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    THE CHAMBERS' PHILOSOPHY REPUTEDLABOTUB PLEADEfG ITS OWS CAUSE . TBZ EHPLOTIS AND EMPLOYED . - " a rftvru . vR dialogue . — part ru M-. South , < md 2 £ r . Jacob % dH receive Old Sobin aadJiiehardJaehson in a private room in the " Stranger's Borne ' public house . 3 kfr . Smith . —WeU , Jackson , tou see I am not unmindful of my appointment . I am glad to see yon ; haw Is Robin to-day ? Bobrn . —Thankye , ibankye , Maister Smith , Ibe ' b slogging on for ninety years come Martinmas . I hare nothing to complain ofj on health account ,

    thankGod . QbUL—Well Robin , and hip do do ? Robin . —Ay , dear life , Maister Jacob QuilL 1 am not so strong as , when I and thy father used to go to Sunday school four score years sin ' , long enough before thou vert bora or thought of . QuIIL—Hem , hem . Robin , Tm told that yon and our goodiiend Jackson here , and some other of the iown-folk , " hare taken it into your heads to think that machinery is a Tery injurious thing to the working classes ^ " Robin . —E * eod then , ^ laister Quill , that ' s anotion 1 hare had thismsnv aveax .

    QuilL—Well now , Robin , my time is precious but always anxious to confer any sendee in my power on ihe "working classes , I have consented , at the request of Mr . Smith , to forego the most pressing and important engagements for the purpose of destroying this hobgoblin that you hare got in your head about machinery ; and as 1 know that all " the Young chaps look to your opinions on the subject , 1 think it a duty that 1 owe to you , to myself , to society at large , and especially to my missrnided townsmen , to convey to them , through you , my notions on this allimportant subject , at any sacrifice to myself . So now , Robin , let us begin . " Robin . — "Well , Mr . Quill , that ' s just what I want . Tou may be sure though , that though my time is not as Tamable as thine , ninety years isn ' t lond of long ¦ winded speeches . So gt > on : * -rc-e he ' s here to hear Vhat thou hast to sax in faTour of thv elienL

    fcnuth . —> ay , nay , Robin , you are Mr . Quill ' s client . He has come here to plead your cause . Robin . —jE ' eod , I tha ^ y Mm . Lawyers don ' t often plead for poor folk for nowt . So Til hear what Alaister Quin has to say for me . Smith . —Well , come , shan ' t we hare a drop of something to cheer us before we begin ? "What will you hare , Mr . QniH ? Mr . QuilL—Well , a glass of brandy and water" cold without . " Smith . —Robin , what will yon take ? Robin . —TO hare nowt , thankye , Mr . . Smith . QuiTI—0 , come , Robin , I hear you're fond of a glass of ale . Robin . —Are , I could take mv glass after a days , work when I could 'brew it myself ; but 1 haTe no fancy for that there stuff they froth with " fettling . " It alwavs gives me the ' gripes . Smith . —Well , Jackson , what will you have ? Jackson . —Thankre , sir , Fm a teetotaller .

    QuilL—0 , damn your teetotalism—that ' s , another of the crotchets that " you working men have got into your heads . Robin . - —2 Cow , then , Maist-er QuID , as they say in the law conrts , "jusi open thy case . " Quill . —WeU now , Robin , what I say is this : — Thongh I am not as old a man as you , I can well recollect the state of society in the Tillage of Devil's Dust before the introduction of machinery ; and every man who ha 5 had eyes io see , -and brains to understand the rapid progress that this Tillage has made , even wlthlo the last fifteen years , when Providence put it into the head of Mr . Smith to settle amongst us , must , if he is a candid man , admit that we have progressed rapidly in wealth and civilization ; and you ,

    as the father of a family , must have partaken , to a considerable extent , of the general advantage . For instance ; things that were wholly oat of your reach "when you were a working man , are now articles in common use with the TrorMnjr classes generally . The produce of -machinery , from the facility , of producing so much more goods than could be produced bj manual labour , has so increased the supply of that description of produce as to compel the masters who vest their capita ] in ifcose descriptions" of fabrics , aeraaUy to be obliged ; as it were , to invite the purchaser to lake them at any price . And then , aeain , see the eitent to which this much-reviled machinery eives employment to the whole family of the working

    classes . Surely , Robin , you remember the time , —for I am younger than you , and I remember the time myself—whenaQ those new srreetsl > ehindMr . Smith ' s , and . Mr . Twist's , and Mr . Cobb ' s , and Mr . Grab ' s , and Mr . Screw ' s , and Mr . Bait ' s , and Mr . Thimble ' s , and Mr . Riga ' s , were all open iields , and children "used to be there of * ight , nine , ten , eleven , aye , and twelve years of age , idling their time at play at cricket , and trap , and marbles , and ball , and hopstep-and-jnm ?' . and rnnninir , and leap-frog , and doinsr all sorts of mischief from " morning till night : now , all those , even to the very youngest , are employed in the mills , instead of passing their time in idleness and viciousness , and wickedness , that brines them to the gallowB at last .

    Hobin . —E ' eod , stop ; not sofost , malster . "We hadn ' t a lawyer in those days nearer than Tori , twentythree miles from Devil ' s Dust ; so folk wasn ' t very wicked : now we have twenty-seven in Devil ' s Dust alone . ; QuDL—Well weD , Robin , that has nothing to do "ffith it ; if yon have twenty-seven in Devil ' s Dust they : spend their money there . Robin . —2 \ ay , they spend other folks ' s . "We could mimagp ti \ An -prythtfflt ThPTty -, QnilL—Well come , Robin , we won't dispute - that point : but to return to machinery . Had von a

    Town-hall axtr > ears ago 7 Had vou a Mechanics ' Institute ? Had yon three banks ? fiad yon a railway Coming up to yoar very door to convey your produce to aB parts of the irorid ? Had you such hospitals , infirmariep , and ^ emeteries as vou can boast of now ' < Had you ^ such a refuge as stands on yonder hill , the ¦ un ion workhouse , there the tmemployed may live at ease , aye , and in luxury too- ^ -I say in luxury , not-Trithssauding a& the fontanontbed denunciation of demagogues ? Has sot the oeenpant of every £ 10 house a vote ? and is not that within the reach of every man of { rood character and common industry ?

