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Leader (1850-1860), 27th September 1851, Edition Town of 2, Page 913

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      Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      r * " a- Hm , Bi of CommoBi , and one whieh wouM do from *• B- * " ? Tft ^^ oble lord could be put under a ^ B » 53 sr- £ «? js # rSSSSK m « ** might become strong enough for Jig place . { Laughter andcheenng . ) Comparing the atmosphere of that meeting with the House of Commons he said : — " There there is too much sympathy mth thedespots ^ rssajk' < slk 7 ^ ££ Stfea . ^ s ^ r ^ ffi , ss tour auestion " , when . hall we have not only Mazzini EXSiSS among us ? ( Laud cheers . ) They speak r « pS ? funy of \» Catholic Majesty , the King of the Tw ? aoilie » - ( AM ««) -wd the Emperor of all the L £ ias- («« M ) r-vhil 8 t some here wo * ld agree with

      me that it would be no unpleasant sight to see a gibbet with two arms , with the Czar dangling at one end and the Catholic King of the Two Sicilies at the other . ( Loud cheers . ) " He showed that the House of Commons was in the main the popular nominee of the House of Lords ; that there was no sort of proportion between the representatives of property and the representatives of the House of Lords . They had 330 members representing six millions of property , and 328 members representing seventy-eight millions of property . Me ridiculed the fears which Lord John Russell and others entertained of the results of an extension of the franchise ; and he wound up a fine speech -with an historical resume of what the operatives and the middle classes have done in the cause of individual and national liberty .

      . ,, _ . „ The meeting was afterwards addressed by Mr . R . fettle , barrister , of London , who moved the address of the Association to the meeting . He was succeeded by John Williams , Esq ., M . P ., Mr . George Thompson , Mr . Heywood , of Bolton , and the Reverend J . Schofield concluded the proceedings . The following resolutions were unanimously adopted , and the vast meeting broke up , after the usual vote of thanks , in good order . The following resolutions were unanimously carried : —

      " That the Firat Minister of the Crown having mti m ated his intention to introduce a measure of Parliamentary Reform during the next session , the people should lose no time in giving effective expression to their ¦ wishes ; this meeting doth , therefore , declare that any measure which does hot rearrange the electoral districts , extend the franchise to every occupier of a tenement , protect the voter by the ballot , shorten the duration of Parliament , and abolish the property qualification required of members , will fail to satisfy the just expectatationa of the people—will be ineffectual in preventing the corruption , intimidation , and oppression bow prevailing at elections , and in securing the full and free representations of the people That the

      la the Commons' House of Parliament . cordial union and energetic action of all Reformers is joow imperatively requisite . That the principles advocated by the National Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association , merit the support of the great body of the People of this kingdom ; and this meeting , consisting of Reformers of every shade , pledge themselves to sustain the well-directed efforts of that Association . That the conveners of this meeting are hereby constituted a Committee ( with power to add to their numbers ) , for the purpose of organizing a branch of the Rational Parliamentary Reform Association , to cooperate with the Council in London ; and that the Committee be requested to take immediate steps for that purpose . "

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      PROSPECTS OF RELIEF FOR IRELAND . While emigration is preceding at a tremendous speed , and whole districts are becoming depopulated by the combined operation of inducements to cross the Atlantic and the terrible necessities of eviction ; labile the actual and nominal landlords of Ireland are passing equivocal resolutions respecting the repayment of the Rates in Aid , and vast estates are changing hands through operation of the Poor Law and the Encumbered Estates Act ; while tenantright is withheld , and the potato cro p is insecure ; a pioapect of relief for Ireland arises from that very

      quarter in which we should most prefer to see it ap-Ued—the Land . The question has been nnked—Why Bhould not Ireland be endowed with a Peasant Proprietary ? And it has been answered , at length , after immense discussion , by a definite proposal for a great Irish Freehold Land Soeiety . The present time , even tke misfortunes of Ireland , afford facilitiea for carrying out the project . Land is cheap , capital is plentiful , the Encumbered Estates Court at once ride the land of a bankrupt proprietary , and supplies a certuin title to purchasers . We have before us a " Plan for an Intended Irish Society , " which is an follows : —¦ " It iu proposed to found a society in Ireland on a bauiu which will be open to the very large class of farmers and traders , with capital from £ 60 upwards ; and the lean numerous class of shopkeepers , shopmen , artisana , and the general depositors in suvinga' banks , who can afford U > invent tt small gum habitually from their savings , to ¦ epuro a high rate of interest . Hut it will address itself in tho first place , and mainly , to farmers likely without 1 M assistance to leave the country . luo eharea will be £ 160 each , payable » itucr in one

      s « m or by monthly instalment , of £ 1 , pr by the advance of an * sum the member can conveniently spare , to be afterwards gradually increased to the amount of his share , by monthly payments of £ 1 , or proportionate ^" as ^ asr ^ aT the funds accumulate , estates will be purchased , from time to time , in the Incumbered Estates Court , and divided into farms of about ten , twenty , and forty acres , with a few also of about sixty , eighty , and a hundred acres , and as many members as they wail accommodate put into immediate possession of them . But as the value of land varies with various local circumstances , no mathematical exactness of si * e will be insisted upon Each class will coatain allotments of the same value rather than of the same dimensions .

