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Northern Star (1837-1852), 30th August 1851, Edition 2 of 2, Page 5

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      " Respectable " Murder And Robbery. Acco...

      Suooort of the rate-payers in general . Under ~ cb a grinding and shameless system as this , tie feeling of independence and self-respect mu st be destroyed ; and driven in the first induce reluctantly to accept the pauper dole , 4 ey will end bj becoming paupers in spirit aid in habits . Our commercial prosperity , an its numerous modes of cheating the oneratives out of ' a f a ir da y's wage for a fair day ' s labour / is therefore co-ordinate with , and the cause of , moral and social evils

      of tbe worst and most dangerous character . Xt unctions the destruction of life for the purpose of adding t © the dividends of the { . jch—it robs the worker not only of his wages , but of hope and self-xespect . At the altar of jlammon all the highest and holiest interests 0 f humanity and society are sacrificed , and fhev who- ^ refuse to join in the worship' of the < iroiden calf are stigmatized as anarchists ana infidels ! Verily we are a wonderful peop le-

      English Homes. « Heme' Is Said To He Pec...

      ENGLISH HOMES . « Heme' is said to he peculiarly an English fford , suggestive of the most pleasing ideas , and the most purify ing and elev a ting influences . Onr poets and novelists have drawn the most charming pictures of the ' Cottage Homes of England / The very voids are associated with rustic porches , round which roses and honeysuckles cluster , the neat cjnall garden carefully tended , and stocked to overflowing with useful vegetables and old f amiliar , flowers . Glancing through the

      latticed casement , we see that the furniture and domestic arrangements are poor , but they are neatand clean . Thethrifty wife has 'herhouse in order / and the scene round the hearth , whereon sparkles a cheery fire at ni g htf a ll , is of the most delightful kind . The youngsters enjoy their innocent games , the weary sire quietl y s m o ke s his p ipe after the toils of the day , while the busy mother prepares the frugal hut healthy evening me , and the wandering mendicant , who strays past the cottage , leans o ' er its humble gate , and thinks the while , Oh ! that some home like this for me would smile !

      Alas ! that ihese should be in too man y inst ances mere romances ! Instead of the dail y roun of innocence and industry we hav e sketched , the hovels in which the labouring cl asses are compelled io herd , are the very rererseof the picture in all sanitary conditionswhat some of them are , in a mor a l point of new , the following sketch from the life will show . In a rural district stands an English home . There is dissension between husband and wife , owing to the infidelity of the latter . Ni ght after night she absents herself from the cot * tage , in the company of other men . At other time ? , having locked her husband into a room ,

      tie invites these men home with her , or uses 03 e of heir own sons to decoy his father into the village and keep him there awhile , in order that she may have the opportunity of gratif ying her passions . Ubr does her polluting influence rest with her sons . To the company of her paramours , she carries with her a daughter , only sixteen years of age , an d a y oung man with whom she , in imitation of her mother , leads a life of debauchery . What results : the daughter gives birth to a child in the lower part of th © ' Home , ' while her father lies up stairs dying in torment from the arsenic vhich has been administered to him by his Ttife .

      Then , at last , the law steps in . The murderess is seized , and evidence is adduced vkich leads to the inference that her husband is not the only one she has poisoned in her atendoned career . Out of fourteen children eal y six -survive . In one fortnig ht five perished one after the other , under symptoms that point to t h e same deadly mineral powder and agency . Poisoning by arsenic seems , in the rural districts , to have become an Eng lish practice . Day by day the mother of a

      familyis found administering the small doses which slowly , but surely , destroy the lives of children and spouse . . Day by day she looks cooll y on the agonie s ca u s ed b y the poison she has administered , without remorse , or pity , or faltering . The neighbours know what is going on , but they do not interfere ; victim after victim is carried to the grave , and , at last , by some accident or other , the law is set in motion , and , as in the case to which we allude , seizes upon , convicts , and strangles the

      poisoner . What can he the cause of this astounding depravity among our peasantry and lower classes ? It cannot he want of religious instruction , for they either are , or ough t to be , well cared for in that respect . We have the richest Established Church in the world , and an army of 10 , 000 parish clergymen , besides all the subordinates necessary to the

      machinery of a powerful and wealthy ecclesiastical corporation . Besides the clergy , we have hosts « f dissenters of all kinds of denominations frer at work , especiall y among the poorer dasses ; and , in f a ct , we find that the murderess we allude to showed no lack of reli gious inowledge , though she did prove its inefficacy ffl retraining her from habitual indul gence in the most shameful vice , and the commission of tlie most diabolical crimes . She called her

      remaining children around her in gaol , previous to her execution , and presented each of them with a Bible and Testament , inscribed as the 'dying g ift ' of th e ir 'dear mother ; ' she lamented , and confessed her sins in general , ia the set term s prescribed f o r o ther miserable sinners , ' at the same time that she soleml y asseverated her innocence of the crime for which she was to die , and of the commisson of which , as the ultimate result of a life <• ' vice , there could he no doubt whatever . She d a i l y said her prayers , was penitent according to the established usage in such <*> es , and died on the scaffold with a lie on her l ps >

      Kow this domestic treachery , of which lust or avarice is the instigator , is not an isolated o ccurrence . Of late years i % has become common , and not a single assize passes over with-<& t leaving some man or woman for execution , accused of having taken away life by the administration of arsenic , in small and repeated doses ; and , iu most cases , it is found that other members of the family have died unaccjuntabl y . It is appalling to think of the ^ ide spread depravity which these facts Plicate . Home , instead of being a sanctuary tallowed by affection , and all the 'tender Parities of life , ' is but a medium for more

      Purely and unsuspectingly committing murder . The relationship in which the victim stands to the murderer may be the tenderest taat can he conceived—the ties that bind them % closest- *? et this , so far from being a bar , k actually an incentive and a facility to cornet tho crime . " The husband who has toiled f years to ' support her , is poisoned by the * ife—the wife who has shared and soothed his saddest fortunes , is destroyed by the husband—the child that has fondly nestled in the ^ tuer ' s breast , and drawn : nourishment ^ ence , is coolly and deliberatel y sent to an ^ timely grave byits parent , for the sake of * be few paltry shillings she will get from a Benefit Society for burying it ,

