Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-06-27

a. Ridgley, Jr.
Gentlenen appointed on "Wednesday even.
ing:
LIST Ward, John Hamilton, I Johnston, jr
"a A, II. Chapline, Jno. Knote,
Sd John Graham. At. Laidiev.
ith FL Uombrook. Jacob An,;cL
9th b. +. kclly, Henry Echols,
Ritchietown J. L. Bier. ]. M. Wheat,
hesohted, That the above committee be re-
Iquested To meet at the Office of SHrRsApp
CLEMENS, Esq, OF Saturday afternoon next
at a o'clock, when ii is hoped there will be a
general attendance.
THOMAS HUGHES, Chairman.
Gro w. CLUTTER, Sec'y.
THE CORN LAW RHYMER. - St,,cb
! % Scene among tho africans of .She0TeId =
one OF the numbers OF those pleasant ssPcn
and Ink Sketches from the London corres'
pondent of the Boston Atlas, contains the
following sketch of the poet Reformer Elliott.
iamiliarly known as the Corn Law Rhymer."
and OF an exciting scene among the Sheffield
Artisans:
on our way back to his house, our CONVEX
sation turned on the poems of the "Corn Law
Rhymer," of which MIR. Montgomery spoke in
very high terms, but deprecated his violence
oil Language. "Would you like to see Elliott?'
"Much." said I.
Weil, he lives some three miles from here.
at Upperthorpe; but he is TO speak to NIGHT
at corn law meeting in Sheffield, and. If Won
IKE, alter tea, We'll go and hear him, and I'll
introduce you to him.
Al the time specified we set out-the place
where tue lecture was TO be delivered was sit
ua'eo III one oil the most densely inhabited por-
tons of the smoky town of Sheffield. A. we
heared the hall, groups of dark looking. nm
washed artisans were seen, proceedina The
same direction as oursclves--all of them enga-
Sed IN deep and earnest conversation on the
then one great subject, the corn laws. Strong
men, as they hurried by, clenched their hands
ana knitted their brows, and ground their
teeth, as they muttered impreca tons ON those
whom they considered their oppressors.
Here we would encounter crowd of d,lsky
forms clrcling around pale, anxious man.
VINO was reading by the light of gas lamp,
speech reported III the =" Northern Stars or
the last letter of Publica, i'm the Weekly
Despatch and women, with meagre children
In their arms-children drugged to a death
IKE sleep, by that curse of the manufacturing
distrlcts OF England-laudanum disguised as
uooireys cordial, were raising their shrill
'iire"isn voices, and exccrating the laws which
ground them TO the dust-and there wore
denmcations from mere boys, and trcasona-
pie speeches from young men-old men, with
malt paralyzed energies, moaned and groaned.
and SAID they bad never known such times
all seemed gasint and fierce, and ripe for re-
volt. 1t was an audience of working men
oil such as these, that Ebenczer Elliott was 10
address that evening.
The lecturing hall was cra,n,ned with tho
WORKING classes, and as the orator of the even
ing mounted the rostrllm, wild burst of an
plause rang rom every part of the house. lie
bowed shgetly, smiled stenly, and took scat
while hymn which he had composed for The
occasion was roared forth by hundreds of bra
zen lungs. '''
lie wasa man rather under than above what
Is termed the middle height. Like the class
rom which he sprang, and which he was about
10 ADDRESS, ne was dressed in working clothes
Clothes pla in even to coarseness. He had
high, broad, very intellectual forehead, with
rough ridges on the temples, from the sides
ana SUBMITS OF which thick stubby hair was
brushed up---streaks of grey mixed with the
coarse blackh air-his eyebrows were dark and
thick' and shaded two large, deep set glaring
eyes, which rolled every way, and seemed to
survey the whole of that vast assembly al
giance.- His nasal organ was as if il were
grated on his face; the mouth was thick lin
PED and the lines, from the angles of the nos
GIls TO the corners of the mouth, were deeplv
mdented-graven in. A very black beard,
iiateiy shayen,m made his chin and neck appearIs
II 1t was covered with dots, and he had a thick
massive throat. His figure was indicative of
great muscular strength, and his big horny fists
seemed more fitted to WELD sledge hammer
tiian 10 flourish pen. Looking at him the
most casual observer would be impressed with
'le ldea that no common man was before him.
re rose amidst great cheering, and for an
hour and half held that great audience i'm en-
tire subJechon by one of the most powerful
addresses ever listened to. With a terrible
dlstinctness Inc painted the situation of the
working man---he showed what he might have
been, and contrasted his possible and probable
SITUATION with what ii then was. On the
heaas Oh those who opposed free trade, the corn
law rhymer poured out all the walls of his
wrath-but, vigorous and forcible as was his
language there was no coarseness, and fire.
quenily, over the landscape which he had
painted with all she wild force OF Spaenoletti
OF Caravaggio, he flung a CLEAN OF Sunshine
w W. i rnaoe the moral wilderness he had Great
y. -, W rejoice and blossom as the rose. And
uicIe "eIs passages in his speech of such CT
treme pathos, that strong men woujd how
down and weep like little childrcn-to these
would succeed such sledge hammer denuncia.
'lons, that his hearers sat with impressed lips
and glaring eyes and rcsolute hearts. When
ne ne sat down, alter an appeal to the justice Of
INC iaw-maker, The whole audience burst forth
INTO one loud cheer, and those near the speak
or gnped his hand in fierce delight. ! never
saw such scene, nor could have conceived
u possible that one working man should so
carry WITH him the passions and feelings cian
auulencc' consisting entirely Of those Of his
own class.
Montgomery introduced me to Elliott. and
we all three walked To- the house of the former
together. How different from the man ON the
platform was The man in the parlorl No long
&C the ieryid orator, he was now the simpje
placid poet and never before or since heard
ron mortal lips soch powerful and vet plea
s@nt criticisms on our literary men. as I did
'hat night rom the lips Of Elliott.--Hc spoke
WitIi great enthusiasm of Soutbey, whom he
reyerenced, despite his politics, and whom he
called ms great master in the art of poetry
he bdd much reverence for Wordsworth.