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-<---—.-—------ ••- THE NORTHJfiilN SlAn...
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THE CHARTER AND THE LAM ). » «• _««-t «a...
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THE NORTHERN STAR. SATURDAY, APRIL 26,1845.
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THE APPROACHING "PANIC." Lei the last wo...
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Co iteatteitf & ^ mg P on ?5! t ?
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B. Dtson, Honiet.—We cannot at present a...
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MONIES RECEIVED BY MR. O'CONNOR. for the...
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gmUmte, ^fieme^ & tomests
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Fatal axd Melanchoiy Railway Accident.— ...
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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 NORTHJfiilN SlAn 5 . ApBIL 26 , 1845 .
The Charter And The Lam ). » «• _««-T «A...
THE CHARTER AND THE LAM ) . » «• _«« -t « ao held at the South London dSSSSSSiSi . on Wednesday even-Onart ^ iiau , ^ " ^ . Gatherd was unanimously ittfSir ^ d a ^ ounced Mr . T . Clark to -S . SS 3 S ? S . l- seven *»**" -in actively engaged in propagatog Chartism , and lufbeXd 8 ^ portfon oTihe working classes aow thoroug hly underatood those principles . He Soughtstol / obbrng m oneymongers had been long SuIhreprese J uted , Ind that it was now tune that he ilterelte of the working classes should be represented . ( Cheers . ) Parsons and lawyersihad their interests represented , because they helped to make
the laws ; and labour never would be protected until the masse also helped to malie lac laws . Sir il . peel was a clever man , ss his mode of picking the pockets of tfre people ftdlv showed . Retail pickpockets were taken rro and sent to Newgate , while the wholesale pickpocket ( Sir R . Peel ) was called a " great financier , " a " clever statesman . " ( Loud cheers . ) All classes appeared to be now seeking for protection ; and it was but rig ht that the working classes should seek protection with the rest . ( Hear , hear . ) Mr . Clark concluded by moving the first resolution , as follows : —
That in the opinion of this meeting , the appointment of a Chartist Registration and Election Committee , to -ensure the return of Chartist members of Parliament at the next General Election , will tend greatly to promote the political and social emancipation of the people . Mr . Wbbb , of Stockport , said , he thought the princi p le of the resolution of the first importance , as it implied a manner in which they could cany into practice the recommendation of Sir R . Peel , viz ., ""the fy-fclng of their own aflairs into their own hands . " ( Hear , hear . ) This was the only means of obtaining the Charter , and preventing national robbery . He thought , if London set the example , there would be no doubt of Ihe provinces following . Let the resolution but be carried into practice , and they could not fail to have men in the Commons
House of Parliament who really represented the peop le . ( Cheers . ) Mr . Dorman , of Nottingham , thought it was quite tame that the people turned their attention to some practical measure . They had had enough of theory . ( Hear , hear . ) He was pleased to see so strong a desire exist for real representation . ( Hear , hear . ) It did not reflect any credit on the country to see Mr . Duncombebattling in "that house , " almost alone , for their rights . He was much pleased to think that Nottingham , amidst all her poverty , had not overlooked Mr . Buncombe ' s great services , but had testified her gratitude by remitting nearly £ 40 to the Testimonial . ( Cheers . ) There was but one course open to the people with any chance of success , that of appointing Registration and Election Committees , which he believed , if attended to , would be crowned with the most triumphant success . ( Loud cheers . ) The resolution was carried iinanimonsly .
Mr . Boyle said there was no question of hah so much importance , at the present period , as the question of the Land ; and which had been very much neg lected until within this last few years . The land , in its natural state , was the property of all mankind ( cheers ) : bnt they had been deprived of it ; and the great question now was , how should they recover it ? The man who stole the merest trifle , risked his liberty in doing so—bnt members of Parliament stole the land—the peoples' means of subsistence—without any risk whatever . ( Cheers . ) ^ In reply to the question as to how they should regain the land ? he would say , let the present possessors have a life interest , and their successors be paid a fair value for their possessions , then to be no more individual , but national properly ; let out at a rental to all who desired . He had much pleasure in proposing the second resolution as follows : —
-That this meeting is of opinion that the land shoula he national property , rented out for the benefit of the whole people , and not monopolised as at present by an aristocratic few , who are thereby enabled to possess themselves of political power , and who use it for the purpose of enslaving ana ^ degraamg the toiling millions . And they pledge themselves to aid in any legal rational design , -calculated to restore it to its original and rightful owners , the people ; and thereby enable them to obtain the means to place themselves in happiness and comfort , and ease file labour market of its present surplus population .
M r . M'Gkath s a id , he felt very great pleasure in seconding the resolution , containing as it did the assertion of the primordial right of the people to the soil ( Cheers . ) The " Young America" party were quite awake to the question ; nut witness the conduct of our press in relation to the land movement of America , from the daily Time s down to Lloyd ' s Threepenny Trosli . ( Loud cheers . ) When the Duke of Argyle was asked how he became possessed of his estate , he drew his sword and threw it down . ( Loud cheers . ) Some of our wise "feelosop her s" contended that the land could not furnish sustentation for the people ; bnt he would fearlessly leave those "feelosophcrs" in thehands of Sheriff Alison and Lord
Lauderdale , who contended it would support onehnndred million of people . So long as they were governed by class made laws , so long would they be kept out of our sight to the soil . ( Loud cheers . ) At the present time onl y one in ei ght possessed the elective franchise : consequently there were seven at the mercy of one . He recommmended that the slaves should band themselves together for the obtainment of their just rights . He appealed to them , by the res p ect they bore themselves , by their love to their families , to come and unite for the Land and the Charter . ( Loud cheers . ) Mr . Muxdat , Northampton , also ably supported fhe resolution .
Mr . Bairstow , Leicester , said the resolution asserted a great right—a right equal to all , without distinction of creed , caste , or colour . Those who robbed the peop le of this great right committed one of the most atrocious of crimes . ( Cheers . ) Yet the aristocracy treated the claim to the land with the most sovereign contempt . "Why ? because the people were crouching slaves . ( Hear , hear . ) It was not Surprising the aristocracy treated them thus . They Iiad slept while the pilferers had been busy with their hands in their pockets . Was it to be wondered at , that amid the midnight gloom that prevailed , burglaries should be committed ? ( Hear , hear . ) ShcU tad described Sir R . Peed as the " fascinating
financier . " Well , it remained to he seen if even _ he could long keep the wants , wishes , and desires of the people in abeyance . ( Hear , hear , and cheers . ) Remember Peel ' s station in society . He is the representative of two millions of wealth , wrung from the sweat and blood of the industrious classes ; and his recent measures only granted " small concessions " for the purpose of preventing the working classes roni claiming : their whole rights . Then prepare for the coming crisis , not physically—though they mig ht do as they pleasedabout that ( laughter)—but morally . The working classes must work out their own redemption . The resolution was carried unanimously . A vote of thanks was passed by acclamation to the chairman , and the meeting dispersed .