    jj 5 ve yon not saops wimi ironts hne enougn to dazzle the passenger , -especially when lit up at night ? Don't Uiey ; look like fairy palaces ? Have yon not now fourteen chnrches built by all denominations of Christians , instead of the ^ ne miserable little parish church that ; stands prominently conspicuous as a memento of . our former poverty , when compared with the splendour of those grand edifices "which mark the progress of civilisation ? Have you not all these thingsand are they not one and all the result of machinery ? Then again , see "the amount of capital that ii annually circulates among the working classes . " See the number of foreigners that frequent this formerly almost -anknowB , out-of-the-way Tillage ; and think , that after bestowing all th ™ grandeur and these

    improvements at home , it enables us to export the surplus to all the countries of the world ; and further , that if our mad rulers would nntrammel it of those restrictive Iaw 3 which limit its produce , and thereby necess arily "limits the employment of the "working classes , it would be an "unalloyed , unmixed , jStnd nntleniable—aye , 1 repeat It , rotdeniable source of profit to all classes of the community , and to the working classes in particular . Those restrictive laws , Robin , onee removed , would open every pore of industry ; would create an amount of competition among the masters , tj ^ al would lead to the employment ~ of thousands and tens of thousands of "unemployed iands thai- are now competitors against iheir own class , or obliged to be supported on the industry

    of those at work ; and thus could we make the whole population one united , hsppj family , all nnits in the social circle , instead of , as now , setting labourer against master and master against labourer . Robin , ¦ what was England before the introduction of machinery , and wnat is she now ? "Sot to draw our conclusion : from this one isolated spot , let us cast a glanee at the great national improvements that have taken place . See , then , "the great improvement in navigation , -whereby you apply the steam engine , — the mainspring , we may call it , of machinery , ^ rto the transmission of "the produce of British industry to the remotest part of the habitable globe . See the substitution of gas for tallow ; and the printing machine for the old dtdl system of printing by hand . See the

    stupendous railways , aTmihiiati"g both " time and space " - ^ passing , as it were , through ^ ke bowels of the earth , levelling mountains , and flying with an astounding exactitude over a mere line , as It wtre , Tanning between ^ wo terrible precipices , conveying a moving village by ibis mainspring , as 1 before called it;—this moving ^ werofmachinery—the tri umphant steam engine , "that never tires . Robin . —Hart done , or nearly done , Maister Quill ]? for , e ' cod , thou'st spun snch a long yarn that I can scarce ieep the tale m my old head . Qu 2 L—Done , Robin I No ; it is a theme upon which I could expatiate for hours , days , weeks , aye months , together . Whnt wan of common feeling can Tefleet on this national boon without feeling a

    meritorious desire to explain to those who are too-dull to comprehend its advantages ? and surely a sensible man like yon , Robin—the very mind ana-organ of the ¦ working classes p say it without flattery > - cannot be iadinerent to the vast advantages that machinery has conferred upon the working classes . At all events , you , and several other different trades , such as Carpenters , Builders , Ironmongers , Potters , Cutlers , Cabinet-makers , and so forth , can have nothing to complain of , as it hasn't interfered with jour labour : and yet , strange to say , those very " parties are most vehement declaimers against the present system , and loudly eomplanf of their present poverty . " ¦ Robin . —Welf now , Mr . QuID , when ' so many folks complain , as they \ say , " there's never smoke "without fire r" there can ' t be so much complaint without

    cause . Smith . — "Well , but stop , Robin : don't interrupt Mr . Quill :: he hasn't finished ; and I am sure if you came here to learn , you must be equally delighted as mvself- ^ and I thinkl may say as . our Mend Jackson appears to be—with the ' ludd , dear , candid , and I

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    will add unanswerable , exposition of our friend . 1 thought that you came to hear , and to be convinced ; and surely it would be a waste of your time and mine to attempt to urge anything against the philosophical and philanthropic reasoning of our friend . Robin . —Maister Smith , Maister Quill knows that if one side had all the talk , there would be but little call for judges or juries ;" and , as I am an old man , I have got in my head now as much as I can think on for a bit . So , -with jour leave , m jtat have a word . Quill . —Well , come , let us hear what Robin has to say . Smith . —Well if you wish it , with all my heart . 3 merely interposed for Robin ' s own benefit , and for the benefit of his class . Now , go on , "Robin ; but be brief , for ite twenty minutes after eleven now , and I have ordered mv carriage to be at the- door at one .

    Robin . —Well , Maister Quill , I se ' ed & blind man many a year sin' a taking notes , aB they call it , of what folks said , by knotting a piece of string ; and I have tied down what thon hast said on this here ; and , e ' cod thouseest its full . Now I'll begin where thon began ; and all thou ' st done Maister Quill , is just to show me all the changes that have taken place sin' machinery was introdueed ; and thou hast put them all down to machinery- Why , Maister QuHl , I reads a bit of history now and then , and l reads of the time when the poor was " serfs ; " and I read of the revolutions ; and I read of the kind of houses that folks and kings lived in , andof our rude and uncivilised manners and customs ; and I have lived to see what the historians call the improvements in

    the arts and sciences , and an living , and in civilisation , and these < : oing on year after year , before the world ever thought of the steam engine . 1 se ' ed them , and noticed them , aye , and felt them myself too , Maister Quill ; but now thou would put down all the improvements that have taken place within the last fifty years , and twenty-nine of them in peace too , to machinery . ZS ' ow , Maister Quill , what II say is this : In them there old times , when folks felt that they wore born with fingers to do suniinut for one and another , we hadn't so many classes ; and whenever any improvement took place , aye , even at the top , in the palace , another would take place in the poor man ' s house . I remember the times that thou caU ' st the wicked times , when voun < : folk used to run about

    the fields ; when faither and the older children used to do the work , and when the mother used to tend all , and had all under her own eye . If a call come for one of the young ones to bear a hand , he was always ready and willing ; and now , Maister Quill , I'll tell you the change I ' ve seen in njy time , and all has been brought about by them there flying devils doing the work of young and old . I remember when there was—say a population of about 2000 in this parish . There "would be about twelve maisters , big and little , and about 200 Hand-Loom Weavers . Then there was Shoemakers , and all the other trades . Th ere was no cotton-mill always running by steam ; there was no banker in the parish ; there wasn't a

    lawyer , Maister Quill , nearer than York ; there was no Town-hall then , no Mechanics' Institute , no hospital , no infirmary , no union bastile . No , nor no police , Maister Quill , except Bumble , the beadJe , and me , and the like of me , that all had an interest in the peace of the parish . Then , Maister Quill , Bumble ' s staff carried authority with it , and he never had to use it ; for he knew every man in the parish , and knew where to find him in his own house if the justice wanted him . At that time there was only the little parish church , and old parson Flower , to preach in it , and the Catholic chapel , that the Rev . Mr . Faithful used to attend . We hadn ' t the four teen churches then , Maister Quill .

    Mr . Smith . —Robin , what has all this to do with machinery ? Machinery didn ' t build the churches . Robin . — 'Eeud ' . u did though—and made the parson ? too . Smith . —Well , Robin , what is it you are driving at ' . Politic ? , I am afraid , Robin . Rubin . —Noa , Maister Smith , nor at religion neither . We can talk of churches and parsons now-adays without thinking of religion . I am an old man ; you must gire me mv own way ; Maister Quill has drawn a picture of what Devil ' s Dust was , and what it is now , and he says machinery made all the difference ; and I am going to shew him that all them there things , aye , " ecod , every one of them , that he calls "improvements , " is aU t ' other way for the working classes . Smith . —Ah ! ah . ' ah : Quffl . —He 1 he : he 1

    Robin . —WeD , wait a bit . 1 was saying , that at that time , there were the two churches , and two religions ; and Master Flower , and Master Faithful would go down and preach ; and they'd meet after in the street and shake hands , and all folks would see them and think that howsomer they differed in the pulpit , they met like friends outside , and that other lolk should do the same . But now e ' cod , we hay e the Wesleyans , the Unitarians , the Methodists , the ! New Connection , the Old Connection , the Baptists , the Anna-Baptists , the Ranters , the Puseyites , and the Infidels . E'cod . its no wonder that folks' brains should be bothered when there ' s fourteen different parsons all at work together , every one teHinj : folk that there ' s only one road to heaven , and that ' s their own . Quill . —Come , come , Robin , let us not enter into questions of religion ; those are subjects between man and his Maker ; and , no doubt , those fourteen pious men are , one and all , in cjuest of u-uth .

