Lord Haddington, being Head of the Admi- material gain to the British public, politically and ralty, did grant this scarce and astonishing otherwise. In my hand the English traffic was honour! Egypt actually beheld the man, English, and I venture to say that English it who had brought England within forty-seven would have continued to this day, had I not been days of her sands, before any steam system interfered with. But my successors gave it up to was in operation between the two countries, permitted to write the letters R. N. after his natural name!

countries.

the Pasha."

The absence of all circumstantial descriptions and all graphic details in the papers, In conjunction with others, partners in the both printed and in manuscript, we have preundertaking, Lieutenant Waghorn now ar- viously noticed. We had at first made sure ranged for the carriage of passengers, the of being able to present our readers with a building of hotels at Alexandria, Cairo, and picturesque and exciting narrative of the Life other places, and he soon familiarised the and Adventures of Lieutenant Waghorn-for Desert with the novel spectacle of harnessed adventures, in abundance, both on the sea and horses, vans, and all the usual adjuncts of the Desert, he must assuredly have had; but English travelling, instead of the precarious he does not give us a single peg to hang an Arab and his primeval camel. These, with action or event upon, not a single suggestion packet-boats on the Nile, and the canal (and for a romantic scene. Once we thought we afterwards with steamers), duly provided with had at last discovered among his papers a English superintendants, rendered Eastern treasure of this kind. It was a manuscript travel as easy as a journey of the same length bound in a strong cover, and having a patent in the hot summer of any of the most civilised lock. Inside was printed, in large letters, "Private: Daily Remembrancer: Mr. WagLieutenant Waghorn had now every pros- horn." It contains absolutely nothing of the pect of making this hitherto undreamed-of kind that was evidently at first intended. It novelty as profitable to himself in remunera- is crammed full of newspaper cuttings; and the tion of his many arduous labours, as it was only memoranda and remembrances are two serviceable and commodious to the vast or three melancholy affairs of bills and mortnumbers of all countries, especially his own, gages made to pay debts incurred in the who availed themselves of it. But unfor- public service. So much for his daily journal tunately, just when his enterprise, industry, of events while travelling. He was manifestly capital, and his possession of Mehemet Ali's so completely a man of action, that he could not friendship were beginning to produce their afford a minute to note it down. Had it not natural results, the honourable English been for the vexatious oppositions by which Government and the honourable East India he was thwarted, and the painful memorials Company "gave the monopoly of a chartered and petitions he was subsequently compelled, contract to an opulent and powerful Com- as we shall find, to present in various quarters, pany!" Lieutenant Waghorn had coupled with his passenger system the carriage of overland parcels, which was a source of great profit, and through it there was a constant accession to the comforts of the passengers in transit. But it would seem as if the Government and the India House regarded this man only as an instrument to work out advantages for them, in especial, and the world at large, but the moment he had a prospect of obtaining some reward for himself, it was proper to stop him. Had he not been allowed to write Lieutenant before his name, and R. N. after it? What more would he have?

we verily believe he would have given us no written records at all of a single thing he did, and all that would have been left, in the course of a few years after his death, would have been the "Overland Route," and the name of "Waghorn."

We must now take a cursory view of his labours. To do this in any regular order is hardly possible, partly from the space they would occupy, but yet more from the desultory and unmanageable condition of the papers and documents before us.

During many years he sailed and travelled hundreds of thousands of miles between Eng"This Company," says Waghorn, "already ex- land and India, more particularly from the tensive carriers by water, gleaned from my firm year 1827 to 1835, inclusive; passing up and the secret of conducting my business, with an down the Red Sea with mails, before the alleged view to supply it on a much more com- East India Company had any steam system prehensive scale, and to employ us in so doing; on that sea. On one very special occasion, on but when nothing more remained to be learned this side the Isthmus, in October 1839, when from us, we were forthwith superseded, though the news arrived at Alexandria from Bombay, with a useless and utterly unproductive expendi- of Sir John (late Lord) Keane's success at ture, on the part of our successors, of six times the Ghuznee, he managed to obtain the use of the money we should have required to accomplish Pasha of Egypt's own steamer, the Generoso, the same end. Overwhelmed by the competition the very next day after Her Majesty's of this giant association, I was entirely deprived of all advantages of this creation of my own steamer left Alexandria; and he personally energy, and left with it a ruin on my hands, commanded this vessel, and conveyed the though to have secured me at least the Egyptian mail to Malta, which was immediately sent transit would not only have been but the merest on by the Admiral there, to England. Of justice to an individual, but would have been a such acts of special usefulness on occasions of

