Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 343, May 1844

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25047

Title

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine - Volume 55, No. 343, May 1844

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1844 issue of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine presents a scathing critique of rising crime in the British Empire, juxtaposed with a harrowing account of Irish landlord-tenant oppression. Featuring essays on transportation, Indian affairs, and the 'monster-misery of literature,' the collection exposes social decay, religious hypocrisy, and legal injustices with a tone of urgent moral alarm.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in May 1844, Volume 55 of Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine presents a collection of essays addressing the turbulent social and political landscape of the British Empire. The volume opens with a statistical indictment of rising crime in Britain, arguing that despite massive efforts in religious and educational reform, criminal commitments have surged far faster than population growth. The author contends that while a police force and new laws have merely exposed pre-existing evils, the public's aversion to taxation prevents effective action. The text highlights that since 1805, detected crime in England has quadrupled while the population advanced only sixty percent, a trend even more alarming in Scotland where serious crime rose twenty-five times faster than the population. The author asserts that these statistics are likely underestimates, as the establishment of police forces in tax-hating communities only brings previously undetected crimes to light. The narrative then shifts to a first-person account of a young surgeon, Mr. Walpole, who travels to Paris to study under the renowned Baron Bichat. The Baron, a man of immense talent but growing infidelity, praises the controversial materialist Z---, causing distress to the devout Walpole. Their debate highlights the clash between scientific progress and traditional faith, with the Baron dismissing religious 'fables' in favor of the revelations found in nature, chemistry, and geology. Walpole, though charmed by the Baron's intellect, refuses to compromise his Christian principles, ultimately resolving never to return to the Baron's house after the elder man insults his faith. The volume concludes with a fierce indictment of Irish landlords. The text details how landlords illegally imprison tenants, destroy property, and manipulate legal systems to evade responsibility. Specific examples include a landlord who, while a tenant named Pat Ring was in jail for three weeks without legal counsel, systematically wrecked the tenant's home, stripping roofs, thatch, and timber for his own use. The essay argues that landlords falsely claim victimhood in the face of revolutionary agitation while engaging in tyranny. It exposes the absurdity of landlord claims regarding civil bill processes, noting that the vast majority are actions for debts between shopkeepers and customers, not rent disputes. The author condemns the 'dominant faction' of landlords and revolutionary agitators alike, calling for the confiscation of estates held by those whose greatest crime is their attachment to British connection.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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