Narrative of the condition of the manufacturing population; and the proceedings of government which led to the state trails in Scotland, for administering unlawful oaths, and the suspension of the habeas corpus act, in 1817, with a detailed account of the system of espionage adopted at that period, in Glasgow and its neighborhood. Also, a summary of similar proceedings, in other parts of the country, to the execution of Thistlewood and others, for high treason, in 1820

Alex. B. (Alexander Bailey) Richmond

Sujets

• Trial (disambiguation)
• Scotland
• Working class

Informations

• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 11 Mo

Extrait

194-1.07 TV.4
in tlje ©ittj of p*n> IJorK*
William ®, £cbermerhottt.
GIFT FOR
Sociology
1894.:
NARRATIVE
OF
THE CONDITION
OF THE
POPULATION;MANUFACTURING
AND
PROCEEDINGS OF GOVERNMENTTHE
WHICH LED TO THE
&cotlantr,%tt Zrials ing
OFTHEAND THE SUSPENSIONFOR ADMINISTERING UNLAWFUL OATHS,
OFHABEAS DETAILED ACCOUNTCORPUS ACT, IN 1817, WITH A
AT THAT PERIOD,THE SYSTEM OF ESPIONAGE ADOPTED
IN ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.GLASGOW AND
ALSO,
A SUMMARY
OF SIMILAR PROCEEDINGS, OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY,IN
TO THE
EXECUTION OF THISTLEWOOD AND OTHERS,
HIGH TREASON,FOR IN 1820.
By ALEX. B. RICHMOND.
" Who steals my purse, 6leals (rash. 'Tis something—nothing.—
'tis his and has'Twas mine — been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from mc my good name,
Robs mc of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed." SHAKSPEARE.
" The worst thing I could wish to my worst enemy is, that his character
should become the subject of vindication"—GouwiN.
LONDON
MILLER,PRINTED FOR JOHN
NEW BRIDGE-STREET, BLACKFRIAKS.
1824.u
7
LONDON:
FLEET STREET.JAMES SWAN, PRINTER, 76,PREFACE.
I shall offer no apology for submitting the following Nar-
rative of Facts to public inspection, being convinced I am
performing an important asand imperative duty to society,
well as to myself. In deference the opinion of others, andto
contrary to my own, I have delayed publication, I believe,
greatly to the prejudice of own interest and character, andmy
it now remains to be seen who was in the right, or who had
most cause to be afraid of publicity. If the excitement has
gone past, the time is favourable for forming a more impartial
judgment, it being neither too proximate nor too remote from
the occurrences ; and I trust it will be found I have neither
extenuated, nor set down ought in malice, to gratify either in-
pretensions,dividual or party. Setting up no literary I only
plainpledge myself to having steadily adhered to the truth, in a
unvarnished Statement of Facts, as far as they occurred within
anmy own knowledge. In doing so, I have not violated even
evidence thatimplied promise with a single person ; and, as an
sheets were1 have taken no undue advantage, the proof
before theyoffered to all the parties, materially interested,
were have brought forward all theput to press. 1 consider I
persons in prominent manner, to enable the Publica sufficiently
to come to and if an attempt is made to inva-a just decision ;
lidate any of documents, and still moremy statements, written
special references, forthcoming, to them, if calledare confirm
for.
The march of improvement has hitherto been materially
^» impeded by government's endeavouring to throw an impene-
CO;
PREFACE.
trable veil of mystery over their proceedings ; although society
has no security against the recurrence of evil equal to a full
development of past errors. From the days of Beccario I
should think it difficult to find an enlightened individual, who
would not prefer the prevention to the punishment of crime
but it is a very nice point to distinguish and decide upon, how
far the means of prevention should allowed to violatebe the
sanctuary of private life, or trench upon individual liberty.
Upon that point men's minds have been, and will be, various'
and as much has been said, written, and conjectured, on the
present subject, I am well aware conclusions will be drawn,
according as opinion coincides with, or dissents from, the
different views taken of that have no roomquestion. As I
for remarks upon the general principle, from those who have
formerly known me 1 solicit a candid retrospect of their
former sentiments. Personal vindication is always a painful
and frequently an invidious task, and it ought to be remem-
there is littlebered, merit in a sacrifice that is certain ofcom-
manding the general sympathy of society, compared to one
and deepestmade at the hazard of encountering its strongest
have beenrooted prejudices. I may guilty of errors in judg-
man, nor set of men, will I concedement, but to no a more
good, either in the acts and deeds I haveardent desire to do
theperformed, or in now submitting the detail of them to
; and, in the language of the Mr. Curran, if I haveworld late
contributed to preserve the of other acts and actors,memory
that ought not to be buried in my labour will notoblivion,
have been without use.itsNARRATIVE,
$c. Sfc.
Sixce the publication of Smith's Wealth of Na-
tions, many eminent writers have been engaged
in illustrating the principles of political economy
and pointing out the leading circumstances which
promote or retard the accumulation of national
wealth. The discoveries and improvements made
thesameperiodintheduring exactsciences,tending
tosupersede and abridgehuman labour, have called
forth energies and produced results which have
astonished the present age, and set at nought the
calculations of the most acute and profound phi-
losophers and politicians of former times. In our
own country almost a total revolution has been
effected in the whole frame ofsociety ; capital and
the means of producing all the luxuries of life
have been augmented, perhaps, in a tenfold ratio ;
yet it is questionable if, in the midst of all this
apparent improvement, the substantial comfort
and happiness of the great body of the people
any degree beenhave in promoted, and whether
the enlightened philanthropist will not consider
they have rather retrograded.
The theorists in political economy attach more
importancetotheaggregateaccumulationofwealth
and power than to the manner of its diffusion, or
its effects on the interior of society. The manu-
facturer possessed of capital, and the inventor of
a new machine, study only how to turn them to
their own profit and advantage ; the statesman
Bconsiders every improvement important only as it
augments the national resources, relative to other
countries ; but, in all these calculations, the ef-
fect produced on the condition of the labourer
has been no more negroesvalued than a transfer of
on the estate of West boorsa India planter, or
on that ofa Russian nobleman. Proceedingon this
principle, England, for several years presented,the
anomalous withspectacle, of a country saturated
Avealth and withabounding in every superfluity,
the mass of her inefficient labouring population,
the midst of profound by ex-peace, unable, even
cessive exertion, to command necessariesthe bare
of life.
It is not my intention to enter generally into
the causes which have produced this state of
things, or to show their effects on the country at
large but the; positive sufferings and discontents
of the labouring classes, sys-resulting from that
tem, having rendered it me to pub-imperative on
lishthepresentnarrative, it isnecessary to take a re-
trospectiveviewof its progress in our cottonmanu-
factures, for the purpose of showing the actual
conditionofthemanufacturingdistrictsinScotland,
in 1816 and 1817; the means I had of acquiring a
knowledge of that condition, and to account for
the connexions I had formed in society, which
involved me, as a party, in the public measures of
that period.
For the last forty years, the ablest writers on
political science have been advocates for a general
freedom of trade, and have condemned the whole
system ofbounties, prohibitory duties, monopolies
and restrictions of all kinds leaving; every thing
open to fair competition. The greater part of
their reasoning, however, more immediately refers
to the external trade of one country compared
with that of another ; and few ofthem have been