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Northern Star (1837-1852), 18th March 1843, Edition 5 of 5, Page 7, Untitled Article

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    • Ct)Artt0t &nUlli$ence.
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      BOUSE OF LORDS . —Moitdat Maech 13 , IbeXO Bi ) < JHA 5 CEU . OB drew attention to tbe state jg the liw relating to persons committing Crimea tinder . ^ IiJInenEe of insanity . He reviewed the proceedings in 2 ib case of HTfaughten , and saia that it was impossible jot the Jury tonsro come to anyDther verdict , though he v ould have preferred that the trial had net been abjsrpily terminated . As to the law itself , it -was the ^ ane which had always prevailed , not only in England snd Scotland , but in France , Germany , and other

      eonn-Hies , and which was based on the law of humanity . He did not think that any alteration in the law was accessary , and all he considered requisite was a more ^ ic&rs measure of precaution . A hill of this nafc »* 8 Trosia be ready in a few days ; though looking ** ' the j ^ tnre and latent character of the disease , he ^ idnot ^ siJcpaie that it would prove absolutely effectnaL gnch oecnrrences occasionally happened- ° t only in ^ joi but in other countries , and , he fe »*« d » wonld occur jjereafter , in spite cf all precaution though he hoped ^ ce forthcoming bin wonld proTP ^ nie check npon their repetition in this country . that all that

      lard BBOCGHiM » ryne <» was regnired V& 8 whether the Indlvi ^ *! knew that he was doing -wrong , or , in other w" 38 . violating the law . Judges fbDiOa direct jnjlf »" £ o *«* rtain whether 01 not persons tffce M'Sroghv * knew that they -were committing a breach of tN " law ; * ° d * f they were capable or eomjnehendiw that fact , and cognizant of it at the time y ^ jB . dUaog file crime , that then they should be liable r nrfl " hwipnt - ^ ftersome observatians from Lords Cotibsbam and ^ iUPBELL , * £ hBLom > Chancellor remarked , that the eonsiflsafion of the Government had been * directed to the Kiigect of tha prevention of such individuals as Oxford , J&aas , * Co from being made public spectacles ; but etera W 3 S no necessity for legislating on it , « Ker jlsjesty already had the power of placing them under -jes&sliit . He ¦ would take the earliest opportunity , if iagii lordships desired it , © f amunonhig the judges -jo grre thsir opinions of the whole question . Tee House then adjourned .

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      BOUSE OF COMMONS . —Moxdat , Kabch 13 . Jn answer to 2 dr Mackixsos , lord Stanley said Jt&i the Gaveajment had aofc yet xecerred any other Baa Imperfect ^ accounts from Antigua j bat he feared ihsi * he details 5 n the newspapers , as to the extent of tha danffl ^ e from the earthquake , were Dot iexaggeTated . It might , hereafter , be the duty of the Government to call en tie House to aid the colony with -a loan , the only shape in which they conld afford lelief . Oa tB 9 motion for going into a Committee of Ways and ileant .

      Jfz . Bottrtsg entered into an explanation of some tiaieinenta which had been made during the discussion nl the Ordnance estimates on the subject of retaining tr » ep » and establishing barracks in the town of Bolton . Be knew that many individuals in that town approved cfihe presence of the troeps and the erection of barsacks , bat the principal ratepayers haying been called together , joined in a resolution which he would read to iheHonsa Ibe resdntian referred to the patient and peaceful demeanour of the population o ! the town and soghbourhood under the unexampled privations and Baferiugs which they had undergone ; it stated that the meeting ssw in the present moTement of the Executive

      t very alarming indication of an intention to bring tie country under a system of military despotism , and it expressed the opinion of the meeting that it was not de--szaWe , under existing tirenmstanees , to assist in any arrangements having for their object the establishment of a mSHtary xtafion At Iklton , ThiB resolution iras signed by thes gentleman who , at the period of its adoption , was the Mayor of Bolton . He < Dr . Bowling ) considered , then , that the statement he had made was fully warranted . —that the feeling of the people of Bdton was unfavourable to the creation of barracks , or to the establishment of a military station is that town .

      Mr . P- Aisswokth thought it right to inform the House that the meeting to which his Hon . Colleagne had referred was attended by-only nineteen individuals ; and the Hayor ot Bolton . in ibrwarding the resolution to CoL Wemysa , sated that he and his broths * Jlsgistatesdld noiconcur in the opinions which it expressed , lor they conceived it necessary , under the then existing erenmstances , that the military should be retained in the town . In April the Mayor addressed a communication to the Bight Hon . Baronet , the Secretary of State lor the Home T > epaitHient , in which he stated that the inhabitants had agreed to provide temporary accommodation for the troops , and he alss expressed his conviction that the military ought not then to be removed . He ( Mr . Ainswerlh ) begged to inform his Hon . Colleague that the inhabitants of Bolton raised a subscription , amounting to £ 128 , for the pnrpose of providing

      temporary accommodation for the military : He wished to pat it to theHouse whether they did not flunk that the Major -and Magistrates of Bolton > " ^ evinced prudence and caution in the course they had adopted ? In the autumn 4 jf last year that town was visited by a lawless xnob from a distance , who took possession of <•>« tows , plundered . the . provision shops , turned ant the artisans , and stopped . the mills ; -and , without the aid oi the military and of the yeomanry cavalry , It wonld have been impossible to drive the mob from the place . He Cfectendsd , then , that the Magistrates hod acted with laudable discretion . He might be allowed to state that one of the persons who attended the meeting to which 2 ns Hon . Colleague had Blinded , was one of the first to inquire the aaoEtance of the military for the protection of iisown property—( hear , hear ) . Dr . BowjuavJ exnlained .

      2 ix . Aesswobth . said in application had been made to the Bight Hon . Gentieman , the Secretary for the Home Department , to permit the erection of new barjackB in Bolton , instead of repairing the old ones . To this request the Bight Hon . Baronet declined to accede ; bat he stated that , in consequence of the opinion which had been expressed in the borough , with respect to the retention of the troops , the eld barracks should be repaired .

