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Northern Star (1837-1852), 19th November 1842, Edition 2 of 5, Page 7

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      Untitled Article

      TO THE EDITOB OP THE A'OETHESS STAB . Sibl , —In your paper of Oct . 1 st , appeared a letter , signed W . P , calling upon the Chartists of En gland , and of course , all hai dependencies , to join the Com Law jepeslers . " as a means to gain the Charter . " Whether W . P . be in earnest , or whether he baa put out that letter as a feeler , I cannot say , out I shail tat a it in good earliest , acd , -without abase , treat it

      accordingly . And , first all all , Sir , if W . P . -was my age , and bad bad as much to de -with that lying , canting , hypocritical , and treacherous lot , as I feava , he would as soon join the infernal spirits as a meana to obtain heaven . as join tfee Whigs to gain the Charter . It is out of all character -with us ; and if I was a lantioerat , I jhould suffer my kead to be cat from my body before I irould submit to a repeal of the Corn Lsws , without a repeal cf tfaeltebt Laws . The landlords bave Binned in contracting a National debt ; for every one . knows that the expenaas of the state ought to be paid yearly , just in the game way as the poor rates are paid , yet I ¦ would not snbroit to Aw ruin , through a repeal of the Com Laws , any more than I submitted to th ? ruin of the manufacturers through the passing of Peel ' s BilL

      Did not -we foresee the eSVcta of Peel ' s Bill ? D d not ire exclaim eeainst the injustice of that measure ? Didi not we foresee the manufacturers ruined by hnndreda , by i ttat Biit ? and shculd not we have seen the farmers , j after selling their cattle to put to the corn and hay ; mosey to pay their rent with , trundled into ths streets , had not tht Parliament passed them the Cam Law ? ' Ta bd sure we should . Did not we see cloth and ; blankets fall one-half , and more ? and the man-ofactuitrs of those goods nil the jails ? and what aid we say j then ? Why , we sa . d that the man that could do Eueb a thing , that is , contract the circulating medium , with- j out an Equitable Adjustment of all contracts , was Worse thin a madman , and ought not to be in ticking ' s : Ccnr . ciL ; Wf-U , then , will not a repeal of the Corn Laws have j just the same effrct on the fanners , aye , and on the landlord too , ^ s Petl ' s Bill had on the manufacturers ?! To be sure it "» ilL

      No » , in the former case , the labourer did not get the j profit of chtap cloth and blankets . Ifo ; his wages were j lowered . Bat the boy * of fixed income did wrll . I j have no occasion to mention their names ; W . P . knows { them all as -well es I do . ; And , Sir , surely your correspondent cannot wish to '< see the same game played over again on the farmer , j because he h-s seen it played on the manufacturer ? ' . T ? o ; that would be rank "free trading "—that wcnld be ' real Whicgsry . < Bat , Sir , without any " abuse , " I could not like to see ; the American , or any other , come into the Hull market : With iroad corn to sell at fonr shillings a bushel until j the English farmer be put in a position to compete with j

      him . Dg'iver h m from the one-tenth to keep W . P , a church ; from the expence of a standing army , and all the rest of the things ; let him have foreign rents and I taxes and no more , and adjust bis debts , and then you j may throw the ports open when you please . Bat , for , < Jod ' s sske , do not war . t to bny your com of the Amen- ; can while the English formers are providing and maintaining you a force , not only to protect your mills and caromerce , but to keep the workies in subjection , and ; gire you an opportunity of taking their work out of their hands by your machinery , and reducing them in j their -wages , thirty degrees below the fma ' . ng point ! ! : What , Sir , can W . P . see in the Repealers that he ¦ wishes U 3 to join them ? For my part I nev-r will ; and I am eut 8 no good and well-informed Chartist ever

      If W . P . wishes to join the wbiss , I adviBe him to i go through Liversedge and Heekmondwike to join them ; snd be sure to call on the Chartists of these j p ' aces , and ask them to go and join also ; but , at the same time , I wonld advise him to hold the door in < his hand , while he puts the question , lest the answer . should not suit the nether end of bis body ! i Yonng men , Sir , like W . P . whose love of liberty outruns their judgment , and becanse they are honest , ; think the Whigs might be , if we were to try them again . But , Sir , they never shall , by my consent , be tried again ! Look at the promises they made btfore the passing of the Reform Bill : " lay aside all minor

      differences of opinion , " said they : *• help ua this time ; do help us just to lay the ( stepping stone ; do help us to just put in the wedge , and then when we have got in we will open such a breach in the partition wall of corruption , as will let you all in . " I told the Rtiformers of that day to keep off them ; but somehow they were Whig mad . Well , and how did it end ? Why . Sir , no sooner had they got the " whole Bill , " ( and I wish to God it had been the worst thing they got , ) than they turned round and said , Well , Gentlemen , Radicals good night , it is all over . " Sow , just look at that . I "wisli , Sir , thai W- P- had been old enough at that time , to understand that affiiir ; but the Liversedge and Heckmondwike people will teii him if he call .

      Well , they got in , and they stopped in nearly ten rears , and what did they do ? Why nothing but mischief . And W . P . Sir . may lead at his leisure , their ¦ whole history if he plea » e , beginning with the Irish Coercion Bill , increase of the army a d debt , Frost , ¦ Williams , and Jones , and right down to the attempted repeal of lie timber duty , which they offered in their dying breath ; and then he may aak us to join them . Now , by-the-bye , I have no better opinon of t ' -e Tories ; only this : the Tories want your money , and they tell you they will have it , or else they trill hi-w

      ycur brains cnt ; but the canting " Whigs are alwiys telling yon some fine tale ; but when you fsel in your pockets your meney is gene . ' If ever the Wfcigs be joined to me , it will be on the grounds of undoing their b y deeds . It 'will be by their coming forth hand and heart to get Frost , Williams , and Jones restored to theii families . And , when they do come , they shsli come in at the front door , and take their stand as we order . And I do assure W . P . that they shall neither be behind nor before ; for , if behind , they -will run away , and if btfore . they will lead us astray .

      W . P ., Sir , says that " "where men have a great object to attain , they ought to have mt-ans commen surate to the end . " Well , if these be the means , I give him the good of them ; bnt I would be joiDed to Lord Howick and Company almost , before I would be prevailed on to join them . But , Sir , W . P . thinks the Repealers are not sincere ; and if the Chartists were to join them , tfeey would give their agitation np . I have no doubt bit they ¦ wo uld , if they saw that the Tories were I ; kt 3 y to grant

      the Charter ; and which the Tonta woe'd do rather than repeal the Com Laws , foi tfce following reasons : —First , they wonld see that if they repealed the Cm Laws , and let all ether laws stand as tk * y are , they would get no rents ; and the Rpptalers for no other KfeptAL Secorcly , the landlords Ste the fnr . ^ lorfi acd the mortcaceeready to foreclose ; they ste tie blacksmith , the whtelwrkht . tbt joiner , the tailor , tte grocer , th * sLo = rriier , acd a irony more code with bills in their hai . d £ , al ; wanting paying in Corn at the Amtrican pnet- ; say 12 j . a iua'L

      Xov ? , Sir , can tty one suppose that the landlords ¦ wiii be such fo / s . or can W . P . ¦ sri-h tht-m , when he nsnit know that the Charters offer them far more honourable ana be ' . ttr t ; rms ? To repeal the Corn laws wiifcnui coming to a complete Srttlrir . cst , would kick the farmers" men into the EiiKti ; thf-n tre farmers , ar .-i tLin the Lndl- > : d ; atd then , a « W- P . ssys , the maiiufacta-tiE -Riil be trundled into the strc-rt f-r want of cufctcnitio . Kow , Sir , surely W . P . conld not v > Uh to see all this . 0 jes , " iss Et ^ sure to g the Charter , " say ,

