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Northern Star (1837-1852), 2nd February 1850, Edition 1 of 3, Page 3, ^smc)B9.

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      "' " THE HOPES OT * 4 a .: - r I ^ fc ljdngcraft clap its gory hands , ; And oligarchy smile ; ¦ - . Let priestcr aft raise it * vulture -voice , And shriek a cursethe while ! jjet ' hot i « action swiftly come , V XfUh renseancBTOwi instate , — _ &nd striTe to slay , with rope and gun , The hopes of ' 48 ! ie { mammon-greed its golden links Draw closer day by day , And madly seek to force from all Alleg iance to its sway . \ ye dare them all—kings , mammon-slaves And oligarchs elate ! They cannot—all united—blast Thehopes of' 48 ! Tn the hearts of-Europe ' s Toilers |

      These hopes have made their home ; 5 or Russian force in Hungary , 2 u > r Gallic fraud In Rome . 2 \ er cunning diplomatic skill—That courteous mask of hate-Can plunder the unfranchised Of the hopes of 48 ! You may seize the men who breathe them Too loud above their breath ; You may send their armed defenders A sharp or lingering death ; Shoot them by scores;—You but arrest And not avert your fete ; Tor that martyr-blood is the seal ye set To the hopes of ' 48 ! Ecgese

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      flepoMs ' s Folitical Instructor . Edited uj O . ^ Y . 3 L Reynolds . Part ILL London : J . Dicks , 17 , Wellington-street jtforth , Strand . Some times success is deserved without being achieved ; and— -perhaps oftener—achieved ^ itbou t being deserved . It must , however , oe acknowledged that the success which has attended this publication has been deserved . ¦ It IS hue thai some of the portraits of public ^ flaracters which have appeared in the Ins / ra ? - tor cannot lay claim to praise , hut in all other .

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      respects the cheap and good : pemiywQrth ; : of political instruction supplied hy Mr .. Keynold 8 > mustTJe pronounced . unexceptionable , and w < ell worthy popular patronage . ^ The articles by the Editor ,- ^ Gracchus , " and "A National Reformer , 'Hire entitled to special commendation . . " . . _ ' - ' ) "We give the -following ^ extract-from an article by the Editor , on

      THK CASE OP IHE JOUNBTMEX TAILORS . Is it possible that the present system can last ? Look at the awful misery which prevails oa every side : look at the stern ,, substantial , unmistakable grounds which exist for discontent throughout the length and breadth of the land . "What class of the industrial population is well off ? Not one . "Which section of the great community of workers can earn enough to live respectably upon ? Kbt one . This inot a question in which a few thousands of individuals are concerned : it regards millions . The agnejiltural labourers are starving uponfourorfive shillings a week—the hands in the manufacturing distr icts are neither fully employed nor adequately paid—the cutlers and stockinsjers are

      famishingthe miners are in a fearful condition—the needlewomen's case is a scandal to civilisation , and a practical refutation of England ' s Christianity—the coal-whippers may well envy Russian serfs , and wish to heaven that they were slaves upon Virginian plantations—the silk weavers are driven almost to the very verge of desperation—and last , though not least , the fraternity of journeymen tailors has been compelled to proclaim its wrongs in the face of day ! The system , then , cannot last . The few are too rich—the many too poor . A thousand pounds _ a week , enjoyed by some aristocrat , stand forth in awful contrast to four shillings a week , which is all that many , a hard worker can earn . An Apician

      luxury on the one hand throws the famine-stricken table on the other into the saddest relief . Destitution is fast breeding desperation , for there are at this moment millions of human beings in the British Islands who are proclaiming to the whole ' world , by various means , tbat their condition cannot possibly be made worse by anything which may occur . In the name of heaven , theB , let our rulers—let our legislators—let onr philanthropists do something to meet the evil . It is useless to denounce as firebrands and revolutionists those men whose only " crime" is their becoming the mouth-piece of all that tremendous misery whereof I hav » just spoken . Would to God that these islands could to-morrow be blessed with such measures , and such an amount of

      political reform and social improvement , as to ren « der " agitation" utterly unnecessary , and turn Chartist halls into lecture rooms ! But such a consummation cannot be hoped for so long as the few shall arrogate to themselves the right of enslaving the millions—so long as the producers of food are perishing with want , and the makers of costly garments are clothed in rags . Strange and unnatural condition of things ; and yet the man who dares denounce the system is stigmatised as a demagogue , pointed at as a bloody-minded revolutionist , and perhaps thrown into a prison as a rebel and traitor . But , after all , who are the real revolutionists ?—the men who proclaim the people ' s wrongs and demand their redress as a wise precaution—or the men who

      arrogantly declare that the people are contented and do not want reform ? A recent meeting of Journevmen Tailors at Exeter Hall exposed the frightful condition of no less than 20 , 000 deserving , industrious , hard-working men in the British metropolis . " 1 'he first feeling which inevitably seizes upon the mind , on reading the appalling catalogue of wrongs , miseries , privations , and cruelties endured by those persons , is one of astonishment . that human patience should be capable of stretching ; to such inordinate lengths . This is the system adopted : —A great tailor contracts witb a middle-man for the work to be done . The average is seven shillings and ' sixpence for a coat . This middle-man employs a sub-contractor

      at an average ef five shillings the coat ; and this sub-contractor gets a still more unfortunate being to make it for three shillings . Header , look into tbe newspapers and see -who are the great advertising tailors . TJim are the men who thu 3 build palaces cemented with the blood of their fellow-creatures , and incrusted with the miseries of twenty thousand families ! Just calculate the enormous amount expended by those great clothiers in advertisements alone : one house lays out in this manner as much as £ 12 , 000 a year ; another £ 8 , 000 ; a third £ 5 , 000 ; and the others in proportion . These are facts which are well known to those who are initiated hi the mysteries of the

      metropolitan newspaper offices and who are at all acquainted with the financial details of the advertising system . Look at those enormous amounts , then , tens expended , —r . ddthem to the interest of an immense capital sunk in founding these palaces of iniquity and horror , —add again-the cost of keeping up those vast establishments—the numerous servitory—the plate glass—the galaxy of lights—the owners' gorgeous style of living , with carriages , livery-servants , festivals , and countryhouses , —reckon up all these items , and then ask whence comes the colossal income requisite to meet such demands ! From the flesh and blood—ay , the very vitals of the slop-workere and the journeymen tailors .

