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sl ^ ONDITIOy OF ENGLAND I * * ** QUESTION . jy- . .-. /¦ jCoadeBsed fiwn the Ifcrnnuj Ow-ow ' tV . ) . *^ EC 0 NDITI 05 OF ENGLAND
CONDITION OF THE LABOURER IN *** CORNWALL . jfce industry of Cornwall is , from its position and Unities , of aTaried character . It catonot be said * b possess any maHttfaetures , itt the ordinary acceptation of fee term ; but from its peculiar maritime galities , and from its being the extreme and the tidiest part of the metalliferous penihsulffwhich constitutes the south-west of England , it sustains , along ifithits agricultural , a large fishing and mining . inaastry . Generally speaking , the various pursuits of agriculture , mining , and fishing are carried on separately froui each other ; but they are-sometimes com bined in different ways and degrees—the agriculturist being occasionally the fisher , and the miner Ijong , to some extent , an agriculturist . But it is sdd'oi , if ever , that you find the two pursuits of agriculture and mining combined—the man who is accustomed to drive the plough upon the surface
having apparently no inclination to descend below it In quest of a livelihood . Besides , even were he to inclined , his previous habits would by no means fit him for the work . The agricultural labourer is not a very adaptable animal . He may do his own work , hut it is wilh difficulty that you can apply him to anything else . "When he engages in fishing , it is only to do the more ordinary parts of the work . He ¦ works with , but is not of , the tribe of fishermen . Should he descend into the mine , the chances are that he would never emerge from it . It is a rare sight to see a miner a fisherman . When heisso , it is generally in the pilchard season , when there is a great demand for hands both anVat and asbore . In nine cases out of ten in which you find him thus employed he is a surface , and " not an under-ground , man . Indeed , the latter entertains for him the greatest contempt , refusing him a place in the fraternity of miners . . . .
Cornwall is dotted over with small rural towns , every one of which contains , more or less , an assemblage of tenements which " are unfit to betoken the completion of the first stage in civilisation . Some of them are crowded to a degree perilous to morals and disastrous to health . This arises not only from the want of new , bnt also from the destruction of old , cottage ? . If the clearing system has not been carried on in Cornwfll , the xrork has been as effectually , if not a ) speedily , done by the natural decay of cottages to save which from destruction no effort has been made . Take , as an example of what is to be found in other portions of Cornwall exclusively agricultural , or nearly so , what has'been done in this respect in the parishes of St . Martins and Talked . In
area , both , these parishes are large , and ( with but little exception ) they are both , entirely under cultivation . A great deal of labour is annually required for the tillage of so large an area , and yet but few of the labourers who work in these parishes live in either of them . They have been gradually driven into the towns of East and "West Looe , where they inhabit the most wretched tenements , looking , in most cases , il&y in the extreme , notvrithstanding the very general cleansing winch cottages , here as elsewhere , received under apprehensions of the cholera . Some of them have taken refuge in the small fishing town of Polperro , exerting a rather baneful influence upon the morals of the community . They have either been driven out of their cottages in" theneigbbourhood .
or induced to leave from the high rents' demanded , and have made their way to Polperro , where there appeared to be some room to spare , and where rents are low . A part of Pclperro is in the parish of Talland , but lying as it does at ene of the extreme points of the parish , the labourers experience the greatest inconvenience in being obliged daily to walk great distances to their work . The bulk of the labourers , employed in the parishes in question , reside in the two iiooes and in Polperro ; so that tosie of them have to -tcalk as much as five miles to their work , this involves , in addition to a day ' s work , a walk of ten miles a day—of itself , in the estimation of many , sufficient exertion for pne day . This is certainly one of the greatest hardships to which the pcor are subjected from the want of cottages .
Some of the smaller tenements in Liskeard are crowded to an extent .. distres * ng to witness—many of the miners working in the Caradon mines , fully four miles distant , living in the town . This subjects them , in addition to their work , to a walk of eight miles per day ; but they are obliged to submit to this , as they cannot find quarters nearer the mines . The houses and villages between the town and the mines are absolutely glutted with people . One case , which raay be piven in illustration of the state of things iu Liskeard . was that of a man and his wife , who had a miner lodging with them , all three occupying the same beilroom at night . On suggesting to the woman that this must be a painful situation to her , she cbie .-ved tbat it was " , bnt that they cou'd not
help it . They had but two room ? , and neither of them conld occupy the lower room . Their rent was hish , and they were therefore obliged to keep a lodger , whom they accommodated in the only room at their command , which could be used as a bedroom . Another case was that of a widow , who was in search of a lodger . Her h < ros 2 had bnt tiro ronms , the up ? er of vhhh was her bedroom . I asked her if she intended that her lodger , if she got one , should sleep below . She replied in the negative . I then suggested that the lodger she was in search of was one who would invest himself with a lawful title to the occupancy of her own chamber . She again rep lied in the negative , and on my looking somewhat puzzled , ioformt-d me that it was her own intention to sleep below . The ro !> m was so cold and cheerless
tLat she could not offer is to a lodger , yet such was the bedroom which she intended for herself- She said that the arrangement would suit her very welK as the miner would go early to bed , and ' she would have the lower part of the house to herself . 1 asked herwhensheexnecte'lhimtoget up , to which she replied that he was likely to do so at an early hour of the mcrning , as he had to walk four miles to his ¦ work . He wonld , in short , he up before her hour of rising , which made me suggest to her that , although she might have the lower part of the house to herself at nisht , she would ' not " be equally favoured in the rooming . "Oh , sir , ' . said she , " you mustn't think us so had as we seem ; we ' re drtve often to do what we don ' t like to do , or we wouldn ' t have a roof at all to cover us . "
In examining into the state of the labourers cottages , 1 discovered , that as orach fault was fourd by the tenants wilh the Duchy of Cornwall as with the private proprietors . At many points I was informed that the agents and managers ' of the Duchy exhibit the ntaost indifference to the comforts of the tenants , suff-ring cottages to go to ra » n , and listening to no remonstrance in favour of repairs . The present average rate of wages paid to the agricultural labourer in Cornwall is 9 s . a week . This , however , be it remembered , i * but the money rate , and by no means indicates the real extent of the labourer ' s command of ? he comforts of life . In dealing with the wages of Cornwall , theclement of cider has not to be considered , as in Somerset and Devon .
