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Northern Star (1837-1852), 20th January 1849, Edition 3 of 3, Page 4

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    • LITER IM INSTITUTION, J011S ST11EET, FITZROY SQUARE.
    • THE NORTHERN STAB. SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1849.
    • ©o crovreepott tsent^.
  • Adverts (12)
  • Text (10)
  • Transcript

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      Ciple Is Acted Upon. Ihese Authorities U...

      January 20 , 1849 . 4 THE NORTHERN STAR ,. _^ --= — . ***

      Liter Im Institution, J011s St11eet, Fitzroy Square.

      LITER IM INSTITUTION , J 011 _S ST 11 EET , FITZROY SQUARE .

      Ad00411

      QUBJECTS OF FOUR ORATIONS ; j" _5 to be delivered hy Thokas _Cooveb , author of "The Purgatory of-Saicides _, " On Tuesday _Evenings , during January , 1-S 4 J _*; ia aid of the Xationjx Victim Fcsd , for which _purneEcHr . Cooper p resents Ids gratuitous _seirices . Jan . 23 rd . —The English Commonwealth : Spirit of its founders , and the causes of their _struggle : Lawless Despotism of Charles : ! . : ' 3 ) eath ofthe Patriot Eliot , iu the Tower : eharles _' s last Parliament : Open Quarrel -irithtdt : the King erects Ids Standard at _Xottio-cha-a : Battles of

      Ad00412

      A PARLIAMENTARY SOIREE 1 AM ) A 1 TULIC MEETIXG . wUl behcldst THE _irTEUARA j 5 b _scieSo _issmnrwx _, ** _£ - _¦ _£ «•• ilto _^ vitld _» _.,-. to . _& _--T . _s- . Duncombe . Ese ,.. F . O'Connor , Esq ., _TtM _^ nTL ,, J . _« f "" j _^" _t . _™ y Esq ,, C _Zudunston , E * 3 ! , C . Hindley , _tso _,, _** . J . _tox , Esq ., and Colonel Thompson . The fi >] Jo »«! _i ; r _gentlemen will : ilso . lie present : —Messrs . Ross . Ilarm-y , M'Grath , DLv . n , _Clark-andiKydd . Tea on table at half-past six < j _* clocl _:,. and die meeting to commence at eight Tickets for tea and meeting , ls . each . _TiclJCts for tea and meeting , ls . each , may be had at the Institution , the Land Company ' s Office , tlie Northern Star Office , and of all the local secretaries .

      Ad00413

      WHO WANTS A FRIEND ?—The Gateshead Observe * says of the Famiit Friexv , that" The boys aHd girls will like it . for it contains good stories ; the young ladies _will like it for the _salce of its pretty _jioetij , ami it * receipts for fancy work ; the JulUJg men * nill lifce it . for it smacks of science ; tlie women , will like it , for it _nbouuds in useful household receipts ; the men will like it . for it treats of _^ _ardetanj * and natural history , and _advisis wives to be kind to their . husbands ; those vibo love amusement will like it , for it swarms with conundrums ; everybody will likfe it . for it lias : ¦ . comer for even-bout * und iiobudy need fear to fiudiiiiy harm iu it . " Published by Houlston and . Stoneman , Paternoster-row , Xondon : and may be obtained of any bookseller . Price I'd . monthly . Thirty-two pages , in neat magaziiw form . The Renfrewshire * AovEitrisEa says , "It is a literary miracle in regard to cheapness . ' _Xcflriv one hundred newspapers hare already spoken of it in similar terms . Tie wort commences tne _' nerr Tear .

      Ad00414

      _PAIJfE'S BIRTHDAY . A rUBLIC DINNER to Commemorate the Birthday of the above eminent patriot will take place on Monday , the 29 th inst , at the Seven Stars , Sarker-gate , _SotWig ham . Tickets are now ready ( One Shilling each ) , and can be obtained of Mr , Thornton , as above , or of Mr . Sweet , News-agent Early application is necessarv as only a limited number can be accommodated .

      Ad00415

      TO BE SOLD , BY A PARTY about to Emigrate , several Four and Two-Acre Paid-up Shares in the _National Land Company , at a most reasonable price . Apply ( post paid ) to J . Chapman , 23 Court , High-street , Birmingham .

      Ad00416

      UNDER ROYAL _PATRONAGE .

      Ad00417

      Ad00418

      The extraordinary properties of fills medicine are thus described by au eminent physician , who says : — " After particular observation of the action of Pakb ' s _' _Pilis , I am determined , in my opinion , that the following are their true properties : — "First—They increase the strength , whilst most other medicines have a weakening effect upon the system . Let any one take irom three to four or six pills every twentyfour hours , and , instead of having weakened , they will be found to have revived the animal spirits , aud to have imparted a lasting _strength to the body . " Secondly—Iu their operation they go direct to the _disease . After you liave taken six or twelve pills tou wiU experience their effect ; tlie disease upon you will " become less and less by every dose you take ; and if you will persc-Tere iu regularly taking from three to air pills every day , your disease will speedily be entirely removed from the ? stem .

