The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-27 00:00:00

AN ARMY OF DESOLATION.

It gives us great pleasure to find that the manufac-
turers of this populous section of the kingdom are fast
opening their eyes to the power—the tremendous power
—which they possess, and which they can wield at
pleasure, in their conflict with their despisers and con-
temners for justice.

The visitation of the houses of the poor of this bo-
rough has brought many important facts to light. In
the 2,965 houses visited, containing 3,162 families and
15,823 individuals, 1,150 families belong to rural pa-
rishes ; and if we estimate the houses not visited to con-
tain a proportionate number, deducting about a thou-
sand families, who (from occupancy of property of
sufficient rental) have obtained settlements, we find that
of the ten thousand families in this borough, above
three thousand have claims for maintenance upon the
estates of those whose commercial restrictions and
plundering exactions have our once-happy homes
with destitution ! The announcement of the above
startling fact, at the meeting at the Corn Exchange,
Manchester, on Thursday last, created an extraordinary
sensation ; and every deputy present seemed to say to
himself, " This is a point which we have all overlooked
except the people at Stockport ;" and the proposition
to send an army of desolation to cat up the rent of the
landowners was received. with tremendous cheering.
Taking into consideration the whole of the unem-
ployed and partially employed work-people of this
borough, it cannot be less than about equal to the whole
labour of above four thousand families, or one thousand
families too many for the quantity of employment, even
though the whole of the three thousand families, which
belong to the landowners, were sent back to their kind
benefactors.

The rural districts want no labourers, for they, much
AS we have relieved them in this respect, are still over-
stocked. They have no remunerative employment to
give to those whom the bread-taxers may compel our
manufacturers to send back to them. Therefore, all
that we send them must be kept out of their poor-rates ;
and we find, on inquiry, that every family of five persons
will consume the rent of about twenty-five acres of land!
The three thousand families of this borough would cat
up the rental of 75,000 acres ; and the 50,000 families,
which might be sent from Lancashire alone, would ab-
sorb the whole rental of tracts of land equal in extent to
several small counties !

If what we have heard be tree, and we have no rea-
son to doubt the correctness of our information, some
manufacturers have already begun to seriously entertain
the idea of clearing their estates (their manufactories),
and we have heard of one, not trany miles off, who has
given notice to quit his service to every family belonging
to certain districts.

We again warn the landowner not to push things to
extremities, and above, all, let them beware of oua
" ARMY OF DESOLATION-"—Stockport Chronicle.

DISTRESSING Loss OF LIFE IN THE Hum-
BER.—On Friday morning last a distressing loss of life
occurred on the other side of the river, near New Hol-
land. The schooner Stourbridge was comhig up, having
a boat in tow, when the painter giving way by which it
was attached to the vessel, Vie Captain, Jeremiah Smith,
anxious to prevent, its being lust, threw himself over the
stern of the vessel into the boat, but unfortunately alight
ing with his back on the gunwale, he was stunned and
fell into the we ter; the boat drifting away at the same
time, his own crew were deprived of the power to assist
him, and after hanging by the broken painter attached
to the drifting boat, until seemingly exhausted, he sank
to rise no more. It is lamentable to add that Mrs. Smith
was on board the vessel, and consequently a spectator of
her husband's melancholy death. A light sloop from
Goole was going down the river, with the wind in her
favour, at the moment of the catastrophe, and although
passing within twenty or thirty yards, those 011 board
were deaf to the hail of the schooner and the cries of the
crew to save their Captain.—Hull Advertiser.
SMUGGLING OF SUGAR.—Attention has for
a long time been drawn to the fact of the importation into
Southampton, from Jersey, of large quantities of foreign
sugar as a manufactured article. It, is formed into large
cakes, as manufactured, for the purpose of fraudulently
introducing it into this country. It is often seized at
the Custom-house, because it is unmixed with any other
ingredient. The quantities of foreign sugar thus frau-
dulently imported are small compared with the quantity
of sugar consumed in the United Kingdom ; but the
practice has increased of late, and gives an unfair ad-
vantage over the regular trader. But this is not the only
practice connected with Jersey which excites attention.
The whole of the laws and customs of that island must

undergo revision. The inhabitants of Jersey import into
this country foreign wheat and chicory as the produce of
their own island, arid the laws which are enacted to
punish the parties who are guilty of making false decla-
rations in Jersey are defied, because the Jersey Legisla-
tive Assembly wilfully neglect to allow such laws to re-
ceive the Royal assent. The criminal courts of Jersey
also transport their convicted felons to Southampton to
be let loose upon Great Britain—and the Jersey
.laws of
debtor and creditor are so iniquitous that a creditor in
this country has no chance of recovering his due from a
Jersey debtor.
INIQUITOUS CHURCH-RATE.—Three permit's
of Stanley Church for the pur-
poserecently met in the vestry
of levying a Church-rate, in addition to the one now
attempting to be collected, for the Wakefield district,
thus making a double close'lief.7hrtthee irdoisricSlitiaalns ecru.
leY-cu.
Wrenthorp rate-payers. l
were the Churchwardens and the Parson ; and these
three officials had the audacity and cold-beartedness to
impose a rate on their starving neighbours, many of
whom are now existing !or days together on nothing
but common Swede turnips. We know instances of
some families who have, been fed and life sustained by
nothing but this beasts food. Shame upon the men who
thus attempt to wring. moneyfrom these poor wretches,
to support the overfed and overgrown State Church ;
and who threaten all who do not, on a certain day, by
them appointed, pay this iniquitous demand with the
terrors of the Church ecclesiastic. Is there none in this
large district to protect the poor from such a disgraceful
imposition.—Leeds