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Northern Star (1837-1852), 28th October 1848, Edition 1 of 3, Page 3, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      The following selections are extracted from Mill ' s Queen Mab : — COURTIERS . Thoie glided flite That bisklng in the Btraihlne of a court jatten on its cerroption!—what are they ? __ T he drones of tte community ; they feed On the mechanic ' s labour : the ( tarred hind for ttaem compel * the stubborn glebe to yield Jts nc sfc « red harvest *; end yon rqaaltd fcrm , leaser thasflsshli'ts misery , that wastes A eaolei ! life in the anwholeiome mine , Dr » g » out ialabour a protracted deaft , . To g lot their grandeur ; many faint with toil , Tb « t few may know the cares ana woes of doth .

      "WARRIORS ASD LAWYERS . ^ ar is the statesmaft ' gamB j ihe post ' s delight T he lawyer ' s jest , tho hired assaisin ' g trtde , And , to thoseroyBlmnraerEM , wbosemean thrones Are bought by crimes of treschtry and gore , The breaa they eat , the staff on which they lean . Go » rd « , Rerbed in blood-red livery , surround " ¦ Tbe ' -t palaces , participate the crimes Tbat force defend * , and from a nation ' s rage Srcores the crown , which all t he cnrsearc aeh Th at fiffltaa , freniy , woe and penury breathe . Theie are the hired bnvos who defend Tha tyrant's throne—the bullies of his feu : Thete are the finks and ehanHels of worst vice ,

      The refuse of lodety , the dregs ¦ Of all that is most vile : their cold hearts blend Deceit with sternaeii r igoorance With pride , AU that is mean and Tillanous with raga Which hopelessness of good , and lelf . comtempt Aloae might kindle ; they are decked in wealth , ' Honosr aad power , then are sent abread To do their work . The pegtUeace that stalks la glooay triumph through some eastern land Is leu destroying . They cajole with gold . And promises of fam # , the thoughtless youth

      Already crushed with servitude : he knsws HU wretchedness too late , asd cherishes Rcpentaaee for his ruin , when hit doom Is teiled in gold and blood ! Those to » the tyrant serve , wt , skilled to snare The feet of justice is the tails of tar , Stand , read ; to oppress tie weaker still ; And , right or wrong , will vindicate for gold , Snetring at public virtue , which beaeath Their pitiless tread lies torn and trampled , where Honour sits smiHnt at the sale of truth .

      KINGS AND SUBJECTS . Stru t * rejectithe monarch , not tin mm : The subject , not the citizen : for king ! And subjeots , mutual foes , for ever play A losing gams into each others hands , Whose stakes are vice and milery . THE DOOM O ¥ FALSEHOOD ASD TTRA 5 NT Whence , thinkest ttoo , kings and parasites arose ? Whence that unnatural lint of drones , who heap Toil and unvanquishable penury On those who build their palaces , and bring Their daily bread ?— -From vice , black loathsom

      From rapine , madness , treachery , amd wrong ; From all that geaden misery , and makes Of earth this thorny wilderness ; fremlust , Revenge and murder—And when reason ' s volee , Loud as the voice of nature , shall have waked The nations ; and mankind perceive that vice Is discord , war , and misery ; that virtue Is peace , aad happiness and harmony ; When man's maturer nature shall disdain The plaything of its childhood j—kingly glare Will lose its power to ttszzle ; it * authority - Will silently pass by ; the gorgeous throne Shall stand unnotkei in the regal ball , ¦ . Fait falling to decay ; whilst falsehood ' s trade Shall be as hateful and unprofitable As that ef truth is new .

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      THE HISTORY OF IRELAND , from the earliest period of the Irish Annals , to the Rebellion of 1848 . By T . Wright , SLA ., F . S . A ., &c Parts I . —II . London : J . & F . Tallis , 100 , St John Street . An impartial and trustworthy History of Ireland would be one of the most valuable and interesting works that author and publisher combined could present to the public . In the address' which accompanies the first part of this publication , it is truly said , that'There exists at present no History of Ireland of a character to be placed in the bands of the general reader . Works of this kind , hitherto published , are either imperfect in plan , defective in research , or disfigured by the political or religious prejudices of the writers . ' The ' address ' adds : — 'It will be the especial aim of the author of the present work to avoid this dangerous rock ; he will endeavour to give , as far as the materials will permit , a true picture of Irish history ; and he will study , above all ,, to relate the stirring events which come beneath his pen , as well as the causes which nave led to them , and the effects which have followed , with the strictest impartiality . '

      This promised impartiality is ngt so easy a matter , for whether an author be Saxon' or Celt , ' Catholic or Protestant . Couserutiye or Progressionist , itis a difficult task to rigidly abstain from giving a favourable colouring to one set of principles and partisans at the expense of their opposites and rivals . Nor is this all ; even though able to divest ^ himself of prejudice in dealing with the events of his own time and reviewing the events of the past—the historian has the still more difficult task of penetrating the pre > judices and partialities of his predecessors , on whom he must mainly depend for the reported facts of pre ceding centuries . To get at the truth' of events which have been disfigured by the mystifications of ' History , ' is at the best a laborious , and often a hopeless undertaking . Of Mr Wright ' s ability there can be no question . We trust that when this publication is brought to a close , the same may be as truly asserted of his allegiangffor truth , " in spite of sect or party . If the author of this Rhttry of Ireland produces a work such as ' the ' address * we have quoted from promises , he will confer a lasting benefit upon society .