The whole of the wages is paid m money , subject , though , perhaps , in different degrees , to some deductions common to . other counties . I have already alluded to the comparatively high rent paid by the Cornish labourers , asbeinff , pro tento , a virtual reduction of his wages . Bnt this is not general , the highest rents being charged only in those districts where , from the vicinity of mines there Is a greater demand for , than a supply of , houses . This again as already explained , only occurs where mines have recently been established , so tbat it Is far from being general . Still , however , in the neighbourhood of all mines , whether long or recently established , rents are somewhat higher than in the purely agricultural portions of the county . As mining operations are so
generally diffused over Cornwall , it therefore happens that there are l » ut few localities in the county that do not feel the effect of their vicinity , In adding something to the rents . In the agricultural parishes most distant from them , the ren ' s of cottages are on a level with thGss in the adjoining counties . You there , as in Devon , Somerset , or Wilts , meet with cottages -vrith two or three rooms , rented at from 40 s . to 50 s . a year . In these cases the cottagers enjoy their wages independently of any reduction on this account . In all other cases , whether the rent be £ 3 . £ 3 IQs ., £ . 4 , or £ i 10 s ., the abatement which
must be made from the nominal rate of wages is about the same . Indeed , in nrany cases where the rents ar e highest , there is the least deduction to be made , as they are always highest nearest the minesthe cottagers having thus a chance of making the difference wholly or partly up , and sometimes of adding to their means ' , ' UuCalitt ' . ebackfrom the mines , where the influence of hi gh rents near them is "felt , without giving the cottagers the same opportunity , the whole of the duTererce between the rents which they pay and the ordinary rent of a cottage , may frequently be regarded as so" much to he deducted fromtheif ' nominal amount of wages .
But the most serious deduction Is that which must he made for the high price which they are now paying for their corn . I bave already alluded to the arrangement which Las elsewhere , as in "Wiltshire , been prevalent—established for the benefit of the labourerof Jetting him have corn for his own consumption at a fixed price , without any-reference to fluctuations in the market va ' ue of grain . Solong as the price of grain , notwithstanding its fluctuations , wasgenerally high , - the arrangement was advantageous to him : hut now that there is but little prospect of it ever again reaching the price at which it is sold to him , , ° . ¦ . ' * ¦ ¦* it _ M ~ f . lt /» « ainMin ntT IyC labourer mnst be iejured by its
. it Is obvious that ihe continuance . It falls at present with peculiar severity on the Cornish labourer . The arrangement lerehas been , for some timfi past , » O let the labourer have his grain for 16 s and 8 s .-that is to say . IGsper bushel of wheat , and 8 s . per bushel of barley . The Cornish bushel is double the size of the Winchester , so that , reduced to the measurement appreciable by a Londoner , the arrangement is to give the corn at 8 s , and 4 s . But , to adhere to the Cornish measure , the present price of the best wheat is about 10 s . 6 d . a bushel , and it is not the best wheat that the labourer gfts here or elsewhere . Thej
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BMsfif . cf'itffifeteis ^ ffe ^ dltl Sslv ? ? rate K , S es ' » n « B would fee entiled ii / ° h f 0 Uf W i i ? . * . « PP ° sfo S Wm to have afaroil y , he would , during that time , consume aW three pecks of wheat , and half a bushel of barley to nnx with the wheat . On being paid , at the end of ne month , ; the value of these would be deducted trom his wages . At the rate which he is obliged to pay , the wheat would come to 12 s ; , and the barley o 4 s ., mall 163 . He would , therefore , have but 20 s . to receive as money wages at the . end of the month . ^¦ to . ijto ,: rffl , trit ,. rf ^ . ^ L
The hardship to him ; is this : Supposing that ie was paid his full amount of money wages , and bought his wheat and barley at their real , market value , how much of his wages would he have in hand ; after he had purchased the necessary quantity for his family ' s consumption ? The wheat , supposing him to purchase the same quantity as he receives , would come to 6 s . 9 d . Making a deduction of but Is . 6 d . from the price of a bushel of barley ; he wonld get his half bushel for 3 s . 3 d . ; in other words , he would get for 10 s . that for which- he has now to pay 16 s . The - difference of 6 s " . spread over i the ' four weeks makes a difference of Is . 6 d . between his real
and . his nominal rate of wages for the week . This is bnt a small sum in the estimation of many , but it is nearly seventeen per cent , of the wages of the Cornish , labourer , taking them at t ! : eir ' nominal amount . To show that it is no trifle to him , he could pay his rent and send three of his children to school by means of the difference which he would gain , but for the arrangement in question . It is obvious , therefore , that when this deduction is made from the nominal rate of wages in Cornwall , the real rate of wages will not be found ; to range ranch higher than in Devonshire , where the analogous arrangement is not so hard upon the labourer , and a deduction must be made on account of cider .
Yet , notwithstanding the near approximation of his real rate of wages to Ihe average rate in the adjoin- ; inc counties , the condition of the labourer in Cornwall is , on the whole , better than'that of his class in these cour ; ties . ; This is to be' accounted for by the cheapness at which he can- supply himself with fish ;; Th < rmo 3 t common and the mb 3 t popular fish in Cornwall is the pilchard . The iailure ' of the . potato itself is not more disastrous to the poor of the county thnn is a failure in the take of pilchards ? ' The average price of them is from Is . to ls . ; 6 tl .. ' a hundred . This year they have , so far , been very abundant , and have sold as low as _ 10 d . a hundred . After being salted , they are retailed at . the rate of seven for 2 J . Such as can afford to lay in a stock for the year , will salt and lay by from 1 , 0001 J 1 , 500 pilchards , for the use of a family of five or six . ; Others , ' who cannot afford to do this , buy them in greater or less . quantities , as they can afford to ^ do so , sometimes paying more for them , and sometimes less . '
The traveller m Cornwall , whether in the highways or "b yways , ^ is " scarcely ever out of reach of the smell of pilchards undergoing the process of cooking . The whole atmosphere of the coun ty seems odoriferous with pilchards . As I now write , in the principal hotel in Redru' . h , the 'hole house is -pervaded with the odour of tins favourite fish . They may not bs as strengthening as animal food , but they form a nutritious item in the Cornish labourer ' s diet , which is almost entirely wanting in that of the poor of the neighbouring counties . " The potato , when-abundant , is the favourite vegetable taken with the pilchard . In the absence of the potato it is eaten with broad . When used wi'h the former , the pilchard and the potato are boiled toge'her ' . ' Sometimes the potatoes arc mashed and baked before the fire , with the pilchards on the top of them , which' diffuse their oil
through them , and give them a strong flavour . It is seldom that the pilchard constitutes an ingredient of the - " pastv , " so commonly met with as entering into the labourer ' s diet in Cornwall . The mackerel frequently does , which can also be procured very ch- 'aply during certain seasons of the year . Gene rally speaking , the " pasties" consist of potatoes and bits of meat , more frequently salt p ork , covered with a rather frnigh crust made of floar , " and ^ sometimes of flour and barley-meal mixed tojelfher . In the absence of the potato , the turnip constitutes one of the internal ingredients of the pasty . Sometimes-it is merely a mass of dough , lightened and sweetened a little by a few raisins or currants . It is few that can afford to have them frequently with meat . They are generally made for the labourer hinuelf , his family contenting themselves with lighter and more fmgal fare .
