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Northern Star (1837-1852), 22nd February 1845, Edition 4 of 4, Page 4

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  • Departments (4)
    • SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE
    • THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 33, " 1845.
    • TO THE FUSTIAN JACKETS, BLISTERED HANDS, AND UNSHORN CHINS.
    • Co heaters # Cmxestooitirents
  • Text (9)
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      Shipping Intelligence

      SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE

      Dreadful Shipwrecks Asd Loss Of Lifb.—Ll...

      Dreadful Shipwrecks asd Loss of Lifb . —Lloyd's , _IrOaf- _^ ht—The late mow storm was attended with the most melanchol y disastera along the coast The wrecks that it occasioned were truly dreadful many liaviiig foundered with their hapless crews , all of whoniperishfid . Along the coast , to the northward , fronting the German ocean , the losses were very numerous . At about half-past six o ' clock . on Tuesday morning , the Preventive Service belonguig tothe _Sbutliwold station received information ofa Tessel being wrecked near the . Barnard _Siinds , aM that the crew were clinging to the rigging . Ihcy instantly started eff in the direction , and succeeded in rescuing the crew , who were brought ashore ; in a _shockiiiT state ; many of them hisensible , and tueir

      clothes covered with ice . The vessel was the Emerald , of London , Charles Harrison , master , bound to Aberdeen . At Whitburn , near Sunderland , a res _.- * el « _.-ail-.-d ike Uetsy , belonguig to that port , got on the rocks and became a total wreck . The crew saved themselves by the boats . —The schooner Emily , Shaw master , belonging to Wisbeach , while on her way to ! Middlcbarough for coals , was lost under similar circumstances on the coast , about a mile to the south of Scarborough . —Another vessel was lost at Montrose . It was the brig St . Andrew ' s , of Arbroath .. The lifeboat was launched , and the crew were saved by it . — The True Slue , of London , Mr . Pleming master , was wrecked off lledcar during the storm . It is supposed that all on hoard perished . —At Ennishowcn , near _Ixmdonderry _, another fetal shipwreck happened . The ill-fated craft was the Harmony of Ramsey , Brayden , mister : she struck on a shoal called Glasheady ,

      situate about half a mile off the beach . The numbers lost are reported to be thirteen . —To be added to the above , are those ofthe " Victoria , of Newquay ; an American packet-ship , the Ville de Lyon , on the coast of Barficur ; the Bee , wrcckedat Camber , near Hje ; and also that of a Dutch vessel / the _^ Hopende , of Rotterdam , lost near the South Rock Light . The crew of the Bee were saved by the Coast-guard boat . The American packet was a veiy fine vessel , and her loss is given out at £ 30 , 000 . The mail froni New York , which arrived at Liverpool on Thursday night , contains intelligence of the loss of fourteen vessels , the greater portion belonging to England . Among them was the following : —On the 19 * 81 of last month the wreck of a large barque , supposed to be the Lord Seaton , of St . Andrew ' s , was discovered on the eastern point of the Isle of Ilant , in Pendlescot Bay . Two bodies were found aboard .

      Ltovn s , Satokday . —The Trewartha arrived _yesterday at Liverpool from Cork , with damage , having heen iu contact off Tuskar with the Titania , bound to Smyrna , since put into "Waterford . —The SirR . A . _Fergusi-ii , Rhode , from Clyde to Malta , foundered off Tuskar , llth instant ; two men drowned , having heen in contact with the Hopewell , bound to Maranhani , since put back . —A ship , name unknown , was partially dismasted , Dec . 1 , off Agulhas Bank , during a sudden squall , in sight ofthe _Athol , arrived in the Clyde—The Hornet , Shiels , fi-om _Middlcsbro' to Yarmouth , was dismasted off Flamborough Head , 5 th inst ., and subsequently wrecked on Sand HJalc ; crew saved .

      Oegious Coach Accibext.—The Brighton Her...

      oegious Coach _Accibext . —The Brighton Herald states , ! tliat as the Defiance , _Portsmouth and Brighton four-hoive coach was proceeding on its way on Thursday , the horses took fright as they were about to enter Arundel , srsd galloped through the narrow streets of that town at a tremendous rate , ultimately dashing out of Farrant-street , fronting the Norfolk Anns , across the intervening road , elearingthe stable gate with the -fracture only of a splinter-bar , entering the yard at fcdl speed , and sot being able to stop themselves , ran into a shed at the other extremity of it , against the roof of which the coachman was carried with great force , ar . d was immediately struck off by a blow on the breast . Fortunately there was some little space between the beam aud the roof of the coach , or he must have been crashed between ' them , and the progress ofthe coach was also arrested b y the pole sticking against the wall . Mi-. Lovcridge , draper , of Brighton , who was sitting byhisside , stooped so aa to avoid a concussion which must have been fatal to him , and

      escaped with a slight blow on the head , but his hat was crushed to pieces ; he clung to the iron rails of the coach . His fellow-passenger , who was sitting behind , was thrown off by the concussion , and was much injured . The two " inside passengers escaped without iiijary . The coachman is less injured than was at first supposed , and is pronounced out of danger . It appears tliat her Majesty and Prince Albert wene exposed to great danger by the above occuiTcacc . The Royal party ( says the same paper ) were on the way to Arundel at the time , ana had scarcely passed the Norfolk Aims—not by more than two or three minutes—when the coach came dashing at a tremendous rate across the road which had just been traversed by the Royal equipage . A minute or two earlier on the part ofthe coach , or later on the part of the Royal carriage , and a collision must have taken place , the consequences of which are too appalling for the mind calmly to picture to itself .

      SurrosED _Mueder at Rexdlesiiam . —Horrible AixiiK . —Infonnation has just reached us , from what we have every reason to believe to be authentic sources , tliat a frightful murder was committed late on Saturday night last , on the estate of Lord Rendlesham , Suffolk . Report states , that his gamekeeper , who lives close to the hall , returned to his home Lite on the above named night , in a state of intoxication , and after a few minutes' time desired to leave again . His wife remonstrated against this , and shut the door to prevent his getting out : a quarrel

      then ensued , and the maddened gamekeeper at length snatched his gun , levelled it at his wife , and , report says , blew her head to atoms ! He was on Sunday committed to the Bridewell , at Woodbridge . He declares that he did not intentionally murder her , but , in the _struggle , the gun went off by accident . He has a family of four children . Such are all the particulars we feel justified in giving to the public—we fear they are too correct . Rumour is busy , but we decline trusting toojnuch to it , in an affair of so _soulhan-owing -and tragic a character . —I _^ _ieicA Express , Feb . IS .

