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Northern Star (1837-1852), 29th October 1842, Edition 5 of 5, Page 6, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      ITSLIC MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COMPLETE SUFFRAGE UNION . ( Frtm the Evcnir . g Star . ) BRISTOL , OCT . 19 . The Chairman ( Mr . Evans ) opened _ e meeting by reicVci ; ; he objects of the National Complete S _ fiVa _ e Unit-, after which he called upon Mr . Joh _ to _ to pro } - " -- * he first resolution . 11 r . Jofcnston , on rising to address the meeting , eom / traed of the Bm&llnesa of their numbers on an occasi ' .-u life-. tha present , -when , a meeting is called to appeal to the sympathies of our fellow-men , on behalf of tho * men w _ g had &tood bo nobly up for our Tights , bat r ~ rhfi . es I condemn them rasWy , as the meeting was

      crigii i . y intended to have been held last night . It ¦ was , v ertaps , owing to thiB that the meeting was so nnsM . Ofier a-. raisstements by the parties belonging to the Hall had prevented them holding the meeting last night He then read the following res&larion to the meeting • — " That this meeting consider it to be their duty , v ^ i the duty of all friends of true liberty , to oontrii uu > to the National Defence Fond , thereby enabUEr . tue advocates of the people ' s rights to provide assistance at the forthcoming trials . ' ' H « ( the speaker ) , was ei t , in connection with that b ^ dy , who had suf fertd . jet hs agreed with the bold manner they had advocr . e-i the right of free disenssion ; and in order to nMc'viata their s-ffariccs he saw but one conrse , Tit . t > come forward with the smallest mile . Pat

      the ease to yourselves : —it might cume to their turn . Th ^ ir Tery act e ? mating there tfcr . t night might bring then nnder the ban if the lav . if tbu were the case if iLey were torn from their families , from their bome > , and subject to lite treatment , we would wish that wise friends would come forward vrith- their pecnuv-ry assistance , with what they couid afford . He did :: ¦ . ; smuggle for the name of tie Charter , but for Its p-ir . ciplea . It mattered cot to him what tault he had .-- nna with any m-n ; he came forward now on prir-. ch > : ? . The man who remained silent on the present : 3 S ' . on was an . enemy 10 hb cause . The asj > ist-» "Ct- ¦ : e ~? . f mas is warited no" = r . Some might objeet and 617 ' -iai ta * money was given to pirlits who were

      inter- ' . «<; in th < s pr . ; .-cuiiuB < jf the individuals ; but he would ask , waerd Frost would have been had he not emp-c-d counsel ? He would rather see a Chartist come : •;> oiy forward- and defend himself—he admired tbe spirit of such a man . At the same time there might ' s a legal point , thai would be defined by those who t . ide the law tbeir study , and the prisoner would in ail cases be the better of enraging a legal person . It WonM rot do to lose one single friend at present—not the hunjblest individual . There could aot be a more meJ « D ; Lioly scene , than a / can dragged from the bosom of bis family , and immured within the walls of a dungeon fcr teaching the truth , and spreading its principles thrbt ^ hent the Lind . _ d then to be deserted by his frier's . Let me tsk you to look at trial by jury . Is the ~_~ r trjed by his p « rs—his equals—when placed in ft- dock before a middle-class jury of yeomanry and Hiiadl&-c 1 as 3 shopkeepers , who have never once

      • witar = « sd the scenes that the poor weaver at the bar has b- a familiar with ? I ask , does he not requira tbe ns .-: s : _ ee of those whose principles are identical With ir . s own ? Compare his case with that of the arii . fcocrat —a peer on arriving at twerity-o ^ e years of ageby bb ^ ce'dent of birth , he will be tried by hi * peers , by ti > : wbo kave lived and moved in the same scenes as fair 5--lf . He appealed to the sympathies , and , after point u out the treatment of the prisoners , ' and of John jt cst . who was kept an txlle , for fear that he woalc :-e a ralijins point for the Chartists . By a re-Tiew of those trials that had already taken place , he found ihat the prisoners were much bentfittsd by the empl :-y : r . 6 at of conasel , and he implored the people not to d-. iin the leaders now . but rally around with renewed vicosr , and by subscribing the smallest mite , Bhow teat persecution rouses th > spirit that is within you , z : j tiii joa itill are the fxisads of the persecuted , bot i a : patriots cf the ptcnle ' s causa .

      Mr . Johnston was repeatedly applauded throughout Lis < -pt ; rcb , of which the above is but an entliae . He resumed his seat by proposing the above resolUtlOEMr . C'ird , boo : and shoemaker , on rising to second the re-. iiuion , said , that he never in bis life seconded aresi-Vation with more ardour thin the present one ; it W 83 true what had been stated by Mr . Johnson—men weii i-roa ^ ht up before juries of yeomanry fer advocating j : ui ¦ rights ; aye , brought before men who were &s igno ; .: ; t of the crime »*«¦?• . the prisoner was to be tried for , -ad knew as much about what was and what was not i-iitiou , as the burses in ths ploughs they drive ; he < r ; = _ ed he had the strength of a legion to crush the

      tyrant fcr eTer ; it makes no difference what association ihein = ! i belonged to , -whether they were members of tie C ^ c : plere Suffrage Union or members of the National C _ rter Association , thay were Caartists , they were-his friends , and they are your friends . Frost had been mentioneu , but fcr what was he banished , for what was he condemned ? Simply because he was the opponent cf lord John Bnssc ! L Mr . Johnson had so fully , so ably , and sc much better than him , laid th « subject before them , that he should not take up their tims any fangtr , bnt call u |> oathem not to lag , not to be diiht&rwufcd , but t » pi'tth . ir shoulders to the wheel , and let them i-se thai we s-e men trjiag to regain oar rights ; let us show a bold lrout , acd let every man assist . It waa - ^ i'Jh great pleasure he seconded the resolution .

      ili Himmftiifcs , master tailor , Redclifi-hill , Bristol , ¦ wisiitd to know if this was a meeting of the Ct / Eiittt ; Suffrage Union , or of a few individuals for il . r pun > ose of eubscribing fanua for a certain purp . e Ti .-v Chairman stated , that it was a meeting for tie pu : p-- - -v of raising funds for the defence of the Chartist prii ^^ t rs , aad to be forwarded to the Genera } Defence Fund , tc the Evening or Northern Stars nfficea for that puiprjsr . Mr . Hammenta—Do I understand that tins meeting eir jiiutss from the Council of the Complete 3 ufi " rage Vsi ^ r Mr . J > hniton stated it did ; that Mr . Newman , baker , had i .. « i ilr . Grlffiihs , and asfced him ii they , the Sliirgites . ' . ere not goinr to do anything for the defence of Ciiar-: * t prisoners , and the Council had at their meeting arretJ to that effect .