MANCHESTER , A Pubuc Meeting of the inhabitants of this town was held in the Carpenters' Hall on the afternoon ol S u nday last , for the purpose of electing a delegate to the Chartist Convention . The meeting was called by placard , and the time announced for the business to commence was two o ' clock , at which time Mr . Renshaw was unanimously called on to preside . Mr . Wheeler moved , and Mr . Shawcross seconded — "That Mr . Philip M'Grafhis a fit and proper person , and he is hereby appointed to represent
Manchester in the forthcoming Convention about to be held in London . On the motion being put from the chair , it was agreed to n e m . con . Mr . Edward Clark moved the following— " That in the opinion of this meeting all monies granted by Government from the public funds for the purposes of any religious sect or party is contrary to sound principle , believing it to be the best and only honest way for all sects to be supported by voluntary contributions by their own votaries ; and that our delegate be requested to support these our views in the Convention . " Mr . D . Donovan , in an able speech , seconded the resolution , which was carried unanimously .
GLASGOW . Sihaxge Proceedings . — The friends of J . B . O'Brien in this city , and they are very few , seem resolved to play their part in the desperate attempt of the disappointed , and now disaffected heroes , ol 1839-40 , to destroy the character aud consequently the influence of that great eye-sore to those who expected to live upon agitation—Mr . O'Connor . I am sorry to find myself prompted by a sense of duty to speak thus of some of those parties ; hut no private feeunj ; —no sense of any former meritorious acts , could justify silence upon such conduct as the publishing of such an atrocious placard as the following : — « TREACHERY UNMASKED ! O'Brien on the Currency : O'Connor ' s villainy and treachery ; his
betrayal of Frost and others . A lecture will be delivered on the above subject , in the Chartist Church , Blackfriais-street , on Tuesday evening , the 22 nd inst ., at ei ght o ' clock mi . —W . C . Pattison , Printer . " Beyond the printer ' s name there were no means nl ? ' ?« Ied of tracing out the authors of the above iir ..:. > . : ous effusion . It was whispered by some parties , iu the confidence of a certain individual , that O'Brien was to be there himself . The result o ! aU this mystery was a tolerably good niuster on Tuesday evening * At the hour of meeting there was no appearance cf O'Brien , nor of anv other stranger .
Ultimately the accuser of Mr . O'Connor made his appearance in the person of James Walker , whose tender regard for O'Brien appears to have clouded everything in his composition in the shape of discretion—whose very friends feel shocked at the everlasting tirade of revolting epithets he is in the habit u , ^ F-e n oon Mr . O'Connor , as often as his name ™ inHw « ptcsence ' As soon as he ascended the Mr V ^„^ purp 0 Be of oommencing his « lecture , " C ™<™ ^ , ! J £ " and movedtbat Mr . Jotn -ZL 5 ?« ed )* Nx' Sherrington . Josenh Kerr aorei Mr . Jamea Adam ,, ^ dteSd £
The Charter And The Lam ). » «• _««-T «A...
meeting was his , and he would submit to no chairman . He had called the meeting—he had a lecture to deliver—and he would have no c hairman . As mi ght easily be expected , this declaration created a scene which few could have braved . Mr . George Ross , amidst deafening and repeated cheers , stepped up to the platform and pressed upon Mr . Walker the propriety of allowing ^ the meeting to appoint a chairman . Mr . Ross received the same replv as the others . Mr . Ross then told Walker that he had no right to tell the audience that the meeting was his , inasmuch as there were no names upon the bill calllns the meeting ; consequently Mr . Walker had no more power over the meeting than any other one present . Still Walker was immoveable . Ultimately Mr . Colquhoun said that he was determined to stand
by his motion . Mr . Walker might retire if he thought proper ; but he hoped the meeting would act so as to guard against injustice being done to any one . Mr . Cameron was then unanimously appointed to the chair—Walker threatening to prosecute , and Cameron telling him that he was quite ready to pay the penalty . Walker then spoke for upwards of an hour , going over the matters indispute between Mr . O'Connor and Mr . O'Brien , reading Mr . O'Brien ' s thonsand-and-one complaints against O'Connor , but seldom , except when forced , condescending to read anything from the Star . As to the currency , he never touched on its merits . He closed one of the most extraordinary harangues we ever had the misfortune of having inflicted on us , by reading Ashton ' s letter to Mosely . Mr . Colquhounrose to submit amotion
that had been advanced by Mr . Walker , upon which Mr . Walker descended from the pulpit , and was in the act of making his way to the door , when a regular row took p lace between him and some parties in the passage . We were sorry to see this ; out when Seople feel themselves | to be grossly insulted , coolly and eUberately insulted , the offending parties should bear in mind that all men arc not philosophers . Order being partly restored , Mr . Sherrington briefly addressed the meeting , commenting in severe terms on the atrocious nature of the placard calling the meeting , as well ason the conduct of Walker , Ashton , and Mr . O'Brien , in publishing what , if true , must militate against Frost and his compatriots ; and what , whether true or false , was certain to have that tendency . He ( Mr . Sherrington ) denied that there
was any proof to establish what had been preferred against Mr . O'Connor . Mr . Walker knew full well that it was out of the power of the whole gang to criminate Mr . O'Connor . Mr . Walker had promi s ed to g ive them a lecture on the currency ; but in his eagerness to slaug hter O'Connor , he had forgotten that part of his subject . Mr . Col quhoun moved the following resolution - . —Resolved , "That this meeting , having heard Mi * . Walker ' s charges against Mr . O'Connor , deem it their duty thus publicly to declare that they have heard nothing to induce them to withdraw that confidence they have hitherto reposed in Mr . O'Connor . " The motion was seconded by Mr . Duncan Sherrington . Josep h Kerr moved as an amendment , " That the debate be adjourned , " but finding no seconder , it fell to the
ground . Mr . Adams said he did not believe Mr . O'Connor to be guilty of what Walker had charged him with , but contended that a desire existed to destroy O'Brien . He was followed by a person who did not seem desirous to g ive his name , but the chairman insisted on knowing it , when he gave his name as " Fraser" He gave Ashton and Mosely great credit for patriotism , and denounced the attempt of Mr . Hobson to injure the character of Mosely . He spoke in support of Walker . Mr . Colquhoun , in reply , contended that Mr . Fraser , in his attack upon Messrs . O'Connor and Hobson , had completely overturned his own arguments . He then read an extract from the Star , showing that O'Brien does not now
advocate the same views he did in the Poor Man ' s Guardian . Messrs . Adams , Walker , and Fraser insisted upon speaking again , but Mr . Colquhoun told them that if they were allowed to do so , he would claim his right to rep ly to every word they might advance . The chairman then put the motion , which was carried unanimously , on which Walker , Adams , and "Mr . Fraser" abused Mr . Colquhoun as everything that was base , for having taken advantage of what they had said , and refusing them the opportunity to reply to his " rep ly . " Mr . Colquhoun moved a vote of thanks to the chairman , which was carried by acclamation ; after which the meeting quietly dispersed , —Parson , Adams , Walker , and"Fraser" excepted .
