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Northern Star (1837-1852), 7th November 1846, Edition 3 of 3, Page 6, CAPABILITIES OF THE LAND. TO THE EDITOB ...

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      - The Northern Star. ' November 7 ^ 1846...

      - THE NORTHERN STAR . ' November 7 _^ 1846 ** . ... ¦ _«——————^———*^ ° _^ - * _MMM-MM _^ ' _^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ _" ltlllllll _" _^ _''** , , , > MMBI *' - _^ ,, _^ _-Mii _

      Cranes' Ftwnnntts* J

      Cranes' _ftwnnntts * j

      National Association Of United Trades. G...

      NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF _UNITED TRADES . _G-lasgow . Monday evening . —Mr . Jacobs attended the engineers meeting , when it was agreed , that the _auestioa ofthe National Association should be entered into at the next meeting . Tuesday . —The joiners held their adjourned _meeting in 'iron Church Session-house , when Mr . Jacobs attended , to give such information as might be required on the _subject of joining the association :- Several members _expressed their views in approbation ef their adhesion ; and Mr . Jacobs , in reply to several questions en the app lication of the society ' s funds , set forth the various investments effected and intended , and drew a _veiy vivid p icture or the proposed industrial establi _shments , under the head Permanent Investment , which called forth tbe most enthusiastic approbation . The resolution to join of the former meeting was confirmed by vote and the secretary instructed to it into effect forthwith . ___

      carry Wednesday . —The dyers held a meeting m their hall , Charlotte-kne , to decide on joining the _^ _ational _Association , when Mr . Jacobs delivered a lecture thereon , which was much applauded throughout . At the close it was proposed and seconded :- — That the Dyers'Society do join the _National Association , tbat tbey may be enabled henceforth to resist encroachments and secure fair _wases . That the committee do take shares in the Employment Tund , in the name of this society . The above were carried without dissent . Friday Evening . —Mr . Jacobs delivered a lecture to the boiler makers , in the new school-room , Gorhals , when the following resolution was passed : — That the committee call a general meeting to _discusB -the question , and that the Secretary write to the several looses , preparatory to the lecturer visiting tbem (

      _SMALIA-fARE WEAVERS—THE DOCUMENT AGAIX . An Address to the Trades generally on behalf of the Small-ware weavers of Tamworth , Measham , Burtonon-Trent , and the Surrounding Districts . Respected Friends , —Some time since , the sinall-ware weavers of Manchester joined the _National Association of _Uniied Trades , aad thinkiBg the iuterest of their trade would be better protected by the co-operation of the country districts , the Manchester men solicited them tO _l-Oill nlOUg With them , and theyresponaeato tbeir calt _; and we beg to state to the trades of England , and the public at large , tbe consequences : —

      At Tamworth tiiere are two shops , and they having _jolned the association , and one of the employers , Mr . Hammell , having heard of tbe fact , _srat for the other master , Mr . _Harding , and they _commenced the following cowardly and unmanly attack : —They immediatvly wrote to all the small-ware emp loyers in their district , Including "Measham , _Bnrton-on-Trent , Cheadle , Teen , and rarioas other places , stating that their men had joined the Union , and earnestly calling on those employers to aid and assist them in making their men withdraafrom tbe association . Tbey stated , also , that the

      men intended to interfere with the business of the maslers , and _wanted _to'taake them pay tbe same price for weaving as the Manchester employers , without a due consideration to their interests , and concluded by asking the above employers not to allow their men to remain in the association , nor employ any men that they , Messrs . _EammellandEaraiugmiglit discharge ; and we are sorry lo say , that other employers have taken the advice given them , as instanced by Meeson , ot Meat ham , having turned the whole of bU men from _worl- _j inconsequence of them Belonging to the association j also , Air . Cook , ol Burton . en-Trent , has discharged a number of his men for tbe

      same cause . "We may here state , that the _Taai worth employers sent for their men , and asked them if they were prepared to " sign a document , " not to belong to any union ; but the _following was the men ' s answer : — " We do not allow our hands to speak for our hearts ! 11 " Then , answered those employers , — " We have no further call for you . " In vain did the men endeavour to reason with tbem , tbat it was tbe interest of * master to demaDd such a price from the public as would enable them to jrive a Just remuneration for their labour ; to this they replied : "it was interfering with the principles of Free Trade ; for tbey bad a right to buy labour chesp , and sell it as _3 ear as possible ! and if thej would not sign the

      document , they must go about their business . " The men appealed to their feelings as men that had families of their owb , and asked tbem to contrast their position in society compared with other trades , and told them that to enable _thtni to live , they had to bring to bear the Ja" bacr of their children at an age that was _ret'dltlaB to the feelings of every man , and likewise that of their wives , when some of them had infant children , which "bad to he entrusted to th * care of another , who cared not for the welfare of the child , but for the small pittance they received for it In vain did they tell those masters tbe union was formed to protect their interests as we . 1 as the workman , inasmuch as they wanted all master , to pay one price , in order tbat no advantage would be allowed to any single employer with regard to the price paid for the labour they might employ .

      Ami tbe _consequence is , that upwards of eighty poor families are thrown in the street to starve ! which causes us to appeal to tbe trades of _England on their behalf . "Will joa submit to tbe vile persecutions of these tyrannical employers who league themselves together from selfish motives , and would starve the operatives to death for uniting together for the mutual protection and assistance of each other S We hope the time has come when the artisans of England see the necessity of _acting each for all , and all for each ; and we hope you will rally round these men , and by your support enable them to Seep the tyrant at bay .

      Tliis public _appeal would not bare been made but In _consequence of tbe men not being six months' members of the _National Association of United Trades . The _portion « _-f these men _mij be best imagined when you "know tbey have been out of work four weeks . We , the small-ware weavers of Manchester , solicit your attention to the case ; and if the case of the weavers who turned out against signing the document , deserves your support , irfe hope you will assist us in endeavouring to throw down the bulwark of tyranny , as we are sure that if it is carried into effect by those employers , it will be adopted by other masters , in other places , and other trades . Signed by the Manchester SmaU-ware Weavers' Committee , on behalf of fhe men turned out , James _Boitos , President , Jons Pclhn , Secretary .

      C _& - Subscriptions will be thaiikluUy received , and all information given at the Royal Archer , Dale-street , Oldham-street , Manchester , at eight o ' clock on Saturday and Monday evenings .

      THE ASSOCIATION OF EXITED TRADES . —THE _3 IASCIIESTER DISTRICT COMMITTEE . TO TSE EDITOE 01 THE _KORTHEBN STAB . Railway Inn , Deansgate , Manchester . > 0 V . 2 nd . 1845 . Sir , —The Manchester District Committee , of the _National Trades' Association , will be obliged hy the insertion of this reply to a letter _sicned "T . JWinter" in your number of the 21 th October , and _addressed to _iht-m . Tour correspondent commences with an insinuation that this committee has , by the distribution of secret circulars , endeavoured to sow diC 3 ension in the _association . and to " _entr-ip some into wrong and hasty con . clu-ionc . The influence which bas entrapped Mr . ¦ Winter into so very " wrong and hasty a conclusion , " _ss t ; stigmatise a circular sent by post to 130 individuals , including the President and Central Committee of the association , must , indeed , be a very potent one .