      "A large proportion of the farms will , however , be limited to about ten or twelve acres , as it is calculated that a farmer subject to no rent , and working his land with the energy and solicitude which ownership insures , could live prosperously on such an estate ; and this is the largest allotment which a single share of £ 150 can be absolutely relied upon to purchase . " On the average of past sales in the Incumbered Estates Court , from ten to fifteen acres of prime tillage land , or from fifteen to twenty acres of mixed land ( cultivated and uncultivated ) , appear to have sold for £ 150 . But a less favourable result is assumed by the society , to nrpvent anv disappointment . However , if futurje

      purchases are made on terms equally favourable , the allottees will have the option of having their estates increased to fifteen or twenty acres for each share , or having the price of a share reduced to £ 90 or £ 100 , or such other sum as the wholesale price of the land will permit of . " There will be half shares of £ 75 , to accommodate men of small means ; and also to enable subscribers to take a share and a half , or two share and a half when this arrangement is found to meet their convenience . The half shares will be paid up in the same manner as the whole shares—in one sum , or by monthly or quarterly payments .

      __ . , ... " A subscriber can take any number of shares he pleases , up to ten , where it is proposed to stop . Ten shares will purchase from a hundred to two hundred acres of land—an estate equal to many hundred acres held under rent , and on a limited or uncertain tenure . «? A member holding more than one share will get his allotments in a group ; but he will be required , before entering on possession , to have paid up one-third of the amount of his shares , if the number be under five , and

      one-half the amount if over five . This regulation is designed to restrain members from grasping more land than their capital would enable them to cultivate efficiently , or pay for with punctuality . " Every member entering on possession of his allotment , unless he has paid up the full amount of his share , must grant a mortgage to the society , which they will retain until he has discharged his debt . If he should negleot to do so , they will be entitled , by law , to resume possession of the land . in the first instance

      " Estates will be purchased , , as far as it can be done with equal advantage to the society , in the counties where there are most subscribers . But it may be advisable to purchase an estate in every county in Ireland in succession ; excepting , perhaps , for the present , two or three counties which are heavily burdened with poor-rate . " When an estate is fully allotted , the directors will take measures to introduce Agricultural Schools ; and also Female Industrial Schools , through which the peasant proprietor ' s family may soon procure profitable employment . A large family need not be a burden but a help , as every hand may be kept busy on tasks suitable to their sex and age . " And this project , we understand , in its largest possible development , is not beyond the present resources of Ireland : —

      " The annual value of landed property under the poor law valuation is thirteen millions and a half . There is more Irish money lying inert in the Irish funds , than would purchase the fee simple of seven entire counties , or one of the provinces . There is more Irish money lying as deposits in the friendly societies and savings ' banks , than would purchase the fee simple of several other counties . A large proportion of this accumulation belongs to men of limited means , who would probably desire to become small proprietors . For example , nearly twelve thousand fund-owners are owners of sums of . £ 200 , or under—men shut out from the individual purchase of land by the smallness of their capital . The large majority of them are said to be farmers . In the savings' banks ,

      all the depositors are necessarily owners of small accumulations . The aggregate amount of all these various deposits is above forty live millions sterling . " Beyond thin huge sum , there are many millions of Irish money in the English funds . There is also an immense sum , the amount of which cannot be ascertained with accuracy , lent in small loans on freehold property ; often by tenants to their landlords , or by other parlies who would probably purchase land with their capital instead of lending it at interest , if a suitable opportunity offered . Although the last live years have drained away a large share of the anvinga of the working farmers , it in believed by men well acquainted with them , that a considerable number would still be found , able to become purchasers witli the aid of the society . "

      Meanwhile , a report is afloat , which , if true , is full of great promiMc . The following statement is made in Haunilers' News letter : — "A very influential company han been formed in England , at the head of which iu represented to be Prince Albert , for the purchase of lands in this country . Their purchases are expected to be on a most extenaive scale , and persons in their employment are now busied obtaining information on the » pot an to the position and value of various eitiUi . "

