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Northern Star (1837-1852), 6th March 1841, Edition 4 of 5, Page 7, Untitled Article

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    • ^n 'smal Comspontientc
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      ^N 'Smal Comspontientc

      ^ n ' smal Comspontientc

      THE CAUSE OP O'CONNOR . 10 THB KDITOB 0 ? THS 50 fiTHB&K STAR . „ ^ Patriei is the noblest work ot God " Pope , with a alight attention . __ p or nine long months has the patriotic \ * l flr jjgga immnred ¦ within th » dreary dungeon ; * ^ je loas months be has suffered e very indignity and [* = tlat s mean fectieus party eonld devise to crash 1 *!* lL »

      wjjgjnf on coarse ; , » T-^^ raaerons » ad sincere friend an oppressed ^ Lnar- tat , S& » tiougb the seasons change , though ^* ° fl ^ offwrd , tf 1011 ** BinUfcum 8 occur in the poll-. * , hi the asters ! -world , yet O'Connor is found in \* a « ad soal tbe «* ~ ^ SMne ^ resolution and ^ ne—tras * ° ° " principles and bis promise !—¦ ° ^^ { ie cause of right , and painfully anxious for ^ bmt iaterr ^* ol &e people . Sir , I had the gT&ti-^ tjon of hearing Mr . O'Connor , -when on his trial at * j ~ far rtuu it called " Libel ; " I there saw him £ - » cd erect in the dignity of truth , contesting , inch winch , the disputed ground with the persecutors of

      £ * econtrjinen ; I beard him launch the thunders of vj , eloquence against the corrupt minions of the crown , —iiaiiit tlifiii characters -with such fidelity , that even jj ^ shrank from bis frowns abashed and confused ; I jj ,, bad the pain of seeing him in the prison of the A jsen - s Bench , where he was suffering , mentally and iod 2 y > from ill health ; I beard the opinions of bis jja&ol attendants , and I saw their certificates , staking jjjgi professional reputation , declaring that it yjcld most probably be fatal to their patient , if he ^ i rem oved to the cold and ch eerl ess castle or York ; j B » bim dragged away in spite of all these

      circum--Hsee * , » nd beard his last sentiment * before his f e-rtsre , showing defiance and scorn for his merciless oMgeswa , and lore and anxiety for his dear conntryj ^ a , I wed hardly say what pleasure I haTe since gaiTed at teaming from your truly rateable columns , jlist be has gr ar maintained the same composure and E jjijiea ot naod through the many and seTere trials . ^^ i he ba s been exposed . He has shown himself to Is wfliiDf to suffer as a martyr in a good cause , and k fce endowed with a character , as Christian , and as ^ vj ^ cp biol , as it i « truly patriotic But -why do I jjrg on thes thiags ? It is needless , for the " High

      jjjjaj of Chartism" has been tried by every test , and ha same forth pure from the ordeai . He is a tried jja : b £ i * cuderstood , and he is trusted ; for hia in . jg-iy is appreciated by the masses , -wiio have sever te * n tim to brisk M * word , or * o tears a pro-^ i ssfclflled . So , Sir , it is unnecessary to paint g * cxcetot qualities of O'Connor , when he is so ^ saDy acknowledged to possess them ; but yet it uarbs necessary to remind all of the fact , that one is jrr my from them , -who not only has the will , but i s ibe tateBt and power to serre them ; it may be aaasry to remind them , lest there should b » fmmd any so apathetic , or so lost to

      tii era welfare , as not to rouse all his eepa in tbe struggle we are about to make ix 4 * rotcnauoD of our truest friend once more to our je& , owe more to freedom , and the cause of justice Enippeal , which has appeared in your paper , and V 2 ± hu emaa&ted from meetings assembled on the ssljai , will not , I feel certain , be disregarded . The pec * ire grateful to those who lire but for their tis , sad an opp < 3 rtunit 7 has now presented itself tor gjea So display their most ferrent gratitude . They tsj sow declare the falsehood of the assertion Utat Shsjoe fickle , and show that they will not desert their friaft in need .

      Wit regard , Sir , to the mode we should pursue for iis tenable end of obtaining O'Connors lieerty , it sppsn to me that there are two features , which Bhould be tot in fisw , and which , perhaps , you will allow me to lay before you , saA your rtaders . First , we must concestraie our powers , and our nations , on vm & ?* ct at a time . This is the on ; y way to Cain any great end ; the human mind , if much diriied in its pursuits , may adYaxsce some way in each , bet seldom goes the whole length in any . And so it is fjh the people , as with an indiTidual ; if they propose toiTESny triumphs of a different nature , and requiring fiferent means at one time , they probably fail in alL I , Si , im u anxious as any one em be to see justice

      dsKto er ? rj suffers , and to behold the Blessings of trsasa bestowed on eTery political prisoner , and ercypoJMeal eonrict But , at the same time , I cansoi Cruise from myself the fact that we are not tola * the proper steps for the attainment of tea da ; 1 cannot but feel that we should first gain BsjMenee of each a man as O'Connor amongst us , » d ibsi , reinforced by his inestimable assistance , go tcwS for the restoration of those whom seas divide fm their country . I adopt this opinion , Sir , after EtsaadibeaUon , and I do so , first , because we can < fea the release of the York prisoner , in a shorter «? sa of time , than we can possibly hope to obtain its : of rrost , Jones , and Williams .

      ^ safiJT , because the latter object , a 3 we all know , ps « s msay more difficulties tfran the former , and Ttssiawsnt of the aid of such a friend , as O'Connor , tecraecEiEtbsn . And thirdly , because I know we Etsskct one of these subjects for our first attack , « i 2 a himg met with success , go on to another . I P" ? a , thsrefore , that out powers should be collected E- a * locus , ^^ wi thout deriating to theri ^ htor «* £ , should be at once directed in their oTerwhelm-E > £ iKe to the liberation of O'Connor . This advantage * « pus immediately , if -we set about it in real OSK , ssd co not weaken ouiseirea by haTing too * && £ * ia -rieir . When he is out , then let us do

      « ea thisg for other dear , though suffering friends . Js rtdfitt , Sir , that petitions / or O'Connor must ^ c eso the House of Commons fro m every quarter ; - ^ ^ "We st , and South , must rally in good * -= ^ if isytMng ia to be accomplished . And this ^ P a * to the seco-d point , which is the mode of * = 1 * P oar petitions . U , Sir , the cause we are enf ^ j * ^ » 0 Khy of onr exertions , it is also rff ^ ° ' K ) De trouble to prevent those exertions ^ ^ * = ? frustrated . TVe canaot blow hot and cold a « ame Utte ; let n » mate our choice . If we ^ . » £ d d esire to be heard , what in the name of ft a *?* fJhB 1 Ise ' framing petition that

