THE CHARTIST TRIALS. [From the Times, September 29.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 370, 17 February 1849, Page 3

THE CHARTIST TRIALS. [From the T imes, September 29.]

The trials, at tha Old JBailey present a singular contrast to the<JsiQoQ v pr}sp,ners,, the 12,000 files oil ...corresjppfi/Jencej and .the 1,000,000 interrogatories; of the judicial proceedings upon the Paris insurgents. Considering that London is 'none squaring accounts, with a whole? year's treason, the, show is very poor. A dozen or two shoemakers, tailors, and joiners are discovered to constitute the nucleus and mainstay of .that Chartism which last spring was to upset and remodel thisempire. The most respectable criminal is * foolish young portrait-painter ; and the most spirited a mulatto, bred and. bojrn in the ser» vice -of her. Majesty's dockyards. No strolling players r *after strutting for an hour as, kings, queens, and great warriors, ever fell lowers when the curtain- dropped, and when they returnedtO'theit own properselves, .Last April, besides soldiers and .cannon, , 150,000 men of peace stood up to [defend thejjgejtropolis from a. mysterious foe, .'-There ha,ys ( since been conspiracies, ' threats, , demonstrations, and almost 'collisions ; but- within six months the whole power and terror, of freyqlution-has shrunk into a few ill-conditioned ff Hows quietjy tried in the routine of a criminal court, with ■several, false Chartists testifying aga|nst g tbeni inlthe .witness-box, and lanojherCjiartis.t,, real or pretended, •condttctiog^very^ams.djefence. <- -There has seldom been a conspiracy fwUhj out a spy- in it, andrsftjt is'here. 5 mos^t secret^roceedingsrof the Chartists haye v fr.qni day to- day been 1 reported to the .police; byat least four volunteer-informers, pi, whom fancied himself alone in his - treachery. The story of /one. will stand for all four. ,-MT? Thomas Powell, struck by the utter failure of the demonstration on Kennington-comrapo, conceived the somewhat singular ; ambft\on, of -mastering all. the- secrets og'jtbis.tjatojsy^ -impotent faction^' » SQ^he?{ii4mjeJi%t«ly| X^9J^ , tbe.G&mrtisuSbciety^whojniMisjpn ifo beta Js'»iry*um flotJl.vrftfrsPiP^ifciUW