      THE CHABTIST TRIALS AT LANCASTER . Hr- M . GJB 505 said , he wished to put a question to ihe Bight Hon . Baronet opposite ( Sir J . Graham } with respect to certain proceedings which had taken place at the recent Chartist trials at Lancaster . Any one who had read the evidence adduced on those trials must lave perceived that numerous attempts were made to drag in the names of parties who had taken an active part in opposition to the corn laws , and who had supported the Anti-Corn law League . Endeavours were ¦ marl a to excite an impresn&n that these parties were the originators of those disturbances which took place a Iswmonths aaca in the manufacturing districts ; bat the attemptslaDed most completely and signally . The

      attempts to which he referred were of such a remarkable character , that they el ' eited aa observation from the Xeamed Judge , who said , " I have not been able to understand what the introduction , which has been made seTEral -ttm *» , of the names of parties connected with the Anti-Corn la-w League , and of oihes parties , car have to do with the present question . " A similar feeling was entertained by a great number of persons * he were present during the trial ; they felt that an attempt was made to inculpate parties who , not being before the court , did not posstss the means of refuting tksr accusation . One of the witnesses who gave evidence of ihis nature was a person named James Wilcox , who was called for the prosecution by the Attorney-General , and upon his cross-examination by ilr . F . O'Gonner an attempt was made to draw statements from him

      2 Ii . B . Escott wished to know whether the Hon . IIember-for Manchester was in order in thus introducing a question arising upon a trial which took plice is a distant part of ths coanfcry . ' ( Cries oi 11 order . " ) The Spzaexb said the Hon . Member for Manchester tas in order , there being now a qnesiion before the House . 23 . 1 . M . GiBSOS eontinaed . —The Afctarney-GsBeral called as a witness for the prostcntion a person namtd 3 smes Wilcox . who stated , as it appeared to him * Hr . Gibson ] from a perusal of the trial , some very unimportant facts , but in ths cross-examination of this witness , by Mr . Feargus 0 "Gonn&r , an attempt was made to draw from him statements calculated to inculpate

      the Anti-Corn law League . This witness stated in the comse of hii examination , that previously to the trial be had been in correspondence with the Right Hon . Baronet the Secretary of State for the Hose Department , and he fHr . Gibson ) wished to ask that Bight Bon . Gentleman whether he would o > ject to lay on the table of the House any letters or correspondence which had passed between hisiself and Mr . James Wilcox . Alihoogb he had no doubt that all the proceedings connected with the recent trials had been perfectly regular , he must confess he regarded it as extraordinary , fiat the Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir James Graham , ) who was tubiceaed by Sir . Feargus O'Connor as a witness

      lor the jU&mce , shonld lETe "been allo-wed to leare Ianttster on condition that Mr . James Wileox , a witness 6 a the prosecution , jihonld be called in his stead . He thought it strange that one of the defendants shonld obstatute a "witness for the prosecution for one whoa he hid subjeaed in his own defence . He had derived the i&furniation which he possessed on EM » subject from lading the reports of the trial in the nswspapea , and if he had misstated any fact lie loped that « ome Hon . iteEbcr would correct him . He had no deubt the proceedings had been quite regnlar ; but he wished to know whether the Bight Hon . Baronet "would object to Jae production of the whole correspondence on this ^ abject ?

      Sir J . Gbabah would enleavonr to answer the iSnssStansftfce Hon . Member as 1 st as the circumstances io width he had referred came wiaiin his own knowedge . He had been informed just beforfrhs came down VtaA the Hon . Member for Manchester intended to pnt » question to himas to his sorraspendenee wifch a person named Wileox .-He ( Sir J Graham ) did not remember having heard the name of that person until he was present in the Court House , at Lancaster , nponasub ptBsa -which he received from ene of the defenflsnts in BisJeeent trial , when the Attorney- Geaeral informed « 5 si that Ms presence was no longer necessary , as an toanrement had been made that a person of the name of "Wiicex ibwnld be caDe § inhis place . His Hon . snd ^ ^ nied Friend { the Attomey-GeTseral ) wonld state the Sfrggmpfrocss which led to that arrangement . Until

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      the same of James Wilcox was mentioned on tl * t occasion , he ( Sir J . Graham ) was sot aware th « t he had ever heard of that person , but it was n ^ * etated that in ths course of the last autumn this individual addressed & letter to him . Ha >* Sir J . Graham ) had searched the public records of-ws office , as well as his private correspondence , an % conld he Had no traee of such correspondence- tratthat he had not the slightest recollection of tiv receipt of any letter from a person of the name of Wilcox . At the time « f the outbreak he

      receiT ^ very numerous communications by letter from the disturbed districts , but he was in the habit of ending / all letters bearing upon the transactions to the solicitor -who was employed by the Government to institnte prosecutions . He bad not had an opportunity of communicating with that officer since the Hon . Member for Manchester intimated his intention of proposing this question ; but he would apply to him , and perhaps he might possess some knowledge of the letter referred to . The AlTOKJiET-GEKERAL said , as the Hon . Member opp&site had expressed surprise that a witness for the prosecution should have beefl accepted by ene of the defendants in the place of the Bight Hen . Gentleman , it might be satisfactory for him to Btate to the Honsa

      the circumstances under which the arrangement was made . The Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) was . subTceined by one of the defendants to attend at Lancaster , and he accordingly proceeded theTe , although his absence from town was attended with great inconvenience to the public service . Some communication took place between him ( the Attorney-General ) and tLe Hon Member for Sntherlandshire ( Mr . D . Dondas ) , who appeared for one of tie prisoners ; and he was informed that as the presence of the Bight Hon . Baronet was required in London , it was intended by the defendant to call in his place a person named Wilcox , who , it was supposed , was in attendance as a -witness for the prosecution . A communication was made to him ( the Attomej-Gameral ; that if it was intended to c = vli Wilcox .

      Mr . Fear ^ us O / Connoi was willing that the Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) should return to London , as he expected to get from Wilcox all the information he wished to obtain from th § Bight Hon . Baronet His ( the Attorney-General ' s ) intention was , from a regard to the interests of the country , to have examined Wlicox , irrespective of any such arrangement as that to which he had allnded . The Hon . and Iiearned Member for Satherlandshire also conceived that the further attendance of the Bight Hon . Baronet would be unnecessary j and be ( the Attorney-General ) , therefore , publicly informed the Learned Judge of the arrangement He conld not recollect , at thiB moment , for what precise object Wilcox was called on behalf of the prosecution ; but he did remember that his evidence was necessary for the identification of some of the defend .

      ants with csrtain transactions which occurred daring the outbreak in Lancashire . Wilcox was examined for the prosecution , and he was then cross-examined by Mr . O'Connor with reference altogether to certain communications made by him to the Home Department . He ( the-Attorney-General ) ebjeeted to thin Hue 0 / ^ j . amination , stating that although he did not wish to place Mr , O'Connor in a worse position than he would have been in had his Right Hon . Friend ( Sir J . Graham Dean examined , he must put it to the court whether , if that Bight Hon . Gantleman had been under p-mTTrination , he could have been called upon to produce the communications to which reference was made ; and the Learned Judge decided that if those communications were made to the Bight Hon . Gentleman in his official opacity , he could not be required to produce them .