The Northern Star. Saturday, April 26,1845.
THE NORTHERN STAR . SATURDAY , APRIL 26 , 1845 .
The Approaching "Panic." Lei The Last Wo...
THE APPROACHING "PANIC . " Lei the last word ef the title to this article be carefully looked at ! It is one of sad and portentous meaning : but the " state of things " for which that word is so painfully expres s ive , is as surely approaching as that we are now committing words to paper . The warning-note has been sounded ! The impending evil is foreseen ; the threatened danger to existing "prosperity" is manifest : and "high and noble lords" have deemed it their duty to put the country on its guard , and prepare it against surprise when the cloud of "depression , "—no # a little off in the distance , —shall cover the land .
For the last two years commerce , as it is called , has been in a most" prosperous " state . The two good harvests ; the opening up of the China market ; the partial recovery in America from the effects produced by the fraudulent system of fictitious paper capital , and from the temporary depressing effects of the measures taken by General Andrew Jackson , Mabun Yak Burks , and John Ttler to annihilate the infernal " PAPER MONEY MONSTER : " the
"difficulties" in Spain , which permitted our merchants to smuggle immense quantities of their goods into a country where they are all but prohibited : these things , combined with the measures of the " Old Lady of Threadneedle-street , " have produced a " roaring trade ; " and for the last two years not only has every wheel and every shuttle been in motion but new mills and new machinery have sprung up o n every hand—all things indicating ( as far as the employers were concerned ) a state of great activity and
profit . But with this " good trade" there also came the usual and constant attendant on all Bank-forced " prosperity "—a spirit of reckless and undiscrinrinating speculation . We say the " usual and constant attendant on Bank-forced ' prosperity : for it is inherent in the very natural of paper-money ' as all history in relation to that tremendous engine for transferring the wealth of society out of the hands of tho producers into the lap of " the greediest and most inexorable of tyrants , " incontestibly proves . To point to a period when such " prosperity " existed , independent and in the absence of reckless speculation , either in Europe or America ,
where the engine has been in operation , is an impossibility . Who does not remember the " glorious times" of 1824-5 , and the all-pervading " bobble " projects ? True , the c r ash came ; and a tremendous crasfc it was . But had we not the thing over again in 1836-7 , when " prosperity" again abounded , along with moonshine scheme s of every sort for Joint-stock Companies ? And so , again , at the present time . With " prosperity" has come the old evil . We are enacting the South Sea Bubbles over again : and the play is very near its close , when all parties , —players , money-takers , and spectators , —will have to weig h up accounts , and " take their change" out of " circumst a n c es .
The direction given this last time to the " speculative mania" has been in the concoction , fostering , and upholding of every descri ption of railway projects—the possible ami the impossible ; thefeasibleandthe impracticable ; the probable and the unlikely . And , what is worse than all , the mania has infected nearly the vjhole of the trading classes . Formerl y , these baseless specidations were confined to the hands of a comparatively few . There was the " sink of iniquity , "
the old Stock Exchange , with its constant hordes of visitors , " trafficking" in " shares" of moonshine companies : but there the operations were mainly eonducted . Now , however , nearl y every town of fifthrate magnitude , can boast of its " Exchange : " and the shopkeepers , even of retired and unimportant villages , are as busy in " buying and selling" shares in merely projected Companies , as ever the descendants of Abraham were in " transhferring " the " three-per-shents . "
The evils thus inflicted on society it is impossible to over-rate . At best hand , these speculatings in " shares ; " these " watchings of the turn of the market , " are but aspecies of gambling—and a bad species too . It teaches its votaries to become s har p ers instead of traders . It is not visible realised wealth that they traffic in—but " shares" in mere projects ; and they are eternally on the watch to " make money" at eachother ' s expense . Thisleads to all sorts of scheming to unduly raise the price of the " share s dealt in . The moment a new project is named the sp eculators " gather " like eagles over a carcass : and every sort of means , fair ; and unfair , are resorted to ,
The Approaching "Panic." Lei The Last Wo...
to procure an allotment of original shares in the unlikely undertaking . Then , by a system of understandings—by concerted action—the shares arebrought into the m a rket ; sold from one to another , till they are raised . to a " high premium ; " and the n , when as hig h as they are likely to be , the original holders contrive to get them off their hands to some simple parties or other , who think they are going to " make fortunes all at once : " but who , at the very next " turn of the market , " find not only all the anticipated addition to their means dissipated , but a good portion alsoj > f that with which they bought the "lucky geese "
that were to have laid the golden eggs . And this is the course of the " trading" in this new species of " property "—these " shares " in schemes , nine-tenths of which it is impossible to realise ! What a desecration of the name . ' It is not trading . Trading implies that something has been bought and sold that is tangible—that is real . But here is a species of traffic in a mere scUme—in a mere project , This cannot be trading . It is gambling—neither more nor less : and one evil result of the evil practice is , to make us a nation of gamblers—of sharpers—instead of ' . our longer answering to the description Bvoifparte gave of us , — " a nation of traders . "
This is far from being the only evil . It would be bad enough if it were—but others , and most serious ones , follow in its train . The parties subjected to the influence of this system become dissatisfied with their former position . It loosens the ties that bound them down with the common weal . The ordinary profits of ordinary trade—those which have enabled them to live in comfort , but not in superfluity—which have enabled them to bring up their families as tradesmen ' s families ought to be brought up ; the profits that have enabled them to do this , become contemptible in . their eyes . They see a
mode by which , if lucky , fortunes can be realised m a few days , as it were . The long life that they have spent in comparative drudgery , with its attendant cares and anxieties , for a mere living and a trifling saving , appears in unfavourable contrast with "the new way to wealth ; " and thus they are rendered uneasy and dissatisfied ; predisposed to enter on any insane scheme that may be propounded . Of course , whenever such feelings exist , the modes for gratifying the desires they give birth to are soon found , as the present rage in England for "shares " in railways in all parts of the habitable globe abundantly testifies .
