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Northern Star (1837-1852), 23rd December 1843, Edition 2 of 5, Page 5, Untitled Article

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      fenceless ; if they will cling io the system which has inade them fat and prosperous—very Kings of Gold —at the expeace of their plundered brethren j if ihey will demise all warning , and obstinately turn adeaf ear to every appeal made to them to save society from moral and actual shipwreck ; then welcome , say we , any means , —even the honora of anarchy itself , —to roose our guilty rulers from their dreamy state ! England must nqt perisa - » "We are a nation two thousand years of age . We are old enough , and should be able enough , to work ont our own sal ration ; and if "Refqsxxxios txa only come ™ riding the whirlwind" of triumphant anarchy , be it so ! ! It will be the work of

      the property-holders , and not of the povertystricken . England must be saved 1 > God iuows we abhor the crime which is now ravaging the farm-Yards of the South " ; and we earnestiv hope that the Ted-iight-hand of revenge may be stayed by prompt and efficient justice . J * ot the justice of the judge and the hangman ; but thai of the philanthropist and the enlightened legislator . There is , as our paper ( to go no further ) weekly testifies , ample employment for both . We are told that at some of the fires the labourers manifest not the slightest desire io aid in extinguishing them , but on the contrary display -the greatest apathy and xeckiess indifference . " Ib this to be wondered at I The " condition" of our once .

      * bold peasantry" is notoriously Infamous to those who profit by their toil . Bordering on . all the horrors * of the savage state , is there any Wonder that men should stand sternly by and Tefuse . a helping hand to the class who have said " nay " when the many have asked but for simple justice ] We preceive that the Liberal" papers are turning to tbeir own factious account these unhappy "sgns of the times . " The Nonconformist saya that incendiarism is " a crime unheard of in our cities and manufacturing towns . " We dent know whether there is &ny incendiarism in our cities and towns ; but we do know that Ketsk vs-ebb yr&ES so

      tbs-^ CEST THET BATE BEES IATE TRIES LOKDOS , LlTEEPOOL , iXD OTHERS Of OTTR CITIES AKD HAKCjuctubisg totfss : fires , the cause of which , in nine eases out of ten , are undiscoverable , bnt suspected to be the veork-of incendiaries ! The press , for obvious reasons , hw'been silent upon this ; bnt there is the fact unanswered , unanswerable . The Noncon formist should remember that even were"it true that there are fewer fires in cities and towns , it would

      not prove that there is less crime . More eyes are watching the wonld-ba criminal in the crowded town ; and hence , it may be , the comparative absence of incendiarism . But that there is less crime we emphatically deny ; and in proof ef our assertion we refer to th » Criminal Tables for the last year" compiled by Mr . Redgbave , at the Home Office , which our readers will find fully set forth in the * Poor Mash&mpanion " for 18 U .

      We have asenMd io the wide spread and unparal . leled destitution existing amongst the labouring classes of the agricultural districts , the prevalence and increase of the crime of incendiarism . Our readers will be glad to learn that Lord Asjcley has eome forward in defence of the peasantry ; and happy are we that so sincere a- philanthropist is buckling-on his armour to do battle in the cause of the oppressed . At the Sturminster agricultural dinner , alluding to the state of the Dorsetshire peasantry he said : — Bnt , gentlemen , are we prepared to look these charges in tne face , discuss their justice , repel

      what iM falsa , but correct what cannot be gainrayed J Do we admit the assertion that the wages of labour in these parts are scandalously low , painfnlly idadequate to the maintenance of the husbandman and iis family , and in no proportion to the profit of the soil ! If we art » ble to deny this statement , we shall also be abfe to disprove it—let us do so without delay ; but , if the reverse , not an hour Is to ob lost in rolling away the reproach . 1 do not pretend to give advice as to the precise mode of doing these things . I am not sufficiently practical , or conversant with the hiring and payment of labour ; but this I Jcnotc , that if a larger self-denial , an abatement of

      tuxunes , a curtailing of even what are coiled comforts , be necessary to this end , let us begin at once icith the higher and toealihier classes . It anrsr be hosb . There is neither honour , nor safety , nor joy ( setting aside all higher considerations ) , to dwell in a house ,, however fair the outside , which rests on such rotten and crumbling foundations . Do we deny that the dwellings of the poor are oftentimes ruinous , filthy , contracted , ill-drained , ill-ventilated , and so Eitnated as to be productive of many forms of disease And immorality ? If we do , let us take ihe same course , and refute our accusers ; but , if not , let us hasten to wipe ont the stain . "

      Thi 3 13 maul ;! this is Tanguajje worthy of a patriot and a philanthropist < His Lordship points to the proper , or one of ths proper remedies , a more EQUAL DISTRIBUTION o ? ths ttkaith r&o-3 > rc £ D by tbs TiOSSJSQ uxs . He knows- ( hat there is enough prodnoed for the sustenance and enjoyment of ill ? but that the labourer j so far from being M first partaker of the fruits , " too often " partakes" not at all ! or but of a miserable poTtion of that which is his right . For the remedy he points to a more eqcax dietribtooji , by giving to the labourer a fair share of that which he produces ;

      something like an honest remuneration for his tofl . And his Lordship Bays " this must be!—even if U be at ihe cost to the property holders of a ubgeh SELF ICESlAX , Alt ABATEMENT OF irXtTKIKS , A CTOTAlLISG 0 ? EVES "WHAT ABB CALL 1 D COHFOBTS . " " Let us iegin , " says hiB Lordship , * ' at once tcith the highc * and wealthier dassei It iirsT be dohk 7 " Bravo , Lord Ashley ! There is hope for England jet I There is hope that the torch of the incendiary may not be longer needed to lighten-up the dallard eyes of our sluggard rulers . A few men like Lord Ashljt , * nd England may yet be saved from the horrors which already gleam frightfully upon us .

