PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, AT, NO. 11, BOLT-COURT,

FLEET STREET.

1831.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

VOLUME 71.

Vol. 71.-No. 1.]

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY 1st, 1831.

[Price 1s.

fires), in case the person making such discovery shall be liable to be prosecuted for the same.

And the Lords Commissioners of our Treasury are hereby required to make payment accordingly of the said rewards.

Given at our Court at St. James's, this twenty-third day of November, one thousand eight hundred and thirty, in the first year of our reign. God save the King.

Here, in the case of the setting fire, iş a freehold estate worth twenty-five pounds a

year; or, an appuity for life of about fortyHANGING OF ENGLISH LABOURERS. five pounds.a-year, though the informer bo I SHALL, under this head, pat upon re- be from forty to fifty years of age, here is

only twenty-one years of age; and, if he cord the hangings that are now going on the worth of an annuity of a hundred pounds I shall not, except in the way of explanation, make any remark, or state any fact, Chelmsford, in Essex.

a year for life. The hanging began at from myself, and shall not venture on the

ESSEX insertion of any private, or written com

AT CHELMSFORD, FRIDAY, CHRISTMAS Evı. mooication; but shall put on record JAMES Ewen, a young man, having a wife and two merely what I find in the public papers.

small children.

On Friday James Ewen, convieted of arson, and Those The trials are taking place by SPECIAL Bateman, for highway robbery, accompanied with cira COMMISSIONS; and a Proclamation cumstances of savage barbarity, underwent the extremo was issued before the trials begao, offer- will

be recollected, had been found guilty of setting dre

penalty of the law in front of Springfield Gaol. Ewen, it ing a reward of a hundred pounds to any one to the barn and stack of Mr. Sach, farmer, at Rayleigh. who should cause any one to be convicted The circumstantial evidence to connect him with the fact

was very slight, but the principal witness, a man named of some of the acts of violence; and FIVE Richardson, who had been imprisoned as an accessary to HUNDRED POUNDS in the case of the crime, swore that the prisoner had, unsolicited, told SETTING FIRE. But the best way is bim'at the same time to join him in kring another stack

kim, after the fire, that he was the perpetrator, and urged to insert the Proclamation itself.

belonging to Mr. Blewett, the next evening. Richardson WIWIJAN R.-Whereas great multitudes of lawless and stances subsequently transpiring to cast suspicion upon

was known fo be a notoriously bad character, and circumdisorderly persons have, for some time post, assembled his evidence, the most strenuons exertions were made, by themselves together in a riotous and tumaltuous manner, a number of the most respectable

inhabitants, to samo in the Counties of Wilts, Kent, Susser, Surrey, Hants, Ewen's life, but without success. Even protested his inand Berks; and for the purposes of compelling their em- nocence, in the most earnest manner, up to the last mo: ployers to comply with certain regulations prescribed by ment, though be freely

confessed that in his life he had theinseloes, with respect to wages, have had recourse to been guilty of many offences. His wife

and two children measures of force and violence, and have actually com - took their farewell of the unfortanate man a few days mitted various acts of outrage in different parts of the previous, and his brother was admitted to him on the counties above-mentioned, whereby the property of many morning of his execution. No commiseration was excited of our good subjects has, in several instances, been wholly for Bateman, who had robbed and cruelly ill-used an destroyed, and iheir lives and properties are still greatly old man, apwards of 70, by stamping his head into a ditch, endangered: We, therefore, being duly sensible of the mischievous inches in the mud. About nine o'clock, after leaving the

and crushing his ear oft"

, which was found buried sit consequences, which must inevitably ensue, as well to the chapel, the culprits ascended the platform, Ewen with pesce or the kingdom as to the lives and properties of our great tirmness, and Batoman discovering much agitation, Subjects from such wicked and illegal practices, if they go Upon placing the rope round Ewen's Dock, it was found enpunished ; and being

Armly resolved to cause the laws to to be too short, upon which be observed, " It's rather & be put into execution for the punishment of such offend. tight fit.” The halter was obliged to be spliced, and to issue this Proclamation, hereby strictly commanding all son who stood near, it's rather

cold standing up here." Justices of the Peace, Sheriffs, Under-Sheriffs, and all The ropes being adjusted, the bolts were withdrawn, and other Civil Oficers whatsoever, within the said counties the prisoners evere launched into eternity. They strogof Wints, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hants, and Berks, that gled very much.-The general impression amongst the they do use their utmost endeavours to discover, appre- Magistrates was, that Ewen was innocent.-London hend, and bring to justice, the persons concerned in the Morning Advertiser of 37th Des. riotous proceedings above-mentioned. And as a further inducement to discover the said offend.