But even this is for h'om bomg the worst . The mania is sure to lead to national difficulties ! Though fortunes are , in the first instance , " made " by the crafty and the sharp—yet the end is certain ruin to the bulk of the traflickers . Though some few gai n , it is only through the toss cf others . Indeed , how could it be otherwise ? Can any one be so silly as to get it into his head that by " trading" in the " shares" of a mere scheme he is " making money ?" Is he adding to the value of anything that is ; ? Is he performing the functions ofa trader , by buying up real wealth where it is ^ in excess , and removing it ? # * vvlnnnr * vnM /\**/ v ir - * a Ytrtnrl / vH 4-Vtn 4 ' * + ¦ w * n «* lisv H . ntu . to places where it is neededthat it be distri
, may - buted , with the cost of carriage and tradesmen ' s trouble on its original price ? Is he doing anything of this sort ? No . He is merely adopting a process which enables him to tra n sfer from the pockets of somebody or other the money which he thinks he " makes . " He is merely purchasing his " fortune " at the cost of somebody ' s ruin . It is all very well for these speculators , so long as the shares in moonshine are at a " high premium . " It is all very well to have " allotted" to you to-day one hundred " shares , " at £ 100 each ; and to " sell" them the next day for £ 110 each—sacking
£ 1 , 000 by " atransaction" which hasnot needed the expenditure of a single penny of money . It is all very well , too , for the buyer to sell again at £ 112 , pocketing £ 200 by his bargain . All very well this , as long as the moonshine is in the market : but what becomes of it when the BUBBLE is burstcd ? When the scheme fails in Parliament , what are the " shares" worth ? How much " premium" will they sell for , then ? Nay , are they then marketable at all ' ?! Not a bit of it ! The " property " has vanished . The then holder loses all he gave for it I and thus it is seen that all the " money made" by this description of share-trading is merely a transferring from the pockets of some into those of others . And will tho empty ones conduce to national benefit , because others
have been filled out of them ? Will the effects of the insolvency caused by the wreck of the many , be counteracted by the few who have " plucked the pigeons" ? When the creditors of the first bankrupts are brought into the Gasette themselves , through the " failure " of those they credited , will it be any consolation to them to know that their property has gone into the hands of those who realised fortunes by " watching the turn of the market ? " or will this fact prevent the bankruptcy and insolvency from spreadingamongother creditors , to athirdandfourth degree ? And when national distress is the consequence , and loud complaints heard on every hand , will the knowled ge that a fe w have amassed the means o ^ luxurious existence , at ail palliate the evil ? We
trow not . That period we are rapidly approaching ! The " scheming" has almost had its day . The projects can remain no longer mere projects . The time for legislation has arrived . For the Parliament to agree to one half of the bills presented before it , would be to vote the Government out of existence . To acomplish even that proportion of the projects would take from the ordinary pursuits of commerce just upon one hundred millions of money ! Imagine that sum diverted from the present modes of production and traffic ! Why are notwetold thatagood harvest , which leaves us some £ 5 , 000 , 000 for expenditure in the manufacturing market more than a bad harvest does , makes all the difference between a "good" and a "bad" trade ? And would the abstraction of
£ 100 , 000 , 000 produce no disarrangement ? The Government is not so foolish as to try it ! And if not one-half of the projects receive Parliamentary sanction , what is to become of the rest ? Down they go ! with all the reckless expenditure of puffing , and surveying , and Parliamentary agency , and purchasing of acquiescence on the part of owners of property , on their heads . Out the schemes are snuffed ; and with them goes the " property" in " shares ! " And does not this portend danger to credit ? Will there be no " shock" in the " money market ? " Will not trade and commerce suffer ?
O , yes , it will ! The danger is imminent ! The " reckoning day " is at hand , It is seen in the distance . It is alarming : else why the following warning-koib on the part of Lord Brougham in the House of Lords the other day ? It was not without occasion that he thus spoke : — Be tvas one of those who regarded uith the greatestpossihle alarm the present frenzy of speculation which had come over M community , as well as those possessed of capital and credit , as those very slenderly furnished with either , but inspired by the love of gambling in shares . The effects OF 1 HIB WEBE MKELT TO PBOVE EXCEEDINGLY ALAUMING TO THE CREDIT , AS WELL AS THE HE 80 DBCES OF THIS
COOHIET . Looking back to what happened in the years 1825 and 1826 , the only period within his recollection to be compared with the present , lie ( Lord Brougham ) recollected that the noble earl then at the head of his Majesty ' s Government ( Lord Liverpool ) , feeling impressed with the same alarm , deemed it his duty in his place in Parliament to warn his fellow-subjects against the course into which they were then heedlessly rushing ; and that warning concluded with a notice , which no doubt her Majesty ' s Government were equally prepared to give , that , come what might , happen what would , the speculators were to look in the result to their own resources , and not to any assistance or relief from the Government , which had given them this fair and timely warning : aud when the crash happened in 1826 , Lord Liverpool reminded
the speculators of that warning , and stated that it was no wonder a pecuniary crisis and mercantile convulsion had taken place , when the effect of those jointstock companies of 1825 had been to withdraw no less than £ 17 , 000 , 000 from the ordinary circulation and from ordinar y comm e rcial em p l o ym ent , into those speculations . Now , he ( Lord Brougham ) had seen a calculation from one of the most eminent railway brokers in this country , whose name he declined mentioning ( though it would give very , great credit to his calculation ) only because the statemeut might be deemed invidious by the speculators , and might expose him to odium—that if a very few were to pass of . the 240 railway bills now before Parliament , not £ 17 , 000 , 000 would be thus withdrawn , but £ 130 , 000 , 000 would , in the course of two , or at most three years , be required for these specu-
The Approaching "Panic." Lei The Last Wo...
lations . No member of either house regarded with greater disapprobation than himself any interference of the Government with the public , except , indeed , with advice , perhaps , and warning—any legislative interference , or interference of the executive Government ( were that possible ) <* vith the employment of the capital or of the labour of the community ; but it was wholly a differ e n thin g , whether the legislature should give encouragemen , to this spirit of speculation by granting Acts conferring most extraordinary powers , without which none of these speculations could possibly he undertaken . He ( Lord Brougham ) knew in private of instances of the ruinous consequences of these speculations now asking the sanction of Parliament . A . respectable elerg jinan in .