      It affords us pleasure to speak favourably of the work thus far . Part I . opens with an account of Ireland as known to the Greeks and Romans , commencing with the celebrated voyage of the Argonauts . The ancient leaders and masters of the world seem to have been very little acquainted with' Ierne ' and its inhabitants . It was not till the year 120 that the geographer Ptolemy wrote an account of the country , describing its coasts , harbours , rivers , and seaport towns ; of the interior of the country he seems to have known but little . Notwithstanding

      its imperfections , his account of' Hibemia' possesses considerable interest , even after the lapse of more than seventeen centuries . The remainder of Part L is occupied with the legendary history of Ireland ; and although Mr Wright evidently has but little faith in the annals of the mystic period of ould Erin ' s history , he appears to have given a faithful abridgement of those annals , from the time of the landing of Noah's niece (!) , to the holy and happy time when , as some nameless bard of the streets declares , St

      Patrick—* Gave the snakes and toads a twist , And baniih'd them far ever . ' The adventures of the Milesians ; the institutes of Ollamh Fodhla ; the building of the Palace of Emauia ; the wars of Ossian's heroes ; the conquests achieved by Nial and Datby ; the preachings and miracles of St Patrick ; with many other stories , equally wonderful , find place in this portion of the history . Part II , opens with an account of Ireland during the earlier Anglo-Saxon period , and some forty pages follow which are almost entirely filled with accounts of civil contentions , the-sanguinary con-I flicts of rival chieftains , and the Danish invasions . Almost the only bright pages in this ( fark record are those which tell of the events of those heroic times ,

      * Whfa Ma ' scby wore the collar of gold , Which he won from the proud imvader . ' And when Malach / s still more famous rival ruled Ireland , from north to south , from sea to sea , and Banes and all other enemies—foreign and domestic —acknowledged the sovereignty of Brian Bom . It was in the reign of the great Brian that a' young damselof surpassing beautfrrSDgd in a ' costly dress covered with jewels , carrying in her hand a wand , with a gold ring of great value fixed- at the top , wandered , without attendants , from the northernmost part of the island to the south ; and no one attempted , either in face of day , or under cover of the shades oi

      night , to rob her of her honour , to strip her of her rich apparel , or even to steal her ring of gold . ' This pretty little romance at least indicates a high degree of prosperity and public order during the more fortunate years of Brian ' s reign . Unfortunately , these days did not long continue . The treason of an inferior chief was the fatal cause of that famous battle of Clontarf ; in which , although the Danes were finally defeated and terribly destroyed , the great king Brian was himself slain , together with the flower of Irish chivalry . The story of this battle is told with great power , and Mr Wright does justice , both in the matter and manner of this portion of his work

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      to the splendid heroism of the Irish victors in that memorable battle . " The glories ofBriil the brave ' will never fade from the page of history . ¦ But the victory . iof . Clonkrf-though glorious was a fatal event for Ireland ; her - bravest , wisest , best , VfeU on that battle-field ; and the country immediately relapsed into that state of anarchy which rendered the subsequent invasion of the Norman brigands a matter so comparativel y easy . It is a fact which should not be lost sight of , that in the very first quarrel between England and Ireland , tiie former wasjhs aggressor . Nearly 300 yeare WoreStrongbow ' smvasion , Egfrid , King of Northntnbna sent an army into Ireland , commanded by a Saxon earl , named Beret , ' who , ' says Bede ( the old EnglUh historian ) , - miserablwasted to the splendid heroism of the Irish it ¦

      y that harmless people , which had always been most friendl y to the English . ' Itis true that about two hundred and fiftv years subsequently , a combmed Danish and Irish ' army entered the Humber , and invaded England , and were defeated with great slaughter -by the English king , Atnelstane ; that , however , appears to have been the only occasion on which the Irish , acted the part of aggressors , and got , what , all aggressors deserve , well trounced for their pains . Unfortunatel y , the good cause is not always victorious , otherwise , the fate of . the Irish at Bruanburh , and the Danes at Clontarf , would have been shared by the mail-clad , ruffians who laid the foundation of that rule of wrong which for seven centuries has inflicted misery upon Ireland , aid dishonour upon this country .

      The dissensions of the Irish chiefs , and their treachery to each other—which too often took the shape of positive treason to their common countryappear to have teen the main causes of Ireland ' s ruin . The crimes of Dermod M'Murrougb , and the infamy of his paramaur DervorgUla — the Helen of Ireland—paved the way for Irish slavery . The history of the flight of Dermod to England , and his subsequent return leaped with the sworn enemies of his country ; together with the capture of Wexford , the invasion of Ossory , the arrival of Strongbow , and the capture of Dublin , takes np the concluding portion of Part II . / When says Mr Wright , speaking of the first campaign of the English adventurers in Ireland , when we consider the small

      number of invaders , their success appears wonderful ; but it was the victory of trained soldiers over undisciplined valour , and the Irish were defeated less by deficiency of courage in those who fought , than by the want of unity among the dinvrent petty states , and the consequent absence of the vigorous counsels necessary on an occasion when the independence of the wholt island was threatened . ' To this should be added the fact so humiliating to Ireland , that numbers of her own sons , influenced by ambition , personal hatred , or a thirst for rapine , were but too ready to league with the invaders against their own country . Under such circumstances the loss of national independence was the least of inevitable calamities .

      Mr Wright strongly and properl y , condemns the wholesale slaughterings committed by the ' invaders , and the cruelties they inflicted on the prisoners who fell into their bands—the beginning of that wicked policy of' striking terror into the Irish , ' which has been continued to the present time . .: : This work is printed with large dear type on good paper , and the embellishments are cf the first class , although , we think , with the exception of the map of Ireland , out of place . Par t I . contains , in addition to the map , an engraving representing the

      arrest of Lord Edward Fifzgeiald , and an illustrated title page , portraying the entry of George the Fourth into Dublin . Part II . contains an engraving ofthe trial ot Daniel O'Connell , in 1844 . We submit that these illustrations should have been reserved for future parts . Engravings of the Battle of Clontarf , and some other subject from the ancient history of Ireland , would have been more appropriate at the present stage of publication . Thus far we may conscientiously recommend this « History of Ireland' to our readers .

