On this page
- Departments (2)
-
Text (10)
-
+ H 4^-^^/<yyw^yivr VtXr January 31, .18...
-
^forei gn iHo&emeitt&
-
'" " And I will war, at least in words, ...
-
PRESENT POLITICAL STATE OF THE WORLD. TB...
-
MEETINGS IN BEHALF OF THE CHARTIST EXILES.
-
MARYLEBONE. A numerously attended public...
-
_ . . __-_-__._«_-_»__._._»_—_*__._^- >»...
-
THE "CONSPIRACY.?:OF SELF-DEFENCE. TO TH...
-
AWFUL EXPLOSION. IS ' oTmoiiAM, Saturday...
-
Horrible Occorrbnck.—A bomble -vent h^ t...
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.
-
-
Transcript
-
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.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
+ H 4^-^^/<Yyw^Yivr Vtxr January 31, .18...
_+ _H 4 _^ - _^^/< _yyw _^ _yivr VtXr January 31 , . 1840 . | J --- _ - _ -.- > -..- __ -. < _. - ..,, „ .. _ .. , . » . _ _,.....-,, •_ . « .. _ . . _ ~> _.-- ; _--- _™; - _--- - ;/ " _--- _^ _- - _--V _*^ _-- _-,-.. _ -.:.- . .... ... ' J __ -l- ___"____ - _> .
^Forei Gn Iho&Emeitt&
_^ forei gn iHo & emeitt _&
'" " And I Will War, At Least In Words, ...
'" " And I will war , at least in words , ( ( _An-i—slionWmy chanto so happen—deeds , ) With all who war with _Tnought !" ] 11 think I hear a little bird , who sings Ihihe people by and by wSl be the stronger . _"—Brneif .
Present Political State Of The World. Tb...
PRESENT POLITICAL STATE OF THE WORLD . TBE COMIXG STORM . [ [ The following most important article recently ap-{ -. eared in the chief liberal Spanish journal , the Eco _Uelel _CVsa-rcio . - ]—' "A general panic prevails ; the period of disturb-Linmce is very distant , because tbe peop le are happy ; innro . p-1 ity overflows in ail directions , the principles ilif if order have become fixed , and revolutionary theories lunave lost their influence . " Thus do the Ministerial imrerans _e-raress themselves in all thc states of"Europe ;
> : > f _» f these tacts do the statesmen who now direct the _Melestinies ofthe world end eavour to persuade us ; and -reei . notwithstanding , the people remark a manifest indifference between these words and partial acts . " The peace is profound '" and yet all are making iirireparatiuns for war-all are observing , spying , fearinmr , iawn ' ui- upon , and detesting each other . . " The » oeaee is profound ! " yet , at this time , thqre are more _w * varrioi- and more implements of war , more _tbrtiti--i-a-ationsare raised , and more marine armaments are iiiitt-d out than during the first fourteen years of thc i , inresentc . ntury .
"The disturbance of the peace is very remote , " . any politicians , whilst all the arm . es of Europe are pp iu arms awaiting and fearing the first cannonade iff alarm . " Thepeoplcare happy , " they likewisesay , " whilst ma England they have on their hands the famishing irrisb , aud stand in fear of the lower orders , who arc iinnablc to find employment for their sinewy arms , or annd oa which to work ; in Italy , thousands of cid-:: _ -ns are compelled to emigrate , whilst others are : mummed in the state dungeons ; in Germany , are ; _terminating political and religions exigencies ; in : 1- iissia , _tliedtueasus is looked upon ns the tomb of its _! warriors ; in Portugal and Spain , a hundred parties i litre struggling simultaneously in order to gain the _iiPPper hand , and to satiate their thirst for ven-: : <_ atice . Such is the boasted felicity of the nations of : __ urope .
" The principles of order have become fixed , " _miaultaneonsly proclaim our politicians . Assuredly ; u _. _utitis the order of tombs , the order of bayonets , -he order of the emeutis o f Paris—the order of the _Councils of War , of tbe Swiss Guards of Italy—the mler ofthe " exceptional state" of our governors iu hhe dit _ l _* rcnt provinces ofthe Peninsula , and that rj-bicb Oust :- Cabral employs with tbe Portuguese . This order is the precursor of peace , aud the coniplenent of the felicity of nation . ! Unfortunate nations ! The cynicism of the states-Men who govern them makes the people desire the _eesiructive azote ot war , in order tbat a period may > . = - put to their sufferings , and to so much misery and _c itation .
The condition of Europe , like that of the entire coliticai world , is an unnatural one , and _tnust . terminate in a violent explosion . The grand question at • resent agitated may te fouuded upon the principles ff democracy and thus , of despotism ; these two elements have ostensibly been at unceasing variance for lhe last sixty yeans . Up to tbe present period there - . is not been found any statesman competent to reconcile them with each other ; all bave sought to rcmce them by half measures toone single and common irineiple ; andall have been shipwrecked with their .-hemes , infl lining still more violently the popular _uassions _, and rendering the task of conciliation still - tore difficult .
One contemporaneous genius alone was able io introduce the ul . a of pacifying Europe and thc whol _. _KXiriu . by establishing a popular principle compatible with monarchical government . This man is Louis Philippe , King ofthe French , who was raised to the Jhrone by a revolution : who had experienced all tlie -itter vicissitudes of life ; who had weathered thc storms ofa sanguinary revolution ; who had been _acquainted aud bad negotiated wfth the greater part -f the Sovereigns of Europe , some dethroned , and -tbers without the slightest hopes of obtaining a = ceptre ; who had had opportunities of studying the histories and the exigencies of nations , and whoseappearance on the throne of France was like that of an unexpected meteor , which paralyzed the action ofall lhe existing governments .
Louis Philippe held in his hands the fate of the world , but Louis Philip ;* , was blinded by the brilliancy of a throne . Ue was immediately changed from the well-informed and superior man to thc vulgar politician , who adopts a system of tactics adapted to the necessities ofthe hour ; from an extraordinary man be became commonplace and little . He ceased to he a hero , in order to represent a father , whose only ambition was to make kings of bis sons . Louis Pii-lippe _flid not pnjrauc the path by which be had _co'iunencel ; and be will , peradveuture , ' terminate it ingloriously ; the victim , perchance , of the revolution which he held in his hands , and ' which he has neither beeu able to strangle nor to shape its course , as the spirit of the age requires—that spirit which is more powerful than all the kiugs and cabinets of Europe combined . When Louis Philippe was elected lung by tbe municipality of Paris whilst the
barricades were still smoking with the blood of the Taliaut _heroc who bad perished during the " three glorious days" of July , 1 S 30 , all tbe governments of Europe were iu a state of commotion . Belgium followed the example of the capital of France , and expelled the existing dynasty ; Italy was in a fennent ; the emigrauts of Spain hoisted tlic standard of liberty ou thc mountains of Vent ; and all Poland _rushed to arms . The _wh-le of Europe would have prostrated itself at tbe feet ofthe head ofthe House of Orleans , if this Prince had stretched out a protecting baud to the people , and had said to them" 1 will give you liberty , I will protect your petitions ; I will place myself at the head of social regeneration ; 1 will coufinn tiie ptaee of tbe world , and 1 will inculcate the great _less-jn which kings OUgllt to receive in order that their thrones may not again be subverted , or remain the sport of popular oscillations . *'
He did nothing of the kind . He accommodated _xuatteis with bis brother monarchs , imagining that this transaction was sufficient to cause the inscription of his name in thc golden book of Kings , forgetting that an obscure baud uplifted from thc centre of an insurrectionary rabble , was sufficient to blot it oat fur ever ! He carried on communications with foreign Cabinet !' , in order that they might maintain him in the po _& tssion of his throne , oblivious of the fact tbat tbose very same Cabinets durst not stretch out their succouring arms to the head of the liouse of Baiirbjn . He did not attempt to direct the revolution , and the revolution now drifts ou the p ditical ocean without rudder or compass , like a plaguesniit ' en _-arque that all states hold in horror , whilst all close their _jtons against it ; it will not fail , however , to invade the _co-ists of one of them .