      W . P . Bet , Sir , if W . P . XntW as much cf the landlords as I do he ¦ wt ujd tt * that ihty would not Lave their land taken from thtm by a rtp . al of the Corn Laws , and tie XEcxuiiciErers -B-i . 1 bubnrit to fiifr duty btfore they Will rue tie ri&k of ioaiag Oirir proptny , the "WOlXies . Tte lanciiorri . ihe fur . dlord , the latrtgagee , the penaiDnrr , the Eiituf-cturer , and all who live without "Working know the viiiuc of the workies ; and before they -srould lose thun , htfeie they "wonld snfier them to be en £ ranciilE = d , ti . ty would move both htaven and helL Wh ^ t , scfier the labouring cla ^ s to mak e tfce iav ? ! Why . Sir , thty kDow , and so does W . P ., ttat if tt ^ labouring cksa h ^ d tee power of makirjg the laws in tLvir c ? n hand , they would n- ; t epjoy that power sx months btf- re tfcey beear . to wint to tat one

      taif cf tfce fnnts of il . rir own indUitry . And whit , Sir . -srpuld this do for the id ? ers ? -why , it would jast , driTe : b . m msd . B-. fore he would submit to such a Bt-. t « cf things" I -will not say that he wouM bum np E-, i'ar . d , bu ; Washington ,-jIoscow , St . DcnniB , Cfc . r . a , A 5 zhz . zd £ tazi , ecU iiij . Dy other fiaccs niigtt iremMe . Tt ^ riicufacturws know tLa t the Charter would give tLi tr- rkirg r ^ nn m ore food and clothes for feis waces th ^ n he has -, ans thfy know if he got more , some Wks niu >; Lave tess ; and tLey krew that fixed ircotuts nun . be paid ; ard , besiile , they vUh cne eay to see tleirs ^ s acd 'Jai ^ hltri fill tL cse &&me pbcts of prtSt and toncnr as ttuy call it ; ai . d how c n that be done if 5 cn let theiiAottrerhsve his sbare ? It cacnot . "WT ^ y , tttB , btlOUla . W . P . wish us to join thtm , whtn their iLt-. rtit h ± > d ours are . iismttricaliy opposite to each ctfctr aid as vide apart as Dan i * from Betshtba ?

      L- ok rot , Sir , for tfip to any < , r . e but your own OTGir ; but , above al :, never louk to tte WhijS . They art inoiicy htntus ; Thty h&ve l- > ng r ; cilits ! They will Etvrrbt : filed ; atd as they cow cruc . fy : he poor man in iis "waits , so w > . u'd th ' y do to Jrsr . s CLiist if he * tr « r here zztin . I know wt- have s . deal to contend wl-i ; tut Peels Bill is making Ctirtistjs ts fast as Pitt 5 notes mice Toriw ; aje , and iti 3 tumbling the " H < ustB" do-Rm in ntarly the taniS ratio . S me people despair btcaust- tht lied has got into a few tines , aud Lrcause they ste that they are forbid to ¦* ak on it almost at any price . Tfcey eee the law made by that few , and the : tfi . re tb * re ia eo protection . But Eevtr mind r they are on thtir last leg * ; we must not trtu-dlt tht-ni into the strttt ttfore we are snre thBt ffe can ketp the csxtit ? Wbiga out . When I say trundle , I allude to } 8 Jty : but I wish no maa as-a ciUzrn to be drivtn in ; o the streets .

      What , Six , dcts V . ' . P . tee in tte rep « lers thtt he * i ^ ta us to join ttem ? D jcs he see riches ? If he does , he hsj no ntreii to look to them . Do the repealers actually -want ch ^ ap cam ¦> u they do , "what am I to tmdtrstind by th . ir organ the ilervury , which advises its "wtaiihy rfcfcdeis to g 0 ^ ^ ny np the corn lest it should get Uo Ictt snz ruia the corn uea ' . ers ? I Ebould not woEdc- af ttr ^ tDtir tugs ^^^ cheap corn , if they tske ths j £ 50 , oco , -which they intended to Iny out in tracts and cgitaiicn , and bny np ci * n to prevent ruin , and tali aiood sbcut itpeal at tte same time ! A mce

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      set to join . ' I would like W . P . to look at the best section of ths repealers , the Sturgites ; and just see whether their plan of electing delegates be agreeable to his mind . Then , again , look at the plug plot Who can tell what the fellows would have done , if they had not been put down by some one calling out the " Charter" ? But no sooner wae that word pronounced , than the Whigs , in every part , as if by magic , flew to the Tories t # assist , nay , to tike the lead in putting the plugging down . Just losk at the conduct of those rat-catcheta at Hudrtenfleld . I "was there , and I feel them stink in my nese to this day ; ami had it not been for the sneer of contempt they were bound to endure from the Tory magistrates , that £ ave me a Htt" : e relief , I should have fallen on the spoi . From Hnddersfield go to Cleckheaton , Mill Bridge , nay follow them every where , ani you will find thtm alJ ot a piece .

      W . P , Sir , may join them if be thinks p-oper ; but my tongua shall cleave to the roof of my nicuth , and my hand forget its canning , before I wilL But W . P . talks of more " honourable means . " So he thinks , it seems , that it would be a disgrace to him to join them . It resily would , and a defeat too . ' How conld we join the Whigs and kee-p up our agiiationtoo ? We cannot serve two masters . Just in the same degree that we agitate for the repeal , just in that same degree we neglect our own affiirs . What we have to do is as clear as the snn at noon day .

      We iuu » t agitate for the Charter . We must read tha papers-, and we must read them to others . We must explain to them . I know it is hard work to make politicians ; but now that Peel has begun , let us redouble our zeal , and try if we cannot make them as fast by reasoning , as he can by giving two pounds of beef to the pensioners instead of one ! We are very much to blame in reading the papers to ourselves , instead of reading them to others . We should teach the ignorant to know their rights ; the nature and effects of money ; and we ought to teach them to read and write ; and though we are net allowed to teach them the use of arms and the theory of gunnery , yet , I believe the law does allow us to teach geography and

      arithmetic-Bat , Sir , if you can but prevail upon W . P . to hold his hand a bit , and just give Peel a fair opportunity of paying the interest of the national debt in flour at Is . 6 L per « tone , and beef at 3 d . per pound ; and to pay all fixed obligations at the same rate , be will have no need ta join the Whigs , to lepeal the Corn-L&ws !! We shall have the whole country flocking to our standard like doves to the window . To conclude , if we were to join the Repealers hand and heart , and if they were to stand firm , ( but with W . P . I think they wonld not , ) and tfie Tories from the bad opinion they have been trained to form of the Chartists , were to grant a repeal of the Corn-Laws rather than grant the Charter , would W . P . like to stop in the country either with " . wreck , " or without ? except his heart was steeled np to the brim to pay off old scores . If he would , he is no Chartist

      Could , sir , W . P ., wkh to see Tom Lambert , because Tom has been ignorant , or because he had been led or driven by his landlord , whose mind has been prejudiced asainst the Charter and all that is good , go to Wakeficld with one hundred loads of corn to sell , for which be should briDg home £ 140 to pay his half-year ' s rent , and return with only £ 60 , only besause Jonathan ¦ was there ? Could he like to see him st ' . l his horse-corn aud-furniture to make op the rent ? Could W . P ., in the depth of winter , like to see his "wife and children trundled into the streets by the bums , by order of the

      steward , though hia name be " Jjhn Bessie" ? He knows that that wcuhi be the case all over England . Then , loot at the sales almost all in one day to meet the rent day . Where are the buyers , sir ? Why there are none ; no , nor rents either . Then the mortgagee , then-the fundholder , then all the private bills ; but stop , there is the soldier , Bnd he needs no proeem ; he has that in his cartridge box . Ay , sir , if W . P . has half an eye . by looking here , he will see as much in half a minute as I , in writing , could tell him in a week !