      From two of the recent letters of " Gracchus " we give ihe following extracts : — - TKEE TnADEB 3 JlJTO PHOTECIIOSISTS . Free trade , as taught and understood by the Cobdenites , will never give to you freedom : ^ protection , as taught and understood by Tory squires , means robbery of the labourers for the advantage of the landowners : and financial reform , efficiently carried out to-morrow , would not materially relieve your sufferings—your real interests are neither comprehended nor thought of by these parties . It is at once pitiable and amusing to hear men talk now-a-days about the adversity and prosperity of the times . The poor needlewomen , the journey men tailors , Spitalnelds weavers , and agricultural labourers , are starving—and we are gravely assured that these sad results are all attributable to Peel's free trade policy . In-honest truth , ioumeyman

      tailors , Spitalfields weavers , and poor needlewomen , have often starved before Peel ' s free trade schemes were heard of , and every living man of sixty years of age , who trusts to his own memory * will tell you what we have just written . As regards the agricultural labourers , they have for many years been increasing in numbers and decreasing in comforts . . The factions are fighting ; it is a summons of death and a civil war without soldiers . An insurrection wastes much and gams little ; an invasion causes dread and sometimes conquest ; a civil war eats up the vitals of a state . The factions are fighting and ask yon to enlist ! On one banner is Free Trade and Financial Reform , to which 'is tagged a small bit of Chartism , which , by the way , hangs rather awkwardly . On the other banner there are written cunningly , " Protection to native industry , " which means the " increased protection of landlords ' pockets first , and you may wait until your turn

      comes . We may want protection to native industry . President Taylor has just sent us a hint from America ; that the Yankees are looking ahead , and he means protection . But whether we want protection or otherwise , it cannot begin with corn ; and if begun anywhere , it may never end there . The English landowners thoughtcheapsilks an excellentthing ; so they thought cheap hats , cheap lace , cheap carpets , cheap fancy work-boxes , cheap Geneva watches , &c , and they have even tried their hands at cheap workhouses ( which last experiment , bytheway , has been rather a costly one , the upshot of which is not yet understood ) . With increased rent and cheapened labour they have but few claims on you for support . We ask you to pause and consider your position as working men . Meantime , take good heed ~ whnt you do , and beware of Protectionist landlords !

      Onr merchant-princes , as they are called , have been gradually buying up the lands of bankrupt landowners ; hi many cases entails have been broken by the holders and heirs-apparent of Iand 3 , to facilitate the transfer and sale of estates . These merchants and mill-owners are a very different class of individuals from either the old aristocracy or their degenerate descendents . They are not so literary in their tastes , nor so generous in their conduct , as the landowners of sixty or seventy years ago : neither are they so profligate and proud as tho foxhunting

      sham aristocrats of later days . The merchant landowners are men of business , keen , calculating men , having a clear comprehension of buying and selling , and they will make profit of land that is now profitless , and fortunes from that which is now considered to be waste . It is an error to say tbat the mere repeal of the corn laws will ruin the landowners . They were doomed to ruin , their fate was sealed , and ihe measures Of Si * Robert Peel , and the agitation of Mr . Cobden , have only accelerated their downfall . '

      These keen men of the counting-house settle all things by the rule of three ; and they are in the senate what they have teen in the counting-house in both places they are sure of success . England is ' destined to be ruled by them : they are in Ihe ascendant , and will rise higher and higher by every change that occurs in or ont of parliament . What will this transfer of property and transfer of power do for you , the workers , the producers of wealth , if left uncontrolled , and uninfluenced by

      increased intelligence , and the influence of public opinion ? It will jpve you a change of masters in some cases , and in all a centralisation of power . "Will it lessen your burdens ?—will it give to . you increased physical comfort ? These questions are easier asked than answered ; but we may judge by tvLat we have seen . Visit Ashton or Staleybridge , in Lancashire , and you will there see the kind of government vou may expect for England if this cenr ' ralised factory and land power be not checked and influenced by the increased intelligence and growing

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      y power ofthe . producors ; . In \ Aihton . aiid S&ley . ' bridge there is ho law ; but the law of « he ; -strongest money 'rules supremei ; v and s 6 me dozen factorymasters have / ' the contrbl ' ofa small but thickly populated canton , which they rule as seems to them beat . . v . There , factpHesand tfwellihg-houses are the property of the same persons jiincTif W poor man owns a three-room tenement , left to him by his father or . other relative , he lets it" for half the rent he gives for a less commodious house , of , < as we have often seen , he leaves it , locks the door , and pays a high weekly rental for a miserable hovel , the property of his employer . Does a workman violate the law ? he is brought before a magistrate and punished—the magistrate being his employer . Docs the magistrate violate the law ? there is no court of appeal . Money is all powerful ; such a vassalage ii ,

      cruel and humiliating . To make Eugland a great Staleybridge , is a consummation not devoutly to be wished . These Staleybridge factory-barons are all for cheap government—so are you ; they mean lowpriced legislation , that they may pocket move gains ; you mean cheap government , in hopes that your taxes may be lessened and your physical comforts increased . You are right : have cheap tea , if you can by any means get it ; have cheap-soap , cheap newspapers , &c . —that is , untaxed tea , untaxed soap , and untaxed newspapers . But be not deceived ; take the taxes off all these necessaries , and have low-priced labour , your condition may be in a . degree improved , compared with what it would have been with high-priced necessaries and low-priced labour . But when you have gained all that tho Financial Reformers desire , you will not have sained much .

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      ADMIRABLE SPEECH OF MR . KYDD ON THE LABOUR QUESTION . OPERATIVE SILK WEAVERS' MEETING . A general meeting of the operative broad-silk weavers of London , was held on Friday evoning , January 24 th , in the school-room , St . John-street , Brick-lane , for the purpose of hearing Mr . Kydd on the all-important question of labour . The chair was taken soon after seven o'clock by Mr . Hollis ( operative ) .

