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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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ffflEEEMBST AM 05 G THBMSELTES OS WHAT WAGES THEY WOULD WORK FOR-« rtt T TERMS THEY WOULD REQUIRE volt THEIR WORK . AND THEt WERE NOT £ n BE RESTRICTED FROM SO DOING MERELY BECAUSE MASY OF THE WORK-« ES WERE IN THE EMPLOYMENT OF ONE PERSON , AND . PERHAPS , OTHERS IS TflE EMPL OYMENT OF OTHERS . It -wUl Tie observed that this extract from # e judgment differs sli ghtly from the varioui versions in the newspapers : ours , however , ii from the short-hsnd writer ' snotes . By this dechion the law has been more authoritatively declared than at any former period , and the substantial victory resti with the working cI&ssbb . ^
Not without drawbacks . The manner in ¦ which Lord Campbell played into the handi of the prosecution , for the purpose of enabling it to wreak its revenge upon some of the objects of its hatred , excited feeling * there-Terse of admiration or respect . The pretences , and the exceedingly A&f&ctire erJdence , upon which Mr . Pbel was convicted , were to ob-Tions at Stafford to Justice Eblb , that in his charge he distinctl y alluded to it , and
separated Mr . Peel ' s case from the others , as one in -which , if any offence had been committed , it was solely under the persuasion counts , the validity of vrlrich have been destroyed by the decision on Monday . We shall have more to say on this subject ; meantime , we record our own deep conviction , that gross injustice ha 3 been done to Mr . Peel , and also to hii colleague , Mr . Green , by classing them , as far as sentence is concerned , with defendants
against whom actions , which , however juBtifiable , yet opposed to the strict letter of the law , -were proved . Had they been sentenced at Stafford , no auch injustice would have been done . Both of them have nobly discharged their duty in the trying and arduous situation in which * they were placed , and we have no doubt the esteem and gratitude of thousands of their fellow workmen follow them to theit prison cell j their release from which ought to be the signal for a manifestation of the popular feeling of the trades on the subject .
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THE FACTORY OPERATIVES AND THEIR NOBLE ' BROTHER , ?
Lord Shafeesbuey appears to think that his compromise Short Tim © Act has had a fair trial , and he has made a pilgrimage into the manufacturing districts to see how it works , and to have a talk with the operatives , to whom he waB so well known as Lord Ashlbt . According to the addresses presented to him at various meetings , and his replies , the measure appears to have been satisfactory as far as it has gone , and wherever it has been honeetly carried out . The defects incidentally alluded to as still existing , onl y prove that the compromise ought never to have been
made , and that Lord Ashley should have defended , in all its integrity , the act introduced by the late John Fielden , snpported b y the TeemIEB , and agreed to by the Legislature . We learn , however , that even the modified law is still eet at defiance , by a small minorit y of mill-owners j and Lord Shaetesburt threatens that he will again apply to Parliament to complete its work , and compel these refractory Mammonites to obey . But if they are acting illegally , why not enforce the penalties already provided % The law ought to be no respecter of persons , and even Manchester factory lords should be made to feel that in this country it is supreme .
The topics selected by his lordship for his speeches to the mill-hands * are very characteristic of the man , and accompanied , as he is , by Mr . Chadwick , of sanitary notoriety , seem to point to ulterior and unavowed objects . The Board of Health has not hitherto been peculiarly happy in its practical operations , and in -view of the coming discussions on the question , it may not be amiss to manufacture a little political capital , and an appearance of provincial sympathy . Accordingly , the importance of thorough drainage and sewage , of clean homeB , order , and industry , were inculcated in »
condescending sort of style , byhislordihip , somewhat out of keeping with the very commonplace character of the topics . But while indulging largely in these platitudes , it has been remarked that he gave no indication of understanding the operative * , or sympathizing with them upon matters with respect to which they feel deeply and strongly , and to which they devote themselves with that spontaneous zea and earnestness , which arises from a deep personal conviction of their importance . "While listening to his lordship ' s patronising , well-meant , but rather prosy advice , it must have occurred to the clear-headed , shrewd men of Lancashire , that he had not a word to say
respecting the co-operative movement , in which so many of them are interested . If ever there wag one which , more than another , deserved the cordial sympathy , encouragement , aud support of a man in Lord Shafxesburt ' s eminent position , it is that . The orderl y , prndent , and frugal habits he inculcates as the professed friend of the operative claisee , finds in the co-operative movement a natural and an adequate field of exertion j and suffering , as these societies do , from the obstructions placed in their way by tho present law of partnership , it might have been expected that so philanthropic a nobleman would have turned his attention to that subject , and pledged himself to support such alterations as wonld enable these societies to conduct their
business upon a secure tenure , and under the protection of the law . Apparently , however , his lordship either does not comprehend , or does not sympathise "With , the manly and self-dependent efforts of the working classes to improve their own condition through the medium of social and political measures , Ho would like them to he treated as very good children , and to ' behave themselves as sitch * under tbe patronising surveillance of their * superiors . ' All this is very amiable and very well-intentioned , but his lordship deceives himself if he thinks it is
practicable . The suffrage , and the means by which the industrial millions may improve their social position , are the great questions which have token possession of their minds . In some way or other , they will work out the important problem they have in hand ; and while they will listen respectfully to any one who like Lord Shaftesbtjiiy reall y wishes them well , they will not be turned back from the object they are in pursuit of . It is not often vre find ourselves agreeing with the 1 Daily JTewa' on these subjects , but here is paragraph or two worth quoting : —
