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Northern Star (1837-1852), 23rd December 1843, Edition 4 of 5, Page 5, Untitled Article

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      fencelet \ if they will cling to the system wlrieYhaB made them fa * and prosperous—very Kingsiof Gold —* X the ^ xpeace of their plundered brethren j if Jhey -will despise 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 horrors of niarchy itself , —to ronse our guilty inlets from their dreamy state I England must not perish ! We are a nation two thousand years of age . We ire old enough , and should be able enough , to work ont onr own salvation ; and if Reformation tan only come " riding the whirlwind" of triumphant anarchy , bb it bo i i It will be the work of the property-holders , and not of the povertjstricken . England must be saved . 2

      God knows we abhor the crime which is now ravaging the iarm-yards of the Sonth ; and we earnestly hope that the red-right-hand of revenge may be stayed by prompt and efficient justice . Not the justice of the judge and the hangman ; but that of the philanthropist and the enlightened legislator . ! Ehere is , as our paper ( to go no further ) weekly testifies , ample employment for both . "We * re told that at some of the fires ihe labourers

      manifest net the slightest desire to aid in exlinffiashing them , but on the contrary display the greatest apathy and reokleBB indifference . " Is this to be wondered at i The " condition " of onr once B bold peasantry" is notoriously infamous to those who profit by their SoQ . Bordering on all the horrors of the savage state , is there any wonder that men should stand sternly by and refuse a helping hand to the class who hare said B nay " when the many have asked but for simple justice !

      We preoeiTe that the " liberal ' papers are tnrn-JTig to their own factions account these unhappy " signs of the tunes . " The Nonconformist says that incendiarism is " a crime unheard ot in onr cities and manufacturing towns . " We dont know whether Ihere is any ineendzarifina in our cities and townB ; hut we do know that ssteb . weee fib . es so fre-QCEKT AS THKT HATS BEES OT 1 ATE TKABS IS LONDOS , ilTEBPOOL , AXX > OTHSBS OT OUR CITIES AXD MASDTACnmntQ iOTfX 3 : fires , the cause of which , in nine cases out of ten , are nndiseoverable , but susverted to be the vxtrk of incendiaries I The press , for

      ob-rions reasons , has been silent upon this j but there is the fact unanswered , unanswerable . The Nonconformist should remember that even were it true that there are fewer fire 3 in cities and towns , it would not prove that there is ltss crime . More eyes are watching the wonld- 'ba criminal in the crowded town ; and hence , it may be , the comparative absence of ineendiarism . But that there is less crime we emphatically deny ; and in proof ef our assertion we refer to the * Criminal TalUs for the last year , compiled by Mr . Hedgbatb , at the Home Office , which our readers will find fully set for th in the " Poor iron ' s Companion ? for 1844 .

      We have ascribed to the wide Epread and nnparal . leled destitution existing amongst the labouring classes of the agricultural districts , the prevalence and increase of the crime of incendiarism . Our readers wiU be glad to learn that Lord Asslst has come forward in defence of the peasantry ; and happy are we that bo sincere a philanthropist is buckling on his armour to do battle in the cause of the oppressed . At the Sfcunninster » gricnltural dinner , allnding to the state of the Dorsetshire peasantry ho said i— But , gentlemen , are we prepared to look these charges in the face , discuss their justice , repel

      what is falsa , bnt correct what cannot be gainsayed j Do we admit tne assertion that the wages of labour in these parts are scandalously low , painfully idadeqs&te to the maintenance of the husbandman and his family , and in no proportion to the profit of the Boil ! If we are able to deny this statement , we shall als » be able to disprore it—Jet ns do so without delay ; but , if the reverse , not an hoar is to ba lost n rolling away the reproach . I do not pretend to sire 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 tnoir , that if a larger self-denial , an abatement of

      juxuries , a curtailing of even tchat are called comforts , oe necessary to this end , let us begin at once tnth the higher and wealthier classes . It htjst bb Dora . There is neither honoar , nor safety , nor joy ( setting aside all higher considerations ) , to dwell in a honse , however fair the outside , which rests on such rotten and crumbling foundations . Do . we deny that the dwellings of the poor are oftentimes Tninoas , filthy , contracted , ill-drained , ill-Tentilated , and so situated as to be productive of many forms of disease and immorality ! If we do , let ns take the same course , and refute our accusers ; bnt , if not let as'hasten to wipe out the stain .