Iu that case—always fatal , because endemic diseases aie always fatal—Europe will become infected ; and to ward oif that destructive pestilence neither armies . n _. r _tbi tilic-ttions , nor diplomatic conventions are eflvctual ; it seizes and la * s hold of everything ' , it penetrates with equal certainty both the palaces of kings , and thc cottages ofthe poor : — " -Kquo pul _ at pede pauptrum _tabernas , _lleguiu £ _ue _lurre * . _** It attack * with the same virulence both the barracks of tbe military and the _workshops of artisans .
When the imlitical " plague of revolution extends its ravages , will any one be found capable of keeping its exe « _-s . _* s _wiibiii due bounds ? And what are those politicians doing in order to extinguish its destructive genu ? Exicerbating bad passions , dividing p < diimmI factions , deifying immorality , sanctioniugcrimc , and harassing the _jieopit * with _pitHecutunH and itnjKi-its . The _greatest _di-ordcr prevails in the " order " tbat bas been established , aud all nations are languishing , more or less , under thc same fatality with respect to their rulers , and Europe and tlte world with _resj ect to tbe
last-In bpain _, lor instance , all are afraid in their respective * stations . The supporters of the existing order of _things , who do not omipy the scat of supreme power , fear that the acts of those who _govern may bring discredit upon their the . _iries of party , and render them n _< e ' e ? 5 in future Uv placing them _' in evident contradiction with the forms of a just and liberal government . Those in power fear their own fellow _parxisan-s because they do not find in ihem the support tbat they desire . Ther fear tHe Absolutist taction because they see tbat it is _laboring to enthrone it-eif , aud becau _> e thev believe it to lie based
on another power superior to that of the . Ministry . They fear the Progresista faetiou because thev have humiliated , persecuted , and harassed it in such a manner that tbey imagine it to be destitute of sufficiwnt _icnerosivy to lay aside its grievances in obedience to princi ples . They fear forei gn Cabinets , and have not possessed the dignity _necessary for the rejection of their immoderate drniand _* _- . All , in fine are afraid _ f each other , and all stare aghast at fhe giant of revolution which is about to overwhelm them , witiiout endeavouring to seek the means of aptiri . isin __ it .
If , instead of blindiy contending against this Colossus , which they affect to despise , thev would studv its dispositions aud its tendencies , thev would see its de _ orniities disappear , and would fiiid themselves ab ' c to _diitttt it . Prudence directs furce , a child guides a tame lion with a string , the people are _tractably jN ? . u _* eaWe , and .- _ . ibrnis _ . ire , and the entire slave _* of tie law when the law is just—they are only furious _, blind , and maniacal , when they are oppressed , aad when their dignity is violated . The _ t :. tes : _; en who now combat a social revolution , without endeavouring to compreheud it , are ad-¦ _van- wing up locks , from which it is impassible to escape . Tiie-y fear liberal principles , and direct themselves tow _^ _rus a despotism whose cs _' .-ibh ' shment would tnvv _? < f _ _kkiy _prf / _voiie a revolution with all its deadly ajij . ar-. iui . Let politicians lie convinced b y us , that they may _uir-ct the people under representative tonus ; despotism harasses tiitm to death , and tliere
Present Political State Of The World. Tb...
is no dealing with despotism ; the social revolution would lessen the horrors of the political , because it is thesame element that is appeased or infuriated according to the manner in which it is treated—the skill of the physician consists in knowing " how to direct it . Neither in Spain , nor in any other part of the world , does there exist the peace that politicians imagine ; in Spain , and in the rest of the world , the people are most anxious for it ; the means of giving it to them on a firm basis should be the study of tbose who govern ; up to the present period they have not hit upon the means ; let them change tlieir course , and they may , perhaps , reap a rich harvest of glory-
Meetings In Behalf Of The Chartist Exiles.
MEETINGS IN BEHALF OF THE CHARTIST EXILES .
Marylebone. A Numerously Attended Public...
MARYLEBONE . A numerously attended public meeting was held on Tuesday" evening week , at tho Hall , Circus-street , Marylebone , when the Mewing resolutions were unanimously agreed to : — That this meeting are of opinion that no one should be punished only in accordance with thc injury inflicted on society , and are further of opinion that John Frost , Zephauiah Williams , aud William Jones have fully atoned , by the punishment they have already rcceired , for the crimes alleged against them ; ahd seeing that Gray , O'Connell , and others , have been liberated , an- the
Canadian " rebels" _pardoned , do consider that the said exiles should also he restored to their homes and families ; , resolved , therefore , that this meeting petition the House of Commons to present an address to her Majesty , praying for the restoration ofthe above-mentioned exiles . That this meeting arc of opinion that William Sherrat Ellis was innocent of the crime with which he was charged , and that his conviction was based on evidence procured at the expense of honour and conscience * , under these circumstances this meeting , _^ therefore , resolve to petition the House of Commons to cause an address to be presented toherilajesty , praying her exercise of the royal clemency for the restoration of the said William Ellis , to his country and disconsolate family .
Petitions embody ing the sentiments contained in thc above resolutions w _. re also agreed to . A memorial to Sir Robert Peel , requesting his support to the above measures was likewise adopted ; resolutions were also passed , requesting thc members for the borough , Sir B . Hall and Sir Charles Napier , to present aud support the petitions . The greatest enthusiasm in favour of this good object seemed to prevail . The chair was ably filled by Mr . Clark , of the Edgeware-road , and the meeting was eloquently addressed by Messrs .. M'Grath , Clark , Do ; .., Cooper , Godwin , Farrcr , Hannibell , and Dr . Webb .
_CITT CHARTIST HALL . On Monday evening last a crowded meeting assembled in the City Chartist Hall , to take into consideration the case of Frost , Williams , Jones , and Ellis , with a view to adopt measures calculated to secure their restoration to their native land . At the appointed hour Mr . Brown was-unanimously chosen to preside . The chairman having stated the purport of the meeting , called upon Mr . Overton , who , iu au excellent speech moved a resolution expressive of deep sympathy with the exiles , and of the propriety of petitioning Parliament with a view to their liberation . The motion was seconded and supported bv . Messrs . Clark , of Hereford , and T . Clarke , of the Executive , in speeches which frequently drew forth the plaudits of the meeting . The chairman having put the motion , it was carried unanimously .
The chairman then proceeded to read the petition prepared by the conveners of the meeting at the request of Mr . Mills , who was to move it . After the petition had been ' read , Mr . Cooper rose and said , that hc had drawn up a petition , which , with the chairman ' s permission , he would read , and submit for approval to tbe meeting . The following is the petition ;—To flic Honourable Oie Commons of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled . The humble petition of the undersignedinhabitants of tbe City of London , in public meeting assembled , Sheweth , —That your petitioners _regard with deep commiseration the expatriated condition of John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones , charged witb a participation in an outbreak at Newport , injthe month of Xoveniber , 1839 , and whose sentence of death was commuted into transportation for life .