Lord Shaftfsbury is a politician , a public person * age , an hereditary legislator ; a man who , in these qualities and characters has devoted himself to the study and care of the operative classes , who boasts that he knows them ; who states that whilst continental Europe was in a blaze he had no fear of them , who tells them that he loves and respects them , and who awkB in return their confidence . Sow , Bfltsh a person , so situated , ought lo bare SOme ^ opinioa on the great question of extending the political suffrage to this class ; and , having &n opinion tbereon , be mi ght surely , when again , after an interred of years , addressing his Manchester "brethren , " hare told them what it vra *
Silent on the point , the inference is , that I-ord ShafteBlrarjr thinks water-work * , good drainage , Md earthenware pipeage , constant supplies of water , and the abolition of cisterns and ball-cocki Of far £ reater moment than the suffrage . If Lord Shaftesbury thinks so , hig iudieace , and aaa aisssM = a& * . * SS-ssmT ? s ^ Shs saga sgs ar srssz
try . Hetellithewwkpeopi , j ^ 9 htliig
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THE FREEHOLD LAND MOVEMENT The Freehold Land Societies have , thla week , had their Annual Conference and Demonstration in the metropolis . According to the report submitted to the delegates , the movement is progressing with great rapidity . One hundred and fifty estates havo been purchased in various parts of the country , and divided in to twelve thousand allotments , each of the annual value necessary to constitute a freehold county vote . £ 400 , 000 has been actually paid , of which £ 230 , 000 was received during the past year ; and a total capital , of upwards Of two millions , has been subscribed for by forty-five thousand members . These figures speak for themselves . They prove not only the gigantic dimensions to
which these societies have grown , but the intense and -wide-spread desire , -winch exists among the poorer classes for the possession of the franchise / and with it a spot of earth , however email , that they can call their own . But , on the other hand , it was impossible to hear the statements made at the Conference without perceiving that , under the existing law of this country , these societies are placed in a most precarious and unsatisfactory position ; and that unless great and radical alterations be speedily effected in the law of real property and of partnership , the very extent of the movement , together with the variety and largeness of the interests involved , will tend to produce disastrous results to thousands of the shareholders .
For instance , if the law is applied to these societies in the same spirit as it was to the National Land Company , the great majority of them are at this moment subject to heavy penalties for the infringement of the Lotteries Acts . "When first started , they steered clear of that liability by adopting the principle of rotation . In most cases , however , it has been found that simple rotation does not keep pace with the eagerness of the members to procure allotments , and fails , in other respects , as a working system . They- have , therefore , adopted various modifications of tbe Ballot . The * National '—with which Mr . Cobden is
connected—acts , as far aa we understand , on the system of ballotting without any reservation whatever ; and the almost unanimous feeling of tho Conference on Monday last was in favour of the general adoption of that system . To the objection of some of the speakers that the Ballot was , in fact , the abomination of gambling , it was replied , that , as each shareholder would ultimately get an allotment , it was not a lottery or game of chance , hi the ordinary acceptation of the terms , because in lotteries there are blanks : in gambling some must lose ; in the Land Societies all will get a prize , and the Ballot merely determines when .
This argument is precisely that upon which theadoption of the Ballot by the Land Company was justified . But its validity wasdenied by the registrar under the Joint Stock Acts , and the law officers of the Crown , and even a manda . * l musfrom the Queen ' s Bench , failed to corape them to register it as a legal society . Among those who were in tho habit of denouncing the Land Company as an inegalbody , and certain , therefore , to end iu disappointment ,
were Mr . Cobden , Mr . Taylor , the originator of the Freehold Land Societies , and other active leaders of the movement . Mr . Cobden has been connected with a society for some time , where the ballot has been adopted ; on Monday Mr . Taylou avowed his complete and unconditional conversion to the system he had so often and energetically condemned , and pointed out as the great distinction between Mr . O'COKHOll ' S Land
Scheme and his own ! Either there is a rock a-head here , or we shall once more verify the adage , that one man may steal a horse with impunity , while another shall be hanged for looking over the hedge . In fact , the leaders of the movement appear to be perfectly aware that they are taking an illegal position , and also that the success of the movement is painfully
jeopardised by the law of partnership . Mr . GIeach , the member for Coventry , addressed some very ominous warnings on the subject , which had all the more significance coming from a man so well acquainted practically with these matters ; and the appointment of a committee , on the motion of Mr . Sadlier , tbe member for Cariow , to reportas to the operation of the law on these societies , aud what alterations may be necessary , was an additional proof that they are fully aware of their perilous
position . If , in conjunction with the efforts of the Co-operative Societies , now so numerous in ¦ various parts of the country , a change can be effected , by which , the responsibility of shareholders can be limited to the amount they themselves voluntarily incur , by which land can he disposed of aa readily in the market as stocks and shares in commercial undertakings , a beuefit of immense and almost incalculable value will have been conferred upon the community at large . There will then be some hope of the industrial classes getting a foothold in their native land , and acquiring , by means of union and economy , that stake in the country of which the present state of the law deprives them .
As to the political aspect of these societies , we have already expressed our views . As ameans of enfranchising the unenfranchised , they are a mockery and adelusion . It is only a certain class that can take advantage of their machinery . Some of that class , of steadily employed and well paid operatives , may , through its instrumentality , obtain votes for three ov four different counties , like Mr . Taylor ; but the
great bulk of the working classes have not the means to meet the sustained and protracted payments required for the acquisition of a freehold . And even if they had , we say it is a gross injustice to call upon them to pay for that which is a right . By the great Charter of England justice is neither to be bought nor old ; and , we say , that purchasing back the rights of which the people have been defrauded , is , in fact , to put a premium upon fraud and wrong doing .
