The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-30 00:00:00

tide in the Esse.r Herald, which thus goes on
to detail the alarming progress
The accounts received this morning from various
parts of the county, announce the consequences eoa-
templated by the late rapid reduction in the produce
of the soil, as regards the wages of agricultural la-
bourers, which threaten to fall in proportion; in some
parts they are already lowered to Bs. a week. The dif-
ference will be felt, and be thought by some greater
than it appears ; but there are parishes in this county
where the wages have never been generally and
permanently raised beyond nine shillings ; and if the
reduction in the price of flour within the last four
months is referred to, the shilling lost in the
wages will be found to be fully compensated in that
article. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the
measures of late adopted to instruct the labourer, and
to promote his independence, will enable him to ar-
rive at the fact, that the present reduction of wages
is the natural consequence alone of the crippled re-
sources of his employer, and that he may rest assured
that on the return of the means, a proportionate in-
crease will quickly follow. For the moment there
certainly is cause for the apprehension of the want of
employ, and that many will be thrown out of work
altogether. The present law, it is well known,
forbids relief out of the house under every plea
but that of affliction, however numerous the family,
in order to counteract a principle that was prac-
tised under the old law—that of paying from the
poor-rate a part of the wages ; instances have been
found, however—notwithstanding the liberality of the
master and the competency of the- labourer—in which
numbers in a family have rendered such wages less
than required to afford the common necessaries of life.
In some unions it has been the practice to take from
large families into the union-house one, and some-
times two children, in order to bring the cost of
maintenance within the earnings of the parents ; and
such a relaxation of the general rule has been sanc-
tioned, in some cases, by the Poor-law Commissioners.
We hear of an increase of paupers in one union in
particular, where the house was built for only 350,
and there are now more than 300, and an overflow is
looked for. The union-houses must be relieved of
the aged paupers, if room is required, and accommo-
dation can be found for them out of the house.
The reader will remember that the increase of
pauperism takes place in communities already
very seriously afflicted with that evil, and it can
scarcely become more intense without absorbing
the property of the soil, and rendering a country
residence in England no longer either safe or
pleasant. In spite of the New Poor-law and the
Corn-law, the landlords will scarcely save their
estates and the tenants their capital.
We have printed in italics one statement, which
we consider to be extremely important. Ac-
cording to the Essex Herald the resources of the
farmers are already crippled. It is their need,
not their will, for they are well disposed towards
their labourers, which compels them to lower
wages and turn off their hands. Similar state-
ments have been made of the farmers in Wilt-
shire, Cheshire, Surrey, Sussex, and several other
counties. The Corn-laws, however, are still in
existence, and have lately been altered on an im-
proved plan ; but they are so noxious to the
farmers themselves, that the very first decent
harvest in six years has crippled their resources.
This is a most important fact for solving all
doubt as to the effect of our legislation.
In favour of the Corn-laws it is alleged that
they enable the farmer to keep hands in employ-
ment and land in cultivation, but under their in-
fluence the farmers turn off their hands, and are
crippled in their resources. What has become
of the plunder obtained by the bread-tax ?It has
been in a great measure imaginary, and has been
dissipated as soon as got. The injury done by the
laws to the rest of the community is not the less
because the gain of the farmer has been nil: His
expenses, we believe, have exceeded his gains,
and all the advantages of bolstering up prices
have gone to the landlord in the shape of rent.
How rent is spent the foul disclosures lately
made of the manner in which our nobility pass
their time and employ their money, have in-
formed the public. The produce of the tax on
the people's bread enriches courtezans at home
and abroad. It is wasted in odious profligacy. It
goes to nourish vice, not sustain labour. In all
ages plunderers have been profligates, and there
seems no difference in this respect between those
who plunder by law and those who plunder by
the strong hand. None of the wealth extorted
by the bread-tax remains with the farmers, who
have no hoards: no resources, and who cannot,
like the Messrs. ASHWORTH and other manufac-
turers, keep a large number of labourers em-
ployed long after the period when they can hope
to profit by their labour. One bounteous harvest,
when the towns' people are unable to buy as
largely as usual, suffices to reduce the farmers
almost to as bad a condition as the labourers.
What delightful, what blessed consequences, of
that tax on bread, which stifles trade !
Pauperised Essex is, at the same time, not
without its poachers. We see by the journal we
have quoted, that three men were lately sen-
tenced to two months' imprisonment each for
doing that on the squire's game which the squire
does on the people's bread—that is, take it away
without leave of the owner. In other places,
too, the people imitate on game the conduct which
the game owner pursues towards the people's
food, and bloody encounters ensue. The New

