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Northern Star (1837-1852), 23rd December 1843, Edition 5 of 5, Page 5

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      fenceless ; if ftey will ding to the system -which ha 8 Bade them fat and prosperous—very KiBgs of Gold —at the expence of their plundered brethren j if they will despise ; all warning , and obstinately turn ideal ear to every appeal made to them to save society from moral and actual shipwreck ; then Welcome , say we , any means , —even the horrors of anarchy itself , —to rouse our guilty rulers from their dreamy state 1 England must . not perish ! We are & nation two thousand years of age . We ¦» re Old enough , and shonld be able enough , to ¦ work ont our own salvation ; and if HEFcsjunoit Can only eozne " riding the -whirlwind" of tri-¦ smphant anarchy , be rr so !! It will be the work of the property-holders , and not of the povertystricken . England rmutie saved !!

      God kaowB -we abhor ihe crime which is now Mvaging the farm-yards of the South ; and we earnestly hope that the red-rijjht-hand of revenge may be stayed by prompt and efficient justice Not the justice of the jndge and the hangman ; but that of the philanthropist and the enlightened legislator . Thare is , as our paper ( to go " no further ) weekly testifies , ample employment for both . We are told that ** at some of the fires the labourers

      manifest not the slightest desire to aid in esttinguishin ^ them , hut on the contrary display the greatest apathy and reckless indifference . " la this to be wondered at 1 The " condition" of our once H bold peasantry" is notoriously infamous to those who profit by their toil . Bordering on sill the horrors of the savage state , is there any wonder that men should stand sternly by and refuse a

      lielping iand to the class who have said *' nay " when the many hare asked -but for ample justice 1 We preceive that the Liberal" papers are turning to their own faction account these unhappy " signs of the times . " The Nonconformist says that incendiarism is " a crime unheard of in our cities and manufacturing towns . " We dont know whether there is any incendiarism in our cities and towns ; but we do know that xsrss . were fires so

      fbb-< H ^ NT AS THET HATS BEES OT LATE TEABS LoXJKra , LlTEBJOOI ,, A 5 » OTHERS CJ OUB CITIES ANB MXSVlACtcsiSG T 0 TTX 3 : fire 3 , the cause of which , in nine cases out of ten , are nndiseoverable , but suspeeled to be the work of incendiaries J The press , for obvious reasons , has been silent upon this j but there is the fact unanswered , unanswerable . The Nonconformist should remember that even were it true that there are fewer fires in cities and towns , it would

      not proTe that there is less crime . More eyes are watching the would-be criminal in the crowded town ; and * hence , it may be , the comparative absence of incendiarism . But that there is less crime we emphatically deny ; and in proof ef our assertion we refer to tha Criminal Tables for the last year ? compiled by Mr . Redgbatk , at the Home Office , which our readers will find fully set forth in the Poor Mori ' s Companion" to 184 L

      WehsveAScribed to the widespread and nnparal . leled destitution existing amongst the labouring -classes of the agricultural districts , the prevalence and increase of the crime of incendiarism , Our readers -will be glad to learn that Lord Ashley has cume lorwardin defence of the peasantry ; and happy are we that so sincere & philanthropist is buckling on i& 3 armour to do battle in the cause of the oppressed . At the Sturminster agricultural dinner , alluding to the state of the Dorsetshire peasantry he said : —*• But , gentlemen , are we prepared to look these charges in the face , discuss their justice , repel

      what is false , but correct what cannot be gainsayed » Do we admit the assertion that the wages of labour in these parts are scandalously low , painfully idadequate to the maintenance of the husbandman and Ms family , and in no proportion to the profit of the so 3 ! If we are able to deny this statement , we shall alse be able to disprove it—let ns do so without delay ; bnt , if the reverse , sot an hour is to be lost in rolling away the reproach . I do not pretend to fjve advice as to the precise mode of doing these things . I am not sufficiently practical , or conversant with the hiring and payment of laboru ; but this I Jcnoie , thai if a larger self-denial , an abatement of

      2 ururtes , a curtailing of even what are called comforts , he necessary to this end , let us begin at once zcith ihe higher and wealthier -classes . It must be doss . There is neither honour , nor . safety , nor joy ( setting aside all higher considerations ) , to dwell in a house , however fair the outside , which rest 3 on such rotten and crumbling foundations . Do we deny that the dwellings of the-poor are oftentimes ruinous , filthy , contracted , ill-drained , ill-ventilated , and so situated as to be productive of many forms of disease and immorality ? If we do , let us take the same coarse , and refute our accusers ; but , if not , let nB hasten to wipoont the stain . "