It may be doubted , also , whether , in the moral and economical view of the matter , these societies will produce the results * anticipated by their sanguine advocates . If Mr . O'Cosrjj oh ' s plan had been carefully and judiciously carried out , with all the advantages and support of legalization , it would have much more certainly effected its objects . An industrious and prudent man , placed upon a small farm , « nd furnished with a house , outbuilding , implements , and a small capital to commence with , was supplied with all the materials necessary for the support of himself aud
family by independent labour . Hib fate was , to a great extent , under his own control . But the Freehold Land Societies onlytouTey to their member * a small strip of land , whioh is scarcely worth anything until buildings hare been erected upon it . If the ettata is distant from the town where the owner lives and pursues hii daily labour , he must 1 st it ai a piece of garden ground , or in some other yrty , unless he has mosey to build ; sad , la many cases , -we believe , these small plots of ground will fall into the hands of the clever peculators in these societies , at smaller p rices than were originally girea for them ,
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These are , however , considerations for the parties concerned . All we have to do is to enter our protest against the movement whenever it comes into contact with the efforts for attaining political emancipation , which re « ts upon the undeniable right of every citizen who supports the state , to have a voice in its Government . The Freehold Movement must not be confounded with tbe Suffrage Movement . ^» ^ l »* MaM « l « iMM ^
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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF UNITED TRADES . T . 8 . Doncombb , Esq ., M . P ., President . " rut jdstitia . " " If Jtwero possible for the working 01 asse 3 , by com-Wrung among themselvei , to raise , or keep up the genera ] rate of wages , it need totty be laid ttiat this would be a inmg not to bepunisned , but to be welcomed and rejoiced "• . 6 tuakt Mill . „ ...
The WolverbamptoB conspiracy case has terminated not quite in the unequivocal victory for the Messrs . Perrry that they had anticipated . r ihe three counts in the indictment , which sought to establish persuasion as an indictable offence , have been withdrawn , by the strong recommendation of the Court of Queen ' s Bench—most unwillingly by the Prosecutors . A nolle proseq'ih as regards Messrs . Winters aud Rowland , was also entered by Mr . Sergeant Allen by the same high advice , and assented to with evident reluctance . The strict legality , therefore , of the only principle that was raally contended for not only remains undisputed , bat is materially strengthened , by the full confirmation of the law , aa laid down by Mr . Justiea R 0 » e ( the present Lord Justice Cranworth ) .
The verdict , as against the other defendants , Messrs . Peel , Green , Duffiald , Woodnorth , Gaunt , and Piatt is confirmed , there being , in the opinion of the Court , evidence for the jury against these parties upon each of the remaining seventeen counts ; their verdict could not , therefore * he dututhedor questioned . Now , although we are not quite so well satisfied with the verdict of the jury as their lordships appear to be , still , bo sacred do we hold the im&lu&ble institution of" Trial by Jury "—which , with many practical defects , we hold to be tbe great bulwark of our personal liberties—that we cannot presume to question their lordships' decision , though we thiok we may venture to doubt either the acumen , or the perspicacity o ( this jury , whose verdict 18 held so sacred .
That there was evidence of a certain and very questionable description , against each and all of the persona convicted . we Will not deny ; but there was , at the same time , strong rebutting evidence upon many material points ; and we also know , with very great certainty , that much and very important evidence , which could not he contradicted at the trial ( as upon these points we were taken entirely by surprise ) , was utterly and entirely false , which , had we succeeded in getting a new trial , would have been clearly demonstrated . The entire evidence agaiuat Messrs . Peel and Green was of this character ; for instance , it was necessary , in order to convict Mr , Peel to connect him wilb a certain handbill to which bis name was attached , and which had been , without his knowledge or consent , exhibited , publicly , in the window of the Star beer house , in Wolverbampton . It was , therefore
unscrupulously sworn that he was lodging and going frequently in and out of the Star durinu the time ( July , 1850 ) , while that bill was thus exhi . bited . That unsupported evidence was held sufficient to make that bill good evidence against him , without any further proof of authorship or publication . Mr . Green ' s name being mentioned in this bill , it became necessary also to connect him with it ; it was , therefore , sworn , by the same go-ahead witness , that Mr . Green was also , at the tame time , lodging aud going in and out of the Star beer-house . There is not a single particle of truth in the whole part of this evidence ; and yet , to it is Mr . Peel entirely , and Mr . Green very materially indebted for the lentence of three months' imprisonment , passed on them , this day , by Mr . Justice Patteaon . [ t can , and will , hereafter , be proved , by . numerous and unimpeachable witnesses , both in London and Wolverhampton .