      > ow , I think , I have said enough ta set W . P . a thinking . As Chartista we ought not to wish to see others rebbed and reined , because they have helped to rob and ruin us : jthit is the doctrine of the Repealers . No , we ought to have charity and lova . It is our duty to do the best we csn to put a Btnp to that system ¦ which first robs one and then the other . It is the robber's del : ght to hear those whom he ha 3 robbed say , " Well , damn ' em ttey did not care for xxb , what reason have we to cara for them " ? " Our g . « ds were lowered one-half , and they took no notice ; then "why should wejeare for them V This is the tyrant ' s reasoning . Now , sir , let us mind our own bnsineas . Let us add to our numbers . Let us enlighten each other ' s minds . Let ua shew clearly to e * cn other that it is our interest to get rid of the robbers , and not to rrjoice at seeing each other robbed .

      Having said enough at this time to convince W . P that it will be better to increase our number by instruct ing the- ignorant than joining the Repealers , I remain , sir , yours , T . Popplewell . Eliand Edge . November 5 , 1 S 42 .

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      - - ' TO THE CHARTIST COUNCIL . Nov . 3 rd ., 1842 , English-street , Hull . Gentlemen—I beg t « acknowledge ths receipt of a letter from your Secretary , dated October 31-1 , und al » o to say , that not being aware of having givt-n any off .-nce , « r shewn any incivility , I am sorry to find his letter so ur . g » ntleman 3 y and scurrilous . I beg also to observe that it might probably have been ajs well had yon postponed your flourish of triumph till a more fitting occasion .

      Tne- following are extracts from his letter : — " When Mr . Beesiys challenge vzs aci-ept'id , their hope was that it bad been done ia good faith . " "They did not an . icipate from your tone and bearing thai covert iJirinking from the contest which they regret to find manifested in your letver . " " AtttmpU to get a-sray from the question . " "YouroTj-ct in seeking the dtMte , " fcc . To quote all your scurrilous icusndoes I should have to copy a great part of yonr letter . Tou first admit Mr . Btesley rave the challenge , and then you represent me as " seeking the debate . "

      Because I submitted the •' conditions' to your attention , "were they therefore binding on you ? If not why be scurrilous ? You first desired me to appoint a committee ; I respectfully replied in a letter . Did I not treat yon with the respect which is due to a public body ? Why then fling aronnd Hie bo many UDWortby motives ? Has my moral courage been untried ? Or have you a mind to imitate yonr iectnrer in his conclud ing address on my aotives ? I have yet to learn that you are the depositories of public virtue and public princip ] e .

      Yen represent me as if I originated the question of de b ate—jour lecturer gave the tnbject himself , n . imely " The R-peal of the Corn Laws "would not benefit the working classes , ' and cha . Elenc . ed either Mr . Aciand or tujf-Ii to dif-cussii'n . The only libtrty ( if it can be csL ' ed a liberty 11 to-k , wusia putting the suhjtct into an icte rogstive form , thus : ' 'Would the repeal of the corn Laws benefit the operative dosses ? ' * You have , however , changed the q ^ tstLo ::, i . ut \ r . th all proper deference , I beg to inform you and the COMPOSER of your leiter , that you , act n ;> merely as a committee of manasemtnt , hav « no power to make such a change . That monieat yon step out of jx-ur legitimate province , you it move the tTound en which the acceptance of the challenge rests .

      Ton msj as justly introduce ' . he Puor Law Bill , the Ten Hoars' Bill , or any other bill , as the Franchise . It 13 not . for me to taow the txttnt of power jou may exercise" over your lecturer , bnt I most resppctfully decline Us recognition ¦ when exiendtd to myself . If , therefore , your lecturer had undertaken to defend a position net upon Chartist principles , it would cave been fa .-re candid and honourable on your psit to have at once said that for the result your lecturer alone is responsible . Instead of this you attempt to exhibit me es choosing my own ground , in order to elicit a refusal from you , and hereby give me an appearanfe of triumph . TJpcn this rest all youi scurrilous attacks upon my motives and principles .

      When your lecturer had vauntingly given the challenge I accepted it on condition that he would conS ; e his attention to the suhject If yon doubt this aak your chairman . He eaid " his committee would b < 3 ready to make the arrangt Ken ' s , " which reply I understood as an affirmative that he would do do ; and tber-fore in my arraa ^ mei-ts with you I hope you will not dtera it disrcfpecifu j if I confine you also to tbe subjtct In doing so you hare imagined yourselves treated as children . If yuu think so , I cannot help it , acd 1 am sorry ray measisi ; should ha-va been so much misapprehended . Your lecturer placed you in that position if you deem it derogatory , and I must leave you to settle this grievance with him .

      You . do see , however , tte horn of the dilemma on "which he would have teen iiLpaled ; and in anticipation you make a sudden plunge to avert bis fate . On this sutjectl have only to observe that public challenges should be more carefully given , and then they would be attended with more cocs : st * ncy and less regret Mr . Beestey challenged me an oce subject , you propose another . Am I to nnoerstand this as a specimen of good faith ? Yon might have inferred , had you rrfl-. cted a luomeiit . that I -would not allow myself to be thuB " -traiitd . " Whtther a Tvpealofthe coin laws should be mixed up with parly politics , is a question ¦ which may admit latitude of opinion . On this subject , however , my own views are settled . Hence yon wiil perceive , that I am disinclined to allow you to dictate what course I am to pursue apart from the subject given by Mr . Befsly in the Lodge .

      The spirit of your letter ¦ would , if it could , frown me into your ¦ will ; and se long as you exemplify this spirit towards those who may not receive aJl the nostrums of your lecturers , though you profess ninvtrsal liberty , you practice the "worst of mental despotism . You wish to be treated vrith " gentlemanly courtesy . " Ttis request is netdless ; though the animus of your letter displays little of this essential ingrtaieut to all friendly interchange cf thought and opinion . Lam , gentlemen , A well wisher to yc n , and all tte operatives cf this realm , ( Signed ) Robert Fihth .

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      TO THE CHARTISTS OF SHEFFIELD . " He who allows oppression shares the crime . " Brother and Sister Democrats , —Wo consider it our imperative fluty to niahe : lus appeal to you in behalf of the cbunipi- > us of our rights aud liberties . The time is now arrived to prove how d < serving we are of tbe privileges , for the attainment of which we are strucgline . by the snpp&rt end protection we afford to the advocates of our common cause . Despotism , assisted by its worthy colleague , base and black-hearted treaciisry , lus made a bold and powerful

      effort to crush the movement , b 7 depriving tbe people of Weir be :--t acd tried friends ; ainonffothers , your two i ui . flinching advocates , George Julian Harney and Saral . ; Parkes , who , torn from their homes and families by ; the myrmidons of power , -were committed by rua is- 1 ttriai despotsonthe evidence of the traitor and renegade Griffin , to take their trial at the late Special Commission on the miserably false charge of conspiracy . These , your friends , ( in common with their brother patriots charged as being " conf pirators ") exercised the right allowed them by the law of traversing their trials to tke next March assizes .