      This iB manly ! this is language worthy of a patriot and a philanthropist ! His Lordship points to theproper , or one of the proper remedies , a jiobb E QUAL DISTRIBUTION or thb ttxaith tbo-» cc £ d by xbs woaxise has . He knows that there is enough produced tor the sostenance and enjoyment of all ; but that the labourer , so far from being * first partaker of the fruits , " too often " ¦ partakes" -not a * all 1 or but of a miserable portion of that which is his right- For the remedy he -points to a more eqcal dietbibctjoh , by giving to the labourer a fair share of that which be prodnces ; something like an honest . remuneration for bis foil . And his Lordship says ** this must be ]—even if it be at the cost to the prope-ty holders of a Labger

      £ EU DXS 1 AT , AS ABATEUEST OF LrXCRIBS , A CUB-1 A 112 XG OT XTE « WHAT ABB CALLED COMFOBTS . ' " Let -us begin '' says his 1 / ordship , ** at once unth ihe highet and wealthier classes It hcet bk D 05 K /" Bravo , Lord Ashlet ! There is hope for England yet I There is hope that the torch of the incendiary may not be longer needed to lighten np the dullard eyes of our sluggard rulers . A few men like Lord Ashixt , said England may yet be saved from the horrors which already gleam frightfully upon ns .

      The base Whigs and merciless Millocrats , who hate Lord Ashlxt with all that genuine hatred -fr ith which conscious vice ever regards acknowledged vir tue , have , ever since his Lordship ' s exposures o { the iniquities universally prevailing in the mining and manufacturing districts , been engaged in sneering at his Lordship for not turning his attention to the state of the . agricultural working classes ¦ with ' whom he was more intimately connected . "Why did he not do bo" ! " why did he give his first attention to the manufacturing and mining population" ! are tlie questions constantly put . We vill tell these

      Whig hirelings . The Commission that was appointed to enquire into the state of our agricultural minisg , and manufacturing population , was apjminted at tne instance and through the exertions of Lord Ashlet . As that Commission reported , Lord Ashxet took npthe reports , and , so far as he had the power laboured to accomplish ameliorations in the condition of the classes reported upon . The Commission reported first or ihe two latlet of the three classes ; hence his Lordship first introduced measures

      on their behalf . The agricultural dasB has now been reported -upon , and we find Lord Ashlet consistently taking up their case . What more would the Millocrats have ! He is not doing as tket inn , trying to deny ihe statements of the Commission , OB rZ £ TBXT OB ETA 3 XE THE BEFOBMS BKJTTIEED 1 On the contrary , he says , "A CHANGE MUST BE MADE" 3 Even if that change takes from the rich Borne portion of their luxuries and even of their comforts , —it must be had !"

      The Manchester Guardian wishes to know ** why Lord Asblxy has not taken up the cause of the agricultural population long since" ! *• why he has not seen or acted npon a Parliamentary Return published sxteen ' years ago , showing the then distressed slate of the agricultural working classes ; and the wages received by Dorsetshire labourers" ! The Guardian sbould know that sixteen years ago Lord Asbxet was not a public man ; that when he began Ms Parliamentary career , he applied himself io Enbjectsthat were then before the pnblic Beades , the Guardian shcnld remtmber its ownJoctrine of " one thing at a time" in reference to Corn Law Repeal . Lord Ashlet has only acted upon that

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      principle in taking up the ease of the Collier-Women for izistanoe , and legislating thereon in the first place . There is this difference ( isdependentof many other differences ) between Lord Ashlkt 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 time , " have yet to win success if they can (!) . Lord Ashlkt has already won golden opinions from all honest men . Let him persevere in his present course , despite the sneers of the MillocraU and their hirelings , and . he will have the blessings ef present and the grateful adadmiration of all future generations .

      It is eheering , a nd hopeful too , amidst the many signs of disruption and bbeakiwo up , which the face o f society presents , to find that the cause of the labourer , —the knife-and-fork-question , —is forcing itself upon attention in quarters that have besn hitherto resolutely closed to all appeals from suffering humanity . We have already instanced the benevolent and pure-minded exertions of Lord Ashley 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 now instance an effort of the most powerful portion of the fbopbbtt holdbbs' preBS to force the condition of the labourer upon the attention of the property holders themselves . This is , of itself , a most hopeful " sign . " When we find the indifference , ccpiditt and heabilessness of the paoPfiBrr hen so soundly rated by their own organ , as in the following extract , we may rest assured that the " alarming" and " awful" u signB" are having their " effect" in the proper quarter . In this there are grounds for hope .

      The occasion of our contemporary ' s lecture to the Pbopebtt-Men was the following . The Smithfield Cattle Clab lately had , as is their annual custom after the exhibition of their " prize oxen , " a dinner—an aristocratic feed . At this dinner there was , says the Ttmes , "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 Duke of Richmond complimented Lord Spenckb , Lord Spekceb complimented the oxen ; and the Duke , 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 * bravery and devotednes 3 to their officers in war , but to their fidelity to their employers in peace" ; which last , permit us to add , 1 b rather queerly exhibited just now in Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire , and some other counties , as accounts of Stack and Bam burning weekly inserted in our columns abundantly testify I

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

      recollection what sort of a being your smock-frocked co-labourer is . He iB a creature of like appetite with yDurselvea , bnt far less means of gratifying it—seldom tasting the fat kine which it iB his privilege to tend—and often rearing a large brood of bacolio children on 83 . or 9 b . a week , of which he pays Is . 6 d . for the rent of a scarcely habitable horeL He isliable like yonrselves to sickness and accidents ; but when these overtake him , unlike you , he is subject to the evils of want , debt , and distress .