a northern parish , having saved about £ 5 , 000 for his family , sent it up to a friend in town with peremptory instructions to buy railway shares , as he was determined to treble or quadruple his fortune ; and another person , who had accumulated about £ 2 , 800 , sent it to be laid out in these shares , but added , that as it was a small sum , his agent had better borrow £ 3 , 000 more for him , and not be nice about the terms of the loan , and lay the whole out in railway shares . When calls came to be made upon these persons , they would have no means to pay them ; or , if not so , they would find uo interest coming in . Their expectation was io sell in a few months at a premium ; but they would find themselves disappointed , and many would be ruined . The Government should betimes make up their mir . ds whether it was expedient to afford the means of gratifying this gambling mania . It was of no
benefit to the country ; it was purely gambling in shares , or act i ons , as the French termed them . The French Government , two years ago , were impressed with the same view of the subject as himself , and were afraid of the currency being interfered with , and they stopped railways generally , and only allowed a very small number ; only twelve or fifteen within this year and a half . Without laying down any rule , he must state Ids decided opinion , t h at there was a mischievous mania for railway speculation pervading the community , which was very likely to lead to grievous evil—to an alabmino panic ; and that the sooner the attention of Parliament and of the community was directed to the subject , in order , by discussion and mature deliberation ( if possible ) , to apply a check to the prevailing fury , the better it might be for the commercial and the pecuniary interests of this country . ( Hear , hear . )
Lord Dalhousie , on the part of the Government , had another card to play . It would not do for Mm to appear to be too much frig htened , or the very effect Lord Brougham and himself wished to guard against would be produced . And what a stable system that must be whose existence hangs on the breath of a Minister of the day ! A single puff of wind from him would blow down the "house of cards ! " Here is danger hanging over us—danger
so imminent , that Lord Brougham deems it necessary to prepare the country for the " coming storm , " that all may not be taken by surprise : and hero is the President of the Board of Trade , full y as alive to the danger as Lord Brougham can possibly be , and fully as conscious of the necessity of caution , speaking thus " with faltering lip and bated breath , " lest he should annihilate the whole "heaven-born system ! " Hear the alar m ed Minister endeavouring to speak as unconcernedly as possible : —
" With respect to the very wide , difficult , aud delicate question which his noble and learned friend had opened , he ( Lord Dalhousie ) would not presume to offer any observations to the house . As to the amount of speculation prevailing in ffie country , there could exist mo doubt whatever ; but as to the amount of capital required for the completion of the schemes in any degree likely to receive the sanction of Parliament , he thought the informant of his noble and learned friend had a little outrun the fact . He believed that if all the railway hills now before Parliament should receive the sanction of the legislature , there would not be less than 7 , 400 miles of new railroads , and that from £ 140 , 000 , 000 to £ 150 , 000 , 000 of money would be required . Of course , it was impossible to conceive that anything like that number of tills would reeeive the sanction of the two houses ' but , whatever the number might be , it would still be ' open ^ o the objections , and would be worthy of the CAUTION which his noble friend had expressed . "
There , now ! The "Minister of Trade " would not " presume " to offer observations on a subject which threatens the greatest danger to trade ! How excessively modest ! But then , after his disclaimer of presumption , he still " presumed" to " observe" on the " wide , DIFFICULT , and delicate question : and he tells us that" of the AMOUNT of speculation there can be no doubt . " Rather alarming words in the mouth of a Minister . Speculation in money-affairs is far from being desired by the Government . They know that when the tide of speculation sets in , the ebb of " PANIC" is sure to
follow ! And when we are told by a Minister that the amount of speculation prevailing in the country is great , we may set it down that he knows to where we are tending , and gives a " gentle hint" that we may know also . Mark well the CAUTION he gives . It is all very well thus to caution : it may possibly save some , not already in the vortex , from being " drawn in : " but for the mass of speculators it is worthless . They are in ! With the stream they must go . Their only chance is in swimming with it , in the hope that some straw or other may offer itself , at which they can catch .
But this was not all . It was pretty significant as far as it went , but it was not all . Lord Ashburton had his " say '" as well as Lord Brougham and Lord Dalhousie . Lord Ashburton has the credit of being a cool-headed far-seeing man—one not easily led away by the imagination . He is one of the Barings ; one of those who have made their money by " watching the turn of the market . " He is , therefore , one likel y to know something of the effe c ts of a system in which he has " lived , moved , and had his being . " And what is his opinion ? Hear it , for it is pregnant with meaning . He
said-He could not allow this discussion to pass without say . ing that nothing more important could occupy the attention of Parliament than the present feverish state of the gambling events connected with railways . In this case , however , as in many others , it was easier to point out the difficulty than to suggest the remedy . Still , it was desirable , whilst they were putting down the gambling houses in St . James ' s-street and Jermyn-street , and in the purlieus of Westminster , that they should , at least , consider the gambling which was pervading every country tovm , fvery country club , and every family , from one end oj the country to the other . They could not prevent the people from dealing in shares ; but , at the same time , it did become important to consider tho extent to which this gambling was carried on , and , if they could not repress the gambling , tuet ought at least to consider its
opeba-TION ON THE OKDINAEr proceedings of the cocntev , on our sionetabt TRANSACTIONS , and on the industry of the country . With regard to its influence on the ordinary business of trade , he might give one instance of its effect upon the iron manufactures of the country and the derangement it caused to the iron trade . There had been 300 per cent , advance in the price of iron during the last 18 months , and t he conse q uence was , t ha t al l t he ordinar y commerce connected with that trade was disturbed . They fouud a competition arising in Belgium and other countries , who were unable to carry on their ordinary p rocesses , since they fouud the raw materials in this country too dear for them . Tlus raised a competition in other countries against us , and opened channels of trade
from which they could not afterwards be driven out ; so that when iron in this country camo back to its ordinary p rice , we should find that we had lost the markets that had hitherto depended upon us . Again , as to its effect on the monetary system of this country . His noble friend said , that if all the railways applied for were granted , they would take about £ 140 , 000 , 000 from the ordinary monetary transactions of the country . By the mode of constructing the railways it must take three or four years before the whole sum would be required , and though the demand would come by small instalments , yet if the £ 140 , 000 , 000 wer e re q u i re d t o h e a d vance d i n one year , the inconvenience to the country would be extremely serious . His noble friend said that £ U 0 , 000 , 000 only were proposed , aud that it was not likely so many railways would be
assented to ; but he was afraid that railways embracing that amount had already received the sanction of the Board of Trade . Unfortunately this subject came before them in a great hurry ; they had hardly time to look about them and see howmatters mi ght be best conducted . Pressed as they would be in both houses by the importunities of the speculators , he very much apprehended that every attention would not he paid to the subject , and that the inquiries would not be conducted with that great sobriety which the importance of the subject deserved . Be could not , therefore , let tint occasion j ) ass by without expressing the APPREHENSION HE PELT AT THE CONFUSION WHICH MUST , MORE Oil LESS , ARISE TO THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY 01 ? TEE COUNTRY FROM T H E T R A N SA CTIONS NOW TAKING PL ACE
Is there not alarm there ? Is not danger seen ? Ah ! it is not for nothing that these warnings are given . It will behove all parties to attend to them ; and in order that the working portion of the community may be cognisant of them , we give them thus prominently . True , they can do nothing to avert the danger . True , they have had no hand in bringing it on . True , that in all these matters they arc at the mercy of the speculatm . True , that the " I'ROSPERirr" has " afforded" them a very little " share . '' True , that they have not been able under it to realise the wages of 1840 . True , that adversity will bring to them diminished means . True all this : but equally true that they ought to know of their danger , andbeinsomewise preparedtomcetit , They will ever be the sport of mercenary s }) cevMors , like those
The Approaching "Panic." Lei The Last Wo...