      For exercising this , their constitutional riqht , they ¦ wiW be p ' . unaeTed by the harpies of the law , to the amount of from s ' x to eight pounds each , in tbe shape of traverse fees alene J and this icfimoua extortion mutt be eubmitt-d to , otherwise our friends will be liable to imprisonment for non-payment , before they are tried on the charge brought against them by the Downing-atreet " Conspirators . '' Of course , there will be other ucavoidable erpences to be provided for Independent of that , which , we think , ( whatever our persecuted brothers may decide upon for themselves ) viz the employment of counsel for the defence .

      We would not have troubled you with this appeal , relyinjf upon your patriotism to find the necessary fundt in sufficient time , but that our brethren are menaced with another Special Commission ! Well the factions kLow that the perjured evidence upon which they reBfe their case would not vtM them , if unprejudiced jotleB were the arbiters betwet n the accusers and the defenders of democracy . Well they know that as soon as Parliament shall meet , corrupt as that House is , it will be compelled to listen to tho demands of our peisecnted brothers for justise , and to witness the unmasking of those liberticidial Judges wfco bave polluted the judgment-Mat , and retdercd " ths aajtaVy of the law" a mockery and a

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      byword . To prevent aa far as in their power Iie 3 the ¦ nveiling of the true conspiracy , and the real conBpirators , the factions have given the signal , and their vile organs from the daily Times and Morning Chronicle down to those drivelling things the Independent and Ins , have joined in the yelping chorus , of " the likelihood , the probability , and almost certainty , " &c . of a winter assize— another " special commission" to be held before Christmas . The Dublin Monitor avows that this additional Special Commission is to be for the purpose of procuring the conviction of " Feargas 0 Connor and the other Chartists whj have traversed , " bafore Parliament shall assemble . .

      Of all the curses that afflict our country the existing newspaper press is the moat horrible : it is , with two or three noble exceptions , the vile pauder to despotism , the biuar and relentless foe of truth and justice . The efforts of its degraded conoluctors to afford a colourable pretext for the bold act of tyranny which they tell vd is conte < nplaied by the ruling faction , to procure the conviction of our leaders , must disgust all hontst men . But shall they do this non-opposed by you ? Your voices rasaed iu condemnation of so despotic and unconstitutional an act , may yet scare them from their intended infamy ; but more than this must be done ! The necessary furula must be instantly raised ; so that if our friends are to be brou « ht to trial in December , they may be prepared -with the pecuniary means of defence .

      The men for whom we plead are worthy of your support ; the name of Julian Harney is known wherever the banner of Chartism waves , and is associated with every struggle of the people for their rights during the last four years . Samuel Parkes is known to you , tbe men ofShefneli , for hi * ' nriflinphing patriotism and steady a < herenc 8 to y our cause . When the day of trial arrives—whan honest patriotism shall confront triumphant tyranny , we have no fear that they will do their duty . Do you do yours . If a winter assizo ia to be held it is expected to take piaceear / j in December . There is no time to be lost . Up , then , men and women of Sheffield—exert all your energies , and prove you are worthy of your rights , by supporting these who dare defend themselves . Signed in behalf of the Defence Fund Committee , Samuei , CLAifton , Secretary . Council Room , Fig Tree Lane , November 14 th , 1842 .

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      TO THE TRADES , AND WORKING CLASSES GENERALLY , OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND . Fellow Workmen , —Mest , or all of you are aware , that in tne beginning of September last a committee-was appointed by the Smiths of Manchester , to endeavour to raiae a fund to conduct and defray the expenses attending the defence of Mr . Alexander Hutchinson . The circumstances originating his arrest have been previously laid before you , so that any lengthy comment from us will be unnecessary . Suffice it to say , that at the Trades' Delegate Meeting , bL > ld in tha Hr » U of Science , Manchester , he "was appointed by the

      unanimous voice of the meeting to preside over their deliberations , which ultimately led to his arrest : aud bis committal for trial at the late Liverpool as 8 ? z ; 3 . To the talent and influence of the counsel we employed , though at an enormous expense , we are cliitfly indebted for the favourable termination of his trial , which , under other counsel and circumstances , would , we believe , bave been attended with serious results . And as our treasurer ha 3 been obliged , by the necessity of the case , to advance a considerable autn on our credit , we take the present opportunity of issuing our report for your inspection , under tho impression that yoa will not stand still : ind see us sacrifice our means without one effort to assist u ? .

      HEP 0 RT OF THE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE . INCOME . £ . s . d . Willimn Epton ... 0 1 0 John Buiks ... 1 0 0 William Gerrard 0 1 0 Walter Phaup ... 1 0 0 A Friend ... 0 1 0 Thomas Child ... . 1 0 0 Robert * Froggatt . 0 16 A Friend ... 1 0 0 A Friend ... 0 10 John Child ... 0 10 0 Roborfi Stones ... 0 10 Charles Jones ... 0 13 0 Joseph Clarke ... b 1 0 Henry Cuff « y ... 0 8 0 James II'Donald JO 1 0 Wm . Me Georso 0 8 0 Wifo of do . ... o 10 EdwnrdRogers ... 0 8 0 John Roberts ... 0 1 0 Divid Roberts ... 0 8 0 John Francis ... 0 0 6 James Kelshaw 0 8 0 William Wood ... 0 0 6 Thomas Grayson 0 8 0 William Cook ... 0 0 6 Edwin Banks ... 0 5 0 P . tor Lichtfoot .. 0 0 6

      Divid Lewis ... 0 6 0 Peter Johnson ... 0 0 6 T . Stanynought ... 0 5 0 Robert Price ... 0 0 6 Joshua Wormall 0 5 0 John Goff ry .... 0 0 C Wm . Corna ... 0 6 6 Petur Hart , ... 0 0 6 A Friend ... 0 5 0 William Parry ... 0 0 C James Crawley ... 0 5 0 George-Davis ... 0 0 6 Wm . Robinson ... 0 ' 5 0 Tkoinas Acton ... 0 0 3 Richard Byrom ... 0 5 0 Samuel Hughes .. 0 0 3 Isaac Giilow ... 0 7 0 A Boy ... " ... 0 0 2 Wolverton Smiths 0 10 0 The foregoing London do . 0 7 3 comprise : —— Edinburgh do . 0 6 0 Smiths of Man-E . Quarltrough ... 0 1 Q che-ster , &c ., ... 18 16 2 John Hardman ... 0 5 0 Belihouse ' s Spin-Leeds Railway ... 0 5 9 ners ... ... 0 15 0

      John Djnlevy ... 0 5 0 Glass Makeis : David Dick ... 0 5 0 Aaron Chad wick 0 0 6 Richard Wood ... 0 5 6 Jos . ph Lythgoe .. 0 0 6 MatthewDunti ... 0 4 0 William Sparks . 0 0 6 Daniel We Avoy 0 4 0 G-orgeRowlaijsonO 0 6 John Nelson ... 0 3 0 Richard Roston ... 0 0 6 Tnomas J . » nes ... 0 3 6 Sharp " s Braes George Stott ... 0 3 0 Room ... ... 0 9 6 James Yates ... 0 3 0 A few Spinners , Henry Parr ... 0 3 0 Ancoat ' s-larje ... 1 7 0 Wm . E'lgloy ... 0 3 , 0 Society of Metal John Ash worth 0 2 6 Planers ... 1 5 1 R . Wilkinson ... 0 2 6 Two Country James Haslern ... 0 2 6 Friends ... 0 6 9 Wm . Faldon ... 0 2 6 G ' eo . Asbworth ..... 0 0 9