      Ad00419

      IMPORTANT NOTICE . NEW YEAR'S GIFTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE WIVES ASD FAMILIES OF THE CHARTIST VICTIMS . THE PRESENTS ALREADY RECEIVED 1 ar exceeding in number and value what was anticipated ( with promise of numerous others ) and as manv ofthe ticket * still remain unsold the committee have decided ou postponing the final disposal of the < _lifts till

      Ad00420

      rpHE PARTHENEITM CLUB HOOMS -1- being closed for the present against public meetings , tlie members of the Westminster locality will meet on Sunday , the 20 th inst , at the Progression Coffee-house , 17 , Kider ' s-ooiu-t , Leicester-square , at half-past seven precisely in the evening , when arrangements for securing a commodious place for future meetings will be taken intoconsidoration . After the biminess is disposed of , Mr . S . Kydd will address tlie meeting .

      Ad00421

      THE FRENCH REPUBLIC . THE FRATERNAL DEMOCRATS totend to celebrate tlie first anniversary ofthe _Glokious Three D . trs or Febkuinr by A PUBLIC SOIREE AND BALL , At the _Literabt axd Scientific _iN-STrc-rnoN , _Johs-strebt _, _ToTTENnAM-cocET-ROAD , on Monday , February Q Gth , W 49 . V Further particulars in future _advertissments . tfC Tlie Committee of the Fraternal Democrats invite the attendance of delegates or friends from tlie several metropolitan localities to a committee meeting ( to make ar . _ramfements for the ahove festival ) on Sunday evening January 28 th , at six o clock , at Colliver ' s _Coffct Rooms , HolyweU-street , near St Clement ' s Church . Strand .

      Ad00422

      Now Ready , a New Edition of MR . O'CONNOR'S WORK ON SMALL FARMS

      The Northern Stab. Saturday, January 20, 1849.

      THE NORTHERN STAB . SATURDAY , JANUARY 20 , 1849 .

      Labour And Thk Land. We Recommend The Le...

      LABOUR AND THK LAND . We recommend the letter of Mr O'Connor in this week ' s " Star" to the attentive perusal , not of the labourer , the mechanic , or the tradesman alone , but to the shopkeeper , the merchant , the banker , and the minister— -as , gloss it over or nibble at it as they may , and however the Press of the dominant parties may seek to veil it over , the Labour _Question , in its simple and legitimate aspect , is now the all-absorbing topic of consideration with all classes * and just in proportion to the labourer ' s knowledge will be the legislator ' s practice . The day has gone by when the means of

      accomplishing any benefit for the working classes shall be a sufficient inducement to the millions to rall y around those who require but the means through power to accomplish the promised end . Emancipation , Heform , Free Trade , and all the blessings emanating from Reform , have been so many wholesome cautions to the working classes , who can no longer be fascinated by the most enthusiastic promises of those who use excitement for the purpose of achieving power , and power , when achieved , as the engine to suppress , not excitement , but the mere expression of public opinion .

      It is an irrefutable fact , that the Whigs , when struggling for power , have most strenuously advocated every measure for seeking the accomplishment of which their dupes have been made the object of their vengeance . This constitutes the difference between men seeking power and men exercising power ; while the justification of the tyrant resolves itself into this : "Yes yes ; we admit the justice of your claim , but we deny your right to accomplish it by force or violent language , " while they appear to forget that tbis very plea of justification is an admission either of their own incapacity as Ministers to carry out their own principles , or that , as tools in the hands of trading supporters , they mu 6 t surrender princi ple to party feeling .

      If the Chartist movement can Jay claim to more thaa ordinary shrewdness , discrimination , and judgment , it will ever be found in the fact that its propounders have enunciated not only a mere political principle , but the social advantages which are to result from its accomplishment j and if the English people cannot boast of the same traditionary or existing character for valour and heroism

      as their continental neighbours , and however apathetic they may occasionall y appear to the squinting eye of tbe casual observer , they > re , nevertheless , better instructed in the Labour Q uestion than the people of any other country in the world ; and in exact proportion to their knowledge of the Labour Question will be their ambition to achieve political power as the means to the end .