who have once again reduced the country to the verge of ruin , as long as the INFERNAL PAPER SYSTEM , —which breeds them , as stinking horseflesh breeds maggots , —exists : and that PAPER SYSTEM will exist so long as they remain stupidly quiescent—unless , indeed , its own inherent rascality and fraud blow it up , and rend the whole THING to atoms !
Co Iteatteitf & ^ Mg P On ?5! T ?
Co iteatteitf & ^ P ? 5 ! ?
B. Dtson, Honiet.—We Cannot At Present A...
B . Dtson , Honiet . —We cannot at present answer his question . W . Stephenson , Loughborough . —The conduct of the Feofee Trustees , in refusing the land they have " in trust for the benefit of the public" to the operative land association , s just that which might have been expected from a self-Jccted body . The time will come when they will have no longer the power to refuse . A Constant Subscriber , Manchester , had better consult his attorney . T . W . J ., London . —A person may belong te as many enrolled benefit societies as he pleases . W . Bbidle , Westminster . —His communication is declined . J . Gabnett , Keighley . —If the notice he speaks of was
legally sufficient , the " double rent" can be recoveredand by distress . The only way for the tenant to have protected himself , was to have evacuated the premises . J . B ., Preston . —After . th e p a p er had gone t o p ress las t week we discovered the mistake . Up to this day ( Thursday ) , we have no tidings of the meeting he spoke of . Thomas Hackney , Manchester . — T h e publica t ion of his letter would , we fear , do little good . As for the misrepresentations of the money-mongering apostateit would bo folly to notice them . Their maliciousness and strong personal bearing are too apparent to permit them to do the least harm . W . Parker , —We are sorry we cannot afford room for the meeting at Liverpool .
To Ma . James B . O'Bbien . —Sir , —In the last number of your paper , you fathered a letter from W . Ashton , of Barnsley , to James Mosley , of Leeds : and you ask , after a considerable amount of vapouring , " whether Mr . O'Connor will reply to the charges in Ashton ' s letter . " Mr . O'Connor has already met Mr . Ashton in Barnsley , heard there what he had to say , and there replied to him ; but lest that should he considered insufficient to a person posessed of your delicate sensitiveness , I beg to tell you now that I shall answer that letter andyour boasting commentin next week ' s Star . I should have done so this week , had I not been engaged with goodVorking men , in e n de a vourin g t o coun te ract t he mischi e f tha t yo u
and such like have done to our cause . Till you read my letter , reflect upon your ignominious position as a collector of " Chartist scum . " In truth , you have marvellously succeeded in rallying around you a set of the most despicable rascals that ever disgraced society : and you would apply them to a most virtuous purpose—that of injuring the reputation of himwfto heptyoufrom starving ! You have been long looking for " a proper good wallopping , " as they say in Yorkshire ; and , with Gad ' s blessing , you shall have it next week to your heart ' s content : and , if you suffer in this new conflict , which you have been long fomenting , blame your own rashness . Since you declared to Wm . Martin , in Kirkdale ,
that " you had no other course to pursue on your release , than opposition to O'Connor , that you might live , " you have never lost an opportunity of showing your spleen . The thing shall now cease . —Feargds O'Connor . Mb . T . Cooper . —In a short time this gentleman will be released from prison . To prevent any misapprehension as to Mr . Cooper ' s purpose , we deem it necessary t » state that tho letter alluded to by us last week , in answering Mr . J . R . Bairstow , was from Mr . Cooper , apprising us of his determination to withdraw from the Chartist ranks ; and declining to receive any of the monies subscribed since the publication of the state . ' ment iu Mr . O'Connor ' s speech at Manchester relating to him . His main reasons for these steps are , that when the report just alluded to appeared , the little subscriptions then going on were cancelled ; and that when Mr . O'Connor frankly acknowledged his " error , " the subscriptions were recommenced . Mr . Cooper also
considers that Mr . O'Connor has not sufficiently retracted his statement with respect to Mr . Cooper having received pecuniary aid from him . Mr . Cooper's intentions as to the future are not to join any other association , or have connexion with any political body . He comes up to London , to dispose of two or three works that he has written in prison . Anti-Paper MoNEv . i—Yes , we hav e seeu the impudent attempt at "reply , " and shall , o ur c orr e sponden t m a y depend on it , rejoin ; when , if we d o not m a ke t h e hired apostate exhibit himself in a most contemptible light , it certainly will not be for want of material . We shall show that the particular scheme of paper-money our " old friend" is paid for advocating , is identical in principle , but more injurious in its consequences , because more depreciated , than the scheme of Attwood's he formerly so bitterly denounced , and which he tells us he still as bitterly opposes . * That is , he opposes the very principle he is hired to support !! Is not he a queer fish ?
B . A . Dramgoole . — The address from the Tailors' Conference to the Trade is in type ; indeed , appeared in our first edition , when it had to be removed for other matter . It shall appear throughout the impression next weelc
Monies Received By Mr. O'Connor. For The...