      Joseph Sn .-v ... 0 2 6 Buller it Willi's Richard Nixon ... 0 2 . Engineers ... 0 9 0 J . Quarltrougb ... 0 3 6 Wheelwrights & John Yates ... 0 2 0 Blacksmiths ' George Wrigley o ' 2 0 Society ... 10 0 Joseph Banton ... 0 2 i 0 Mechanics' So-Joseph M'Cabe ... 0 2 6 ciety ... ... 9 3 6 Win . Seiidon ... 0 2 6 Tailors' Society 4 0 0 Tbornas Tickle ... 0 2 6 Painters' Society 3 0 0 Charles Nelson ... 0 2 0 . James Ryan ... 0 26 Total Income 43 13 8

      John alL-tsom ... 0 2 0 Richard Rostern 0 10 EXPENDITURE . Thomas Naylor ... 0 10 Friend Mitchell-0 1 0 Book and Pen ... 0 10 William Haven ... 0 1 0 Printing ... ... 2 5 0 Jo ? .-, > h Tuylor ... 0 1 0 Re turned a fow P . H );« inbotham 0 1 0 Spinners , An-Ji > b Briekhall ... o 1 0 oaat ' s-lahe ... 1 7 0 Cbailes Greaves .. 0 1 0 Attorney aud Jume . 8 Barber ... 0 1 0 Counsel ... 49 0 0 A Friend . W . P . 0 1 0 Witiuises ... 1110 0 GaortteDdikin ... 0 1 0 Dtlt'cition ... 0 19 0 Hi nry Pattison ... 0 10 Mr . ilut . shinsnn .. 4 11 9 Janif-s Russell ... 0 1 0 Printing 2 000 Thomas Smith ... 0 1 0 Reports ... 1 16 1 John Brown ... 0 10 — Joseph Robinson 0 1 0 ' Total .. 62 9 10 John Cooper ... 0 10

      You will perceive , by the foregoing report , that there is an actual deficiency of £ 19 , which our treasurer hag been obliged to advance , owing to the attorney , Mr Bent , absolutely rtfusing to proceed with the case until he was nail ? tha whole amount , v . h'ch circumstance caused the extra'expense of a journey t * Liverpool . The amnurt paid to ths attorney for couducltng the case through , you will , no doubt , think far too much , but it is very fat from tho sum be at first demanded ; his first charge was near £ 100 , add to which , the time and expo ; ses of fourteen witnesses ' - to Lancaster , ( the ass ' zis beinif first announced for Jibftt place ; for about six or ei ^ ht ( Says at ; the sum generally p . iid on such occasions , and you will find tfeat £ 200 would Bcarceiy cover it , to My nothing of tho very serious loss ' sustained ;> y our friend , Mr . Hu ' . cliitiKon . We succeeded ,

      however , m reducing thy ntWi . ey ' 3 expense , by sanding-ail ? putation to explain to him our embarrassed position , and the trouble we . were subject to in raising even the amount wo had then on hand ; h 9 felt , or appeared to feel , for our situation , and reduced Ins eharge to £ 60 , and at a subsequent interview to £ 40 , which sum . we ¦ we re corapeile'l to agree to , or wholly to abandon the case , and which he ultimately demanded at Liverpool before he -would proceed with the case . The subsequent announcement of the assizes being held at Liverpool was another gie ; . t advantage to our cause , which together with the honorable and praiseworthy conduct of our witnesses , ( to whom we beg to return our sincere thanfes ) greatly contributed to diminish the expenditure , so that with other economical arrangements the whola defenco will be cleared off for about £ 62 .

      We bave therefore to appeal to your benevolence in behalf of cur deficiency—not upon any political grounds , because our case ia entirely a trade question—our delegnte was not sent to th « meeting to represent tbe Chartist smiths of Manchester , nor any other particular party ; he was sent as the representative of the general body , who , like all other public bodies , profess all shades of opinion . And aa the trades' delegates elected him aa their chairman , we feel that we have a strong moral claim upon the sympathies of the working classes , and particularly the trades , to which claim we hope you will give a hearty and cheerful response , so that by honourablj clearing off every liability , and reinstating our victim in bis former position amongst us we may still secure bis valuable Bervicea , and stimulate others to follow the aame praiseworthy course , until every abuse of which we justly complain be swept from the face of the earth .

      You "will also perceive , upon examining the report , that but few of the trades who had delegates at the meeting have yet come forward to assist us ; bo that the fcxpensa has fallen heavily upon the members of our own body , to whotn vee beg to express out grateful acknowledgements , and hope that by their praiseworthy esvup ' . e the tradea who have not yet .- subscribed will

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      bo stimulated liberallj t © cc-operate towards liquidatlag our debt . In conclusion , we beg most respectfully to return our heartfelt thanks to the trades who Lavt so liberally supported our case , and also to the various workshops wbofio namea appear among the contributors , and beg to assure them , in the namo of our constituents , that should any public calamity or similM misfortune befal them , the support which they have rendered will be returned with cheerfulness and gratitude . Your ' a very respectfully , THB COMMITTEE . Committee Room , October , 30 , 1842 .

      N . B . —The committee will in future meet every Saturday evening only , at the Olympic Tavern , Stephenson ' s Square , from half-past seven to half-past nine o ' clock , when the delegates appointed by the other trades are requester ! to attend . Each trade subscribing to tbe fuud is requested to send a delegate to sit on the committee , at the conclusion of whose labours a flaal report will be issued .

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      ESSAY ON THE PRESENT SYSTEM , BY JOHN WATKINS . PART IV . " The time ia out of joint ! O cursed spite That ever I was born to set it . right . "—Hamlet . The present a ? e may be characterised the selfish age — it is the most mercenary—toe msanest . Every man seems to think but of himself alone . We are ephemera —beings of a day . To lose money is to lose ft lends , health , reputation , everything—what wonder that parents themselves should love their gold more dear than thtir chiLirtn- —that they should see theai starve and without relief !

      Poverty is rendered criminal by law—it is also bylaw rendered the inevitable lot of tbe industrious manynot a chance is left for their escape , and when they are driven into the toil , their condition is made more unendurablo than . that of an Algerine slave—they are treated with un inbumunity of which the Turks would be ashamed . The TurksJ why they treat their dogs much better than we treat our aged and inarm fitbera and mothers . Pleasure or profit is all eur pursuit , ami can we expect those who are bent on pleasure , to stop at the cries of pain ? no , they will increase another ' s pain if thereby they can increase their own pleasure—and those who pursue profit are still more callous , more brutal ; the groans of the victims may annoy them , may vex them , but will never soften them . They have

      do consideration for their own souls and bodies , not even for their own business characters . Our manufacturers have done much by their dishonest practices to dishonour the credit of the country , to forfeit the custom of other countries ; but what cate they ? r—bo long as they gobble np a faasty fortune for themselves they would ruin trade itself , and forestall the fortunes of all who have to follow . They are devoid of patriotism and of philanthrophy . All principle , all fee ing , they sacrifice to the love of pelf . The bloom and innocence of chiitiboed , the strength and spirit of manhood , the very peace and resignation of old age—all are made merchandize of . Great waa the outcry against the African slave trade , "while all tbe while a- slave trade was rising up , was feeing carried on by those who were

      loudest in that cry . A slavery of tbe whites , enough to make black turn white in comparison . Surely the first duty of every sincere slave-emancipator was to emancipate the slaves at home . But these were the slavus that they them&ulvea bad made , and instead of doing that , they next made heathens of them , while at the same time they were sending out missionaries to convert the heathen in foreign lands , who indeed are the better Christians . Was it not of snch as these that Christ spoke when he said , " Ye hypocrites ! first cast out the beam from your own eye before you can see clearly to-pluck out the mote fromyour brothers . " Send your missionaries not to the plains of Hindo . stan , not to the wilds of Southern Africa , but into your own factory mills ; let them prevent the sacrifice of children to your

      idols ; send them into your mines ; but they durst not venture there ; the very police dare not descend into those hell-holes , where boys and girls , and pregnant women crawl on their bellies like serpents , amid darkness and damp , where rabbits could not burrow , nor blind moles creop , where no living creature but the toad in its cold stone is ever found . Money is not raised to emancipate them , to convert them ; no , but liiou-y is made of their slavery , their heathenism ; and hundreds of thousands of pounds are sent across the sea : to be spent in waste time ; for what better can we call it when we read that no convert is made but at the coat of a thousand pounds per man ; nnd how are converts made ? Why , they are made "irunk , and then they acknowledge themselves Christians , but rela nse into