      This iB manly J this is language worthy of a patriot and a philanthropist 1 His . Lordship points to the proper , or one of the proper remedies , a mobb XQUAL DISTRIBUTION of ths wealth raoscced bt ihe TroBKisa mas . He knows that there is enough produced for the sustenance and enjoyment of all ; but that the labourer , so far from being first partaker of the fruits , " too often K partakes" not at all 1 or but of a miserable portion of that which is his right . Por ihe remedy he points to a more equal DisiEiBtmos , by giving to the labourer a fair share of that which be produces

      something like an honest remuneration for his toIL And his Lordship says this Stost bb !—even if it be at the cost to the property holders of a labgeb nrr . Y DES 1 AL , A 3 ABATEHEST OP LCXCB 1 BS , A CUBTA 1 IJ 5 G 0 ? ET £ 5 TTHAI ABE CALLED COMFORTS . " ** Let us begin ? says iris Lordship , at once with the higher and wealthier classes It mcst bx dojtk /" Bravo , lord Ashxet ! There is hope for England yet ! There is hope that the torch of the incendiary may not be longer needed to lighten up the dullard eyes of our sluggard rulers . A few men like Lord Aehtet , and England may yet be saved from the aorrors which already gleam frightfully upon us .

      The base Whigs and mereDess Milloerats , who hate Lord Ashlet with all that genuine hatred with which conscious rice aver regards acknowledged -virtue , have , ever since his Lordship ' s exposures of ihe iniquities universally prevailing in the mining and manufacturing districts , l > een engaged \ a . sneenng at bis Lordship for not turning his attention to the State of the agricultural working classes with whom he was more intimately connected . M Why did he not -do BO * 2 " why did he give his first attention to the manufacturing and mining population" 1 are the ouestionB constantly put . We Kill tell these

      Whig hirelings . The Commission that was appointed to enquire into the state of our agricultural , juiniBgi and mannfactnriBjj population , was appointed at the instance and through ihe exertions of Lord Ashlet . As that Commission reported , Lord Ashley took up the reports , and , so far as he had the power laboured "to accomplish ameliorations in the condition of the classes reported upon . The Commis sion reported txest on the two latter of the three dosses ; hence his Lordship first introduced measures

      on their behalf . The agricultural class has now been reported upon , and we find Lord Ashlbt consistently taking xvp their case . What more would the Millocrats have ! He « not doing as thet kd , trying to deny the stcLiemenis of the Commission ^ OB 2 > B £ TZKT OB ZTABE THE BXPOBMS £ E © . TUBED ! On fiie contrary , he says , "A CHANGE MUST BE MADE" I Even if that change takes from the rich »» e portion of their 2 ux « ries and even of their ? omforts , —it vast be iad-1 "

      The Manchester Guardian wishes to know why Lord Ashlet has not takes up the canse of the a ^ 5 cultnral population long since" ?" why he has aot seen or acted upon a Parliamentary Return published sixteen ' years ago , showing the then distressed state of the agricultural working classes ; and the wages Teeeived by 2 > 6 rseishirfl labourers" ] The Guardian should know that sixteen years ago Lord Ashlbt was not a public man ; that when he began his Parliamentary career , he applied himself to subjects that were then before the pnblic . Besides , the Guardian should remember its own doctrine of one thing at a time" in reference to Corn Law ¦ Re peal . Lord Ashlst has only acted upon that

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      principle in taking up the case of the Collier-Women for instance , and legislating thereon in . the first place . There is this difference { iBdependeotof many other . differences ) between Lord Ashley and the Guardian and its patrons ; the former has , to a great extent , succeeded in his labours ; while the latter , with their " one thing at a time , " have yet to win success if they can (!) . Lord Aehxbt hag already won-golden opinions from all honest men . Let him persevere in his present course , despite the sneers of the Millocrats and their hirelings , and he will have the blessings of present and the grateful adadmiration t > f all future generations .

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

      shall now instance anVgfFort of the most powerful portion of the pbopebi ^ oldebs' press to force the condition of the labonrer upon the attention of the pbopebtt holbebs themselves . This is , of itself , a most hopeful u sign . " When we find the indiffer ' ence , ccpiditt and heabtlessness of the pbopbbtt men so soundly rated by their own organ , as in the following extract , we may rest assured that the " alarming" and awful" " signs" are having their " effect" in the proper quarter . In" this there are . grounds for hope .

      The occasion of our contemporary's lecture to tho Pbcpebty-Mes w * b the following . The Smithfield Cattle Club lately had , as is their annual custom after the exhibition of their " priza oxen , " a dinner^—an axistocratio feed . At this dinner there was , says the Times , what is called a highly respectable company , consisting of some Peers , Members of Parliament , and a large assortment of ' farmers' friends . ' Compliments , congrafculatioDBj and good humour were the order of the efening . The Duke of Richmond complimented Lord Spesceb , Lord Spenceb complimented the oxen ; and the Duke , in returning thanks , praised the agricultural labourere of England . Everybody drank everybody ' s health , and the evening was spent in all the amenities of eonviTial hilarity . "

