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    872 THE LEADER. [Saturday;

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    WESLEYAN REFORM. A party of Wesleyan Met...

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    THE WORKING CLASSES. Tick "strikes" stil...

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    THE YELLOW FEVER AT NEW ORLEANS. The sta...

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    'Coitpokatlon Ok London. Karitv Next Mon...

    evidence that may be tendered to them , either for or against the corporation . From the terms of the commission , the inquiry will of necessity be a most extensive one , and it will naturally divide itself under some or all of the following heads : 1 . The relation of the City to the metropolis at large , and the proportion which it bears , in respect of population , property , and extent , to London properly so ; called ; 2 , the' limits of the corporate jurisdiction ; 3 , the constitution of the corporate body ; 4 , the constitution and machinery of the governing bodies , including the election of mayor , aldermen ,

    common-councillors , & c . ; h , the number , duties , salaries , and mode of election or appointment of the corporate officers ; 6 , the courts , civil and criminal , within the jurisdiction of the . corporation ; 7 , the division of the city into wards ; 8 , the management of the police , state of the prisons , & c . ; 9 , the regulations of the port of London and the conservancy of the Thames ; 10 , the appointment , functions , and privileges of city brokers and porters ; 11 , the markets , their condition , sufficiency , and revenues ; 12 , the constitution and management of the Irish Society ; 13 , the property of

    the corporation , their annual revenue and the mode of its disbursement ; 14 , the jurisdiction of the corporation in the borough of Southwark ; 15 , the constitution , functions , income , and expenditure of the various livery and other companies . The ordinary income of the corporation , as estimated on an average of three years , ending 1832 , amounted to the enormous sum of 148 , 000 ? ., and the average annual expenditure during

    the same period was 133 , 000 * . It is not too much to assume , looking at the rapid increase in the value of all property in the city ( a piece of ground the other day , at the corner of Finch-lane , was sold at the rate of half a million sterling per acre ) that that income has augmented during the 20 years that have since elapsed , by at least 50 per cent . The Commissioners of Inquiry are Sir John Pattison , Henry Labouchere , Esq ., and Gr . Cornewall Lewis , Esq .

    872 The Leader. [Saturday;

    872 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ;

    Wesleyan Reform. A Party Of Wesleyan Met...

    WESLEYAN REFORM . A party of Wesleyan Methodists are making vigorous efforts towards the reform of the body , and its release from the dictation of- the Conference . The numbers united with Conference have become reduced by 10 , 000 in the last year . There is now a war going on within the walls which will further the reform movement , and in the end , it is hoped , bring it to a successful issue . The reformers are determined to carry tho war throughout the whole of the 252 circuits , in which no reform organization has yet been effected , and for this purpose they have determined to appropriate 5000 J . a year .

    At a meeting of the reform party , on Wednesday evening , the secretary brought forward the resolutions adopted by the delegates at Bradford , the principal of which were , to persevere in their principles , adopting the motion , " No secession , no surrender , and no supplies , " to organize the movement in the 252 districts at present deficient of such organization , to extend it to Ireland and to Canada , and to set aside 5000 / . ayear , for ten years if necessary , in promotion of their object , towards which tho delegates at Bradford had subscribed 900 / . in about half an hour , and which object was in ellect " not to destroy rule and order in the Wesleyan Church ; but , acknowledging Christ the head , to give tho government of the Church to tlio Church itself . " A Mr . Chipchane also made a speech .

    Ho deprecated amalgamation with any of the branches broken oil * from the Wesleyan stock ; but urged perseverance in their reform principles , maintaining 1 the organization and order which they already had , but offering tho right hand of fellowship to all who would como in and join in tho movement . " Mr . Shiel , in a debate on tho MaynootU grant , once said , that , whenever a piece of ecclesiastical tyranny was proposed to bo perpetrated by any Minister , the Wesloyan pursona would pat him on the buck . But the laity of tho Weslcyun connexion arc liUo the luify of tho Church of England , as described by . Lord Shaftesbury—no longer content to be more hewei'H of wood and drawers of water , but determined to assert their freedom from ecclesiastical domination and tyranny . "

    The Working Classes. Tick "Strikes" Stil...

    THE WORKING CLASSES . Tick " strikes" still accumulate . At Manchester 3000 looms have b een stopped by strikes , and tho stoppage of 2000 more in anticipated . The local papers and tho London Times , in reporting one of tho district movements , say : — "In Ashton und . Holton tho operatives have transmitted their ultimiitum . " " This is a stately Btylo indqod . " Tho senders of thin ultimatum are tho weiivoi'H of domestics by power loom ; und their final demand is ten per cent . —n phrnso that has become ; i war-ory in tho Lancashire factory district . Tho lmtmakors of Dentou , Ashton , and Slockport nro also " tho move ; " and tho lolior-press printers of Manchester auk for the advance latoly g ivon to their brothers in Liverpool . Tho JDcvonport whooniukor * oil atriko aro

    getting a large amount of public sympathy . The London seamstresses have refused to work any longer for the poor wages hitherto given : the exact extent of their demand we do not know . London carpenters employed on some public buildings have asked 6 d . a-day advance : and some London bricklayers have made the same demand . The Wigan Collieries demand another advance ; which , with three late , advances ,, will make ; a " total of sixty per cent . The dyer ' s strike " at-Manchester continues . Some men at the Hull flax and cotton mills having left work without the stipulated month ' s notice , have been fined by the magistrates .

