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Northern Star (1837-1852), 30th June 1849, Edition 3 of 3, Page 6, PAST " AND PEESENT CONDITION ¦

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      Past " And Peesent Condition ¦

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      Health Of Loxdos Dgbisg The "Wees.—The T...

      Health of Loxdos dgbisg the "Wees . —The total deaths registered in the -week " were 035 , and exhibit an excess , but not more than 22 above the average . The increase , as in the _previous week , arises almost exclusively from -epidemic diseases , for the . deaths in _tais _elass were in the last three ¦ weeks 251 , 251 _^ 277 , "whilst the average docs not exceed 193 . Hosping-congh * and cholera are alone predominant oa the list ; the former having been ¦ fetal to 55 children , more than the average by 19 ; and the latter to 49 _persons at all ages . Of these 49 deaths from cholera , eleven occurred under ' 15 years of age , 3 * 2 between that age and GO , and 6 at _^ 0 years aad upwards . They principally occurred " m theso-athana eastern districts . The progress of

      -mortality nrom tins disease during the last lour _weeks is marked by the foUowing _oumbei _^ s—9 , 22 , 42 , 49 . The mortality from diarrhoea has rather decreased ; for the deaths from it , which in _tae previous week were 30 , in the last week were only 17 , whilst the average is . 12 . All other fatal causes ' . wbich m-ike the largest contributions to thc "wecklv mortalitv , now exhibit the usual amount , or fail considerably under it . Thc deaths from phthisis have "been for a long period less than the average ; last week ihey were 127 , or 18 under the eitimated number . A man of 53 years died , _according to the return of the medical attendant , of •** general decay , probably accelerated by voluntary abstinence , after an illness of ten days . " Two

      deaths from destitution occurred in Islington workiouse _.. : In Goswell-street sub-district a lady died at the _extreme age of 103 years , within two hours after having taken a dose of laudanum , which had been prescribed by a druggist . The mean reading of the barometer at Greenwich was 29 . 890 inches ibr the week ; the mean daily reading was above 30 inches on Wednesday . The mean daily temperature rose from 54 deg . 9 min , on Sunday to 07 deg . 1 min . on Saturday , on "which day it "was highest . _Thei _& hcst readmit * also occurred on that day , . when It "was 73 deg . 6 min . in the shade , and 106 deg S min . in the sun . The mean temperature of Saturday was 6 deg . 8 min . above the average ofthe same day in seven vears , though the temperature

      ofthe -whole week was rather less than the average . A _TRETEXDED Covsr . — At the _Bloomsbury County Court on Saturday last , an action was brought by the Count Amede Augustus de Torri ( a self-nominated title ) , to recover the sum of £ 10 as compensation for an illegal distress . The facts ¦ were as follow : —In the month of _November last a medical gentleman , named Myers , at the earnest request of the count , re-let a house which he tenanted from a person named Knight to tbe defendant who promised that his family should lire rent free therein , and that he -would reimburse him for the money he had laid ontin repairs , fixtures , & c . These terms J £ r . "Myers acquiesced in ; ah agreement to such effect "was drawn up , "but * was arter-• wards 'destroyed ; In cross-examination ifc was

      shown that the inducements held out by the plaintiff to Mr . Myers were that he would stand sponsor for _1-ds infant child , and that he would , settle £ 10 , 000 upon him , -which , when he attained manhood , wonld amount to a considerable sum . He also represented himself to be the proprietor and owner of asphalte "mountains and copper mines on . the banks ofthe Danube . . Mr . Myersafterwards discovered that the title of . " Count" wasassumed , andhe therefore put the defendant in possession for £ 18 due for three "weeks' rent * at £ 6 per "week . —Several Hungarian gentlemen here declared that no such title as the pLiintitf had assumed was known in Hungary , nor himself-either . —His . Honour thought that an Illegal distress had been made , but the damages laid were excessive , and gave -judgment for £ 4 4 s .

      _AHf-MPT TO EScirB FBOM HoRSEMOXGER-LAME Gaol . —For sometime- past some excitement has been created among the functionaries belonging to the above prison , in consequence of a determined attempt of three hurglarsto escape therefrom . The -whole of the circumstances "were investigated by the visiting justices afew days ago , from which we have gleaned the following particulars . The parties in question were notorious housebreakers named Devant , Marten , and Smith , and -were tried at the last Surrey assizes , and sentenced to fourteen years ' transportation . Devant -was tried at Kingston in _18 i 7 , and -sentenced to ten years * transportation for _breaking into the Archbishop of Canterbury's Pa lace at Addington , near Croydon . On the same day that he : receired his sentence he managed to break

      out of Kingston Gaol , and was not heard of until Thursday last , when he was detected in the act of committing sacrilege , and when brought to Horscmonger-lane gaol , identified by Mr . Keene , the governor , as the runaway convict Marten was tried at the last _ass " : zes , and sentenced to similar punishment for breaking into a gentleman ' s house near Kingston , but through the intrepid conduct of the son of the owner he was captured . Smith was one of tbe same stamp , and being such desperate characters-it was judged prudent to confine them in one of the strong rooms of the prison . Adjoining the latter a room was fitted np for prisoners who were allowed by the _eoaniy to "keep themselves withfood and drink , consequently those parties were

      allowed a certain portion of porter daily . The three burglars , during the time of their incarceration , contrived to get into their possession a pewter pot , -which was the extraordinary means of their fitting keys to the cells . It appeared that they were enabled to see through the Iteyhole , and by means of tallow and some other snbstanec , take an impres sion of the wards . They then , with the assistance Of a piece of old iron which they sharpened , made a key out of thc pint pot , and in the middle of the night they unlocked the door , and forced their way into a passage called the arcade . Their ingenious key , also unlocked the door of that place , when they found themselves on the green at the rear of- the Sessions-house , the outer wall of which

      is about twenty feet high , and surmounted with slopiug spikes . They had previously _ioi-n their blankets and rugs and tied them together , and had actually attached one end to the spikes , ready to ascend , when one of the -watchmen perceived their movements , and instantly communicated with the others . Devant was about to clh-ab up the wall -when the watchman in question ran to the spot and secured bim , and while he was struggling to prevent the others from escaping , Mr . Keene and a number of turnkeys came to his assistance , and overpowered the others . They were taken back to the interior of the prison , and so beavily ironed as to prevent them making sucb a desperate attempt again . * Not the least blame could be attached to the

      governor or his servants , as the locks are of extraordinary strength , and itis a matter of surprise how the prisoners "were able to make such a key from an old pewter pot . Tbe key is kept as a matter of great curiosity . Heath is * a Cousios Sewer . —On Tuesday Mr . IL 3 t "Wakley held an inquest at the Mitre , Upper-street , Ish ' ngton , on the body of Thomas Wheeler , aged 49 , an excavator . —Ittcnard Evans said that on Sunday morning last hc was employed ¦ with the deceased making a communication between the common sewer , in Britannia-road , and a cutting containing -water , -which had run fi-om a ditch , and "which had been considered a nuisance ia the neighbourhood . They had sunk a shaft in the sewer to the depth of tea feet , and were _dipains" a tunnel

      through to the cutting , when the gravel just above the spot "where they were at -work * , suddenly gave -way , and let a flood of water in upon them . The shaft being instantly filled , a man at the surface put down a ladder to enable them to eseape . "Witness succeeded in seizing it , aad was drawn up , but the deceased was driven by the force of the flow of water into the mouth of ihe sewer -where be stuck iast . He was not released until the lapse of an hour and ahalf . It further appeared that the works had been undertaken at the suggestion of the Board of Health , and that the " deceased and his fellow workmen bad been told not to cut a tunnel but to make an open passage to let the water through into the sewer gradually . —Verdict , " Accidental death . "

