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Northern Star (1837-1852), 8th January 1848, Edition 3 of 3, Page 4

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    • A PUBLIC MEETING
    • * Ciotiie it in Word*.—Shells*.
    • I JUST PUBLISHES.
    • THE NORTHERN STAR , SATURDAY, JANUARY 8, 1818.
    • Co mmv& & CamsfuonBej: re
  • Adverts (10)
  • Text (18)
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      4 The' Northein Stary. , ,.... .. ..... ...

      4 THE _' NORTHEIN _STARy . , _,.... .. ..... - . •• ¦¦ . _¦ ¦ . - ¦¦ jAy _™^ _18-i & j

      A Public Meeting

      A PUBLIC MEETING

      Ad00417

      Will . BE _eoKVEKSD BT THE METROPOLITAN CHARTIST -DELEGATE COUNCIL , OA' TUESDAY , JANUARY 11 , 1848 , AT THE BRITISH INSTITUTION , COWPER STREET , CITY ROAD , To Petition tae Legislature for a redress of wrongs under which the Industrious _Claises of Great Britain and _iKllBS have go Ionf and pninfaily suffered . _afMtnXUEnJosm , _JT & bath , _Ci-ask , Skeltox , Pcs « eli , _Tafp , and other advocates of the People s cause w 11 attend , and address tha sieetlng . _<* . ii _attena , an JULIAN HARNEY WILL PRESIDE . Chair to be taken at Eight o ' clock preciiely . — _Adxmsioh _Fkb ,

      Ad00418

      ECOESE SUE'S KEW TALE . PRIDE , OR THE DUCHESS . The first volume of this dramatic picture of High Life ( all yet published in Paris ) , is _givan in Part 55 of the FAMILY HERALD for January , price only Sixpence . The Family Herald is a domestic magaiine of useful information and amusement , a cheerful and _iustrucSre _firesida companion , tbe _weleome guest of every Hone , and unquestionably the jnosl popular Periodical ever published . Everybody reads and all Booksellers sell the Family Herald . A Single psrusal will t « st its merits . Order Part 58 .

      Ad00420

      IMPORTANT NOTICE . THE _LOITDOKERS HATE BEGCX A HOME FOR HONEST INDUSTRY . _JWswe .-T . S . Buncombe , Esq ., M . P ., T . Wakley , Esa . ., M P ., B . _Boad Cabbell , Esq ., M . P . Have you read the Tract oa the _Lasd and Building Society for the Working _Aliliions ? If n _» t , get it , read it . Price only One Pe _* ny . Published fir the Society , by G . Berger , i 9 , _Holjwell-stMet , Straad . Sold by all cheap _boolssellers , and the Society * agents : also to be had , wkh full _infonnatien , of Daniel William Raffy , secretary , offices of the _Sacietj , 13 , _Tottenhasn-coart , New-road , St Pancras , London , by sending three postage stamps .

      Ad00422

      PORTRAIT OF FEARGUS O'CONNOR , Esq ., M . P . TMA _RTiy inform * his friend * aad the _Chartistbody . _generally , that ho has reduced the price of his lithographic _fdU-leagtb portrait ofiieirlllusiriQiis Chief to tho fallowing price : —Prints , Is ; _eoloursd ditto , 2 s . 6 d .

      Ad00423

      TO TAILORS . Sow _Readv , by approbation of her Majesty , Queen "Vic-* _toria , and H . R . H . Prince Albert , THE LONDON ana PARIS AUTUMN and WINTER FASHIONS for 13 < 7 andl _34 S , by Benjamin Kead and Co ., 12 , Hart-street , Bloomsbury-square , London , and by S . Berger , Holywell-street , Straad , London ; a most _magaificemt and sup ; _rbly-coloured Print , surpassing everything of tbe land previously published , _accon ' panied with the most fashionable fall size Dress , Riding , _Jfrock , _Snntiag , and Wrapper Coat-pattern ? , with every particular part foreacn complete . Also , the most fashionable and newest style Waistcoat Pattern , including tho manner ef Cutting and _making up tha whole , with mfurmatioa respecting the new gcUntific system of Cutting , which will be published Jan . 1 , 1818 , and will _supmtde eveiyfting of the kind before conceived . Price 0 s ; or , post free , to all parts of the kingdom , lis . Pateut Measures , with full _fciplinatiou , Ss tae set ( tho greatest improvement ever known in the trade ) . Patterns te measure Sent post fre » t » aU parts of iho kingdom , la each . NEW PATENT INDICATOR , far ascertaining proportion snd disproportioa in all systems of cuttiHg , the method of using it , and manner of variation clearly illustrited—Caveat granted to B . Read fer the same , April 22 , _lSt 7 , signed by Messrs Poole and Capraacl , Patent _dffics , 4 , _Oidjg . uare , Liucoln ' 3-ian , _London , —Declaration _surned by the Right Honourable Sir 9 . Carroll , Lord Hayor of Loudon , Hay 1 st , lSt 7 . Price , with diagrams clearly explained , 7 s ; or , _po 3 i free , 7 s 6 d . Sold by Messrs Sead and C _^ _j ., 13 , Hart-street , _Bloomsbary-squara , London ; G . _Bsrger , Holywall-street , Strand , London ; and all booksellers in the kingdom . _Post-oSce _» rders and post stamps taken 3 s cask . Habits H . H . L . _perfarmed for the trade . Bustfor fitting Coats on Boys' figures . —Foremen _proTife!—Instructions i » Catting complete , for all Idnds of Style and Fashion , which can be _accsmplished in an incredibly short tiiae , but the pupil nay _c-oatinpa -until he is fully satisfied .

      * Ciotiie It In Word*.—Shells*.

      * Ciotiie it in Word * . —Shells * .

      Letters Addressed To The Workingmen Of E...

      LETTERS ADDRESSED TO THE WORKINGMEN OF ENGLAND ASSOCIATED IN TRADE TJNIONS , ON THE NECESSITY OF A CHANGE .

      INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS . r Fellow Countrymen . —There needs no apology from one of your own order who , for the last thirty years of his life has been engaged ia _producing wealth for the enjoyment of others , receiving in return the very small _pittance which , through the present social economy by which labour is regulated , generally falls to the lot of the labourer ; much less is it necessary from one who for twenty years of that tiae has been

      _eaaaged , co-operatively with his own trade , in endeavouring to sustain an honourable position for labour in society , through whatever means thai trade , either by itself , ia its co-operative capacity , or in union with other trades , could in its wisdom devise ; I shall , therefore , at once proceed to address you—you , who despite the deteriorating influences of the last fifty years , are still enabled to hold fa ? t in the bonds of anion , that good fellowship and spirit of fraternity knows only to unionists , who , like myself , have been nurtured in its arms , who have , and do experience the strong attachments arising out of the common sympathies of onr nature , and reciprocated by men , whose thoughts , feelings , and actions are congenial with our own .

      I propose , then , to write to you a series of letters on the above-named subject ; to you , the men still in snlon—not that in addressing you , as members of a trade union , I would wish by you to be considered as 8 XClU 3 iTe ; not tbat because , as a unionist , I feel the ' _atrc-ng sympathies'which belong necessarily to the united , but simply from the conviction that there is in the united trades a power which , if wisely directed , would be found efScientfor the purpose of _effectingfirst , its ow . i emancipation ; after which the emancipation of the _working order _Eenerally , For this reason alone , then , _Iaddres myself to you—The _working men of England in trade unions associatedunder the hope that my thoughts , ' clothed in words , ' may reach some kindred spirits , warm with the love of freedom , from whence a light may arise , which sh 3 li become ihe beacon of lii ) _2 rty to the 3 , _ave castes of tha world .

      Tho _« who endure Deep wrongs for man , and icorn and chains , bnt heap _Thonsaud fold torments ou themselves and him . I need not tell you of the many difficulties which attend the settlement of a . ; question such as that proposed ; or of the many attempts heretofore made by some of the master minds in almost every trade to do so ; of the thousand failures that have taken place , and of the present wrongs endured by oar order ; it is enough for me that our wrongs exist , despite all Onr previous efforts to remove them . _£ es , ray brothers , ¦ we are the same slave caste , the mere 'hewers of wood and drawers of water ; ' without power , either socially or politically ; entirely dependent upon causes beyond our control for the means of sustaining liio from day to day ; while within us—with us—and by

      ns—is all tha reality of oar country ' s strength ; tbe Weight Of whica is even now crushing to death thousands of us by whose labour that power waa created . With all this wa are acquainted ; therefore , I willn . it ocegpyyourtimeby entering into details which will Serve-only to excite the _pasaions , although I confess ihe difficulty of restraining tbelangaage of expression Within the bounds prescribed by class made legislature . Still it must be done , if ever we hops to progress Beycnd the present system of oppression ; for , with the oppressed only can reform begin . Give me , then , your reason — your judgment — your reflections —your deep , serious reflection—while I endeavour to show you the reasons why I consider thac a change _" necessary in the application of trade unions . I ask yon to weigh my every word

      with care , consider well the facts and figures that I shall advance in the forthcoming letters , and _although it should happen that ia the investigation of the subject proposed , I _should be compelled to touch some of your long cherished prejudices : let it be remembered the progress _nwde by society ha 3 been under the same _^ difficulties . We love to conserve _whatever we believe to be right , and can never _bs persuaded to give it up until a strong internal or asternal power compels us to yield . Should , however , the strong conservative feeling of which I have Spoken , cause the _pasgions to predominate , when the fit has passed , ask yourselves this question : Why are we yet strong in numbers and so weak in power ? the answer mu 3 t be , tb . 8 re are errors in practice ¦ with us somewhere , or the advantages of our

      combjaations would be manifested in tag improved state of ourselves and families . And then reflect upon the proofs again . Ask yourselves again , and again '; "Why is it that it is so ? For my _objectnn writing these letters will be to show , that the policy which we ara now pursuing , however good it might hare been in ages that are gone , is of no advantage to m now ; tha ? whilst society has made great progress in general information , we the members of trade anions , holding fast the long cherished conviction that-our combination was all sufficient for our security , have actually sunk in the scale of intelligence , the proof of whieh may be clearly seen in the eoutinual « 2 brU that we make to secure for our labours just remuneration . We still cry ' strike , ' and ths enthusiasm is echoed through our ranks like tha sound of a talisman . Strike , and for what f To sustain ourselves against the weight of competit ive labour Struggling for life , capital , machinery ,

      _gocial-ehicane , and political monopoly , in which we resemblaanj 3 n under the influence of strong drink . -who imagines himself _aHercules in physical strength , snd in the attempt to exercise it with the shadow of Ms frenzied creation , falls hy the weight of hia own effort . With this evil I have determined to battle , -and I call upon you , the men of thought and energy in the ranks of labour , to come forward to the help of one , who , with your exertions , will leave nothing andone to place the wealth producer in the condition of a free man , instead of the -veritable slave that he aow is . In the name of all that is good , then , put jour shoulder to the wheel , for if the present system of distributive robbery besuffered toeontin « e , itmust finally destroy that union which even now exists as a _msnumeat of labour ' s strength and of labour ' s folly , but capable of beingmade the lever of redemption to the human race , which is the aim and end of A Twbkzt _Yeaks' Vstostsr . Londo ' fli 5 th of January- 843 .

      I Just Publishes.

      I JUST PUBLISHES .

      Ad00419

      ( Uniform with the " _Labourbs" _ilagazlBe , ) Price 6 d . A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON SPADE HUSBANDRY , being the results of _faur years' _experieace . Bi J . SltlETT . _lt'Gowin and Co ., 16 , Great _Windmill-street , London aad may be had of _allbooksellors .

      Ad00421

      JUST PUBLISHED . _peice _sixmos , HO . XIII . OF " LABOURER " CONTESTS , 1 . The Funeral of the Year and its Epitaph , by Ernest Jones . 2 . Our New Year ' s Address . 3 _. Insurrections ot the Working Classes . —Tb » Hen of Kent and Essex , 4 . The Scotch Critics and the Land Company . _5 _. Ths Romance of a People . 6 . The Poor Man's Legal Manual . 7 . _National Literature— ' The Infernal Comedy . S . Our National Defences . 9 . Literary Review . Letters ( pre-paid ) to ba addressed to the Editors , 16 Grest Windmill Street , Haymarket , London . Orders received by all _ageats for the "Northern Star " and all booksellers in town and country .