That your petitioners entreat your honourable House to consider that the legality of the trial of the said John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones , is held by the first law authorities to be highly questionable ; and that objections were urged . against the procedure of their trial , which objections were held by amajoiity of the judges to be legal , if they had been taken in time . That the real motives wliich induced the said John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones to paitioipate in the said outbreak remain to this moment unknown ; but that e en if their purposes were as revolutionary as they were affirmed to be on their trial , your petitioners , from all the information they have ever received concerning tie personal characters ofthe said John Fl'OSt , Zephauiah Williams , and William Jones , . b « lieve them actuated by sincere but erring _bcnsvolence and pity fur the suffering and degraded condition of thc misgoverned and injured working classes of this country .
That your petitioner * , notwithstanding the evil example of governments iu raising large masses of armed men for mutual destruction in war , by calm reflection have come to the conclusion that alt wars and fightings are wrong : that your petitioners reject even tlie doctrine of the right of war in self-defence , as a delusion and an error inasmuch as it would give to tyrants the right to oppress , while it seemed to justify the oppressed in their resistance : that your petitioners look for national prosperity and happiness solely iu the establishment of the exalted principles of peace , forgiveness , and brotherhood , aud _be'iet e that the most effective step which could , atthe present period , be taken for establishing these principles in the hearts and minds of the working classes , would be a restoration to their native country of the said John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones .
That your petitioners farther entreat your honourable Ilouse to _consider , that the long and painful exile of Johu Frost , Zephaniah Yi ' . U _. _atus _, and "William Jones , must hare tended to produce in their minds deep reflection on the evil consequences and pernicious re-action ofa resort to violence ; while their conviction ofthe excellence of peaceful and constitutional courses would be settled and confirmed by a restoration to their native country , and a re-uuion with the improved and more enlightened mind of its working population . That your petitioners have heard with deep satisfaction of the restoration to their native land of Fapineau and others , lately engaged in the Canadian disturbances ; but must express their conviction that the working classes ofthis country will feel every hour as a flagrant increase of injustice , which delays to extend equal favour to John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones .
Your petitioners therefore entreat your honourable liouse , from a consideration of tbe very questionable legality attendingthirtrial ; from an enlightened advocacy of the ennabling principles of peace , forgiveness , and brotherhood—and from a sense of the right that native Englishmen have to expect equal lenity with Cauadiau colonists—to recommend to her most gracious -lajcsty , . the Queen , the immediate restoration of the said John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones , to their native country . And jour petitioners will ever pray . Mr . Cooper having read tbe petition , spoke in the strongest language condemnatory of war , whether aggressive or defensive . He thought that war was indefensible under any circumstances , nay , that man should not resort to violence in defence even ofhis life /
Mr . M'Grath came forward and said that he highly approved of the petition , with the exception of that part of it which alluded to war . He considered it extraneous to introduce that sulgect into the petition . Ue felt as great a , horror as any man at the shedding of human blood , but he could nevertheless picture to his mind a propable conjuncture of circumstances in which the exercise of physical force would not only be justifiable , but be an act of tiie purest virtue tbat could be performed . He , therefore , recommended Mr . Cooper , for the sake of unanimity , to expunge tbat part of the petition which related tothe subject of war . Mr . Cooper replied to Mr . M'Grath , and again urged with great earnestness the reasonableness and justice of his opinions regarding war . He would not agree to the erasure of a word from bis petition ; if it were not adopted unmutilated , he would withdraw it .
Mr . C . Harrison briefly addressed the meeting in support of Mr . Cooper ' s views . Mr . T . dark appealed to the good sense of Mr . Cooper to allow the meeting to ileal with the petition as they thought proper . He dissented _fynva . Mr . Cooper ' s principles as regards defensive whr ; aud he was convinced that _themajority of the meeting differed with hiin upon thern . Hc would , therefore , suggest to Mr . Cooper the wisdom of drawing up the petition so thatthe opponents ofall wars as well as tbe believers in its justice under certain circumstances , might approve it . Mr . Cooper assured the meeting of _hisdetermination to permit no alteration to be made in the petition which he had submitted .
Mr . M'Grath then said , that Mr . Cooper ' s resolve to retain in his petition a paragraph which he considered not only irrelevant but fallacious , constrained him to propose forthe meeting ' s approval , by way of amendment , the petition prepared by the committee who got up the meeting , which was as follows : — To the Commons of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled . The petition of the inhabitauts of the City of London , in public meeting asiembled , Sheweth—That your petitioners new with feelings of
sorrow and commiseration , the long and . painful _seu . tence of transportation to whieh John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , and William Jones are doomed , for partici . pating in au outbreak at Newport , in Wales , in November 1839 . Your petitioners believe that the time has at length arrir « d , when clemency may be shown to these un . fortunate meu , without any forfeiture of national justice or national interests . Your petitioners have Been that her Majesty ' s government is favourabl y disposed to this humane measure ss evinced by tbe mitigation of the sentence of banishment , passed upon the Canadian pri-
Marylebone. A Numerously Attended Public...
sonera , taken inarms , in the late insurrection in that country ; they , therefore , ' pray your honourable House to present a humble address to her Majesty , praying her to take the case of these men into her consideration , and be graciously p leased to remit the remainder of their sentence , and thus restore them to their distressed wives , families , and friends . And your petitioners will ever pray . The petition was seconded by Mr . T , Clark , and a show of hands having been taken for each petition , the chairman declared Mr . M'Grath ' s carried . Mr . Cooper next brought forward a petition for the return of William Ellis . He very ; _ably analyzed the evidence upon which EUis was convicted ; . he made its weakness appear so clear to the meeting that they were amazed how any jury could be so stultified as to convict ; or how a judge pretending lo administer justice could doom him to twenty-one ' transportation upon it . He likewise descanted
years eloquently upon the strength and credibility of the testimony produced at Ellis ' s trial with a view to establish an alibi on his behalf ; and passed a high eulogium upon him for his honesty , firmness , and _intelligence . The petition was seconded by Mr . Tatlow , and carried without a dissentient . Mr . M ' Grath moved , and Mr . Tucker seconded , that a letter be sent to each of the city representatives , signed by the chairman on behalf of the meeting respectively , requesting their support to Mr . Duncombe ' s motion on behalf of the exiled patriots . Carried unanimously . After awarding a vote of thanks to the chairman , the meeting separated . Throughout the whole of the proceedings thc best spirit was indicated . Tbe meeting individually and collectively appeared deeply imbued with the ennobling resolve to do their duty in the good work of giving freedom to the patriotic captives , and solace to their injured families . .