      Health Of Loxdos Dgbisg The "Wees.—The T...

      ventilation of themihe generally that all the colliers were recovered from the pit" within two hours after the accident . Every -workmen in Mr . Johnson ' s employ is , wc learn , furnished with a lamp , and the penalty for neglecting their use ( especially in the old workings ) would , on detection , be instant dismissal . ' , Eight Men Killed at ' Ro xburgh----On the 20 th inst . an accident occurred at the railway-bridge now building at Roxburgh ; over the Tevipt , onthehne ofthe Kelso , and St . Boswell _' s branch of the Edmbttr _<** h and Hawick Railway . The bridge consists of a number of stone piers , all of which are up to their intended heig ht , and the arches are in course of formation . The abutment on the north side of the riverand the second pier from it , * rest on each side

      , of a very deep quarry , " out of which the stones to build thc bridge have heen worked ( this part ofthe structure not being in the river ); and between these there was an intermediate pier , over which , at the time of the accident , rested one of the large heavy travelling cranes used iu lifting blocks of stone and other weights ; the crane , however , as we understand , did not rest upon the pier , but rested upon a self-supporting service way . Between five and six o ' clock eight men were on the crane , engaged in the work of springing the two arches , and a number of others -were working in the quarry beneath , a depth of from eighty to ninety feet ; when ,

      without _girino * any warning , the pier in question gave way with a sudden crash , precipitating the eight men , the unfinished part of the arches , and the wooden framework underneath , into the abyss below , and burying those employed there in the ruins . _Sui _* gical assistance * was promptly sent for , and the dead , asthey were taken from the ruins , and survivors who were in a state to be removed , were , after being attended to , conveyed to their homes . Several of the unfortunate men "were shockingly mutilated . It was stated that there are eight who were either killed bythe filling rubbish , or who died soon after being taken out .

      _TJmi-rT OT tiie Telegraph . —On Monday morning a pleasure trip left Birmingham for Lincoln , with about 3 , 000 persons ; a few hours afterwards great excitement was caused in the former town by a report that an accident had occured , and that five hundred persons were killed . The railway station was instantly besieged by anxious inquirers ; the electric telegraph ! was immediately called in aid , and in a few minutes intelligence was received tbat the whole party had arrived safely ih'Lincoln The report of such an accident seems to have been a most cruel hoax .

      The Effects of inn _Dasish Blockade upon the Trade of Hull . —Hull is still suffering from the continuance of this blockade a degree of mercantile depression unprecedented _dui'ing a number of years . Week after week have the foreign correspondents of some of the daily journals stultified themselves by reiterating oa dits ofthe certainty of an immediate suspension of hostilities . This fact renders the repetition of the same statements within a day or two past utterly valueless . Meanwhile our noble steamers are laid up , as if it "were the- middle of winter ; the , quays , at this season of the year generally insufficient for the temporary disposal ofthe bales landed upon them , now present vacant areas _; and the hundreds of labourers ordinarily engaged in the landing , unloading , or transhipping pf cargoes , stand all the

      day idle for the want of employment necessary to the support of themselves and families , apart from parish relief . It has been ascertained by actual inquiry , that there are upwards of 2 , 000 men out of work in this port at the present moment ; and on these not fewev than 4 , 000 "women and children are dependent . During the past week we have had neither arrivals from , nor departures for , Hamburg ; and the vessels which were recently refused an entrance to the Elbe have bad their cargoes unladen . Every day adds an incalculable amount of _individual distress , suffering , and want to the already vast aggregate with which the working classes in Hull are now afflicted , and the baneful influence of which is rapidly extending to the tradesmen and middle classes at large .

      Supekstitios ix Suffolk . — -A farmer , in Mildenhali , got into bis head that himself , family , and Stock , Were bewitched by a poor Wind woman , living at Eriswell , about two miles distant . A few days since he walked over to Eriswell , for the purpose of drawing blood from the poor creature , which would , as he conceived ,-withdraw himself , family , and Stock , from her power ; he met her in the street , followed her into a public house , and there accomplished his purpose of drawing blood

      from her , by scratching her bands with a nail . He has since been fined one shilling and costs by the magistrates for the assault . — Ipswich _Eirpress . Fatal Accidext . —A fatal accident occurred to Mr . Hill , jun . ( ofthe firm of Hill , Hoof , and Hill , contractors on the Birmingham and Stour Valley Railway ) , on Tuesday evening . On his return from Great Bridge , -where the recent colliery explosion took place , to his residence at Handsworth , near Birmingham , Mi-. Hill was thrown from his horse and killed on the spot .

      Health Of Loxdos Dgbisg The "Wees.—The T...

      portthem , as they , had hoi means of existence , and should starve before the poor law would aid them ; _and-when they frequently found that the humane assistant-barrister hesitated . as to what amount of punishment he should inflict after they had already undergone a ; sufficiently long imprisonment for the offence , they _cudmouved to coerce the Court to pass a sentence of transportation , by stating that it sent back to prison they would commit some great crime which would ensure their being expatriated . During one of these trials a policeman proved that he had found several of the parties eating seaweed . " . The State Prisoners . —Smith O'Brien and the other ' three state prisoners will be sent to Tan Diemen's Land in her Majesty ' s ship Swift , ordered to the Pacific station .

      Relief of the Destitute . —Lord Dufferin , a young nobleman whose property is situate in Ulster , has forwarded to the General Central Relief Committee £ 400 as his second subscription . Previous to this donation , Lord Dufferin had subscribed £ 100 towards the funds of that benevolent and wellmanaged voluntary association . . _HOUBE-LEVEhllSG AT TOOMEVARA . —The Tipperary Vindicator states that the evicted teuants in this miserable village are in a most deplorable condition , and that one of . the temporarysheds _erected-bythe outcasts was burned down on Thursday . The adjacent auxiliary workhouse is crowded by persons ejected from the houses levelled by the bailiffs of the landlord . New Temporal Peer for Ireland . —John Cavendish Baron Kilmaine has been chosen by a majority - _*• -- » _..-. -i - _.-. __ i _ __? l : „ ± 1 ... _xr _« .. _«« r . _f-v _^ Hj io in ui in