      It is very amusing to read the several complicated Budgets of the several financiers , with the varied comments of the several journals of the several parties . Mr Cobden propounds an understandable Budget—a corruption-slaying , because a _patronage-destroying Budget , which the " Times" and " Chronicle , " like larks flying at an eagle , attempt to weaken , while they strengthen every one of his positions . U pon the other hand , all anxious

      to fl y their own straw before the wind , accept as a set-off against Mr Cobden ' s Budget the most airy and metaph y sical nothings that could spring from the brain of the most fanciful fairy . Thus , while all admit the necessity of considerable reduction , while all disagree as to the point of attack , we find the _«« Chronicle" parading a letter from Mr . Wm . Ray Smee to Mr . Cobden , in large type , pro . posing , as a substitute for his Budget , a tax of £ 5 , 177 , 000 upon the very poorest and most

      Labour And Thk Land. We Recommend The Le...

      strugglingof all classes , namely , a tax npon the incomes of all persons having over £ 50 ayear . Now , as our ma xim ever has been " Justice to all and Injustice to none ; " to make the rich richer and the poor rich by the most profitable cultivation ofthe national resources , measured by state necessity , and not class cupidity , we would as readily resist such an act of gross

      tyranny and oppression in the case of the poor householder , as in that © f the poor labourer . This fascinating financier , Mr . Smee , proposes no diminution of patronage , but a mere transfer of burthens from the untaxed luxuries pf the rich to the taxed necessaries of the poor . And he appears to imagine that the Exchequer is like the HORN OF _AMALTtfEA , — the more that is extracted frem it the ' more

      still remains . Mr . Smee proposes to light the candle at both ends , as he appears ignorant of the fact that one of the great evils of direct taxation , when unjustly assessed , is the diminution of profit arising from indirect taxation , while , on the one hand , the injustice of indirect taxation , in many cases , amounts to a prohibition of the use of the taxed article , which may be a necessary of life , upon the other hand , direct taxation , when charged upon real property , spurs the owners of that property on to

      economy , and the desire to save by the abolition of indirect taxation an equivalent for the amount directly levied ; and thus , being the paymasters and caterers for their own whims , necessities , caprices , and protection , they would very speedily see our inordinate Army , Navy , Ordnance , Governmental and Patronage figures , through Mr . Cobden's telescope , which would then , as if by magic , receive an additional magnifier , instead of , as now , enjoying the view as presented in the Press kaleidiscope .

      In the nibble at Mr . Cobden ' s Budget , on Thursday , the " Times ? while attempting to shake his position , gives us a most fearful catalogue ofthe increased extravagance of the present Government . The " Times'' tells us : "That there has been an increase ol ' one million eight hundred and fifty thousand nine hundred and eighteen pounds upon twenty-eight items , since 1835 , and the first item in the Budget is 66 , 1231 . on Public

      Buildings and Royal Palaces ; the public buildings constituting a very insignificant fraction in this item . " Nurseries for the royal babies in Buckingham Palace , 30 , 000 / . Additional expenditure on the Houses of Parliament , 55 , 5341 . " And with characteristic and unblushing effrontery , the "Times , " in its comment upon this item , illustrates the strength and stability of the British constitution , and the _gullibility of John Bull , in these words : —

      " AND , KNOWING AS WE DO THE VALUE OF EXTERNALS , WE CANNOT QUARREL WITH ITS CHOICE . " ; There is the cocked hat on the barefooted man ! There is the gilded external to mask the internal rubbish I There is the gaping eye gratified at the expense of an empty pocket ! There is John Bull ' s gilded toy ! Next we have 131 , 000 / . expended upon Harbours of Refuge , with mere lives sacrificed than

      ever ! Then an increase of 193 , 149 / ., since 1835 , for Poor Law Commissioners , with more paupers , more complaints , worse management , more deaths , infants huddled five in a bed , with male infants as their nurse tenders , and a human butcher receiving 3 , 600 / . a-year for the trade , while those tender Guardians , who have relieved their own charnel houses of the burthen , are more to blame than Mr . Dreuet , because it was their duty to see to proper accommodation for , and the proper treatment of , those children .

      The next item is an increase of 40 , 268 / . for Coining Money in the Mint—that is , for altering the standard , The next is for Railway Commissions , or , otherwise , agencies , and inspections for the wealthy , paid by the poor , 10 , 6701 . The next item is for Parliamentary Printing and Stationary , which the "Times '' ad-, mits i 9 colossal—302 . 362 _Z . being an increase of nearly 107 , 000 / . over 1835 . The next item is for the Commission ef Public Works in

      Ireland , 40 . 800 / ., being an increase of about 37 , 000 / . over 1835 , and the work being building bridges where there were no rivers , or rather , projecting bridges where there were no rivers , and roads where there was no traffic . The next is an awful item—an item furnishing the strongest conviction of the injustice of the Government , the horrors of the system , and the increasing inducements to crime— -it is 42 , 707 / . increase in law charges , which should be translated into " Government persecution . "

      But this is but a small item , for it is foi lowed by an increase of 238 , 000 / ., since 1835 , for prosecutions , prisoners , and Irish Constabulary , thrown upon the public in compliance with the Report of Lord Devon ' s Land Commission . What a characteristic solution of the Land Question is the increase of 238 , 000 / . per annum for prisoners , prosecutions , and Constabulary . The expense of prisons , since 1835 , has increased by nearly 65 , 000 / . ; and the "Times ' ' tells us that , "Ifanybody will cut down this figure , he will earn the eternal gratitude of the nation . " We shall riot receive the gratitude of the " Times , " but our plan for the correction of the evil is—locate the people upon the land of their birth , and you not only cut down but dissolve the figure .