      At this convivial festivity a noble speaker seized the opportunity of declaring that " the agricultural labourers were the main stay of the country , " and from his own experience testified to not only their ** bravery and devotedness to their officers in war , but to their fidelity to their employers in peace "; which last , permit us to add , is rather queerly exhibited just now in Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire , and some other counties , as accounts of Stack and Bam burning weekly inserted in ocr columns abundantly testify 1

      On thiB the Times says : — Yes ! the agricultural labourer is the mainstay of the country , " and then adds : —" Bnt softly , Peers ana Gentlemen . Fine words butter no parsnips . It is well for you , dilated with the choicest viands of a Smithfield Cattle Club , to think of the nn-dining or half-dining rustic ; to tell him that he is the mainstay of the country ; that ho must improve his mind by learning chemistry , and itudy the effects of guano and subsoil-ploughing . But , gentlemen agriculturists , just call to your

      recollection what sort of a being your smock-frocked co-labourer is . He is a creature of like appetite with yourselves , but far less means of gratifying it—seldom tasting the fat kine which it is his privilege to tend—and often rearing a large brood of bucolic children on Sa . or 9 s . a week , of which he pays Is . 6 d . for the rent of a scarcely habitable hovel . Be is liable like yourselves to sickness and accidents ; bnt when these overtake' him , unlike you , he is subject to the evils of want , debt , and distress .

      " Doubtless , he is deeply indebted to you for yoar eulogium . He hajs a pride of his own , poor though he ba ; and he Ukea to be called the ' mainstay of the country , * for he is persuaded that it must signify something very grand . He is not insensible to the flattery of Efuires and lords ; and he is half delighted , half-puzzled , when he learns through a provincial newspaper that his health has been drunk by implication . But , for all this , we believe that his sense of obligation would be increased—that he would be more grateful—did you extend your kindness beyond the delicate bounds of complimentB and toasts—did you individually take that interest in his physical weal which you collcciively exhibit in maintaining his generic

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

      Amen I most devoutly say we . Yes , Lords and Gentlemen of England , ye will do well to take the advice of the Times , and tread in the footsteps of Lobd Ashlet . If you do so , well will it be for yonrselves ! If yon do not , on your heads he the awful responsibility of coming scenes which the pre ' sent " signs of the times ? lighted VT BT THE ItfCEKDlAiT ' s TOBCH , BENDEB BUT TOO TISIBLB IN THE DISTA 5 CE ! You will say , perhaps , that you remember the fireB of 1830-31 , and that yon crushed Swiss by a " Special Commission f and that , if need be , what you have tried before , you will try

      again ; that rule you will by soldiers and rural police . If you think thus , Lords and Gentlemen , yon deceive yourselves ! You have & very different state of thingB now to meet to what you had in 1830 31 ; and even then you did not succeed in crushing Swi >« until you had raised the wages of the labourers 1 Theib wages webe baised !! More than a million of money passed through their hands , is cocsequence of the additions made to their incomes . But those " additions" have disappeared and much , too , of the original sum !! The New Poor Law Act was not passed for nothing ! The

      wages of labonr have been got at I 0 , Lords and Gentlemen , be not deceived ] The times are much different from , what they were in 1830-31 . Misery has advanced with giant strides since then—a misery wide spread , which makes not a few , but myriads Of men , sympathise and act together . Porget not the " Manchester Insurrection . " Bear iB mind that if yon have not a Refoim-Bill-agitation to meek you have something worse—a rebellion smouldering in Wales , and Ireland engaged in a straggle , the issue of which has yet to be seen ! Besides , more than three millions of

      British Chartists , determined , soener or later , whenever opportunity offers , to wrest from you the rights you have denied to their mcckedat-petitions . Remember , too , that every additional soldier is an additional embarrassment to the Government ; and every additional policeman an additional drain upon the pockets ef the farmer * and ' shepkeepers t benee- more taxes and lower wages . Thus is the evil aggravated instead of cured i and every ^ additional pound spent in

      Bupport of the systein driref another nail isto its fastpreparing coffin , . Again we say to the propertyholders , mistake not the signs of the times . The incendiary ' s torch has ever been the precursor of the storm o / aDarcby , lighting the way for the / demons of civil discord and revolutionary strife . We are not for these ! We are for peacefol' and progressive reforms . We therefore say ,-free * the labourer as he has a right to be treated , if he be , as he is , " the main stay of the country" ! Beware how youBnaptte last