      " Donbtless , he is deeply indebted to yon for yonr enloginm . He has a pride of his own , poor though he be ; 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 Eqaires and lords ; and he is half delighted , half-puzzled , when he learns through a provincial newspaper that his health has been drank by implication . Bat , 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 bis renerio

      dignity , and in improving his intellectual Btate , Let him b * comfortably housed , and competently paid . Look to his hut and his wages . Render the one habitable , and the other adequate . Make him contented ; and do all you can to induce others to follow your example . Let him feel that his happiness is not nncared for by his superiors . Do not let him be half-starved ; and then tell him he ia the pride of iis conntry , for this sonnd 3 too . much like mockery ; but feed himnot indeed as yon 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 have calves that do not shrink from inspection , and sinews somewhat stouter than a weaver ' a . "

      Amea 1 most devoutly say we . YeB , Lords and Gentlemen of England , ye will do well to take the advice of the Times , and tread in the footsteps of Lobd Ashlkv . If you do bo , well will it be for yourselves ! If you do not , on your heads le the awful responsibility of coming scenes ushich the present " signs of the times , " . lighted vt bt the JKCEfl-DLUfj ' s TOBCH , BI » DEB BtTT TOO T 1 S 1 BLB IM THE distance ! You will say , perhaps , that you remember the fireB of 1830-31 , and that yon crushed Swisg by a Special Commission ? and that , if need be , what you have iried before , you will try

      again ; that rule yon will by soldiers and rural police . If you think thus , Lords and Gentlemen , yon deceive yourselves ! Yon have a very different siate of things now to meet to what you had in 1830 31 ; and even then you did not succeed in crashing Swixc until you had raised the wages of the labourers ! Tkeib wages webe baisbd ! S More than a million of money passed through their hands , in consequence of the additions made to their incomes . But those " additions" have disappeared ! and mach , too , of the original Bum 1 ! The New Poor Law Act was not passed for nothing ! The

      wages of labour have been got at I 0 , Lords and Gentlemen , be not deceived 1 The times are much different from what they were in 1830-31 . Misery has advanced with giant strides since tbtm—a misery wide spread , which makes not a few , bnt myriads 0 / men , sympathise and act together . Forget not the " Manchester Insurrection . " Bear in mind that if you have not a Refoim-Bttl-agitation to meet » yon have something worse—a rebellion smonldering in Wales , and Ireland engaged in a struggle , the issue of which has yet to be Eeen ! Besides , more than three millions of

      Briiish Chartigte , determined , sooner or later 3 whenever opportunity offer * , to wrest from you the rights yon have denied to their mockedat-petitions . Remember , too , that every additional soldier is an additional embarrassment to the Government ; and every additional policeman an additional drain upon the pockets of the fannere and Ishop keepers : hence more taxes and lower wages . Thus iB the evil aggravated instead of cured ; and every additional pound spent in

      support of the system drives another nail into its fastpreparing coffin , Again we say to the propertyholdere , mistake not the signs 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 Bay , treat the labourer as he has a right to le treated , if he be , as he iB , " the main stay of the country" I Beware how you snap the last

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      thread that binds him to you I Invest him with the franchise of a citizen ; and tbusgive him a stake in the institutions of the country . Treat him as a man , having the same wants , feelings , and passions as yourselves j and he will see his interestj- ' not in biasing farm yards and in destroying the food sent fob all , —but in the conservation of his neigh ' hours' property , as the best guarantee for the protection of his own . If ye do this , Lords and Gentlemen , ye-do well ! 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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      STATE OF SPAIN . DISCOVERY OF AN INFERNAL MACHINE

      AT BARCELONA . A WARNING TO TYRANTS . "Unhappy Spain continues to be the theatre of intrigues of the most villanous and detestable character . Oar paper of last week contained a full account of the unparalleled plot which resulted in the fall of Olozaga and the installation of the Gokzalbs Bbavo Cabinet . Surely a country was never so degraded , bo miserably fallen , as is modern Spain . Torrents ef 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 sop ,

      and brother against brother , in years of civil strife and sickening slaughter ; and what has resulted ! The triumph of a set of military scoundrels , usurious speculators , and mean-souled tricksters , who prate abont w 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 usein all their dirty intrigues , by way of covering their cowardly carcases from the popular vengeance due to their manifold acts of baseness and villanv .

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

      As to Olozaga and his enemies , it is about six of one and half-a-dozen of the other . Espabtebo , with all his faults , was the best man Spanish Revolutions have turned up yet , and against him this sune Olozaga most basely conspired ; no doubt paid weilfor hits work by that spotless specimen of Queenly purity Mabia Chbistina . As the reward of his treachery , onr readers will remember he got hims * if decorated with the Golden Fleece , " and the appointment of the ambassadorship to Paris ; from whence he returned , primed with instructions frem Louis Philippe and Mrs . Munoz .

