Current:

Northern Star (1837-1852), 21st April 1849, Edition 4 of 4, Page 4, FOR WIVES AND FAMILIES OF VICTIMS. Recei...

Page 4
Page 4
4 of 8

On this page

  • Departments (3)
    • i—MMyi ^ ___ TOE CfiEjU-BTT GOITIOX EVES rtBLMIlED. Frit* Ik. 6d., A new and elegant edition, with Steel Flat* if th» Author, «f PAINE'S POLITICAL WORKS.
    • Eo ®OYmpoimnt&>
    • THE I0BTIEB1 STAR SATURDAY, APRIJL 21, 1810.
  • Adverts (15)
  • Text (15)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      4 The. Northern Star April 21,1849. _

      4 THE . NORTHERN STAR April 21 , 1849 . __

      I—Mmyi ^ ___ Toe Cfieju-Btt Goitiox Eves Rtblmiled. Frit* Ik. 6d., A New And Elegant Edition, With Steel Flat* If Th» Author, «F Paine's Political Works.

      _i—MMyi _^ ___ TOE _CfiEjU-BTT GOITIOX EVES rtBLMIlED . Frit * Ik . 6 d _., A new and elegant edition , with Steel Flat * if th _» Author , « f PAINE'S POLITICAL WORKS .

      Ad00412

      Sow Eea * Jy , a New Edition of Mr . _O'GQNSQR'S WORK OH SMALL FARMS

      Ad00413

      TKE LABOURER MAGAZINE . Vols . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , may still be had , neatJy _Twand , price 2 s . ( 5 d . each Xo . 4 , _rUie Xumber containing Ms . O'Coxsoa ' * ** Treatise on the National Land Company ; " Xo . 10 , & c one containing St * . _O'Co . _sKoa _' _i Tre » tifl 6 " * On ihe National Land and Labour Bank an connection -with thc Land Company : _Hare Safely been _reprinted and . m « r U bad on application , Price Cd . each . _ImiH-rfectionsof the ' labourer Magazine' may » _faU be lad . at the l _' _uliliehcrs .

      Ad00414

      In a neat Volume , Price ls . Od . ?' Tlie Evidence taken by the Select Committee of the House of Commons appointed to enquire into thc National Land Company . " Hus Volume ought to be in the hands of every Member of the Comjiany , as it strikingly illustrates the care and _^ cono mv tliat have been practised in tlie management of ihe Punds of the Company , and _prorf s , beyond contradic-: gon , the practicability of tbe Plan wliich the Company _tvaa _established to carry out .

      Ad00415

      Just published , Xo . III . Price Sixpence , of THE GOMMQHWEALTH . "THE _COMMONWEALTH" will be the Representative of the Cliartists , SodaUsts , and Trades ' . Unionists , iu tlie Monthly l _' ress . co . _ytevts : 1 . What is to be done with Ireland ! 2 _. The Weaver ' s Daughter , 3 . Extinction of Pauperism . 4 . Popular Cause in Europe . 5 . Social Effects of reasant _Proprietorsliip . 6 . Tlie Hero . 7 . Events ofthe Montb .

      Ad00416

      _IMPOKTaKT PUBLICATION'S . Proceedings of the National Convention , which assembled at London in April , 1848 . Thirty two very large and solid pages . - price only Threepence . The Trials of the Chartist Prisoners , Jones , FusselL Williams , Vernon , & Looney . Twenty four very large and full i > _agea ; price only Threepence . Sold by J . Watson , Queen ' s Ifead Passage , Paternosterrow , London ; A . _HevivoocL Oldham-street , Manchester ; and Love anil Co ., 5 , _Stkon-street , Glasgow . And by aU BookseUers in Towa and Country .

      Ad00417

      _O'COXSOHVILLE . THE SECOND ANNIVERSARY _-svill take place on TCESDA 1 ' , Mat 1 st , 1 S 49 . The _proseedings will consist ofa Public Dinner , Meeting and Ball . The Directors wfll attend . Mr . 0 'Co _> -sob and other friends hare been invited . Tickets to be had of Mr . Dixon , at the Office , IU , High Holborn : also , of Mr . T . M . Wheeler , on the Estate .

      Ad00418

      TO THE HEADERS OF _"KEYA'OLDS'S _MISCELLACT . " Oa Saturday . April 2 ©' tn , to every purchaser of Kumucr 43 ( Pr ice Oue Penny ) of tliat highly popular and beautifully illustrated Periodical , REYNOLDS'S MISCELLANY _, ¦ will be presented , _gratis , llie First Xumber of a _lle-Isiue ofthe beautiful Domestic Tale , entitled GKETXA GREEX ; OK , ALL TOR LOVE . BY SCSASSAn F 11 AXCES REYNOLDS ( MM . G . W . M . KErXOlJK } . The re-issue will be in Weekly Penny _lumbers and Monthly Shpenny Parts , in the same torm as " The MvaHRiK op tue Coras * of Losuos , " printed on . egualli ? good paper , and with Illustrations by the same popular artist . Mr . Ilenrv Anelay . " London : " _Ketnoids's Miscehany" Office , Wellingtonstreet Xortb , Strand .

      Ad00419

      _STARTLLVG PROPOSAL . THE CREATION OF WEALTH ; os , LABOUR'S TRIUMPH , being a practicable plan or an EMIGRATION AXD HOME COLONISATION LEAGUE , by wliich a fomily may emigrate to America and bave a free passage and a fruitful farm for Sre Pouxds ; whilst , fer nearly every family thus emigrating , another mav be established gratis , on a Ten-Acre farm in Britain . See THE REFORMER , weekly periodical , price Two Pence . London : Wiss _, and aU Newsagents and Dealers in Town and Country .