      ~ - ° our so ^ Jl h ri Why mi it with vain and foolish tor t ; vf * PKTmt M 7 gOOd ari £ il : g from " dU ^^^^^ fte capacity and honesty fcd ^ w ^^ 5 Ve l 6 t them ^^ " efficiently , te&a . ^ VoM tno ' w h » bat h doe * ^ PP * " the 2 , ' j ,. 7 ^ ^ s , to choose the moment of petitionp& , ^ DmnX ° <* nae . The result is , that -we ** & * S 2 tronble > for the appeal *¦ hnnje " ^• ^ '^ HOd . Let us be prudent in our actions , and j ^ aour eadeaTours . b- ^* ' Sir > I venture to oSer in a true and ^ ¦ n spirit , h 3 TiEg o ^ y oqj common g 00 ( j at heart . Bij ; . - ; \ , — luig onjy our common good at heart . tllem any

      ^ = 4 eT " ^ ° Ta 3 ne > P 61 ' ? 5 Ton ^ ecu- ^ l -aee ^ " ^ orPn of Chartism . " lly ^' t oL *^ 0 In 3 r P 6 " " * 6 aes * Tord 8 - I need k Sr S ^ ** ' dCt 7 - Jt Iies pkinly niarked 73 «"» S . . biTe bllt to foUow il > aad * " ' ^ Rf ^ ^ ^ f' ^ sai remember that one who has faUa ^ » ar' - ^ P tlem > ^^ i 1 * devoted his " ^ fcd * " f < U > them > " * ho h tteir-WfeU-tried , ^^ ^ » Jd o ^ 7 adTocate > " D 01 ir secloded from their R ^* -hirt SaTiee by&dmi 5 «> nTralL Let them GijI , ehas ^ ed for them , and how he is ' WT' ^ i «* energies to their cause . Oae

      ^ * sr-s *^ j ^^ "iuigs , ana u mey Have one ^^ aET feeUl 1 * remaining affection ***« Jr ttey < Irffl e *» e » 1 y ro » a forward ta 64 a valued friend ; I reiaaiijj Your sincere admirer , and Constant reader , ^ ^ Pb'V— . AMI CCS . ^ i « bnary 2 rth 1 l 8 « .

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      ^ ( St ^^ WS ,- AKD MIDDLE ^ i-isa PEBSECUT 1 OS . ifeH « eud f Edillbnr 8 h ' ^ ruary 22 , 184 L £ ^^" w ^ ° » ^^ lettel ^ VL ' * PohBshSfa ? JeCt l to "" toMtioii of his 1 ^ l ft * - ^» hS 1 lC 1 iT p sper - I taTehad ano-^*^? T 0 T T ^ ^^ ae object , and Jot ^ - w ith , the ' ^ i ? 5 " 001 readers weigh their •^^ JSSJ&f ^ . ^ -v ^ tto th ; M » we two daases be a ' mutual " A . M .

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      Mt DI . AR M , —I -was ooliged to close my last letter bo abruptly , to be la time for post , that I left much unsaid in connexion with the Leeds affair which I was desirous of saying ; and -what I did say was written so hurriedly , that I fear you will either have misunderstood it , or at least hare drawn some erroneous conclusions , unless I explain myself further . Well , then , let me resume the subject , that we may the better understand each other . I should not be opposed to a tmion betwixt the middle and -working classes , if I saw asy likelihood of a real and hoxtst union . But I see so such prospect ; sot is there , I am persuaded , any such intention on the

      part of the originators of this scheme . True , their ostenriblt object is union , but their real object is dwunton . In pretending to unite with the working classes , they only seek to disunite the latter amoDg themselves . Indeed , they have , to a small extent , done so already . They have detached some of our leaders from the ranks-Others are evidently " on the move . " These last have not , oj yet , openly joined the humbugs , but they are smoothing the -way . I can see Ulll in theil every act and * i > eecb . since the Leeds demonstration- Trust me , M , you will see , before three months have elapsed , one half of the old Convention sitting chetk by jowl -with the humbugs , unless the people

      SPEAK OUT , AND THAT BIGHT EAENESTLY , AND AT 0 J . XE I Fear alone deters the traitors for the present . But jive them a little time , just sufficient to sound one another—to form a party—to provide themselves with a popular organ or two in the press—and to agree upon some legerdemain definition of Household Suffrage that may appear to be Universal—jnst give them time to do this much , and you -will see them desert in a body to the enemy ' s camp . " But -what barm in this , " you may say , " U those you call the enemy come over to TTniveral Suffrage T" Not the least , I admit , if , if , if ! but in the if " lies the rub , " as Shakspeare has it X ^ the enemy realiv meant

      to come over to Universal Suffrage , there would be no harm in uniting -with them ; but that is precisely what they do * t » t mean . If they did mean it , they would have joined the Chartists , instead of asking the Chartists to join them . If they did mean it , they -would not try to split the Chartists into two distinct bodies , by calling one portion of them " rational ^ "sensible , " &c , and the rest " physical-force-mea , " and by paying court to one particular set of Chartist leaders , while they incessantly calumniate better men in the persons of other leaders . In short , if they really did mean Universal Suffrage , or anything calculated to produce the results anticipated from Universal Suffrage , they would ,

      instead of setting up for themselves , have gone among the Chartists ( attended their public meetings , for instance ) , and then and tbere told them frankly -wliat they -wanted , and why and -wcerefore they had not sooner joined the Chartists ranks . They would have heard what the Chartists had to say , the Chartists would have beard what ihey had to say , and if an amicable understanding or agreement -was the result , then , but not till then , would be the time to propose a union -with the middle classes , or rather with that small portion of them who have not altogether renounced God and humanity for the mammon of unrighteousness ; for as to uniting with the middle classes

      yeTteraMy , I cannot view the proposal in any other light than as a gross and wanton intuit . How the devil are we to " unite" with men who shake a halUr in our faces the moment we talk of equality of rights , and whose only arguments are the bludgeon , the bayonet , the domiciliary visit at midnight , and the iron-doored dungeon ! Talk , indeed , of " uniting irith the middle classes against the Government ! " of " oniting , forsooth , -with the crtator against hii crtature ! -vrith the toel-maker against his own handiwork ! Why , if the people axe not absolute fools , they must know that it it is sol so much the protection of the middle classes against the Government that we want as the