      Esc-we asd Recapture of a Peisoxer . —On the 19 th of October , a prisoner , named Lawrence Phillips , made his escape from tiie llford House of Correction , and although every exertion was made , aud a reward was offered for his apprehension , he eluded detection fill Monday morning , when he was taken into custody in _Whitechapel by Mr . Anderson , the governor of the gaoL The prisoner had been concealed in the neighbourhood of _Houndsditch , perhaps one of the best vicinities for . " putting away" a thief in the metropolis . Upon seeing Mr . Anderson the

      -prisoner started off at frill speed in the direction of Petticoat-lane , but was overtaken before he reached that locality , in which it would , no doubt , have been a matter of great difficulty to find him if he had once turned the corner . He was . convicted of picking pockets , and is well known as a thief , several of his companions bong at this time in the prison . He resisted on being apprehended , but Mr . Anderson obtained the assistance of Mr . Glenny , of llford , who accompanied him , and the fellow was securely deposited in a cab . The mob were greatly disposed to favour and aid the prisoner , who cried aloud to them that he was no thief . ' -

      Fiue sear the Custom House . —On Tuesday aftcrnoon the neighbourhood of Lower Thames-street was alarmed by the outbreak of a fire upon the premises belonging to Mr . Robert _Fenwick , bottle merchant , No . _H , ia the above thoroughfare , nearly facing the Custom House . The flames originated in the cellar , amongst a quantity of straw and packages . Owing io the combustible nature of the same the fire soon obtained a strong hold . Engines belonging to the Custom House and parish , and four belonging to the brigade , promptly attended , but the smoke was so overpowering that none ofthe firemen could for some time enter tne place . Mr . Biaidwood gave orders to one of the men to put on the patent smoke-proof dress , the invention of Lieut . Paiilin . This was done , and after two hours' hard working the fire was extinguished , fhe damage being confined to the destruction of baskets , straw , wood , and bottles .

      Lajiestable Suicide of Mr . Lamas Blakchard . — Coroner ' s Inquest . —On Monday evening Mr . Garter and a highly respectable jury assembled at the Spread Eagle Tavern , Canterbuiy-road , Lambeth , to inquire into the cause which led tiie late Mr . Laman Blanchard , the well-known contributor to the metro-K litau periodicals , to commit suicide . __ The jury , on ing sworn , proceeded to fhe late residence of the deceased , So . 11 , Union-place , Canterbury-road , to view the body , which was lying in the bedroom . On the re-assembling of the jury , the Coroner stated , ihat -what they had to inquire into would be the state ofthe deceased ' s mind at the time he committed the act of self-destruction , and upon the evidence adduced they would find their verdict accordingly . —

      Fr om the statement ofthe nurse , it appeared that Seout twelve months since the wife of Mr . Blanchard was attacked with illness , which , inthe end , terminated j ? insanity . At different periods Mrs . Blanchard ' s dkease became more confirmed , when , about two-months since , while sitting in the drawing-room , she exclaimed to the deceased that she was afraid she was attacked again , and shortly afterwards her _inteUectdkappeared . On that occasion Mr . Blanchard carried his wife up to her bed , from which she never rose . From the period of the death of Mrs . Blanchard np to last Friday evening , the deceased had been observed to labour nnder a great depression of spirits , and that to such anextent that he was

      afraid to be left alone of a night , so that when the _nura departed , hk youngest child , aboy-abouteleven years of age , slept with him . The result of the loss "f Mrs . Blanchani , acting upon the susceptibility of the mind of tiie deceased , created a disorganisation , which ended in the prostration ofthe nervous system , said Mr . Blanchaid became subjected to fits . Inthe cosiselof last Friday he sustained two attacks , from ooi-s of which he recovered , and at the usual hour , _w-iR-hwas between nine and ten o ' clock , he retired fo his bed-room , accompanied by his son , and attended h y the nurse . The , deceased- as was his usual custor _. _i , performed his devotions , which he concluded by t ' -e Lord ' s Prayer , and at that time he appeared to

      Oegious Coach Accibext.—The Brighton Her...

      be in the full enjoyment of his intellects . The nurse , on the termination of the evening prayers , left the room and in three minutes afterwards the deceased committed suicide . The boy , on seeing the blood gush from the _^ throat of his parent , sprang towards him , and catching hold of his hand , exclaimed , "Oh , father 2 " when the deceased fell , and in all probabilitydied . Medical aid was , called in , but the deceased had ceased to exist . It was -further stated , that since the death of Mrs . Blanchard the deceased had been most desponding , and , although giving existence to those charming pieces which pleased all who read

      them , he was sinking under a most painful state of mind . —The coroner , at this stage ofthe proceedings , remarked that the son of the deceased , who , it appeared , had slcpt . with his father since the death of Mrs . Blanchard , was in attendance ; but from what had come to his knowledge , he felt satisfied that no additional information could be arrived at . The Jury said they were perfectly satisfied , and returned a verdict—That the deceaseddestroyed himself while labouring under temporary insanity ; It is to be regretted that the deceased has left four children to anient his untimely loss .

      The Poaching Affair at Ceooue . —Worcester , Moxday . —Three more men , supposed to have been of the gang of poachers who attacked Lord Coventry ' s keepers on the night of Dec . 19 , in the course of which aflrav one of the latter , named Staite , was so badly hurt that he died a few days afterwards , have been apprehended , and two of them have been remanded for further examination . The disclosures which were made by them , and the witnesses examined on that occasion { last Thursday ) , have led to the apprehension of five other men , upon the charge of having been concerned in this shocking outrage . Tlieir names are William Sloomfield , George Brant , William Cosnett , Joseph Tand y , and

      Samuel Turvey . The hist mentioned ( Turvey ) , it -will be remembered was in custody some six weeks ago . on the charge of poaching on the night ofthe 19 th of December last , but was set at liberty , for want of sufficient proof , which , it is thought , has now been supplied . Brant , Bloomfield , and Cosnett were apprehended by Superintendent Harris , of the Pershore division of the Worcestershire constabulary ; and Tandy and Turvey , by Petford , ofthe Upton division . Last Saturday all five were taken before three magistrates , at the Worcester county _^ gaol , when they were remanded for further examination on Tuesday . At the same time Cooke ( examined on Thursday ) was also remanded to Tuesday , and the proof of Wheeler ' s criminality being defective , he was discharged .