      Ad00420

      BERRY EDGE MEETING . NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO tlie members of tlie IVISTONE branch of the National Land Company , that a meeting wiU be held at the liouse of Mr . _Jases Fixlev ( who is about to emigrate to America ) , on Sunday , April _rl-Jiwl , at two o'clock _iatUc afternoon , when all * the members of the branch are requested to attend , as business of great importance wiU be laid before tlie meeting .

      Ad00421

      TO TAILORS . By approbation of Her Majesty Queen Victoria and His Royal Highness Prince Albert . Now Ready , THE LONDON aud PARIS SPRING and SUMMER FASHIONS for 1849 , by Messrs . BENJAMIN READ and Co ., 12 , Hart-street _Bloomsbury-square , Loudon ; and bv GEORGE BERGER , Holywell-street , Strand ; a splendid PRINT , elaborately finished , and superbly coloured , the LANDSCAPE , a correct view in tlie Queen ' s Botanical Gardens , London , ( by special permisaon , ) the _mostmajpificent place in Europe . This beautiful picture wul be accompanied with tlie most novel , good fittins ; , and fashionable Dress , lluling , Frock , and Hunting Coat Patterns , both double arid single-breasted ; Hussar ' s or Youth ' s round Jackets , plain and with skirts ; single and double-breasted Dress , Morning and Evening Waistcoats ; also the most fashionable and newest style Habit Pattern ; every particular part of each pattern fully explained , and an fflustratlon ofeverytbuigrespeeting Style and Fashion ; price 10 s . Sold by Read and Co ., 1- ' , Hart-street , Bloomsbury-square , London ; G . Bcrger , _HolywcU-street , Strand ; and aU Booksellers in Town and Country .

      Ad00422

      _JJO MORE PILLS , nor any other Medicine for Indigestion Irregularity of tlie Ditestines , Flatulency , Palp itation of the Heart , Torpidity of the Liver , persisting Headaches , Kervonsncss , Biliousness , General Debility , Despondency , Spleen , & c . Price Cd ., or Sd . _jiost-free , royal , gilt , 2 s ; or free by post , 2 s . Gd . ( hi stamps ) , Fifth Edition of DU BARRY ' S POPULAR TREATISE OX INDIGESTION and CONSTIPATION ; the main causes of Nervousness , Biliousness , Scrofula , Liver _Comnlaints . Spleen , ic . and tlieir Radical Removal , entitled the . "Natural Regenerator of the Digestive . Organs , " without piUs , _purgatives , or medicines of any kind , by a simple , pleasant , economical , and infallible means ; adapted to the general reader . Du Barry and Co ., 75 , New Bond-street , London ; also , of _"WkittafccrA-Co . ; and all other booksellers . Sent post-free atthe same price torrussia .

      Ad00423

      Uow Dr . Rsox became a Successob of the Apostles . —In our last we stated , on the authority of thc I / _idiliu Press , that the present Protestant Bishop of Limerick lives out of the country to avoid his creditors . In reference to another Irish prolate , the new Bishop of Down and Connor , whose emoluments amount to from £ 3 , 500 to £ 4 , 000 per annum , the Daily News says : — " Dr . Knox is nothing particular , ho has done nothing particular , and he is not gifted with the faculty of _sayin-r anything which the world is particularly curious to hear . What , then , has made him Bishop of Down ? Our Irish contemporaries explain the mystery in a brief , and , wc fear , undeniable manner . Dr . Knox is ihe relation b y birth of one Tory Earl , and the connexion by marriage of another . Lord Ranfurl y possesses large estates in Tyrone , and Lord Clare possesses considerable property in Limerick . It Eeems to the wise "Whigs more politic and iusfc to

      Ad00424

      Price Sixpence , WILLIAM THE NORMAN , or the TYRANT DISPLAYED , a Tragedy , by R Otle _* . VfOBM PUBLISHED BT B . _OXtET _. _«*• d . "WESLEY AN PARSONS , a Satire ... .. ° 6 ON THE OKIGLV OF EVIU .. .. J » FREE TRADE , a Letter to H . G . Ward , Esq , . - 0 1 | A BLACK DRAUGHT FOR THE CANT WELLS .. 0 1 BEADT FOB THB 7 BES 3 . CHRISTIAN PANTHEISM * ° TOinrRIS , a Komanco , in tiro _toIs . THE DEMON OF DESPOTISM . Published by J . Watson , No . S , Queen ' s _Head-passare , Patemoster-r 6 V ; andH . BeaL No , 2 , Shoe-lans , London , and all BookseUers . Fort h * _"Christian Pantheism" tlie author has already eightv purchasers' names ; wheu the number u one hundred , * the work will immediately be sent to press . Orders may be sent to R . Otlex , Sheffield , aad may be had through any London bookseller .

      Ad00425

      Mr . THOMAS OOOPER AND MYSELF . I have received a letter from Mr . Coo p er , a resolution from the "Westminster localit y , aud a letter from James Lord , of Bolton , No . 5 , Back _Mawdesley-strcct—all relative to the same subject—and all shall appear in next week ' s Star , as this week I should not have time for a single _cornrnent ; and I think I shall he able to show that my Westminster friends imagine that I am to be a target to be shot at with impunity without daring to return fire .

      Ad00426

      ta » TO CORRESPONDENTS . Being absent from London during last week , I have been compelled to leave several letters unanswered : this , I trust , will bo an apology to my correspondents . _Feabgus _O'Cossok .