      Ad00424

      Now Ready , a New Edition of MR . O'CONNOR'S WORK ON SMALL FARMS . To be had at the _NerOern Star Office , IS , Great Wind . Bill Street ; and of Abel _Heyweod , Manchester .

      Ad00427

      The Cheltenham Chartists being anxious to know when the Cavalry of the Land Company will pass through their sickly town , we beg to inform them , that Cheltenham will have tbat honour on Tuesday next , the 11 th inst ., at ten o ' clock .

      Ad00428

      THE PORTRAIT OF MR JONES . Tbis portrait will be in the hands of our Scotch agents in time for issue on ths 29 th instant . Our agents in or Hear Edinburgh will have their parcels forwarded to the care of Messrs W . and H . Robin _, son , 11 , _Greenside-street . Parcels for other parts of Scotland to the care of Mr W . Love , 10 , Nelsonstreet , Glasgow . Our Yorkshire , Lancashire , Lincolnshire , Nottinghamshire , Derbyshire , Cheshire , Leicestershire , Northamptonshire , Warwickshire , and Gloucester _, shire agents will receive the portrait in time for issue on Saturday , February 19 th . The more southern counties , Wales , and Ireland , on the following week . Agents in the county of Durham must npply to Mr J . _Turnbull , Side , Newcastle . Yorkshire , to Mr J . Cooke , 67 , Meadow-lane , Leeds . Lancashire and Cheshire , to Mr A . Heywood , 58 , _Oldham-street , Manchester . Those agents having weekly book parcels from London will have the portrait sent in their own parcels .

      Notice. Ia Reply To J. S-, Nottingham, M...

      NOTICE . Ia reply to J . _S-, Nottingham , Mr O'Connor begs to say that not only will he receive subscriptions for the defence of his seat , but further , holding the trust for others , and not for his own benefit , he would consider it a very - great injustice to be called upon to pay one shilling out of his own pocket ; and as to the mode of transmitting the money , let all monies upon that account be addressed by Post-office order , payable to Feargus O'Connor , and directed to ' Mr Wm . Rider , Northern Star Office IS , Great Windmill-street , London . '

      The Northern Star , Saturday, January 8, 1818.

      THE NORTHERN STAR , SATURDAY , JANUARY 8 , 1818 .

      The Town House Of Chaetism There Is An O...

      THE TOWN HOUSE OF CHAETISM There is an ominous deficiency in the quarter ' s revenue , of considerably above a million ; the taxes have increased , but the Excise and Customs have decreased—fearful signs of the decay of home production and of foreign trade j pauperism is spreading with rapid strides over the country , and as one pau » per drags another after him , the canker of poverty keeps growing upwards on the social tree , affecting more and more , with every day , those upper ranks that thought themselves secure ; misery breeds discontent ; discontent , disruption of the artificial links " of society _^; fresh baronets and bludgeons are required to

      keep the ferment down , increasing taxation , and , by this , the evil they are intended to prevent j the metropolis teems with rising palaces , a few men obtain employment in their erection , and then perish houseless in sight of the very piles they have raised ; the ' . Queen builds new residences , and adds to those she possessed , while the ¥ nions are insufficient to shelter the poor!—in the midst of this Chartism walks sternly through the streets—looking , amidst the vast chaos of wealth and miserylooking amid the homes of idleness , luxury , and power—looking for its home as well , in that city vrtieie every other faction has obtained a home .

      True , Chartism in the North has many country-houses ; it has its Halls in Manchester , Oldham , Leeds , Birming ham , etc . — but it yet lacks its Town-house . It has no dwelling with its name on the door , showing it is not ashamed to own it—there is no" CHARTIST HALL" in London , worthy the metropolis . We are happy to find that the London Chartists intend remedying the deficiency- _— and , although we attach no value to bricks and mortar , as a qualification for the franchise , we think that , in this instance , bricks and mortar would prove a powerful aid towards a national organisation of the movement . As

      in London we behold the heart of monopoly , the focus of class-legislation , so ought London to present a worthy front of opposition . As the synod " of faction is housed in St Stephen ' s , so ought Chartism to confront it in its own abode—so ought it to have a fixed habitation to point to , and boldly to write its name on the entablature of its own palace . This would , at once , prove the power and unity of the movement—it would be a rall y ing point to metropolitan Chartism—it would take it from the pothouse ; it would rescue it from the exclusiveness of one circle ; its open doors would invite the stranger to enter , hear , and become a convert—whereas now the obscure _Iocitl

      gathering passes unnoticed and unknown ; it would give the stamp of dignity and permanency to the movement , and be a place worthy for the Sessions of England ' s NATIONAL

      CONVENTION . We attach much value to a good metropolitan organisation , of which a Hall has new become an indispensible requisite . A metropolitan demonstration has . twice the effect of a provincial one , from this evident reason ); a northern gathering is remote ; two or three hundred miles may intervene ; the voice of the meeting comes deadened by the roar of the train ; the people ' s will loses power in expression , when conveyed onl y on a sheet of paper j bring that meeting in juxta-position with the

      seat of power ; let the living voice ring in the ear of faction , instead of a dead letter flitting past its eye , —then it becomes too near to be trifled with }—the impediments of distance and delay cease to exist , and as , in business , a j personal interview \ _z more effective than a tedious correspondence , so the personal presence of Chartism in the very home of faction will command that respect , the knock at the distant door of its outer courts can never challenge . It is for these reasons , we think , no £ Lon-

      The Town House Of Chaetism There Is An O...

      don alone , hut the country aa well , ought to take up the question of a Metropolitan Hall . The localities may answer , they have enough to do in ereeting halls for themselves ;—but _^ we reply , this too would be a Hall fer themselves , —it would be a Hall , not onl y for London , but for the nation . We have alluded to the National Convention—a body that ought to meet annually with the meeting of Parliament , to watch and act on its proceedings—and this Hall would be a fiting senate house for England ' s Democracy . We trust , and doubt not , that the metropolis and country will further the undertaking with

      energy and enthusiasm , and that , the Hall will be worthy of the cause ; for , let our friends remember , it would be better to have no Hall at all , than one insignificant in dimensions , and thus unworthy of the cause . Spaciousness is-a necessary requirement ; the committee should erect a Hall , commensurate with the vastness of our movement and the numbers it embraces , or they had better build none . But we doubt not that the judgment and energy 'of the committee who have so laudably undertaken this great work , will carry it to a judicious and successful issue—and sincerely do we wish them all good speed !