      Hi . Hwnmenta did not know that the Complete Suffrage Union had but one C # uncil , and ttut Eat in Birmmghajn . Mr . Johnston—The name Ccnncil i » given to the general committee , as it ia illegal to have more than one ConnciL Mr . Hamments did not think that the abject of this meefmg had anything to do with the Complete Suffrage Union , of which he was a member ; be did not . agree with the plan of raising money for such purposes ; he had seen money collected in Bristol before for such objecU : and as he did not agree with the manner in which this lucney wis expended , he would move an amendment ; he condemned the conduct of the men who bad

      burned and destroyed property in the north , and baa they attained tbeir object by physical , revolution , a ceur . " . er revolution would have to be got up before a twe ! » emonth was over our heads , for the purpose of up-Betting the tyran :. y they hed established ; they did not lequL e to go f * r for a precedent , only to a neighbouring oounu-y , France . He totally disagreed with the late scenes of riot and plunder that bad taken place , and thought the parties richly deserved punishinent ; he protested against the body having any thing to do wiih it as council or committee ; let it be done by parties apart from the association business . Mr . H . was met by frequent marks of disapprobation , and sat down by prop slog a counter resolution .

      11 r . Johnston explained , and pointed out the absusc - . ij of coupling the name * of the Chartists with the i-urtreak . They hai been « eit = d while promulga : iiii tee truth , and be was not aware that the Defence Fun + w = nt to defend any bat Chartists . The ontbrtsk Tas & strike for wages , and the men were driven to co * Iiat tfcey did . He was not in advocate of physical yl-th-rP ; bii" ko considered that the men that Lai done whs . the lfcade . s of Chartism had done ought to be snppo . t : d . He alluded to such men as ii'Duuoll &n& others— mia who were to be tiled for sedition , and he was itxicus that the fond should prosper . Ee did rot cari * hOber it was a Council or not ; the meeting was deci-ed ' y a meeting of tbe Complete Suffrage Union , ard m ^ nated f rom them .

      > : r . HMuments wished to enter bis protect in justice . He ih a ^ ht ihe mea to which Mr . Johnston had alluded wert u > bluiifc ; tUcy , the ChartUt 3 were thsrinsleaderB ; tfcej were the promoters of t $ e bloodshed , rapine , and plutler that had ensued , and had the timethat had bsc'r 3 : > st , and the money that had been thrown away , beeii deTrted to the moral ana intellectual improvement of tbe people , that would be the means of obtaining our rights . He would withdraw his amendment , and simply ask for his protest to be entered . He considered the leaders aiders and abettors . Mr . Dutton , President cf the Complete Suffrage Union —ilr . Chairmsn , I should like to Bee a meeting got up something iite a meeting ; none of your hole and corner affiirs . Who is to collect the money ? I thiuk that it is string * that no notice of this meeting should have adp ^ ared .

      The Chairman of the meeting stated that the meeting vr&s advertised in the Bristol Mercury , and large bills had been printed and posted . Mr . Datton—Was the object stated ? 1 hate such doinrs ; let a good meeting be called . Mr . Johi-ston—The object was stated in the notice sent to the Mercury ; bat he could not be answerable for the editor ' s curtailing of it , and Mr . Dutton had sot been present as he ought to have been- He had been absent for five or six nights , or he would have been aware . Hi . Chard—Mr . Datton had not attended , and he was surprised that Mr . Hamments had not expressed his dissent , as he was present , on the committee , - and heard it pawed that this meeting should be held .

      Mr . Dutton never liked two-faced people ; let the public know what they were doing ; let a meeting he called in a proper way . He was not opposed to the object , if it was 5 good meeting , and he believed his friend , Mr . Jiemmeote , was of the « ame opinion . I cannot bear to *« Bcch things—such upstarts I hate euch d—d ' amking ways . What right had they to forge hbnam * < I do not like such things . I am de-« irott » that a fund ahonid be got up ; but I cannot agree with sach conduct , Who is to collect the money ? I can hear my friend Sir . Simeon ' s voice . ( The speaker then came to where Mr . Simeon was seated , and handed him one shilling towards the Difcace Fund , which . Mi . HflBtPf immediately put in his pocket , which highly

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      amused the meeting . ) I bate such d—d doings . Is it fair u > make use o £ my name ? Who gave you leave to forgo uiy name ? tTto sp ^ Jter here stepped forward to the table , and showing some letters , he accused Mr . Johnston , we understood , of forgery . ) Mr . Djyle here whispered to the chairman that he had a right to the letters , that they were the property of the Union . Th « Chairman demanded the letters from M . r . Dutton . Mr . Dutton—Who are you , you d—d rascal , to demand my letters ? line uproar was such that we were not able to follow the speakers , for three or four were speaking at once . ) Mr . Chard moved that this day week Mr . Dutton produce these letters , and retract his expressions , and apolog' . zs . Mr . Datton was willing to meet and defend his conduct , and prove tbe charge of forgery .

      Until now the members of the National Charter Association who were present had not interfered , all the foregoing speakers being members of the Complete Suffrage Union . Mr . Simeon regretted , that on an occasion like the present , parties should have introduced matters perfectly irrelevant to the business before the chair . He had known tbe time when had be done less than that , parties were ready to pitch him bead foremost fr « m the platform , for introducing subjects for which tbe meeting was not called ; the meeting being called for a specific oJjcCL Though be had been termed violent he had never mad 6 use of the language that had been nude use of that evening . Mr . Copp here recommended the propriety of caTine another meeting , or adjourn this one till this night week .

      The Chairman accordingly adjourned the meeting till that night week ( the meeting at no time amounted to more than seventy persons . ) Several left tbe room quite satisfied with the dish set before them . The case of forgery , we understand to be as follows : —At tbe meeting of the Complete Suffrage Union , an address was passed by tbe meeting ( Mr . Datton , president , in tbe chair , ) to the Whig member for Bristol , Mr . Berkeley , to be presented at the Agricultural Show . Mr . Barkeiey did not come to the show . Mr . Johnson , as secretary , drew up tbe address , and attached the name of Mr . Dutton , as chairman , without allowing him to sign his own name . The address was foiwarded to Mr . Berkeley , an . i he wrote a reply to Mr . Dutton , with whom he is personally acquainted , be being the chairman of trades meetings , and other meetings for the return of that gentleman .

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      m MR . VINCENT'S LECTURES . ( From the Evening Star . ) ABERDEEN . The Complete Suffrage Association of Aberdeen having invited Mr . H . Vincent to visit this city , determined to give the occasion all the pomp and circumstance imaginable , and accordingly preparations were made for a Bplendidsoii ^ to come off in the Temperance HalL Admission one shilling . It was to take place on the evening of his arrival , and all their energies were at work to get np a good attendance ; but notwithstanding all their exertions the number who attended did not amount to 300 , and proved to the party that any mevement not supported by the working men is completely powerless , as they are now the only party

      capable of wielding public opinion . There were several local speakers at the soirg * . but 311 the dependence of the evening was upon Mr . Vincent His friends were highly satisfied with the manner in which he acquitted himstlf . but impartial auditors said be had failed to support the high character , as a public speaker ) which had been assigned him . It had been understood , although not mentioned , that Mr Vincent would lecture on the Tuesday , and there wns a considerable struggle betwixt the inqaisitiveneBs and the ambition of the party ; the money-lovers contending for Eixpence of admission , and those who were anxious for a full attendance for one penny . After a good deal of cogitation it was settled by & sort of compromise , the price being struck at twopence .