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      Royal Correspondence . The Private Letters of Queen Victoria and Lows Philippe , on Political and Domestic Subjects . London : W . Strange , 21 , Paternoster Bow . The originals of these letters were discovered at the Tuileries , in the secret portfolio of the ex-King of the French , after his fli ght from Paris on the 24 th of February . This collection is edited by the author of Sketches of her Majesty ' s Household , ' several oi whose works have been favourably noticed in this journal . Copies in French of the original letters are given , together with translations and very copious notes , explaining political facts and allusions which otherwise ^ raight not be comprehended by the

      general reader . A good deal of royal humbug is laid bare in this little book ! and , truth to say , the humbug , at least so far as the Spanish marriages were concerned , does not appear to have been exclusively on the side of the Fagin of France ; the Coburgs and Palmerstons appear to have been as deep in the mud as bis ex-Kingship was in the mire . In fact , both parties played a deep game , in which , of course , the veteran gamester triumphed . Palmerston , with all his trickery , and the hungry Coburgs , with all their disinterested zeal , were—both combined—no match for the great jew-trafficker of the Tuileries . Fora

      rich exposure of royal morality and royal decency , we commend the reader to' Our very dear Brother * Philippe ' s letter to his chere bonne Louise , the Queen of the Belgians , in which the ' nubility * of the Queen of Spain , and the' virility' of the prince , who is now hex husband , are discussed with a freedom which might not seem out of place in the correspondence of a horse-dealer reviewing the qualities of the animals be might be disposed to purchase , or wished to dispose of , but which reads queer enough when human beings—we will net say' royal personages '—are the subjects of such brutal

      comments . ; . In this work the reader will be reminded of the fraternal hug given by Louis Philippe to Prince Alber t , when the latter went on board the Gomer to welcome the former to England . He will be informed , too , how 'mypoor Montpensier' rivalled Prince Albert in suffering 'from that odious seasickness ; ' how the Princess-Royal wrote to the lodger at the Tuileries , and how , in return , the little lady received a' duckof a doll ' as a present from her 1 Old Cousin [ old cozener ?] Louis Philippe . ' These and many other tit-bits , . independent of the political portion . of the correspondence make this book worth perusal . That the old trickster -was often tronbled-witrv prophetic fore-shadowings of the future , is manifested in several parts of this correspondence . We quote an example of this in a letter addressed to Queen Victoria , in December , 1844 : —

      fOXEBODIKGS OF THE . FDTOBE I perfectly . comprehend , as your Majesty reminds me , hew rash it would be to givp obc's self np too long before hand t « projects and hopes which so many cirsnmBances might frustrate and render chimerical ; and , abova all , with respect to your Majeitj ' s exouraion , as to the period whin we might have the-happineis-to receive you at St Cloud , and to do you the honours ef Paris on argrand sr as small a scale as might suit yen or Prince Albert . Above all things ,. I beg both of yon to be aainrcd that , whatever ay detires may be that this journey should

      tak « place , I would never coisent to-permltyou to undertake it if I had notprevkmily acquired aa entire and absolute conviction that you would be . there- received as , under your auspices , I was received in England . That conviction I now eatertain ; bnt I- know too well the men , and the times in which it has been given me to live , ever to engage to reply for the fature ; arid my advice is never to esgage one ' saelftodlongbeforethenear approach of the fature , bo that we might be enabled to form some judgment as to what is permitted to u ' j to aocompllen . and what Is forbidden . ' " - " "

      . In another letter dated January 29 tb , 1846 , alluding to the potato disease , Philippe wrote , ' It is not the first time I have- seen , in my long career , that trifling causes have produced g reat events . ' The reader will connect with this the great event which two years afterwards levelled Philippe ' s throne , and sent him , like Cain , a fugitive from his country . A banquet was forbidden , and—Louis Philippe lost hia crown !

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      Queen Mai . A Philosophical Poem . By Percy Byssbe Shelley . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head Passage , Paternoster Sow . To criticise Shelley ' s immortal poem is not our present purpose . Had we sufficient space at command , it would be a labour of love to point out the most beautiful portions . of this magnificent work , but we must forego that pleasure , and be content with selecting here and there an extractiorjhe

      gratification of those who have yet before them the rich enjoyment of reading Queen Mab for the first time . Our principal reason for calling attention to this work , is to intimate to the lovers of genuine poetry who may not possess this poem , that the copy published by Mr Watson is a neat , cheap , and unmutilated edition , which they would do well to obtain . This edition is enriched with the celebrated' nates , ' and has prefixed a sketch ef the life and writings of the poet . We do not agree with all the ideas and sentiments expressed in Queen Mab jjbiit regarding the poem as a whole , we have no hesitation in asserting that no

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      ^*—— —— 1 IT ' ' youth can rise from its perusal-withoutiedbirmore f ? e ^? dde 1 <> virtue , and bound by tbattie . to "raggle for the happiness of mankind , * nd the triumph of Truth and Justice . , Under our usual head of « Poetry , ' will be found some extracts from this poem ; we here give the following additional selections : — COHHEKCC . Commerce has set the mark of selfiaanew , The slgnrt of Its aU-enBlaTing power u P ° n a sWnta R QW , ani called it gold : Brforo whoie image bow the vulgar greit , Tne vainly riob , the miserable pro-id , The mob of peaiants , nobles , pritsts and kings , , And with blind feelings reverence the power , That grinds them to the dust of misery ! Bat in the temple of their hireling hearts Sold is a living god , and rules in scorn , All earthly things bat virtue . f I ' r

      THE BEISIT OP THE PiCflTOClACr . All things are gold : the very light of heaven Is -eaal ; earth ' s Aspiring gifts of love , The smallest aad most despicable things That lurk in the abyeies of the deep . All otjwU of oar Ufe , sven life itself , And the poor pittance which the law allows Of liberty , the fellowshi p of man , Those duties which his heart of human love 8 hould nrge him to perform instinctively , Are bought and sold as ia a publ ' c mart Of undifguUtng selfishness that sets On each its price , the stamp-mark of her reign . Even love is sold ; the solace of all woe : Ii turned to deadliest agony , old age Shivers in selfish bemtj's loathing arms , And youth ' s corrupted impulses prepare A life of horror from the blighting bane Of commerce !