    Robin . —In quest of the devil ' . They are in quest of the brasa , Maister Quill . Smith . —Robin , my time is too precious to listen to such infidelity . If you have anything to say to the point , I am ready to hear you . Robin . —Then come to the point . Maister QuiE says as how machinery has been a blessing to the poor . ; and Maister Jackson axed me here to shew what effect it had upon them there trades that it didn ' t do the work of yet . Smith . —Now , that ' s it—that ' s coming to the point .

    Robin . —Well then , now let ns see what -was the condition of the people of Devil's Dust before all these blessings , and what it is now . 'Ecod , but you have roused me , Master Smith . In those days I was a Shoemaker , and I had a wife and five children ; and all the affairs of the parish were so nicely balanced that I could calculate within a trifle of what the Saturday neet -wonld bring . There was no "fluctuations" then to give us a good week , a bad week , and no week at all . My eldest son , Robin , was put to the loom , and the wife and children , when they were growing , would card and spin , and wind , and reel , and ^ t bobbins reaJj , and all that ; and I ' -d work at my trade , and all at home . Well , if Robin ' s Maister go * t a fresh order , or wanted a piece finish ™? ia time , he'd come to the kd and say , " WeU , Robin , how does ' t get on , lad ; ean ' st finish thv piece bv Saturday neet ?"

    and if Robin would say " Noa , Maister Fan-play , not without a few extra hours ; " then Maister Fairplay would tap him on the shoulder , and , giving him live ¦ "Tunings , would say , "Well , come , Robin , there ' s extra tor thee : '' and Robin would finish the piece , and "whistle and sing all the after hours , all the family lending a cheerful hand , because the five shillings went into mothe / s purse on Saturday neet . And when Robin took the work home on Saturday neet there was no batinns , norfnet , nor damning his eyes , but a glass of homeirewed ale , and a shake o * the hands , and a " Thankee , Robin , thou art a good hid . " And so it was with all the men : if there was brisk demand they had their share , and if it was slack they never were " the ones tomunnHr . In that way Robin would bring home , the traces of himself and the help the little ones would give him , from 30 s . to 35 s . per week .

    Smith . —WeU , but Robin , what can they aU earn now—five of them . Robin { weeping ) . —Nowt now , master Smith . Robin will never earn no more . QuHL—Well but , Robin , I ' m told tha ± was bis own fault—that he died from the effects of drink , a confinned drunkard . Surely that wasn ' t the fault of machinery ? Robin . —Damned , it was machinery killed him . Smith . —Why , how do you make that out , Robin ? Robin . —WeD , up to twenty-five years he worked at home , under my roof , and for that " time no man ever see'd Robin the " worse for drink . He'd rather make the weeks wage more , and laugh when he'd tell Parson Flower , on Sunday , what he made for faither and

    mother . But machinery took the loom from Robin , and forced him into a damned " rattle box , " to work sixteen hours a day ; and then at the end of the week , with fines , and batings , and reductions , he was brought ^ own , and down , and down , in health , in body , and inspirits , with only sometimes 9 s ., sometimes 8 s ., and sometimes 6 s . " 6 d . a week , till at last he got ashamed of coming home at all . He got into company with others that were broken-hearted like himself " ; and he'd drink a day , and work a day , and play a day , tiD he broke his mother ' s heart . He died sure enough , but it was the damned " rattle-box" that MDed mv Lid . I could well afford to make twelve pair of shoes a year for my own-famDv , out of Robin's t » av t » ut along with theirs : but I lost that

    housetrade ; and according as them there " rattle boxes " came here , I lost all my old customers , one after the other , until at hist them there cast-iron men of Maister Smith's , that works without shoes or stockings , e'cod , drove my old feet to these here clogs : for I couldn ' t afford to make shoes for myself . Smith . —Come , come , Robin , you are going a little too fast . Surely there are more shoes sold in Devil ' s Dust now , fifty to one , than there were in your time . So somebody has got the trade ! Robin . — 'Ecod , Iwish them joy of it . Its like your calico , Maister Smith : they are obliged to make them " cheap , " to tempt folk to buy them . They make them by dozens , ana paste and peg them

    together any how ; and after all , " cheap" as they are , poor folk can't bny them . Well now , at the time thatl speak of , it was a rare thing to see an idle man in the parish ; and if wages were too low , why the old Poor Law came in and made it up : so that one could spend with another . I had a brother , a tailor , and he had M 3 customers ; and he would nearly guess ¦ wha t his wage would be every Saturday neet ; for , somehow or other , the old Poor Law : and theparish interest levelled those things all through . Well , in tho « e davs the working classes could support one another . " They had a " share of all that was going . They'd brew a ' , and give the cooper work , loung folk , " when the y went a courting , or eompany-KeepiDg ,

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    liked to be as smart as they could afford—and some would have a watch . Then every man ' B house was well-stocked with plenty of provisions . We'd have a bit of cutlery , and the cutler would have a pair , of shoes . And we'd have a dresser and delpb-case \ Hth crockery ; and meal-kest , and all other furniture fitting for poor folk . Smith . —Well , but Robin , surely you can get all those things now for less than a third of their former price . ¦ Robin . —E ' cod , I know it ; but I can ' t get the money to luy them ; , and when I get them they're not worth a tenth part of the things that I gave more money fir . So you see , Maister Smith , you get machinery to do man's labour , the man wont be worth aa much ; he won't have as much to spend in the market . And

    now markme : Richard Jackson tells me that if you and vour men made a fan * division of your profits for the last fifteen years , the men would have £ 34 , 000 more than they nave got ; and if they liad that , they'd have better houses , the building of which would employ Stonemasons , and Bricklayers , and Tilers , and Plasterers , and Joiners , and Plumbers , and Painters , and Glaziers , and Labourers , and Nailmakers , and Brickmakei-s , and Quarrynien , and Limeburners , and Colliers , and Iron Miners , and Smelters , and , in short , doing every thing for the seventy families , that Jackson tells me that you say your £ 80 , 000 spent in that way did so much good , to Now the people employed in aU those works would be better customers to the Grocer , and the Tobacconist , and the Chandler , and the Shoemaker , and the Hatter , and the Tailor , and the Hosier , and all the rest

    of them ; and then , if the seventy men . —mind , only vour seventy , Maister Smith—and although they be put few , their case applies to the whole system ; > yell , if the whole of the poor devils who have been robbed of £ 500 a piece had better houses , they'd liave more furniture , a little education for their children , a few books , and so on : they'd be customers to one another : and , Maister Smith , its the pence of the many going through the hands of the many , and not the pounds of the few going into banks , and railways , and mortgages , and all those sort of speculations , that makes a full till and a cheerfid face on a Saturday neet for the Shopkeeper , and a good exchequer for the Government too . Now there isn ' t one of them there trades that I have mentioned as works by machinery , nnd they are one and all crying out and complaining .