      He ( the Attorney-General ) could assure the Hoase that , throughout the proceedings , he had objected to all questions which could tend to inculpate parties who were not befere the court ( Hear , hear . ) He was sure that if any Hon . Member had read the proceedings attentively , be must have observed that he ( the Attorney-General ) had , while he endeavoured to bring distinctly before the court the procedings of the defendants-of which he complained , cautiously and religiously prevented , as far as he could , the utterance of any reflection upon absent persona , and the moment an attempt was made to elicit evidence reflecting on absent persons , with regard to whom such evidence would have been a calumny , he interposed all the authority which lie possessed in order to confine the investigation to the single judicial purpose for which it was instituted . fHeai , hear )

      Mr . M . Gibsoh had not imputed to the Hon . and Learned Attorney-General , as the prosecutor in the case to which he had alluded , any desire to inculpate absent parties . Having read tbe evidence throughout he was willing to admit that the Hon . and Learned Member did , on many occasions , prevent witnesses from making statements which would have tended to criminate persons who were not present ; but he adhered to his former statement , that in the course of the trial attempts were made of so marked a character ( loud dies of " order" ? to drag in tbe names of absent individuals ( renewed shouts of " order ' ; , that the Learned Jndge—The Speaker said , the Hon . Member must be aware that he could not again address theHouse on the subject on which he had before spoken .

      Mr . T . Dcscombe thought it right to state that be had received several communications with reference to the trials to which allusion had been made , and he was bound to say that the conduct of the Attorney-General had given universal satisfaction to men of all parties . — ( Hear , hear . )

      THE HALIFAX BOARD OF GUABDIANS . On the question that the Speaker do leave the chah preparatory to the House resolving itself into committee of ways and means , Mr . FBK&A 3 D rose to move , as an amendment , for a list of the guardians of the Halifax Union who assembled at the Board on Wednesday , the 1 st of March instant , specifying the ex oJReio guardians from the elected guardians ; also a list of the guardians who were not present , specifying the ex ojj icio guardians from the elected guardians ; also tbe name of the Assistant Poor Liw Commissioner who attended tbe board ; also a copy of their minutes and proceedings as well as of che resolutions adopted by the board ; also a copy of all notices given at any preceding meeting of

      '¦ the board relating to any proceeding or resolution I adopted by the board on the 1 st day of March . 1 He felt that in bringing forward thiB motion he owed some apology to the House and to the Bight Hon . Gen-! tleman , the Chancellor of the Exchequer . He had , a ' . few days ago , requested the production of certain . papers relative to the proceedings of the Halifax Board ; of Guardians , and if the Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir . James Graham ) had acceded to that reqnest it would i not have been necessary for him to adopt his present course . In the discharge of his parliamentary duties i he ( Mr . F « rrand ) had deemed it necessary to allude to the conduct of Mr . Clements , an assistant Poor Law Commissioner . He stated that , from information he had received from private Bources , and from

      public papers , he considered that Mr . Clements had conducted himBelf in an insolent and overbearing : manner in attempting to enforce the Poor Law in all , its rigour . Mr . Clements , while actinf at the Halifax Board of Guardians , bad thought proper to assist in passing a vote of censure upon his (> lr . Ferrand'a ) conduct far having alluded to him in this Bouse . He nnderstoed that there was reason to believe that that meeting , at which eighteen guardians attended , was not convened by a proper notice issued by the clerk to tbe i who ' * body of guardians . At that meeting the Board I of Guardians resolved tkat a strong athletic man should > be appointed , at a weekly salary , to act in the capacity ; of taskmaster , for the purpose of applying a more to the It

      ^ severe test out-door labourers . woald be j found that the Board of GuardianB having , with tbe ; sanction of Mr . Clements , decided upon adopting a more severe test in respett of out-door labour , had also ¦ decided npon adopting a more severe test within the ' workhouse . The question was brought before tbe " board how that test could be most advantageously en-¦ forced , and different plans having been proposed , that of ' s treadwheel was discussed , and how many men it . wonld employ . This tread-wheel the Board of : guardians directed to fee erected , and a member of tbe I board undertook to see it erected . He had stated this , some time ago , when he last addressed the bouse on this ' subjest . The Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) ' stated that it was not so , and that , instead of a

      tread-• wheel to be applied to a rack machine , there was © nly - to be erected a hand-mill for corn . He ( Mr . Ferrandj I next day received moreinfonnationfroin another persom ; The Bight Hon . Baronet , however , again said that the ! mill was only a corn-mill , and that he was told that by ' the Poor Law Commissioners . The board of guardians ! of the Halifax Union had passed a resolution reflecting , on words used by him in the discharge of his duty to ¦¦ his constituents and to the country—a resolution which ¦ had been brought to the board from his own house by 4 one of the ex oficio guardians , and this was passed by tbe Board of Guardians , Mr . Clements , the Assistant Poor Law Commissioner , assisting at the meeting . The same day an order was passed , with the sanctien and

      ajjprobation of > Tt . Clements , for excluding theieporters of the pnblic press from the board-room during tbe meetings of the board . But what sort of a eom-mill had been erected , did the House think ? Why , none at all ; but , instead , & rag machine had been erected , for the purpose of grinding rags obtained from the poor of the towns on the continent , and impregnated with all manner of contagion and filth , and he was told that the stench was so great , and the dust arising from the grinding so oppressing , that they had the greatest difficulty hi parts of Yorkshire , where rags of this kind were ground for the purpose of defrauding by the doth manufacturers , to get persons to undertake the work But , in order to make this more of an infliction on the poor pauper , the wheel was to be tnmea

      worked bj capstans ; which were to be by the pote like borsea . These capstans were to be worked at not only by the feet , but by tbe hands and breasts . According ti > the opinion of a medical gentler man idiom he bad seen , it was highly injurious to the health to labour in this way , and was likely to end hi apoplexy . This waswhat was abent to be erected in tbe Halifax union , workhouse for the employmaat of the -poor there , either with or without the knowledge of fije Poor Law CommiasloneM ; if they know of it , then they had deceived the House in the statement which they had authorizad the Right Hon . Baronet to make in his place ; if they did not know of it , then they had neglected thtir duty . But he wonld call the attention of the Hoase to a corn mill within a stone ' s

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      throw of the place where they were sitting . In the Lambeth union workhouse a corn-mill had been erected for the purpose of more severely testing the labour of the poor ; and he asked the House to decide , that night , whether such things were to be suffered in this country or sot At this com mill , in the Lambeth union workhoase , he found it was intended that sixty-four persons were to work at once ; sixteen at indoor labour , and forty-eight at outdoor . The mill was worked by one crank , which was so large that every time these poor wretches worked they mnsfc bend with their bands to the ground . The mill was under a shed . And what was the object of this contrivance ? Why , whenever a poor person came to the workhouse to ask for a loaf of bread , he was to be shown those poor wretches working at the crank under a shed—Ihtar , hear , hear ) . But another exposure , had taken

      piaoe that day . In a leading article in The Times newspaper of that day it was stated , that within the last seven years 9 . 315 persons had been committed to prison in England and Wales fer offences against the rules and regulations of union workhouses , and that in the year 1812 no fewer than 2 , 299 persons had been imprisoned in her Majesty ' s gaols for breaches of those rules and regulations . He would not detain tbe House further ; he would only say that the Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) had insinuated that he ( Mi . Ferrand ) had stated in the House what was not true , and the Bight Hon . Baronet called oa the House no » to place too much confidence in what he said , Now , whatever he might think of the Bight Hon . Baronet ' s conduct to him , a supporter of her Majesty ' s Government , as he had been , whenever he conscientiously could be , he had to tell the Right Hon . Baronet that tbe question was between tbe Right Hon . Baronet and himself which of their

