Fors Clavigera (Volume 2 of 8): Letters to the workmen and labourers of Great BritainRuskin, John
General
Fors Clavigera (Volume 2 of 8): Letters to the workmen and labourers of Great Britain
Ruskin, John
Aesthetics; Conduct of life; Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century; Social problems; Working class -- Great Britain
Doughtie should receive punishment according to the
qualitie of the offence: and he, seeing no remedie but patience for
himselfe, desired before his death to receive the Communion, which
he did at the hands of M. Fletcher, our Minister, and our Generall
himselfe accompanied him in that holy action: which being done, and
the place of execution made ready, hee having embraced our Generall,
and taken his leave of all the companie, with prayer for the Queen's
Maiestie and our realme, in quiet sort laid his head to the blocke,
where he ended his life. This being done, our Generall made divers
speaches to the whole company, persuading us to unitie, obedience,
love, and regard of our voyage; and for the better confirmation
thereof, willed evry man the next Sunday following to prepare himselfe
to receive the Communion, as Christian brethren and friends ought to
doe, which was done in very reverent sort, and so with good contentment
every man went about his businesse."
Thus pass judgment and execution, under a despotic Government and
despotic Admiral, by religious, or, it may be, superstitious, laws.
You shall next see how judgment and execution pass on the purest
republican principles; every man's opinion being held as good as his
neighbour's; and no superstitious belief whatsoever interfering with
the wisdom of popular decision, or the liberty of popular action. The
republicanism shall also be that of this enlightened nineteenth
century: in other respects the circumstances are similar; for the
event takes place during an expedition of British--not subjects,
indeed, but quite unsubjected persons,--acknowledging neither Queen
nor Admiral,--in search, nevertheless, of gold and silver, in America,
like Sir Francis himself. And to make all more precisely illustrative,
I am able to take the account of the matter from the very paper which
contained Mr. Auberon Herbert's speech, the 'Pall Mall Gazette' of
5th December last. In another column, a little before the addresses
of the members for Nottingham, you will therein find, quoted from the
'New York Tribune,' the following account of some executions which took
place at "the Angels" (Los Angeles), California, on the 24th October.
"The victims were some unoffending Chinamen, the executioners
were some 'warm-hearted and impulsive' Irishmen, assisted by some
Mexicans. It seems that owing to an impression that the houses
inhabited by the Chinamen were filled with gold, a mob collected in
front of a store belonging to one of them named Yo Hing with the
object of plundering it. The Chinamen barricaded the building,
shots were fired, and an American was killed. Then commenced
the work of pillage and murder. The mob forced an entrance, four
Chinamen were shot dead, seven or eight were wounded, and seventeen
were taken and hanged. The following description of the hanging
of the first victim will show how the executions were conducted:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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