    Smith . —Pooh , pooh ! They are always complaining—and they have nothing to complain of . liobin . —E ' cod , when men complain , and are able to give a £ 1 *) G , UOO to relieve themselves , and able to pay ( as they say ) the national debt if they liked , poor folk needn ' t be blamed ; for they wouldn ' t complain if they hacTnt some reason . Quill . —Well , and what is the reason , Robin ? Kobin . — Why machinery is the reason , Maister Quill—machinery that does the work of man , and eats nothing , ana wears nothing , and uses nothing while it ' s at . work , but a drop of oil . Quill . —Well , but Robin , the landlords and the farmers , and the parsons , and the agricultural labourers complain as swell as you , and surely machinery doesn't affect them ..

    Robin . —By gow , but it does ! Aye , and it will make them lads squeal out yet . Why , Maister Quill , if if you reduce the value of labour you reduce the value of every- thing—I beg pardon ; except the na * tional debt and luortyayes , and fixed salaries , and " diad ivei'iht" and pensioners , Master Quill . 'Ecod , these are like the leech ; they'll fasten somewhere : and if machinery leaves nowt for them in the working man ' s carcase , they'll fasten on to the landlords and the farmers , and the parson , —aye , and on the Queen too , or on the devil himself , MaLster QuiB , before they'll go without . As long AS THET HAVE THE . BAYONETS THEt ' lL SCKEW IT

    OUT , NO MATTER WHERE IT COMES FKOM ! So that you see , Maister Quill , rather thiin let folks starve , Sir Robert Peel was obliged to set his wits to work to see how he could get " cheap" provisions to square with the " cheap" wages ; and the landlords are beginning to find out that the inanimate non-consuming producing power , —them there cast iron men , and wooden boys , and littlej wire girls , that Maister Smith is so fond of ; they arc beginning to find out that them there , cats nothing ; and that those whose work the cast iron men do , must get their / ood as cheap" as possible . So the landlords and the ' par-» ons , that measured the value of their estates by the necessity of putting " Boncy" and the "Jacobins " down , muit tome down Uiemselvcs in turn . That puzzler , the . great Wizard of the North , would be puzzled to pay the £ 50 , 000 , 000 a year , and all them

    tnore gambling debts and money owing to the- Jews , out vj what machinery leaves to the working chutes afar living- . ' , Maister Quill , the £ 50 , 000 , 000 a year must be pa id . Tiiat mu . n" go , JTMCTioO , Maiflter Quill ; or thou , and them like theei—them folk that lias got all the produce of labour , —mu . \ pat ii . Aye , thou may look , and thou may laugh , and thou may ' wink at Maistcr Smith , but thou niun pay it , or the folk that gets it on quarter day mun do without it . Quill . —No , Robin , I was only Laughing . at the idea of my being supported by labour , when I assure you , on my honour , I have never had a working man in my office , except to do him a service , in the way of recomniending him to settle any dispute he might have with his master ; I never got a guinea from labour . Robin . —j-The devil you didn ' t ' . Quill . —No , not a farthing .

    Robin . —And who arc your customei * s , Maister Quill . ; ^ uill . —Why landed proprietors , master manufacturers , and some of the parsons , Robin . llobin . —Well , and how do the landlords pay you , Maister Quill . Quill . —0 , in money to be sure . Robin . —Would ye take it in grass , Maister Quill . Quill . —0 , no , no , no . Not in grass—not in grass , Robin ; I am not a Nebuchadnezzar . I'll tell you what , Robin—if there was necessity for it I'd take it in hay . Robin . — 'Ecod , that ' s lalonr , Maister Quill . Quill . —Well come , Robin , I'd take a good fat pig that ' s not labour surelv .

    Robin . —Eeod then , it must Ijc grass-bacon . Quill . —Why , how < what do you mean ? Robin . —Whymusn ' t the pig have summat ^ to eat , — meal , or barley , or ' taters , or summat of tba ' t sort i QuilL—Yes to be sure , but then they can be bought . Robin . —Aye ; but they must be ' produced before they arc bought , Maister Quill . Smith ( aside to Quill ) . You had better not go into detail . Keep him to the question , of the improvement in Devfl's Dust , and the increased wealth of

    me country . Quill . —Well , but Robin ; to come from the ' taters to the public buildings and the present appearance of Devil ' s Dust , and the improvement in the condition of the working classes . Robin . —O , very well . In the times that I speak of every family was happy , and every man in the parish jwas known to one another . 1 had five children , all of different ages ; andalthough all , thank God , healthy ;—of different constitutions . The mother watched them ; and if they were careless about playing with other children , or if they did their work negligently , she'd give them their supper a bit earlier , and let them lie-a-bed a bit longer . All were treated according to their health and constitution . No scrambling for a candle then ; no rushing and crushing about the house when the big bell rung at five o ' clock of a winter ' s morning , to rouse all folks , old

    and voung , sick and well , weak and strong , to get up at the same minute . No running of the poor mother to the bed full of children , shaking all of them out of sleep , dealing the most tired a box on the ear and a "damn thee , thou lazy baggage , " or li thou skulking rascal ; " and then saluting the father and the husband , with a " get up with thee , and be damned to thee ; doesn't ta hear t' factory bell ? Give me that there child ; " and then taking the child in her arms , " come here with thee , —take thy suck , before I go—ay , what a bitch thou art ; this is three mornings I was five minutes late , —and fined threepence for thee" Then hurrying off , with the little suckling child , to the factory door , and the husband with a halt awake child upon his back , to bring back the baby , rhe goes to work , and Ae to the beer-shop all day , while Maister Smith's strangers' is doing his work . Smith . —O von exaggerate : you talk nonsense .

    Robin . —No , Master Smith , I don t ! I see it every day of my life . Well then , I say , we had nowt of that sort when paid more money for everything that we used because they were good ; and when , after we had paid more for everything we wanted , we had more at the end of the week . In those times good character was the best fortune a poor man could have ; and if a man or a lad in the whole parish was seen drunk , or did a bad thing , or said owt wrong of a neighbour , I'll warrant me he'd be marked , and he'd have a visit from Parson Flower , Sunday w « as a day of rest , and a welcome day . Folk would put on the best they hadgood , decent , warm covering , and go to the parish church with bible and prayer-book , to thank God , and hear good old Parson flower . When the parson came "

    out of the pulpit , he d shake hands with the old lolk , and kindly ihqu ire after them and their families . He was as keen as a shepherd : if he missed the littlest one of his floek that ought to be in the fold , he'd say , ' 'Well , Robin , where ' s Will to-day ; why wasnt he at church ? " or " where ' s your dame , Robin ? " And then I'd say , " why , please " you , parson , little Bill is but poorly / and mother set up with him hist night . " And then " Parson Flower would say , " Ay , deareeme , dearee me ; poor little Will—poor little Will ; I must go and see him , and see what ' s the matter with him before I go to dine with Farmer Jones . " Well , Maister Quill , that's the way we lived when the row came

    down to Devil's Dust about * ' Boney and the Jacobins , " and "Church and King , " and the " Church in danger . " Well , we met among ourselves , thongh we had no Town-hall then , Mr . Quill , and we heard what was wanted . Parson Flower and the Rev . Mr . Faithful came together to the churchyard , and they axed us if we " would defend our Church and our King . " We had good wages , and we thought that the King had something to do with giving them ; and Parson Flower , to us , represented the Church , and he was a good man ; and we loved the little church where we used all to meet in on Sundays ; and so "we shouted " Hurrah for Church and King 1 " and * ' We'll fight , "we'll fght and die for King George

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    and Parson Flower . " Word went off , and down came waggon loads of muskets , and swords , and pikes , and drill serjeante , to teach us how to shoot and stick the French . We gave a whole day in every week , and a bit of every day , to learn this new trade ofbutchering ; hut Mfe minded nowt about it , but still pulled up the lost time by working later and earlier , and cheerfully ; but , by Gow , if we had known what we . were working for then , and hpw dear we ' ve had to pay for it since i much as we loved Parson Flower , we would have left lighting to King George and Ius soldiers .

