pieces of linen were in Iraid on market day, but to a much less extent than they were ten or twenty years ago; the salmafacturers were very much reduced in mumber, and the large manufacturers were very much increased The security which the purchaser of those pieces of cloth had that they were perfect articles throughout, was that he examined them at his own warehouse; he measured and examined them himself. He believed that there was not now any stamper of the cloth to guarantee the fact of their being perfect; there had been, but he thought that had been abolished; because they found it troublesome and of no use, and every man examined his own cloth. The trade was getting into a diferent channel entirely, He was not aware that there were any laws now remaining for the regulation of the sale of woollens; but he was not particularly acquainted with the trade. He believed that when the pieces of cloth were offered to the trader to purchase, he marked them; said he would take them at a certain price; then examined them, and if he found any imperfection in them, he returned them. He should think the system was much the same now in Ireland. With reference to the woollen trade at present, there was a very small part of the trade carried on by individual weavers: twenty or thirty years ago a great part of the manufacture was carried on by men who brought a few pieces of cloth to sell, and who employed a small number of men; but now the trade was very much altered; it was carried on in large establishments. That must undoubtedly require a superior capital; but that capital could always be obtained when the profits were good: the regulations which were repealed were merely an obstacle to its introduction. He did not altogether attribute the improved state of the woollen manufacture to the repeal of those regulations which formerly existed, similar to those which exist on the linen trade in Ireland; those regulations were a very trifling obstacle; they were not numerous, but they were an obstacle as far as they went. The system of inspecting linen before it was brought to market was useless, as far as he was able to judge, supposing that the weaver was permitted to sell it in any way that he pleased. Supposing that the trade was conducted in open market, it would be necessary, when on a market day many hundred webs were sold to a vast number of buyers, for the purchaser to have the quantity of yards in each web previously ascertained and certified to him, in a way so responsible as to secure to him that he had the quantity he bought. He understood that the trade, as now conducted in Ireland, was confined to open market; but if the weavers had the choice of selling either in open market or to the bleacher, inspection, he thought, would not be necessary. He was not aware that any kind of advantage could be derived from the compulsory sale of the linen webs only in open market. He should think that it lost a great deal of time to the weaver that he might employ much better at home. He should suppose, that if a weaver was an honest man, and made his goods regularly well, he would sell them constantly to some bleacher, and the bleacher would say, “I will give you such a price for all the goods you bring me:" he would have no trouble or loss of time in selling his goods. By making the trade free, he thought there would be that system of confidence between the buyer and the seller, that there would be no delay or difficulty whatsoever in making their bargains for the goods in question, and that would save a great deal of time. He thought it very probable, in the end, that the bleacher would purchase the flax and dress it, and put it out to the spinner and weaver; and being a man of superior intelligence, and being a man of more capital, he would naturally be able to discover all the improvements in the trade, and would be able to introduce them among the weavers whom he employed; and that in this manner he would confer upon that mixed population of weavers and agriculturists almost as much advantage as they could derive from being employed constantly in a manufacturing house, till machinery was introduced. Such a system would, he believed, contribute to improve the dressing of flax as well as the spinning and the weaving. He should not apprehend that if the weavers in the country were not obliged, by regulation, to bring their webs to open market, but were left to take their webs to the bleach-greens, there to make the best bargain they could, that the consequence would be, the introduction of a system of money-lending by the bleachers to the weavers, and actually mortgaging their labour. He was aware that in Ireland there existed very little of what was called the second class of society; that they were all either gentlemen, or a poorer description of people. He thought that it would be of great advantage to introduce some persons of a rather higher class, who would give out the yarn to the weavers, to whom they would pay wages. He also admitted that the existence of a second class would correct that natural jealousy which existed between the highest class of society and the lowest description of society; and by so doing, would prevent many of the convulsions that we frequently heard of taking place in Ireland. He thought it probable that to some extent, if the laws were so altered as to open the trade, the bleacher would transact that part of the business which related to supplying the weaver with yarn and finding a market, by giving out the yarn to the weaver to weave, and by paying the weaver for weaving, and thus take away from the weaver the character of a linen merchant; but perhaps it was more probable that some of the more industrious men among the weavers would begin to employ others besides themselves, and would purchase the yarn and weave it, and sell it in large quantities. He He should