      OI votes to ue sue peer an mm : _.-uau _uvrus ofthe United Kingdom , in the room of Archibald Earl of Gosford , deceased . Fatality on a AVedmsg-dat . —A _Brideghoom and Bride Burie » Alive . —An occurrence of an extremely melancholy character—the more so , perhaps , from the somewhat romantic _eircumstasces with which it was associated—took place on the evening of Friday last , in the immediate neighbourhood of Belfast , and created general commiseration for the peculiarly lamentable fate ofthe sufferers , Patrick Breen , a p rivate ofthe 13 th Light Infantry , and Sarah , his wile , to whom he had been united only a few hours previously , at the office ofthe district registrar . The facts are as follows : —James Carson , on being examined by the coroner , stated

      that he was employed as a labourer in a sandpit belonging to Mr . j . Millar , at _Ulsterville , near the Institution of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind . About half-past six o ' clock on Saturday morning , on proceeding to work there , hefound that since he had last been to the pit , on / Wednesday evening , there had been an extensive fall of sand from a particular part of the bank . No sand had been removed from the place by carts on Friday evening . On shovelling away about two loads of the sand , ne was astonished to come upon a woman's bonnet , and , immediately after , upon her bare head . He communicated the' circumstances to another person employed about the pit , named Hull , and then sent for his master . The police were also informed of the

      accident before any more sand was removed from the bodies . It was obvious that the crown ofthe female ' s bonnet had been driven in by the fall ef the sand . : That portion of the bank directly under which the deceased persons must hare been sitting was overhanging greatly on Wednesday evening . It was proved that the young woman had . left the house where she was living about six o ' clock on Friday evening , and had afterwards been seen walking with the soldier , her husband , on the Botanicroad , whence they were traced to the New Dublinroad to the vicinity ofthe spot where their bodies were found . It was clear that , as a heavy shower fell about seven o ' clock , they had taken shelter from the rain under the bank which overwhelmed

      them . The verdict was , of course , from the evidence given—thc only testimony that could be adduced— " Accidental death . " It appeared that not less than from ten to twelve tons of sand had fallen upon theiU-lated couple , thus entombing them alive , and that at least four cart-loads of this landslip required to be removed beforo their position was exactly ascertained . The age of each of the deceased was about twenty-six . The young woman , a native of Dromore , and whose maiden name , we have been informed , was Smith , was a domestic servant in a respectable family in the Botanic-road . The soldier was a native of Dublin , had enlisted there about four years ago ; and bore an excellent character in his regiment . Both were , on Sabbath afternoon last , committed to onegrave , in

      Friarsbush burying-ground , to "which place they were accompanied by a portion of the band of the 13 th , and ofthe company m which the deceased young soldier was enrolled . ' - The _Cnors . —The Cork Constitution of yesterday , says : — " The markets are beginning to be plentifully supplied with new potatoes , and in no case is there any appearance of disease . The ash-leaved kidneys were offered on sale on Saturday , at Cd . _perBi . ; inferior sorts as low as 3 d . The commencement of next month may be reckoned on , should the disease not visit us , for a show of potatoes in market fully equal to that of former years . As it is , they are remarkably forward this season . " LoacU ? ' of new potatoes are beginning to appear in some ofthe country markets , and inthe "West the price is declining . As to the corn crops , _nothing could he more gratif y ing than the accounts , and the weather is most auspicious .

      ' Communication with England . —The _ever-changiB" Post 0 * "Hce authorities are about to make another alteration in the despatch of the mails from Kingstown to Holyhead . It is arranged , that on and after the 5 th of July the morning packet will leave Kingstown at half-past twelve , instead offive minutes after eleven as at present ; and the _evening boat wiU be despatched at half-past seven , instead of half-past six .

      THE CHOLERA . Precautions axd Treatment , —The subjoined is the substance of a notification on the prevention of cholera , issued by the General Board ol Health . It repeats the statement that the' cholera is not contagious , so that panic , flight from the sick , quarantine regulations , tx „ under that imaginary supposition , are supererogatory evils . The notification warns the guardians of the poor , parochial hoards , & c , that they will be called upon to put the Naisances , _A-c , Act into operation ; and supplies them with much useful ,, distinct , and specific advice , as to the mode of doing so . The boards will have to institute visits from house to house , especially in " dangerous " districts ( marked out by

      prevalence of typhus and other epidemics ); to enforce internal and external cleansing of dwellings , with removal of filth , decaying animal and vegetable matters , and whatever produces atmospheric impurity ; to give directions for obtaining dryness , and ventilation , moisture being an active cause of cholera ; to supply the poor with information , to aid them with physic , and to remove destitute patients to proper asylums ; general cholera hospitals not being recommended . . ¦ The premonitory symptom is diarrhoea , often without pain , mostly of a very mild character . During the prevalence of eholera diarrhoea demands instant attention ; the slightest degree of looseness of the bowels ought not " to be neglected . The proper remedies at this stage are—*• Twenty

      grains of opiate confection , mixed with two tablcspoonsfuls of peppermint-water , or with a little weak brandy and water , and repeated every three or four hours , or oftener if the attack is severe , until-the looseness' ofthe bowels is-stopped ; or . an ounce ofthe compound chalk mixture , with ten or fifteen grains of the aromatic confection , " and , from five to ten drops of laudanum , repeated in the same manner . From half a drachm to a drachm of tincture of catechu may be added to this last if the attack is severe . Half those quantities should be given to young persons' under fifteen , and still smaller doses to infants . ¦ It is recommended to re-5 eat these remedies , night and morning , for some ays after , the looseness , of the bowels has been stopped . _* . _-..-V .. ¦ ' ¦ ] ' ' ¦ ¦

      „ ; _.. , „ ' .- Diet should be moderate . Every variety of green vegetables , cooked or-not , and all kinds of fruit , raw , cooked , dried , or preserved , should be avoided . The wholesome articles of vegetable diet are , wellbaked bread ( not new ) , rice , oatmeal , and _sjood potatoes . Diet should bo solid rather than fluid , and principally animal food ; avoiding _saltedandsmoked meats , pork , salted fish and _shclk-fish . Avoid acid drinks of all kinds , ginger beer , and ardent spirits . Above all , be moderate during the whole duration of the epidemie period . ' .-One single act of indiscretion has , in many instances , been followed ., by a _speedy and fatal attack . " In proof , during the former visitations of this country , "the most frequent and deadly attacks were those , which took place in

      the middle of the night , a few hours after a heavy supper . " Three fatal cases at Hamburg , recently , were those of sailors who had just taken plums and s & ur beef . Two fatal eases at Sunderland , recently , were ' those of drunkards who defied warnings . * . Clothing should be warm , with flannel next .. the skin ; the feet kept dry and warm ; clothes changed after exposure to wet or moisture ; sitting-rooms and bed-rooms kept well-aired- , dry , and vfarm . . ., . . Purgative medicines of all kinds must be avoided ; Glauber salts , Epsom salts , ami . Seidiitz , powders , _inanyquantity ,. are dangerous also senna , colo * _ewith . and aloes , excebt under medical advice .., _ .