[ Although we publish the petition of Mr . Cooper , yetwedonot hold ourselves at all bound to follow the practice of publishinc individual petitions , while we wholly dissent fro m the irrelevant-doctrines introduced , thoug h uncalled-for , in the petition in question ; and we have earnestly to request the Chartist body to resist all and every attempt to drag them once more into discussions upon the relative merits of moral and p hysical force . We cannot , for the life of us , discover any reasonable motive which would have urged the introduction of such an UNCHRISTIAN DOCTRINE as passive obedience and
non-resistance in its most loathsome and degrading form into a petition , praying for the restoration of Frost , Williams , and Jones , nor can we suppose that the exiles themselves would feel honoured by the admixture of humiliating and unmanly confessions with a manly appeal for their restoration . We confess ourselves rather stunned by the rapid change tlf _ t has taken place in the opinions of our friend since the Manchester Conference in 1812 , but he must not expect his pupils not only hastily to unlearn old lessons , but as hastily to imbibe new ones of a totally different character . —Ed . N . S . ]
bilston . A public meeting ( called by placard ) of tho inhabitants of Bilston was held on Monday last , for the purpose of petitioning the House of Commons " . to memorialise her Majesty toextendher Royal clemency to John Frost , Zephaniah Williams , William Jones , William Ellis , and all political exiles ; Mr . John Jones In the chair . Mr . Charles Powell moved the first resolution , that a petition be sent to the House of Commons praying the house to memorialise her Majesty to pardon the above exiles and restore them *' to their homes and families . " Mr . Powell , having been personally acquainted with Mr . Frost , spoke at great length on the many benevolent acts of Mr . Frost , whicli elicited great sympathy from the audience , and although the rain fell thick and fast the people stood to the ground with that determination which shewed they had a duty to perform towards their countrymen , and were steadfast in doing
it . Mr . Thos . namcrsly seconded , the resolution , and read the petition , which was unanimously adopted . Mr . Joseph Linney moved the second resolution , "that a memorial be sent to Sir R . Peel , praying that lie would use his best endeavours in advising her Majesty to pardon the above exiles . " Which was seconded by Mr . John Willcox of Wolverhampton . Mr . Linney and Mr . Willcox si oke at great length on the subject . Mr . J . Linney moved , and Mr . Fairburn , hairdresser , of Wcdnesbur _** , seconded , " That a deputation be formed to wait upon all the ministers of ail denominations within tne parish to allow petition sheets to be placed at their chapel doors for signature , and that Mr . Charles Powell ' and Mr . John Jones be the deputation , with power to had to their number . " A vote of thanks was given to Mr . Isaac Higgins for the use of the ground ; after which a vote of thanks was passed on Mr . Jones for his able conduct in _; the chair , and the meeting separated highly satisfied with the whole proceedings .
_CHELTESHAH . On the evening of Wednesday week a public meeting took place in the room lately occupied as the Mechanics' Institution , for the purpose of adopting a petition to the House of Commons to intercede with her Majesty for a free pardon to John Frost and his associates . Although the rain descended in torrents , the large room was filled by various " parties in politics , and the greatest enthusiasm prevailed , each one apparently anxious to outvie the other in marks of sympathy , and in their efforts to assist . The best feeling and order prevailed—so far there was not a single dissentient voice to the passing of the resolutions or the adoption of the petition . Mr . W . ilollia was greeted on entering the room , and was voted to
the chair by acclamation . The chairman opened the business by a lengthened detail of the facts , not only in connection with the conviction of the parties , but in respect of the position which John Frost had attained in society , and of his political career . He proceeded : I have been called upon to preside without intimation , or an opportunity of a perusal , only at this moment , of the resolutions and petition ; but though a long period has elapsed since llast had tiie honour of presiding on a similar occasion , the fate of John Frost so much affected me , that the facts , in relation to him and bis illegal conviction ave forcibly and indelibly marked on my recollection . I comply with your request , because I feel interested in the movement , arising out of sympathy for the parties
we are called upon to serve . I knew John Frost personally ; aud I positively assert , ' that a more worthy man , a better father , a more enlightened and useful citizen was not to be found in the British dominion . These men , I positively assert , were made the prey of the Whig government , and their tools in the provinces to put down the movement which then assumed a fearful aspect to their interests —the movement for an equality of political rights . John Frost was too firm , too honest and independent for the _aspiring-Reform-Bill-made Whigs of Newport . He was a marked man . He raised himself to affluence by his industry ; by his talents and assiduity in local affairs he claimed for himself thc honour of being the man of the people of Newport .
He fought hard and well with the then Radicals of thc then Radical locality of Wales , for the passing of the Reform Bill , and because he would not stop there—would not truckle and pander to authority ; because he would not ride the new hobbyhorse to pecuniary and honorary elevation , he must be put down—aye , and put down he was—not by fair , b y legal means , but by perjury , force , and fraud . John frost , on account of his opposition to tho reckless course of Whiggery , and his strict adherence to principle—to universal justice , was hunted even to desperation ; but even in the frantic aberration of the moment his heart was too much moistened with human benevolence to shed man ' s blood . No , indeed , my friends , the physical force was on the part ofthe
authorities . The authorities and the Whig pioniers of misrule were for some time previous cognisant of the facts of those foolish , mad-like arrangements , ior no doubt their emissaries and tools who had forwarded the plans had not kept them in the dark on the subject , for tlieir purpose would not have been served by stopping short until they had firmly secured tlieir victims . The parties were arraigned before a commissionsent down purposely to try them ; evidence was called , and what , my friends , was the character of the principal witnesses to prove the facts ? One had suffered the penalty of the law by transportation , and the other had previously absconded to evade the demand of justice , having been guilty of the crime of housebreaking . Bear in mind these facts , which
lully make good my premises of pre-determination to overcome the parties by any means—to crush them , that Whiggery might be more secure . Throe judges were appointed to form the commission to try these unfortunate men . They could not defer the power with which they had been invested to any other of the judges—they alone had the power to decide according to English law . To obtain a fait ' trial , to have justice done them , they must be tried as directed by the letter of the law , which , in cases of treason , are very clear and positive ; and the law has been so framed purposely that bad rulers might not by unfair means take away the lives of innocent men It was impossible they could be in a proper position to defend themselves unless they knew who the _oarties
were who formed the list of witnesses . The law . positive in its requirement , says , the list of witnesses shall be delivered , with a copy of the indictment , at least ten days before the time of trial . The law was not complied with in this respect—an objection was raised which , if decided at the time , would have been fatal to the prosecution—the parties must have been acquitted . It was agreed that the point should be decided by a court of appeal—of inquiry ; in fact , that it should be left to the fifteen judges , not to decide the fate of these men , but the point of law . Instead of a decision of the
judges forming the commission being the instrument of conviction , a secondary decision , an error in the time of raising the objection by the defendants , a decision of the inquirers was made uso of for the purpose ; and although a majority of the judges ( nine out of the fifteen ) had positively declared the pnsonera had not had a fair trial , not having been provided with the list of witnesses , because a majority of three considered that the lawyers had not done right , in raising the objection at an improper time , sifter pleading they must be sacrificed . So that poor Frost and his associates must be handed over as an iutended sacrifice to the scaffold and the block , be-
Marylebone. A Numerously Attended Public...
