes the shape of work—putting its own shoulder to the wheel—appeal's just now to offer strong hopes of success . The great fact we have to commemorate is this : the Lancashire Miners have purchased for tiiemselves ihe coal situated -under the surface of ei g hteen Cheshire acres .
Tuesday last was indeed a yroudandglorioiiB day for the _Lancashire working Colliers * . wesay working Colliers , for thc distinction between a worker and an idler is , in thb case , a most important one . To the formor , the day was one of glory and pride : to tho coalmaater—magistrate—idler , it brought terror and dismay . Our readers are aware that for the Vast sixteen weeks there has been what is called a strike at Messrs
_SwtttEs and Lees , onc of thc collieries near Oldham . Theso gentlemen have lately introduced some new _atjents on their works ; one of whom , at the outset , avowed that he was come to reduce wages—that he should not be content until he had reduced the men to 2 s . 8 d . per day . Hc had come from the north , where the men , for the last six months , had been working for less than ten shillings a week , and he bad been hired at alarge salary to introduce the system into Lancashire ,
Then commenced a series of frauds , such as will hardly be defended , except by those who have learned their morality in the school of the coalowner . 1 . We shall give onc instance : in some part of the work the meu are paid by the yard—so much for twenty yards —measured b y a chiit .. Our friend from thc north said he thought it was better to measure with tape , Itwas arranged accordingly . Things went on very well until it was found that thc tape stretched—that twenty yards of tape were equal , under the skilm _* management of the viewer from the north , to about
twenty-tu / o yards of chain ; this produced murmurs , and at last the workies found out that they would rather ( idle dogs !) work by the old plan , the chain ; and they complained ( lazy rascals !) of the Durham man s stretching process ; nay , we have heard from what we consider good authority that some "discontented scoundrels ' . " ventured so far as to affirm that the tam p lan was altogether a " damned piece of roguery , and no mistake . " The end of it all—and the fraud we have mentioned was one ofthe least ofth e many that were practised—was , that they " wouldn't stand it no longer . " They struck .
We pass by what followed . Suffice it , that the men were honest—true to the cause of labour . There was no power either of worrying the m or hambooriing them : all tho twaddle about thoir " starving wives and children" they treated as so much moonshine . They had not heen to college , but they knew ( blessings on their bnml _heai-ts \) that twenty-two was a couple more than twenty ; and as they never wanted to be paid for twenty-two when they only worked twenty , so , " wiccy warn , " thoy stuck out that they wouldn't ( ignorant scoundrels !} work twen ty-two while they were only paid for a score .
The result was that the men determined on uniting with the men of _Olouah , to carry out a project which had long been a subject of disoussion' they determined upon joining their labour and their earnings together , and taking _apitthemselveB—to be their own property ! No more ta pe measure—no more thirty pecks to a score;—no more twenty-nine hundred weig ht to a ton—no more paying a man threepence , and fining him a shilling : so they bought tbe coal of some eighteen acres about three miles from Oldham , having first persuaded the honest tradesmen of that thriving locality to assist them in taking up five hundred shares at fifty shillings per share , to pay for the shafts , engines , and all the rest of it .
Tuesday last—the 10 th June , 18461—a memorable day—was appointed for breaking the earth ; and to W . P . Roberts , Esq ., was deputed the honorable
work of "digging the first clod" and " naming the pit . " Atthe appointed time , eleven o ' clock , there were present on the ground some fift y persons or more , who were anxious to witness the commencement of an undertaking so novel , and offering so _fab a prospect of success . As they travelled to the --lad scene they passed by the house of the owner of the property—Harry Thomas . . There stood the old man , leaning on two sturdy sticks , and _\ jent with the honorable age of fourscore years and three —a genuine specimen of an old English yeo . man : he looked cheerful and happv , and _=
_* evidently proud of tho work that was going on Scores , nay , hundreds of pounds , had been offered to induce him to break his bavgain with the humble purchasers of the mineral ; but the hearty old veteran felt itwas "too late in life to tell a lie , " visited the proposal with all the contempt of d _' oaf ; difference . In reply to several applications , he stated that if he did not sell the coal to the Working Col . liers it should lie where it was—and so no doubt it would ; for Harry Thomas the younger , the son oi Harry Thomas the elder , appears to entertain verv similar sentiments to those of his father .