      TK POO * ABD THIia OPMH'SOBB . : The poor man j Whose life Is mls-ry , and fear , and care—Whom tha morn wakens but tofroitlees toll i Who ever hears his famisK'd cf&prlng scream ; ; Whom their pale mother ' s uncomplaining gate ; For ever meet ! , and the proud rich man ' s eye . Flashing eommand , and the heart-breaking scene I ; Of thousands like himself ;—he little heeds I The rhetorio of tyranny ; his hate ! Is qnenohleis as his wrongs ; he laughs to scorn j The vain aad bitter mockery ef words ; ] Feeling the horror of the tyrants deedi , j And unrestrain'd but by the arm of power That knows ; and dreads his enmity . Snch is a true picture of the present ; but we ' believe with Shelley tbat' A brighter aorn awaits tne human day ' Tor : — I ' Hoary-headed lelfiihneishss felt , 1 Its death . b ' oir , and is tottering to the grave . '

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      The Tax-Payer ' s Catechism . By Effiax . Liverpool : J . Shepherd , Scotland Road . London : J . Cleave , Shoe Lane . This catechism . is put in the form of « Dialogues between Mentor and Teleraachus on the Causes of Chartism , and why little robberies are punishable by law , and not great ones ; addressed to Special Constables , Floggable Soldiers , andall who through ignorance give countenance to oppression , ' The exposure of the existing system—political and social—is well performed , in language the raciness of which will be relished by most readers . It is about the best fourpennyworth of Useful Knowledge' we have seen for many a day . It quite takes the shine out of Lord Brougham ' s Political Philosophy . We feel it a duty to recommend this little book to f his lordship ' and to all his friends ; not forgetting our own .

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      The People ' s Charter . A verbatim Report 0 Lecture . By Samuel Kydd . London : E . Dipple , 42 , Holywell Street , Strand . . ' A . defence of Chartist principles , a sketch of the history of Chartism , a vindication of the points of the Charter , and sundry comments on the villanous efforts of the Press to mix up Chartism , Communism , and Republicanism , with the view of damaging all three , form the subject-matter of . this Lecture . When we say that Mr Kydd reasons well , asd often eloquently , we only tell our readers what ; is . well known to most of them .. We warmly rtcommend this pamphlet , and suggest to local ; councils the propriety—for the sake of the cause—af pushing its eirculation amongst those hostile to » or ignorant of , our principles .

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      An Appeal to Trades Societies . By Alfred A . Walton . London : Watson . This is a well-written appeal in support 0 f the principles set forth in the Plan of Trades Organisation commented on in our editorial columns in last Saturday ' s Star . This tract deserves a large sale , and its circulation amongst the Trades could not fail to be productive of great good . '

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      ^ _ THE LABOUR QUESTION . XO THB EDITOR OF THE NORTHERS STAB . Sib , —It would have been strange indeed , if the commotions and insurrections of Europe ^ had been lost upon the Malthusian economists of England . These men of cool calculation , were quiet during the turmoil and blood of actual fighting , but as soon as revolt subsided , they have branched out with all their powerful and craftily hoarded influences far the spread of their doctrines . Let us understand each other—the political economists ef England are powerful in talent and influence , and judicious in the exercise of the means at their command—they cannot be buried by any fine saying or significant sneer ; no , they must be battled with by an appeal to facts and the use of reason . No swelling aphorism avails much in a state composed of workers and

      arithmeticians . A , writer in the Westminster Review for October , quotes the following extract from a speech of M . Tbiers : — 'We must have a solemn , profound , and frank discussion in the National Assembl y , with all the leaders of parties , paying every due respect to men and to opinions , for we must needs know if any one possesses the secret of suppressing at will all the miseries of the people . If any one do possess it he must divulge it ; and if . nobody possess it , let no one promise it , for to promise in such a case , is ta pave the way for the effusion of human blood . ' Then follows a smart criticism on . the words' sup .

      pression at will , ' succeeded by the statement , ' That the removable cause of misery then may be stated to be twofold-ignorance and bad habits . ' • The meaning of the author is clear , from the following extracts : — 'It is no less true that when man's productive labour has been added to the utmost by knowledge , such is the prolific power that forms part of his organisation , no efforts of industry and economy on his part , can enable him to provide supplies continually increasing , so as to keep pace with the demands of ; the continual increase , consequent upon an uncontrolled use of those prolific powers . '

      ' There must be no opening for misconception by parental forethought ; we specially point to a due limitation of the number of births , the neglect of which can never be effectually compensated | by any amount of industry and economy ; ' and again ( quoted from Mill ) : 'One cannot wonder that silence on this great department of human duty should produce unconsciousness of moral obligation , when it produces oblivion of physical acts . That it is possible to delay marriage , and to live in abstinence while people are unmarried , most people are willing to allow ; but when persons are once married , the idea in this country never seems to enter any one ' s mind , that having or not having a family , or the number of which it shall consist , is not at all amenable to their own control . '

      The writer mourns over the fact , that Christian ministers have encouraged matrimony , and the consequent increase of children born in wedlockand declares that this doctrine of Malthus and Mill should be taug ht in every school ; and university , and from the cushion of every pulpit in the land . The extracts I have quoted are the gist of the article hi question , separated from the web of words and phrases that surround them , which can only serve to blind those readers who cannot comprehend the true meanings of the doctrines inculcated . Before the doctrines can be listened to , I call on their supporters to prove the following propositions : — That the land of England is inadequate to the maintenance of the whole population .

      That increase of population does not tend to an increase of national-wealth . That nature , which regulates all other animals in

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      numberjsuitmgmeans ta- ' endsVwill not ^ when related to just laws and wise institutions , regulate the number of men born in . a state , to the means of subaistence . ' It will be an easy task for me to prove that the negatives of these propositions are correct . The land in cultivation in Great Britain is estimated at 33 , 792 , 460 acres ; the whole extent of surface at 51 , 000 , 000 . Of the 17 , 000 , 000 not in cultivation , one half at least may be put under the head of profitable , if cultivated . Mr Porter calculates tbat , in

      the present state of British agriculture , it requires the labour of nineteen families to produce 1 , 160 quarters of all kinds of grain ; that is to say , each family would produce about sixty-one quarters , which would provide for the maintenance of fifteen families . Thus one family of agriculturists would support fifteen families of manufacturers , and the power of steam machinery , as applicable to manufactures in this country has , been computed to be equal to 600 , 000 , 000 men ; one man , by the aid of steam , being able to do the work that it required 250 men to accomplish fifty years ago :

      Mr Alison , in his work on Population , says , 1 There is no instance in the history of the world of a country being peopled to its utmost limits , or of the multiplication of the species being checked by the impossibility of extracting an increased produce from the soil , ' and that the main point in civilised society is not ; what are the productive powers of nature in the soil , but what are the means that the human race has for getting at these powers , and rendering them available for general happiness .