cause having been called upon by the court to plead , and having done so , are punished because they did so , instead of doing it only a few minutes before . The Whig Attorney-General was fully bent on conviction . He contended that one and the same time meant one and another , time . Now , my friends , mark these facts . A majority of the commiss ion ( twothirds ) wero with the prisoners on both points , which was tantamount to an acquittal . A majority of the judges of the Court of Queen ' s Bench ( four-faiths , the highest court of criminal judicature in the land , decided in the same way . The Tory judges were in favour of justice , and the Whigs for hanging and quartering . Judge Denman , of the Queen ' s Bench , was the only dissentient to the majority , and against
the prisoners . The prisoners , it was agreed , _snoutu be situated the same as if the inquiry had taken place before , as after the trial . But what was transpiring during the time the judges were consulting ? Why , the strangling apparatus was being hastily put together—the decapitating knife was being sharpenedthe block—the mangling block—was being prepared , and still further / the Whig Secretary of State had sent an order for execution on a certain day ; and this was done before the Court of Jud ges had given their decision . An order was sent for the one day , and the sheriff , not being thoroughly acquainted with the proper tact necessary for such extraordinary butchery , posted off to London , and another early day was fixed for the execution , and all this , and
still more—the Worcester professional hangman was applied to , and received his tee for the intended bloody mangling , before it had been decided whether thoy had been legally convicted or not . It was not through liberal Whig leniency that their lives were spared , but throug h the Tory Sir W . Follett ' s influence , and the mass ofpetitions , the myriads of signatures of the _; people of every line of politics , that their lives were spared . At that time in this town wc succeeded in doing much , for in the course of two days we obtained between 8000 arid 0000 signatures . Let me now entreat you to proceed with the same kind feeling and perseverance , and those injured men will , ere long , Tcturn to country , to home , relations and friends , to spend the remainder of their
years , without the manacles of the convict , within the bosom of native social comforts , in the pleasing contemplation of the future , without fear from the past . —Mr . Glenister moved the first resolution , and spoke at some length on the injuries and insults wliich Frost , Williams , and Jones had had to endure , and observed—These men were denied the right which they should expect from the law ; in its protection . They were never so insensible to fancy they had the power to overthrow her Majesty ' s government , and such an intention was not made manifest by the witnesses called in on the part of the prosecution , and therefore a charge of high treason could not , and ought not , to have been sustained against them . I was in London at the time
oi the Spafield riots , in 1817 , and , of course , heard and saw a great deal of what passed . Very strong language was made use of by the speakers , gunsmiths' shops were broken into , and a number of guns and pistols taken out , yet with all this the Government could , not establish a charge of high treason , _although such charge was instituted against the Watsons and others , as some of you may remember , but they were acquitted , and though one man ( oneof the principal rioters ) was executed , it was acknowledged by the " lawyers to be nothing more than a riotous assembly . Violence , in this instance , was resorted to by the populace ; in Frost ' s caso , the violence alone was on the part of the authorities . If thc circumstances in the one case were extravagant ,
in the other , in comparison , they were harmless . If the parties of the one might be acquitted , in the other the penalty of transportation ought not to have been carried out , nor would it , had the parties been tried in London with a London jury , instead of a prejudiced and packed jury in the disturbed vicinity . Mr . Leach , seconded tbe resolution . The Itev . Mr . Davis , Baptistministor , made alengthened , eloquent , and impressive speech , which called forth the repeated plaudits of the numerous assembly . Mr . Milsom spoke at considerable length on the services rendered to the people ' s cause by John Frost during his political career before , but more particularl y
after , the passing ofthe Reform Bill ; and . appealed , with the full force of reasoning , to all present for tlieir exertions in getting the petition numerously signed . Mr . Berry seconded the adoption of the petition in a very neat and appropriate address , lhe Hon . . Graven Berkeley , member for the borough , was appointed to . present , the petition , having promised the deputation to support the prayer , and no doubt to vote for the motion of T . S . Duncombe when he became acquainted with itscontents . A petition was also unanimousl y adopted for therelease of Mr . Ellis . Each of the petitions are expected to obtain a great number of signatures .
HEADING . On the evening of the 22 nd instant , a public meeting was holden in the school-room , Minster-street , to petition Parliament for the restoration ofthe Chartist exiles . Mr . J . Campbell in the chair . Mr . G . Barr moved the adoption of tbe petition for the restoration of Frost , Williams , and Jones . Mr . E . Rous seconded it in a brief speech . Mr . C . Doyle supported it . After a few words from Mr . G . Rickman , a member ofthe Society of Friends , in support of the objects ofthe meeting , the petition was unanimously carried . Mr . G . W . Wheeler then proposed
one tor the restoration of William S . Ellis , entering fully into the facts of the trial , wliich he characterised as the greatest piece of injustice ever perpetrated in the name of law . Mr . H . Lester seconded its adoption , and after a few excellent remarks from the chairman , it was carried without a dissentient . Mr . A . Pocock moved , and Mr . II . Ellis seconded , the adoption of a memorial to Sir Robert Peel , praying him to use his ministerial interest with her Majesty for the restoration of those lour exiles . Mr . Doyle also supported the memorial , whicli , on being putto the meeting , was carried . After votes of thanks to Mr . Doyle and the chairman the meetingbroke up .
_OLnn-M . A public meeting took place inthe Hall of Science , Horsedge-street , on Monday last , for the purpose of adopting petitions to be presented to the Commons House of Parliament for the restoration of Frost , Williams , Jones , and Ellis , to the bosoms of their families , and memorials to Sir Robert Peel , praying him to use his ministerial influence with the Queen for their immediate liberation . Mr . Leonard Haslop , hat manufacturer , was unanimously called on to preside , when the following resolutions were passed without a dissentient : —Moved by Mr . J . Grimshaw , seconded by Mr . Isaac Nichols , and ably supported by Mr . James Leach , " That this meeting , deeply _•„_»__ ., _«! . __ . _ - __ .. ; _.:. ' , * ... ____ , _ . „„ . l _„„« . „„„( . „ , ! _ ,.. _# ' _„„ ......, _/ _tfti ii turn iiivbiavircu _duucuuu
_ . u-. ____ . _! _£ _ttjlvii vu- Jung - of the exiled patriots , Frost , Williams , Jones , and and Ellis , and reflecting upon the illegality and perjury connected with their trials , is of opinion , that the ends of justice and humanity can only be fully answered by an immediate and full commutation of their sentences . " Moved by Mr . S . Yardley , and seconded by Mr . J . Kay , " That petitions to the House of Commons and memorials to Sir Robert Peel emanate from this meeting , praying them to use their utmost influence in advising her Majesty at once to restore the before-mentioned patriots to the bosoms of their families , their fatherland and freedom . " Moved by Mr . Alexander Taylor , and seconded by Mr . A . Mellor , "That this meeting , deeply regretting the announcement of General Johnson ' s intended resignation on the next
dissolution of Parliament , do , nevertheless , most earnestly entreat him to present , and John Fielden , Esq ., to support , the foregoing petitions in the House of Commons . " Mr . S . Yardley moved , and Mr . J . Kay seconded , the adoption ofthe petition for Frost Williams , and Jones ,. and a memorial to Sir Robert Peel , Mr . T . Wild moved , and Mr . J . Nichols seconded , the adoption of a petition for Ellis , and a memorial to Sir Robert Peel , which was ably supported by Mr . James Williams . Movod by Mr . W Ilamer , and seconded by Mr . A . F . Taylor , " That a committee of twenty-one persons be appointed , with power to add , to their number , to carry the ahovementioned ol _^ _ects into effect . " It was also agreed that every signature should have the occupation and residence attached to the name . A vote of thanks was also passed to the chairman . Great sympathy was manifested throughout the meeting .
