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    4&? THE LEADER, [No. 47a, April 9, 1859

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    STREET YIEW OF ITALY.—No. V. ROME AND TH...

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    ' THE LAW OF REAL PROPE ltTY. [communica...

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    Falsifications In Business. Not Long Ago...

    because they are sold by weight ; and it is evident that a pound weight of fine cotton ,, say 80 s , is in worth a good deal more than the same weight of 30 » s , having absorbed a great deal more labour in its production , with the corresponding result ol giving a much greater number of yards to the pound weight ; there is no inducement to carry out the manoeuvre ¦ with real thread , which is sold according to length , because , speaking roughly , 100 yards of fine is pretty much the same value as the same leng th of coarse . The extra labour in spinning out the one being about balanced by the extra weight of cotton in the other . There is another little eccentricity indulged in with ball sewings , which I dare say will charm you as much as the preceding . I believe there was onee a very interesting controversy as to what " a pound was , '

    which are now the greatest plague suffered by the community .

    which some sage or other solved by saying that " a pound was a pound , of course ; what else could it be ? " Now I beg to say , that a pound is not a pound ; that it is , in fact , anything but a pound , as applied to sewings . In the first place , then , a pound of ball sewings includes the weight of all necessary papers that wrap it up , generally about 2 oz . Well , that might pass ; the " custom of the trade , " that charitable mantle , might cover that ; but then , there are pounds of 14 ozs . and 12 ozs ., according to price , of course , and I believe even pounds of 10 ozs . thoug h of this latter I have no testimony . You may judge , therefore , of how much , or rather how little , a man may get for his money who buys a case of ball sewings ; his pounds , instead of 16 ozs . only , weigh 12 ozs ., from which you must deduct 2 ozs . for the paper ; and , beyond all that , the cotton is marked up to , perhaps , twice its real fineness .

    Looking at the entire production of thread in this district , you will easily understand tliat it wouldVbe presumptuous in any one individual to state with anything like precision , the extent to which these frauds are carried ; but speaking only my own opinion , and open to the correction of any of your correspondents who may be better informed , I should say that about three quarters of the thread made hereabouts is dishonestly made up or packed . You are right enough , unhappily , ia saying that

    this matter of sewing cotton is only an illustration of what is done in many other trades . There are whole branches of Manchester "business that are founded and worked upon nothing more nor less than " thievery , " , did the time and occasion call for it or permit ^ I could a talc ( or two ) unfold that would show that Manchester is no more free than her neighbours from those sins of which " the haste to he rich " produces so plentiful and flourishing a crop . Guy Fawkes . "

    • In directing attention to these facts , we must not fail to remind the public that they are but the symptoms of a general disorder not by any means confined to manufacturers or shopkeepers . Competition ,, like the growth of population , is natural and necessary , and only brings the latent disease of the national mind into prominence . Like all moral diseases it is the result of error , A . creed very false and . very extensive , which Btill dictates the policy of states and the theories of some philosophers , though now denied , taugh t all men that the welfare of one was . only to be promoted and secured by restraining , oppressing and plundering others . The still prevalent dishonesty is one

    of the remanets of this false creed . It has left behind it many dangerous consequences . The upper , the governing , and the . teaching classes , stall belies , for example , that they can only provide for their own welfare , ana the we are of the State , by imposing restrictions of various kinds on the great multitude . The whole nation is now agitated by a conflict to remove or retain restrictions which originated in t } his unfounded creed . It may be noted that this conflict turns on an amount of franchise , or a question of property , and on a fear in the upper classes lest they should be despoiled by the political action of the lower classes , wo regard the

    apprehension as wholly chimerical , but it is a prpof how deepseated and wide spread is still the creed that tho -welfare of sonic is best promoted by imposing restrictions on others . To cany out these , an enormous amount of taxation is necessary . On a variety of pretexts—many of which , as thoy all centre in the assertion that those restrictions arc for the good of the multitude , must be false—this amount of taxation is increased from yoav to year . Th © Government and the upper classes , from un-, wise and unfounded fear , set the bad example of appropriating property on fictitious and false pretences ; and jf they are not tho pavonts , they are certainly the nurses of the fraud committed by jnanuiiicturere , merchants , dealers , and others ,

    4&? The Leader, [No. 47a, April 9, 1859

    4 &? THE LEADER , [ No . 47 a , April 9 , 1859

    Street Yiew Of Italy.—No. V. Rome And Th...