      It is time that this new and frightful 8 fuptom of English society was looked at " & rueally and Tesolulelyj with a view to " the * scovery of its , source and the application of * remed y , TFe have already given our reasons * ° r believing that it does not arise from want of reli gious . instruction . The cause must he sou ght elsewhere . What . is wanted is better ^ Waltrffliw ^—b eltOT industrial conditions— : better domestic arrangements . But all these ^ "flgs involve fundamental and extensive changes in our productive and distributive , ar-Ungements . ! We must make our institutions tor man , not man for the " institutions . Ins tesd . of proposing the accumulation of

      English Homes. « Heme' Is Said To He Pec...

      wealth as the hi ghest object ot society , we must aim atthe formation of a superior moral , mental , and physical character , for the whole popualtion ; and do that by removing ; from around all those circumstances that experience has proved to be detrimental or vitiating in their effect , and substituting in their place all those influences which the same experience has demonstrated to be of an elevated and ennobling character ..

      Until the mighty task is set about in this spirit , with a full comprehension of its vastness , and at the same time a determination to , grapple with it as beyond all other questions in its importance to the human race , we shall have the same melancholy and terrible revelations of crime , the same ineffectual and retaliatory punishments inflicted on the perpetrator .

      J.N.Ei Xjl.Ll/It J.O Xv-Vi^Iixa ; The Or...

      j . n . Ei xjL . ll / it J . o xv-Vi ^ iixa ; The organs of the Capitalists are evidently determined to excite such an amount of public prejudice against the defendants at the late trials for consp iracy at Stafford as shall , iJ the law questions are ultimately decided against them , support the infliction of a severe and vindictive punishment . In his usual weekl y letter this week , Mr . Peel has ably exposed the tissue of gross misrepresentations published in . " the « Dail y News , ' under the signature of Mr . Ferry ; but he has not noticed the fact , that the day after that monstrous ex p arte statement was published , the * Dail y News * devoted its first leading article to th e subject , and assumed the truth oi every one of Mr . Perry ' s statements . The article was altogether a carious illustration of the fairness , of p olitical ec o n o m is ts , and advocates of the ri gbt divine of Capitalists to do as they please . Its conclusion , especiall y , was very rich , being composed quite in the style of the Victoria rnelo-dramas , in which poetical justice is meted out to all tbe dramatis persona according to a

      pre-conceived standard , and not the actual practice of daily life . The writer in the * News ' concluded his romance b y congratulating the public that Mr . Perr , like a fine , brave , but generous and forgiving gentleman , had magnanimousl y taken back all his erring workmen , after showing them that he was not to be beattu ; while the persons who interfered between him and his happy and contented workmen were expiating . their offence in Stafford Gaol . Tiie one statement was undoubtedly as true as the other , and the same amount of credence

      should be g iven to both . But what is to be th o ug ht of scribes who thus pander to the prejudices of the monied classes , and abuse the mighty powers of the press by making it the instrument of the grossest falsehoods and calumnies . The ' Times , ' not satisfied with its disgraceful and unfounded attack on the character , m o tives , and conduct of the members of the Central Committee immediately after the trial , returned to the subject again on Thursday , in its first leader . The stap le of the article was the same as before ^—vile and

      most unscrupulous misrepresentation and calumny , written in the coarse and slashing style in which the « Thunderer' indul ges when it has any particularly dirty job to do . Tbe object of recurring to the subject was clear enough . They dread , lest the defendants should be able to have the case re-argued in the Queen ' s Bench ; and hence , tbey want to prevent the funds being supplied for that purpose , and to effect this object even the Times excels itself in mendacity . The manner and spirit in . which these repeated attacks are made in the most influential

      organs of the cap italists show , however , how well they know the immensity of the princip le at stake , and how determined they are to win by any means , and at any cost . It ought to teach the labouring classes throughout the whole country , to comprehend thoroughly the importance of the struggle in which the Defendants are now engaged , and induce them to supply commensurate means . Depend

      upon it the Times never uses its thunders without a purpose . It would not condescend to take np this subject again and again—one in which a few working men are concerned—if the capitalists who are its supporters did not feel deep l y and strong ly upon it . Every attack from such a quarter should be accepted as proof positive that the Central Committee deserve the earnest , unswerving , prompt , and universal support of the working classes .

      From the high-class artizan and mechanic down to the poorest labourer , aU are directly interested in the issue of this great and important strugg le . Capital is marshalling its forces , and try ing to prejudice the case ; the working classes must not be behind hand in their efforts to secure justice . As to the assurance of the ' Times , ' that an appeal to the superior court is certain to

      fail , and the money , he therefore thrown away , we can only say , that if the facta and the law be such as the 'Times' states tbey are , we should agree in tho statement . As however they are diametrically opposite , ( at least the facts ); and as the judges will decide , wepresume , according to the evidence , and not atthe dictation of the Times , ' we feel very confident that its prognostication of the result will turn out as false as its statement of the

      case . Meantime , as an illustration of the truthfulness of one statement of the ' Times' and ? Daily News , ' namel y—that Mr . Peer is very popular in Wolverhampton , and that the workmen are thoroug hl y humbled b y their defeat , we take the following paragraph from tho last number of the ' Wolverhampton Chronicle . ' We prefer it to all the laudations of Mr . PEEBY , which may be suggested by himself and penned h y his ' literary' friend and toad y : —

      Theaibe Boyai . — Benefit ot the Tin-mate Workers .-On Tuesday se ' nnight our theatre was crowded to excess iu ' everv part , the performances being for the benefit of the tin-plate workers of Wolverhampton . The respectable and crowded house clearly demonstrated on which side of the much-vexed question of " P ^ rry v . the Tin-plate Work e rs " popular sympathy is enlisted . -Not only was the house the most crowded one of the season , but the " players" seemed to improve witlt the greatness of the occasion , and rendered the text mamn . uer deserving of most favourable criticism , i & e audience seemed thoroug hl y to enjoy the entertainments , andit was reall y g r a tify ing to witness during John Bull

      the performance of the first piece , " , bow rapturously they , welcomed each outburst oi honest feeling from the hero of the piece ( the talented J . P . Young ) , how they evinced their detestation of the mal-practices of the fop and seducer , and welcomed with overwhelming applause the plain-spoken sentiments of the English friend of innocence and virtue . The afterpieces were well placed before the meeting , and the acting was , with few exceptions , of a first-rate character . This was the last evening of the summer season , an d was certa i n l y a mos t excellent finale , inasmuch as tbe bouse was filled in a manner we had never before witnessed . . . . ¦ i ,, .,.- i ^^ r n * —~~* m

      Monies Received Fob Zbs Wsbk Ending Thcb...