      The base Whigs and merciless Millocrats , who iaie Lord Asheet -with all that genuine hatred with which conscious vice ever regards acknowledged virtue , have , ever since his Lordship ' s exposures of the iniquities universally prevailing in ihe mining and manufacturing districts , been engaged in sneering it his Lordship for not turning his attention to the Elate of the * agricultural working classes with whom he was more intimately connected . M Why did he not do so" 1 ** why did he give his first attention to the manufacturing and mining population" ! are the questions constantly put . We will tell these

      Whij ? hirelings . Ths Commission that wjls appointed to enqnire into the state of our agricultnral , minisg , and manufacturing population , was appointed at the instance and through the exertions of Lord Ashlet . As that Commission reported , Lord Ashlet took ap the reports , and , so far as bel » ad the power laboured to accomplish ameliorations in the condition of the classes reported upon . The Commission reported tiest on the tiro laltet of the three classes ; hence his Lordship first introduced measures

      on their behalf . The agricultnral class = ha 8 now been reported npon , and we find Lord Aehlet consistently taking up their case . What more would the Millocrats have ! He is not doing as thxt bid , trying to deny the statements of the Commission , ob PBKVEXT OB XTaDK THE HIFOBMS BEQIUBED I On the contrary , lie says , " A CHANGE MUST BE MADE" 5 Even if thai change takes from the . rich some portion of their luxuries and even of their comforts , —it must be had 1 "

      The Manchester Guardian wishes to know why Lord AsHrxr has not takes np the cause of the agricultural population long since" 1 ** why he has not seen or acted upon a Parliamentary Return published sixteenjyeare ago , showing the then distressed state of the agricultnral working classes ; and the wages received by Dorsetshire labourers" ! The Guardian should know that sixteen years ago Lord Ashlst was not a publio man ; that when he began his Parliamentary career , he applied 'himself to subjects that were then before the public Besides , the Guardian Ehould remember its own doctrine of " one thing at a time" in reference to Corn Law Bepeal . Lord Asbxet has only -acted upon that

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      principle in taking up the case of the Collier- Women for instance , and legislating thereon in the first place . There is this difference ( iadependent of many other , ^ differences ) between Lord Aehlot and the Guardian and its patrons ; the former has , to a great extent ^ succeeded ia his labours ; while the latter , with their one thing at a lime , have yet to win success if they can (!) . Lord Ashley ha ? already won golden opinions from all honest men .. Let him persevere in his present course , despite the sneers of the Millocrats and their hirelings , and he will have ihe blessings of present and the grateful adadmiration of all future generations .

      It is cheering , and hopeful too , amidst the many signs of disruption and breaking up , which the face of society presents , to find th&t the cause of the labourer , —the knife-ind-fork-question , —is forcing itself upon attention in quarters that have been hitherto resolutely closed to all appeals from suffering humanity . We have already instanced the benevolent and pure-minded exertions of Lord Ashtbt to procure something like justice for the working man ; efforts very unusual amongst the aristocratic class of which he is a member ; and we

      shall tiow instance an effort of the most powerful porr . on of the pkopebtt hou > bbs' preBS to force the condition of the labourer upon the attention of the r-ROPEBTY holdkbs themselves . This is , of itself , a most hopeful sign . " When we find the indifference , ccpiditt and heabtlessnbss of the pkopjsrtt hex so soundly rated by their own organ , as in the following extract , we may rest assured that the M alarming" and " awful" " signs" are having their " effect" in the proper quarter . In this there are grounds for hope .

      The occasion of our contemporary ' s lecture to the Pbcpebtt-Msn waB the following . The Smithfield Cattle Club lately had , as is their annual custom after the exhibition of their a priza oxen , " a dinner—an aristocratic feed . At this dinner there was , says the Times , ** what is called a highly respectable company , consisting of some Peers , Members of Parliament , and a large assortment of 'farmers' friends . ' Compliments , congratulations and good humour were the order of the evening . The Dnke of Richmond complimented Lord Spencek , Lord Spencer complimented the oxen ; and the Dnke , in returning thanks , praised the agricultural labourers of England . Everybody drank everybody ' s health , and the evening was spent in all the amenities of convivial hilarity . "

      At this convivial festivity a noble speaker seized the opportunity of declaring that " the agricultural labourers were the main stay of the country , " and from his own experience testified to not only their M bravery and devotedness to their officers in war , but to tbeir fidelity to their employers in peace" ; which last , permit us to add , is rather qaeerly exhibited just now in Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire , and some other counties , as accounts of Stack and Barn burning weekly inserted in onr columns abundantly testify !

      On this the Times says : — Yes ! the agricultural labourer is the mainstay of the country , " and then adds : — "But softly , Peers and Gentlemen . Fine words butter no parsnips . It is well for you , dilated with the choicest -dands of a Smithfield Cattle Club , to think of the un-dining or half-dining rustic ; to tell him that he is the mainstay of the country ; that he must improve his mind by learning chemistry , and study the effects of guano and subsoil-ploughing . Bat , gentlemen agriculturists , just call to your

      recollection what sort of a being jour smock-frocked co-labourer is . He is a creature of like appetite with yourselves , but far less meanB of gratifying it—seldom tasting the fat kine which it is his privilege to tend—and often rearing a large brood of bacolio children on 6 * 3 . or 9 & a week , of which he pays Is . 6 d . for the rent of a scarcely habitable hovel . He is liable like yourselves to sickness and accidents ; but when these overtake him , unlike yon , he is subject to the evils of want , debt , and distress .