    Quill . —What , Robm , wouldn't you fight now for the Queen and the Church ? Robin . —Fight for Queen and Church ! Noa , noa , Master Quill ; you know better than . that . The Queen ? wh , » its King still , Master Quill . Quill . —King ! King ! what do you mean , Robin ? I mean Queen Victoria and the Church . Robin . —X mean , that the Steam-engine is King now . ' and folk wouldn't know which of the churches to fight for . , Quill-. —Which or" the churches ? Why the right church—the Church of England , to be sure .

    Robin . —Maister Quill : ; its because so many says that this church is root , and that church is reet . and because the Church of England hasn't done ' what ' s reet , that we hear of so many infidels that's gone away from all churches . Quill . —What , Robin , are vou an infidel ? Robin . — Noa , Maister Quill , but I ' m going to shew you ¦ how ¦ infidels are made . If I was a traveller , making my way to Devil ' s Dust , and if I came to a pass where there was another road , and if there was a finger-post saying— " this is the road to Devil ' s Dust , " and "this is the road to Shoddy Hall , " I should be all reet then ; but if I came on to fortv or

    fifty different turns off the one road ; and if there was s \ finger-post to every one ; and if all said— " this is the i-oad to Devil's Dust , " then 1 should be regularly bewildered ; I shouldn't know which road to take , so Iniight get lost and go astray . And so it is with them there infidels . They hear all the parsons saying that this road , and that road , * and t'other road is the only road to heaven , and , like me , on the road to Devil's Dust , they get bewildered . Q . uiU - —Well but , Robin , suppose that arms were sent down now to fight for the Queen and the Church , do you mean to s . ay that the people wouldn't take them ?

    Robin . —Noa , I say nowt at sort . They'd take them fast enough : but they'd fight for grub and cottage , instead of Church and Queen . But , don't you fear { Maister Quill ; Government will never try that scheme again . So now you see , your fourteen churches are only wrong fingerposts , leading us all astray : your Town-hall is never open , except for the masters . and free traders-to put down wages , though we built it . Your banks are only to discount your paper flimaies , your speculations on our labour ; your railroads , steam-navigation , and all those things are but machinery for cheapening our labour in all par ts of the world ; your hospitals and infirmaries are built for fear that your sort should take the infection from our sor t- since you huddled scores of filthy starving

    paupers into garrets and cellars ; and your big bastUe is aigrinding machine to grind the faces of the poor , and to make them work for owt rather than go into one of them ; your Mechanics' Institute is only to enable you to fight " genteel" labour against poverty ; and your cemetery is your ' -Free Trade burying-ground , by which you get as much as you can from poor folk when they are dead . It never will be looked on with the veneration , reverence , and respect , Master Quill , that attaches to yon little old church-yard , where rich and poor lie buried together alongside , as they lived together in harmony and fellowship . There used to oe no doubly sanctified grave , here and there , railed in and beautified , making one man better than another . And , as for that Parson Barebones , that lias £ 2 , 000 a

    year for preaching sermons all about the " improvidence" of the poor , and for flattering up them that gives hiinj'ood dinners , and all that sort of stuff , —ay , my God Almighty , when I sees him slapping through tlie street , not mindui" to ride over poor lolk , and when sees his wife and family turning up their noses when poor folks pass ; and when I think of poor Parson Flower upon £ 200 a year , praying for the poor , I no longer wonder that there should be a " hkjii" and a " low" church . I tell thee what , Maister Quill , if a rich man has a shepherd he'll run from his dinner or his bed if he hears there ' s a sheep on his back in a furrow ; and the herdsman will sit up all night with a sick cow . We ai * e told that Parson Barebonea is our shepherd ; and I should like to see him leave his

    bottle at the " Squire ' s , " to take one of the poor flock of Devil ' s Dust off his back ; or see him sitting up With one of his sick flock all neet . Maister Quill , wheh poor folk see more respect paid to the dumb aninials of the rich than to the flesh and blood of beings with souls to save , they don't like it , Maister Quill . Smith . —Well now , Robin , it ' s my time—I must be off ; and as you have appealed to me as one of the jury to decide between you and Mr . Quill , 1 think 1 shall convince you that lam neither prejudiced " nor par tial . I confess that I did think mv friend Quill ' s arguments were unanswerable ; but 1 also candidly confess that many of the points you have so shrewdly urged have presented a new view of the case to my mind , especially what you have stated as to the

    likelihood of the hind being compelled to satisfy those demands which have heretofore been supplied to the Government by labour : aud now , Robin , as I have still a hankering after the old spot , it' you will meet me here after the market on Tuesday next , —Mr . Quill and Jackson , I ' m sure , will attend , —I'll have great pleasure in hearing the conclusionof your reply . Robin . —Well , I'll meet you : I ' m told thou ' st purchased '' Shodd y Hall" and the estate from Squire Gambler . Eeou , what " comes over the devil ' s back goes under his belly ; " and thou'lt find that the taxsucking-folk will be after " Shoddy Hall" when the paxic comes : and it ' s a-cooming ! Smith . —Well , well , Robin , don ' t suppose me so sordid as to have made the appointment from an interested motive ; but be punctual , and I'll attend .

    Robin . —I'll be here ; and when I ' ve done thou'lt hear Jackson about machinery , tor I can only speak to one point . Smith . —Yes , yes . I think its quite right to hear what every man has to -say on his own behalf . It ' s what I should like to have myself . M y motto has always been , " Do as you would ' be done bv . " Jackson . —Then I am sure , Mr . Smith , as vou'd like to get 4-A 00 from me if I had it , of yours , perhaps , according to your maxim , you will give ' mc back mine . Sinith . — Good morning , Jackson . Good bye , Robin—shako hands : you are a wonderful man of your age . Come , Quill . Robm . —Ecod , I remember when there were many men betwixt four and five score in the parish of Devil ' s Dust before the machinery came here : but now a man of forty is almost a wonder . Good bye to ye . ( To be continued . J

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    Deatii of a Chelsea Pensioxeb . —An inquest was held on Tuesday evening , at the Kings Head , Knightsbridge , before Mr . Higgs , on the body of Mr . Glassbroke , aged 50 , formerly a private in the 2 nd Life Guards , and latterly an out-pensioner of Chelsea Hospital ; . Sarah Glassbroke said that she lived with the deceased , her husband in Rose and Crown-yard , Knightsbridge . He left the army six years ago , and since then had nothing to depend upon but a pension of Is . per day , of winch sum 2 s . 6 d . per week was paid away for rent . He was much addicted to drinking , and was the worse for what he had drunk on Thursday night . On Friday he quitted home , and

    witnesses searched all over the neighbourhood for him , but Without success , and it was not until the following evening , when he was brought home in a state of utter insensibility , that she knew where he had been . She was informed that he had been found in Wapping . Having taken care that his neckerchief was loose , she left him lying on the floor , and on visiting him the next morning , found him dead . The jury consisted of fifteen persons , twelve of whom were for a verdict of " Died by the visitation of God , " and three for one of "Died from excessive drinking . " Twelve being a sufficient number to constitue a jury , the coroner received the first-mentioned verdict .