      MONIES RECEIVED Fob zbs Wsbk Ending THCB 8 DAT , Auausr 2 8 ra , 1851 . WM G-CP OF fi LAND COMPANY . BECEITED BT W . SDBB . ' £ 8 . d . W . H . Moon , Brighton -- ' • " .-S 1 « Rosina Jane Moon , Brighton ..- .. .-. 0 0 6 £ 0 10 THE HOHESTY FUHD . XECHVED HI W . BIDES ., ; ... b S . 0 . B . £ un < Jy , Hull - .- " - " " * ° ° NATiONAt CHAHTER FUHD . 3 s id-Glasgow , ^ J , ^ Riffc ^ M-Ips ^ chTper & i 15 B ' REFUGEES AT TURNM 1 LL STREET .

      Monies Received Fob Zbs Wsbk Ending Thcb...

      : BOTES OP TRAVEL AND TALK . f Concluded from our last : J And now having s a id my s a y a bo ut t h e d a rk s ide , let me have done with it , and turn to the bright one . Did I enjoy Scotland ? Oh yes , most superlatively ! I found warm hearts and a fervent welcome , which made me forget the Sunday bondage ; and the scenery ! it was so glorious , th a t I am trying to repicture it in my mind every day , and shall feel restless till I see it again . The first leisure day I could seize I got into a steam packet and went down the Clyde , and then by rail , to Loch Lomond . A small steamer plies from one end of the lake to the other . It was a radiant eveningthe sky so deeply blue and the sun SO bright that

      the dullest scenery might have pleased ; but here it was so gorgeous—that pomp of sun and sky and lake and mountains—that , i n p la i n mother En glish , { for fine words are of no use here , ) I felt as if emotion would choke me , and hid my face from the glances of gentles , lest they should gaze at me for a sentimental fool . I got ashore at the little Inn called " Rowerdrennau "—a very choice spot—and found two Scotch workinemeri , recently married , who , with their brides , were purposing to climb Ben Lomond to see the sua- rise , next morning . Like all Scotchmen , they had to consider aboot it before they fully made up their minds . I told them I would go , even if 1 went alone . This served to summon their wills to a decision ; and it was

      arranged that we were to be called at one o ' clock , and commence the journey half an hour after , under the direction of one of the " guides ' " kept at the inn . Everybody said whisky would be needed to give-us strength to reach the summit of the mountain ; and my companions took it liberally on the way , and gave the guide , a poor Irishman , a very fair portion at sundry times : There was such an abundant supply of water , however , as . we went along , t h at I d ecl i ne d takin g sp irit , either in going up or coming down ; nor did I feel that I needed it . The Scotch lasses displayed wonderful vigour , and got over the difficulties of the ascent as nimbly as any one of us . At tho last spring I left Pat and the lads and lasses to their whisRy and waterand dashed to win tho

      , on top first . An , the sly rogue , Phoebus ! he had just risen when I won the peak , so that I did not see him rise but only risen ; and there he was with his huge crimson face barred with black clouds , resting his chin on the horizon . Presently his undress was laid aside , and he put on his robes of gold , and thenby the Titans ! but it was grand ¦ "beyond comp are " to see how he lighted up the giant peaks of Ben Ledi , and Ben JIawr , and Ben Eigh , and Ben Voirl i c h , and Ben Lawers , and a hundred lesser peaks , and how he drove away the mists , and laid bare the broad glittering bosom of Lock Lomond with its hundred islets , and gave * us a glimpse of Loch Long , and tinted up Loch Katrine , and

      showed us the Lake of Monteith , and the interminable lowland to the east ! The cold became bo intense in a few minutes ( especially as I was wet t h roug h with perspiration ) that I was drinking in that draught of magnificence with the thought that I must lose it immediately , and never have it again —when one of my companions who had come up repeated the saying of a rough , strong-headed peasan t , who had seen the same sight with one of his friends , "Eh , mon Jock , are not the works of tbe Almighty deeviliskl" That was such a stroke of real poetry as made me despair of ever saying ought equal to it , about the view from the top of Ben Lomond at sunrise ; and so no more . I left the lads aud lasses , and descended , shivering with co ld , for although it was the 28 th of June ,

      it was but half-past three in the morning , and we were many hundred feet above the level of the sea , P a t was soon aft er m e , and gave unmistakeable signs of having taken too deep and frequent draughts at the whisky bottle . ^ ' He was sure that I was a gintleman , and would give him half-a-crown —an English gintleman—and the English gintlemen always gave the most . ' Ho had small wages ' —very small wages—and he took anything that the gintlemen plased to give him ! But he was sure that I was a raal gintleman and would give him balf-a-crown J" and so on—till befell down in the mud . Five times he fell before we reached tho b ottom , but he would not hear of my suspicion that he had taken too much whisky . " Och , no yer honor ! " said he , "it's the wanto' sleep , and the small wages yer honor ! I ' m sure you'll give me half-a crown !"

      Let me not forget one most rapturous bit of scenery that I saw in Scotland , —for I saw so much on the grand scale that minuter beauties might easily be forgotten for the moment . The " glen " of Campsie should be seen by every lover of the picturesque . The winding stream , the magnificent giant beeches , the grand waterfall , are worth walking fi tty mi l es to see ! B y the way , the only new wild vegetable that I found in Scotland grows in that romantic glen : the wild Jeek or onion : it scents the air perceptibly . 1 have heard that it is found in England ; but I never found it there myself . Just as it was in Ulster , I found the wild flowers , all over Scotland , were the same as those of my boyhood ; and looked in vain , with this exception , for a new flower . Even in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen , 500 miles from London , I found none but old acquaintances .

