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    fenceless j if they will cling to the system which has made them fat and prosperous—very Kings of Gold —at the expeaee of their plundered brethren ; if they wffl despise all -warning , and obstinately turn adeaf ear , io every appeal made to them to saTe society from moral and actual shipwreck ; then welcome , Bay we , any means , —eTen the horrors of anarchy itself , —to ronse onr guilty rulers from fireir dreamy state ! England must not perish J * We are a nation two thousand years of age . We are old enough , and ahonld be able enongh , to work ont oar own salvation ; and if Rkfobmxhos can only come " riding the whirlwind" of triumphant anarchy ^ it bo 1 i It will be the work of the property-holders , and not of the povertystricken . England must be saved ! !

    God knows -we abhor the crime which iB now ravaging the farm-yards of the South ; and we carnesilv hope that the red-right-hand of revenge may be stayed by prompt and efficient justice . Not the justice of the judge and the hangman ; but that of the philanthropist and the enlightened legislator . There is , as oar paper ( to go no further ) weekly testifies , ample employment for both . We are told that " at some of the fires the labourers manifest not the slightest desire io aid in extinguishi ng them , out on the contrary display the greatest apathy and reckless indifference . " Is this io be wondered at ! The " condition" of onr once

    " bold peasantry" is notoriously infamous to those who profit by their toil . Bordering on all the horrors of the savage state , is there any wonder £ h&t men should stand sternly by and refuse a helping hand io the class who hare said ' -nay " when the many hare asked but for simple justice We preeeive that the " Liberal" papers are tarning to their own factious account these unhappy " signs of the times , " The Nonconformist says that incendiarism is "a crime unheard of in our cities and manufacturing towns . " We dont know whether there is any incendiarism in our cities and towns ; but we do know that ketkb . webb pib . es so

    tbb-V ? E ! fT AS THET HATK BEE 5 OTHIE T&ABS EJ LoHDOH , LrTBBTDOL , ASi > OTHERS 0 * OVS . CITIES AMD MAMDtjlctusisg TOvrsB i iires , ihe cause of which , in sine cases out of ten , are undisooTerable , but suspecied ioheihe work of incendiaries . 1 The press , for obvious reasons , has been silent upon this ; but there is the fact unanswered , unanswerable . The Noncon formi st should remember that even were it true that there are fewer fires in cities and towns , it would

    not prove that there is less crime . More eyes are watching the wonld-ba criminal in the crowded town ; and hence , it may be , the comparative absence of incendiarism . But that there is Jess erime we emphatically deny ; and in proof ef onr assertion we refer to the Criminal Tables for the last year ? 3 compiled Dy Mr . Redgbatjb , at the Home Office , which our readers will find fully set forth in the "PoorMan ' s Companion"for 1844 .

    We have ascribed to the wide spread and unparaL leled destitution existing amongst the . labouring classes of the agricultural distriets , ihe prevalence and increase of the crime of incendiarism . Our readers will be glad io learn that Lord Asxxet has come forward in defence of the peasantry ; and happy are we that bo sincere a philanthropist is buckling on his armour to do battle in the cause ofihe oppressed . At the Stnrmiasier agricultural dinner , alluding to the state of the Dorsetshire peasantry ho said : —** But , gentlemen , are we prepared io look these charges in the face , discuss their justice , repel

    what is false , but correct what cannot be gainsayed j Bo we admit the assertion that the wages of labour in these parts are scandalously low , painfully idadeqaate to the maintenance of the husbandman and his family , and in no proportion to the profit of the soQl If we are able to deny this statement , we shall alse be able to disprove it—let ns do so without delay ; bnt , if the reverse , not an hoar is to be lost in rolling away the reproach . I do sot pretend to give advice as i © the precise mode of doing these things . I am not sufficiently practical , or conversant with the hiring and payment of labour ; but this 1 Jmoic , that if a larger self-denial , an abatement of

    luxuries , a curtailing of even what are called com forts , he necessary to this ena \ lei us begin at once vtih the higher and wealthier classes . It must be jx > kb . There is neither honour , nor Bafety , nor joy ( setting aside all higher considerations ) , to dwell in a house , however fair the outside , which rests on such rotten and crumbling foundations . Do we deny that the dwellings of the poor are oftentimes roinons , filthy , contracted , ill-drained , Hi-ventilated , and so situated as to be productive of many forms of disease and immorality ! If we io , let us take the same coarse , and refute our accusers ; but , if not , let -as hasten to wipe oat the stain . "

    This is manly ! this is language worthy of a patriot and a philanthropist ! His Lordship points to the proper , or one of the proper remedies , a more EQUAL DISTRIBUTION op thb wkjoth tbo-: bec £ d by the itobejs * xah . He knows that there is enough produced for the sustenance and enjoyment of all ; but that the labourer , so far from being * Jirst partaker of the fruitB , " too often * partakes" not at all ! or bnt of & alterable portion of that which is his right . Tot the remedy he points to a more equal distbibdtcox , by givfitg to the labourer a £ ux share of that which be produces ;

    something like an honest remuneration for his loIL And his Lordship says this jtost be!—eten if it be at the cost to the property holders of a Iabgeb « pt : p DXSIAI , 13 JLBAXEXETT OF LUXliHIBS , A CUB-^ AlLEfO OT ETE ! TTHAT ABI CA 1 XUD COHFOBIS . " B Let Tit oeein / ' Bays his Lordship , at once icith ihe highet and wealthier classes It must bj dokb /" Braro , Lord Ashxbt J There is jhope for England yet ! There is hope that the torch of the incendiary may noi be longer needed to lighten up the dullard eyes of our sluggard rulers . A few men like Lord Asbxxi , and England may yet be saved from the horrors which already gleam frightfully upon us .