      Whatever paints of difference may exist between this aud the Central Committee , we do not consider the _columus ot a public paper thu proper medium for discussing them , and we think we should have subjected ourselves to very just censure , had we , instead of complaining to the only parties _interested ( the members of the _Association ) adopted tbe very * ' wrong aud hasty concilia ' ou" of Mr . Winter , by _making jour paptr the organ of oar complaints , which mi . lit have bad a tendency to _Aggravate and widen a branch which all good men would desire to sec dosed .

      This cemir . Uteerepresent a very _nmnerousa-ndiDvportant district of the Association , nnd the course they have and may pursue in this matter , has , and will be such as a due sense of the duty they owe their constituents shall dictate , And aa tbey do not think it would be prudent tobe drawn into a newspaper controversy upon matters wbich the public , generally , are not directly concerned in , Mr . Winter must excuse them if they pass over his and all similar communications with this brief explanation . At the same time the Manchester District Committee would feel obliged if such of the Conference Delegates as have not jet replied to their " secret" circular will do so at their earliest convenience . I remain , Sir , Per the Manchester Dbitriet Committee , Tour ' s respectfully , James Goulbing , Sec "Wh . Feel , sub-Sec .

      P . S . —Some of tbe _delegates having changed tbeir residence since the last Conference , some ofthe circulars bave been returned . If those parties will forward tbeir addi ess , or any trade newly joined to the Association , who may wish to be admitted into the " secret" will have a copy of fhe circular forwarded immediately .

      J . G . THE POTTERS USD THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION . TO TBE EDITOE OP TBE "NOBTHESH STAE . Sir , —Permit me through your paper , to call the attention of the Operative Potters ] to the paramount subject of National Combination . It ' lS , with the fullest COu . _Tiction _, of tbeperfeet adaption ofthe National Association , to remedy the wrongs of labour of every class ; that induces me to invite the co-operation of operative potters .

      Tbe potters , like every other trade in the kingdom , hare bad its local unions to tbe fullest possible perfection . But after all our combination of energy and pence for years past , we are not in a position to help ourselves against the aggressions of tyranny , and our experience _< 'alltrade amply demonstrates , and painfully exhibits 1 _inadequacy and absolute insufficiency of sectional

      National Association Of United Trades. G...

      unions , to procure an honourable remuneration for » ur toil . After all our _struggling and tailing , and sacrifice of thousands and thousands of pounds , to aid us in our operations against tbe encroachments of money grabbers , and the unjust impositions of grinding capitalist , ( though we have slightly resisted tome attempts at the reduction of our wages . ) After all we are left in a most pitiable and defenceless _condition . Our energies are wasted , our hopes of triumph are cut off—our coffers once richly teeming with gold are completely exhausted . The members once united and firm , are become

      disjoined and scattered . This is the positiom of tha operative potters . And why is it so ! Is it because we have had no unions ! No ! Is it because of the apathy and indifference of our members i No 1 Is it because there has been an _indissipation on tbe part of our members to contribute to tbe funds t No ! What then is the cause of our weakness f Why , Is it mainly attributable to the contracted principles upon wbich our unions have been founded , our plans of operation have been too narrow and circumscribed . We bave vainly striven to do battle with extensire capitalist , with no capital at our comniand . Our local unions bare failed from no other cause

      but that of there being local . And so long as they continue local , so long will they continue to be 5 ' _gnal failure . It was with this conviction tbat wc joined the _National Assertion of _Unitt-d Trades' . And with this conviction we call on tbe potters of Staffordshire and Derbyshire , the potters of Leeds , of Middleborough and New . _dstle-upon-Tyne , of Wales and of Scotland to follow our example . Nothing else will procure for usanndequite compensation for our hard labour , and secure the elevation of our trade , nothing else will so easily , speedily and effectually , remedy tbe wrongs under which we bave so long been growing . I remain , Yours , on behalf if the Staffordshire Potteries District of the National Association of United Trades ' . Edward Humphries , Secretary .

      BARNSLEY . Thf Shcosb Meeting of Journeymen Weavers . — This meeting was held in Mr . Acklani _' s largo room , on Saturday , October 31 st . The members of the committee _appointed to draw np the rules separately addressed the meeting . Each individual stated it was not the intention of that society to enter on a crusade against the " housekeepers , " they have objects much more extensive in view , namely , the advancement of their wages . The rules were read over , proposed separately , and all adopted . It was then _agreed that a copy of the rules bo sent to the Northern Star for insertion . —[ The rules will be inserted in our next . —& i . JV * . S . l

      State of Trade . — -The trade of this town 19 in ft deplorable condition—the once high minded and independent weavers of Barnsley are becoming more servile every day . At a certain warehouse may be seen between OKe and two hundred half-starved halfnaked individuals , men and women , standing in thfe yard every day , whilst the foremen whose duty it is to attend to them , goes strutting up and down , and leaves them famisbiner for three hours together , before they _vrilJ condescend to tell them to go home to live on expectation for aneteer day or week as the case may he . A report in the Star last week was calculated to convey a wrong impression . No more than 6 d . per week each is charged for tbe looms to work common work in . ' it is the damask looms that are changed from two to three shillings per week ; neither is it the men with small shops that live out of the labour of others , but some half dozen fellows who have contrived to pick up a living by means of their large shops .

      THE KEIGHLEY TURN-OUT . —EXTENSION OF THE STRIKE . The battle betwixt the combers and their employers erows daily stronger and hotter . The men _finding that the obstinacy of their employers , and their numerous tricks for " procuring the assistance of the unprincipled and degraded workmen of other parts , was likely to continue the struggle to an incessant length of time , came last week to the resolution of changing their tactics and grappling more closely with their enemies . For this purpose they consulted the power loom weavers and factory workers of one of the _Leasuersnamed W . Lund , to know whetherthey would be willing not to strike work till he cave the combers

      the advance , _providing they received wages nearly equal to those they could earn at their employment . The weavers and parents of the children consented to the proposal , and the whole of his hands , about 300 are now on strike on behalf of the / wmbere . The factory bell rung on Monday morning as usual to summon them to their daily and monotonous toil _, but , to the honour of the weavers and spinners , not one solitary being obeyed its call . The wheels and shuttles in this modern temple of mammon are consequently silent for the present , and the little boys and girls usually employed in administering to the monster , are now delighting themselves with a holyday .

