The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-07 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1846,

Unless some marvellous and unexpected catas-
trophe transpires, and that immediately, the evil-
omened marriage of the Orleans Prince and the
Bourbon Princess will in reality be un fait accompli.
Whatever may subsequently be the consequences of
this calamitous alliance, the English Government will
have no cause for self-reproach ; the English protest will
be its historical palliation ; the English representatives
at the Tuileries and the Escurial will have
acquitted themselves with a dignity, a delicacy, and
a discrimination befitting the responsibilities of their
office. When these occurrences can be no longer re-
garded as contemporary, but are matters of political
retrospect, the denial of the assertions of Senor
JSTURITZ, transmitted by Mr. HENRY L. BuLwER
, in
a letter to General Small°, may be taken
as a sufficient testimony of the temperament
which then characterised the different Eu-
ropean Cabinets. Nothing but a most reprehen-
sible aptitude for the employment of Ministerial
hypocrisy could have enabled the leader of the
Spanish Administration so far to outstep the limits of
social propriety, as well as of Parliamentary discretion,
as to misrepresent the language uttered by a foreign
ambassador, and the sentiments entertained by a
friendly Government. Nothing but a most intense
conviction of the honesty of the power whose
opinions he was deputed to transmit, and ,

of the magnitude of the resources at
the disposal of his Sovereign, could have capacitated
the British representative at Madrid to pen a contra-
diction combining so much of amenity with so little
of compromise or of superfluous conciliation. Upon
the spirit of the correspondence published in the

Clamor Publico might be decided the relative can-

dour and secresy which have latterly distinguished
the peninsular and insular diplomacy.
Notwithstanding the decisive protest entered
against this marriage by Great Britain on interna-
tional and constitutional grounds, in open defiance of
the fundamental stipulations of the treaty of Utrecht,
and despite the unmistakeable dissatisfaction ex-
pressed by the population of the Spanish pro-
vinces, the melancholy (because ominous) cere-
monial is being precipitated by every
possible device. While the communication of Lord
NORMANBY is lying unanswered by M. GIIIZOT, the
Dukes D'AUMALE and DE MONTPENSIER are passing
with an enormous escort from Bayonne to Vittoria,
and from Burgos to the capital. While no satisfac-
tory response is forwarded to the British Embassy by
the advisers of ISABELLA 11., the apartments of the
Count DE BRESSON are being elaborately decorated
for the reception of the bridegroom of the possible
Sovereign of the Spanish territories. Infinitely
however, is the Afrancesados may be inclined to
congratulate themselves upon the apparently pro-
pitious consequences of their machinations, they must,
on mature consideration, acknowledge the un-
soundness of their present position, and
the probable evanescense of their existing
prosperity. While they may rejoice over
the patronising serenity with which the Duke of
VALENCIA watches their proceedings in the metro-
polis, have they not cause fur trepidation in the sullen
tranquillity of the populace ? They demonstrate
their temporary puissance by mulcting a sum of
50,000 reals (5001.) from the Eco del Cornercio, as a
penalty for the boldness of its language, but are there
not proclamations of a more incendiary character
flying about the valleys of the Pyrenees, calling
upon the Basques and Navarrese to rise in behalf
of the Count DE MONTEMOLIN ; adjuring than',
as they love their nationality, and as they pine
for the acknowledgment of their political rights, to de-
clare for that constitutional liberty which had been
previously lost by " the incautious, the credulous,
and the docile children of Biscay and Navarre," and
proclaiming to the ripened imaginations of the pea-
santry that " CHARLES VI. is no despot," that he is
no antagonist of progress, that he is, on the contrary,
desirous of insuring to his people the soundest civil
and municipal liberty. These Afrancesados may
rejoice in the contemplation of the success which has
hitherto attended their wily undertakings ; but
while CHRISTINA and the Duke DE RIAN-
ZARES are tranquilly located in their palace,
are there not rumours of the appearance
of CABRERA in Valencia ? The cathedral porches
may be hung with damask tissue in anticipation of
the expected nuptials, the royal brides may be already
vesting themselves in their marital garments, and the
restricted amnesty by which the twin mar-
riages are to be commemorated may be al-
ready prepared for the sign-manual of her most
Catholic MAJESTY, but are there not prospects of the
Spanish people requiring themselves to be forced to
swallow the gilded bolus ? Do not the recent
emeutes in the Faubourg St. Antoine show that the
French Government may have its own internal embar-
rassments, for the Journal de,lDebats appears to have
considerable reason in conjecturing that the disturb
anees have not originated in any scarcity of pro-