    The base Whigs and merciless Mfllocrats , who hate Lord Asbxst with all that genuine hatred with which conscious viee ever regards acknowledged virtue , have , ever since his LordBhip's exposures of the iniquities universally prevailing in the mining and manufacturing districts , been engaged in sneering at has Lordship for not turning his attention to the state of the agricultural working classes with whom be was more intimately connected . * Why did he not do&Fl "why did he give Ms first attention to the manufacturing and mining population" ! are the questions constantly put . We -srifl tell these

    Whig hirelings . The Commission that was appointed to enquire into the state of our agricultural , minisg , and manufacturing population , was appointed at ihe instance and throngh the exertions of Lord Ashut . As that Commission reported . ' Lord Ashlet took up the reports , and , so far as he fcad the power laboured to accomplish ameliorations in the condition of the classes reported npon . The Commission reported tissi on ike tteo lallet of the three classes .-hence his Lordship first introdaeed mesEHres

    on their behalf . The agricultural class has now been reported npoH , and we find Lord Ashlst consistently taking up their case . What more would the Mfllocrats have ! Be is not doing as thbt kd , trying to deny the statements of the Commission , OB MEVXH * OB ETADS Ttnt BXFOMCS XEQTOXKD 1 On ihe contrary , ho sayB , " A CHANGE MT 3 ST BE MADE" 1 ^ Even " if that change takes from the rich lOMie portion of their luxvries and even of their omforis , —it must be had !"

    The Manchester Guardian wishes to know * why Lord Asslsj has not taken up the cause of the agricultural population long since" ! why he has xtot sesn or acted upon a Parliamentary Return published HXteenfyears ago , showing the then distressed state of the agricultural working classes ; and the wages received by Dorsetshire labourers" ! The Guardian should know that sixteen years ago Lord Askeet was not a public man ; that when- he began his Parliamentary career , he applied himself to subjects that were then before the public Besides , the Guordian should remember its own doctrine of « one thing at a time" in reference to Corn Law Bepe *! . I / ord Asszct has only acted upon that

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    principle in taking up the case of the Collier-Women for instance , and legislating thereon in the first place . There is this difference ( imde pendent of many other ^ . differences ) between Lord Ashlbt and the Guardian and its patrons ; the former has , to a great extent , succeeded in his labours ; while the latter , with their " one thing at a time / ' have yet to win snccess if they can ( 1 ) . Lord Abhxby has already won golden opinions from all honest men . Let him persevere in his present course , despite the sneers of the Millocrats and their hirelings , and he will have the blessings of present and ihe gratefhl adadmiration of all future generatiens .

    It is cheering , and hopeful too , amidst the many signs of disruption and breaking up , which the face of society presents , to find that the cause of the labourer , —the knife-and-fork-question , —is forcing itself npon attention in quarters that have been hitherto resolutely closed to all appeals from Buffering humanity . We have already instanced the benevolent and pure-minded exertions of Lord Ashlkt to procure something like justice for the working man ; efforts very unusual amongst tbe aristocratic class of which he is a member ; and we

    shall now instance an effort of the most powerful portion of ihe pb . opbb . tt holbkes' press io force ihe condition of ihe labourer upon the attention of the pkopkktt holdkbs themselves . This is , of itself , a most hopeful " sign . " When we find the indifference , cdwdity and heaktlbssnsss of the phopkrtt hen so soundly rated by their own organ , as in the following extract , we may rest assured that the " alarming" and " awful" ** signs" are having their " effect" in tbe proper quarter . In this there are grounds for hope .

    The occasion of our contemporary ' s lecture to the Pbopkrxt-Meh was the following . , The Smithfield Cattle Club lately had , as is their annual custom after the exhibition of their " priza oxen /' a dinner—an aristocratic feed . At this dinner there was , says the Titjies , " what ib called a highly respectable company , consisting of some Peers , Members of Parliament , and a large assortment of 'farmers' friends . ' Compliments , congratulations and good humour were the order of the evening . The Dnieflf Hickmond complimented Lord Spsncbb , Lord Spekcsb complimented the oxen ; and the Duke , In returning thanks , praised the agricultural labourers of England . Everybody drank everybody ' s health , and the evening was spent in all tbe amenities of convivial hilarity . "

    At this convivial festivity a noble Bpeaker seized the opportunity of declaring that " the agricultural labourers were the main Btay of the country , " and from his own experience testified io not only their " bravery and devotedness io their officers in war , but to their fidelity to their employers in peace" ; vbich last , permit as to add , is rather queerly exhibited just now in Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire , and some other counties , as accounts of Stack and Barn burning weekly inserted in our columns abundantly testify !

    On this the Times sayB : — " Yes ! the agrieultura ] labourer » the mainstay of the country / ' and then adds : — " But softly , Peers and Gentlemen . Fine words bntter no parsnips . It is well for you , dilated with the choicest viands of a Smithfield Cattle Club , to think of the tin-dining or half-dining rustic ; to tell him that he is the mainstay of the country ; that he most improve his mind bj learning chemistry , and study ihe effects of guano and subsoil-ploughing . But , gentlemen agriculturists , just call to your

    recollection what sort of a being your smook-frocked co-labourer is . He is a creature of like Appetite with yourselveB , but far less means of gratifying it—seldom t » sting the fat kine which it is his privilege to tend—and often rearing a Urge brood of bucolic children on 83 . or 9 a , a week , ol which he pays Is . 6 d . for the rent of a scarcely habitable hovel . He is liable like yourselves to sickness and accidents ; but when these overtake him , unlike yon , ko is subject to the evils of want , debt , and distress .

