The Sun.
London, England, 1819-09-15 00:00:00

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FOR THE SUN.

THE CONSTITUTION.

LETTER VIII.

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R. EDITOR—I respect as much as any man,
the constitutional right of the people to assemble,
altar they may petition, remonstrate, or make
Inoten their grievances, or even their apprehen-
sions; in any peaceable or regular way. But I
deity, that vast and overpowering multitudes can
e%'et* be assembled with peaceable intentions ; or
41 least with any certainty that they will continue
14'aceable. The very purpose of collecting them
111" st be, as we know it always has been, to over-
tO intimidate, and assume a power which
the Constitution does not sanction. It is ab-
turd even to pretend that such assemblies can
deliberate. They come together already deter-
kined,.without deliberation, to have, their will,
tf Possible, be it right or wrong. The conse-
luences of permitting such assemblies were seen
decisively in 1780; they have been apprehended,
Nrith good reason, on many other occasions.
If such multitudes meet, and separate without
kischief, from the knowledge that sufficient force
Itt prepared to resist them, should they be tumul-
tuous, I should not, therefore, give them credit for
Peaceable intent jolts; while their words and conduct
111 were full of violence and irritation. But, waving
this, is it no evil that the multitude of peaceable
citizens, who take no part in these commotions,
4bauld be put in doubt and fear for the safety of
their persons and property ? That these alarrn
Should be repeated, as often as any daring adven-
t4rer may think proper to excite them ? that
Public business should be interrupted, the Magis-
trates driven to every possible expedient for pre-
4rrviug the public peace, and the Government
°bilged to hold itself in a posture of defence as
against a foreign invader ?
It is not my intention, Sir, to enter into the
Particulars of any present transactions, but only
14 lay down such Constitutional principles as
tiny be applied, when requisite, to any public
"tots. Let me say, however, in a general way,
11,ust they who condemn the Magistrates and
btliers of Manchester, for the steps they thought
necessary on a late occasion, by no means judge
* they would desire to be judged. Is it instantly
tp be forgotten, because their conduct may be
ft.tought mistaken, that they consist of men of ho-
b Our, integrity, high station, and public charac-
ter; men whom none of their accusers would
:are, Probably, to vilify in such a manner to their
44Ctt Is it 'to be forgotten, that they, in the
centre of these proceedings; must be better able
tet judge of their aspect and tendency than they
*lto were remote from the spot ? Can it ever be
laid, with truth, of any well educated and well
litstinereol Englishman (I mean the term as ge-
'llsltal to the Empire) that he is a friend to
rillauseere and murder, an enemy to liberty, a ty-
ttrit in his heart, or one who wishes to injure or
glirPeess the People ? Let any one be singled out
.6.4 Personally actuated by such feelings, and, my
life for his, the noble and indignant spirit of a
l'itt3t) will arise within him to repel such infa-
Sus calumnies. But if these accusations cannot
(Ire!), be thrown out against any individual, where
tl.,he generous or honourable feeling of those
q Iv° urge them, without scruple, against
collec-
! bodies of such men Calumny, Sir, he as-
Zn.retl, is the poisoned weapon of all intemperate
P tin os: to tions-
Ipreturn to the more general question,
441),tnwhich haVe digressed unwillingly, I assert,
otoritlradaion
it s,vithout fear of any argumentativt:
that a law which should in future
,erit any such aggregations of the People, as
/ tend to put the public peace to hazard, would
ti'o_e°ll)pletely within the spirit of the Constitu-
, rnui; Limited it should be, and defined in such
thltrfluer, that it may not possibly he employed to
thel,:et or prevent the constitutional Meetings of
ed, °Pie to declare their feelings ; but so limit-
certain it would soon be regarded as one
(n. themter" sest bulwarks of that system which de-
s wi
so Well to be maintained.

SOAIERS.

f ALINCREETEE, SEPT. 12.-I am happy to in-
Yno
, that a material improvement in trade
e" taken place here, and the price of cottons has,
Ns4setioently, experienced a considerable advance.
ti,4ICS have been brisk for the three last weeks...-.
:here
ilas been a great demand for the German
rtfl, Continental markets.
GLAsoow, Sept. Wishawtown, where
441 e People out of employment have borne the res-
te of the times without meeting, arid without.
()3t any murmuring, the gentlemen in that neig.h-
-ticlnhood have handsomely come forward, with
it:" liberal and ingenuous regard for their suffer-
\g' which 'makes them esteemed, and provided
ii)rk for the whole idle hands. A new road, to
titl.lll the Edinburgh and London roads at Garrion-
".ge. crossing the estates of Lord BEI,
f4VRti, and General Sir JAMES STEWART, Bart.
Coltness, has been commenced, and will
tt4l'llr all the hands that arc idle for a
Clislderable
lime. Many donations have
gi!'en by the wealthier to needful objects in a
iiet.et
ROBERT LOCKHART, Esq. of Cam-
Ivi.snethan, has, in return for the village of
41,,ithaw's exertions in extinguishing the fire which
I),),‘,"art'd his mansion-house, given them twenty
L 1" of
oatmeal, and to the village of Stonehouse
4t• has seat 151:

POR THE SUN.