The happy group passed on , and soon arrived at the ground . Mr . Roberts took the spado and very quickly completed his part ofthe ceremony-di gging the clod and giving to the ground the name of" Tbe Protective Pit of the Lancashire Misers' Association . " This done , each took his hand at the 3 pu . _L-, and before twenty minutes had elapsed more earth was removed than all _the _coRliaaaters in Lancashire would have turned in a month . The good work has now commenced in good earnest tools and materials continually arriving onthe ground ' and there is strong ground for the confident hope that before six months have expired the first load of coal will he on its way to Ms . Roberts' office .
That the working Miners are deepl y interested in the work so auspiciously commenced is plain enough but the shopkeeping classes are perhaps even mor deeply interested in its success . Amongst the latter all the profits will be expended—not merely the wages of the labour , but the profit of the speculation Under ordinary circumstances—wi th a lord ov a lord ' s tool for an owner—more than _two-thirds o the money produced by thc coal would find it way to London , or perhaps to the
continentministering probably to the pleasures of a French dancing woman , or laying in a stock of paint for the decoration ofher ladyship ' s pale-faced daughter . Now the whole produce will be expended in _OLnrtAM , or its immediate neighbourhood . There is reason to believe that the trading classes arc becoming thoroughly alive to the necessity of supporting the claims of those who live by their labour , and b y their labour ' s produce contribute far more than the master class to the support of the local tradesman
What tho twenty-two yard tape man will think of it all-is indeed a mystery , but not one of much consequence . His masters will send him to thc ri ghtabout as soon as they discover that his trickery has ceased to be profitable . Perhaps in the agony of the moment for the Northern Star is regularly sent to him on the sly , he will read every word that we haye written—he may he shattered into the strange fancy of telling the truth . We should not be very much surprised to hear that on Sunday morning
at ten o ' clock he waited upon Mesn * 3 . _Swibes and Lees , and solemnly assured them that his heart was altered , and that he had now arrived at the conviction that the world was wiser than it used to be , and that in dealing with the sons of labour honesty ie the best _roucv . If , indeed , he manages to get so far as this , his visit into _Lancashire will not have heen altogether unprofitable . He will discard his tapje jiEAS ' , _'nn _, and go hack tothe men of Durham ( for he will never do any good here ) awuch wiser man than he left them .
Fo ^^^55^ Ottlient^
fo _^^^ 55 _^ _ottlient _^
S. Bboadhobst, Oldbtot.—We Think The Cha...
S . Bboadhobst _, Oldbtot . —We think the charge of 2 d , for the delivery ofthe newspaper at the place he mentions is an imposition , and wonld recommend that a statement of the facts be sent to the Postmaster-General . If the practice is without authority , that functionary will soon set the matter right . _Timothi Davis , " _ST—rani _TiDviJ _* . . —Phonography will _annivcr the purpose auite well . The principle of the system is correct , The characters are formed so as to represent the different sounds of speech ; and tlte _phonographist therefore can " repor t" in any language . Of course , with phonography , as with the various _sjstemt of stenography , it its hard " practice" that can alone " make perfect , " A "Five Years' _SoBBcaiwa , _LosnoN . —Yes : for the party contracting the debt is only acting as the agent ofthe party whose name is upon theplace of business . Communications for the Chartists of Bolton should be ad . dressed to ¦ 'William Woodhead , Pickvance , Duncanstreet , Bolton . "
"A Pair Dav ' s Waoe ior a Faib Day ' s Woer , _"Hahl-ey . —At this town ( in the Staffordshire Potteries ) there are , it appears , a number of tailors on strike lately in the employ of Messrs . Hill and Gillman _. The operetires , desirous to avoid burdening the society ' s _fonde , have opened a shop in _lamb-street ( _ITanley _* , where they announce their readiness to execute all orders in i their particular line of business . We hope that our ' friends , the -potters , an & the public generally , will give ! their support to these men , and show Messrs . HflJ audi Gillman that they are daterrained to uphold the rights ! of their order , by Mipporting the tailors in thoir struggle for justice . The turn-outs announce that they have ! secured the services of one of the first foremen in then district to superintend the work , and , if supported . I . they have no fear but that they will ultimatel y bringup the price of labour , at the before-named firm , to thee average paid by respectable employers in the _Potferiw . !
I Monies Received Bt Mr. O'Coxxor. ¦ ™ ....