      Muiu > er at Thatcuam . —On Friday the coroner ' s inquest on the body of EUen Jennings , an infant , was concluded , and a verdict was returned—That the deceased died of poison , wilfully administered by her father , for the purpose of destroying life . The coroner immediately issued his warrant for tht committal ofthe father , who is in custody .

      The Northern Star. Saturday, February 33, " 1845.

      THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 33 , " 1845 .

      The Right Honourable Secretary For The H...

      THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SECRETARY FOR THE HOME AND FOREIGN SPY DEPARTMENT . Qar Tuesday night Mr . Ddkcombe , ever ready to redeem his pledges to the country , re-opened the Post-office delinquency practised by Sir James Graham —a delinquency attempted to be smothered b y the _***• secret committee" appointed by the Right Honourable Baronet himself . Much as Mr . Duncomuk ' s perseverance and resolution were admired , still some of

      liis friends somewhat doubted the prudence of his course in introducing the subject a second time . Further inquiry , they admitted , was due to justice ; but aknowlcdge of the disinclination of the " honourable House" to hear a repetition of its own delinquency , impressed them with a notion that the energy and eloquence of the Honourable Member for Finsbury would fail to supply material for fresh excitement , _cveu on so vitally important a subject . In this respect , however , they were most agreeably disappointed : for never was a more statesmanlike , searching , eloquent , able , convincing , and even telling

      speech , than that with which the Honourable Gentleman introduced his appeal for further inquiry . Politicians may value the secrecy of correspondence for liberty ' s sake , or even for the success of intrigue ; the merchant may attach commercial importance to that secrecy necessary for the protection of speculation ; the lover may desire protection for his love-sick strains ; and all unitedly may geek for _coiyidence in the wafer or the seal : but few were prepared to see in the violation of such confidence the awful and astounding consequences ascribed to it by the Honourable Member for Finsbury .

      In these days of commercial speculation , with a Prime Minister whose governing rule and sustaining power appears to consist in the old adage " T tV sapit qui pauca loquitur "" The man is wise who speaks little "—it is no small triumph to have compelled the Prime Minister himself to fly to the aid of the " black sheep" subordinate of his Cabinet ! It is true that the prisoner at the bar received little benefit , or even consolation from the testimony of his master . The pitiful subterfuge of Sir Robeht and his " cad , " respecting the report ofthe secret committee absolving them from blame ,

      is below contempt . Sir James Graham cannot fairly plead " autrefoisacquit ; " i . e ., "before acquitted , " to the _chai-ge preferred against him by Mr . Duncombe ; though this _waathe wholesale plea setup by his _fading counsel , Sir Robert . O , " says he , " we have been tried and acquitted ; will you now try ws again *?" The answer is , " You have not been isted ! and therefore you cannot have been acquitted . " If the " secret committee" are at all to be considered as having aided in , or contributed to a trial , it can only be as a Grand Jury sitting on , and returning ,

      a bill of indictment ; and every man in England who reads Mr . Duncombe ' s analysis of tlieir "finding " will see in the suppressio vcri , —the suppression of truth—manifest in that document—the absolute necessity of further inquiry . Mr . Duncombe has . also preferred fresh and astounding charges against the Government , to which Sir James Graham can no more plead " previous acquittal" than a reputed p ig-stealer , when arraigned on a charge of murder , could plead " previous acquittal" of pig-stealing ' as an answer to the more serious charge .

      Mr . Duncombe has proposed a very plain and simple issue . He has asked Sir James Graham plainly , boldly , and manfully— " Did you , or did you not , order my letters - to be opened ? " Mr . Duncombe avers that the fact that Sir James Graham did this , was known to the Committee : and such knowledge , together with their resistance of further inquiry , must brand them before "the House , " the country , and the world , as slavish sycophants ; as mere Ministerial tools ; as men who have divested themselves of every feeling of honour to cover Ministerial delinquency ; as men who are satisfied to

      sacrifice the dearest privilege that they themselves possess , to Ministerial " expediency . " It is no triumph to the accused that the Committee was a mere pic-ball " tribunal , " where " white" Whiggery might have had a spot or two of advantage over " black" Toryism . It is sufficient for the country to know that nine gentlemen of the House of Commons have had evidence to prove that the letters of a respectable brother Member were opened , without colour of law or even plausible pretext ; and that these time-serving hypocriteB drew up a report altogether withholding this fact from public notice , to " settlethe question" both as to them and their " report . "

      Independently of the duty that Mr . _Dckcoube owed to himself in again opening the question , he had one of higher importance to discharge to his constituents : for if his correspondence merited Ministerial surveillance , he cannot be a fit and proper person to represent the present constituency of Finsbury . The boast of Sir James Graham of the impartial manner in which the Committee was chosen , as it consisted of a majority of his political opponents , is truly

      laughable . He must have known , as we . told him at the time , that the Committee was so ' _, appointed for the express purpose of balancing accounts between Whig and Tory excrete of this unconstitutional privilege . Sir ! James Graham knew well enough that his friends and opponents would make a compromise ; and would draw np precisely that description of namby-pamby , hod ge-podge report / with v ? hichthe country has been favoured .

