Star. — London, England, 1820-01-21 00:00:00

ADDITIONA MR L STATEMENTS RI . OWEN'S PLAN. .. !TING PROPOSALS an for enabling the ß DISTRESSED MANUFAC RERS d PEASANTY to support themselves without PAROCHIAL AID. The basis_of Mr. Owen's proposed arrangements for the present unemployed and suffering lower classes, is Agriculture by Spade Cultivation, ip re • Terence to which they have all been carefully formed. Put as this mode of cultivation is but little known, and therefore not duly appreciated in Great Britain, it 1.a3 been deemed desirable briefly to notice some experiments which have been recently made with a view to xsceitain its relative value compared with Plough Cultivation. It is obvious from the statements here submitted to the Public, that a greatly increased intrinsic value "Must be given to our land by spade culture, as it would direct a considerable portion of capital to the employment of manual labour, and to the important object of raising a greater produce from British soil, instead of depending upon the uncertain and fre quently injurious supplies of foreign markets. Spade cultivation, under thevarrangements here contemplated, would, by imparting increased value to agricultural labour, thereby invite the industrious, yet at present unemployed and famishing manufac turer, to retuin to that healthful and natural occu pation, which is surely far superior to any which can be fonna in a crowded city, and confined work shop,.in which his moral and political principles are too frequently. deteriorated and poisoned. The peculiar arrangements here proposed for a more advantageous and perfect cultivation than the plough admits of, would relieve the parishes of all who are able to dig, plant, hoe, and weed, and thereby materially diminish the almost overwhelm ing burden of Poor Rates which so heavily press upon the agricultural interest. The very reduced cost of maintaining the working classes (or rather enabling them to maintain them selves) uTler these arrangements, is also but little known: but after the most accurate calculation which can be made upon the subject, aided by the advantage of long and extensive experience, it may with coofisience be asserted, that labouring families now supported by wages at the rate of 12s. per week, can be maintained_ in superior comfort, and with bet ter accommodation, so as to induce them earnestly to promote the pi osperity of these establishments, at the cost of ss. per week,. and ;nay in a short time be put in liosSessibn of more benefits than are now-en joyed even by the labourers at New Lanark, with whose condition the Public has expressed so much satisfaction : wHic their children may be usefully educated, and traine.l to indu-trious and virtuous conduct, and be prevented from acquiring those per :l'6ons habits which at preient undermine and de stroy the happiness of the children of the working classes. To corer every expense attending these establishments, including 'rent of land and interest of capital, the produce of the labourers under these arrangements will more than suffice. The manufacturing system, even in its most pros perous days, and under the very best regulations, does not admit of a combination of arrangements equally advantageous to the poor, whilst the inde pendent and opulent classes of society will very soon recognize in the industry, content, and happiness of the lower orders, under these simple yet scientific arrangement?, 'the most unequivocal and certain pledge of their own permanent security. The correctness of these statements, most of which admit of direct and immediate proof, may be ascer tained at the Bar of either House of Parliament, or before any competent persons who might be ap pointed to investigate this most important subject. But jf these are facts capeble of ample substantiation, it may indeed be seriously inquired, why should the country be permitted any longer to endure the dis• tress and misery under which it now labours? arid which threaten, if not speedily removed, to involve in confusion all rants and orders of society. SPADE lIUSISAN'DIM COPY OF A LETTER rapt MR. FALLA, TO UNJAMIN WILLS, ESQ.. POULTRY, LONDON. " Gateshead, Newcastle, 16th December, 181*. " Sin—l have received .yourletter, and I have at present, as I shall have at any filters time, ii uch pleasure in communicating to the Committee of the Association for such very laudable purposes as the Encouragement of Industry and Reduction