      The next item furnishes another strong proof of the guilt of the Government and the horrors of the system which , impelled good men to the commission of crime ; convicts at home and abroad have mounted from 111 , 306 / . in 1835 , to 370 , 000 / . in 1848 , thus showing' an increase of nearly 277 , 000 / . The Police of Dublin has risen from 16 , 000 / . to 36 , 000 / ., showing an increase of 20 , 000 / . per annum , snd , of course , a corresponding increase of crime , as the necessity of the force depends upon the commission of crime , and the recipients ofthe funds are the greatest inciters to its commission .

      We next come to the sunny side of the " Times " Bud get , and it is most _characterise _, cally introduced . The " Times' says , " We now come to more agreeable subjects . It has latel y occurred to the Legislature that perhaps education may supersede punishment , and schools stand instead of prisons . So on English education we have an increase of 95 , 000 / . on Irish an increase of 85 , 000 / ., and for Schools of Design a new item of 10 , 000 / . We can only say of the scheme ' Felix _faustumque sit . '

      The Irish mode of answering a question is to ask another _. and in turn we ask the " Times , " ifthe most subtle lawyer could supply stronger proof of the guilt of the Government » We are told that it has «• LATELY occurred to the Legislature that PERHAPS education may supersede PUNISHMENT , and SCHOOLS stand instead of PRISONS . " It is the Whig maxim from beginning to end . « When the steed is stolen shut the stable door , " and instead of "Prevention being better than cure ;" the cure comes when the disease is incurable , but when its tardy and useless application may supp l y patronage to the physicians .

      The next item is the charge for the British Museum , which is an increase of over 60 , 000 / . The next is for the Museum of Practical GeoI -7 * 10 , 978 / . The next is for New Zealand and our ether New Colonies , 45 , 130 / . this is only to nurse them in their infancy . The next is for Consuls in China and some expenses in Hong Kong , 49 , 400 / . The next is for Militia and Volunteers in Canada , 16 , 000 ? . The next is for Navigation and Drainage in Ireland , 32 , 000 / . The next is Ambassadors ' Residences in Constantinople and Madrid 15 , ooo / . ; while our ambassador has been kicked out of Madrid , and the amount would build 150 cottages for peasants at home The next is Medals or the Army and Navv 22500 / . _ThefinishisforSteam Navi gation fo India , 50 , 000 * ., and the grand total of increase

      Labour And Thk Land. We Recommend The Le...

      since 1835 , thirteen years erf Peace , RETRENCHMENT , and Reform , is ONE MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND EIGHT EEN POUNDS , „ r as much as would locate , each year eleven thousand five hundred and _«^« _£ _Papers up * n two acres of land , at 3 W . an acre , _wtth cottage at lOOfc . and thus at five to a mmily , snatch fifty-seven thousand eight hunhulkthe prison and

      dred and fortv from the , _theerave , and return an annual rental of one ntS \ nd fifteen thousand _« _JJj toJ and eighty pounds ; as no occupant would re Si to w , or be unable to pay , 10 / . a-year for hb netting . In conclusion , we need only observe , that ifthe Budgets are "" tende d a * spurs fox * the electoral body , Mr . Smee ' . , Budget will receive but little favour in the eyes of that numerous class of householders who now enjoy exemption from the Income

      Tax but who would then come within its _fan's . The Land , therefore , we say , and the proper application of domestic labour to its cultivation , is the only hope for Labour and can be the only salvation ofthe Labourer .