visions ? There is a hollowne:-s about all these

Afrancesado arrangements which promises their
speedy subjugation. To say the very least of it, the
prosecution of the Montpensier marriage, in open
defiance of the British protest, is singularly indica-
tive of an anxiety on the part of the Gallic Adminis-
tration to splinter the entente cordiale. If there be
honour, and honesty, and security in the consumma-
tion of these proceedings, how is it that they have
been throughout characterised by so much secresv
and so much precipitation ? The proper response to
that inquiry would ensure to the Spanish people the
preservation of their nationality.

An invetigation of considerable interest took place
at Ryme, in Dorsetshire, on Thursday last. It was
not undertaken or conducted by any authority, no
official or legal personage presided on the occasion,
and yet matters were elicited respecting the condition
of the agricultural labourers in thlit locality the im-
portance of which cannot be overrated. As there wLs
no person or persons authorised to come to a con-
clusion, and to bring in a verdict, or publish a report
as to the result of the evidence taken, the public must
form their_own opinions thereon.

It will be in the recollection of our readers that
the lion. and Rev. SYDNEY GODOLPIIIN OSBORNE, a
gentleman who has earned for himself the highest
character as a philanthropist, the greatest honour f. -
the disinterested zeal which he has exhibited, in his
capacity as a country clergyman, for the amelioration
of the condition, the increase of the comforts of the
labouring classes, by whom he is surrounded, pub-
lished a letter on the 24th of August last, in which
he exposed several abuses to which the labourers of
Ryme and the surrounding parishes had been sub•
jetted. Ile called attention to existing laws directed
against the practice of master manufacturers being
retailers of goods to their workmen, to what is com-
monly called the truck system, which has ever been
found most injurious in its effects upon those of the
humbler classes who have been brought within its
operation, where the parties purchasing are afraid to
question the quality or the price of the goods with
which they are supplied by their employers, who
would have it in their power to dismiss them from
their work in case of any complaints, no matter how
well founded. lie stated that he found meat which
would have been condemned in Newgate Market sold
to the labouring poor; that the wages of at least nine
out of ten of the labourers in husbandry was paid in
the shape of goods, sold to them by their masters, in-
cluding meat of the above character ; that the wages
of able-bodied, married men was 7s. a week, these of
single men and lads, from 16 to 25 years of age, from
2s. 6d. to 65.; that for about two months in the year
the mowing and harvest afforded some task work,
at which about 103. per week, besides an allowance
of cider, might be earned, but for which the work
must be from five in the morning until seven at night.
He then detailed the exorbitant prices they were
charged under this truck system for articles of the
worst description. The sheep killed just before they
were (to use the labourers' expression) cold dead ;
the diseased cows, in like manner, and the flesh
retailed to the working men, who were thus obliged
to participate in the farmer's loss ; and that it would
be hard to find any man who had drawn 21. in
money for his wages in any one year.

Such a statement proceeding from so trustworthy
a source naturally excited great attention. Mr.
OSBORNE did not shelter himself under the disguise
of a fictitious signature, but manfully gave his name
to the world as the author of these charges, which he
did not bring forward until he had by the strictest
examination satisfied himself of their truth. At the
end of three weeks a formal contradiction was put
forward signed by Mr. DANIEL BRAKE, the principal
farmer in Lyme, his son•in-law, his nephew, and two
other farmers. Mr. OSBORNE having replied, stating
the grounds on which he had made his assertions, was
challenged by Mr. BRAKE to a public investigation into
the truth thereof before the rector of the parish and a
reporter, an offer which was immediately accepted by
Mr. OSBORNE, and hence originated the meeting and
investigation to which we have alluded. Mr. OSBORNE
conducted his own case, while the farmers were re-
presented by a neighbouring attorney. The wit-
nesses that were examined were subjected to the
strictest cross-examination ; their employers were
present, prepared to impeach any exaggerated account,
if any such should be offered ; the witnesses who had
been examined were kept separate from those who
had not as yet given their testimony, in fact every
advantage was given to the employers, even to a
speech to evidence from their attorney. The
proceedings and the evidence have been fully
published, and we confess it appears to us
that the statements made have been fully substan-
tiated. We are told by one witness of a bullock
found dead in a ditch, and pulled out by horses. It
had been apparently dead for some hours, and yet it
was stabbed, and its flesh retailed. Another speaks ,
of mutton—part of a sheep found dead in the fold— I

