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TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CHARTIST CO-OPERATIVE LAND COMFANT.
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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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Mr Dbab Fareiros , The old song says " that misfortunes but seldom come single , 'tis plain , " so I presume , when you read the Star of this week , that yon will say that good fortune has not come single . I am now about toanswersome . cores of most insolent , offensive and impertinent letters that I have recently received about the purchase of land , and to not one of winch I hare replied / and not one of which has had any more effect upon me than the buzz of a bine-bottle flv ; indeed , I often think that it is very fortunate for von that I can bear some months abuse without being ruffled or driven into a course which the critics would be the loudest to condemn . I shall
fiist explain my position to yon with respect to the C ompany , a " " , "without condescending to gratify or satisfy my impertinent correspondents , they , as well as von , will perhaps see the difference between pur-^ ng land tolettoatenantas a safe investment foT the purchaser ' s money , and the purchase of land , EVERY ACRE OF WHICH I shall consider ^ safe investment for the poor man ' s labour and cap ital . K I had been more anxious to secure a il an ^ erous popularity than to insure the certainty of € rtiy member's" success , my conduct might have leeii more acceptable , until TOUR failure proved JIT inefficiency , and then , instead of calmly bearing the taunts of fools , I fshould have bent under the va"ht of your jnst reproach and my own consuming reflections .
Ton , my friends , will bear in mind that when once a man is located upon his little estate , that he js nOt a mere experimentalist , but that lie has adop ted his new profession upon confidence in my ynsdom and knowledge . And again , I tell you that Bo father who ever lived in this ¦ world ever had a jaore tender solicitude for the success ana comfort of his children than I have for the success and comfort of erery member of the Chartist Co-operative LAND COMPANY- It is veiy easy to keep continually fowling out BUY ! BUY !! BUY !!!
out it is not so easy to find estates so circumstanced as to justify me in purchasing as other people purchase . An estate of two hundred acres of varied io 3 may very well suit the purpose of a purchaser or a tenant ,-while the inequality and variety would engender eternal strife , jealousy and animosity in ou ranks . Now , in Herringsgate farm I positively should not know which allotment to choose , and I am commissioned to offer £ 30 , . £ 50 and £ 70 for a two , three , or four acre farm upon that estate ; so with the one hundred and slxtv acres which I have
just purchased . It is one of the most heavenly spots in creation , situated in Worcestershire , within nine miles of Gloucester , niue of Tewkesbury , less than five from the thriving market town of ledbury , twelve of Cheltenham , within two of the Malvern Hill ; , and four miles and a half from a canal , and cost £ SW 0 ; the rent paid by the former tenant , for twelre years , was £ 336 a-year , or £ 2 2 s . an acre , which will tell yon whether the land is good or not ; my own opinion is , that this day two years it will be worth £ 5 au acre . The roads to it are splendid , the country is beautiful , it is well watered ; the very best stone is to be had within
less than two miles , all dressed and squared for building at Is . 6 d . per ton ; a ton of stone will do precisely as much as JJOO ' of bricks which " cost 8 s . Lime is about half the price that it is at Herringsgate . sand , the best sand , is within a mile and a half for nothing , and there is plenty of the best material for making roads , and a vast quantity of excellent materials upon the farm . The labour in the parish is Ss . a week , I will certainly raise it to 10 s ., as the improvement of the labourer is part of our principle , and thus you find that building will not be more than half the expense at Herringsgate , 'if so much , Had the materials as good as any in the world .
Ifowfortbe advantages of this Estate . When we ijought Herringsgate there was a large amount of crops in the ground , which compelled us to forego operations until they were reaped ; andjsuch must | bs tte case in ninety-nine out of every hundred farms feat we buy , while upon Lowbands and Applehurst Farm , , the one 1 have just purchased , there is not a grain of anything sowed , so that the whole land is at once convertible to our use . The possession is to be given on the 12 th of December , and then I setto wprfc , and no time will be lost in erecting the buildings , and doing all the necessary work . Now ,
what a very different situation this is to be in than if I had purchased some low , unhealthy , or mountainous and inaccessible farm , or one for subdivision of which vre should have waited till September sett , till the crops were off . I have inspected twenty-six farms before I met with one that entirely suited . If I had got the other farm in Worcestershire for which I bid , we could not have had possession until February next , and the land was £ 60 an acre—this is better land , though the other was prime , and is only £ 50 an acre . Now attend to the fcnns that I have inspected—one near Carlisle , a
stamp , out of the way , bad roads , and tenanted ; one sear Broughton , on the borders of Lincolnshire 2 nd Yorkshire , wild , oat of the way , too dear , and tenanted ; four in Kent , £ 70 an acre ; two at Bagslot , a portion of one heath , eighty acres of the other heath ; one at Wokinghara , miserably out of condition , cropped , tenanted , and dear ; one in Deroashire , oa the top of a mountain ; two at Little Jlessenden , in Hertfordshire , tenanted , no water aad had land ; Bonner ' s Farm , in Hertfordshire , all stones ; Marih Gibbon , in Bucks , flooded , no materials , no house , part common ; two near Ipswich , Suffuik , one £ 70 an acre , the other £ 22 an acre ,
ftaH would not take at a gift ; Essex , Colliers Farm , all stiff day ; another farm at the river Blackwater , eMiiy acres of ' slob , " with eternal stink , and the ^^ ' ^^ aaicle uiriihague ' . lfitney , near Oxford , 108 acres , sold by private contract before th « auction . With regard to this , I may observe , that * wish the person who sent the advertisement had 5 eut the notice of the sale which appeared in the following week ' s paper , but which he never sent . BlS-gsFarni , confused title ; Bowers Farm , Herts , tenanted , cropped , and one-fourth under beech tim-Ikt ; Karnacles Farm , Worcestershire , in treaty with another before I heard of it , bid £ 500 over him , but the proprietors under contract to sell .