      Mr Alison is right against all of you , refined gentlemen though you are . The problem to be solved ; not , « h man ' s labour applied to the earth capable of providing for man ' s wants ? ' that point is settled although you seem conveniently to forget it . The question is , ' By what means can the wealth already created , and capable of being created , be rendered available for man ' s uses ? ' The question is not to displace wealth , but to distribute it . and render it fertile .

      Mr Mill , in his Elements of Political Economy , says , 'If that condition is easy and comfortable ) writing of the people ) , all that is necessary to keep it so , is to make capital increase as fast as population , or , on he other hand , to prevent population from increasing faster than capital . ' That population hag a tendency to increase faster than , m most places , capital has actually increased , is proved incontestibly by the condition of the people in most parts of the globe . In almost all countries the condition of the great body of the people is poor and miserable . This would have been impossible if capital had increaBtd faster then population . In that case wages must have risen , and high wages would have placed the labourers above the miseries of want .

      So far from the increase of-. capital being under the increase of population , the fact is notorious , that so great is the accumulated capital of this country , that British capitalists have launched millions of their surplus riches in speculations of foreign enterprise , to , I believe , an incalculable extent . You may every day hear our city merchants complain that they have no outlet forjtheir capital . Men ; too , who have made their fortunes within these past thirty or forty years . Nor . i is it true that the comfor ts of the people are to be measured by the wealth of the state ? for in no district in England has the increase of wealth been so rapid as in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire , and nowhere is misery

      among the workers mare general or more excessive . A reference to tbe increase of trade Bince the year 1832 , or an appeal to the returns of the property and income tax of 1815 , as compared with the Incometax of Sir Robert Peel in 1841 , will at once settle the question in dispute , and convince the most sceptical that the eyil of England , at least , is not the want of property , but the want of the power to possess property on the part of the producersi . - If , however , the argument of the economists were eorrect—viz ., that population iacreasea more rapidly than property—the inoreas * of the powers of production would be as applicable to the end as a reduction of the numbers of the people . In which case an

      employment , of the people on the now uncultivatid lands , and a general increase , also of our scientific , chemical , and mechanical powers , would be the more humane course , and equally as anr ' eaa regards results . But what are tbe fscta of the case ? Our workmen go idle four or six months out of every twelve ; they are able andwilling to work . The economists say they are too numerous for the increase of property . Find them employment , then , and they will find themselves the means , of subsistence . On the one aide yon see idle men—on the other waste lands . Hera you have bare backs—there yon have unsold ahirta . The ruin and misery knows no limit ; and your fine-drawn abstract theories do not alter

      the realities of the circumstances , ao : far as the interests of the labourer are Worthy of attention , to the extent of either a button or button-hole . Oh , but you repeat—mouths increase , but land does not increase . True enough . Land does : not expand in area . An acre does not grow into an acre and . a half in measurement . But land expands in the powers of produotioD , depending upon man ' s knowledge > and the application of the same by labour to ensure production—subject , of course , to all natural ' casualties . You cannot spin a pound of cotton into two pdnnds ' of cotton twist—bnt yea can by labour produce . twice

      the quantity of food , for either man or beast , from an acre of land , highly cultivated , as oompwed with an acre pf land , of similar quality , indifferently oultiated . The argument does not rest , aa commonly set forth—upon the increase of land—but upon the increase of produce . Mr Mill , and others of the over-population theorists , ate thoroughly aware of this important distinction , but their ditoiples are in no way scrupulous , and often oontrive either to confound the reader by the use of a variety of phraaea , or the more bold and easier process of emitting to atate the fundamental faota fairly .

      I now ask attention to the sentence beginning' It is no less true that , when man ' s productive labour has been added to the utmost , by knowledge , ' & } . The writer omits to affirm that we have yet arrived at that state . I venture to assert that we never shall , Where is the limit of man ' s knowledge , and who sets limits to his powers ? Ever ; year brings us important discoveries hitherto unknown . The peaceful , but silent students in acienee , are opening before our wondering senses , new fields for the exeroiBe of human ingenuity and the development of human aotion . Man ' s powers are not , and never can be , stereotyped , and his sources of gratification and wealth are as . endless aa hia ihirat for knowledge ..,. The earth . laja before him a waste , but he breathes into its nostrils the breath of life , and it becomes subservient to bis will . Fear not that numbers will outrun the means of subiistenoe ., ' :.

      what new teaching , then , is it that we are to have taught in our sohoolp , and from . our pulpits ? Is it the dootrine of forethought—auoh has -evertbeen enjoined alike in the Mosaic and Christian eras t I call on the Malthusiansjto formulate their oreed ; if it be fit to ba taught and preaohed , ' it must be plain , and brought within the reach of the meanest coraprehenbion . We know the ten commandments ; what is the eleventh—the commandment of Malthus ? It must be addressed to the poor , and read thus : — 'Thou Bhalt not be married , nor , given in marriage , except by order of thy masters , the rich of the land in which thou liveat ; thou shalt not beget children

      except thou oanBt be sure that the rich require to hire them as labourers ; or thou must administer gases or poisons to thy children , ao as to . cause instant death , unmindful of the commandment thy God gave unto Moses— 'Thou shalt not kill , ;' and unmindful of the' injunctions of the Old and New Testaments , to multiply and replenish the earth . ' Suoh , sir , seems to me to be the real meaning ef thef Manchester and Malthasian , philosophers . I hope that if this new commandment be added to the laws of Moses—that the new ' worship will be taught in high places , and among the mighty of the earth . I am , your obedient servant , Samuel Kydd .

