The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-04-29 00:00:00

PUBLIc PlsTICEs.s%

This week a scene of the most distressing nature
was exhibited in the streets of this town. Several
hundreds of workmen, chiefly out of employment,
met on Motiday morning in Park-row, opposite the
Court-house, for the purpose, it should seem, of
exhibiting their cumbers, and after rentaitiiiig
that situation till about eleven o'clock to the fore-
noon, marched into Briggate, mr a kind of pro-
cession, eight or ten deep. The persons forming
tins distressed body were principally croppers, rr.
sident in the town, and clothiers from the neigh-
homing villages. Their behaviour, much to their
credit, was perfectly orderly; and their meeting,
though evidently by concert, was intended metrly,
as far as we can leant,, to present to their mote opu-
lent neighbours a striking manifestation of the
public distress, for the purpose of ioducitig smile
efforts to put them in n way, either in their native
country or in • foreign land, of supporting them-
selves and their bundles. Wt. in 11,1 die them the
justice to say, that up to the pie-rut tune, they
have sustained their privations with a degree of
patient endurance, more to he commended. and
more difficult of attaitimetit, that' the courage
which !ends a man tip to the cannon's mouth.
That their case will obtain, as it deserves, the
isnot deliberate attention and regard, we doubt
not ; and that every thing will be done to ame-
liorate their condition that is practicable, we are
well assured. How they can be assisted in any
efficient way we cannot pretend to determine. This
country, we fear, is overstocked with workmen. How
the surplus is to be provided for is a subject that
deserves the deliberate consideration both of the
Senate and the country. Time may, and doubt loss
will, again revive trade; but we fear the manu-
facturers of this country have scquired capaci-
ties far clothing snore persons than we can find
in the world to clothe. In the mean time, the pub-
ic distress in the manufacturing districts was per-
haps never known to be snore severe at this season
of the year than at present. The cause, we all
know, is not in any revulsion from war to peace, but
perhaps in a change rather from paper to money
print. In Lancashire, the distresses of commerce

are almost unprecedented. The topics of conver-
sation are mg—Who has WI article to sell, and
whip is disposed to buy ?—but rather, What is the
depreciation upon stocks-iu-trails, who has stopped
payment, anal who is going to slop ? We know that
it cmght be more acceptable to those who like lobate
t ~,,,,, th things preached to them. to have a less
unfavourable picture presented ; hut it is out of
our power. It is in vain to endeavour to con-
ceal that the distress is felt us much by the mas-
ters as by their workmen. They are equally oh.
,jects of compassion. Numbers of small maim.
lacturers are falling continually. That useful—we
will say most useful, hotly of men, will, we fear, soon
become extinct. 'the tendency of society has lung
been that way, and the happy domestic inanufac-
turing circle, where so much virtue and coinfurt
once presided, may serve as a thing to be talked of in
future times, but at, existence will soon be only u
matter of traditional narrative or of historical record.
True as these ohservetions are. we must nut idler
our spirits to soak under Our difficulties. 'fi►is
country has weathered hitherto many a storm of
distress, and we trust she will be enabled to pass
through her present trials. We must, however, not
expect for sonic time to come, to repose upon bed.
of roses. The taxes, parochial rod national, press
heavily upon all classes of society. The public debt
is a dead weight under which the nation has scarce-
ly sufficient buoyancy to bear up. and ever and anon
thus undue pressure, co-operating with other causes
of a swore temporary stature, produces that state of
things which sinks the country into embarrass-
ment•, and the people into misery. At present, our
first care should be to devise means for the re-
lief of the most destitute and distressed part of
our impulatiois. Men of intelligence aud of wealth
should endeavour to discover some mode of Ilion-
the distress of those who look up to them
los-counsel anti assistance. Not much, we fear, Is to
be expected iu this way, but smut plan ought to he
sugge►ted and promptly acted upon. Parishes must
be indulgent, and workmen 'oust be content to ob-
tain employment when and where it is to be had,
even though it should nut be its their own line of
butane's. We fear the national dinner is too scanty
fur the number of people that have to sit down
to it. Emigration, in such a case, is rather a good
ilia:lan evil. Patriot the compaily retires, and they
spread and cover tables in another region. Of the
two thousand uteri, which number, it's stated, were
parading the streets of Leeds for waist of employ-
ment, last Monday, one half of them, at least, pus-
mess some little knowledge of agriculture, and might
soots be brought to cultivate the earth—abut iu Eng-
land we have already a sufficient slumber of hus-
b•und:neu, Its Canada there are foie tracts of cataii-
try that would soon reward the labour tit the ill-
dustriousa, and we wish Government would make
grants of land, sod afford support, for a tames to such
persons as might chioo►e to emigrant to that country.
We are aware that there are difficulties in the wan..
but our ►►tuation presents uoily r choice of difficul-
ties, aml all that we can do is lip choose the least. A
tenth part of the money expended during one year
in the operations ol the late war, would settle all the
redundant populaii iiii this country in aluminum
of peaceful 'sad sin ry w our Trans-Atlantic Culoisies.
Tins looney, ill as it CYO lie spared, would be well
spent. The personas suffering for won of labour
and of bread, would thus be supposted, mad the
tranquillity of the country would be pieserved.—
t Leeds Akrcury.)
_ _ _

COAL MARKET, Aran. 2V.
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YESTERDAY.

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