    The successes of the week are few in number , but remarkable . The common policemen of Sunderland have got an advance from 18 * . to 20 $ . a-week ; and their officers' salaries have been proportionately increased . The workers in the Nottingham trade of " handmade hosiery" respectfully demanded an advance . A few of the leading * firms consulted together , and agreed to give the workmen advances on all hose , halfhose , & c , varying from 2 d . to 1 * . a-dozen—the largest and most general advance we have ever had to record , and without either a strike or an angry word being exchanged . The farm labourers of Scotland are

    getting better wages . The workers at this harvest are getting 2 s . an acre more than waa obtained last year . The London lightermen have gained their demand—5 s . for Sunday work , the previous payment being only 2 s . Gd ., and 3 s . Gd . for night work , being Is . more than they obtained up to the strike . Common farm labourers in Ireland have obtained Is . 4 d . per day , and expect to rise to 2 s . Gd . per day . The Dowlais strike seems ended , but things have not returned to the old state . Some of the men have returned , but the majority have migrated to other places . This is a new and most suitable move on the part of operatives .

    Industrial prosperity and improved circumstances for craftsmen are shown in many quarters . The price of building ground in our great towns is on the increase : at Manchester , ground for a warehouse was sold at 101 . per square yard ; and in Birmingham , at 14 ? . Is . Qd . per yard . A ^ great number of new factories are being built at Birmingham . ( It is boasted , that in trades peculiar to the town of Birmingham there has been no strike ; masters have granted advances on friendly demand . ) As a full Gazette betokens decadent or disorganized trade , so the idleness of the Bankruptcy Courts now indicates the reverse . The business of the

    Birmingham District Court of Bankruptcy is reduced almost to nil , and the various offices attached to it fast becoming valuable sinecures . Seeing the great expenses attached to two courts , and the very few cases brought before them , it has become a question whether one would not be amply sufficient . If trade progresses as it does , the present business of the court , consisting chiefly of old fiats , will be completely worn out , and the County Court itself sufficient for all purposes of law in connexion with bankruptcy as well as insolvency . A Belfast paper tells a singular story of Irish life : —" All around us are to be witnessed the most pleasing

    indications of enterprise and happy industry . Merchants aro very busy , capital finds ready channels for its successful investment , manufacturers push production to its extreme point , and mechanics , artisans , and labourers rejoice in an extended market for their exertions . " Tho keen competition thus at work in old paths induces a trial of new lines of labour , as wo note from tiino to time . A silk manufactory has been recently established in Ilclston by an enterprising' gentloinan , and is now in operation ; several experienced weavers have arrived from Spitalfields , and some beautiful pieces of silk , satin , and velvet have been already worked . The

    factory will nfibril great employment for young persons , and its novelty in the county excites groat interest . Railway trade also indicates tho general advance : tho English railway traffic for the last week of last month , compared with tho same for tho last week of August , 1852 , shows an increase of 49 , 271 ^ ., or 14 r 8 per cent . Tho money receipts on all English railways for tho first eight months of this year show an increase of 13 " 3 per cent . Another si gn of railway prosperity is the opening of tho Lord Warden Hotel , at Dover . Its opening was celebrated by a convivial ceremony . Tho building is very largo ami very linndsomo ; and in its costliness and

    convenience- in inoro a palace than a hotel . Ah direct moans for milking workers happier , We note that in 'Edinburgh tho haberdiiHhorB now oloso their shops at five o ' clock , a great boon to their assistants . In another Scotch town , GltiHgow , wo boo that the health of the people is boing caved for . Tho Glasgow Agricultural Society has on ' ered premiums f 6 r " unsay a on tho best means for collecting , storing , soiling , conveying , and distributing jih manure for laud , tho Howngoof the city . " As a London fiu ; t , wo note that tho ground for tho park at ltafctoi-Hoa in being cleared , promising a new Hupply of iVotth nir for our city workaro .

    Our trade proceeds in a course of prosperit y , dull * record , but of solid interest to many . The export our manufactures and other produce amounted iny ] to 7 , 995 , 086 £ , being an increase over the exports V the corresponding month of 1852 of 1 , 405 , 918 ; ° a an increase , as contrasted with 1851 , of 1 , 576 , 8832 O an analysis of the return , as regards the value of th ** goods exported , there appears to be an increase in but ter , coal ,, cotton manufactures , earthenware , haberdash * ery and millinery , leather , linen manufactures , metals " salt , silk manufactures , thrown silk , and woollen taanu factures ; but there is a decrease ia . cotton yarn linen " yarn , thrown silk , and sheeps' wool .