      We trust , however , that the NAME of the CHARTER will , . be inscribed boldly on its walls .

      The Ten Hours' Act. After More Than Thir...

      THE TEN HOURS' ACT . After more than thirty years * struggle , _*" Ten Houra ' Bill at last received the sanction of the Legislature in the last session of the late Parliament . No single act of modern times was preceded by such amp le and full discussion . Public meetings by the thousand were held upon the subject . Numerous pamphlets were issued , and the newspaper press was almost constantly debating it . Four

      Select Parliamentary Committees investigated and reported , and the question was the theme of discussion in almost every successive session of every Parliament during that long period . At length , in spite of the most powerful opposition , the advocates of the measure had the gratification of seeing the " Bill" become an "Act , " and looked forward to the first of next May , when the ten hours' clause is to come into operation , with pleasure , as the final termination of their struggles , and the full consummation of their labours .

      Certainly if ever the decision of the Legislature upon any subject was entitled to respect , it waa in this case ; but it appears that the determined opponents of the measure are resolved to make yet another fight against its introduction , and to endeavour to prevail upon Parliament , immediately upon its re-assembling-, to repeal the ten hours' clauee before it can come into operation . The mode adopted by these parties is exceedingly ingenious , but at the same time so transparent , that it can deceive no ti ' lie a 3 to its real character . They have

      formed what they call a " _MUlowners ' Association , " but this association does not take upon itself the task of soliciting a repeal of the law . That is to be done by the factory operatives themselves , for whose signatures the " Associated Millowners" have prepared a petition , in which they set forth , among other reasons for repeal , that the limitation of the hours of labour to ten , will come into operation at a time when the petitioners would otherwise be able , as they reasonably expect , b y working eleven hours , to make up , though but partially , for the severe loss they are now undergoing .

      We very much mistake the character of the factory operatives if they can be either cajoled or coerced into the signing of such a petition . They are much better political economists than their employers , and are not to be duped by such specious fallacies . The late movement among them for a total cessation of labour , rather than submit to a reduction of wages , showed clearly to what causes they attributed former reductions . They know

      that it is because markets cannot be found fast enough for the goods they _have formerly produced , that so many thousands of them have been so long unemployed , and that thousands more have been working short time ; and they have come to the conclusion that it would be much better to work under such regulations as would spread the employment equally over the year , rather than work unreasonable hours at one period , with no other result than to speedily glut the m ? rkets , and be tl . rown idle

      at another . Of what advantage would it be to the operatives to have this clause repealed , and to accept eleven hours instead , as a final settlement of the question , as the millowners' petition states they will ? The additional six hours a week , we imagine , would add but very slenderl y , indeed , to their wages , while it would greatly accelerate the glutting of the markets , and , consequently , hasten the time for shutting the mills again . The question , after all , is one which does not rest upon random guess-work . By careful calculations , based upon facts , we may approximate pretty closely to the true number of hours for which it is profitable or justifiable to

      run the machinery , If Mr Cobden be right in some views he has recently expressed , there are neither markets nor cotton enoug h in the world to enable us to work ten hours a-day all theyear round . If trade waa , as it oug ht to be , regulated with a view to preserve a proper proportion between supply and demand , the sudden variations , the tremendous panics , and the frightful sufferings they create would be unkuown . The inevitable tendency of the " let alone" principles is to produce such calamitous results . The passing of the Ten Hours'Act was a step in a direction in which we shall have to advance further , if we wish that trade should be placed upon a sound basis and carried on with general advantage to the community .

      If the operatives were to aid , in the slightest degree , this movement , they would merely be playing into the hands of a few selfish and greedy speculators , who are in haste to get rich , and care not at what cost , too , they do so . They would unsettle that which it has taken many years to accomplish , and throw the factory hands again into the power of the masters , to be _woiked or sent adrift as suited their convenience . There ought to be no doubt as to the course which they will take . This movement of the associated millowners demands an immediate

      counter movement from the Short Time Committees throughout the country . Parliament ought to know what the opinions of the operatives reall y are upon the subject . If they have changed , let the fact be known . Jf , as we believe , they have not changed , but still retain as earnestly and as firmly as ever , those views which years of toil and sad experience have deepl y imp lanted in their mind 9 , then they owe it to themselves to undeceive the Leg islature , and prevent it from being imposed upon by any false representation as to their

      opinions . It h bat reasonable to ask that an Act , which was carried by large majorities after unexampled discussion and agitation , shall at least have a fair trial . If , after that fair trial , it is found to be injurious , let it be repealed by all means—but we must insist upon that repeal being based upon actual experience of its . evil consequences , instead of the crafty anticipatory suggestions of the Millowners' _Asssociation .

      National Defences. This Question Has Rec...

      NATIONAL DEFENCES . This question has recently excited general interest , in consequence of au alarm en the subject originally sounded by the Morning Chronicle . The writer , under the _signatsre of " P . ' ' professed , however , to give not his own views , but these of the Duke of Wellington ; and the Duke himself has this week confirmed the statement , by a letter , in which he states his opinions at _considerable length . It appears that he has urged 'the matter upon , the attention of several successive Govern-

      National Defences. This Question Has Rec...

      ments , but without effect , aud the appeal is now made for " that pressure from without , " which has become , in this country , the ' moving power " of all Governments . Among the numerous article ? which have been elicited , the Earl of Ellesmere contributed © ne , in which he full y endorsed the views of the Duke , and drew a strong picture of the military weakness of England . The grounds upon which the alarm is raised are certainly not at all of a visionary character . They resolve themselves into two " great facts . " The first is , that the application of Steam to War Vessels , and to

      Navigation generally , has utterl y destroyed the insular advantages which previously constituted the greatest safeguard of England , aad , for all practical purposes of warfare , have placed it nearly in the same position as a Continental country . The second is , that there is a strong disposition te take advantage of these means , at all events , in one nation ; and that the great wealth , and comparatively defenceless position of Great Britain , offers a powerful temptation to all nations , to which the general feeling—excited by British policy —on the Continent , is not unlikely to act as

      an auxiliary incitement . France is the quarter from which a war of aggression and an invasion is most imminent . However much the fact may be deplored , every grade of society in that country seems to be animated h y a deadly hatred to this country . Of course we do not mean to say that there are not exceptions to this statement , but it impossible to glance at the literature of France—at the speeches in its Halls of Legislation—at the orations delivered even at the banquets of the Reforming and Democratic party , without perceiving that

      this is the fact . The memory of the long war in which England , by a profuse expenditure of Wood and treasure , " put down the efforts of France for the right to choose its own forms of government , and its own rulers , has eaten like a cancer into the national mind ; and the crowning victory of Waterloo is alike hateful , for thrusting back upon France the branch of the Bourbons which it had expelled from power and for inflicting upon the _anuntr propre of a nation essentially military , a disgrace which it naturally longs for a fair opportunity of wiping off .

