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Leader (1850-1860), 18th June 1853, Edition 1 of 1, Page 585

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      Untitled Article

      2 ®^ P ^ ge " 1 M the Other , yet sitting at opposite sides of the house , scowling at one another , and voting in different lobbies ? One pr other of them ought to be extirpated . " ¦ -e ¦ He next referred to English parties : " Thon > of Canterbury , or the Mormons of America , indicating the road to immortality , did not present a more monstrous monument of human absurdity than the " noble lord the member for London leading the British House of Commons . ( Loud cheers , ) And then to think of a elative of

      r that noble person ' s having worried the House with ft speech of five hours' duration on the subject of India , while the hon . member for Manchester ( Mr . Bright ) exposed the whole gist of the question , with frank , manly , and massive eloquence , in less than ten minutes ! ( Cheers . ) What sort of system was that which kept such an imbecile old gentleman as Lord J . Russell ' s relative at the head of the Board of Control , while such a man as Mr . Bright was excluded from office ? Mr . Duff y then alluded to the necessity of union amongst the English and Irish Radicals . " -

      Other speeches in the same tone having been made , the proceedings went on to a late hour amid much Irish enthusiasm .

      Untitled Article

      SCHOOLBOYS ONCE AGAIN . Cueist ' s Hospital is three hundred years old ; and those who have played and studied within its walls might form a large company of good and gallant men . Of the once pupils now living , a band met on Wednesday to celebrate the three hundredth year , and to contribute towards the " Benevolent Society of Blues . " Alderman Thompson was the President ; but when he thought he would be heard for his cause , he found the old boys talking of past times so merrily , that they forgot their respectable , but prosy President . There were the Duke of Northumberland , Lord' Leidester , Lord

      Chjjrton , Sif Hugh Dalrymple , Cp lonel Angerstein , and several other ojd blues thronging Merchant Taylor ' s Hall , all talking loudly and cheerily of the good old times . The chairman proposed " Church and Queen , " which was . received with the plaudits due to the traditions of fche ball . The national anthem was then sung , the vast assembly joining in the chorus with heartiness . This may be said to have closed the " business" of the meeting j for as the observations of the chairman were not audible to more than a fourth of the company , and as the worthy alderman had already developed a more than tendency to prose , the guests devoted themselves

      to conversation and conviviality . The " Pious and Immortal Memory of the Pounder , King Edward VI ., " was honoured after a fashion , and the army and navy were not forgotten . The chairman had now reached the toast of the evening— " Prosperity to the royal and ancient foundation of Christ ' s Hospital ; may they prosper that love it , and may God increase their number !" The buzz of conversation , the cjatter of plates , and the clink of glasses had reached their climax ; and the stewards awaking at last to a sense of their responsibilities , added to the din their contingent of noise , which of itself would havo almost sufficed to set up n City election . Mr . Harker , the toastmaster , himself a «? blue / ' shouted « Silence , " ' Chair , gentlemen !"

      till he was hoarse j but all was vain . At last he vociferated " If you don't be silent you'll bo sent to the stones ! " Words of tremendous import to the alumni of Christ ' s . Several hoary-headed gentlemen were observed to turn pale an a thousand painful reminiscences flitted across their memory . The audience gavo a ceneral hysteric laugh , and subsided int o a momentary Slence j during which the worthy aldorman was heard chiding those who could not hear him , for disturbing those who could , and hinting desporato threats of resignation . Tho voice revived them } the din onco more rose triumphant , and tho speech wended « itsi weary wav" to a conclusion unheeded and unheard . J > ut tne meet * made up in ite own fun . « fast andI furious

      * for the loss in the alderman ' s eloquence , and tho influence of " auld lang ayno" prevailed throug hout the night .

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      HINTS ON LAW ltEFOEM . Thb " amendment of the law" is still an object with Lord Brougham , and tho Society he inspirits At its meeting on Wednesday , what has been recently done bussed touching the improvement of the law was recounted . The assimilation of mercan j lo law has Cn considered , also t ho f ormation of Chambers of Smmerco . The law of partnoralnp « the ^ ub 1 ec The reform of the

      o > inquiry by a Itoyal Commission . ecZiastical courts b expend : and much ] . * . been SoneTith wfownco to the law of landlord and tenant . £ voral mombon then referred to existing defoeta m S « nd in theory . In one case , of a tady a mar-Set tlement , on which tho fees of eounje were only isf the profits of the attorney wore 83 Ik 44 . M ( Hkfr objected to the great di » i « on of labour in 2 r i ™ 1 nrofewlon . It created many B « orl Uschmml the togri F ^ 7 who had studied the laws of £ T " i Z TwlX or juriHprudeneo «« » adonco . Hg hnd « ^ wbo ' ^ ^ d } m ^ tom

      the 28 th February , 1828 , when the subject was " introduced into the House of Commons by Mr . Brougham . " This caused loud cheers . Lord Brougham himself was present , in the chair . ) Professor Hancock ( from Dublin ) boasted that Ireland was in advance of England , having had County Courts , and having an Encumbered Estates Commission before her . Lord Wharncliffe and Mr . Hastings pointedly denounced the Inns of Court as " enormous lodging houses—nothing better . " Their revenues were said to amount to