      The Chartist body did not wish to create or foster any ill f . eling betwixt themselves and the Complete Suffragists , by any reference to the part conduct of Mr . Tincent , and therefore determined to Tiew him only aa the accredited advocate of their principles , and to deal with him only in that capacity . The attendaaoe at the Tuesday ' s lecture was rery full , beicg- from nine to ten hundred . Mr . Vincent commenced by an account of his own political life , and the persecutions he had suffered ; he also showed the tempting offers that bad been made to him by the Tories and others , to obtain his influence and assistance in svpport of their cause ; he also gave an accosat of tbe 8 fcurg » Conference , held at Birmingham , and tbe reasons which influenced their decisions in adopting tbe six points . Mr . Vinct nt then showed that he had laboured hard in that conference to have

      adopted the nane and all , but this he did rot carry . He then adverted to the Nottingham and Ipswich elections , and dwelt particulary on the success which had attended his addreesee in the latter place , and the opposition be had met with from a clergyman of the Establisbwi Church , whom be ( Mr . V . ) nrimicked most successfully to tbe great amusement of the audience . He ( Mr . V . } then referred to the Leeds Mercury , regarding some articles which it contained agaiiat ttie principles of complete Suffrage , and more particularly an argument therein mgd . that it would beurjnst to give the working classes the Tote , aa they were tbe majority . Mr . T . condemned this iu t ° Btrcneesi and most unmeasured terms . Mr . V . then concluded by stating that be was willing to an-Bwer any questions or meet any objections that might be as ked or brought forward on tbe subject of his lectnre an

      Mr- James Mtcpherson then lose and said that he did not stand hp for the purpose of opposing or finding fault with anything that had fallen frum the speaker during the course of his lecture , n 3 y , be highly approved of the greater portion of it ; bnt while he approved ef what had fallen from the speaker , he ¦ wished to draw the attention of this meeting to some of th-r ? cc's of that body , of which Mr . Vincent was the accr ^ -ed organ , namely , the Birmingham Council , in the address issued by wbom , there were several pnra ^ rap bs diametrically opposed to the sentiments which had fallen from Mr V . during bis lecture . Mr . M . then read the following passage from the address : «¦ ~ Qai in the election ef representatives to meet in such conference , all party spirit must be excluded ; all efforts fcr forcing individuil opinions through the power of numbers must be avoided . " Mr . Macpherson said , tbe portion of tbe address be had just read was in

      direct opposition to the opinions promulgated by the speaker that evening , and were in perfect nuison with the srt ' cleB in the Leeds Ilercwy , to which the lecturer had so strongly and so justly objected . Mr . M . then drew thei' attention to the mode of election in that address , and condemned it strongly as arbitrary and UDJnst , and in direct violation of the principles they sought to establish . He further obstrved , that the individual who drew up this absurd and contradictory doenment , might be honest ; and , God forbid , that he should charge him with dishonesty , if bis intentions were pure ; for he would rather tbnt two knaves should escape with the character of honest men , than that one aonest man should , through his instrumentality , be branded aB a rogue . But if he was honest , it was plain that he had allowed his feelings and wishes for a union between tbe middle and working classes to run away with his better judgment .

      But while an excuse might be offered for an Individual , no such excuse could hold good for the Council who had adopted that address ; they bad shewn themselves utterly incapable of conducting any great and comprehensive movement by tbe adoption of euch a contradictory and inconsistent address . He ( Mr . M . ) had no intention of opposing the complete suffrage movement if confined to its proper sphere ; on tbe contrary , be considered such a movement as io some measure necessary to meet the prejudices of the middle classes , whose class-pride prevented them from receiving the truth . But while he would ( Mr . M . continued ) so far give way to their prejudices as to lay aside tbe name of tbe Charter , by those who were willing to do

      so , be could by no meanB consent to sacrifice one iota of the principles therein contained . He would never allow them to divtrge off at an angle from the paths of rectitude , frittering away one principle after another . No ; he wished thtm , after having given up tbe name , to be kept by the foToe of a powerful and well-directed public opinion—to be kept moving in a direction parallel with the great Chart st movement Mr . Macpher-on then conc ' . n- ; fcd by asking Mr . Vincent if the blan for electing the proposed Conference , contained in the Address cf the Complete Suffrage Council of Bir . iih ; i ; taiB , was in accordance with the principles of Complete Suffrage \ and sat down amidst immense thcerirz .

      M ^ Vincent , -who bad been nodding assent and approbation during the speech of Mr . Macpherson , then rest * to reply . He aaid he had not been present when tbe address was submitted to tbe Council , and bad not therefore , an opportunity of expressing his sentiments on its merits , and although he was satisfied that the Ccnncil had adopted it from tbe best ef motives , and h&d considered that in almost all instances the electors and non-electors would agree and elect their representatives at tbe same meetings , yet as tbe question had been put in a fait spirit by Mr . MacpherEon , he would just give as fair an answer , and that would be just what had already been given to a similar question by Mr . Sturge , which was , that be disapproved of the mode , and would try and get it brought before the Council for their reexnuideration .

      Mr . Macpherson expressed himself perfectly satisfied witk the candid manner in which his question had been answered by Mr . Vincent , as Mr . Ttncent had joined with bim ( Mr . Macpbersoo ) in bis unhesitating condemnation of th « mode of election proposed in the Address , and trusted that tbe Birmingham Council would take tki * as a warning for the future , and never presume to tamper with the glorious principles of justice laid down in the People's Charter . Mr . Adam , of the Aberdeen Herald , then rose , and proceeded to defend the proposed plan and the Birmingham Council in adapting that plan , but found it impossible to proceed , so gnat was the disapprobation of the meeting ; and , after an ineffectual attempt to be heard at greater length , sat down amidst a fihowtr % t hisses from all parts of the halL

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      Mr . Viccent replied , and censured Mr . A . very freely for his injudicious remarks . He was followed by Mr . Legge , -who defended the working classes from tbe imputation of illiberality and intolerance , charged upon them by Mr . Adam , and cited , as a proof , that they bad agreed to allow a delegate from the Complete Suffrage patty along with one from them , the working classes , to attend the Conference proposed some time ago at Birmingham . Mr . Macphersou also spoke a few words in answer to

      what had fallen from Mr . Adam , and showed that the working classes were uefther tyrannical , illiberal , nor intolerant , aud had they not been anxious for conciliation , and averse to cavilling and fault-finding ? that there was much more contained In the address , to which he had not before adverted , that would afford good ground for the most strenuous opposition ; and further contended that the greatest fault of the working classes was too much gratitude for any little service rendered them , which they bad often cause to repent of , but never either of tbeir illiberality or Intolerance . A vote of thanks was then given to Mr . Vincent , and the meeting dismissed .