      Lopez , the late Prims Minister , with the instinot common to all rats , finding himself in a house not likely to Btand 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 whioh the Knight 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 Nabvaez , and Nabvaez and Co . being determined to rnin him .

      Accordingly the two parties set to work , in what was " a labour of love "—mutual treachery . Olozaga got the decree from the Queen for the dissolution o f the Cortes , whioh be calculated would place his friends the Moderados nnder his thumb . They aware of this , went a shorter way to work , had him ( Olozaga ) kicked oat neck and crop , and then 11 enthroning a lie , " ( as the Times says ) got him charged upon royal authority with something like high treason ; putting even his life ia danger , or if he would save himself , rendering it imperative oa him to prove Royalty a liar , and thus "desecrate the Monarchy , " and for ever ruin himself with his 11 Illustrious Mistress" }

      Take the following pretty picture of this Charlatan drawn by the able hand of the correspondent of the Times . It is unique : — " Thus stands the case , —Senor O ! o& * ga , beseeching , threatening , pleading , weeping , pouring forth flood * of diplomatic eloquence in the Congress , ' ready to lay down his life to humble the Camarilla ; ready to give away -worlds of Prime Ministries that the Exaltadoa should think him an boneBt 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 assas sinate its leaders . His famous defiance and war-cry in

      the Chamber last May , — 'Let the * "m *«? ns come ?' -would have been wortb » 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 ; bat the rules of eloquence forbid tautology especially -where the repetition would recal the mauvaise odtur of an exploded humbug ; so that now . when the orator is really in some danger , he is self-condemned , by bis previous prodigality of voice , ' to roar like a sucking nightingale . " After what we have said , not one of our readers will mistake this Oiozaga for a " patriot . " The " devil-a-bit" 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 , hypocrites , and assisBins were ever congregated together . Unhappy Spain ! to be ruled by such misoreants as these . With an ignorant bad-hearted child upon the throne , and cat-throats and plunderers in the national councils , what wonder that all is desolation and despair thoughout the sunny clime of beauty , where nature has lavished every good that could make man happy ; bnt where demons , —in the Bhape of priestB , brigands , and usurers , —have turned every blessing into a curse , and made an Acaldema where ) but for them , all wonld have been a Paradise !

      As for the Monarchy it requires no " second sight" to see that its 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 sovBBEiGffTr npon itsrninsl Hear how the Times , —that ardent supporter of rotten antiquity , sounds the mournful peal over the expiring throes of the Spanish Monarchy ;—"The palaces of Spain have witnessed strange

      scenes of mystery and crime , bad plots of state-craft , and all the hideous combinations of decaying royalty , of monkish bigotry , and of Ministerial profligacy . Hereafter , when their 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 Court , and the rising frenzy of such a people—they will be explored as spots equally memorable to mankind for the glory of their past history , and for the tremendous retribution which has since fallen upon them . "

      The Times adds : We can only look forward to approachingjevents with the gloomiest forebodings . " Yes , 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 pronuncianentos against" the Military Cabinet and Camarilla . " The Uco del Comereio , the most influential joarnal in Spain , the paper which mainly excited the coalition against Espabtbbo , declares it is more Progressist * than ever , and has taken for

      its new motto- ^ " Ourselves or the Moderados . No compromise \ No more humbug 1 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 public 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" say 8 the organ of the Progressislas . God grant it ! is our response ; though we have fears that the days of intrigue and treachery

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      are not ended $ rea in Spain . Bat still there is ground for hope ! » Humbug" may be tried too long and too oft ! « Discontent" is , in the end produced ;; and the masses , seeing the true nature « nd worth of the factions 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 J Then away goes the whole crew of "humbnggers " into no thingness . Then is established the m Sove-BEiQNrule of the people ; " and then are the interests of tho whole cared 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 olass .

      There is reason [ to aonoliide that this will be the course of things in Spain . Though intrigue and treachery have hitherto prevented the " masses " that have made " sacrifices" "for freedom , " from enjoying the blessings and benefits of true liberty , yet they have not subdued the spirit of the Spanish people ; and , in the wordsfpf the Eco , " the country must prepare for © beat events . " In a recentfnumber of the Slar , | we gave an ac . count of the " preparations" made by the insurgent people of Barcelona to de ? endl their city from the assaults of the Legitimatist army . We then told of the " defences within defences "; of the "triplebarricaded Streets" _ of thn » Aaan ircm «\ , aa an / 1 Dameaaea streets " of the * deep trenches and

      ; open sewers" ; and of the "houses filled with earth and BtoBeB , thus rendered cannon-proof , and incapable of affording shelter to the besieging army . We also referred with admiration to the heroic devotedness of the Barcalonese , Jwho had maintained their stand ag ainst aggressive oppression , ; antil their means were wholly ex . hausted , thoj being reduced to their last 300 dollars ; and having only some lOOlbs . of gunpowder left . But it now turns out t 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 prople . 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 of 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 biavos -who defend a 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 bad 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 j had the arrangements all been perfeot , 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 soienoe to bear ; and though we think the arrangement detailed below ineffective yet the idea of so employing the powers of ichemistry 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 aoid : and to this safe and successful mode of "defending" not only atewu or city itself , but even the approaches to such town or city , will the world be indebted to the brave Barcelonese who rose in " Rebellion" against " Legislative" authority , and turned the power of the sword against those who rnlodiby the sword .