One man , with a large family , describing his food told me that for the last week they had but a pound and a half of animal food for the eight of them . I asked him what it was , to which he replied that it was some fat mutton , with which they flavoured their potatoes . " Have you a good supply of potatoes ? " Iasked him . " We have to buy all we eat , " heanswered , " We could not live on turnips and barley alone . " , " Why did you not plant some ? " I inquired . " Because I gave up the little * ground I had , " said tic . " And why did you give it up ?" " 3 iecau 5 e the potatoes have failed so . " " But they have not failed so badly this year . If you had held your land , and planted some , you might now have had a good winter ' s supply for Toiir family . "
• ' That ' s all very well , he replied ; " but when a poor man comes to pay a shilling a yard ( twelve feet square ) for ground , and gets nothing from it for two or three years ' , he's very likely to lose heart , and throw it up . I did , and so have many more . " " You have fish occasionally ?" " Yes ; but we can't often afford it . " " Then what is your chief diet ? " : " Bread ( frequently barley , ) potatoes , and turnips . There ' s my dinner to-day , sir , " he continued , breaking a pasty in two , which he took from his pocket . The tough , black crust enclosed a quantity of watery-looking turnips . . "Andean you do a day ' s work on that ? " I asked him . " Such as it is , sir , I can , " he observed ; "but it isn't such a day's work as a man ' could do on meat . "
THE SILK WEAVERS OF MACCLESFIELD . aiacclesfield 33 situated amongst the Cheshire hills . The population of the township was , by the last census , 56 , 035 , and it has since increased , but by no means rapidly . The manufacturer of silk may be said to be the only one in Macclesfield . There is but a single cotton-mill in the town . Silk has been the staple of the place for more than half a century . Before . that time Macclesfield was but a -paltry village . " We took the trxde , " said a manufacturer to me , "from SprCilsfield , and now the country places about are taking it from us ; and with every successive sta ^ e of the expansion of the manufacture the wages seem to come down . " About one-half of the labouring
population of Macele 3 field work at home , and the other half in the mills . The home-labourers are exclusively weavers , and include a large proportion of men ; the mill-labourers are principally engaged in throwing , doubling , and other processes , analogous , in a certain degree , to the drawing and spinning of cotton-mills—in preparing the threads which are intertwisted by the loom . By far the largest proportion of the mill population i 3 female , the weavers who work looms in the mills being inconsiderable in number , compared with those who work at home . I may add , that the amount of silk thread spun in Macclcsficld is much greater than the amount woven there , the warp and the shute , being prepared for the loom , are sent out all over the silk-weaving districts of Lancashire and
Cheshire , for tne process to be completed . The wages earned in and out of ¦• the mills in Macclesfield do not materially vary . The throwsters and spinners in the mills have the most regular work . The weavers can earn higher wages when in employment , but their looms stand idle upon the average fully three months in the yearl A weaver may , one season with another , make from 10 s . to 12 s . a week ; a female throwster or doubler in the mill from 8 s . to 0 s .. The rate of wages , hours of work , species of employment , and other particulars will , however , be best understood from the following details of the different branches of the s silk trade , gathered from personal observation of every department and of every process , and from the personally collected testimony of the workpeople . ¦ :
r Ipremise by statin * that I took great- pains , in traversing the silk districts , to ascertain whether accounts of the distress in Spitalfieldsseenjed to have , reached or to have affected the ciSfctry weaver . In general , I found the people knew very little and cared very little about the matter . It was only the staje of their own district in which they appeared to take any interest . There did not seem to be any general ideas prevalent upon the causes of the distress of the metropolitan silkweavers . My details upon the subject were listened to with an apathetic " Aye , indeed—well , they do seem very poorly off , to be sure . " I frequently put the question as to what my listeners thought could be the reason why a trade which was comparatively good in one part of England should be so bad
in another ; but heads were invariably shaken , and a stolid "Well , I dunna know , indeed , sir " formed the most frequent response . One man indeed , said he supposed government intended to root out the Spitalfields weavers altogether ; and another was of opinion that much of the Spitalfields distress was caused hy there being no throwin g mills in London , and the weavers being thus rcn ° dered dependent for their supplies of thread upon Italy and France . Such answers were , however , the exceptions to the rule . Xine-tenths of the people knew nothing and cared nothing about Spitalfields , or their brethren there—the apathy in that respect being very different from the mutual understanding and the constant mutual correspondencekept up between the unions and operative
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uteeiaAtas of . the various towns . : Th © Ten Hours B 'HSK > lM ? . ' silk ' fiwtoms , with certain moUincatufnras to riflfant Iab 6 ur—a thild being : there ccotlnted " a" young p * son » at eleven years of age , instead' Of thirteen—a concession made by the Legislature , '•" . on ; account of the healthier and cleaner species of employment carried on in the silk-mills ; The winding is , effected , of course , by sie . im ppwel * , the bobbins and wheels being arranged upon long frames , attended by women and girls . Bach women has the charge e"f four , and a half of these frames ; arid Bhe has an assistant girl undor her . The wort consists principally in shifting the wheels and bobbins , when thgy respectively get ompty and full , and in re-Uniting the fibres whi ^ b ^ J ,--.--u .-.- . - -L- —
may cnance to break .. The dunter , as the principal operative is termed ; gets about 7 s .. 6 d . per week , and the little girl , her assistant , from 5 s . 6 d . toGs . In the process of cleaning there is a similar system of frames and female attendants , the latter being , however , almost entirely girls . The silk is wound from one bobbin to another , passing through an implement very like an all but closed pair of scissor 3 , which clears away all sorts , of extraneous dirt and filaments .. The labour of the girls is . purely of a superior tending species , their charge being to renew the broken threads , and to keep up . a duo supply of bobbins . Ihe wages earned are from 6 s . to 6 s . 3 d . per week . It will be seen that the work exacted from both these classes of females' is
exceedingly" light and simple . ; Still , as in the cotton processes , they require to . be continually upon their egs . The thread is next carried to the doublers . The term explains the nature of the operat ion , which is in a certain degree analogous to the drawing' process in eotton manufacture ., ' . The superintendents of the frames are still young woman ; and their- work requiring more , attention and jhore skill than those demanded by the inferior operations , their wages average 7 s . Cd . The thread is now ready for being spun , or , to speak more correctly , twisted—an operation generally known as throwing . The apparatus used for this process differs materially from the cotton mule , having no lackward or forward motion . Each machine is a
compact series of spindles , bobbins , and wheels ; ranged one above the other , so as to necessitate : the spinner or throwster availing himself of a triangular ^ builtladder , placed upon small wheels , in order to enable him to superintend the working of the higher ranges of spindles . The motion of these is excessively quick , making * in . many instances , not less than 3 , 000 revolutions in a minuto . The spinner , in attending to the lower tiers , has a good deal ; of unpleasant stooping work to perform , and the atmosphere of the room has , generally speaking , a siekly oily , odour . Each spinner is attended by a boy , who ' pieces , as in the cotton mills . The men earnAbo . ufc 12 s . a week—some little more , some a little less—and the boys about 6 s . Gd . All these
estimates of wages , I ought to mention , are to ; be understood as applying to ten hoars' daily work ; Tho thread , liaving ' been spun , is now taken to the dyers , where it is tinted with . any hue desired . < On its beingbrought back , a series of reeling and winding operations , very similar to those already described , is gone through . These are , ; : a formerly , conducted by young women and girls ; hut their wages range higher than those of their predecessors —averaging from 7 s . Gd . to 8 s . per week . A number of purely technical processes—depending upon the sort of pattern which is to be woven—are gono through before the silk is finally ready for the loom . No description of these would be at all intelligible ;
but I may add that one of them , called "beav ^ warping , " is the'highest species of labour performed by women in Bilk mills , and brings them not less than 12 s . per week ! ' Another operation , called " coupling and knitting , " also connected with the arrangement of the silk for the pattern-weaving looms , is conducted by women and little girls . Tho work here is light , and little skilled , consisting principally of passing threads through the constellation of holes in the passing cards , masses of which are to-be seen hanging from the top of Jacquard looms . The young women earn only os ., and the little girls not nbove 3 s . A superintendent , who also ; W 0 rk 5 , has 10 s . per week . . >• : '•' .
