The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-09 00:00:00

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LONDON:
TUESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 9, 1842.

The following brief, but important article, is copied
from the Manchester Chronicle, a Tory paper. It is
not liable, therefore, to the suspicion of having been
concocted by the Anti-Corn-law League, or any
Radical Association, to serve, as the Tories. say, a
factious and dishonest purpose
CONSTITUENCY OF AfAN'CIIESTE R.—Th num-
ber of voters in the borough of Manchester for the pre.
sent year, still but little, if any, exceed 9,000, whilst
the numbers on the list for 1841 exceeded 10,000. This
decrease is no doubt attributable to the distressing
CAM s, by which many have been rendered unable to pay.
thei r rates, The number of removals has also, no doubt
frola the same cause, greatly increased.
:We beseech our readers to run over in their minds
the many miseries to which that statement is an
index. In a healthy state of society, and in a col-n-
-um nity so. flourishing as Manchester erewhile was,
evietev year should witness a considerable increase in
co mtbrtably-lodged householders, and consequently in
vc.ters. The actual decrease does not, therefore, give
a. complete idea of the deterioration of the condition
oi the people, unless the probable increase, during a
prosperous condition, be taken into consideration. In-
, ludingi that, we may infer, that during the last year,
one-ninth, at least, of the respectable portion of the
inhabitants of Manchester have become degraded,
have been unable to pay their rates, and have lost
that franehiie which is the security for the political
right.; of every citizen. Many of them have been
e:empelled, instead of rising to more spacious houses
and better accommodation, to fall back into crowded
dwellings of this description.
"I have met," says Mr. lliddal Wood, as quoted in
the Report on the sanatory condition of the labouring
population," with upwards of forty persons sleeping in
the, same room, married and single, including of coin se
children, and several young adult persons of both sexes.
In Manchester I could enumerate a variety of instances
in which J found much promiscuous mixture of the sexes
i Z the sleeping rooms. I may mention one :—A man,
i‘ife, and child sleeping in one bed, in another bed
o k,roWn up females, and in the same room two young
nit to unmarried. I have met with instances of a maw,
I,i .ivife, and wife's sister sleeping in the same bed to
then I. hive known at least half a dozen cases in
aiichester in which that has been regularly practisei',
th t unmarried sister being an adult."
In a town where such practices are common, lead-
ing. -to what the Rev. Dr. GILLY denominates " un-
ut!;erablc horrors," we find that a large portion of the
reF9 actable population, and of course a still larger
pom,ion of the population below them, have been in
the, last year degraded and reduced to take up with
we') se accomodation.
taking no attempt to conjecture what may be the
feel ings and the sufferings of the larger and humbler
poor Lion of the population, can there he a doubt that
tic arty every One of the disfranchised voters, particu-
la fly at a time when a vote is highly prized, must
ha .re felt a keen pang at losing his franchise? The
its ability tc: pgy rates is, in truth, an indication of ex-
te nrive mental suffering, as well as much physical
pi illation. The individual has a sense of degradation ;
he is no longer equal to his fellows ; he has ceased
alx lost to be a free man ; he has no part in making
rh ,se' aws which bind him hand and foot, and if he
not any sense of the dignity of a voter, and the
:,gradation which has fallen on him, the Legislature
o 441 engage in no better work than to implant such
fi .elings, inspiring noble conduct, in his mind. But he
.is them ; he makes great exertions and submits to
great privations that he may be equal to others ; and
the dis,cranehisement will be a great suffering to one-
ninth of the respectable population of Manchester.
WhataiOessuelr a circumstance betoken as to phy-
iea diseira nfbrt ? Before the electors of Manchester,
ad) .) are me n of spirit, gave up their franchise, we are
slau .e that tliey submitted to many privations and
nli Itard,4ps. They kept away from the tavern
tzO 1 the publican, the distiller, the brewer, the news-
pi Per proprich ir, all of whom, to some extent, the
.blican ceased to employ, experienced a diminution
eif their income. They forbore to have new clothes,
ujd the tailors lost eustorn. To have new furniture,
while they could not pay rates or get clothes, was itn-
)ossible; anrl 'cabinet -makers were obliged to stand
die: Their'wiVes could not go to the drapers and the
crocors so ot t,n as formes,y
and slaopkeepers, as we
;no w has boen tho case, became distressed, insolvent,
rd disfrairchisea.' Not to trece the extensive ramifi-
e. 1:4 ()Irv& the fact we, have quoted, more minute! y,.we
avri t said enough to show that it tOounds in evidence
'cif ei :tensive mental and physical "sinTering. What is
-t!ets made palpable as
;to Manehestac is equally true
q-f to cast of the other la,rge towns, aura Stilt suelt 'an