Now then , in the blazing heat of summer , or in the pelting rain . of autumn , 1 have dug every field in those several farms . I never will be drawn into so much explanation again and , once for all , no living man , or all the men in the world , shall either dragoon me or force me to make a purchase that I won ' t he satisfied with through all time . I am not oaly satisfied but gratified with the present purchase , and for this reason—it is worth more to us &an any other person living , and Mr . Mile 3 , of Bristol , hid £ 8 , 080 for it So I can't be much wrong . There was a mortgage of £ 7 , 500 upon it , and mortgagees don ' t lend to the full amount , and , above all , because I was offered . 9000 guineas for it after I
pur-Cfiased it . 1 was very near being late ; I returned tfOin the farm after having dug in several parts of erei 5 ficM , and having ascertained every necessary ^ formation , and wet up to my knees ; and the auc-011 was going on as I entered the room ; and when * ^ s at breakfast , after making the purchase , a cfitieiuan , who supposed he would be in time , arrIv legate , a « d offered 9000 > meas . The roori-S ? ir , who was obliged to sell , assured me , that , if 1 w ( loosed to part with it , he would get me ten thousand pounds . I shall now give you some infor-^ iJioa upon a subject that I have always been try-^ S to instruct you upon—namely , the value of land W die retail market . The reason of the auction being hurried on at the ffedse hour stated was this : the same auctioneer
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had afterwards to sell the Prinknash-park estate , in the same room , in sixty-six lots ; and now observe what have to tell you . Those lots varied from less than a quarter of an acre to eighteen acres , and for the most part , though inferior land , brought from £ 100 to £ 150 an acre . One lot of less than a quarter of an acre , was let for 15 s . a-year , and bought for £ 28 ; another lot of five acres was bought in at £ 675 . During the auction , I observed a labouringlooking man , with a long white great coat , occasionally bidding for a small allotment , in a fine loud tone , and amidst a good deal of laughter , and I was
anxious to know his business . While I was getting ready to start by the Vain , he came down stairs , and I said , "Well , my man ; did you buy anything ?" " Yes , " said he ; " I bought an acre and a little bit . " " And what did you give ? " " £ 105 . " " Now , " I said , " what ' s your occupation ? " He answered , " At the time of Mr . Guise ' s election , about eighteen years ago , I was in service , and I purchased a bit of land with what money I had . " " Well , and how much have you now ? " " Why , I had six acres
before this bit ; and I always keep adding a bit to it . I gave £ 275 for three acres . " " Well , and what family have you ?* ' " Only my wife and a friendless child . I have no one to help me . I hire men to work . " " Well ; how much would you have bought to-day if you had got it to your liking . " "my , I'd buy £ 1000 worth . " "Why , have you got one thousand pounds saved after purchasing the land ? " " Yes ; I could manage that and a bit more too !"
l « iow , the reader may suppose this to be a Free Trader ' s steam-boat conversation ; but I asked more I asked Lira his name and his place of residence ; and his name is Henry Bolton , of Upton St . Leonards ; so that those who take the Star in that neighbourhood may ascertain the critical accuracy of every word I state ; and , besides the £ 105 , he has to pay his share of expense of making out title , and the whole expense of conveyance . Now , what will the growlers , who say that a man must starve upon two acres , say to that ? To this branch of my subject
I have only to add , that but for the bother created by a few , perhaps non-subscribers , about making £ 1 , 350 by Carpender's farm , that I couid have added £ 10 , 000 and more to the capital of thesociety . if I had used my own judgment in buying land that would no suit us to sell again ; but the peculiarity of my position is this , that I must not only satisfy the good men , but I must avoid as much as possible dissatisfying the bad ones . However , as the next piece of intelligence which 1 have to communicate is of much more importance than the purchase of 50 estates , I now announce for the consideration of the several
constituencies , that they may instruct their delegates , that at the next Confetence I shall ask for the power to use my own judgment to increase the capital of the company , by the purchase and sale of estates ' 6 , 000 single shareholders pay £ 15 , 090 , and I would undertake to make £ 50 , 000 , and perhaps more , within the six years that it may take to locate a section . Of all the speculations that are now presented to the money grubber , there is no such speculation as the buying and selling of land ; and if a man has capital to buy in the wholesale market , and sell in the retail market , in less than six years he
will be a second Rothschild , and without a particle of risk . There's not a day in the year that I would not undertake to make my £ 100 . Now observe , there ' s an estate to be sold , a man who wants it bids £ 10 , 000—I buy it for £ 10 , 100 ; he'll scratch his head , and when he finds he ' s lost it , he will think no more of giving me a £ 100 or £ 500 for my bargain , than of walking out of the room . He pays the deposit instead of me , and the purchase is made in his name instead of mine . So that you see I have always some resource whenever I wish to turn money-grubber . I now turn to the consideration of my second
subject—PROVISIONAL REGISTRATION OF THE CHARTIST CO-OPERATIVE LAND COMPANY . The non-enrolment of our society has been another subject of great anxiety with the non-members , and if they were anxious for protection against me and the Directors , I assure you I was much more anxious for protection against them . You are not to suppose that it was matter of light consideration to be oblig ed to publish every single act , and every single step taken by the directing body ; a thing that never was heard of before , but of course rendered necessarv