      The Chairman said , there could be no more important question to the labouring classes than the one which that meeting was assembled to discuss . They had bad bitter experience that they were ? falling in the scale of society , that their means of living were much diminished , and unless something should be done to alter their position , the moat alarming consequences might justly be apprehended . He hoped they would give a fair hearing to every one who might addreas them . Mr . Kydd said , that he had attended that meeting , because he was impressed with the idea that the question of labour and the condition of the labourer were fit and proper subjects for discussion . ' He would not . however , have any one suppese that

      he was about dogmatically to Jay it down as an axiom , that certain remedies must inevitably produce sudden results . On the contrary , he thought that England , like other nations , was destined to suffer much , both in its commercial and agricultural interests , and most certainly the labourers must continue to suffer for some years to come . He was anxious the labour question should be fully reasoned out . In the year 1830 , and again in 1848 , they had witnessed revolutions in France , and iu seeking for tbe causes , they would find them in the fact , that the labourers in that country were

      neither fully employed , nor fully paid . ( Hear . ) He was not going to argue that men should live without labour . Labour was natural to man . " Earn thy . bread by the sweat of thy brow" was an old mandate , and so was the other doctrine , of " the labourer is worthy of his hire . " - Labour was inevitable toman ' s existence , for without labour there could be no property . Land and labour were the only known sources of wealth . Labour was the exercise of power for the productions of utility , and the labourer of a land had the first claim to a maintenance . ( Cheers . ) He joined . issue broadly with those who asserted that certain masses must

      always starve while other masses thrive . ( Hear , hear ) . Where the interests of the labourer were neglected , the bonds of society became loosened , as wag evidenced by the agrioultur . il fires in the south and west of England some years ago . Those fires spoke trumpet-tongued , that until attention was called to the subject , the landlord had neglected the farmer , and the farmer had neglected the labourers . In the manufacturing districts the evidences of the neglect of the labourer manifested themselves in riots . All these occurrences served

      to show that unless the labourer received a larger share of the honey the whole structure of society would inevitably tumble about their ears . ( Cheers . ) His object was to have a full and fair discussion as to what were the real interests of the labourer , and how . those interests could be best promoted . In the trade circular of Mr . Maudley , of Manchester , he spoke of the ascension and descension of the wheel of prosperity ; this of course ' applied to the capitalist , for the ascension of the wheel was the treadmill of the operative , while its descension was his bone-mill—a system compelling the labourer to excessive work to-day , and leaving him to starve to-morrow . ( Cheers . ) They were told they were only entitled to gain as much

      for their labour as capital could afford to pay them . He joined issue with those who put forth the novel doctrine that capital owed no allegiance to labour , and that all the relations of men were settled by the payment of a few metal coins . He was not the enemy of capital , but its friend . He railed against no improvement in machinery , but desired to see the affairs of men so regulated that such improvements should be of general , aud not of partial benefit . And here he might remark , that he was a disbeliever in the doctrine so common in and out of parliament—that to buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest market , under all circumstances , was the highest law of commerce . Sucb a doctrine must be ruinous to the labourers , who have everything to sell before they can buy

      anything , and of great gain to the capitalist , who can bide his time , and buy nil things cheaply , and sell all things dearly . He repeated that he joined issue on the question , and could cite in his favour all those great men whose writings were considered to be axiomative . He had carefully read Adam Smith , for he would blush to argue the question of labour if he had not reasoned the matter fully in Ms own mind ; both as regarded his own view of the interests of the labourer , and that taken by the political economists . Adam Smith wrote as follows : — " Every individual is continually exerting himself to find out the most advantageous employment for whatever capital he enn command . It is his own advantage , and not that of society , he has

      in view ; but the study of his own advantage , naturally , or rather necessarily , leads him to prefer that employment which was most advantageous to society , " Man , it was said , always looked to his own interests , and in consulting those he consulted the interests also of his fellow men . If ( said Mr . Kydd ) this principle be invariably true , then all will go well—there will be no misery resulting from its action . Is it so ? Let us inquire . Were the immense railway speculations of 1846 generally advantageous ? No ; they have entailed misery on thousands , aud have been ruinous to tens of thousands . Yet in these speculations every man was looking to his own interest . Let us take the case' of the Irish landlords turning the tenantry

      off their estates . They believed that it was to their own advantage . Has it been advantageous to society ? They denied tenant-right to the farmers , while the farmers in turn denied the right to live to the labourers , and the result was the disorganisation of society ; and , while labourers were wandering with bundles of straw on which to sleep , with no other shelter than the Heaven above them , the land exhibited docks and thistles where wheat formerly was grown . If the doctrine did not hold food in Ireland , could they possibly think it would old good in England . ( Cheers . ) " Follow your own interest and you will benefit the interests of society , " was the creed of the political economists , but he thouirhthe had shown it to be one calculated

      to loosen all the bonds of society . It was also maintained by Sir R . Peel and the political economists , that to buy cheap and sell dear was the highest prinoiple of commerce ; but he would tell Sir R . Peel that although it might be the highest principle of commerc it was the lowest in the scalo of morality . ( Hear . ) It was a good principle for the wealthy classes in England , whose property and lands where in the hands of the few . They would grow richer by buying labour cheap and selling it dear , while they ( the labourers ) would be ground into the dust . ( Cheers . ) The doctrine meant that in this country the labourers should be woi-ked like serfs , and laid aside when done with—worked like horses in the streets when their labour was :

      required , and sent afterwards to the tan-yard . ( Gheers . ) There were boots , and coats , and shoes , out of number manufactured by the labourers of England ly ing still unsold . How was it that SO many of themliad naked backs and feet ? ( Cheers . ) If they produced , . it appeared that they did . not wear —( hear)—if they worked , they did not enjoy the results of that work ; and if this state of things were to continue , they had better go back at once to a savage life . ( Vociferous cheering ;) He was not there to support any party . He was not about to enrol himself under General Bright , or General Ferrand , or General Cobden . It mattered little to the

      him which party succeeded if all alike robbed poor , and grew rich upon the spoil . ( Cheers . ) As regarded the silk-weavers , he called their attention to a document , published by themselves . It was a bill to be presented to parliament , and from . tne statements in this bill he found that their \ va « es had undergone a very material reduction . He found , on examining it , the following statement ^ the preamble : — " At and previously to June , 18-24 , by the authority of an act of parliament then' repealed , a uniform price of wages was paid by . each and all master manufacturers in Spitalfields , for each description of fabric . The average weekly earnings ; of the pwratiYe silk ' weavor in . lm