      u Donbtless , he Is deeply indebted to you for your euloginm . He has a pride of his own , poor though he b «; and he likes to be called the ' mainstay of the country / for he is persuaded that it must signify something very grand . He is not insensible to the flattery of squires and lords ; and he is half delighted , half-puzzled , when he learns through a provincial newspaper that his health has been drunk by implication . But , for all this , we believe that his sense of obligation would be increased—that he would be more grateful—did you extend your kindness beyond the delicate bounds of compliments and toasts—did you individually take that interest in his physical weal which you collectively exhibit in maintaining his generic

      dignity , and in improving his intellectual state . Let him b » comfortably housed , and competently paid . Look to his hut and bis wages . Render the one habitable , and the other adequate . Make him contented ; and do all yon can to induce others to follow your example . Let him feel that hiB happiness is not unoared for by his superiors . Do not let him be half-starved ; and then tell him he is the pride of his country , for this sounds too much like mockery ; bnt feed himnot indesd as you feed your prize-cattle , for that would be unwholesome—but feed him well , and then praise him , if you like . A man who is the mainstay of anything at all , should Save calves that do ndt shrink from inspection , and sinews somewhat stouter than a weaver ' s . "

      Amen I most devoutly say we . Yes , Lords and Gentlemen of England , ye will do well to take the advice of the Times , and tread in the footsteps of Lobd Ashlet . If you do so , well will it be for yourselves ! If you do not , on your heads he the aiiful responsibility ef coming icenet which the present " iigntvf the times" lighted vr BT thb I > cehdiart ' s tobch , e&kdkb but too visible in the visTjatcBi Yon will say , perhaps , that you remember the fires of 1830-31 , and that you crushed Swing by a "Special CommifSion ; " and that , if need be , what you have tried before , yoa will try

      again ; that rule you will by soldiers and rural police . If yon think thus , Lords and Gentlemen , yoa decuFo yourselves ! You have a very different s : ate of thingB now to meet to what you bad in 1830 31 ; and even then you did not succeed in crushing Swiss until you had raised the wages of the labourers I Tbeib wages webs raised 11 More than a million of money passed through their hands , in consequence of the additions made to their incomes . But those u additions" have disappeared !' and much , too , of the original sum 1 ! The New ' Poor Law Act was not passed for nothing ! The '

      wages of labour have been got at 1 0 , LordB and Gentlemen , be not deceived ! The times are much ' different from what they were in 1830-31 . Misery ; has advanced with giant strides since then—a misery f wide spread , which makes not a few , but myriads Of j men , sympathise and act together . Forget not the ¦ " Manchester Insurrection . " Bear in mind that if j you have not a Refoim-Bill-agitation to meet *! yoa have something worse —» rebellion smoul- f doing in Wales , and Ireland engaged in j a struggle , the issue of which has yet toj be seen ! Besides , more than three millions of '

      British Chartists , determined , sotner or later , whenever opportunity offers , to wreBt from yon the rights you have denied to tbeir mockedat-petitions . Remember , too , that every additional soldier is an additional embarrafsment to the Government ; and every additional policeman an additional drain upon the pocketB of the farmers and [ shopkeepers i hence more taxes and lower wages . Thus ia the evil aggravated instead of cured : and every additional ponnd spent in

      support of the system drives another nail ibTo its fastpreparing coffin . Again we say to the propertyholdera , mistake not the sagns of the times . The incendiary's torch has ever been the precursor of the storm of anarchy , lighting the way for the demons of civil discord and revolutionary strife . We are not for these ! We are for peaceful and progressive reforms . We therefore say , treat the labourer as he has a right to be treated , if he be , as he is , the main stay of the country" ! Beware how you snap the last

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      thread that binds him to you ! Invest aim with the franchise of a citizen ; and tkus give him a slake in the institutions of the country . Treat him as a man , having the same wants , feelings , and passions as yourselves ; and he will see his interest , — not in blazing farm yards and in destroying the food sent pob all , —but in the conservation of bis neighbours ' property , as the best guarantee for the protection of his own . If ye do this , Lords and Gentlemen , ye do well 1 If not ; if to these warnings you turn an eye that will be blinded—an ear that will be deaf—and a heart that will not feel , then , depend upon it the day of retribution will come , and come quickly .

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      and sickening slaughter ; and what has resulted ! The triumph of a set of military scoundrels , usurious speculators , and mean-souled tricksters , who prate about " Queen , " "Constitution , " and Liberal Institutions , " till the heart of an honest man heaves to vomiting at their unblushing Charlatanism . These fellows care not two straws for the poor thing called the " Queen , " whose [ name they usa in all their dirty intrigues , by way of covering their cowardly carcases from the popular vengeanoe due to their manifold aots of baseness and villanv .

      STATE OF SPAIN . DISCOVERY OF AN INFERNAL MACHINE AT BARCELONA .

      A WARNING TO TYRANTS . Unhappy Spain continues to be the theatr e of intrigues of the most villanous and detestable character . Our paper of last week contained a full account of the unparalleled plot which resulted in the fall of Olozaoa and the installation of the Gonzales Bravo Cabinet . Surely a country was never so degraded , so miserably fallen , as is modern Spain . Torrents of blood have been shed in the name of liberty , which is apparently but little nearer realization than it was at the outset of the struggle . Father has been arrayed against son , and brother against brother , in years of civil strife

      As to their ^ Constitution" and " Liberal Institutions , " God save even the savages of New Holland from the infliction of suoh calamities as these same "Constitution" and •• Institutions" would bring upon them . If the Revolution crushed the power of the priesthood , it raised up the power of the moneyjugglers instead ; and since the deposition of Espabtero , priestcraft is again in the ascendant : thus a trinity in unity of Devils , —the usurer , the priest , and the soldier , —now rule Spain . The horrors of such a rule may be imagined , but no pen could do justice" to the subject .