      protection of the Government against the middle classes . What had the Government to do with the numerous cases of individual persecution alluded to in a former letter ! What has the Government ( meaning its present members ) bad to do -with the innumerable cases of hardship and ruin with which masters have visited working men since the commencement of the present movement ; and with which middle class magistrates , brewers , and house lords have visited publicans , coffee-house keepers , and various other descriptions of small tradespeople , wholly and solely on account of their Chartist principles ! I hardly know a Chartist licensed victualler { and I hare known many ) Who WSJ

      not persecuted during the i » te movement . The same of eating-house keepers , news-agents , pork-butchers ; | n short , every description of tradespeople , if they had shown themselves Chartists . Their credit was stopped —their shops were deserted by the middle classestheir landlords came down upon them for arrears , -where they could , and where they could not , gave them notice to quit , or refused to renew their leases . Nor was persecution confined to small trades-people . I know one Chartist landlord , who had three houses to let in one of the best streets of a fashionable town , but could net find a tenant . ' His business , a few years ago , was worth £ SOB a year to him ; last year and the

      year before it was not worth £ 150 ; and had he not " made hay -while the sun shone" ( alias , placed himself beyond the vicissitudes of trade by the purchase of some freehold property in better times ; , he would , ere now , most probably have figured in the Gazelle . As it ia , he has been obliged ( having a large family to provide for , ) to accept a local appointment under " the powers that be , " and of course to retire from Chartist politics . A more benevolent and better man never existed than the individual I allude to , and I have cited bis case enly to show you that even men of wealth cannot escape persecution if they are Chartists , and that the best of men are sometimes driven to fly into

      tLe arms of the enemy , as the only refuge from destruction- Was ever tyranny more horrible than this ? Yet I find it the sam « all over the country . I could name to you not less than forty honest tradesmen , and more than eighty honest and skilful workmen , of the best character , who have been literally half-starved since I came here , through the system of middle-class persecution I allude to . I know one poor fellow , a publican , who had s pent nearly £ 300 in fitting up Ms Louse , and making the addition of a large room to it , to accommodate Chartist meetings , &c This man was doing a flourishing bnsiness jnst before mj ^ tiial : he is now houseless ,

      a wanderer like Cain , and that after six months' imprisonment in a debtor ' s gaol 1 ! Poor Butterworth , who left this place at Christmas , has been starving ever since . He has had but £ 2 ( given him by the Manchester Chartist s ) to live upon for six weeks , so that , were it not for the bounty of his fellow workmen , his liberty would but have proved bis death . Not amiHowner , not a master would employ him ! He tried a hundred of them in and about Manchester , but the answer of the overseer invariably was , " Mr . So-and-so will not allow me to employ a Chartist . " Sometimes the fellows are prudent enough to conceal their real motives , and to pretend that they are full of hands . And to

      such extent is the perfidy of those modern despots carried , that they have actually igcrei marks by which , under the appearance of giving s man a good character in tteshape of a written recommendation , they render it impossible for him to get any employment at all ! I could tell you instances of this that would perfectly horrify you . A poor fellow applying for work with one of these reammendations , imagines all to be right , ( for it gives him credit for being " steady , " " Bober" " industrious , " and so forth , ) bui then there is the damning secret mark ., by -which the conspirators recognise a Chartist or black sheep !! * * * I know a poor fellow who belonged to an hotel or

      bathing establishment , as head waiter or chief attendant . He was many yean in the situation , and was a great favourite with his master , on account of hU excellent character and amiable disposition . But , then , M , he was a Chartist , and no sooner was it known he had attended some Chartist meetings , than his master was waited on by aeveral " gentlemen" in succession , who gave him to understand that unless he instantly diamiised the said favourite servant , they would ad the establishment ! But I might fill fifty sheets of paper with similar occurrences ; and , after all ,

      what signifies all that has fallen under my notice , in comparison with the sum total of suffering resulting from this dark and malignant system . Look to the case of my dear old venerable friend , William Flowers , of Brighton- This old man is upwards of seventy years of age—has been forty years a Badical—was connected with every movement in the country aince 1794 ; and throughout has feoroe the reputation of incorruptible honesty and unblemished manners . He was once in goed circumstances ; but in latter years has been indebted for a slender subsistence to a little miJliaery

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      estibliahment , superintended by Ms wife . He has been under one Jandlord far the lart twenty-eight years , and never was behind with his rent . No pportunity or excuse , you will say , for falling foul « a Buch an old man as this . Ye # , M , there is ! A base , bloodsucking landlord will never fail to find aa opportanity of wreaking vengeance on the tenant that shall dare to be a freeman I The course adopted by poor Flowers landlord , U to tet up another party in the tame burine * $ nemt door to him , which , poor Flowers tells me , will have the effect of breaking up his little establishment He has told me much more ; but you have beard enough . For the wise , lerbum tat ( a word is sufficient ) • • • Poor B , o ! S , was Ut » rdOy Moo dan

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      vithout food when I last saw him as I passed through Preston abont a fortnight before my trial He told me a horrid tale ! * * Ia fact , no good man who remained true to his principles , has escaped middle-class persecution . Youth , beauty , Innocance , or old age , has sometimes melted the heart of a Dey of Algiers , but nothing , human Qi divine , can touch the heart of a thoroughbred middle-class vampire ! Several of my old London Chartist friends have gone

      off to America—others are preparing to follow—eome are in gaol for debt—others have just gone through the GaMlte—in short , I could never tell you a tithe of a tithe of the eases of individuals suffering that have fallen within my own cognisance ; and , as I have just remarked , what signifies all that has come to my knowledge in comparison with the sum total all orer England . Scarcely a single one of my London , Brighton , or Manchester friends has escaped .