      The following letter from an officer stationed at Barcelona , appeared in the Espectador , a Madrid paper , of December 6 th : — " Barcelona , Nov , 26 . " My dear Friend , —Providence haa preserved the army I A horrid plot has been discovered to blow up our troops , as well as the Cathedral , if we should have attempted to take the city by assault . We learned from one of thejamaneia who hod entered oar ranks lately , that they bad buried a number of barrel of powder outside the -wails In the roads and paths by -which the assaults were expected , with wires inserted to discharge them by means of eleotrtclty , according to Ihe new infernal plan employed in France and England to blow up the hills whioh stand in the way of the raUroads they are constructing .

      " The General , knowing that I unders * " % nd something abont these matters , sent roe ut night with an escort in search of the pewder ; and after plenty of perspiration , cald and hot , from fear and hard work , we ¦ uoceded in turning up thirteen barrels of it , buried in as many approaches , nnder 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 , as ; we judged from the direction of each ; buried as they were two or three inches under ground all the Way into the town , to prevent them being stumbled on by passengsrs . This ia certainly the Invention of some of those cursed French Republicans whom they had in the city , fomenting the rebellion ; for such an idea would never nave « ntered into the heads of the brutal iamintieros ( i . e . the mob of the Plaza San Jaime ) .

      " In each , barrel -we found two copper wires , tied with thread at each side of ft thick cork , to keep tbein at a proper distance until they entered the powder , where the electric spark 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 u to approach within about the fifth part of an inch , and the wires ended in a Httle ball of solder , without doubt to produce a ( stronger spark . But this was not all . Last the spark should

      pass harmlessly between two cearae grains of tbelr cannon powder , these villains had introduced each cork with Its wires into a little wide-mouthed bottle fall of fine priming powder , that could not have escaped ignition with the slightest npark . I am Bure that they were French toilet bottles , for one of them still bore a label with the word ' crexne . ' One of the wires , covered with pitch , led off to the city under the surface , as I said before , and the other , a short end , bung out ot tbe barrel into the damp earth to complete the electric circuit

      " When tbe 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 it passed through a loophole into an adjoining garden , and at last into a cellar ( altogether about five hundred yards of copper wire ) . There we found the infernal electrical machine itself , bidden in a corner and covered with a heap of straw . The machine was nothing after all but a common black wine bottle , mounted in 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 had nailei a dirty doeskin glove with some amalgam of Bolder in the palm , and , on the other , an old snuff-cannister , which served for the prime condnctor , and the bottle spun about between both .

      " never did I see such a ridiculous look tog apparatus , or one contrived to io mlBchief so quietly ! I assure you that it had more the appearance of a child ' s toy tban an electrical battery ; but , on turning the bottle by the aid of the Httle crooked stick , to try if it was in ' action , I received a spark on my knuckles sufficient to inflame a barrel of powder a mile off , and blow a regiment to pieces . " This is without doubt tne great ] secret with which those savages boasted tbat they would astonish the world , if we drove them to extremity .

      " Tbat which most surprised me was to find 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 of cigars , damp lamps of something like salt , which I afterwards showed to an apothecary , and which he said was a preparation used by chemists for drying the air in their apparatus , aa it absorbs all the humidity of tbe place in which they enclose it This composition he says , is formed by dissolving lime in muriatic acid , and afterwards driving off the liquid ^ by a red heat ia a crucible . ¦

      ¦• ' From what the jamancio , to whom we owe this discovery , said , we conclude that the author of this infernal project is some democrat disciple of Fiescbi and Co ., who is-now strolling amongst the pueblos ol tbe Ainpardam , instructing the mountaineers in these and other means of destruction for tbe troops J But we confide ir tbe core of Providence that watches over the safety of our valiant army . The piety and patriotism of the writer of this letter is truly laughable . "Providence has preserved

      the armi . ' Very kind of Providence ; but if Providence would " preserve" the people of Spain and every other nation from the curse of armies , such 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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      divine ' of little Isabella , and the right by blood of Messrs . Na&vaez , Pbih , and Co . And mark , too : this " horrid [ plot" was only to have been pat into execution in the event of " the troops" attempting " to take the city by assault "; i . <; ., to commit wholesale massacre , arson , rape , and plunder * dooming an entire city to worse horrors than even the fiends of perdition could potaibly conceive . That's the meaning of taking places by " assault "

