The Sun.
London, England, 1833-01-05 00:00:00

want of evidence that threats have been tit-1
tered, notices served, or ejectments or
other legal processes executed. The re-
ceiver of a bribe, again, is a particeps criminis
and will not 'peach for shame ; whereas the
victim of fear or vengeance has no such motive
for concealment—publicity would injure the
other party, not him. We are satisfied, there-
fore, that the best adapted measure for the
putting down of " intimidation" every where
is the enactment of a statute rendering the
attempt to intimidate, by word or deed, by any
landlord, his steward, or election agent, or any
person authorized to act on his behalf, penal as
against the party convicted of such conduct,—
Ist, by heavy fine ; 2d, by -vitiating his election.
If a tenant be turned out within a twelvemonth
after the election, unless strong and reasonable
ground for such ejectment can be shown from
causes wholly independent of the election, such
as non-payment of rent, injury to his farm,&c.,
the tenant so dealt with ought to be entitled
to commensurate damages against his landlord,
and the election ought to be declared invalid
as against him on whose side such iniquitous
acts had been perpetrated. We have fixed a
persuasion that an act of Parliament for such an
object m;ght be so framed and administered as
to set the most dexterous forms of evasion at
defiance ; and if an oath were imposed upon
each Member of the House of Commons, ne-
gativing, under the pains of perjury, that any
corruption or intimidation had been practised or
encouraged by any agent, in his name or for his
interest, at the late election, or in contempla-
tion of it, a powerful safeguard, long and vainly
called for, would be established against election
crimes. In our judgment such a law would be
worth a thousand ballots.—Times.
The voluminous evidence taken in the Com-
mittee of the House of Commons, on the Fac-
tories' Labour Regulation Bill, is of a nature
to make a man almost loathe his species. We could
hardly have believed that such systematic cruelty
is practised in this country. We now under-
stand why the labouring people of the manu-
facturing towns are jealous of the middle classes,
and hostile to the ballot, from a belief that they
can only protect themselves from oppression by
obtaining, indirectly, a share in the franchise,
through the intimidation of the small dealers.
There are in the Island of Britain a greater
number of individuals, perhaps, compared with
the whole population, who enjoy good food,
shelter, and raiment, than in any other country.
But we suspect it will be found, that there is in
no country in Europe, perhaps anywhere, so
large a proportion of the population existing in
a state of suffering. The life of the West Indian
negro is happiness itself compared with that of
the poor inmate of our spinning-mills, who
never ki,ew the joys of infancy and youth, and
to whom life is one unvaried disease. The perusal
of the evidence makes one almost wish that ma-
chinery never had been known, and that such places
as Leeds, Manchester, and Dundee had never exist-
ed . In the last Session,vdtenMr.Sadler first agitated
the subject of infant labour in factories, there were,
we remember, two Scotch Members (Mr. R.
Forguson, and Mr. Morison), who contended
strenuously that Scotland should be excepted,
as none of the abuses in English factories were
known in Scotland. It appears that the most
barbarous of the Yorkshiremen are outdone in

lbarbarity by the Scotch. But we hardly ever
knew a testimony given in the House of Corn
mons, in similar cases, which did not turn out
to be like Old Bailey evidence. Alexander
Dean, an overlooker at Dundee, age going on
to 27, who had been about 14 years in the flax
business, gives a history of the systems of the
various mills in which he had been employed.
In the first mill, Duntruin mill, four miles from
Dundee, they worked not less than 17 hours a
day, exclusive of meals. The master's name
was Braid. Four or five orphans, all that were
left alive of about 16, supplied by some poor in-
stitution in Edinburgh, were there employed :
" Usually, for how long a time did they stop ?—I could
not say for how lone a time ; there were always some of
them deserting, and being brought back.
" Speaking of those long hours, how were the children
kept in the establishment, they having to I..bour to such
an extent as you have described ?—They were kept in a
constantly standing posture ; no leave was allowed for
sitting.

" Were they confined to that sort of work ?—Yes, the
doors were all locked, both with check and turnkey.
" They were locked up while at their labour ?—Yes.
" Did they sleep upon the premises ?—Yes, it was
upon the very same premises that they slept ; the houses
were all connected.
" Were those o. ho were immediately under the control of
the manager guarded all night ?—Yes ; there were iron.
stanched windows, and the master himself, or his son, at-
tended to locking them up at night, whenever they got
their suppers; so that they had no chance of escaping till
the morning, when he released them for their next day's
employment.
" How were they taken care of on the Sunday. then ?
—lt was always one of the sons that staid at home and
guarded them on Sunday; he would not suffer them to go
to Church.

" Were the children and young persons kept down to
that work by chastisement ?—Yes.
4, Were they severely cha,,tised?—Frequently they were;
for the least fault they were struck and abused.
4
" You were speaking about children being prevented
from deserting by tieing locked up ; was it often that chil-
dren made an attempt to escape ?—Yes, if they got the
least opportunity.

• M M It *
Where were the hands that did not sleep in the mill
sent at night?—The houses which the hands slept in were
about 50 yards from the mill.
" What were they called ?—Bwhies.
" In any of those Bothies were the boys and girls mixed
up indiscriminately at night ?—Yes ; I myself, with six
hop, wa• in one apartment, with oldish girls.
What were the ages of those boys so locked up?—
From 14 to 16.
" And what were the ages of the females?—From 12
to /4.
" And you state that they were turned indiscriminately
into the same Bothy ?—Yes.
" And locked up there all night ? Yes."
He next got into employment at Birdevy
Mill, about four miles from Dundee, where he
was card-winder, and where he was more hu-
manely treated. The hours were about four-
teen, excluding meals. The next mill he went
to was Trollick Mill, three miles from Dundee,
where the hours of working were also fburteen,
excluding meals; amounting altogether to about
fifteen hours' confinement. The next place
was Maryfield-mill, about four miles and a half
from Dundee, where he was a spinner ; his
treatment there was harsh—sometimes the hours
were sixteen
What effect upon the children—the female chil-
dren more especially has this long standing to their
labour?—lt has a great effect. 1 have observed it at the
mill; the feet of the girls have swelled so, that they have
been ready to take off their shoes.
" Does it occasion positive deformity sometimes ?—Yes,
very often; the girls become knock knee'd and how-legg'd.
" To a considerable extent ?—Yes, to a great extent. I
know one girl so bow-Itged that you could put a chair
between her legs.
" Has it at all affected you ?—Yes; I am very much
knock knee'd.
" Have you seen one of the witnesses in waiting of the
name or Opeushaw, a hoy ?—Yes.
"Is there anybody that you have witnessed in your
neighbourhood that is as strikingly deformed as he
A great deal more so; one man that is working now at a