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      Coopbrativb Land akd Building League . —At a meeting of tbe Co-operative Land and Building Leagne held at Whittaker ' a Temperance Hotel , 93 Great Ancoats Street £ Mr W . Kirahawin the chair ! It was unanimously carried : — That the . rules , as now read , be confirmed ; and that the following persons be authorised , to receive " names of hew members on behalf of this aooiety , viz . —Mr Tfeomao Whittaker , Temperance ' Hotel , 93 , Great Ancoata Street ; Mr James Leach , % ¦ Roohdale Road ; Mr Thomas Roberts ^ . hair-dresBer , 25 , Mount : Street , Hulme ; Mr W . Willia , printer , Old Ghuroh Yard Mr Francis Shanley , 5 , Grimes Square , Bradford S ?! « Mr TZ :. W ^ 21 . Smith Street , Gaythorn

      ; Mr James Hoyle , Hope Street , next door to the Blue Bell , Salford . ' Some of the above persons will also be in attendance at the Peopled Institute every Sunday evening to receive namea , and furniBh parties with rules , and cards , .. Resolved;— ' Tbat this meeting adjourn to Sunday morning , the 29 tb inBtant , atten o ' clock , when business of Importance wUl be brought before the meeting : ' partiea wishing to join are invited to attend . ' Any distriot desiring a lecturer , or information . respecting the rules or objects . of the above society , for the purpose of forming a , branch , are requested to oommunioate with Mr Thomas Whittaker . Temperance Hotel , 93 , Great Ancoats : Street , Manchester , to whom all communications must be sent .

      Me Smith O'Bbibn . —A memorial , praying tbat the extreme penalty of the law may not be carried intoeffeot in the case of Mr Smith O'Brien , has this week been forwarded from Leeds . The memorial was signed by about 2 , 500 perrons , the signatures in * olnding those of the Mayor , the Rev . DrHook . the Rev . Wm ; Sinclair , and most of the clergy-of the fowr ;

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      TO THB PEOPLE OF ENGLAND . Letter If . FKLLow-CoouTB tMBK-None can deny that this SbI'SESi'H important ^ eTs The 2 tv themni the ; exe « i « 0 of «* most sincere piety , the most profound wisdom , the most fervent patnotism , and the most unflinching ffity me ^ und ^ S 1011 ' ^ Callin « * £ 25 E ! Ltes . men , under different names , have ( instead of re specung the landmarks of the . ( SSLiZ extending . ts principles with the uSmTot on nS ^^******™

      Under the pretence of liberalising our institutions they have sacrificed the most sacred ri ghts of the poor , and h ave jeopardised the propert y of the neb ! -they have drugged the national mind with what they call philosophy , until the laws of God and the in junctions of the Church have lost their influence-till Christianity can no longer be ac counted part and parcel of our laws . Hence the insecurity of which all complain . . T . he obJect of our modern statesmen is not to do

      justice b y legislating in accordance with God ' s law and thus secure Hi * blessing on the nation . No ; His will is disregarded-His providence ig denied-His worship is contemned ; Certain plans , devices , and schemes of man ' s invention are supposed to be so contrived as to ensure prosperity for the favoured 'class ; ' and , when their bitter fruitis reaped by the multitude , we are coolly told , 'Universal prosperity will surel y be realised by adopting still more of these schemes t' Tha way of the wicked is as darkness 5 they know not at what they stumble' ' If these blind

      guides are still to lead our rulers , there can be no hope for England . Under their management , her different' classes ' will be more and more divided—her immense wealth will be dissipated in banishing her indigent , able-bodied sonsrinsustaining those who cannot or will not leave her shores , and in defending life and property from the attacks of those , who , under the operation of liberal-reforming measures , are severed from the constitutional family , becoming vagrants and thieves , having been taught by false philosophy that their ' interest' is separated from that of all other ' classes !'

      Yes , fellow-countrymen , we may strive to find rest and security while we reject the rule of Almighty God \ but He will prove our wisdom to be folly—our strength to be weakness ! We may , in the pride of our hearts , deny His over-ruling providence , and neglect His worship ; but , with impunity , we cannot thus strive against Him ! God will surely , if we persist in our wicked course , set our feet in slippery places , and cast us down into destruction ! Great , rich , and wise as we boastingly profess ourselves , it will then be said of

      us , How are they brought into desolation , as in a moment ! They are utterly consumed with terrors !' These observations result from , the consideration ofthatveryremarkableVi 6 ttO : which I referred in my last . A riot in a Christian land — in an episcopal city—caused : by poor men claiming their marriage right—guaranteed to them by the command of God , the injunctions of the Church , and the law of the land ! Supported by the voice of the inhabitants , but resisted by the ' rules of the workhouse , ' enforced by the mayor , magistrates , and police of Norwich !

      Were I to say what might be both legally and constitutionally said on this subject , perhaps I should be misunderstood ; I might , inadvertently , be the cause of further riots . From such disgrace and infamy I would save my country , yet I can exhort no one to submit to such an unnatural , unholy' rule . ' .. Well might the Lord Bishop of Exeter exclaim ( as I heard him ) in the House of Lords , ' My Lords , it ( the new Poor Law ) is a law which the people cannot obey—it is a law which , being Christians , they dare not obey . '

      at is not my duty to settle the question involved in this most disgraceful affair ; but , holding , as I do , that the right of the poor is as sacred as that of the rich , that the laws of God and the injunctions of the Church are of more weighty obligation than the ' workhouse rules ; ' and believing , as I do , that ttie . 'interests of all classes are the same , ' I cannot withhold the expressions of my regret and disgust that , for obeying the voice of God , of nature , and of the Church , nine free-born Englishmen should be doomed to prison . It is indeed deplorable that , for such cause , an episcopal city should have its peace broken at midnight , that its chief officers should be required to enforce a revolting and inhuman ' workhouse rule , ' and that its police should be employed in capturing those who must have excited their commendation and sympathy . Still more it is to be lamented that all this shnnld

      have happened while . Parliament was sitting , and not one word should have been uttered on the subject in either House . ' It is , however , an event which it behoves the clergy and the aristocracy to take note of \ Our courts of justice should be required to settle the question now raised , viz—is ' wbrfliouse rule' of more effect than God ' s law , the law of nature , and the , law of the Church ? If it be , why should we any longer . mock Almighty God by proteasing our faith in His-word ; or by pretending to establish , His worship ? Englishmen have a right to demand by tvhat statute , or , on what constitutional principle these poor men are first driven from their homes and then from their wives ? -

      Fellow-countrymen , we have been betrayed by those who have professed to reform our institutions , the law of God was their foundation and we were united and prosperous . Philosophy has usurped its place , and we are a divided and distressed people ! : We were told that this accursed Act , the new Poor Law , would give security to life and property , thatitwouldincrease the wages and improve the character of the labourers , that it would give contentment to all ! Never was there a more woeful delusion . .