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      NORTHLEACH PRISON . ( From the Cheltenham Free Press . ) Adjourned Inquest cn Chahles Beale . — Tbe aiiJMurned investigation into the cause of the death of Cnurlea Beale took place at the board-room of the Union Workhouse , at eleven o ' clock on Friday . Mr . Rowland J . Ticthurst , clerk to the Board of Guardians , attended officially by order of the Board . > Ir . Curtis , head-turnkey of NortbJeach , and several of the Cheltenham Board of Guardians were also present John Newton—I am a shoemaker . I am now residing at the Cheltenham Union workh » use . I was sent te Northleach House of Correction on the 14 th of April , and left on the 7 th of July . I was sentenced to bard labour . I frequently saw Charles Beale there . I first saw Beale there on the 15 th of April . He looked very i ' . l . He was then working on the wheel , he was doing full wo ? fc then . We were not allowed to speak to one another . He appeared very weak and poorly . I think he continued at full wont on the wheel for six

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      weeks after that He gradually got worse . He complained of being ill . He was taken under the doctor ' s charge , and did no work for about a fortnight or three weeks . I saw him passing through the yard several times . He looked very ill . I never spoke to him . He went towards tbe mill boose . I have seen him frequently . He had no particular heavy loads . Two people were carrying them in a basket that would contain about SOlbs . He was on one side and a man assisted him . It was only occasionally I saw it We are not allowed to look round . At the end of three weeks he w » s put on the wheel and did half work . He was taking pills at the time . They were given to him by the under turnkey just before we got off the wheel , between five and six o ' clock . I heard him complain of beinjr ill . He worked his whole turn when be got up . When it was my turn to follow him on the wheel bo told me be was ill , and unable to go on with his work . I never heard him tell tbe under

      turnkey ( who was always present ) , the surgeon , the governor , or the head turnkey . He never complained to tbe nnder turnkey when he was carrying potatoes ; It was no use . If it had been Mr . Curtis , it might have been of some nse . As to tbe nnder turnkey , I never saw such a heart-hearted man iu my life . He continued at half work and taking pills for about n fortnight He was then put upon whole work . Before that I thought be looked better He complained of weakness . He continued much the same until I left . I did not communicate complaints to anybody .

      The Coroner Baid those complaints were not evidence . The potatoe bury is under the house , about half a dozen steps below tbe level of the lower cells . He brought the potatoes apparently from the petatoe bury . The way to it is through one of the women ' s day cells . I am sure be was several days at work in the carrying potatoes . Deceased ' s day cell was nearly on a level , or a little higher than my day cell . We had both two cells . Our night cella were over . My day cell was very damp , pirticularly in wet weather . It was never heated with hot air while I was there . The stones on

      the ground were dump . Tlie side walls were not . There was no glass iu my cell , the roof over my day cell door overhung two or three feet That was some height above tbe door , having a tier of night cells between . Both the day and night cells open into the outer air . Above the door ef my day cell , there is a wa king way of stone , by whfeb we got to our night celL It protected the door of my day cell from rain . Notwithstanding this , the rain water would run into the cell . The water lay in puddles . I have known a gallon there at a time . I have been shut in tbe cell with the water .

      Charles Curtis deposed—I knew the two cells occupied hy Newton and the deceased Beale . The fl-wra , and the walls , and the means of ventilation were alike . Newton ' * examination continued—I have complained about there being water In the cell . There was a halfround opening ov .-r the door which I could shut with a shutter . It was not glazed . There was a wooden shutter to tbe opening , but I never saw it shut . I believe we were not allowed to shut it There was another opening at the back . There was a shutter for this opening also . I never tried to close a shutter . If we made any noise in the cell , we should be punished . There was no glass to this opening , We left tbe nfght cells at six o ' clock in the jnornirg , and

      went to chape ) . We remained a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes there , and about half-part six weut to work on the wheel until eight o ' clock . We then wont to our day cells to breakfast , and were locked in there for half an hour . We then went to work until one . We returned to our day cells , and were locked in there for half an hour while we had onr dinners . We returned to tbe wheel , and worked until six . We stopped until eight We bad not much supper . That we ate at dinner . It was given out to us in the morning . A hungry man might eat all his brtad at breakfast , but we were not allowed to do so . Each was obliged to put half his leaf outside the eell to show be bad not eaten it We were very hot when we came off the wheel at six . We never came off without a good

      sweating . My shirt was very wet from perspiration , especially when I first went to prison . I never bad a dry shirt to put on , either to go into my day cell , or at bed time , except on Saturday evening , except when I had aBy clein one given to ma I sever complained to any one there of my shirt being bo wet I know one young man whose shirt was very wet frem perspiration complained to tbe turnkey and be had a dry shirt given to him twice every day for about a fortnight . The under turnkey < VA not abuse him for it The young man was only in for a month , Tbe shirt Was brought by the under-turnkey without grumbling , and appeared as an act of duty , at dinner time and at night It was some time in May be came in and left in Jane . I h&d been there a mouth before he came in . I never knew Beale apply for a clean shirt , although he was on the

      wheel and knew of the indulgence granted to the above . I did not apply . a 3 I did not perspire so much as I did the first fortnight The wheel was hard te work . I should have preferred being locked up in a cell , for , although it was cold , I should not have worked all the flesh off my bones . It is not having food enough to keep ourselves up that is the great thing there . 1 have sern Beal 6 > hands dirty , as though he had been picking potatoes , I have never been at Northleach or any prison before , ani should not like to go again . I was never charged before any magistrates before . The charge was leaving my wife and children chargeable toth ^ pariuh . I was sent for three months . I bad three small children in the workbonse . I was short of work , and they would not allow me anything out ; so I went in search of some . I was taken up at Gloucester , and committed on a charge of leaving my children chargeable to the parish cf Cheltenham .

      Mr . Curtis said the evidence was , 80 for aa he could jndge , pretty correct . By tbe Foreman—I was very in when I came out , scarcely able to walk . The Coroner said that hfs state of health eould have nothing to do with the death of Beale . Mr . Cnrtis—Tbe complement of men is eight on and sixteen off . The wheel goes forty-eight paces , or twice round in a minute . By the Coroner—I have no reason to suppose that If I had applied for a dry ahirt I Bhould not have had one . I know if I had applied to Mr . Curtis I should have had one . I don't think he would injure any body . Nawton—I do not Bay this because Mr . Curtis is present . One man was very ill , and they corded him np to the wheel , and beat bis head against it as long as they liked , and let him drop through . They might have broken his neck .

      The Coroner said that was not evidence in reference to the deceased Charles Beale . By the Coroner—I have known the visiting magistrates to come reund , and the governor has asked the prisoners if they had any complaints to make : bnt they were afraid . If anything was Bald very little attention was paid to it , and they made it out to be a pack of lies . They came round abont once a fortnight . I never beard Beale complain to the visiting justices . I have seen plenty of them eat potato rinda , but not Beale .