MONIES RECEIVED BY MR . O'CONNOR . for the executive ; £ s . d . From Norwich , per S . Goat 0 14 6 subscriptions . From Ilanley and Shelton Potteries 0 12 0 buncombe testimonial . From the Sadlers' Society , Walsall 0 10 6 From Mr . Clark , collected in the Tower Hamlets 12 6 RECEIPTS PER GENERAL SECRETARY . SUBSCRIPTIONS . s . d . s . d . Lamberhead-green .. 3 3 Cummersdalc .. .. 1 | Crayford 1 C Bristol 8 <> Greenwich .. .. 5 0 T . Salmon , one mouth 0 6 Carlisle 2 « W . Salmon , ditto .. 0 DONATION , Bermondsey 0 2 6
LEVI . Mr . Mills . Whittington Mr . lllingworth , Whitand Cat .. .. 0 6 tington and Cat .. 0 6 Mr . Randall , ditto .. 0 6 Mr . Plunkett , ditto .. 0 6 DDNCOMBE TESTIMONIAL . T . Salmon 0 0 6 Cummersdale , R . Hall 0 10 Ditto , W . Bewley 0 0 6 CARDS , < tc . Bristol 0 0 9 CAPTAIN MABOARIT . Harmonic meeting at the Feathers .. .. .. 0 10 0 THOMAS MARTIN WHEELER , Secretary .
Gmumte, ^Fieme^ & Tomests
gmUmte , ^ fieme ^ & tomests
Fatal Axd Melanchoiy Railway Accident.— ...
Fatal axd Melanchoiy Railway Accident . — Asiiton-undeu-Lyne , Saturday Night . —It is niy painful duty to record one of the most distressing and fatal accidents that ever occurred in this neighbourhood . About twelve months ago , the contractors for the Ashton Branch Railway commenced operations , and proceeded with the works to the entire satisfaction of the company . The line , which is only about two miles long , was nearl y completed , and was to have been opened this summer . It was a double branch line , connecting the important towns of Ashton and S'talybridge with Manchester , and passed over a portion of the town of Ashton upon twenty arches crossing the Huddersfield and Manchester
canal and the river Tame on its way . The arches were built of stone , and appeared to be very substantial and well constructed , every one of which has been finished for some time , and the workmen were levelling the line with a view of having the rails laid down almost immediately . About thirty men were engaged in this work , and then . ' labours were fast drawing to completion . This afternoon , however , about three o ' clock , nine of the arches gave way with a most tremendous crash , carrying with them the whole of the men employed upon the line and several buildings contiguous to the scene of this most distressing accident . The first arch that gave way was that over the river Tame , on which several men were employed . The shrieks and cries of the
unfortunate men were pitiful in the extreme , and in another moment were followed by ei ght arches , every one of which became a mass of ruins , burying beneath the fallen materials a large number of navigators and other labourers emp loyed . The scene at this moment was most distressing , not onl y on account of the sacrifice of human life , but also on account of the perilous situation of those who were precipitated into the river over which the arch passed . The fallen materials having gorged up the river , it shortly began to roll over the stones , & c , which had fallen , and threatened final destruction to those unfortunate creatures who were partially buried in the ruins . The new s of the accident , a s a matter of course spread in
all directions , and numerous exaggerated reports were circulated . It was currently reported that from forty to fifty persons had been killed , and that others were seriously wounded , This report soon brought together a large concourse of persons anxiously inquiring the particulars , amongst whom were the friends and re l atives of those persons employed on the works . The scene at this time was indeed lamentable and distressing beyond description . Women looking for their husbands , children for their fathers , and parents for their children , of whom no tidings could be obtained , and whose cries and wringing o ? hands rendered the already melancholy scene distressing in the extreme .
Sunda y Morning , Nink o ' clock . — During the whole of the night large numbers of men have been emp loyed m removing the fallen materials , and extra e ting from the ruins the bodies of the unfortunate sufferers , under the direction of the eng ineer of the works and the contractors , who have been unremit-
Fatal Axd Melanchoiy Railway Accident.— ...
tuig in their exertions to recover the bodies of tV workmen , and in administering to the wants of tliivT who had been taken out of the ruins alive . Dui l ; r the whole of the night large numbers - of persons « mained on the spot pressing so closel y on the work men that it was found necessary to call in the aid nf the military , the police force being totally inadoou-i ? to keep order . Up to this time eight bodies have w ! taken from the ruins . * * Monday . —The inquest upon nine of the bodi * . recovered from the ruins of the arches at the Ashtn branch of the Sheffield and Manchester railway /* appointed to take place this afternoon . Since Saturdft four other bodies , besides those whose nam es we sn have been rescued . The extent of the loss or If * cannot yet be fully stated ; upward s of 100 men an !? a large number of horses , have been engaged duri the whole of the day in removing the fallen materi al nine auwiuist
anu up * u o ( nigul lour IUOrc have hp found buried in the ruins , making , in all ton t whom nine were killed on the spot . The remain ; three were taken out alive , but two of them ' ai * severely injured that very little hopes are entcrfainlfj of then- recovery . A number of the bodies bcimr f S on the Cheshire side of the river , and the remahX on the Lancashire side , the investi gation ivill 5 course , be conducted by the coroners for tho tu districts , Mr . W . S . Rutter and Mr . C . Hudson . Froi , the best possible information to be obtained thew are from 13 to 20 persons killed , most of whom a » single men . Tho names of those who havebeeniW dead are—George Collier , 45 ; James Bradburr 26 * John Cox , 35 ; Henry Rogers , 27 ; George Smith ' 30 .
aamuei ainim l oromer io treorgej , 36 ; Adam Noirell 20 ; William Leonard , 30 , —single men ; Aliriliam Nowell , 47 , father of Adam Nowell , who has left * wife and , four children . Taken out alive—owii , Critchley , Richard Critchley , and Thomas 1510 VVn Throughout the whole of yesterday many thou , ' sands of people have been continuall y crow ning to the scene of the accident , but by the exet . tions of the 56 th Regiment of Foot , assisted by the police force , under the direction of Mr . Little , the special high constable of Hyde , the greatest order has been maintained . Mr . ' Robert Newton , of the Ashton police , was also in attendance , with a number ol his men on the Lanca . shire side of the river . There is still much specu .