KENT. en, we do hereby promise and declare that any person or

AT MAIDSTONE, ON CHRISTMAS EVR. petsons who shall discover and apprehend, or cause to be

JOHN DIKE, discovered and apprehended, the authors, abettors, or per

WM. PACKMAN,

Brothers. petrators of any of the outrages above-mentioned, so

HENRY PACKMAN, that they, or any of them, may be duly convicted thereof, EXECUTION OF THREE INCENDIARIES AT MAIDSTONB. shall be entitled to the sum of Fifty Pounds for each and John Dyke, otherwise

Field, and William and Henry every person who shall be convicted, and shall also receive Packman, brothers, were executed on Penenden Heath, our most gracious pardon for the said offence, in case the on Friday. The first had protested bis innocence of being person making such discovery as aforesaid shall be liable concerned in the fires; but the two latter, who are quite to be prosecuted for the same.

boys, confessed their guilt. A troop of Scotch Greys atAnd whereas certain wicked incendiaries have secretly tended, for fear that any disturbance should take place. by fire, in many parts of the said counties, destroyed the Henry Packman addressed the crowd, and accused Bishop, corn, hay, buildings, and other property of our subjects, we who gave evidence against him, of having instigated him to do bereby promise

and declare, that any person or persons burn the ricks, &c. No disturbance took place.-London who shall discover and apprehend, or cause to be dis- Morning Chronicle of 28th Dec. overed and apprehended, the authors of the said fires, so that they or any one of them may be duly convicted

I shall, by and by, collect all these trials thereof, shall be entitled to the sum of Five Hun- together, with as full an account as I can o convicted, and shall also receive our most gracious get of all the circumstances relating to

W CORRETT.

66

TREATMENT OF THE ENGLISH from my petition to the two Houses of LABOURERS.

Parliament, dated 4th December. The : “That it has been proved before com- following I take from the Morning * mittees of the House of Commons, Chronicle of 29th Dec., and it will show

that the allowance for the subsistence that a change has now taken place in “ of a labouring man,including his earn- the treatment of the labourers. Pray, * ings, has been, as fixed by the magis- i reader, attend to the whole of it; mark "trates in Wiltshire, no more than one it well; and then I leave you to make

pound and a quarter of bread and one your own remarks. half-penny in money per day for food

CHELMSFORD PETTY SESSIONS, * and clothes, with nothing for drink,

FRIDAY, DEC. 24. “ fuel, or bedding; that it has been

LABOURERS' WAGES.—The Surveyor and proved before the said committees, Overseer of Great Waltham appeared upon-a " that formerly the labourers all brewed summons to answer the complaint of three their own beer, and that now they for not paying them

sufficient for their labour

labourers, named Tilly, Smith, and Gentry, pever do it; that formerly they ate in the gravel-pits to procure them the commeat, cheese, butter, and bread, and mon necessaries of life. _The case has been they now live almost wholly on pota- several times before the Bench. On the first

toes, which they carry cold to the occasion a summons was issued agaiust the 4 fields when at work there; that it has them, went to Mr. Tufnell, and upon their

defendants, who, on its being served upon “ been proved before the said commit promising to comply with bis directions and

tees, that the honest, hard-working reasonably increase the wages, the summons " labourer is not allowed more than

was dismissed without a hearing. The Sur« about half as much food as is allowed Mr. Tufnell's order, thinking that as the sums

veyor, however, instead of complying with “ the convicted felons in the jails and mons was dismissed he should not be called. 66 hulks ; that it has been proved be- on to answer for his conduct, refused to give “fore the said committees, that the the complaiuants any more for their labour, 4 labourers commit crimes in order to Bench, a second summons was issued; a let

and they again coming to complain to the get fed and clothed as well as the ter was also written by the Chairman to Mr. « convicts are fed and clothed; that the Tufvell, informing him of the reprehensible “ Magistrates of Warwickshire have conduct of the Surveyor. The complainants * declared in resolutions at their Quarter in the gravel-pit by the Surveyor, -who re

now stated that they were employed to work “ Sessions, that the labourers commit fused to pay them more than 4s. 6d. a-week * crimes in order to get into jail, the each. They were all single men, and had to “ jail being a more happy place than pay is. each for lodging and 6d. for washing, 4 their own homes ; that it has been after which they had only 3s. left for seven

days' subsistence. proved before the said committees, Chairman: How could you manage to keep « that the young women are, now-a- alive-did you live upon sticks and stones 2. “ days, almost all pregnant before mar.

The Surveyor, in his defence, said he asked riage, owing to fathers and them

the complainants how much they had from

the Surveyor last year; they told him 9d. a“ selves being too poor to pay the ex- day, and he gave them that sum.

penses of the wedding; that it has Chairman : And so you really and seriously “ been proved before the said commit- thought that sufficient for a poor man to live tees, that the labourers, having an

upon, did you ! “ assistant overseer for a driver, are office before, and did not understand it.