      —the storming of Badajcz , 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 f We think they were ; and our 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 V'Jbjgjrid plot . " O , those rascally French Jacobins ^ fifl " " the days of j the "Sublime and Beautiful " Bubke , down to those of the elegant writer of ihe above lector ! They have been coBStantly employed in throwing tyrants ; and their tools into sweats , both "hot and cold , " by their untiring machinations against thrones and privileges . But , Heaven be praised , tbe " age of chivalry" is not yet " gone ' . " We can still find heroes 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 I

      Of course the poor Barcelonese are bountifully abused by this licensed cut-tbroat ; and called "' brutal mob , " " villains , " " savages , " &c . &o . 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 concoctora Of this horrid plot are strolling amongst the pueblos of the Ampurdam , " instructing the mountaineers in these and other means of destruction for the

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

      We have entered into the particulars of this " plot , " first , beoause 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 fortunately situated as we are , sometimes driven to in defence of their lires their honour and their liberties . And seeing ' what others have to do , the

      people of this country should thereby be stimulated , not 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 nations this " Fieschi scheme " is a lesson full of fearful meaning . No matter how clumsy , how inefficient , the apparatus above described : it is the idea o f the thing that is calculated to do the mischief , j 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 troops and cannon . It tells that the mighty powers of science are now known to more than the privileged few ; that those powers are no longer secrets , dark and mysterious to the masses ; and that knowing of these heretofore sscrets , there is a great probability that the millions will not alwave suffer themselves to be mowed down like grass , but 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 . Warneb , applicable to } naval and military conflicts . It was stated tbat a vessel of immense ' strength was blown into ten thousand fragments in an instant , by tbe explosion of some preparation which was contained in a package not larger than a small wallet or portmanteau , and which could be carried under a man's arm or packed in ihe seat of a gig ! Lord Ingestbtb , Sir George Mubbat , Sir Feancis Burdett , 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 was fully adequate to effect the terrific ends proposed by the inventor . Now , suppose any * thing of the sort employed by an Insurgent people , even the simple contrivance of the Barceloaese , which , with the proper agencies , would produce the most awful results , of what use would be infantry , cavalry , artillery , jand all the munitions of murderous war directed against such a power!—a

      power which would sweep thousands to destruction ac one blow 1 Let ; all those who trample on the rights of man think of ( hat I God speed the triumph of soienoe . ) 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 .

      3to &Eabev& \ Axfo ®Ovte&P&Lt;Mfomt&

      3 To &eabev& \ axfo ® ovte&p < Mfomt&

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      $ 6 * The great length at whioh we have given the report of tbe Tbornley Colliery case , the pressure of Assize Intelligence , &c . &c , has compelled ns to omit several important articles . Amongst others , an article on " Poland , " and our usual matter nnder the head of Poetry , " " Reviews , " ¦ " Science akb Art , " and " Thb FjtowEB Gathekek . " All Communications and correspondence intended for David Ross , ( late of Manchester ) , must for the future be addressed to him at his residence , the Washington Coffee House , and Temperance Hotel , No . 112 , Kirkgate , opposite Vicar Croft , Leeds . ' The Type-Founders— We are reluctantly

      compelled to postpone the insertion of their address . We will give it next week . National Victim Fund Committee—Their address and balance sheet ; next week . Cablisle Wbavebs- —We will try and make some use of our excellent correspondent ' s article , in pur u Condition of England Question , " in our next . Henry Jeffery—His letter reached as on Thursday , too late for this week . . t . Robert BuRRELL . H-Received . We will give his excellent catechism a second notice shortly . Mr . Hobson is from home , but the letter shall be forwarded to Mr . H . F . W . Simeon , Bristol . —Thanks for his generous defence of Mr . O'Connor . We have not room

      for his letter to the Editor of the Bristol Mercury , bat we give the Editor ' s notice of if . j he has certainly acted more honourably than the gentlemen of the ) press-gang usually do ; witaess their fabrication of the paragiaph , the falsehood - of whioh Mr . Simeon has exposed . Here is the notice from the Bristol Mercury : — First o » April Predictions 1—A paragraph has been going the rounds of the press ( and whioh we copied in our last ) , ! to the effect that Mn O'Connor had said that either [ Repeal must be canned , or Mr . O'Connell ' s head belaid upon the block by the 1 st of April next 1 It has been pointed out to u < v however , that it was O'Connell himself , and not O'Connor , who used the language , the worda uttered by O'Connell , at a meeting in October , being— " Give

      me but six months ' , peace , and I'll give yon my head on a block if , at the end of that time , you have not a Parliament in } College Green . " We dare say the 1 st of April ( All Fools' Day ) will come and go without either ! Repeal being carried , or Mr . O'Connell being a head shorter . Should people be so simple as to take the trouble of reminding the member for Dublin that his head is forfeited , his answer will probably be— " Don't you wish you may get it ! " Mr . O'Conaell is a facetious gentleman , and we presume that on the 1 st 4 f April he will feel much more disposed to favour his admirers with "The Groves ] of Blarney , " than to"Repeal the Union ' between jbody and soul , by giving them H his head upon a 'block . Correspondents not answered this week will be answered iu our next .