      Talking of Aberdeen—what a grand street is Union-street , —long , wide , and regularly built , and a ll the hou s es o f granite ! It is unique . The inhabitants may well be proud of it . To speak truth , I was not more happy in any part of Scotland than in Aberdeen . The town itself—the granite city as they call it—is a very noble one ; but the earnest , intelli gent , and kindly working men by whom I was surroun d e d , and the interesting character of the four meetings I held there , rendered my brief stay of five days as memorable to me as some five weeks of other parts of my life .

      The rich cultivation , interspersed with transcendant natural scenery , all the way from Glasgow to Aberdeen , ( passing by Stirling , Perth , Dumblane , & C , —all most beautifully situated , ) and again from Aberdeen to Dundee , render the journey , even by Railway , one continued feast to the eye and the mind . Dundee itself is an ill-buil t town , although its site ia in the midst of natural beauty . Of all the rivers of Scotland the Tay is the broadest and most imposing ; and the " Law , " or high hill above the town , affords a very noble panorama . In the cemetery reposes my friend poor Millie Thom I went and stood upon his lowly grave : and as I

      looked around , I felt that if poor Millie , now his suffering is o ' er , could be conscious of where he lies , he would be glad . It is indeed a beautiful spot : flowers bloom on the rich sward , the princely Tay stretches his broad arm on one side , and swelling hills enrich the prospect on the other : it is just where a poet ' s grave should be—and a very lowly head-stone records that a " Poet" lies there ; but they have mis-spelt the name : it is " Thorns" instead of "Thom , " and the stone is so mean and small , that it compels you to remember poor M illi e ' s poverty and suffering , even if you would forget all !

      I fou n d m a ny highly intelligent and kindly men in Dundee : but , to my great surprise , a considerable number of them were arguers for the foolish doctrine of " physical force . " I had not expected to find such people in " educated" Scotland ; and in one . protracted conversation , after my public talk was over , we had such a sturdy debate as I shall not soon forget . I so far forgot my philosoph y as to be really angry with my friends . Zeal against their error impelled me into error . I rely on their good feeling to excuse me . If ever we meet again , and they have not then forsaken their old-fashioned d octrine , we will try to fight out the battle with a little more calmness . At Edinburgh , I fell into an equal and similar error . I must say so ; for I

      should not be easy if Idid notkeep " my heart oathe outside of my waistcoat . " I really quarrelled with a company of teetotallers—real friends and noble young fellows though they were . But they seemed as I though * , intolerant , and inclined to dictate that I should practice what I knew I could not practice , w ithout loos i ng my strength a n d c a pacity for constant labour . It is not the first time that I have been met in this way , an d the re c urr e nc e o f dictation—or what I think is dictation—renders such treatment increasingly grievous . Yet I cannot justify mj l oss of temper ; and when one of those young men met me next evening , and , with an expressive look , said " you oug h t t o have been the meekest !" —tho rebuke was felt so keenly that I was heartily humbled .

      from Dundee , C across , the Tay , and through the finely cultivated and minerally-rioh county of Fife , 1 went to Dunfermline . Again , I was welcomed and surrounded by kind hearts and intelligent minds ; and the "lions" of the place seemed to swell tho list of remarkable historic sights I had witnessed in Scotland . From Glasgow ( in addition to my Loch Lomond trip ) I had found one day ' s le isur e to go to " auld Ayr , " the cottage in which Burns was born , Kirk Alloway , and the Bri g o ' Doon ; from Paisley , in company with the poet Mitchell ( the companion of Tannabill ) , and several other friends . k

      I had passed to Elderslie , to see " Wallace s oa , and the house in which ( it is said ) the hero was born ; and , now , at Dunfermline I was in the Abbey w h ere Robert the Bruce" is entombed , and among the stately and picturesque ruins of the favourite palace Of many of theScottish kings . . In the house , too , of ilr . Paifcon , the Swedenborgian minister , I saw the richest collection of antiqu'ties —chiefly from the Palaces of Dunfermline , Stirl i n g ; Scone , Holyrood , & c—that" ! have ever seen in the possession of an untitled person . Mr . P > s kindly readiness in showing his collection , lenders the treat the greater , . ; ,, , .

      Edinburgh I how eager ! felt for the first sight of it I But disappointment fell upon me , at first . It had been mis-represented to me . Its houses were not of the character that they , had been described to have : bo tall and regular that you mig ht str e tch a straight rod over them ; and touch all their tops Pooh 2 nobody had told me of the unparalleled reauo & 9 > of , iu » ite—pi if 9 sw & iu & enti yA fl » fc

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      striking situations—of the Scott monument ( the most peerless thing ia Brh & in - !) of the really Athenian air of the "Calton hid- "—of the majesty of the grand rock , " Arthur ' s se & i" ol t h e frowning but fine effect of the old castle , on its mound ! It « the finest city in Britain , so for as I have seen and i have now seen e ery la rge to ^ n except Dubin and Cork , Plymouth and Devonport ) , b ut i t is the magical effect of its situation , and tfot the superior buildings m its streets and . squares , which give it the palm p excellence of streets' and squares , Glasgow is equal to it , and , I should almost say , superior ; but no city in the three kingdoms possesses a site so grandly romantic , so rich in elevations and the advantage they give tO the architect for displaying his work , as Edinburgh ! Thought is more Iree from fetters , I think , in the SWft ^ any ° Jher P"t of Scotland . Not that the unco guid " much disposed to relax then-iron rule in Edinburgh anv mora Minn in

      v v wi . w dee ' or Glasgow ; but the number of English visitors , chiefl y 0 f the holiday classes , renders it almost impossible to preserve the » Scottish Sabbath with such Seville-orange purity in Edinburgh as idi-Glasgow ; and these visitors , too , mingling with the kirk people , but not being of their peculiar persuasion , must create amore liberal atmosphere in the drawing rooms of the rich and middhrclasses on the week days . For working men , it seems to me that there is a great work to do in Edinburgh , and fine opportunity for doing it . 1 hey have intelligence , the number that I saw ; and they only need union , discretion , and perseverance , to perform a great liberalising deed . Of course I saw everything that I could see while in Edinburgh—not omitting the " Palace " Of Holyrood . "What a pity it is that the very old lady should die , who shows you over Queen Mary ! s