      In consequence of the guardians refusing relief to the starving combers , because ono or two of the Leaguers proffered them work if they would go in at their old wages , and belong to no union , a public meeting was held in tbe market place on Saturday last , presided over by W . B . Ferrand , Esq ., M . P . About 5 , 000 were present at the meeting—indeed , the market place _w-as literally crammed out with people , to hear the honourable gentleman's opinion of the conduct of the manufacturers and _guardians . The combe . rs had drawn up a statement previous to the meeting , exhibiting by facts and figures their real condition . In this statement they prove that the average wages of combers waa 10 s . per -week for twelve hours per day labour , and tbat after paying out of this sum for rent , fire , soap , and candles _, which could not on a low calculation be less than 3 « . 6 d . per week , had 6 s . Gd . left to find themselves and families in fond and clothing , not to mention Rates and many other incidental expenses .

      Mr . ferrand , in the course of his speech , read the statement to the meeting , and wanted to know by a show of hands if it was correct , when everv hand appeared held up in confirmation . " If , then , " said he , " your statement is correct , which I have no reason to doubt , I pronounce you the most injured and oppressed body of workmen in the kingdom , and vastly inferior in your condition to savages themselves . I find , " said fie , "from the parochial books , that the greatest amount of money granted for relief has been paid to combers' families ; proving that the poor ' s rates' hare been maki- g up

      your deficiency of wages to enable your employers to accumulate large fortunes . " After condemning in most eloquent and pathetic language , the conduct of the guardians and manufacturers . He exhorted them to persevere in tbeir struggle till tbey improved their condition , and promised them every support his power and influence could afford . Ho told them to go boldly to the board and demand relief ; and if , said he , they should refuse it , and any death should happen through starvation , an inquest shall beheld , and the parties shall quickly find themselves lodged in York Castle , on a charge of manslaughter .

      Several of tbe combers addressed the meeting _, and a vote of thanks was passed b y acclamation to the chairman for his humane and gentlemanly conduct in presiding at the meeting . The following are the resolutions , which were _parsed unanimously ;—Tbat the conduct of the Poor Law Guardians of tbe Keighley Union , in refusing relief to tbe woolcombers out of employment , is quite in accordance with the spirit of that unholy law , and at variance with the principles of Christianity , humanity , and justice . That tbe manufacturers ought never to be allowed to sit as guardians , it having been proved to a demonstration , that they will do all they can to make those guardians who are not manufacturers into their tools , and the working _clusses who may appl y for relief Into their serfs and slaves .

      On Tuesday last , the 27 th ultimo , a woolcomber named John Murgatroyd , fell a victim to tbe cruelty ofthe manufacturers . Like many more , he was driven to seek work in the neighbourhood of Bradford ; end , while delivering at the warehouse , fell through a trap door , and broke the spine of his neck-Being a man highly esteemed and respected , about four or five hundred of the combers attended his funeral on Sunday , and walked in procession to his grave . The concourse of spectators was greater by far than we can recollect seeing on any previous occasion .

      We shall conclude this week ' s report by mentioning a circumstance which happened at Farnhil ! last week . A manufacturer there named Smith , taking advantage of the Keighley strike , thoug ht proper to reduce his combers' wagrs . Finding that all remonstrance with him was in vain , they came to a resolution of drawing out bis power weavers and factory hands , by proffering them a certain weekly wage till he agreed to give back what he had taken from the combers . The hands accordingly came out , And in a day or two the refractory manufacturers yielded .

      UNITED TAILORS' JOINT-STOCK COMPANY . Mr . Parker , tbe General Secretary has been holding very successful meetings at Hamilton and Airdrie in Scotland . Mr . P . intends to hold meetings in Glasgow , Edinburgh , Paisley , Port-Glasgow , Greenock , Ayr , Kilmarnock , Alloa , Stirling , Dumfries , Inverness , and A berdeen . All communications must he addressed to Mr . Parker , at Mr . Frankhara ' s , Post Office , Duddingston , near Edinburgh .

      Coimekcemest Op Michaelmas Term.— The Lo...

      CoiMEKCEMEST op Michaelmas Term . — The Lord Chancellor ' s Jeree , preparatory to opening the courts of law for the ensuing Michaelmas Term , took place on Friday morning , when nearly the whole of the judges and most of the leading members of the equity bar paid their resprct- * to their noble and learned lord . The " cup of friendshi p " having been handed round , the learned dignitaries proceeded in Btatc to Westminster Ilall . Previous to tlie Judge ' s levee , Mayor-elect , accompanied b y several aldermen aud civic officers , attended for the purpose of obtaining Her Majesty ' s approval of Sir George Carroll , the choice of the livery , for the office of chief magistrate for the ensuing year , when the lord chancellor formed signified her Majesty ' s approbat tion .

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      The Risbridgh Union.—At Tho Weekly Meeti...

      The Risbridgh Union . —At tho weekly meeting of the guardians , on Saturday , a letter from the Poor Law Commissioners was read in which the duty was urged of indicting Slater at the ensuing Sessions , for the assault , committed by him , upon Webb the insane pauper , and which were held to have accelerated his death . After some discussion , the guardians agreed to summons a full meeting , for the special consideration of the subject on Friday . It is considered that the guardians , by this decision , have shown a culpable apathy in the matter . At the Marylebone Vestry , last Saturday , the clerk read a letter from an anonymous friend to the poor , who had offered to subscribe £ 500 towards the

      comfort of those who having seen better days were , through reverse of lortune compelled to becomo inmates of the workhouse . The writer having received no satisfactory reply to his offer said , that if the vestry did not soon accept it he would make it to another Board . The letter was referred to the Board of Guardians , and £ 50 left with the rector for charitable purposes , wa 6 ordered to b e added to the amount proffered , a subscription was also proposed in order to make up the sum to £ 1000 . The present Lord mayor will have the merit of accomplishing a great service to the poor in the _mayoialty , by his resolute condemnation of the practice of the guardians in sending all the unfortunate applicants for assistance in the city to the receptacle at Peckham , called Marlborough House in which

      they were rigoiously treated in the night to bo turned out in the morning to prowl about the streets . In consequence of the repeated attacks made by his Lordship upon such a disgraceful system as that by which crowds of poor fatigued , halfstarved wretches were walked a distance of four miles from the city to lie down in filthy straw , the guardians have determined to erect a building in the neighbourhood of the cit y for the reception of their poor and diseased . They arc in treaty for a piece of ground at Hoxton for the erection of a buildiDg of suitable dimensions and accomodation for the poor . It is really time that some measures should be adopted to prevent the starving poor from being left to the caprice and defective judgment of the workhouse officers . Persons almost perishing for want

      daily apply , to to the magistrates for redress and assistance ; yet they , in all probability , form but a small proportion ot the miserable objects who , turned ruthlessly away from the doors ot the workhouse , have not the courage to complain at a police office . On Saturday no fewer than five cases of this sort of inexcusable cruelty came before the magistrates at different police courts . At Guildhall , an emaciated and sickly woman , with a child in her arms , applied for the interference of the magistrate . She had presented herself to the officers of tbe Cripplegate parish , to which she belonged—and explained that no food had passed her lips for some time , and that , having no home to shelter her , she was in danger of perishing in the streets from want ; yet she was turned away unassisted . The chiof usher said , that at Cripplegate workhouse , poor creatures were refused assistance without the slightest explanation .