    " Doubtless , be is deeply indebted to you for your eulogium . He has a pride of hiB own , poor though he bt ; and he likes to be called the * mainstay of the country / for be is persuaded that it must signify something very grand . He is not insensible to the jittery of EfuireB and lords ; and he is half delighted , half-puzzled , when he learns through a provincial newspaper that his health has been drunk by implication . Bnt , for all this , we believe that his sense of obligation would be increased—that he would be more grateful—did yon extend yonr kindness beyond the delieate bounds of compliments and toasts—did you individually take that interest in his physical weal which you collectively exhibit in maintaining bis generic

    dignity , and in improving his intellectual state . Let him be comfortably housed , and competently paid . Look to his hnt and his wages . Render the one habitable , and tbe other adequate . Make him contented ; and do all you can to induce others to follow your example . Let him feel that his happiness is not uncared for by his superiors . Do not let him be half-starved ; and then tell him he is the pride of his country , for this sounds too much like mockery ; but feed himnot indeed as you feed your prize-cattle , for that would be unwholesome—but feed him well , and then praise him , if you like . A man who is the mainstay of anything at all , should have calves that do not shrink from inspection , and sinews somewhat stouter than a weaver ' s . "

    Amen 1 most devontly Bay we . YeB , Lords and Gentlemen of England , ye will do well to take the advice of the Times , and tread in the footsteps of Lohd Ashlkt . If you do so , well will it be f or yourselves ! If yon do not , on your heads he the awful responsibility of coming tcenes which the pre ~ sent * iign * of the times" lighted nr-BT the ince « - diabt ' s tokch , bbndkb . but too visible in the DiSTASCE ! Yon will say , perhaps , that you remember the fires of 1830-31 , and that you crushed Swing by a " Special Commission f and that , if need be , what you have tried before , you will try again ; that rnle yon -will by soldiers and rural police . If you think thus , Lords and Gentlemen , you deceive yourselves ! You have a very different

    state of things now to meet to what you had in 1830 31 ; and even then yon did not succeed in crushing Swiss until you had raised the wages of the labourers 2 Theib -wages were baishd ! 1 More than a million of money passed through their hands , iu consequence of tbe additions made to their incomes . Bat those "additions" have disappeared ! and much , too , of the original sum ! I The New Poor Law Act was not passed for nothing ! The wages of labour have been got at ! 0 , Lords and Gentlemen , be not deceived i Tbe times are much different from what they were in 1830-31 . Misery has advanced with giant strides since then—a misery wide spread , which makes not a few , but myriads Of men , sympathise and act together . JForget sot tbe u Manchester Insurrection . " Bear ia mind that if

    yon have not a Refoim-Bill-agitation to meets you have something worse—a rebellion smouldering in Wales , and Ireland engaged ia a straggle , the issue of wbicb has yet to be seen ! Besides , more than three millions of British Chartists , determined , so « ner or later , whenever opportunity offers , to wrest from you the rights you have denied to their mockedat-petitions . Remember , too , that every additional soldier is an additional embarrassment to the Government ; and every additional policeauui an additional drain npon the pockets of the farmers

    and iBbopkeeperB ; hence more taxes and lower wages . Thus is the evil aggravated instead of cured ; and every additional ; pound spent in support of the system drives another nail iato its fastpreparing cofiin . Again we say to the propertyholders , mistake not the signs of the times . The incendiary ' s torch has ever been ihe precursor of the storm of anarchy , lighting the way for the demons of civil discord and revolutionary strife . We are not for these ! We are for peaceful and progressive reforms . We therefore say , treat the labourer as he has a right to be treated , if he be , as he is , the main stay of the country" ! Beware how you snap the last

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    thread that binds him to you 1 Invest him with the franchise of a ciuisn ; and thus give him a stake in the institutions of the country . Treat him as a man , having the same wants , feelings , and passions as yourselves ; and he will see his interest , — not in blazing farm yards and in destroying the food sent fob all , —bnt in the conservation of his neighbours' property , as the best guarantee for the protection of his own . If ye do this , Lords and Gentlemen , ye do well 1 If not ; if to these warnings you turn an eye that will'be blinded—an ear that will be deaf—and a heart that will not feel , then , depend upon it the day of retribution will come , and come quickly .

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    and sickening slaughter ; and what has resulted ! The triumph of a set of military scoundrels , usurious speculators , and mean-souled tricksters , who prate about Queen , " ^ Constitution , " and * Liberal Institutions , " till the heart of an honest man , heavea to vomiting at their unblushing Charlatanism . These fellows care not two straws for the poor thing called the " Q , ueen , " whose Iname they use in all their dirty intrigues , by way of covering their cowardly carcases from the popular vengeance due to their manifold acts of baseness and villany .

    STATE OF SPAIN . DISCOVERY OF AN INFERNAL MACHINE AT BARCELONA . A WARNING TO TYRANTS . Unhafpt Spain continues to be the theatre of intrigues of the most villanoas and detestable character . Our paper of last week contained a full account of the unparalleled plot which resulted in the fall of Olozaga and the installation of the GoifZALES Bravo Cabinet . Surely a country was never so degraded , so miserably fallen , as is modern Spain . Torrents ef blood have been shed in the name of liberty , which is apparently but little nearer realization than it was at the outset of the struggle . Father has been arrayed against son , and brother against brother , ia years of civil strife

    As to their "Constitution" and "Liberal Institutions , " God save even the savages of New Jlolland from the infliction of such calamities as these same "Constitution" and " Institutions" would bring npon them . If the Revolution crushed the power of the priesthood , it raised up the power of the moneyjugglers instead ; and since the deposition of Esp astRao , priestcraft is again in the asoend&nt : thus a trinity in unity of DevilB , —the usurer , the priest , and the soldier , —now rule Spain . The horrors of such a rnle may be imagined , but no pen oould do justice to the subject .