      rooms , and points you out her bed , and the stains of David Rizzio ' s blood ! Her stories and her ancient self are so wonderfully in keeping ' . I told her so , and she received it all in earnest , smiled most graciously , dropped me so eourt-like and grand a curtsy , and said , with a . toss of the head as lofty as that of a countess , "that she was very much obliged to me ! " If the old lady does die they ought to pull down those miserable gloomy rooms she shows , and make an end of the savage mockery altogether . I had two hours ' delightful conversation with Mr . De Quincy , at Lass wade ; and was as deeply impressed with his intellectual power in talking , as I was with his writing , when in my boyhood I read his "Confessions of an English Opium Eater" in the Joveable old London Magazine . In Dalkeith and Lasswade I staid too brief a

      time to be able to make much observation , and our meetings at the former place were anything hut good—all organisation having been neglected for a long time . The two remaining towns I visited in Scotland—Galashiels and Hawick—presented a very different state of things . The meetings were ( in Galashiels especially ) well attended , and the Usteners were eager and intelligent . I was now in the neighbourhood of all Scott ' s mighty enchantment—went to gaze at Abbotsford—made a pedestrian journey to Melrose Abbey ( what marvellously perfect and minute carving ! I have seen nothing equal to it except that of one chapel in Ely Cathedral ) and to Dry burgh Abbey , where the mighty magician lies . That was a day to be often recalled

      so long as I live . Oh ! the beauty of all that Tweedland , over which Scott so often rode ! Tiie romantic ' riv e r , those cleft "Eildon Hills , " "Norham ' s Castled Steep , "—and all the spots refilling the mind with the riches of bis verse and prosehow eagerly I strained to have the last glimpse of it all , as tbe train went tearing along its way , and , at last , boro me , once more , to the edge of the G erman oc ea n , and gave me a sight of old Berwick ! Much as 1 had thought of returning to England , I was surprised that I felt sad when all that glorious scenery was passed , and the common place landscape was restored to me ; but it was England , and so I soon was in good humour with it .

      I cannot close this already wearisome story without saying , that on my return from visiting Kirk Alloway and the cottage of Burns , I called on his remaining sister , Mrs . Begg , a hig hl y intelligent woman of eighty , who gave me some information of an important character , as I deem it to be . Her daughter Isabella was present while 1 had the short conversation with her , I told her that I entertained s trong doubts of the truth of many things which w ere said about her illustrious brother , and I wished to have tbe benefit of her own personal know l e d ge , r e spect i n g him . She replied , " that she would have pleasure in giving me all the information in her power . " I told her that a . person in Glasgow had declared to me the other day , that he

      believed all tbe accounts of her brother ' s irregular life , for , a friend of his had called on Mrs . Begg lately , and she had said that she had often seen her brother sit at table in tho morning , after a night ' s debauch , shading his face with his hands , while the big tears of remorse were dropping on the board before him , Mrs . Begg seemed moved painfully : " Nothing is more false , " she replied ; " I never had such a conversation , and never could say bo ; fori never saw my brother either drunk , or showing any such feeling ; nor did I ever know him to be drunk . It is true , I saw but little of him in the latter part of his life ; bat his son , who was with him almost constantly , told me that he never saw his father the worse for liquor but once , and then be

      was sick—but yet perfectly conscious . His son also said , that though his father often came home late during the latter part of his life , when they lived in Dumfries , yet he was always able to examine bolts and bars , went to observe that tbe children were right in bed , and always acted like a sober man . Besides , " added the intelligent old lady , "how was it possible that my brother could b e a d runkar d , when he had so small an income , and yet a few weeks before his death owed no body a shilling ?—that speaks for itself . " Mrs . Begg furthermore confirmed what I also learned in Glasgow from persons conversant with those who had known every circumstance of the close of Burns ' s life , that Allan Cunningham has sorely mistated many matters . Burns did not die in the dramatic

      style which Allen tells of . Allan was never in Ayrshire in his life , but had his materials from some old fellow , -who went about poking into every corner , and raking out every false story about Burns . A writer in Glasgow , in whose company I sat for a short time in the evening , after I had delivered my oration there on Burns , contradicted Allan Cunningham ' s account of Burns ' s death from personal knowledge , just at the time when Allan's " Life of Burns" appeared ; but Allan never took any notice of the pamphlet , and never corrected the mistatement . Mrs . Begg said that she had seen the two volumes of the new life of her brother , by Robert Chambers , and the account was fairer than any she had seen before , Newcasfcle-on-Tyne , Thos . Cooper . Aug . 18 th , 1851 .

      Fatai Accident in a Floub Miil . — -On Wednesday a boy named James Price Miles , aged fifteen years , was killed at the Creek Flour Mill , Yorkroad , B a tterse a , in the following manner : —On the afternoon of that day tho deceased was directed by the engineer of the works to enter the pump-room and place the pump in motion . The means for doing so was simply to insert a small iron rod in the sp in d le of th e "fly" wheel . Some few minutes afterwards the engineer went in , for the purpose of ascertaining what had become of the boy , when he discovered the deceased lying upon the platform quite dead , and the spokes of the wheel striking his skull at every revolution . A portion of the unfortunate boy ' s skull had been divided by the

      force of the blows from the wheel , which was calculated to turn thirty revolutions in a minute , and was lying . a short distance from the body . It i s supposed that tbe hoy , i n stoo ping to place the rod in the sp in d le , was struck on tbe head by the flywheel and knocked down on the platform , and before he could recover himself he received other blows in rapid succession , which soon p ut an en d to his sufferings . The body was removed to the Nag ' s Head public house to await a coroner's inquest . Strike of Staffordshire Miners . — "We aro informed that the Earl of Granville ' s colliers , and also the men at the Bell ' s Mi l ls Pit , in the Po t teries , have been on strike ever since tbe first of July last . The men in this emnlov were only

      getting 3 s . Gd . per day , out of which they had to I find their tools and powder , which reduced their wages to 33 . per day , while miners in the neighbourhood received 4 s . per day , added to which they were threatened with a reduction . This reduction induced the men to ; stop work . Deputations of workmen waited at various times upon Mr . Lancaster , the manager or agent , who informe d them that the work was let to Butties , an d that he had nothing to do with the business . On the i 3 th inst . Mr . I > ancaster stopped twelve Of the stone pits , saying " that if the colliers would not work , thoy should' not > " and the following morning three of the stone pits stopped of their own accord : and twenty nits are how idle . On tho 15 th