lation as to the cause of the accident , but in the ab . senceof an official report from some scientific and practical man it is impossible to convey an accurate idea of the cause . We have made every possible in . quiry , and will give the facts as we have found them , and leave the public to come to their own conclusions until an investigation has been completed . There were nine arches , which formed the viaduct over the river Tame and the valley through which it runs . These arches were supported by piers of twenty-eight feet long , four feet six inches thick at the spring of of the arch , and six feet six inches thick at the base . The span of each arch was thirty feet , and a rise from the spring of seven feet six inches . Thev were all built of stone got in the neichbourlinorl . wfiMi ;«
said to be of good quality . Some of the piers were founded on rock , and others upon what appeared to be solid clay . These are the facts so far as relate to the workmanship ; but it is much to be desired that a very searching inquiry should be instituted . There is one circumstance which is said to have verv much aflected the arches , viz ., the state of the pro " , perty over which they were erected . For several miles round the whole country is undermined by collieries , many of wliich are said to come within a . short distance of the surface . There are numerous places in the vicinity wliich have sunk many feet , and by so doing have done much damage to property of every description . In one field adjoining Wharf , street , about fifty yards from the line of railway , there are evident marks of sinking , some parts of ithavin j fallen in three or four feet . In many other places in the neighbourhood similar sinkings of the earth
nave taken place , and many of the buildings are perfectly curved from this cause . There appears to be little doubt but that the third arch , from the abate , ment on the Ashton side , was the first to give war , as by a close inspection it will be found that the piers of this arch fell towards each other , the two arches on the eastern side falling towards the west , and the other six on the western side falling towards the east . Very large quantities of fine clay have been got from beneath this part of the country , the stratum of which is within a very short distance of thesurfaec . One of these drift-ways gave way some time ago , and the walls wliich were built for tlie purpose of carrying the line over the Peak-forest canal sunk several feet , and of course had to be taken down , and the foundations p iled or filled up with clay and soil to the depth of 45 feet . The amount of damage is estimated at £ 4 , 000 .
Monday . Nigut . —First Day ' s Inquiry . —The coroner ' s inquest on the bodies which have been extricated from the ruins has just adjourned , and I h a sten t o s e nd you the substance of the evidence , as given by the several witnesses who were called before the jury . The first witness called was Jacob Whitehead , who deposed that he had crossed the arches several times in the course of the day . At the time of the accident he was talking with some of the men about the work , on the Ashton side of the river Tame , when all of a sudden the first and second arch on the Ashton side gave way , and they fell in with scarcely any noise , and immediately after the other arches fell in , one after another . It was all done in a second . He had seen Abraham Nowell , one of the subcontractors , engaged in " pointing * ' the brick work under the arch . Mr . Joseph Fowler , one of the
contractors , was standing on the arches at the time they fell . He was thrown into the water , but escaped without injury . As soon as he had recovered himself , and got on his feet , he gave directions to the other men to commence endeavouring to extricate the men who were under the fallen materials . Two were taken out alive . Edward Smith , another workman , said he was on the railway at the time of the accident . He was in conversation with some of the men about the work , when suddenly he saw an opening at the top of one of the arches , and immediatel y after all the arches fell in , one after another . Some of the arches f e ll towards him , and some from him . He waa on the Ashton side and he thought that the middle arch gave way first . At the time thev fellMr .
Fow-, ler stood on the second arch . Henry Morton deposed , that a few minutes before the accident he stooi on the Lancashire side ( the river ) Tame being the boundary between Lancashire and Cheshire . The first thing that attracted his attention was a crack in the third arch from that side of the river . Several of the men saw it some minutes before the accident , but not thinking there was any danger , they lock no seen it . The crack was such as he could have put his further notice of it . He was quite sure that the crack could not have been there long , or they should have finger in . The men had laughed at it . Robert Royle was employed on the line , and had seen the crack to which the last witness referred , but he had not apprehended any danger from it . Thomas Lowe
deposed , that he was an overlooker on the line , and had been so from the commencement of the works . They were begun about twelve months ago . Some of the arches had been finished some time . The last was finished about three weeks ago . All the centres had been struck or slackened , but a great deal of the scaffolding remained under the arches . The light waggons had gone over the arches a quartet of an hour before the accident . The centrehad been struck about a week . The inquiry ww then adjourned till Wednesday week , in order to g ive time to have the ruins removed , and the remaining bodies that are missing found . Four are still said to be under the ruins . The bodies found have all been identified . The names are—John Cox . Henry Ro gers .
James Bradbury , George Smith , Samuel Smith . George Collier , Abraham Nowell , Richard Critchley . William Leonard , Adam Nowell , and William Ward-Four of the bodies were found on the Cheshire side , and Mr . Hudson , the coroner tor that side , held an inquiry on the bodies at the same time and p lace , and thus saved the time of the witnesses and other parties interested . Tubsdav Night . — -In the course of thedav Have more of the bodies have been recovered »} ' 'I * unwearied exertions of the men who are emp'ow ''" removing the fallen materials . The last was taken out from near the bed of the river , to which , in one part , the workmen have reached , the water being banked off by the stones , & e ., of the fallen arches . It seems now to be pretty well understood that only W more of the workmen are still missing , ami supp ed to be under the ruins . One of those who were take "
out alive has since died in the Manchester Infirm ary , to which he had been removed , there being no pubuc institution in Ashton for the reception of such ease ? The funeral of seven of the deceased took p lace tha afternoon , in the parish churchyard , andwasatt ende 4 by an immense crowd of spectators . The bodies were followed by the whole of the men who had been employed on the line at the time of the accident-Speculation is still busy in endeavouring to ascertain the real cause of the accident , but opinion scene » be settling down upon the fact that the p illar ° ' { third arch had sunk , and led to the fatal catastrorfand that blame cannot therefore properly attach w any one . Many people , however , express a ve ' . different opinion ; but until facts arc fully bron ?" out by the examination of able and scientific »«*' who it is understood will be brought forward on w adjourned inquest , nothing satisfactory can ft known .
Suicide of the Vestry Clerk of Much * ' , Mr . Wm . John Clark , jun ., the officiating vesiry . aj " parish clerk of Mitcham , committed suicide on rr « w morning , by hanging himself with a rope to a ^ in one of the out-houses belonging to Ids to' ^ The deceased , who it appears was fifty-one }' >! . age , rose on Friday morning , tho 18 th , betwcensc ' and eight o ' clock , leaving his wife , who ia not w ^ than 22 years of age , in bed with an infant cn «; Having dressed himself , he wrote a letter ft " j ^ "|) to his wife , and then left the house . As he d'd » make his appearance at breakfast , his wife bec . w alarmed , and went into an oftice , where she found . ^ letter in which the deceased said it was "" fL j for him to exist any longer , and by the time she re ^ the letter he would be dead . The cause of this w * supposed to be certain defalcations in respect o tjj office of actuary to the Mitcham Savings Bank , w * bad been held for some time bv the detoeadedj
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 26, 1845, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_26041845/page/4/
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