      It is only necessary to call to recollection Prince JoinviUe ' _s celebrated _pamphlet written immediately after a visit to Queen Victoria , for the purpose of showing how easy it would be with a few steamers , and a comparatively small bod y of troops , to take possession of this country—and to the emphatic declaration of M . Ledru-Rolhn ., at ' a late Reform Banquet , as reported in this paper , " That there was yet a Waterloo to avenge" in order to perceive the nature of the general feeling ® f France towards England . How soon the circumstances may occur which will favour the open manifestation of that feeling , it is impossible to fix precisely . But the time cannot be distant . The death of

      Louis Philippe _Jwill , in all probability , " cry havoc , and let slip the dogs of war . " Come when that event may , it will almost inevitably lead to an internal struggle in France . The new dynasty is not so deeply rooted as to preclude all hope of its overthrow by the various parties inimical to it , and there is scarcely any measure which would create more general popularity for any party , or secure more ardent support , than the proposition to pay off some of the old debts of honour or revenge owing to " perfidious Albion . "

      Were this attempted , in what position should we be in to repel such invasion ? The Duke of Wellington—and within the last few days his opinions have been endorsed by the Earl of Ellesmere—says we shouldbeutterly powerless . We have neither the requisite fortifications and defences for our coast—our great estua . ries , nor our rich populous commercial towns . We have only a very few thousand regular troops at home , the great bulk of our standing army being scattered among our far extended colonies ; and our navy , though powerful , is altogether unequal to the task of maintaining a complete cordon round an island , almost every point of which is available for the landing of an invading army .

      In the absence of these artificial defences and trained troops , what have we to fall back upon in the case of invasion ? Nothing but * ' the courage and pluck of Englishmen . " But mere instinctive bravery is no match for armed and disciplined bodies of soldiers , acting in combination , under the orders of skilled commanders . Lord Ellesmere , in short , considers the case so hopeless , that he says , If the French were to appear at one end of London , the wisest movement that the Guards could make , would be to march out at the other . For the rest , three howitzers would be sufficient , and the Lord Mayor would soon be busy with the details of billets , and whatever contribution might be _accepted as a commutation for indiscriminate _plundsr . "

      Such , then , is the position to which , with reference to self-defence , the money-mongers , the stock jobbers , the manufacturers , and the shopkeepers—the whole tribe of Mammon worshi ppers—who , for thelast half century have ruled us , have reduced this country ! The "Old England , " whose " flag has braved a thousand years the battle and the breeze , " and whose historic annals include a series of victories ,

      which stretch from Waterloo back through cen » turies to Cressy and Agincourt , now trembles at the thought of 50 , 000 men landing on her own shores . The wealth which their whole souls have been absorbed in heaping up , and in the pursuit of which they have introduced a policy which has disarmed the masses , and all but emasculated them , now lies the easy prey of the first bold and unscrupulous enemy who chooses to stretch forth his hand to take it .

      Never was retribution more signal ! Theexclusivenessof the _aristocratical classes , and the selfishness of the middle classes , have both tended to one point . Neither of them dared to permit the masses , either to learn the use of arms , or to have them in their possession . They knew how they robbed them of their just rights , and under the influence of this conscience which makes cowards of us all , " they systematically and gradually repressed whatever military feeling or aptitude existed among the people . The militia have not been called up for years , and with the exception of a few gamekeepers , sporting men , and poachers , there are but few men in England who know how to hold or fire off a gun .

      This is a state of things which is disgraceful to the parties who have brought it about , and ought to be immediately remedied . We do not mean to advocate unlimited armies or expensive fortifications . That an increase in the regular forces may be neeessary , in the first instance , w e believe ; that extensive additions ought to be made forthwith in our coast de fences , is certain ; but our main reliance , and it ought also to be the great strength of the government , is in the people themselves . The best and surest defence of a nation will be found in giving its population an interest in defending it . " If tbe legislature is wise , it will knock down at at once all the barriers which

      exclude the masses from a full participation in political power . They will then feel that they are , in reality , free men , not slaves in the land of their birth . The next thing to be done is , to give each man " a stake in the public hedge . " Let him have something to defend , and teach him how to defend it . One hundred thousand small farmers , each having his homestead , and his three or four acres oi land to protect , and able to bring a stalwart

      son or two to the struggle , if necessary , would fee a more powerful and effective barrier against _invasion than twice the number of mere hirelings , however ably drilled and disci plined . If the agitation of the subject awaken the ruling classes to the dangerous and suicidal nature of their past policy , it will ! be a beneficial thing for all parties . Let them be assured that the thinking _working men of this country will not be induced to sacrifice themselves to

      prop up hereditary monopolies , or maintain the more galling and oppressive dominion of the traders , who coin their toil and sweat into gold , but leave them the merr offal as their

      National Defences. This Question Has Rec...

      reward . It matters little to whom they are 8 laves , «~ if slaves they arc to remain . The only true , substantial , and permanent course that can be adopted with safety to all classes , is to enfranchise ths whole people , and to direct the national resources as to give each father of a family the power of providing an honest subsistence for it in his native land , and then , come from what quarter they mig ht , the threats of invasion would " pas 3 by us as the idle wind which we respect not . ' *

      Public Revenue. The Revenue Returns For ...