consider the mode of constituting was used for the warps, and linen for the wefts, imported so cheap, it would be the interest of which gave it the appearance of linen. He the great body of consumers that they should be believed the purchasers frequently were not so imported. He did not think that a system of aware that there was any mixture of cotton importing linens, and a system of exporting in it. He believed that the manufacture, mixed cottons, would be to the interest of the maas he had described, of linen and cotton in nufacturer; it would be the interest of the Great Britain, was not exported from Great country at large, and of the consumers of linens, Britain, drawing bounty as if it were entirely to buy them wherever they could buy them the linen; but he was not aware whether it was or cheapest. Such a system being the consequence not because the price of it would be above the of opening the ports to foreign linens, would, bounty price. A cheaper article of linen and undoubtedly, have the effect of checking the cotton mixed, pretending to be linen, than of linen trade, and therefore, of compelling some pure linen, could be made in the finer articles, of the linen manufacturers to leave their estabut not in the coarse articles. He believed blishments, and enter into other concerns. He that it might in some degree be done so as to thought it would be very unfair, by such coercion, bring the article under eighteen pence a yard; to drive one set of people out of a trade, in but he was not aware at all that it was done. which they had embarked their capital, and He thought that the bounties upon the export of under which the country was prospering, in linen ought to be removed, but very gradually: order to make them adopt another that might be after a trade had been cherished and encouraged, fancied better for them, upon mere speculation. the encouragement should be taken away very He had no doubt that, if any quantity of capital gradually, that the manufacturer might not were turned out of the linen trade, it would find receive any sudden check. He should suppose occupation in some other department of industry that Great Britain and Ireland, at present, in this country; but at the same time it would derived pretty equal advantage from the system be a great injury to those in the linen trade. of bounties upon export of linen. That must He conceived that a middle system might be certainly depend upon the extent to which the adopted without injury to any party, by adexport took place of the manufacture of Great mitting the foreign linens by degrees. That, Britain or of Ireland. He was not aware that however, would be a great injury to the Irish there was a much larger export of British manu-manufacturer; which, considering the situation factured linen drawing bounty than Irish; he of Ireland, with an immense population so imthought it had not been very different. The perfectly employed as it was, would not be justiprinciple on which he considered the continuation of a gradually diminishing bounty as necessary for the British linen manufacture was, that it might be able to compete with the manufactures of foreign linens, those of Russia and of Germany, in foreign markets. He was a member of the Committee of the Linen Trade, and they had had several meetings lately, with the view of comparing the German and Russian linens with the articles of British manufacture, and the result of their inquiries had been, that Mr. THOMAS CROSTHWAITE, examined.— the protecting duty of twenty-five per cent, Was one of the proprietors of spinning-mills at which Mr. Huskisson proposed, would not at all Lucan, near Dublin. They were extensive; bring the foreign linens to the same price as but not so extensive as in England. They theirs; that it would require on some articles a employed about five hundred hands, and worked duty of forty or fifty per cent to bring them on up about five or six tons of flax a week; but it a par with the price of British linens. He depended greatly upon the quality of the flax. believed that that observation, as to the neces- It was fifteen years since those mills were sity of a higher protecting duty, applied exclu- established. They did not spin very fine yarn ; sively to foreign linens intended for the con- about two hank and a half to the pound was the sumption of Great Britain; but it proved that finest. They did not sell any of the yarn ; foreign linens could be manufactured much they manufactured all into linen, except some cheaper, and brought to market cheaper than fine yarn, which was twisted. The general British linens. If the foreign linens were im- cloth they made was a kind of dowlas, and they ported without duty, they would some of them confined themselves very much to that manube nearly half the price of a similar article of facture. It sold for 11d. the yard, of twentyBritish linen. He supposed that the same com-eight inches in width. He could not say that parative difference of value would exist between he found the trade answer, so as to induce him those linens, if sold at New York. He was of to form an opinion that spinning by mills was opinion that it would require as long a period as likely to become an extensive business in Ireten years to get rid of the bounties upon linen. land. He got into the trade; he did not know Undoubtedly, if those foreign linens could be any thing of it; and he had gone on with it. fiable. Conforming to general principles upon that particular question of allowing foreign Kinens to be imported, would be for the decided advantage of all consumers of linens in this country. The Committee of the linen manufacture he had spoken of, conceived that a duty of twenty-five per cent upon foreign linens was a very insufficient protection for the generality of linens; and were making out a schedule to submit to government. They bought a great