of Poor's Rates, any information that I am, or may hereafter be, able to give on the subject required. " Having a rather extensive concern in the nursery line (now u i .wards of one hundred acres), and find ing as I was extending it, about twelve or fourteen. years ago, a difficulty in procuring a sufficient nnm• ber of men to work it with the spade, I substituted the plough, in working those parts where a consider able quantity of vacant ground happened to lie to gether, and fancied that, besides getting through the work with more facility and convenience, which I certainly did, that I also was doing my work in a manner equal to woi k done by the spade : the effect of the first use of the plough was not of so much bad consequence as when repeated, the beating of the bottom of the horses' feet, and the'iron bottom I of the plough. not having at first the miserable effect of making the bottom of the worked ground hard and firm, like a turnpike-road : the continued use of the plough, however, presently shewed the bad effect, in the diminished health and vigour of the trees: for tunately, this observation was made when workmen were easier to be obtained than at the pericd when the plough was adopted ; and, partly then, and en tirely since, I have laid it aside in my nursery, and nearly so in my seed-raising operations, for several years past. "- In the use of the spade, we make a depth of well-worked earth, at least twice that of the plough, as used in this country; and instead of the hardened level bottom, not easily, if at all, penetrable (in our strong clayey subsoils) by either superfluous moisture or the roots of the plants, we obtain a loose broken bottom, conceived to be a particularly favourable circumstance in such soils. Soon after, or rather during the time my practice was changing from the use of the plough to that of the spade, I received a letter from a Gentleman of great respectability and accurate .observation, in Yorkshire, but whose name I hate not authority to mention, expressing himself s t r ongly impressed with an opinion , .thnt .if point caltare with the :fads, was intrioducid into farming; vety great addition might be made to the produce of .the said land; and that the full etnergies• of the lend twill never be called forth till the spade u wade to super sede the plough; and, asking for any particulars bf my opinion and observations on the subject, he aided some particulars'of an experiment on wheat; which had been made some time before at Notting ham, in a garden there, the ground worked with a spade, the plants of wheat removed out of a seed bed, and transplanted into lines six inches asunder, land the plants in the lines four and a half inches be tween each other. The plants were carefully weeded” watered, and tied up to rods, to prevent them from falling, and he saw the ground and the produCe measured, and said it amounted to seventeen quarters ; per acre : suck a produce as, he observed, would pay !for any labourage. ." This information, as may be supposed, so strongly corroborating my own 'observations, confirmed me in my practice, and stimulated me to the extension of it,, and to some experiments of the same kind. This is the third year that I have been making them, and though I have not been able to approach to the , quantity produced by the experiment detailed by my l i correspondent, yet 1 am satisfied I have doubled the average produce of land similar to mine, and of the same degree of richness, not being more manured than it is customary to manure land for wheat under the plough. I sow the seed in beds, from the begin ning to the end of August, and have transplanted the same for the two first years, about the last week in October: this year, about three weeks earlier—my distance has been part of the ground at hues one foot, and part nine inches asunder; in both cases, twelve plants per yard in the line. I have not, till this year, made soy of my experiments in lines at the distance - of six inches; the least produce I have had is six quarters and a half, and the greatest seven quartets and a half per acre--which last is some thing less than half the produce my correspondent witnessed, and, as I said before, double that of the Average of equal land in this part, each manured in the same manner. " The digging, -as at nursery price, costs 335. per acre, and serves at least in the stead of two plough ings, that otherwise would be necessary; the trans