      It was an every-day occurrence ; the magistrates orders were quite unheeded . At Westminster a _wretched-lookingman , wilfully broke a pain of glass , to obtain the ( to him ) luxury of a jail , because , though in a starving and destitute state , he was refused admission even for a night in St . Margaret ' s workhouse ; to his great satisfaction he was committed to prison for twenty-one days . —At Marylebone Court , a miserable object , was also charged with breaking a lamp . He had applied for temporary relief at St . Pancras workhouse , was refused , and gained a fortnight's board and lodging in tllG House of Correction by his misdemeanour . Four other persons were committed for a similar offence for tho same reasou from the same court . —A destitute woman , had been refused admission to St . Saviour ' s union , and was taken before a Southwark magistrate .

      Opening op the Ports . —On Tuesday a deputation waited on Lord John Russell , with the memorial passed at the Marylebone meeting last week , on this subject . His Lordship said he did not see any necessity for the measure . In reply to the statement tbat a vigourous agitation was about to be made in the metropolis , and that perhaps that would have the effect of prevailing upon him to accede to tho measure , Lord John replied , " No , that would not induce me to take the step you suggest . But if I deem the measure necessary , if I see a probability that prices are about to rise , I will not , in that case , hesitate to advise my colleagues to order the immediate opening of the ports . "

      The Gilbert Unions . —On Friday ( last week ) a dinner was given at the Steyne Hotel , Worthing , to Captain _Pecliell , M . P . for Brighton , as an acknow lodgment for his exertions in opposition to the extension ofthe anthority ofthe Poor Law Commissioners over the Gilbert Unions . The invitation was given by the guardians of the East Preston Incorporation Act , but man ; ofthe influential farmers ofthe neighbourhood , as well as gentlemen and tradesmen from Brighton and Worthing , joined in the demonstration , and the party was about 150 in number . The Chairman in proposing the health of Captain Pechell , referred to the attempts which had been made for the dissolution of the Gilbert Unions , and in resisting which the Captain had taken a leading part . The eyes and ears ofthe people began to open .

      In the Poor Law unions the rates began to increase rapidly , large sums were required to reimburse the building funds , and satisfy an expensive host of officials ; boards of guardians wero set at nought by the commissioners and their assistants , the poor were grievously oppressed by their orders , and the public became dissatisfied with the denial of relief except in those dwellings which , although fair to the eye , were within abodes of discontent and misery . He asked , then , those who loved to administer their own money in their own way , and among their own people , to do honour to him who was now seated as a guest at their festive _boird . ( Loud applause . ) ' Captain Pechell acknowledged the toast in a speech of great length , in which he contrasted the _management of the Gilbert Unions with that of the

      Poor Law Commission , and contended that , both as regarded humanity , economy , and efficiency , the former was superior to the rule of Somerset Ilouse . The Poor Law Commissioners told them that the Gilbert Unions were mischievous examples ; why then wish to add them to their unions . ? The only answer he could ever get to this question was , that it was desirable for the sake of uniformity , and that one law ought to prevail through the country ; but to this he replied , "Tou have no uniformity except your uniform incompetence , and your uniform tyranny . " In conclusion , the Captain recommended the Gilbert Incorporations te unite with places under local acts , and to maintain perpetual watchfulness , in order to be prepared to meet any fresh attempt that might be made to bring them under the rule of the Commissioners of Somerset Ilouse .

      Mr . E- Born , of Brighton , spoke of the New Poor Law as a disgrace , not only to a Christian , but to any civilized community . He not only wished to ward off the Poor Law Commissioners from his own parish and the Gilbert Unions , but he wished for a complete revision ofthe system applicable to the whole of the country . ( Applause . ) The Poor in St . Pancras . —On Monday the St . Pancras vestry assembled in tbe Vestry-room , Gerdon-square , for the purpose of hearing the Report of the Poor Law Commissioners as to the recent charges against the authorities and general treatment of the poor in St . Pancras Workhouse , and to confirm the resolution ofthe previous vestry , proposed by Mr . Mann , to the effect . " that twenty-five vestry-men . not being directors of the poor , should bo appointed

      to reinvestigate the general management and discipline of tho workhouse . " Mr . Churchwarden Hovvarth having been called to the chair , a long and stormy discussion ensued , as to the legality of Mr . Vann ' s motion , it being contended by the chairman Mr . Douglas , and the directors' party , on the one hand , that the motion being for the appointment of twenty-five vestrymen not directors of the poor , and there being but twenty-one of such members present , the resolution was informal . On tbe other side , Messrs . Mann , E . F . Smith , Boulting , and other gentlemen , contended that this attempt was a most unfair and side-winded plan to evade the inquiry

      winch the vestry sought to carry out . After the exhibition of a great deal ot personality and ill-feeling , in the course of which it was declared on the one hand that there was a determination no longer to allow Mr . Howarth and Mr . Douglas to be the sole rulers ofthe parish , and on the other that the object of the motion was to support Mr , Cooper , the workhouse surgeon , and procure the dismissal of Mr . Lee , the master , the original motion was withdrawn , and a fresh notice given , appointing an indefinite number of vestrymen , not being directors of the poor , to investigate the management of the workhouse , and the allegations contained in the Poor Law Commissioners' report . The vestry then separated .

      The Infant Orphan Astlum , Wanstead . —A halfyearly election of children to the benefits of the Infant Orphan Asylum , which is under the patronage of Her Majesty , took place at the London Tavern , _Bishopsgate-street , on Monday , when thirty children were admitted , making 239 children-in the establishment , whose ages vary from three months to the completion of their eighth year . Opening of the Ports . —A requisition signed by nearly 2000 persons having been presented to the Mayor of Birmingham , requesting him to call a meeting for the purpose of memorializing Government to open the ports , the meeting was held on

      Tuesday , in the Town-hall . It is estimated that between 4000 and 5000 persons were present . The Mayor took the chair , and the Members of the Borough were present . Resolutions , and a memorial to the Government , praying it to pass an order in council for the abolition of the present duty on corn , were unanimously agreed to . The most practical speech at the meoting was that of a working man , who said : — " That while he was lor free trade iu everything , he was sorry to say that since the passing of the Corn Law Bill provisions had so much advanced in price as to make a difference in his household expenses of 4 s . a week . "

      The Risbridgh Union.—At Tho Weekly Meeti...