We now pass to the weaving department : Very little silk—and that only of the coarsest kind—is woven by power . A small quantity of bandannas are thus turned out in Macclesfield '; but in the production of the higher class of silk fabrics , and in all fancy goods , the delicacy and intelligence of human labour is requisite , and the Jacquard is never beholden for its motion to the steam , engine . , A Jacquard weaver in full work , at a superior piece of goods , can still earn as much as 35 s . a week ; but taking the year round , including his seasons of enforced idleness , his wages , at least so far as Macclesfield goes , mav be stated as averaging 10 $ ; to 11 s . In this estimation masters and men . very generally agree . . :. ' From the mills I proceeded to inspect the
habitations and workplaces - of some of tha domestic weavers . ' A street of medium appearance , having been pointed out to me as being solely occupied by silk hand-loom weavers , I visited five of the houses , taking them at random . . * * . . # In the apartments , there stood , I think , five treddle looms and a Jacquard , and a . young man and two " girls were at work . The male weaver informed me that ho was makin ? silk for handkerchiefs . Ife was a journeyman , and ' hcpaiil 5 s . a , week rent for the Jacquard at which he was seated . He paid the rent to the undertaker . The undertaker was the man who rented tho whole house , to whom the looms belonged , and who _ also found work for tho journeymen and apprentices . In short , the undertaker
seemed to act as a middleman between the weavers and the masters . The latter gave , him out the prepared silk , op his promising that it should' be returned within a certain time , woven—and then he in turn distributed the material to the workers , bargaining for the completion of the job by the stipulated period , but not interfering with the hours of labour , which , except in the case of apprentices , are at the option of the weaver .. The undertaker sometimes worked , and sometimes contented himself with acting as a sort of agent . Very often he had a family who worked for him . If he had not he took apprentices , and let out his looms to journeymen . The weaver to whom I was speaking said that ho could make , when in full work , 233 . a week , but
that was only for the best pieces of weaving which he had to do . Besides , ' he was generally out of work altogether for about three months in the year- Striking an average , he thought he could earn about ¦ 10 s . a week the year round . For this ho eenerally worked twelve hours a day . Although the rent of a Jacquard was os ., the other looms could be rented for 3 s . Gd . The second weaver whom I visited was unintelligent , and gave little or no information : The third was an old man , and disposed to' be frankly communicativel lie believed that the Macclesfield silk weavers were better off than the generality in the country places—in Middleton , for example—because in Macclesfield the better sort of fabrics were generally produced , lie himself was
making silk for handkerchiefs . lie considered that ¦ ihs weaving of eight dozen a week was very failwork , and . he was paid 2 s . lid . per dozen . He was thus earning rather less , than 17 s , per week . For this he toiled sometimes twelve , sometimes thirteen hours a day . ' He had work , he thought , for twothirds of the year . Machinery , in his estimation , had greatly injured tho trade . "Why else was it that thirty years ago he could earn as much in ene week ¦ is he could do now in three , working very hai-d , too ? He thought , upon the average , that people worked twice as hard now as they did when he was a bov . The work was more " drierd " ( more continuously : difficult ) than it was in the old time . People were more easily satisfied with silks
then than new . At present they were hard'to please , and everything went so much out of fashion , and fashions changed so fast , that it wis difficult either for " master or man to suit the market . The lowest of silk weaving was the manufacture of . gi-eys , for bandanna handkerchiefs . The weavers were paid 5 s . Id . per cut for this sort of silk twenty years ago . Now they couldn't earn more than 2 s . Gd ., with harder work , because ' tlio ' ? shutc " . ( the thread carried across the warp by the shuttle ) was finer and required greater care . Tlio lowest amount of wages . made by aweaverMic put down as about 7 s . 8 d . to 8 s . Working figured goods
with the Jacquard , they could make a considerable deal of money , 24 s . or 2 Cs . a week ; but the Jacquards were standing still . half the year . ; Tho man whoic information I . am recording was an undertaker , and his journeymen paid him 3 s ., 3 s .-Gd ., arid os . for loom rent . He went oa . to say , that the frequently . recumng periods of stagnation in trade kept the weavers poor during the time they , had full : work They were busy sometimes , but they were ' pbor always . Twenty years ago the people lived better than how . They had plenty of substantial food , . but at present , where one got Jt a dozen missed it . -. ,. ¦ ¦ ...
The people in the mills were better off , particularly the throwsters , than the people out of them , because the mill hands had . more regular employment . It was the sudden changes in tho taste for fancy articles that made the sudden fluctuation in the demand for goods , and occasioned a great deal ot the poor weaver's poverty . Mayhap the master would cive an order for a certain ¦ pattern .. Well , all at once the taste would pass away , and the silks would lie upon the shelves . Soem ' mut new was always coining up , and that made the changes from the busy times to the slack times . The tvnde was very uncertain-so uncertain , that the masters were afraid to speculate so much as they would it they could sell their goods steadier , and therefore they «» ave small orders—great ones might be left upon their hands . He thought that , one with another , the weavers in the mill might earn 12 s . or lls . a week ; working at home he would not put the average higher than 10 s . aweck .