      statements coincided with truth . If the Right Hon . Bart , could induce the H « use to agree to refuse these resolutions , still he ( Mr . Ferrand ) , it must be remembered , was courting every inquiry . He desired nothing more than that tbe matter should be sifted fully , and that the Right Hon . Baronet and himself should be placed fairly before the country . If the Right Hon . Baronet succeeded in refusing the papers , the country would conclude that he was convinced that the production of the papers weuld show not only so much cruelty , and such ill-treatment of the poor that it would not be expedient to produce them , but also that if tbe poor did sot like to enter an union workhouse , they had nothing left to look forward to but the Right Hon . Baronet ' s com-milL Mr . Walter seconded the motion .

      Sir J . 6 BAHAM hoped the House would agree with him that on tbe present occasien it wonld not be expedient that he should follow tha Hon . Member for Knaresborough ( Mr . Ferrand ) into any of the new matter that he had adduced . The Hon . Member had raised the question for the first time of the Lambeth Union workhouse . He ( Sir James Graham ) did not intend to follow the Hon . Member into that subject He had had no opportunity to enable him to test the accuracy of the Hon . Member ' s information . Much less did he intend to follow tbe Hon . Member to the leading article of the Times newspaper , or into anything which might have been stated there that morning . It would be much better , in his opinion , to confine himself to the motion before the house . The Hon . Member had charged him with saying that he ( Mr . Ferrand ) had

      made an untrue statement to tbe house . His ( Sir Job . Graham ' s ) respect for the House—he had almost said for himself—would have prevented him , be trusted , from doing any such thing ; but he did say , that from the zeal of the Hon . Member he received such exaggerated statements , that without the Hon . Gentleman ' s meaning it , if the House were to affix any credit to those statements they would infallibly be mistaken . —( Hear , hear . ) The real question upon the present occasion was , not as to the intended erection of , a ragmill in the Halifax Union Workhouse ; it was not whether the mill was to be turned by a capstan or any other power ; but the House would remember that the statement of the Hon . Member was that a treadmill was erected there , Mr , Ferband . —I said a treadwheel .

      Sir J . Gkaham resumed , by observing , that he understood it to be a treadmill , according to the Hon . Member ' s statement , and the Hon . Gentleman went so far as to Bay that the workhouses were to be made prisons of ; and he ( Pir J . Graham ) , taking the usual acceptance of the term " treadmill , " positively denied , as far as he was informed , that any treadmill was to be erected in the workhouse in question . The Hon . Gentleman hod that evening wandered away to a ragmill ; but this was not much to the purpose , because he ( Sir J . Graham ) did not say that no mill had been erected ; he did say that tbe mill in question was to be worked by hand . He believed that it was to be applied to the grinding of corn . He was mistaken . The mill was not to be applied to grind corn , but rags ; with that

      exception he was satisfied that bis nr&t statement to the House was not in the least incorrect Tbe Right Hon . Gentleman then proceeded to read a letter from Mr . Clements , in whick he stated that the guardians of the Halifax Unio . i had taken Bteps for tha erection of a hand-mill for the purpose of giving work to the idle paupers who had no objection to remain in the woikhouse . The Bight Hon . Gentleman then went on to cay that he was glad to see the Hen . Member fer Halifax ( Mr . C Wood ) in his place , because , he ( Sir J . Graham ) had received a letter from a gentleman who appeared to be a member of tbe Halifax Board of Guardians , and who referred him to the Member for Halifax for his respectability . The gentleman ' s name was CoolstOH , and he said , that having observed it

      stated that the Board of Guardians of the Halifax Union proposed to erect a treadwheel in the workhouse , and that Mr . Clements had not prevented it , he could only say that no such thing had taken place , and that , if there bad , every member of tha board would have scouted it It was true a rag mill had been erected . With the exception , therefore , that the mill was intended for grinding rags instead of corn , he ( Sir J . Graham ) appealed t- > the House whether the original statement was not correct , and whether the Hon . Gentleman had not failed in making out his case ? In fact , he ( Sir J . Graham ) considered that this motion was tbe same substantially as that which the Bon . Gentleman brought forward the other day , and -which tbe Hoase rejected

      by so largea majority ; and although , strictly speaking , there m ? ght have been some breach of privilege involved in the conduct of the Board of Guardians of tbe Halifax Union , he conld not think that it would ba advisable for the House to embark on a question of breach of privilege under the guidance of the Hon . Member for Knaresborough . It would not be prudent—it would not be discreet With fespect to Mr . Clements he conld only say , that he was present merely when the resolution was passed ; be was no party to it whatever . Tbe Hon . Member had stated , that Mr . Clements had conducted himBelf in au insolent and overbearing manner at a meeting of the board of guardians towards those who , as guardians and relieving-ofiicers , had been a great many years in the service of the public , and

      that charce of the Hon . Member ' s being both unjust and inaccurate , he ( Sir J . Graham ) could not see any great objection , beyond the technical one relative to privilege , in their coming to a resolution that the condnct of Mr . Clements was not such as had been described , and not deserving the censure that the Hon . Member had passed upon it , and that the Hon . Member ' s statement was incorrect With reference to tbe course he should propose to the House to adopt on this occasion , it seemed to be most convenient that he should merely ask for their support of the original motion , and so avoid the difficulty of the breach of privilege which the Hon . Gentleman seemed to have intended to raise . By so doing , they would be adhering to the course to which they had given their sanction the other night

      Mr . C . Wood said that , being called upon by the Right Hon . Baronet , be had pleasure in stating tbat Mr . Conlat&n was ene of the most respectable persons hi Halifax , and that his assertions might be perfectly jelied on . The board of guardians had been expressly of opinion that Mr . Clements had not been at all deserving of the charges brought against him by the Hon . Member for Enaresborougb for any part of his conduct to them . Mr . Boss said , he rose to explain and apologize to the House for having been perfectly wrong in what he said about Mr . Clements the other night There was another apology which he wished to make . When tbe Hon . Member for Knaresborougb moved to call Mr . Clements to the bar of the House , he ( Mr . Ross ) was so convinced

      that Mr . Clements was quite ready to meet any charges that migbt be brought against him , tbat he said if the Hon . Member for Nottingham did not Becond the motion he ( Mr . Ross ) would ; but when the Right Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) spoke , he ( Mr . Ross ) saw that he was wrong , and it turned ont that he was the means of leading some Hon . Members to vote with the Hon . Member for KnareBborough who would not otherwise have done so—( "Hear , " and laughter . ) But ho had only to propose to the Hon . Member for Knaresbotough with respect to this subject , as far as Mr . Clements was concerned , teat he should be happy to be the means of introducing Mr . Clements , who was now in town , to the Hon . Member—( A laugh . ) Mr . B . Yobkb said he did not find that there had been any positive-contradiction given to what tbe Hon . Member for . Knaresborough had asserted . It seemed there had been a meeting—a packed meeting , as he

