The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-17 00:00:00

THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
"England expects every man to do his duty !"

have been anxiously looking out, during
the past -week, hoping to find the announcement of a
" great metropolitan meeting" to consider the awful
state of the country, and to declare its opinion on the
duty of the Government at the present crisis.
Staffordshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Nottingham,
Derby, &c.,
,are 'at this moment in a state of awful
excitement ; life and property are endangered, not
by the exciting harangues of " destructives " or
" levellers," but by the: simultaneous bursting forth
of the people's discontent, prompted by hunger and
misery, long borne in silence. Troops are being
dispatched every hour to keep down the people, who,
goaded by oppression, are rendered desperate.
To me it appears criminal to remain in silence. If
I were at present in my own locality, five hours
should not pass ere such a meeting should take place.
A large metropolitan meeting, at this moment
would produce an effect not easily to be described.
It is the interest 'of us all to maintain peace and the
security of property; this can only be effected by
the concession of the people's rights, and -it is the
duty of every man to declare that he sympathises
with the suffering.and oppressed people, and will not
sanction, even by silence, the tyranny of Peel and his
Tory Parliament.
In thus calling attention to the subject, I have
fulfilled one part of my duty. R. K. .1;IIILP.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Six,—Readers of Newspapers, residing far away
from the scene of the present agitation of the- cotton
manufacturers, will be somewhat puzzled to ascertain
the real motives of;the operatives in turning out for
wages, because violent party politics so warp the
judgments of Editors, that their opinions are com-
pletely delusive. The Tories and Monopolists can
see nothing in it but the work of the Anti-Corn-
law League,—the Chartists, or at least their leaders
4, •• - 11-doihy them iii misrepre•
that the free-traders are done over, and just expiring;
and in the very next paragraph, they say " Behold
the abominable work of the League, and the extent
of their operations! Half a million of people out of
employment, and all that a few bloated capitalists mar
get rich out of the blood and bones of the labourers.'
If the manufacturers are the real authors of the turn-
out for wages, it seems a strange way of getting more
riches, viz., the giving their workmen higher remu-
neration, and consequently reducing their profits.
But, then, say some " wise-acres," "They want to
show the Government their power." Well, it is
strange that manufacturers, who are always repre-
sented by such trashy papers as the most money
loving persons in the world, should willingly, and by
design, endanger their lives and the destruction
of their property for the sake of a demonstra-
tion of power. The truth is in none of these
assertions. The strike or turn-out commenced
with the operatives alone at Staleybridge, for the
purpose of resisting a proposed reduction in their
wages. These hands went to Ashton-under-Lyne,
and induced all trades there to leave their employ-
ment, under an idea of having a general higher rate
of remuneration : these, combined, went to Oldham,
Hyde, Manchester, and in fact the contagion, or dis-
position of ceasing to labour, soon spread in all
directions in Lancashire, Cheshire, part of Derby-
shire, and has been carried from thence into York-
shire. The motto was at first, a " fair day's wage
for a fair day's labour ;" but the Chartist orators
being the chief speakers at the various meetings held
by the operatives, have endeavoured to mix up the.
Charter with the " Strike ;" or in other works, that
labour should cease " till the Charter becomes the
law of the land." Many of the labourers consider
this as unwise, and ask to keep it a " wage question"
alone. A general delegate meeting is held this day
in Manchester, the resolutions of which will be of
great importance to the operatives ; and it is feared
these may have a political aspect. The repeated re-
marks in Parliament against machinery and masters;
the revival and reiteration of " Luddite''- sentimentsby
the Press, and by Senators—the continuance of unjust,
anti-commereiai, and self-destroying laws, have pro-
duced that state of wretchedness and poverty, that
society may be considered as a magazine of combus-
tibles ready to be exploded by any insignificant cause.
And unwise must that Government be, that can slum-
ber and continue this state of things. Business is
entirely at a stmd. All is peaceable as vet, but
what can hundreds -of thousands do when the
shopkeepers cease to supply them ? It is really
appalling fo contemplate the consequences. The
much abuse.l middle class show great sym-
pathy with the turn-outs, wishing to see them
better paid for their labour ; but will that feel-
ing be continued should it take the Chartist aspect ?
I think not ; however, time will show it. To the
great credit of the operatives generally, they conduct
themselves with great .propriety, and show they are
worthy of the best considerations of the wise and
good. AN ENGLISHMAN.
Lees, near Oldham, Aug. 15, 1842:

VESSELS SPOKEN WITH.—The Europe (whaler), of
Bremen, clean, off the Cape de Verds ; Johann Frei&
rick, for Batavia, lat. 8 S., lon. 25 W., by the North,
arrived off Beachey Head. Buteshire, from London,
June 22, lat. 19 S., lon. 30 W., by the _Hudson, arrived
at Liverpool. Conradine,' Bremen to Tampico, June 5,
It.
28th22 ult.in; South America, Liverpool to New York,
ult., lat. 4 N., lon. 23 W. ; City of London, for the South
ao, log,. 8G
6 49, by the Pearl. Caroline, of Salem, 2d
Seas, sth ult,, •11, • lat lon 24, by the Grindley, arrived
at Liverpool,
WILL OF TIIE LATE LORD MANNERS.—The will of
the above nobleman, whose decease,! about six weeks
since, will be recollected, was proved on Monday last in
the Prerogative Court -of Canterbury. The executors
are Lord Charles Manners and the Rev. Thomas Man-
ners Sutton, Sub-Dean of Lincoln ; his Lordship's widow,
Lady Manners, being appointed co-executrix. The
amount of personal property is sworn to be under
250,0001., and the disposal of the effects is arranged in
the following manner :—The testator bequeathes to the
executors before-named the whole of his money secured
upon mortgage, and all money in the funds and on other
securities upon trust, with the consentof his son, the pre-
sent Lord, to be invested in the purchase of lands, and
directs the estates purchased to be settled on his son.
To his widow, Lady Manners, he bequeaths a legacy of
2,0001., and so much out of the trust fund as will make
up the amount of her marriage settlement. Her Lady-
ship is also to have the enjoyment, during life, of such
plate, books, linen, &c., as she niay;require. o each of
the executors the testator gives 500/. The residue of the
estate is bequeathed to his Lordship's son and heir, the
present peer. •
SINGULAR TOWNSIIIP.—In the township of Strick-
land Roger, in Westmoreland, there is neither a car-
penter's nor a blacksmith's shop ; no public•house nor
beer-shop ; no church, chapel, or dissenting meeting-
house ; and no tradesmen, with the solitary exception of
a knight of the thimble. All the rest of the inhabitants
are employed in agricultural pursuits.