    As to Oloziga and his enemies , it is about six of one and half-a-dozen of the other . Espabtbhc ( , with all his f aults , was the best man Spanish Revo * lutions have turned up yet , and against him this same Olozaca most basely conspired ; no doubt paid well for hia work by that spotless specimen of Queenly purity Mabia Chbistina . As the reward of his treachery , our readers will remember he got him-« jif decorated with the *• Golden Fleece , " and the appointment of the ambassadorship to Paris ; from whence he returned , primed with instructions frem Louis Philippe and Mrs . Mdnoz .

    Lopez , the late Prime Minister , with the instinct common to all rats , finding himself in a house not likely to stand very long , threw up his connection with the firm of Louis Phili ppe , Mdnoz , Nabvakz , and Co ., and resolutely irefused to have any further connection with them ; upon which the Knight of the " Golden Fleece" was " oalled in . " In accordance with his previously base character , he entered into certain terms with the Moderados , having not the least intention of fulfilling the agreement ; and to do them ( the Moderados ) justice , they had as little idea of acting in good faith towards him ; Olozaga being jealous and fearful of Nautaez , and Nabvaez and Co . being determined to iuin him .

    Accordingly tbe two parties set to work , in what was " a labour of love "—mutual treachery . Olozaga got the decree from the Queen for the dissolution of the Cortes , which be calculated would place his friends the Moderados under his thumb . They aware of this , went a shorter way to work , had him ( Olczaga ) kicked out neck and crop , and then 14 enthroning a lie / ' ( as the Times says ) got him charged upon royal authority with something like high treason ; putting even his life in danger , or if he would save himself , rendering it imperative on him to prove Royalty a liar , and thus u desecrate the Monarchy , " and for ever ruin himself with his ** Illustrious Mistress" !

    Take the following pretty picture of this Charlatan drawn by the able hand of the correspondent of the Times . It is unique : — 11 Tba » stands tbe case , —Senor CCoziga , beseeching , threatening , pleading , weeping , pouring forth floods ot diplomatic eloquence in tbe Congress , ' ready to lay down his life- to bumble the Camarilla ; ready to give away worlds . of Prime Ministries that the Exaltados should think him an honest man , and forget that be betrayed the confiding Regent by the disclosure of pretended secxeti , forming a coalition , and declaring war against him for a plot to dethrone the Queen and assassinate its leaden . His famous defiance and war-cry in

    tbe Chamber last May , — 'Let the assassins come ?* wonld have bees wortb a palace to him yesterday , when be bad to insinuate that if Narvatz threw him into prison he should never be allowed to leave it alive ; bat the rules of eloquence forbid tautology especially where tbe repetition would recal the vtauvaiae odemr of an exploded humbug ; bo that now , when the orator ia really in some danger , he ia self-condemned , by his previous prodigality of voice , ' to roar like a sucking nightingale . "' After what ; we have said , not one of our readers will mistake this Olozaga for a " patriot . " The " devil-a-bJt" of patriotism is there to be found amongst the whole gang . We doubt if Diogenes

    with his lanthorn could find even one honest man in the entire Cortes . Unless it were some of the French assemblies , we doubt if a worse gang of usurers , hypocrites , and assassins were ever congregated together . Uobappy Spain ! to be ruled by snob miscreants as these . Witb an ignorant bad-hearted child upon the thron « , and cut-thtoatB and plunderers in the national councils , what wonder that all is desolation and despair thonghont the sunny clime of beauty , where nature has lavished every good that could make man happy ; but where demons , —in the shape of priests , brigands , and usurers , —have turned every blessing into a curse , and made an Acaldema where , bnt for them , all would have been a Paradise !

    As for the Monarchy it requires no " second sight" to see that its days are numbered . That portion of the *^ liberal institations" of Spain , lately so much vaunted , is doomed to a speedy extinction ; and God send the establishment of the people ' s sovereigns upon its ruins J Hear how the Times , —that ardent supporter of rotten amti ^ uitv , sounds tbe mouraful peal over the expiring throes of the Spanish Monarchy : — " The palaces of Spain have witnessed strange

    scene * of mystery and crime , bad plots of state-craft , and all the hideous combinations of decaying royalty , of monkish bigotry , and of Ministerial profligacy . Hereafter , when their rained walls , already stripped of their ancient magnificence , are laid bare to the devastating elements—not more devastating than tbe plundering audacity of such a Court , and the rising freDsy of such a people—they will be explored as spots equally memorable to mankind for tbe glory of their past history , and for the tremendous retribution which has since fallen npon them . "

    The Times adda : " We can only look forward to approaching events with the gloomiest forebodings . " Yes , reader , there will be serious tales to tell / speedily of Spanish affairs . Agents are said to have been despatched to ibe provinces to get up new pronunciamenlos against" the Military Cabinet and Camarilla . " The Sco del Comereio , the most inlaential journal in Spain , the paper which mainly excited tbe coalition against Espartero , declares it is more Progressista than ever , and has taken for

    itiaewmotto— "Ourselves or the Moderados . No compromise ! No more humbug J God repented that ho had made man , and we have lived to repent that we"tarigiaated the coalition ! '' The same paper says : — The country must prepare for great events . We implore the Of position to hasten to appease the public anxiety by the Parliamentary means they can dispose of . Revolution is roaring : tbe nation is alarmed , and every day discontent will increase in the great masses who have sacrificed their interest for freedom . "

    " No more humbug" sajs the organ of the Progress sistas . God grant it ! is onr response ; though we have feara that the days of intrigue . and treachery

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    are not ended eveu in Spain . But still there is ground for hope ! " Humbug" may be tried too long and too oft ! " Discontent" is , in the end produced and the masses , seeing the true nature and worth of thofacthns who seek to use them for the establishment of tyrannous rale and power , determine that the "sacrifices" they have made " for freedom" shall not be lost or thrown away 1 Then away goes the whole crew of "humbuggers " into nothingness . Then is established the "Sovereign rule of the people ; " andthen are the interests of the whole cared for and attended to , for their own sake , and not for the effect they will have in strengthening or weakening the hands of party or class .