salted, and sold to the people at 2d, per pound,

Another of a sheep -which bled a little when its throat
was cut. It was therefore a nice article, and fetched
4d. per pound ; others spoke of beasts killed just as
they were dying of the guar er evil, and sold at 3d.
and 31d., and of their being made ill by meat of that
description. This would appear a full corroboration
of Mr. OSBORNE, so far as the unwholesome meat was
concerned. That as to the wages was still more con-
clusive. One witness, 'WILLIAM BENNETT, had 7s.
a-week in harvest, and his wife, who received his
wages, never in any one year received much more
than 2/. in money for his work, unless when he had
been working for 'Mr. BLENNERHASSETT, who always
paid ready money. Another, War. BUGLER, received
9s. per week for twenty-four days in the summer, and
but 7s. per week for the rest of the year, and had not
drawn as much as 21. in money in any one year. It
is needless to go through the mass of evidence
brought forward, which clearly established that the
rate of wages was not understated, and that it was,
to say the least of it, expected that they would take
the greater portion of their wages in goods. AGRIPPA
GILL, when drawing money, was asked, by Mr.
BRAKE, why he did not take the wages out in goods,
that he might have them from him (Mr. BRAKE) as
well as from any one else, and called him "a ready-
money chap," which would not do for him (BRAKE). We
trust that all those interested in the welfare of the
peasantry will read, and attentively consider, the
whole of the evidence given, and say if it does not
establish the existence of a state of facts which should
not be sanctioned or tolerated in a Christian land, in a
civilised country. Something must be done to improve
the position of the laborious classes, to educate them so
that we may not in the nineteenth century hear of
such an absurd proceeding as master and man "going
TO HAT" on some trivial occasion, and of the belief
of the multitude that the person speaking falsely in
such a case would most assuredly lose his sight. We
trust that Mr. OSBORNE will persevere in his useful
labours. A cure for the evils which he has so forcibly
depicted can only be obtained by the force of public
opinion, and that can only be excited by full publicity
being given to all similar grievances. We also hope
that the unfortunate persons who have been called as
witnesses may not be hardly dealt with by their
masters for the answers they have conscientiously
given in an investigation challenged and delranded by
the farmers themselves.

Philosophy, as well as experience, from which it is
drawn, alike teach, that knowledge, both acquired and
prospective, must be considered as a whole. The
limited development of the faculties of the human
mind compels us, for our own convenience, and the
easier mastery over the materials of intelligence
which a spirit of investigation, pursued in every
quarter of the world, daily discloses to our view, to
classify and arrange the various subjects that must be
assiduously prosecuted for the advancement of
general civilisation. It is immaterial what
science we first light upon, we are sure
to find, as we pursue its laws, that it is intimately
blended with another of a kindred character, however
remotely connected, if not altogether distinct, both
the one and the other might have appeared before the
subtleties of intelligence had rendered their connexion
manifest. If we begin with the study of geology,
we are naturally led to the influence of its
varied characteristics upon the herbs and fruits
of the earth ; by the ditforences of the latter,
we are drawn on to a consideration of the
dissimilar climates that prevail in opposite hemi-
spheres ; and by this dissimilarity our minds are raised
to the contemplation of the marvellous science of astro-
nomy. Every species of knowledge, then, is but a part
of an entire whole, whereof the several properties
bear a close, though, for the time, an imperceptible
affinity. Thus, the more we know the more we
become sensible of how little we do know, and to the
truth of this a most beautiful homage was paid by
the great NEWTON himself. A spirit of selfishness
has turned a deaf ear to the sound dictates of philo-
sophy, and, in this way, avarice and ignorance com-
bined, have created and festered hateful monopolies
to the direct hindrance of the onward movement of
human progress. 'Happily, the schoolmaster is
abroad, and, in this enlightened age, we are con-
stantly witnessing that the foolish errors of our an-
cestors are ly,ing isely and promptly repaired.
Monopoly is now all but rased to the ground. A
great social revolution is at hand.