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      iS 5 . % ^| Mtl&n rep ealed / taking' th < r Whole body ofj ; h 9--bp ^ rativ ^ 'e «' plbyed ; ipartially ;; croployBd ; and unemployed , wasftttrteenshillingsand sixpence , Deprived' of .: legislatrte ; r » gulationi there ' is now no * means of readily' ^ ascertaining the ;• * average weekly earnings of thew&olo < bddy of . the employed and unemployed operativ& . silkvweavers ;' butacpording to the best approximation to . an average which can . , made in 5 pitalfieias ,:. the , average ., of the weekly earnings . of the operative silk weaver is now ( taking ; the : unemployed and the ' partially employed wtth-the employed of thdse remaining attached to the occupation of weaver ) , only 4 s . 9 d . ; But-this weekly average ^ would--be much less if it included those who have gone to other ' trades , or who have

      become perpetual paupers . " Now , ho would ask themwhati was tho effect of all . this ? Ho would ask if societyhad reaped a proportionate advantage to the evil of the reduced wages ? It was true , the aristocracy of tho land and the ladies of England were enabled to have cheap silk ,, but had they given more silks to the weavers or more bread to their cupboards ? ( Loud cheering . ) Was not , in , fact , the very name of Spitalfields- woaver a synonyme for poverty ?< ( Cheers . ) What had' the weavor gained ; If they reduced his wages they necessarily increased his taxes and his debts . , ( Hear , hear . ) Another result of , the system was the increased employment of women and children . If they would have the word cheapness they must also

      have thework ofwomen arid children ; and what was to become of the latter when they arrived at manhood ? They must werk at similar wages , or not at all . ! - ( Immense cheering . ) What , then , was the meoning . of tho doctrine of cheapness , but that the whole framework of society Bhould be inverted —that instead of . a family , being dependent upon the father , the father should . ibe dependent upon the family-M , hat instead of the . wife being dependent on the husband , the husband must be dependent on the wife . ( Continued cheering . ) The Chancellor of the Exchequer had the means of calculatirig the probable imports and exports of the kingdom , but he had no means of calculating the vast amount of immorality which must flow from such a system .

      ( Loud cheers . } What the people required at the hands of Parliament was a , regulation of labour . On- a former occasion Mr . HuBkisson had said to them ,.. " Prbre . your case . '' ^ hat was the meaning of that ? It meant , " prove your case against society . " They were told , however , that the interests of'the few must give way to those of the many ; and ; accordingly , away wont the silkweavers . When they were driven into poverty , they . found it necessary to buy as cheap as they could , and they accordingly , swelled the . ranks of the cheap theorists against tho hatter . The hatter struggled , but was forced to give way to the interests of the' many also ; and he likewise became " " an adherent "to the doctrine

      of cheapness . The ' shoemaker was next - attacked , and afterwarks the cabinetmaker , and thus oa ; each interest being- separately attacked—each-being in itself the- comparative few —until one wide ruin embraced them all ; the many , in point of fact , having been at least really sacrificed to the interests of the few . ( Immense cheering . ) In the year 1824 , Mr , BrocKlehurat stated that his house had employed 500 weavers , who manufactured 6201 bs . of silk , to whom they paid in wages £ 370 , being an average of 15 s . per week , but from which some deductions should be made reducing the average to 12 s . Cd . In 1831 , they had also 500 weavers , to whom they paid only £ 171 , averaging from 6 s . to 6 s . Cd . per week ; and they had manufactured 8751 bs . of silk . Some would say , from this , that the silk trade was prosperous , and tell them to see how the manufacturers had succeeded . This was true enough ; but then the

      workmen worked a great deal more , and got a great deal less for it : ( Cheering . ) Mr . Kydd then proceeded to impress on the meeting the necessity of urging parliament to adopt some principle for the regulation of labour . It had , most laudably , passed the Ten Hours Bill—a great and god-like act—to protect factory children from being sacrificed to the influence of Mammon ; but they should ask that their benevolence should not stop there . Laws were the application of man ' s wisdom to man ' s wants . So said Edmund Burke , and they should go to parliament and ask for the application of the principle to their own case . ( Cheers . ) The question before them was not a question of Toryism , or Whigism , or Chartism , but a question of labour , the object being that the labourer should get a . fair portion of what he produced—that the ox which treadeth out she corn should not be deprived of" its share" of the result . ( Loud Cheering . )

      Mr . Brown thought one of the causes of tbe distress of the labouring classes was to be attributed to drink , and he therefore strongly urged upon the meeting the formation of temperance societies as a remedy . Mr . Fox said , that in the year 1824 Mr . Huskisson , in the alterations he had made in the custom duties , had laid the foundation of the ruin of the silk ' iweavers . So detrimental was that alteration , and so low had fallen their wages that , in 1834 , he formed one of a deputation which waited upon Mr . Hume , for the purpose of soliciting his aid in laying their case before parliament . Mr .

      Hume , who was certainly a very honest man , was opposed to these views . They assured him that unless protection was restored they must be ruined , and to escape Starvation must seek for a repeal of the corn laws . Mr . Hume immediately replied that thai wa 3 the object they had in view ; they wanted to destroy all the weaker interests , in order to make them all join in one body to demand a repeal of the corn laws . He was an advocate for some legislative interference for the regulation of labour . ( Hear , hear . ) Several other persons addressed the meeting to a similar effect , but our space will not permit us to give their speeches . It was late before the meeting separated .

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      PROTECTION MEETINGS . CLEVELAND , YORKSHIRE . TRIUMPH OVER THE PROTECTIONISTS . Stokesley , one of the largest towns in the district of Cleveland , in Yorkshire , on Saturday presented a scene of unusual animation ; by the holding of a Protectionist meeting in tho large room of the New Mill . Great exertions had been made to secure tho attendance of a large number of landowners and tenant-farmers , but the weather was very inclement , and the number of agriculturists was muoh less than had been anticipated . Placards had been posted in the district , and the attendance of all such persons as were favourable to protection to every

      British interest was requested , but at the time of meeting ( 12 o ' clock ) there was only a small muster , the meeting being chiefly composed of free-traders . The proceedings were adjourned until half-past two , at which time there was a good attendance , and several flags had been placed at the bottom of the room , bearing free trade mottoes , and on one of them was inscribed the words V Peel , Cobden , and Bright for ever . " Some delay occurred in the appointment of chairman , but at length Mr . John Richardson , of Langborough , a member of the Society of Friends , was proposed . His nomination , however , was opposed by the Free Traders , although he was ultimately permitted to take the chair , Mr . Hutton , a" printer and free trader , having explained

      that he would act impartially . —The Chairman made some rather lengthy , remarks , the purport of which was that it was quite true the people wanted protection , but what they required was protection from unjust taxation ; and unless they could get that it was of very little use obtaining protection for anything else . He thought the suffrage ought to be extended , and that "the great triple alliance " of tho church , tho army , and thentiyy , ought to be reformed . And he also was of opinion that they wanted protection against the irresponsible power of the magistrates in levying and expending thecounty money without the control of the ratep ' ayers .- ^ Mr . Biggins , a farmer , briefly moved , amidst interruption , a resolution , expressive of the