      - fWhen seized with cold , g iddiness * nausea , vpmitin'C . and cramp , get into a warm bed ;; use heated flai 4 el , bags of hot camomile flowers , oi heatedbran , _tZ or sand , orbbttles / o _^ hbt ; water . to produce warn \ tfc ; haveV . the extremities , rubbed ; apply a _hr-re _i _TonHic ' _. miisferd ' and vinegar over the re eion of ' _tfe Stomach for fifteen or twenty mmutes _, _; _flri _^ r a W ; half hbiir , ; a spoonful of sal-volatile in Klehot ' _-watei'Vw _^ little hot _, w _/* _"ite >/ _- _^> hi . _te-wiue whey ( made by pouring one _clas 1 _^ skerry _^ tea-tumbler of hot _xw # _); anil sehi fori -he . doctor as quickly as possible ., _;*; ,., Districts are seldom _visited , by ? the . ¦• cpidemic .-fpi ' alon _« erpenod * h ah-afew inonth _^ . or . _i _eVcna-few weeks . * Prcventf _* _- of cllolera are e < J wllly a _PP _^

      Health Of Loxdos Dgbisg The "Wees.—The T...

      cable as preventives of typhus or other recurrent epidemics . " "

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      Couaekt Ssmosiots At St. Heles's, La"Sca...

      CouaEKT Ssmosiots at St . _Heles ' s , La"SCAsiuke . —Oa Saturday -Eaoming last , about six o ' clock , a fearful explosion of fire-damp , attended -with a _' serious less of life , took place at Laffax Coalpit , near St . _Helen ' s in this jcounty . The pit is ihe "property of Mr . _jf-. 'T . ' Johnson , of Suncorn , £ he shaft , which is about 160 feet deep , hemg driven into the Sushy-park A & ne . _Aaew shaft has recentiy been driven in the-nei g hbourhood , but the exploaon occurred in a - "slant" -winch forms part of some old _-j-rorkings begun some-seven or eight years ago . "The miners , it appears ., eommesce "work at four o ' clock in tbe morning , and at the tune the accident _ecems-ed there were _fromsixty to seventy persons ia the" p _i-t . The explosion _s-as most vio-. lent , and some idea of its force may be gathered from the fact that one of the heavy _nlaaks fornsin' ' the head used to ti

      gear _dufadj * , ghten "fee conductin * rods , was blown * into the air . In descending -we-regret to say , the heavy mass of timber / ell mion thc " brow-man" ( the person appointed to receive the coals at tbe pit mouth ) , and feietnred bis skull . The poor fellow did not long survive the injuries he bad sustained . The most intense anxiety prevailed as to the _& te of those below , and no time was lost in their recovery . Four were brought up dead , _asd -twenty- _^ wo Srere -found ; to have been _eeriously injured . JSn Gaskell , surgeon , at St . Helen ' s , was promptly on the , spot , and rendered , all necessary assistance telhe sufferers . The names ofthe killed are John "Derbyshire ( the brow-man ) , Bobert Nor cross , Thomas Atherton , John Molyneux ; and John Uradbury _.-r _Tie two latter . are boys- ; the three first married , . with families depending ' upon them ibr support . In addition to these three others have been so _^ dangerously wounded that they are not es _*> peeled io * recoyer .. -is in all similar accidents the cause of the explosion is unknown . It is conjectured , however , that one of the . workmen must bave laid aside his . safety-lamp . and been _-worfcmg .-witi the _liakcd candle . - , - It certainly speaks well for the

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      Ddblix, Saturday.—The Cnolbka.—The Epide...

      Ddblix , Saturday . —The CnoLBKA . —The epidemic has nearly disappeared from Dublin , but it has broken out , in a malignant form , in Carrickmacross , where the medical officer , Dr . M'Effcr , was tbe first victim , and it also prevails in Enniskillcn , and various other parts of the north . Public "Works . —Tun _Disikesseo Districts . — The Commissioners of Public Works , in a letter addressed to a landed proprietor in the Queen ' s County , have declined to make a loan of £ 1 , 000 , in consequence of recent instructions from the Lords of the Treasury , to the effect that " all the money lately voted by Parliament must be confined to applications from the most distressed districts of the south and west . "

      The Repbesextative Peeiuge . —Writs hearing date 22 nd inst ., for electing a temporal peer of Ireland in room of the late Earl of Mayo , were issued yesterday from the Hanaper-o _* Sce . The Anglo-Celt States tbat the Earl of Lanesborough has been selected ibr the vacant peerage . Tiie Harvest . —All the accounts received this morning are of the usual gratifying character , and the writers rejoice at the prospect thus opened for the recovery of the country . _AToxdat . —Subscriptions of the Pope for Irish Distress . —The Freeman ' s Journal contains a circular from Archbishop M'Hale to his e'ergy ,

      announcing that the Pope has sent to him , through Cardinal Antonelli , the sum of 20 , 000 fr . ( nearly £ 800 ) , for the relief of destitution in the diocese of Tuam . The Freeman remarks it as " a most strange coincidence that this noble contribution , sent by the Pope to his Grace , was crossed on its way here by the sum of £ 345 , on its way to Gaeta , sent' by the archdiocese of Tuam , as its contribution tothe Papal Fund . " Cardinal -Anionelli , in his letter to Dr . M ' Hale , says , " It would have been the wish of his Holiness to extend his charitable relief , and to proportion it to the existing distress , but he is necessarily prevented from doing so by bis own limited resources . "

      The State PmsoxEns . —The Cork Constitution of Saturday has the following announcement : — " It is stated that cholera had broken out yesterday on board the Mountstewart Elphinstone , convict transport , lying at Cove , and two of the convicts and one ofthe Royal Marines labouring under the disease-were sent on shore to the hospital—the former to Spike Island , and the latter to Haulbowlinc . Messrs . Martin and O'Dogherty— « Young Ireland felons—are on board this vessel . There is a large number of convicts also on board for Australia /'

      Clarence Mangan-, an unfortunate literary character , died last week in abject penury . He was well known by his poetical translations from German literature , being the author -of "Anthologia ¦ Gennanica , " "Leaflets fromthe German Oak , ? ' and a variety of essays in the Universitg Magazine The misery m which he lived for many years was very great , as his wretched health prevented him from labour .- Within the last ten days he was , an inmate of one ofthe temporary hospitals provided for cholera patients .

      ACBGN AOA 1 XST _glB EOWAKO _BOBOUOH . —In-the Sisi P < _rius Exchequer Court this day an action was brought by Mr . Parkcs , a Birmingham manufacturer of military accoutrements ; against Sir Edward Borough , BarL , for a supply of . arms , & o ., ordered _!>? him as chairman of the " Law and Order Committee , " ia -Dublin , during the disturbances and _apolitical exoteihent of last year . The ' . ease , which-was tried before "the Lord Chief Baron , * . excited considerable interest . The arms were iniecded for the _^ quipmenpof a loyal volunteer corps , _ba-fc it is alleged that they were not delivered , at the time named , and not until the idea of forming the corps had beea abandoned . At half-past twb o ' _cloefe , Mr . fitegibbon , _Q . C _^ _commenced to state the defendant ' s case . Several memhers of the ¦ bar are subpeenedas witnesses . - . ;