by the lucubrations of ignorant inflated boobies , who were cunning enough to remain out of sight , while they got their poor tools to fire their arrows . Application was made to the Attorney General to certify our rules for enrolment , as the new act required , but which be refused . There was no course open then , but the more stringent and expensive process of Registration . Determined to surround my offspring with all the protection that the law could afford , 1 , with the concurrence of the Directors , resolved upon furnishing that protection , and we are now provisionally registered as a Joint Stock Company , under the designation of
THE CHARTIST CO-OPERATIVE LAND COMPANY . The aeed for complete enrolment is now More counsel for perfection , and when we obtain the licence for complete registration , which is the next step , the members and their property are much more stringently protected than they would be by enrolment . The enrolment punishes officers for fraud , but registration not only punishes them for fraud , but fines them . £ 20 for the most trifling neglect of duty . When the registration is complete , every member ' s name must be entered in the book
containing the deed—the deed-book is made up like a large account-book , and every ten folios requires an additional stamp of £ 1—the book is to be open for the inspection , not only of the members , but of the public , at office hours , and notice must be given of every fresh act or alteration in the rules to the proper authorities , and a balance sheet with the expenditure of the Society ' s funds , together with the receipts , must also be furnished to the same authorities , and any change of Directors , Trustees , Auditors , or other officers , must be duly notified .
The solicitor to the Society is liable to a fine of £ 20 for every act of neglect , and therefore I have received notice this week from the solicitor not to publish the usual weekly p laces of meeting , until a correct list is furnished to him next week through the secretary , of which he can give proper notice , and then they may afterwards appear weekly in the Star . He must give notice of any purchase of land , and all properties belonging to the Society must be vested in the Trustees for the benefit of tbe shareholdersso that rov liabilities are not likely to affect
Herringsgate now . At the Conference I shall press for the appointment of Trustees of undoubted character and integrity—in sliort , I aro determined that no squeamishuess or delicacy shall induce me to screen cne single act of impropriety or to sanction a single act of injustice . The registration of our Company not not-only gives the shareholders a power and controul over their officers , but it also , thank God ,
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gives the officers the power of compelling the shareholders to perform their contracts—that is , to make them pay up their shares as stipulated , whether at threepence a week , sixpence a week , or a shilling a week ; and yon will see the desirableness of this , when I tell you that there are many members who have paid Is . 4 d . as their licence to create dissension , and still stand in tbe way of those who would gladly enter . For instance , if there are a lot of these beggars in Section No . 1 , we can oust them to make room for veritable members in that section . This , I assure you , is very desirable . The
shareholders themselves will now see the indispensable necessity of compelling the local secretary to furnish the General Secretary / iorthwith , with the name , place of abode , and calling of every shareholder , and notice of every new branch opened must be sent at once to the General Secretary , in order that the solicitor may furnish the proper authority with it . The expense will be considerable , perhaps £ 150 ; but then it is my intention to 'move at the Conference that that is a proper item to be paid out of the expense fund , so that it wiO not diminish the capital of tbe Society .
I don't think I have anything more to add , further than that I would rather pay the expenc :: of Registration out of my own pocket , than be longer without its protection . And , now , in conclusion , let it once for all be understood , that I will purchase no land for the COMPANY except what pleases myself . I have travelled fully five thousand miles , and more , in search of different estates , and I will not have sleepless nights , wet feet , a hungry belly , and abuse , as my wages any longer . I will purchase no land upon two acres of which a man and iris familv cannot live comfortably , and purchase it
for ever in less than five years . And , thank God , I shall have a little rest till the 12 th of December , the day upon which we get possession ; and upon the 14 th , as Sunday is the 13 th , the stones will be walking from the quarry , and the 8 s . paupers of Worcestershire will be throwing up their hats for the Land and tbe Charter . I would publish some of the letters I have received , if tbe cowards bad put their names to them , that the Chartists in tint neighbourhood might pull their ears , but cowards always take care of Number One . Your faithful friend and bailiff , Feargus O'Connor .
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THE SMALL FARM SYSTEM ON THE CONTINENT . TO THE EDITOR OF THE XORTHEBX STAR . Basle , Switzerland , Oct . 19 , 1 S 46 . Dear Sir , Having been over that part of Belgium traversed bj Mr . O'Connor last year , and having , this year , passed through oilier portions not visited by that gentleman , I think it right to give my testimony , not only to the general but the particular accuracy of the statements made public through your journal . As I take a great inturest in the subject of small holdings , cultivated by spado , or rather hand labour , I have wished , during the tour I am now making , to acquire as much information on tho subject as my opportunities would afford , and in submitting them to your consideration and that of your readers , indulge a hope that they may tend in some degree to assist in tbe great work to which Mr . O'Connor has devoted the leisure which the late lull in public affairs has placed at his disposal .