      By the influence and operation of that enactment , hundreds of , thousands of our fellow-countrymen have been slain , the wretchedness of millions has been increased , their loyalty shaken , the different ' classes' are . engaged in angry strife , and before the universe we now stand a nation professing to honour God , but in works denying him ! ,, , The innate abhorrence of shedding a brother ' s blood , the ardent loyalty of Englishmen , have saved this . nation from ; . civil war . : We cannot , however , avert the judgment of God on a people who persist in mdeking Him ! We may pride ourselves in ; our wealth , but ; ?| n the fulness of our sufficiency we shall be in straits . ' The increase of our houses shall depart , and our goods shall flow away in the day of wrath ;'• ' :

      Philosophy , may harden our hearts and blind our eyes , causing us to wrong and oppress the poor—it cannot instruct us how to deceive that God at whom it would have us jeer . ' The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of His people and the princes thereof ; for ye have eaten up the vineyard ; the spoil of the poor is in your houses . What mean ye to beat my people to pieces , and grind the faces of the poor ? saith the Lord God of Hosts . ' Eschew , fellow-countrymen , the nostrums of our would-be philosophers . First , they persuaded us to

      bow our knee before the Tiara of Rome ; next , to cast away the poor from the protection of the Constitution , driving them to exist 'on their own resources '—swelling the ranks of vagrancy and crime ( as I shall hereafter show ); then ( as I pre . dieted would be the case ) we were next induced to abandon protection to our land and native industry . Our colonies have in like manner been impoverished —the sacrifice of our shipping is loudly demandedthe downfall of tbe Church must follow—and ' already philosophy is casting a jealous eye at royalty , arid is bidding our Queen—Prepare !

      So must it be , if we cannot stay the march of the arrogant , selfish , but ignorant' pnilosophers . Where is the man of strong intellect , sound heart , , and unmistakeable piety , who , ' walking in the . light of the Constitution , ' and taking the Bible as his guide , will lead us into the old paths , where we may find rest and prosperity , under the blessing of our God ? ; I know that the great majority of my fellowcountrymen would follow that man ! : Let us pray for his advent ! I remain , Englishmen , yours faithfully , Richard Oastler . Fulham , Middlesex .

      Tfamtfca,

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      Untitled Article

      Railway Accident . —On Monday we k , shortly after a train left Nowark , theenpine came in oontact with three horses which had accidontly strayed upon the lino and killed the whole of thtm . Stbamng a Leiier . —A letter-carrior has been sentenced to fourteen years' transportation , at Inverness , for having stolen a letter containing £ 23 ia but / k nsVs . Thk Exobk Laws .-A pasa&n&er on the North British Railway was lately arrested at Berwick and uned for violating the Excise Laws by conveying whttkey across tbe boraer arao / igst his lueease . Deaxh from 1 Diseased Potato . -A death has recurred at Worcester from the virus of a diseased potato which got into a wound . The patient exhibited the uaual symptoms of poisonine Flour Imported -Eight hundred sacks of flour were . mported into London from theE ^ Indies laet

      S ?^« : Vbrt Economical -The following is a copy of a sisn placed in the shop window of a barber , near to Z pohce-offioe , Yorkshire street , Roohdale , viz --Look 3 LStt £ ? * " ^»»««* Ei&ttKsfS fl « j . Still the fibres this year ate Buch brnr u * mujll muhtier tta » tbMe of ths previra , S the SRCSUMSr 1 " wm t 0 M *¦•' saxisrrsD ™ - ^ _ . , ECA JP £ I 0 BB : - _ We resret to sav that thu riimi .

      ¦ rtTtoi . H n ; t T ? ? ' Martin ' -le Grand , the New Hall , Lincoln ' s Inn , and the New HnuseB m ^ 'fes S rSV . ° N ¦ « ?! - PW » i » ww 32 ^ jiaffi /* . ' *** ^ - ** . This is a very pleasant way of Lking a' sto ^ J short ' r A Greek church is now bnildine in tha «;?* « f

      Lonaon , ana is rapidly advancing towards comple-T ^ Sf ^ S ^ S ^ T ^ Z Lambert , printer and bookseller , Co iergate inThia city , the 0 West letter-press printer in Enffid Ha was a native of Malton - York Herald H 0 ^ T& ^ TVP St B « ttK > lomew the Chap . & wi ^ Si 1 , Collgny BheIterad himself in a hsy-loft , where he was supported for several dan fa * = tftf * , a ^ »« w t ^ ffffl ^^^^^ l ( L" 8 ?" * * I t 0 hla Wlfeuntil the firs ' chiW is borm After that Bhe can amuse herself at home while he resumes his jolly habits .

      Atrocious OoiRAGB . -Jane Chillott , aeripph re . wJZ ^ nfWW 11 the habit iiCSSg B workmen to kindle their pipes at her fire . A few days ago a ft low named Whole , whom she constantly obliged in thifl . way , finding her alone attempted fo and thoS ± f . H ° \ u c Dflicted ^ wound ? and then threw her into the fire , Trhere she would have been roasted alive bat for the arrival oifa neigh-. MVXi ff £ ff m *« -.. Her «* " *• CmusAti 0 N .-The Nkw York Glpbe Bays— In this oountry , one man dies worth twenty millions of dollars , and while he has been making it twenty thousand women hare perished in infamy ? to escape starvation at their needle * What a preoiooa " state of Booiety this reveals" vwm

      wif 2 " ™ ^ RWNN—The Corporation of Exeter is m suoh straitened circumstances that t £ r ™ "fW l ^ ulty '? gettiD B y one to Adept' - the mayoralty last November . It appears that hia worship is otten called on to advance money to pay Srff « - ^ L gaolet ' « ta * yw « mamar * SS ?^ V S ^ * S ? J wiBg his * u" » key 8 out o £ his own funds ; and that the expenses of witnesses and prosecutors were wofully behind , and that the oth « day three witnesses from Abingdon came all the way ' by train for payment , and were turned away without it . Even the prisoners in gaol are in rags , hitohed toeetnerby string , because there are no funds to pro- vide clothing . r Plain Talk . —In the Jamaioa House of Afsembly , " a motion beiBg . made . for leave to brine in a bill to prevent frauds by wharfingersj one . of the members rose and said- Mr Speaker , I second the motion ; the wharfingers are to a man a set of rogues ; I was one mysel ' for > ten years . ' ¦