      Now , M , the Government has had nothing to do with this slaaghtering system of proscription . * It ia wholly and solely the work of landlords , cotton lords , iron masters , brewers , lawyers , et hoe gentu omn : Yet these are the parties with whom the Leeds impostors ask us to enter into alliance . ' Why , the vagabonds might as well ask us at once to unite with death and damnation ! Even in rejpect of the government prosecutions , is it not notorious that the Ministry were driven to institute them by the magisterial dogberries of the provinces , and these dogberries themselves only acted in accord ance with the private solicitations , and everlasting remonstrance of the local shopocrats throughout the country ? Is it not notorious that these parties had been calling out for " military protection , " and abusing

      the Government for non-intervention for several months before the prosecutions began ? Is it not equally notor ious that the middle classes of Bradford raised subscriptions in support of subsidized spies and informers , whom they bad sent amongst the Chartists ? Was it not at the urgent request ot the " respectables" that the Birmingham magistrates first came into collision with the Birmingham Chartists ? In short , does not every man with a grain of common sense know right well that all the tyranny and cruelty exercised against us during the last two years by the Government were urged upon , enjoined , dictated , and virtually , commanded to them , by the middle-classes ? Yet , the Leeds " Reformers" have the modesty to ask us to units with the middle classes against the Government ! I will resume to-morrow , and meantime , &c . James B . O'B&iex . _ rj . _ , _ . _ r | _ , - * .-- ^^^ fc- _ - - - ¦ - ru-j-. r ji

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      REVELATIONS FROM NORTHALLERTON HELL-HOLE . [ The following revelations from the hell-holeof Northallerton display some of the horrid and atrocious cruelties and indignities to which the Chartist victims are subjected by "Whig tyranny . They were written by Mar tin to his friend , who bas forwarded them to us for insertion- —Ed . ] Lancaster Castle , Feb . 12 th , 1841 . Mr Dear Friend , —The Editor of the Northern Star very truly observed that poor Clayton went to Northallerton madhouse a hale man , but leaves it a corpse . The following summary of his treatment , and of the treatment of the other Chartists , will enable you to judge of the cause of his death , and of what will be the result , if the other poor fellows be not immediately removed from their horrible dungeon .

      Thursday , the 26 tb ef March , was the day on which we were taken from York to Northallerton . The prison van having stopped at an inn on the road , some of the prisoners ordered driuk , pipes , and tobacco , which gave rise to a conversation on total abstinence . Clayton condemned the practice of drinking and smoking . He said that as he bad been without for some time , and had found the disuse of them had not impaired his health , which be then remarked was very good , be would never again have recourse to such bad habits . As be and Marshall , Pentfeorpe , Benison , and Paul Olds worth , had been sentenced to hard labour , the only opportunity 1 had of acquiring any knowledge of their treatment ( after my removal from the mill ; was when the visiting surgeon came into the mess-room , in which all the prisoners , felons and misdemeanants , were indiscriminately arranged ; but his visits to that quarter were few , as he generally called at the workshops .

      I once beard him ask Clayton how he was : Clayton complained of a pain in his back , and of the hard labour of the mill . He attempted to say something to induce the surgeon to alleviate his sufferings , by removing him from the torturing wheel , when William Shepherd , the governor ' s son , in his usual peremptory manner , ordered him to sit down . On the same day I beard John Marshall address the kind physician ; bnt the worthy doctor , who appeared to be angry , told him he would see him next day . However , this paragon of humanity changed his mind , and took the trouble to examine him , and after he ha < l done se , he told Marshall ( who is a weak , debilitated old man ) tbere was nothing the matter with him , I was at the heels of this eught-to-be-preserver of life and health . He ¦ was going into the office when I heard him say , " These Chartists are always complaining . "

      I will now proceed to inform you how the other Chartists , not sentenced to hard labour , were treated . Up&n our arrival at tbe prison , as soon as our chains were removed , I was put into & cell with one bed in it , with a strict injunction not to make any noise . There were some other prisoners in the adjoining cells , but I had ne idea wko they were . About twe hoars might have elapsed , when I was taken to the robing-iooni ; Holberry and Wells came in immediately afterwards . As soon as we were fitted out in our prison garb , we were placed with our backs against the wall , in the passage -where the cells , in ¦ which we had been placed , are situated . The governor ' s son stood on the stairs , and read a few of the prison rules , accompanied with violent threats of how we should be treated if we attempted to move our hands about , respecting -which there is not one word tO be found in the whole vocabulary of the silent system .

      At thu close of this harangue , we were taken to another part of the prison , and locked in cells similar to the first . It was thtn about throe o ' clock ; at five o'clock one of the officers threw a black loaf on tbe bed , and a prisoner placed a tin can of skilly on tbe floor . It was the worst meat I ever had in the -whole course of my life ; and surely no individual can be a better judge of coarse food than an Ir . shnian . The monster hunger compelled me to swallow tbe dose . No threats were necessary te induce me to obey , for my stomach , had been already subdued in York Castle .

      On the fellowing morning , the Governor came round to inform those who had not been sentenced to hard labour , that they must work upon the treadmiil . I raised an objection , and told him that the Judge said the law would not allow Hie to be put to hard labour . But he told me he kad the Magistrates ' orders to do so , and must obey . I thought I would try it before I offered any resistance . I did do so ,- but , so great were my sufferings , that I felt as 1 never felt before . God knows what my thoughts were , but mortal never shall !

      About five o ' clock upon the evening of the first day , which was one hour sooner than the usual time of leaving work , I refused to obey the signal for me to ascend tbe wheel , for which I was arraigned before the Governor ' s sob , who treated me with the greatest scurrility . But my fate was not decided uutil the following morning , when I was taken to the office . Tbe Governor was there ; he itked me if I would go to work . On my answering in the negative , he ordered his son to take me to solitary confinement . The countenance of tbe barbarous boy brightened , and he ordered me to follow him . The youthful monster called for an officer , and , with a suppressed laugh , commanded him to put me in a cold , dark dungeon , with double doors , where I was fed on bread and water—having first been deprived of my cravat and pocket handkerchief . This was on tbe morning of the 28 th of March .

      On the following day , which was Sunday , the Geveraor came to see ma He said he would release me f row this belly of hell , if I would promise to go to work on Monday . I consented , for I thought it would be better to die in the workshops , in the presence of some of my fellow prisoners , than in a horrible dungeon , where no persons bat my assassins oould tell how I came by my death . On the ensuing Wednesday , the visiting magistrates came round . I applied for my removal bom tbe mill , and told them what I had told tbe Governor , viz . ;—that tbe Judge , when passing sentence , said that the law would not allow me to be put to bard labour , and I did not forget to tell them I had been to " solitary . " William Bent , then chairman , informed me that the Governor had been ordered by the Magistrates to send me to solitary confinement ; and he likewise told me , that I should not bs removed from tbe mill , unless an order came from the Home Office to compel them to , do so .

      The first heart-rending scene I had to behold was William Brook , of Bradford , who had fallen from 'the mill , stretched , to all appearance , lifeless on the ff . oor .