      inst . the Butties of the Bells Mill Pit promised their men 4 s . a day , if they would work , which they nobly refused , unless the same amount was gi ven to the other colliers . Since'then ' , the report has been extensively Circulated that the colliers will not ¦ work even at the advanced price , With » VIOW tO destroy the sympathy of the public for the men . We are , however , happy to learn that the attempt has failed , and that the public still render assistance and support to the miners , for which they are truly grateful . COBOHSB ' o INQUEST . —On Thursday Mr . Beitori held an inquest on the body of the lady who fell down in Regent-street on Monday morning and immediately expired . The body was identified as that of a lady whose home was in Great Marlborugh-street which she had just left to visit a sister when over-I taken by death . The jury heard the medical evidence , and were satisfied that apop lexy was the « 9 W » , of the lady ' s , decease , Verdict accordingly ,

      Monies Received Fob Zbs Wsbk Ending Thcb...

      NATIONAL . ASSOCIATION of ~~ UNITED TRADES . T . B . Duncombk , Esq ., M . P ., President . Established 1845 . " PUT JUSIITM , " " If It were possible for the working classes , by combining among themselves , to raise , or keep up the general rate of wages , it need hardly be said that this would be a thing not to be punished , but to be welcomed and rejoiced at - Stdakt Miu . Me . EDWARD PERRY'S APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC AND THE JUDGES OP E 3 GLAXD AGAINST THE LONDON DELEGATES . "He then tells them an infinity of tales . Some of which are true , and some new ; But those which are true are not new , And those which are new are not true . "

      Mr Perry is not satisfied with his Stafford triumphs . The evidence and the verdict are incontmous and inconsequent . They do not dove-tail the one ' s too big and tho other ' s too little ; and Mr Perry seems apprehensive that tho exalted con structive powers of even Mr . Justice Erie will fail to reconcile tlieir inconsistencies . The public aro notoriously gullible . Tiie Judges of England are all learned , high-minded , and honourable men . But they are men , and not angels , and they are sometimes as susceptible of impressions and bias as the most simple of us . Speculating upon this natural propensity , and no dcubt prompted by bis evil ceniuses . Mr . lWv

      has published , through the columns of the Daily News , a long-laboured leader , and lying letter , for no other object , aa it would appear , than that of strengthening , by the most extravagant inventions , his desperately weak case , as against the so-called London delegates , and insuring for them , as far as he can effect it , a severe and disproportionate sentence . That Mr . E . Perry should be capable of so mean and dishonourable a course will surprise no one who has watched his conduct through this affair , it camo out from his own confession upon the trial ; but that so respectable a paper as the "Daily News" should condescend to lend its columns to such vile uses , is indeed a matter for our wonder and astonishment . It has always been

      held unfair , by the respectable portion of the press , to prejudge the case of the greatest criminal while it was still undetermined by law . This equitable and thoroughly English principle is , in thecascof the unfortunate London delegates , entirely set aside in their zeal to crush the growing power of tho Association . The cloven-foot of the ex-editorial mophistophilla is so apparent throughout this wordy , windy ep istle , that we think it would be a waste of time to minutely expose its gross and glaring misrepresentations ; the more so because we believe that a legal remedy will be found for the doepand serious wrongs sought to be inflicted upon the men marked out for Mr . Perry's undying and insatiable thirst for revenge . We shall therefore content ourselves with presenting our readers with a few examples of Mr . Perry's peculiar notions of truth and honesty . He commences by assigning as a reason for rushing into print , his desire to supply the public . with

      a fuller detail of the late trials , than could be furnished through the columns of a daily paper . Wo are happy to inform Mr . Perry , that this difficulty had been foreseen and amply provided fer by the " London Delegates , " and that a verbatim report of the Trial , taken by Mr . Hodges , the government official reporter , including the eloquent addresses of Mr . Sergeant Allen and Mr , Parry , by whom the Secretary of tho Rational Association and Mr . E . Perry were so unmercifully handled , is now in tho pves ? . We were more desirous than we believe Mr . Perry to be , that a faithful and full report of these trials should be given to tbe public ; and we are of opinion that the Judges and tho public will prefer—as sources of information—the notes of Mr . Hodges , to the joint reminiscences of Messrs . Perry and George Wynne . " Let the galled jade wince , our withers are unwrunsr . "

      They then proceed to combat three propositions , which they appear sensible are fixed upon them by the published reports of the trial : — 1 st . That the firms of Edward Perry , and Richard and George Henry Perry , paid their workmen intolerably low wages . 2 nd . That they resisted a just and reasonable demand , in refusing to adopt a uniform scale oi prices ; and , 3 rd . That they prosecuted the nine defendants for peaceably combining to resist their abominable tyrannies . We shall give as concisely as wo can , Mr . Perry's replies to these three propositions . To the first

      he says— ' His prices could not bo unreasonable , inasmuch as they were the prices lie had paid for the last eight or nine years . " If this was true ( which it is not ) , we do not see its logical application . A long continuance of a fraudulent practice is an aggravation and not a justification of tlie ori ginal injustice . Ho also says , —' That the price oi the necessaries of life had , within this period been reduced 25 per cent ., which means , we suppose , that the repeal of the Corn Laws , and the cheapening effects of Sir Robert Peel ' s tariff , was intended to benefit every class of society except the working class .