      Alice Beale—I am the mother of the deceased . He was in good health before he went to Northleach , In consequence of some information I had from a discharged prisoner about my son ' s health , about two months after bis committal , I , in company with tbb wife of Joseph Rowley , went to Northleach . We had a magistrate ' s order . We walked there and got to the prison about twelve o ' clock . We were with my son aboat ten minutes . Rowley and the governor were present ; I thought he was at the point of death . He told me he was in good health , But he has told me since , he said

      that to cheer my spirits np . He looked exceedingly 111 The governor seemed to push us on as though he did not wish us to stop any longer . He made no complaint . All he said was overheard by the governor . I should have liked to have remained longer , but tbe governor did not appear to wish us to stay longer . Three weeks before he left , I received a letter as from the governor , stating that my son was very ill and wished to tee us all , me iu particular . I started at two o ' clock , and was with him one hour and a quarter . The governor v . as not present , nor the surgeon , nor the turnkey . Ho hud

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      a quantity of toast nnd water , of which he drank a good deal whHa I was there . Ha had about half a threepenny or foarpentsy loaf toasted , to make the toast and water . One of the turnkeys brought him a box of pills . He was in bed in the hospital . I did not see him afterwards until be cama home . I saw him three days after he came home . He was as bad as he could be and alive . The first time I went With deceased to the dispensary was Thursday , the 22 d of September . On the Thursday before he died he despaired for the first time of his recovery . On the following evening ( Friday ) , Mr . Hollia called . Hyson asked me if I knew where that gentleman lived . I told him I did not He Bald be was fearful that Mr . Hollis had misunderstood him as to the hours be was in tbe potatoe bury , which was very shortly after the first

      time I went to see him : He said it was wrong that he told Mr . Hollis . He was not down , ten hours in the potatoe bury in o&e day . He wished to correct this , as he wished to put all straight before he died . His head wandered at times . On the Saturday before he died , when he was quite Benslble , he said—" Mother , when I was in the potatoe bury , I found my blood run cold . My hair . steod on end on my head . I pulled off my cap and kneeled upon it I think that caused me my death . The starvation of the prison that I Buffered , mother , no tongue can tell . I did not bear my son say , in the presence of the governor and turnkey , that be was perfectly satisfied . He said , " Don't make yourself uneasy , mother , the turnkey has been very kind to me . " His satisfaction was confined to Curtis . He was always of a delicate constitution until he was grown up a man , when he became strong and healthy .

      By tbe foreman—He was at work as a sawyer the day he was taken to prison . He was iu perfect health and had been for a twelvemonth before . Nathaniel Beale—lam father of tbe deceased . He was twenty-three lost birth-day . He told me on the Saturday evening before bis death , that he was down in the bury " chitting potatoes" with Churin , when he ate some raw potatoes . He did not eat so many as Churin . It was hunger that induced bim to eat them . He said the prison caused his death , his being put in the potatoe bury caused his illness . He said be made no complaint because be was afraid of been served worse . My son said he Would sooner saw for seven years than work at tbe mill for a month .

      It being now half-past four o ' clock , and one of the Jury having to attend tbe funeral of his mother at Camden , the Coronor adjourned the inquiry until Monday .

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      MIDDLSEX SESSIONS . —Wednesday . CASE OF CRUELTY TO A-CHILD IN MARYLEBONE . ( Before Mr . Sergeant Adams , Chairman , and a Bench ( of Magistrates . ) Barnard Gavan , aged 39 , and Mary Gavan , aged 35 , were indicted for assaulting and beating Eliza Gavan , their child . The male prisoner was first arraigned , and pleaded not guilty . Mr . Ciabhson , who was assisted by Mr . Payne , conducted the prosecution ; and Mr . Prendergast defended ttie prisoner .

      Mr . CLarkson stated that this prosecution had been instituted at the instance of the parish authorities of St . Marylebone for aasaulting a child of the tender age of nine years . Upon perusing the depositions be observed that the child spoke of a series of brutal aas ; iults aud ill-usage , yet it so happened tkvt the present indiotment referred to only onu charge , although it should bava contained at least twenty counts , setting forth as many iustances of most aggravated assaults . He should therefore fee compelled to confine himself to the isolated charge iu the indictment . The object of tho prisoner ' s ferocity was the child of a former wife , nnd Hvjd with him at No . 2 , Henry-Btreet , Portland Town . The prisoner was in the receipt of goed wa ^ ea , and earned , as a tobacco-pipe maker ,, from tbiity-flve

      shillings to fifty shillings per week . He had six children besides the one in question . The jury were aware that the prisoner , in point of law , was justified In administering mild and wholesome correction to his child , but It was not to be endured that it should be treated so barbarously as it had bees . It would appear that , on the 26 th of September , while a policeman was going bis rounds , the little girl was brought to him as a lost child . She was taken to the sta'ion house , and it transpired that her father had turned her out of doors , aud had been in the habit of exercising the most extreme cruelty towards her . The policeman subsequently went to the prisoner's residence , and took possession of a leathern strap , with which be was in the babit of beating the child about the head until the blood lowed . Tbe

      learned gentleman than gave an outline of the evidence be proposed to lay before tbe jury , and expressed bis regret that , by reason of the form of the indictment , he could not go Into the whole circumstances of the case . After the jury had heard the child's statement , corroborated as it would be by other witnesses , it would be for them to say if tUe prisoner was justified in inflicting such punishment , upon a child of nine years of age , or not The pariah authorities considered it a case in which they should nothave discharged their duty unless , they bad brought the prisoner there to answer for hla conduct . He was happy to inform them that the parish officers had not only taken the child that bad been illused into the workhouse , but had llkewl-e received under their protection all the other children of

      thepnsoner . Eli » Gavan , a poor , attenuated-looking child , was placed near tha bench and sworn . She said—The prisoner is my father . My mother is dead . I came from Ireland with my father a good while ago . The woman sitting down with the baby in her arms is my motherin-law . On the 26 th of September , I saw tbe policeman , Hobbs , in High-street , Portland-town . I had been turned out of doors by my father . I remember that , a few evenings before , he beat me about tbe bead with tbe leather strap produced ( a thick strap , about two feet in length , was here exhibited to the Court . ) I ran into the privy , and he followed me , and again " welted" me . The blood ran from my head . He also took np my clothes , and beat me with a strap about the body . The reasou I was punished was for blowing my nose behind the door . He beat me about the back , and every where efse .

      Cross-examined—He kept the sttap to beat me with . He did not use it to punish the other children with . ' I had been living , until within some months , with my grandmother , at Ballymena , in Ireland . She died , and my father fetched me home . My mother was Nancy Quln . I had sores upoa my head , and was bagging about when my father fetched me home . Re-examined—I never saw the female prisoner until I came to England . William Webb examined—I live at No . 2 , Henrystreet , Portland-town . The piiBoner and his family lived there . I taw tho child run out of tbe house , followed ! by the . prisoner . I afterwards saw blood on tbe flooring . I also saw blood on the bands of the child . The blood appeared to nave dripped about the place , aud the stains covered about a square foot of the boards .

      Cross-examined—I was never on bad terms with the prisoner . A son of mine worked at the same shop with bim , and he made an objection to his doing so , as be had not served his apprenticeship , but I bore no malice towards him on that account I never threatened to puuisti the priROuer in tho hearing of Mr . Cunningham , his master . Police-constable Hobbs , 174 S ., said—I remember the child belag brought to me on the 26 th of September , In High-street , Portland Town . I took it to the Btationhouse , and I met the mother afterwards , and told her the child had been terribly illuaed . I went to the prisoner ' s house , and obtained the strap produced . Mr . Robert B'vys , the parish surgeon of Marylebone , sworn— I examined the child , and found blue and yellow marks upon its body of long standing . There were superficial scabs on the head , and bruises areund them . I do not think the sores were the result of disease , but of violence .

