Star.
London, England, 1829-12-24 00:00:00

STATE OF THE COUNTRY.

At Huddersfield a meeting was held a few days ago,
at which it was proved that a population of 13,226 in-
dividuals were subsisting (if such a term be not a
misnomer) on an average of two-pence halfpenny a day.
—At Honley, 1821 people, and at Bumberwortb
and Shelly, 1740, make, by sixteen hours' labour, two-
pence and half a farthing a day; while the luckier
population of Dalton, 892, Almonday and Clayton, 2191,
and Skelmanthorp, 1244, are able to raise an additional
half farthing without extra labour, and luxuriate on the
immense sum of two-pence and a whole farthing punc-
tually paid every twenty-four hours. At Ripley, there are
594 epicures,who absolutely receive three-pence for a day's
work. Is not this state of things unparalleled? Does not
this distressed state of the manufacturing districts call
loudly for the interference of Government ? And the
state of the " Proud peasantry, old England's pride," is
not much better —We will just give Lord Teynham's
account of the state of the farmers in the Bower of England
—the men of Kent.—" He says he has made himself per-
sonally master of the subject. He had traversed whole
parishes and districts, and entered the cottages of
the labourer and artisan in every direction, in order
personally to make himself master of the subject. He
was truly sorry to say, that so deplorable was the
stare of distress in which that class was plunged,
that no language could adequately describe his feelings
at beholding it. Their spirit was now humbled to the
dust, by measures which gave them cause to hate their
landlords, and all above them in rank. The labouring
classes in this country were now reduced to so dreadful a
state of misery, that he was convinced it was oly owing
to the want of means of combination that we were spared
the horrors of a servile war." This desperate posture of af-
fairs is proclaimed by Lord Teynham ; and although our
situation, and the circumstance of our not being imme-
diately concerned with manufacture, guards us against
the full experience of calamity and distress as depicted
above, yet do we observe enough of suffering and ruin to
see the imperative necessity of those who have the su-
perintendence of state affairs taking some active measures
of relief.—Newark Times.

-
A poor blind man, named James Ward, having a wife
and six children, is now undergoing a sentence of 20 days'
confinement in Bath prison for a paltry debt of two
shillings and threepence
.EXTRAORDINARY SCENE--THE LEADER EXCDE-
QUIRED.—" A retort " anything than " courteous,"
was made in the Court of Exchequer on Saturday
last. A Mr. Oldie was called as a witness in an
action trying before Sir William Smith ; and the
moment his name was announced, Mr. O'Connell,
in his own peculiar manner, desired the Crier to
call R. Radford Roe, Esquire. The latter person
age, it will be recollected, is under a rule of transpor-
tation for subornation of perjury. When Mr. Oldis
ascended the table be turned towards the Crier, to whom
he deliberately gave the following directions :--" Crier,
call the greatest coward, scoundrel, and rascal in Court
with a big 0 to his name." The effect was prodigious.
The Learned Judge smiled, but said not one word.
Monday morning last, a young damsel of Hastings,
named Strickland, who has long resided with her uncle,
her guardian, left his house, on pretence of visiting a
friend at Tenterden. Her uncle banded her into the
chaise, with many good wishes for her welfare; and Miss
proceeded, not to Tenterden, but to St. Clement's church,
where she was speedily united to Mr. Nelson Williams;
and that too, in such haste, that the attendance of the
parish clerk; who was absent, was dispensed with. They'
afterwards left the town in the same hurried manner.—
Brighton Herald.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH, (THIS DAY).