      PUBLIC REVENUE . The Revenue Returns for the financial year and quarter , which were published on Thursday , show a very considerable falling off in amount . The decrease on the year as compared with 1846 , is 2 , 217 , 454 J . ; the decrease on the corresponding quarter l , 155 , 3 l 3 J ; the departments in which the greatest decrease has taken place are precisely those which are usually taken as an indication of the prosperous or adverse condition of the people—the Customs and the Excise . The decrease on the year in the Customs is 295 , 567 / ., in the Excise f of

      780 , 504 / ., considerably more than one . hal the total decrease . Looking at the quarter , we find that nearly one half of the total decrease in the Excise has occurred during the last quarter . This _shows that a great diminution of comforts and of necessaries must hare taken p lace amongst the working , and the less wealthy of the middle classes , and that the commercial crisis ha 3 heen gradually increasing its calamitous pressure upon the country . This state of the revenue will necessitate a revision of our system of taxation at an earl y period of the Session . We trust that the principle of direct taxation upon property will be still farther extended . If Sir R . Peel was

      in office it would be certain to be so ; but we much doubt whether Lord John and his wooden Chancellor have courage enough to venture upon such a course If they do not , but follow their old plan of resorting to temporary expedients to meet the urgencies of the moment , they will in due time find themselves in the same position as when they were driven from office in 1841 , hy the general consent of the people , and the propertied classes will be subjected to a much more stringent measure than probably even Peel would propose at the present time .

      Co Mmv& & Camsfuonbej: Re

      Co mmv & & _CamsfuonBej : re

      1m9cm.Uheobs. The Bbllt Op Fleet-Stimt.—...

      1 M 9 CM . UHEOBS . The Bbllt op _Fleet-stimt . —Mr Editor , for th » la » t _elevsn _yoars I have taken in the Wibklt _DiarATCH . and for the kit fire years I hare regular / y Sled that paper and have them in my possession , but having lately read their wilful abuse of F . O'Connor , Esq ., M . P .. I liave , from last Sunday , discontinued it , I have , for many years , read of ihe conduct of that gentleman , and have _nevar heard or read anything derogatory to hia character , and until he does something wrong I shall place implicit confidence in him ; I am now a _subicribor , as is also one of my children , to tbe Land Company , and the money I have _bsen paying for tha

      _Wssklt Dispatch I shall pay towards another two acre share for my other daughter , and if , through any unforeseen circumstances I should lose my money , I shall not grumble , as I am thoroughly convinced F . O'Connor's intentions are good , and , for the future , I shall be a constant reader of tho _Northesk Stab , Yours , truly , W . Smith , broker , Ledbury , Herefordshire . This is to certify that the above declaration ia perfectly correct in all its details . Jauxs _^ F . McCobjcaci . Amx . Huisb , Sec . Ledbury . J . DortE . —The time has gone by for any _ftirthor notice of the subject ef your letter . W . Haywood . —We hare sent your letter to the directors . We cannot answer questions which it is their business

      to answer . H . M . —No room . Chartists op _Gbsit UaiTAi » . «~ In a recant number of the Nonconformist we find the _ex-reverand proprietor indulging in malignant sneering at Mr O'Connor , for opposing the Coercion Bill for Ireland . As this man has twice been a candidatefor parliament , and _receired on each occasion Chartist support , I think it behoves us to inquire on what ground we are to assist in the election of a man that would attempt to _undervalue or depreciate Mr O'Connor . Reasoning by analogy , it is right to assume that the man who sneers at another for opposing any measuro would support such a measure if it were in his power . Now let me ask , what would your reflections be if this man had been in the house to hare swelled the Ministerial majority ? Would his rote for the Charter , or separation of Church and State , have been accepted as a compensation for such atrocity ? 1 _asa sure that you are too humane and disinterested to purchase support _onauch abominable conditions . Therefore , on all future occasions , let it be his _distinguished privilege to shift for himself , so far as you are concerned . In another part of the same paper you

      will find an account of a lecture _delirered in behalf of the new alliance , which was so powerfully spiced with scripture , that it fascinated the tender tripe of all men whose good fortune it was to hear the ' inspired messenger . ' Now , working men , if there is any one character more dangerous and contemptible than another , it is the canting mawworm who seeks to renew the union between politics and religion _. by quoting scripture and interlarding his political statements with dogmas of a theological character . Beware of such men , and shun them . E . Robertson , Plymouth . Shobeditch . —The suggested alteration in the petition has been forwarded to the Directors . 'Stabs' fob Ibeii and . —Henry _Hargreaveastronglyurpes tho English Chartists to send copies of the Stab to Ireland . Stabs _addrossed to Mr Samuel _Kushton , 31 _, Laneaster . street , York street , Belfast , wil be faithfully distributed . Thb 10 th of Januaby . — Members of the Land Company are hereby reminded , that all levies must be paid on or before tne loth _inst ., to entitle them to hare their names placed in th » ballot box , at tha balloting on the 17 th inst .

      P . w ., Printer . — In reply to his communication , Mr O'Connor is perfectly aware that one of the virulent oppononts of tho Land Plan is a notorious Sedomitc . W . Khodbb . —Members who have been fortunate in _tka ballot , must , of course , pay all _general andlocal levies Indeed , they , above others , are bound to pay them _, _iloaibers who have paid more than the sum required for expenses , must be allowed to remain uponjthe books ot the Company , until tb » expenses amount to the whole sum paid , when they will cease to have any claim . Onjc of thb Mob — Tha amount of snbscription to entitle to one year ' s membership in the National Charter Association is four shillings and twopence . The money to be sent to Mr C . Doyle , at the office of the National Land Company , from whom copies of the National Petition can bi had . _Micdabi . TV abb . —Vf e believe that Arthur O'Connor was arrested at Sheerness ,- he was tried at Maidstone . A _Qubkb Qmstion . —We commend tha following to the consideration of the friends of discussion who may ba hard _. up for a subject on which to try _thelr debating powers : — ' Sadford , Notts .

      • Sir , —Having received a Christmas gift , we wish to know if the Jaws of . equality would make any difference in the distribution of the gift between men and boys , or between superiority of labour 1 ' We are , truly yours , _'BiDfOBD _ChABTKIS , '

      Return Op Mr Charles Kban To The Haymark...