In the centre and north of Belgium the system of small farms chiefly obtains , and here , as well as in France , is exposed to great and severe drawbacks . In both these countries to the feudal system in its worst form was superadded frequent invasions , ( vhieh rendered it especially hazardous to the villein or serf to reside in tlie open country , so that to whatever distance cultivation might extend , the cultivator everrtsUed in the fortified town , imuiediately adjacent to the castle of his lord . This system no longer obtains , but the habit of residing in towns or large villages is almost universal . This alone is an evil which countervails tbe advantages of small holdings , as the residence is usually from one to two miles from the land . Added to this the greater expenses of living in towns , and th « grc . itei temptation to expvnce from the grenu-r id . iury nliich exists where members congregate , Jioiiiiug but tlie lovo of indepc-ndance and the in-otinuble advantage of band labour , could sustain a small farmer under such circum stances .
In Ireland a different system prevails , and there , from tlie . system of subletting , the wonder is , not tliatasmall holder is worse off than a common labourer , but that he can exist at all . From these evils tbe verj interesting experiment at Herringsgate is safe , and though exposed to some dangers from within is protected from any without . In Belgium , and more particularly in France ( with the eictpiion of Alsace , which , though at present forming part of France , is German in language , thought , and feeling , and in the universal want and aspiration of its people again to revert to its "fader land ''} , tbe villagers produce an immense amount of vegetables for food , which by very simple cookery is rendered wholesome and palatable , a gygttm which 1 ibb yet to be naturalized amongst us . In Belgium , and still more in Germany , nearly every cultivator has one or more c-nv * .
which are used in the cultivation of the land and eren to convey its produce to market , as well as in the conveyance of merchandize . I have this day seen nearly as many cows as oxen in Strasbourg , and quite as many oxen and cows as horses . It is quite delightful to witness the kindness and attention with which not only the women and children , but even the men , almost invariably show to this most docile and gentle , as well as most valuable , of animals . It is the veritable bread-winner , and seems to be regarded with gratitude as well as with affection . May not this have been theorigin of the worship of which the cow has baen and is yet the object . I have further observed , that whenever the labour is voluntary , that is , where the action of all is not governed by each , as in factory labour , or handicraft , where the negligence , unskilfulness , or weakness of one hinders all .
the spirit of kindness and courtesy prevails nearly universally . I bave often noticed with great pleasure the kind ! y , tlie affectionate greeting of the peasant to his wife or daughter who has brought his food or come to share tils labour ^ and with scareely less pleasure the (;» odhumoured , expression in their comely faces . In England , the ene sole object of existence is to get rich , to obtain social position , as the end , not as a means , of existence , and this , in spite of the evils which it entail * , injured alike to those -wlio succeed and to those Vfho fail , 18 , I regret to saj , become contagious in France . In proportion as men lose their simplicity of thought and action , so have they entered in a sea of troubles , where ease and safety are never found . On this ground , if on no other , the experiment now in progress at Herringsgate is deserving of all support , and will , ia any case , ensure a certain success , and furnish valuable experience . The only apprehension I entertain is from the miscellaneous character of its first inhabitants , in their unreasonable anticipations , in their want of familiarity with labour of
the kind required , and , I must speak all or hold my peace , in the character and condition of the wives and daughters of the first inhabitants . I will fraukly confess that I could have wishei the first occupants of tbe first colony had been all agriculturists , but this mis not possible , and I anticipate that it will require all Mr . O'Connoi ' s skill anddiscretion to guide this infant colony aright . It will be viewed with jealousy by the neighbouring land holders , and will have to pass through much of obloquy , and to resist , finally , the blandishments of the betrayer , and , for tl : ia , tbe agriculturist would have been better adapted . I entertain much hope , but 1 am earnestly desirous that the dangers to which it is exposed should be rightly apprehended from the oHtset , knowing , as I do , that every apparent failure will be visited upon If r . O'Connor , who , more than any mau wf our time , deserves the gratitude , affection , and respect of tbe great body of the people , to whom he has devoted great powers of body and mind , with a perseverance , disinterestedness , and self-sacrifice beyond all prui . se ;
It may interest you to know that the crop oi this year in Germany , Italy , France and Belgium is an average one , tbe only decrease having been in rye . It is not the less true , however , that tho consumption , owing to the great amount of labour required throughout central Europe has greatly increased , and this it is which ha * led to the apprehension of scarcity . " See , " said once a rational communist , " How the tender mercies of the present system become cruel . In this enhanced value of labour which , however , benefits not the labourer , being furnished whan away from his home , the workman has more meat , more wine , and these in the first instance he obtains easily ami uses abundantly , often to his own injury . Now see the reaction . The enhanced price consequent on this state of tilings leaves him without benefit and becomes to ail others a great evil . Yet , seeing this , the governments of the d » y are at once enabled to provide for the evil , or to stop its progress . A war is aii evil to each government ,
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ye * found special to each , and this hafl enabled Louis Thiiippe to carry hia Iong . cberisbea" pn . joct with regard to Spain into execution . It is not known how or when ho acts , but it ii known that he is safe with respect to Englani ; thi 3 is sufficient . " It may be indifferent to tho « e who have no right but that of death , hardly that of bunal , whether Spain belongs io Louis Philippe or to Christina , but it does concern Englishmen to know that their policy is directed by tha traitor of the Barric » does , and that ha has more than one English statesman in his pay . I am , sir , Yout ' g , respectfully ' "A Middle Ctaas Chabtist . "