      We have given Mr . _Dmcoitss ' a speech at considerable length ; and it is not our intention to weaken any of his points by comment : but we cannot abstain

      The Right Honourable Secretary For The H...

      from directing particular attention to a most noble burst of impassioned eloquence . It is not often truths are so fairly and so boldly stated . The Honourable Member , in reference to the uses made of Mr . Mazzini _' s intercepted letters , said : — But unfortunately the poison had gone forth to the Neapolitan Government . The British Government had informed them of the intelligence of the purport of the first letters , and it was too late to recall it . The Austrian Government sent their spies among those unfortunate people ; they resided at Corfu , and they told those people that in Calabria the peasantry were ripe for the enterprise _.

      and waiting for them . These men were thus induced , notwithstanding their assurance to Mr . Mazzini , to leave Corfu . They went into Calabria , where , instead of finding the peasantry ready for them , they were conducted into the mountains , where they became easily mastered by organized troops which had been sent there by the _Neapolitan Government , who had been instigated to do so , no doubt , by the British Government . Seventeen of those persons were tried by a military commission , and condemned to death , and nine of them were executed on the following day . They were persons of noble family ; two of them , of the name of Bandieras , were the sons of an Austrian admiral of that name .

      The Bandieras and their seven companions with a calm and happy bearing bore good witness to their faith , and died like martyrs , having slept peacefully on the night before their execution . " If we fall , " they said to a friend , " tell our countrymen to imitate our example , for life has been given to us to enjoy nobly and usefully ; and the cause we die in is the purest , the holiest , and the best that ever warmed the breast of man . It is the cause of tho independence of our country . " Such arc the men whom you were thus leagued with Austria to crush . Those men were executed , and this is the way you adopted and the end for which you gained information , with a view of ( as you call it ) " frustrating that attempt . " Why did not you send nobly and generously to these

      individuals and state to them— "You are plotting on _British ground ; you are running into danger ; this must inevitably be your ruin ; let us persuade you to desist from such a course *? " They would have listened to you , and you need not have supplied another Government with the means of entrapping men and putting them to death . I say that they are the victims of this system , and their blood is upon the heads of her Majesty ' s present Ministers , as much , aye , much more , than it is upon those whose duty it was to pull the trigger that launched them into eternity ; and if a monument be erected to their memory at Cosenza , where they feU , as I hope it will , it ought to be inscribed upon their tombstone , that they fell in the cause . of their country , and of liberty , through the treachery of a British Ministry . ( Cheers . )

      Aye ! the blood of the departed patriots is on the head of the British Minister ! and he—not tho hireling who drew the trigger—is responsible for the foul deed ! Mr . Duncombe was full y justified in ascribing the above atrocity to English Ministerial policy . It i 3 precisely similar in character to that practised by SiDMouni , whose good offices , in the right direction , his worthy successor appeal's to emulate , aud successfully ; asm his first '' inmngs" he has beaten him by five runs , with a wicket yet to fall . How many Englishmen have been sacrificed in precisely the same way ! The mode in . which Castles , Ohvkb ,

      _Edwarhs , and others of Sidmouth s tools produced sudden outbreaks at home , was by taunting the men of Lancashire and Yorkshire with cowardice and backwardness , assuring them that Derby , Leicester , Nottingham , and Birmingham were ready to " be up and doing ; " precisely as the Austrian spies . assured the insurgents of Corfu that they would meet with hearty co-operation from their brethren in Calabriaand who were thus marched blindfold to meet tho hireling ' s bullet instead of a brother ' s aid . Wc trust that every man in England will read and preserve the abovc extract from the speech of Mr . Dcncombk ; and wefeel assured that the " scene following and preceding the Speaker ' s call to " order , " will-not be forgotten : —

      " Then , " said Mr . Duncombe , " how stands that question between mc and the Right Honourable Baronet 1 If a Member in his place asks the Right Honourable Baronet whether , in the exercise of his functions , he has opened that Member ' s letters , and he finds that that Secretary of State , while he has had the meanness—aye , and the baseness , to commit the act , has not had the courage to avow it . ( Great cheering . ) " The Speaker . — -Those observations appear to be of a personal nature . If the Honourable Member , has made those observations personally to the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite , the Honourable Gentleman no ' doubt will be glad of the opportunity to withdraw them .

      "Mr . Duncombe . —SIR , I APPLIED THOSE OBSERVATIONS TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN IN HIS MINISTERIAL CAPACITY . TO THOSE OBSERVATIONS AND THAT LANGUAGE I ADHERE—( Cheers ) : SO THEY MUST AND SHALL REMAIN . " .,... What a rebuke ! Cuhran , once cross-examining a young dragoon major in his teens , said , " Come now , soldier , answer my question ; " to which the major

      replied— "I am not a soldier : I am an officer . "Then , " said Cobban , "Mr . Officer , and no soldier , answer my question . " So with the Minister , but no gentleman . " I have , " says Sir James , "been guilty of Ministerial meanness , baseness , and cowardice ; and as a gentleman I avow it , Let us see whether this is a strained point of our own , ov whether Sir James ' s own very words will not bear this identical interpretation . Sir James commenced his reply—if reply it can be called—thus : —

      Sir , I rise under great disadvantage to follow the Honourable Gentleman who has just sat down , and to address the House . For although in my own judgment and conscience I feel a strong conviction that I have done nothing in the execution of my public duty of which any public servant or gentleman can be ashamed , yet the topic now under discussion is one on which I feel that in the mind of the British public there must naturally exist a strong prejudice againsta pubhc servant who has exercised this particular function ; and also I feel that I am ' addressing a body of gentlemen of the United Kingdom in whoso bosoms there must be a feeling which , in their generous natures , makes the execution of this duty in a public servant repulsive to them . I feel , therefore , all the disadvantage of my present position .

      Is not this the hangman ' s excuse ? He , too ; feels " a strong conviction that he has done nothing in the execution of his public duty , of which any other hangman or gentleman can be ashamed . Does not Sir James himself here furnish more than a ,, " pri > na facie" case for a new trial ? . Nayi does not he furnish ample grounds whereon to found conviction ? He does indeed do so ! There is a prejudice entertained by the whole of the British public , as well as by the body of gentlemen of the United Kingdom sitting in the House of Commons , in whose bosoms there must be a feeling whicli makes the execution of this hateful spying Ministerial duty _kepulsive to

      them ! No wonder that Sir James felt the " disadvantage " of his position ! He would shelter himself under the acts of former Governments ; and would lead us to the conclusion that eustmn justified transgression . However , if morality is to keep pace with commerce , let us go back beyond the days of Sinmouih , Fox , Pitt , or even Wai . foib , aud see how the matter was viewed by the Venetian Ambassador in 1641 . An act of letter-opening was complained of by the Venetian Ambassador in that year , and was explained away by Lord Fieiding and Sir Henrt

