The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-23 00:00:00

WALES

STRIKE OF THE MINERS IN CARDIFF.
The chartist and anti-corn law doctrines, which have been
productive of so much
confusion and loss of life, have ex-
tended their baneful influence to Glamorganshire. A letter
from Cardiff, dated Saturday night last, contains the follow-
ing information.
The working men seem to be impressed with the belief
that the time for the redress of all their fancied and real griev-
ances has arrived, and they have, following the suicidal
course of the operatives of the north, determined to better
their condition by reducing their wages to nil. They admit,
and the terms of one of their resolutions passed at their meet-
ing
on Thursday morning states, " That it is almost impos-
sible for the ironmasters to make any advance in wages at
the present low price of iron," and yet in the very teeth of
this declaration, they have resolved to do no work unless they
are paid the higher rate of wages of 1840.
It is to be feared that much disorder and loss of property
—probably, too, loss of life, will ensue. The speakers, it is
true, profess peaceable intentions, and say, that while they
are firm, they will be orderly; but experience proves, that
where large masses of workmen are collected together, and
suffer the privations of hunger, their love of peace soon eva-
porates, and they are ready to join iu any mischief which
might offer itself to their notice.
A gentleman• of this neighbourhood has published a letter
from which it would appear that designing men from other
parts of the country—probably from the north—are at the
bottom of the present movement. He says,—" It is well
known that concoctors of mischief, styling themselves dele-
gates, have been busy here ;" and the editor of the Merlin
says,—" The miserable emissaries of dissatisfaction, who
would involve the country in anarchy, in order to come in
for a share of the spoils in a scramble, have been doing their
demoniac works among our hill population." I subjoin the
proceedings of the adjourned meeting, which was held near
this place on Thursday afternoon, at which, you will see, it
was resolved to do no more work at the present rate of
wages.
The hour fixed was two o'clock, and the place a piece of
ground on the Aberdwr-road. At a little before tlae time
named, the workmen began to assemble, and by about half-
past two o'clock there were several thousand present, and a
workman was called upon to take the chair. He said
very little, but a man named Enoch Williams, another
named Timothy Thomae, a third named Jones, and others,
harangued the meeting, principally in Welsh. Bitter com-
plaints were made of the low rate of wages and high price
of bread. 'Williams described his earnings at £1 15s, 7d.
per month, and Thomas said his amounted to £2. Other sums
were also mentioned by different workmen as having been
earned by them. A miner named Evan Rees then proposed
" that no more work be done until the wages of 1840 can be
obtained ;" and a man, whose name was not given, having
seconded it, some discursive declamation took place, after
which another man proposed a resolution " that no more
work shall be done"--some said till the Charter could be
had, but the resolution in its simple form was put to the
meeting, and carried. Something was then said, and the
meeting formed into a procession, and went en masse to the
works of Messrs. Crawshay, at Cyfartha, when they had an
interview with Mr. Crawshay, to whom they represented the
purport of the resolution passed at the meeting. It is under-
stood that Mr. Crawshay gave them a direct negative with
respect to their required advance of wages, and represented
to them how impossible it was for the masters to increase
their scale of payments with the present reduced price of
iron. Mr. Crawshay told them he would not object to sign
the memorial to the Queen, praying her to re-assemble the
parliament, after Sir John Guest, the member for the bo-
rough, bad done so. The Procession then re-formed, and
wen; to the Market-square, when the result of Mr. Craw-
shay's observations was made known to them. It was then
agreed to re-assemble on Monday.

SCOTLAND,
(From the Scotch papers of Saturday.)