THE LONDON LODGING HOUSES . The lodging house which I shall more particularly di siribe makes up as many as eighty-four bunks , ' tr beds , for which 2 J . per night is charged . For this sum the parties lodging there for the night are
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entitled-to the uee of the / kitchen ifor theffollowin ^ day . In this aiire is . kepfc i ^ l day . long , rafcv ^ hich they ; are allbvvedJpV ^ oot their food . ; TheJcitchen PP . ??* : * t five o ' clock in ;' the ' morning ,: and closes at ' a ^ u i : eleyen " b " ' ^ ock 3 ; i ^ ni ^ jti after - . whicn hour ho fg ? 8 h . lodger is taken in ; and ^ ll' . ! tho | e ; who ' slept in the house the , ' night [ before 1 but who ihave not s « f ' fioient money to paytfbr their bed at that tifneare turned out . ' Strangers who ; arriva l in the course ol the day must procure'a ; tin ' ticket ^ by paving 2 d .. at 'he wicket in the office , previously to being : 'allowed to enter the kitchen . ' The kitchen ' is ; about < forty feet long by fifteen feet ' wide . ; , The sleeping-rdoaiis about'forty ^ eightfe . etde ^ p ^ iiy .-abbat . fprtylfeet ' videi The bunks' are each ; about seven feet ; long and one
foot ten inches wide , - trad the grating . oh Iwhich'the straw mattress is placed is . about twelve inches from the ground . The wooden- partitions between the ' bunks' are about four ; . feet hi g h . The ; coverings are a leather orfa rug , bubleathersare generally preferred . , Of these ' bunks' there are five tows . of about twenty . four deep , two rows being placed head to . head ; with ' a gangway jbetween each , of ; itfch'two rows ; and thevOtheri row * .. ' against '¦ : ihe ; wftlli "The average number of persons sleeping'in ' thiVhous ^ of a night is sixty ; Of these there are generally about thirty pickpockets , ten street beggars ; a' few ; infirm ' old people- ^ 9 suhaisj occasionally upon parish ' jrc ? lief , " and-. occasionally ' upon charity : ten ior' ( fifteen dock labourers ; about the same number ' of low arid
precarious callings-such :: as the neighbourhood affords , and a few . persons who .: have been ' . in good circumstances , vbut ; who ; have been ; reducetifrom a variety , of causesi ; ' At one time there were as many as uine persons lodging in this house who subsisted by . picking ap dogs' dung but of , the streets , getting about 53 . for every , basket full .. ' The earnings ^ of one of these men were , known to average , ' ' 9 s , a week ; ' . There , ate generally lodging in thehouse a'few bone
grubbere , who pick , up hones , rags , iron , ' &ci , 'but of the : streets . . Their "average earnings' are' about Is ; per day .- There are several mud-lacks , ior . youths who go down to the waterside when the tide is outi to ^ ee whether any ; article of ; value has been left upon the bank of the river . " The person supplying this information to me , who was for some time resident in thehouse , has seen brought heihe by these persons a drum , of figsjat one time , and a'Dutch cheese at another . . These were sold in sm alllotsor slices to the other lodgers . i : •' . . ¦ ¦' - \ ; ; ' '
. The pickpockets generally lodging in the house consist' of handkerchief-stealers ; shoplifters—in ^ eluding those who rob the till as well as steal articles from the doors ' of shops ; -Legs atidbreast of mutton are frequently brought in by this class of persons . There , are seldom any . housebreakers lodging in such places , because : they require a room of theirrbwrij and mostly live with prostitutes . Besides the pickpockets / they are aiso lodging in the hoiisespecul lators in : stolen- ' goods . -, These ; may ' be . dockr labourers , or Billinsgate-porters , having >•* *¦ few shillings in their pockets . With this , thiey purchase the booty of the juvenile thieves . ' " "' ! I have knowft ' says my , informant . 'these speculators ; wait' in ' -the kitchen , walking about with their hands in . ftheir
pockets , till a little fellow would come in with such a thingas a cap / a picceof baconr or ! a . piece of mutton . They would purchase it ,- and theneithei retail it amongst the lodgers in the kitchen or take it to . some' 'fence , ' where they : would receive a profit . uponi ; it . ' The general feeling of the kitchenriexceptihg with four or five indviduals—is to encourage theft . ^ The encouragement to the ' gonoff' ( a Hebrew wtrd' signifjjng young thief ,-probably , learnt from , the-Jew ; * . fences ' in the neighbourhood , ) consist * in laughing ; at and applauding his dexterity in thieving ; and whenever anything is brought in , the' gonoff' is greeted for his good luck , and a general rusb is made towards him to see the produce of his thievery .: - ¦
. The beggars who . fijeqiient . t ' uese . houses go about different tuaikets ahd ' streets ,. asking charity ' of Unpeople-that pass by . -They generally go eut . in couples ; the business of one of the two heirig to look out and give warning'when , the-policeman is approaching , and of the other to stand shailow '—r that is"to . say , to stand with very little clothing on shivering and shaking , sometimes with ; bandages , round -his legs , and : sometimes -with his artn iii a sling . . Others begs ;• scran ! ( broken . ' victuals ) of the servants at respectable houses , and bring it home to the lodging-house , where they sell it . You . maj see I ara told , the raen who 'lodge , in the place , and obtain an honest " , living ; ! -watch' for these beggars
coming in , as . if they were the best victuals in the city . My informant . knew . ' an instance of a lad win seemed tabe a very fine little fellow , and promised to have been possessed of . excellent mental capabilities ; ifX ' properly directed , who came "¦" ; to . ' . the Io ^ ing-house , when out of a situation , as . an errand boy . He stayed there a month or six ' weeks , during which time be was tampered with by the others , and ultimately became a ; confirmed ! gonoff . ' Tlis conversation among the lodgers relates chiefly to thieving and the . best manner , of stealing . By way of practice , a . boy will often pick the pocket of one ' of the lodgers walking about the room , and if detecteil declare he did not mean it .
The sanitary state of these houses is very bad . Not only do the lodgers generally swarm with vermin , but there is little or no ventilation to the sleeping rooms , in which sixty persons , ¦ of the foulest habit ! , usually sleep every night . There are no proper washing utensils , neither towles nor basins , nor- wooden bowls . There are one or two buckets , but these arc not meant for the use of the lodgers , but for cleaning the rooms . The lodgers never think of washing themselves . The cleanliest among them will do so in the bucket , and then wipe themselves with their pocket handkerchiefs' or the tails of their shirts . ¦ i ¦ - ¦'¦¦' -.
A large sum to be made by two beggars in-one week is one pound , ; or ten shillings a piece—ipne for looking out , and the one for ' standing shallow . ' The average earnings of such persons are certainly below eight shillings per week . If the report of the constabulary force commissioners , states that twenty shillings per week is the average sum earned , I am told , the statement must have-been i furnished by parties who had either some object in overrating the amount , or else who had no means of obtaining correct information on the subject . From all ray informant has seen as to the -earnings of . those who make a trade of picking pockets and begging , he is convinced that the amount is far below what is generally believed to be the case . ' Indeed , nothing but the idle roving life that is connected with the business could compensate the thieves or beggars for the privations they frequently undergo . ,
According to the report of the constabulary force commissioners , there were in the metropolis , in 1839 , 221 of such houses as- the ohe at present described , dud each of these houses harboured daily , upon an average , no less than eleven of such characters as the foregoing , making in all a total of . 2 , 431 vagrants and pickpockets sheltered by the proprietors of the low lodging houses of London . The above twopenny lodging-house has , on an average , from fifty to sixty persons sleeping in it nightly , yielding ah income of nearly ^ 3 per week .- The-three-penny lodging-houses in the same neighbourhood average Irora fifteen to twenty persons per night , and produce a weekly total of from 20 s . to 25 s . profit , the rent of the houses at the same time being only from 5 s . to 6 s . per week . . , ' .--. ; . .