      Cross-examined—I will swear the sores did not come of themselves . Mr . Prendergast said be never beard of a more trivial and disgusting case being brought before a court , of justice by any parish officers . Let the jury examine the facts without prejudice , and they would at once perceive tbe barrenness of the-case , notwithstanding all the garnish and misrepresentation that had * been brought in aid . * Several witnesses were called to prove that the present wife of the prisoner was the child ' s own mother ; and Mr . Peter Cunningham , a tobacco-pipe maker , gave the prisoner a good character ' during sis years that be had been in bis employment The witness added , that , tbe day after the prisoner was examined before Mr . Rawlinson , tha man Webb said the prisoner had been severe vrith him , and be Bhould be equally severe with the prisoner , for God paid all debts without money . Mr . Pa ? NE replied .

      The Chairman , in summing up , told the jury they had to decide whether the punishment inflicted by the prisoner was justified by the offence committed by tbe little girl , and whether it was a mild and proper correction , or an excess of violence had been exercised . They were to say , as men of good sense , whether he had or had not substantially exceeded the laws of nature and humanity . Tbe strap appears to him to havd been used over the child's head , as there were stains of blood upon it . The strap was then handed to the jury for their inspection / and , after a short consultation , a verdict of Guilty was returned . ; ¦; . \ . . ¦ ' . .

      __ Mary € ravan was next indicted for a similar offence . E G % van , the chUd . proved that the prisoner had frequently dragged he ^ r about by the hair of the head , knack her head against the mantel shelf , and threw her o » the ground , la consequence of a discrepancy between the evidence and indictment , the prisoner was acquitted , under the direction of the Chairman , who remarked that the parish authorities ought to have employed a competent person to draw np the Indictments . If ft turned but that the blame rested with the ofiioer of that court , he would bear of it again .

      Mr . PtendergaBt said he believed the patish officers were willing to recommend the man Gavan to mercy . Mr . Payno aaid they would do no such thing . " The Chairman , in passing sentence , observed , that if the indictment had been properly framed , eo that all the circumstances Bhould have been laid before the

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      Court , both as regarded tbe prisoner and b !» wife , a very severe sentence would have been passed upon them . The depositions contained a aeries of cruelties which would make every humane man shu-ider upon reading them . The bands of the Court were , however , tied , and , although their better feelings spontaneously roaa up against sucb . conduct , they must not allow themselves to depart from a , strict administration of the law . The Learned Gentleman then sentenced the prisoner to six weeks * Imprisonment in tha House of Correction .

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      EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF SWINDLING . On Friday afternoon , at the Police-court , Liverpool , after the usual business of the day bad been brought nearly to a clostt , a young man , apparently belonging , to " the swell mob , " and who hud just been apprehended , was brought before Mr . Ruskton on a charge of having , with the assistance of a com-rogue ( who has escaped ) , tricked a stranger , who bad arrived in town only an hoar before , of a sum of upwards of j £ 60 . The prisoner gave his name as Thomas Rule , but his real name 1 b said to be Davies . Tbe circumstances of the cose are so extraordinary , showing the cunning ot tbe delinquents as contrasted with tho apparent simplicity of their dupe , that we supply tbe evidence at length . The complainant , a slender and unintolligentloaklng man ,

      in a long top coat , and who stated that ha was thirtytwo years of age , Baid , I am a joiner and builder in Cheethani-hill , near Manchester . This morning I arrived in Liverpool by the railway , a few minutes before twelve o'clock , to buy timber . As I came along Manchester-street , thepmoner , Thomas Rule , overtook me , and asked me the v / ay to the docks . I said , * ' I am a stranger , I cannot tell . " He said , "lama stranger too , from Rochdale , and am going to do business at tho docks ; it is a cold morning , will you step in and have a glass ? " adding , "Perhaps you have not time , " I agreed , and we went into Whiteley ' s publichouse , in Manchester-street , into the second room on tbe right side of tbe lobby . Rule taid , " I will have half a glass of brandy . " 1 said I would

      take the same . Tbe waiter came into tbe room , and orders were given for the glasses . We each paid for our own . Before we had tasted , another man came into the room , and placed himself in a corner near the fire . He said , " What bustling places these large towns are ; these big streets contain nothing bnt shops and public-houses . " I said " Yes ; " and the prisoner said , " The back streets are very dirty . " The other man then took up bis glass , and said , " Here is our good healths , gentlemen ! " We returned him the compliment The other man then said , "I am a stranger ; I came from Bollington to see a lawyer . " Prisoner said , " It is not a very , pleasant job . " The other man said , "It is not so with me ; I have come to draw some money which an old uncle of mine has left me . I have

      been to my attorney , who says I shall have to wait a week or ten days , ana he wanted to know if I wanted any money . I wanted none , but he banded me £ 30 , and said , " It is customary to have a glass on paying money . " We went into a public-house , and the lawyer and bis clerks had glass after glass ; and when I came to pay tbe kill , it amounted to more than £ 2 . I then went into that big street ( Dale-street ) , and looked through a shop window . A lady came up who had a feather banging in her bonnet , which reached nearly to her feet She said to me , " Well , John I will you go with me and have a glass ? ' * I went with her . She told me she was a I&dy ' s-maid out of place , but resided with her aunt in Williamson-square . We went there , and found a number of ladies sitting in the house .

      I threw down a sovereign for some gin , and whilst we were drinking some officers came in . The prisoner said , " What kind of officers ? ' The other man said , they had gold lace on tbeir caps and coats . The prisoner said , they must have been captains . The other man then Bald , " I went to bed with one of the ladies , and in tbe » orniiig , on counting my money , I found that I bad spent between 32 . and 4 ( . Tbe lady of the bouse was very kind to ma , and invited me to dine there , which I intend to do , and she said that the ' woman who was so very handsome would bo there . " I said to all this , " If you would be advised by me , you will never go near the place again . " I endeavoured to dissuade him , saying that be would repent it if he . did . . He said , " I will , " and took out bis money , and

      showed a number of sovereigns and some notes , saying , " I will go there and spend the remainder . We bad been playing the other night with something that counted very many , but I do not know what it was . " I said perhaps they were dominoes . The prisoner said , they must be cards . The other man then put bis hand into his pocket , and took out a pack of cards , saying , "These are them : I brought them away with me . I played with them tbe night before ; and the young lady would instruct me in something which I did not understand . We played a considerable time . * ' Tho prisoner faid , "I won , " and laid the cards on the table , and showed us how he bad done it , by cutting the cards and guessing black or red ; and he placed a crown down , saying that he would beat either me or the prisoner .

      The prisoner betted half-a-crown , and won The other man went out , leaving the cards on the table , saving-he was going to the lady . I then said to the prisoner , " What a pity it was that the man should lose his money : our best way would be to get him to deposit it in some bank . " The prisoner said , we had better try to get It from him , and give it to tbe poor , and he took hold of the cards and sai « l , " We win take out all the black ones . " He took out about two thirds of the black ones , and put them into bis pocket The other man came in again , and I endeavoured to persuade him to pnt his money in a bank . He said , " I will not ; I will spend it all . When I draw the full amount it will be £ 809 , and I will then return home . " The prisoner said , " Will you give it to the poor ?"