      Eo ®Oympoimnt&≫

      Eo _® _OYmpoimnt &>

      J. Ccblisc, Me Of Tlianet. — Watson, Que...

      J . Ccblisc , Me of Tlianet . — Watson , Queen ' s Head-passage , _Paternojter-row . J . Sweet acknowledges the receipt of the following sums , sent herewith , viz .: — Fon the Victim Fu . \ _t > . —From Calverton , £ 1 -from Mr . Smith , ls ; from Mr . C . HaU , 2 d . Kibkdalb _PaisosEKS . —Thomas Ormcsher has received the following sums : — _ltadcliffe Bridge , Richard _llames , ls 6 d ; a Friend at Rodd's , ls ; Middleton , a Few Friends , ls 7 Jd ; Crag Vale , John Smith , 2 s ; Hebden Bridge , John Stott , 12 s Gd ; Manchester , W . Roach ' s Book , 3 s 8 d ; Swineshead Clough , near Todmorden , per Richard Barker , 8 s . Wan * ofEbboiu—Higher Jane , _Pilkiiigton , J . Eastwood , 7 s ; Levensholm , a Few Friends , ls Cd . George What , Leicester . — The grievance of which you complain would be best published in the law courts , but we fear you have no remedy . Jons _Ue-deksos , Alloa . — We cannot answer your question . 6 . Asdersos , _Holytown . —We have no room for so lengthy a statement A . B .. Middlesborough . —We do not answer legal questions .

      The I0btieb1 Star Saturday, Aprijl 21, 1810.

      THE I 0 BTIEB 1 STAR SATURDAY , APRIJL 21 , 1810 .

      The Land. " The Foll Y Of To-Day Is The ...

      THE LAND . " The foll y of to-day is the wisdom of the morrow . " Volumes have been written , speeches have been made , and experiments have been indulged in in connexion with the Land , but all—one and all—having for their conclusion and object the achievement of patronage and wealth through political power acquired b y landed possession . Until CiURLES and James issued their writs to rotten

      boroughs , conferring upon them a representative power , the land alone—and especiall y in Ireland—was tho standard of representation . And although forty Irish boroughs were created , at one and the same time , to neutralise the power of the landed interest , that interest Tery speedil y not only converted those boroughs to their own " sole use , behoof , and benefit , " hut made their possession the means of title , distinction , and wealth conferred upon the owners for prostitution .

      This system not only applied to exclusivel y agricultural Ireland , but up to ihe year 1832 —the period whimsicall y called the Reform—England was equally subject to exclusive agricultural representation ; and from the period of Reform down to the presenttime , thewholequestion ofthe Land , as of yore , has been treated in its mere political phase , until , at length , not only those who are robbed , impoverished , famished , and starved to death ; but those -who heretofore manufactured the soil into political patronage , are now—one and all—beginning to reflect upon the danger of longer withholding the Land from its natural purposes—the employing , the feeding , the clothing , the housing , the warming , thc satisf ying the millions .

      We have made the question of the Land our life ' s study—not theoreticall y , but practicall y ; and if we were called upon to explain the vast and appalling increase of pauperism in Ireland , we would date it from that period when the champions of civil and religious liberty consented to the destruction and sweeping from the face of the earth over three hundred thousand Catholic forty-shilling freeholders , as the condition that those champions might have a seat in the Saxon Protestant Parliament . Can we give a stronger illustration of the fact that the land in Ireland has been used for mere political purposes , than the knocking of those

      three hundred thousand freehold tenements into large farms , as soon as the serfs , who had prodigiously increased their value , had ceased to be political engines ? That ' s for Ireland ; and then , as regards England , even the Reform Bill has failed to wrench this anomalous political power from the hands of the landlords , inasmuch as the rural constituencies number about one hundred and eight thousand £ 50 tenantsat-will , or over one-fourth of the whole rural constituency , and from their required subserviency constituting that balance of power upon which landlordism still holds its obstructive policy .

      The Catholics of Ireland gained but little by what is called Emancipation , beyond the honour and glory of being sold to the British Minister by the professors of their own faith , and the pride of being most persecuted by judges and legal officials of their own relig ious persuasion ; and the working classes of England received no greater boon than that of _berngtransferred from the tender mercies of landlords to the merciful consideration of cotton lords and _profitmongers . And it is a fact , which the boldest eamiot deny , that these two boasted triumphs hare been replete with the most evil

      The Land. " The Foll Y Of To-Day Is The ...

      ¦ results . And why ? Because each has tended to narrow and circumscribe the field of natural and legitimate Labour , in order that the new recip ients of political power may traffic upon its dependents . The reader , however , will learn from the following pithy morsel , extracted from the " Times" of Thursday last , that " the folly of to-day maybe the wisdom of the morrow , " as from it he will learn that the only alternative now is CONFISCATION or wise legislation . Here follows this delicate morsel : —

      Tlie utter and disastrous failure of the Irish roil , under its existing management , to maintain the Irish people , is n case for interference both with the people ANI ) TIIE LAND . We will not be saddled with the products of tho machinery without claiming a voice in its management . A great nation cannot close ils ears against the _Appeal to its benevolence . If the cry of Irish-destitution be raised , not seven times , but seventy times seven , it will still be attended to . But THE LAND must go with the people . We demand the whole lot ; not that we may wrest the land from its present owners , or indulge our own cupidity or caprice ; but simply that we may the better meet that responsibuity whicli the Irish landlords themselves impose upon us . ' None have been so loud in their demands on the Imperial Exchequer , or have so unreserv « _dly upheld , tlie doctrine that it is the duty of the Legislature , at anv cost .

      and at any lesser injury to particular interests , to avert a general starvation . For the sake of the poor , and for the relief of their pressing necessities , we insist on a more summary and vigorous deuling with their onlv _meM-is of support . Tliey who throw on us their poor , do in fact offer us their land ; and they who _raquire us to maintain their poor without compensation do , in fact , surrender tlieir land without price . Thus the LAND solves the question of the poor , and the poor solve the question of thc LAND ;—not indeed to such an extent as to justify a * sweepiug _CONFISCATION , but at least so far as to compel whatever measures may be necessary to put the land under better management England cannot maintain the Irish , aud let Ireland alone . If it have one , it must have both ; and if it is driven to a ruinous expenditure for the maintenance of the people . it will insist on measures of a proportionate magnitude and efficiency for the better CULTIVATION OF

