Hunger and famine in the long Nineteenth Century. Volume I, 'Guttling and guzzling': the immerseration of the Poor, or 'Perish(ing) from the Table of nature' (1795-1839)

In the age of empire, Victorians and Romantics over the long 19th century faced issues of governance that no other society had faced on such a massive level, causing socio-political questions that had to be addressed based on sheer necessity but little governmental experience. In an age in which there was a decade referred to as "the Hungry Forties," and in which the Great Famine in Ireland occurs as well, there are high rates of poverty across the whole century in Britain and its colonies. At the same time that hunger and famine were intractible issues, irresolvable across nineteenth-century Britain, socio-political entities had little stomach for solving the problem and few technocrats had economic answers based on real world experience. This four-volume collection of primary sources examine hunger and famine in Britain and its empire across the long nineteenth century. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations General introduction Introduction to Volume I: The Immiseration of the Poor (1795–1839): ‘Guttling and Guzzling’, or ‘Perish[ing] from the Table of Nature’ Part 1 Selections: War, taxation and the end of the social contract Chapter 1 Isaac Eaton, The Tocsin. The British Tocsin, or Proofs of National Ruin Chapter 2 Anon., ‘The Grumblers’ Chapter 3 Sir Francis Burdett, Speech Chapter 4 The weavers and townspeople of Royton, ‘Handbill issued by the weavers and townspeople of Royton in May 1808, after Parliament rejected a bill to guarantee the weavers a minimum wage’ Chapter 5 ‘A Sufferer’, ‘Letter to Prince Regent’ Chapter 6 Anon., ‘ART. XI. 1. An Inquiry into the Causes of General Poverty and Dependance of Mankind; Including a Full Investigation of the Corn Laws’ Chapter 7 ‘Patricius’, ‘Taxation Against Population. To the Editors of the Liverpool Mercury’ Chapter 8 ‘Aristides’, ‘Radical Revolutionists and Modern Whigs. To the Editor of The Morning Post’ Chapter 9 T. William, ‘Address to the Industrious Classes of Britain and Ireland, Particularly to our Neighbours, the distressed Spitalfields Weavers’ Chapter 10 D. W. Harvey, Speech, ‘State of the Country’ Chapter 11 Anon., ‘Domestic Policy. No. III. The Condition of the Lower Orders’ Part 2 Responses to Malthus, the Corn Laws and the Poor Laws Chapter 12 MP Mr. Samuel Whitbread, ‘Poor-Laws Bill’ Chapter 13 Anon., ‘Liber Sine Titulo; or, Copy of a Manuscript-Fragment Found at a Certain Mountain in Derbyshire, which Takes Its Name from the Devil’ Chapter 14 George Ensor, ‘An Inquiry Concerning the Population of Nations; Containing A Refutation of Mr. Malthus’s Essay on Population’ Chapter 15 ‘Poor Relief Bill’ Chapter 16 Anon., ‘Proposed Refusal to Support the Poor, and to Abolish the Poor Laws’ Chapter 17 ‘Probus’, ‘Currency, Corn Laws, and Crime. Letter to the Editor of the Morning Chronicle’ Chapter 18 David Robinson, ‘The Poor Laws’ Chapter 19 Anon., ‘The Population Question.—Mr. Sadler and the Political Economists’ Chapter 20 Anon., ‘Poor Law Catechism, To Be Learned by Every Pauper Previous to His Confinement in the Bastile. Printed not under the Directions of the Poor Law Commissioners’ Chapter 21 ‘Marcus’, An Essay on Populousness (or On the Possibility of Limiting Populousness) Chapter 22 Anon., ‘Population, Subsistence, and Political Economists’ Part 3 Labour petitions and reform meetings Chapter 23 Richard Taylor, ‘To the Manfacturers, Mechanics, Artisans, and Others, (Inhabitants of Manchester and its Vicinity) Who Signed and Supported the late Petition to the House of Commons’ Chapter 24 Anon., ‘An Address from the Framework-Knitters to the Gentlemen Hosiers of the Town of Nottingham’ Chapter 25 William Crump, ‘Address of the Plain Silk Stocking-Makers to the Gentlemen Hosiers of Nottingham, Who Have Agreed to Give an Advance of Sixpence per Pair for the Making of Black Silk Hose’ Chapter 26 Charles Prescott, ‘Letter’ regarding the Stockport weavers’ petition to Parliament Chapter 27 Anon., ‘Address and Petition of the Distressed Mechanics of Birmingham’ Chapter 28 Anon., ‘Barnsley Reform Meeting’ Chapter 29 Anon., ‘Female Reformers’ Chapter 30 Anon., ‘Corn Laws-Petition of the Starving Weavers of Blackburn’ Chapter 31 T. B. Macaulay, ‘Difference between a State of Civilization & Barbarism (From Mr. T. B. Macaulay’s Speech at Edinburgh)’ Part 4 ‘Distress of the Nation’ Chapter 32 Anon., ‘The following Report seems to us to be drawn up with so much judgment. Report of the Association, formed in London, on the 23rd Day of May, 1812, for the Relief and Benefit of the Manufacturing and the Labouring Poor’ Chapter 33 Anon., ‘Distresses of the Iron Manufacturers in Staffordshire’ Chapter 34 Anon., ‘Distress of the Nation’ Chapter 35 Mr. Holt, ‘To the Right Hon. The Earl of Derby, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Lancaster’ Chapter 36 Mr. Bennet, ‘State of the Manufacturing Districts’ Chapter 37 Anon., ‘Meeting of the Cotton-Spinners’ Chapter 38 Anon., ‘Bury, August 30. The Late Meeting at Manchester’ Chapter 39 Anon., ‘Alarming State of the People’ Chapter 40 Anon., ‘Causes and Cures of the Present Distress’ Chapter 41 ‘J. R.’, ‘Art. IX. Domestic Arrangements of the Working Classes’ Part 5 Dietary, real and imagined Chapter 42 ‘M’, ‘On Making Bread From Wood’ Chapter 43 Anon., ‘Real Relief for the Sufferings of the Poor’ Chapter 44 Anon., ‘The General Fast’ Chapter 45 ‘Dietary Tables Issued by the Poor Law Commissioners for Cirencester Union, December 1836’ Chapter 46 Anon., ‘Starvation Wholesome’ Chapter 47 Testimony from Mr. Thomas Bourne, Select Committee on Poor Law Amendment Act: Third Report Chapter 48 Anon., ‘Suppressed Papers of the British Association, Left in Newcastle Upon Tyne in August Last’ Chapter 49 John Eagles, ‘New Scheme for Maintaining the Poor’ Chapter 50 Testimony from Rev. D. Williams (Curate of Shalbourne), 11 May 1838, and from John Bowen (Guardian of Bridgwater Union), 5 July 1838, Select Committee of House of Lords on Operation of Poor Law Amendment Act Chapter 51 Charles Horace Wall, ‘How Do Poor Men Live?’ Part 6 Violence, revolution, crime Chapter 52 Anon., ‘London, Tuesday, August 24, 1819’ Chapter 53 Anon., ‘The debate upon the Address’ Chapter 54 Anon., ‘Parliamentary Intelligence. House of Lords and House of Commons, Tuesday, November 30’ Chapter 55 William Johnston, ‘The Present Crisis’ Chapter 56 William Cobbett, ‘Feelosofical Quackery’ Chapter 57 Anon., ‘The Interpreter: Where May One Starve?’ Chapter 58 Anon., ‘The Town, a Ministerial Paper’ Chapter 59 Peter Quiz, ‘Radical Shooting. Letter to Editor of the Brighton Patriot’ Chapter 60 Testimony from Rev. George Stringer Bull, 14 August 1838, Select Committee of House of Lords on Operation of Poor Law Amendment Act Chapter 61 Anon., ‘Stealing from Starvation’ Chapter 62 A Commissioner, ‘Intercepted Report of a Poor Law Commissioner’ Notes Index Capturing Dorothy Hartley's point that there was "a dislocation of the food supply " during the Industrial Revolution, which occurred through the enclosure movement, the poor laws, the game and corn laws (qtd. in Consuming Fictions 8), this section would begin with the date of Thomas Malthus's "Principle of Population" (1798) to capture voices invoked during the lead up to the Reform Bill of 1832. Capturing Dorothy Hartley0́9s point that there was "a dislocation of the food supply" during the Industrial Revolution, which occurred through the enclosure movement, the poor laws, the game and corn laws (qtd. in Consuming Fictions 8), this section would begin with the date of Thomas Malthus0́9s "Principle of Population" (1798) to capture voices invoked during the lead up to the Reform Bill of 1832 This volume examines the sub-topics on the use of the metaphor of hunger to describe the condition of women as well as to a sub-topic on invisible poverty and hunger after Chartism failed. As Disraeli noted, there were still two Englands "fed by a different food."