      called it , from not having been regularly summoned , of the board of guardians , at which was passed the resolution in question , which the Hon . Member aaid had been brought ready cut and ; dried from his own house by one of the ex afficio guardians . Now this looked , he must say , very much as if tbe resolution bad been preconcerted , and if preconcerted , it was not impossible that it might proceed from personal motives ; and that possibility appeared the more striking when they found tbat the board of guardians had since refused the reporters of the public press admittance to their proceedings . Consequently , though © n the last occasion on which this subject was before the House he ( Mr . R . Yorfce ) had voted against the Hon Member fer Knaresborongb , and though it was not his wish to give a wild vote , yet , acting Independently , and" seeing no inconvenience likely to arise from the production of these papers , he should vote for tee amendment of the Hon . Member . :

      Mr . C . Wood was understood to Bay , that he considered the Hon . Member / or Knaresboiough was mistaken as to the resolution . Mr . B . Escoti thought the Hon . Member for Knaresborough could answer himself , and overturn his own argument , for . as related to tbe use of tbe tread wheel , the motion of the Hon , Gentleman could , not be sts-

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      tained npon any substantial ground . As to the exclusion of reporters ; the ! board of guardians were authosired to adopt that course by the powers vested in them by Parliament . ( Heat , hear . ) He ( Mr . Escott ) could not therefore vote for the motion of the Hon . Member for Knaresborough affe * the substantial ground of the motien was taken away . Mr , Wallace considered It a matter of great importance that there should be no concealiaent in matters relating te the manner in which the poor were treated in the Union workhouses—( hear , hear ) . If , as it was calculated , 1 , 500 , 000 persons were subjected to the regulations by which the Union workhouses were

      regulated , it was the imperative duty of Kigliah gentlemen to look to the regulations to which they were subjected —( hear , hear ) . He was sorry that the question of privilege should be 1 b any way mixed ap with the present motion , and ; he would therefore not address himself to that point , bufc with respect to tha uso of a mill—whether the motion waa upward or downward , or backward , or forward , it did not signify—if labour in that shape was imposed , the matter ought to be inquired into—( hear , hear ) . If it were a mill for grinding rags , or for making what tha Hon Member for KnareB borough called last year "the devil ' s dust , " to be used as manure , or tor other purposes , nothing could be more unwholesome or destructive to the human ,

      frame—( hear , hear ) . The question was of additional importance , inasmuch as it was in contemplation to introduce poor laws into Scotland , and it was desirable that the people who were likely to be subject toita operation should know the manner in which it was intended to employ them—( hear , hear ) . He hoped the Noble Lord the Member for Dorsetshire , who had rendered such service to his country—( cheers)—by taking up the questions of factories and mines , would take care to see that the poor people of thiB country should not be engaged in such an unwholesome employment as grinding rags into dust—( hear , hear ) . With this view of the case , he would support the motion of the Hon . Member for Knareaborough .

      Mr . J . WOB . TLEY objeeted to the motion . If the House wished to obtain information respecting the machinery used for the purposes of labour in the Halifax Union , the proper mode would be- to move for any communication on the subject between the Poor Law Commissioners . and the board of guardians of Halifax —( hear , hear ) . If each a motion were made he was sure the Right Hon . Baronet at the Head of the Home Department woald not object to it , and he ( Mr . Wortley ) would make such a motion—( hear , hear . ) Mr . Ferrand's only object was to let the House and

      the country know what had taken place . He found tbat there was a treadwheel ordered for the Halifax Union , which was to hold from four to forty persona He did not know what had since occurred , and he would take no steps to bring Mr . Clements to the bar of the House if the papers were produced . Mr . S . Crawford felt himself bound to vote for tbe motion , with a view to obtain information as respected the manner in which the poor were treated in the workhouse ; but in voting for the motion it was not his wish to go into the privilege question .

      Mr . Hume would support the motion of the Hon . Member for Knaresborough , on tbe ground that when there were any complaints as to abuses with respect to the labour done in workhouses no attempt at secrecy should be made by excluding tha press . Under such circumstances , inquiry became incumbent , and therefore the Right Hon . Baronet ( Sir James Graham ) ought not to objeet to the production of ths papers asked for by the Hon . Member for Knaresborough—( . hear , hear ) . Sir J . Graham woald admit that if abuses were

      alleged to exist in the practice of any Union workhouse it was fit and proper that tbe House should inquire into the subject ; and if the Hon . Member for the West Riding of Yorkshire ( Mr . Wortley ) wished to move for papers relating to the nature of the wheel used and the work done in the Halifax workhouse , there would be no objection to their production ; but the motion of the Hon . Member for Knaresbprough referred to the production of the resolution of the board of guardians , which he before alleged to be a breach of privilege , and to such a motion he would strenuously object—( Hear , hear . )

      The gallery was then cleared for a division , but none took place . On ouc return we found Sir . R . Peel arguing that the motion of the Hon . Member for Knaresborough pointed to no distinct object He ( Sir R . Peel ) understood it as a renewal of the question of privilege , and that it was the intention of the Hod . Gentleman to enforce the charge against Mr . Clements . Into that question the House , in his opinion , had better not enter . —( Hear , hear . ) No person had more at heart tbe privileges of the House than ha , but it waa because of his regard for them that he would not wish to enforce a debate on

      them in the present instance . It was very natural if a man's personal character was injured by an erroneous imputation in that House , that he should endeavour to free himself from it , and it would be very hard if he Were not at liberty to do so —( hear , hear ) The HouBe did not enforce its privileges with respect te tbe publication of the debates , and it was natural if a man wte injured by those publications that he should try and set himself right —( hear , hear ) . Mr . T . DunC 0 MBB said , he understood tbe motion to be , tbat if the House were put in possession of certain official papers the Hon . Member for Knaresborongh would exculpate Mr . Clements from any charge of breach ef privilege . As the Home was about to alter the New Poor Law , it was desirable that it should be

      put in possession of the character and working of one of the union workhouses , which was looked upon as a pattern one —( hear , hear ) . The Hon . Member for Knaresborough only asked for the proceedings and minutes relating to a particular day , and those minutes were refused , on the ground that tbe motion waa mixed up with the question of privilege . These questions bad nothing to do with privilege , and it was proper that tbe House should know what was done by Mr . Clements or by tbe board of guardians under his influence —( hear , hear ) . Why , be should like to know , were copies of the proceedings refused ? The resolution did not reflect on Mr . Clements , it merely asked tot certain papers , that the Hoase might be put in possession of what occurred on a particular day—( hear , bear ) . They