      Prince Louis Napoleon And

      PRINCE LOUIS NAPOLEON AND

      THE LAND . Prince Louis Napoleon , like other exile s , when the prisoner of Louis Philippe , was sneered at and scoffed at by the adherents of that old woman , and , mayhap , like many other exiles , there was a latent genius and talent in the enemy which caused dread and consternation to his jailor . Our main objection to ,

      and charge against , the present French President was , that while he encouraged the battle of Labour against monopoly in France , he enlisted as a Special Constable in the ranks of the monopolists in England that was our ground of objection , and a justifiable one ; but , unlike other censors , if subsequent events should tend to alter our opinion , we shall ever have the courage and manliness to con

      fess our error . Some subsequent facts and some previous facts have induced us to considerably moderate our suspicions of the character and capacity of the French President . The subsequent events are , that in defiance of the opposition of his Minister he has proclaimed a very extensive amnesty to political offenders—as the brave men whe fought for their liberties , and achieved his elevation , are designated—while the previous fact is , that while the French President was a prisoner in Ham he wroto a little book , entitled

      , « EXTINCTION OF PAUPERISM , " and which , upon former occasions , we have reviewed , but not to the extent to which its increased merit , by the increased ability ofthe writer to carry his views into practice , would entitle it . As a matter of course , none but a practical agriculturist can be expected to _' supply a practical treatise upon agriculture while , upon the other hand , if a person having extensive power , advocates a theory of the

      practical working of which he is ignorant , there is little doubt but practical men will be selected to carry out his theory . And while the question of the Land , and its more equitable distribution , is now becoming the allabsorbing topic , not with tbe Old World only , biit in America as well , the op inions of the French President upon the subject cannot be considered without due and paramount impor tance being attached to them .

      We do not wholly acquiesce in the means proposed by the Prince for carrying out his ai » riraU , ufal operations , as the management smacks strongly of military discipline , and unequal and disadvantageous co-operation . Nevertheless , we acquiesce cordially in the principle , feeling convinced that , as with all other undertakings , time and experience will correct inaccuracies , fallacies , and bad management .

      But , then , shall we be obliged hereafter to refer to out old maxim , " That there is a wide difference between men seeking for power and the same men exercising power when achieved . " If not , and should the Pr ' nce carry out the principle very fervently and very ably advocated in _liis treatise > of the appropriation of Land to the Peasant Popula tion , we shall hail the little production as a great Godsend . Next week we shall publish

      this little Treatise , entire , in the " Northern Star , " and thus save the reader the price of the book , which is sixpence . With the statistical tables furnishing a calculation of the expences and receipts of an agricultural colonythe whole will not occupy more than about four columns , and its attentive perusal and study will amply repay the reader . And as we feel no small pride in our bantling , we feel no jealousy towards those who would dress it according to their own " Fashion Boek . "

      It was written in 1844 , and from its perusal the English reader will be able to form an estimate of the value of the reviled Land Plan , while we can proudly call his attention to the strict identity between our views upon the subject , and those portions of the Prince ' s which are practicable . However , not wishing to be monopolists of the subject , we luxuriate and revel in the conviction , that ere long every journal in the kingdom will adopt our old principles , not as their new , but as their infant convictions , basing their heretofore opposition or silence upon the ignorance of the people , or that the time for experimentalising had onl y just arrired .

      We will cheerfully accept any change as proof of repentance , and will as cheerfully grant absolution to our revilers , when their influence is directed—no matter how late—to the accomplishment of Labour ' s emancipation , and the establishment of Britain ' s real g lory , as our rulers may rest assured , that , to the proper cultivation of our national resources , they must now look , as their only hope of redemption from rain and national bankruptcy .

      Prince President , carry out your Land Plan . Turn the sword iato the ploughshare . Surround your dignity with grateful hearts instead of bristling bayonets , and then , rel y upon it , that however the struggle may come , between Monarchy and Republic ; Pretender or Legitimists , that your pretension will be stronger , firmer , and more legitimate , than the right divine of him who would support his title under God b y the slaying ofGed ' s children ; and that France , through you , will furnish to the world the true and just solution of the Labour Question ; and that the English Minister will find it very difficult to extract from John Bull the means of deposing one whose object is the elevation of his countrymen .

      Ministerial Changes And Policy. The Rece...

      MINISTERIAL CHANGES AND POLICY . The recent death of Lord Auckland , First Lord of the Admiralty , and the approach of the Session of Parliament for 1849 , seem at length to have restored the suspended animation of a _Cnbuiet , never too buoyant or lively . As yet we have no definite indication of the policy with which Lord John Russell proposes to open the session . The official circular he has issued to Members sitting on the official side of the . House , states that "business of great importance will be proceeded with in the opening ofthe session , " and his Lordshi p therefore hopes " it will be convenient" for those Members to attend in their places on the first of February .

      , _^ « rn b y Past experience the propensity ofthe Whigs to palm eff upon the country shams and trifles , as" business of great importance , whenever they think they can do so successfully , we must wait until the Ministerial programme is made public , before we can judge what Lord John considers " business of great importance / - ' Heaven knows there is

      Ministerial Changes And Policy. The Rece...

      a h _ltantime , some circumstances have trlpuea which _ttwow an _^ _f _^ £ uponVhe Premiers r _™ _ton _m & _* _g _^ if not his actual policy , and which _f _™ _£ _™* he is by no means confident of his « f _J" " _^ or that he possesses the strength _^ requisite to withstand the middle class oppo sition , _ both on financial and political questions , with wluui he is threatened in the ensuing session .