castle Journal gives the following account of a
DESPERATE AFFRAY WITH POACHERS.-It appears
that a gang of poachers have been in the habit lately
of pursuing their nocturnal depredations on the pre-
serves adjoining Warkworth. On the night of
Wednesday week information was brought to Mor-
wick-hall, the residence of Mr. S. G. Barrett,
that a party of poachers were upon the
estate, and that gentleman immediately went out,
accompanied by his brother-in law, the Rev. 11. Bell,
Vicar of Longhoughton, for the purpose of warning
them off. Shortly after leaving the house, and being
a short distance from each other, Mr. Barrett heard
Mr. Bell call out as if for aid, and on proceeding to
the spot he found the Rev. Gentleman attacked by
the whole gang, five in number, who had knocked
him down, and were beating him unmercifully with
the butts of their guns and bludgeons. After defend-
ing himself, Mr. Barrett, who in turn was attacked,
succeeded in getting out his pistols, when the villains
fled. Mr. Bell was conveyed to Morwick-hall, with
one of his arms broken by a desperate blow from the
Taesbualtsto en
butt of a gun, which was also broken by the blow,
severely vbeeri enlgy beatenafterva aboutrdsfo the h
found on theead spobyt ;
thhee
cowardly villains when on the ground.
Happy, peaceful England ! Such a scene re-
flects equal honour on her people and her
Government. Here is its counterpart in another
place :

DESPERATE AFFRAY wrt II POACHERS —Frida
morning last, about two o'clock, a most desperate
conflict took place between the keepers and assistants
of Mr. Peter Ark wright (nine in number) and eleven
armed poachers. It appears that the keepers had
some suspicion, and proceeded with two large dogs
to Littlemoor Wood, about a mile from Matlock,
where they met with eleven poachers armed with
guns, which they instantly presented at the keepers,
who immediately let go the dogs and fell in with
them. Here Me battle raged most furiously for some
time ; three or four shots were fired by the poachers
(as they say only to kill the dogs), and, wonderful to
relate, missed all the men, one dog only being killed.
Not having time to re-load, they fell upon the keepers
with the butt ends of their guns, four of which were
broken entirely to pieces. The encounter now began
to be in favour of the keepers, every man on both
sides being more or less injured. 'The poachers at
length gave up the contest, with the loss of four pri-
soners, one of whom was much worried by the dogs,
as well as being otherwise injured. Three of the
poachers, John Travis, Edward Travis, and Samuel
Smith, were sent off to Derby county gaol, for trial
at the next assizes, and the fourth, named Robinson,
formerly a most respectable man, is on bail.—Derby
Reporter.

Secure from foreign foes, the people of Eng-
land; split into classes, make war on each other.
lier worst enemies rejoice, and believe that she
►s only secured from them to be certainly de-
stroyed by her own hands. Let us add to these
tmible affrays, bloody battles, and sudden in-
crease of pauperism, the prevalent practice of
incendiarism, and then we see that the squires,
by their legislation, and their administration of
time law, have made our once " merrie" and free
England, whose woods and fields echoed with
jovial sports, a disagreeable and dangerous place
to live in. No inconsiderable number of the
landowners themselves seem sensible of this, and
they put.the Channel betwixt them and danger.
They seek from the police of the Continent the
safety and protection of which they have deprived
people and property in England.

It cannot be denied that the Ministry is ex-
tremely lucky. A bounteous harvest, when
least expected, promoted as much as possible Sir
ROBERT PEEL'S schemes to give relief to our
The termination of the war
suffering people.