      _SHBrFiBtn—Munici p al Affairs . —Oa _Thursday evening ( week , ) a public meeting _wai held in toe Town Hall , Sheffield , in support of Mr . _BnWft _Jhwtist candidate for Brighton Ward . The hall was welj filled _. and the meeting was addressed by Mr . bewara ( the chairman , ) Mr . Otley , Mr . I _™*» _- ' .. _»*• Briggs , and several other speakers . Two resolutions were unanimously adopted to the effect . That it was tho duty of the working classes to lay hold ofthe local powers within their reach , and that it was of paramount importance to the preservation of tbeir rig hts to use them ; the meeting , therefore , p ledged themselves never to relax their exertions till the people had accomplished so desirable an object , thus proving themselves _lu evary way worthy the suffrago , That a committee be appointed to furnish the working classos with all necessary information concerning the ot » . _tainmimt and exercise of the municipal franchise

      I In our Chartist Intelligence it will be seen that Mr . Briggs _hasten triumphantly elected to the Town Council . ] Tun Suffbrinos of thb Irish Peoplk—Pubijc Meeting at _Bamb . m .-A public meeting was held at Barnsley , on Tuesday evening , to consider the distressed state of the Irish people , when , after stirring addresses from Messrs . Segrave , Leary , Williams , and Mirfield , the following resolution was adopted . That this meeting deplores the _extraordinary distress that now prevails in Ireland , and consider the conduct of the government to be highly criminal , in not making a provision for the working classes from the property which they themselves have created ; this meeting , is , therefore , of opinion , that the numerous deaths that have latelytaken p lace in the country , have been caused by the _accused system of class legislation .

      A memorial to the Queen , pointing out thesufferincs ef the Irish people , the causes of _thosesafferings , and requesting her Majesty , to call to her councils , T S . Duncombe , M . P ., Feargus O'Connor , . W . B . Roberts , P . _O'Uiggins , and E . Jones , Esquires , as men _possessine the confidence of the people , and capable of advising her Majesty aa to the means neceisary to put an end to present wrong and suffering .

      Who Webe Thb Normans F The Period From W...

      WHO _WEBE THB NORMANS f The period from which the English aristocracy dates its orig in is that of the Norman Conquest . Aristocracy , indeed , there was in the country before , but was annihilatcd by the Normans ; and this epoch is the vaunted birth-day of our nobility . There is nothing of which we hear so much as of the pride of a descent from these first IfOrman nObleS ; Ofthe pure and immaculate blood _derived from this long descent . To say nothing of the wretched fallacy of blood aad descent , —for the most wretched and mischievous fallacy it is _whiobjiever cursed the human race , —being the pretext for every insolence , and every species of tyranny amongst men , and being besides , the most hollow bubble that ever was blown by pride , for , there is no beggar who , if he could trace hia pedigree , would not find himself descended from kingB _, and no king who is not descended from _beggars , —we will take the trouble to refer to the histories of the time , and show what these Norman conquerors really were . We

      shall then find that , so far from being _ajet of men to be proud of as ancestors , there ennnot be a more scandalously disgraceful origin . They were , in fact , a swarm of the roost desperate and needy adventurers ; " a rascal rabble " of vagabond thieves and plunderers . They were not , in fact , one half of them , what they are pretended to D _' e Normans ; but collected by proclamation , and by lavish promises of sharing in the plunder of eonqtiered England , —vultures from every wind of heaven rushing to the field of British carnage . We shall find that , allowing the claims of such families as now can trace a clear descent from these men—and these are very few indeed—even such of them , as were Normans were but of the lower and more rapacious grade . The great vultures _flcthed themselves to the throat with the first spoil , and roturned home , while their places were obliged to be repeatedly supplied , through renewed proclamations , and renewed offers of the plunder of the Anglo-Saxons , from the still hungry tribes of knights who were wandering and fig hting anywhere for bloody bread .

      Again we shall come to the curious question , who the Normans actually were ! And here will come another singular laying bare of the proud pretences of our proud nobles . Forsooth , they are descended from the gallant and chivalrous Normans . They will be _defended from them and them alone . There is not a soul of them that will claim the honour of descent from the Danes , Oh no ! Tbey are thieves , pirates , plundorcrs , and savages . Nobody is descended from them , except some plebeians in the North of England , and except that the r » bble rout of the common people are contaminated with their blood . And yet , who are the Normans ! Why , the Danes I

      Yes ! the proud aristocracy of England , such of them as have any long hnown descent at all , are actually descended from the Danes ! They are the legitimate issue of this bloody and barbarous people that nobody wishes to acknowledge as ancestors . The Danes , | driven from England , fell on the shores of France , aud amid the dis _tractioHg of tbat kingdom , laid l ' aris in ashes , and seized on that district which thence received trom these Nbrthmenner , or Normans , its name of Normandy . Here , though settled too comfortably for their deserts , they never ceased to keep an eye on the far richor prize of England , from which , for their crutlties and fiery devastations , they had been chased away . In the time of the Conqueror , they had been settled about two centuries in France : and though they had acquired a considerable degree of external civilisation , and much martial discipline , yet , if we are to judge by their proceedings on the acquisition of England , they had lost none of their greedy hunger of spoil , nor of their reckless aud ruthless disposition to shed Wood .

      The Origin of _Higu Blood . —What now becomes of all the boasts of high blood ? of _descent from those victorious Normans who won England at Hastings f Here We have the clear declarations of history that these , and the sons ot these had either gone out , or were driven out till scarcely one of them remained . But if the proud Wood of the present day be not descended from these first conquerors , as it appears evident _enough that it is not , there is every reason to believe that it is descended from a much meaner but equally rapacious broodthieves , parasites , low adventurers , and ruffians of all descriptions , which continued , at all possible opportunities , to stream over from the Continent for nges _, and to slip into the service and the favouritism of a succession of the worst monarchs that ever sate ou any throne . We find these muddy inundations on almost every page of our early history . (

      During the civil wars of Stephen and Matilda , swarms of these vile mercenaries had insinuated themselves ; had seized on castles and lands ; had become such intolerable nuisances that a cotemporary writer notes the exultation which the people displayed when Henry IT . ordered _thum to quit the kingdom in one day . " We 6 aw these Brabangons and Flemings cross the sea to return to the plough-tail , and become serfs after having been lords . " But though on this occasion a pretty good batch of these animals was got rid of , the process of their insinuation ivas continually going on . In the disordered reign of Richard _Cotur da Lion , and still more so in that of the detestable John , they swarmed like beasts over the devoted island . Especially afttr the barons had compelled John to sign the Charter , did he send out and collect to his standard troops of such adventurers from France and Flanders . At the head of a host of these base fellews .

      _Poictevins , Gascons , Flemings , Brabanters , & c , did this vile king traverse his kingdom , now here , now there , like a fury or a murderer , burning , destroying , and plundering , as if in a . foreign country which he doomed to destruction . The rery name of his leaders and compinions strike ene with horror . "Falco without bowels ;" "Manleon the Bloody ; " " WaltetBuch , the Murderer ;" "Sottim , tho Merciless ; and "Grodeschal , the Ironhearted . " To such men were his subjects given up , who tortured them to make them show where they had concealed tbeir property , burned down th « ir villages and towns , and , the horrid monarch himself often _setting them example by burning the bouse where he had lodged with his own hands , when he quitted it the next morning :. Yet to these fellows did he give the towns and lands of euch nobles as they destroyed , and they became part of the aristocracy , and transmitters of the proud blood of the English nobility .