"When he left Egypt, in 1841, he had established English carriages, vans, and horses, for the passengers' conveyance across the Desert (instead of camels); indeed, he placed small steamers (from Every fraction of his money was spent by him in of life; but prematurely old from his hard work. getting more and more facilities; and, had the In consequence of various memorials and

England) on the Nile and the canal of Alexandria.

he must abide by it, and suffer for it. Both his widow being left to starve. The India pensions, therefore, were compromised to his House, however, have lately granted her a creditors, and he remained without any ade-pension of fifty pounds; and the Government, quate means of support. The following ex- naïvely stating, as if in excuse for the extratract, with which we must conclude, is from vagance, that it was in consequence of the his last memorial:

"eminent services performed by her late husband, awarded her the sum of twenty-five pounds per annum. This twenty-five pounds having been the subject of many comments from the press, both of loud indignation and cutting ridicule, the Government made a second grant, with the statement that "in consequence of the extreme destitution of Mrs. Waghorn," a further sum was awarded of fifteen pounds more! This is the fact, and such are the terms of the grant. Why, it reads like an act of clemency towards some criminal or other offender;-" You have been very wicked, you know; but as you are in extreme destitution, here are a few pounds more."

"The immediate origin and cause of my embar rassments was a forfeited promise on the part of the Treasury and the India House, whereby only four instead of six thousand pounds, relied on by me, were paid towards the Trieste Route experiments in the winter of 1846-7, when, singlehanded, and despite unparalleled and wholly unforeseen difficulties, I eclipsed, on five trials out of six, the long organised arrangements of the French authorities, specially stimulated to all possible exertion, and supplied with unlimited means by M. Guizot. On the first of these six occasions, there arose the breaking down, on the Indian Ocean, of the steamer provided for me, thereby trebling the computed expenses through While these above-mentioned petitions, the delay; and when, startled by this excessive outlay, I hesitated to entail more, the Treasury memorials, and struggles for life and honour and the India House told me to proceed, to do the were going on, great numbers of our wealthy service well, and make out my bill afterwards. I countrymen were rushing with bags of money did proceed. I did the service not only well, not to pour out at the feet of Mr. Hudson, M.P., in only to the satisfaction of my employers, but in a reward for his having made the largest fortune manner that elicited the admiration of Europe, in the shortest time ever known;-and soon as all the Continental and British journals of that after the Government munificence had been beperiod, besides heaps of private testimonials, de- stowed on the destitute widow of Lieutenant monstrated. My rivals, to whom the impediments Waghorn, the Marquis of Lansdowne and the in my path were best known, were loudest in their Marquis of Londonderry, in their places in acknowledgments; and the only drawback to my the House of Lords, eulogised the splendid just pride was the incredulity manifested in some quarters, that I could have actually accomplished "military ability" of F. M. the late Duke of what (it is notorious) I did at any time, much less Cambridge, speaking in high terms of the among the all but impassable roads of the Alps, great deeds he would have achieved, "if he in the depth of a winter of far more than ordinary had only had an opportunity," and voting Alpine severity. I presented my bill. It was a pension of twelve thousand pounds a year dishonoured. I had made myself an invalid, had to his destitute son, and three thousand pounds sown the seeds of a broken constitution, in the a year to his destitute daughter. performance of that duty. The disappointment occasioned by the non-payment of the two thousand pounds, has preyed incessantly upon me since; and now, a wreck alike almost in mind and body, I am sustained alone by the hope, that the annals of the Insolvent Court will not have in scribed upon them the Pioneer of the Overland Route, because of obligations he incurred for the public, by direction of the public authorities."

We have now beheld the labours, and the reward, of the pioneer of the Overland Route; who, for the establishment of this route and for manifold services subsequently rendered, received the "thanks of three quarters of the globe, that is to say, of Europe, Asia, and Africa, "besides numberless letters of 'thanks' from mercantile communities at every point where Eastern trade is concerned!" His public debts are not paid to this day.

CHIPS.

THE KNOCKING-UP BUSINESS.

The date of this memorial is June 8th, 1849. High testimonials are appended to it from Lords Palmerston, Aberdeen, Ellenborough, Harrowby, Combermere, Ripon, Sir John Hobhouse, Sir Robert Gordon, and Mr. Joseph Hume. But it did not produce any effect; the debts and the harassing NEW wants are being continually invented, remained; and the pioneer of the Overland and new trades are, consequently, daily Route died very shortly afterwards; we can-springing up. A correspondent brings to not say of a broken heart, because his con- light a novel branch of the manufacturing stitution had been previously shattered by industry of this country, which was revealed his labours. Yet it looks sadly like this. He to him in Manchester. Lately, he observes, might have lived some years longer. He was I was passing through a bye-street in Manonly forty-seven. The pension awarded him by chester, when my attention was attracted the India House he had only possessed eighteen by a card placed conspicuously in the window months; and the pension from Government of a decent-looking house, on which was inhad been yet more tardily bestowed, so that scribed, in good text,

he only lived to receive the first quarter.

