The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-01 00:00:00

MR. CORBETT.

Mr. Cobbett has published a Petition to the King, with
some letters written by him to the Marquis of Conyngham,
on Saturday last ; on which day Mr. Cobbett applied at
the King's Cottage,,at I‘'intlsor, for List-mission to prevent
his Petition in person. which was refused by Ills Lordship. ,
Mr. Cobhett, in a letter to the Marquis, gieitig t '
account of his jogrney, ars—
" I think ft lighl to add, that the presenting e th k teNtion,
thongb an object,, in my estimate of the matter, fully litwifying my ,
r.-questing an audience of the Ring, was not the.only object I had
in view. My Intention was, and indeed my resolution vas, to tell
his Majesty of maok things, of which, I am pretty. eure, he never
yet heard one word. It was my resolution to tell him the naked
truth, with regt!rd to the measures which I deem absolutely neees-
tary to be adopted, to,.sase the country from a terrific convulsion.
It was my resolution to tell him. upon this subject, that which
would have mid the Parliament if I had not beenitept out of Par-
hament. Now; then, I have done, up to this moment, ert-y thing
that it has teen in my power to do. 'there remains btlt poe thing'
mitre, at any rate—and that one thing I shall endeavour to do im
the course pi' a few weeks: it is—to get together the geople of
Westminster, of of t,ho county or Middlesex; and !A.: induce
them, it I cm, to join the people of the North in prat iv for re-
form, rind for a total repeal and abolition of the Corn Lams."

- -
TO THE MA
OF
M IZRAHITELE SES OP HE COUNTY
I.

Gstert.rwt*,-4 am anxious to call your attention to
the retorts lately made to the 8:-s!Cps by all the parishes
(except St. Pancras) within the colittty, of the pauper lu-
natics maintained by the respective parishes. It seems
that the number exceeds 700. The parish of St. Mary-)e-
bone pays at the rate of 9s. a week per head—finds them
in clothes, and incurs cxpences in occasionally visiiing
these unfortunate beings, for all of which I add Is. a week
per head more. It will then be obfious that the expense
of pauper luilatics within the county, at the rate of 10s.
a week per head, amounts to upwards of i:7,000/. a year,
without rickoning St. Pancras. Surely it is of deep im-.
portanothat so large a slim should be administered Underr
the superintendence of the Magistrates.
I intreat you to examine these returns most carefully;
and avail yourselves of your privilege as Magistrates, by
visiting the places where these wretched creatures arc con-
fined, and so prepare yourselves for the consideration of
the important question, *hether it be not your duty to
proceed to buikl a lunatic asylum for the county ?
In my conscience I believe you will find that humanity,
demands this measure; but all I ask is, that you will ex-
amine carefully all the circumstances of the case, and come
to the Sessions prepared to give your vote with knowledge,
and not in wilful ignorance.
I am, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant,
bENEX.

STATE 01 TRADE.
(From theos7; Chronicle.)
The extraordinary demand for shearers in all parts of the country
has had the effect of mated** lessening the expenditure of the
local committees. Nearly all the stone-breakers arc now disnal..iseti,
in consequence of this new field fur their services. At the Calton
Police Office, a few weeks ago, there were about 1,800 men paid.
The great majority have gore to the harvest; and received one shill-
hog and a peck of meal tact", to assist them on their journey. The
stone-breakers still employed are 'working in the vicinity of the
Canal Basin, where the stones arrive. The number of shearers,
chiefly Irish, that ate daily passing through the suburbs ;.f this
city, is unexampled. Last week the distribution of oatmeal in the
Calton and Alile•end &evicts was reduced to 23 bolls, 6 pecks ; 143