      The othor said , " The poor skall never have a farthing of my money , " and pretended to be very tipsy . Prisoner then said , " Let us get it from him , and give it to the poor . " I sal J , " It will not be right to do so , as he has objected , but we ought to get bis address , and send it to him . '' The other man then produced the cards , and said , " I know nothing about you ; yon are a stronger to me . I will bet yon any thing you like , " and he laid down two sovereigns . I laid down two sovereigns alaa . Tlie prisoner then cut the cards , and the other man won . The other man proposed a bet of five sovereigns , which were placed on the table . Tho

      prisoner again cut the cards and the other man won . I believe I proposed to b « t ten sovereigns , and we placed our money on the table . Prisoner cut again , and the other man won . Prisoner kept saying te the other , " What a iHcky man yon are . " We carried on betting till I lost one £ 5 Bank of England note , one £ 10 Bank of England note , and forty six sovereigns . The other man then said , " Wait a bit till I go to the back-door . ' ! He went out , and I followed bim , but lost him . I returned into tbe house , and found tbe prisoner had thrown the cards into the fire . I then suspected I had been cheated . A constable came In and took the pr > soner into custody .

      Mr . Owen , who attended for the prisoner , cross-examined the witness , with considerable severity , as to his entering into gambling with Btr&ngers , and endeavoured to elicit an acknowledgment that he would have pocketed the £ 30 , of the man who had escaped , or any part of it , which he might bave won . The witness , however , strongly denied all such intent , alleging that he was solely actuated by a humane desire that the man ( though a stranger te him ) should not squander 1 mb money at the places he had mentioned , and that he should receive it " when he came to his senses . "

      James Berwiek Whiteley , landlord of the publichouse , » aid , that about one o'clock this day ( Friday ) he was called down stairs from his dinner , and saw the prisoner Rule in the lobby , and ho ( prisoner ) said to him , " Landlord , if you will come into the parlour all in a hurry , and say you will fetch a policeman , and that you will not , allow card playing , I will give you £ 5 in an hour ' s time . " Witness made some inquiries respecting thj prisoner and his company , and then went for a constable , He returned with police-officer Charnley , nnd went into tbe parlour along with the prosecutor The latter charged the prisoner with having < UftaudeA him of £ 61 at cards . IThe prisoner made no reply , &&d Charnley took him into custody . 7 ¦

      Jane Whitely , wifa of the last witness , eaid , bhe served the glasses called for between twelve and one o ' clock . About ten minutes after , the other man ( who haa escaped with the money ) came in and called fora glass of gin . That man and the prisoner she had both seen together in the house several times , and generally with strangers . Her husband mentioned to her the propesltion made to him by the prisoner , and she stated her supicions . npon which the constable was called , and the charge wan made against him by Fogg&tfc , aB stated . The police-officer Charnlay corroborated tbe facts stated as legavaod himself by tha two last witnesses . He found on the prisoner tho buiu of 5 s . 6 d . only . The prisoner , on feeing cautioned , Baid that the complainant had never accused him of having cheated him out of auybi .- . g , or of having betted with him at all , until the landlady came into the room with the confltabi'e , and said that she had scan him there before .

      Tho prisoner was committed for trial . He inquired whether he could be admitted to ball . As the case as it stood raolved' itself into ( we believe ) a misdemeanour , Mr . Rushton said he would be so admitted , by finding sureties , himself in £ 100 , and two others in £ 50 each , with forty-eight hours' notice of bail .

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      WELLINGTON , SALOP . ( Correspondence of the Evening Star . ) A few friends of the common cause , in this town , beg te forward their mite to you for the Defence Fund * There is at present no organised locality hem , and the enclosed trifle baa been collected by calling on the well-disposed at their homes . Those who have began the work will continue their exertions so long as they shall be needful or productive ; and they beg , at the same time , moat earnestly to call your atteniion . to the isolated and hitherto unnoticed case of Thomas Halford

      a most active and useful volunteer Chartist lecturer , now a prisoner In Shrewsbury gaol for using exciting language at a meeting in the neighbourhood of Iron Bridge . He is known to Linney and Mason , having been , as a member of the Coalbrookdale locality , mainly instrumental in the introduction of Chartism iato this Tory-ridden county , and in the getting np of the Demonstration on the Wrekin , where be spoke . He r > f teiwards took a house at Ketley , r . mong the csal and iron works , cbisfly in orJer to spread the If ^ ht cf truth among the colliers and others of that diatskt-

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      and at bis own door , once a week , delivered » omul , reasonable , and temperate lecture , besides attending tw » or three other places . He soon became a marked-jm * , and , consequently , had his body-guard of green dragons constantly at bis heels ; and as cool and biting sareaea is bis forte , he treated them eccadonsUjr la a way that excited tbeir ire , and that of tbeir employers , In no common degree . Aware of this , he has particolvlj guarded himself against giving them a chance , bat , determined not to be foiled , they bave broken through every barrier of law and justice , and be is now , an . friended and alone , in their power ; and being the only Chartist prisoner in the county , and unable , from tbe alarm excited by tbe late disturbances , to procure the heavy bail required , viz ., himself In : two bandied

      pounds , and two sureties in one hundred pounds each * besides extra bail , himself in fifty pounds , and two sureties in twenty-five pounds each , for good bebaviow until his trial ; he is , to use an old Irish saying , "At law with the devil , aud tbe court held in belL" Made what follows : —When taken he was committed for trial at Wenlock Sessions , an obscure Tory borough , where the " jolterheads" would hang , draw , and quarter such a man if they eould ; but for fear that even they could not for shame convict him , we are now informed on good authority , that they intend bis trial shall take place at the Assizes in March , thus making sure work of his Incarceration for the six winter months . His friends , the colliers , are beginning to do something for him and bis poor wife , who is in a destitute condition .

      N . B . The charge against Halford Is wholly and solely a quotation from Blackstone with regard to the right of the starving man to tote rather than perish , which has been put down as Halford ' s own words I

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      NATURAL RIGHTS . Muck has been said and written upon the great and practical advantages t * be derived from co-operative communities . But the advocates of those societies seem to overlook the fact that the system now established by common consent among all nations is in truth one vast system of co-operation . Is not tbe farmer raising pork and wheat for tbe weaver , and the weaver in return fabricating coat and pantaloons for the farmer , co-operating with each other , a * literally as if they domiciled nnder the same roof-tree ? Let the Measure of value be uniform and unfluctuating-

      let tbe farmer sell his produce at the price put upon it by an open market With the proceeds he can purchase the proceeds of the weaver's skill j and not only that , bnt tbe labour and ingenuity of ten thousand artisans are at his feet , soliciting him to take them in exchange , at prices regulated by public opinion , for the produce of his farm . This is indeed co-operation in its most eomprebenBive sense , and , if freed from the An&hnman influences that are at work upon it , it would present a system as much superior to the little hole-and-cornei communities that have been proposed , as the sun's light is superior to the dim and drowsy twinklings of a midnight taper .