      THB SOIL . Now , can the reader peruse the above without a smile of satisfaction , and without coming to the conclusion-that our foll y of a quarter of a century and two years , is the wisdom ofthe present day ? Here is not only the admission that the application of the Irish land to its proper purposes , can alone save England from the penalty of Irish destitution , but in the distant horizon we see the dim shadow of

      CONFISCATION . We would remind our pupil of Printing-house-square , however , that Irish destitution , Irish misgovermhent and misrule , has . been the lever b y which many thousands of English capitalists have sprung from their clogs into Spanish leather boots , from the dung cart to the carriage , from the cellar to the mansion , and from poverty to unbounded wealth . When the Irish were required here to compete with English industry , then she was over-populated ; and better would it have been for thc people of both nations , if the land of both countries had been covered with an incrustation of lava ,

      and rendered sterile , and non-productive . But , now alas ! when population presses hardly upon tho POLITICAL MEANS OF EXISTENCE for its support , the Ministerial organ —the " Thunderer "—the veritable conqueror of Free Trade , our then shortsighted , but now far-seeing pupil , has put on his goggles , and can only sec British salvation in the appropriation of the Irish land to the support of the Irish people . Why , how does this square with the much lauded doctrine of the Honourable and Reverend Baptist Noel—the Free Trade pamphleteer— whose wadding was rammed under every peasant ' s door , or crammed through every cellar keyhole ? This pious Divine ,

      whose duty it was to teach his nock to pray that God might preserve the kindl y fruits of the earth , so that , in due time , his people mayenjoy them—this man , whoso duty it was to tell the people that man was composed of the elements , and that his Maker bestowed upon him thc birds ofthe air , the beasts of the field , and the fishes in the sea , and commanded him to live by the sweat of his brow—not in a rattlebox ; not as a prostitute upon the labour of his wife and little children , but upon his own industry , applied to the cultivation of the laud , the netting ofthe fish , and the catching of thc birds of thc air—yet this p ious Divine has told his flock that they were created for an artificial life , while the people of all other countries wcre destined for agricultural pursuits .

      Ilowbeit , hero we aro in the nineteenth century , with the leading statesman—not of the day , but of the age—advocating the better application of the land of Ireland , and the leading journal of the world assuring us that there is now but the choice between the Aviso

      APPROPRIATION OF THE SOIL TO TBE MAINTENANCE OF THE PEOPLE , OR THE CONFISCATION OF THE SOIL . But , is this dispensation to be achieved through the instrumentality of a reformed Parliament , in which those who depend upon the mal-appropriation ofthe land for the accumulation of inordinate wealth , hold the balance of power ? No ; it is to be accomplished , it can be accomplished , and it SHALL BE ACCOMPLISHED , by the people themselves . Aud the landlords of England , who are not as deeply sunk in the slough of extravagance as the landlords of Ireland are , will discover , and that ere long , that they have but the alternative of confiscation , or wise , legitimate , and profitable appropriation .

      The Free Traders are not prepared to make a greater experiment in this direction than will merely secure for them the balance of political power in some Protectionist counties ; while the landlords are under tho influence of tenants , who fear that a more extensive distribution of the soil would increase the rate of wages in the agricultural market . But mark the result ; cheap and dear , as we have often told our readers , are relative terms , and presently we shall see a country glorified tor the cheapness of its food—which of course must be consequent upon the cheapness of its labourburthened with an amount of taxation , which , relative to the remuneration for industry , will be doubled in pressure , although not a figure may be altered _.

      In the very last , number ofthe "Labourer , we predicted that the Pbime Minister would meet his Irish difficulty in the present Session of Parliament by consenting to the appointment of a Committee upon Irish Poor Laws . We now speak of what is p rinted , and we told our readers that during the deliberations of that committee , the L _* ish members would be tho most servile hacks of tho Minister ; as proof , witness their all but unanimous howl for the renewal of the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act : but we predicted the impossibilit y of satisfying the demands of Irish members , and thatthe Minister would again find the question of Irish Poor Laws to be his great difficult y .

      The truth of this prediction has been fully verified , and now we will venture upon another . Itis ; " That before twelvemonths from this date , the Government of England —no matter whether Whi g or Tory—will have but the alternative of national bankruptcv , confiscation of the land , or its legitimate aiid profitable application to the wants and necessities of the people . " And let it be always borne in mind , that we live in the age of progress ; that sentiments , feelings , and opinions ,

      are now communicated with the rapidity of electricity ; that the feeding of the idle few upon the capriciousl y employed many , cau no longer be allowed to exist ; and that six months—yea , half the time—in this age of railways , steam navigation , electric communication , the printing press and penny- postage , is equivalent to half a century of the old jogtrot age , when tradition was all but oral , and when the incidents of to-day were new to the few who heard them this day week

      , The legitimate demands of the working classes , boldly , manfully , and _continuouel y advocated and forced upon the consideration of Parliament , must henceforth be the dial by which legislation must be regulated , as with oar consent the industrious classes shall no longer be made simple _inatrumenta in the hands of either or any faction for the achievment of political power . The neople—if wise united , consistent ; _wri _iadefati gabl _^ --can

      The Land. " The Foll Y Of To-Day Is The ...

      achieve the emancipation ot then * order , and if they do not adopt these legitimate means for their salvation , our fervent hope is , that they may be goaded , tortured , and persecuted by their oppressors .

      Killing No Murdee. English Law Is Like A...

      KILLING NO MURDEE . English law is like a spider ' s cobweb . It catches the small flies , but the big ones break through it . In proportion to the magnitude of the offence , and the wealth ofthe offender , the chances of escape from the punishment due to the crime are multiplied . If some poor ignorant and neglected wretch—depraved in consequence of that neglect , and left a prey to his own unregulated passions—kills a fellow creature in a moment of excitement , or under the stimulus of want , the law is powerful enoug h to bring him to condign punishment . But , as the case of the keeper of the Tooting Pest-house clearly 6 hows , it cannot touch thc

      man whose conduct has been demonstrated to have caused 150 deaths . The circumstances connected with the so-called outbreak of cholera in the Do-the-hoys Hall , under the management of this second S queers , need not be recap itulated . Our readers are familiar with them , and we believe that the public opinion of the whole country heartil y responded to the just verdict of the manl y Jury who first branded Drouet as guilty of " Manslaughter . " His acquittal at the bar- of the Old Bailey does not , in the slightest degree , alter his position in the eyes of the world . The same facts were proved , and their conclusive bearing upon each other , thc direct and inevitable inference to which they pointed , were as plain and as strong in the one place as the other _.