      _TuEsoix . —Thisease . _wasbroiJgbtto-a close yesterday afternoon by" a verdict for the _plaintiff of £ 05 16 s . 64 "* over and above the sum lodged to COnrt-..- - '' . ,.. / ' , " ' ' . " _* . ; , ; ' . ¦ " . "'' .: ' ' , "" . " : _' :. " ' _" ' ' ' . ' " ' . ' : ' ; . ' l _' _.-J _" _Iixegal _Si » Bs « i . vAHdif . _—Thiwemm Jrm . _letr termullen , Stephen Larkin , Patrick _O'Donneli , and Martin Flaherty , have , ] wen committed to -the county caol by . A . W . Blake , JEsq _^ , * charged upon a coroners warrant with haying caused the _^ deatb _, of Catherine Tlaherty , by illegally levelling her house . We understanCthat instructions-have _^ been givenby the law advisers of the . Grown , not to admit to bail in this case .., , . - . . ; , j :-. v . _> ' ¦ " ,:-. i ' _.-y _. : ';

      Wedsesday . —Awful State-of . tiie Country . — Alluding to the trials of : the quarter sessions of Castlebar , . which -terminated on Saturday last , ' the Ahyo Constitution observes— " * _Boys-r-little creatures . whowere only , tall enough to see . _over therail of the dock—were tried _forlpetty Larcenies of . food , _cto whichthey had been driven by tbe pangs of . hunger . ' Tbey almost all- pleaded i guilty / and' in the first instance prayed and entreated of the Couitto ti _' ans-• _sv- ' . - ' - " - ¦ ' . .- -: •' _--, ¦ : - , ¦ - ' , ¦" . _- -- /' . j . ? : ! - , ¦ :: ¦ . ¦

      Glocesteh, Saturday.— Within The Last-Th...

      Glocesteh , Saturday . — Within the last-three days , the cholera , which broke out here some weeks ago , and has been lingering in the low parts ofthe city ever since , has increased to a serious extent , and a larger number of deaths have taken place since Thursday , than iu any corresponding period since its first outbreak . About 100 cases altogether have been reported here , of which number very nearly one-half have proved fatal , while the recoveries are much less . It is a curious fact , that the disease broke out in the very same spot as in 1832—viz ., in a close and unhealthy court branching out of one of the principal thoroughfares ( Westgate-street ) , and where the inhabitants are very poor and dirty . This is one of the lowest localities

      in the town , and the disease spread thence along a district containing a similar population , and living in small streets hear to a ditch full of fetid water , the exhalation from which poison' the whole neighbourhood . Tho authorities are about building a cholera hospital , and are taking every step considered advisable for the preservation of the public health . The superintending inspector from the Board of Health , who some months ago was occupied some days in inspecting the whole city , has just sent in his report . From this it appears that almost the whole ofthe drainage here is surface drainage , and that when culverts are constructed * $ hey are totally inadequate to the purposes for which they were made . A thorough system of drainage by culverts

      and sewers is proposed for the whole city . " Bristol . —Dr . Sutherland visited Bristol last week , having been commissioned by the Board of Health to examine into the causes ofthe occurrence of cholera , and also into the means adopted for preventing its spread . Dr . Sutherland had proposed remaining among us for some days had he not received a peremptory summons to attend at Swansea . We understand that he expressed his approval of the very prompt , energetic , and judicious measures adopted by the corporation of the poor , and particularly urged the necessity for paying , as far as practicable , daily domiciliary visits in the poorer districts , with a view to the detection and early treatment ofthe premonitory symptoms .

      The total number of cases , in this city from the outbreak ofthe disorder has been 75 ; of which number 33 have , died , 13 been cured , and 29 remain under treatment . With one or two exceptions all of them have been from _Redcross-street and its neighbourhood . It is exceedingly gratifying to know that there' has been no case of confirmed cholera sinco Tuesday , and only three cases of diarrhoea with choleraic symptoms , neither of which has proved fatal . Diarrhoea prevails to a considerable extent , but where properly attended to it readily yields to treatment . A rice house for the poor has . been opened . —Bristol Mercury . " . The "Manufacturing Districts . —Reports continue to gain ground that cases of cholera are

      occurring m the manufacturing districts of Lancashire , but great doubt exists as to whether they have been ot the true Asiatic kind . Mr . Grainger , of the Board of . Health , has been to Manchester and Salford during the last week , and preparations have been made for the dreaded disease , should it appear . Hospitals have been fitted up with a large number of beds ; but certain it is there has been no call for them so far . The only well-authenticated casein Manchester during the past week has been that ofa little girl in Cupid ' s-alley , Deansgate—one ofthe neighbourhoods to which the most poor and squalid of the inhabitants resort for shelter . Mr . Grainger visited the child , and said there could he no doubt tbat it was suffering from Asiatic cholera : the case ,

      however , had taken a favourable turn , and the girl was likely to recover . Besides hospitals for the sick , it is proposed to have places for shelter in which , should the decease appear in a malignant farm in any of the houses of the poor , those who have not been seized may seek refuge till danger has abated , or until they can find a new abode . Leeds . —We are glad to report that this disease has not materially oxtended itself in this borough . Only one new case has occurred in the town of Leeds since our last . It is that of the wife of a labourer residing at the bottom of _Sykes ' -row and Harper-street . The family reside in a cellar dwelling , which is necessarily defective in ventilation , and-is also badly drained , whilst one of the street

      sewers , has an opening near the place . Some time ago they were in receipt of parish relief , but this had been discontinued in consequence of the husband having obtained work , and as a proof that they were not in necessitous circumstances , it may be mentioned that at the time the woman was removed from her house to the Mendicity : office , the family were eating boiled pork , new bread , and cabbage , all of which rather tend to predispose them for receiving the disease than otherwise . The woman was first attacked with _diarrheea on Saturday last , and on Sunday , after baking two stone of flour into bread , she became seriously ill , and in the

      afternoon , after Mr . Buhner , surgeon , had been called in , she was removed to the Mendicity-office , where she died on the following morning . The case is said to be a most marked and decided case of Asiatic cholera . Since Monday , there havo been no further severe cases and no deaths . Thveo cases have , however ,- occurred at Hunslet Moor-side , two of which have proved fatal . The guardians have determined , should it be necessary , to appropriate the Mendicity-office for the reception of patients , * and sanitary operations , such as cleansing and whitewashing , are now going on in the worst parts ofthe town . ¦ ' . _* .. ¦ ¦

      Castletown . —In our last we stated that in the course ofa few hours six members of one family had been carried off by cholera . A seventh has since died . Various rumours then became current—some of a most extraordinary and preposterous character , which induced the Rev , James Coles , a most able and active magistrate , to communicate to the coronor , W . Brewer , Esq ., someof the circumstances that had reached him ; and also , forthe satisfaction of the public mind , to suggest that it would be expedient to hold an inquest on view of the body . The coroner concurred in the propriety of Mr .