      could not legislato fairly on the amendments proposed to be made in the Poor Law if the papers were refused 7—( hear , hear ) . * Lord J . Russell did not understand the question in the way in which it appeared to be understood by the Hon . Member for Finabury , and ho would therefore vote the other way . After what had fallen from the Right Hon . Gentleman the Secretary for the Home Department , he understood that there was noobjection to furnish every information respecting the nature of the work done or the manner of employment in the Halifax Union workhouse—( hear , hear ) . He could not infer from the course adopted by Government any intention of withholding information either as to that or any other workhouse ; but the Hon . Member for Knaresborough ,

      amongBt other grievances , complained of a breach of privilege on the part of Mr . Clements , an Assistant Poor Law Commissioner , and grounded the complaint on a resolution adopted by the Board of Guardians at Halifax—( hear , hear ) . The House did not shut out the reporters from the press , and when it was stated in the papers in tbe report of a speech that certain things which were done by the Poor Law Guardians , they came to some resolution to the contrary . He objected , then , to that part of the resolution which would bring the House into a contest with the guardians for honestly denying what bad been attributed to them . He could not see the use of such contests ; but as regarded tbe other part—namely , the manner in which the union was conducted and the work performed , he thought that every information should be given—( hear ) .

      Mr . G . Knight said , he had an account of the matter yesterday from Mr . Clement ' s own lips , and thai gentleman assured'him ' that be had used no influeece with the Board of Guardians to induce them to pass tbe resolution , nor had he any hand at all in it Mr . Clements was present when it passed , but he did not wish it to pass , nor had it his concurrence . Mr . Clements also told him tkat there was neither a treadmill nor a treadwheel in the union , but there was a handmill , which had not then been introduced for the first time , but hod been there for several years . The labour was by no means severe , and it was found to be the best mode of employing able-bodied paupers , more especially as it was difficult to fiud labour for chem which would not interfere with out-door employment Mr . Ferba ^ d t £ ten obtained leave to withdraw his motion .

      The House then went into a committee of WayB and Means , and a formal vote was taken ; after which , on the motion for going into committee on the Registration of Voters Bill , Sir James Graham , in reply to Mr . Liddell , intimated that clauses had been prepared in order to provide against the fraudulent personation of voters , which would be added to the , bill . Mr . Hume did not anticipate much good from the bill , unless more ample protection were given to the voters . The House then went into committee on the bill . On the fifth clause a division took place , on an addition moved by Mr . T . Duncombe , that the grounds of objections to voters should be added , instead of the simple words , " objected to ; " but this was rejected by 67 to 47 .

      Mr . Tufnell proposed , that when an overseer objected to a vote , he should be compelled to give notice of the objection to the voter . This amendment was resisted by Sir James Graham , and rejected by 91 to 38 . i At the 11 th clause , Mr . Elphinsione objected to tbe t&Xrpaying elanses of the Reform Act * as being unnecessary to the qualification of a voter ; and moved , their omission . He considered that the payment of taxes should have nothing to do with the exercise of the franchise . Sir James Graham said that , at tbe time the Reform Bill passed , it was understood that , had it not been for the tax ana rate paying qualification . , a higher basis for the franchise wonld have been demanded . The clause under discussion in the present bill was an amelioration of the existing law . * After some discussion , the amendment was rejected , by 118 to 58 .

      The amount of the penalty to be Inflicted on tbe nissra of frivolous objections raised considerable debate , tbe amounts snggeJted varyicg from 20 a . to £ 5 . i

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      Colonel Sibthorp proposed £ 3 instead of 20 s ., which was resisted by 154 to 34 . ' Having arrived at clause 48 , the further progress of the bill was adjourned , and the other orders were disposed of .

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      HARMONY HALL . LETTER II TO THE EDITOR OF TILE NOHTHEUN STAR . Sia—My last letter , in treating of what is contemplated by the Socialists , or rather the Rationalists , a term which they prefer , took a review of the course pursued by Robert Owen , the founder of the Rational System , and claimed for him the consistent and undeviatlng pursuit of the object with which he set out in 1817 . namely the introduction at the earliest period ' possible of an entirely new system of society , based on demonstrable facts , which system should provide for the well-being and happiness of the whole of tbe human , race . :

      I took this course , not with the view of indulging in personal remarks respecting Mr . Owen , whose conduct as a disciple of his principles , I believe to have- been necessitated , and therefore no more { praiseworthy than that of any other individual ; but because I hold the opinion that the period has arrived , when unit ; of operation must pervade all who desire to effect the change which is now so imperiously required ; . and I know no person whose knowledge , either of the great wants of the people , or of the readiest mode of obtaining

      those Wants , is equal to Mr . Owen's , and I wished the Chartist body to have before them a general review ot his career , that it at any future period , the question of a national organisation for the purpose of effecting the change may be necessary , we may know where to look for one whom , whatever differences may exist with regard to practical measures , all will acknowledge to be best acquainted with the principles on which the change should be conducted ; and a calm investigation will , 1 think , place him as the centre from which the onion should radiate . 1

      I had also another object in view , namely , that of placing my subject on a brood national or rather universal basis , aboveall sectional and party considerations ; for whilst such subjects as those 1 shall have to treat of are looked to for mere personal safety , it is impossible that we can secure the object we desire ; u « r wuuld it be just that we should dp so , if we are prepared to leave any portion of our fellow beings to suffer the pain and misery which all must soon feel , if ' redress be not obtained . : The position in which all classes : are now placed in this country , differs most essentially from anything of which we have record in human history . Individual wealth , and general poverty , were never so strongly marked before ; and the distinction is daily being made wider and broader , and must continue to be so , until a great and irresistible demand shall be made for a ohaoge , and the knowledge of the manner in which that change can be made , for the benefit of all , shall be clearly pointed out . 1

      From the desire for happiness which pervades all that have life , there can be no doubt but that in proportion as all become convinced of I a cbango being f jr their benefit , they will be made to advocite it ; and bucu a change as is contemplated by the founder of the Rational System , will equally benefit the highest with tbe lowest individual in the state . ] The problem which the Rationalists have taken upon themselves to solve is , that men { can live together in unity , producing for themselves all the necessaries of life ; distributing what they produce , equally and justly , in accordance to the wants of all ; educating their children to the highest possible extent , physically , mentally , and morally , and governing their aff . iira for the benefit of all , on terms of strict and equal justice , without force or fraud of any kind . (

      They first undertook this ta . « k in the year 1835 , when a society was formed , called "The Association of all Classes of all Nations " , under tbe advice of Mr . Owen , who has more or less superintended the general affairs of the society since its formation . In 1837 , a portion of this society began to subscribe capital for the purpose of procuring land whereon te commence an experiment , that should developejto tha world more practically the course they ¦ wiBhed to pursue , and in 1839 this estate was taken , and the land operations commenced . You justly remarked , in an article "which appeared in your paper some time since , respecting the land , that no body of men had ever encountered one-tenth part of tbe opposition that the Socialists' b ^ dy bad met with ; and the whole of this opposition has been overcome , without jeopardising for one moment , tbe life or liberty of any member of the body . j