      But Drouet was fortunate in having a partisan Judge , whose whole conduct indicated a foregone conclusion . It is , wc know , a maxim , that the Judge ought to presume every man innocent until ho is proved to be guilt y ¦ but there is no good reason wh y he should convert himself into counsel for fhe prisoner . While he is bound to sec that tho innocent do not suffer , he is , at the same time , equally hound to protect the public against the consequences of leaving guilt unpunished . Mr . Baron Platt has gained an unenviable notoriet y as a partial and prejudiced Judge . His mind seems to be deficient in the most

      essential element of the judicial character . He cannot impartially and dispassionatel y hold the scales of justice in an even balance , but must run into one extremo or other . Either violently and unreasonabl y against tho persons tried before hrm , or as violentl y and unreasonably in their favour . His conduct towards the Chartists who were tried be f ore him was of the most discreditable , prejudiced , aud bullying description . In their case he assumed the character of counsel against the prisoners , and although Sir John Jervis needed no assistance whatever , heing possessed of venom enough to serve for a whole bar , Baron Platt exceeded that worth y functionary in the _offensiveness of his manner and the recklessness of his partisanship .

      The grounds on which he directed the acquittal of Drouet to be pronounced last Saturday , were certainly—to our thinkingthe strangest that ever were laid down by an English judge . The leading facts , as established by medical and other unimpeachable testimony , were tliese : — Drouet had crammed into his pest-house nearly twice the number of boys and girls that it was capable of accommodating . He did this for the sole aud mercenary reason that he made money by

      them . " The more the merrier' for him , at all events . These overcrowded little wretches , in addition to suffering the evil arising from being herded together in close , unwholesome , unvontilated sleeping rooms , were badl y fed and badly clothed . This was shown in a way that could not be gainsaid . The evidences of starvation and scanty clothing were stamped upon the persons ef theso poor unfortunate victims of cupidity and avarice . It did not require the reports of visitors to prove that thev wore ill-treated . Tlieir skins were

      covered with loathsome diseases—the _conssquoncc of unclcanliness and crowding . They wcre what is called " pot-bellied ; " an invariable accompaniment of inuutvitious aud insufficient diet . They were thus all iu an abominable state _^—predisposed to bo attacked by any epidemic that mi ght prevail for the time being . All at once what was called thc cholera makes a swoop at this den of infantile wretchedness . The poor victims are stricken down by hundreds , and . in the course of a very few days , 150 aro carried to the grave . At the same time not a singlo person—man , woman , or child—in tho village of Tooting , suffers from this so-called cholera . Its ravages are entirely and exclusively confined within the limits of Drouet ' s " child farm * . " and tho

      medical evidence is decided and conclusive , that the treatment we have summaril y described was the sure precursor of such a result-But Mi- . Baron Platt—notwithstanding these facts and this evidence _^—declined to give any opinion as to whether or not Drouet was chargeable with manslaughter " by reason of his having reduced the constitutional energy ofthe child so as to render him unable to resist any disease by which ho mi g ht be attacked . " Why , it appears to us that this was the very

      point at issue . It was that upon which the Coroner ' s jury mainl y founded their verdict , and to preveut that point from goiug before the jury at the Central Criminal Court amounts , Ave think , to suGh a misdirection on the part of the Judge as invalidates thc trial altogether . Not content , however , with this suppressio veri , the learned Judge proceeds to the suggestio falsi , and directed an acquittal , on the ground " that there had been no evidence adduced to show that the deceased was ever in such

      a state of health as to render it probable that ho would have recovered f rom the malad y but for the treatment of thc defendant . " If it had been shown that the treatment of tho defendant was what it should have been , there would have been some show of reason in this decision ; but when the testimony of all the witnesses—professional and non-professionalso unanimousl y and conclusively showed that treatment to have been of the very worst character , and its injurious consequences were so palpable and so general , we must say we are astonished at the perversit y of the intellect b y which it is put forward . Such , however , is really thc ground upon which the principal actor in this disgraceful tragedy has been allowed to escape justice .

      The occurrence of " such cases is , hi tho highest degree , injurious to public morality and well-being . When the poor see a Judge of the land acting the part of a political partisan , and next apparentl y screening a man from punishment because he is " respectable , " and has amassed money , they will lose all respect both for the law and its administrators . Thoy will come to the conclusion that justice is not administered upon fixed and definite princi ples with ri g id impartiality , but is dealt out in accordance with the whims and prejudices ofthe moment . Nothing can be more injurious to a country than for such a conviction to gain a footing , and the men whose conduct tends to

      produce it are the most dangerous enemies of society . In this case , we find that the 150 children of the poor have fallen victims to a systematic course of bad treatment , the sole _object of which was to make money ; and yet the law is powerless to punish . Whereas , in the case ofthe Chartist prisoners , convictions were speedy and sentences severe—not because these peoplo had committed any actual offence against society or individuals , but because they held political opinions obnoxious to Jurors and Judges , and because these latter fea * ed the men they oppressed . We verily believe , -that if a man had . been called a Chartist , and p _laced at the bar accused of intending to get Ore tothe Thames , that the "intelligent nud < Ee-clas » ''J

      Killing No Murdee. English Law Is Like A...