      As to Oloz&ga and his enemies , it is about six of one and half-a-dozen of the other . Espartero , with all his faults , was the best man Spanish Revolutions have turned up yet , and against him this same Olozaga most basely conspired ; no doubt paid weil for hid work by that spotless specimen of Queenly purity Maria Christina . As the reward of his treachery , our readers will remember he got himzt&idecorated with the Golden Fleece , " and ihe appointment of the ambassadorship to Paris ; from whence he returned , primed with instructions from Louis Philippe and Mrs . Munoz . Lopez , the late Prims Minbter , with the instinot

      common to all rats , finding himself id a house not likely to stand very long , threw up his connection with the firm of Louis Philippe , Munoz , Narvaez , and Co ., and resolutely ' refused to have any further connection with them ; upon which the Euight of the " Golden Fleece" was ** called in . " In accordance with his previously base character , he entered into certain terms with the Moderados , having not the least intention of fulfilling the agreement ; and to do them ( the Moderados ) justice , they had as little idea of acting in good faith towards him ; Olozaga being jealous and fearful of Narvaez , and Narvaez and Co . being determined to ruin him .

      Accordingly the two parties set to work , in what was ** a labour of love "—mutual treachery . Olozaoa got the decree from the Queen for the dissolution o f the Cortes , which he calculated would place ' his friends the Moderados under his thumb . They aware of this , went a shorter way to work , had him ( Olozaga ) kicked out neck and crop , and then u enthroning a lie , " ( as the Times says ) got him charged upon royal authority with something like high treason ; putting even his life in danger or if he would Bave himself , rendering it imperative on him to prove Royalty a liar , and thus " desecrate the Monarchy , " and for ever ruin himself with his u Illustrious MiBtress" !

      Take the following prettypioture of this Charlatan drawn by the able hand of the correspondent of the Times . It is unique : — " Thus stands the case , —Senor O . 'ozoga , beseeching , threatening , pleading , weeping , pouring forth flood * of diplomatic eloquence in the Congress , ' ready to lay down bis life' to humble the Camarilla ; ready to give away worlds of Prime Ministries that the Exaltadoa ihould think him an honest man , and forget that he betrayed the confiding Regent by the disclosure of pretended secrets , forming a coalition , and declaring war

      against him for a plot to dethrone the Queen and assassinate its leaders . His famous defiance and war-cry ia the Chamber last May , — ' Let the assassins come ?' would bave been worth a palace to him yesterday , when he had to insinuate that if Narvaez threw him into prison he should never be allowed to leave it alive ; but the rules of eloquence forbid tautology especially where the repetition would recal the mauvaise ode » r of an exploded humbug ; bo that now , when the orator ia really In some danger , he is self-coudemned , by his previous prodigality of voice , * to roar like a sucking nightingale . "'

      After what we have said , not one of our readers will mistake this Olozaga for a " patriot . " The M devil-a-bitV of patriotism is there to be found amongst the whole gang . We doubt if Diogenes with his Ian thorn could find even one honest man in the . entire Cortes . Unless it were some of the French assemblies , we doubt if a worse gang of usurers , hypocrite ? , and assassins were ever congregated together . Unhappy Spain ! to be ruled

      by such miscreants as these . With % n ignorant bad-hearted child upon the throne , and out-throats and plunderers in the national councils , what wonder that all is desolation and despair thoughout the sunny clime of beauty , where n&ture has lavished every good that could make man happy ; but where demons , —in the shape of priests , brigands , and usurers , —have turned every blessing into a curse , and made an Aoaldema where , but lor them all would have been a Paradise !

      As for the Monarchy it requires no " second sight" to see that Us days are numbered . That portion of the " liberal institutions" of Spain , lately so much vaunted , is doomed to a speedy extinction ; and God send the establishment of the people ' s sovereignty upon its ruins 1 Hear bow the Times , —that ardent supporter of rotten antiquity , sounds the mournful peal over the expiring throes of the Spanish Monarchy : — " Toe palaces of Spain bave witnessed strange

      scenes of mystery and crime , bad plots of state-craft , and all the hideous combination ! of decaying royalty , of monkish bigotry , and of Ministerial profligacy . Hereafter , when tbeir ruined walls , already stripped of their ancient magnificence , are laid bare to the devastating elements—not more devastating than the plundering audacity of such a Conrfc , and the rising rreuzy of inch a people—they will be explored as ¦ pots equally memorable to mankind for tbe glory of tbeir past history , and for the tremendous retribution -which has since fallen upon them . "

      The Times adds ; " We can only look forward to approaching events with the gloomiest forebodings . " Yea , reader , there will be serious tales to tell speedily of Spanish affairs . Agents are said to have been despatched to the provinces to get up new pronunciamentos against the Military Cabinet and Camarilla . " The Eco del Comereio , the most iuaueutial jojraal iu Spain , the paper -which mainly exoited the coalition against Espahtero , declares it is more Progressista than ever , and has taken for

      its new motto— " Ourselves or the Moderados . No compromise ! No more humbug ! God repented that he had made man , and we have lived to repent that we originated the coalition ! " The same paper says : — The country must prepare for great events . We implore the Opposition to hasten to appease the publio anxiety by the Parliamentary means they can dispose of . Revolution is roaring : the nation is alarmed , and every day discontent will increase in . the great masses who have sacrificed their interest for freedom . "

      " No more humbug" says the organ of the Piogresistas . God grant it i is our respense ; though we Ave fears that the davs of intrigue and treachery

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      are not ended eveu -in Spain . But still thtre is ground for hope . / " Humbug" may be tried too long aud too oft ! « Discontent" is , in the end produced ; and the masses , seeing the true nature and worth of thefactions who seek to use them for the establishment of tyrannous rule and power , determine that the " sacrifices" they have made "for freedom" shall not be lost or thrown away ! Then away goes the whole crew of "humbnggers " iuto nothingness . Then ib established the " Sovereign rule of the people ; " and then are the interests of the whole oared for and attended to , for their own sake , and not for the effect they will have in strengthening or weakening the hands of party or class . . '