      $ 3 ow , would it not be doing a greater service to Ireland , if Prince Albert were to put himself at the head of the proposed Freehold Land Society ? We respectfully suggest to him the propriety and utility of such a step . While on this subject , we may quote the Heath Herald of last week , on the " want of labourers" : — " In consequence of the extremely fine weather which we have had for the last fortnight or three weeks the harvest , particularly the oat crop , has come in all at once ,

      save in the hilly or mountainous parts of the counties of Cavan , Monaghan , Tyrone , and Fermanagh , and even there it is rapidly approaching to maturity ; so much so , that a sufficient number of hands cannot be procured ' for love or money' to reap it . The wages of labourers have risen from Is . to 2 s . per day this week , and even at that price they cannot be procured , which has induced several gentlemen farmers to employ mowers to cut down the crops with scythes . "

      Untitled Article

      The report from the Queen's Colleges of Cork and Belfast , shows , we observe , how these institutions have hitherto answered the purposes for which they were founded by that great statesman who alone knew how to meet , in any degree , the Irish difficulty . It is another of the pleasant signs of Irish improvement .

      Untitled Article

      CUBA . CLOSE OF THE CAMPAIGN . The Atlantic reached Liverpool on Wednesday , bringing the latest news from Cuba . We confine our notice of the war to a document , decidedly the clearest and least unsatisfactory yet published , written by Lieutenant van Vechten , one of the expedition of Lopez , in Crittenden ' s command , whom Captain-General Concha has released , together with two other prisoners .

      In the first place , we learn that the expedition should have landed at Puerto Principe , where Aguero had set up the standard of revolt . But disasters attended Lopez from New Orleans to the final tragedy at Havannah . In running over to Cuba , the compass was deranged by a pile of muskets stacked near it , and the Pampero ran within sight of the Moro Castle . Lopez then ran her out to sea again ; and , catching a Spanish schooner , prevailed on her captain and pilot to take the Pampero up the eoast to Puerto Principe . Another and more serious mishapthe Pampero ran aground in Bahia Honda . Lopez at once ' resolved to land ; and on . the 12 th . of August

      the expe dition disembarked , under a fire from about twenty men on shore . These were speedily driven in , but his unfriendly reception had the effect of disheartening the band . Here Crittenden was left behind with the s tores and ammunition , and Lopez pushed on to Las Posas . On the morrow Crittenden set out to join him , and halted within four miles of the main body . A body of five hundred strong here attacked the advanced guard and main body . Crittenden succeeded in driving the Spaniards back twice with great loss ; the third time they opened fire from the hills ; Vechten and twenty others were detached to take them in flank . They executed the mano euvre , and when they fell back tipon the position held by Crittenden , they found that he was

      gone . Where , and why he went , is not explained . Vechten . and the few left with the carts dashed on to Las Posas , and made a junction with Lopez , who the same day had engaged and repulsed the Spanish forces under the gallant Enna . Two days after Lopez marched from Las Posas into the mountains , when he was ag ain attacked by infantry and cavalry , and again he repulsed the enemy . In both these actions the slaughter on the side of the Spaniards was great , though the Yankees had only condemned muskets and no artillery . Lopez retreuted still further into the mountains , where on the 19 th n rainstorm rendered guns and ammunition useless , and on the 20 th a careless sentry , was the cause of " their being surprised in a defenceless state , and , of course , completely routed . Vechten says : —

      " Owing to the unserviceable condition of their arms , the force under Lopez was completely muted , flying to the mountains in all directions—Lopez himself barely escaping ; on horseback , with the loss of his saddle , pistols , und spyglass—of everything , in fact , but what he wore . That night he encamped on the top of one of the highest mountains on the Island of Cuba , exposed to all the violence of a terrific norther , without shelter , fire , or food . Itis impossible for me to describe the Huffcrings of that night . Heaven forbid that I ever pass such another . 1 he rain fell in torrents , while ever and anon a terrific crash would announce that some maHHivo

      tree had fallen , either before the force of the wind , or the still mightier lightning . Thut night equalled un ordinary lifetime . On the evening of the 21 st , having been forty-eight hours without eating , we killed a horse , which was divided among one hundred and twenty-five men , who were all that remuiucd now with Lopez . " They remained on tho mountains until nearly Htarved . When they ventured on to the plains , they were pursued by a body of cavalry , ami as they could nottewiat they run oil" > " Jill directions . Hut nturvation overtook them again ; they hud onl y one meal in aix duya ; they ventured again on to tho plains , and alter being kindly fed ut the house of u poawuit , they were betrayed to the Boldiery . The rest is known . Vechten condom" * « " - * expedition entirely ; ( uwerfei

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 27, 1851, page 913, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1902/page/5/