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      But what do you think , my d . *« friend t the poor fellow , though not sentenced to nard vabonr , was compelled to wow on the murderlngmachine the following morning ! and poor Duffy could not hare lh ** d , had he been forced to perform bud labour two monthi % longer . His snfferintfs were great He was troubled with a violent expeetoraUon , and frequent vomiting ; I ask now , my friend , do such fellows c * re about th ^ lives of their fell « w creatures , who b * ti been treating poor men In the nunner I have described ? With wh » t conristeney can th » Magistrates of tTorUuJlerton add reproof to a penalty of forty shillings for the worryia ^ or killing of a cat , while they themselves permit mett to be tortured to death T Or , how shall the Whigs , ft * » fnture election , reprobate the bad Government » f th * Tories , when the people have been treated worse by them than by Sldraouth and Castlereacb ?

      William Brook , Duffy , Holberry , Well , William Booker , and myself , were put on tha tread mill , contrary to law . I was removed to Lancaster , in conaequenoe of the noted tyranny of the Governor ' s son . You must put all this in your petition . I could fill a dosen sheets with their cruelties ; but I hope this letter will suffice , until 1 am at liberty . 1 am , dear Sir . V Your ' s faithfully , WAU . IAH Martin .

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      PLEASANT NOTIONS OF JUSTICE AND LIBERTY . TO THB EDITOR OB TUB NORTHERN STAB . We give the following communication 88 we received it : — Sir , —I am a working man , and have had the misfortune te be out of werk for a long time , having had only eight weeks for the last twenty-three weeks past On Friday week , I got work at Pontypool . After working eight days , I went into a public-house with a ghopuiate , where we had four pints of ale between us , sod no more . A soldier comes into the hense , and begins to insult the whole company , and to threaten to blow holes in the coats of some of the company . At length I ventured to beg of him to hold his tongue , for a soldier was no more than a man , and I feared and thought he was something less than man to disturb the company without provocation of any kind . Very few honest hard-working men ever entered the army , but

      it wAs a kind of place to run to when all others failed . He said he had taken the Queen ' s money , and would not hear her name blasphemed . Now , no one hail blasphemed her name ; but I told him tbe Queen would have no money if I and others of my class would give her none , at which , word he runs off , and brings some men , and takes me off * before a Mr . Roberts , inspector of police , who looked very wise , and told me it was a serious charge . I called for my accuser to know what the charge was . . The man came forward , and accused me of speaking blasphemy against the Queen . He could not repeat any words , but he knew it was very bad . On this charge I was locked up for four hours in the guard-house . The great man , Mr . Roberts , told me he had power to discharge me ; but for the future I must mind What I Said . The Soldier was very drank , or perhaps the Charge might be a very serious one .

      Now , Mr . Editor , I was taken in custody , and kept for four hours , on the word of a drunken fellow , with a green coat , who could not even give the charge , except the vague charge of blasphemy ; could not even tell the words of blasphemy ; and then discharged by a paliceman , without any other authority . If I had any cash , who could I bring an action against ? Neither policeman nor soldiers are worth action ; so I must report it to the world by means of your paper , and let it rest George Egmhtoh . Pontypool , Feb . 23 d ., 1841 .

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      TO THE EDITOR OF THX NORTHERN STAR . Sir , —For reasons , with the repetition « f which I will not tronble you , but which are to me important , I request your explicit and decided answer to this plain question- Have all monies received by me from your agents , during the time I have been collector for the Slur , been paid ever by me , at all times , in my next settlement of accounts after having received them ? Yours , respectfully , Robert Wilkinson . Halifax , March 2 , 1811 . , [ Decidedly , Yea . —Ed . N . S . ]

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      TO THE HONOURABLE THE COMMONS OF GKEAT BK 1 TAIN AND IREL \ ND IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED , 27 ) 8 Petition ?/ Robert Peddie , late Manufacturer and General Agent , Edinburgh , present Prisoner in the House of Correction , Beverley ; Humbly Sueweth , —That in the month of August , 1840 , a petition was presented to your Honourable House from your petitioner , containing statements relative to his apprehension , trial , and conviction , upon a charge of sedition , conspiracy , and riot , at Bradford ; and complaining , but in very moderate terms , of the treatment to which he had been subsequently subjected in consequence of the severe sentence of three years ' imprisonment , passed upon him at the March Assizes , held at York , in 1840 .

      That the said petition was presented to your Honourable House , by Joseph Hume , Esq ., but not pressed to a division , in consequence of a pledge from the Honourable Fox Maule , Under Secretary of State , that he would institute an inquiry into the truth of its allegations . That the petitioner was grieved to learn that the Secretary of State for the Home Department , had returned tot answer to your petitioner ' s friends , relative to this petition , that certain allegations Were not borne out by facts ; but that those "which related to impaired health should be referred to the proper officers . In regard to tbe first of these allegations , which were relative to bis entrapment and condemnation through the agency and evidence of paid and acknowledged spies , he is prepared to prove them at the bar of your Honourable Huuse , should he be allowed the means ; and , in regaTd to tbe second , a dangerous illness of twentyeight days' duration , laid the officers of the establishment open to conviction .

      That it is further in the power of your petitioner to make clearly manifest to your Honourable House , that the principal concoctors and agents of tkat conspiracy , ( as detailed in bis former petition ) were persons employed by one Brings , a constable at Bradford , under the sanction of the magistrates , and who , in all their doings , bad this man's concurrence and approbation . In short , that this person was the life and soul of that wicked and disgraceful system of spy entrapment , which endangered the property and peace of the inhabitants of Bradford , and now crowds the prisons of Yorkshire with victims .

      That your petitioner , who wa 3 at Leeds on business , was invited to attend a meeting at Bradford , in favour of John Frost and others , then under sentence of death , which , out of a mot ive of humanity , he unhappily for himself , attended , ami which was the first connection be bad with the Radicals of Yoikshire . That previous to this period the magistrates , through their emissaries , had information of tbe farce of an insurrection at Bradford , and were prepared for it accordingly . That the petitioner was inveigled by one Smith , in conjunction with Harrison , or rather compelled by an armed force , assembled in his house , to attend a-meeting in

      the Market-place , where he was the means ( under Providence ) of saving much property and life from the destruction of a lawless multitude ; and , on that account , bad he no other claim , feels himself entitled to tbe clemency of your Honourable House . And he may here be allowed to state , as a proof of bis innocence , that the inhabitants of Bradford have held a meeting , if they have not already petitioned in his favour . So conscious , indeed , was the petitioner of bearing a conscience void of offence , that he went about his public business as usual , for some days previous to his . being apprehended .