    There is reason [ to conclude that this will be tbe course of things in Spain . Though intrigue and treachery have hitherto prevented the " masses " that have made " sacrifices" "for freedom / ' from enjoying the blessings and benefits of true liberty , yet they have not subdued the spirit of the Spanish people ; and , in the words of the Eco , ** the country muBt prepare for great events . " In a recentlnumber of the Star , fwegave anao . oount of fche ** preparations" made by the insurgent poople of Barcelona to defend their city from the assaults of the Legitimatist army . We then told of the " defences within defences" ; of " the

    "triplebarricaded Streets " : Of the "dean fcrfinnhnB and barricaded streets "; of the "deep trenches and open sewers" j and of the " houses filled with earth and stones , thus rendered cannon-proof , and incapable of affording shelter to the besieging army . We also referred with admiration to the heroic devotedBcss of the Barcelonese , who had maintained their stand against aggressive oppression , until their meanB were wholly exhausted , they being reduced to their last 300 dollars ; and having only some lOOlbs . of gunpowder left . But it now turns out 1 that the world was not

    fully aware of all the " preparations" that had been made . Something new in the way of defence and riddance has been devised by the insurgent people . In addition to the protection afforded to them , by the triple-barricades , the deep trenches , and the cannon-proof houses ; in addition to the use of the cannon , the rocket , the musket , and the sword , a plan had been arranged , by which , should it so happen that the ordinary defences all failed , and the city thus fall into the bands of the

    " Hired bravos who defend a throne , " the Barcelonese and the world would speedily have been ridded of their presence and power . After having made all due preparation to defend themselves from " storm , " and prevent their city from being " carried by assault , " the * Insurgent people had aleo prepared for the worst , in case their other measures were not sufficient , and the chance of war should be against them . This last preparation was the manufacture of

    A REAL INFERNAL MACHINE , whioh , bad the arrangements all been perfect , would have Bent the assailing army out of the city , and even oat of existence much sooner [ than they entered into either ! The following is A description of the u preparation '' for this purpose made . In it an attempt was made to bring the later discoveries of soienoe to bear ; and though we think the arrangement detailed below ineffective yet the idea of bo employing the powers of chemistry and galvanism , will not be lost to the

    world . We shall hereafter , if war continues to ravage the fair face of tbe earth , often hear of mines being sprang by the simple expedient of bringing the ends of two wires , miles long even , into contact with a number of little plates of dissimilar metals , immersed in a little diluted acid : and to this safe and successful mode of "defending" not only a town or oityi itself , bat even the approaches to such town or city , will the world be indebted to the brave Barcelonese who rose in " Rebellion" against " Legislative" authority , and turned the power of the sword against those who rulediby the sword .

    The following letter from an officer stationed at Barcelona , appeared in the Espectador , a Madrid paper , of December 6 th : — " Barcelona , Nov . 26 . " My dear Friend , —Providence has preserved tbe army ! A horrid plot has been discovered to blowup our troops , as Well as the Cathedral , If we should bare attempted to take the city by assault . We learned from one of Vbujamanda who bad entered our ranks lately , that they bad buried a number of barrels of powder outside the walla . In Vha tends and paths by Which the assaults wew expected , with wires inserted to discharge them by moans of electricity , according to the new infernal plan employed in France and England to blow up the hills which stand In the way of the railroads they are constructing . ;

    " The General , knowing that I understand something about these matters , sent me at night witb an esoort in search of the pawder j and after plenty of perspiration , cold and hot , from fear and hard work , we aucceded in taming up thirteen barrels of it , buried In as-many approaches , under heaps of stones ; each disposed so as to have blown up a battalion at a time . We were Id « ome danger , I assure yon , for tbe wires were still in tbe powder , and stretched away to the city walls , asjwe jadged from tbe direction of each ; buried as they were two or three inches under ground all the way into the town , to prevent them being stumbled on by passengers . This is certainly the invention of some of those cursed French Republicans whom they had in the city , fomenting the rebellion ; for such an idea would never have entered into the heads of the brutal jamaneieros ( i . 0 . tbe mob of tbe Plaza San Jaime ) .

    " In each barrel we found two copper wires , tied with thread at each aide of a thick cork , to keep them at a proper distance until they entered the powder , where tbe electric spark was to pass from one to tbe other , an * Inflame the powder lying between . The ends of the wire * were bent over the bottom of the cork , so aa to approach within about the fifth part of an Inch , and toe wires ended in a little ball of solder , without doubt to produce a stronger spark ; Bnt this was not all . Xeat the spark should

    pass harmlessly between two ceane grains of their cannon powder , these villains had introduced each cork with : its wires into a little wide-mouthed bottle full of fine priming powder , that could not have escaped ignition with the slightest opark . I am sure that they were French toilet bottles , for one of them still bore » label with tbe word ' erente . ' One of the wires , covered with pitch , led off to the city under the surface , as I said before , and the other , a short end , hong out of the barrel into the damp earth to complete tbe electric aironlL

    "When the thirteenth barrel was raised , I broke off the wire to make « U safe , and followed its course to the nearest wall , tearing it up , little by little , till I found it passed through a loophole into an adjoining garden , and at last into a cellar ( altogether about five hundred yards of copper wire ) . There we found the infernal electrical machine itself , bidden in a corner and covered with a heap of straw . The machine was nothing after all but a common black wine bottle , mounted in an old cigar box . A crooked stick In the bottle ' s mouth served for a handle to make it revolve in its position . On one side they bad nailed a dirty doeskin glove , with some amalgam of solder in the palm , and . i-0 ^ the other , an old enuff-cavmirter , which served for the prime conductor , and the bottle spun about between both .