deal of their flax in the north | deprived of an advantage. He knew of no other of Ireland; and sometimes imported it, when regulation that interfered with the sale of millthey could do so to advantage, and to answer spun English yarn, or foreign linen yarn im. their manufacture. They always bought it un-ported, than its being required to contain three dressed, and dressed it themselves. He could hundred yards; it could be seized when offered not conceive any other way that a manufacturer for sale, if it was not of that measure. With could use it. He had read the memorial of the regard to the regulations respecting the reeling factors, and he did not know what they meant of yarn, it was for the advantage of the manuby deriving an advantage from importing dressed facture to have it rightly reeled; but a difficulty flax. The law prohibited its coming in; but if arose when a jobber went down to the country the law were removed, he did not think it would and bought a certain quantity of yarn, if the be imported. It was impossible to buy dressed flax yarn came up to the factor's hands, and it was in Ireland in large quantities. It was not to be not rightly reeled, it could be seized: it was had in the quantity he wanted; and he would not clear, then, that the factor having yarn once buy it for another reason; when the flax was made seized, would not willingly advance money on it up and dressed, if he wanted to use it, he should any more. It was, he believed, at the suggestion have to open it; and as it was made up with a of the yarn factors that the linen yarn that he knot, he reckoned that the opening it would be spoke of as having been seized in Dublin was almost half the trouble of dressing it. The examined; the yarn factors gave a memorial to person who dressed the flax for sale would the Linen Board, requesting them to enforce always dress off as little of the tow as he could, the law; and the Linen Board, although not at which was against the spinner. He required to the time, yet within two years, did enforce the dress it so as to adapt it to the particular manu- law; and therefore he conceived the factors had facture he wanted it for; but he thought the no right to complain when the law was enforced, argument was conclusive, that it would not be provided it was not partially done. The stateimported, from the circumstance that it might ment of the memorial to the Linen Board required come into England, and was not imported. the law to be enforced in consequence of disadThey had purchased yarn in Ireland; but they vantages in the sale of the yarn having been usually did not do it. He was aware of the found to exist when it came to England. He regulations under which yarn was sold in Ire- could not say whether that had the effect of land. He believed that, in point of fact, they obliging the Irish spun yarn to come to market prohibited the use of foreign or English mill- more regularly prepared; for he had not lately spun yarn. The law in Ireland was imperative bought any. The original principle of that respecting the hank, that each cut should be regulation was this; the only way that you three hundred yards, and the inspector had the could calculate how to make linen was by the power of seizing any yarn that was not so made length of the thread that was required for the up. It was certainly not injurious to the Irish warp and weft; when the hank was regularly manufacturer to have the hank rightly reeled, reeled, the calculation was easily made, and and in that state the yarn was of more value to there was a direct check against the weaver. him; whether the law had been effective or not For the sake of the manufacture of yarn into was another question. About the year 1816 cloth, it certainly ought to continue to be rethe yarn factors memorialised the Linen Board, quired that every hank of yarn should contain that they should put the law in force, and of three hundred yards. It did not however sigcourse seize all the yarn that was not properly nify whether there were three hundred yards or reeled; saying that the trade suffered very much not, so that there was a certain quantity; the by fraudulent reeling: the Linen Board did, he law with regard to linen yarn made it imperabelieved, direct the inspectors to look more tive that you should have one hundred and closely to the yarn trade, and in 1818 they made twenty threads of ninety inches circumference, a seizure. He did not think that it was the and no more, in every cut. It would be next object of those linen manufacturers to prevent to impossible to reel it exactly; for as the woman the use of foreign yarn; they complained that turned her reel round, if she missed a thread, Irish hand-spun yarn, going to England, was she could not go back, and it might be seized deteriorated in value, from not being rightly for being one or two threads deficient or too reeled, and the enforcing the law was left with much. The law required the inspector to seize the Linen Board; and they called upon the and destroy the yarn. The penalty was too Linen Board to have that law enforced in 1818 heavy; but the regulation was correct. It was they did enforce it, and some yarn was seized; certainly his opinion that in that respect the whether the yarn had been since better reeled law ought to be altered, and that there ought to or not he could not say. He should think the be a discretion somewhere. He believed the linen manufacturers of Ireland suffered injury yarn could not be forfeited, unless it was brought from the use of foreign yarn being prohibited: ¦ before a magistrate. With regard to yarn, a if the foreign yarn could be imported into Eng-person took a certain quantity of flax, and spun land and Scotland, and not into Ireland, it was it according to what he thought proper, which perfectly clear that the Irish manufacturer was determined the quality; but