      Hindooism again as soon as they become sober . Our privileged classes ( fine folks !} lavish all their lova , all their leligion , all their charity on other countries—not on their own . English charity is never found at home ; it roams all the world over ; it is a vagrant charity . Oh , call it homo ; let it visit the unfurnished hovels where industry sits naked and famishing—its very tools pawned for food—where piety broods over its wants and woes , its very bible sold—where innocence is suffering worse famishment than ever guilt endured . Sec the once happy family leaving a once contented home , and wandering desolate despised into the streets , exposed to the cold wind , and to the colder sneers of the world-going wealthy . In vain do they crave the refuse of the rich man ' s table . There are boards hung up

      in ev « vy direction , not like the crosses which in former times pointed tbe pilgrim to the monasteries where he was refreshed without money and without price ; but these buards are more like gibbets , and , in direct opposition to the Word of God , they request , earnestly request the public in no case ( mark tbat !) to give alms —where then must the destitute go ?—what refuge is For them?—the baa tile !—they enter , and the husband is sundered frem hia wife , the children are torn from their parents , the ties of nature are rudely rent , and the whip of authority is put into the hands of brutal men , who think th ^ it they be 3 t do their duty , that they most fulfil their office , when they act with the greatest inhumanity and cruelty . What wonder that many actually prefer death to such a life , for it ia a life of

      hard toil and hard , fire—that many prefer a prison to a b : \ stile , and break the law to qualify themselves—anrt that consequently there is a supposed necessity for more new prisons , or for the enlargement of the old—that madhouses are on the increase * and that the corners of churchyards are filled with suicides ? Some enlist , some emigrate , some are transported for forced crimes ; but the great majority die heartbroken in the land that gave them life , but denied them a living—iu a land that abounds with the means of supporting life , but it is a land which the accursed system is fast turning into a Golgotha—a land of skulls . How many die of diseases induced by famine ! They pass under the name of low fevers—but they are deaths by starvation ; und England is the only land wheve such deaths knowiugly occur . How many , even now while I tell it , are dying in despair—murderttl ^> y ths system that should succour and sustain ? Let us select one case ,-r-not the case of one , but of thousands—I might say-of millions '

      —the case of a honest , hard-workinz man with a large family , who having spent all his strength , bestowed all hia skill iu tbe support of Church and State , is left at last in his hour of need ' neglected-by-both , and laid on bare boards , without clothing or covering ( all having gone for food , and gone in vaiui , fevered with care und anxiety , wanting medicines—but not abl « j to obtain tilt ; common necessaries of life—wanting rest , but evermore awakened by tho cries of-his'suffering children , he sinks , with no prospect before him but damp walls , dirt , and vermin . Instead . of Gospel consolations , he bears the sobs of bis little outs , and the wailing of a helpless , hopeless "wjfs : be cannot sleep ; he cannot die in peace , for his last momenta are troubled—are tortured vt itb . the agonizing thought of what must become of his widow and orphans , and as his eyes grow dimmer , as his breath Raspa shorter , as his pulse beats fainter , shapes arise to Ilia ' delirious viow , —his own children auptar like spectres dunciug and howJin ^ arouiid bis corpse .

      Ah . England , with all its wealth , is hut a desert island to ' tlio unemployed poor . They suffer like men besieged in a citadoi with all supplies cut off—like men at sen iu n ship out of provision *; but in those cases all are iuffirtr .- ) alike , the lust biscuit is shared equally —with us , <»' n tho contrary , one class , th » itli « , is rioting amid every superfluity , while another , the industrious , is famishing before their very ej \ a . The conduct of the upper classes in this country resembles that of wild Indians ( l . 'iucing and singing around their victims

      at the stake , pur class legislators hava grasped all and they gripe all—the more their means increase , ths less consideration have-they for those whose mtana , by a natural consequence , decrease—aud yet they can tide iu their carriages to church and putting on a demure aspect repeat the responses aud say— " He who hath an a uqdance of this world ' s goo ^ i , andknoweth his brother to be in need and yet hhuteth up his bowels of compassion from his brother , how dwelleth the love of God in him ? " Yes , our pious aristocracy can " kneel and pray "— I ' ve seen ' em do'fc ( To be continued in our next . )

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      Figures of Speech .- —At a festival recently given to a tew friends by Mr . Rouse , the enterprising and worthy proprietor of the Eagle Tavern , CUy-road , Mr . Campbell , of the Grecian Saloon , made the following witty allusions to the newspaper press : '" May V the very Aye and body of the Times ? be the Advertiser bud the Herald of the beBt -News to ' the great Globe itself , and all that it , inheri' 8 , ' and particularly to tho Subjects of the British Queen ! May the Post bring a Courier with the Dispatch of lightning to each rising Sura , with intelligence to gladden the heart of Old England 1 May " the Evening Stab ( recently risen a ' Star of Hope , ' to an

      oppressed people and be-dimmed country ) ever be the pride of honest , straightforward , worthy hearted ' John Bull ! May the British Standard of benevolence , with ' Argus eyes , ' see and Record this as an Era of truth , vutue , and universal philanthropy . May charity be an Examiner into , and an Observer of poverty and distress ! May the Polar or Northern Star continue to shed its illumining influence on this l&ns-benighted land !—shining with its evening ¦ contemporary , the ' Gemini' of the political heaven of freedom ! And may the Charier bo as 'it ' were , the Tablet on which the Spectator may g * zo with delight , while our Patriot shM for ever Chronicle tho ylory and liberty of the British Press !"

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      NOTTINGHAM COUMTY GAOL . Notwithstanding the charges publicly made by the ' debtors in Nottingham County Gaol agai . at the gaoier and . magistrates , the castigaliona tbat have been btstowed upon them by the press , the voluntary offers of the editors of the Nottingham Review , that their columns were open to receive any counter-statement these authorities thought proper to make to the grave charges against them ; they still maintain a determined —we had almost said a criminal—silence , to the charges of extortions and other illegal practices of the gaoler , and the sanction and protection afforded to that funtionary ' a dealings with one portion of the pri-8 opers and oppreasion of the others , by the visiting magistrates .