      Jurors , who were to judge ofthe evidence , and the Judge , who was to lay down the law to them , would have found him guilty , aud the verdict would have been followed by such an unreasonable and _severe sentence as that passed upon poor C vffe y and his associates . These things sow the seeds of dissension and mutual dislike between the different classes of society . They tend to the subversion _oMts very foundations , and eliminate the materials out of which revolutions are formed . Evenhanded justice is tho best safeguard of nations .

      The Kirkdale Chartist Prisoners. We Beg ...

      THE KIRKDALE CHARTIST PRISONERS . We beg to remind our readers and the Chartists generall y , of thc Address which appeared in last Saturday ' s " Star , " appealing for funds for the support of the Chartist prisoners at present suffering in Kirkdale House of Correction . It appears , that whilst the Manchester Chartists have contributed thirty-ei ght pounds

      to the support of the Kirkdale prisoners , only ten pounds have been contributed b y the Chartists generall y , independent of Manchester . It is true that the latter have had to bear the burden of the General Defence and Victim Funds ; but , on the other hand , the Manchester mon have also contributed to those funds , in addition to subscribing so generously for the support of tho Kirkdale Chartist

      prisoners . We observe that there has been a partial response to tho appeal ofthe Committee , but we trust that a general and generous response will be forth with made by the Democratic party throughout the country . A correspondent , upon whom Ave can rely , informs us that our friends at Kirkdale arc subjected to a system of vexatious tyranny by the governor and officers of that prison . Their visitors both male and female , are searched as if they were thieves , On Monday last a female messenger had her breast felt by the fellow avIio keeps tho outer-gato . On our friends remonstrating they were informed that a female turnkey would be appointed to overhaul female visitors for the future . Other insults and

      annoyances have been reported to us which we refrain from noticing this week , Three months ago our incarcerated brethren memorialised Sir < _Jeobge Grey for an inquiry into , and redress of grievances ; but up to this time no answer has been received by the memorialists . We are sorry that the Home Secretary should exhibit such a disgraceful indifference to his duties as a public servant and adviser of Her Majesty . At this moment it is more than ever necessary that the Kirkdale Chartist prisoners should have tho support they merit , We entreat our readers to set about the good work without delay . _****** ***** _+ _**** _-+ —m _^^^ pa _~ _++ _* _++ _»/> _vi _^^ _mV ¦

      Parliamentary Review. The House Of Commo...

      _PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW . The House of Commons resumed its sittings on Monday , and the Lords re-assembled ou Thursday evening . As far as work was concerned , the Commons might as well have postponed meeting till the same night . Iu fact , Ministers wcre not prepared _togoon , and the consequence was , that Monday night was occupied by a debate on Colonial affairs , which ended in nothing . On Tuesday ni ght the House " counted out , " at an earl y hour . And on Wednesday , one of tho very few Ministerial measures which proposed to deal

      with real business , -was withdrawn . The cause of this apparent dead-lock is to be found in the fact that Ministers aro nonplussed , and do not know what to do . They have neither the comprehension nor the courage required b y the crisis , and their hesitating , temporising , and faint-hearted conduct has produced universal contempt and disgust . Lord John Russell speaks and acts with the air of a man who has uo faith in himself , or in anybody else . Responsibilit y , such as that belonging to his position , ho religiousl y eschews . It is some time since he broadly propounded the

      theory of Ministerial uon-responsibilit y , and laissez faires and he has at least the merit of having consistentl y carried it into practice . His hist exploit in this way deserves commemoration , as an innovation upon constitutional usages , of rather an unusual character . He sent an invitation to the Irish Members to meet liim at Downing-street , and when there he put the two alternatives to them—whether they would have the Rate in Aid , or an Income Tax , with some others—not specified—tacked to its tail ! To Irish Members this must have been about as pleasant as thc poisoned bowl , or the

      dagger of the jealous Queen , to poor Rosamond . Taxation is an unpleasant thing to every human being , but especiall y is it dreaded by Irish Landlords ; Lord John , howver , after propounding this remarkabl y interesting question to them , bolted from the room , telling them he would feel obliged by their answer next day . At the given horn * the Irish Members re-asscmblcd , and told his Lordshi p thoy had no answer to g ive him . They would meet him in thc Ilouse , and act upon their convictions thero . Perhaps , the meaning of this "dodge , " upon the part of Lord John ,

      was a desire to place the Irish Members m a false position , and to shift tho responsibilit y of failure from his shoulders to theirs . If he could have averred , with any degree of truth , that Irish distress was miroliGvod because ofthe disagreement between Irish representatives as to what should be doue , it would have been , in his estimation , a capital p lea fordoingnothing . But the Irish Members have foiled him , and the consequence was , that thc exploded and miserable make-shift of the Rate in Aid was

      again reproduced on Thursday , as the Irish measure of the Session . Lord John in explaining the grounds on which he proposed an advance of £ 100 , 000 on the security of the Rate in Aid , stated that if the Bill was not passed , he should ask the House to make a positive grant of the few thousand pounds tliat may happen to bo required in the meantime , and that being done , he will propose no further grant or assistance , but leave the Irish landlord to fight their own battles .

      Everybod y is heartil y sick of the men now in office , aud thc conviction gains ground in all directions , that "they must go out . " Out they would have heen long ago , if anybody had been ready to " go in . '' But as yet we do not see where their successors are to come from , and until thoy cau he found , the present occupants of ofiice Vill stop where tliey arc , a memorable instance of greatness thrust upon a bod y of men , who individually and collectively , exhibit an utter want of the intellect , political honesty , and constructive skill , which should characterise men entrusted with the management of national affairs .

      We commented last week upon the meagre performance of the ante-Paschal Session . It appears certain , now , that unless some unexpected incident oecurs , that future , which is to come will be equall y barren . We can now tell with tolerable accuracy what the conclusion will be ; the third session of the Whig Parliament will separate , "barring accidents , " having done nothing in the midst of circumstances demanding prompt and vigorous action .

      Sovereigns Me Pbopuj's Stewards.—But If ...

