LLAMA 137 



manufacturer of Greetland, near Halifax, who, about tho year 1830, surmounted, 

 with much difficulty, the obstacles encountered in spinning the wool, and eventually 

 produced an article which sold at high prices for ladies' carriage-shawls and cloakings 

 but their value arose more from being rare and curious articles than from intrinsic- 

 worth. 



These were, it is well established, quite destitute of the peculiar gloss and beauty 

 which distinguish the alpaca lustres and fabrics of later times, and after a short period 

 the manufacture was abandoned. 



About the same time as Mr. Outram was weaving goods from alpaca, the wool 

 attracted the notice of the Bradford spinners. Messrs. Wood and Walker spun it to 

 some extent for camlet warps used in the Norwich trade. Owing to the cheapness of 

 alpaca wool during tho first years of its consumption in England, it was occasionally 

 employed instead of English hog wool for preparing lasting and camblet warps, being 

 spun to about No. 48. 



The earliest manufacture of the alpaca-wool into goods at Bradford appears to 

 have occurred under these circumstances. In the commencement of 1832 some 

 gentlemen, connected with the trade to the west coast of South America, were on a 

 visit at the house of J. Garnett, Esq., of Clithero, and, on their alluding to the diffi- 

 culty of meeting with suitable returns for goods forwarded to that part of the world, 

 he suggested to them the transmission of alpaca-wool, and offered, if they would send 

 him a few pounds weight to ascertain its value for manufacturing purposes. In a few 

 months he received some samples of alpaca-wool, which, on October 2, 1832, he for- 

 warded to Messrs. Horsfall of Bradford, with a request that they would test its value. 

 Accordingly, they fabricated from this wool a piece resembling heavy camblet, which 

 they showed to the Leeds merchants ; but the piece, not developing any peculiar 

 qualities of alpaca, did not please, so that Messrs. Horsfall were not encouraged to 

 proceed further with experiments. However, in the same year Messrs. Hoyam, Hall, 

 and Co., spirited merchants of Liverpool, perceiving the value of the alpaca-wool, 

 directed their agents in Peru to purchase and ship over all the parcels of alpaca-wool 

 they coxild meet with ; some of which, being sent to the Bradford district, was spun 

 and manufactured by several parties there. The pieces chiefly fabricated from alpaca 

 in the neighbourhood of Bradford were figures made witli worsted warp and alpaca 

 weft, the figures being raised and lustrous, like union damasks. These goods were in 

 vogue only for a limited time, for neither the figured nor plain ones seem to have suited 

 the public taste. 



Until iks introduction of cotton warps into the worsted trade it may safely be 

 averred that the alpaca manufacture had not been developed, and would never have 

 made much progress without being combined with cotton or silk warp. To Sir 

 Titus Salt, of Bradford, must undoubtedly be awarded the high praise of finally 

 overcoming the difficulties of preparing and spinning the alpaca-wool so as to produce 

 an even and true thread ; and, by combining it with cotton warps, which had then 

 (1836) been imported into the trade at Bradford, improved the manufacture so as to 

 make it one of the staple industries of the kingdom. He has, by an admirable adap- 

 tation of machinery, been enabled to work up the material with the ease of ordinary 

 wool, and thus present beautiful alpaca-stuffs at a reasonable rate. Every previous 

 attempt had been made, as far as can be ascertained, with worsted warps, with which 

 the alpaca did not easily assort. 



About the year 1836 the alpaca trade had become established, and has since risen 

 to much importance. After this period the manufacture rapidly extended. The great 

 mercantile house of A. and S. Henry took very large quantities of alpaca-stuffs, which 

 began to be made in an endless variety of goods suited both for male and female 

 dress, including scarfs, handkerchiefs, and cravats, plain and figured goods, both with 

 silk and cotton warp, for ladies' dresses, dyed alpaca checks of beautiful texture, and 

 a variety of grograms, codringtons, silk-striped, checked, and figured alpacas and 

 alpaca linings. The demand for these various alpaca fabrics during the period between 

 1841 and 1846 remained uniform and steady. 



At the commencement of the manufacture of alpaca goods with cotton warps (silk 

 was not used) the weft was spun from fine qualities of the wool into low numbers, 

 and the pieces were made much richer and heavier than has been the case more 

 recently, the demand having altered in favour of lighter and less costly cloth. 



Most of the alpaca-wool brought into the United Kingdom is unshipped at Liver- 

 pool, but a small portion is also carried to London. At these two ports, it may be 

 asserted, the whole imported into this country is landed. It arrives in small bales, 

 called ballots, weighing about 70 Ibs., and is generally in an impure state, with diffe- 

 rent qualities mixed. Like the fleece of the sheep, that of the alpaca is composed of 

 different qualities, so that the portion growing on the hind-quarters is of an inferior 

 description. The wool is .sorted into about eight different qualities,, each fitted for a 