    Daring and Impudent Robbeev . —On Monday evening about seven o ' clock , a carter in the employ of Mr . West , town carman-, brought nine chests of tea to the house of Messrs . W . Marshall and Co ., tea dealers , in the Strand , and whilst in the act of delivering the last chest but one , which did not occupy him more than a minute , two men in a light cart drove up alongside of that containing the tea , took the last chest , placed it in their cart , and drove off . The tea was fine gunpowder , valued at between £ 21 and : £ 22 .

    Extraordinary Death , —On Friday last William Mann , aged sixteen , died suddenly at Kidderminster , in a boat called the Sarah and Jane , which was on its way from Tipton to Gloucester by the Worcestershire and . Staffordshire Canal , before medical assistance could be obtained . At the inquest held on the body at the Pheasant Inn , on Saturday , before Mr . W . S . P . Hughes , coroner , it appeared from the evidence of Mr . CorneUus James Philbrick , surgeon , that he was called to attend the boy on Friday , about a quarter before 1 p . m ., and that" before he could arrive the lad had expired . Mr . Philbrick made a post mortem examination of the body , and found the abdomen filled with fluid that had escaped from a hole in the stomach , about two inches from the gullet , on

    the left-hand side . He found in the stomach a large round worm , about a foot long . The stomach throughout its entire surface presented appearances of inflammation . He gave it as his opinion that death had resulted from the perforation , which was the effect of inflammation , probabl y produced by the presence of the worm . Ihe father of the boy stated that he was-taken ill with violent vomiting on the Sunday night previous , and that on Monday lie applied to a druggist at Wolyerhampton , who furnished medicine , which gave no relief . The boat was on its journey from Sunday till Friday so that there was no opportunity of obtaining medical advice till it -reached Kidderminster , where the fatal event took place . The'jury returned a verdict of > Died bv the visitation of God , "— WorceaU r Iferalil ,

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    Dreadful Fib . es at Lime Regis . —Intelligence was received in the course of Wednesday at the several fire insurance-joffices in the metropolis of two most destructive fires having taken place at Lyme Regis on Sunday night ; occasioninga serious loss of . property . The outbreak happened between 11 and 12 o ' clock , when , on } the alarm being raised , it was found to have originated in an uninhabited house in Ghurchstreet , and , from circumstances which have since transpired , it is too sadly feared that it must have been the work of some incendiary , Owing to the roof of the building being thatched , like most of the other in the town , and a strong S . E . wind blowing at the time ,

    the flames raged with extreme fury , and fired the adjoining houses four of which fell a sacrifice . Scarcely had the inhabitants recovered from their alarm before they were again startled by the bursting forth of another fire in the same street , about CO yards higher up , on the opposite side of the way , at a house in the occupation of a Mr . Garland . The firemen and their engines were almpst immediately in attendance , and , notwithstanding , j the most strenuous exertions on their part , they were unable to stay the progress of t . he flames , until three buildings , in addition to the one tenanted by Mr . Garland , were destroyed . This second calamity is j also said to have been caused by some miscreant intentionally .

    Another Incendiary Fire is Herts . —On Wednesday night a very large straw rick on Ilighfieldfann , Hemel Hempsteaa , in the occupation of Mr . Thomas Woodman , farmer and auctioneer , was discovered to be on fire , and no doubt the contents of an extensive and valuable farm would have been destroyed , had not the burning rick been a considerable distance from thejothers , and also from the buildings , sheds , out-houses , ' < fcc . York . —The Covdejjxed Criminals . —We understand that the execution of Wm . Potter and Wm . Kendrew , the former for setting fire to the dwellinghouse of Wm . Neville ., at Wistow , near Selby , and the latter for thejmurder of Mr . Wm . Inchbald , at Low Diuisforth , near Boroughbridge , will take place ( should no reprieve be received ) on Saturday week , the 28 th inst . !

    Death p rom Destitution in- the City . —On Wednesday afternoon j an inquest was held in the City Bridewell , before Mr . Payne , the coroner , on the body of Sarah Henley , ja native of Inverness , aged thirtynine , a prisoner , - committed on the 29 th ult . for breaking windows ' at the Mansion-house . Mr ' . John Crooks , the assistant surgeon , said that he saw the deceased on the 30 th ult ., the day after her admission , and found | her in an extremely low and enfeebled condition ; apparently from the effects of want and exposure to the cold , without any marked signs of disease . jFever of a low typhoid character gradually came on , and she waa treated for it until her death , on Monday last . When he first saw her

    she was suffering from great depression , both mentally and bodily . Mary Anne Simpson , a prisoner , committed at the same time and for the same offence as the deceased , said she first met her at Bishopsgate \ yorkhouse , where they both had a night ' s lodging and left in the morning . The next time she saw her sitting on the steps at the Mansionhouse . Deceased | told her that she was in want , that she had nowhere ! to go , and that she was a&out to break a window at the Mansion-house , to get taken before the Lord Mayor , that something might be done

    for her , for she had been told there was no other way of getting to ! see him . Witness told her she was going to do the same , and so they then went together aud threw stones jat the windows and broke them . They were told that if they broke windows , the Lord Mayor would do something for them ; did not say she had sought relief at the union . The coroner and j ury made some feeling remarks upon the dreadful state to which the deceased and her companion must have been reduced before they took such a strange piode of obtaining relief . Verdict—Natural death . ¦

    Dangerous Effects of Bl-rnino CiUBeoAL . — Three Persons ( Suffocated . —Chatham , Dec . 16 . —Ou Sunday nuirnmg last , considerable sensation was created in the village of Luton , near Chatham , in consequence of jthree husbandmen in the employ of John Oakley , Esq ., fanner , at Darling , having been found dead in their bedroom . It appears that the men , whose names are John Stcdman , 25 years ; Thomas Webb , 18 ;; and George Wright , 1 " , lodged at the bailiffs cottage , which stands on the opposite side of the road to . the farmhouse ; and in consequence of the severitv of the cold , they had for the last few nights begged " of the bailiffs wife to warm their room . On Saturday niglit last , the night being very cold , « he yielded to their wishes , and as the bedroom , had

    not a fire-place , she procured a stable lantern , and filled it with charcoal , and placed it in the centre of the room , so that the fire should do no mischief . About eight o ' clock on Saturday night Stedman retired to rest , and he was followed about an hour afterwards by the other two , Webb and Wright , dosing the bedroom door { after them . Nothing was heard of them until next j morning , when , not coming down down stairs at the usual hour of a Sunday morning , the bailiff , about ! seven o ' clock , went up Stairs to rouse them , and on his opening the door of the room the most melancholy sight of three dead bodies

    presented themselves . Wright was found lying on the floor behind the door , having evidently dropped down dead the instant he entered the room , which must have been filled with carbonic acid gas . Webb was lying on his back on the bed , with Iiis hand to his -handkerchief , as if he was , when seized with death , in the act of untyin" it j Stedman had his jacket off , and had par tly pulled ptfhis trousers , and had fallen back on the bed . Medical assistance , wJiich was immediately procured , was unavailing , as the poor fellows must have di « d a few minutes after entering the room . Stedman has left j a widowed mother , who partly depended on him for ! support .

