S12 



COTTON 



land was in the 16th century, and in Russia in the 

 18th. But until the close of the last century, the 

 cotton used was either for candle wicks or for mix- 

 ture with flax or wool. The first piece of British- 

 made calico i.e. a fabric all cotton was produced 

 in 1783. Prior to that date cotton -yarn had been 

 used for weft only, the warp being supplied by flax 

 or wool. Hargreave's ' spinning- jenny ' (invented 

 1764, patented 1770) could not produce a yarn 

 strong and hard enough for warp ; but this diffi- 

 culty was overcome by Arkwright's ' water-frame ' 

 (spinning by rollers), brought out in 1769, and 

 further improved in 1775. Hargreave's ' spinning- 

 jenny ' was virtually superseded by Cromp ton's 

 'mule' (so called from the circumstance that it 

 combined the principles of both Hargreave's and 

 Arkwright's inventions ), patented in 1779. It was 

 also called the 'muslin-wheel,' because it produced 

 a finer and more uniform yarn than was possible by 

 either the ' jenny ' or the ' water-frame. ' Up to the 

 date of Crompton's invention, the progress of the 

 industry had been very slow ; the import of cotton 

 in that year being only about 6,000,000 lb., against 

 nearly 4,000,000 lb. in 1764, and nearly 3,000,000 

 lb. in 1751. In 1785 Arkwright's patents, which 

 comprised improvements connected with carding, 

 drawing, roving, and spinning, were thrown open, 

 and the industry at once advanced by leaps and 

 bounds the import of cotton reaching 18,000,000 

 lb. in 1785, and 31,000,000 lb. in 1790, or 45,000 

 bales of 400 lb., and 77,000 bales respectively. 

 There was now a plethora of yarn, but this was 

 overcome by improvements in weaving. Dr Cart- 

 wright invented the power-loom in 1785, and added 

 to its utility in 1787. These were the first improve- 

 ments since Kay's 'fly-shuttle' (1738) and'drop- 

 "box ' (1760). Between 1790 and 1797 the cry was 

 for more cotton ; prices advancing from a range of 

 12d. to 22d. per lb. to one of 25d. to 40d. The 

 spinners looked to India, but the invention of the 

 ' saw-gin ' in 1793 brought relief from America, and 

 the import in 1800 reached 46,000,000 lb. In the 

 meantime Bell had invented ' cylinder printing ' 

 (1783), which enabled one man and a boy to do the 

 work of 100 men and 100 boys ; and in the same 

 year oxymuriatic acid was first applied to bleach- 

 ing, whereby work which had previously taken up 

 several months could now be done in a few days. 

 Watt's steam-engine was invented in 1769, im- 

 proved in 1781, and first used in connection with 

 cotton-spinning and manufacturing in 1785. Vast 

 improvements have been made upon the original 

 inventions of Arkwright, Crompton, and Cart- 

 wright during the present century ; but the im- 

 provements in spinning were for many years much 

 more rapid than those in weaving. The ' self-act- 

 ing mule ' was brought out by Messrs Sharp & 

 Roberts in 1825, and further improved in 1830, 

 about which time, too, considerable improvements 

 were made in the ' water-frame ; ' but in the last- 

 named year there were still only about 80,000 

 power-looms at work against about three times the 

 number of hand-looms. In 1841, however, Messrs 

 Kenworthy & Bullough brought out a power-loom, 

 which, while reducing the labour of the weaver 

 nearly one-half, produced a greater quantity, as 

 well as an improved quality of cloth. Still further 

 improvements have since been made, all tending 

 towards augmented outturn and diminished cost of 

 production. Hargreave's first ' jenny ' contained 

 only 8 spindles, but the number was increased by 

 degrees until it reached 120. At the opening of the 

 present century the 'mule' contained about 200 

 spindles ; it now contains from 1000 to 1200, while 

 within quite recent times the speed at which the 

 spindles run has been increased from 7000 revolu- 

 tions per minute to 10,000 revolutions. Fifty years 

 since the speed of the loom varied from 90 to 112 



picks ( throws of the shuttle ) a minute ; now it 

 ranges from 180 to 200 picks a minute, and in some 

 instances still more. At the Oldham Exhibition 

 there was shown a light calico loom capable of 

 running as high as 400 picks per minute. 



The leading economical results of the inventions 

 of a century ago, and of the subsequent improve- 

 ments are briefly set forth in the following table, 

 which gives the weight of cotton consumed in 

 Great Britain, the weight of yarn, and the quan- 

 tity of piece-goods exported in millions of Ibs. 

 and yards, and the value of all kinds of cotton pro- 

 ducts exported in various years, commencing with 

 1779, the year in which Crompton's ' mule ' was 

 brought out, followed by 1785, the year in which 

 Arkwright's patents were thrown open. Figures 

 in millions of Ibs., yards, and 's : 



The complete particulars from 1779 to 1800 are not 

 obtainable. The average price of cotton is for West 

 Indian from 1779 to 1790 ; but for 1800 and since 

 it is for middling American. The value of goods, 

 &c. exported from 1779 to 1800 is the ' official ' value ; 

 since then, the real or declared value. The aver- 

 age prices of yarn and goods exported are those of 

 the Board of Trade. The effect of the continued 

 improvements in machinery is shown still more 

 strikingly in the following statement of the cost 

 at various dates of producing yarn of forty hanks 

 to the pound. The first line of figures represent 

 the selling-price of tlfe yarn, the second the cost 

 of the cotton used (18 oz. in weight), and the third 

 the balance left for labour and capital : 



1779. 1784. 1799. 1812. 1830. 1860. 1887. 



. d. i. d. i. d. s. d. l. d. i. d. t. d. 



Price 160 1011 76 26 1 2J llj 9J 



Cotton 20 20 34 16 07| 06J 06J 



Labour, &c 140 811 42 10 06| 04| 03 



The cost of weaving has also been vastly reduced. 

 A species of calico selling at 6s. per yard towards 

 the close of the last century can HOAV be had for 

 as many pence ! The decline in the price of calico 

 since 1815 is greater in proportion than the fall 

 in the price of yarn : 40's yarn, for instance, is only 

 worth about one-third the price current in 1812, 

 but calico is not worth more than one-sixth or one- 

 seventh. 



The rapid increase in consumption between 1785 

 and 1790 was due to the spread of Crompton's and 

 Arkwright's inventions. The great increase in 

 the volume of trade, and the material decline in 

 the prices of yarn and piece-goods, between 1820 

 and 1840, was owing chiefly to the invention of 

 the 'self-acting mule.' The still more important 

 developments between 1840 and 1860 were due 

 chiefly to the improvements in the power-loom, but 

 in a great measure also to the opening up of the 

 trade with China. The progress made in the 

 export branch of the industry is shown more fully 

 in the following account of the shipments of piece- 

 goods and yarn from Britain to the leading districts 

 of the world at various periods from 1820 onwards, 

 in millions of yards and Ibs. : 