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IRELAND . . NARRATIVE OP MALCOLM U'GREGOU
NO . IH . At twelve o ' clock precisely , I entered an Irish Court-house for the first time , and & 9 every circumstance connected with the administration of justice must be considered as of paramount hnpoi tance , the reader who may not have witnessed such a scene will naturally expect a lucid and comprehensive description of the source from which the national character must mainly receive its formation and tone . At the entrance to the Court-house were to be seen anxious groups of litigants all gabbling together with remarkable volubility and for the most part in
the native language , leaving me little to understand , except from the gestures and earnestness of the ¦ peakers . I asked a respectable-looking person what their conversation was about , and he informed me , that some were stating their case to friends , and others were offering to submit the question in dispute to arbitration , while those charged with assault were endeavouring to raise the necessary funds among their friends to fee an attorney . The interior of the ceurt was literally wedged with country people , where also a continuous buz was kept up in a suppressed tone of voice , -while here and there , where a corner could be secured , were to be seen groups in the most anxious consultation with their
attorney , the most ready instructing him as to the merits of the case , and all occasionally , and with great energy , throwing something Jresh into the voluminous exp ' anation . The judge of Quarter Sessions is called assistant barrister , and is addre-sed . 18 ' Your worship . He has the Bole power of admitting or rejecting applicants for registration . In all civil bill actions his judgment is law , with an appeal to the , judge of assize against his decision . Hi grants decrees , for the distress and recovery of debts or dismisses tlie case . Criminal and assault cases are tried by a jury , the magistrates of the district dividing the power with him in assault cases , each having a voice in awarding of punishment .
I had not long taken my seat when a soldier , as thought , thrust his bayonet into my face , and , with a shove , said , 'Make way for the magistrates , ' and on looking round I recognised my fellow-passenger , uaptain Sqneezetenant , very importantly hustling his way to the bench , f remarked to a gentleman who sat next me that the appearance of so large a military force , or , indeed , any military , in a court of
justice , was a very unusual occurrence . " Where are the soldiers ? " he asked . " Why there , " s ; i : d I pointing to what I supposed to be one of the Rifle corps , from his dress and equipments . " 0 ! " he replied ; " Those are the police . " "The police , ' ? I exclaimed , " Why , they bave a complete military appearance , dressed precisely like the Rifles , and similarly ^ equipped . ¦ ¦ ¦ - " ¦ Yes , " said he , "but they are the police . "
The hour for commencing business had now arrived , and the first operation was the registration of voters ; and perhaps the best mode of instructing the reader upon tins subject will be to give him a verbatim account of one or two cases . The first applicant who presented himself was Darby , or , as he styled himself , otherwise Jeremiah Iloolihane , who was ushered upon the table , and placed in the
witness's chair , and who , being duly aworn , was cxa ' rained in the following manner , by a counsellor who I recognised as one of the inside passengers with whom I had travelled , and who , I was informed , was retained by the Liberal interest : — " Hoolihane , what do you claim as ?" " As a ten-pounder , yer honour . " "No , no ; I mean as a freeholder or a leaseholder ?"
" Ogh ! as a laisholder , to be sure . " " What ' s that in your hand ?" " My instrucment , yer honour . " " O ! your lease , I presume ?" " Yes , my lais , to be sure {" " Who do you hold under , and what term have you , and what do you pay ?" " Why , I houlds under the Captain there , now , ' pointing to Captain Squeezetcnant ; " but my lais is
signed by the ould Lord . I took it for thirty-one years , and I have nine of it to run yet . " " How much land have you , and how much , do you pay ?" " Wisha , I can't rightly say ; maybe two score acres or something more . I took it in tbe rough and be the lump , and but I never bad it misured , and I pays thirty for it . " " Thirty pounds , you mean ?" " Yes , then , thirty pounds . "
" Now , Iloolihane , answer me one question—Is the t ' ttrra worth ten pounds a year more than you pay according to your lease ?" Here poor Darby scratched his head , looked up and down , scratched his head again , and then looked slily towards the Captain , whese eye met his , and appeared to strike him dumb . The question was again repeated , when Darby , appearing to gain courage , replied , — " Why , to be sure , I wouldn't like to have therint riz upon me ; but , rather than lave it , 1 'de tlim to pay it one way or other . " " In fact , you would rather give ten pounds a-yeai more rent than leave it ?"
" Ogb , then , indeed then I would ; for , ' pon my word , there ' s a power of my sweat there and of the gossoons . " " Your worship , you'll admit tbis applicant . " Here my fellow-traveller started up on the opposite side with a knowing leer and a nod , and said , " stop , stop , not so fast , let me have a ivord . Now , Darby , attend to me , —I ask you , sir , by virtue ot the solemn oath you have just taken , whether or not you have recently applied to your Intullord for an abatement , upon the grounds that yonr farm was too dear . Come , come , yes or no , it ' s a simple question , and does ' nt require much consideration , and remember , you ' re on your oath , and , that your landlord is present 1 "
"Well , tihat if I did , what differ does that make ?" " Come , sir , no fencing ; answer my question , yes or no ?" " Well , supposing I did ?" " Did you , sir ? yes or no ?" " Well , to be sure I did , but it was becays the praties failed oa me , hut 1 has my last recait tor the Michaelmas gule here , and I did ' nt get the batement I axed lor ?" " But you did ask for the reduction ?" " To be siive 1 did , and why should ' nt I , why should I stand all the loss ?"