    Destructive Fire in Spitalfields . — On Sunday evening , shortly bf lore fiyo o ' clock , a fire broke out upon tne extensive premises belonging to and in the occupation of Mr . ( i . Leslie , oil and colourman , Is ' o .-59 , > Brick-lane , Spitalfields . The fire originated in the lower part of the [ premises , immediately behind the shop , which was stocked with inflammable articles , and the flames spread with extraordinary rapidity , destroying the partition between the shop and parlour , and setting fire tb the stairs . At this juncture an elderly female , deiif and dumb , appeared at one of

    the back windows ! , and finding all hopes of escape from the burning building cut off , she signified by agonising gesticulation that she was in danger of being burned to death . One of the men in the employ of Messrs . Truman and Ilanbury , whose brewhouse is close by | the spot where the outbreak occurred , observing her perilous position , instantly procured a ladder , anil rescued the affrighted creature from a horrible death . Notwithstanding the utmost exertions of the firemen , the house is burned through , and the valuable contents generally destroyed .

    Frightful Accident at Wiiitechapei ,. — Shortly before nine o ' clock on Monday niglit , a dreadful accident occurred opposite Aldgate Church , close by the junction of Afdgate with the Whitechapel-i-oad . About four o ' clock in the afternoon Mr . Dagget , a commercial traveller , in the oil and colour business , left Romford for the metropolis in a gig with a spirited horse . On arriving near Whitechapel Church the animal shied , and ! immediatel y afterwards started off at a rapid pace . By the rattling of the vehicle over the stones he was much frightened , and , notwithstanding the utmost exertions of the driver , it was impossible to holdi him in . At a frightful speed lie reached the corner leading to the Minories , close by a pile of new building , where , unfortunately , two omnibuses were passing each other . Mr . Dagget , to escape a collision ! , pulled one of the reins , out the

    road being narrowed at that spot , and there being a temporary platform for foot passengers , the horse ran upon it , amongst the people who were there crowding the pathway . The scene was frightful ; no less than nine or ten persons were knocked down , and the policeman , Goodman , o 91 , city , who was passing along his beat , was dashed to the ground with great violence . The gig was instjantly overturned , and the driver thrown out upon { the pavement . A gentleman , who we have since ascertained is seventy years of age , was knocked down and severely injured . Mr . Dagget is much cut about the head , and bruised all over the body . A gentleman of the name of Wincklow was also much injured . Six persons were conveyed to the London Hospital . Goodman , the constable , it "is feared has received a concussion of the brain , which renders his recovery very doubtful .

    Alleged Confession of a Murder . —Some years ago , a man naniedj Thomas Willey was tried in Exeter for the murder oi" a person named Cropp , a taflor , ¦ who was found drowned below Trew ' s Weir . He was , however , acquitted , from some defect m the evidence . On Friday last he died , in a state of great misery , in the Exeter Workhouse , and it has been reported that , previous to his death , he confessed to the chaplain of the workhouse that he was really the murderer , and that two other men were implicated with him in the foul transaction . This is not exactly correet . That he saw the chaplain very shortly indeed before hisjdeath , is quite true , and it is also

    true that he appeared most anxious to make some communication to him , but his condition was such that he was not . able to articulate more than a word or two . It was the chaplain ' s impression , from his manner and from , all that he saw at the time , that he was really about to make a confession of the crime of which the rev . gentleman was aware he had been accused , and he addressed him accordingly ; but , as there was certainly no confession in express words , and as the man became insensible almost immediately afterwards , and remained so until the tune of his death , it is right that so much at least should be stated . —DevonporX Independent .

    The Tripfinagh Abduction Case . —Arrest of Three of the Principals . —Killarney , Monday . — In a few hours after information was received , head constable Thornhill , with a strong par ty of police from this station , ] proceeded to thelanaa oi Inchmore , beyond Kenmarej ( a distance of thirty miles ) , and succeeded in taking , in bed , Jeremiah and Patrick Houran , brothel's to the principal aggressor , and Dennis Prindeville , his cousin , and lodged them in Bridewell this day . The fugitives had a watch night and ] day until they could " effect their escape to America .

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    Discovery of a losg 7 Coxce . vl . ed Murderer . — Chester , Saturday *—A considerable sensation was produced here this morning by the arrival of two po-Uce-omcerB , one from Parpell , in Warwickshire ; Had the other from AJcester whojsever ^ yj ^ presentedto Mr . Hill , the superiritenderif oF ~ the Chester police , that they were m search of a man named James Crowleyi of ParaelL , charged with the trilful murder of William Tilsey , alBobfthat place , as far back a « the 25 th of December ; 1842 . In consequence'of i » formation supplied by the officers in pursuit ;•• 'Mr . Hill sent some of his men to the Black Dog piibliohouse , where the party in question had been staying for some time . He had , however , removed to a

    lodging in the taton-road , leading to tne seat 01 the ^ Mar quis of Westminster ; but it was ascertained ; that big trunks and other moreables had recently been taken to the Castle and Falcon , a small public-house in Watergate-street , kept by a person named Mary Jones , at which place he occasionally called for re freshments , and , on inquiry , Mi . Hill was given to understand that he ( Growley ) was expected there at about noon to-day . Accordingly two officers from Parnell and Alcester , accompanied by two of the Ches ter police , repaired to the house at the time specified , and there found Crowley seated with a glass of ale before him . It was known that he was always provided with pistols , and , therefore , due

    precaution was used in apprehending him . He was seized by each arm before he was at all aware of the presence of the officers , who then informed him of the nature of the heavy charge alleged against him . " I admit it I" he at once exclaimed ; and , subse quently , as they were plachig the handcuffs upon him , he added , "I am a dead man . " lie was forthwith taken before the mayor and magistrates ; and , on being searched , thirty-six sovereigns were found upon him , together with a double-barrelled pistol . The weapon was not loaded ; but a paper , containing a number of balls , and a flask of powder , were found in one of his pockets . It appeared by the statement made before the magistrates , that the prisoner had