      Lord Auckland ' s decease offered an opportunity of _proriding additional emolument and patronage to some of the members „ m Mr . O _sbornq so frequently called the the Happy Family , " of which nothing but very strong reasons indeed could have prevented them from taking advantage . Had the Whig clique found themselves at all in an easy position , there can be no doubt , that the father-in-law of the Premier , and powerful chief of the lucky tribe of Elliots , would have been transferred from the snug berth of of the Privy Seal—to the better paid

      Keeper Situation of First Lord of tbe Admiralty . This would , of course , have made room for some other member of the " Happy Family , " and a step u pwards to several , as the pleasant consequences of the vacancy . But Lord John , on mustering his troops and recollecting the wretched figure they cut last year , felt like Falstaff , ashamed of marching _^ _through Coventry with such a " shaky lot . " However disagreeable to share the patronage , emoluments and influence _; of office , yet , that is better than to lose them altogether , and , under this impression , his lordshi p sent last

      week to Netherby Hall for the assistance of Sir James Graham . That Right Hon . Bart _, lost no time in answering the summons . Wnhin three hours of its receipt , he left Carlisle by the first train for London _. and had an immediate interview with Lord John . It is understood that the Premier then offered him the office of First Lord of the Admiralty . " This offer " says a ministerial journal , " was made in a spirit of frankness and good feeling , with a sincere desire to bury in oblivion all past

      differences , which may have interrupted the harmony of men now holding the same opinions , and which are prejudicial to the permanent interests of the country . " It is not quite clear whether the •• past differences" or the present " opinions'' of Lord John Russell and Sir J . Graham " are prejudicial to the permanent interests ofthe country . " If our interpretation was to be depended upon , it would be the latter , and . at all events , whether it is the grammatical reading of the official sentence , there can be no doubt as to its correctness in

      fact . Sir James , we are told by the same authority received "the offer with a perfect acknowled gment of the public motives which had suggested tht proposal , although , after some consideration , he declined to accept ir . " The reasons why he is said to have done so , have oozed out through other channels . The Netherby Baronet , whatever may be his defects asa politician , is at all events a thorough man of business ; and he is said to have made as a condition of his acceptance of office , the kicking out of a few of the imbeciles and incapables who now cumber the Treasury Bench , and the substitution of Mr . Sidney Herbert , Mr . Card well , and others ofthe Peel party in their p / aces .

      This would have amounted , in fact , to a coalition of the Whigs and Peelites , and that upon terms which , while it left ihe nominal Premiership with the Whigs , must , from the greater ability and administrative talent of the Peel section , have given them tbe real preponderance . It is now well known that Sir R . Peel has a decided intention not to accept office again . What so natural as that his Home Secretary— -a man who has served a long apprenticeship to the art of governing , and who undoubtedly occupies the second place in his party—Bhould aspire to the position of Premier ?

      But Lord John , though quite willing upon public measures to accept the assistance of Sir James Graham , so long as it might have the tendency to strengthen the position of himself and friends as occupants of the Treasury Bench , had his " privatemotives" for declining to be got rid of hy a side wind in this dexterous manner , the negotiation therefore ended in nothing , although at the commencement of his

      present term of office his Lordship offered seats to Lord Lincoln , Lord Dalhousie , and Mr . Sidney Herbert , two of whom he now declines to admit to power . It is clear he is sadly in want of the assistance of the party but wishes to keep them subordinate . It is equally clear that they have no intention of playing second fiddle to such a shabby and inferior clique of officials as Lord John has now about him .

      Thus this chance for an accession of strength to the ricketty Cabinet has passed away ; nobody will imagine that the filling up of the vacant place with Sir F . Baring—the Chancellor ofa former Whig Government , who will be known to posterity as having " fished for a budget in a bottomless sea of deficiency , " will add one iota of real power to the present Administration . We must be prepared to expect the same gross blunders in the commonest details of every-day business , the same laying fast and loose with principle wbich has distinguished this most ignorant and most tricky Administration ever since its inauguration . It came into office upon false pretences , and it can only retain power by similar means .

      One significant admission creeps out in these Ministerialnegociations , which must not be forgotten . Lord John distinctl y avows that Sir James Graham and himself " now hold the same op inions ; " the inference is , that the parties more immediatel y connected with these two leaders possess an equal identity of opinion . We may therefore expect , in the ensuing session , to find them upon every great question in the same lobby on a division , and in every debate doggedly opposing both fiscal and political Reform .