"Now , sir , nevermind what you would give as a fancy price , but I ask you , sir , on your solemn oath , would a solvent tenant give ten pouuda a year for the farm more fcb » A you pay ?"
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" Why how does I know what another would do , but I'de do it , and pay it too , rather nor quit the spot . My God , has ' nt I been a scoreland two years at it , and is ' nt it likely I should have something in it for my trouble ?" Now , sir , you say ; you have been 22 years there , and I'll ask you one question , —have you saved over and afyv&jour rent £ 220 , for'that ' s ten pounds a year for that time ?" " My | Gbd , then , is ' nt that a foolish question ? to be sure I haVnt , but then did ' nt I lave it in the ground asl'demakeit . "
" Now , sir , do you mean to say that after paying your rent , supporting and educating your family , paying your servants' wages , and tithes , and taxes , and rates , and all other charges , that the farm is worth ten pounds a year more than you pay ?" "I do then , and I tell you , I'de give it for it tomorrow , and more rather nor give it up . " "Show me that lease ? O ho , why I find several covenants here by . which you are bound to make so many perches of fencing , to put out so much lime , to pay so many ( ' uty-fowl , and to send so many men and horses each year to work for your landlord ?" " Why , what ' s th ' atto do with it ?"
" What ' s that ' s to do with it ? why there ' s a covenant in your lease that failing to perform any of those conditions , an equivalent , in the shape of rent shall be payable , and the landlord is empowered to distrain for it as rent . " " Ogh , God bless you , and give me my lais , the ould lord , God rest hissowl , never axed me for them , give me my lais . 11 Stop , stop , a minute . " Here I observed a person who had sat next to counsel very busily engaged in scanning over the lease , and taking notes , and upon closer observation I discovered that it waa Mr . Grubb , the captains solicitor . Counsel continued"Now , sir , if you were called upon to fulfil all those conditions would you give ten pounds a year above the present rent , for the farm ?"
" Ogh yay God bless you now , and give me my lais , and let me be going away home . " " Now , your worship , I'll just examine this man ' s landlord . " Captain Squeezetenant , remain where you are , I shall not trouble you to get on the table . The Captain was sworn— "Now , Captain Squeezetenant , I ask you on your oath as a conscientious landlord , do you think the farm in question , and out of which the applicant seeks to register a ten pound vote , is worth ten pounds a year above the reserved rent ?"
Upon my oath it is not , and if out of lease tomorrow I could not conscientiously ask a farthing more than the present rent , if so much , and that man has frequently called upon me , of late , to a * k for a reduction ; saying the land was too dear , and that he could not hold it at the rent . " " That ' s all I shall trouble you with , Captain . •' Now , your worship , I call upon you to reject this applicant . " Liberal counsel— ' Your worship , the application for a reduction in the rent is not sufficient ground )) for rejecting applicant . "
Judge— " No , Mr . Gripe , certainly not , nor should I reject any applicant upon those grounds ; but , mark what his landlord says , and the non-perforformanoe of the covenants in the lease . REJECT APPLICANT . " The next applicant was "William Smith , who , upcn being sworn , aaid , that he held thirty acres under Lord Bandon , on lease for thirty-one years , and for which he paid £ 45 a year . Smith appeared to be a client of the Conservative counsel , who merely asked him the term of his lease , the number of acres , and the amount of rent ; and then put the usual question — " Mr . Smith , you are a Protestant , I believe ?" "lam , sir . "
" Now , Mr . Smith , would a solvent tenant , in your opinion , give £ 10 a year above the rent reserved in your lease for the farm ?" "He would , sir , and more ; tin-re ' s his lordship on the bench , and you can ask him . " Ilia lordship nodded assent to counsel , and muttered , " 0 yes , certainly , and much more . " " Thank your lordship ; Smith I shan't trouble you any more . Your worship will admit applicant . "
Mr . Gripe— " Stop , notsofast ; now , Mr . Smith ?" Judge— " Surely , Mr Gripe , you could ' nt have heard the observation of his lordship in answer to Mr . Shearer , or you never could think of wasting tho public time in this case . " Mr . Gripe—'' Yes ; but your worship . " Judge— " Pooh , pooh ; prav lotus proceed with the public business . ADMIT APPLICANT . " Such is a fair specimen of the mode of administering political justice in Ireland , not doubting that in other districts the current runs in a completely opposite direction , varying in its course according to the
politics of him who is entrusted with the anomalon " power of limiting or extending the constituency , not according to law , but according to caprice and bias . The first day was occupied with the registration of electors , nnd , judging from what I had scon and heard , that the administration of law must be regulated by something like the same system , I resolved upon remaining for another day . When I returned to my hotel . I was about to order dinner , when the waiter informed me that all the private rooms were engaged , but that there was an ordinary at six , where 1
would find myself very comfortable . I asked what description of persona would bo likely to dinu there and he replied , " Why , some of the Grand Jury ami attorneys , and smne of t ! ie country gentlemen . " " Will the barristers dine there , " I asked . " No , " he re ] lied , " Mr . Shearer ami the assistant barri .-tor dine with his lordship at the castle , and the Liberals are giving Mr . Gripe a grand public dinner . " The certainty of muck amusement , and a . fair prospect of acquiring some useful information , at once decided me , and 1 resolved upon dining at the ordinary . ( To becontinued weekly . ) .