I MONIES RECEIVED BT MR . O'COXXOR . ¦ _™ _. _™ IO * THB-SXECnTlTX , s > AA Preston , O'Connor Brigade ( donation ) , per Mr . Sidwell .. ' . „ .. J ' . 0 4 H Chartists of TVellingbro ' , per IFm . Parish .. . ' . " 0 fi 6 fi _oxford _, .. _>|| Robert RamBileii , Jonathan _Pickering James Hoyle , and a few friends .. „ „ ., q 2 C C COHTBlBDTIOys . From Dundee , per James Graham 0 3 M CASUS . Preston , O'Connor Brigade , per Mr . Sidwell .. o 4 < < Salford .. „ „ „ ,. nr . it " ' it .. .. U U » ' VICTIM FOND . From Dundee , per James Graham 0 2 ! CCNCOMBE TESTIMONiai ; . Ihe _followinprsums were collected b y w . Morrison *—Mr . Davison 0 6 ' Mr . Melville ! 0 6 Mv . Milne 0 6 Mr . Oauniiig ' 0 3 Mr . Baulch 0 3 Mr . W . C . Morrison " 2 G Mr . W . Morrison „ 1 1 0 6 & & RECEIPTS PER GENERAL SECRETAlty . SUBSCRIPTIONS . s ' _* - ** ....... luimbeth _, Mr . Doyle tower "Warley .. .. 11 ( E . O . ) ,. „ ,, i 0 Hammersmith ., „ 3 3 City of London .. .. 3 9 Westminster ,. . 33 Bradford 6 1 Vf . Salmon ( 1 month ) 0 0 He'bden . brid ' _. 'e .. .. 3 3 T . Salmon ( 1 _raontJi ) .. 0 0 Halifax 4 4 Ruffy Ridley .. ., 11 littletown .. .. 16 Daddy Richards , Pot . Dewsbury .. .. 18 terics , 88 Sowerby Helm ., 4 1 CABOS . Leeds * , 12 6 Sowerbv Helm .. .. & 5 Tunbridge Wells ., 5 0 Lower W _« riev .. .. 3 3 Bradford .. .. ., 7 6 Somers Towii .. „ 2 2 noifATION . Mr . Pinde _^ per Mr . Dron .. 011 "Fairfield , Air , Rogers 0 0 0 DCNCOUBE _TESTIKONIAI . . Mr . Cheetham , traveller , per Mr . _Cavill , Sheffield 0 2 i 2 VICTIM EOM _) . Mr . T . Salmon .. .. 0 01 « Thomas Mabti !* WnEEiEB , Secretarylary ,, * This sum was acknowledged in last Star as _beinit fhiE il Land Cards . e B RECEIPTS OF CO-OPERATIVE LAND _SOCIITYim _* PER SECRETARY _, _jpiagi _ihstaments . "" " £ 8- _d . _JEB .-SB . Boulogne ( France ) 0 17 0 Lower Warley .. 0 140 14 : F . FranWmm ., 014 Somers Town ., 0 H 0 M Mr . Oddio , Clitheroe 0 1 4 Dewsbury district 1 31 SI -W . _PutmU .. .. 014 Blackburn .. .. 0140141 F . Patterson .. 024 _Aehton-under-Lyne 110 1101 Lambeth .. .. 094 Kidderminster .. 014 0141 Preston .. .. 014 fi Liverpool .. .. 0808 ! Darlaston „ .. 068 Sheffield ., .. l Q l <] SHARES . Boulogne ( France ) 0 14 0 Lower Warley .. 1 S 1 Si T . B . C . and Sons * 116 0 Dewsbury district 2 1 2 11 D . Gover , sen . .. 010 Lambeth , per Dron * 4 _* 4 « D . Gover , jun . .. 010 CAM > 8 AVO ZVLES . Derby , 12 4 0 Lambeth , rules .. .. I .. *' Do ., 13 rules .. .. 2 2 Secretary , do I .. !' Nottingham , do . ., 0 4 Blackburn , do ... .. 1 .. i ' Mr . Guver , do ... ., 0 6 Stockport , 24 each .. ' .. u Mr , Patterson , do . .. 16 LANO . FromSethTravers .. •• .. . » .. 0 I 0 j | From Juhn Morgan .. 0 . 0 ii From John Walsh - 0 . 0 From Derby , per Wm . Cbandler .. .. ,. 0 _H 0 It From Bradford , per Joseph Alderson .. .. 2 ' . 2 " From _Stoeltport , per Thomas Webb .. ,. „ 12 112 ' < ' . Thomas Martin WniiLsmiLS' * * The £ 1 16 b of T . B . C . and Sons is included inlad ini Lambeth £ 4 , but is announced thus for greater _satisr safe tion tliey being enrolled in that district .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), June 14, 1845, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_14061845/page/4/
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