      RETURN OP MR CHARLES _KBaN TO THE HAYMARKET . Wo hail nith great pleasure the re-appearance of this eminent tragedian at tho _Haymarket on Monday evening nest . Mr Kean is an ootor whom the people ought to support , as be , more than any other man in his pro . _fassion , has been tho victim of Press-hostility , and Stage monopoly , —but by talent and perseverance ii conquering _ioth . His stylo is not conventional , ' out replete with _satural vigour , and _appaaling to the sound sense of tha many , net to the mawkWhuesB of the few . He deserves the support of the People .

      Ireland.—Opening Op The Special Commissi...

      IRELAND . —OPENING OP THE SPECIAL _COMMISSION . Tbe special commission for tho county of Limerick was opened on Tuesday last , in presence of the presiding Judges , tho Right Hon . Francis _Blackburne , Chief Justice of the Queen ' s Bench , and the Right Hon . D . R . Pigot , Chief Baron of tho Exchequer , After the charge was concluded , the grand jury immediately retired . Several bills of indictment were ready , and without much delay endorsed 'true . ' Among them were bills against tbe notorious R yan Pack , for murder , and three _othurs named Prewen , for harbouring him . All were arraigned together , and pleaded' Not Guilty . ' The trial of tho flrst . named prisoner was brought to a conclusion on Wednesday , when he was found guilty . Sentenee was deferred , but that sentence will be death .

      The First Soiree Of The Glasgow Afchenie...

      The first soiree of the Glasgow _Afchenieum wao held on Tuesday last , and the chair was taken on th « occasion by Mr Charles Dickens . Diraotions have been issued by the customs' authorities to admit all parcels of wild nutmegs , out of the shell , at tbe duty of 6 d . per lb . The island of _Barhadoes 1 * 9 eo densely populated that it contains a population of 731 inhabitants te the square mile . Thb _CoTTBttsAu ' Fibs . —The man who eet fire to Mr Mayle ' a premises has made an ample confession of his guilt . On Sunday night Wt , James _Hsyes , & native of _Grantcbester , who , up to the Satardfty preceding the fire , had been in Mr _Mayle ' s employ , called upon him and stated that he set fire to tbe premises , but that he had no particular motive in bo doingy nor did he tea ; any ill-will to bis _moater of whom and whoso _kindHCss he speaks ia the highest terms . Hayes was examined oa Monday _. and fully committed for trial at the assises .

      DssTRuenvB Fibb at Rothkrhiihb . — Shortly before one o ' clock on Friday morning a lamentable _destruction of _property occurred by fire in _Siran'slane , _Rotherhithe . It originated in ranges of car * _pentera ' shops , aud showed a light for miles round ihe metropolis ,

      At A Middle Class Meeting Kimt-^. Head. ...

      AT A MIDDLE CLASS MEETING _kimT- _^ . HEAD . GREAT PORTLAND . _STRPPP PORTLAND-PLACE , * i * _tk . £ , The question for discussion on Wedne » day _ereninir last was . 'Is it just to tax the present _seneratnn for debU contracted by our forefathers . ' 8 raBrauon - Mr Swain , in opening tho question stated thaf th _« _primogeaitur-e-peaple had done away with ' cn „ i goYernment , and gave us a dear one—had taken tha ! whole of the lands and divided them , so me _takimF a larger quantity than others ; next they took th « whole of the church property—654 monasteries in Eagland , 649 _monastenea in Ireland , % _& _$ _[*& . : „ England , 110 hospitals , 2 , 874 chanterie _. anTfa £ . hon . ii an in a *» rv _Enfflifth conntr . n »» . « . .

      ten miles , of those houses . Ut which property tha Duke of Bedford stands _M . 1 ; and the Spencers tbe Dukes of Northumberland , Devonshire , Beau ' fort , Somerset , Grafton , Norfolk , and Buckingham _, the Fitzwillianw , Radnors , Stanleys , _Lonsdales , 6 Vc ' & c , came in for very large slices of the plunder ' They had also divided between them the whole of the crown estates , and left the Queen nothing more than a pensioner upon the country , aa they have the poor , after robbing them of the church propert y from which the poor were relieved , before it W 3 j taken away , and the country had to pay from aix to eight millions of poor rates , a thing which waa never heard of until the plundering of the church property took place . They had like .

      wise taften possession of the woods and foreata and estates of tbe crown . In ten years , the returns of which were £ 78 , 13 f ; expenditure . £ 147 , 373 be ] ,, * a loss to the nation of £ 69 , 236 . This was the way they bad brought this nation into debt . The crown lands , if properly managed , would bring in twents millions a _jetr , When the people had made my complaint of this grievous wrong , they had had six acta passed to keep their tongues atill ; if they pressed them to pay the interest of this debt contracted ftr their sakes , they were told that they wanted to break national faith . Are the Jews and robbers of Changealley the only people that faith is to be kept with ? Is there nothing due to the _working millions i Why do not the peers give up the £ 3 , 733 , 336 which they

      have in places and pensions ; a sum amounting to as much as the whole poor rates of eighteen English counties and the whole of the twelve Welsh ? Was it just for the last generation to leave a debt bf eight hundred millions , they having the whole of the property in their hands , and call upon the present generation to pay it up with its interest , Persons offering to lend money to their country , and take interest for it , seemed as absurd as would be a father borrowing hia child ' s pocket money at interest ' when both were in great danger of wanting a _dinl ner . There was no national debt until the Dutchman came over . Tha 27 th of July , 1694 , was the sealed day for England ' s poverty ; that was the day en which began thepaper-m & neyand _fundinearstem .