      Sovereigns me _Pbopuj ' s Stewards . —But if governments arise from the consent of men , and are instituted by men according to their own inclinations , they do therein seek their own good ; for the will is ever drawn by some real good , or the appearance of it . This is that which man seeks by all tho regular or irregular motions of his mind . Reason and passion , virtue and vice , do herein concur , though thov differ vastly in the objects in which each of them thinks his good to consist . A people therefore that sets up kin gs , dictators , consuls , pra ; tora , flr emperors , does it not that these may be great , Simons , rich , or happy , but that it maybe well witfe . tfcemsolves and their posteritv .- _^ _entw ¦ S j _/ _aaetftJJmm-ses _SQtimiting Government .

      Receipts Of The National Land Company Fo...

      RECEIPTS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY For ihb Week _ExDiira _TnuBSDir , A ? _mu 10 , 1849 . SHARES . £ s . d . £ s . d . J . Vigurs .. 0 2 6 Daiihury .. 14 6 Glasgow .. 0 6 0 Trowbridge .. 10 0 Whittington and Norwich , Springall 0 2 0 Cat .. 2 5 11 W . M . M'Lenn .. 0 2 O _m-de .. 2 0 0 T . Hodges .. 0 4 0 Lambeth .. 0 3 10 C . Mowl .. 0 1 C Wigton , per Bell 0 9 6 J . Gulleford .. 0 7 0 Bilston .. 5 0 t li . Gulleford .. 0 7 S Cirencester _,, 0 1 !) 7 J . Thompson .. 10 0 Nottingham .. 114 - Mahnsbury .. 2 13 C £ 19 ll 2

      EXPENSE FUND . _Whittin-rton and _Malmsbury .. 0 2 0 Cat .. 0 2 0 Lambeth .. 020 £ 0 14 _ 6 Nottingham .. 0 8 6 _nanaa TOTALS . Land Fund 39 11 2 Expense ditto ... ... ... 0 14 6 Bonus ditto ... •>• 120 5 0 Loan ditto ... ... ... 0 2 0 Transfers ... ... ... ... 0 5 9 £ 140 18 5 W . Dixo . _v , C . Doyle , T . Clark , Cor . Sec . P . M'Grath , Fin . Sec .

      For Wives And Families Of Victims. Recei...

      FOR WIVES AND FAMILIES OF VICTIMS . Received by Wm . Hides . —Philanthropic Society of Ladies' Boot and Shoe Makers and others , per Mr . Wad . _dington , Cs . Oid . ; Retford , collected by T , _Dernis and W . _Cla _. _vton , 10 s , ; New Hadford _, pur James Saunders , collected by II . Lone and W . Smallcy , 7 s . fld . ; Hartlepool , afew Chartists , per M . Parkinson , 3 s . ( id . ; Todmorden , per K . Barker , Ss . ; Nottingham , per J . Sweet , £ 1 ls . 2 d . ; _Cheltenham , per J . llemmin _, 9 s . 6 d . ; Kotlicrhnm , collected by J . Turner , 4 s . 9 d . ; Edinburgh Democratic Club , per . / . Gray , 5 s . ; _IMstol , per \ V . Hyatt , 10 s . ; llunslet , near Leeds , per J . Smith , 5 s . Received by John _Aiixott . —Torquay ,

      per Mr . Pitts , 3 s . ; Mr . Moore , Is . ; Mr . Kydd , as per Star , 3 s . Od . ; Mr . Rider as per Star , £ i 7 s . i _ d . ; finsbury , a few friends met to celebrate the 10 th of April , per Mr . Allnutt , as . ( id . ; Mr . Kendrick , Tower Hamlets , per E . Stallwood , 5 s . ; St . Pancras Charter Association , per J . Bonlton , 5 s . ; Lecture Hall , Philpot-street , per Ed . Wan-en , 3 s . 6 x 1 . ; Globe and Friends , per Ed . Warren , 4 s . 'id . j Proceeds of Silk _Handkerchief , at ditto by ditto , £ 1 ls . ; i * S , GoldSMlaue , per T . Drown , 4 s . 7 d . ; _Vrown and Anchor , per , B . Newby , 5 f . ; Crown and Anchor Hall Locality , per J . Allen , 12 s . ; Ernest Jones Locality , por Mr . _ii'Veigh , Us . 3 d . ; ( i . W . tier Land Office . 1 » .

      _Ni'DOUAUL'S CASE-FOR WRIT OF ERROR , ( Oa OTHERWISE ) . Received by Wm . Rider . —J . Taylor , Stour Provost , ls . ; Hartlepool Chartists , per M . Parkinson , 3 s . 6 s . ; Cheltenham , per J . llemmin , 7 s . Ud . ; Wolverhampton , collected b y W . Holman and M , Whittingham , 8 s , ; Rotherhnm , collected by J . Turner , 4 s . ; Malton , Old Guards , per J . Wilier , 4 s . ; St . Pancras Charter Association , per J . Coulton , 5 s . 8 d . EXECUTIVE FUND . Received by S . Ktdd . —Manchester , £ 2 ; Sutton , 5 s . ; Birmingham , per J . Newhouse , 10 s . ; Todmorden , per S . Stott , 8 s . lid . ; Rochdale , 10 s . ; Halifax 10 s . ; Mr . Martin , Is . Received by Wm . Rider . —Cheltenham , per J . llemmin , is . ( Sd .

      DEFENCE FUND . Received by War . Rider . —J . Mayman , Ramsgate , 2 s .: Cheltenham , per J . llemmin , 3 s . ; Cheltenham Mutual Improvement Society , per J . llemmin . 5 s , ; Mr . Giles , per Land Office , Gd ; a Friend , Rochester , Is . VERNON'S DEFENCE , FOR MR . NIXON . Received by Wm . IUdeb . —Cheltenham , per J . HemmiD , - . _' < , od .