      100 , OOOZ . —at least , were 50 , 0002 . a-year . With that sum , what might be done towards legal education ? Christ ' s College , Cambridge , with but 5000 £ . n-year , did an immensity of good . It had established fifteen fellowships and six lecturer ' s chairs ; while in the Inns but 17202 . a-year was spent in lectures . How different was the state of the Inns now from what they had been when our population was only 2 , 000 , 000 : then 5000 students were maintained there , In such conversation some hours usefully passed .

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      WAGES . The operatives now ask , in some cases , for concessions which cannot make the master poorer , but which add much to the comfort of the men . With this variety to note , the movement simply progresses , the success of the operatives being almost monotonous . In Birmingham , where the builders lately succeeded in getting higher wages , the painters and glaziers have made a demand for an advance . The manner of the

      negotiation is chronicled as different to the style of such proceedings of old . «• The men are less offensive , and the masters more considerate . " Compromises have therefore been effeeted . Jt is said by some , that the high wages press too severely on the ironmasters ; but the constant increase in the production of Birmingham ware , shows that the increased comfort of the operatives has worked the other way . At Glossopdale the holiday visitation of last week has been successful ; the men now work but ten hours and a half a-day . In the West Biding the juvenile hands in several mills have obtained an advance of wages . The tailors in many towns of South Wales have obtained an advance

      " on demand . " The masons of Swansea , after a five weeks' strike , have got a rise of 2 s . The Bolton weavers have obtained an advance without a " strike . " In Nottinghan the Sutton hose hands , usually out of work at this season , are not only fully employed , but at advanced wages . In the north of Ireland there is full work for the weavers , and more hands are eagerly sought . The general well-being of working men is shown by the fact that in the tenth week of the last Christinas quarter , there were but 8041 persons receiving relief in England an d Wales , on tho ground of being " out of work , " As a particular instance , wo note that the deposits in the Leeds Savings Bank have increased by 14 , 000 Z . within the half-year .

      Many negotiations are still pending . The bottlemakers of Shields ask an advance of 4 s . per week ; tho masters have offered 2 s ., and a comp romise is likely . The men at the Lynvi works ( Wales ) have struck on account of an objectionable mode of payment , and meetings are held daily in the mountains . Tho shoemakers of S wansea , and the ship carpenters of Cardigan are out on strike , demanding an advance of Us . contem

      per week . The colliers and miners of Wales - plate a further " operation for a rise . " The Manchester shoemakers demand advanced wages and tho abolition of slopwork . " The strike of tho Stockport spinners and weavers continues : they demand an advance of 10 per cent . ; some firms havo already y ielded , ami more are likely to yield . Tho strike of tho dock labourers nnd porters of Liverpool ia ended , the men having returned to their work . At Blackburn the

      twistersin have demanded 25 per cent . rise . Tho Government employe ' s seem to bo winning the knack of making tboir demands successful . Tho Edinburgh County Police havo obtained an advance of 3 * ., 2 s ., and lrf- 6 d . per week , according to rank ; and tho police of Glasgow havo got an increase of 2 s . per weok . There seems every likelihood that tho movement among tho Manchester Police , noticed last week , will be successful . THE STRIKE OF THE MANCHE 8 TEK aXABB-OUTTEKH . A noticeable controversy is going on in Manchester botweon the glaBH-cuttors and their employers . In tho Manchester glass works a practice has existed for aoinctinWof locking tho men out , and locking in , a practice which does not exist in uny other town . Ah a workmnn pasHUH through tho door ho has to call out Inn number 1 , 2 , 3 , or 4 , an tho cone may be , ho that the timo-kcener may take it down . Tho workman often finds hiniHelf treated too much like a serf—but there in no occasion to tn ^ t him like a criminal . The men felt their treatment to amount to thin , and reasonably endeavoured to got it altered . Ah tho men are at " pioce work , " tho fact of locking out , and tho manner

      of it , certainly wear a doubly unpleasant aspect . Messrs . Percival , Yates , Vickers and Co . have published a circular against the men , in which , with most reprehensible taste , they sneer at their " sensitive feelings , " for protesting against being numbered like criminals ^—because this firm think the men inconsistent in other respects . They arc so , no doubt ; but it ill becomes Masters to discountenance a partial manifestaion of commendable self-respect . Occupied in discussing their

