Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-12-11
tFrom our Regular Correspondent
Our EprOpean Letter.

Is stated that in the Blackburn district
thousands of factory workers complain of
want of work, and in numberless instances
Of absolute starvation. Mills are running
very irregularly, in consequence of the
absence of rules. Five mills are stopped
through bankruptcy, and other concerns
run from to 0 O'Clock at night. At
the distress is said to be worse
than at any time during the present cen
Jury. To procure food and fuel the peo-
pie have parted with their furniture and
aud many are absolutely on the
verge of starvation. Last week meeting
was called by the mayor, to raise funds in
order to establish soup kitchens and other
measures of relief. Accounts of the dis
tress prevailing among the working classes
of Sheffield become worse every day. In
the Brightside and Attercliffe districts,
where the iron workers chiefly reside, four
thousand tenements are unoccupied; hun
dreds of artisans have only had one days
work for six months; and several cases of
death from sheer restitution are said to
have occurred. The mayor. after personal
inspection of various districts, has declared
il necessary to commence Immediately
relief works on large scale. Messrs.
Bolckow, Vaughn, Vaughn & Co. of Mid
dlesbrough have given notice of u reduc-
ton of five per cent in wages. Notice
has also been issued at all the blast fur
naces in the district, stating that on and
after the 18th of December all wages will!
be reduced five per cent. Three thousand
miners have received notice in the Hauley
and Stoke-upon-Trent colliery districts of Il
reduction in their wages to the extent of
five per cent. Great distress is said TO
prevail. The wages dispute in the earth
enware trade in Statfordshire has been
settled, and over three hundred manufac-
tories, employing several thousand hands.
have been reopened, the dispute having
been referred to the potteries' board OF
arbitration. Two hundred additional men
were dismissed from the Clyde shipbuld-
ing yards on Saturday. The Caledonian
Railway Company have notified reduce
ton in wages of their servants all over
their system and the joiners, cotton man
ufacturers and calico printers in and
around Glasgow are putting their workers
on short time. Great distress exists in
Glasgow, and the unemployed, who num-
Der several thousands, are being hel ped
from the city funds.
On Saturday night two men called at
the Lord Provost $ residence, and being
refused money or work, used threatening
language towards his lordship. The police
were sent for, and the two men left the
house stating they would smash every
window in it. Much bitterness, it is
stated, prevails among the unemployed,
who complain that nothing is being done
for them, while so much money is being
raised for the City of Glasgow Bank
shareholders.
Royal personages are just now subject
TO an epidemic which takes the form of
assassination. The king of Italy was on
Sunday attacked by an assassin with Il
poniard, being the fourth crime of the
kind which has been committed within the
last six months: The accounts given of
the affair differ in some minor particulars
One version is that as the royal carriage,
in which were the king and queen and
prince of Naples, accompanied by Signor
Carroll, was entering the city, II man
who was among the trade associations
which were drawn up with their banners,
and who also carried flag suddenly low
cred it and made Il thrust at the king,
wounding him slightly in the arm with Il
dagger, with which he had armed the
head of the staff. The king instantly drew
his sword and struck his assassin on the
head, and Signor Carroll sprang to the
ground and caught hold of the man, re-
ceivng ut the same time wound in the
Thigh. The captain Of the royal cuirassiers
secured the assassin, and, dragging him on
TO his horse, rode with him out of the
crowd The king afterwards appeared on
the balcony of the royal palace, and, III
answer to the enthusiastic cries OF the PEG
pie, rode, wounded us he was, through
the principal streets OF the city.
News have been received thaat IL court
dinner at Copenhagen, the king OF Den
mark has formally announced the APP
preaching marriage of the duke of Cum
berland with the Princess Thyra. The
duke is the disnherted heir to kingdom
that has disappeared, and his property is
held in sequestration by the Prusslan gov.
eminent. One Danish princess has mar
ried the heir apparent to the British em-
pire, while the other is the wife of the
prince who occupies the same position on
the steps of the Russian throne. These
two " brilliant matches ~ in single faml-
ly are now followed by one that presents
no such stately associations.
The Prussian parliament WAS opened on
Tuesday by Count Stolberg, vice president
of the Prussian cabinet, and deputy of the
of the German empire, who read
the following speech from the throne:-
Dreadful events have happened since
the close of last session. His Majesty S
life, twice threatened by criminal attacks,
has been graciously preserved and almost
miraculously strengthened by providence
But the days of trial have become days of
patriotic uprising. The people have again
manifested their love and devotion to their
king. The patriotism evinced, and the
deep impression produced by those terrible
incidents, encourage hopes that, thanks 20
the cooperation of all conservative ele-
ments, we shall gradually succeed in over
coming alterations, to restrain which
certain Imperial and Royal llighness the
Crown Prince upon his temporary assump
ton of the reins of government, conf
dence which has greatly contributed to
enable his Imperial and Royal IIighness to
carry out his difficult task in accordance
with his Majesty's intentions"
A duel with pistols was fought on
Thursday morning, at Plessis Piquet, near
Paris, between NJ. Gambetta and NJ. de
Fourton, in consequence of the expression
" That is a lle," applied by NJ. Gambetta
to statement made by NJ. de Fourton
when defending his election for Riberac
last Monday, in the chamber of deputies.
M. de Fourton, having the choice of weap-
ons, decided for the pistol. The distance
was fixed at thirty paces and at the pre-
concerted signal each party fired one shot
Neither of the antagonists was hurt The
official account of the affair signed by the
principals and their seconds, states that
M. de Fourton. considering that NJ. Gam
BETA only withdrew in Difference to the
rules of the assembly, an expression that
M. de Fourton regarded as personally of
fensive, requested Bin de Bourbon and
Robert Mitchell to demand in his behalf
satisfaction from NJ. Gambetta The latter
Immediately chose rs seconds NM. Allain,
Fargo and Clemanceau. The seconds of
Nj. de Fourton refused to be satisfied with
the declaration of NJ. Gambetta, us pub
lished in the official report of the debate,
that it was made as salts.
faction to the president of the chamoer,
and not to NJ de FDurton On the hor