      If the charges brought against them are false , why not iBbut them ? If they are true , how long is juslica to be delayed , or denied to the suffering debtors ? Their first memorial bears date the 23 rd of September ; their second , on the 30 th ; their remonstrance on the loth of October . Still the intolerable grievances are allowed to coniinue . Debtors ate crowded together in felons'cells—their health impaired , their lives placed fn imminent peril !—the surgeon debarred , as he states , ^ y the existing rules , from supplying necessary food arid restoratives ; and the poor debtors are deprived of air and exercise , which the more weal . hy are allowed to take without restriction , as all undoubtedly ought to be permitted to do . The visiting ma ^ itrates shrink from the specific charges brought against them , but what have they done in lieu of meeting them 1 Let their annual report , made at tbe Nottinghamshire adjourned quarter sessions , holdun at Southwell on the 27 th Oct . answer the question . We copy the following from the Nottingham Review , of the 4 th instant : —

      " Thevisiting justices reported the management of the prison to be excellent , and the discipline good . Tracts are distributed amongst the prisoners , divine service regularly performed , and the rules prescribed by law strictly adhered to . " . ¦ : . Amazement stands aghast , to find such a statement made in the face of the unredressed complaints of the poor debtors ! The management of tha prison is excellent , with felons' cells crowded with po » r and starving debtors ! The discipline good , with extortion and illegality depriving men of their health and placing

      their lives in j aopardy !! Tracts distributed in place ot food ! 11 and divine service regularly performed to men whose minds are writhing under a knowledge and conviction of the wrongs they are enduring J ! !! A pretty state of things certainly . What must have been tbe feelings of these injured men on reading such palpable falsehoods ? From the very men . who silently decline to repress or rebut the niauifold grievances they have so repeatedly and respectfully set forth ? They may better be conceived than described , and gave rise immediately to the following requisition ;—" TO TljE VISITING MAGISTRATES OF THE GAOL OF THE COUNTY OF NOTTINGHAM . " We , the undersigned debtors , confined in the above prison , respectfully request an interview this day with tha visiting magistrates en matters concerning the rulea and regulations enforced herein , and on otht-r business . " - .- .. " William Kelk . E : Iward Leach , # John Shillceck . William Richards . John Slack . Thoma 3 Colton . James Dunham . John Harper . William Boot Thomas Maxfield . Henry Stephens . John Waas . Riehard Hanker . Robert Patterson . " County Gaol , Nottingham , Nov . 5 , 1842 . "

      The required interview did not take place , The magistrates were not to be seen . No , they fanew well that their annual or quarterly report , whichever It might be , was a cross and scandalous imposition ; and instead of . ' - ' -the rules presented by law being strictly adhered to , " they are unblushingly evaded , and tbe violation of them by the gaoler openly sanctioned by tue visiting magistrates , inflicting thereby great part of the grievances of which the debtors so justly , but , at present , uselessly complain . The debtors have t&ken another step towards obtaining a redress of their grievances . They have

      transmitted a memorial to Sir James Graham , tbe Secretary of State for- the Home Department , in which , as ia ¦ commonly the case when justice ia denied , and such denial pertinaciously persisted in , redress of further grievances is required , tban thosa which have hitherta met the public eye , and shows tbe tremendous Btreteh of irresponsible power that is exercised by country justices , unrestrained by any fixed law , and calls loudly for the humane interference of Parliament , to close the door by a general legislative enactment against the temptation that exists for the exercise of the vindictiveuesa and caprice of magistrates , gaolers , and turnkeys .. .

      In this memorial , not only is it prayed that the 2 nd and 3 rd of Victoria , cap . 56 , be enforced , in order to abolish the gaoler ' s dealings with the prisoners , and tho 4 th Geo . IV . chap . 6 * ., that the debters Bholl occupy one ward , distinct from criminal offenders , but it presents also in detail many of the grievances which result frem the non-observance of the laws now in force , from which we make the following observations : — It appears that tbe surgeon is prevented , or states tbat he ia , from administering such food and restoratives

      to invalids as he knows and admits they require and ought to have , without subjecting them to twtntyone , out of the twenty-four hours , solitary confinement iu an inhospitable garret , dignified with the title of a hospital though , in fact , more resembling a sepulchre to receive their dying breath rather than a place Calculated for their restoration ; and this , too , in cases where air and exercise are allowed to be imperatively necessary , as well aa more and belter food . One of the -memorialist * , who has experienced this treatment , truly observes , it is a course of proceeding calculated to increase rather than ameliorate their sufferings .

      They require also a revision of the dietary table , stating , as their reason , that the only food nowallowe , viz ;—one pound of bread per day to each debtor , is insufficient to sustain life for a lengthened period , or to preserve health under any circumstance ? . They pray , if it is ultimately found expedient to annex the misdeinennour wart in future to the debtor ' s prison , nnd to really constitute a part thereof , that the transport and other criminal offenders be removed therefrom , the lofty walls that now divide it from the debtor ' s yard be removed , that the inmates have access to each other in the night to the common room , to assist in case of illness , and to be locked up at the same hour , as is now the practice in the debtor ' s prison , and not at an earlier hour , as ia n&w the case , and that it may form , in fact , essentially a part of the debtors' prison , and subject only to the same restrictions .

      It appears tbat the day room where the poo debtors are confined in the misdemeanour ward , is a room only fourteen feet by twelve feet , and at the time of the memorial being signed , no less than eighteen of theso unfortunate men were crowded together in that small space . Necessity has siuce caused the removal of nine of them to a similar and corresponding room above . This day-room baa two stone branches fixed , one on either siue , for seats . Its only furnuure consists of a table and four old stools . It ia covered ^ 7 ith semi-elliptical grained brick arches . Besides the door , the entrance is further protected by a niasoive iron gate . Each of the sleeping cells ia secured at the entrance with both doors aud iron gatea in the earns manner , ami ihe passages or galleries , as

      they are here t * rmed , are secured by doors and iron gates across them at intervals , in the same way . In the sleeping eeiis , the only article , ( for it would be a libel upon langu ' ngs to caU it a bedstead , ) is a ca : < t metal plate fastened on the top of four iron supports , which nre again secured to the atone flior . This m ^ tal p . ' ate is only two feet six inches wide , on whieh two of the poor debtors are frequently compelled to pass the night at tbe same time . Not ao in the debtors ' prison . It may be as well to remark , that the part of the prison we are describing w ; ia built inunediat' ^ y . subsequent to the destruction of Nottincham Castio by fire on the memorable rejection of the R-sform Bill ; tha period of its rejection , in conjunction with that circumstance , seems to point out

      pretty clearly the reason of its being made so doubly secure in every . part , tbe want of necessary accomm . dav . on within it , and the class of offenders it waa originally intended to receive . It ia the gaoler ' s dealings with the more wealthy debtors that is th cause of tbe poorer class being crowded together , and deprived of air and exercise therein . The misconduct ot tbe senior turnkey , "William Lounds , is also reported . One deb . tos , bixty yeaia of age , is in continual excruciating pain , from blows and other injuries recuived from this menial ; an iuvalid has also been brutally treated by him , and bis disgusticg conduct to the visitors and friends of the debtors , and their adjuiasion depending upon bis capriciousnesa , even in the hours allowed by the rules , ia acutely dwelt upon . They

      also require tho privilege < if dissenters ) of being attended -by' the minister of their choice , and that such dissent from tbe Established Church shall be considered a reasonable ground for their non-attendance cf Divine Service , within the meaning of the ninth rule . We have not space for further remarks , but to state that the prayer of their memorial to the Home Office concludes by praying the enforcement of the 2 d and 3 d Victoria , cap 56 , Bnd tbat such alterations and a code of new tules may be framed in accord " ance with the suggsstibns of their memorial;—so fat as in the wisdom of tbe Home Secretary , by and with

      the advice of tbe law ofBcets of the Crown ,: may seem , meet , bat more especially that the dealings of the gaoler with the prisoners may be totally abolished , and the whole of the debtors now and in future may be placed in every respect upon one and the same footing . Ifc is to be hoped their lawfal and reasonable demands may be complied with by the Home Secretaiy , without occupying the time of tbe legislature on the meeting of Parliament on this long neglected subject ; and that Sir Jamea Graham will feel it to be bis duty to issue a general order to gaolers to prevent the recurrence of such palpable grievances in debtors' prisons in future . —Evening Star .