      Coles' views ; and an inquest was held at Castletown , on Saturday last , on view of the body of "William ; Thomas , aged 23 . A post-mortem examination was made by Mr . James , Pill-road , Newport . The jury , having heard the medical evidence , returned a verdict that the deceased " Died of Asiatic cholera , " in which verdict the coroner entirely concurred . Ifc was then determined not to exhume the other bodies . Manchester , Mondat . —There is no longer any doubt about this dreadful disease having exhibited itself in Manchester . The wifo of an Irish

      immigrant , named Bernard Byrne , died on Thursday week last , and the nei g hbours reported that slie had been seized with the cholera . A surgeon , who saw the corpse , also expressed his opinion that sho had died of Asiatic cholera ; but the husband denied it , and attributed his wife ' s death to tho want of food . A sub-inspector of police visited the house where he and his four children were lodging , No . 2 , Back New Mount-street , on Saturday , and caused the houso to be whitewashed and cleansed . On Sunday last , Byrne attended service at St . Chad ' s Catholic Chapel , and whilst thero was seized with cholera himself . He was removed to the hospital fitted up by the board of guardians , in Canal-strccfc , and Mr . Noble , surgeon , was called in to visit him as soon

      as possible ; but he died inthe course of afew hours . His son was seized with the same disease afterwards , and has been placed in the same hospital , under the care of Mr . Noble , but is likely to recover . The other three children of the unfortunate man have been'removed to Tib-street workhouse , as a place of refuge . On Monday morning , a woman residing in the same house where Byrne had been lodging , was seized with cholera—making the fourth case in that one house . From the statement of Byrne it appears that he and his family , in all six persons , were shipped from Ireland at a charge of lOd . per head , and landed in Liverpool , in a complete state of destitution , where they took up their abode in Porter-street , a . neighbourhood in which' the cholera

      had made its appearance j and they left Liverpool and came to Manchester at . the commencement of last . week . He refused to apply to the board of _guai-dians for relief on Saturday , when pressed to dd SO by the police inspector , on the ground that they Would ; pasa him back to Ireland . Winifred Hin _© 9 died at the hospital in Canal-street , on Tuesday morning ; the son of Byrne is recovering . The house in which they lodged is in one of the worst parts ' of Manchester , in a sanitary point of view , being situated in Angel : Meadow ; and there were twenty-two inmates at the time Byrne ' s wife died . The authorities have caused the bedding to be destroyed , and the house to be closed , a temporary asylum'having been provided for the inmates elsewhere . _MoMur . —Mobe Deaths mom Cholera in : tbe

      Millbank Prison . —Four inquests were held hefore Mr . Bedford , in the Millbank Prison , on the bodies of Esau Troughton , aged S 3 , Joseph Green , aged 34 , and Joseph Liridall , aged 34 , prisoners , who died of Asiatic cholera . The deceased Troughton had been for several months an the infirmary labouring under chronic ophthalmia , and expected to be sent butof the prison to an- _invalid'hulk , / where he had a strong desire to go . He was told * that he must wait a short time , and witness had no doubt that tho disappointment and the consequent depression Of mind predisposed him to the attack . Lindall another of the deceased persons , who was under

      sentence of transportation ' for life , - was * _also in a very distressed state of " mind , ' evidently feeling acutely his _degra'ded position . ¦ This probably piedisposed him to the-cholera , but he . had been pre ; _, viously suffering from diarrhoea . _Ini ' answer . to questions from the jury , . Dr . Baly said the cases of cholera ; were not confined _^ one . part ofth e prison . Inthe winter it came / rom _, quite . . ;; - / _difierent spot from whei-e . it had recently appeared . He had ' seen nothing-in the . prison to lead , to tho ; belief . that thb disorder , was contagious . _TheiScale of diet , , which _? r 0 _^ '! mQst- . hbei'alvo . _f-any-mrisoiiv in Eh Hind yerdict _' m , a _* _lcMev _^^

      Glocesteh, Saturday.— Within The Last-Th...

      the same disorder . r - BERMONDS EY " . ' resumed the inquest on the body of _CfW Murphy , who died of cholera , caused ,. _« _£ , " . _™ _£ alleged / by the filthy state of the house m _whmb she resided in * _Griffith's-rents , in Bermon _dsey-strcet . Mr . Grainger , the medical inspector at - tue Board of Health ,. stated , that he had examined the premises , No . 26 , Griffith _' s-rents , on the Hthot June . He was directed to ' make an inspection ot several parts of the 'Union of St , Olave ' s to see how far the directions of the Board of Health as to cleansing , & C , had been carried into effect . He found that something had been done , for the

      medical-oflicer had been requested some time since to report upon those localities where fever was particularly prevalent , Mr . Corner also stated to witness that a Sanitary Committee had been appointed to carry into effect the eleansing of the various courts and alleys . The description he was about to read of Griffith ' s-rents was written previously to this inquiry . The report produced stated that in Company With Mr . M'MuUen , tho Catholic clergyman ofthe district , who had been most indefatigaoie in the exertion he had made , he had inspected this place . A part ofthe houses had been pulled down by the railway company , and there were many holes full of black filthy water . A gutter ran through the centre of the court , and the exit for fhe water being at the higher end , of course none of it ran off . There was a privy on the premises , from which the soil escaped , and the yard was filled with fetid fluid . The room occupied by a widow and her

      five children in the house adjoining was m a shocking state , and fever had repeatedly occurred in that room . The general state of the court showed that thc cleansing and scavenging had been much neglected , and the inmates of this court must have been hourly exposed to the dang er of severe epidemic disease . The interiors of the houses were in a filthy " state , and clearl y showed that the powers intrusted to the Board of Guardians had not been exercised . These powers had been explained to the guardians , and their duties and the best mode of Carrying them into effect had been advertised in the London Gazette of November 6 , 1848 . Ml' . Grainger said also that it was important that it should be generally known that the act of Parliament charged the whole ofthe responsibility in these matters on the Boards of Guardians , and the fact of there being another body empowered to superintend the cleansing of courts and alleys in the parish did not exonerate them .

      In answer to a question from the coroner , a juryman stated that the trustees of the property were Mrs . Gelling , Mr . Cox , and Mr . Edwards . In answer to another question , Mr . Grainger said that he did not know that there were no privies on the other side of the court .. A Juror said that there were no privies on one side , and that the privies on the other side were common to all the inhabitants . Mr . gw-B , the vestry clerk of St . John ' s , stated that he . was secretary to a local _sanitaryassociatidh , which , for the last ten years had done much good in the parish by its attention to these matters .

      They had repeatedly endeavoured to purchase a portion of this Griffith's-rents , with a view of removing it , for the property as it then was was a disgrace to any man to hold . Mr . _Graikgeb , in continuation , said that he had on the 14 th of June recommended that hospital accommodation for those who were sick in Griffith ' srents should be provided by the parish authorities , and that the houses should at least be thoroughly cleansed and whitewashed . Mi _\ Powell said that all the houses had had good barrel drains originally , but the grounds ofthe railway which adjoined were so much higher than the yards of those places that the dirtwas knocked over and filled up the drains .

      Mr . Corner ' s clerk , who was present , said that the report made by Mr . Grainger on the 14 th was not received by the board until the 21 st , as they only met once a week . They used formerly to refer all these matters to the commissioners of paving . Mr . GRAINGER said that the late act , of parliament expressly fixed the responsibility on the Board of Guardians , without reference to any boards for cleansing , & c , which might exist under any local act , and notice of this fact had been given to every board of guardians in thekingdom . The Coroner said that if in consequence of the neglect of the guardians death had occurred they were responsible for ifc . Here was a death occurring inconsequence of the filthy state of these

      premises , which the board of guardians should have kept clean . . The law was plain ' on this subject in reference to the right of the Board of Health to direct the boards of guardians , who were bound to enforce the measures necessary for the public safety . If they could not compel theoccupier ofthe premises to make tho necessary alterations , they were bound to do it themselves , and take their remedy against the owner , The Board of Health oughfc . to institute a prosecution in such cases , and he felt quite sure that juries would be found who would fix the responsibility upon the guardians . He could , not help feeling that if the guardians did

      uot discharge their duty In a proper way , and death was thus caused , they were responsible for it , aud measures must be taken to make them so , and he would go so far as to say that such a case amounted to the crime of manslaughter . Ho Wished that some one of the guardians was present , and , indeed he could see no reason why it was not so , unless they were afraid to come . There was , however , a difficulty in bringing the state of these houses home to the knowledge , of the guardians , but at any rate they were bound to send an officer to inspect such places as might have been visited by any disease , and to report upon their state .