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

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      STATE OF SPAIN . DISCOVERY OP AN INFERNAL MACHINE AT BARCELONA . A WARNING TO TYRANTS . Unhappy Spain continues to be the theatre of intrigues of the most vOlanous and detestable character . Our paper of last week contained a full account of the unparalleled plot which resulted in the fall of Olozaga and the installation of the GoNziLss Bha . vo Cabinst . Surely a country was never so degraded , so miserably fallen , as is modern Spain . : Torrents ef blood have been shed in the name of liberty , which is apparently but little

      nearer realization than it was at the outset of the struggle . Father has been arrayed , against son , and brother against brother , in years of civil strife and sickening slaughter ; and what has resulted ! The triumph of a set of military scoundrels , usurious speculators , and meaa-souled tricksters , who prate about " Queen , " "Constitution , " and Liberal Institutions , " till the heart of an honest man heaves to vomiting at their - unblushing Charla-I tanism . These fellowB care not two straws for the poor thing called the " Queen , " whose [ name they use in all their dirty intrigues , by way of covering their cowardly carcases from the popular vengeance

      due to their manifold acts of baseness and villanv . As to their M Constitution " , and " Liberal Institutions , " God save even fche savages of New Holland from the infliction of such calamities as these same "Constitution " and " Institutions" would bring upon them . If the Revolution crushed the power of the priesthood , it raised up the power of the moiieyjugglera instead ; and since the deposition of Espabtero , priestcraft is again in the asoendant : thus a trinity in unity of Devils , —the usurer , the priest , and the soldier , —now rule Spain . The horrors of such a rule may be imagined , but no pen oould do justice to the subject .

      As to Olozaga and his enemies , it is about six of one and half-a-dozen of the other . Espabtbro , with all his faults , was the best man Spanish Revolutions have turned up yet , and against him this same Olozaga . mo 3 t basely conspired ; no doubt paid well for hid work by that spotless specimen of Queenly purity Maria Chbistina . As the reward of his treachery , our readers will remember he got himself decorated with the " Golden Fleece , " and the appointment of the ambassadorship to Paris ; from whence he returned , primed with instructions frem Louis " BniLjpp x and Mrs . Munoz . \ f ^ .- •¦^¦> .

      LoPiz , the late Prime Minister , with the instinct common to all rats , finding himself in a house not likely to stand very long , threw up his connection with the firm of Louh Philippe , Mcnoz , NabvaKZ , and Co ., and resolutely ' refused to have any further connection with them ; upon whioh the Knight of the " Golden Fleece" was " called in , " In accordance with his previously base character , he entered into certain terms with the Moderadgs , having sot the least intention of fulfilling the agreement ; and to do them ( the Moderadoa ) justice , they had as little idea of acting in good faith towards him ; Olozaga being jealous and fearful of Narvaez , and Nabvaez and Co . being determined to ruin him .

      Accordingly the two parties set to work , in what was " a labour of love "—mutual treachery . Ol 6-zaga got the decree from the Queen for the dissolution of the Cortes , which he calculated would place his friends the Moderados under his thumb . They aware of this , went a shorter way to work , had him CQlizaga ) . lucked out neck and crop , and then " entteeBing a lie , " { as the Tunes says ) got him charged ^ lpon royal authority with something like high tre&ssn ; patting even his life in danger , or if he would save himself , rendering it imperative on him to prove Royalty a liar , and thus "desecrate the Monarchy , " and for ever ruin himself with his M Illustrious Mistress" !

      Take the following pretty picture of this Charlatan drawn by the able hand of the correspondent of the Times . It is unique : — " Thn » stands the case , —Ssnor Ohziga , beseeching , threatening , pleading , weeping , ponring forth floods of diplomatic eloquence in the Congress , ' ready to lay down his life' to humble the Camarilla ; ready to give away worlds of Prime Ministries that the Exaltados shonld think him an honest man , and forget that he betrayed the confiding Regent by the disclosure of pretended secrets , forming a coalition , and declaring war against him for a plot to dethrone the Queen and assassinate its leader * . His famons defiance and war-cry in

      the Chamber last May , — < Let the assassins come ? would have been worth a palace to him yesterday , when he had to inainnata that If Narvatz threw him into prison he should never be allowed to leave it alive ; but the rules of eloquence forbid tautology especially where the repetition would recal the mauvaise odeur of an exploded humbug ; so that now , when the orator is really in some danger , he is self-condemned , by hia prevlons prodigality of voice , 'to roar like a sacking nightingale . " After what we have said , not one of our readers will mistake this Oloziga for a " patriot . " The " devil-a-bit" patriotism is there to be found amongst the whole gang . We doubt if Diogenes

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

      As for the Monarchy it requires no " second sight" to see that its days are numbered . That portion of the , " lib ^ I institutions" of Spain , lately so much vauntexj ^ ffl ^ doomed to a speedy extinction ; and Crod send the establishment of the people ' s sovereignty upon its ruius I Hear how the Times , —that ardent supporter of rotten antiquity , sounds the mournful peal over the expiring throes of the Spanish Monarchy : — " The palaces of Spain have witnessed Strange