    With regard to the Import trade there appears to have been an increase in the supply of animals , coffee corn of nearly all kinds , but of wheat and barley in par ' ticular , and Indian corn , dyes , glass manufactures gnano , leather manufactures , metals , potatoes , provi ' Bions , both salted and fresh , butter , cheese and eggg rice , seeds , rum , silk , and silk manufactures of Europe * both raw and refined sugar , tea , timber and wood , to ' bacco , wine , and cotton wool ; whilst there is a decrease in oats , flour , cotton manufactures , and cotton yam , flax and hemp , hides , oil , spirits , tallow , and steeps ' wool . .

    The Yellow Fever At New Orleans. The Sta...

    THE YELLOW FEVER AT NEW ORLEANS . The statistics this year of this annual visitation at New Orleans are very startling . The Times quotes the New Orleans papers , which give full accounts . Tho Delta writes : — " Deducting our native population and those who have had the fever and become acclimated , we should regard it as a large figure to fix the unacclimated at 30 , 000 at the breaking out of the fever . Of that number at least 3000 have already been buried , and every day adds 200 more to the ghastly record . Should it continue in the same ratio , this frightful number will be swelled to 5000 by the 1 st of September , which is usually the date when the epidemic begins its ravages in our city . . For the week ending on the 7 th of August its victims were 1000 . That for the week now passing will be as large , and thus , unless some eudden and unlooked-for change occurs , the month of August will be held ever memorable in our annals for the largest proportionate mortality which , has ever occurred in the history of pestilences . It will equal the violence of the Black Plague of the 14 th century , and exceed that of the Plague of London in 1665 . The latter has been regarded as the severest pestilence of modern times ; And yet , out of ar population of 500 , 000 , it onl y slew 60 , 000 in one year , whereas the present epidemic ia destroying at the r , ate of 4000 per month , out of a total population of not over 80 , 000 , and of a population liable to tho disease of not over 30 , 0001 "

    The New Orleans Crescent describes the ghastly funeral marches and the burials of the dead : — " At the gathering points , carriages accumulated , and vulgar teamsters , as they jostled each other in the press , mingled tho coarse jest with the ribald oath ; no sound but of profane malediction and of riotous mirth , tho clang of whip-thongs and tho rattle of wheels . At the gates tho winds brought intimation of tho corruption working within Not a puff but was laden with tho rank atmosp here from rottinc- corpses . Insido thov were piled by fifties , exposed

    to tho boat of the sun , swollen with corruption , bursting their coffin lids , sundering , as if by physical eflbrt , tho ligamonts that bound thoir hands and feet , and extending thoir rigid limbs in every outrS attitude . What a feast of horrors I Inside , corpses piled in pyramids , and without tho gates old and withered crones , and fat huckterworaon , fretting in thoir own grease , dispensing ice-cream 8 and confections , and brushing away , with brooms raado of bushes , tho green bottloflies that hovered on thoiv merchandise , and which anon buzzed away to drink dainty inhalations from tho croon and festering corpses .

    " Longditohos wore dug across the great human charnol . Wido enough wero they to entomb a logion , but only fourteen inches deep . Coflins laid in thorn showed thoir tops above tho surfuco of tho earth . On thoso was piled dirt to tho depth of a foot or more , but so loosely , that myriads of Hies found entry between tho looso clods , down to tho cracked seams of tlio coffins , and buzzed , and blow there their ova , creating each hour thoir now hatched

    swarms . " But no sound was thero of sorrow within that wido Qohonna . Mon used to tho scout of dissolution baa forgotten all touch of Hympathy . Uncouth labourers , wifcU their bare shock heads , stood under tho broiling heat of tlio sun , digging in tho ourth ; and us anon they would encounter an obstructing root or stump , would flvoar » hideous oath , remove to another spot , and go on di t fg »» £ as before . Now and then tho mattock or tho spado wo " " disturb tho bones of some former tenant of tlio mould iorgotfctm there amid tho arm-ion of tho accumulated victi " ami tho sturdy labourer with a gyvo would hurl t ;« broken fragments on the sward , growl forth , an onorgoi " d—n , und chuckle in bin oxeoss ofgloo . > sltul ! h ° " , dug up from . their long sepulture , with g httBllinoBU atttM " , out

    4 Ifroin , oa'oh luohluHtro , oyolotw 1 h > 1 <\ . without oliciting » m 'Alan , poor Yorick , ' and with only rn exclamation from tho digger of ' Koom lor you bottors . ' . " JOtronoiny of «] moo was tho Hourco of ounninff < jfl '< * lion in bestowing away tho dead mon . Sido by B 1 < 1 ° . , laid two , of mgantio proportions , bloatoil by corrupt ^ " the size of Titans . The central projections of thoir «<»» . loft spaces between them at thoir heads a # d hoolH . waa two mucii Hpucu to bo filled with oarth . Jiow ano » the paco bo saved , r Opportunely tho matwriul w «* * " *"

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 10, 1853, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10091853/page/8/