      Mr . Leadiiam , the medical officer , stated that he had been directed to visit several places , and amongst others this Griffith's-rents , On tbo 14 ih of June he prepared a report respecting this place , and sent it to the board . A copy of that report had , he believed , been sent by the board to tne paving commission , [ At the request of the coroner a copy of this report was sent for and produced . It characterised the place as ill-paved , ill-drained , and likely to be productive of disease . There was a gully-hole at the corner so offensive as to cause

      passengers to cross tho street to avoid it , and the privies and cesspools were in a disgusting state . ] Witness is ' a member of the paving commission . When the report was presented to the board of guardians , Mr . Smith , the chairman , ordered it to be referred to the commissioners of paving , as the usual channel by "which these improvements were enforced . That report did not come under thc consideration of the commission till their next meeting , a week after . The predisposing cause of cholera was the unhealthy atmosphere and want of food .

      Mr . Gkaixger said that the most powerful predisposing cause of cholera was bad drainage . Mr . Payne said that ho did not wish to take Mr . Smith by surprise ; and , therefore , before deciding upon such a step , as committing him upon a charge of manslaughter , ho should take time for further inquiry . He had a strong © pinion that the state of this court led to these attacks of cholera and the consequent deaths , and the condition of the place had been communicated to the board on tho 13 th of June . The board transferred the duty of attending to it to somebod y else , but the jury had' no business to look to anybody else as the board was thc responsible authority for the ' execution of this particular duty . The case was clear that they had had this report , of which- they had taken no notice , nor had they enforced the necessary steps ordered by the law . He did not wish to do do anything harshly in the absence of thc parties , although it- was the duty of the guardians t p have been present , and they had had proper noticelie

      _, : wouia not , at that time , therefore , ask them to return a verdict of manslaughter against Mr . Smith / and other persons , and send him at once to Newgate oh the charge ; ' but he would give him another opportunity to attend , and try by some explanation to change his ( Mr . " Payne ' s ) present opinion on tho _subjects Such * a ' -course would be erring on the safe side , although'ho was far from ' intending to trifle in this matter , for he should certainly act as he said . The case of-itself was of very great importance , and he thought' that the Board of Health should prosecute in these cases of disobedience to their orders . . -He would communicate with them oh the matt ' er _. ' and in the meantime the inquiry stood adjourned . * ¦ _¦¦; * - ¦ ¦¦ * _--. ¦ - . - . * ¦ * -. ¦ ,. ..-; .. . " At ; the request of thejui'y the inquiry was adjourned to Monday / the 16 th of July . - %

      E ;Wanmean -Between -Oho'ahd- Two ' O'Cl...

      e WANMEAn -Between -oho _' ahd- two ' o ' clock on Saturday , last , a fire . broke out in a havstacS ill pemisesofMr . Ilichard -Plaxton , _^ _SS Cann hall _Parrn . _^ Every assistance that coul , r _* h « A * * _? was speedily brought to ; hear , ff _SfeffislS ineffectual , a commuu cation was m _^ _- \ l _K - telegraph to the London F re Efc-SJ _® , V ectl _' _diatlly started for the _^ _centof Snfl _^ H _*' _" _^ _- _tho-firemenreaching _U _^ mxton _^ fh " _^ _^ > 0 n large stacks of h _^ Ml _^^ foupd four

      ¦ _S _^^^^ _BSSS _^ . " ° ther surround njftoalatehoiir ! _^^ _Ts _^?^ ° _^ mS p fetely destroyed The oK _^? f ° fV % _***? COai _" been ascertained . - ' _^ % n * _- _* _^ _Mnot Of _^^ _fe _^? _^ _«* ** _£ > o _^ o Dukc be _! desthe i b | _S _^ _^ _f rAlba _KS _VS _^ _K _^^ bankeiyand at one timi » _¦'« _-VuW' enilI -ont t eited a _^ _SSSiJ ! _WS'M _^^ "•" ' ' ¦ '' ' . '" ¦ -. ' _'¦ • ' ' _iS : '• " ¦ ..- " _! - ' ' J ' '* ' :. _«> < ' _-, ' - " _^' _- ''' \ ' l '"' ' _^'

      E ;Wanmean -Between -Oho'ahd- Two ' O'Cl...

      PAST " AND PEESENT CONDITION ' OF LABOUH IN ENGLAND . ¦ An ; exposition of Louis Blanc's schemes of social reform having appeared in the Weekly Chronicle , the Editor of tliat paper has been attempting to show that the condi- _; tion of the working classes has , up to the present time , been constantly improving ; and that those classes have partaken more largely than any other in the ameliorations "which time has effected in society . In reply to the Chronicle the following able article has appeared in the Sp irit of the Times : —

      I deny in the strongest manner in which denial can be given , the ability of any man to correctly compare the present condition of labour with its past condition . It is the merest presumption to take tables of wages , orother social computations , from the . past » and compare them with the same things in the present , and by such means come to any conclusion that can be fully relied upon . Our most truthful and laborious historianshave felt this difficulty , and confessed it * . it is only the pert political economist , to whom tho truth Of history is a secondary consideration , that has overlooked it . Impudent assertion , however , cannot always stand in the place of truth , and some day or other the absurd fallacies of these men must suftbr detection and exposure .

      Hallam , in his celebrated work , the " History and Governments of Europe during the Middle Ages , " in referring to this matter , says : — " "We can trace the pedigree of princes , fill up ' the catalogue of towns besieged and provinces desolated , describe even the whole pageantry of coronations and festivals , but we cannot recover the genuine history of mankind . It has passed away with slight and partial notice by contemporary writers , and our most patient industry can hardly at present put together enough of the fragments to suggest a tolerably clear representation of ancient manners and social life . " * And again , Wade , in his " History of the Middle and " Working Classes , " page 25 , remarks : — "It is impossible tojudge correctly of the comfort and relative situation of the working classes at difierent periods , they depend so much on circumstances with which wc are very imperfectly acquainted . " .

      In fact , all historians who have undertaken to : handle this subject give us to understand that the utmost that can be arrived at will only amount to a series of guesses , more or less remote from the truth , according as our historical knowledge ismoreor less correct . , Wade goes on to say that the proportion between the rate of wages and the price of provisions is undoubtedly the best criterion by which to judge of the social condition of the people . If this be true —as there can be no doubt it is—then the propriety of examining with the utmost care into all facts relative to wages and the price of provisions must bemost apparent . Authorities should be examined and evidence weighed with the utmost suspicion and circumspection . The Editor of the Chronicle ' , however , saves himself a word of trouble on this head , by jumping with the usual newspaper audacity to conclusions which are not warranted by a single particle of historic evidence .