    STREET YIEW OF ITALY . —No . V . ROME AND THE CAMPAGNA , There is a sort of dead look about Borne which accords well with the memories of the place . With the exception of the English quarter ,, and the CorsOj tlie streets are at all times solitary . There are few carriages , and not many passers-by on foot . A great portion of tlie space included within the city walls is unoccupied , and the side streets all seem to end in nothing and lead nowhere . Indeed , upon the whole city there is a dull , sombre look , which never varies . It is at night , however ,

    that the silence and desolation of the Eternal city strikes you most forcibly . ' After ten o ' clock at night , in Rome proper , the town is desdrtcd . The streets are but poorly lit—and to walk alone tlirough tlie narrow lane ' s , with their liigh houses and deep shadows , requires a certain amount of moral courage . Every tiling is as suggestive of assassins and stilettoes , as the tombstones of a moon-lit graveyard are of ghosts . The Pontifical police , too , is none of the best . We know ourselves a gentleman who in broad daylight was stopped in . the middle of a crowded

    thoroughfare , in one of the transpontine streets , and had his gold pin pulled out of his scarf before lie could recover from his astonishment at the audacity of the attempt . The bystanders looked on with indifference , and every attempt to obtain redress , either from the Papal or the . Imperial police was unavailing . In the true spirit , ^ however , priesthood policy—on that " straining at the gnat and swallowing the camel" system , which from the days of the Pharisees downwards has been distinctive of the class— -every precaution is taken to secure outward decorum . If report is

    not altogether false , the standard of private morality at Rome is certainly not higher than in less favoured cities . But to do the Papal Government justice , the outward show of decorum is preserved intact . There is no city that we know in Europe where the streets are so absolutely free from vice in any form . The wiiie shops are few in number—never noisy or croAvded , and oloscd early . The theatres are all shut during Lent , and are poorly attended ; but , indeed , the whole atmosphere , is unfavourable to the drama . The priests

    keep up pur character for consistency , by ignoring the existence of the Pope , we cannot complain at the priee we pay for the absence of an envoy . Fortunately the " Porta del Popolo , " outside which the church is placed , lies close to' the English quarter . Till very recently , music was ° allowed at our church , for fear of Eoman orthodoxy being perverted by the sound of Protestant harmony . The character , however , of the English colony would not . he complete if we had not among us a member of the royal family . The Prince of Wales was a source of never-failing attraction . The church , since . tlie Prince's arrivaf

    used to be thronged , especially by Americans , whose chapel was , in consequence , deserted . Why ' however , people should have gone to church to gaze on royalty , when they could see it any day in the open air , is one of those maiiy mysteries which a philosophical mind does not attempt to solve . Every morning and af ternoon you could see the young Prince being taken to some sight or other , always accompanied by Lord Bruce and some other coadjutor . Being a small lad , placed between two tall , elderly men , we confesswithout disloyalty - ^— that the impression always

    produced on us was the strong resemblance to a very small offender being marched alon » by two big policemen . His Royal Hiohness ^ indeed , always looked as if the greatest kindness you could have done him would be to tell him that tlie sight lie was being taken to See was closed ; and , indeed , never seemed to enjoy himselfj except at the eminently unclassical and unintellectual amusement of bonbon pelting at the carnival . We could not help thinking that , if the Prince read " Dombey and Son , " the description of Tozer and his uncle must have struck Mm with j ^ eculiar sympa t hy .

