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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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• The dismissal of Lord Palmerston in 1851 was a preconcerted coup cTitaL He was found neither sufficiently tractable , nor sufficiently subservient to the interestspf the Coburg family , and he was consequently ^ tsted through the influence of Prince Albert , bf whom i « ord John Bussell had become the conscious ' or unconscious instrument . His successor was Lord Gramville . . Iiord Palmerstdn was at that time in possession of documentary evidence of the Prince ' s unconstitutional interference in the foreign affairs of Great Britain , and the statements contained in the celebrated letter , signed « M . P ., " are based upon it , or upon other ' equally incontrovertible data : Lord Palmerston entrusted these documents to Sir J— E— , by whom they were placed in the hands of a writer of some eminence . From these materials he produced , in eight-and-forty hours , a pamphlet , in which these unconstitutional intrigues were exposed . It . was printed , and it would have been published , in a locality not a hundred—miles from- Albemarle- street , but at the eleventh hour it was suppressed . ¦ Some : half-dozen copies were preserved , one of which , with . theiword /* Suppressed" inscribed upon ite title-page , found its way to Windsor . Lord Palmerston , who had been recently , and in no complimentary manner , dismissed from office , shortly became an honoured guest of Royalty . . I watt to learn Vhat inferences " Cerdo , " and other M Sober-minded men , " may deduce from this narrative . —I have the honour to be , Sir , your obedient servant , : William Conihgham .
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OUR CONSia ^ UHOITAIi MINISTERS . QTo the Editor cf the Leader . ^ Star and Garter Hotel , D'Oliere-streer , ¦ . . . Dublin , Jan . 11 . Sib , —I hare lead your excellent remarks on the •' mummery of martyrdom , yearly enacted every 30 th of January . They are , indeed , most acceptable to the descendant of one of those who drew the sword and sheathed it not till the head of the traitor—Charles Stuarts-rolled on the scaffold before the Banquettine-room of Whitehall .
state , and , in 1711 , actually effected a reconciliation between her ajid Austria ? Is he aware that , in 1849 , Lord Palmerston refused to see the agent of the Hungarian Government , alleging that he could " receive communications respecting Hungary only through the diplomatic organ of the Emperor of Austria at this court ? " Is Mr . Coningham aware that Iiord Palmerston ( to employ the yigorous language of the Rev . Dr . Vaughan ) "had the unspeakable meanness to Bend a copy of this letter to Vienna ? The effect of sending such a missive was plainly telling the Cabinet of the Kaiser that they might do
what they would with a nation which was only linked to the Austrian Crown by its ancient laws and constitution . " * I give from the Blue Book the note which accompanied the copy of the letter to the Hungarian agent , forwarded to our Ambassador at Vienna : — "Foreign-office , Dec . 20 , 1848 . tc My Lord , —I herewith transmit to your Excellency , for your information , a copy of a letter which I have caused to be addressed to a person representing himself as charged with communications from Hungary . —I am , & c ., " P-ALMEKSTOST . "
Is Mr . W . Ccningham of opinion that this note was written under Prince Albert ' s dictation ? If so , then how will he account for the mutilation and falsification of Sir A . Burnes ' s despatches to remove from Lord Palmerston ' s shoulders the criminality of the Affghan war ? And how , I should like to know , will Mr . Coningham account for Lord Palmerston ' s conduct when Poland rose , in 1830 , to secure the Constitution guaranteed to her by England in 1815 . He then absolutely interfered to prevent France , Sweden , Turkey , Persia , aye , and even accursed Austria , from siding with Poland ! Was Prince Albert in the Foreign-office then f But I dare not intrude further on your valuable space . —Believe me , Sir , yours very truly , Oliver Bbadshaw .