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

      The Times adds : " We can only look forward to approaching events with the gloomiest forebodings . " Yes , reader , there will be serious tales to tel | speedily of Spanish affairs , Agents are said to have been despatched to the provinces to get up new pronunciamenlos againBt" the Military Cabinettend Camarilla . " The jBco del Comeraio , the most iniuentiai journal in Spain , the paper -which mainly exoited the cealition against EspaRtero , declares it- is more Prberessista than ever , and has taken for

      its new motto— " Ourselves or the Moderados . No compromise ! No more humbug ! God repented that he had made man , and we hare lived to repent that we originated the coalition 2 " The same paper says ;— " The country must prepare forgreat events . We implore the Opposition to hasten to appease the public anxiety by the Parliamentary means they can dispose of . Revolution is roaring : the nation is alarmed , and every day discontent will increase in the great masses who have sacrificed iheir interest for freedom . " 11 No zaorehumbug " say 8 the organ of the Progres ' sisias . God grant it 1 is our respense ; though we have & 3 . ra that the days , of intri&ue and treachery

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      are not ended even in Spain . But still there ia ground for hope I ' Humbug" may be tried too long and too oft ! " Discontent" is , in the end produced j and the masses , seeing the true nature and worth of the factions who seek to use them for the establishment of tyrannous rule and power , determine thai tte " sacrifices" they have made "for freedom" shall not be lost or thrown away Then away goes the whole cr « w of "humbuggers " into nothingness . Then is established the " Sovebeiqn rule of the people ; " and then are the interests of the whole cared for and attended to , for their own sake , and not for the effect they will have m strengthening or weakening the hands of party or olass .

      There is reason 3 o conclude that this will be the course of things ia Spain . Though intrigue and treachery have hitherto prevented the " masses " that have made sacrifices" "for freedom , " from enjoying the blessinga and benefits of true liberty , yet they have not subdued the spirit of the Spanish people ; and , in the words of the Eco , " the qpnntry muat prepare for cheat events . " In a reoentlnumber of the Star , Jwe gave an ac . count of the "preparations" made by the insurgent people of Barcelona to defend their city from the assaults of the Legitimatist army . We then told of tho " defences within defences" ; of the " triplebarricaded streets " . ; of the "deep trenches and open sewers" ; and pf the houses filled with earth and stones , thus rendered cannon-proof , and incapable of affording shelter to the besieging army . We also referred with admiration to the heroic devotedaess of the Barcelouese , who had maintained their stand against aggressive oppression , until their means were wholly exhausted , they being reduced to their last 300 dollars ; and having only some lOOlbs . of gunpowder left . But it now turns out , that the wovld was-not

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

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

      X REAL INFERNAL MACHINE , which , had the arrangements all been perfect , would have sent the assailing army out of the city , and even out of existence much s « oner [ than they entered into either ! The following is a description of the " preparation" for this purpose made . In it an attempt was made to bring the later discoveries of science to bear ; < M | dYthpugh we thiak the arrangfiment detailed below inej / ifititig yet the idea of so employing the powers of ohefllistry and galvanism , will not be lost to the

      world . WS shall hereafter , if war continues to ravage ^! fair face of the earth , often hear of mines being Sprung by the simple expedient of bringing the ends of two wires , miles long even , into contaot with a number of little plates of dissimilar metals , immersed in a little diluted acid : and to this safe and successful motfe of defending" not only a tewn or city itself , but even the approaches to such town or city , will the world bo indebted to the brave Baroelonese who rose in" Rebellion" against "Legislative" authority , and turned the power of the sword against those , who mledlby the sword .

      The following letter from an officer stationed at Barcelona , appeared in the Espectador , a Madrid paper , of December 6 th : — 11 Barcelona , Nov . 26 . * "My dear Friend , —Providence has preserved the army I A . honid plot has been discovered to blowup oar troops , as well as the Cathedral , if we shonld have attempted to take the city by assault . We learned from one of the Jamancia who bad entered ou » ranks lately , that they bad buried a number of barrels of powder outside the walls in the roads and paths by which the assaults were expected , with wires iisserted to discharge them by means of electricity , according to the new infernal plan employed in France and England to blow up the hills which stand ia the way of the railroads they are constructing .

      " The General , knowing that I understand something about these matters , sent me at night with an escort in search of the powder ; and after plenty of perspiration , cold and hot , from fear and hard work , wa eucceded in turning up thirteen barrels of it , burled in as many approaches , under heaps of stones ; each disposed so as to have blown up a battalion at a time . We were in some danger , I assure you , for the wires were still in the powder , and stretched away to the city waits , aa ; we jadged from the direction of each ; buried as they were two or three inches under ground nil the way into the town , to prevent them being stumbled on fey passengers . This is certainly the invention of some of those cursed French Republicans whom they had in the city , fomenting the rebellion ; for such an idea would never have entered into the heads of the brutal jamaneieros ( i . e . the mob of the Plaza San Jaime ) .