' There is ene question worthy of consideration—Does the uncertainty of dock labour generate thieves and vagabonds , - or do the thieves and vagabonds crowd round the docks so as to be able to , gain a day ' s work when unable ( to thieve ? \ According to returns of the metropolitati police force , the value of the property , stolen in this district in the year 1848 was £ 2 , 007 , of -which- only ^ 6365 were recovered . The number of . robberies , was 521 , the average amount of each robbery being £ 3 17 s . " Ofd . The amount recovered averaged llsi'on each robbery . The lodging-houses just described . are hot the lowest of the low ! There are « cribs' in the
metropohs where the charges , for . a nig ht ' s rest are less , the accommodations more meagre , and the lodgero oven more degraded than those of tbe ; two-penny refuges 1 lately , visited . - In some places a penny only is demanded for shelter for the night , and there , congregate the most wretched and demoralised of all characters . The commonest prostitutes thieves , beggars , and vagabonds an ? taken inlo these dens of iniquity , and allowed to sleep promiscuously in one small , roomv There is little or no furniture in the house , so that no beds are . provided for the
money . The- lodgers—male' and - female ~ men , women boys , and girls—all lie huddled together on the floor ; the average nightly muster being about thirty of the most miserable and infamous of . human beings—a mass of poverty , filth , vice , and crimean assemblage of all \ M is physically loathsome and morally odious—a chaos of want , intemperance , ignorance , disease , libidinism , rags , dirt , vjUany , and shameleasness , that can be paralleled iu no other part of the globe but this , the first city of the world —the focus of wealth and intellect—the p innacle of civilisation and charily . ¦ < , ' ; :. The generality . of the low lodging-houses—the penny , twopenny , and threepenny as well—I am in-
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^ med ; hyr , one who ; haB ; lived ; m ; , 4 h * m . ; M 4 among . thjBm TertmBny ^ niionths-Ta :: rawa . *( euperior- intel . ligencBiand educalioni ^ b ft . its understood- ^ -are kept by per 8 ons-utterly ; deficient of all moral jense > ¦ and who ' either : wink atVor ^ Hcoarage ' the'robberies which are continually' ( jpneocted ^ under their ' roofs Nearly all the prbpriefcors ; tacitly alloiy r | ie prolrluce . of . their , lo ^ rs ; ' pil ^ rings : ; tb ;;; be . introduced ¦ ! and > hared » the kitchen , " ^ ndiraaiiy of them arejknbwn , tb . he receivers Qf , stolen ; goodB , pledging for , the pickpockets they harbour in their houses whatever plunder , they may bring : home ; -and demanding of them twopence and the duplicate for so doing . Indeed ) : so general i 3 'the latter practice among the 'lo'ti g'inghouse-keepers ' / oF that these'are the ' regular terms' of the class . ... "
, But there are dormitories lower and lower still in the scale of comfort , cleanliness , . and ¦ civiJisajt . OD . Such sleeping placeb are frequented : by ; those ^ : who want even the penny to provide them , with the luxury of mere , walls and roof to shelter them from the wind or the rain . Hence , if it be possible to conceive a class of beings still more wretched , more vicitus ; or more criminal than , those visiting the lowest lodging , houses of London , ' , they , are j ' tp ' ^ -be found nestling under the arches . .. " of Hie : Blackball Railway .. There may be discovered . whole famiUes
houseless and penniless , huddled close togetherchildren cradled as it were in vice and crirhej cheek bj jowl-with the vilest prostitutes-and- the meanest thieves . Or else they may be seen ranged along the wall of a neighbouring sugar baker ' s , ' warming themselves " upon the pavemdnt heated by the ' . melt , ing-pan ; beneath . To behold the . drowsy , '' ragged , destitute crowd gathered there ; at ¦ three o ' clock in the morning ,, is , a sight to shock the most ¦ callous , and one that it is painful even to imagine . ; ( To be-Continued . ) ; : ;
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PARLIAMENTARY AND FINANCIAL ; •""; : : b , eform . . .:. " ; ;
me . a Thompson ; and the electors : , ;; ., . ; of tee tOweh hamlets . ; . ; ; An aggregate meeting of . the electors and other inhabitants of the -Tower Hamlets was : held on Monday evening , iat Sipn Chapel , . near Whitechapel Church , to aid in the movement for promoting a reform in the representation and public expenditure of the country * and > at : the same time to afford to Miv George Thompson , one of the members for the borough , the opportunity of > making his annual statemenu to his constituents with referencoto the
proceedings of the tHouse of ^ Commons'during the last session , and the future prospects of the cause of reform in this country . : The building , in which the meeting -was held is said to contain tne greatest amount of avuilablo space , for a public meeting in the borough , affording : accommodation for about 5 , 000 perscms , and was filled ; in every part . ¦¦¦ : w . The chair was taken , pro teni ,, by Mr . Prt , Mr ; IIaii , who had been- announced : as the chairman ; nothaving arrived at the ; hour named for opening the . meeting ( seven o ' clock ) .: - ; ::. ' ¦
. ; Mr . ^ Hows rose -. to- move the : first ; resolution as follows : —" : That in the deliberate judgment of this meeting a thorough renovation of th ' e representative system of this country ; is not only justly demanded as ; the constitutional , right of the ' .. people , but aa necessary . to the abolition , of the political , financial , and ecclesiastical . abuses so loudly , complained of . -This'meeting , therefore ,-rejoices in the establishment < of the JTational Reform . Association ; and tenders to its president ,.-Sir Joshua . Walmsley—( cheers)—the assurance that they will do all in their power to sustain the body , over which he se . ably presides , in their efforts to secure tho patriotic objects to . which they are devoted . " ¦ •¦ ¦ Miv Hall , having . taken ; tho chair , : apologised for
not having been presentafc the hour-appointed , and explained that he had mistaken the place of meeting . He was glad to see that he was supported by Sir J . Walmsley and Mr . Thompson ; , he regretted that Sir-Williamr . Clay was not present . ( Hisses and groans , and a voice— > 'JNo , he is . ono of the Whig tail . ' /;) :. ; They had , however , a sufficient substitute in his : old friend , Mr . . Williams , tho . late member for Coventry , and . nothing ' , wouldi give , him greater pleasure than to see him returned at tho next election for a , constituency like that ho was now addressing , and again sitting at the right hand of Mr . Hume , and aiding him in his . efforts to economise the . public expenditure .. He should confine himself © nthe present occasion to dealinff with some
figures , to show tlio impossibility of returning to the protective system . : When he . told them that 12 , 000 , 000 of the people wero . at this time fed by agricultural produce imported from foreign countries , they would agree that , that was a '; fact so startling , that none but a , madman . would think of returning . to , asj-stemby . whichthat large number of their fellow-countrymen would bo : brought to starvation , and thousands more be reduced by the high price : of . provisions which must ensue , from competence te poverty . It was fitting that the Times , which was always opposing- itself "to the popular feeling ,. should know that fact ; and it should remember that though the Times could not do without the people , the people could do without
the Times . - . ( Hem-, and cheers . ) The imports for eleven months during the past year had been of oxen and cows ,, 40 , 804 ; . sheep and lambs , 119 , 703 ; swine , 2 , 454 ; bacon , 375 , 227 cwts . ; butter , 251 , 074 cwts . ; wheat , 3 , 656 , 910 qrs . —( cheer ' s)—barley , 1 , 270 , 555 qvs . ; oats , 1 , 205 , 055 qrs . ; rye , 203 , 167 qrs . ; beans and peas ,. C 45 , 45 S qvs . ; Indian corn , 2 , 120 , 300 cwts . ; buck wheat , 307 cwts . ; oatmeal , Indian , and other corn meals , 100 , 184 cwts . ; flour , 3 , 071 , 120 cwts . ; eggs , 91 , 733 , 902- ( a laugh ) - hams , 11 , 833 cwfcs . ; cheese , 325 , 256 cwts . ; pork , and other salted and fresh meats , 404 , 016 lbs . ; poultry value sterling , £ 050 , 000 . These were all articles of human food . ( Cheers . ) Then take wool , and the raw articles ot our manufactures .
