The Sun.
London, England, 1830-12-31 00:00:00

and made a sort of Chamber for themselves under the
arch by placing some loose bricks; and they were all
huddled together; the sailor more
-exposed than any
Had
the rest, us be was the only hardy one of the set.
Had they been left in their chamber, the officer said
till morning, there would have been no occasion to
trouble his Lordship on the subject (they had been
brought to the Mansion-house), for the gravedigger
would have done their business. To this melancholy
statement it-was added by Mr. Teague, the Gover-
nor of the Compter, that when the poor men were
brought to him he found it necessary to send
off two of them immediately to the Hospital, as he
feared they were dying.. The third was in a very
bad state, and was then in the Compter. The sailor
came lo very well, and did all he could to assist
the unfortunate companions among whom be
had fallen ; ;but the condition of the three was
dreadful in the extreme—they appeared to be in the
last stage of hionan misery! But there is a circum-
stance which makes this ease still more worthy of
observation. It appeared, from the statement of
the sailor, that two of his 'comrades under the bridge
had told him they had been in lodgings in a parish
to which they did not belong; but that the over-
seer, having ascertained that they were in a bad
state of health, and likely to .perish, compelled
their landlord to put them out of doors, for fear
the parish should be at the expense Of burying
them 1 Many are the instances in which the
poor laws are the instruments' of the most in-
human oppression of that class of people whom
they were expressly framed to relieve,. and this in
a great measure arises from the law of parochial
settlement, which circumscribes charity by the local
boundaries of parishes, and abiolutely steels the
heart us well as closes the bend against the poor
who happen to have their settlement elsewhere, or,
like the Irish sailor, to have ire' settlement At all l
Thus is the principle of a legal provision for the
poor, which is so good in itself, rendered in many
Instances of extreme distress worse than nugatory,
because it instigates to acts of oppressive and frau-
dulent expulsion, which often aggravates the misery
of the sufferer, and frequently terminates in death.
It is true such cruelty is indictable, and, when it has
fatal consequences, can be punished as manslaughter
in the overseer; but it is then too late, it will be ad-
mitted, to relieve the victim. The conduct of the
Lord Mayor on this occasion does him great credit
both as a magistrate and a man. He inquired into.;,
each case, and administered relief himself with-
out waiting for the slower process of the law:'
We hope the example will remind others of eti'e
Christian precept " to do likewise."—ltfornit4
Herald.

We alluded yesterday to the evidence on the trial
of several rioters at 'Winchester, from which it .ssi!
peered that the farmers at Selborne were egging NV
poor deluded wretches on, and standing by while
they forced the clergyman Cobbold to sign a paper,
for the reduction of his tithes by more than oneJ
half. Of Cobb Old himself we shall here say, that he
was a coward to submit, under any intimidation
whatever, to any such act; and Baronlraughan said,
with great justice, that the farmers were more cri-
minal than their labourers, find ought to have biiirj