    • i Never did I see such a ridiculous looking appara tus , or one contrived to Jo mischief 40 quietly f I assure you that it bad more the appearance of a child's toy than an electrical battery ; bnt , on turning tbe bottle by the aid of the little crooked stick , to try if it was in action , I received a spark on my knuckles aufficient to * fnflatne a barrel of powder a mile off , and blow a regiment to pieces . " This is without doubt the great secret with whioh those savages boasted that they would astonish the world ,: if we drove them to extremity .

    " That which most surprised me was to find this infernal machine in such good Working order , in spite of the dampness of tbe vault in whioh it lay ; but , oa overhauling the old cigar-box , I found in the bottom , instead « f cigars , damp lamps of something like salt , which I afterwards showed to an apothecary , and which he said waa » preparation used by chemists for drying tbe , air ia their apparatus , as it absorbs all tbe humidity of tbe place in which they enclose it This composition be says , is formed by dissolving lime in muriatic acid , and afterwards driving off the liquid by a red heat in a crucible .

    " From what the Samancio , to whom we owe this discovery , said , we conclude that the author of this infernal project is some democrat disciple of Fieschi and Co ., whe is now strolling amongat the pueblos of tbe Ampurdam , instructing the mountaineers in these and other means of ^ destruction for the troops ! But we confide ia the care of Providence that watches over the safety of our valiant atmy . The piety and patriotism of the writer of this letter is truly laughable . " Providence has preserved

    the army /' , ' Very kind of Providence ; but if Providence would " preserve" the people of Spain and every other nation from tbe curse of armies , such preservation would be infinitely better calculated to exoite our pious thanksgivings ! " A horrid plot has been discovered to blow up the troops , " O , dear ! bnt not a word about these same troopB blowing down one half of Barcelona , and blowing to destruction their own countrymen and kinsmen ! No , no ; that ' s perfectly right—that ' s all in support of the " right

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    diviue" of littli Isabella , and the ri ^ ht by . blood of Messrs . Nakvaez , Pbim , and Co . And mark , too : this "horrid plot'' was only to have been put into execution in the event of "the troops" attempting " to take the city by assault "; i . e ., to commit wholesale massacre , arson , rape , and plunder ' dooming an entire city to worse horrors than eves the fiends of perdition oould possibly conceive . That ' s the meaning of taking places by " assault "

    —the storming of Badajoz , for instance . We ask all honest men whether the parties threatened with such horrors were not jastified in preparing to defend themselves , no matter at what cost to their assailants 1 We think they were ; and our fervent prayer is , that wherever the people are so threatened , that they may know the means of destroying their oppressors , and have no qualms of conscience about using thenu

    It appears that it is the " enrsed French Republicans" who have the credit of preparing this "horrid plot . " 0 , those rascally French Jacobins , from the days of the " Sublime and Beautiful " Burke , down to those of the elegant writer of the above letter ! They have been constantly employed in throwing tyrants and their tools into sweats , both " hot and cold / ' ! by their untiring machinations against thrones and privileges . But , Heaven be praised , the " age of chivalry" is not yet " gone !" We can still find heroes such as the writer of the above letter , bravely going forth to encounter sweats , " hot and cold , " in discovering the " horrid plots" of the modern fiery dragons !

    Of course the { poor Barcelonese are bountifully abused by thiB licensed out-throat ; and called " brutal mob , " V villainB , " " savages / . ' &c . &c . This wo are not ; surprised at , the writer evidently sweats both u hot and cold" at the prospect before him : for although saved from being blowed-up at Barcelona , he has his misgivings that the . coucoctors of this horrid plot are strolling amongst the pueblos of the Ampurdam , " instructing the mountaineers in these and other meana of destruction for the

    troops . " u But /? he adds very piously , " we confide in the care of Providence , that watches over the safety of our valiant (?) army . " Alas for ' the human race , when legalized man-butchers have the blasphemous assurance to talk about Providence watching over their safety , and priests stand by and approve the horrid impiety ! Alas for the millions , when they tolerate such villany , instead of—as they ought to do—trampling in the dust the foul-mouthed miscreants who thus cozen and consume them !

    We have entered into the particulars of this " plot , " first , because it is a lesson for the people ; and , secondly , for their rulere . Tbe people of this country are fortunately so situated as to be able to obtain the reforms they seek by moral means ; and our rulers are bo enlightened and humane that there is no fear that the people of England will ever be driven t * the like extremities , Still the above is a esBon . It shows what means other nations , not so f ortunately situated as we are , are sometimes driven to in defence ofjtheir lires their honour and their liberties . And seeing what others have to do , the people of this country should thereby be stimulated ,

    not to the employment of like perilous means , but to the zealous carrying out of those peaceful measures in obfcainment of their rights which will most assuredly succeed if only honestly and efficiently tried . To the rulers of nations this "Fieschi scheme " is a lesson full of fearful meaning . No matter how clumsy , how inefficient , the apparatus above described : it is the idea of the thing that is calculated to do the mischief . What was concocted at Barcelona may be concocted elsewhere . What was not pat into execution there , may be really tried in some

    other part of Europe . It tells a tale ominous to the future stability of all power having for its basis the support only of troops and cannon . It tells that the mighty powers of science are now known to more than the privileged few ; that those powers are no longer secrets , dark and mysterious to the masses ; and that knowing of these heretofore sscrets , there is a great probability that the millions will not always suffer themselves to be mowed down like grass , bat will vet some day tnrn these dreadful powers against their oppressors .