The imports of wool had been 70 , 284 , 837 lbs . in the same time , and of hides 028 , 431 . Now lot him ask what would have been the . position of the population of this country but for these imports ? ' ( Cheers . ) But the Protectionists told them that they must pay for them all by exporting the precious metals . Now , in this respect , what was the fact ? There was more gold in the . Bunk at'this moment , and more gold spread through the country , thnn was ever oe foro Known . And while our import of raw material had increased so had our exports of manufactured articles in the same proportion , thus showing that this importation of food , equal to the consumption of 12 , 000 , 000 of people was paid for by the
products ot the energies and tho industry of the working population . ( Cheers . ) Were it not for this what would have beon tho condition of the manufacturing intorests of this country ? Tho artisans would have been thrown out of employment , and the mills would have been standing still . For it was idle to suppose that the continent of Europe could pay for our manufactures except by the produce of their own soil . Those we ' re facts which everybody but the senseless agriculturists , whose skulls are so thick it is almost impossible to drive gense into them , cannot fail to understand . ( Hear , hear . ) ¦ i Dr . Oxley briefly seconded , and Mr . T . Dick supported , the resolution ,
Ihe resolution was then put and carried unanimously . . . . Sir J . Walmsmy , M . P ., . who , on coming to the front of the platform , was loudly , cheered , next spoke . He said—Inow appeal * before you as the President of . tho Parliamentary and . 'Financial llefovru Association , and I should be alike \ mjust to the association and to my own character ! if I heard at any meeting at which I may bo present sentiments uttered which I thought unjust or incorrect , find did not , when I had tho opportunity , state my own opinion in regard to them , I stand not here at tlio present hisment to advocate manhood suffrage , but to support , to the best of my ability those principles which have been put forth by able and good men , and by the virtuous of all ages , in
favour of the rights of the people , and to restore those rights which the constitution confers upon all men , but which have been violated by the present and preceding governments to tho greatest possiblo extent . ( Cheers , ) An observation has been made which I must , standing hero ns the president of the association , say that I do not concur in . My friend , the chairman , has a perfect right , as a resident among you , and as an elector of the Tower Hamlets , to' say what he pleases on the subject , but I disclaim , as the president of the association , any attempt on the part of tbat association to dictate to the electors of the Tower Hamlets , or to say to you who shall be your representative , and who shall not . I must go still further and say , that I consider such
observations in the absence of Sir W . Clay arc not justified as issuing from the chair of a meeting like tho present . ( A Voice , " Why is he not , neve , then ? " ) Aye , that is the question . Has ho'been asked ? ' ( Cheer 3 , and some confusion . ) I am not here to throw the apple of discord amongst you , but to do justice as far as I can to all . ( Hear , hear . ) And I say it is tho question , has Sir-William Clay been asked to appear here this evening , and if not , 1 say such observations from the chair are . uncalled for . ( Cheers . ) It is the privilege—it is the , right of Englishmen to givo a fair hearing , to ' all . ( Hear , hear ;) There is yet another observation I feel it my duty to refer to—I must reprobato such
remarks in speaking of the agricultural classes as " senseless masses . ' ( Hear , hear . ) They are not so . They are men as able , as industrious , and as indefatigable ns youraolves , It ia true they nave been misled by interested parties—but havo you never been misled ? ( Hear , hoar . ) Howlongisit since you havo come to your senses ? ( Hear , hear . ) How long is it since you were on tie one side " reds" and on tho other " blues , " and were cnioled by those who , when their purpose was served , had no better name for you than a " senseloss rabble ? " ( Hear , hear . ) I believe the agricultural class are awakening rapidly to a true sense of
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their condition , and will loon be found seeking thp friendship of the other classes . ' . They , ; want more than you do assistance to rescue them from the serfdom ; underwhioh they , have been so long labouring . ( Hear , hear , ) -Let us show kindness to ^ thero , goodwill j ind brotherly feeling , and not insult them by calling them-a , senseless mass . ( Loud cheers . ) "We are net here , gentlemen , fbr a twb ' -fold } pui'pose—to submit 1 to . you the principles of a Parliamentary Reform Association , and to . do honour , or rather to hear and examine whatJir . 'Thompson has to say to his constituents . I am proud to bear my testimony , not only in the Tower Hamlets , but throughout all England and -Scotland , ¦ to the honourable and patriotic conduct which my . honourable , friend has
ooserved—to the constitutional principles which he has enunciated , not here-only , but-throughout a great portion of- the kingdom , when standing forward to demand the just rights of-the people amongst the nobles of the land , and wholly irrespective of what might be the consequences to himself . But this was what was to be expected of him . Look at his : antecedents — at hi 3 indefatigable exertions in striking off . the shackles of the slave , exertions which never ceased until hisv object was attained . ;! Such were his antecedents ;' and now he comes forward to travel , without fee . or reward , and to give . his time and his talents ; from one end of the , country , to another , to abolish :. the slavery which still exists among the . white men—for the
milliona in this country aro still littleibofcter than serfs in the hands of the oligarchy . ( Loud cheers . ) The few moments I shall occupy on th ) s platform shall be expended in endeavouring to induce union amongst you : that you may concentrato ; your energies on one single point , and , throwing' aside your minor differences , endecavour to do justice to yourselves and your fellow-men . To . the middle classes I would venture to say , " What , do you owe to the industrial classes ?" . You owe everything to them . You owe to them your ships , ; your commerce , your railways , your buildings , your luxuries , your comforts , and even , your necessaries of life . ( Cheers . ) You owe to the working men of the country everything you possess . ( Cheers . ) And
shall these working men be longer ' delayed their just rights ?; Shall those who have so long knocked at the door of : the constitution still be denied admission ? . ( Cheers . ) Away with such a thought . ( Cheers . ); But : y 6 u : will be denied until you aro " enabled to convinceyour rulers and your governo r * that you are determined to have them ; . ( Cheers . ) It has . been intimated—it is the . on ( lit of the day—that we . iare to have some extensive reform ; in short , that the , wind is to be taken out-of our sails ; so that we shall have no further ; occasion to agitate . I hope it is so . But weawill cease to agitate only when the just rights of the people are granted . ( Cheers . ) I would especially caution you not to be led a / ray by any . sham reform , such as we