      "In each barrel we found two copper wires , tied with thread at each side of a thick cork , to keep them at a proper distance until they entered the powder , where the electric spark was to pass from one to the other , and inflame the powder lying between . Tho ends of the wires were bent over the bottom of the cork , so as to approach within about the fifth part of an inch , and the wires ended in a little ball pf solder , without doubt to produce a stronger spark . Bnt this was not all . Lest the spark should

      pass harmlessly between two coarse grains of their cannon powder , these villains had introduced each cork with its wires into a little wiJe-monthed bottle full of fine priming powder , that could not have escaped ignition with the slightest Bpark . I am sure tbatf they were French toilet bottles , for one of them still bore a label with the word ' ereme . ' One of the wires , covered with pitch , led off to the city under the surface , as I said before , and the other , a Bhort end , hung ont of the barrel into the damp earth to complete the electric circuit

      " When the thirteenth barrel was raised , I broke off the wire to make all safe , and fallowed its course to the nearest wall , tearing it op , little by little , till I found it passed through a loophole into an adjoining garden , and at last into a cellar ( altogether about five bundled yards of copper "wiie ) . There we found the inf < rnal eleotrical machine itself , bidden in a corner and covered with a heap of straw . The machine was nothing after oil but a common black wine bottle , niounted in an old cigar box . A crooked stick in the bottle's mouth served for a handle to make it revolve in its position . On one Bide they had nailed a dirty doeskin glove with some amalgam of solder is the palm , and , on the other , as old enuff-cannister , which served for . the prime conductor , and the bottle spun about between both .

      " Never did I see such a ridiculous looking apparatus , or one , contrived to Jo mischief bo quietly ! I assure youjjiat it had more the appearance ot a child's toy tbaiiraB electrical battery ;* but , on turning the bottle : fcyithe aid of tbo little crooked stick , to try if it was in attion , I received a spark on my knuckles sufficient to inflame & barrel of powder a mile off , and blow a regiment to pieces , . " This is without doubt the great secret with which those savages boasted that they would astonish , the world , if we drove them to extremity .

      " That which most surprised me was to find this infernal machine in snob , good working order , in spite of the dampness of the vault in which it lay ; but , on overhauling the old cigar-box , I found in the bottom , instead of cigars , damp Jumps of something like salt , which I afterwards showed to an apothecary , and which he said was a preparation used by chemists fox drying the air ia their apparatus r as it Absorbs all the humidity of toe place in wnica tbey enclOBO it . This composition he eays , is formed by dissolving lime is muriatic acid , and afterwards driving off the liquid by a red heat in & crucible .

      " From what the jamancio ,. to whom we owe this discovery , said , we conclude that the author of this infernal project is 8 ome democrat disciple of Fieschi and Go ,, who ia now strolling amongst the f «* e 6 / o * of tueAmpurdam , instructing the mountaineers i » these and other means of destruction for the troopa 1 But we confide is the care of Providence that watches over the safety of our valiant aim / . The piety and patriotism of the writer of this letter is truly laughable . " Providence has preserved

      the army I" Very kind of Providence v but if Providence would " preserve " the people of Spain and every other nation from the curse of armies , such preservation would be infinitely better calculated to excite our pious thanksgivings ! " A horrid plot has been discovered to blow up the troops , " O , dear bninofc a word aboni these same troops blowing down one hali | of Barcelona , and blowing to destruction their own country men and kinsmen ! No , no ; that ' s perfectly , tight—that ' s all ia support of the "right

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      divine" of little Isabella , and tho right * b y Hoed of Messrs . Narvakz , Phim , and Co . And mark , too : this " horrid plot" was on ) y to have been put into execution in the event of " the troop 3 " attempting " to take tho city by assault" ; » . e ., 'to comaiit wholesale massacre , arson , rape , and plunder ' dooming an entire city to worse horrors than even the fiends of perdition could pois . bly conceive . That ' s the meaning of taking places b \ " assault "

      —the stormibg of Badajoz , for instance . We ask all honest tnen whether the parties threav-ened with such horrors were not justified in preparing to defend themselves , no matter at what cost to their assailants ! j We think they were ; and our- fervent prayer is , that wherever the people are so threatened , that they may know the means of destroying their oppressors , and have no qualms of conscience about using them .

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

      Of course ( the poor Barcelonese are . bountifully abused by this licensed cut-throat ; and called 11 brutal mob , " " villains , " " savages , " &c . &o . This we arejnot surprised at , the writer evidently sweats both ' hot and cold" at the prospect before him : for although saved from being btowed-np at Barcelona , he has his misgivings that the concoctor 3 of this horrid plot are strolling amongst the pueblos of the Ampurdam , " instructing the mountaineers in these and other means of destruction for the

      troops . " " But , " he adds very piously , " we confide in the care of Providence , that watches over the safety of our valiant (!) army . " Alas for the human race , jwhen legalized man-butchers have the blasphemous { assurance to talk about Providence watching over their safety , and priests stand by and approve the horrid impiety ! Alas for the millions , when they tolerate such villany , instead of- ^ -as they ought to do—[ trampling in the du 3 t tho foul-mouthed miscreants who thus cczen and consume them !