    Some of oar readers may remember that about three years ago , the Times contained an account of an alleged discovery made by a Mr . Warner , applicable to naval and military conflicts . It was stated that a vessel of immense strength was blown iato ten thousand fragments in an instant , by the explosion of some preparation which was contained in a package not larger than a small wallet or portmanteau , and ] which could be carried under a man ' s arm or packed in the seat of a gig I Lord Ingestbte , Sir George Murray , Sir Francis Bdbdett , and several others witnessed these experiments ; and testified in tbo House of Commons to the truth of the above statement , and their unqualified opinion that the power was fully adequate to effect the terrific ends proposed by the inventor . Now , suppose

    anything of the sort employed by an Insurgent people , even the simple contrivance of the Barcelonese , which , with the proper agencies , would produce the most awful results ; of what uso would be infantry , cavalry , artillery , and all the munitions of murderous war directed against such a power!—a power which would sweep thousands to destruction at one blow I Let all those who trample on the rights of man think of that ] God speed the triumph of science . Its secrets once imparted ' to the masses , war will be made too costly for even the war-mongers . The bayonet-propped thrones of tyranny will totter and fall ; and man , redeemed by knowledge , will trample down tbe fiend that has so long misled and scourged him—that for centuries has deluged this earth with blood and tears .

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    THE BOILER-BLOWING-UP ALDERMAN ! It seems , at last , that we are to have some inquiry into one of I the allegations , connected with the strike of 1842 , attributing the coucoction . and planning of the " Insurrection" to the League . That inquiry ought to have been instituted long ago ; and if the Leaders of the League had not been afraid they would have insisted oa it , that the challenge given them to have such inquiry should be accepted . Instead , however , of insisting , they contented themselves with a [ very poor and paltry attempt to attribute the strike to the teachings of the Standard , and the Tory incendiaries ! A greater proof of conscious guilt could not have been furnished .

    One fact , or rather one alleged fact , —that relating to the conduot of an Alderman of Leeds , —the Boiler Blowing-up j affair , —is at last in a fair way of being bottomed , j Tbe readers of the Star will recollect that at the ] Soiree lately given in Leeds , in honour of the Chartist triumph at the Leeds Municipal Elections , Mr . Hobson related a circumstance that had oome to his knowledge , by whioh the conduot of a certain member of the Corporation was

    seriously oalled in question . An attempt was soon after made by a Mr . Alderman Bi . TRBON U } Jtabergast the publio in relation to the affair , by leading it to infer that the accusation was all hum ; and that Mr . Hobson had sneakingly evaded and shrank from his charge , His weak nerves were , however , djpomed to experience a rude shook . He was soon lei know that the . charge was not " shrunk" from ; and his pitiful attempt to mislead the public , was fully and fearlessly exposed . !

    And what was then left nndone has since been most satisfactorily accomplished : satfsfactorily , we hope , even for Alderman Bateson himself > What was merely a local squabble / ' confined to the coiumnB of the Northern Star and the Leeds Mercury , has now become an object of rational interest : and all the attempts to blink inquiry , of whatever nature , will now assuredly fail 1 We trust Alderman Batesoh | likes his position . We dare answer for it that Mr . Hobson does .

    The Standard of jMonday last , in an article , respecting the League ] and the incendiary fires , took occasion to instance the statement of Mr . Hobscn , as it appeared in the Northern Star , quoting it , however , from the Leeds . Mercury , and designating it as " manly , plain , and I distinct" He also represented that Mr . Hobson was " an Alderman ofihe town for Hdbeck Ward . " j The publication of Mr . Hobsok ' s statement in the Standard , called forjth the Afomin ^ Chronicle the next day , who tried to rescue his friends the Leaguing Whigs , and especially the L « eds Aider man , in the following fashion : —

    " The publisher of j the Northern Star is a member of the Municipal Council of Leeds , and some time ago he made a speech , containing a charge against an Alderman of Leeds , of which tbe following ^ tbe substance . He charged this Alderman ( whom he did not name , bat marked oat as having been on

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    tbe Watch Committee ) with having been oognj zmt of the great strike or tura-out of HJ 42 j a fortnight before it took place , and as hstvmg been in communication with an individual , 'in order to get-the turn-out workmen to 'draw the plugs' and * blow up the boilers / thronghout Leeds . Of the truth of this charge tho publisher of the Northern Sfar declared that ho had in his own possession full and ample pvoof- ^ written proof . The only alderman who had been on the Watch Committee in 1842 , naturally feeling that he must be the ' individual aimed at , promptly applied to his accuser , offering in any way to shelter him from all legal ; consequences , provided the slander w « e thoroughly probed , and the slanderer got at . But , no ; after the usual amount

    of shuffling and evasion , the courageous Chartist sneaked out of the matter by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction . The correspondence appeared in the Leeds Mercury yet the Standard , with a parade of accuracy , copies and repeats the slanderous accusation , without the slightest notice of the ample refutation and exposure which it had received . Nor is it altogether unworthy of notice that , in order to hide from its own readers the fact , that it was drawing from the muddy fountain of the Northern Star , it elevates the ipublisher of O'Connor ' s paper to the post of alderman , terms his accusation " manly , plain , and " distinct ; " and assures its readers that " no attempt has been made to contradict it by the parties interested /"

    It happened , fortunately , that Mr . Hobson Was in London at the time these publications took place . He therefore promptly replied to the Morning Chronicle as below : t—TO THE KDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONIC £ B . Sib , —A friend of mine , with whom I am staying for a few days in town , " has just put into my hands your journal of this day . From it I learn that a statement of mine , affecting one of the aldermen of Leeds , has been copied into the Standard of yesterday ; and that you have vouchsafed certain explanations of that statement , several of which are incorrect . I therefore trouble you with this , my explanation , that the real facts may be known .