      There is reason [ to conclude that this will be the course of things ia Spain . Though intrigue and treachery have hitherto prevented the " masses " that have made "sacrifices' * "for freedom , " from CD joying the blessinga and benefits of true liberty , yet they have not subdued the spirit of the Spanish people ; i and , in the words of the Eco , " the country muat prepare for geeat events . *' In aTeoenHlnumber of the Star , Jwe gave an account of the " preparations" made by the insurgent people of Barcelona to defend their city from the assaults of the Legitimatist army . We then told of the " defences witbin defences "; of the "triplebarricaded streets" ; of the ' deep trenches and open sewers" ; and of the "houses filled with earth

      and stones , thus rendered cannon-proof , and incapable of affording shelter to the besieging atmy . We also referred with admiration to the heroic devotednesa of the Barcelonese , who had maintained their stand against aggressive oppression , until their means were wholly exhausted , they being reduced to their last 300 dollars ; and having only some lOOlbs . of gunpowder left . But it now turns out i that the world was not

      fully aware of all the " preparations" that had been made . Something new in the way of defence and riddance has been devised by the insurgent people . In addition to the protection afforded to them , by the triple-barricades , the deep trenches , and the cannon-proof houses ; in addition to the use ol the cannon , the rocket , the musket , and the sword , a plan had been arranged , by which , should it so happen that the ordinary defences all failed , and the city thus fall into the hands of the

      " Hired bravos who defend & throne , " the Barcelonese and the world would speedily have been ridded of their presence and power . After having made all due preparation to defend themselves from " storm , " and prevent their city from being " carried by assault , " the Insurgent people had also prepared for the worst , in case their other measures were not sufficient , and the chance of war should be against them . This last preparation was the manufacture of

      A REAL INFERNAL MACHINE , which , had the arrangements all been perfect , would have sent the assailing army out of the city , and even oat of existence much sooner [ than they entered into either ! The following is a description of the " preparation" for this purpose made . In it an attempt was made to bring the later discoveries of scienoe to bear ; and though we think the arrangement detailed below ineffective yet the idea of so employing : the powers of chemistry and galvanism , will not be lost to the

      world . We shall hereafter , if war continues to ravage the fair face of the earth , often hear of mines being sprung by the simple expedient of bringing the ends of two wires , miles long even , into contact with a number of little plates of dissimilar metals , immersed in a little diluted acid : and to this safe and successful mode of "defending" not only a tewn or city itself , but even the approaches to such town or city , will the world be indebted to the brave Barcelonese who roue in " Rebellion" against " Legislative" authority , and turned the power of the sword against those who raled ^ by the sword .

      The following letter from an officer stationed at Barcelona , appeared in the Especiador , a Madrid paper , of December 6 th : — " Barcelona , Nov . 26 > "My dear Friend , —Providence has preserved tbe army ! A horrid plot baa been discovered to blowup our troops , as well as the Cathedral , if we should hav ? attempted to take the city by assault . We learned from one of the jamancfci who had entered our ranks lately , that they bad buried a number of barrels of powder outside tbe walls in the roads and paths by which the Ms&ulta Tteie expected , wUb wires inserted to discharge them by means of electricity , according to tbe new infernal plan employed in France and England to blow up tbe hills which stand In the way of the railroads they are constructing .

      " The General , knowing that I understand something about these matters , sent me at nigbt with an escort in search of the powder ; and after plenty of perspiratloa , cold and hot , from fear and hard work , we succeded in turning up thirteen barrels of it , buried in as many approaches , under heaps of stones ; each disposed so as to have blown up a battalion at a time . We were in some danger , I assure you , for the wires were still in the powder , and stretched away to the city walls , aa ' we judged from tbe direction of each ; buried as they were two or three inches under ground all tbe way into the town , to prevent them being stumbled ontoj passengers . This is certainly the invention of some of those cursed French Republicans whom they had in the city , fomenting tbe rebellion ; for such an Idea would never bave entered into the heads of the brutal jamann ' eros ( i . e . the mob of the Plaza San Jaime ) .

      " Id each barrel we found two copper wires , tied with thread at each side of a thick cork , to keep them at a proper distance until they entered the powder , where the electrio epark was to pass from one to the other , and inflame the powder lying between . The ends of the wires were bent over the bottom of the cork , so as to approach within about the fifth part of an inch , and the wires ended in a little ball of solder , without doubt to produce a stronger spark . But this was not . all . Lest the spark should

      pass harmlessly between two coarse grains of their cannon powder , these villains had introduced each cork with its wires into a little wide-mouthed bottle full of fine priming powder , that could not bave escaped ignition with the slightest spark . I am sure that they were French toilet bottles , for one of them still bore a label with toe word 'creme . ' One of the wires , covered with pitch , led off to the city under the surface , as I said before , and the other , a abort end , bung out of the barrel into the damp earth to complete the electric circuit

      " When the thirteenth barrel was raised , I broke off the wire to make all safe , and followed its course to tbe nearest wall , tearing it up , little by little , till I found ib passed through a loophole into an adjoining garden , and at last into a cellar ( altogether about five hundred yardB of copper wire ) . There we found tne infernal electrical machine itself , hidden in a corner and covered with a heap of straw . The machine was nothing after all bnt a common black wine bottle , mounted io an old cigar box . A crooked stick in the bottle ' s mouth served for a handle to make it revolve in its position . On one side they bad nailed a dirty doeskiu glove with some amalgam of solder in tbe palm , and , on the other , an old snuff-canniater , which served for the prime conductor , and the bottle spun about between both .