      We have ' entered into the particulars of this " plot , " first , because it is a lesson for the people ; and , secondly , for their rulers . The people of this country are jfbrfeunately so situated as to be able to obtain the reforms they seek by moral means ; and ' our rulers are so enlightened and humane that there ' is no fear that the people of England will ever be driven to the like extremities . Si ill the above is a esson . it shows what means other nations , not so f ortunately situated aa we are , are sometimes driven to in defence of their lires their honour and their

      liberties . And seeing what others have to do , the people of this' country should thereby be stimulated , not to the employment of like perilous means , but to the zealous carrying out of those peaceful measures in obtainment of their rights which will most assuredly succeed if only honestly and efficiently tried . To the rulers of nations thi 3 " Fieschi scheme " is a lesson full of fearful meaning . No matter how clumsy , how ] inefficient , the apparatua above described : it is the idea of the thing that is calculated to do the mischief . What was concocted at

      Barcelona may be concocted elsewhere . What was not put into execution there , may be really tried in some other part of Europe . It tells a tale ominous to the future stability of all power having for its basis the support only of troops and cannon . It tells that the mighty powers of science are now known to more than the privileged few ; that those powers are no longer secrets , dark and mysterious to the masses ; and that knowing of these heretofore secrets , there is a great probability that the millions will not always suffer : themselves to be mowed down like grass , but will yet some day turn these dreadful powers against their oppressors .

      Some of our readers may remember that about three years jago , the Times contained an account of an alleged discovery made by a Mr , Warneb , applicable to naval and military conflicts . It , was stated that a vessel of immense strength was blown into ten thousand fragments in an instant , by the explosion of some preparation which was contained in a package not larger than a small wallet or portmanteau , \ and which could be carried under a man s arm of , packed in the seal of a gig I Lord Ingestkte , Sir George Morray , Sir Francis Buh-DE-rr , and several others witnessed these experiments ; and testified in the House of Commons to the truth of the above statement , and their Unqualified opinion that thepower was fully adequate to effect the terrific ends proposed ! by the inventor . Now , suppose

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

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

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

      seriously called in question . An attempt was soon after made by a Mr . Alderman BATESONjto fiabergast the public in relation to the affair , by leading it to infer that the accusation was all hum ; and that Mr . Hobson hail sueakingly evaded and shrunk from hiB charge , His weak nerves were , however , doomed to experience a' rude shock . He was soon let know that the charge was not " shrunk" from ; and his pitiful attempt to mislead the public , was fully and fearlessly exposed .

      And what was then left undone has since been most satisfactorily accomplished : satisfactorily , we hope , even for Alderman Batesok himself ! What was merely a \ local " squabble , " confined to the colomn 8 of the fcoi them Star and the Leeds Mercury , has now become an object of national interest : and all the attempts to blink inquiry , of whatever nature , will now assuredly fail 1 We , trust Alderman Bateson likes his ptsitioa . We dare answer for it that Mr . Hobson does .

      The Standard of Monday last , in an article , respecting the League and the incendiary fires , took occasion to instance the Btatemeat of Mr . Hobson , as it appeared in the Northern Star , quoting it , however , from the Heeds Mercury , and designating it as u manly , plain , and distinct" He also represented that Mr . Hobson was " an Alderman of the town for Hdbeck Ward . ? The publication of Mr . Hobsok's statement in the Standard , called forth the Morning Chronicle the

      next day , who : tried to rescue hia friends the Leaguing Whigs , and especially tie Leeds Alderman , in the following fashion : — 11 The publisher of th ^ Northern Star is a member of the Municipal Cound ^ of Leeds , and some time ago he made a speech ^ fentainicg a charge against an Alderman of ; Leety ^| rwhich the following is the substance . He lehsi ^^ m ^ a ;^« rmaa ( whom he did not name , btttrttppd oat as bATing been on i * fef& ' ' ' ¦ - ; ¦'¦ ¦ '

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      the Watch Committee ) with having been cogui zint of the great strike or turn-out of 1842 , a fortnight , before it took , place , and as having been ia communication with an individual , ia order to get the turn-out workmen to 'draw the plugs' and ' blow ap tho boifcr :--, ' throughout Leeds . Of the trurh of this charge the publisher of the N < jrthern Star declared that be had in hi ci own possession full and atnple proof—written proof . The only alderman who had bean ott the Watch C 9 mmiuee in 1842 , naturally feeling that he muss be the individual aimed at , promptly applied to hi ^ accuser , offering in any way to shelter him from all legal eonrequenses , provided the slander wnre thoroughly probed , and the slanderer got at . But , no ; after the usual amount

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

      Ic happened , fortunately , that Mr . Hobson was m London at the time these publications took place . He therefore promptly replied to the Morning Chronicle as below : — TQ THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE . Sir , —A friend of mine , with whom I am staying for a few days "in town , " has just put into my hands your journal of this day . From it I learn that a statement of mine , affecting one of the aldermen of Leeds , has been copied into the Standard of yesterday ; and thai ; you have vouchsafed certain explanations of that statement , several of whioh are incorrect . I therefore trouble you with this , my explanation , that the teal facts may be known .