Mr , Peel and Mr . Green were neither of them either lodging at tbe Star , or even in the town of Wolverhampton at all , at the period in question But , before that can be done , both these parties will have completed their most unmerited sentence . Justice , however , though sometimes , slow , is ever sure , and we await in calta resignation her retributory recompense equivolent . A full report of the proceedings in the Court of Queens Bench on Friday , the 21 st , and Monday , the 24 th , will be found in this week's' Star , ' with the elaborate judgment of Mr . Justice Pafcteson . And we hope , next week , to publish copies of the joint affidavit of Messrs . Peel and Green , vfhich will be found a faithful record of the part taken by the defendants
in the Wolverhampton disputes . These important documents , we hope , will be carefully and dispasaionably read and considered by the members of the National Association . They will judge from them bow far , and in what manner , these convicted conspirators and their colleagues nave performed the duties of their office—how far they have redeemed the pledge so often made in their behalf , of defending the industrial rights of their members , and of the working clasBess of Great Britain , and of maintaining , unimpaired , the sacred right of combination . It will be seen that this right is fully and uneqmvocably conceded by the judges of the
Queen ' s Bench , within those limitations which we have always admitted and enforced , We never counselled or sanctioned any violence , threats , intimidation , obstruction , or molestation in the ordinary and only sense in which we understand those terms ; and if it is to be pretended that these words have , in lavr , a sense and construction different from their usual and ordinary signification , we think , it is the bounded duty of the judges , or of the Legislature , so to explain these terms that plain men , unlearned in legal quibulings and sophistries , may be able to comprehend them , and thus avoid the pains and penalties of an ignorance no unassisted effort of tnoir own can
remove . We think , tho working classes of Great Britain have a right to demand that a law , upon the right construction of which depends their industrial rig hts and personal freedom , there should exist no differences of opinion in Westminster Hall ; that this law should , in all it parts , words , and features , be fixed and determinated—that it should be mado a law of fact , and not Of judicial opinion—that it should possess a oneness , a consistency , and homogeneity , that neither judges , juries , nor workmen Bhould , by anv possibility , differ upon as to its meaning . We think tho -working people and tho country , should bo spared a repetition of such absurb inconsistencies as have been exhibited in the legal proceedings of the late trials .
In the first place , the law , as laid down by Baron Rolfe in the case of Jones and Potts v . Selsby and other ? , was in substance this : that the working men had « right to combine and subscribe to a common fund for the protection of the wages for which they chose to sell their labour within the limitation set forth in the act , and before referred to ; that they had also an equal right to peaceably persuade other workmen to act as they acted in this matter . No reference whatever was made by the learned Baron to the consequences or inconveniences these proceedings of the men were likely lo have upon the masters , any more than what would be the effect upon the interests of tho men by similar combinations on the part of the masters . To tach
was left the legal enjoyment of a reciprocal right , without the slightest reference to the consequences to either side , from the full fruition of this common right by the other . This was the acknowledged state and definition of the law by one of its brightest ornaments , and must be held by every man of common sense and common honesty consistent with reason and equity . Then comes Mr . Justice Erie ' s more complex interpretation . We have not , at present , access to the exact words , and can only give from memory the substance of his lordship ' s opinionslie first of all admits , as a postulation , th « right of combination , but then he insinuates that has reference ; only to Buch as are unemployed , and says it
would be exceedingly dangerous to extend that right to such as may be then in employment , because the abstraction or the withdrawal of such men , when a manufacturer m » y have orders waiting fot execution , would necessarily inflict upon that employer loss and inconvenience , and would , in bis lordship ' s opinion , amount to the " molestation and obstruction" referred to in the act , and subject tbe parties bo persuading to an indictment ; and it was upon this Tiew of the law that the jury found their late verdict . We think it quite clear that tbe view of the law wii not confirmed by the Court of Queen ' s Bench . We think the following passage from Mr . Justice Patteson s judgment isqniteconclusiveupon that point ;—
The Masters were at liberty to giva what rate of wage * they liked , » nd to agree among themselves what wage thej would pay . in like manner , tfie workmen were at liberty to agree among themselves for what wages they would « vork , and were not restricted in so doing by tht circumstance that they were ' in the employ of one or the other of the master ! . ' The intention of the Legislature was to make them quite free , Thig opinion of the Court of Queen ' s Bench ( including , be it remembered , Mr , Justice Erie , )
» quite consistent and confirmatory of Judge Rolfe ' * Lirerpool dictum , and diametrically opposed to Justice Erie ' 8 Staffordshire dictum . "We would most respectfully ask Mr . Justice Erie which , of these two conflicting opinions will his lordship stand by in future * Or shall some future Parry quote Justice Erie in Banco against Justice Erie at Nisi Prius , while upon the same occasion , a Sergeant Allen , or "Wilkins , quotes hiB lordship deliberately spoken nisi prim lawvcrnw Ms Queen . ' Bench opinion ? We Tenure to thisk ^ flat flUlordsbip ' 0 opinion
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THE WHALE Am THE WHALERS . ( From the New Bedford ( U . S . ) Mercury . } Wo have just received tho following thrilling seeount of too destruction of the whale ship Ann Alexander , Captain John S . Deblois , of New Bedford , by a largo sperm whale , from tho lips of the captain himself , who arrived in this city from rsutu on Sunday hist , in cite schooner Provitleuce . It is one of the most remarkable evtmts on record , and will be read with interest throughout the whole commercial and civilised world where it may be tnarte known . A similar circumstance bas never yet been known to occur but once in the whole history of whale fishing , and that was the destruction Of tho Ship ESSUX , some twenty or twenty-five yours ago , and which many of our readers fully remember . We proceed to tha narrative as
furnished us by Captain Deblois , and which is fully authenticated by nine of tho crew in » protost , under the seal of tho United States' Consul , Alex , Runen , jun ., atPaita . " The ship Ann Alexander , Captain S . Deblois , sailed from New Bedford , Massachusetts , Juno 1 , 1850 , for a cruise in the South Pacific for sperm whale . Having taken about 500 barrels of oil in ilie Atlantic , the ship proceeded on her voyage to ihe Pacific . Nothing of unusualinteresfi occurred until , when passing Cape Horn , ono of tho men named Jackson Walker , of Newport , New Hampshire , aged about twenty-four , was lost ovorboard iu a Storm . Reaching tho Pacific , she came up the ooast and stopped at Valdivia , coast of Chili , for fresh provisions , and on the 31 at of May last she called at Paita for the purpose of shipping ft man . The vessel proceeded on her yoyago to tho South Pacific .