      " Never did I see such a ridiculous looking apparatus , or one contrived to do mischief so quietly ! I assure you that It had more the appearance of a child ' s toy than an electrical battery ; but , on turning the bottle by tbe aid of the little crooked stick , to try if it was in action , I received a Bpark on my knuckles sufficient to inflame a barrel of powder a mile off , and blow a regiment to pieces . " Thia is without doubt the great secret with which those savages boasted that they would astonish tae world , if we drove them to extremity .

      " That which moat surprised me was to and this infernal machine in such good working order , in spite of the dampness of the vault in which it lay ; but , on overhauling the old cigar-box , I found in the bottom , instead ef cigars , damp lumps of something like sa | t , which I afterwards showed to an apothecary , and which he said was a preparation used by chemists for drying the air ia their apparatus , as it absorbs all the humidity of the place in which they enclose it . This composition be says , is formed by dissolving lime in muriatic acid , and afterwards driving off the liquid by a red heat in a crncibla .

      •• From wbat tne Jamancio , to whom we owe this discovery , said , we conclude that tbe author of this iMbtn&l project is some democrat disciple of Fieschi and Co ., whs- is now strolling , amongst the pueblos ot the Ampurdam , instructing the mountaineers ia these anil other means of destruction for the troops ! But we confide in the care of Providence that watches over the safety of out valiant army . The piety and patriotism of the writer of this letter is truly laughable . ¦ " Providence has preserved

      the army I" Very kind of Providence ; but if Providence would " preset . e" the people of Spain and every other oation from the cars © of armies , suoh preservation would be infinitely better calculated to excite our pious thanksgivings ! " A horrid plot has been discovered to blow ; up the troops , " O , dear ! but not a word about these same troops blowing down one half of Barcelona , and blowing to destruction their own countrymen and kinsmen ! No , no ; that's perfectly right—that ' s all in support Of the " right

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      divino" of litili Isabella , and iha ri ^ ht blood of Messrs . Nauvaez , j Prim , aud Co . And mark , too : this " horrid plot" was only to have been put into execution in the event of " the troops" attempting " to take the city jby assault" ; » . e ., to commit wholesale massacre , ! arson , rape , and plunder * dooming an entire city to worse horrors than even the fiends of perdition could possibly conceive . That ' s the meaning of taking places by " assault "

      *^ the storming of Badajoz , for instance . We ask all honest men whether the parties threatened with such , horrors were not justified in preparing to defend themselves , no matter at what cost to their assailants t We think they were ; and out fervent prayer is , that wherever the people are so threatened , that they may know the means of destroying their oppressors , and have no qualms of conscience about using them . !

      It appears that it [ is the "cursed French Republicans" who have the credit of preparing this " horrid plot . " O , those rascally French Jacobina _ from the days of the " Sublime and Beautiful " Burke , down to those of the elegant writer of the above letter ! They have been constantly employed in throwing tyrants and their tools into sweats , both "hot and cold , " by [ tbeir untiring machinations against thrones andj privileges . But , Heaven be praised , tbe " age of chivalry" is not yet "gone !" We can still find heToes such as the writer of the above letter , bravely going forth to encounter sweats , " hot and cold , " in discovering the " horrid plots" of the modern fiery dragons !

      Of course the poor Barcelonese are bountifully abused by this licensed cut-throat ; aud called 11 brutal mob , " " vjllains , " " savages , " Ac . &c . This we are not surprised at , the writer evidently sweats both " hot and cold" at the prospect before him : for although saved from being blowed-up at Barcelona , he has his misgivings that the concoctors of this horrid plot are strolling amongst the pueblos of the Ampurdam , j" instructing the mountaineers in these and other ] means of destruction for - the

      troops . " But , " he addB very piously , " we confide in the care of Providence , that watches over the safety of our valiant (!) army . " Alas for the human race , when legalized man-butchers have the blasphemous assurance to talk about Providence watching over theirisafety , and priests stand by aud approve the horrid impiety ! Alas for the millions , when they tolerate snoh villany , instead of—as they ought to do—trampling in the dust the foul-mouthed miscreants who thus cozen and consume them ! -

      We have entered into the particulars of this " plot , " first , because it is a lesson for the people ; and , secondly , for their rulers . The people of this country are fortunately so situated as to be able to obtain the reforms they seek by moral means ; and our rulers are so enlightened and humane that there is no fear that the people of England will ever be driven to the like extremities . Still the above is a esson . It shows what means other nations , not so f ortunately situated as we are , are sometimes driven to in defence of their lives their honour and their

      liberties . And seeing what others have to do , the people of this country should thereby bo stimulated , nob to the employment of like perilous means , but to the zealous carrying out of those peaceful-measures in obtainment of their rights which will most assuredly succeed if only honestly and efficiently tried . To the rulers of j nations this " Fibschi scheme " is a lesson full of fearful meaning . No matter how clumsy , how inefficient , the apparatus above described : it is the idea of the thing thtkt is calculated to do the mischief . } What was concocted at Barcelona may be concocted elsewhere . What was not put into execution there , may be really tried in some

      other part of Europe . It tells a tale ominous to the future stability of all power having for its basis the support only of troop 3 and cannon . It tells that the mighty powers of j science axe now known , to more than the privileged few ; that those powers are nolonger secrets , dark and mysterious to the masse ? ; and that knowing of these heretofore sacrets , there is a great probability that the millions will not always suffer themselves to be mowed down like grass , bat will yet some day turn these , dreadful powers against their oppressors . Some of our readers may remember that about three years ago , | the Times contained an account

      of an alleged discovery made by a Mr . Wabnek , applicable to naval and military conflicts . It was stated that a [ vessel of immense strength was blown iuto ten . thousand fragments in an instant , by the explosion of some preparation tohich was contained in a package not larger than a smdli wallet or portmanteau , and' which could be carried under a man ' s arm or packed in the seat of a gig ! Lord Ingjestbtb , Sir George Murbat , Sir Fkancis Bdbdett , and several others witnessed these experiments ; and testified in the House of Commons to the truth of the above statement , and their unqualified opinion that the power wai fully adequate to effect the terrific ends proposed by the inventor . Now , suppose anything of the sort employed by an Insurgent people .

      even the simple contrivance of the Baroeloneae , which , with the proper agencies , would produce the most awful results , of what use would be infantry , cavalry , artillery ; and all the munitions of murderous war directed against such a power!—a power which would sweep thousands to destruction at one blow ! Let all those who trample on the rights of man think of that I God speed the triumph of science . Its secrets once imparted to the masses , war will be made too costly for even the war-mongers . The bayonet-propped thrones of tyranny will totter and fall ; and man , redeemed by knowledge , will trample down the fiend that has so long misled and scourged him—that for centuries has deluged this earth with blood and tears .