OnEENOCK . A public meeting of the inhabitants was held in the hall of the Mechanics' Institute , on Thursday evening , to consider the propriety of petitioning Par-1 i !? _ml n behalf of Fr 0 Bt - W'lliams , Jones , and Ellis . Hie meeting was got up by the Trades , and was well attended ; it was the largest public meeting that has been here for a long time . It was agreed that separate petitions be procured , and that they be Bigned bj the public
. „ ... _msiot .. H _ . ll _P-J _^ _fH- * ook . place in the Temperance K _-w-ii- edn _^ dasr evening week , in behalf of frost , Williams , Jones , Ellis , and all other _politital exiles . Mr . William Liddle was called to the chair . Mr . R . Marsden proposed the first resolution in favour of Frost , Ac . ; Mr . Odlcum seconded tho resolution . Mr . James Frankland moved the adoption of the petition ; Mr . J . Leech seconded it . Mr . James Brown moved the resolution in favour of Ellis ; Mr . James Walsh seconded it . Mr . Michael Ward moved the adoption of the petitions ; Mr . James Duskett seconded the motion . It was agreed that the petitions be signed by the chairman on behalf of the meeting . The restoration committee have issued a petition to be signed by the clergy / gentry , manufacturers , merchants , and tradesmen of Preston . —The following letter has been received from Sir George Strickland ; no answer has been received as yet from Sir Hesketh Fleetwood : — . Heaton House , Jan . 14 , 1846 .
D __ - » Sib , —I have received your letter stating that a meeting ofa deputation from various Trades'Societies has agreed to petition the House of Commons for the restoration of Frott , Williams , Jones , Ellis , and other political exiles . I can only say tbat I shall have great p leasure in presenting the petitions , and it would afi ' ord me satisfaction if the Government could be induced to address the Queen to extend to them tuch a pardon as would enable them to return to their country . —I remain , _yOHrB , _& C , _GtOKOE S-R 1 C _ ,- _ SD , To Mr . John _M'Lean , Preston .
_ . . __-_-__._«_-_»__._._»_—_*__._^- >»...
_ . . __ - _ - __ _. __«_ - _»__ . _ . __»_—_*__ . __^ - _>»^_ r / _-. r _+
The "Conspiracy.?:Of Self-Defence. To Th...
THE " CONSPIRACY . ? : OF SELF-DEFENCE . TO THE EDITOB Or THE NORTHERS STAR . Sib , —I beg to make known , through yonr pages , some particulars of a dispute ofa very important character , which has lately taken place betweedthe employing and the employed in the trade ofthe shoemaker in the three towns of B-lfast , Carrickfcrgus , and Lisburn , in the north of Ireland . In these three towns there are , at the present moment , nearly 300 of the journeymen thrown out of employment , and whose wives and families amount to a still greater number , while the district secretary of the union of the men , with six others ,, who formed thc committee , have been held over to bail for the next assizes , which will take place at Carrickfergus , on no less a charge than thatof " conspiracy . "
In order to duly understand the cause of this most unhappy state of things , it will be necessary for me to inform you of certain circumstances in connection with thc proceedings of the journeyman , to which the result must be fairly attributed , and which I shall do in as brief a manner as possible . In the June of 1844 , anew system of association having been proposed for the trade affairs of the journeymen shoemakers , a conference of delegates met , and , after the maturest deliberation , the conclusion they came to was , that the former unconnected local forms of the union , which the journeymen up to that period had been nccu » - tomed to , were now to be done away witli , and one union , b _» 6 ed upon one uniform code of laws , made to take their place . Inthe , April of 1845 , on the holding of a second conference , the same altered system was confirmed , nnd , ns before was done , the rules and a report of the proceedings were printed . On both these occasions—and this is a fact most
noteworthy in the present instance- _^ _-the delegates assembled made it imperative that no strike for an advance of wages was to be allowed , on the supposition of the parties so striking obtaining ' assistance from tha common funds of the association ; though in all cases of redaction this support was to be unconditionally given , providing that tlie amount of levy on each paying member was to be no more than _threapeuee per week . It will by this , then , bo seen , that the shoemaker strictly placed himself on tha defensive ; gave up all aggressive strikes whatever , and simply bound himself to oppose but in cases where a curtailment of his usual wages receipts was attempted . Bad enough off as hc already _was , Jie clearly saw that aggressive strikes could now do him no good , ' and that as much as hc could possibly hope , was to protect the last little holdings that still
remained between him aad the extvamest poverty . In every place— : city , town , or village—whereycr he might wander , he still found full of his own " order "; work , at best , but indifferently paid for , and only this to be ob . tained with great difficulty . The defensive , therefore , had now become his necessitated condition , and eren here he has had , as it has been found , quite enough to do , for ( and no doubt it will swprise many who are unacquainted with the warfare which is going on from day to day in the bosom of our social system , to learn that ) the contests of tliis description which the union shoemakers have had to struggle agaiust , during the last eighteen months ,, have amounted to many hundreds , while those which the non-unionists of the trade have had to do thc same by , must , in all probability , be ten-fold as many hundreds , and with still less success .
The strike in Belfast and its two neighbouring town 3 is but a proof of this warfare , A . few months ago an attempt was mada by one of the masters in Belfast , and than by others , to reduce the wages of their men , but all of which were resolutely resisted , and the employers , after a contest ofa month orfire weeks , gare way . Since then , these same employers , smarting , as it would seem , under the memory of such a discomfiture , have formed their own counter union , and , extending it to Lisburn and Carrickfergus , hare now made a simultaneous onslaught on then * men—discharging them from their employment , and resolving not to re-employ them , except on the condition of their giving up all connexion with the journeymen ' s general union .
Upon what grounds the charge of _conspiracy has been advanced [ against the _sacretary of the Belfast journeymen's society , and the committee acting with hira , is difficult to conjecture ; though , on whatever fiction of law it may be based , still must I doubt its validity . A charge of _mastorsin union against journeymen in union ! and for what ! For resisting , as the latter belieres , a foul attempt to le * sen their wages , by _eudearouring to break up the present defensive po-ition which the journeyman has assumed as bis only protection against this conduct in the employer . This is the plain state of the case , and truly , if anything ought to warrant , not only the shoemakers of erery place , but the public in general , in taking a deep and effectiv * Interest in tbe results of such an attempt , surely such warrantry is to be found in the particulars here given _. Yours , sir , very sincerely , The Editor of the _<• Cordwainers' Companion . "
P . S . —Should the employers persist in their prosecution , and a conviction be obtained against the men ( of which there are considerable fears , from tbe character of the "judge and jury" system in that part of the country , and particularly in questions of labour ) , perhaps a Doncombe might be found to bring the case of the injured before the tribunal of Parliament , and the parties thus , ultimately , in the general indignation that would be brought down upon them , be compelled to feel that they had made a most disgraceful "MISFIT" in this their charge of conspiracy , superadded to tha terrible cruelty of throwing , in the middle of winter , upwards of six hundred men , women , and children , out of their accustomed means of livelihood , poor as that livelihood has been . Let them , then , beware !