We have read with unfeizned satisfaction the pro-
ceedings, on Thursday last, of the North Staffordshire
Agricultural Society, at Leek. The exhibition
answered the just exp,ct:ltion of its promoters. The
dinner was atten&d not only by the principal agri-
culturists and professional gentlemen, but likewise by
the leading manufacturers of the district. The

Earl of TALBOT presided. The advice that was
tendered, ani the liberal sentiments embodied in
the different speeches, reflect the highest honour
upon the company, and evince the peculiar
energy inherent in our countrymen whenever
it is fairly evoked by a peculiar crisis. It is
apparent that the agriculturists consider themselves
fairly put upon their mettle by the recent change in
the corn-laws, and that they will, as they ought,
eagerly pursue every method that can, and will, no
doubt, be yet further devised, to enable them to keep
up a free and honourable competition with the culti-
vators of foreign soils. Mr. GYDE expatiated with
considerable intelligence upon the general advantages
of draining and stall•feeding. This gentleman's
lecture of last year upon the former topic has been
already, as vouched by the Noble Chairman,
productive of much good. The statistics he
offered are most interesting, and full of pro-
mise—to an extent, indeed, that must be quite
in,piriting to the hitherto despondent agricul-
turist. By the system of drainage he recommends
—which has been satisfactorily tested, and which is
to be regarded only as the commencement of a series
of agricultural improvements—there would result,
according to the least favourable calculation, an in-
crease of 10,000,000 quarters of the different kinds
of grain now produced on the arable cultivated lands
of Great Britain, and twice as much more by
similarly (Training the uncultivated lands I Mr.
GYDE exhorted his hearers to stir up their energies,
and to exhibit no want of spirit, being convinced
that abundant fertility would crown liberal enter-
prise. Mr. ADDERLEY, M.P., related an anecdote
which was warmly welcomed with all the propriety
of awakened conviction. " Not long ago," said Mr.
ADDERLEY, "I went with Mr. COBDEN over his ex-
tensive mill at Stockport. Mr. COBDEN showed me
all the machinery, and pointed out to me the many
improvements which had been effected in almost
every department ; then taking me into the suburbs,
he showed me a field overgrown with thistles, and
said, 'That's the state of your manufacture:—
(Cheers and laughter.) I have never since forgot the
hint."— (Renewed laughter.)

Nothing has tended more to retard improvements
connected with the soil than that miserable short-
sighted policy of landlords, in not giving leases to
their tenants of sufficient length to encourage them
to invest their capital on the land. This narrow-
minded spirit was, and, for the most part, is still
tenaciously clung to for the purpose of preserving
political power, and bolstering up their own sordid
interests. The evil has, however, recoiled upon the
ungenerous upholders of so obnoxious a system. The
staff of monopoly has been already wrenched out of
their hands, and they are now left to brace themselves
up to the dreaded task of competing with the growers
of foreign grains, under disadvantages to which they
would never have been subjected, had they acted upon
comprehensive and national, instead of petty and in-
dividual, vies. Lord TALBOT spoke out upon this
subject with the becoming frankness, true fearless-
ness, and generous impulse of a thorough English
nobleman:—
" I have always unreservedly given my opinion on
one important subject connected with agriculture—and
I have, not been thanked for it by many—l mean the
subject of leases.—(Elear, hear.) No man in his senses
would expend his capital on a farm without having some
security for that capital coming back to himself or his
representatives.—(Tremendous cheers.) And I here
publicly state, that if any tenant of mine will come to
me and ask me for a lease, I will grant him one.—(Loud
and long-continued cheering.) It is absurd—to use no
stronger term—to expect me to put my hand into my
pocket for money wherewith to speculate, without a fair
prospect of that money being returned."—(Cheers.)

The landlords of England must con over this lesson,
imitate this spirited example, take warning by the
past, shake off dull sloth, avail themselves of every

light of science, especially when confirmed by the
fruits of experience, and then they will soon become
sensible that they have only been frightened at