planting, about 4s. 6d. per thousand; but there is a great saving in seed, for we reckon one peck of wheat to produce as many plants as would plant an acre; whereas, in sowing in the common way, two bushels at least are required. It will, from these data, be found that the extra expense per acre is inconsider able, compared with the additional produce. " I have, o n part of the same ground with my transplanted experiments, worked also with the spade, Made some others, part sown broadcast, and pact drilled, at the same time as the operation of trans planting is made ; and, horn the result of the same, I am inclined to think the great advantage, in respect to crop, arises more from the use of the spade than from a r n t irer circumstance : but before I ent er into any fa particulars, I wish to ascertain the result of this autumn's experiments in next fear's crop, and then, if wished for, I shall be happy to communicate , it to you. By the spade practice' I have produced the amazing qtiantity of eight hundred bushels of pota toes per acre ; it was at least ten years ago, add. I have no memorandum of the quantity of land, but I think it was nearly half an acre, which makes a fair ' experiment : it is fair to state, that the land was very highly mantired, with a view to the succeeding crop, but I apprehend it is a: least double the quantity ever' produced fr.• the plough. My wheat experiments' were, for crop 1817, under, but crop 1813, above half an acre; the present growing ones for crop 1619, as neatly as may be, halt an acre; thise make tolerably fair ones ; the Gentleman's alluded to was . quite a small one, being only about four yards square or sixteen square yards. a I raise considerable quantities of turnip seed an nually, and formerly transplanted the roots by the plough : now, whatever may be the quantity, even were it twenty acres, I do it all by the spade; but so much depends on various other circumstances, that it is not easy to make accurate ccmparisons ; but in my own mind I am persuaded I average the increased quantity of 30 to 40 per cent. of seed front the same plants " It is perhaps absurd to suppose, that it ever can, be practicable for a farmer who grows 60 or 60 acres of wheat per annum, to find labourers to dig and plant that quantity of land ; but a cottager with half; an acre or an acre may be able to accomplish his quantity, and that even at leisure time; for a maul of ordinary strength and exertion, can dig half al); -acre in about eight or nine days ; and a farmer if he cannot do fifty acres may pet Laps do ten. The following, on the data I have given, is a calculation of the extra expense of raising an acre of m'heat by the,snade, and transplanting it into 9-inch lines, three inches asunder in the lines, and also the value of the increased quantity : INgg:ng 4d. per rood, of 49 'guars yards (the rood of this country) - - - - if 113 o Transplanting 432,5.23 plants, at 41d. per 1000 4 7 1 1 One peck seed wheat ; but to be safe, say one peck, and a half - - - Deduct two ploughings Saving is seed, Of peck ;41 16 0 0 31 8 0 3 9 6 6 10k- 1 111 5 4 11 . 7} Increased quandty of wheat, 341 qn. If at Ns. •15 0 0 If it /is. 15 10 0 " If, as I suspect will Foie to be the tase, from what I have already done, the game ground will pro duce nearly as much wheat being sown in drill after digging, the extra expense will stand thus : ,C 1 I. 0 Deduct two pt.u sklop - - - 010 0 0 17 • i desaetidati yid be ti add fee dais' with s. bee, parlor! - - - 0 4 0 £1 1. 0 44. I an, Sr your most obedient servant, (Signed) " WILLIAM FALL,e (To be sestbreed.) Tuesday se'nnight, a young WU was brought to Bristol Infirmary,- wits one of his legs entirely , torn off by the machinery of a coal-pit. . Last week, a little boy, employed at a clothing mill, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, became entan gled asaoug the mac i ikinerb tad both bit thigh.broken. 