additional information . Since the foregoing has been written the Banner of Ulster ( a paper printed in Belfast ) has been sent me , of Friday the 23 rd inst ., and from which I _aopy tha following account of the proceedings which took place at a late meeting of the trade in question , and of others connected with many of the different _tradat in Belfast , The statement there made by Ur , _U'Cann , as will be seen , is full of information as to the cause aud nature of the dispute : — " On the evening of Wednesday last , " says the Banner , " a public meeting was held in the Odd _TTellows * Hall , _Msntgomery-strect , for the purpoE * of hearing etateraents and adopting resolutions in reference to tha alleged grievances of the journeymen boot and shoemakers of Belfast ,
The room was crowded , and , as mentioned by the chairman , the meeting was composed of th * representatives of fourteen or more various trades , besides the members oi the' gentle craft . ' Mr . Nimmick , cabinet-maker , baring been called to the chair , briefly stated the objects for which they were met , Mr . U'Cann , boot and shoemaker , then entered into a lengthened statement of the _grieraueea under which , he stated , tbe persons belonging- to his trade in this town were placed . An agreement , » b to wages , he said , had been _antered into between the masters and the journeymen in 1840 , but , since that period , a constant attempt has been made by the employers to secede _fram it , and lower the prices then fixed upon . In October last , the journeymen formed a society in order to
resist such eneroachments , and to look after the general interests ofthe trade . In prosecution of these objects , they then submitted a statement to the masters , which they ( the journeymen ) considered would give them a fair remuneration for their labour . Some of the items wer « objected to by the employers , and they were , in deference to them , reduced , and at length a scalo of prices , to the satisfaction of both _partiet , was agreed to , to be printed at their mutual expense . But , befora this resolution was carried into effect , the master * required , a preliminary step towards getting work , tha t each man should sign au _agreamenc . to work at the prices alluded to for a period of two years , and then , upon this being refused , for one year . The committee did not sanction such a thing ,
because they could not think it rigbt for them to hind over in such a manner , not only the men at present in Belfast , but all who might come from the various' parts of the United Kingdom . Accordingly the men refused what the masters required . But the masters endeavoured to gain over the men individually , and thus to destroy the resolutlon of the society and the society itself . They got a form of agreement drawn up by a solicitor , stating that they would engage to give any journeyman employment for twelve months who would leave the society and do his work in a proper manner . The expression— ' Do his work in a proper manner—being intended , said Mr . _M'Cann , asa loop-hole by which the masters might , when _, ever it answered their purpose , neutralise the bargain , by finding faultwith the way in which the journeyman s the
work was executed . The boot and _shoemakers were worst paid class of tradesmen , and , tokin . tlicm on an average , they did not earn more than ten or e even nillines a _waek—f A voice ' : — "Say e ' ' S ' * _*™ , ! lU be _iSSXt _^ tt _^ _Jll _^^^^ each dav _iroinir to , and _fvern , and waiting lit , the _em-Sr'sfofwofk « nd , whcncl . ey did get it had o continue toi _inir at the rate of _si- teea hours a-day for the Sab p Wc 1 ** 1- had mentioned The masters were not all alike ; it was only some of them * who had acted in the dictatorial mannerha had stated ; but , by their maanf _, no fewer than 320 men , and a still greater number ef females , had been thrown out of work at last Christmas—a season of the year when their business was always dull , ne had mentioned a few of the grievances of which they had to complain , although many others might be stated ; and , he would ask , was It just or proper that they should continue ! Or , when they tried by fair and honourable , and legal means , to benefit their condi _!
tion , ought they to be threatened by the penalties of the law ? Mr . M'Cann , after a few more remarks , concluded amid the applause of the ' meeting . Addresses were delivered by Mr . Harper , Mr . A . H . Thornton , Mr . Turner , Mr . Hugh Hill , _andothers , in support of resolutions expressive of the right of the journeymen to combine , by fair and lawful means , to protect their labour . A resolution was also passed , that , with a view of getting the unemployed journeymen into work , and otherwise benefitting the trade , a join _* > stock boot and shoe company should be forthwith formed , at shares of £ 1 each , to be paid by instalments of half-a-crown . A committee of twenty was then appointed to take steps for carrying thc _^ Bt resolution into effect ; and , after the customary vote of thanks had been given to the chairman , the meeting separated , A meeting of the committee was held last night ( Thursday ) , when rules were drawn up for the regulation of the company , to be submitted to a meeting of shareholders , which will tako place on an early day next — ¦ — * The " lome" heremeitioncd are , however , much the greater number , thero being eleven of tbis class in Belfast alone .
The "Conspiracy.?:Of Self-Defence. To Th...
week . At this meeting , a secretary , tren . _sui-er , and otllet necessary office-bearers will be appointed . The com , mittee report that the shares are already beginning lo _( j _j bought up with aridity , and that the Joint-Stock boo * and Shoe Company will be ready iu „ sii wt time to com inence operations , " To this account I may add , that ih : _{ v _t-t . of Carrie ) . fergus , and the only employer who in that town acted in conjunction with the employers in liilt ' ast , has s _. ttl _. _Q with his men , A singular _circumstance arising out , f tliis dispute it may also be necessary tu mention , a young gentleman of Belfast , who felt _mm-li interested j r
the cause of the journeymen , after bavin * : made liims 6 | f j acquainted with all tiie circumstances of the case , _volun . tarily promised , as his quantum of support , to _mal-. H gift to them of £ 1 a-week as long as the strike slioul , ] continue , This one of the employers took umbrage at , and to show his valour in the cause he hud engaged 5 ji , sent—what think you , reader!—a _tlmV'r . me to the gcntl e . man to pistol the truth out between them . This , li 0 „ _. . ever , was not acceded to , but dealt with in another Ml (| much better manner . The fighting - 'm _ n of _lcaUi _- > was brought before the . magistrates , mid tliere , :. s „ " comforter , " he was bound over to keep the peace during his life ! Kd . CC . Jan . 28 .
Awful Explosion. Is ' Otmoiiam, Saturday...
AWFUL EXPLOSION . _IS ' _oTmoiiAM , Saturday Evkniso . —This afternoon , about' four o ' clock , alarming reports were spr « m through this town ot an extensive explosion having taken place at Arnold , a village- four miles distant , which bad caused considerable loss ot lite , On iepairing to the scene of tbe catastrophe . I observed three houses , each three stories high , so completel y shattered as scarcely to leave two _liricks firml y attached to each other . Tbey arc situated in Fron tstreet , the principal street in Arnold , the first two being in the possession of Mr . E . ( iarratt , a grocer and druggist , and the third inhabited by a widow , Tbe ground floor of * tbe first house was used as a sale shop : the ground floor of tiie second as a store room
the second story of both houses as loil » ing rooms , the one in the second . liouse being occupied by Mr . Kdward Garratt , a lunatic invalid , who for a considerable period had beeu confined to his bed ; and the tup rooms , or garrets , were also used as store rooms for articles of a combustible nature . About three o ' clock Mr . George Garratt was in a kitchen on the ground floor , when lie heard a tremendous explosion . Fearing the buildings might fall upon bim , be ran from the kitchen through the shop into the street _^ when hc saw the roofs of the houses flying into the air , the front walls falling , and , amongst the _ueneral confusion , lie _olwerved his brother driven with violence through his bedroom window , and fall into the piddle of the street , covered with scattered ruins . Wonder .