THE MID-LOTHIAN COLLIERS' STRIKE

On Tuesday afternoon, a meeting of about 400 colliers
took place near the West Houses, parish of Newbattle. Most
of them were committees from the pits in East and West
Lothian. The general feeling seemed to be, that they ought
to be allowed higher wages, and that, in order to accomplish
this, perfect unanimity was required. A collier named Whie-
lan, said he was commissioned by those working in the Mar-
quis of Lothian's' pit at Easter Bryans to say, that every one
was resolved to remain at his work at the present state of re-
muneration. This announcement, we understand, gave great
offence, and threats were used by the other party, that the
houses and engines at Easter Bryans, and other collieries,
on Lord Lothian's estate, which were equally resolved
against striking, should be destroyed. In consequence of
this threat, twelve men were sworn in as special constables,
and two of them were stationed at East Houses, two at West
Houses, two at Gowkshill, two at Newton Grange, and two
at the Bryan's coal-hill, while the remaining two, with the
police constable, patrolled the road between these villages
and coillieries. No disturbance took place at anyof these
viliages ; hut the watch is to be continued so long as the
present unsettled state of things lasts. The colliers at these
pits go regular to work.
A general meeting of the East and Mid-Lothian colliers
was held in a field near Stoneyhill coal works on Wednesday
afternoon, which passed off quietly-SQO colliers voted-323
for a strike, and 217 for working. In consequence of this
vote, we understand, the Edmonstone coal works are stopt
A meeting took place at Edgehcad on Wednesday. There'
were about 100 present, many of whom were women and
boys ; and after some speeches, resolutions were passed in
favour of the charter. The meeting dispersed about 9 o'clock
at night without committing the least outrage.
On Thursday between 500 and 600 collected at Loanhead
when a workman of the name of Wilson from Stobhill was
called to the chair. The following resolutions were proposed
and carried unanimously;
.Ist. That the workmen should
hold out for 4s.
.a day, working eight hours ; 2nd. That they
should be paid weekly on the Saturday ; 3rd.
That the coals
should be weighed at the bottom of the pit, in presence of
the workmen. The chairman advised the meeting to be
quiet, as all acts of violence must in the end affect their own
interests. The meeting dispersed about 5 o'clock.
On Friday a large meeting was held in Musselburgh Links,
consisting of about 800 colliers and 200 idlers drawn there'
from curiosity. The resolutions passed at Loanhead were

again put and earried, with the addition of the following,
namely, that the.workrnen should not return to their employ-
ment, until the whole of the masters agreed to the terms
proposed. A workman of the name of Meikle, from White-
hill, attempted to propose an amendment, hut could not ob-
tain a hearing. He then told his party to withdraw to
another part of the Links, where it was understood, he ad-
vised the workmen to return to.their employment, and trust
to the generosity of their masters : at the same time, point-
ing out the impossibility of their getting higher wages, when
the large stock of coal at present on hand was considered.
At the other meeting, a workman named Smith, from
Holytown, stated, as a rumour, that the workmen of one of
the collieries, in the west country, had all returned to their
work, although the masters were considered the most
tyrannical in the district: The meeting then dispersed. It
was then generally expected, that the workmen in Mid-
Lothian would return to their employment immediately.

COLLIERS' AND IRONSTONE MINERS' STRIKE.

We have little new to communicate from the mining dis-
tricts to the East of Glasgow. We may mention, however,
that, on Tuesday, a man knocked down a baker at Rawyards,
about two miles from Airdrie, with the intention of stealing
some bread, but he was apprehended, and has since been
sentenced to sixty days' imprisonment. We may mention,
likewise, that a meeting of colliers and miners was held near
Coatbridge upon Tuesday, when it was resolved to continue
the strike. A person, however, from Clackmannanshire, ad-
dressed the assemblage at great length in favour of the
charter, and it was resolved to hold a subsequent meeting to
consider the propriety of striking for the charter, instead of
for a rise of wages. The military are represented as behaving
very ill in Airdrie—about a dozen of them being in custody
for having been drunk, and some of them, it is said, will be
tried by a court-martial. In Camusie, during Monday and
Tuesday, the whole coal, lime, and alum works in that
neighbourhood were stopped, in consequence of the hands
employed in them having been forced to suspend their labour
by a body of men, who proceeded from Kirkintilloch in order
to effect that purpose. We understaud that the men em-
ployed by the Hurlet and Campsie Alum Co., under their
contractor, have likewise had to submit to the demand of
the colliers, to strike, although we believe their wages have
never been reduced, they being perfectly willing to remain
in their employment. As a company of the military have
been called out for the protection of the men, it is expected
that the work will be resumed in a few days.