    formerly resided With his parents at Parnell ; but , in consequence of his violent conduct , his father had forbidden him the house , at the same time providing for him a small cottage in the neighbourhood , and allowing him £ 1 per week , and a horse to ride on . Notwithstanding this arrangement , however , the father having still reason to dread some fatal act of violence on the part of his son , had one of his farmservants , named William Tilsley , sworn in as a special constable for his ( the father ' s ) protection ; and on Christmas-day , 1842 , the family and a party o £ friends having just taken their seats at the dinnertable , the prisoner's mother suddenly started up , and said to her husband . "For God ' s sake go up stairs ;

    there ' s James coming across the field with his gun to shoot some of us . " The old man accordingly hurried from the apartment , and the prisoner , who had been seen by his mother through the window advancing in the way she described , went round to the back of the house , and thrust the muzzle of his double-barrelled gun through a pane of glass . In the meantime Tilsley went out to expostulate with the prisoner , -who , on seeing him , reti'eated a few paces , exclaiming , " It ' s you , is it ? " and at the same instant fired atthe unfortunate man , and shot him dead upon the spot . He then shouldered the gun , and was heard to say as he walked away , "I ' ve another charge for somebody else . " So one ventured to stop hun . He went

    home , saddled bis horse , rode to Tring , and there left his horse at an inn , took the train , but stopped at the first station , where he bought a pair of * spectacles to disguise his person , and was heard of no more until a few days since . He has , it appears , been in the United States in the interim , but has resided ever since March last in Chester . A woman with whom he has recently cohabited , in a fit of jealousy betrayed him . The prisoner , after having been duly cautioned , signed the following declaration : — " I have to say I am guilty of what 1 should do again to-morrow . I did shoot the man in open day . I tliink I did my duty . " He was ordered to be taken to Warwick , where he will undergo further examination .

    Fatal Accident at Wakefield . —On the evening of Friday last , an accident , fatal in its results , occurred to a man of the name of Broadliead , of Primrosehill , Wakefield , through falling Into the river in Thornes-Jane . The poor man was walking down a plank laid from the shore to a vessel in the river , and from its slippery state occasioneJ . by the frost , he fell into the water unobserved . The water was but three feet in depth , yet from the intense coldness he was unable to get out . He was discovered on Saturday afternoon , and removed to his house on Primrosehill , where an inquest has since been held , and a verdict returned according to the facts of the case .

    Extraordinary Case of a Married Woman Concealing the Birth of her Child . —Within thN last week the body of a new-born infant was discovered in a privy at Leytonstone , and it was ultimately traced to belong to a young woman who was only married about seven weeks ago , and resides at the above place . A warrant has been issued for her apprehension , but not having recovered from : her confinement , two of the police arc in custody of the house till she is well enough to be removed to undergo an examination before the county magistrates . —Essex Standard .

    Destructive Fire in the Commercial Road . — On Tuesday forenoon a fire broke out in the marine signal light manufactory , in the occupation of Messrs . Robeson and Highams , the patentees , situate in the Commercial-road East , near the Regent's Canal . The progress of the fire was unusually rapid , and in the course of a few minutes the building became one complete flaming mass . Notwithstanding that the firemen exerted themselves to the utmost , they were unable to extinguish the fire before the stockin-trade and the building were nearly destroyed . Five Persons Drowned . —Letters were received yesterday , at Woolwich , announcing the death of Sergeant Skinner and four other persons , belonging to the Daedalus , by the boat upsetting . The body of Ser ) eant Skinner , who belonged to the Woolwich division of Royal Marines , is the only one yet found , and life was not totall y extinct at the time , but he ciied in about half-an-hour , on board the Firebrand .

    Fatal Accident in Tbreadxeedle-stkeet . —On Tuesday evening , about half-past five o ' clock , a van belonging to a Mr . Maynard , carrier , of Barking , was proceeding up Threadneedle-street , towards Bishopsgatc-street , when the right wheel came in contact with a quantity of paving stones . At the same moment a truck , drawn by a poor man , in the employ of Mr . Stevens , of Minerva-street , liackney-road , was passing the vehicle on the other 3 ide , and , in consequence of the wheel passing over the stones , the van was completely canted over on to the unfortunate mail , throwing out at the same time a lad , named Chalk , with much violence into the road , who was seated with the driver . On the cart being lifted up , the ill-fated man was found dreadfully mutuated about

    the head . He was promptly removed on a stretcher , as also the lad , to St . Barthomolew ^ s Hospital , but on arriving there he was found to have breathed hifl last . As regards the boy , it is sadly feared that he has sustained some serious internal hurt . The driver of the van was immediately taken into custody by the police . The late Case of Suffocation sear Chatham . — On Monday afternoon an inquest was held by Mr , Hinde , on the bodies of the three unfortunate farm labourers , who died at Linton in the course of Saturday night , in consequence of charcoal having been

    used to warm the room in which they slept . After hearing the evidence , the coroner , in summing up , remarked that it was most lamentable that three young men should have been thus cut off in the prune of their lives , through the unfortunate ignorance of Chapman and his wife , to whom there was much blame to be attached , although they pleaded their ignorance of the dangerous tendency of charcoal . After a short deliberation , the jury returned a verdict" That the deaths of the young men were accidental , caused by suffocation by charcoal being burnt in the room . "

    Murder in the Cocntt of Clare . - * - Another murder has been commited in Clare . On Friday afternoon Thomas Hefferman , a farmer , residing near Ennis , the assize town of the county , was fired at by some miscreants who lay in wait . He died instantly . The murder was committed about three o ' clock , and it is stated that some of the neighbours of the victim were quite near at the time . This murder , like almost all the crimes perpetrated in the south , was connected with disputes about land .

    Dreadful Murder in Ireland . — Last Friday a murder of a most atroeious nature was committed on a female , respectably dressed , and far advanced in pregnancy , but whose name could not be ascertained On the following day an inquest was held before Messrs . Duckett and Gamble . It appeared by the evidence of persons examined on the inquest , that the deceased and supposed murderer were travelling on the road from Tramore to Annstown , at one o ' clock on Friday ; and at two o ' clock on the same day the poor woman was found on the road about 100 yards ffom a cabin into which the murderer went to light a pipe , with her head completely smashed . — Correspondent of the Carlow Sentinel . [ The Waterford Chronicle states that the supposed murderer has been arrested and fully committed for trial . ]

    Wales . — Explosion of Fire-damp . —Another of these accidents , of too common occurrence in this mineral district , took place on Friday last , at the Edwards Colliery , Pontypridd , when five persons were severely burnt . It appears that the explosion took place in consequence ot Simon Davies ( the manager ) and his son going into an old stall , which had been discontinued working , with a naked candle . — Cambrian . Fire at Polstead . — On Saturday morning last , between seven and eight o ' clock , a fire broke out in a deals

    stable belonging to a widow , named King , who in fowls and eggs , and had just previously started for Colchester market . The flames soon communicated with a barn adjoining , in which were the produce qi two and a hall' acres of wheat in the straw , and a considerable quantity of barley straw , the whole of whic-a was consumed , together with the barn , stable , and a shed . The neighbours were soon at the spot , whose exertions saved the dwelling-house from destruction . The fire -was occasioned by the servant boy going nito the stable with a candle and lantern , which he 0 J some means let fall amongst the fodder .

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    Untitled Article

    6 THE NORTHERN STAR . | December 21 , lai 4 .

• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 21, 1844, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1294/page/6/