      That your petitioner on bis apprehension was committed to York Castle , on the serious charge of high treason , -which was afterwards abandoued by the Attorney-General , as too ridiculous to be entertained ; but to the injury of the petitioner ' s case this charge was kept up against him until within a few hours of bis being placed at tbe bar , upon the minor charges ef sedition , conspiracy , aud riot . That by 8 Uch . conduet on the part of the Attorney-General , your petitioner was compelled to go to trial with his arrangements incomplete ; and thereby both he aud hia counsel were prevented from doing that justice to his case which they otherwise might have done . That , as a striking mark of h ow little he had to do with the Bradford affair , he was not only considered by the Chartist party , as a spy himself , employed by Government , but vilified in their public journals -while bis trial was pending , and even denied the benefit of their most approved counsel .

      T- hat upon the uncorroborated testimony of two accredited spies and two policemen , the latter of whom he can prove to have been deceived , in a very material point , and one Ashton , who was absent during part of the proceedings , your petitioner was convicted of sedition , conspiracy , and riot ; and although upon the charge of sedition no evidence-was offered , yet had he passed upon him the cruel , severe , and , in his case , most undeserved sentence of three yean' imprisonment , hard labour , and to find security ; a sentence of

      unprecedented hardship , the parallel of which was never passed upon a political offender in Britain , and which he humbly submits to your Honourable House , that no act of his , upen the most strict inquiry , will be found to warrant . That i'a pursuance of hia inhuman sentence on the 23 rd of March , 1840 , he was conveyed in the most ignomjjiious manner to Beverley , chained to three robbers , one Chartist , and ene woman , and there subjectfxl to the state , condition , and treatment of the mo st depraved , and worst of felons .

      That he was immediately subjected to the serene , r , sinful , and healtk-destroying labour of the tread-mill , which to him has proved positive tortnre ; and , as much ignorance exists in regard to the working of this accursed machine , your petitioner may be allowed to r tate , that the prisoner iB compelled to keep ascending the wheel until he bas accomplished an ascent of 1100 steps , wbicb generally occupies twenty minutes .

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      when he is permitted to rest for ten minutes , and is then put on again , and is thus continued tor about nine hours a day . By the time your petitioner has accomplished the third or four hundredth step ; his body is covered with the most profuse perspiration . Every article of dress he wears ( and even in winter he wears as little as decency will permit ) is Wet through , and Us shirt drenched as if taken un wrung from a washing-tub . That by the time he bas accomplished 800 steps , he is uniformly reread with giddiness in the head , dimness of vision , nausea , and not unfrequently vomiting . That by the time he has gained the ons thousand one hundrethatep , his state of body , from excessive suffering and fatigue , is past tlie power of language to Amcribe .

      That the consequence of his subjection to the painful operation of this cruel machine has been atready most disastrous to hii health , so much so , that for many weeks together he has been under the care of the surgeon ; and that he entertains the most serious but too well-founded apprehension for the safety of bio life , as the baneful effect * already produced upon his constitution , " 'by the operation © f the tread mill , are i » ch as to warrant the assertion , that if the sentence is pressed to Its full extent against him , death , from general exhaustion and loss of appetite , must inevitably follow . That such being the true state of the case , your petitioner would have considered death , by the hands ef the common executioner , decidedly preferable to the more tedious but not less painful one of the tread-mill , ia his present deplorable situation .

      That besides the amount of bodily suffering be has now endured for about twelve months , he is subjected to the mental agony and operation of the silent system , which U here rigidly enforced . That be ia denied the use of pen , ink , aad paper , except for a single monthly letter . That he is prerented from receiving visita from either friends or even the memben of his sorrowing aad afflicted family , none of whom are , by the rules of the prison , permitted to soe him during the three years of his imprisonment . That by the rules of this house , to which in common withfelou he is subjected , he is only permitted to receive and write one letter a month . The extreme hardship of this arrangement will appear , when your

      Honourable House ia informed that your petitioner is engaged to a considerable extent in trade . That owing to his unexpected and unaccountable apprehension , he was withdrawn from hia business at a moment ' s notice , leaving bis affairs rn a state of confusion . That he is , moreover , a married man , with a family . That his wife , on whose exertions they now depend , is a woman of extremely delicate health , which has been much aggravated by her anxiety for her husband . Thathi * mental suffering , on her account , is painfully great , more especially as the poor privilege of a monthly letter has been , by one restriction or another , as unmeaning as they are , in his circumstances so frittered away , as to render his correspondence with his family almost useless .

      That the magistrates of this place , acting , as the petitioner conceives , under a mistaken knowledge of their instructions from the Home-office , have kept from him hia Wife ' s letters , so that he haa only received one letter for a period of nearly seven months . The reason assigned for this cruel conduct is , that these letters contain accounts of what exertions have been made , publicly and privately , in the shape of getting up memorials to her Majesty in behalf of yonr petitioner , in order to prooure a mitigation of bis sentence . His present interest , according to their opinion , not being concerned in these proceedings , he is considered aa not entitled to receive these letters : your petitioner is thus deprived of the comfort of receiving his wire ' s monthly letters—a privilege secured by law to the very worst of felons .

      Your petitioner will not occupy more of the time of your Honourable House at present , by disclosing all the horrors of his situation ; but trusts that he bas said enough , both now and formerly , to shew your Honourable House the base , artful , and wicked means by which he bas been entrapped into his present unhappy situation , to which he considers transportation would have been a merer ; and he trusts that what little he has said of bis bodily and mental sufferings will prove sufficient to interest the humanity of your Honourable House in behalf of himself and afflicted family . That , in addition to these sufferings , yeur petitioner has sustained a loss in business , credit , and otherwise , which one thousand pounds would not compensate . That the health , comfort , and prospects in life , of himself and family , have been , by his imprisonment , already nearly ruined ; and that he would fain hopo that the ends of justice may now be satisfied without dying her hands in blood , or at the expense of the life of the petitioner .

      Your petitioner , therefore , throws himself , with full confidence , upon the justice and humanity of your Honourable House , trusting that , in your wisdom , you will so address her Majesty , as will rescue your petitioner from his painful and degrading treatment—a treatment which throws negro slavery into the shade , and is repugnant to the spirit of the British Constitution ; praying that her Majesty may be pleased te order the removal of the prisoner ( as haa been done in some eases to others convicted for political offences ) to a place of confinement \» h «* e the rules are leas rigid .--v » he * e the torture of the tread-mill ia unknown , and where his communication with his friends and family may be uninterrupted .