"KNOCKING UP DONE HERE AT 2D. A WEEK."

At his death both pensions died with him. I stopped a few moments to consider what it

It appears that in Ashton-under-Lyne,

could mean, and chose out of a hundred con- number of partners, so far as they are known jectures the most feasible, namely:-that to the public. it referred perhaps to the "getting up" of some portion of a lady's dress, or knocking Dunkinfield, and Moseley, there are fifty-three up some article of attire or convenience in a mills in the hands of ninety-five partners; hurry. I asked persons connected with all Blackburn, and its immediate neighbourhood, sorts of handicrafts and small trades, and has fifty-seven mills and eighty partners; could get no satisfaction. I therefore de- Bolton, forty-two mills and fifty-seven parttermined to enquire at the "Knocking up ners; Barnley, twenty-five spinning manuestablishment itself. Thither, accordingly, I factories and forty-six proprietors; at Heywood bent my steps. On asking for the master, there are twenty-eight mills in the hands of a pale-faced asthmatic man came forward. forty-six masters. Manchester, it would apI politely told him the object of my visit, pear, is not so much the seat of manufacture adding, that from so small a return as 2d. as of merchandise. Though it abounds in a week, he ought to get at least half profit. warehouses for the sale of cotton goods, there "Why, to tell you the truth, Sir," rejoined are no more than seventy-eight cotton facthe honest fellow, "as my occupation requires tories, having one hundred and thirty-nine no outlay or stock in trade, 'tis all profit." masters. Oldham has the greatest number of "Admirable profession!" I ejaculated. "If it mills; namely, one hundred and fifty-eight, is no secret, I should like to be initiated; for with two hundred and fifty-two proprietors; several friends of mine are very anxious to Preston, thirty-eight mills, sixty-two partners; commence business on the same terms." Stalybridge, twenty cotton concerns and fortyone proprietors; Stockport, forty-seven mills and seventy-six masters; while Warrington has no more than four mills, owned by ten gentlemen. The total number of cotton manufactories in these districts is five hundred and fifty, which belong to nine hundred and four "Cotton Lords."

Not having the fear of rivalry before his eyes, he solved the mystery without any stipulations as to secrecy or premium. He said that he was employed by a number of young men and women who worked in factories, to call them up by a certain early hour in the morning; for if they happened to oversleep themselves and to arrive at the mill Mr. Baker's "case" is that a proper moral after work had commenced, they were liable supervision is exercised over the tens of thouto the infliction of a fine, and therefore, to sands of operatives employed in these factories; insure being up in good time, employed him and that such supervision is not delegated from to "knock them up at two-pence a week. principals to subordinates. It would seem, On further enquiry, he told me that he from his showing, that of the nine hundred himself earned fourteen shillings per week, and four proprietors, no more than twentyand his son-only ten years old-awoke factory nine do not reside where their concerns are people enough to add four shillings more to situated; and that of the entire aggregate of his weekly income. He added, that a friend mills, there are only four in or near to of his did a very extensive "knocking up "which no proprietor resides. Lancashire and business, his connexion being worth thirty Cheshire cotton factories, therefore, are as reshillings per week; and one woman he knew had a circuit that brought her in twenty-four shillings weekly.

gards absenteeism, the direct antithesis of Irish estates. The consequence is, that while the former are in a state of average, though intermittent prosperity, the latter have gone to ruin.

There is an old saying, that one half the world does not know how the other half live. I question whether ninety-nine hundredths of your readers will have known till you permit COMIC LEAVES FROM THE STATUTE me to inform them how our Manchester friends, in the “Knocking up " line, get a livelihood.

STATISTICS OF FACTORY SUPERVISION.

THE Rev. Mr. Baker has recently issued a pamphlet, defending the moral tone of the factory system against the charges brought against it in the Rev. H. Worsley's Prize Essay on Juvenile Depravity. We purposely abstain from discussing the merits of the controversy, believing that the truth lies between the two extremes advocated respectively by the reverend disputants. Mr. Henry, however, gives a table of statistics, an abstract of which we cannot withhold. It shows the number of spinning and power-loom weaving concerns in the principal manufacturing districts of Lancashire and Cheshire; also, the

BOOK.