      Vase as a simple error , which subsequently grew into wholesale inspection , The violation of faith , even in those "uncivilised" times , the Venetian Ambassador , designated aa a " damnable example . " And in speaking of the inviolability of correspondence—of course the character of public servant not then being separated from that of gentleman—he wrote thus : —" which practice , most noble sirs , is _uot the laws of our nation alone , but universal , and hath been maintained and unviolated of the King , and the public , and of all Christian Governments , no-less than among the most barbarous . "

      What a reflection upon our unproved civilization ! Two hundred and four years ago a private letter was looked upon as something sacred , even by barbarians-while' our expediency-policy has found nine gentlemen " barbarous " enough to sacrifice this inviolability to Ministerial-necessity ! We write before the debate is concluded ; and we shall anxiously look for a satisfactory response fo that "throbbing pulsation" which Sir James assures us beats in the bosoms of those " generous Englishmen " by whom he was surrounded . No doubt the swelling

      heart of little Loro . Jons will go , piva-pat in unison with the heavier groans of the outraged money-monger : but we much doubt that , his little " noble " nature will sustain him in the conflict between English feeling and Ministerial _expediency ., ; As to _Pjeel , there is but one course for him : either to sink lumself , or to cast his supercargo , Sir James , overboard , who has so often endangered the Ministerial vessel . ! We believe that no act of Peel's life would be hailed with half that joy that would be sure to follow the announcement of theSPY'Sdismissal

      The Right Honourable Secretary For The H...

      THE TRADES' CONFERENCE * . _LORD ASHLEY : " AND THE QUESTION OF LABOUR PROTECTION . ' ¦ * Hopeful as our anticipations tothe cause of Labour were from the projected Conference about to be held by the various Trades , the position achieved by the Honourable Member for Finsbury by liis splendid speech upon the spr system , has added considerably , to our expectations . We have no doubt that the comprehensive mind of Mr . - Duncomue , added to his laudable ambition to serve a cause in which lie has

      nobly enlisted , will present this national assembly not only to the English mind , but to the world ' s eye , in its proper shape and form—as the miniature of that full-length picture of Labour ' s Pboiectios * wliich must and will result from the combined knowledge ofthe Trades and theu * Emanci " pator . If we saw good and substantial reason for such an assemblage before the meeting of Parliament , and prior to the ministerial developments made even at this early period of the Session , all that has since transpired has served to confirm us in

      our former views . We liad come to the conclusion that in Trades ' questions themselves , delegates of their own order would find ample cause for deliberation : but we confess that we were not prepared to view the whole case of the labouring classes in so comprehensive a manner as we now are , —thanks to the masterly exposure of Lord AsnxET on Tuesday night . Those who have attended to our teaching on Labour questions , will remember that we have ever contended for a consolidation of the interests of all as the only means of security for all . It will be impossible for the Mechanic , the Corkcutter , the Goldsmith , or the Shoemaker , to do justice to their own case , or to arrivo at wise conclusions with reference to their own

      order , without , at the same time , taking into consideration the condition of every class of labourers . The present policy of Lord Ashlev appears to us to be not only justifiable , but politic . He has taken a comprehensive view of tho whole question of workingclass grievances ; and , with commendable patience , has delayed the exposure of those monstrosities known to himself , until armed with the force of evidence to impress them on the minds of all . The knowledge of

      the existence of a grievance is one thing : the publication of irrefutable testimony is another tiling . Mr . Coboe _;* - _, with _overy seeming of _smceritj _* , might say " nay" to every assertion of the Noble Lord : and cognizant of this easy mode of disposing of an argu _, ment , Lord Ashley postponed his exposures until he could meet such wholesale flippant denials with " The Boor" containing the printed evidence taken before Committees , and by Commissioners appointed by authority .

      Armed with _auchtVrc / uta & fe testimony , Lord Ashley proposes to go through the whole catalogue of grievances seriatim , allowing each to stand on its own _merits—thereby protecting himself against the possibility of jumble or mystification . Chambers , in his " Employer and Employed , " admits the necessity of trainin g females in domestic pursuits ; while Lord Ashley asks how it is possible for little children of four years of age , engaged in print-works—for that was the section of labour that he brought before tho House on Tuesday—he asks how infants of forty-eight months old can be instructed in needle-work , or other

      branches of female education , when they are compelled to work twelve , fourteen , and even sixteen hours by day and by night ! _, As it is our intention to deal more at large with the proposed measure of the noble Lord when it comes before us in a more tangible form , wc shall abstain for the present from further comment , merely observing that Sir James Graham pleaded " e _^ c ** en «/ " and" PROFIT" as a justification for continuing the infernal practice , and for resisting the noble Lord ' s humane intentions : a circumstance which characteristicall y enough elicited the hi gh encomiums of _tisch-belly Hume and the Malthusians !

      We have merely taken this cursory view of the philanthropic intentions of _LordAsnLEv for the purpose of presenting it as alfcature that ought not , and cannot , be lost sight of by the forthcoming Conference : that is , if . Labour is to be generally , and not partially , represented therein . Communications approving of this step taken by the Trades continue to pour in upon us from all quarters : and we rejoice at being abloto state that in Manchester several Trades have already elected their delegates . The fact of Mr . Duncombe having consented to preside over the deliberations ofthe Conference will give to the body a surpassing importance ; while it will furnish a guarantee to the delegates , and those whom they represent , that no extraneous matter will be allowed to divert their minds from the consideration of the

      great and important questions which they meet to deliberate on . Should this first step in the right course succocd according to our reasonable anticipations , we have little hesitation in saying that Peel ' s ' ¦ ' occupation will be gone , " unless , indeed , as is his custom , he may be prepared to deal with the Free Trade party as he has dealt with the Church and the Landlords—leave them , when he finds a stronger power ready to urge him on more briskly in his war against existing absurdities .

