Star.
London, England, 1830-12-24 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE JOURNAL&

Turps.—The public sympathy seems, in moat instances, to be
readily excited in favour of working manufacturers who strike on the
ground or pretext of insufficient wages. We have received a printed
list of wages earned for some time past by the cotton-printers in one
great establishment at Manchester, on perusing which it appears to us
that niost people sill ask—" What is it that these men really want ?"
Surely, if it be an advance of wages, they must have taken a somewhat
sanguine view of the profits now derivable from the trade in MUM.
fsetured cottons.
It is stated in this document that the

s. d.
Machine-printers earn, on an average, per week .
Apprentices in the same line
Muck-printers (journeymen) . . • • • • 27
Ditto, ditto (apprentices) lb 8;1 Ditto, ditto (apprentices, unindentured' • • • • 12 7/
o (ht, • - -

Ditto, ditto (boys in first half-year of .)
their apprenticeship) 9 lot
The above statement is given on oath before a Justice of Peace at
Msne!tester, by Thomas Smith, bookkeeper to Messrs. Buttet wotth and
I:tuoks, of that town. Yet the body of "operatives" earning such
duly wages as those above-mentioned, have had the effrontery to turn
out tur more ! lit this we plainly see a spirit of tyranny which must
be overiwed. This is not the appeal of starving want, but of inso-
lent profligacy. The Jut accounts from Blanchester lead us to be-
lieve that every precaution has been taken to secure the maintenance
of public order.

Canowicur.—We rejoice to be able to record an example of &sin- I
tcrestedness and patriotism, well worthy, not merely of rake, but of
enteral imitation. Her Grace the Duchess of Newcastle has written a
letter to Lord Grey, stating that, under the pressure now so severely Mt
in every part of the country, she conceives It her duty to resign the Pen.
mon of 6001. a year. enjoyed by her for a long period, from the funds of
the country. This is an act which carries with it its own commendation,
and needs no comment beyond its own record. We trust that the
l'emion List will soon be submitted to the investigation and revision of
a Committee of the House of Commons ; for which there is a valuable
PA cedent in the case of the Duke of Marlborough, whose Pension was
reduced by the interference of Parliament, from 50001. to 38001 and
the existing List contains many that would admit of similar reduction.

Posr.--Nothing can be mere amusing and characteristic than the
mode in which the few salons partisans of reform, who happen to be
Acotchmen, attempt to reconcile the apathetic silence of their country-
men upon that subject during all former Administrations, with the
manifestations of earnestness and devotion in the cause, which. sin"
e accession to power of Karl Grey and his colleagues, the Pro-
`ono, Baillies, Town Councils, and inhabitants of Scotch
Burghs, have been putting forth with such commendable and
ei.interested emulation. Their former silence was not, wears told, the
giience of indifference, but of despair; their present, we must not say
Clamour, but ardent and numerous petitions, are the genuine expres-
%:ons of joyfulness and hope. An ill-natured COOlllllllll4l6lff My
that this explanation is very nearly equivalent to the eeeteades the
...ntiments of our northern fellow-subjects (or if net the seodeaete, at
'ant the outward and visible signs, from which the neetboate et ma
It, generally to be collected) on the subject of reform, dyad his ups
'he intrinsic merits of the_ question than upon the eiremllMMlN of Ms
that political party being in power. We are oavillei ea to
•instrue the apologists of the Scottish petition's. toe team, awl
mould be reluctant, even upon such high authority, to believe
9,at the majority of then petitioners, in claiming polidella
il teerso ..:(c a
actuated by the spirit of political senility.. But the boa
way suspicious look with it notwithstanding. Perhaps the fuse sepia-
aittion 1,, that our shrewd and calculating brethren of the broth—the
A:imperatively small portion of than we mean who snow be the she.

racier of petitioners—have a slight hankering after reform, are willing
enough to accept it if it will come easily, but by no means think it of
such value that they ought fur its sake to forego the advantages of being
on the strongatt aide in a political struggle. We are persuaded that
Scotland Is the only part of the empire to which the ministry can look
with any hope of support to the half and half measure of nit:um which
it professes to bare in view. No party either in England or irtlutid
will support it. That is quite certain.