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      THE BOILER- | bLOWINGUP ALDERMAN ! It seems , at last , that we are to have some inquiry into one of the allegations , connected with the strike of 1842 , attributing the concoction and planning of the { Insurrection" to the League . That inquiry ought to have been instituted long ago ; and if the Leadsrs of ; the League had not been afraid they would have Iifsistev on it , that tho challenge given them to have suoh inquiry should be accepted . Instead , however , of insisting , they coatented themselves with a very poor and paltry attempt to attribute the strike te | the teachings of the Standard , and the Tory incendiaries ! A greater proof of conscious guilt could not have been furnished .

      One fact , or rather one alleged fact , —that relating to the conduct of an Alderman of Leeds , —the Boiler Blowinft-up affair , —is at last in a fair way of being bottomed . The readers of the Star will recollect that at the Soiree lately given in Leeds , in honour of the Chartist triumph at the Leeds Municipal Elections , Mr . Hobson related a circumstance that had come to jbis knowledge , by which the con * duot of a certain' member of the Corporation was

      seriously called in question . An attempt was soon after made by a Mr . Alderman T&Ktt&OTx ' jLo flabergast the publio in relation to the affair , by leading it' to infer that the accusation was all hum ; and that Mr . Hobson had sneakingly evaded and shrunk from his oharge , His weak nerves were , however , doomed to experience a rude shock . He was soon let know that the charge was not " shrunk" from ; and hiB pitiful attempt to ( mislead the public , was fully and fearlessly exposed .

      And what was then left undone has since been most satisfactorily accomplished : satisfactorily , we hope , even for Alderman Bateson himself ! What teas merely a local " squabble , " confined to the columns of the Northern Star and the Leeds Mercury , has now become an object of national interest : and all ( the attempts to blink inquiry , of whatever nature , will now assuredly fail 1 We trust Alderman Bateson likes his position . We dare answer for it that ! Mr . Hobson does .

      The Standard of Monday last , in an article , respecting the League and the incendiary fires , took occasion to instance the statement of Mr . Hobssn , as it appeared in the Northern Star , quoting it , however , from the Leeds Mercury , and designating it as " manly , plain , and distinct" He also represented that Mr . Hobson was " an Alderman of the town for Hdbeck Ward . " - The publication of Mr . Hobson ' s statement in the

      Standard , called forth the Morning Chronicle the next day , who j tried to rescue his friends the Leaguing Whigs ^ and especially the Leeds Alderman , in the following fashion : — " The publisher ; of the Northern Star is a member of the Munioipal Gonncil of Leeds , and some time ago he made a speech , containing a charge against an Alderman of Leeds , of which the following is the substance . He charged this Alderman ( whom he did not name , but marked out as having been on

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      the Watch Committee ) with having b <»« n c ^ v zint of the great strike or turnout of 1842 , a v ¦ ttm ' shfc before it took place , and as having been in communication with an individual , ia ord 6 r to get the turn-oafc workmen to * dr : iw the plugs' and 'blow up the boilers , ' throu . srhoui Leedg . Of the troth of this charge the publisher of the Northern Star declared that ho had in his own possession full and ample proof—written proof . The only alderman who had been ou the Watch Committee in 1842 , naturally feeiing r , hat he must be the individual aimed at , promptly applied to his accuser , offering in anyway to sbclter him from all legal eonfeqnences , provided the slander w « fe thoroughly probed , and the siaa"derer sot at . But , no ; after the usual amount

      of shuffling and evasion , tho courageons Chartigfc sneaked out of the matter by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction . The correspondence appeared in the Leeds Mercury yet the Standard , with a parade of accuracy , copies and repeats the slanderous accusation , without the slightest notice of the ample refutation and exposure which it had received . Nor is it altogether unworthy of notice that , in order to hide from its own readers the fact , that it was drawing froni the muddy fountain of the Northern Slar , it elevates the publisher of O'Connor ' s paper to the post of alderman , terms his accusation " manly , plain , and " distinct ; " and assureB its readers that" no attempt has been made to contradict it by the parties interested !"

      It happened , fortunately , that Mr . Hobson vras in London at the time these publications took place . He therefore promptly replied to the Morning Chro ~ nicle aa below : —

      TO THE EDITOR OF THE MOBMNG CHRONICI . R . Sib , —A friend of mine , with whom I am staying for a few days " in town , " has just put into my hands your journal of this day . From it I learn that a statement of mine , affecting one of the aldermen of Leeds , has been copied into the Standard of yrsterday ; and that you have vouchsafed certain explanations of that statement , several of which aro incorrect . I therefore trouble you with this , my explanation , that the real facts may be known .

      The simple truth of the whole affair is just vuis : — Some weeks ago , at a largo publio meeting in the town of Leeds , I took occasion to relate a circumstance that had come under my observation , with reference to the strike of 1842 , which seriously implicated the conduct of an alderman of Leeds , the said alderman being a well-known Whig , a m > : mber of the Anti-Corn-Law League , aud once a member of the Watch Committee of the Common Council of Leeds .