      And your petitioner will ever pray , See . Robert Peddie . Beverley House of Correction , 12 th February , 18 * 1 .

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      MR . COLLINS . TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN STAR . Bread-street , Birmingham , Fub . 24 th , 1841 . " I concluded my remarks by observing that no union would be effected without euch a definition of the term Household Suffrage as should include every man of mature age , and sound mind , &c , who had a residence in a house , or any part of a house ; ' and further , that , unless upon such terms , a union ought not , and , if I could prevent it , should not take place . " —Letter to Leeds Times .

      Sir , —You have occupied nearly four columns of your paper in pointing out the difference betwepn the Charter Suffrage and the Household Suffrage , which would Hot enable mote than " one person to vote out of a house , be it never so large . " I need not say that I oppose as much as you can such a franchise . That the term " Household" can by no art be made to include more than one I totally deny , for if you hare ever risited Scotland , you must know that , even under the present exclusive system , seven ,

      and even ten votes are obtained from one house ; and , moreover , that the majority of £ 10 electors in the large towna hold the franchise solely on this footing . Had you taken the above quoted sentence , and shown that there was any difference between it and the Charter Suffrage , you wonld hare complied with my request ; and I have yet to learn that any man who reada the above sentence , can see any difference . It is exactly the Charter Suffrage , or to use your own expression in the fourth column " Universal Suffrage qualified by residence hi a house . "

      If any parties or persona agree to this extension of the franchise , I shall be most -willing to receive them , as brethren , from whatever class they come , and I need not say that I shall be the last man to join any class or person , who do not espouse it and the other fundamental points of the Charter . I remain , yours , &a . John Colljws . [ We regret that our reply to Mr . Callina's letter was too long for him ; but we should have regretted still more to weaken its force or perspicuity by shortening it ; and yet It appears that long as it was , we may with great propriety adopt the foregoing of Mr . Collins as an appropriate postscript , wherein he most forcibly illustrates

      our position by his reference to the Scotch system . We have always said that such a definition of Household Suffrage as would satisfy the owners of property , would make houses mare sUbles for holding human beings , and that to whomsoever the house belonged to him also would belong the vote . Mr . Collins knows full well that the voters to whom he refers are all manufactured voters ; urban voters qualified out of small allotments of land , and not as he states qualified out of one house . But , does Mr . Collins suppose that the power which the present system vests in the hands of the privileged order for protecting their voting serfs , would , if tbe vote belonged to the serf himself , be exercised by the

      master for the benefit of the slave ?—We thank Mr . C . for hia confirmation , and now we will ask him a short question . Will any of the Scotch houses full of voters , be found voting for a Chartist candidate ? or even further , are not Whig houses filled with Whig voters , and Tory hoHtes with Tory voters ? and doeg Mr . Collins presume so far upon his strength , or upon middle-class forforbearaace , as to suppose that a like system would not prevail in England and Wales ? If so , we beg to refer him to the seven thousand and sixtieth clause of the new alliance Housebold Suffrage BUI which ia to be ; for to that , or even greater length , would the details ran , rather than commit the blunder of allowing

      Chartist voters to stable themselves on a quailflcation . We imagine that if we bad merely ¦ aid , " Then , Mr . Collins , as there is no difference , call the spade a Bpade , " we should have Batirfactorily replied to Mb former question . Again , we tell him that so long as one man ' a property constitutes another man ' s vote , bo long will the owner have rent and vote ; and we heartily thank our friend for having furnished his Scotch case as the most trite and happy illustration of the position . If Mr . Collinsis sufficiently omnipotent to have hia Household Suffrage just as be likes , then let him call ua brethren , but till then , we Bhallremain related to the fundamental points of the Charter , —Mr . Cdllina with us if he will , wlthont him if we mart . —EP « 3

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      O 'CONNOR ON ELECTION CLUBS . In oar ! ast number we reprinted a letter of Me . O'CWfNO ^^' S , from the Northern Star , Sep . 28 , 183 » There bapp * nin £ to be two letters of his in that number , tbe print et mistook our directions , and extracts the wn * g owe . The following 1 b the letter we intended to have gtvsn la «* T eek : ~

      TO XI TB WORKING CLASSES . Brothk * Bad . 'Caxs , —For the tame reasoa that » Serjeant ' s guard ot disciplined and armed troop * will beat and put to flirt 4 a squadron of raw and nnarm « 4 recruit * , hav « we be « n laatea ^ 7 ^^ ° ^ discipline in the arts of tread < 8 * y and deceit We must di «> eipline and remedy till » evlL We must meet them oa their own ground , md * > their own weapons . We mast organise , * ad abo w * be front of freemea I » order to effect it , then , I submit the fallowing auggeatiens for your consideration n : : — . ¦ ¦ ¦ j

      Fe « l say « Register , m * < i 8 * f * » «* " >*« t" —O'ConmH * ay « "Register , register , * egister !"—the Whig preat and the Tory preaa « ay " R ^ g&ter , register , register I " and , therefore , there mast be x > me magic in the word '' Register . " You cannot regU * er , but you can " Unite , unite , unite ! " and Russell tv it is your right to exercise influence over the ek ctor ; while O'ConneU says that it is your right to use i ' entle coercion toward the elector . Let us , then , place . ourselves in a position to be prepared whenever tbe stru ? £ ls may come ; and » believe me , it ia at hand , else wo a * d not our enemie * be loading their pieces . Let a conu uittee be established in every towB and village througt ° » t England , Scotland , and Wales , iccordtng to theft > Uowingform , and for the petfoivnanee of the following . duties : —

      THB FOBM , Let the electors and non-electors instantly form county , city , and borough election dut «• Where tha clubs consist of several hundreds , let tl iem be divided into hundreds . Let each hundred appoh 't * chairman . The hundreds should then be divided h . to tens , aad each ten should appoint a chairman . The chairmen ot the hundreds should constitute the Gent ral Election Committee . The chairmen of every eleven i ens should , according to convenient locality , constitute t ^ ° district or ward committees .. The committee of tt B * should report on every Monday night , to the Gem raj Committee , the state of the public mind in the ; r several districts ; after which , a compendious report should be submitted by placard , handbill , or throt > gb th » medium of tbe press . The terms to conBtitnti ' memberftjp to be one penny per week . The fundi ' tob « appropriated as a Finance Committee , appoint * > d by a show of hands at a general meeting , shall direct .