4 - • COURT OF COMMON' COUNCIL. A Court of Common Oilmen .was held yesterday, at Guildhall. • Mr, FAVELL presented a Petition from Mr. Tip ger, and others, of the Ward of Bread-street, setting, forth that Mr. Samuel Elliott, who had been electe d Common Councilman for the Ward, held the place of tradesman (painter) to the Ccrporation, which was, according to a by-law of the Court, incompatible with his office of Common Councilman, and praying. that his election be declared void. He moved that the Petition be referred' to the consideration of the Committee on City Lands. Mr. T. N. WILLIAMS moved, as an Amendment, that the matter be referred to the Court of Alder men, on the ground that toe Petition bad already been received and discussed bar that Court. Mr. Alderman WOOO contended, that the Court of Aldermen had nothing to do with the matter. It rested entirely with the Common Council therhselves. The Court of Aldermen had only to declare whether Mr. Elliott was duly elected, and that fact being out' of question, it only remained for the Court of Com mon Council to consider whether there was any thing in their own by-laws which prevented Mr. Elliott from holding the two offices of Member of -and tradesman to the Court ? Mr. Gni evirn contended that Mr. Elliott had a perfect right to his seat. The by-law, or standing order, which had been r ferred to, was read. It w as dated 1777, and de e- clared, among other things, expressly, that whenever a tradesman accepted the office of Common Coun cilman, his o ffi ce of tradesman wa s thereby vacated. Mr. , Dixos observed, that the matter had been brought before the Aldermen in a different shape from that in which it could be taken up by the Court. The Aldermen had only to deter mine concerning the due election of the Member—the Common Council whether his place was vacated ? A MEMLIM observed, that the Court could do no other than declare the place ef painter vacant. Mr. James said, that as many • Members of the Court were in the same situation as Mr. Elliott to avoid the appearance of partiality, they should ap point a Committee to examine how far the standing orders of the Court had been complied with. Mr. Alderman WAITHMAN approvest of this sug gestion, and thought the matter should be taken up generally, though he was net aware that many, or any other Members of the Court stood in the situa tion in which Mr. Elliott was said to stand. He re membered that when he entered the Court, 25 years ago, nothing so much disgusted him as the appearance, on any vacancy of offices at the disposal of the Court, of Members of the Court as Candidates, who, by their exertions in canvassing, interrupted all public business. He had moved standing orders to prevent the *recurrence of those scenes, and he thought it most essential that they, •and other similar standing. enders, should be maintained, to prevent the Court from becoming a scene of most profligate jobbing. Mr. Favzoo thought the course imposed upon him by the words of the standing order, was to move the Court to declare the office of painter vacant. Mr. T. N. WILLIAMS objected to this as a too shin- Emery proceeding against a person who had, perhaps, unwittingly fellers into a snare. Mr. HURCOMBE thought the words of the order were so plain, that the Court had no choice but to proceed to a new election. Mr. &racier declared his ignorance of the stand ing order. He had known a tradesman of the Court elected who had continued to enjoy the office. Mr. JACKS said, he was entirely ignorant of the existence of the order. It was finally referred to a Committee to inquire whether any Members oT the Court " were ineligible .to bold the offices of tradesmen of the Court r • NEM-WE/WE DE ALDERMEN. Mr. OLDHAM presented a Petition from eight Ci tizens, Jurors at the Adjourned London Sessions in December last, who stated, that having been sum moned to attend at those Sessions, and having at tended accordingly, they were, ;fter waiting for more than an hour, dismissed by the Recorder, be cause two Aldermen could not be found to open the Court, and the Sessions were adjourned for a month, whereby they had lost their times the due adminis tration of justice had been impeded, and many per sons, who had been committed for simple assaults, had suffered incarceration for want of bail. The Peti tion caving been read, Mr. Oldham said it was painful to him to be obliged to make remarks which might appear personal towards individuals for whom lie felt a respect. It was barely twelve months ago when a similar negligence had been complained of by him to the Court, when, on the 29th of July, the London Sessions were adjourned for want of two Aldermen. The Court reterred it to a Committee, to consider what means could be taken for securing the regular attendance of the Magistracy of the City. "The Committee had reported an Order of the Court of Aldermen, " That tor the prevention of the like occurrences in future, all the Aldermen on the rota should be