And noir a word to Mr . Coningham . Under what delusion . was : he labouring when he put the Question— " How long shall Prince Albert continue to be the ¦ only irresponsible Minister of the Crown ?" Now , if the Queen ' s consort has intermeddled in the criminal manner represented in the papers , I beg to Bay that I should be the last person to attempt to mitigate the just . indignation of the people at such unconstitutional acts . But Mr . Coningham should be just . Does he not know that England , for a long period , his been ' governei by an illegal club ? ~ That , according to the Constitution , matters of foreign and of home polity- ' can only be decided on by the Privy Council ; that a few members of that council have
usurped to themselves all its prerogatives ; that , to use the words of Hallam , « The Cabinet itself having no legal existence , and its members being merely not amenable to punishment in , their simple capacity of Privy Councillors , which , they generally share in modern times with a great number even of their adversaries , there is no tangible character to which responsibility is attached ; nothing , except a signature , or the setting of a seal , from which a bad minister need entertain any further apprehension than that of losing his post or his reputation . " And even where crimes can be brought home to ministers , Macanlay tellfl us : " Whatever confidence may be
placed in the decision of the peers on an appeal arising out of ordinary litigation , it is certain that no man has the least confidence in their impartiality when a great public functionary , charged with a great State crime , is brought to their bar . They are all politicians . There is hardl y o n e am o ng them whose vote on an impeachment may not be confidently predicted before a witness has been examined , and even if it were possible to rely on their justice , thoy would still be quite unfit to try such a cause . " I would ask Mr . Coningham whether these words hare not been confirmed by several modern instances , particularly by the abortive impeachment of Lord Palmerston in 1848 ?
And now , as to Mr . Coningham ' s idea that Hunf ^ i- ™ . !? , haTe been trampled down had the J £ nglish | people been aware of Prince Albert's " carrytoft on a private correspondence with British diplomatists abroad , or with foreign court * , unknown to Lord PaUnewton . " Hai Mr . Coningham read the SJZ £ * L i * 5 " * ° that = * & «* . ^ former Umee , treated with Hungary as an independent
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THE PRESTON STRIKE . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ) Preston , Jani 7 th , 1854 . Sib , —In the Leader of the 31 st of December you commence a leading article upon the subject of the Lancashire Strikes by stating that " the workingclasses who are now on strike in the North have not yet responded to the challenge which they have received from several quarters;—they hare not yet made good their assertion that on commercial grounds the masters would be able to pay them ten per cent , more than the current rate of wages . "
I assume that by " the current rate of wages" you mean the rate of wages current at Preston before the strike ; because it is a notorious fact that there is no uniform rate cf wages current throughout the cotton district : wages differ very materially even in the same towns , and in no cotton-manufacturing town except Blackburn has a standard list of prices been adopted . The only mode which , the operatives have for fihowing that the masters are able on commercial grounds to pay them the tea per cent , which they
demand , is by producing masters who are now running their mills under commercial and other circumstances similar to those which would surround the Preston masters if they were at work , and who , nevertheless , pay the ten per cent . Other mode than this no one can have ; for it would be impossible to ascertain the precise nature of each manufacturer ' s business , the nature of his capital , and the perfection of his machinery ; without which it would be impossible to prove the absolute capability of each master to pay the ten per cent . What the operatives can do , they hire this week done : they have published a list of the prices upon certain sorts of cloth paid by the principal Preston manufacturers before the lock-out , comparing them with the prices paid at Blackburn for , the same descriptions of vf ork . I subjoin their statement : — LIST OP PRICES . Preston . Blackburn . Prices . Prices . Catienra . il and Co . Reed . Width , —Length . Picks . d . d . Inches . Yards . 60 40 3 7 * 16 11 | 134 44 38 374 11 8 8 } 62 36 374 16 111 12 f 58 2 fl 58 _ 14 13 | 16 Sir leu Brothers . Heed . Width . Length . Picks . d . d . Inches . Yards . 54 80 374 9 7 74 58 40 3 7 * 114 8 9 i t 54 30 40 9 U 8 | Swain-son and Birlet /' s . Reed . Width . Length . Picks . < 1 . d . Inches . Yards . 60 30 60 13 12 * 13 ft 60 89 374 IB * 104 13 66 30 374 114 71 Oi 62 39 3 7 * 94 H 7 }