      The answer fo this specious sophistry is simply this : —In the year 1842 , after a protracted and desperate struggle , when Stafford gaol was overflowing with his victims , the Tinmen were compelled to succumb to his imperial behests , and were forced to accept his tariff of prices , being fully 30 per cent , below Mr . Walton ' s , and Messrs . Shoo ) bred and Loveridge , and he has continued the original exaction to the present day ; and the men never having had tbe power of doing themselves justice , he now points to their quiescence under his tyrannies as a proof of their contentedness . To strengthen these plausible misrepresentations , he parades a statement of the wages paid upon two specific occasions during

      the last winter . Upon one he quotes the average as £ 1 10 s . 3 d ., and the other , being the paynight before Christmas , as 4 l 18 s . ljd . In order to elucidate this , we must explain to the uninitiated some of the customs peculiar to Mr . Perry ' s " Jeddo work . " That cunning gentleman conceives it a master stroke of policy to bind his men to him by a double chain , lie makes them surrender their personal freedom by signing written agreements , and by forcing , at the same time , loans of money upon them , makes them doubly his slaves . This arrangement works something in the following way . Those who are sufficiently truculent and submissive can have a horse on a Saturday night—that is , they can draw wages upon work

      they have scarcely touched . On the other hand , the unfortunate , who offends master or foreman , gets a dummy , instead of wages . A dummy means , your wages are stopped for the debt you owe me . "This is the way I will treat you mutinousfellows . " With this explanation , it will appear sufficiently clear that the amount paid as wages in the "Jeddo Works " is by no means to be considered as any measure of what the men actually earn , but simply the amount , which by horsing and other contrivances , thoy are enabled to draw . The £ 118 s . lid ., instead of being for the week before Christmas ,

      happened to be tor ten days ; uhnstmas Day tailing in the middle of the week , the Saturday was a general dummy night . In his answer to the second proposition , Mr . Perry says the demands of the men were unreasonable . In his own evidence he swore that a compliance would have made no greater difference to him than one and a half per cent ., or 50 s . in £ 100 . Justice Erie , in his summing up , observed that the Book appeared to him very moderate , but that Mr . Perry had a legal right to be unconciliatory and vindictive if he pleased , and that thelaw would protect him in the full exercise of these amiable

      virtues : " But many a crime deemed innocent oh earth Is regi stere d i n h ea v en : and there , no doubt , Have each their record with a curse annexed . " Mr . Perry further states , that it was impracticable to pay by a general Book . It was proved by the evidence of Mr . Walton , Mr . Shoolbred , and by Mr . Samuel Bryan , Mr . Perry ' s late foreman , that it was perfectl y practical an d usual in th e tr ad e , from time immemorial . The introduction of steam and machinery , by which portions of the work is now effected , presenting no difficulty . Deductions from the Book price in such cases being at all times arranged in each shop between the master and the men , and a blank page

      is bound up with tbe Book for the insertion of such alterations . During the whole of the protracied negotiation , Mr . Perry never insinuated any unreasonableness or impracticability in the men ' s demand , but professed himself desirous and willing to assist in tbe required arrangement ; but certainly it came out on tho trial , that in all this he was only " amus i ng " the delegates—or , as Mr . P a rry very c orr ec t ly put it— " acting a l i e , " not only to deceive the delegates , but also bis brother manufacturers , including his father and brother ! In the t h ir d pl a ce , throughout these long trials , every attempt that v ? aa made to connect Messrs ; Green , Winters , and Peel with the secret com ; drunk

      mittee , or with the abduction and making of the hired men , signally failed . The evidence , both for tbe prosecution and defence , completely nega-. tived such an assumption , and yet Mr . Perry now says , unblushingly— "A ' jsecret committee , ' tooj was formed under the direction of tho delegates , consisting of paid members , and divided into ftCtiug Bub-ooauaittees , having separately allotted duties . . To one was assigned the collection of pecuniary le v i es ; to another , the concoction and publication of scurrilous songs and other libellous compositions ; to a third was delegated the task of seducing and otherwise getting away the workmen still iu our employ , Ac . " No it , we ask Mr . Perry if all or any of these pro eeedisga were at the instigation of the London de

      Monies Received Fob Zbs Wsbk Ending Thcb...

      legate . * * Pl A £ " P ut "Incases into the boi to prove . t ? If ? uch were the fact , his foreman , Mr . Kaghto n ' ' uPon hls own confession , assisted at the u " ° P 01 ntment of the so-called ¦« secret committee"co ' u . ' ° . urse have enlightened the Judge and Jury . ib " to * ts composition and origin . He was no unwilling "j ™ 688 in the interest of Mr . Perry ; but not a wore . does ho '" sinuate of this charge , now most fal sel y D , rido gainst tho delegates . The fact is , the seciv ^ flnd tho su b-comnuttee , & c , is an impudent lie . . , The next wicked and malicious h & el , which Mr . Perry indulges in , is the following;—" That the proceedings here We not wUily frea from threats and violence , the unqualified verdict of the jury in R . and G . Perry ' s case testifies ; and that violence , and threats of violence , ' of the most

      atrocious nature further occurred , albeit ( from * the prosecutor ' s inability to connect , or reluctance to charge the conspirators with on the trials ) they did not transpire at Stafford , I mi g ht re a d i ly p rove if space and time permitted , " Wo are qui t e sat i sfie d that Mr . Perry would have proved this if he could ; but as lie could not , his reluctance to charge it against the conspirators is highly amusing . But he admits , in the subsequent sentences , that the Delegates " carefully avoided acts of violence themselves , and probably deterred others by their example . " What then ? Why this forbearance is ascribed to their " selfish apprehensions" rather than to their " pacific dispositions , " Come , Mr . Perry , we were either guilty , or not of

      , violence . You admit we were not guilty ourselves , but absolutely were the means of deterring others from acts of violence . How dare you , then , insinuate that you were reluctant to " bring tho charge home ? You say , and in this instance truly , " that the Delegates were well aware that violence was calculated to injure rather than promote their ultimate object . " The last specimen we shall give of Mr . Perry ' s love of truth is the following— " That when their co-conspirator had succeded in abducting tbe great bulk of the workmen under contract , these wouldbe-deemed scrupulously lawful gentlemen conspicuously hastened to put forth a proclamation , asserting that they condemned any violation of the

      contracts . This shallow ruse , however , failed in its intended effect on a Jury of their countrymen ; and well it might so fail , when the Jury had is in evidence that this pretended disapproval of the abductioni of workmen under contracts , was nod issued until the mischief gradually accomplished had been almost wholly completed . " Now , what are the facts in evidence ? Tbe first hired man proved to have left on the 14 th of October the hand bill , or proclamation signed hy Winters , Green , and Howlands is dated the 15 th day of October , drawn up by Winters upon information conveyed to him afc Kidderminster , that a contract-man had left his employment . The printer of the bill proved receiving the manuscript from Winters at the date