      Sir Robert Peel would rather be the Minister of a substance , than the puppet of a shadow : and if the Trades present such a front as will convince him of their union , and evince resolution to persevere for the accomplishment of _theii" whole rights , Sir Robert Peel w just tlie man to review the forces , reconnoitre the positions of the respective parties , and place himself at the head of tiie most powerful ! Far and near as the news . of this Conference has spread , aiid open-mouthed , open-eyed , and open- _b eared ! as our . virtuous Press affects to be , it is curious that not a single organ of the many who designate _themselyes "Labour ' s only champions , " should have deemed so important a subject worthy of even a passing notice . And yet we are told that the

      Press is the great bulwark of national liberty . There is little doubt , however , that when the work ia done —as done it assuredly will be—we shall be then favoured with the * realised prophecies of our now silent cotemporaries ! ' Mr . Duncombe entertains most sanguine hopes from the result of the projected Conference ; and we feel assured that his pledge to open the Conference on Easter Monday , and to preside over its doliborations , will bo received as an ample and gratifying apology for the non-acceptance of numerous invitations to Yorkshire , Lancashire , and all parts of tho kingdom during the Easter recess ; and that those who will experience disappointment at not seeing and welcoming their champion , will rejoice that , though absent , he is engaged in doing the work of all .

      To The Fustian Jackets, Blistered Hands, And Unshorn Chins.

      TO THE FUSTIAN JACKETS , BLISTERED HANDS , AND UNSHORN CHINS .

      My Dear And Only Friends,—Although I Hav...

      My dear and only Friends , —Although I have from time to time been taunted and sneered at for resting my hopes of all salutary changes in the moral , social , and physical condition of the people of this country on your exertions , I have never yet been induced to transfer that hope to expectation from any other source . The great , and indeed the disastrous influence possessed by the middle classes of this country

      over the labourers was never more significantly , though negatively , displayed than at the present moment . The complete cessation of all agitation by the middle classes is ample proof that the law , or rather the Government , has done for them aU that tfney require , while they have in return , through their representatives , aided the Minister in the completion of those financial schemes , ' which , although most just , most sweeping , and most comprehensive , must nevertheless end in the final overthrow of the present system .

      The middle classes see permanency where there is no certainty . They imagine , that all the advantages arising from Sir Robert Peel ' s recent _alteratons must be i' _-gbmanent ; whereas the only measures to _^ which any fixity of duration can be assigned are the Pro _r perty and the Income taxes . I do not say that his Sugar Bill would be so altered as tb meet your inability to consume by increased duties on that article * , nor do I say that the - . present reasonable hope of

      My Dear And Only Friends,—Although I Hav...

      " prosperity" arising from your present ability to consume , would he met by a return to the former glass * duties , auction duties , stave duties , or the increase of any of those duties whicli Sir Robert Peel has recently abolished ; but what I do say is thisthat his application of the " surplus" in his hands has been impolitic , unjust , unstatesmanlike , and unwise . I will take the six great articles of reduction , comprising within themselves nearly the whole amount of the " surplus , " the reduction of the duty on sugar , the repeal of the duty on cotton wool , on glass , coopers ' staves , the auction duty , and the export duty on coal . The reduction on these six articles amounts to more than three millions and seventy thousand pounds per annum ; while the remaining 425 comprise no more than about £ 320 , 000 , or perhaps leaving a loss on the collection .

      Now , perhaps it would be impossible to have selected six articles producing the same amount of revenue from a reduction on which the working classes would derive more insignificant advantage . I will make a shopkeeper ' s bill of it for you , and see how the matter stands . Suppose a man whose family uses Benefit of reduction per week _, d . 21 bs . of sugar per week 2 _JFabric composed of cotton wool , 2 s . per week ....... 1 _£ Glass , per week ( _HAuction duty 0 Staves 0

      4 * I have taken the most advantageous view ofthe " savings" in which your order can regard them . I have allowed a poor man s family to use two pounds of sugar per week , and two shillings' worth of fabric made of cotton wool , on which the duty was 12 * per cent . ; and upon which , for calculation ' s sake , I have allowed you five per cent ., leaving 11 percent , for the grower , ' the merchant , the manufacturer , the

      wholesale dealer , and the shopkeeper from whom you purchase ; and I find that your share of the " saving , " even should my data be correct , will amount to fourpence farthing per week , or eighteen shillings andfivepence per year I This is allowing you great regularity in housekeeping ; and if I take the wages of a mail , able to expend as above , at 18 s . 5 d . per week , it will not be . too much ; and let us then see how with him the account will stand . Sir Robert Peel

      lias expressed a hope that the working classes may be allowed tlieir share in his reductions : but belittle knows the parties with whom they have to deal on Saturday nights . Those parties will have their share , and their full share , inthe " reductions : " but those reductions will be in the workmen ' s wages ; and the reasons assigned will be the greater facilities of purchasing the necessaries of life . Now no man can say that this view is strained , when we recollect that parties very generally urged the growth of temperance as a justifiable reason for reducing wages . Nor can wc shut our eyes to what passed on the promulgation of the former tariff . ' Indeed , I never can forget that golden passage in Mr .

      Drury ' s admirable letter to Mi * . Duncombe , wherein he sets forth the greater difficulty of the working classes to contend with griping capitalists than with the law itself . The Income tax ia to bereimposed for three years * . and this circumstance , together with the plausible pretext of " reduced necessaries , " will be seized as sufficient reason for reducing your wages on the very first opportunity . Taking the morc-thanprobable reduction , then , at one shilling per week , consequent on your IMPROVED condition , we shall find a balance against the labourer of £ 113 s . 7 d . per year ! And this is the Ministerial boon in return for the increasing " loyalty" other Majesty ' s loving subjects !

      Now , I am perfectly aware that to any other class of working men in the world , except those of England , it would be ' very foolish to write so plainly as I write : but I sincerel y rejoice that you have now arrived at a state that , enables me to speak plain common sense to you without being liable to have my words , my motives , or my conclusions measured by the old rule of system . The great " prosperity " of the country and the income tax has furnished the Minister with an unexampled " surplus . " This " surplus" being immediately collected from the wealthier

      classes , proves their wealth ; while , co-temporaneously with the re-distribution of this " surplus ' " among the parties from whose store it was taken , we learn the astounding fact from the Home Secretary , that one in every ten of the _woi'king classes is dependent upon parochial relief for existence . '—is , iu fact , a " parish pauper ! " and is to be made a union vagabond !! Now , does not this clearly prove to you that however desirous Sir Robert Peel may be to better your condition , ** system" stands in the way of his doing it effectually ?