      opinion of the meeting , that the present agricultural distress is ; consequent upon tne adoption of the principles of free trade in agricultural produce , and that it is impossible foi the British agriculturist , unprotected , to compete with foreigners , fettered as we are with heavy taxation . —The Rev . C . Cator ( rector of Stokesley ) seconded the resolution , amidst cries of "Down with your tithes , " &o . —In opposition to this resolution an amendment was proposed by Mr . Hutton , to the effect that free trade so far had answered their expectations , and they earnestly prayed that no alteration bo made as to the importation of grain . —The Rev . W . C . Drane of Guisboi'ough , seconded the amendment . —The two propositions were thenput to the vote , and there was a very considerable majority in favour of the amendment . —Mr . Loy moved a resolution

      for a petition to he presented to her Majesty , praying that she would dissolve parliament , inordevthat the senso of the country might be taken as to the best means of avoiding threatened ruin . —Mr . Harrison ,. seconded the motion , amidst much confusion and noise . —An amendment was proposed praying hev Majesty to dismiss the present ministry , and to call men into the oabinet-who would carry to a { jreater extent the principles of free trade ando ? financial reform .-r-Mr . Downes , in seconding the ; amendment , observed that if the landlords of this country would follow the esani ^ le which had been set them by Mr . Lawson , of Boroughbrid ge , who had his farms revalued to suit present prices , they would enable their tenants to live by . thoso-prices . ' . ( Cheers . ) This amendment was also ndopted , after which tho mooting quietly dispersed * . . .

      OAKHAM , RUTLAND . On Monday a Protectionist meeting was , held at oakham , the High-Slieriff , J . - T . Spnngthorpe , in the chair . On the platform wove , Lord Burghley , M . P ., thenon ; G : J . Noel , M . P . ' , Mr . G . J . Heathcote , M . P ., and Mr , Stafford . M , P ,- * Th . e -Marquis .

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      Camdenmored the- first'resolution . After bfiefl ; refemng to . thesiate-af tbwjaboerer , . and statins' a return to protection . duties / . t »} be the only rca remedy for the present distress-, ; ; jbo noble lore jridved the following resolatioBi . wh&h was secondec by MivSaville , ' a tenant farmer ,. t ^ . ' c * rried iihani . mously : — " That it is the opinion of this meeting that the , distress now ? existing- amongst agricu turists , occasioned by the unlimited competition of untaxed foreign produce ; is ' urijraralleled'for ' severity in thoi annals of British history , while those connected with and dependent upon- them for support are suffering privations alike unheard of and unknown at" any-former period , and which must result in the' inevitable ruin of agriculture .

      com-, merce , and manufactures . "—George- Finch , Esq ., then camei forward to move ^ the second resolution — "That it is the opinion of this' meeting that the pernicious principles of Free . Trade have ' completely prostrated our West Indian and havo severely injured bur other colonies , and unless a timely remedy bo applied they will ultimately lead to the dismemberment of our vast and valuable colonial empire , while the destruction of our glorious merchant nary is threatened by the same unjust and ruinous policy . " —Mr , , E . Wortley seconded the resolution , which was then carried unanimously . — Mr . Heathcote , M . P ., then proposed-the third resolution , determining upon petitions to parliament , to bo presented to the respective houses by

      the Earl of Gainsborough and the Hon G . J . Noel . —The Hon G . J . Noel seconded the resolution , which-was carried-unanimously . —Mr . - Cheetham , a tenant farmer , proposed the fourth resolution , which had reference to advertising the proceedings of the meeting . After touching on some more general matters , he went on to say that in his leisure moments he could net help thinking that phantoms of ruined farmers would haunt the sleeping pillow of Sir Robert Peel . Knowing how much he . was execrated , he really should think he must more about in fear and dread . ( Hear , hear . ) —Mr . Stafford , M . P ., seconded the resolution . He said , though . he . had often heard Mr . Villiers speak in plain clothes , he had never yet heard him ina

      , court dress , and it was astonishing what a change of coat often effected—as great a change sometimes as a turn of the coat —( cheers and laughter ;) and he should not fa the least surprised if Mr . Villiers was , in colloquial language , to " draw it very mild . " ( Cheers and laughter . ) The only question was whether the land was to be kept in cultivation or not . ( Hear . ) They had hitherto , with some ungenial soil and always an uncertain climate , carried agriculture to such a pitch that they were not ashamed to compare it with ony other country in the world . So much for their agriculture . Politically we had so fashioned , so modified , so reformed

      our constitution that surrounding nations when they wish to lay the foundation of their own prosperity , never could do better than follow the plan which we had traced out . And as with tho plongh , so with our political position . Where the plough had been there the plouge Bhould go , and where our territorial interest had been powerful they should be powerful still , and they would not consent to abandon their lands to barrenness , or their interests to those who . would destroy then ^—The rosor lutiou was then carried unanimously , and after a vote of thanks to the sheriff , th » meeting , which was said to be the largest that had been held in Ruthlandahire for many yeats , separated .

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      A Protectionist Meeting took place at Presteign on Tuesday , in the Shiro-hall , 'pursuant to a requisition presented to tho High-Sheriff , who presided , and there were about 50 ft persons present . Resolutions expressive , of th © alarm with which the meeting viewed the depreciation of every species of agricultural produce , which had followed the abolition of protection , and calling on the legislature' to interfere , to avert the ^ ruin . which 4 he adoption of free trade theories threatened to bring on the agricultural classes of the community , by re-imposing such a moderate amount of protection as would enable cultivators of the British soil to compete with foreigners ; in the home- market , wove proposed and carried in spito of the op | wsition of a large number of Free Traders , who attended the meeting . :

      The Buckingham Protectionists had a meeting on Tuesday * in their Town-hall , for the purpose ot discussing a dinner , and denouncing iree trade . Several speeches of tho \ v 3 ual character were made , but tho cniof notables of tho county sent apologetic letters , and remained away , Tho , t >» Uc of Buohingham ' s communication . hold out a hone that he- might attend the next mooting , and Miv DisraclHvroto as follo-vs : — " London , January 28 , 1850 . —It is impossible for mo to bo at Buckingham to-morrow to meet my constituents , but my heart is with tlicm , and I am only detained here by , councils for their welfare . Ihavo not oven timo to write a formal note to oxpross my regrets , but 1 trust to your kindroes to communicate them . "If will always give me sincere gratification to " co-oporato ' 'with my Lore Chandos , " , A letter from Mr . JPu . Fro complained of tho " shovtness of tho notice , ; bu 6 at the same time expressed his most anxious desire to co-oporate vrith that most exceHenfuobleman Lord , Qhautioai '