      In fact , Lord John , by proposing this coalition , has indirectl y but unmistakeabl y proclaimed war with the Financial Refcirm Association led by Mr . Cobden , and the Household Suffrage Movement under Mr , Hume . So far as he and his party , backed by Peelites and Protectionists , can prevent it , this country shall neither have cheap Government , nor such organic changes as will give the people a real control over the management of its affairs . Time will show who is to conquer ; but , meanwhile , it is just as well that there should be no mistake about the character and intentions of those with whom we have to wage the approaching conflict .

      The Tooting Pestilence. " To Shut The St...

      THE TOOTING PESTILENCE " To shut the stable door when the steed is stolen , " is a species of wisdom with which we are familiar in this countiy . It does not matter how palpable and _dangerous anv institution or practice may be , so iong as it does not take away life , or otherwise inflict material injury ; but the moment that takes place , which everybody might hare foreseen as the inevitable consequence of not taking measures to prevent them from doing mischief—the whole machinery of our Courts , from the Co ¦ _roner-- upwards , is put in motion to ascertain who is to blame in the matter . Would it not be much better , much cheaper , and more satisfactory , to prevent the _iihlrf bdn

      ft appears , that the anomalous and _diseraco fid nature ofthe pauper farms did not rS to be demonstrated bv surh •> fiJ-f ¦ i q _jenoeana appal | _i „ & _, _*** _« £ has taken p lace amone th * _« uiu , « V , out" at Tooting . _ThVp 0 „ r _? re fa e its attention caged to t £° ub _^ t _^^ _2 ltc ru ? _? u _* ham Is _LnT /) f 0 ; adults , _mwluch the same - farming" _prin-

      The Tooting Pestilence. " To Shut The St...

      ciple is acted upon . Ihese authorities u asked the p lain question , " Whether establish * ments connected with Poor Law TJrii ' wherein the poor are farmed , came under \\ ' control and inspection of the Poor _lJ Board ?" One would have thoug ht this so plai question , that an answer to it would have | ) e no difficult matter ; but the fear of be - _" saddled with the responsibility which a dire ( ft affirmative would have involved , [) roil _^ onlv evasive replies from the Board , until , at last , Lord Ebrington was driven into the ad . _, „ _,.,. , _^ ___ ___ ____

      mission , that , " upon & strict construction ,, * the Act , the Board may possibl y possess < rig ht of control over such _establishment . " " But , ' ' added his Lordship , " as the contra _^ and his servants ' cannot be held to he | , aj officers within the terms of the Act , * _tj _, Board could not , without great practical « Uffi . culty , subject such establishments to its regn lations "—ergo , the farmers of juvenile -, _„„* adult poverty may do aa they like ior th 6 Board . Mr . Hall , the Poor Law Ins _' _ieetor for the Metropolitan District , who was Pxa mined at the inquest held on some of the

      children belong ing to the Holborn Union , re peated in sub stance the same opinions . _•« t 0 the non-responsibility of the Poor Law i _' _j and its officers with respect to these places . He had visited Drouet ' s Pauper Warren at Tooting , misnamed an Asylum , but it was more as an informant or spy for the Poor Law Board , than as one having authorit y to alter or amend anything he might see wrung . The only course which this official and his superiors could think of to ensure good

      treatment to the swarming hundreds who were crammed into an insufficient space , was to bribe Mr . Drouet with an annual grant of 260 _? ., for what was called " educational purposes . " Money-bribery is the great Whig instrument for every kind of difficulty—whether it * is to keep a nation quiet by bribing its priests , or to _ind'ice a farmer of paupers to do his duty to the helpless mass of orphanhood and poverty committed to his charge , the means are tVie same . If Drouet had taken the menev , tim

      they would have assumed a power over him which , according to their own showing- , would , even then , have had no clear foundation in law . A much more direct and effectual method of dealing with the monstrous abominations generated in such establishments , was pointed out by Mr . Hall in the same evidence . He said that the Poor Law Board undoubtedl y p 0 s . sessed the power of issuing a peremptory order forbidding the farming out of pauper children , and the withdrawal of all those so farmed out . If that had been done in November , when Mr . Hall paid his last official visit to Tooting , and

      warned Drouet that his so-called asylum _« as then over-stocked—that the children Here sleeping three in a bed , contrary to hw , which prohibits more than _t-vo children above seven years of age in one bed—that the ventilation was defective , and no means provided , whereby even the scanty dietary professedl y given , could be ensured to the children—if , we say , Mr . Hall had then induced the Poor Law Board to issue such " a peremptory order /' -it would have shut up the pest-house at Tooting , and saved the lives of the children , who in January were stricken down in hundreds by the pestilence , generated by the causes enumerated .