The Surveyor said that he never served the compelled to draw carts and wagons

Chairman : That is no defence at all ; you. * like beasts. of burden ; and that it has knew a man could not live upon 38. a week. is long been a general practice to put far as the overseer was concerned, no blame

Mr. Tufnell said he felt satisfied that so " them up at auction, and to sell them attached to him. He had always fulfilled the 4 for certain lengths of time, as is the duties of his office to the perfect satisfaction

custom with regard to the negroes in of the parishioners; at the same time he did "" the slave colonies : that all these full justice to the poor. things have been proved to commit would give them Is. aday for their work,

The complainants said, if the Surveyor tees of the House of Commons."

.

which they ought to have. In fact, they did

BLOODY-MINDED. not see how u man could subsist upon less. The Surveyor was reprimanded for his con

The following letter was publishes duet, and ordered to pay the men in future Is. in the Morning Chronicle on Christma a-day, and also for the time they had lost in Day: coming to make the complaint.-Essex Herald.

“Sir, In The Times (the Bloody Bravo! good, Mr. Tufnell! What a

“Old Times] newspaper of this mornpity it was that the men did not complaining, I read the following paragraph, LAST YEAR ! Ah!

But

" which I beg you to insert, along with let us proceed. Now, it was proved by

" the comment that I have subjoined

16 to it:their published scale, that the magistrates of Dorsetshire allowed 2s. 7d. a

" CONFESSION OF THOMAS GOODMAN

COBBETT'S LECTURES. week for a working man when bread was 10d. the quartern loaf (as it is now); it was Goodman, who was convicted of setting fire

• The unfortunate young man, Thomas proved before a Committee of the House to the barn of Mr. Alderton, at Battle, and of Commons, on the evidence of BENETT sentenced to death, has made a full confession (now a member for the county), that the of his guilt, and attributes bis untimely end magistrates of Wiltshire allowed a gal, who, you may remember, delivered a public lon loaf and three-pence a week to each lecture at Battle some time ago, in which he member of a labourer's family for food told his auditors that unless the farmers would and clothing; that is, at this time, 2s. Id. consent to pay better wages to their labourers, for each, and nothing for drink, washing the fires which were then going on in Kent or lodging, or fuel or bedding. If, then, the boundary between the counties was but 4s. 6d. a week to these Essex men was imaginary. It is a singular fact that in less cruelty, what was the treatment of the than a fortnight after the delivery of this leclabourers of Dorsetshire and Wiltshire! ture, the first fire-Damely, that which broke If 6s a week is the “ lowest sum that a

out on the night of the 3d of November, took

place in the parish of Battle; and it is still single man ought to have," what was the more singular, that the property destroyed on treatment of the men in these Western that occasion belonged to Mr. Charles Emery, counties? If it was cruelty to give them landlord of the George Inu, at Battle, who a farthing less than 6s. ă week, what had refused Cobbett the use of his principal

room for the purpose of delivering his lecture. was it to give a working man 25.7d. The unfortunate young man, who is only 18 when bread was at the same price? It years of age, confesses that he was so štirred is said that William Packman, who, as up by the words of Cobhett, that his brain was we have seen, was hanged on PENENDEN nearly turned; and that he was under the im

pression that nothing but the destruction of Heath, on Christmas Eve, said to one property by fire at night would effect that of his old companions, who was crying: species of revolution, the necessity of which “ Never mind, Dick, you 'll have your

was so strongly enforced by the arch lecturer. belly full now.” Though mere boys, parish of Battle, within one month, the

Of the eight fires which took place in the these Packmans are said to have died unfortunate cou vict has confessed that five of with the greatest composure. This them were occasioned by his own hand. The Essex justice is to be applauded for his following are the words of the eulprit with conduct, and I hope his example will be reference to Cobbett, as taken down this

morning, in the presence of the Rev, Henry followed all over the country; for that Juhn Rush, Curate of Crowhurst, Sussex :is the effectual way of putting an end to , Thomas Goodman, never should af these horrible scenes, the like of which thought of douing aney sutch thing if Mr. Cobhave not been beheld for ages, and, 1 bett Cobet had never given aney lactures i

believe that their never would bean any fires or trust, never will be beheld again. Imob in Battle nor maney others places if he trust that all men are now convinced, never had given aney lactures at all.” with this worthy magistrate of Essex, Now, Sir, in the first place, the rethat 6s. week is the very lowest that porter is PARSON; and that is quite a single man ought to have to live upon ; enough with regard to the truth of the and if all the magistrates act on the report. In the next place, as to the same rule, there will once more be pretended statement of Goodman, please peace.

to observe these facts:-1. That the

BO