      To rid themselves of this nuisance , the barons in opposition to John , committed a worse * error , and created a nuisance still greater . They invited over Louis , the son of the French king , offering him the crown , and thus was tbe kingdom put in danger of becoming a province o France ; and the strange spectacle was beheld ofa French prince and arms fighting on the fair soil of _Enjlaiid . Happily , in the following reign , Louis was compelled to retire ; but in the meantime many ot his followers had got possession of castles and lands , and also became part and parcel of the aristocracy of England , and the progenitors of pure blood . A gain , the great evil ofthe reign ofthe weak Henry III . was the inviting

      in and employment of these foreign _adventurers . This was the perpetual source of his quarrels with the elder barons . At one time Hugh de Burgh succeeded in taking Bedford Castle , _ani hanging eighty of these fo . reigners , knights and others , who had been guilty of the _gruatest excesses . But still later we read that Peter des _"Rochri . a Poictavin , bhmop of Winchester , taught the king to detest the older race of barons , to undermine Magna Charta , and to rely on foreigners , with whom he filled up every office in the court , the church , tbe army , and government . The hungry knaves , _Poictavins , Gascons , and Prench of every description , revelled in the na . tional revenueg , grasped at estates , and insulted the peopic in the most audacious manner .

      Such is the state of things down to the yeat 1270 , and we might pursue the matter further ; but here is surely enough to demonstrate in what manner the oldest and best blood of _English aristocracy has been compounded . It is the product of successive herds of the most miscellaneous and most bloody-minded adventurers which ever disgraced history . _—Hamp & en ' s History of the JBnaUsn _Amtoivaey .

      Absconding Of A Clurk.—The Cashier Of Wi...

      Absconding of a _Clurk . —The cashier of Wingate Grange Colliery has absconded with £ GS 0 . He wan traced to York , where it was ascertained that he had been at a house of ill-fame , and departed in the company of a young woman for Hull . On the arrival of his pursuers at that port , , they learned that he had sailed for Antwerp only about an hour before they reachedthe place . To Antwerp , then , they have followed him .

      Cattes-Ponaenfo

      _CatTes-ponaenfo

      Messrs. Bell And Dixon. £We Publish Tbe ...

      MESSRS . BELL AND DIXON . _£ We Publish tbe following from a sense of justiee , however , with the understanding that not another word upon the subject shall appear in the Star , except the proceedings of any public meeting that may result from the controversy , and then only the resolutions . We bave en . deavoured to keep our columns free from such controversies , and shall persevere in our determination to do so ; we offer no word of comment , nor shall we upon the subject . _—Si . N . S . _J

      TO THE EDITOR OP THB NOBTHEBN STAB . Thon shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour . On looking over th « Star of Saturday last , I was somewhat surprised to find another letter from Mr . Dixon . From the perusal of which , I am induced to believe that Mr . Dixon either bas not learned , or , having learned , wilfully _disregards , ) the solemn , and divine injunction with which I have commenced this letter _. In reply to Mr . Dixon ' s letter I will be as brief as the notions of the subject will permit , and shall , in order , to prove that Mr . Dixon does bear false witness , I will commence with falsehood ;

      The first . Mr . Dixon says , that , "Mr . Bell , in his letter of the Gth instant , endeavours to made the public believe that I have been unwilling to meet him , Ae _fcuoios it isfd _' _se . " Now , if tho reader will look over my letter of the Gth instant , ho will find that I have repeatedly requested Mr . Dixon to meet me before the public of Heywood , and either prove or retract the false assertions Ue has made against me at the Middleton Camp meeting , up to that time he had refused to do so—he still refuted to do so . That the reader may ascertain that- Mr . Dixon does boar false witness let him refer to the letter itself . He says , that I sent him a letter replete with the classic language of Billingsgate , and that among other things , I unbraid him with having delivered two lectures for a fund which his friends got up for him . Why did he not publish the letter to which he refers ! If he had done so , the reader might have judged for himself relative to tbe classic language , also to the taunt contained in that letter .

      Falsehood the second , Mr . Dixon endeavours to make it appear that I had placed this business in the handB of tha South Lancashire Delegates , and has also published several letters which he fain would make tho readers of the Star believe , to be proof that I bad done so , these letters were produced before the South Lancashire Delegates at their meeting at Oldham , on the 11 th instant , I attended that meeting , and with tbe exception of the first letter , denied the charge ef ever having autborised the _Hevwood council to place this business in the hands of the South Lancashire Delegates . Mr . Butterworth , the secretary of the Heywood council , was present at that meeting , and , if my denial had not been correct he could have disproved it , Mr . Dixon

      likewise published my letter of the 31 st of August , from which he infers that I was a party to the arrangement , I told Mr . Dixon , at Oldham , that when I wrote that letter , I did so under the impression that tbe county council would meet in Oldham on the following Sunday , and that I would meet him there , and make arrangements with bim as to the plaee where we should meet for him to prove ( if he was able ) the assertions he made against me . At that meeting I also distinctly told him , that it should be at a public meeting and not there , for that would hare been like hole and corner work . lie knows very well that I was never asked to be a party to such arrangements . If be knew I had been asked why did he uot state who were the parties that asked me t

      I authorised the Heywood Council to request him to meet me in Heywood . I gave them no further authority to interfere with the business . Mr , Dixon , after having retailed something that some nameless friend of mine have teld hiifl , says ; " I therefore leave the matter for the intelligent readers of the Star to judge for themselves * , whether a man would go a distance of near one hundred miles , and not know where the money came from , I told him before the delegates in Oldham , that James Leach was the man that insured me of my expenses , and also furnished me with the money fo ' rthe journey . Yes . ' I was furnished with money by honest James Leach , the man who has been eulogised in the Star and often by Mr . O'Connor himself as being ( and who 1 still believe to be , ) one of the most honest men in the movement .

      Mr . Dixon says that the fact should not be lost sight of , that I wanted to discuss the merits of a _document , which was not printed until three weeks after the Middleton meeting ., ' If _thia be true , I must have considered Mr . Dixon a veiy " prophetic soul" to think that he was able to discuss tlie merits of a document which , he asserts , was not printed till three weeks afterwards , 1 told him at the Middleton meeting , that we had drawn up an address at Birmingham whieh would _shotly be printed for circulation , and that 1 would undertake to defend the merits of that address . Again , he asks if I yras able to prove that he made false statements at Mid . dleton . Wh y I did not do bo , the reason why I did not do so was , because I did not know whether he was the second person that was asked to join the movement or no , but I suspected _at'the time that he was telling a wilful lie ; I afterwards made inquiries and found he had done so—he was never asked to join the movement _.