      best course of procedure , the glass-cutters exceeded , one afternoon , the locking up time , and so absented themselves ; and the next morning-, when they went to work , they were refused admittance , and thus forced to strike . Messrs . Molineaux and Webb , who compelled this step , have published a c ircular representing the men as having left their work unfinished , in a dishonourable manner—when , in truth , the men were shut out from their work by Messrs . Molineaux , Webb , and Co . themselves . Both of the above-named

      companies sent round circulars to all their fellow masters , the Flint Glass Manufacturers , with a list of the men on strike , so as to prevent them getting any employment elsewhere— an act of vindictiveness unbecominggentlemen . While thus soliciting the sympathy of comasters , Messrs . Percival and Co . have ( so the men discover ) sent out an agent to induce workmen from other manufactories to come and work for them ; and Messrs . Lloyd and Summerfield , of Birmingham , have , it is alleged , lost some of their men by this agent ' s solicitation . Messrs . Percival and Co . ' s circular , is , in point of temper and fair statement , infinitely below that of the men ' s . The glass-cutters of Manchester are still out . They may not have the happiest or most

      considerate way of enforcing the claims of Labour , but certainly the Masters have a much worse in defending the rights of Capital . There is more to be said on both sides than is included in tin ' s abstract of the dispute , but having looked personally into the matter , and having all the documents on both sides before me , I can say that this short account presents the substantial merits of the case , and that the sympathy of the public is due to the men . No doubt property , knowledge , and the prejudices of the influential nnd employing classes go with the Masters , and the public , therefore , has a right to expect that they will bo more just , dispassionate , and gene rous than the workmen , who have narrow means , few opportunities , a hard lot , and small means of self-defence . J . Manchester .

      Untitled Article

      THE ROTHERHITHE " CONSPIRACY . " TnE " war-rocket" case lias " como down like a stick . " The following correspondence has taken place : — "To the Right How . Lokd Palmeeston , Secketahy of State , " My Lokd , —The observations made by your Lordship in tho House of Commons on the 5 th of May last encourage me to solicit , your Lordship to relievo me from tho proceedings now pending against mo . " I beg to assure your Lordship that I never had tho slightest idea that in carrying on my factory of war-rockets I was committing a breach of the law ; nor has anything occurred , previous to these proceedings , in tho ten years during which I havo been endeavouring to bring before Her Majesty ' s Government various improvements , sorno of them patented , in that branch of tho Ordnance department , to givo me any intimation of tho kind . I am now , however , advised that my manufacture does come within tho meaning of the prohibitive- clauses of the 9 th nnd 10 th of William III ., e . 7 , and I am very desirous to bo spared the exponse and anxiety of a trial , which I am ( old can only result in a declaration of the law to that effect . "I therefore propose to plead ' Guilty ; ' , under tho circumstances , I venture humbly to submit to your Lordship that the law Iuih now been sudieiently vindicated , and to pray your Lordship to givo instructions that , tho pending proceedings against me may be abandoned . " I have , & « ., " WlIiTJAM HAJ , K . " 8 , Bodford-row , Juno 1 . "

      Untitled Article

      " Whitehall , June 3 , 18 M . « Sin , —T am directed by Viscount ralmersl . on to acknowledge tho receipt of your hit-tor of tho 1 st inst ., in which you state that you are advised that your rmmufiuituro of war-rockets comes within tho moaning of the prohibitive clauses of the Mh and 10 th of Willium 111 ., e . 7 ; that you are desirous to bo spared tho expense and anxiety of a trial , and therefore propose to plead ' Guilty . ' And I am to inform you that , under thoHO cireuumtaneeH , Lord I ' almorston will direct , tho Attorney-General not to call you boforo tho court lor judgment .. " 1 am , Sir , < feo . "II . Waddinoton . " Mr . William Hale , 8 , Uodford-row . "

      Tho HOini-ollioial Uhrmiicta states that the Government jtro willing that Mr . Halo should neloefc one of four ofliccrn named to make a reasonable yet ; liberal valuation of Uio property seized . Mr . JIiilo has fixed upon (' ol . ( "hahnor , Inspector of Artillery at , tho Itoyal Arsenal , Woolwich , and now awaits his decision . Tho Chronicle add «— "Tho abandonment , of the prosecution agiiiiiHt Mr . Halo will not bo matter ol' mirpriw ) , an it was never intended , as Lord I ' ulinoi-Hton Minted , to prow hard upon him , but to elicit it' they were manufactured for uny of tho foreign refugees in thiu country . It would now bo difficult to obtain any

      Untitled Article

      Junk 18 , 1853 . ] THE LEADER . 585

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), June 18, 1853, page 585, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1991/page/9/