      ¦ An : American paper mentions , as an extraordinary uoreue inthe Value offend , that in 181 la farm . called Ban a IW m Cincinnati , was ^ p tirohaaed fot a sum of 3551 dollars , and has since , been nearly all Bold as building land at . prices which make the total value to amoun . to 9 , 804 , 000 dollars . ¦ ¦ ' ¦ Sam Wellerisms . — ' What blessings ohildren are , ' ' as the clerk Baid when he got the . fees for ohristenfnij ' them . I shall prevent the use of ardent spirits , ' aa the grocer said when he watered his spirit cask . Time is money , ' as the thief said when he stole the ¦ patent lever watch . . A Yankee pedlar with his cart overtaking another of his olan on the road , was thus addressed , ' Hallo , what do you carry V Drugs and medicine , ' was the wp'y- 'Good ! ' returned the other , ' you may go ahead ; I carry grave-stones . '

      Platb 1 Guss . —The art ot plate glass making waa ¦ borrowed from France not more than eighty years ago , and now the largest and finest plates are produced with greater faoility and ata loss cost in England than in any other part of the world . . , . . ( A carious Cabbage . —There is now growing in a garden at Milnthorpe , Westmoreland , a cabbage which its owner denominates the' hen and chickens ' ' from the circumstance of its having a cabbage growing from where eaoh leaf joinB the stem , and there are no fewer than- twenty-seven of theBe cabbaeea on it . Forobd Bank Notes . —Great caution is necessary in , taking £ 10 Bank of England notes , m a number of ' £ 1 notes , having the oypher forged to them , are in active circulation . The forgery iB bo admirably exconted that to detection is difficult .

      A Man is known by the Company he Keeps . — At the late Sessions , Sir Robert H . Inglis . Bart ., M . P ., was granted a Mubio and Dancing License ' for Exeter Hall ! The next previous license waa granted to the' Cat and Shoulder of Mutton ; ' and the next following one to the ' Salmon and Corapas-Bes ! ' What shooking company for Sir Harry J Scotch Coolnbss . —The tranquillity and phlegm of the Sootoh in the most extraordinary circumstances , ' brings to mind , ' says Colman , in his ' Random Reoords / 'the incredible tale , of the Scotchman ' s tumble from one of the loftiest houses in the old town of Edinburgh . . He slipped , says the legend , off a roof sixteen stories high ; and when midway in his descent through the air , he arrived at a lodger

      looking out at a window of tho eighth floor , to whom ( as he was an acquaintance ) he observed , en passaut . ' Eh , Saundy , man , Bio a fa' as I shall hae ! Tee Merry Church Bells . —Tho chimes newly fitted up in the venerable tower of St Mary ' s , Stafford , plays tbe following' tuneB : On Sunday , a Psa ' m tune ; Monday , Life let us cherish ; ' Tuesday , My lodging is on the cold ground ; ' Wednesday , ' There is nae luck about the house ; ' Thursday , ' The Hatmoflious Blacksmith ; Friday , ' We won't go home till morning ! ' Saturday , ( being market day ) ' Oh dear , what can the matter be ?' A Negro took his seat in the Frenoh National Assembly , on Thursday week , as representative 61 Guadaloupe . Two negroes and two Mulattos have

      been elected . / The Jews in RoME .-On the 1 st of this month , the desree for the complete emancipation of the Jewa of the Roman Statas came into force . They are thereby declared fit- for the exercise of all civil rights . The year 1848 is an amazing one . Tho ohanges of the forms of government are , however , less surprising than the abandenment of the Ghetto by the Jews of Rome . The American Pbbbs . —The editor of the Vickbburo Sentinel , a Mississippi newspaper , has been killed in a street fight , and iB the third editor of that

      journal who has fallen in a similar manner , within the last six years , in consequence of the virulent personalities which have appeared in its columns . Grapes . —The prodnoe of grapes is so abundant near Paris that the peasants fear to bring any of inferior quality inside the walls , lest the fruit should not fetoh Bix centimes tke two-pound weight , tho amount of entrance duty to whioh it is subject , and the consequence is , that a regular fair of grapes ia established outside the walls of Paris , and ib attended by immense numbers of soldiers . A New Gab . —Anew description of gas , free from the mfiny disadvantages of the gas in common use , has been lately invented . It is called the ' hydrocarbon gaa , ' and is generated from water and tar on rosin . What must ihb Profit be ?—The privilege of selling newspapers , &o ., at the several stations on the London and North-Weatsm Railway has been let by tender to Messrs Smith , and Son , newa agents , for tho snm of £ 1 . 500 a-year . The person who has hitherto supplied Enston Station offered the company the enormous sum of £ 610 for a stand on the station atone * W

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      Untitled Article

      An Act of the People ' s Parliament for the reduction of Her Majesty ' s Civil List , 8 fc , fyc . London ; Strange , Paternoster Row . Ajvast improvement on the general ran of Acts , 0 f Parliament , We hereby authorise this' Bill' to "b e 1 laid on the table 1 of every tax . payer in the Unite d Kingdom .

      Untitled Article

      Publications Received . —A Treatise on Female Complaints . By . Mrs Martin . Londoa : 70 , Chandos Street , Charing Cross . The Spy o / 1848 By / Stickfast . ' Dyson , 121 , Shoreditch . The Illustrated Penny Almanack . Watson .

      Untitled Article

      London Shipping Regulations . —It is the inten tion of the Corporation of London ta revise and alter the whole of the by-laws and regulations which affeot the ahipping interest in the Port of London . The great increase of the number of colliers and steamers frequenting the port has , in a great measure , rendered such revision and alteration neceBPauperism . —The total number of persons in England asd Wales who were relieved in the year 1816 , amounted to 1 , 721350 , being in the proportion of IH for evory 1 , 000 iu- the estimated population ; tnd exoeeding by more than half a million the number relieved in 1839 . 40 . ! ., »' .-7 ¦ ¦¦ ¦ ¦ . - 'i

      Untitled Article

      ¦ October 28 , 1848 . THE NORTHERN STAR . ' '

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 28, 1848, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1494/page/3/