      I am ready to admit that the " man of substance " will be able to use more sugar , more cotton wool manufacture , more glass , and to sell his " traps " cheaper by auction than he can now ; but what I contend for is , thatthe measures of Sir Robert Peel will not enable the present non-consumer to be a consumer of those articles . And what I further assert is this , that Sir Robert Peel ' s present measures will make the very next " panic , " however trifling it may be , fatal to all classes of society—but most fatal to those for " whose especial benefit" he says he has made the change . If you are not able to consume , the Income tax will be a very inadequate substitute for all his alterations . And now nlethinks I hear some one saying , "Well , what would you have done to have met the Minister ' s views , and the Home

      Secretary ' s frightful admission ? " Well , if we leave " system" out of tho question ; and if we bar the necessity of balancing adverse and contendinginterests without any certainty of result , for the mere purpose of keeping the thing afloat ; and if indeed the improvement and well-being of all should be the object of those who govern , I will tell you . £ 3 , 400 , 000 of money "is money all over the world , " as we say in Ireland ; and the duty of the Minister , with that " surplus" in hand , wasto have applied it prudentially rather than politically . If Sir Robert Peel had purchased , as he might have done , 200 , 000 acres of very goodlahd , and leased it to " the one in ten" of the system-made " paupers , " he might have preserved all his higher duties , and might have swept the frightful item of £ 8 , 000 , 000 per annum " pauper" money from his column of expenditure !

      Now , you mechanics , and you insolent "foppish " aristocracy of Trades , don't laugh at me ; but firstunderstand that every single item that Sir Robert Peel proposes to bring within your reach , by a reduction in its price , comes from the land , Two hundred thousand acres of land would give direct employment to 500 , 000 individuals , and would produce a ¦" surplus , " after their consumption , larger than the interest of the national debt ; and then 500 , 000 would be about the "one in ten" of the " pauper" class . Of the " firet-principle" gentlemen , who know as much

      about the value of labour when applied to land , as an Irish pig knows of geometry , I ask ; I mean _SpottiswoodeandCo ., and the "TORY" advocates of increased issues of paper-money ; I ask these gents , what objection they can see to the purchase of land under such circumstances ? Will they tell pie that the people ought rather to starve in defbrexce to a " statesmanlike-princip le ? " that it is anti-democratie to purchase what ought to belong tothe people themselves , but which , unfortunately , they cannot otherwise have ?

      In 1840-41 and ' 42 , 1 made several prophesies with reference to the policy of Sir Robert Peel ; and day after day I find events and circumstances strengthening and confirming the opinions that I then entertained and plaeed on record , lhe only advantage that I now sec in a perseverance in that policy is , that sooner or later the neglected agricultural interest must be thrown upon the consuming labouring classes for protection . There is nothing else for

      them . The landed interest alone derive no benefit ( beyond the dangerous facility of procuring money at alow rate of interest ) , from that system of centralization which has grown to such an alarming extent . They derive no advantage from the accumulated hoards of the leviathan manufacturers ; but , on the contrary , they are now beginning to discover that the ' , ' protection of labour" would enable tholahouring classes to deal more extensively and advantageousl y for themselves in the home market . ¦

      Whenever the landlords bf this country aire prepared to make common cause with the working ciasses , they can materiall y benefit themselves , and at the same time confer commensurate advantages on the _Labouring classes . The manufacturers , and all who live on the abour of others , wiHdie in resisting

      My Dear And Only Friends,—Although I Hav...

      the claims of Labour , before they will join in procuring its emancipation . I admit that wehave much up-hill work to convince the slothful elod _poles of this fact ; but nevertheless it is progressing . The "farmers that whistle at the plough" are beginning to acquire some knowled ge : and knowled ge is all that they do require to save themselves and the people . The manufacturing and trading ; classes have got more active , stirring , bustling knowledge than the agricultural classes * , and for this _reason—whoever there is a demand there ia a supply . The landed interest , being protected by old'feudal laws made by

      themselves , and by pulpit-hobgoblinisni preached by their . sons , have relied upon those things , backed by a standing army , for the security and _i'rotbctio . v of their properties . There was no demand , as far as they were concerned , for any other descri ption _» f "knowledge" than that furnished by legislators priests , and soldiers ; and that knowledge havin « bocome obsolete and useless , there they are , floundering on their backs , assailed , and not able to defend themselves . Thus it always is ; where there ' s no grievance there exists a sense of dangerous _SKcuaitt and but little knowledge ; while , on the other hand ' where grievances exist , _intellect is _sharpened to rr .

      sistance . Hence we find the foolish old " defenders of the Protestant faith , and so forth , " mere children in the hands of Catholic disputants , who have liad long grievances to contend with . And precisel y ao it is with the labouring classes . Their grievances and sufferings break through that proclaimed " prosperity" of which the Minister ostentatiously boasts ; and the consequence is , that the " one pauper in every ten" becomes enlivened by a newphilosophy wliich promises to shake unjust securit y

      to its very centre . It is for them that I have spent the best years of my life in comparative seclusion . It is for abandonment of their cause that I have quarrelied with friends most dear , and with associates most valued . Where is the heart that must not feel and sicken—where is the man that can refrain from weeping , on looking on such a picture as the Home Secretary has been obliged to present as a foil to the painted representation of " prosperity" drawnby that " fascinating financier , " the bookkeeper of the monied classes—Sir Robert Peel .

      Myfncnds , my only friends—you who have confided in me , * who have defended me when assailed ; who have never , deserted me in adversity—to _rou I say that the next panic , teifling though it may be , will place you in the ascendant—( after some suffering , [ admit , )—when all the trickery of Ministerial policv must fail . Be united , * be wise ; be firm : for after all , to our measure—and to that alone—all persona possessing real property , and wishing to preserve it from the lewd grasp of speculating traffickers , must come-to TIIE PEOPLE'S CHARTER . Ever your faithful friend and servant , Fearous O'Connor .