    Another great attraction at Rome were the lectures of the ex-Archdeacon Manning : With tlie peculiar- neatness with which , tho Roman Catholic priests conduct all their operations , a church was chosen for these sermons close to the Porta del Popolo ^ and the hour was fixed exactly after the Protestant service was over , so that crowds of English dropped in on tliek way home . However , as we had never the slightest desire to hear Mr . Manning when be was a good Protestant , we saw no reason for hearing him when lie had become an indifferent Catholic : and , putting aside

    all theological considerations , we have no sympathy with an English gentleman who can lower himself to the company of Italian priests . Indeed , in spite of the Record and Exeter Hall , we cannot conceive , as a rule , a greater safeguard against perversion than a sight of Rome and its priesthood . You might as well think to encourage a , passion for the stage by taking the aspirant behind the scenes in broad daylight ; or try to give your guests an appetite for dinner by showing them the cooking apparatus uncleaned and the cook unwashed . ' .. _ ... is

    The exit from Rome , vid Civita Vccdiia , a worthy termination to a tour to the r « p « l states . The distance is scarcely forty miles , but we _ tooic twelve . hours in doing it . There wero a string o : some seven dilligences , started on the mght wo leic , and as soon as wo got outside the city walls wo had an escort of dragoons . If ever one diligence lagged behind , the others waited for tho doiuuUei to come up . At every 8 tago the postilions woKe up the passengers , to bully them into giving an extra " buouo-iuauo , " as they term it , and tins , coupled with the necessity , of closing tlie windows for fear of the malaria in the air , makc-3 the journey anything but a pleasant one , The utter * U" «»» « JJ of ' tho road can hardly be imagined . V >< * «* o exception o the post stations , there in not u noui 30 along it , and after the endless successions ol bar en hillocks you ascend and descend , tho night ol iuo blue sea is perfectly delightful .

    are not great patrons of the theatre , and never appealthere except in screened . boxes . It is only within the last few years that women liave been allowed to appear on the stage at Rome—and even now the ballet is interdicted . With the exception of the last night of the Carnival , masked balls are strictly forbidden . Newspapers , you- might almost say , are an invention that has not yet penetrated to Rome , for the Government D . iario Ttomg . no can only be called a paper by a stretch of charity . In truth , a Roman editor would have a pleasant easy

    time of it ; for as nothing is allowed to be done in the way of business , and even' the batiks ^ and post-office are closed on fast-days , and as saints ' - davs occur in the most rapid succession , his intervals of repose would be long and frequent . Indeed , as far as the cessation from laboxir and closing of the shops is concerned , tlie appearance of Rome on a Sunday would satisfy the most rigid of Sabbatarians . Even the English reading-room is hermetically closed ,

    Were it not for tho Frenoh and 'English occupation , we think the whole of Rome would collapse into n state of stagnation . Whatever there is of the life and movement of a groat city about Rome is found in the English quarter . The Ghetto , where the Jews used , till lately , to be locked up at eight every night , is not more decidedly Jewish than the Piazza do Spagna is English . Amidsts tho Jewish street you can fancy yourself in the Judcn-Strasso at Frankfort , or in St . Mary Axe at homo . Strolling along tho Via del Babuino could almost ine

    , you , imag You . wore at Brighton or Cheltenham . The shops have English headings . Tho carriages arc English built . English is spoken on every side , and about tho whole place there is that indescribable air , which is oharaotoristic of an English watering placo . Hard by , too , there sfcancTs the English Protestant church , which , with a worthy rettirn for our- liberality ^ is not allowed to pollute the sacred city by standing within its walls . The American and ^ Prussian ambassadors have both chapels within their own embassiess but as wo choose to

    ' The Law Of Real Prope Ltty. [Communica...

    ' THE LAW OF REAL PROPE ltTY . [ communicated . ] Tub law of real property , originally obscure , has in each succeeding age been rendered more intricate by tho well-meant , but often ill-iUrt'otuii , efforts of somo enthusiastic law-g iver , who , i »» noying himself a Solon in his country ' s cause , ims endeavoured to simplify tho existing code oy adding to it somo theory of his own , wjucli in ninny Cases , instoad of promoting that moat dcsirnU e rosult , has only terminated in rendering confusion worse confounded . " This entang led . iniiw ox

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), April 9, 1859, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_09041859/page/18/