522 Evitknee before the Committee 



liini Willi a quantity of cotton maciiincry 

 {IS good as in England, altiiough not so 

 clienj). 



Do you know whether any machinery 

 for any oiher country has been made in 

 France?— Yes, for Switzerland, Ger- 

 many, and Belgium. 



Do you know whellicr, if our laws 

 l)a(! permitted the export of that ma- 

 chinery, the orders would liave been 

 excciiied in England instead of France? 

 —No doubt they would have been ; they 

 ■would have given their orders to Eng- 

 land, because they could have been 

 executed here forty per cent, cheaper, 

 and superior in quality, and veith greater 

 dispjitch. 



Is Iherc any duty on the export of 

 machinery from France? — No: but all 

 kinds are allowed to be exported. 



In what state are the woollen manu- 

 factures there? — I had a conversation 

 yesterday with some of the largest ma- 

 iiulacturers in France; they had just 

 come from Yorkshire,>here the largest 

 Avoollen manufactures are carried on ; 

 tlicy visited a number of those manufac- 

 tories. I asked them what they would 

 think, if the woollen manufactures of 

 England were permitted to enter France 

 iimlcr a certain duty; whether they 

 would be afraid. They answered, " No, 

 not at all; because we should always 

 have a duty on them, and we have a 

 great number of articles that we could 

 send to England, under a reasonable 

 duty ; of course, if we lose one article, 

 we shall gain by some others exported 

 to England." 



Where is the machinery, which is 

 nscd in the sheering of cloth, made in 

 France?— Particularly in Paris; the 

 inventor (Mr. Collier, an Englishman,) 

 lias been established in France for many 

 years, whose French patent is now in- 

 troiluced in England, 



Is that machinery at all equal to the 

 English machinery? — I have been in- 

 formed that their machinery is equal to 

 that made in England for the same 

 purpose. 



If (he laws, prohihitinfj the exporta- 

 tion of our machinery, were repealed, 

 would not France, in the course of a 

 fuw years, have establishments of every 

 description, the same as in England ? — 

 No. 



Why not?— Because they have not 

 capital enough to do it, nor that steady 

 perseverance so essentially necessary lo 

 establish large works, except forced to 

 it b]/ the prohibitory Jaws of England. 



[Mayl, 



Would not Francej on account of the 

 low price of labour, be enabled to un- 

 derwork the English manufacturer, as 

 to the price of her manufactures?— 

 Never. 



Is not (he price of labour in France 

 considerably lower than in England ? — 

 Considerably lower in, some parts of 

 France. 



Then are the Committee to under- 

 stand, that, whether the laws are re- 

 pealed or not, it will not make mueli 

 difference to France? — It will not mako 

 any difference to French manufacturers 

 now. France can go well alone. 



Have you seen many steam-engines 

 when at woik? — Yes, a considerable 

 number. 



Are they principally worked by coats, 

 or by wood ? — By coal, principally. 



Is there any duty on the importatiori 

 of coals into France ? — Y'es, hom Eng- 

 land and Belgium ; and from the pit in 

 France, a small duty on home con- 

 sumption. 



In what part of France is coal most 

 abundant? — Wc have it near Valen- 

 ciennes; in the south of France; near 

 Saint Etieiine; in the vicinity of Nantes.; 

 and from Belgium we receive a great 

 quantity. 



Are you able to state at what price it 

 is sold at the mouth of the pit? — The 

 price at the mouth of the pit may be 

 taken at 10*. per ton English, of twenty 

 hundred- weight. At St. Qucntin, the 

 price, including carriage and duty, is 

 20s. per ton ; and at Paris, duty and 

 carriage included, 40*. to 42*. per ton- 

 Rouen 40*. to 45». 



Do you mean, by ton of twenty hun- 

 dred-weight, English weight? — Yes. 



Are you able to slate what quality the 

 coal is, compared with Newcastle or 

 Staffordshire coal ? — The coalthatcomes 

 from the south of France is the best 

 quality we have in France, and as much 

 esteemed as any that comes from New- 

 castle, and used particularly with great 

 advantage in smith's work. The coal 

 that comes from Valenciennes is not so 

 good, but that from the south is better 

 and dearer. 



Is water the principal power nscd 

 for working machinery at Roum ? — 

 Yes ; and in the principal inanufuclures 

 in most other parts of France. 



Do you know, also, whether any iron 

 ore is found in France? — Yes; it is 

 found near St. Elienne, and some other 

 parts of France. 

 Is the iroti ore found near where the 

 coal 