      THE DUTIES . The duty of the Election Club will be \ o select a ? 81 and proper candidate , who shall btt vigorous alid active in laying before his constituents the principles upon which he claims their support—to read at public meetings , as often as opportunity affords , the report * and resolutions from the several committees . Every candidate ahonld be pledged to support Universal Suffrage and a repeal of the Legislative Union between Great Britain and Ireland , to take his seat if returned by a majority in the house called the House of Commons—aud to restore hia trust whenever required to do ho by a majority of a committee to be called " Tb * committee of review of public men ' s conduct , " which step must be sanctioned by a public meeting of his constituents . The committee should also appoint collectors

      of contributions , who should leave the fulluwicg printed form of application at the bouse of every voter in their district : — " We , the committee appointed to superintend the management of the election of — , do respectfully solicit your support and interest , and also such contribution as you can conveniently give , to pro * mote the aforesaid object" A book should be kept containing the names of all the electors in tbe several districts , to be called " The canvas and contribution book . " When the whole machinery is completed , public meetings of the electors and non-electors should bo convened , to take into consideration tfe » propriety -of appointing a National Election Convention of twentyone , whoso duty it shall be to sit in London for the purpose of receiving , and disseminating throughout the country , digested reports from the several election committees . .

      I think at a single glance you will see that the adoption of the foregoing plan will at once raise a safe and constitutional standard round which tbe friends of Radicalism way rally . We shall then stand upon an equality , in thu field of agitation , with both Whigs and Tories ; and , according as we are treated , so shall we treat the enemy . In this " instance the constitution recognises no superiority ; and if we are not prepared to carry out this princip ^ , we are not deserving of Universal Suffrage . If , upon the other hand , we are prepared , and if , by our united exertions , we can return a majority of the six hundred and fifty-eight , we shall be justly entitled to go to the Hog . se of Commons upon tha firat day of the next session of Parliament , and tbere pass a law directing her Majesty to issue new writs for

      the return of a Parliament upon the principle of Universal Suffrage . This requires no exhibition of . physical force , as any opposition offered to the will of a nation thus manifested would be high . treason upon the part of our opponents . The effect of our preparation would be the immediate liberation of our friends from their dungeons ; for , believe me , that our enemies but await our union to obey our command . I cannot cenceive a more glorious sight than a nation of freemen inarching to the hustings in sections , divisions , and squadrons , there to show their hands , which are ready to support the dictates of their hearts . My mind is always upon tbe rack , my invention is ever at work , to learn how I can best serve your nause ; and lazy men , who will not work themselves , ' call me presumptouB—but how much more pleasing and easy would it be for me to remain idle , if those who abuse me would work ; but the work must be either left undone , or done by a

      few . Instead of constantly nibbling and carping at my propositions , let them suggest , and I will follow ; but 1 cannot and will not remain idle so long as a single grievance remains nnredressed . I implore you , then , Hiy fellow men , by your valour , by your patriotism , and by your humanity—by the , love which you bear to your Qod , your country , your family , and your kind , to awake , arise , and let tbe voice of freedom be heard upon each passiDg bretze throughout this sea-bound dungeon ! Let ua proclaim the right of the labourer to enjoy the fruits of his own labour—of the freeman to enjoy the protection of his castle—of the community to enjoy social comfort and happiness—of the poor to live upon the land of uis birth— -and of the nation to be governed by laws made equally for the protection of the rich and the poor . Let union be your watchwordliberty your idol—and Universal Suffrage , and no surrender , your motto . For these things I have lived , and for these things I am ready to risk my life j aad

      am Your faithful and sincere friend , FEARGl / S OCONNNE . Leeds , 25 th , Sept , 1839 .

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      We learn that the house of Montefiore Brothers , connected chiefly with the Australia trade , have come to the determination of suspending payments . It is confidently stated , however , that the suspension , will be but temporary , and that before the termination of the present year the firm will be able to discharge their engagements . Falling of two Houses in Fleet-street . —One of the most awful casualties that can . possibly occur in a crowded city , occurred on Saturday ni g ht at ten o ' clock in Fleet-street . A few nights since a fire took place at the house of Mr . Bundy , a trunkmaker , next door to the office of the Weekly pisrm . tr . fi . and the ruins were left , & < t was imagined , m

      a state of perfect security . This , however , by the event that has occurred , appears , too awfully , U > have been an error . On getting into the street , the scene that presented itself to the spectator wa frightful in the extreme . There was a wide and fearful gap of falling bricks and timbers , supported by gable ends and ricketty boards , rendering the approach of aid a matter of the greatest danger Soon after the accident , Mr . Harding and Mr . Ward builders in the neighbourhood , were sent for to examine the premises * as was also Mr . Elmes . the City Surveyor , who sent for a number ofbuudera but without being able to obtain their co-operation A man . named Wm . Megson , a journeyman tailor ,

      was let down by ropes from the back room on the third floor of Mr . Dobson ' s house , and which house also fell , with a tremendous crash , at tbe earn time ; he had been in bed upwards of an hour when he heard the crash of the timbers . He instantly jumped out of bed , and endeavoured to open hi 8 door , but , finding it impossible to do so , he . lighted his candle , and dressed himself , and remained standing upon half a foot of boards for nearly three quarters of an hour , until he was released by the police , in the way just mentioned . He also said , that finding his room-door going out of the level , he frequently warned Mr . Dobson of the danger , who , however , laughed at hia . fears . Every precaution was taken to arouse the inmates of the adjoining house to the perilous situation in which they were placed , and the police having made a communication to Mr . Dobson , a hackney carnage wasobtained andMrs . Dobson , with four or five children ( the d

      statements vary ) , were placed , in ^ * he . . J"ft- ^ drove to the residence of a friend . At this time loud cracking of the tottering walls became more loud aud feartul , and the police observing the upper parfcof the housea bending forward , raised a short of "It is coming . " The constables took to their heels , and a cao , which had just set down its fare , was peremptorily a few . mutates before ordered off . The Trive / happily took the warniBg , and acting upon it , lost no time in leaving the epot , which in a very brief space of time , presented a melancholy instance of the desolation thus unexpectedly created . Dalton , the officer , had a narrow escape , his clothes being completely covered with flying dust , which , but a second before , gave notice of the fall of the two houses . Upon the casualty occurring , a large number of the City Police Force were in attendance , and prevented the reckless f emales with which this crowded thoroughfare is thronged from meeting with accidents , wbiob , in all probability , would have followed their teme « ritj in approaching the ruins .

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      ^ ^^ THE : y Ojt . T HE R N ^ g T A R . _ %

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), March 6, 1841, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct696/page/7/