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The Pokt Bubns . —The Elgin Courant says : —A very interesting document , relating to the Excise services of Burns , has been kindly handed to us by James Melville , Esq ., collector of excise in this district . It is the diary of the Dumfries collection and district from the 7 th of January to the 5 th of March , 1790—the district in which Mr . Findlater , the friend of Burns , was supervisor . The entries , which are very numerous , relate te the routine duties of an excise officer , in the performance of which Burns was always highly commended by hia supervisor . Indeed , from the humblest officer to the head Jof the local department in the Dumfries collection , testimony is borne to his efficiency and mild deportment . Burns is recorded as being indefatigable in the performance of hisduties . Thcdiarv , bowever , reports
Burns on duty , but that from October , 1705 , to the January following he was confined to hia house , lie is shortly after ( March 5 ) represented in declining health . Rheumatism and loss of appetite , deprived of refreshing sleep , and in dejected spirits , forma summary of tho imprints of death on this neglected luminary . Writing under this impression to Thomson , ho states , " I close my eyes in misery , and open them without hope . " Only four months from the date of Collector Melville ' s diary—days and nights , weeks of sqrious reflection—earth wiis restored to enrtil—the eyes of Burns bavins ; closed on this world the 21 at oi July 1705 . " A spirit of Independence , " says Wilson " reigned alike in the genius and character of Burns , " a meet finale to our brief relic of lus laborious manhood . —Edinburgh Witness .
Dr . Arnoldi , the Archbishop of Trioves , so famous tor his part in the "holy coat" affair , has addressed a circular to all ecclesiastics of his dinuese , recommending them , in tlie most pressing terms , to employ all their influence to discourage the faithful from making further pilgrimage toTreves .
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LATEST FOREIGN NEWS . London , Satuudw , Octodrb 2-i . Louis Philippe has been shooting a number of i n « fortunate Carli-. t officers who were attempting to enter Spain . The accounts ftom Madrid are of tha 17 th instant , and bring us nothing but accounts of court balls , bull fights , and festivities of all kinds , given in honour of the two royal mar : iagi-s . It appears , however , that , amidst all the apparent uiiioiy of ( . he scene and its real splendour , tlie principal performers are not without anxiety and un-( MSiuess owing to the Undisguised hatred of
thi Spaniards towards their French snests . The Journal de V Ain of the lGth instant announces that French troops had been ordered to march towards the Swiss frontier . A battery of artillery , detached from Lyons , was to be stationed partly at Nantua , and partly at Forney . TSse rumour that Basle city bad been attacked , is not confirmed . There have been some disturbances : \ t Berne , which originated in the dearness of provisions . The illsturbimws nre said to be aided by tho under-hand conspiracies o ! ' die aristocrats lately expelled from power .
1 he accession of Friburg to the liberal cause will , it is feared , not be obtained without a struggle ; a great popular meeting was lately convened at Morat , the centre of liberalism , for the purpose of adopting such measures as tbe crisis demands . Tho mivernmenfc of FribuTif , in the liveliest state at anxiety , has filled the capital with troops , but although they selected the militia , generally from those districts which wero devoted t . o them , their fidelity was nevertheless doubted . On entering Fribunj , some detachments , to the jji-oat despair ol tho ruling party , ohauntcil'tke Marseillaise . Lord Churchill has returned to each jf his allotment tenants in Oxfordshire , halt' tLe rent due foe the several portions of the land they occupy over liis estates , in consequence of tho failure of the po « tatoc crop »
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THE COUNTER-REVOLUTION IN
PORTUGAL May be easily explained .. . The " constitutions government" of Donna Maria having fleeced and guwwi the people past enduring , wr / n § ing from them taxes which the "despot" Don Miguel would nevor have thought of Imposing , some few months ZZ H *? Ular discontent exploded , and those worthy blackguard , , the Cabrals , « her most faith * ful Majesty ' s" chief bravoes , were ignominiously drnn from power and compelled to fly rom Lisbon .