lisaoLD.—The unusual and mournful spectacle of the hallowed and
festive season of Christmas being devoted to the tragic solemnities of
Special Commissions, where the ministers of the stern laws are engaged
in those duties which are likely to end in the sacrifice of human lives,
must fill every Christian heart with feelings of pain and sorrow. It
is, indeed, a melancholy necessity which sends our Judges forth to
wield the naked sword of Justice against crowds of their *Wend-
ing fellow-creatures, at a time so peculiarly consecrated to the
feelings of charity and peace as that winch reminds us of the
coming upon earth of the GOD of life to bear glad tidings
to those who sat In darkness and the shadow of death," and to found
that religion whose essence is a Divine compassion for the infirmities of
human nature, and whose holiest emanation is mercy ! Such a bitter
necessity we lament, and we do not lament it the leas because we are
convinced it would not have arisen if the advice given to the late minis-
ters of the crown, last session, to inquire into the distresses of the labour.
ing classes, and to afford them some prospect of relief in their misery,
had been attended to. Their first duty, however, was to put down
actual disturbances, and vindicate the insulted authority of the
Laws ; this, we hope, will be done with no more severity than, in the
slot of reflecting and dispassionate Statesmen, the occasion requires.
In punishing violence—in repressing crime—we trust, they will never
forge• exciting cause to popular commotion, in the misery of the
great mass of the labouring classes of this country, and the withdrawal
of all hope of peaceable and Constitutional redress, last Session, by
closing the doors of Parliament against their complaints and supplica-
tions. The country must be tranquilised before its condition can he
improved, but that can be more effectually done by a humane and ju.
dicious firmness than by an uvenging severity.
TI is painful to speak against men while on trial for their
lives—and it is for that lives only that they are tried ; for previously
to their impeachment they had by their conduct thrown away every pre-
tension to honour, humanity, and even common unto. But it is painful
to speak against men, whatever may be their demerits, whilst their life
or death hangs on the balance. Now, however, when it Is beyond a
doubt that their fate will be decided before this journal reaches Paris,
we have no hesitation is saying, that the general opinion in Eng-
land is, that an example ought to be made of them, or some of
.I,an ; or else • Minister of &ate cannot possibly commit any
crime in that capacity, which should subject him to the severest
award of the law. Nothing, certainly, in a civilised country, ever ex-
ceeded the criminality of these men. They violated the law, overthrew
the constitution by despotic ordinances, deluged the capital with blood
in support of their criminal measures, and, in the midst of carnage,
were projecting civil proceedinge,which should ultimately deprive of life
those who only opposed their abominable acts by civil means, by per-
sonal remonstrance and legal cupedients. This is the plain state of the
case with respect to Polignac particularly, and his colleagues In their
several degrees. Still, we confess, we fear and deprecate mobs,
whose rage is undiscriminating. If the Peers have not had
the integrity to pass a just sentence,—or rather, if from the fearful re-
collection of past events, they have been averse to shed blood for politi-
cal offences, of however atrocious a character, we had rather that the
wretched men were allowed to escape, as they can do no more harm,
than that they should be surrendered to the popular fury. But we
confess we cannot now forger, simply because they are at lut in that
situation in which their crimes have placed them, the indignation which
we and all civilized Europe felt when they were in the ruthless com-
mission of those crimes. We cannot forget how we invoked the
laws of GoD and man upon their heads when they abrogated the elec-
tions without suffering the members to mect,—when they rescinded the
charter of Gallic liberties,—when they shut up the press,—when they
directed a fresh Chamber of Deputies to be chosen, not according to
law, but according to rules of their own prescribine,—and lastly, when
they ordered the troops, or suffered them to be ordered by the most mi.
serable miscreant of a King that ever disgraced humanity, to charge
upon the people, who rose to resist these outrages, in masse.

THE KING'S COURT.

BRIGHTON, Dm NI

Lord and Lady CLINTON, Viscount FALKLAND, were
of the royal party at dinner yesterday.
This day the Princess AUGUSTA and the LAN DORA V IN E
rode out in a carriage with four ponies ; after their return,
the KING and Princess AUGUSTA rode out together : the
QUEEN, accompanied by Lord and Lady CLINTON, Lady
A. FITZCLARENCE, Colonel F. FITZCLARENCE, Prince
GEORGE Of CAMBRIDGE, &C. on horseback ; also the
Duke of SUSSEX and Madlle. D'Errs rode and walked out.
The KING sat again to Sir W. BLECHEY.
Sir AN DREW BARNARD arrived this evening at the Pa-
vilion; where the following persons of dis4.n. ' left
their names for their MAJESTIES:-

_ .
Mr. Cripps, Lieut.. Col. and Mnp ti: i• ts, :ae,
and Mrs. Wyndham, Capt. an:: 4-43 • e .101. r. and Mn. Nor-
ton, Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Hooke), -I. and lion. Mrs: St. John, 111 r.
and Mrs. Ingram, Sir W. Oglander, Lord Holland, Major
ter, Mr. Broadhead, Mr. and Mrs. Csllender, Capt. and Mn. B. Lash.
wood, and Major-Gen. Sir Charles Pratt.
This morning a detachment of the Royal Artillery, arrived here from
Woolwich, bringing with them 21 chamber.guns, to be used as a salute
battery. The head-quarters of the sth Dragoon Guards, with the band,
have arrived at the horse barracks. A detachment of the Grenadier
Guards have also arrived, and arc performing the Palace duty.