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

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

      the strike occurred an Alderman of Leeds , whose name was mentioned , sent for him ( the writer ) and informed him that a general strike would in a short time take place ; that when it reached Leeds , hd would greatly serve the cause if he would turn the men employed in bis machine-shop oat , with a hint to draw the plugs of the boilers ; that as the men were mechanics , they would be useful in teaching others how to draw the pings ; and that they would also , if it were needful , know how to blow the boilers up .

      These statements were said to be made voluntarily , and from just and patriotic motives ; and the writer declared his readiness to make oath as to their truth at the bar of the House of Commons . That in accordance with the request to me I ascertained—1 . That there was a master machine maker of the name and place set forth in the letter ; and 2 . That he bore a character for fair dealing , pro bity , and honour . That I then sent for the gentleman himself , put the letter into his hand , and asked him if he was the writer ; and received for answer that he was . That I then inquired , if he was ready to maintain the truth of the allegation made in it , and was answered that he was , before any tribunal in the kingdom .

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

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

      That he sent the said correspondence and explanation to press without apprising me of his intention , or giving me any opportunity to explain also . - That though the statement of which he complained appeared only in a journal conducted by myself , he did not send the correspondence and explanation to me for publication , but confined them to papers ia which the statement had not appeared . ' That within twelve hours of the appearance of the Alderman ' s statement in the Leeds Mercury newspaper , the walls of the town of Leeds bore ample testimony that I had not * sneaked out of the matter by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation or satisfaction ; " bat that I had again , under my own hand , in a piacard printed at my own press , restated the whole-matter ; and again offered to give up the names of all parties concerned , to the Alderman

      who- bad sought the information , if he would furuiBn me withftMe simple guarantee required ; and also Offered to afford that explanation without guar ' dnfees'if asked lor m the Council Chamber of the Leeds Town Council . That I further invited him to . pursue the inquiry , averring that all attempts to stifle it should fail : for if he declined to seek such explanation in the Council Chamber , other persons would take the matter up , and the explanation should'be had . ' That on the 1 st day of January next , an adjourned meeting of the Council will be hclden , at which I shall hold myself in readiness to furnish all explanation to anyone who may ask for it ; andthat , 5 fno one else introduces the subject , I shall , by moving fcr the appointment of a committee to " boUoirtJ the whole affair . ' ¦ ;'

      This simple statement of facts will show you ; that you are wrong in the statements in your article of to-day , that I had " shufflbd , " " evaded , " * and " sneaked out of the matter , by a sulky refusal to give the slightest explanation , or satisfaction ;" . and that" the slanderous accusation had received ample refutation ^ and exposure . " These statements cannot be truet for I have always bdeh ready to afford all explanation ; have courted inquiry ; and ami d& » termined to force it on . I also apprehend that no ' * refutation" can be givett ^ nntil inquiry is had . \ . On one point you are right . I ani not an alder man of Leeds . I am simply a CpjmoUlor , being ohosen such by an overwhelming majority of th& suffrages of the largest ward of the borough . I am , Sir , your's respectfally ,, „ , , Joshua Hobson . Walcot-Eqoare , Deo . 19 .

      This letter the Chronicle inserted . It appeared the very next day to his statement that Mr . Hobsoic had " sneaked out of the matter "; and ii was acoom panied by the following note : — ** We know nothing of the matter whatever , except from a perusal of the correspondence published , m the Leeds Mercutv , which certaii jy was anything but favourable to Mr . Hobson . T / he fraDk andopea style of the foregoing letter ind » ces us to hope that , for the sake of his ewn credit , b . e will follow the matter up , and give the public the means of ascertaining what truth may ba in the Star-. —Ed . M . C "

      To this it is scarcely r . ccessary to addanagle word . The statement in Mr . Hobson ' s letter to the Chronicle ia so full ar . d complete j and withal so plain , that nothing more remains to be dona * i present . The line jt conduct in connection with the matter is ahr / so well pointed out , that wo h ^ ve only to direct attention to the next meeting of the Leeds Town Council for farther explanations , promising thr > t the public Bhall be made acquainted with what there transpires . We trust that Alder man Bateson wiil be the first to moot the question thebe , as ho « it the first to " suppose" that the charge referred to him . . ;

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      NORTHERygTAR , j 5

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 23, 1843, page 5, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct960/page/5/