THE most manifest absurdities while remaining in fashion receive the greatest respect; for it is not till Time affords a retrospect that the full force of the absurdity is revealed. When men and women went about dressed like the characters in the farce of Tom Thumb, we of the present day wonder that they excited no mirth; nor can we now believe that Betterton drew tears as Cato in a full-bottomed wig. A beauty who a dozen years ago excited admiration in the balloon-like costume of that day, would now, if presenting herself in full-blown leg-of-mutton sleeves, excite a smile. The more intelligent natives of Mexico are now more disposed to grin than to shudder, as they once did, at their comical idols. Everybody has heard of the monkey-god of India. In our day, those who once adored and dreaded

him, would as readily worship Punch, and receive his squeakings for oracles, as to bow down before the Great Monkey.

of the broad comedy, which here and there lightens up that grave publication, the Statutes at Large.

Prince "to make it felony for any gentleman to wear his own hair," is almost realised. In the palmy days of Protection, a British bookbinder could not use paste, nor a British dandy, hair-powder, because the British farmer had been so tightly protected against foreign corn, that the British public could not get enough of it to make bread to eat.

Amongst the most prominent superstitions When the laws had protected English in which our forefathers believed, as a com- manufacturers and producers from foreign mercial opinion and rule of legislation, was produce and skill; they, by a natural seProtection;" and we have not awakened too quence of blundering, set about protecting recently from the delusion which descended the British manufacturing population one from them not to perceive its absurdities, against another, and the German jest of the especially on looking over their voluminous wig-makers, who petitioned their Crown legacy, the Statute Book. Before, however, we open some of its most comical pages, let us premise that the question of Protection is not a political one. Of the precise force and meaning of the term, there is a large class of "constant readers" who have no definite idea. The word "Protection" calls up in their minds a sort of phantasmagoria composed chiefly of Corn-law leagues, tedious debates in Parlia- These were perhaps the most expensive ment, Custom-houses, excisemen, smugglers, absurdities into which John Bull was driven preventive-men and mounted coast-guards. by his mania for protection, but they were They know it has to do with imports, exports, by no means the most ludicrous. Among drawbacks, the balance of trade, and with his other dainty devices for promoting being searched when they step ashore from a the woollen manufacture, was the law which Boulogne steamer. Floating over this indefinite compelled all dead bodies to be buried in construction of the term, they have a general woollen cloth. There may not be many who opinion that Protection must be a good thing, can sympathise with the agony of Pope's for they also associate it most intimately with dying coquette :the guardianship of the law, which protects them from the swindler, and with the policeman, who protects them from the thief. That powerful and patriotic sentiment, "Protection to British Industry," must, they think, be nearly the same sort of thing, except that it means protection from the tricks of foreigners instead of from those of compatriots. They confess that, believing the whole matter to be a complicated branch of politics, they have had neither time nor patience to "go into it."

« Odious! In woollen! 'Twould a saint provoke; Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke." But every one must be astounded at the folly of bribing men to invest ingenuity and industry, to bury that which above ground was the most useful and saleable, of all possible articles. The intention was to discourage the use of cotton, which has since proved one of the greatest sources of wealth ever brought into this country.

In supposing the question of Free Trade or The strangest and most practical protest of Protection to be a political one, they are, as national common sense, against laws enacting we have before hinted, in error. It has no protective duties, was the impossibility of commore to do with politics than their own trans- pelling people to obey them. To those laws actions with the grocer and the coal-mer- the country has been indebted for the exchant; for it treats of the best mode of pensive coast-guards, who cannot, after all, carrying on a nation's, instead of an in- prevent smuggling. The disproportionate vidual's dealings with foreign marts and penalties threatened by protective laws, show foreign customers. They are also wrong in how difficult it was to ensure obedience. In supposing that protection to life and property 1765, so invincible was the desire of our is of the same character as that to which ladies to do justice to their neat ancles, British industry is subjected. The difference that a law had to be passed in the fifth can be easily explained; and although doubt- of George the Third, (chapter forty-eight,) less the majority of our readers are quite decreeing that "if any foreign manufacaware of it, yet for the benefit of the above- tured silk stockings, &c., be imported into described, who are not, we will point it out:- any part of the British dominions, they Connected, as everybody knows, with what- shall be forfeited, and the importers, reever is protected, there must be two parties tailers, or vendors of the same, shall be -A, in whose favour it is protected; and B, subject, for every such offence, to a fine of against whom it is protected. Legitimate and two hundred pounds, with costs of suit." wholesome protection preserves the property The wise legislators did not dare to extend we wish to guard against our enemies; im- the penalties to the fair wearers, who found politic and unwholesome protection too se- means to make it worth the while of the curely preserves property to us which we are vendors to brave and evade the law. most anxious to get rid of-by sale or barter, The complicated and contradictory legisla-against our best friends, our customers. tion into which the ignis fatuus of Protection These elementary explanations are abso-led men, made our nominally protective laws lutely essential for the thorough enjoyment not unfrequently laws prohibitive of industry.