116 On the Rise and Progress 
changes that have taken place from time to 
time to the present day, before we can appre- 
ciate the advantages or disadvantages, as well 
as the causes of these changes. 
With regard to the operation of weaving, 
I believe it will be admitted that it remains 
nearly the same as it was 50 or 60 years ago, 
or indeed at any period, or in any country 
where the people have been in the habit of 
weaving for a subsistence ; with the difference 
only of the application of the fly-shuttle, 
which was invented and introduced about the 
year 1750, by Mr. John Kay, of Bury ;—at 
that time the cotton was carded and spun by 
hand in the weaver’s family, and the manu- 
factory was carried on to an extent sufficient 
to supply a limited home consumption. 
Even then, however, there were frequent 
fluctuations in the demand for cotton fabrics; 
the causes of which may have proceeded from 
a variety of circumstances, such as an occa- 
sional scarcity of food, or any other obstruc- 
tion to the progressive improvement of the 
country. ) 
Under such circumstances, when a stagna- 
tion took place it was natural that the manu- 
facturer would, rather than be out of employ- 
ment, endeavour to find a market for his 
goods in other countries. And from this 