rapffi^tfifr was elected; one ,- of - thei Gluiaqueri-vir^ffeiWdVithi-the management of.theHJrip? plegfcte SVisrsodiition.- . Shortly . after he , was one^fMh* -secret 'committee .at the Black Jac%Htf 9 P"6Uagal-stfceet. He was then appoiftWtf'totße Seven-dials, with some equally, cotfijetetfi^autlforities, to plan 4he defence of thaV o ce'ntrk position against? the Queen's trofyisf 'Her'afterwards sat in committee, on SaSTdnffiifr^rfwa" fn a sort of sanctum sancto^ rtt#'"(Sn' M ' Ulterior Committee",) in Bkide-, lane ! ; a't'tie Lord JDenraah beersbop in Suf-folk-street;' atf-theQ-angoTree beetshop, and •t the Grispi&":beersh6p^ Milton-street, .where, a plin^a^laid'down for the (capture of the Ar r tilierf'6-W>dnclj'itt< tne'teethiofjfteivery re-, spectacle*'' torßpkny charged with- . ite'^efence. Mr7 'Powell^appears to -have iseenya igood i deal of tfie^wbrid';' and toib'e; a man of ready wit with 'versatile 1 J/Thougkaenjoying a cettain degree of Botorietyk he found no difficulty these meetings, and taking pan in the discussions in a - feigtfed/ ; name. In^the first iostancel he was (proposed: by. a stfifrtger whom, he Jud never seen, ,and has not since seen. - Heiwas once or twice asked for^his 1 - credentials^ .sometimes suspected; once actually Challenged as a spy. He contrived," however, "'to'torn the tables on his ac-, cusejr, wh'oWaa forthwith expelled. The presence of sucHS peraohl in the' head-quarters of'a'conspiracy'appearS' rather nnaccoahtabje,but it is a fact; of invariable occurrence. There were'/oa* such in this,. instance. I£ any twenty persons • are conspiring, in tthis, me'trbp%)isi they may have a comfortable assur ranee 1 rtftlt there- is; a;t; least one spy in their number, and that every sentiment, .opinion, add intention' they utter is forthwith reported to-tboYd wh"om it chiefly concerns? t -Had^tbe- resources of these gentlemen, been in the smallest proportioa, to their it would by this time, have fared ill with the,metropolis. But their: means .were singularly inadequate to their, end;; Maps of London were 1 produced at their meetings, and plans of localities with pencil marks for barricades. Mri' Powell himself exhibited a certain magic circle- with dots all round to represent men, bht ; whether' ihsu'rgents.n.or or .peopfe"'ii3general, he cannot now remember. As ta' inbniibns'there ".was: no^ -mistake* , The chairrrfatfatithe Seven-sdials t ope.aed rproceedings wsth ihe casual remarkje-jf.^* o^*'^ Bo^ 6metf, dur' object is 4 if possible, Md fcstsi>s the power of the Q,ueenj.and establi-i a;r«pubJic.V, AhbtHe^r gentleman, then and -there expressed himself as followai-r^^We must first assas-, "sftfate the- prficej .pull- down,,ithe hoßs^s.-'and build' barricades.-^. At jone>meet 7 in^ a resolution was! passed that al 1 visionary/, prfesident be- elected,' without either, ?place, ofßce^or name j -and- for the maintenance and dignity- 3 of "this important functionary -every member was to subscribe a farthing a week. ThVtfsti-ofrthe arrangements, however, w,ere n7jt J so- vistfinary. On several occasions eyet y member of the committee was required , to make a return of the " fighting men" in his district. "Bullets were as ; plenty _ampng them as blackberries ; and committee-men showed one anotfteS: their' pb'ck^ts-full of" ball cartlidges. ' Gingeftbeef »bdtfle», blacking-bottles, a'tid ink' bottles, whidhiare I'usually1 ' usually so hanlito gd'rid'of, wefe ifiHe4"with gunpowder aod old Trails, and laid up > in store for, policemen's legs; o '-'To- the ladies were committed, these e^xteiripore -grenades. "'A corps of! " LuminarW 'took '-'charge" of the fire-balls. The efeveb 1 ' gentlemen at the Orange Tree were aYmeffwith pistols and pikes, and with bludgeons 7 leaded' with lead. -;But, to judge from the-copious stores discovered by the police,' they dust have passed all their leisure iv trying 'various combinations of gunpowder, tow, bfowtt 'paper,- pitch, turpentine, broken glass* old ir'oh, and printing types. > Mr. Powell everywhere tendered his< services, which were freely «nd gratefully accepted. . Bring a carp'inter''aii<l a handyman, be became a leading etfgfneeT'in J tliefserYfce. In particular he^ex-» bibited'some Tportab^lfr contrivances to lame cat-vairy-horsesi ' H'e'usilally elicited that others ba'db^ii^befofiehand. In fact, the (general inventibn ! i»as at work. > Every man was casting his' b'ullet's^ his <" took- pick," battling pdwder^andnailsj sopping tow in turpendrie; brcdvering ibe map of London with pfefricil barricadesiii' - , ' .-! Tadmas Powell's part in-lhese 'discoveries^ that is his own look out. ~ GoYerflment had rflo alternative but to accept his ustfuK^nd; spontaneoiis . services. It is a matUro? every day occurrence that a xrrurr "of a iousebreaket 'turns informer, t deteats the plans of the gang, > and thus rescues life or property from destwictibn. i< Many, a Murderer has -btenihurig on' the evidence ofx a •m6ch worse villain than himself.,. Who w/utld -fefuse'lo hear theman Vhoofferecliro,tell(,h6|w «and by whom his 1 ASe, was /menaced ?. iTreadheTy is the natural and- providential antidote : fbr treason/ 'The evidence of (all four infor'nflfeW. it 1 harmonious, 1 and also strongly corro'Bdrkted^ It'ir^not'eTe^Jdenifedi-.i We have «d*fteriiativ« ' bbu t tcr t take it. < It would indeed be madneit to decline it.

n fo we see the^re was mischief enough.' ,Th* vijrus, or vitriol, As.it should now be caUedy wasnot wantiag.., r^^Yi?P th.e'aetjvity, [ThtfJ objecj; )V vras an entire" subyWsion of the present form f pf ppv.ernmen,^ 'jjffy maeed, n6w,[pre ( tends that, fowling,, aiid )the I#stt Confederates ; intended -nothing .n^oTr^^*^^ gpodj jrtreef xo% by #gy '9/ if 'to .njgh,- , „ten Governqjentj, and , drp,y troops from Ir&.^land.; : That 4oes not mend the matter. War is war, whether , for dLversion or for a direct .objects and it wouli, he a poor consolation, ; to<tth.e.. metropolis -, to. he. told it had. been Ifadwoed ; and pillaged .merely fora feint. Mr. f ,(iaffej's charity, at, any rate, nearer home. But why did aU ( this end in .smoke ? ."\yby did the rejj^lion coni&n t e itsell^to the, f sjcpre qt two rascals f in whom it first Taegan? t "W£-cao only say Jhe fact is so, has ever been so, and will ever be" so. The English' are not conspirators, with the exception of perhaps one Thistlewood in a century. The nation abhors it. Cuffey, the very chief of ?{tie" conspiracy; is half a "nigger." Some, of the 1 others are Irishmen. "We doubt if there, are hal'f-a-',dozen Englishmen in the whole lot.' ' Ori^great provocations the English will rise, openly and en mpsse — but they will nqt and cannot conspire. The least appearance of conspiracy draws down , upon itself the. national suspicion and resentment. We apprehend nothing from conspiracy in this country. It is one of those reptiles that can never be naturalised amongst us.