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      - TJnbo , caIi GOTBBHMENtsare necessarily ; foundedi » ignorance , and . they t mjisfc be . sunported by igno . ranee ; to'deviate from their principle would bo ¦^ p . luntary suicide . The first great object of their policy is to perpetuate that undisturbed ignorance of the people , which is the companion of poverty , the parent of crimes , and the pillar of the state >« Barlow , | . .. ; . ¦ ¦ ¦ . " '" ' ¦ ' ¦¦ . ' V ' . ' ' ' . ' . ' ri ' ¦ ' , ; A riiSTEn , wiio had turned a physician , was asked :

      ^• j I tad iquitted his profession . " Because , " replied he , " my former business exhibited my mistakes . m too glaring a manner , therefore I have now chosen one m which they will be buried . " = ( ' ..., ' /??? me streets , last week , were a perfect glazd of ice , a lady pedestrian in Piccadilly lost her balance and , fell . A genuine son of the Green Isle , on assisting to raise the lady , exclaimed , " Faith , ye must be a ; lovely good lady ; for don't the ' Blessed Book teach us that it is the wkUd that stand on slippery places . ''

      Dr . Stsvelly , in an instructive paper on the hot * blast furnace , states that of the men employed at ; this work , especially at the puddling furnace , not one ever lived beyond the age of 28 . At a printer ' s festival in Washington the following was ja regular toast— " Woman—tne fairest work of . creation ; the edition being extensive , let no man be without a copy . " A Quack ' s Tiieoiit . —Jaundice proceeds from many myriads of little flieb , of a yellow colour , which fly about the system . Now , to cure this , I make the ; patient take a certain quantity of the ova or eggs of spiders . These eggs , when taken into the stomach , by the warmth of that organ , vivify , and being vivified , of course they immediately

      proceed to catch the flies ; thus the disease is cured , and I then send the patient down to the sea-side , to wash all the cobweba out of the system . The notorious American fanatic , generally known as " Father Miller , " who predicted the destruction of the world and the second coming of Christ in the year 1843 , and formed a sect of some 40 , 000 diaciples , died on the 20 th December , aged sixtyeight . Records of a Head-Dress . —At tho hall at Nottingham ( says the Sporting Review ) , in honour of Lord Howe ' s victory of the 1 st of June , 1794 , amid the glare of diamonds , pearls , and other jewels , ostrisch feathers and flowers , Mrs . Muster ' s head * dress was , with . admirable taste , a simple wreath , formed from a branch of natural oak ; three acorns

      from this chaste and apposite appendage were , after breakfast the following morning , planted in presence of the company by the Countess Howe , on the lawn at Col wick ; all the acorns grew , were "tenderly cared for , " and are now handsome trees . The strength , of government does not consist in anything within itself , but in the attachment of a nation , and the interest which the people feel in guppovtiiig it . When this is lost , governmep . t is but a child in power ; and though , like the old government of France , it may harms individuals fora time ; it but facilitates its own fall . . Timb to Begin . —At the Liverpool police court an Irishwoman , ' charged , with an assault upon one of her . own countrywomen , twlliiited her conduct by

      saying that she nover interfered until she was murdered with a poker . ' ¦ Base Cois . —A larM number of half-crowns have been just seized by the authorities , and it is supposed that there aremany more still in circulation . The principal ingredient in their composition is bismuth , and they are finished by electro-plating . They bear date , Geo . III ., 1817 ; Geo ., III ., 1819 ; and Geo . IV ., 182 G . The coin is one of the best imitations ever executed ; and their ring is precisely the same as the genuine pieces , thus making it necessary to be doubly cautious . A Turkish Prophecy . —Tho Turks have a presentiment that their days are well nigh numbered , and on account of this they buvy their dead on tho

      Asiatic side of the Bosphorus . A book , which they regard as canonical ana holy , predicts the downfall of the Western Empire four hundred years after its establishment , which period , reckoning in lunar years , the Mahomedan mode of computing time , will expire in 1853 . —Scenes in the East . " An ! Mr . Simpkiss , we have not chairs enough for our company , " said a gay wife io her frugal husband . "Plenty of chairs , duckey , but a little too much company , " replied Mr . Simpkins , with a knowing wink ... . The Brick Tax . —We know thatit is the wish of most persons to improve the condition of the working man , and many plans have been mentioned as likely to do so . I know of no step so likely to do this as the repoal of this duty , as we know that mosfe

      of the working classes are laudably anxious to have a house of their own , and would exert themselves every way to get one , which is proved by the number of building societies established amongst us . Ifc would also benefit the ground landlords very ; materially , by . causing land now letting i as grass land for £ 5 or £ 6 an acre , to be worth £ 50 : ov £ 6 & per acre , besides tho reversion , which would-be the case if the cost of building was lowered / as it ' would enable persons to make roadways to ground lying a distance from the public roads . Ic would also give scope to the enterprise of our industrious middle classes , and instead of calling « p 6 h theni to leave the land of their birth to improve other lands , they might benefit their own . If we look at the tax upon bricks—a most important article , so far as the comfort and welfare of tho . people are concerned- — we see at once how it operates as a check to sank

      tary improvements . The amount of duty runs as follows : — 1839 £ 459 , 005 1843 £ 335 , 404 1840 509 , 794 1 S 44 495 , 730 1841 480 , 841 1 S 45 558 , 415 Use of Chemistry . —Among other experiments the powers of the bleaching liquids were exhibited . Soon after the exhibition , two of the old wives of Kilmany had the following colloquy . "Our minister , " said the one , - " is naething short of a warlock ; he was teaching ( ha folk to clean cLigs without soap . " " Ayfc woman , ' was the reply , * ' I wish he would teach me to make parritch without meal . "Hanna s Life of Dr . Chalmers . The President ' s Message . — " We are at peace with all the world , and we seek to maintain our cherished relations of amity with the rest ofmankind . " ¦

      A Papek Devourer . —In the Bank of England no fewer than sixty folio volumes , or ledgers , are daily filled with writing in keeping the accounts . To produce these sixty volumes , tho paper having been previously manufactured elsewhere , eight men three steam-presses , and two hand-presses , are continually kept going within the Bank ! In the copperplate printing depavtniont , twenty-eight thousand bank-notes are thrown off daily ; and so accurately is the number indicated by machinery , that to purloin a single note without detection is an impossibility . ¦¦ ¦ •¦