      specifie d , and also its extensive circulation . G . Robinson Esq ., tho late mayor of Wolverhampton , proved that one of these bills about that time was sent to him , and that Mr . Winters waited on him personally to hospoak his aid and influence to induce the Tinmen to abstain from any such acts of presumed illegality ; and further , the agreements put in as evidence for the most part bore date in November . And yet Mr . Perry dares to assert that the proclamation , as bo calls it , >> as not issued until all the men had been sent away . Can anything be more infamous ? The next insinuation , by which he seeks to raise a prejudice against the delegates is perfectly ridiculous . We are charged with showing a want of consideration to our

      brother conspirators , because Mr . Parry , w h om we retained " specially , " was not assigned to them as their counsel . If this is a crime on our part , we wonder what would have been said if we had secured either of the silk gowned Queen ' s Counsel , and palmed off upon our brethren the impotent Stuff gowned John Humphrey Parry . It is confessed by all parties that all the " conspirators" were ably defended . Bnt we are not surprised that E . Perry should have formed a very high estimate of Mr . Parry ' s powerful talent , for we believe Mr , Perry could have wished the floor to open and hide him from tho withering and well-merited castigiitioa Mr . Parry administered to him . —Wm . Pjsel , S ec , 259 , Tottenham-court-road , London .

      Address Of The Manciiaeseit Defence Comm...

      ADDRESS OF THE MANCIIAESEIt DEFENCE COMMITTEE FOR THE WOLVERHAMPTON TIN PLATE WORKERS' CASE TQ THEIR FELLOW WORKMEN AND BROTUElt OPERATIVES . The case of the Wolverhampton Tin-plate Workers has been so often brought before your notice through the public press , and more particularly the columns of the people ' s paper , the Northern Star , that little need now bo said on thafi portion of the subject .

      The conclusion of the recent trial at Stafford proves that much must both be said and done on , behalf of tho general rights and interests of those whose only estate is tho labour ol their hands . .. If Baron Bolfe and our present Attorney General are authorities to depend upon for the proper interpretation of thelaw as regards working men ' s right to combine in protecting their labour , then the Stafforshire decision is mere moonshine . Brethren , we muse be satisfied how we stand in regard to the law , for , if Mr . Justice Erie is right , we are upon the quick sands of a dangerous position , and the sooner we call up the Legislature to do us that justice that tbe hard fisted and ironhearted capitalist refuses , the sooner shall wo work in safety , and sleep in peace .

      What a pass aro we come to , if a man cannot say at what price his labour and skill shall be sold ; Does not tho merchant fix the price at which he will sell that which we produce ? and if he adrises with his brother merchant to keep up the price , does the law step in and arrest them as conspirators ? Common sense tells us that every body has a ri g ht to refuse to work for less wages than , he thinks can be fairly given , and is abilities deserve . And if one man has a right to do so , ten men or a thousand have the same right . If it is right for these men to refuse to work for inadequate remu > neration , so does it fellow that if they advise others to do the same , they are only advising men to do right , and are commendable , as Stuart Mill says , for so doing .

      Much , indeed , will the working classes be indebted to the Perrys of Wolverhampton , for bringing this very important question to a conclusion , upon which there shall henceforward be butono opinion . Good sometimes is produced even when evil is intended ; and there can be no boubt that , if the working people generally take this matter up as they are doing throughout Lancashire , success will crown their efforts . If not , let the Trades * Unions look to it ; on them the consequences will fall ; and their own apathy and neglect will bind them hand and foot to the Juggernaut car of capital . But this must not—shall not—be ; surely we , of theninetcenth century , have n ot liv ed a nd learned and read in vain .

      English workmen , we ask you now to pronounce , in a voice that shall strike dismay to the heart of every puny tyrant , and ring throughout our island like a peal of thunder , that Labour shall have justice , and the British workman protection . Let every town form Defence Committee without delay ; no time is to be lost . We have no doubt about funds , from the encouragement we have already received , but we would rather be a little too soon than too late ; its best to have all our weapons in reach ; we can then go coolly and confidently into this legal conflict , and God defend the right . All parties wishing information are invited to address the Central Committee , Mr . Greenslade , B e l l Inn , Old Bailey , London . Yours , in behalf of The Manchester Defence Committeei T . Dickinson , Secretary .

      P . S . —Our friends in Scotland are desired to bestir themselve s , as i t is pro bab le a de put a tion from England will shortly wait upon them ; but , at aU events , let them bo up and doing . —T . D .

      Makchestbb.—A Public Meeting Of The Tail...

      Makchestbb . —A public meeting of the Tailors of Manchester was held at the Hop Pole Inn , Hardman-street , Deansgate , on Monday , to take into consideration the ease of tho Wolverhampton Tinplate Workers . The meeting was addressed by Messrs . Burn , Dickinson , Hemm , Lindsay , and others . Resolutions were passed in favour of supporting the Defence Committee , to enable them to carry the case through the Queen ' s Bench .

      Facts And Incidents Of The Great Exhibit...

      FACTS AND INCIDENTS OF THE GREAT EXHIBITION . , On Saturday last the receipts at the doors of the building only amounted to £ 1 , 434 17 s . 6 d ., the number of visitors according to the police returns being 14 , 908 . On Monday the receipts amounted to £ 2 . 436143 and the number of visitors was 49 , 021 . ' * On Tuesday £ 2 , 493 10 s . was taken at the doors of the building , and the number of visitors was 51 , 311 . The weather' during the afternoon waa exceedingly unfavourable , and but for that Ciroumstance the attendance would no doubt have been larger , -The sale of season tickets on Wednesday produced * 5 ills ., and the receipts at the doors £ 1 , 896 is . ; soaking a total of £ i , 90 i lis . The police returns BhOWed the numbe * of persons who entered to be 38 , 228 , On Thursday the sale of season tickets prodnced * 6 , and the money taken at the doors amounted to ¦ £ 2 , 167118 ., making the total receipts £ 2 , i < 3 ils . The police report shows the number of visitors to have been 43 , 244 . , v „ , * On Friday the receipts afc the doors ,. grwn half crowns , amounted to £ 1 , 059 17 » . Cd ., the uuittoa 1 of visitors being lo , 0 W ,

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 30, 1851, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_30081851/page/5/