were relieved.
There were fifteen carts of fruit in the market yesterday. The
greater part of the supply consisted of jam berries, the Warrlngten
chiefly, an excellent berry, rather larger, and nearly equal iu lbs.
vour to the Rifleman. 'eales were pretty good. and pfices ran from
3s. toys. &I. a-peck. A small quantity of the Toni 31ortgotnery
apples were brought forward for the first fine this season. They
were quite ripe and looked well; but were not quire so large as in
ordinary_years. They brought 10s. a sleek. A few baskete of the
Crawford pear sold at 3d. a lb.
The West Highland herring fishing continues to improve. On
Thursday about 77 mazes. or about 38,500 herrings, arrived at the
Broomielaw. Though offered at 63. 6,1. a hundred, few purchasers
came forward ; and the fishers forthwith procured barrel., and the
curing went no with as much spirit as ever it did at Borrowstonesa
or Wick. New salt herrings are now selling at 50s. and 525. a
barrel.
The state of the population of the suburbs of this city is at pre-
sent alike calculated to excite sympathy and alarm. In every
quarter the symptoms of misery are visible—the emaciated cam-
meaneasseid dejected appevanceo of the numerous human beings
that are to be encountered during a casual walk thritugh the aten-
sive and crowded suburbs of Glasgow, sufficiently denote what a
smell portion of the necessaries of life fall to the share of the me.
chard?. It is a fact, that in some of the recent surveys made
among a population of 25,000, scarcely one of the working cheeses
were found to have a comfortable meal at dinner. Numbers ap-
peared to have nothing to subsist upon, while others were par aking
of the coarsest fare, such as peas.nteal brose only. Some few me-
chanics, such as carpenters, sawyers, Ac., had beef at dinner. The
bowies presented a most dismal proof of poverty—bowies rented at
41. 10s., had not 4s Bd. of furniture wi:hin the walls—.he inmates'
beds were composed of straw, without any adequate clothing. and
if the distress reach tenter witheut material alteration, many will
probably perish under the rigour of the season. The landlords are',
severe sufferers, having lost nearly all their last half-year's rems ;
and they may now be said to be proprietors of the majority of
hand-looms in this vicinity. Many six•loom shops are wholly un-
occupied in the hands of the landlord from this cause. An uncom-
mon
number of widows and single women are to be found inhabit-
ing the suburbs, the rent bring cheaper, land the public burdens
lighter, and the manufacturing works being carried on in the itn-
medate vicinity. These females are at present in a very miserable
condition from the 6,8101110 n of trade. There will be a heavy 1
de-
ficiency in the local assessments. Hardly any public works have
been erected this year, and very few private houses ; those finished
this season being principally contracted for during the active out-
put of the small note currency. It has been discovered that sonic
empty houses have been taken poseess'on of, and are at present in.
hablted by indigent families, without the sanction of the landlord
being asked. A number of public works, that employed from
two hundred to four hundred hands each, have been shut
up for four months, and the condition of those that were cm-
ployed in them, may be easily imagined. Some have been tbrced
to the hand-loom, and can scarcely earn a few shillings a-week.
Others were employed in the green, or breaking stones, and it was
s singular contrast to find workmen, who had beets making 303. and
21. a-week in print-fields and cotton works, during the heyday of
the speculations, glad to get work at Is. si.(l4. The cloth, shoe,
and other clubs, in this vicinity, to which the working populaion
generally resorted, in order to obtain Mete raiment, on payment of
a certain sum a-week, are now mostly dissolved, the collectors find-
ing it impassible to gather money. and afraid to grant credit. Otte
collector in the suburbs that would have drawn 401. In the week, and
had credit with his merchant to the amount of 5001., was obl•ged
to give up the business, and cannot collect one shilling for every
ported owing. There is a striking diminution in the quantity of
apparel which the females employed in the public works formerly
required, numbers of dress-makers supported themselves front this
source, who have had scarcely anything to do during the last
six months. Private charity has no doubt done much during the
last few months to mitigate the appalling misery that prevails;
but it is obvious that it is far too extensive and deeply rooted, and
the resoutces of every man of business too much diminishes!, to
expect any farther stretch of effect ire liberality. Government aloe e
pestles* the means, and to them do the starving population look for
relief till trade revives.
In former periods of distress, such as 1817 and 1819, the
tants of mote of the country towns were enabled to support them-
selves, by their own resources, or by the assistance of their friends,
till business revived. Such, however, has been the length and
severity of the present calamity that die people in country villages
are in general as ill of as those in large towns. Galston, New
31iIns, Darvel, for instance, are one mass of misery. In Galstnn
out of between 500 and 600 looms only about 100 are at work.
Thirty pounds sent to Galston, and forty to New Milne and Darvel,
from the Edinburgh Committee, would have gone but a short way
among such a number of sufferers, had they not been aided by pri-
vate charity. The people of these places are warm in their expres-
sions of gratitude to the Marquis of Hastings anti the Duke of
Portlan,i. They have both come forward with a liberality equal to
the emergency. Oatmeal and other articles have been liberally
diettibuted from Loudon Castle ; and the Duke of Portland has ex.
petaled about 6001. in labour and money from the cousmencement of
the distress.
We see from the Northern Provincial Papers that the crops all
over Scotland arc pretty much the sante as we have described them
in Lanarkshire. Wheat is everywhere an excellent crop. On the
• canes of Falkirk the Oats are a tolerable crop. lit the moorlands
they are excellent, and so strong in the straw that in many places
they are laid by the rains. Beans and Peas are a scanty crop.
Turnips are improving by the late rains.
her

.. .
EXTRAORDINARY LONGEVITY.—Died, at Elderslie, on
the 23d inst. Hugh Shaw, at the great age of 113 years.
Five years ago we gave an account of this wonderfill man.
Till within the tact eighteen months, he every Saturday
walked to Paisley and returned, walking altogether about
seven miles. While he was aide to go about, he had no
other meatus of support than what he collected by begging
1 from door to door. Latterly he was blind and deaf. Since
his confinement to the house, lie was supported by private
bounty. lie was able to leave the bed every day, till
within the last three weeks. lie is said to have left strict
charges, that as lie never received, when living, any aid
from the parish, so he should be Wiled without their any{
lp,
even if without a coffin. His ftnural was attended by a
party of the ,t2d regiment (in which he had served) and
by a number of the respectable inha%itants of Paisley.