On the 20 th of August last ehe reached what is well known as the ' Off-Shore Ground , ' in lat . 6 deg , 50 south long 102 deg . west . In the morning of that day , at about nine o'clock , whales wore discovered in rhe neighbourhood , and about noon tho same day they succeeded iu making fast to one . Two boats had gone after the whales—tbe larboard and the starboard , the former commanded by the first mate , and the latter by Captain Deblois . The whale which they had struck was harpooned by tho larboard boat . After running some time tho whalu turned upon tho boat , and rushing at it with
tremendous violence , lifted open its enormous jaws , and taking tho boat in , actually crushed it into fragments as small as a common sized chair ! Capt . Debloia immediately struck for the scene of the disaster with the starboard boat , and succeeded , ag ainst all expectation , in rescuing the whole of the crew of the demolished boat , nine in number ! How they escaped from instant death when tho whale rushed upon them with Buch violence and seized their boat in its ponderous jaws is a mystery known only to ' Him who holds the waves as in the hollow of His hands . '
" There were now eighteen men in the starboard boat , consisting Of the captain , the fivst mate , and the crews of both boats . The frightful disaster had been witnessed from the ship , and the waistboat was called into readiness aud sent to their relief . The distance from tho ship was about sis miles . As soon as tho waist-bo . it arrived , the crews were divided , and it was determined to pursue tho same whale and make another attack upon him . Accordingly they aeparated , and proceeded
at some distance from each other , as is usual on suoh occasions after the whale . In a short time they came up to him and prepared to give him battle . The waste-boat , commanded by the first mate , was in advance . As soon as the whale perceived the demonstration being made upon him , he turned his course suddenly , and making a tremendous dash at this boat , seized it with his widespread jaws , and crushed it into atoms , allowing the men barely time to escape his vengeance by throwing themselves into the ocean .
" Captain Debloia , again seeing the pevilouB Condition of his men , at the risk of meeting the same fata , directed his boat to hasten to their rescue , and iu a short time succeeded in saving them ail from a death little less horrible than that from which they had twice so miraculously escaped . Ho then ordered the boat to put towards the ship as speedily as possible ; and , no sooner bad the order been given thnn they discovered the monster of the deep making towards them , with his jaws
widely extended . Escape from death now seemed totally out of the question . They were six or seven miles from the ship ; no aid even there to ' nfford them necessary relief , and ttie whale—maddened by the wounds of tho harpoon and lances which had been thrown into him , and seemingly gloating with tho prospect of speedy revenge , within a few cables' length . Fortunately the monster came up , and passed them at a short distanco . The boat then made her way to the ship , and they all got on board in safety .
" After reaching the ship a boat was dispatched for the OaVB of the demolished boats , and it was determined to pursue the whale with tho ship . As soon as tho boat returned with the oars , sail was set , and the ship proceeded after tho whale . In a short time Bhe overtook him , and a lance was thrown into his head . The ship passed on by him and immediately after they discovered that the whale was making for the ship . As he came up near her they hauled on the wind and guttered the monster to pass her . After ho had fairly passed they kept off to overtake and attack him again , When they had reached within about fifty rods of him they discovered that tho whale had sottled down deep below the surface of the water , and as it was near sundown they concluded to give up the pursuit .
" Captain Deblois was at this time standing in the nigh-heads on tho larboard-bow , with craft in hand ready to striko the monster a deadly blow should he appear , tho ship moving about five knots , when working on the sido of the ship ho discovered the whale rushing . towards her at the rate of fifteen knots . In an instant the monster struck the ship with tremendous -violence , shaking her from stem to stern . She quivered under the violence of the shock as if she had struck upon a rocfe . Captain Dobloia immediately descended into the forecastle , and there , to his horror , discovered that the monster had struck the ship about two feet from the keel , abreast the foremast , knocking a great hole entirely through her bottom , through
which the water roared and rushed in impetuously , Springing to the duck , he ordered the mate to cut away the anchors and get the cables overboard to keep the ship from sinking , as she had a large quantity of pig iron on board . In doing this the mate succeeded in relieving only one anchor and cable clear , the other having been fastened around the foremast . Tho ship was then sinking very rapidly . The captain went into tbe cabin , where he found three feet of water ; he however succeeded in procuring a chronometer , aextant , and chart . Reaching the docks he ordered the boats to be cleared away , and to get water and provisions , us the ship was heeling over . Ho again descended into tho cabin , but the water waa rushing in so
rapidly that ho could procure nothing . He then camo upon deck , ordered all hands into the boats , and was the last himself to leave the ship , which he did by throwing hin f -If into the &ea and swimming to the nearest boat . The ship was on her beamends , ! her topgallant yards under water . They then pushed off gome distance from the ship , expecting her to sink in a very short time . Upon an examination of the stores they had been able to save , he discovered that they htul only twelve quurts of water , and not a mouthful of provisions of any kind , The boats ( SO'itainod eleven men each , were leaky , and , night coming on , they were obliged to bale them all night to keep them from sinking , "Next day , ai daylight , they returned to the ship , no one daring to venture on board but the captain , their intention being to cut away tho mast , and fearful that tbe moment the masts were cut away the ship would go down . With a single