      and Bank of _England scrip . £ 1 , 200 , 000 was lent to the _poTernment to go to war with their neighbours , and from £ 1 , 200 , 000 they have been increasing till it amounts to the present sum . Had they a right to make this debt ? He said not . The earth belonged to tbe LiriKO , not _totbe _dbad ; the will and powerof mas expired with his life ; _^ generation had the use of the earth during the period of its continuance ; when it ceased to exist the _usa passed to the next generation free , and of course unincumbered , and so on from one generation to another for ever . A generation have a right to bind themselves to anything with the consent of the majority , but they bad no right to bind __ the _succeeding generation . Ths laws of nature imposed no obligation oa us to

      pay this debt . Gentlemen , this debt had drenched the earth with blood and crushed the labouring people under burdens ever accumulating . The most potent objection to this system of borrowing by the nation , is that it created a mortgage upon the labour of posterity , for it was from the joints of national labour that ihe interest must be paid . There never waa upon earth any code of laws which made the children liable fer _| debts contracted by their fathers or parents , unless they left them something to pay with . To mortgage the future labour of a child to pay the interest and debts contracted before it was bora , was in fact making a slave of that child ; his body was no more hia own , than was that of ths

      bondsman . For thirty-one reigns , up to the end of George II ., 694 years , the expenditure only amounted to £ 705 , 000 , 000 ., an annual average of £ 1 , 146 , 598 . The expenditure of the reigns of George III . and IV . and William IV ., Beventy . sii years only amounted to £ 3 , 361 , 908 , 474 , or an annual average of £ 43 661 , 149 . IIow much longer would the people support such a system ? If this meeting would sanction this plundering funding system , let those who approved of it drop the name of freemen , and call themselves slaves . 'For myself , I am determined not to continue a slave by my own choice , and there is one man at least who is resolved no longer to be numbered among a herd of slaves , and that man is J . Swaih .

      Messrs . Nebdhau and Kemp followed , and agreed with Mr Swain , that the interest of the debt ought to be be laid upon tho property and not upon the labour of the country . Mr Bbal stated , that in former times , kings let out their lands to barons on condition that when ha summoned them , they should bring so many men to aid him in his wars , and the barons re-let on the same conditions ; but the landlords found that the charges were too much , and agreed to give tour shillings in the pound land tax , but that was not sufficient to pay for war , or the landlords did not keep up the _payment . He was against repudiation , and was for the debt being paid off . Messrs . Scarps and Richardson were against the right , and the other Mr Scarpe in favour of the right of one generation to leave debts for another to pay .

      Mi ! Suits took the same mvr aa Mr Swain , and made a very powerful _spsecb . Mr _Saukders was for truth and justice , therefore , he thought they had no right to leave a debt for him to pay interest on , hia father leaving him nothing to par with . Mr Chiiterh spoke in favour of tho debt , tad maintained that it ought to be paid by the country ; After others bad taken a part , Mr Swain replied . The vote was then taken , when only three hands were held up for the debt and funding system . All the others ( a large meeting ) were in favour of the poor labourers—to relieve them from paving any more .

      Migrainous Death.—An Inquest Was Held Be...

      Migrainous Death . —An inquest was held before Mr Bedford , at the Bedford Head , Maiden-lane , Covant-garden , en the body of Mr William Hancock _, aged sixty-seven , newsvender , & c . Tho deceased carried on business at 14 , Maiden-lane . In Oct ., 1849 , a cataract formed in both his eyes , for which he had since been under medical treatment . His affliction preyed upon his mind , and iu September last he attempted suicide by jumping off a Graresend ateamar into the river . On Wednesday morning , the 2 ? tu ult ,, his wife , on waKing , discovered deceased lying across the bed with his head hanging over the side and a deep wound is his throat . Mr

      _Inompson , surgeon , ef Tavistock-street , was sent for , and sewed up the wound , and deceased seemed to bo recovering . On Sunday evening he became much excited , the wound gaped open again , and Mr Thompson was fetched , but he died shortly afterwards . The wound had been inflicted with a table knife . Mr Thompson not undertaking to say that the wound ( which had escaped the large vessels ) was the cause of death , which might have ensued from some internal disease , the coroner thought it important that the memory of deceased should not be branded with the crime of _selt . murder , and adjourned the inquiry for the purpose of a post mortem examination of the body .

      _Cohmtiok or the _Working Classbs . —In Rochdaleand Middletop unemployed factory hands may still be seen strolling about the streets begging , but there is a prospect of some of the factories that have been standing being set to work . Last week , the machinery in the two factories occupied by Messrs . James Prockter and Sons , who lately stopped payment , has been sold , and the purchasers , it is said , are going to commence working the concern . Tbe theatre was opened last week , but out of five nights , for which performances were advertised , there were only three on which the actors appeared . On the others , the few persons that attended had their money returned to them , as it waa useless acting to empty beacb . es . _Tkia arises entirely from stagnation in trade . When _timee are good , the Rochdale theatre is almost supported by gallery _attenders , but short time and bad trade have crippled the means of both .

      SioKEsmT .-About one hundred printers , _machme-men , binders , stitchers , and folders , empleyed at Mr Pratt ' wholesale printing establishment , partook ot tea on the 31 st ultimo , provided by Mrs Pearson , the White Swan Inn . The evening was spent to the satisfaction of all _SBBlOtm _ACCIDBNT At THB _EUHOH-EftUiKB _STATION Oi ; THB _NORTH-WlSTBRK RAILWAY COMPASY .-On _ifcursday morning , at about _half-past ten o ' clock , an accident , which might have been attended with very _senous consequences , occurred at the North-Western _Kailway Station , Euston Square . For Borne time past , there have beea erecting at the station extensive ranges oi new buildings for the use of tha ? K mF ' n _¥ _l ° ] _DK 8 are being ereoted by me Messrs Cubitt , and are now approaching their completion . This morning _auddenly the whole ef _ian _^ _rit n _^ L . _^ 9 newI _* -ereoted vestibule , which is nearly completed , gay * way , and fell with a terrifis

      _EToi _i , Ury , ng m tU , e ru eleyen Pen" ** ( men _»»* boys ) who wereemployed in its ereoUon . _AssiatonM _fo _« i , w iate K P i r ? » and the unfortunate _suf-It _^ 211 SS * e _^™? ted _f «> m tbe ruins , were at once conveyed to the hospital . Three of them _S 2 i ? _W- _f 8 l , Eh H ? I _*»» _aWa * once to _pmoeed to their homes , tho remainder were taken into K ? _£ andon 90 _fto 9 BDftt _^^ A public _mating of the City women ' s men will be held at the Bull and Bell , _RopemaWatreet , FiMbury , on Monday evening , January 17 th . The Sta ?« ney shoemakers will meet at the Globe and Friends , m i 3 tb J " roa ( i Ea , t ' Tuea < iay oveBiD 5 » Ja _"

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 8, 1848, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_08011848/page/4/