APPRENTICESHIP. 



been exercised in England before the 5th 

 of Elizabeth. But a wheel-wright, though 

 he has never served an apprenticeship to 

 a coachmaker, may, by himself or jour- 

 neyman, make coaches, because this trade, 

 being of a later origin, is not within the 

 statute. Thus also the manufactures of 

 Manchester, Birmingham, and Wolver- 

 hampton, are, many of them, upon this 

 account, not within the statute, not having 

 been exercised in England before the 5th 

 ofElizabeth. 



The regulations of apprenticeship in 

 Ireland are upon a different footing, and 

 somewhat less illiberal than in England. 

 Prohibitions, similar to those of the statute 

 of the 5th Elizabeth, obtain in all cor- 

 porate towns, by authority of bye-laws of 

 the several corporations : but these pro- 

 hibitions extend only to natives of Ireland; 

 for, by a regulation made by the lord lieu- 

 tenant and privy-council, having in this 

 instance, by 17 and 18 Car. II. the force of 

 a law, all foreigners and aliens, as well 

 persons of other religious persuasions as 

 Protestants, who are merchants, traders, 

 artificers, &c. shall, upon coming to reside 

 in a city, Availed town, or corporation, and 

 paying twenty shillings, by way of fine, 

 to the chief magistrate and common- 

 council, or other persons authorised to 

 admit freemen, be admitted to the free- 

 dom of that city, &c. and to the freedom 

 of guilds of their respective trades, with 

 the full enjoyment of all privileges of buy- 

 ing, selling, working, &c. ; and any ma- 

 gistrate refusing to admit foreigners, so 

 applying, shall be disfranchised. 



In Scotland, there is no general law 

 which regulates universally the duration 

 of apprenticeships. The term is different 

 in different corporations ; where it is long, 

 a part of it may generally be redeemed 

 by paying a small fine. In most towns, 

 too, a very small fine is sufficient to pur- 

 chase the freedom of any corporation. 

 The weavers of linen and hempen cloth, 

 the principal manufactures of the country, 

 as well as all other artificers subservient 

 to them, wheel-makers, reel-makers, &c. 

 may exercise their trades in any town cor- 

 porate, without paying any fine. In all 

 towns corporate, all persons are free to 

 sell butchers' meat upon any lawful day 

 of the week. Three years are, in Scot- 

 land, a common term of apprenticeship, 

 in some very nice trades ; and, in general, 

 there is no country in Europe, in which 

 corporation laws are so little oppressive. 

 In France, the duration of apprenticeships 

 is different in different towns, and in dif- 

 ferent trades. In Paris, 5 years are the 

 term required in a great number ; and 



before any person can be qualified to ex- 

 ercise the trade as a master, he must, in 

 many of them, serve 5 years more as a 

 journeyman. During this latter time, he 

 is called the companion of his master, and 

 the term itself is called his companionship. 

 The institution of long apprenticeships, 

 says Dr. Smith, can give no security that 

 insufficient workmanship shall not fre- 

 quently be exposed to sale ; nor has it any 

 tendency to form young people to indus- 

 try. Apprenticeships were altogetherun- 

 known to the ancients : the Roman law is 

 perfectly silent with regard to them. 

 There is no Greek or Latin word, which 

 expresses the idea we now annex to the 

 word apprentice. 



Long apprenticeships are altogether 

 unnecessary. The arts, which are much 

 superior to common trades, such as those 

 of making clocks and watches, contain no 

 such mystery as to require a long course 

 of instruction. In the common mechanic 

 trades, the lessons of a few days might 

 certainly be sufficient. The dexterity of 

 hand, indeed, even in common trades, can- 

 not be acquired without much practice 

 and experience. But a young man would 

 practise with much more diligence and at- 

 tention,if, from the beginning, he wrought 

 as a journeyman, beingpaid in proportion 

 to the little work which he could execute, 

 and paying, in his turn, for the materials 

 which he might sometimes spoil through 

 awkwardness and inexperience. His edu- 

 cation would generally in this way be more 

 effectual, and always less tedious and ex- 

 pensive. The master, indeed, would be 

 a loser; he would lose all the wages of the 

 apprentice, which he now saves for seven 

 years together. In the end, perhaps, the 

 apprentice himself would be a loser ; in a 

 trade so easily learnt he would have more 

 competitors ; and his wages, when he 

 came to be a complete workman, would 

 be much less than at present. The same 

 increase of competition would reduce the 

 profits of the masters, as well as the wa- 

 ges of the workmen : the trades, the 

 crafts, the mysteries, would all be losers ; 

 but the public would be a gainer, the 

 work of all artificers coming in this way 

 much cheaper to market. 



We cannot conclude this article better, 

 than by inserting an admirable paper on 

 the subject of apprentice laws, drawn up, 

 and printed for private circulation, by a. 

 gentleman of high legal authority, and 

 member of parliament, entitled " A few 

 Opinions of some great and good Men, 

 and sound Lawyers, on the Apprentice 

 Laws of Queen Elizabeth, applicable to 

 the JEra of 1806-7." 