      Co Heaters # Cmxestooitirents

      Co _heaters _# _Cmxestooitirents

      James _Ashworth , Heywood . — There must suiely be some mistake . We are not aware that _anj body has impugned either the "designs" or the "character" of Mr . Bell ; we are sure that we have ' not done so , HU " designs" we believe to be perfectly honourable ; < md for anything we know to the contrary , his " character " is unimpeachable : but it does not follow that _believing this , we are not to tell Mi * . Bell that he docs wron » _, when wo think so . This is all that we have done , thij is what we shall do again when occasion calls for it , spite of the sensitiveness of remark that some persons exhibit . There is far too much of a disposition to con . struc fair and legitimate comment into " attacks" oa " character , " and ¦¦ " designs , " and make of the matter a personal quarrel . We beg to tell Mr . Bell and his

      friends that they will not sacced in doing so on this occasion . There shall be _uo discussion with us either as to his " designs" or his '' character " for we have at present to do with neither . All we have to do with is his publication of strictures affecting the Executive committee , before he had corresponded with them , aud learned their reasons for the course they had deemed it needful to take . This was all we originally _co-a-nlamed of ; this we complain of again . L . Pitkethlt , Huddkhsheid . —The great length at which we have given the Parliamentary debates on the TariftV Lord Ashley ' s " new move" for obtaining for another and extensive class of infant workers a modicum of protection , and Mr . Duncombe's gallant exposure of Post-office villany . has left us no room this week for

      communications . A , Y . I / ., Deptfobd . —He has borrowed money on th » . faith of the rules . Those rules set forth that the payments shall be so much per week , or such-arid-s'icb a fine for neglect . To that condition A . Y . L . agreed , when he availed himself ofthe aid of the society ; of course he is bound to abide by it . It would be dis . honest in him now to seek to break through his engagement . If he objected to the fines for non-payment , he should not have entered the society , nor availed him * self of its help . _i 1 . Baguley , —Richard Lalor Sheil is Commissioner ot Greenwich Hospital . The appointment was conferred on him by the Whigs , when iu office . SV . C , _Glossop . —Yes . Leaving without notiee will not

      entitle the employer to retain the wages earned by the workman . He may have him committed to gaol for breach of contract ; but he is bound to pay him for what has heen worked for . Stopping the wages by the employer , under the pretence of "fines" and "abatements , " will not exonerate a workman from his contract to give " notice" when he wishes to leave that employer . A workman who is foolish enough to absent himself from employment under such ciicumstances , gives the thieving employer the advantage . What tbe workman should do in such case is to give the required notice , and summon the employer for the

      "hire" defrauded from him . It is the tame submission ofthe workers to the thieving practice of "fines" and "abatements" that has caused it to become regularly _systematised , _Oaptaix Margakit . — "We are informed that a ball and other entertainments , for the benefit of the Spanish Republican and refugee , Capt . Margarit , will take place on Monday evening next , at the Cheshire Cheese , _Grosvenor-row , Chelsea . Wc trust thatfthe a ttcndariK of the friends of liberty on this occasion will he numerous . We believe Capt . Margarit to bo a tru _« patriot , and well deserving the assistance of all good democrats .

      Wm . Lewis , Brecon . —His queries could only be ansiforcd by a lawyer who had all the documents , evidence , and facts before bim . It is no unusual thing for magistrates to give more credenee to the unsupported " evidence " of one policeman than to the corroborative testimony of twenty indifferent persons point-blank contradicting the statements of the police-prosecutor . In this case the policeman made oatli that the party he complained of had struck him : i . e ., assaulted him . Four others , indifferent parties , who saw the whole transaction , snore that he did no such thing—that he neither _moloited the policeman nor any oiie else : but what of tliat *! Ihe magistrates believed the one oath of the interested policeman , who had apprehended the man , and who luid to make out a justification for such apprehension ; ' ll , ( _*

      they disbelieved tho evidence of tlie other four disinterested parties . On that belief they committed •¦¦ ¦ . ' party , against whom the policeman swore , to prison : and the oath of the complainant is their justifica tion . AY . L . has no remedy , unless he chooses to prosecute the said policeman for perjury , if he thinks he has evidence sufficient to sustain such a _eluu-jje . Wm . _Peplow , Staffokd . —We apprehend by _tlii * tlUlc Mr . Peplow will have seen the Star of last wecl ; . _^ learned all the particulars of the case respecting **' he writes . He will also have learned that his W was written under a misapprehension of . the real facts _, and that its publication could do no good to auy party-A contradiction and explanation of a far different kind is needed to successfully meet the alleged facts narrated

      in the Star .. Will Mr . Peplow be kind enough to convey an intimation to his friend that we cannot interfere in the matter between him and the party to whom his letter is addressed ? He will oblige us if he _cioes so . The friend in question will , we are sure , on reflection , see the propriety of the course wc adopt . The correspondence that has taken place is one in wliich wc not at all concerned . It has not been provoked by anything that we have either done or said , Indeed , of its existence , we were totally ignorant , until the rcce i [» t ot the papers sent through Mr . Poplow . The only way " which we judge of the propriety of the request made to us , to interfere in the matter by publication , is to ask ourselves if we shall serve tbe public interest by _ai'OGO

      ing to such request : and tho answer that reflection and judgment give is , that it would not serve any public interest , but would involve us in a discussion between individuals on individual matters ; a discussion , wluch while it might be lengthy enough and angry enough . and exhibit more than enough of petty jealousy fllU ' envy , would not interest or benefit the readers of ** Star , nor conduce to public good . Thoug h wc deplore the condition of the party applying to us , as revealed in the papers in question ; and though we should _. _>* n _* e been happy to publish the facts , to rouse pu blic sympathy and aid ( as we have ever before done when applied to ) yet as we are interdicted from making any us of the documents unles 9 aR be inserted , we havo iio 1 _' ' tentative but to _decUne publication for the reason *

      above set forth . Mason , _Birbinohak . —His letter is received _^ and shal be published . We keep it over for the present , boeause we expect a communication from another party | " ¦ _£ " lationtothe same subject , and think the two «« better to go together . The case of the party in / 0 " ! will be stronger when seen at once , than when g ive" piece-meal . . - it , for ANSEU , TCBNA 0 AIH . LA » E , _« . ReceiT 8 tt . 90 _*** insertion .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 22, 1845, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns4_22021845/page/4/