      The manner in which this has been done , has not been the result of chance ; but of certain clearly defined principles , which whenever they shall be generally acted upon , will overcome every obstacle that shall be opposed to them , however formidable it may at first sight appear . Tbe principles of the Rational System , when they shall have been placed in the hands of men used to combined business-like operations , will soon place it above all competition ; and . it must go forward at a most rapid pace , carrying before it all opposing influences . : These principles , and the practical details resulting from them , will lead to the combination in scientific proportions , of the four elements of wealth ; namely , land , labour , skill , and capital ; and these when thus combined , and wisely and judiciously directed , will open a path for the future progress ef man , to the highest happiness that his nature is capable of enjoytog- t ¦

      ... . . ... ..... The progress hitherto made in this establishment , imperfect as it necessarily is , and subjected to all the errors arising from bringing together men whose previous habits had not prepared them for such a work , is a sufficient guarantee of what can be done , when all the necessary circumstances are provided ; for we may even now challenge the world to produce the same number of persons associated together who have an equal amount of happiness , as those carrying on this experiment . r This happiness arises in a great measure from the contemplation of what is in store : for humanity , when our fellowmen shall have looked seriously at the difficulties with which they are surrounded ; for whenever this shall be done , and personal feeling shall give way to the contemplation of the great change required , then may the whole of the population , not only of this country , but of the world , be placed in the condition permanently to enjoy all that they can desire .

      Let anything at all approaching to a union , even of the working classes , new take place ; and let them be guided by that experience in business matters , which as a body they do not possess , land they may soon dictate to all other classes , the terms on which the ' business of the country shall bo in : future conducted . Let these terms be just and fair , towards all other classes , and they will not only npt oppose them , but the good and the wiBe of all classes will heartily desire immediately to co-operate for thfeir introduction ; for it would be a gross libel on human nature to suppose , that anything but ignorance p . f their own welfare and the fear of losing their relative position , could induce the main body pi tbe upper classes to stand aloof , and witness the misery and devastation which is now going on around tbeuv i

      The reflective among the upper glasses , must see the precariousness of theif own positions , and that the ; do so , is strongly evidenced by the debates that have already taken place la Parliament , Bince Us meeting . The Government acknowledge freely , the extent ef the distress , and the : also admit that they are unprepared with an adequate remedy , and it will therefore be necessary that those who believe they possess one , should take care to be prepared to urge it upon the attention of their fellowmen , for in j such a state of mind , they will all soon listen with breathless anxiety .

      That such a remedy is at hand I unhesitatingly affirm , and provided I can , in the course of the series of letters which you nave given me the permission to insert in your paper , excite thereader ' s attention toanexamination of the subject in all its details , li shall have little feat but they will be prepared to join in a course which shall in far less time than they conld imagine possible , place them in the position to be ] heard and listened to attentively by the Government ; and the redress which they seek shall be given them without let or

      hindrance . < The times are in every way { propitious for such a course being adopted ; we have a strong powerful Government , cantered almost entirely iu an individual , for no one will deny that upon Sir Kobevt Peel alone depends the course which the present Government

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      mart take : this individual is by no means unacquainted with the principles and details of the system I shall fedve . to call your attention to , and his readiness to bend to the powerful influence of circumstances is become quite * proverbial . Let us then put away all minor party and personal considerations in approaching this great and godJiSe work ; the misery of our fellowmen calls aloud upon ns to use every exertion to find them redress , and if this appea ) be too indistinct to be heard by any among us , we can add to the fact that misery exists to a greater extent t&an was ever before known ; the additienal one , that there is not one among us who is safe even for a day or an hour , from being overwhelmed in the same-general 1 misery .

      If o , my f riendfl , depend o » it there is not one among us who is safe , nor ia it right there should be ; We are all members of a great universal family , and the wellbeing of every individual of that family must besought equally by each of us . The times now require great , noble , and daring efijrts to be made , to overpower snch a weight of misery as presses npon us ; and an appeal io the right sympathies of human nature has never yet been made in vain , nor will it be so in the present instance . I am Sir , Your obedient servant , WlUIiM GA £ PIN .

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      • IV 70 THE EDITOR OP THE NORTHERN STAB . Sin , —Though belonging ostensibly to no movement , I hail , and ., in my own way , to tbe utmost of my power , aid every movement for the just rights of the working classes with a readiness proportioned to the hope I may have of such movement contributing to the desired end . Of all classes-of society I consider the working classes to be the most useful , the most at tbe mercy of the other classes , the most cruelly used , and the most infamously deprived of their just rights in the constitution of their country . In the guilt of thus depriving them of their just rights , I look upon all other orders of men amongst us as wilful participators ; such as pirsona .

      lawyers , judges , rich jurors , manufacturers , agriculturists , squires , senators , and lords ; ai for king or queen , Blackstone has shewn us that the greatest lawyers in the world have settled it fully , that as they never die , but possess ubiquity , omniscience and omnipotence , so they never do wrong . It is only within tha hour tbat I have seen in your paper of March 4 th , tbe first part of Six Frederick Pollock ' s address to the Jury at Lancaster . Match 1 st , and I most say that by one particular in that address I have been more grieved than I could readily express . Sir Frederick says that the object of the defendants was to produce a change in some of the fundamental parts of the constitution 1

      Now , this is a modified and guarded statement of the vulgar error so prevalent . among that class of men composing Juries , and so much more likely than any ether to bias and corrupt their judgments . I have heard it affirmed by such men continually , " those base wretches , the Chartists , want t ? overturn all things—they want to destroy our glorious constitution of Church and State , and to set up some new-fangled government of their own . '' Now , Mr . Editor , though a clergyman , I am a Chartist myself , and I know great multitudes of Chartists , and although I know nothing but nonsense

      of " our glorious Constitution of Church and State , " I know a great deal ( and I love all I know ) of " our glorious Constitution of King , Lords , and Commons . " I also know tbat it is the sole object of the People ' 8 Charter to complete and purify the Commoas , and by law to obtain for , and to secure to us all , our just rights in that " glorious Constitution" out of which the great bulk of the people have been hitherto most unjustly and injuriously , however legally , kept ; and farther , I know no Chartists of a contrary opinion from myself , howevar misrepresented , and however reviled .