The popular insurrection , although it assumed , ot bad given to it , a politically " liberal" character , was at the oatseta protest against state-robbery . The peasantry of theprovinceofMinho finding themselves taxed in every conceivable shape , and under every possible pretence , refused to pay , and showed them * selres quite ready to fight rather than pay . Tneae peasants being the best fighting men in Portugal , soon drove tlie govenimentjmercenaries before them , and thus did the work which the "liberals " of Lis *
boii profited by . Of coarse " her most faithful Ma * jesty " at once responded to the will of the people , when she found she must do that , or pack up and be gone , A " liberal" Ministry was formed , wifcli that drivelling Whig . Aristocrat , Paljiella , at theiu head . Imbeciles and humbugs though the new ministers were , they were nevertheless compelled to attempt some good , in obedfcnce to the populaK clamour against taxation ; they therefore issued a decree for the reduction of tbe governmental expenditure , with the view of reducing the burdens of the people , and saving the country from the ruinous
expedient , of loans . Tbis decree set forth " That , all salaries , pensions , and allowances payable by tha state ahall , during the present financial year , be subject to a deduction of 20 per cent . The interest paid on the internal funded or unfunded debt shall , in like manner , be subject toadeduction of 20 percent . The interest on the foreign debt shall be subject , during the current financial year , to a deduction of 20 percent . " Our waders will see at a glance that the abova "reductions" would necessarily excite against tha new government tbe hostility of a great variety of public cormorants , who rather than " bleed" fer the
public good would hail the restoration of the Cabrals with joy , or even welcome Don Miguel , oc the devil himself , provided those worthy princea would guarantee the aforesaid jobbers and robbers their old power of public plunder . Of course tha loudest in their denunciations of the new-system were the debt men . The lopping off of twenty pec cent of their plunder was exclaimed against as" spo liation" and " robbery . " The "foreign" lendersprincipally British capitalists — and nearly every English paper from the Times downwards , denounced the poor Portuguese as rascals and repudiatorg—in fact little better than Yankees !
We confess we felt no sympathy for tlie "foreign public creditor . " In the first place , the lenders of British money to Portuguese Governments nevec came by that money honestly ; in some shape or othec they bad fleeced tbe British people to obtain tha money , which if they could spare or afford to lend , they ought to have invested in schemes to better the condition of the millions at home irom whom they had wrung it . Their object was , however , to impose themselves upon the Portuguese people as receivers
of Portuguese money to " the end of time . " We , therefore , were gJad to see the biters bitten . The people of Portugal had nothing to do with contracting the "foreigndebt . " and rather than they should be cursed as we are—the fruits of their industry plundered from them to gorge the ravenous maw of the " public creditor "—we would gladly hail their determination to pay neither interest nor principal , " Public faith" is a very good thing , no doubt ; but" public justice "—justice to the peopleshould claim precedence .
Now comes the counter revolution . The new Ministry , thougktliey could p ^ an " reductions" fofi the future , wanted money for the present ; the exchequer was empty and not a single co M o could ba hud . The Bank of Lisbon were in full conspiracy with the court against the new Ministry , and even the sum of £ 3 , 000 was refused the government , who would have been content with even that small sum to meet present demands , waiting the incoming of tha public revenue . Added to this , the new government had played a weak and cowardly part in permitting
the Court to fill the provincial offices with the crea > tures of the Cabral dynasty . The ariny too was discontented , the soldiers being without then pay . The fruit was ripei and "hermost Jnithful M ; ijeaty " sliowcd herself not wanting in nerve to pluckit . The midnight summons to the palace , the imprisonment of Palmklia and Bompin , the silent occupation by the troops of the streets of Lisbon before the dawn of morning , with the rest of the acts of the royal and money juggling conspirators , our readers will find fully detailed in our seventh page .
Portugal is now cursed with the rule of an absolutism , a thousand-fold more hateful than the despotism of Don Miguel . That absolutism is the absolutism of the inoneymongers with Donna Maria for their head , and Louis Philippe for their ally . How long will this last ? What will the Portuguese' do ? We know what they should do . They should bundle Queen , bankers , aristocrats , and military conspirators into tlie Tagus . Before banking wa ? , .-ind before atidi an animal : is a banker was known , the Portuguese were a great and rowerful people . What need then of bankers
now ? In the days when , as sea-warriors , they rivalled the English and Dutch , they were great , not by the help of their kings , but in spite of them , for their kings , ; like those of other countries , have been nearly all imbeciles or scoundrels ; what need then of king or queen now ? The once living aristocracy with the priests ruined Pob tuagal , why then , allow the galvanised corpsa of aristocracy to play its pranks now ? Portugal has but few colonies , and at home has no need of a standing army , why then support a useless and mischievous body of military conspirators and executioners ?
" The sun would shine the same , Tlio ruins of Iluaven as seasonably fall , Though none of these accursed pasts existed . " Portugal needs neither Queen , bankers , aristocrats , nor soldiers ; she needs but the Jabeur of lief useful children—the workers of her sf-il . When will the Portuguese , when will ika people o { all lands , come to their senses ?
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/ & ¦ -t&it /^ s ¦ ¦ •¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦'' }¦ , ¦« " * . ' * / S ^ ¦ ¦ ¦•" ' ,:, * ¦ ¦ ' j /^^ gg f ^^ & \ > ? i 4 & ¦ ---.. ^¦ - » t * w - ¦ - ¦* ' - •• - . . ..... ,. „ ., _ -, ,,., — ..., « , »„ ...,. ¦¦ . - . .. .... AND NATIONAL TBaBiS ^^ JOnRNAL .
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VOL . IX . NO . 471- LONDON , SATURDAY ^ OCTOBfR 3 lT ~ 18467 ~~ " ~~ ~^^^*^ 7 r " ¦ ¦ FiveSUiUinga ami Sixpence pet Qimrtfr
To The Members Of The Chartist Co-Operative Land Comfant.
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CHARTIST CO-OPERATIVE LAND COMFANT .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 31, 1846, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1390/page/1/
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