      That circumstance was , that in the month ol February , 1843 , I received a certain letter from a Member of the House of Commons , enclosed in a note to myself , desiring me Unmake the foSlowing kquiries : — 1 . Whether sach a person as the one represented to be the writer existed ; and 2 . Whether , if there was such a person , ho was prepared to maintain the truth of his statement *; and , further , whether he was worthy of credence . Tho reason assigned by the Member of Parliament for wishing these inquiries to be mads was , i < -iat he was fearful the letter was a hoax , intended w Jead him into error . That the said letter purported to be written by a master machine-maker in Leeds , name and address being given .

      That the writer averred that some fortnight before the . strike otscurred an Alderman of Leeds , whose name was mentioned , sent for him ( the writer ) and informed him that a general strike would in a short time take place ; that when it reached Leeds , he would greatly serve the cause if he would _ turn the men employed in his machine-shop out , with a hint to draw the plug ' s of the boilers ; that as the men were mechanics , they would be useful in teaching others how to draw tbe plugs ; and that they would also , if it were needful , know how to biow the boilers up . These statements were said to be made voluntarily , and from just and patriotic motives ; and the writer declared his readiness to make oath aa to their truth at the bar of the House of Commons .

      That in accordance with the request to me I ascertained—1 . That there was a master machine maker of the name and place set forth in the letter f and 2 . That he bore a character for fair dealing , probity , and honour . That I then sent for the gentleman himself , put the letter into his hand , and asked him if he was the writer ; and received for answer that he was . That I then inquired , if he was ready to maintain the truth of the allegation made in it , and was answered that he was , before any tribunal in the kingdom .

      That I communicated the result of my inquiries to the member of Parliament who had desired me to make them ; and understood that he rose several times in the house with the said letter in his hands , on the debate concerning the conduct of the magistrates in the month during the strike , intending to make use of the alleged facts , but was not fortunate enough to catch the Speaker ' s eye , . That letter is still in existence 'iff * the possession of the said member of Parliament , and is ready to be produced when called for . It true that when the report of my speech appeared , a certain alderman of Leeds wrote to ask me whether the statement referred to him or not .

      That I returned him for answer that I held myself in readiness , to state the whole facts of the case , names and all , to any one who fancied himself implicated , provided I received a guarantee that no legal advantage would be taken of me for so doing . That after two days' consideration the said alderman forwarded a sort of guarantee full of reservations and provisos . That I represented this fact to him ; and desired him to make the guarantee a plain and simple one , to the effect that no legal advantage would be taken , and he should . immediately be put ia possession of the whole case .

      That instead of replying to my letter , and forwarding such simple guarantee , he printed tbe correspondence accompanied by a lengthy explanation of his own , in which he endeavoured to show that I had " shuffled and evaded" his question . That , he sent'tbe said correspondence and explanation to press without apprising mo of his intention ] or giving me any opportunity to explain also . That though the statement of which he complained appeared only in a journal conducted by myself j he did not send the correspondence and explanation to me for publication , but confined them to papers in which the statement had not appeared .

      That within twelve hours of the appearance of the Alderman ' s statement in the Leeds Mercmy newspaper , the walls of the town of Leeds bore ample testimony that I had not " sneaked out of the matter by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction ; " but that £ had again , under my own hand , in a placard printed at my own press , restated the whole matter ; and again offered to give up the names of all parties concerned , to the Alderman who had sought the information , if he would furnish me with the simple guarantee required ; and also offered to afford that explanation without guarantee , if asked for in the Council Chamber of the Leeds Town Council .

      That I farther invited him to pursue the inquiry , averring that all attempts to stifle it should fail : for if he declined to seek suoh explanation in the Council Chamber , other persons would take the matter ap , and the explanation should be had . That on the 1 st day of January next , an adjourned meeting of the Council will be holden , at which I shall hold myself in readiness to furnish all explanation to any one who may ask for it ; and that , if no one else introduces the subject , I shall , by moving for the appointment of a committee to " bottom" the whole affair . -

      This simple statement of facts will show yon that you are wrong in the statements in your article of to-day , that I had "shufflsd , " " evaded , " and " sneaked out of the matter , by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction ; " and that" the slanderous accusation had received ample refutation and exposure . " These statements cannot be true ; for I have always been ready to afford all explanation ; have courted inquiry ; and am determined to foree it on . I also apprehend that no " refutatioa" can be given until inquiry is had . On one point you are right , lam not au alder * man of Leeds . I am simply a Councillor , being chosen such by an overwhelming majority of the suffrages of the largest ward of the borough . I am , Sirjyour ' s respectfally , Joshua Hobson . Walcot'square , Dec . 19 .

      This letter the Chronicle inserted . It appeared the very next day to his statement that Mr . Hobso » had " sneaked out of , the matter" ; and it was acoom panied by the following note : — •' . We know nothing of the matter whatever , except from a perusal of the correspondence published m the Leeds Mercury , whicli ^ certainly was anything , but favourable to Air . Hobson . The frank and open style of the foregoing letter induces ns to hope that , for the sake of h * . s ewn credit , he will follow the ma % ter up , and give the public the means of ascertaining , what truth may be in the Star . -Ed . M . C . " a -

      To this it is scarcely necessary to add a single word . The statement in Mr . Hobson's letter to the CaronicU is so full and complete ; and withal so plain , that nothing more remains to be done at present . The line of condact in connection with tho matter is also bo well pointed out , that we have only to direct attention to the next meeting of this Leeds Town Council for further explanations ^ promising that the publio shall be made acquainted with what there transpires . We trust that Alderman Bateson will be the first to moot the question there , as he wafc the first to " suppose" thai the charge referred to him .

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      NORTHERN STAR . ; 5

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 23, 1843, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct513/page/5/