      VICTIM FUND . Received by S . Kydd . —Sutton , 5 s . _»*_ _•******** _+ * s * _- _^ _a __^^ _*— - *** _+ _" - _' - ' _* _" _++ * _+- *•

      Dr. Im'douall's Whit Op Errob Case. Dear...

      DR . iM'DOUALL _' S WHIT OP ERROB CASE . Dear Rider , —I am sure there ia no ono would feci greater satisfaction than myself at the successful issue of tho Writ of Error on bolmlf of Dr M'Douall , but thinking that the £ 20 must be ere this subscribed , for wbich Mr . Cobbett stipulated , I write to ask whether it is so or not , as the committee with which I am connected regret the numerous appeals that arc made , tending as they do to distract the public mind , and leave the wives and families of tbe victims to starve ; and I also trust , that should thc amount have been forwarded , tlino the friends of Dr . M'Douall will lend their support to the general fund , as Mrs . M'Douall is a regular recipient therefrom . I am , _j-ours truly , Joircr AnxoTr _, Sec . to Victim Committee 11 , Middlesex-place , Somers Town , April 17 th , 1810 . April 10 th , 1849 . Dear An \ orr _, —In reply to yours of the 17 th allow mc to lay before you a statement of the monies I have received on account of the £ 20 required hy Mr . Cobbett , in the AVrit of Error ease . I received , as you will find on reference to the Northern Star , during the week ending : — 1819 . £ s- d . Feb . 3 rd Ill „ 10 th 1 19 y 17 th 3 5 10 " 21 th 0 0 0 March 3 rd 0 10 17 th lil „ -i 4 th 2 7 1 " 8 tst 2 19 4 April 7 th 1 IS 7 _.. Hth 1 H 11 This week , to present ( line .. .. 18 0 £ 18 ll 8 March 23 rd—Remitted to Dr . M'Douall 0 10 10 March tilth-Ditto Mr . Cobbett 10 0 0 1010 10 Balance in hand .. .. £ 8 0 10

      lou will , from this , perceive that I have received tbe whole amount requested to be advanced , except £ 1 Ss . 4 d . I am not aware of tbe sums sent direct by subscribers to Mr . Cobbett , neither do I know the amount held by local committees , or by the Directors of the National Land Company . An account of such sums will , no doubt , be published . I fully agree with you tbat those multitudinous appeals are calculated to distract thc public mind ; but " thc base , bloody , and brutal" tyrants , who gnaw tbe vitals of the people , have made these appeals necessary . It is right you sliould inquire if the requirement of Mr . Cobbett bas been met . The fell

      monsters have done their utmost to crush some ot our best mon , but I hope Englishmen will not gladden tbe eyes of our common enemy with a siglit ot tlie wives and families of those men fallen a prey to grief , neglect , hunger and death . Yours trul y , Wm , _Rip-BR .

      Parliamentary Reform. Wc Extract Tbo Fol...

      PARLIAMENTARY REFORM . Wc extract tbo following from the Bucks Advertiser and Aylesbury News of April 14 th : — " Tho agitation for Parliamentary Reform has ceased at present . Mr . Hume and his friends find they have enough to do in fanning the flame for tlie reduction of extravagant expenditure . As a matter of policy , we think he is wrong in not taking the bull by the horns at once : tbe reform of the legisla * ture is the only measure which can effectually esta _» blish justice to all classes of the community . This gained , everything else would follow . Besides , no movement could oe half so popular as one wliich

      proposes to regenerate the legislature by bestowing full suffrage upon the people . All reformers have the sense to see that this would suffice ; and is it y . ot reasonable to suppose that a well conducted agitation for Parliamentary Reform would rouse the whole land more easily than the organisation of par * ties to work out certain details of financial , legal , and ecclesiastical amendment ? We perceive tliat many genuine Radicals have , in other towns , determined not to let this great question slumber . The following is a copy of thc petition which they hare adopted , which we insert chiefly for the sake of rhe valuable information and opinions winch it eon * tains" * . — [ Here follows tbe Chartist petition for _Parlianif _ntarv Reform . ]

      A Ghost Is Love.—The Alcille Cmichoifc T...

      A Ghost is Love . —The Alcille Cmichoifc tc . _ls tho following' story : — " A few nights ago a worthy farmer , living near Yvetot , who has lately become a widower , was aroused at midnight by thc lo «" barking of his dog . On going to it thc animal displayed extreme terror , whereupon thc farmer too his gun and proceeded to an inspection . All at once ho saw a horrid phantom , clothed in a white sneer , rise behind the hedge . The farmer turned _denaif pale , and his limbs shook with dismay . _Hc > _, ' ever , contrived to ejaculate , _« If you come ironi God , speak ; if from the devil , vanish !'"' Wrotcni . wife

      exclaimed the phantom , ' I am your deceased , come from the grave to warn you not to _nw" _? Marie A , to whom you are making love * - is unworthy to share my bed . The only ff 0 llin " ,. , succeed me is Henriette B . Marry hor , or r , , secution and eternal torment shall be your « o ° " . j . This strange address from tho goblin , instead _ w __^ inaying the farmer , restored his courage . * _^ J jn _, cordingly rushed ontlw ghostly visitor , . " ' _^ . ping _oti'its sheet , discovered thc fair Henriette _n- _^ herself , looking excessively foolish . It is sa ' - _^ the farmer , admiring the _g irl ' s trick , has i >« bans published for his marriage with hor . Thc The Weather . — London , Thursday . / Z it __ Q weather has been very tempestuous throng 1 } " _^ week , but more especially to-day . We have - _^ regular snow storm , with a heavy gale * _£° " , € r north-east , which lasted several hours . Tne mometer is down ta 28

      . _ A SnABE Look-out son tiie Loaves asd F ' " ' _^ There aro nearlv ono hundred candidate' J ° perpetual curacy of Hanley , the right ef P re 3 W 1 tion to whioh is vested in trustees .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), April 21, 1849, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns4_21041849/page/4/