= i 1 
1793. 
State at 
2 ENGLAND. 
Statistics. different are the two manufactures at 
! So rapid 
and was the of fashion, which substi- 
tuted cotton for silk, that in the year 1793, in the neigh- 
bourhood of Spitalfields alone, 4500 looms were shut 
up: these looms, when in full work, gave employment 
te 10,000 of whom more than a half were wo- 
men and child A short time before this, the East 
India Company, in order to encourage the British ma- 
nufacture of silk, introduced into Bengal the Italian 
method of winding it ; and they were able to render 
this country in a great measure independent of Italy, 
&c. for raw and thrown silk ; besides, it was ascertained, 
that the throw mills in England, on the whole, threw 
only about 50,000 pounds of silk in the year, which 
was not to an.eighth part of the thrown silk im- 
ported. t, unfortunately, revolution in fashion 
took place just about the time when the East India 
Company had matured their plans. 
The following is the state of the silk manufacture of 
this country at present, in the principal places where 
it is carried on:—At Derby, there are 12 twist mills,on 
the model of those brought over by Sir Thomas Lombe, 
which give employment to about 1000 people, mostly 
women and children. At Macclesfield, between 20 and 
30 silk mills are generally at work for the throwing of 
silk, ad making of sewing silk, most of which are 
tury a water; waste silk is also spun for the making 
of s.ockings and silk handkerchiefs, ribbons, tape, &c. 
manufactured. At Leek, ribbons, sewing:silk, silk twist, 
and buttons: this place and Coventry have taken away 
a considerable part of the silk trade from Spittalfields, 
in consequence, it is sup) , of the effects of the act 
of Parliament for regulating wages at the latter place. 
Coventry and Atherstone in the same county, are the 
principal places for the manufacture of ribbons. At 
St Albans and Watford, in Hertfordshire, there are 
alk mills on a new and improved’ construction, which 
ive employment -to a considerable number of people: 
are likewise silk mills at Sheffield’; Bruton,’ ini 
Somersetshire ; Sherbourne and Stalbridge’ in Dorset- 
shire ; Nottingham, Chesterfield, Congleton, where silk 
is spun for the ribbon manufacture at Coventry, and 
several other places. Silk goods, of various descrip- 
tions, are manufactared at Oakingham and Colchester ; 
silk handkerchiefs at Marichester, &e. ; and at Tow- 
cester in Northamptonshire; the’ chief manufacture is 
silk wrought by machinery. We have already men- 
tioned, that part of the Spitalfields manufactures have 
been transferred to Coventry and Leek, in uence 
of the act for regulating wages: this act has net in- 
duced some master manufacturers of gauze, who used 
to make that article in Spittalfields, to’ remove their 
trade to Reading, in Berkshire, where it is rather in a 
flourishing state. i ds, however, must still be 
regarded as the principal seat ‘of the silk trade of this 
¢ountty : in that district, there ‘are upwards of 20,000 
looms employed, principally in the manufacture of light 
silks, which afte exported to America when the trade 
is . As there is less of the raw material in them, 
the English silk manufacturer can compete, ithe Ame- 
rican market, with the French manufacturer ; but it is 
otherwike ‘with heavy silks, in which the ortion of 
the raw material is greater. Besides America, the West 
Indies take considerable part of their goods ; and 
it is caleulated that one third are used for home con- 
: 
ly by women and There are three persons 
to two looms, besides windsters and ; from 
this, and from the circumstance mentioned , that 
when the trade was so bad in the year 1793, that 4500 Statistics. 
e@ were thrown out ““\—— 
looms were shut up, 10,000 
of employ, we may —— reckon the total number of 
people employed in the silk manufacture in Spittalfields 
at between 25,000 and 30,000. 
Mr Grellier has — to estimate the value of Mr Grel- 
this manufacture in the 
rage quantity of raw and thrown silk im 
ears preceding the 5th of January 1797, was 883,438 
b. the value of which when manufactured is about 
L..2,700,000. The cost of silk to the manufacturer, if 
raw and thrown are taken together at only ‘28s. per 
pound, amounts to L. 1,260,000 ; and the profits of the 
manufacturer L, 245,454, at the rate of 10 per cent, on 
the cost when manu ee o! 
ber of persons 
stated at 200,000, but th to be- 
lieve that it exceeds 65,000 all descriptions. This 
estimate seems to be manifestly wrong in one important 
is saa Mr Grellier takes the profit of the manu- 
at the rate of 10 per cent on the cost of the ar- 
ticle when manufactured ; but the value ing to 
him is L.2,700,000: ten per cent. on this is evident] 
L. 270,000, and not L,245,454. The imports of sil 
from Italy in 20 years, from 1781 to 1800 inclusive, 
were on the average per annum about 4200 bales. The 
imports from 1800 to 1805 were rather greater, amount- 
ing to 672,409 pounds. The average annual imports 
of silk from Bengal, from: 1775 to 1794, amounted to 
$240 bales ; from 1795 to 1804, the average im- 
port from Bengal was about 2128 bales. From this it 
will appear, that the annual consumption of silk is about 
6328 bales, or nearly 950,000 pounds. Assuming the 
price to be 30s, the value of the raw mate- 
rial will be L. 1,425,000; and yr ee that th 
ods when 
ollowing manner: “ The ave- 
ducting from this the sum of L.1,; $5008, . 
e. 
capital, manufacturing profit, and labourers wages % 
to be taken. If wereckon 20 per cent. on this sum fi 
the two former, it will give 641,000, and the: i 
1. 2,609,000, will be the amount of the labourers wages. 
Asa Med 8 0 ee of these live in London, we. 
cannot reckon wages‘on an average of town and 
country, and men, women, and children, at less than) 
15s. a week, or about L:40 ayear. If, therefore; we di-) 
vide the sum of L.2,609,000 by 40, we shall 
come near the number of syed in this ma- 
nufacture: this will give us 65,250, and this namber 
of le seems much more: e than the number 
stated by Mr Grellier, when we:consider that in Spi 
fields there are about 25,000 or’ 30,000, and. in, 
Coventry the ribbon trade occupies'a consit «rable pro-. 
portion of the inhabitants, © ya 
small im ce, though formerly it 
been oP geod enbent iallcaabo T was 
made in this country so early as the year 1189, but at. 
that time by far the. quantity used, as well as: 
that of the finest quality, was imported from: ; 
About the middle of the 16th century, Norfolk en; 
Manchester ; and itis: rether- singular, 
that notwithstanding the almost overwhelming influ- 
lier'’s state- 
. ment. 
in three 
if 
mye 
~ 
to have nufacture. 
Tell ee 
The linen manufacture ti appe. very Linen ma- 
dad 
e 