      Chloboforxi is now used for poaching purposes . A gamekeeper , a few days ago , took a man in Windsor Great Park , and found upon him five rabbits apparently stupified . His attention was next drawn to several pieces of fern stuck upright in the ground , with pieces of paper attached to them , and it was afterwards discovered that they had been steoped in chloroform , and were undoubtedly the means by which he had entrapped his game . Tub Treatment of Cwlblmxs . —In the earliest stage , friction either employed dry or with brandy , or camphorated spirits , is the simplest and best means ; when the parts baro become red and shining , but before ulceration has taken place , the following application may be . used / with the greatest

      advantage;—Take camphor , one'drachm ; essential oil of turpentine , eight ounces . Dissolve and employ as an embrocation , After ulceration has commenced , the best remedy is an ointment thus made : —Take lard , one ounce ; Goulnrd ' s extract , twelve drops ; extract of opium , three grains ; creosote , ten drops . Mix , and spread on old rag or lint , and apply to- the sore nig ht and morning ; a bread poultice to clean the wound may be occasionally requisite . — Family Physician . Lusvs Nature :. —On Christmas eve a Mrs . Fletcher , ofStoney Ford , Derbyshire , was delivered of female twinsi fully developed in every respect , and at their full time , but united together from theic chest downwards . They were still born . How to . Poiiss a Young Mas . — "We read in a Sheffield paper thnt " the last polish to a piece of . cutlery is dven by the hand of woman . " The same may be said of human cutlery t that" the last polish to a young blade is given by his mixing with female society . " —Punch .

      A lecturs was lately delivered , by a genius calling himself Porolok , at the Working Man's Hall , Keighley , to prove-that the world was not round , but flat like a pancake . Some of his audience asked him what sort of a fence thero was round tho edges ! .. . .. Sham , we tako a 'bus at Charing Cross ? " said a young Cockney , who was showing the wonders of the metropolis to his country cousin . "O dear no t * said the alarmed jnaiden , " . I could not allow such a thing in so public a thoroughiare ! _ One of the sons of Bacchus , a resident in Montrose , furtively tapped a hogshead man alley , the Other night , and app lied himself to the enjoyment of , its contents ,, which turned cat . to be—liquid \ vuy is a . dog ' s tail like , the heart of a tree ?—Because it is farthest from the bark . .. :

      A soi . 'Biist belief prevails- in" Russia that no Czar can reign more ihan twenty-live years in Russia , and next yeav is tho fatal torn * . , ' If you would , have , a faithful servant , and one that you like , serve yourself . .. ' .. Euasjius , -who-sras of a sickly constwition , nr . d hail therefore obtained'a dispensation for onting flesh in times of abstinence , was ropvoachou by the Popo for' not observing' Lent ; "I assure your holiness that : my heavtis ii Catholic one ; but I must confess that I have a Lutheran stomach , " he replied .. " A man -recently tried soft-soap ¦ to smooth tho harshness of his wife's tonguo ; it took oft a little of ; the roughness but wado it run foster , - aa <* little more gliblyi ' . ' .. ' .. - ' .. ••• . '• ;

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      J gEBHKABY ^ l ^ O .- ; , ^ f . THE NORTBjiRlft SfAff . ___^_ ________ 3

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      irSE DEMO CRATIC REVIEW OF B RITISH AND FOREIGN POLITICS , HISTORY , AM ) IITERATUE . Edited T ) V € r . JuiUJf Haexet . No . IX . February London : J . "Watson , 3 , QueenVhead-passjige , Paternoster-row . ^ The second of a series of ^ Letters to the Working Classes , on &eall-iniporlanfc question of a Free Press , occupies the first place in this n umber . "Taxation and Terrorism'' is tbe iitle of a digest of facts contained in the pamp hlet of Mr . "Williams , W-M . P ., recentl y reviewed in these columns . " The Grave of a Tvrannicide" tells of the exhumation of the

      lemains of one of the glorious band vrho dared to try > condemn , and subscribe the death-¦ warrani of " ihe man Charles Stuart , " Eng ^ f England . The author of " A Glance at H istory" takes for Ms subject the ^ principal Cfreek and Soman Historians . Herodotus is highly and deservedly eulogised , "while Sallust is exposed to infamy and contempt . The most interesting and startling portion of this article is the author ' s defence of the celebrated Catiline . This is historical heterodoxy "with a vengeance 1 How will ihe worshippers of such * ' patriots " as Cicero like it;—and what will

      Mrs . Grundy say ? A striking transition from the great " anarchist" of ancient times , to ihe great systematiser of ihe present age—Fourier , introduces the reader to a memoir of that extraordinary theorist . " Revelations of the Building Trades , " by " John , the "Workman , " will be anything but palatable to the despotic and plundering gentry -who stand midway between the employer and the employed , and cheat the former , -while they grind the faces of the latter . " Coming events cast iheir shadows before , " . and in " Pictures of ihe Poor" the reader -wiH find—contrasted with

      the miseries of mothers and infants of the destitute classes—a description of the " royal cradle" for Ber Majesty ' s " next . " It strikes us that -we may as -well here give additional currency to the official announcement that Queen Victoria , " by the grace of God , &c , " is at this time in an " interesting situation . " "With a lofty disregard of what the " common people" term "delicacy , " the Times has been instructed to announce that the ' interesting " climax maybe expected " about the middle of April . " If that highly respectable , but rather muddle-headed , personage , Mr . John Bull , has any regard for his pockets , he will do wisely to be on the "look out for squalls . "

      An article entitled " The Charter , and something more i " Trill speak for itself—we may add , that it speaks plainiv . AreviewofLediu Rollin ' spamphlet , "The 13 th of June , " is followed by "Letters from France and Germany , " decidedly the most important of the contents of this number of the Democratic 2 Jeytew . The disclosures concerning the designs of the European despots , and the proofs given of the progress of the revolu tionary spirit in France and Germany , stamp these letters as inexpressibly valuable . The letter from France has but one fault—its comparative brevity . Our extracts must be very taef : —

      THE DUTT OS PAPER Is a war tas . It was first imposed in ihe tenth year of the reign of Queen Anne , when , according to the act of parliament , it was found " necessary to raise large snms of money to carry on the war . " The same act imposed a duty upen soap , silks , calicoes , linens , and stuffs , printed , painted , or stained in Great Britain ; also on stamped vellum , and parchment , and on certain printed papers , pamphlets , and advertisements , &c ., < fcc . Truly Englishmen have paid dearly for tbe victories of JEarlborough , and the preserration of " the balance of power . " HEB 0 D 0 TC 3 .