      All human life , then , ! s one vast co-operative society . Tbeir capital is the soil and minerals of this whele earth , and all tho mechanical forces that are in existence , or may be called forth by human ingenuity . Why has the great co-partnership—instituted by God himself , and extending through all time and over all nations—why , I ask , has it been productive of bo little advantage to the great mass of tbe human family f The answer is—simply because a few directorsr selriiML upon the whole capital—made it their own individual property—and reduced the mass of the people from their natural position of working shareholders , to be mere drudges to the establishment .

      Search the entire page of past history and you wHl find that thus it has ever been . Look at ¦ the picture , destitution and woe , which is at this moment presented over Europe and "the East" Contemplate the causes that are iu active operation among ourselves , and see if there is anything in them to save us from the universal lot of all past and present nations . Nor Society has no escape—posterity has no escape—from servitude until Berne boundary is put to tbe individual accumulation of that capital stock which balengs , and inalienably

      belongs , to tbe whole human family . We may , if we please , adhere to the blind prejudices of tbe barbarous ages—we may in the plentitnde of our ignorance and infatuation Bet aside the well defined laws of nature , and the no less explicit injunctions of God's Word—we may permit individuals to monopolise the soul , and , Bbut out starving man from the f rultfulness of Nature , we may say to the grasping and the rapacious , " Go onf ; clutch all ; you have full liberty ! " but if we do so we are sure to pay the deep , deep , penalty of our unutterable folly .

      I do not propose a disruption of society—I urge no interference , present or prospective , with tfceiosrnership of personal property—I desira' not to limit individual accumulation of artificial wealth produced by man ' s labour . I fix ne bound to Jhe possession of houses , er anything created by man's hand 3 or reared by his industry—I do not approach , to disturb it , the present ownership of land—let all existing deeds and titles remain in full force , no matter how unjust or unreasonable such titles may be . What I propose to prohibit is , all FUTURE Monopoly of the Soil—to pass a law declaring that do deed executed or transferred , for the lime to come , shall be valid in law if granting , or convoying , to any individual more land than is necessary for such individual ' s rational requirements ; say a quantity not above the appraised value of 20 , 000 dollars , and in no case to exceed 500 * acres .

      Let this law be passed—let it become a provision of tho federal Constitution—let it be preserved intact as a sawed principle of our institutions , and in return it will preserve those institutions from change or decay , as long as » respect for freedom lives in the hearts of our descendants , even to the remotest ages of tbe world . But , on the other side , if you permit unprincipled and ambitious men to monopolize the soil ,: they will become masters of tbe country in the certain order ot

      cause and effect Holding in their hands ' the Storehouse of food , they will make men's physical necessities subdue thtir love of freedom . They will flood tha halls of legislation , sent there by the . votes of , tbeir dependant tenants . Then rapacity and wrong wiU assume all the due forms of "law and order "— then our unhappy descendants will be coerced , enslaved , famished , to death by Acts of Parliament—THEK resistance to the oppression will be stigmatized aa a ¦ crime" against lawful authority "—THEN onr country will career down the steeps of

      " Wealth , vice . Corruption , Barbarism , at last " - — onr fate will be the common fate , with this difference , that we will run pur vessel on the rocks with a full chart of the destruction spread out before us—we will madly dash upon the lee shore while ten thousand beacon lights flame above , to warn us off the danger . Reader ! You are a rational and accountable being . You are accountable , both te posterity and to your God . , Examine tkis question with that serious attention which is due to its great and far-reacting imp . rtance . If on a careful examination yon are satisfied that there is no danger ahead , then of course you are at liberty to " pass over on the ether side of the way" and offer no help , wbere , in your opinion , no help is required . . But if , on a deliberate examination , you come to the conclusion

      that there is danger to our institutions and to onr posterity from the unbounded accumulation cf wealth : then I call upon you not to lay down this book , and with it dismiss the subject from your thoughts . If you do so you are ntt doing your duty—you are not acting either a just or a manly part towards those countless nnllior . B whose bondage or freedom , whose weal or woe , is staked upon the momentous issue . Meet the necessity like a "Ban . Come to tbe rescue of our institutions while it is yet time . Put a stop to the accumulation of enormous wealth . Why , should it be suffered ? What good can accrue from it even to the rich men themselves ? Whether tqnaridered in riot and excess , or hoarded up with the iron-grasp of covetousness , i 8 it not alike subversive of morality and religion—alike pioduc

      Live of guilt acd crime ? Look into the simple : and harmonious laws of nature , aud see how h ' ttle man ' s' rational enjoymenta are dependent upon vast accumulations of wealth . Search the Scrip * tare , and there see the doom denounced against those who " lay up for themselves treasures on earth . " In pity even to those men themselves , limit their field of sordid accumulation . But still more prohibit it , in compassion to the countless myriads of coming posterity . Look to the example already furnished « n our own " free" hills . See bow thirty thousand freemen most - be degraded into serfs , in order to manufacture , and support one " Lord of the Soil ! " And , Wing'toese

      things , will you permit the soil—the source of man ' s sustenance—to become the prey of the monopolist ? No ! hut him take all else he pleases ; let him add house to house—let his storerooms groan with accumulated merchandise—let him heap all the gold and silver be can scrape together with his clutching and palsied band—but , ob , preserve THE SOIL from bis pollution . Let the cultivators of the soil be the proprietors of tbe soil . Do this , and whatever corruption may be engendered in cities by the baneful influence of wealth , will be purified and dissipated by tbe uripurchaseable virtue of an independent and rural populaXion . —Williamburgh Democrat .

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      Extraobmnary FECDNDiTr .. —Mr ., Masty . ' milkinan , at Horfield , has in mS possession a sow , two years and three months old " , which' ba ' 3 farrowed , in the short epaooiiof eighteen months , the extraordinary number of , fifty-one pigs , aodvuth the ^ exception of one , they have all beep reared . t ,,. , j . .. Alice Lowe , ft girl cbArged by Lprd I > ankfoik with stealing the ' trinkets , with whieh , she was lavishly adorned by his Lordship , while under his " protection , " has been committed for trial . On being asked by the magistrate what ; she had to-fay ' for herself , her xepfcr was , •? / Oh , sir . ' Ih * vepnly tosay

      that the whole of . the tbing 3 produced Lord FraaKfort gave me . They were given to me to indnee me . to go and live with him . " ( At the conclusion of tha brief statement the prisoner covered her- faee with her hands , and applied her handkerchief to herfaoe . ) His Lordship , who appeared not a little ashamed of himself , wa 9 glad to mafes Wb exit from the court privately , but was recognised by thr > mob , and most cordially booted . The girl is de scribed aa very handsome , with" an expression , of chetriulaess blended with innocenco in her cou : ) tcnaaee . whica has a very winning effect . "

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      6 THE NORTHERN STAR , ___________ ^ ¦ ^ ————_____ . . . _ . _ , ' -. - ¦ ; _______—_—_— - ¦ - — ' ¦ ¦¦¦—¦¦ - —— ¦ - - - .. —¦¦ -. — ' ¦¦ - — ' ¦ i ....-. — ... . m , 1 1 ... — . 1 , M . ' , , g - — Tt

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Oct. 29, 1842, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct911/page/6/