      TOR NATIONAL DEFENCE FUND . S . d . From a few friends at Cave thorae , near Barnsley 2 0 MR . Mason , HarleSton—The first edition would be in time , but the second seems uncertain .

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      S" O RTHERN STAR , j 5

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      CLJTHEROE . —Desperate Awrat with Poachers . —A eang of poachers were , early on tne morning of the 18 ih of November , poaching on the game preserves of James Fenton , Esq ., in Bailey Wood , near Hurst Green ; and oner of the gang shot at William Loud , the under gamekeeper , and lodged the contents in his neok and face . A reward of £ 50 was offered for the apprehension of any of th « depredators ; also , a promise that if any accomplice ( except the man who fired the shot ) will cdnfes 3 , steps will betaken to obtain a free pardon for him from her Majesty . Up to this date ( Dec . 12 th ) , no clue has been discovered to lead to the apprehension of any of the offenders . Another desperate affray took took place at Mitton , on the preserves of John Aspinall , Esq ., in Litcle Mitton Wood . The poachers were about twenty in nuinbsr ; and one of the party fired a * bot at John Soholefield , the

      gamekeeper , and lodged the whole of its contents in his loins . He Was afterwards severely beaten with sticks . " He was conveyed home , as soon as the poachers had decamped , where he lingered io excrutiating pain until Tuesday morning last , when death terminated his sufferings . He has left a wife and seven children to curse and execrate the existence of the present game laws . A reward of . £ 100 has been offered for the apprehension of any individuals who took part in the affray . Tho greatest vigilance on the part of the police has been exorcised to bring the perpetrators to light , and they have apprehended several persons on suspicion from the neighbourhood of Burnley and Whalley . They were brought to the Town Hall for examination , on Monday last ; but nothing was adduced to fix the guilt on the prisoners . Some were remanded ; and three » f them have been liberated , on entering into recognilances to appear again when called upon .

      ARNOLD , —At a general meeting of frameworkknutera held at the Druid ' s Tavern , Arnold , on Monday evening last , Mr . John Clark in tbe chair , and Mr . Thomas Emmerson acting as secretary . The Secretary read the rules intended for their future guidance , whioh were agreed to . After which the town and county was divided into districts to the amount of seven , and committees appointed to form the several branch unions . It was then proposed by Mr . Alford Anthony and seconded by Mr . William Threaves . " That the union now formed be denotni .

      nated the United Company of Framework-knitters of Great Britain and Ireland for the Prevention of Fraud and the Protection of Labour . " It was jesolved that a general three counties delegate meeting should be held on Monday , tbe 25 : h of Deoamber , at twelve o ' clock , at the King George on Horseback , Gregory ' s Buildings , Nottingham , when it is requested that delegates from all the framework districts will attend . All communications to be addressed to Mr . B . Humphries , care of Mr . Samuel Mellors , Kins George oa Horsebaok , &c .

      Barnslbt . —On Monday last , a public meeting of the weavers was held in the committee room , which was numerously attended . The auditing committee which had been previously appointed to audit the accounts , read their report whioh waa received and adopted by the meeting , and gave general satisfaction . The deputations who had waited upon Mr . Pecket , stated the result of their conference with that gentleman , and his unwillingnesB to comply with the wishes of his workmen ; consequently & resolution was carried unanimously declaring their determination not to work for him until he shall agree to pay according to the manufacturer ' s printed list of prices .

      Fire at Rippondbn—On Saturday night last , about twelve o'clock , an alarming firo was discovered in Small Lees Mill , Rippondon , formerly occupied by Mr . Holroyd . Tho alarm being speedily given , the villagers eame out in great numbers , and exerted themselves to the utmost for the subjugation of the flames , whioh was not effected until half-past three on Sunday morning . The fireoriginated in the ground floor , and from certain circumstances , it ib considered to have been the work of an incendiary . The mill was unocoupied , with the exception of the low room , in which were six spinning jennies , the property of a few poor spinners , and which were destroyed , along with about four cwt . of tvrist , belonging to Mr . Stead , of

      Hudderafield , and of the value of two shillings per pound ; two skips ready for making , belonging to Mr . Keighley , card-maker * of Halifax , were also destroyed—making the total loss of nearly £ 70 , for all of which the poor spinners , five in number , are responsible , having ordered them for their own purposes , as they lately commenced business in a small way on their own account . They had been thrown out of work by the failure of Mr . Holroyd , ' and now by this disaster they are completely ruined ia their circumstances . They are industrious deserving characters , and we trust tbat their friends and neighbours , especially those in effluent circumstancc % will come forward on their behalf , and endeavour , in some measure , to restore them to their formes position . WARETIEMi . —Phonographic Lectures . —On