      It is rather too hard of honest William Dixon , the man who never dirtied Iiis hands with Tory Filth to denounce James Lesch , John West , William Jones , John Mason , John Leacli , R . G . Gummuge , and William Bell , simply , because tbey went to Birmingham without soliciting him to accompany them . He says tbat I would not enter into the question before the delegates . It is true 1 would not , knowing as I did , that he made the assertions before the public , and before tho public only , I am determined the matter shall be tried , and for that purpose I will meet him , either at Heywood on Monday evening neifc or on Monday even * ing week , This , I presume , will give him sufficient opportunity . If he thinks proper to meet me on Monday week , I will placard the town , obtain a room , and

      guarantee tlie expense . If this should not suit him , 1 will meet him at Middleton on _tlio game ground where the meeting was held , at which he made his false assertions and guarantee half the expenses . These , I conceive to be " honourable proposals , " and as Mr . Uixon says he will not again occupy the columns of the Star with this subject . I do not know that I shall have occasion to do so . For it is my opinion , [ if _' there be an atom of _manliness in Mr , Dixon ' s composition , he will at once accede to the just and equitable propositions which 1 now make , and hoping these will satisfy him , and that this matter may be brought to a speedy conclusion , I remain , yours truly , " Wiliiam Bell . Mills Lane , Heywood , October 2 _fith , 1816 .

      The People's Representatives. To Tub Edi...

      THE PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVES . TO TUB EDITOR OP THE NOrTHEM } STAR . Sir , —Permit me through the medium of your journal , to say a few words relative to the choice of Chartist can . didates at the next general election . The Central Registration and Election Committee is composed of men in n-hom the country may have the most unbounded confidence . That Committee has been elected in compliance with the resolution of the Leeds Convention , and I feel confident that if the nation furnish the means which the importance of their object demands , we can bare little doubt of a successful issue . But should the people treat the matter with their wonted indifference , or satisfy themselves with talking instead of helping , it would require no streteh of human foresight , no _great amount of prophetic knowledge to foretel how the labours of the Central Committee will end .

      To let the present opportunity slip will show our want of principle . If the people really mean doing anything , they should begin immediately ; there must be no delay . Surely we shall not be nny longer blinded and deemed by pretending friends : who , kindly warn us against a scheme which they are sure is impracticable ; or lulled again to sleep in imagined security until the hour arrives to demonstrate our weakness , and show the world we arc unprepared for action . My friends , we are said to possess all the advantages of a free and popular election . I admit we have the mockery , or the semblance of the thing , but not the real original substance . Neither would I have you suppose that , because our state affairs are gone into confusion , tbey are beyond the reach of proper remedies—or are , as some have asserted , irretrievably ruined . Wher * this the case , all our labours to reform the state would be fruit * less . We are uot under the yolk of any foreign power . The country still is said to be ours , and in proportion as we are in earnest in demanding , our rulers will be eager , if for nothing but their own safety , in granting

      redress . The House of Commons is the spot for the discussion and promulgation of our principles _. The Charter cannot become law until our law-makers are made to understand it ; and thatcan only be effected by an unflinching , faithful band of Cl artist pioneers removing the obstructions to the truth of progress , ignorance and prejudice—and clearing the ground for the approaching conflict between the rival _factinns—Whi g and Tory , and down trodden labour . The nation will ere long be called to elect a new House

      of Commons , and it is to be hoped that such men may be sent who , having no interest to defend but that of the commonwealth , they may live to see tbe principles of the Charter made the law of the land ; and their exertions crowned with success . And should any proud House of Peers , or haughty monarch reluse their assent to ibe salutary change it would be easy to bring thorn to reason , or to tell them their services were wanted no longer . I am thoroughly persuaded neither tbe prerogatives of the cronn , nor the privileges of tho peers can be exercised to the injury " of the people , without the guilty concurrence of the Ilouse of Commons :

      _Elei'tors , how can you expect the nation ' s business tobe properly transacted and good laws mode , unless you send good men to make them . No one disputes the ri"ht of rational individual to have his business aono in the manuer he dots approve of . We maintain that the people are the only fountain of power . The public business is their business ; who will contend then , that whatever they order is not right , mid whatever the people object to is not wrong . The principles here alluded to Heat the foundation of all free Government . The people were accustomed to the _wholeseino practice of instructing their representatives , and held them responsible for their actions ; but these salutary regulations arc , with few exceptions , fallen

      The People's Representatives. To Tub Edi...

      nto disuse , ; tbeir utility is * destroyed by long PMtta . ments , in which only let your members obtain a seat and away goes your dearest rights for _eeven years . Tour servants will then be approached _« nly lu the " humble Ruiee of petition ; " and even your petitions are rejected or unheeded without the slightest consequence to them _, ¦ elves . Englishmen J Electors ! these are your _rttuntei privileges , What ! has the clerk more power than his employer ? Have our representatives set themselves above their conl stituents ; and dispise the authority of tha very persons who gave them all they power they ever possessed . Yet indeed , and tbe time bas arrived when your eyes should be opened to tho undisguised , stubborn realit y . I can . not suppose that your old servants will be re-elected , or that you will delegate power to their hands to trample open your rights with impunity , and tyrannize over the nation at pleasure .

      Such Is now the case , and so It will continue until you choose men p ' edged to carry out your instructions , and to resign the trust you reposed in them at any time yon call upon them to do so . Remember when once elected your _representatives power to do good or evil extends , according to law , over a period of seven years , Take heed , therefore , who you choo 3 e . The power of benefit-Ing your country will shortly fall into your hands , turn the tables , and the game Is yours . I am fully persuaded from personal acquaintanc 9 and observation that tbe central committee will cheerfully and patriotically dis . charge their important duties . They will concentrate the electoral power as closely as possible . They will contest those cities or boroughs only where there appears the greatest _charfce of success ; those places are few , still those few cannot be contested without the means—will the people supply them ? I am prepared to do one man ' s share of tbe work , to the best of my humble ability , and as the business proceeds to pay my full share of the expense .

      I will not venture to name those who should be brought forward as candidates ; it is _ifly intention onl y to point out those characters who , I think , ought not . First , _tlien _, I would caution the people against a renewal of the lease of power with most of the members of the present House . No doubt but they , or their agents , will be the first in the field , for having tasted the " sweets of office , " and the advantages of power , they wilt show no ordinary degree of _eagerness to _regain their scats at any cost ; you will see them the first on the hustings , —hear them bellowing out—National Education—Short Time Dill—an amended Poor Law—Britain and her institutions—the Extension of the Suffrage—the Ballot , and

      liberty of conscience . But , surely . Englishmen will not again be deceived , jostled , and carried away by the cries of faction . The elector will "look before he leaps , " he will reflect that he is about to exercise an important trust , not only for himself , but for the whole community Should he , aft . tr all , sell bis freedom for goW , let the wretch know thnt he has not only bartered for 'dross the happiness of his fellow-man , but the liberty of his coun . try , and for such acts as these he will deserve to be held up to public execration , I remain , respected sir , yours truly , Robert _Wiid . Mottram in Longkendal , Nov . 2 , 18 i 6 .