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GOVERNMENT MAILS TO AUSTRALIA . C To the Editor of the Leader . ' ) London , Jan . 11 th . Sir , —A year has nearly elapsed since you inserted a letter of mine exposing the misdeeds of the directors of the Hoyal Australian Mail Company . Curing this interval the shareholders have shown themselves alive to the censure lavished on them by the press and the public ; they have depose ! their directors , and shown every disposition to endeavour to regain the good opinion of the public . " Their hist ship , the Victoria , has made the quickest passage out and
home on record ; and I believe the passengers have declared themselves fully satisfied with the treatment and accommodation they received . Under these circumstances , I do not hesitate to bring under your notice , and endeavour to enlist your powerful aid to remedy , an apparent case of gross injustice committed by the Post-office against that company . The Victoria , took on board at Sydney , Melbourne , and Adelaide , a very large number of letters for England . The postage of those letters amounted to 2000 / ., of which 500 / . has very properly been paid to the captain , as directed by Act of Parliament : the
remaining 1500 / . has been pocketed by Government , and not one fraction been given to the company . You may ask why the company did not contract with the captain that the Post-office fee should go entirely to them . The answer is , that the company being deprived of their contract , did not contemplate the conveyance of any mail , but that the letters were sent on hoard against ( their wish in Australia , and that no English vessel can refuse to take them . Surely , if our vessels are to compete
with foreigners , they should be protected from such an outrageous act of despotism . The Golden Agey the other day , refused to take a mail , unless she was allowed half the postag-e . Our vessels must carry them for nothing , unless , as in the case of the West Indian boats , they can muster sufficient interest to ensure an enormous subsidy which defies competition . Considering that you are an advocate for a quick communication with our Australian colonies , which can be alone accomplished by a system of fair play , I beg to remain , A BHABEUOLDElt IN THE RoTAL AuBTKAXIAN Mail Comjtany . t-
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6 A T H E LEADER , [ Saturday ,
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• British Quarterly Review , Dec . 1853 . t This sort had only been mado a few woeiks , and tho prico is that paid at tiio stoppage of the mill .
Hwnber and Co . ¦ Heed . "Width . Length . Pick * . d . d . Inches . Yards . 60 40 37 ft IB * U 18 Taylor and Co . Reed . Width . Length . Picks . d . d . Inchos . Yards . M 40 374 16 IS 131 62 40 37 * 16 11 * 134 58 40 87 $ 14 11 111 J . and A . Leigh . Reed . Width . Length . Picks . d . 4 . Inches . Yards . 60 40 37 * 154 11 13 Homreckses , Miller and Co . Reed- Width . Length . Picks . d . d . . Inches . Yards . 66 40 40 19 14 . 16 77 40 40 24 22 24 i 77 40 40 27 25 28 * Latcson and SwarWich . Heed . Width . Length . Picks . d . d . Inches . -Yards . 60 40 37 | 15 * U * 13 Arktcrighl and Co . Reed . Width . Length . Picks . d . d . Inch . es . Yards . 60 40 37 . 15 J 11 13 CaJvert and Co ., Walton . Reed . "Width . - Length . Picks . d . d . laches . Yards . 60 40 37 | 15 * 11 13 E . Sharpies and Co . Reed . Width . Length , Picks . d . d . Inoh . es . Yards . 7 6 4 0 40 20 22 . 21 J 76 46 48 120 27 28 I need scarcely explain , that many other sorts than these are manufactured in Preston ; but it may be taken for a fact that one of these sorts ( viz ., the 60 reed cloth , 15 | picks ) constitutes three-fourths of the trade at Preston . It is a poor sort of clotk , and is made for the Chinese markets . In justice Jo the manufacturers , I should add that for one piece of this cloth manufactured in Blackburn a thousand are manufactured in Preston ( Blackburn working principally for the Bombay and Calcutta markets , which have a demand for better sorts ) , and . it might possibly be that the Blackburn employers are on that account content to pay & higher price upon that sort than they otherwise would , but it is a fact that upon every sort of cloth made in both the towns the Preston masters hare hitherto paid less than the Blackburn masters . I am , Sir , yours obediently , « F . JL < .
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* These tvvo sorts are tho prices paid ftt tho closing of th « mills ; we found it impossible to got an . accurate statement of tho prices paid on ( ho 1 st of March , ivnd supposing th « X ten por cent , liad boon advanced upon thorn , the difference botwoon them and tho Ulaokburn prioca will bo 21 per cent . on the one sort , and 2-4 pur cent , on tho othor .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 21, 1854, page 64, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2022/page/16/
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