fill to relate , Mr . George Garratt escaped witiiout serious injury , and with considerable alacrity assisted his neighbours in rendering aid to his unfortunate brother . Mr . William Thompson , a frameworkknitter , who was passing at the time , was knocked down , and partially buried . Other parties were also hurt , but not seriously . It was , however , deemed essentially necessary to convey-Thonipson and Garratt to the General Hospital , and they were removed thither witb as muck speed as possible . The cause of the explosion is . a complete mystery , and can only be guessed at . The _store-ruom over Mr . Edward Garratt ' s bedroom—wliich , be it remembered , was in the middle house—was tilled with large bottles of oil , turpentine , spirits of wine , and
two barrels of gunpowder . Ibe combustion can only be accounted tor by supposing tliat the unfortunate lunatic , by some means , set tire to his bed , after his brother had left him , which would quickly find its way through the floor above , and ignite the powder . Butthe brother cannot bring bis mi ml to this conclusion , as he says the sufferer was not in the habit of leaving his be _ , and , to his knowledge , liad not the means of striking a light in his chamber , 'iliac he did set fire to his own chaml . _oi- lirst . however , there i g but little doubt , as he was dreadfully burnt , besides being injured by being thrown from liis bed , and buried in the ruins in the street . He is so severely injured as to be almost beyond the hope of recovery . Ilis face , shoulder , and one hand , are
horribly burnt , his head is cut , ami lie is otherwise much shattered and bruised . Thompson is very bad , but is not fatally injured , and , being capable of speaking , I was allowed to take his statement . He said— "Soon after half-past two o ' clock this after _, noon , just as the omnibus whieh leaves at that time _for-Nottingham was passing me , J heard an explosion whilst walking by Garratt ' s house . ' 1 looked up and saw the roofs of the three houses Hying _jn all directions , and the front walls appeared to be falling upon me . 1 ran into the middle of the road as fast as 1 could , but was soon knocked down by the bricks _, which fell upon me , and was partially buried . For a moment I wa stunned , and lay still ; but upon
recovering I drew myself from under the ruins , and lay on the opposite side ofthe road until my neighbours came to render me assistance .. 1 am so much hurt on the head , shoulders , _tind lotos , as to be incapable of working , and know not what my poor children will do , there being five of tliem at honic without a _parent , and the oldest not thirteen years of age . " - After the explosion had taken place , the ruinous mass burst forth into flames , which were not extinguished for an hour . It is remarkable that so few persons should have been seriously injured : but this may be accounted for by the greater part of the villagers being at Nottingham at the time at the market , disposing ot the produce of their frames to the hosiers . Mr . Garratt estimates his loss at . £ _•*¦•' ..
Susdat Morning , Thn o'Clock . — Garratt , although not yet dead , cannot be-expected to survive long ; and poor Thompson appears mueh worse than he was last night . Great crowds of people ever since daylight have been wending their way io tiie scene of the catastrophe , which appears likely to render Arnold for some time to coma ' * as crowded as a fair . " - Tne Recent Explosion at Ak . _noi . o . _—IxvCEsr . — Nottingham , Tuesday Afternoon . —As 1 anticipated , George Garratt , one of the sufferers by that calamity , expired a few minutes after 1 had been making inquiries at the general * hospital respecting him , on Monday morning . La » t night an in <| :-: est was held upon his body , before Michael Brown , _gettt ., _coronifor this borough , and an intelligent . jury : when the
depositions of various parties were taken , hut no lact was elicited showing the precise cause of the explosion . Edwin Garratt ' s evidence confirmed the account we have given above . Francis Sibson _, house-surgeon to the general hospital , said" The deceased was brought to thi * hospital on Saturday last , about four o clock in the afternoon ; he was suffering from an extensive burn of the body and head , and from great depression , tlie result , as I understood , of an explosion of gunpowder _. The whole face was blackened , and the front hair singed from the explosion ; the side of the body and the whole of the right arm were extensively and deeply burnt , and to a slighter degree tlie left hand _, lie was incoherent , and afterwards _violently
delirious . He died yesterday ( Sunday ) niorni njr . about ten o ' clock , in consequence of the injuries lie had sustained . I think that the extreme _blac-ketiitig of the face , and the singeing of the hair , denote that lie must have been close to the powder at tlie time of its explosion . " The jury returned as their verdict"Tlmt the deceased died in coiise > _iuem-e of the injuries he received by an explosion ot gunpowder ; that by some means he caused the said e . _vplflsion , * and that , at the same time , hc appears io h » Ye been of unsound mind and understandinir . " Mi * . tuw » Garratt , the brother of the deceased , ami occupier of two of the houses destroyed , stated that the property was entirely uninsured , and that injury to 11 _« amount of £ 1000 had been inflicted . _Tlmnipson _, » other sufterer in the hospital , is i . covering-.
Horrible Occorrbnck.—A Bomble -Vent H^ T...
Horrible Occorrbnck . —A bomble -vent h _^ taken place at the Village of La A ami ., near Santa . A farmer , named Tessier , had some tune ago been confined in the hospital as a lunatic , but , being believed to be cured , he was discharged . I le . however , occasionally showed symptoms of a return of hi * malady , but , as he continued harmless , he was not confined . This forbearance was ill-judged and fatal . On the ISth he got up in his sh _' irt , and taking a sharp hedging-bill , went down to his wife . » _-ho was occup ied at the fire-place making his breakfast , and struck her with this tremendous weapon several times on the head , leaving her _seiu-ekw on the hearth . Imagining her to be dead , lie kissed lie ** affectionate !/ , and hurried up to the loft , and there
set fire to a quantity of flax , in the intent of burning the house , and with it himself and the Uutk o f his wife . Not being able to bear the heat . Iu ran down again , and went to the _dwelling of the widow S e _*! * friendly neighbour , and with one blow i _-ij deprived her of her life . Ik- ne * -t struck a child five years old , who was in tlie -ame room , and left it tor dead . Tessier then procured > me chemical matches , and attempted to set fire to this i _-ottngc , as he had to his own liouse , but at lirst failed from _tlw badness ofthe matches . Pursuiii" hi ? « il « l idea , he procured a torch , and with it set tlie W \\ aud furniture ofthe widowin flames . While t her were bun _itng _^ the madman heard the poor child cry , -M _^ seizing it dashed it on the burnintr Hour , "here it
expired in agony . The inhabitants , on e <> _ming from ; church , law the flames , hastened to tlie spot , and I after a desperate struggle , in which lie _severely i wounded one man with his bill , smued the maniac ,, bound him , and seated him by the vide of a ditch till I the gendarmes came to take charge of him . By this s time his demoniacal rage was _calnn-d , ami lie himself f related the whole ofthe melancholv talc Ue spoke , e _* . m terms of deep regret for what iie had done , but t said that the blame rested with those who , knowing ! , ' his malady , had left liim at Uhertv . _Tessier _' s wifofl is in great danger , but still there mt . « me slight it
hones of her recovery . _Fatai _, Accident on the North i :. mox I _!_ ilwav , i , at Pakkside . —On Friday morning , about elevcnm _0 clock , an accident , fearful to contemplate , occurred _* at the branch of thc North Union Kailway , at thew Park-side station . It appears that * man was cn-ii _* gaged repairing tho rails , when a ' _pussuugertraiiiin was coming up to which he had bis back turned , andii ! unfortunately he was knocked do _*> n by ilto ongimVi and the wheels passing up themiil'll .- ofhis body , _cuhil him literally in two . The poor man has left a wifcic who is encicnte , together with six children , all olo _1 whom are incapable oi" earning Uieir _livi-Ulmod .
-
-
Citation
-
Northern Star (1837-1852), Jan. 31, 1846, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_31011846/page/6/
-