have had- before . ( Hear , hear . ) Should they grant youan ' . cxtensionof the suffrage ; vote by ballot , triennial parliamenta and the abolition of . the property qulification , bear in mind . that is not the test . The test is such an apportionment of the members to the population , as shall make it no longer . possible that the votes of the representatives of such places aa Thetford or Harwich / with ¦ a corrupt constituency of two or three hundred , shall be equal in the results to those of the borough of the Tower . Hamlets , with its 15 , 000 electors , j This is the question to which I would draw attention , that in all your endeavours to obtain reform , do not forgot this is'the pinching point among the oligaroby , who have hitherto divided amongst themselves thespoils of the people . ( Cheers . ) One word more . I have received a
letter to-day , without any signature—and I am not fond of anonymous correspondence—in reference to the conduct of a highly talented individual who is present . Tlfe letter was to this effect ¦ -: —Sir , —Perhaps you will have no objection to askMr . Thompson , tho professed opponent of monopoly , to explain , why he . took charge in tho House of Commons of a bill for continuing the Commercial-road turnpike monopoly , signed "A Member of , the National Parliamentary Reform Association ? " . { All he could say was that if Mr . Thompson could not answer this question satisfactorily to his constituents ho was unworthy to represent them ; but in that case it would be the first time he ever heard of Mr , Thompson's being connected with a job . ( The lion , gentleman retired from tho front of . the platform amidst long and protracted cheering ) . ¦
Georoe Thompson then came forward , and after the enthusiastic cheering with which he was greeted had subsided , spoke as follows : —With regard to the matter to which that letter refers , I certainly allowed my name , to be placed at the back of the bill brought into the House of Commons to obtain for the trustees of certain roads in this neighbourhood a renewal of their loaso ; but when I saw the solicitor for the bill I stated that if I allowed my name to be used ministerially as one of the members for the Tower Hamlets , I was not to be considered as any way pledged to the bill , but should reserve te myself the ' right of opposing it altogether-, or s > 6 alter it by abridging the power of the trustees , as might appear to be strictly just as between them and tho people' of this great-district . It'was on that understanding alone that my name was placed on thebackof the bill in connexion with that of
the other member for the Tower 'Hamlets . In tho meantime—that was before the measure came beforothe House—I had several interviews with those who thought themselves aggrieved by the heavy tolls charged , I made myself master of the whole question ; and in the committee devoted my time to such an adjustment of the matters pending between the inhabitants and trustees as strict equity and justice demanded . ( Hear , hear . ) I sat in a judicial capacity ; both parties were witnesses of my conduct , and fearlessly I appeal to xsvery spectator of that conduct to say if I did not , as a just and honourable man , hold the balance fairly between the one party and the other . ( Loud cheers . ) I rejoice that this meeting affords me the opportunity of presenting myself before so many of those whom I have tho honour to represent in the House ' of Commons . ( Cheers . Having given no vote in that House
contrary either to the professions which I made when I sought to enter it , or to the dictates of my conscience , having to the best of my ability endeavoured to discharge my duty faithfully and independently , and having no desire to continue in that House when I cease to enjoy the confidence of those who sent me there , I am not afraid of coming before you . ( Renewed cheers . ) I cannot say that it has been my happiness and privilege to assist in carrying through . Parliament any great measure of legislative justice to the people , either for the enlargement of their rightfulipolitical power , or the diminution of their heavy and intolerable burdens . In the late session of Parliament the government , and a large majority of the House , have resisted all attempts to reduce thepublic expenditure , and all measures in favour of parliamentary reform . ( Cries of "Shame . " ) As far as any result in the . House of Commons is
concerned , all the , motions on those subjects , however ably brought forward and discussed " , have been in vain . One fact , I think , must have been long apparent to those whom I address—that legislation , in all but its last stages , and as a matter of form , has to be done out of doors . ( Hear , hear . ) I mean that legislation which tends in any degree to advance the social or political welfare of the people . ( Cheers . ) The House of Commons may be left to vote money , and they will do it—to sanction any abuse , and they will do it—to support any jo ^ Avhich will increase the patronage of the minister , and they will doit ; but that house miist not bo looked to for any measure of real reform until th ' e people have settled the question out of doors —( hear ,
heai 1)—noi 1 then , until they show a- determination not to rest satisfied until their demands are granted . ( Cheers . ) Why is this ? Because in tho vast majority of cases , the members of the House of Commons , availing themselves of the present imperfect . , corrupt , and unconstitutional system of elections , have virtually returned ' themselves by money , by family influence , or by other equally excoptionablo means—and , having done so , sit in the legislature , not to promote the wishes or the wcltnre of tho people , but to support those abuses by which , they and , their immediate connexions profit , and through which large numbers of them derive their sole support . Hence the absolute necessity of a thorough renovation of the representative system .
( Hear . ) But it is some consolation to know that if little that is good beyond the repeal of the navigation laws has been done within the walls of parliament , much that will evcntually'determine the character of our future legislation has been done out of doors . ( Much cheering . ) ¦ 'Never , perhaps , in the history of the country were the people better informed on the questions that most affect tlieir interest ov which relate to tho administration of public affairs . Nor is this remark applicable merely to the British isles . The inhabitants of our colonial dependencies are beginning to think and to act for themselves —( hear , hear)—and to follow the example of their fellow subjects in tho parent country , by demandin" tho right of managing their own affairs —( bear , bear)—and of regulating the expenses which havo to be defrayed out of their own pocketsl These agitations at home and abroad havo not been without their effect upon the minds of hor
Majesty ' s advisers ; ( Hear . ) The shadows which coming cvbnts have cast before , have been observed , and we now hear rumours of ministerial intentions and measures during the session , which will open on Thursday next . ' ( Cheers . ) In three days the curtain will be drawn up , the oracle will speak , and wo shall have the opportunity of asking the stagemanager whaE new pieces ho intends to bring out . ( Laughter and cheers . ) While it may be interesting to speculate upon the intentions of the government , it is pf . much greater importance that we should bo agreed in reference to what wo ought to do , and what wo mean to do / ourselves . ( Hear , hear . ) Wuile the present House of Commons continues , we must take what we can get , and be as thankful aS wo can . ( Cheers , and a voice : " That will be , thank you for nothing . " ) The quostion of questiens is , what measures should the people themselves determine to prosecute , irrespective of the views © the cabinet , and regardless altogether oftheprQj
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 2, 1850, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1559/page/7/
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