he knew no way that the manufacturer could buy it advantage- hands of the low description of people he had ously, without it was put into a certain length; described; he did not know who else would sit because if he did not buy it in that state, he down to spin but the very poor class of persons, would have to reel it himself, and he must then the wages or gain being very moderate. He buy it at a proportionate price. He did not had heard of such a thing as a person of capital believe that there was any law of that nature giving out flax, and paying people for spinning in England; the manufactures were quite dif- it; but it was only for a very particular kind of ferent. In England and Scotland it was gene- yarn for thread, or for some particular purposes, rally carried on in manufactories; and instead but not for making linen. He did not believe of a person reeling one hank, he reeled twenty it would ever be possible for any capitalist, from hanks at a time; he had a wheel at the end of the extended manner in which the spinning of his reel, by which he exactly put the number of yarn was scattered all over the country, to give threads in the hank, and thereby checked the out flax to those people who were now occupied work of his mill, and put the yarn into the very in spinning it by hand. In Scotland it was best shape for the manufacturer, who had only almost all done by mills. He understood there to give to the weaver the number of hanks re- was some spinning by hand; but he was quite quired to make a piece of linen. The English ignorant whether whatever there was was producer of yarn never varied the quantity in a conducted by persons giving out the flax and hank; although he believed it was optional paying people for spinning it. He thought last with him to vary it or not. Supposing it was year there was sown in Ireland about sixty-four left optional in Ireland, he did not think the thousand hogsheads of flax-seed, which would yarn producer there would be regulated by what produce about thirty-eight thousand tons of he found the most convenient quantity in a hank flax, of which about two thousand tons were for the manufacture of linen; nothing would exported in the raw state, the remainder was be convenient for the manufacture which did entirely manufactured in the country; and it not establish a certain quantity in length. The was a very important question, how far they reason that he thought that in Ireland the pro- would, under those circumstances, loosen the ducer of yarn should be obliged by law to have a regulations of the trade. He understood that certain quantity in a hank, while in England it coarse manufacture was declining in Ireland; was left to the convenience of the yarn manu- but he thought it arose not from the system facturer to regulate the quantity for himself, of the laws, but from the increase of the manuwas, that he conceived that in England, it being facture in Great Britain. He believed they carried on there by large responsible people, complained, amongst the trade in Ireland, they did exactly what was right, because they that the coarse manufacture was on the decline. were forthcoming in case there was any fraud Scotland was better situated for the linen trade, committed: it was quite different in Ireland: during the time of peace, than Ireland; because perhaps if he bought one cwt. of yarn, it might they were quite opposite to Russia, where they be spun by one hundred different women, and got flax at least 27. to 31. a ton cheaper than in how were they to understand what was for the Ireland; and he believed they spun cheaper good of the weaver? they were not responsible than in Ireland. He certainly thought the persons; they wanted to get their money, and coarse trade of Ireland would go to Scotland. they would sell it in any way they pleased, and He knew no other cause than the extreme perhaps looking to present advantage. There lowness of wages in Ireland that enabled the was, he understood, a difference of a sixth, linen trade to get up at all; and that was the exactly, between the English count and the very reason why he thought no individual could Irish count, in the hanks of mill-spun yarn. undertake it by paying wages to the hand-spinThe Irish statute reel was ninety inches in cir- ner. The whole freight of flax from Russia to cumference, that was, two yards and a half; one Ireland might be about 47. a ton. They got a hundred and twenty threads to each cut, and great deal from Armagh, and it cost them twelve cuts to the hank, made it three hundred within 17. 10s. a ton as much to get it from yards. The foreign, he believed, was very Armagh as it cost to get it from Russia. In varied. He believed that, in point of fact, it getting flax from Petersburgh to Aberdeen, or was owing to the circumstance that foreign yarn, in getting it from Petersburgh to Dublin, or to if imported into Ireland, would come into the the north of Ireland, there would be at least market reeled in a way which was not according 21. a ton in favour of Aberdeen; that was to to the regulations of the Irish act, that it was say, that the freight and charges from Petersseizable; and though he would not buy it him- burgh to Aberdeen would be at least 27. a ton self, he thought it a loss to the trade. As to less than the freight and charges from PetersEnglish mill-spun yarn, he could not conceive burgh to Dublin; of course that was an advanwhy it was excluded. With respect to what tage of 21. a ton. He did not know that they was produced in Ireland, some regulation was had any advantages in point of paying smaller necessary; but the penalty was too severe. He duties. There was a duty of 43d. a cwt. on knew very little of the trade in the north of Leland. The spinning of yarn must be in the flax, which was a mere nothing to the revenue. Flax was an article that would not bear to be |