      The moral doctrines that influenced Herodotus are to be fonnd in hk writings . _ They are of a high and benevolent character , and widely different from the crude , mean , and selfish p hilosophy of ihe present age . One of bis maxims was , "that power and riches are not sufficient to constitute happiness , for ihe man in possession of a moderate fortune is -often more happy than the monarch on his throne . " More than twenty centuries have passed since Herodotus flourished , and yet the science of morals -and government has made little or no progress . Modern times may boast of its discoveries in physics , tut they have hitherto , in place of producing gene ra ! happiness , tended only to demoralise the human race . Many of these disMveries have yielded riehra to tbe few , and have become gigantic monopolies

      ty bad legislation ihe people are beggared , and gaunt misery is spread over the land ; and so long as the accursed thirst for the accumulation of superfluous wealth shall be stimulated by the institutions ofacountry , theindnstriousand toiling millions will always be doomed to the most wretched suffering . The blind impulses and the animal propensities Triiich guide the political economists of our day , regarding human industry , exhibit strongly the heartless and ignoble character of their philosophy . * * The wisest and best of men have , in all ¦ ages , denounced the enpidity of the selfish rich , and -we may fairly rank Herodotus among those who -condemned and exposed the insane iblly of doctrinea which teach that the greatness of a nation depends upon its wealth being concentrated in the bands of a few .

      CAIttlSE . To destroy the corruption which prevailed , and restore to the Eoman peoples tetter order of things , ¦ were in all probability the aims of Catiline . But Jweausehe attempted the overthrow of a licentious government , maintained by a proud aristocracy , in combination with the infamous usurers who plundered the citizens of the Roman empire , he has been denounced and handed down in the page of historv SB a detestable -wllabv FS ° ^

      THE LASDWBDS , A 5 D MOXET-LOBDS . So little lore have we for the existing aristocracy , sp little do we sympathise with the " Protectionists , that we should be disposed to exult rather than to mourn were they in their despair to go , like Judas , and hang themselTea . But we have equal hatred and more dread of a monied aristocracy . The fendal-lords are doomed—they are worn out , their race is run , and the handwriting on the wall predicts their speedy extinction . ButTthe money-lords are full of life and eHergy , and resolutely resolved io establish their ascendancy on the ruins of the rule of their once masters , out now perishing-rivals . Should they succeed , woe to the people : The fcn . dal-lord . 3 have scourged the proletarians with whips , but the money-lords ( if they succeed in their designs ) will scourge them with Scorpions .

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      SWAFPHAM , NORFOLK . On Monday , pursuant to a requisition to the high sheriff of Norfolk , signed by 3 , 000 persons , a very large meeting of tho agriculturists of the western division of this county was-held in the Shire-hall at Swaffham . The High Sheriff ( Col . Mason ) took the chair . Lord Oxford moved the following resolution : — " That the condition of the agricultural , commercial , shipping , and industrial classes in all parts of the . British dominions , is one of great anxiety and depression ; that this depression is dailv inem 9 ing , and is calculated to arouse the ' most serious apprehensions for the future . "—Mr . Douglas Lynes seconded the resolution , but found it

      impossible to obtain a hearing for a long time , there appearing to be a determination on the part of the Free Traders in the hall not to listen . He sajcj it was the first time that he had appeared in public , and he thanked them for the kind reception they had given him . He would stand there until they did hear him . ( Great confusion ?)—The Chairman seeing that it was impossible to proceed in . the nail , adjourned the meeting to tho front of the building . —Mr . Lynes then resumed . He contended that the labourer could not live without protection ; nor could the tenant-farmer do so . He hoped protection would be the first question that would be brought before parliament , so that they might test their representatives , aud weed the wolves from tho sheep . " ( Cheers . ) The resolution - was carried . —W . B . Smith , Esq ., moved the second resolution . Ho considered this was a poor man's question , for in

      these things the weakest always went to the wall first . ( Cheers . ) After them it became a tenantfarmer's question ; and lastly , the landlord ' s . He moved— " That this depression is owing principally to recent legislative enactments , and that nothing but a return to a-protective policy can restore and ensure permanent prosperity to agriculture , trade , and commerce . "—Mr . Spencer , of Hitcham , seconded the resolution . Tne resolution was carried . —The Hon . H . W . Wilson moved the third resolution as follows : — " That an address in accordance with , tho above resolutions be presented to hei ' Majesty , praying a return to a protective policy . "The Rev . J . F . Francklin seconded the resolution , which was carried . Petitions were then adopted to both Houses of Parliament , and it having been agreed that Lord Sondes should present the petition to the Lords , and Mr . Bsggc the petition to the Commons , the meeting separated .

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      TRIUMPH OF FREE TRADE IX THE COUNTY OF BRECON . A county meeting , held at Brecon , on Saturday last , resulted ia a decision which protectionists would hardly have anticipated in the centre of an agricultural county . The meeting had been convened by ^ Colonel Pearce , the high sheriff , in pursuance of two requisitions—one from a small party of " fixed duty men , and the other headed by Lord Hereford , and signed by about 1 , 500 persons , in favour of thoroughgoing " protection . " The large Shire-hall was filled bv twelve o ' clock , when Mr . P . \ yilliams , an extensive landownor , moved a protectionist resolution , seconded by Mr . R . Williams , a wealthy yeoman . —Mr .-J . Lloyd , of Dinas ,

      moved the following amendment : — " That this meeting looks forward to a removal of the agricultural distress , not from a return ' to protection , but from the extension of commerce , a careful revision and adjustment of local and general taxation , and strict economy in the expenditure of the state . " The resolution was seconded by Mr . Parry De Winton , banker and landowner , and was carried by a show of hands , the high sheriff , though himself a strenuous protectionist , declaring that the majority was decidedly in favour of free trade . A petition in favour of economy and retrenchment , and any other means of relief " consistent -with the retention of the existing restrictions relating to foreign imports , and strict . justice to all the other interests of this great and powerful nation , " was moved by Mr . John Jones , chairman of quarter sessions , and seconded by the Rev . Hugh Bold , a county magistrate . The protectionists felt ifc of no avail to offer any further

      opposition ; but some of their number objected to its being signed by the sheriff on behalf of the meeting ; that officer , however , stated that he considered it his duty to register the decision of the majority , and affixed his name to the document amid loud cheering . —Mr . J . Bayley , M . P . foi 1 the county , though he had spoken in support of the original resolution , professed his readiness to present the petition in obedience to the wish of the meeting . Thanks were then voted by ' acclamation to the high sheriff , and tho meeting separated with three groana for protection .. The result is peculiarly gratifying , inasmuch as it has not been produced by violence and intimidation , but was the consequence of nearly four hoars' close and able debate in the utmost good humour , cheering being answered only by counter-cheering , and banter from the one side only calling forth jocular repartees from the other . ; ' ¦ ' ¦ ' ¦¦ _ ¦¦ ¦' ¦ .

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 2, 1850, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1559/page/3/