      Friday and Saturday evenings , Mr . T . Walker , of Bath , delivered two lectures in the Mechanics' Institution , on the highly insterestteg subject of Phonography . The first leoture gave great satisfaction ^ and the audience seemed delighted with the pure and philosophic system of writing which he taught . At the second leoture he met with interruption from the Stenographers , who entirely disagreed with the system . It was proposed ( as the hour was near eleven o ' clock ) there should be a public discussion on Tuesday night , which the lecturer agreed to . On Tuesday night there was a crowded meeting to hear the contest between the two parties , Piionographers and Stenographers . The Rev . J . Cameron occupied the chair . The principal opponent was Mr . Hodgson , Mr . Walker brought a young person to hia assistance—a Mr . Reed , who has practised Phonography for about a year . At the close of the

      meeting ( a little after eleven o ' clock ) the discussion terminated in favour of Phonography . Phonography was declared to be superior in every respect . The way that it was tested was this : the Chairman read a poem , translated from the works of Goethe , whioh the Phonographer took down , aud read with perfeot ease . The Stenographer tried ; but could not ' transcribe his notes with half the ease exhibited by the Phonographor : therefore , the advantage of Phonography over Stenography in that instance was great The next trial of strength was a poem in the German language and a quotation from the Greek Testament ; and the Chairman said the Fhonographer read his notes , and gave the sounds , so perfect , that if there was any person present who understood the languages they would bear him out in the fact . The Stenographer took down the German poem , and endeavoured to read it ; and the Chairman told him that a German could neither make head nor tail of

      it : so the poor Stenographer was beat in every way . He tried to console himself at last by reading ; the opinion of the Editor of the Leeds Mercury ; but the audience did not seem to place any valuo on sach an authority . Anatomy of Expression . —On Monday evening an interesting leoture was delivered in the Mechanics' Institution , on the above named subject , by Mr . Ikin , of Leeds . The leoture was illustrated by a quantity of diagrams , representing the passion * and agonies that man is subject to . It was only thinly attended , owing probably to tbe amusements at the Theatre and Corn Exchange Saloon .

      Sheffield . —The Union Workouse . —The * Outward and visible sign" of the " improved condition" of England is fast approaching to completion ; and , when finished , will be one of the largest in the kingdom . A great number of workmen have beea employed at it for a many months . Amongst the many places provided for the " comfort" (!) of tht poor is a large room , in whioh is placed a hand-mill , for grinding corn , for the " exerorae" of tfce paupers ^ lest any of them should be afflicted with the goat . It has twelve handles , and ia worked by relays ef twenty-four each , two being to each handle . Maay

      of the poor fellows who are compelled to solicit "law-forced charity" have declared that they would sooner go to Wakefield tread-mill than work at this new " infernal machine . " Oa Friday last , nine of the inmates were brought before the magistrates , charged with having thrown quantities of old nails and bits of iron between the metal rollers of . tht hand-milt . Four of the ** ringleaders" were sent to Wakefied for twenty-one days , * and the others , on promising good behaviour for the future , were , after a severe reprimand , discharged . So works'tfce system . When will it have an end !

      The Oastleb Libbrtt Fowd . —A meeting of the friends of the good "OJd King , " convenetf by circular , was held in the Committee Room of the Cutler ' s Hall , on Friday last , to deoide upon the best steps to be taken in Sheffield ! to assist in the procuring the release of Mr . Oastler from the Queen ' s Prison . After embodying themselves inte a Central Committee , it was agreed that a public meeting should be held on the Wednesday in the Christmas week , and that W . B . Ferrand , Esq .. M . P ., John « i » en ' l ! ?< * - » MkP - » Johtt Walter , jEsq ., Charles Walker , Ee % ., Mr . J . Hobson , Mr . L . Pitkethly . and other gentlemen , should be invited to attend . A sob-Committee , consisting of the following gemtlemen , were appointed to make the neoessary arrangements for the public meeting : —B . vr . J . Haason , Mr . Daniell , Mr . Webster , Mr . Peacock ^ Mr . J . West : J . B . Smales , Esq ., secretary . The Can . , tral Committee meet every Friday evening : & sob-Committee every Tuesday evening .

      BRADFORD . —Fair . —For many yeara , om holiday going folk have not had such a variety of entertainments as was presented to the wonderloving people of Bradford at the fair now ended * A considerable amount of money has exchanged hands . Horned cattle has advanced in price . ih « show of horses not equal to former years . Pigs were more abundant , and did not fetch former prices . Tne only drawback to the scenes of fun and rolic , was the appearance of from 200 to 300 colliers on Strike in the neighbourhood of Bradford , who marched in procession every day through the town . These poor fellows have made the publio acquainted with their grievances by printed biB * , plentifully distributed through the town .

  • 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-ncseproduct833/page/5/