hatchet the captain went on board , and cut away the maat , when the ship righted . Tho boats then came up , and the man , | by the sole aid of spades , eut aw » y the chain cable from around the foremast , which got the ship nearly on her keel . The men then tied ropei round their bodies , got into the sea , and cut holes through the deoks to get out provisions . They could procure nothing , but about fire gallons of vinegar , and 201 b of wet bread . The ship threatened to Bink , and they deemed it imprudent to remain by her longer , so they act Bail on her boats , and left her . " They were in a dreadful state of anxiety , know , ing that in a verj few days , unless a kind Providence should direct them to fall in with some ship , they must all die by starvation and thirst , or that , to sustain life , they would be obliged to eat each other ' s bodies at Boon aa life had departed ! However , as long as they had strength , they knew it was their duty to wait and watoh patiently , and trust to that Good Being who bad twice so signally saved them from the jaws of tho moneter of the do » # tbo daj preyigus , T ^ eir 911 I 7 bop ? was
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in trying to reach a rainy latitude , that , from the rains that might fall , they micht sustain life . " With this hopo thev directed their couiv-o northerly , and on the 22 nd ' of August , at about five o ' clock p . m ., they had the indescribable joy of riiiccming a ship in tho distance . They made a signal , and wer © soon answered , and a . short timo t » Dy were reached by the good ship Nantucket , of Mntuckct , Massachusetts , Captain Gibbs , who tooic them all on board , clothed and fed them , aud ostenck'd to them in every way tho ercalest possible hospitality . J fc
" On tho succeoding < lny Captain Gibbs wenttotliO wreck of tho ill-faie < l Ann Alexander , for the purpose of trying to procure something from her , but as tllO SOU whs rough , and cite attempt considered liangorows , bo abandoned tho project . The N ; intueket then set sail for P . ma , where she arrived on the 15 th of September , and whero she landed C-kptain Doboistf and his men . Captain Deboise was kindly received and entertained at Paita Uy Captain iktuursfc , an English gentleman residing theye , kwA euWquencly took patfagc on boara the schooner Providence , Captain Starkbuck , for this port , arriving here on Sunday last , the 12 tb insi .
" At Paita Captain Dt-bkis entered his protest at the Uilitod States Consulate , which was authenticated by the following officers and seamen on board at the time of the disaster , the two officers and tin ) rest of tho crew shipped on board other vessels ' . —Joseph K , Green , first mate ; Jarooa Smith , third ditto ; John Morsan , carpenter ; James lljley , cooper ; J .-imcs M'ltoborts r John Smith , William M . Smith , Henry Reid , aod Charles Y . Booth , seamen . " In concluding our account of this singular and eventful disaster , we-are requested by Civptftia
Dtiblois to express to Captain Gibbs and Ms officers , Captain Bathurst , Captain Stavbuck , and his partner , and to all others who have extended a hand of kindness towards him since his dreadful misfortune , the most grateful and heartfelt thanks —thanks which he has no words to express , and flUich can only bo conceived by the parties reversing the order of their respective circumstances . They will always bo held in tho most grateful remombrance for the true nobility and generosity of their conduct towards him in tho severe trial he has been compelled to undergo . "
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hey have reason to be proud of the corporation of that city . So they have ; the corporation of Manohester is a noble specimen of municipal administration . But why ? Because it has a mighty public opinion at Us back . It is a vent to public opinion that it wanted elsewhere : and the political suffrage ig that tent . Give us that , and wo will in a few years be as clean , and domestic , and happy , as Lord Shaftesbury wishe *; and as rationally pious also ; though not , perhaps , after tho fashion of puritans , but as men with , clear heads and honest hearts usually are .
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MONIES RECEIVED Fob tick Week Ending Thursday , Kovemder 27 th , 1851 . FOR DEBT DUE BY REFUGEES . Received by W . Rideb , —Ripponden , per A . Faterson G » .
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THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY AND THE FACTORY OPERATIVES . The Earl of Shaftesbury has been lately visiting tbe factory districts , and receiving ; v number of addresses from the operatives , for his services in the accomplishment of the short time ; in reply to an address from the operatives of Manchester last week , the Earl said ' No testimonial , the most precious in value or highest in amount , could have been go dear to me as this address . I return my most sincere and hearty thanks , if the gentlemen will accept them , " to the employers and master mill-owners of these districts / who have after the conflict is over , most admirably entered on a new career , throwing ho . obstacle in the way , and have entered into the fulfilment of the law , and I do believe , rejoice , as much as you do , that the matter has been brought to a successful issued There are some , but thank God they are a minority , who still continue to evade the spirit , if not tlie actual letter of the law , —but in so large a body of men there must always be exceptions , I can only say that it g ives me most sincere gratification—I have used the expression be .