    The simple truth of the whole affair is just tftia : — Some weeks ago , at a largo publio meeting in the town of Leeds , I took occasion to relate a circumstance that had oome under my observation , with reference to the steike of 1842 , which seriously implicated the conduct of an alderman of Leeds , the said alderman being a well-known Whip ; , » member of the Anti-Corn-Law League , and once a member of the Watch Committee of the Common Council of Leeds . That circumstance was , that in the month of February , 1843 , I received a certain letter from a Member of tbe House of Commons , enclosed in a note to myself , desiring me to . make the following inquiries : — 1 . Whether saca a person as the one represented to be tbe writer existed ; and

    2 . Whether , if there was such a person , he was prepared to maintain tbe truth of his statements ; and , further , whether he was worthy of credence . The reason assigned by the Member of Parliament for wishing these inquiries to be made waa , that he was fearful the letter was a hoax , intended to lead him into error . . That tho said letter purported to be written by a master machine-maker in Leeds , name and address being given .

    That tbe writer averred that some fortnight before the strike occurred an Alderman of Leeds , whose name was mentioned , sent for him ( the writer ) and informed him that a general strike would in a short time take place ; that when it reached Leeds , he would greatly serve the cause if he would turn the men employed in bis maobine-shop oat , with a hint to draw the plugs of the boilers ; that as the men were mechanics , they would be useful in teaching others how to draw the plugs ; and that they would also , if it were needful , know how to blow the boilers up . These statements were said to be made voluntarily , and from just and patriotic motives ; and the writer declared his readiness to make oath as to their truth at the bar of the House of Commons . That in accordance with the request to me I

    ascertained—1 . That there was a master machine maker of tho name and place set forth in the letter ; and 2 . That he bore a character for fair dealing , pro * bity , and honour . That I then sent for the gentleman himself , put the letter into his hand , and asked him if he was the writer ; and received for answer that he was . That I then inquired , if he was ready to maintain the truth of the allegation made in it , and was answered that he was , before any tribunal in tho kingdom .

    That I communicated the result of my inquiries to the member of Parliament who had ' desired me to make them ; and understood that he rose several times in the house with the said letter in his hands , ou the debate concerning the conduct of the magistrates in the month during the strika , intending to make use of the alleged facts , but was not forlunalt enough to catch the Speaker ' s eye . That letter is still in existence in the possession of the said member of Parliament , and is ready to be produced when called for . It trne that when the report of my speech appeared , a certain alderman of Leeds wrote to ask me whether the statement referred to him or not .

    That I returned him for answer that I held myself iu readiness to state the whole facts of the case , names and all , to any one who fancied himself implicated , provided I received a guarantee thai no legal advantage would be taken of me for so doing . That after two days' consideration the said alderman forwarded a sort of guarantee full of reservations and provisos . That I represented this fact io him ; and desired him to make the guarantee a plain and simple one , to the effect that no legal advantage would be taken , and he should immediately Ibe put in possession of the whole case . That instead of replying to my letter , and forwarding such simple guarantee , he printed the correspondence accompanied by a lengthy explanation of his own , in which he endeavoured to show that I had " shuffled and evaded" his question .

    That , ho sent the said correspondence and explanation to press without apprising me of his intention , or giving me any opportunity to explain also . That though the statement of which he complained appeared only in a journal conducted by myself , he did not send the correspondence and explanation to me for publication , but confined them to papers in which the statement had not appeared . That within twelve hours of the appearance of tha Alderman ' s statement in the Leeds Mercuty

    newspaper , the walls Of the town of Leeds feore ample testimony that I had not " sneaked out of the matter by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction ;** but that I had again , under my own hand , in a placard printed at my own press , restated the whole matter ; and again offered to give up the name ? of all parties concerned , to ihe Alderman who had sought the information , if he wonld furnish me with the simple guarantee required ; and also offered to afford that explanation without guarantee , if asked for in the Council Chamber of the LeedS Town Council .

    That I further invited him to pursne the inquiry , averring that all attempts to stifle it should fail : for if he declined to seek such explanation in the Connoil Chamber , other persons would take the matter up , and the explanation should be had . That on the 1 st day of January next , an adjourned meeting of the Council will be hold en , at whioh I shall hold myself in readiness to furnish all explanation to any one who may ask for it ; and that , if no one else introduces the subject , I shall , by moving for the appointment of a committee to " bottom" the whole affair . This simple statement of facts will show yon that you are wrong in the statements in your article of to-day , that I had "shuffled , " " evaded , " and

    " sneaked out of the matter , by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction f and that" the slanderous accusation had received ample refatation and exposure . " These statements can not be true ; for I have always been ready to afford all explanation ; have courted inquiry ; and am determined toforee it on . I also apprehend that so > " refutation" can be given until inquiry iB had . On one point you are right . I am not an alderman of Leeds . I am simply a Councillor , being chosen such byan overwhelming majority of toe suffrages of the largest ward of the borough . 1 am , Sir , your ' fl respectfully , _ . . . _ ' n JOSHOA HOBSOM , Walcot-square , Dec 19 .

    This letter the Chronicle inserted . It appeared the very next day to bis statement that Mr . Hobsos had sntakedont of the matter ** j and it was accom panied by the following note : — " We know nothing of the matter whatever , except roma perusal of the correspondence published in ihe Leeds Mercury , whioh certainly was anything , but favoarable to Mr . Hobson . The franfc and opea style of the foregoing letter induces ns to hope that ,, or the Bake of his own credit , he will follow the matter up , and give the public the means of ascertaining what truth may be in the S / ar . —Ed . Af . C . " To this it is scarcely necessary to add a single word . The statement in Mr . Hobson ' 3 letter to the

    Chronicle is bo full and complete ; and withal so plain , that nothing more remains to be done at present . The line of conduct in connection with the matter is also so well pointed out , that we have only to direct attention to the next meeting of the Leeds Town Council for further explanations , promising that the publio shall be made acquainted with what there transpires . We trust that AidesmanBateson will be the first to moot the question ? thebb , as he wab the first to " suppose ' that the charge referred to him .

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    ================== ^^ NORTHERN STAR \ 5

• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 23, 1843, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct682/page/5/