summoned in future." Yet, notwithstand ing this Order, the same anomaly had recurred. The Aldermen on the rota were—John Atkins, the late Lord Mayor, Sir J. Earner, Aldermen Ansley, Sir C. Hunter, and Heygate. The last, Alderman Heygate, however, he understood, was present at the Sessions. The consequence of this culpable neglect had been, that Jury, witnesses, counsel, prosecutors, had lost their time, and many prisoners had been incarcerated for another month, who were to be pre sumed to be innocent, and one of whom, after that imprisonment, was actually discharged, because no prosecutor appeared. The Sessions, the Justice, the Old Bailey, and even that Court, had been delayed, hour after hour, for Walt of the attendance of Al dermen, yet the Court of. Aldermen themselves did not take up the matter, or attempt to remedy thi evil. There was, however, 4 contrast between the conduct of the Court of Aldermen, with regard to the administration of justice, and on other occa sions. When justice was to be administered, two Aldermen could not be procured ; but, when a pro secution was to be instituted against other Members of the Corporation, for doing what they conceived to be right on a political question, thirteen Aldermen could be got together on less than twelve hours no tico-4(fleor, iieer).—rlt was the duty of the Cor rati if on, 'or inis i =ti ts ow o n n s e a f k je ust t c e a t w t e e n r d e t t h o this e thus n neglec t ed for c ; t edb y gpir peculity Magistracy, the Legislature would be justified itt tending stipendiary Magistrates into City. 'fhe evil had its-root in the constitution of Court of Aldermen. Aldermen baiting pa...ea Chair, and thus having nothing further toliope, into a state of apathy, and would not attend to duty. if they were sent back to their constitut he would not say annually, but even septennially whole evil would •be redressed. He, would not cipate the decision of the Committee to which should propose to refer it ; but, if no explanal were offered, he thought the Court would be ranted in calling on the Aldermen to answer, in Court of king's Bench ) to a rule why a criminal formation should not be filed against them. moved that the Petition be referred to a Select Co, mittee of the Court. Mr. Alderman Woos vindicated the Coin Aldermen from the charge of general negligenc' Such an accident as that which was now ani, verted on, had never occurred at the regular sions; for the Votes of the Court, fixing the da the Sessions, were sent out in time, and regular; tended to. But it was quite uncertain, beforeh for what day the Recorder would fix the Adjou, Sessions, as it depen'ed on the conclusion ca Old Bailey Sittings. The summonses were cm quently sent out, sometimes, only the night heir and frequently did not reach the Aldermen in for them to attend. He could truly ttate, the instance referred to, if his life or fortune been forfeited by his absence, he could not ; l'avoided it, for he was utter ly ignorant that the sions were to be holden. On the very mornial the Sessions, he was in the City on public busi (in which his whole time was consumed), at an hour, but had never heard of the Sessions. It to be recollected, th't no .Nlagistrates in the con' had so much to do as those of the City, as the: to attend thirty-two Sessions in the year, to their Police business. Yet, because they had , dentally been absent one day, they were branch with general negligence. As to that Court, were as often delayed for want of Common Com men as for the want of Aldermen. Mr. Alderman ATKINS, the only other Aldt on the rota then present, said, that being tee last Mayor, though his name was, fur tern's sake, yote, it w as always understood that he was not upon to aueud; a mark was made against his accordingly. He vindicated himself from any tation of negligence, as no Court, nor even an , dividual, bad ever waited an hour for 'him wb had judicial duty to perform. • Atter a desultory conversation between Mr. man WAITIIMAN, Messrs. JACKS, DIXON, FAVELL, and other Members, the Petition w• ferred to a Seect Committee of sixteen. Mr. Alderman A,ritss said, he would not to the authority of any such Committee. The Committee was named,• after some disci as to the persons to be appointed. The Conn granted the sum clone hundred , to Mr. Thomas Hewson, on his Petition, in cow tion of his loss, sustained by the aepredati us mob, in December, 1816, on their breaking ii house of Mr. Rae, in