fore , and I use it again—from the bottom of my heart I do most sincerely love and respect you , and few things give me greater pleasure than to come into the operative districts and see all my good friends , who treat me with as much heartiness as if I wafl their brotherand God knows that in sentiment I am their brother . I hope to he able to my dying day to show it ; and I can assure you to the hour of my death , not one day or night shall pass without offering np to Almighty God a most deep and heartfelt prayer for your prosperity in this world and in the world to come , with the expression of an ardent hope that I may ever be your friend , and that I may be ever considered hy you to he your friend . ' ( Loud cheere . ) Th © Earl afterwards visited many of the millowners , and expressed his gratification that they had bo generously seconded the intentions of the Legislature is acting upon the spirit of the new enactment
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upon this subject , would not in future hare ^ t ne . ghfc in Westminster Hall . We trust , therefore , that Monday ' s proceedings will put an end for ever to such unseemly judicial inconsistencies , The portion of the National Association has been immensely strengthened by this judgment . Its strict legality unquestioned — Its immense power , when duly supported , und its operations conducted in tho spirit of theko-, fully admitted . This power , when guided by intelligence nn . i 1
honesty of purpose , can only bo alarmingto servile judges and nervous old woman . It-mxy be now made , if the working classes will k , a great national blessing , nnd an effective barrier to the enoroachments ef capital . Such a position is cheaply purchased with , three months' incarooration , that can no most amount to a little personal annoyance , which will be Amply compensated for , by tho sweot reflection of having faithfully ami uiccesBfully performed a great public duty . ' Tub Couuitteb or thb National Absooiatiok op United Tradbi . 259 , Tottenham-court-road .
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THE FACTIONS AND THE FRENCH EEPUBLIC . Each successive phase of the struggle between M , Bonaparte and the Royaliets in the Assembly , tells more conclusively in favour of honest Republicanism . The Mountain inflicted a severe blow upon the majority , by voting for'tho Phesident ' s proposal to restore Universal Suffrage . The Berried ranks of the opposition were thrown into disorder , and re « aotion aastaxned a signal check , if not a decisive defeat . On the proposition of the Questors
for investing the President of the Assembly with large military powers , tier saw as clearly what was their duty . To have supported the proposition in its original form would hare been to set-up a military dictator in the interest of the Royalist factions ; the deportation of Republicans and destruction of the Republic would have followed , as a matter of course , on the heels of restored Monarchy . But their policy was one of principle , and not dictated by personal considerations . The
[ mperiaiists chuckled over those defeats and imagined the victory was won for them . Not so . Upon the organic law , which de fines thepoWCTBOfthePBESIDENT , and which , iu the due course of business , haB again come before the Assembly , it is clear that the Republican party will take care to vote for tbe imposition of such restrictions , and exact such guarantees as will render it a difficult , if not impossible , task for LOUIS NAPOLEON to play the part of traitor .
It is wonderful to see how respectful tbe factious intriguers for power on both sides have become to the party which thus practically holds the destiny of the nation in its hands .. While each accuses the other of forming a shameful coalition with , the Mountain , they mutually seek to propitiate its good graces and secure its aid . The Royalists make extraordinary professions of fidelity to the Republic , of which the Republicans knew the real value too well to he deceived by them ; and , wonderful to relate , even M . Bonaparte , for the first time since lie was elevated to the
position of President , has deigned , in express terms , to recognise the existence of the Republic ! In his speech , before delivering the decorations of the Legion of Honour , to the prize winners at the Great Exhibition , he denounced ' monarchical hallucinations / and spoke of the Republic in terms of eulogy . ' How grand , ' he exclaimed , ' would be the French * Republic , if it were only permitted to pay attention to
its real interests , and to reform its institutions ? . . . How great would this nation be if it were allowed to breathe at ease , and live by its own life ! ' Most true ; but what a pity it is that the reflection only occurred to him at the close of the third year of his Presidency , and when he has the pi tspect of losing an office , the powers of which he has prostituted , perverted , and abused . Who but himself and the
reactionary parties with whom hehas been allied , have prevented France from ' breathing at ease , and living by its own life ? ' Who , but they , again who have crushed the French Republic , by a system of repression and unblushing brute force , fitter for the meridian of Naples or St . Petersburg !! than Paris , and expressly intended to prevent it from paying ' attention to its real * interests , or to reform its
institutions ? M . Bonaparte , in uttering these sentiments—in paying this unwonted homage to the Republic—probably meant them merely as a bidding for Republican support in his struggle with the Monarchists . But they are the strongest and most decisive condemnation that can be passed upon his own career , and , while they may be accepted as a penitential confession , ought for ever to shut him out from the list of the future rulers of Fiance .
The organs of the Elysee , and the Monarchical sections of the Assembly , hurl fierce denunications at each other , and the' Times ' affects to believe that there is imminent danger of their speedily coming to blows . If they consulted merely their own passions and their own dynastic interests , we believe they would speedily have their hands at each other ' s throats . But they are compelled to remember that France is Republican , and so far from aiding in the restoration of either Monarchy or the Empire , will take advantage of any open hostilities between their partisans to make the Republic more secure , and to rid it completely of the parties who have , hitherto , been the greatest obstacles to its consolidation and development .
In any probable contingency , we believe the Republic it safe . Whether an open con test takes place now , or the issue is referred to the ballot-box in 1852 , France will conserve and protect its Republican institutions , and claim , perhaps , in more than words , 'the right to breathe easily , live by its own life , ' pay attention to its real interests , undisturbed by the rival .. pretensions of petty cliques or ambitious dynastic pretenders of any k \ nd whatoever . Honour * to the Republican party for so thoroughly comprehending their duty , and 60 nobly performing it !