placed in the dock to take their trial with them
but of this we shall have occasion to speak more
strongly and more closely hereafter. We now first
ask Cobbold whether he means to redeem his cha-
racter by prosecuting the farmers who, through
their poor distressed labourers, exercised such force
upon him ? If not, be acknowledges his signature
us a voluntary acr, and is clearly bound by it. With
this we shall dismiss him. But the knavery of the
farmers ! What scoundrels ! To induce their-la-
bourers to believe that they should receive higher
wages if they would but first endanger their lives
for them—if they would but run the slight hazard
of the gallows, by murdering the clergyman of the
parish if he would not give up his tithesoar is por-
tion thereof, to them, the farmers. It seems as if
every body conspired the destruction of the poor
labourers in the county of Hants. 014' Cobbett
excites them to the burning of barns and ricks by his
lectures, as they charge him with their dying
,words ;
and the farmers urge them to massaere the clergy with
a view to destroy the tithes. And what will the'
poor labourer gain by either? Increased misery. By
the death of the parson, he will often lose a kind
friend: by the destruction of barns and wheat-stacks,
he destroys that which is too often his only nutri-
ment, bread. But let us suppose the tithes all
abolished, and the Clergy rooted out, what power
upon earth, we then ask, is there to prevent the
landlord from laying on the amount, and more than
the amount, of the tithe in rent ? The answer is
obvious : there is but one power,—that which has
abolished tithes. Rent is a tax : destroy the land-
lord too, if he is stupid enough not to yield to the
doctrine; and, horror of horrors, Carlile and Cob-
bett (we hear nothing of the Devil's Chaplain now)
become our only legislators in Church and State
NVe shall have holiday days of it then or rather
we shall lose our holidays. There will be no Sun-
day, and the poor will have leave to work all the
year round. We press this matter more particularly,
because (we have agents or correspondents in every
part of the kingdom) we observe universally that
the greatest elemourers against tithes are—and we
beg cite public to observe it—the greatest savages
to their labourers. The mob who; under the in-
fluence of the farmers, forced the parson at Sel-
borne to sign away his right, rushed next to destroy
the workhouse, the instrument of tyranny exercised
over themselves by those very farmers and their
overseers. The matter is clear to demonstration.
We have already expressed our decided opinion that
some modification of the tithe system is de-
sirable, not more on account of the tithe-payer
than of the tithe.receiver : for the present sys-
tem leads to ill-blood and dissensions between the
clergy and their flocks, to the scandal of religion
itself. But let us be just : the Clergy are not
answerable for the abuse's of the system which they
constantly show a readiness to ameliorate. In the
sprit of justice, then, we deprecate the abuse of the
clergy, and, in the name of law, we will say a few
words on the subject of tithe being a tax, and not
property, which is now asserted,—as what will not
be asserted by impudence to impose on selfish igno-
rance ? If it be a tax, of course it came out in the
budget What Chancellor of the Exchequer laid
it on ? Under what Ministry, and in what year,
was it imposed ? A tax, indeed I If it were u tax,
why was. 'rum trebled with the assessed texesaluring
the war? It would be no great advantage to the
landholder if tithe were considered us a tax : for,
whether it were received by the Government or the
landowner, the occupier would find either of them
much more oppressive people (and rendering no
service in return 1) to deal with than the clergyman.
In ear aneient law-books they are briefly defined to
be " an ecclesiastical inheritance or property in the
church, collateral to the estate of the lands thereof."
—ll Rep. 13. A taxl flow can tithe be a tax,
when it existed for ages before taxes were invented,
and when Kings curried on their wars and paid
their servants out of their hereditary revenues?
Selden contends" that tithes were not introduced
here into England till towards the end of the eighth
century" (a pretty old title), " that is, about the
year 786."--Selden tif Tithes, 86. And Blackstone,
the Commentator, says, " I will not put the title of
the clergy to tithes upon any divine right, though
such a right certainly commenced, and certainly
ceased, with the Jewish theocracy. Yet an honour-
able and competent maintenance for the Ministers
of the Gospel is undoubtedly jure divine, whatever
that maintenance may be."-2 Com. 3. Undoubt-
edly the clergy have great and various duties to per-
form us the condition on their part of receiving
tithes : and it were, we repeat, well if some arrange-
ment were made respecting them, that might prevent
squabbles and litigation. But how can a commutation
of any kind take piece, unless the property of the
Clergy in tithes be first acknowledged ? Rob.
bery and spoliation, and perhaps murder, may take
place, as in a revolutionary State ; and what would
be the result ? That the farmer would, ultimately,
gain no relief ; not only the new acquisition, but the
whole property of the landowner would follow, and