      The inquiry i s s till pending , and it is there . fore improper to anticipate what the verdict of the Coroner ' s Jury may be , as to the propor . tion in which the culpability and the responsi . bility have to be shared among the Contractor , the Boards of Guardians and the Poor Law Board . There can , however , be no doubt tha : among them they have committed a gross aui monstrous breach ofthe laws of humanity , and caused death upon an appalling scale of mag . nitude . Never , too , were death-beds of any kind attended by more disgraceful , deplorable , and disgusting circumstances .

      For an account of the sickening details , as supplied in an official report b y Mr . Grainger , one of the medical inspectors to the Board of Health , we must refer our readers to the report ofthe inquest in our seventh page . It is impossible to conceive anything more in . famous than the facts disclosed in that report , Yet in the same report we find that , after a lapse of some time from his first visit , not one ofthe recommendations of Mr . Grainger were carried out for removing the more palpable and offensive evils set forth , and of mitigating in some degree the violence of the pestilence

      which had broken out among these poor children . Tbese recommendations involved _«• pense _, and the Contractor could not afford to throw away his money for any such purport . One surgeon , twenty . five years of age . at a salary of 50 / . a-year , and two nurses were all that the calculation allowed to look after the health of thirteen hundred and fifty children . The Poor Law Board are doing all in their power to get out of the responsibility . Mr ,

      Drouet will do the same ; the Board of Guardians will , no doubt , _^ prove by minutes and letters that everything they did whs all perfectly regular and in the way of business ; and , perhaps , the result may be a verdict of general censure , but inculpating nobody in particular . Should the inquiry end this way in this particular case , we trust the terrible mortality which the "farming system" has incontestibl y produced , will lead to its destruction , and the formation of

      _arrangements for the children of the poer , at least as humane and healthy as those provided f _« felons and burglars .

      The Colliers Of Northumbekland And Durha...

      THE COLLIERS OF NORTHUMBEKLAND AND DURHAM . f - _! T _ha ( l P P an article upon the _Icif " r of Mr Hall , which appeared in the Star of la * week , setting forth the present deplorable ¦ , ' - ' amon and hopeless state of the colliers _** i _A orthmnberlaucl and . Durham , awl _*> tyranny of the viewers and Coal Kings , and " which wo have shown the amount of gain at-C _^" _^\? CoIliers undor flic mauagemnii ol \ Y . 1 . Roberts , andthe amount nowfil _* _'l . « trom them-when deprived ofthe services of that gentleman . We are glad when the wrkinU classes gain wisdom from experience , ami a * we have received many letters from the mini" ? districts , expressing an auxious wish , for _* ro-eiigagement of Mr . Roberts , we would ft' " say to that gentleman— " Gain wisdom bv c _% _-

      pericuce ; don't be hasty again to embark to * cause in which your fame may be damaowl l , v tools of the the Coal Kings , -who have now _become the greatest oppressors of those whose rights thoy so enthusiasticall y contended _b > until they established their own comfort uj _k-b the destitution of others . " _-Tlti article shall appear next week ; meantime we are happy to find the Collier _Jlorcim _* _- reviving , and as a preliminary step to its reorganisation , we would recommend the sun *'

      monui g of a District Conference , at which _> ! r Koberte mi ght be invited to attend . Mar tin Jude , also , one ofthe most honest and zealo _t supporters ofthe people ' s rights , has been _•* timisod by the ver y men whose cause he- _* ably so zealousl y , and disinterestedly _advocated . We shall astonish the weak liiiuds t ' individual colliers , when we show them , I ** the individual and aggregate amount of 1 _^ tney have sustained by the loss of their K _* adviser—the destruction of their _organic "" —and the corruption and rascalitv of th 0 * ' upon whose honesty they relied .

      ©O Crovreepott Tsent^.

      © o _crovreepott tsent _^ .

      The Victims.^Tohn Arnott, Somers Town, A...

      The VicTiMs . _^ _Tohn Arnott , Somers Town , acknowk < V _«"•< _'•;' ' receipt of the following , on behalf of the Victim _1 « " " . _- -troin Mr . _SI'liriiUi . Poddies _Dunceoii Harp , lii- ' " " _'; " ( . onstitiition ot Society ( throe conies ) , ChiMrci _** - " ' ' . " Abbey tanner of _Inj-lewood Forest , 1 ' mil and Virv'im ' mid _eiylit other books ; Mr . Thomas Clark . Hums' _W-n _* _- _'; ljyroii s Select l ' uems , lWrv for the . Million , Uishoy " Oonst . tutwn of _Soeiety ( _twoVopie . _sJ _. O'llallorai ., tli _.- . ' ; ' _" Mm > ent UiiQf . _Coinmwitai-v on the Military Ksr ; iW'f' ' _nients ot the liritish Empire , and Sam Siick in IH' 1 " 1 "' ; -Mv . _Sherman , l'ive Books : Mr . Sumner , Hon : ' - ' .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 20, 1849, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_20011849/page/4/