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LATEST FOREIGN NEWS . PRUSSIA . THE KING ' S SPEECH . The following is a summary of the King of Prussia ' s speech on the opening of the Chambers on Tuesday : Beblin , Nov . 27 . —The King having set out for Hanover s to be present at the funeral of the late King , M . Manteuffel opened the Chambers at 11 o'clock . Not a word is said in the speech as to foreign politics , hut it is very interesting as regards internal politics . The convocation of the old Provincial Diets is designated as temporary provincial representation , and their decrees propositions . The augmentation of the army is declared to be indispensable . The financial position of the country is regarded as satisfactory . A hope is expressed that the treaty of the 7 th of September will be found to succeed ; and will owe its success to the principle of the suppression of the restrictions upon commerce . Finally , the King expresses his confidence in the patriotism of the Chambers . ¦ R RANffR ,
Pakis , Thursday . —Urgency for the Council of States' B 5 J 1 is argued against even hy the journals most hostile to the President ; and as the meeting of the Left at Lemardelay ' s decided not to take the initiative in mori » g it , and 5 a now considered as certain not to be carried , even if propoaed . The 'Aloniteur Parisien' contains auarticlo p ersuading the military to abstaiu from voting at tho Paris elections of the 30 th . Tho ' Ordre ' contains a long article which may bo considered as a retaliation on the Elysee for the article of Cassagnac and the President's speech . It accuses Louis Napoleon of having conspired for two years against the constitution he has sworn to defend , and predicts , that if lie persists in seekiug to renew liis power , notwithstanding tho 45 th article of tbo constitution , such endeavours must inful . libly end in a civil , and finally in a social , war —~— --
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NATIONAL LOAN SOCIETY . This body continues its weekly meetings at 26 , Golden-lane . On Wednesday evening , after the correspondence had been read , and the monetary business transacted , Mr . Wheeler reported the progress made by tbe Official Manager towards the Wiiiding-up of the National Land Company . Mr . Goocic ' tiap had visited the various estates , ordering the RllottP . es to pay no rent , except to Limse )/ . He had received notices from the various occupiers asking whether they would retain their allotments , or put in a claim for compensation , and in almost all instances the allottees had decided upon retain , ing their allotments . Mr . Goodcliap was , at present , visiting the estates to gather information respecting ttie exact situation ol each allottee , in Older to enable him to come to a definite result as to the amount of back rent which would be demanded , and the rate of percentage which should determinate the rent for the future . Maps had been made of the various estates , and the particulars of each allotment recorded upon the map , which thus served as a book of reference . The books containing the receipts of the Company were undergoing a Btrict examination , but much delay had been caused hy ( he first and fourth section day book being either lost or miBlaid . To remedy this they would be obliged to have recourse to the columns of the Northern Star , ' and any person having a file of that paper from the year 1845 , would confer a favour by communicating with Mr . Wheeler , 25 ,
Clement a . lane , Strand . He nas auo requested by the Manager to announce that it was only a loss of time , and an hindrance to his business , for parties to forward their scrip to him . He was not in a position to make any assertion as to a dividend . The estates would first have to be disposed of , end the expenses of proeuring the Winding-up Act , &c , defrayed , in addition to the legal , book , or other debts of tbe Company . Whenever he was prepared to receive the claims of shareholders he would cause advertisements to be inserted in the news , papers to that effect . Persons having claims upon the Company for works ;; erformed , or materials furnished , must send in tbeir claims to Mr . Goodchap , 67 t Gheapside ; they must , also lake a copy of their claims , make an affidavit to its correctness before the Master in Chancery , and then deposit it in the Master ' s office . The Official Manager suggested tbat a solicitor should be employed to perform this business ; the expense would be trifling . After the explanation of other matters , a discussion arose among the members relative to the prospects of the Allottees . Mr . Wheeler stated tbat be believed every consideration would be shown to them . But , according to the . act , they must bear the expense of the legal charge for their leaBe , and this , in addition to ihe back rent ( however much it might be reduced ) , would , he' thought , be heavier than the majority' of the allottees would be able to bear . The allotments which were given up would , in the opinion of the Manager , sell for a much highe price than those which were tenanted . After the discussion of other interesting matters the meeting adjourned .
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•»• Thb Manchester Reform Coxfkrrhce Demonstration . — The important conference of parliamentary reformers , arrauge'd & > r by tho committee recently appointed is intended to be opened on Wednesday next , at half past eleven o ' clock ; and the evening meeting at the Free Trade Hall , will be addressed by both the borough membera , by Mr Cobden , and other gentlemen . The committee have already , we believe , received communicationa from most of the principal towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire , intimating that deputations will attend on tne occasion ; and they haye also received letters irom different parts of the country , expressing strong interest in the proceedings , which will certain y be regarded with earnest attention by the public mind throughout England , —jfamheMr E » aminer . Sudden Dbatb of k Comedian . —Mr . W . Carter held an inquest at the Duke of Sussex , Gibsonstreet , Waterloo-road , Lambetb , on view of the body of Mr . Charles Lamb , aged thirty-four , comedian . Deceased's last engagement was at toe City of London Theatre , The deoeased had been in the habit of taking laudanum , to allay the pain whioh ho Buffered from some malady . On Monday last the deoeased rose up in bed and called ias mother , with whom be lodged , and complaiaed . of difficult breatbiSg . Mr . O'S . nea , the surgeon , w called , but the deceased expired before his arrival . The ooronsr having remarked on the case , taejurj returned a yerdiet of" Mural deft th , " , i *^
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N ovember 29 , 1851 . THE NORTHERN STAR . K J ^" " ^ * ^ "' M * *" ^ " ^*" MM **** " ^ ' * "' ' ** W *** M' ~*"'* " * ' ' ¦¦ O
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 29, 1851, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1654/page/5/
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