      Now , that Sir Frederick Pollock should have laid hold of such a contemptible and pernicisus error , which he must know to be so prevalent amongst our squires , magistrates , and other rich ( though not necessarily intelligent , judicious , and worthy for being rieh ) men , and that he should have made use of it for the express purpose of criminating and bringing te heavy punishment thosA who have already endured so much from , the operation of such error in our Equires , and magistrates , and other rich men , —is to me " a lamentation , and shall be for a lamentation . " 1 pray God the Jury may have been aware of the unsoundness of this main part of the foundation of the Attorney-General ' s speech , and that the defendants may have had all such benefit of such discovery as they may have been honestly entitled to . I have been led to admire , and

      oven love , Sir Frederick Pollock ' s private character greatly , and it is very painful to think that any unworthy public professional act should emanate from any such worthy private character ; but , alas ! not only on what is called religion , but on political subjects of a great exciting interest , too much is taken upon trust , and class prejudices are engendered , to the grievous injury of individuals , aye , and of even whole communities . Hence , when an Attorney-General , or even a Judge , says " We know nothing of Chartists here ; " we find it necessary to weigh the pleadings of the one , and the sentence of the other , before , we believe either . Even a worthy Attorney-General , and a worthy Judge , may not have the knowledge they ought to have of themselves , and innocent persons may suffer grievously therefrom . May God defend the upright , even in this world t

      H . PBICE Minister of Christ ' s Church , In Needwood , Staffordshire March 6 . 184 . 3 .

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      NEWCASTLE . —The Chartists of Newcastle and Gateshead held their weekly meeting on Monday evening , Mr . Fleming in the Chair . The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed . A letter was also read from Mr . Arran , of Hull , stating that Mr . Robert Peddie would favour the people of Newcastle with a visit , on his way to Edinburgh , in a few days . After entering into arrangements for the reception of Mr . Peddie , and disposing of some other local business , tbe meeting adjourned .

      SOUTH SBXEbSS . —Lea « UE CONSISTENCY . —A public meeting of the South Shields section of the anti-Corn Law League was held on the evening of Thursday last in the Union School Room . Soon after eigkt o'clock , the doors were thrown open to the public , and a Mr . Brown was proposed to tbe chair . Mr . Kidd , a journeyman shoemaker , proposed that Mr . Oilfillan , an honest working man , take the chair . Mr . Mather ( the person who proposed Mr . Brown ) said they did not want an honest man in the chair , but wished to commence the proceedings with Mr . Brown in the chair , without submitting either of the gentlemen proposed to the decision of the meeting ; assigning as his reasons for so doing that the meeting was got up by the League , and although the public were invited

      to the meeting , they were not expected to take any part ; and if any gentleman felt dissatisfied at their mode of proceeding , and in any way interrupted them in thiB course , they would be immediately given in charge to the police . Mr . Kidd , in a very polite manner , attempted to expostulate with Mr . Mather on the unfairness of this line of conduct , stating , that it would appear to any impartial observer that they had no faith in the line of policy they advocated , or else , if they believed it to be tiua , they would not be afraid to have it investigated , for truth could lose nothing by investigation . Mr . Mather here sent for a policeman , and gave Mr . Kidd into custody . Mr . Kid 4 was taken to the station , but the brntal proceedings of the League induced some of the honest inhabitants to sympathise

      with Mr . K ., and bail waa given that he should appear before the Bench of Magistrates in the morning ; upon which he was liberated , and returned to the meeting . After listening patiently to the harangue of the League until they had tired themselves , and said , they were done , Mr . Kidd handed them a written challenge , stating that he would discuss the subject with any gentleman present , or with auy gentleman in England upon equal terms , and undertake to prove that a repeal of the Corn and Provision Laws in the present unprotected state of labour , would not benefit the industrious classes of these realms . They would not accept the challenge . They were willing to make assertions , but were not prepared to prove them . The meeting

      then broke up after announcing that a petition ( which they durst not submit to the public meeting ) would lay for signatures at certain places which were mentioned . Mr . Kidd appeared before the Bench of Magistrates On Friday morning . The League had a solicitor employed , but Mr . K . made his case ao clearly appear before the Magistrates that they felt it their duty to acquit him , and gave a severe reprimand to the League for publishing bills without knowing the meaning of them ; that if they invited the public to their meetings , they most be prepared to allow the public to take a part in such meetings ; that neither Mr . Kidd or the public did more Go . that occasion thau they wejre entitled to ; nor had they exceeded tbe conduct of Mr . Matties on former occasions prior to his

      going to the League . SOWES . BY . —Mr . Benjamin Rushton , of Overden , preached here on Sunday afternoon and evening .

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      John and Mary Ann Corby , of Northamptot , had a daughter registered last week in the name of Mary Ann M'Douall Corby . Lately , at Morley Church ,. Feargus O'Connor Squire Wood , son of John and Rachel Wood , of Cfiurlwell .. ,. , Christened at Christ Churoh , RewMill , oa Sunday , Alien West Cuttetf , the son ot ^ William aud Harriet Cuttell , Underbank , Holmfirti . _ Registered on Sunday , at St . John ' s Wood , London , Robert Emmett Frost , infant son of Thomas and Mary Beaden , 35 , Coofcrane Terrace , St . John a Wood . .

      Democratic Consb # vaiisk . —The Standard of Monday says : — " As a class , the Irish aristocracy are not trust-worthy ; and , until the Conservative democracy in the gister island free thejnselves from aristocratical guidauoe , they will never know , Btill less will they be able to exercise , their legitimate power in the oommnQity ?" . - ' ¦ - ¦ -SX . z ' - ^ im

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      TO THE EDITOR OF TUG NORTHERN STAR . Mr dear Hill , —My case is not likely to come on this week , since it stands No . 33-, in tbe Nisi Prius list . Cartledge , the arch-traitor , ha& been subpeened to stand in the witness-box against ; me ! He is now at Lane End , in the Potteries , ready to come to Stafford when wanted . I suppose he will swear after the vile fashion be did at Lancaster . Never mind . I do not believe that my foes will be permitted to have all their will . ]

      I passed a delightful day . yesterday , at Wednesbury . Ground baa been purchased by Mr . Banks , and presented for building thereon a People ' s Hall . Collections were made at tne close of my discourses for this purpose . Prospects look solidly promising at Wednesirary . Chartism has been sorely shattered at Bilston and the adjoining towns , by the late accursed " strike ;" but the erection of a People's Hall at Wednesbury , the central town of this immense mining district , must have a healthful and restorative influence on Bilston and the other towns .

      I passed Saturday afternoon with White and Mason , in Birmingnam . I cannot help recording my regret that John Mason—one of the most intellectual men in eur movement , and surpassed by none in sincerityhas returned to his humble trade of a shoemaker . And yet , all honour to him!—he says he feels himself bound , as an independent man , to do thia , in preference to perambulating the land , and becoming a burthen te the people in the present poverty-stricken condition of Chartism . This is noble , and yet the loss of such a man ' s exercise of talent , from day to day , is much to be lamented . I am , dear Hill , Your ' a truly , THOMAS COOPER . Stafford , Monday , March 13 th .

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      THE NORTHERN STAR . 7

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), March 18, 1843, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct926/page/7/