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      Anti-Malthusiams . —Last week , eight persona accidentally met at the New Inn , Relaton , who s e children , when added together , amount e d to t ho extraordinary number of ninety-six . None of them had fewer , than eight children , and the h ig hest number vras sixteen . —West Briton * ''"'

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      THE ANSWER OF THE COUNCIL . Hull , November 7 th , 1842 . S ? R , —I am instructed by those with wbom I have the honour to act , officially to acknowledge the receipt of your Ia 3 t , and officially thus to reply : — The letter to . which yours ia in answer was not the letter of onr Secretary , bui , that of the boJy from whom it professed to emanate , namely , the Hull Council of tha Charter Association , drawn up and agreed to at a regular meeting of thia body , and signed on our behalf aud at our command by the person ap ? ainted by us for this purpose . Therefore , if that letter had contained anything either ' nngentleBoaniy' or ' scurrilous , ' it would , in our opinion , havs bec-n more gentlemanly on your part , to have attributed the want of courtesy te

      the proper quarter , and not to tbe individual whose signature was appended to tho document . Yet , notwithstanding the isolated quotations which you make from that k'tter , and which you aro plea-ed to cull ' scurrilous inuendoes , ' you have signally failed in producing a single ungentlemanly , ' a single scurrilous" expression . If the term Mau ^ ndo * be by us correctly understood , it signifies a distant notice , a hint . or an insinuation , and these are commodities in which th « Chartists generally do not deal , leaving this kind of traffic to their political opponents who claim to bo * the sole depositories of punlic virtue and public principle' as they are of political power . We cousider , moreover , that the charge of scurrility comes with a

      peculiarly bad grace from a gentiemsn who can bo unceremoniously charge those who may differ in opinion from him and his nostrums , " with ' professing universal liberty , but practising the worst of mental despotism ; ' and were recrimination our purpose , we might justly challenge you to produce any expreasion from our whole correspondence , as ungentlemanly' in its tone , or so ' scurrilous' in its tenor as tbe passage to which wb have taken the liberty of thus caUing your attention . But recrimination is not our object . Our wish is to get you ' up to the scratch' upon terms so plain and tangible , that the merits of tha question , in all its bearings , may be fairly and honestly brought before the people , in order that they may come to a just decision .

      Yon appear extremely wroth that we should have characterised you as * seeking the debate ;* but if you had not fidu ^ ht it you would not have fonnu it ; for even Mr . Robert Fifth , * Corresponding Secretary of the Hull anti-Monopoly Association , ' is not of sufficient importance in the tyes of the Chartist public to be honoured by them with a personal challenge , unless , as in this instance , it is ' of his own sotkiug . ' But if he thinks proper to pick up the gauntlet' whenever it may ba thrown down to the anti-Corn Law Leagueif he thinks proper to become the champion of the ' nostrums' which are palmed upon the public under tha sounding title of ' free trade '—he may rest assured , whether he opines it ia of bis seeking' or no , or tbar hia moral courage' will be pretty of len put to the test .

      We are completely at a losa to know what your ' flourish of triumph ' can al ' ude to , unless it be by the vaunting' boost of ' impaling' your opponent upon ' the horns of a dilemma !! ' which never existed save in your own imagination . To your term ' composer , ' which you have dignified with all the importance of half-ttxt , we have no objection , savo that it ought in all fairnesb to have been expressed in the plural . We shall , for this once , reply to your queries ; gently reminding jou , however , that although we offered to consider objections , we made no promise to answer questions . ' No . ' We deny if ' Yes I We neither iid nor intended ! ' ' Of that you are the best judge , ' or ' when did your trumpeter die V take either answer you may like the beat But your next question , containing something like an ' inuendo' deserves 3 more lengthened re ply . You ask , ' Or have you a mind to imitate your lecturer in his concluding adiiress on my motives ?"

      Sir , we are always incli : ed to pass lightly over observations which way drop from a speaker in the heat of debate ; we do not feel justified in too nicely weighing or in too severely criticising every expression which may fal ' i from hiB lips ; but when we find a m » n sitting down deliberately to pen a sentence like this , there ia no necessity for questioning his ' motives . ' Theaa become too apparent fur questioning , too palpable for doubt Oar 1 ctnrtr never onie alluded to your motives ! but when he found you changing the question ; when he found you stepping out nf your legitimate proviucf ; ' when he fouDd you not confining your attention to the subjtct ; ' when you travelled out of

      your way foi no other apparent purpose than that -of accusing the absent and slandering the imprisoned , he did then adurinisttr a little deserved tistigation , never indeed qu > -sti' ) ninij your motives by giving a shrewd , guess at your trade . If , then fore , yea felt Bore under the la- ^ b . you may console yourself with the reflection tbat this also waa of yoar own seeking , ' and that neither we nor our lecturer were in the least to blame Having thus dismissed the cbarse of scurrility , nnd having thus replied to your questions , we now proceed to consider your reasoning , if that term can with justice be applied to any portion of the assertions contained in your letter .

      You quute a part , and be it remembered only a part , of Mr . Beesley ' a challenge , and leat you should ' infer" this also to be an inu-. ndo' we beg to assure you that we bring it as a serious and positive charge . The worda of the challenge so ' vauntinely" accepted , as copied by the short-haud writer -who took notes on tbe occasion , were ' whilst the institutions of our country retain tbtir present basis , I deny that the mere repeal of the Corn Luwa would benefit tbe working classes ; and 1 dtfy and iiertby challenge either -Mr Acland , or this gentleman , or any other member of theanti-C-rn-Law . Lea ^ ae to prove that it would . ' Here then is tbe challenga which Mr . Bcesley gave and which yon accepted . Have you the ' moral courage" to maintain your ground ? or dare you again display « that covert shrinking from the contes , ' that' attempt to get away from the question , ' vrhich your first lttter evinced and which your last confirms .

      Sir , you tfcall not i-buffie out of this discussion without proclaiming to the world that you are destitute of that ' moral courage' of which you bo loudly boast ; for even taking the question upon your own shewing , viz : ' would the u peal of the Corn Laws benefit the working classes V jou have no right to clog that w ' . th conditions or limitations about what shall or what shall not be excluded ; for if our lecturer , in maintaining the negative ot eveu that proposition , couM satisfactorily shew that' the limitation of the franchise , ' or even the New Poor Law Bill , or any other measure now in op'ration , would debar the working c . asses from a participation of that benefit which , under other circutnstancfcs , they might hope to share , we have yet t' > learn by what law of discussion bu can possibly be shut out fruin ic .- tking use of this fair and legitimate argument .

      As you have not thought proper to object to any of our nth . r propositions , with the feingle exception of ' tbe suhj , ct for ; : i > cuB 3 ion' we conclude that you have no ohj-ct : » n to offer ; and we n ^ . iin afk you ' wiii you come forward and maintain yonr ground on the terms ia which the challenge raa given and accepted ?' Webi-. veno * ie » 're that the word ' franchise' ba i ; :-troducnd into the question , hut wn will never bo con-Srnt-n ? parties to :. ny proposition by whxh a legitima t e &Te : ini :-ut ^ Loird he < xc ^ iK . Vd ; and w « hare a very p . xir o ) . inion iiMieed of that " g"od faith" which would only ailow oiir : bide of a suVj-ct to be heard .

      In contusion , we wish most distinctly to express that we i . ave no int-. ntion of giving personal offc ; ce ; but in this ni .- itter we ein only rr-gml you in tbe li . ' . ; ht of a political oppontnt ; and while we treat you with all tbe courtesy i : ue to this character , we caunot allow private fieliuKs of personal regard to interfere with the discharge of a political duty . I have the hononr to be , Sir , On behalf , and by command of the Hull Chartisc Council , Yours respectfully , W . J . HOLLIDAt . SeC To Mr . Robt Firth , &c .

      Untitled Article

      I ' ¦ '¦ ' . ' .- ' THE NORTHERN STAR V 7

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 19, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct457/page/7/