EMPLOYMENT OF THE POOL

Mr. EDITOR—I think it but an act of justice to
the Public at large, to the Governors, Guardians,
anti Overseers of the Poor, and to the individual
whose exertions I wish to see properly appreciated
and extended, to state, what is infinitely beyond
all Speculations or Theorems, a mutter of fact,
of which I have had ocular proof, namely, That
the Poor resident in the Workhouse of my Peril')
are actively and usefully employed in preparing
and manufacturing Flax from the straw into vari-
ous sorts of Cloth and Thread ; hereby producing
articles, which are brought from other Countries
annually, to a large amount. Mr. SALISBURY,
the Inventor and Promoter of this Plan for em-
ploying the Poor, has, for this purpose, taken
large Premises in Duke-street, Lincoln's-Inn-
Fields. He has, for about six weeks, been teach-
ing about forty or fifty of our Poor, some 80
years of age, and some children very young, to
go through the various processes of this useful
worle,—The Overseers are paid a small premium
towards the support of the labourers, and the
people themselves receive a portion of their earn-
ings to procure them little comforts, not to be
expected in a Workhouse. They seem much hap-
pier than in almost idleness, they are not pressed
to work beyond•their strength, and by being oe-
copied all day out of the Workhouse, they return
to it with some pleasure, and learn by degrees to
participate with others in the pleasant ideas which
Home excites. They find a better air, both in the
manufactory, which is lofty, and in their resting
place, by reason of the, ventilation which can be
resorted to, while they are out of a before crowd-
ed place. It is the wish of Mr. SALISBURY to make
this a sort of School of Instruction in his system,
a Dcpo! for the machines used, and a pattern for
the Public to view, in order to prove its simplicity
end usefulness. All the (ears which listless or
selfish individuals may entertain about injuring
Commerce, or overstocking the Marker, may be
put to flight in a moment, upon the tundemental
principle " Of being as independent as possible
on other Countries for supplies"—and while a
useless track- of 'laud can be found iu the
Country, upon which Flax would grow under
a cultiiation, performed by now idle hands, anti
a cloth produced by those who are now laid
aside as utiable• to support themselves either
from youth or old age, which will be, suit-
able for their clothing, we cannot surely be said
to do justice to ourselves, should we import such
articles, and teeny others equally obtainable in a
similar way at home, at an annual expence of a
million and a halt of money. The cultivation of
Flax is of much-more importance than the Public
are yet aware of. Not even the dust produced in
the manufacture of it into cloth is without its use
—it will fee) horses and pigs. The seed produced
front the flax growing on' an acre will pay near-
ly half the price of the crop, upon Mr. SALISBURY'S
plan—and ropes or cables made of the flax as he
prepares it ate equal, if not superior in strength,
to hempen ropes and cables. I trust, therefore,
that the Public will examine this. Manufactory,
and aid, by its countenance and support, the wor-
thy Inventor, to commence a rum establishment.
of the same kind, where he may have an opportu-
nity of employing the Poor of the neighbourhood
in raising the plant on soil hitherto turned to
little advantage, and also to rear materials for the
manufactory of toys, to render an importation un-
necessary—as also of matts and baikets, rof all
which we have abundance continually coming
over front foreign countries. The great point I
would wish to impress upon the Public is this,
That the greatest injury is often done to even a
well organized plan, by ignorant persous, with
only a smattering of knowledge, becoming pre-
tenders to teach it. Mr. SALISBURY endeavours,
therefore, to make his a School of Instruction, and
if none were permitted to set up for teachers with-
out a certificate of ability from him, always:open
to his inspection, I have no hesitation in sayiug,
the plan will, under God, become a great blessing
to all classes of the communiiy, and the Poor
now living upon the rates, become able in a great
measure to pay, by moderate labour, for their
support, and thus the Workhouse, in most cases,
become only lodgings for those who cannot pay
rent. Besides all this, the young would be-insur-
ed time for education, and alt would be under
proper controul.
1 am, Sir, your obedient Servant, -,.-
VVILLIAM GURNEY,
Rfctor of St. Cleme of Danes.