the labourer be yet more oppressed. But to return
to Mr. Cobbold, and the affairs of Se!borne, in the
county of. Hants. One poor'creature after another,
among the labourers, is condemned at the Assizes
at Winchester. But the mob at Selborne was
headed and incited by farmers; and, monstrous as
the thing may seem, not one of those farmers has
been apprehended ! not one put upon his trial ! We
are aware that there was a trial on the same day be-
fore Mr. Justice Parke, in which two farmers were
tried and acquitted; but we now speak of the Sel-
borne case. If this be suffered, there is an end. of
all justice whatever. Why are the poor, starving,
ignorant' misled, labourers to be selected for ruin,
—to be dragged from their families, and consigned
to we know not what sufferings—some even to
death, and the farmers to be spared? We speak
advisedly—we
,speak from the report of a trial.
Cobbold swore that " there were many farmers
I present—about ten," when he, under the fear of
immediate death, " was forced to sign an agreement
to lower his tithes;--.that they were with the mob.
and stood looking on." The rioters themselves de-
clared "that the'farmers had undertaken to raise the
r. wages, and that-they- (the mob) had undertaken to
get a reduction: of tithes!" Fitt, a farmer, when
called to the character of one of the la-
bourers, was thus addressed by Judge Vaughan :-
1 "JUDGE....i hope you were not ono of those farmers
who were present inciting the mob to make the demand
on the clergyman ?" Witness Fitt—" 11Iy Lord, I was
present at Sir. Cobbold's when the mob was there!"
JUDGE—.." Then, Sir, you ought to be ashamed of your
conduct," &c.. &c.
And again the Judgi thus addressed the wit-
ness :—" Sir, I must tell Oil bat you may consider
yotirself very lucky that yeneare not standing in that
doel4" (but why was he net standing in that dock?
why 'was be not there standisve ask ?) "charged
with this offence: I think you merit it as much,
or more than any of those poor men who now stand
before me. It is really disgraceful to see such a
transaction us this by men ip..your condition !"
Then follows the most criminal part of all in the
conduct of this man Fitt, and no doubt in that of
the other farmers. " They afterwards distinguished
themselves by their activity in preventing the mob
from doing further mischief." Oh yes; they could
defend their own property, they could defend that
of the parish for which they would have been liable
in the rates : but having excited the mob to the
destruction of the clergyman, upon the pretence
that wages would be raised if tithes were lowered,
the wretched objects of their delusion are placed at
the bar for trial, and the authors, the fomenters, the
only persons benefitted by the riot are at large, and
have the infamous audacity to appear as evidence to
the character of those whom they havisedeluded !
In the history of criminal proceedings,_there.never
was any thing so monstrous as this. Ftir'.our own
parts, we shall never cease from crying " Justice,
justice !" till these men are apprehended,-iancl put
upon their trial.—Timer.
.4.
A little work upon the subject of machinery and
the benefits resulting from it has just been put forth
by the " Society for the Difftision of Use Know-
ledge." The work is well timed; and, as it is
plainly written, and the illustrations of the principles
which it is intended to' inculcate are drttwn from
topics familiar to every labourarand mechanic in the
kingdom, it will no doubt prove extensively useful.
The chief doctrine which it is sought reestablish
is, that machinery, by diminishing the cost of pro-
duction, increases the consumption, end thireby aug-
ments the demand for labour. If this proposition
could be established to the conviction of the labour-
ing population of this kingdom, it is clear that the
destructive operations againtw tnschinety which
have lately and are still carried on in the' Southern
and some of the midland districts, would be
speedily brought to a close. The art of 'printing is
adduced as an instance to substantiate thb propoil-
Orin.. From the type-founding up to the ultitnetC
impression, the operitioe of printing is shown to
be one of machinery. And it is shown that this
machinery of printing will produce 10,000 copies of
a work in one week, by the aid of from sixteen to
twenty men, which would require more than ten
thousand penmen to transcribe in the same time.
This fact being indisputable, and indeed generally
understood, the great error into which people usually
fall seems to be, that if twenty men with the type
end printing presses were restrained from working,
by an injunction of the Court of Chancery or by'
Act of Parliament, the ten thousand penmen would
be culled into action. It requires but little con-
sideration to chew the fallacy of this conclusion.
The printed work could be sold for one shilling;
the same work executed by a penman, who would
be occupied for one week upon hie task, would
oat, paper and profit included, not less than two
pounds 1 The purchasers at' this price are of
course considerably fewer; indeed the necessity of
using the pen for the propagation of the work at
all would amount to a prohibition of it. This may
be more clearly illustrated by a reference to the
Newspaper Press. To how many does not this
portion of the Press give employment throughout
the United Kingdom ? And it is most certain,
that were it not for the invention of printing, and
the machinery connected with it, the Newspaper and
periodical Press would not exist et all 1 The ma-
chinery its use in husbandry, and especially in
the grinding of corn into flour, are referred to in
the little work under notice. In respect of the
former it is shewn that if all husbandry machines
were destroyed, the farmer having only a certain
fund to expend in wages, would not be able to
employ a number of labourers sufficient to give
him us good a crop as he had by the use of ma-
chinery. The result would be that the productions
of the soil would be dearer, and the labourer's
atshebesfaomree in nominal
quantity of
aawmratigoceiliesn:t,fuowirt loicotoiliCigistunino ttphite)iuo
rnsc,ahttanhseeereby reducing the value
of his wages in the inverse ratio of price. If the
consumption of an article be according to the facili-
ties of obtaining it—and all experience as well as
reason teaches that it is so—it follows that the de-
mand must increase -upon the reduction of price; and
increased demand is, in truth, synonimous with in-
creased labour. Fur, although the article produced
be the almost entire work of machinery, and have
in point of fact superseded any given number of
hands in its invention, the increased consumption
o givesthe
tilantointirtalltiesretatto,
which in all probability fully restores the equili-
el:runner lealbitouuri,joi
briutn. Thus, in the case of printing, although
rat rtehdeu ceehtal
acaoeslt
a multitude of industrious penmen may have been
thrown out of employment, what numbers have
not beers called into action by the establish-
ment of newspaper and other presses, in every vil-
lage in the kingdom ? Asa counterpoise to the loss
of occupation by the aboriginal scribes, how many
bands have been called into operation in the manu-
facture of paper, in the making of printing ink, in
productions of
hundred
-thousand
plied
raw material out
d
the stitching, and binding, and vending, of the
ril:ifatel:lv.dalrititeti.:driellhall these different articles proceed ? We
might proceed in the same manner through every
department of human industry and mechanism, to
show that where there is increased demand, the
stun total of human labour must, although indirectly,
be increased also. But one example is as good as
a hundred; and the most minute investigation into
would establish, to the conviction of the in-
the multifarious sources of wealth and lumen in-
dustry
quirer, the uniformity of natufe in all her opera-
tions.—Morning Post,

A NEW WAY TO SAVED.--A. Metho•
ilist preacher, not 100 miles from Hoiden, in the county
of York, when reading a notice after the sermon, respect•
ing the re-letting of the pews in the chapel, said that, in
oilier to a person's being saved, it is absolutely necessary
that he should pay fora pew or sitting in some place of
worship ; for, added he, '6 How Call any one expect to be'
saved under a Gospel, unless he pays toivards the support
of that Gospel U"