      Capabilities Of The Land. To The Editob ...

      CAPABILITIES OF THE LAND . TO THE EDITOB OP THE _NOBTHEBH STAB . Sia , —I have read with diftvlcnce the statistics which ha » e been published in the Star , and elsewhere res . peeling the Capabilities of the Land , however my doubts would have at last been altogether removed by the following facts : Last Spring , I sowed forty square yards with cap rots , one half of the seed was deficient , but I let them all stand and kept them clear of all weed and filth , and they were very healthy . My constitution lacking sta . _mina , I have not eaten any myself . I have sold them at sixpence per stone , and they have made me nine shillings . Now , if I put this in a statistical form , r find that 40 multiplied by 121 gives 4840 , which is the number of yards in an acre , and 121 multiplied by 9 s . gives £ 54 3 s ., which would be tho value of an acre .

      Now then , I deserve for my labours , seed , manure rent , & c _, 5 s then 121 multiplied by 5 s . gives an expenditure for tha acre of £ 30 5 s ., leaving a nett profit upon the acre of £ 24 4 s . I am not a member of the Land Society , and can bave no interest in exaggerated statements , neither have 1 been experimentalizing either upon " O'Connor ' s plan" * or any other plan , I only wish to let the _Hsilthusisn _wise-acres know , that seed sown by a manufacturing operative will actually grow , although he may not have as much sap in his constitution as wouid grease a joiner ' s giinblet .

      I have a neighbour , who is a member of the Land Society , who showed me a carrot a week since , which weighed 31 bs . which would be worth one penny farthing ; this man is confident of being very soon ( with the bless _, imj of health ) placed out of the reach of poverty , a compa . nion which is just now crossing our thresholds , but a companion which we really did not expect to s « e so soon after all the free trade palaver , of the last seven years . James Haigh . Emley , October 12 , 1846 .

      Thb Inundations In France. Official Docu...

      THB INUNDATIONS IN FRANCE . Official documents declare that the loss at Roanne alone . of houses carried away by the late inundations amounts to 200 , and this number is being daily argu . merited . Not less titan 2 , 600 persons ore without food or raiment ; and to this amount must be added sixty fama . lies belonging to the neighbouring communes . A letter from Gosne , dated the 24 th ult , and published in the Province , a journal of Moulins ( Allier ) , contains the following picture of horrors not before mentioned , but wbich it is to be hoped are greatly exaggerated : — " We have acquired the lamentable certainty that the small town of St . f irmin _, above Eriare _, containing about

      600 Souls , hos been entirely ingulphed , and that the whole population have perished ! This horribknews , whieh was first circulated on the 21 st , is this day confirmed by a letter from the president ofthe tribunal ' , at Gleu _, which states that the banks are covere 1 with dead bodies . The inhabitants , surprised in their beds , were unable to find nny means of escape . Tbe banks being broken down let in the body ofthe river at the back ef the town , so that these unfortunate beings were completely surrounded by a torrent , which every minute narrowed its inner circle , and at last completely covered them . »'

      The little commune of Epereieu-St .-Paul , near _Feurs , has lost forty-t « vo houses out of ninety-one . Upwards of forty important domains have been ravaged between Monfrmd and Feurs , on the two banks ofthe Loire . At Vanchetto all the inhabitants of the lower grounds were forced to fly , and scarcely had they escaped when their houses were inundated . The water was iu general three feet higher that in November , 1790 . At Langeac , _tliree men , two of them fathers of families , perished in endeavourng to save six persons sur . rounded by the' waters , and who had passed a whole night in trees suspended above the abyss . At Tence a

      man was drowned in attempting to save a piece of timbtr brought down by the torrent . At Lavoute the Allier carried away several houses . "We learn from "Pertius ( _Vauclusc ) that the floods have forced the Durance out of its course , and its waters , driven back by the works at the canal of Marseilles , have formed a new bed on the fide of the department of the Rhone . In consequence of the late heavy rain alarge building , in course of construction , at Marseilles , in the Uue St , Jacques , Buddenly fell to the ground on the 28 th ult ., and buried underits ruins three workmen . Every effort was made on the instant to extricate them from their dreadful position , but in . effectuall y , as when reached , they were all dead .

      Public Iibalth Is The Summer Quarter, 18...

      Public IIbalth is the Summer Quarter , 1840 . — - The usual return of deaths has been made by the Registrar-General for the summer quarter ending Sep . 30 . That return includes 115 districts , subdivided into 576 sub-districts . Thirty-four districts are in the metropolis , and the remaining 81 comprise , with some agricultural districts , the principal towns and cities of England . The population of the whole was 6 579 , 693 in 1841 . 51 , 235 deaths were _registeied within the quarter—a number exceeding by 15 , 227 those in the corresponding quarter of last year . In the mild winter quarter ending March , 1846 , th © deaths were nearly 5 , 000 below the average ; in tho spring quarter ending in June , the mortality wag slightly above the average : the intestinal _complaintB

      mica then arose , and became epidemic , have been the principal causes ot tbe immense loss of life on record . The deaths in London were 12 , 409 while ia the summer quarter of 1 S 45 thev were only 10 842 . Of theexcess of 1 , 567 deaths , 1 , 303 were from dinrrhcea . cholera , _aod dysentery ; which proved fatal respectively to 1 , 549 , 197 , . and 75 persons . The _mort-ility by intemperance , delirium tremens , jaundice , liver diseases , and rheumatism , was also greater than usual . The five weeks from July _H to August 15 , were the unhealthiest . Young children were the greatest sufferers , the form of the disease being what in America is designated cholera infantum . Though the disease which also proved fatal to manv old people and adults—could not , in some adult _' _cases . be

      distinguished in its symptoms from Asiatic cholera , yet it was evident from the first that it had not the character of the malady of 1 S 32 . In London , the deaths rose fourteen per cent .: in some other densely peopled towns the mortality was doubled . No such mortality had been witnessed in Birmingham for many years . The number , which in the corresponding quarter of 1845 amounted to G 94 , rose to 1 , 627 . In Liverpool , the increase was from 2 , 505 to 4 . 090 : in _Mnnclipster and the _contacwus districts of Salford andChorlton , from 2 , ill to 4 , 248 . 1 , 039 persons _diedjn Sheffield , though the mortality in any preeeeding year had never exceeded 617 . The _hiuh mortality of the towns is attributed to crowded lodgings , dirty dwellings ' , personal itnclennliness _, and the concentration of unhealthv emanations from

      narrow streets , without iresh air , water or sewers . The wealth y parish of Marylebone affords an ins ' ance ofthe little regard paid to f _* Rworaee . A considerable part of that parish is still without scwer 5 » or any direct open communications with the sewers ; an _* i it is said that half the houses kavo cesspools , many of which remains iineiiiptied from year to year . No effectual arrangements are made the removal 01 _! decaying ai . imal and vegetable matter .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Nov. 7, 1846, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_07111846/page/6/