      " A century and a half ago , " he writes , "the wages of an English peasant were four shillings , and of a hand-loom weaver three shillings per week -r —the price of wheat being then about the same as it now is—fuel , light , and all articles of clothing * considerably dearer . Under the influence of the modern industrial system the wages of the peasant ; have more than doubled : and the power-loom weaver thinks eleven shillings per week scanty pay . At the same time the increased abundance of commodities renders a doubled wage fully equivaleut to a . tripled supply of comforts . '" - -.. ¦ : . This , you will observe , is an off-hand statement unsupported by any authority , and , therefore , inadmissible as evidence in this case ; and ; that its value

      may be understood , I shall at once proceed to oppose to it a few of those facts which have been furniabedtous by those who have made this question a subject of laborious inquiry . " Thomas Ituggles _, F . A . S _., one of his Majesty ' s Justices of the Peace for the Counties of Esses and Suffolk , " has written two most interesting volumes , entitled " The History of the Poor -, their rights , duties , and the laws respecting them . '' This work is full of most interesting facts relative to the past condition of agricultural labourers , one or two of which I shall take the liberty of extracting . He tells us , upon the authority of Sir John Cullum , that in the fourteenth century the wages of a reaper per day was 4 d . ; wheat thrashed , per quarter , id . ; other grain , 2 d . ; man filling dung-cart , three days , lOJd . ; _reaping wheat , per acre , 7 d . ; mowing an acre of grass , ' 6 d _» The of

      prices provisions during the same century , as furnished by Fleetwood ' s " Chronicon Pretiosum , " were as follows : —A pair of shoes , 4 d . ; a stalled or corn-fed ox , 24 s . ; a grass-fed ox , 16 s . ; a fat stalled cow , 12 s . ; a fat sheep , shorn , lid . ; a fat goose , 2 _Jd . ; a gallon of ale , Id . ; In 1338 , a quarter of wheat , 3 s 4 d . , * a quarter of barley , lOd . ; oats , lOd . ; white wine , per gallon , 6 d . ; re ' d wine , 4 d . And in tbe beginning ol the next century he givs us thc following from the same source : —l 44 _Q , labourers per day , without diet , 3 _Jd . - from Michaelmas to Easter , Id . less ; amower in harvest , without diet , Gd . ; a reaper and carter , without diet , 5 d . Prices of necessaries and provisions from the same computus * , j—A cow , 7 s . ; two bushels of wheat , lOd . ; peas , per quarter , 2 s . 2 d . ; gallon of ale , from Id . to lid . ; gallon of red wine , Sd .

      The following is from other computuses , dating from 1444 , to 1403 . - —Flitch of bacon , Is . Sd . ; gallon of ale . _IJd . ; wheat , a quarter , from 2 a . to 4 s . 6 d ., this variation in the price of wheat was during a period of twenty years , the lowest price being at the latest date . It would be easy to multiply such statements as the above of the relative prices of labour and provisions , but enough has been g iven to show that the wagesof labour gave the rccipientamuchlargcrcommand over the comforts and necessaries of life than he now possesses . Tliere is another fact , however , which should be taken into account at this period of our inquiry , namely , the fact that the supply of laboiu _* _- was not equal to the demand for it . This is proved

      by an Act passed in the 23 d year of the reign of Edward tho 3 d , for the purpose of regulating the wages of labouring men , and the preamble of this Act declares its necessity , by stating that wages had greatly increased in consequence ofthe scarcity of labour caused by the plague ; and the rates of wages already given above ,, are those which were fix * ed by tho Ac t , whicli was the rate paid six years before thc plague broke out . At this period other Acts of Parliament were passed fixing the maximum of wages , a circumstance which shows that there was a tendency to rise above tbat previously fixed . If the tendency of wages was downward s then it is obvious that Parliament , " if it interfered , could only do so for the purpose of fixing a minimum . have how to

      I request my reader to look back at the figures I have given , and he will easily see how far a day ' s wages would go in furnishing the larder of a labourer ; for mowing meadows 5 a . per daya fat goose , same date , 2 id . ; that is , two fat geese for one day ' s labour . At the . present moment I have no doubt it would take two days' labour of the same hind to buy one fat goose . A man working three days at filling a dung cart , 10 id ., for which he might have purchased a pair of shoes , 4 d ., a fat goose , ' 2 _* d ., a gallon of ale , Id ., and with another ? d ., a quarter of fat mutton , which makes altogether I 0 _* d . Now , at the present prices , these things would amount to about the- following : quarter of fat mutton , say 161 b . to the Quarter , nt ¦ ¦

      » _^ - . _i _. oa . per lb ., 8 s . ; a pan * of shoes , say 0 s . ; a fat goose , say 5 s . ; a gallon of ale , say ls . ; total 20 s . At the present moment a man would have to fill dung-carts for a fortnight to procure the same things . There are many other modes of assisting to decide this question as correctl y as it can be , decided in the absence of full information , such as the great increase in ihe rates levied for the support of the poor , but as I shall treat of this part of the subject when considering the condition of our manufacturing population , I shall not further allude to it here . I may be allowed to mention , however , as proof of the comparative prosperity of the nation at a later period than 1 have as yet alluded to , the statements of Daniel Defqo , made in a letter addressed to Parliament iri the year 1704 . ehtitlml " nivir . _™ ai _~ u —

      _SSon " _^ r _^ _, _^ T _^ _So the _JNdtion . , Li that letter he lays . down thc following as fundamental maxims - .- uown tuc tol ~ i i _r 7 _„ " lh re _*? in England . more labour than hands to perform it ; and , consequentl y , a want of people , not of employment . '" * ¦ - _"" "k . ox 2 iid _.-,- _'Non- _ian in England of sound limbs and senses can bopoor merel y from want of work . " ¦ Whether Defoe fully established the above positions , need not now be enquired -, it is stated _W t on relative t * _flr * * T > then under _considerapSciSedfromJ _* ESS _^^^ . _^^• S _^ _Pr oof that there was somo _onl _™ -

      ,, _S-fl ™ arguments ho advanced . _; < I niay _asir _JSw _^ ' _v ? _§ tatem _° n t * ' would he not be _univermefe _' _rhinV _^ _^^ VWbaiJ man could for a mowS u _^ , _PWS now / that there was moro work in England-than hands to perform it ? _^ _S _^^^ _lW E ( % rl could sMc _, in 3 _ife _? A _^' _'H' _^^ . advanced , some facts t _£ _S _^ p () 0 V of ' ° _l ° _- lu' - _^ cultural districts * , SS _P _, atent _^ oevery man who reads or thinks in th _^ emintry _, ; such as the ; Ahdover Union case , ov _SS-Ri _' _^ Godolphin Osborne , in / the . columns of , _tho-ff _)^ _j - _, _^ , howemy would ex-

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      - * -. . - * '••• * * - « y ] rf' _tj-38 i _* _-- ' _- ¦ ¦ t A Com putus' of thea _' ripr and _C ' aiioiisof _Burclwstc

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), June 30, 1849, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_30061849/page/6/