the Minories, where he I A Report was presented from the Bridge Committee, relative to the.exFenses of the bin Magistracy being defrayed out of the Bridge funds, which was read, and ordered to Le pm An Especial Committee was appointed to into the present state of the London Worklmul to consider of what steps can be adopted to , the inhabitants of the City of that Establishmei Adjourned. The thaw on Wednesday was general throu the country, within seventy miles of Lonck town, much damage ,was done .by the bursts pipes, and several cellars were. overflowe(' water. Mr. &WIRY, the bookseller, of Old street, has, we regret to learn, suffered damage books, &c. to a very considerable arnoti t, by the by ing of a water-pipe which ran across his warehr —At the ebbing of the tide in the afternoon, deal of injury was done by the immense quantir floating ice: the cables of four tradiag vessels off Wapping, were cut, and the vessels set, At London Bridge not less than five barites are athwart the sterlings. -The roads in man; this morning, were found almost impassab) the floods. The mails from some places wo 'eyed to town by post-chaises and four. Several inhabitants of Stepney were defrauded Wednesday, by a sham General Postman, deli" letters, for which he charged Is. 6d. each. general tenour„ upon being opened, was, that rarlile was much better ! search making after him. Bow-STnnair--Francols Gerrard, alias De who was yesterday tried at the Old Bailey, • quitted through a flaw in the Indictment, was brought to this Office, and committed for trial next Sessions. The Magistrate had some clout they the prisoner would not be entitled to.plead foil acquit.- -Mr. STAFFORD (Chief Clerk), observed, that as the Indictment stated theofence to h; committed at a time not then arrived, the error w; so manifest, that the Magistrate was fully justified ordering the proceedings to begin de nom DIED. Monday, at his house in New °menden...- General James Campbell, aged 76. Jan. 2, at Brechin i the Rev. Mr. Staten, Minister English Episcopal Chapel. Jan. 9, at Montrose, of typhus fever, .Mr. George son, Surgeon, R.N. aged 45. Tan. 9, at Murton, aged 75, Lady Nairne, widow William Nairne, Bart. of Dunsinane. Tuesday I se'nnight, at Greenhill, near filbeifield, aged John Fox, who has left children, grandchildren, grandchildren, to the amount of 100! Jan. 6, at Pudsey, Mr. Frank Pearson, aged 100. Jan. 6, at Kilmarnock, Min Janet Todd, slangliter late Rev. Michael Todd, Minister of Greghore, Ayrshire. Friday se'nnight, at West End, in the parish of Fronton, the advanced age of 110 years, John Demaine. amusement of his life was that of hunting, which be , sued on foot, and continued until within the last five his death : he never experienced a day's illness, although never known to exchanv his wet clothes for dry ones, if d re n c hed with rain : he has remarked, since complettisg dredth year, that be was grown old and good for - he could formerly mow three acres of grass li.day,, not more than one acre ! .%- HIGH-WATERat LONDON BRIDGIVOIII . 47 ragtag r Afternoon - - 111 -- ; r,s iisce; Tvinplo-/liii. ) the' f the i the , fell their rents, y, the anti- h he :ation war. n the al in- He Cont:: irt bf fencer mad-t Seir 4y for" . ly at ha d, u rned .1 e DI the come. , time !tat in e had • .y have Ie yes-, . at lug of seines early It was Ollntry ey had besides P. Oa aCci- • • randed t, they • rj ouncii- lerman st Lord , on the Ii called se, s name intpu- any in- Rol Then he atm -RR tsr JAMBS, was re. Mo submit leen ben scusn, sio the! en 1 pounds nsidera.• IS of the into the resided. at I e House Cou 3oi Gogh in g ders e !rouse and uted. and inquire per use, and Ord as a' n relieve meat.— L. Put oughout 1.1 1911. In - rstin; of Wr ed with late I W Broad- in nage in be burst- 2 trehouse. es. s , a good pric entity of - 4 els lying jerk I, adrift. 6 are lying den iy parts, len Die from vere con- ease 7 Cor auded on See lelivering . 1.. Their that Mr. BA, Bey march is - liar / De Lisle. . 0. and ac mit - has was again 12a rial at the oubt whe- ead tin. observed, have been of error was tioi ustißed in *es •1 Re Lieutenant- kter of the CO ige Bender- • Ed kknr of St log ag ed gg, Mr. . tip • and great- pri ! Oiler .of the • .ex, pelting. cell Fronton, at fer The thief Oi e always pier.- • five years et V, tough he was tie Lee tier so etlia m g his hose GI nothing ! as but latterly, M OR ROW. I alter d --. 7 Pr! Net cry nohow