174 DICKSON ON THE FIBRES OF INDIA, IN PLACE 



to town I sent his (the late Sir W. Brown's) letter to Earl 

 Russell, and I have now written to have it returned, as he sent 

 it to the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. 



Being invited by the firm of Messrs. Birley, Brothers, 

 cotton spinners, in Preston, who are also Flax spinners in 

 Kirkham (for whom I was agent in Belfast for many years, 

 up to my leaving in 1842 for London), to have my material 

 tried at their works, and having spent nearly three months 

 in that quarter, I at last saw my way to success in their 

 mills, and also in the mills of Mr. W. Paley, where I had 

 French Hemp and Flax from green unretted straw into a 

 sliver, as perfect as any cotton could be made, and as I 

 had a considerable quantity of Rheea spun by the Messrs. 

 Birley, I left for Liverpool in October, and the following 

 week had 100 spools of yarn sent me, with the letter as 

 follows : — 



' c Hanover Street Cotton Mills, 

 "Preston, Nov. 4th, 1862. 

 1 '.Dear Sie, — W e duly received your letter this morning ; 

 no one being at the mills to-day, we merely send you the 

 yarn we have spun as requested. There are two bundles, 

 the one contains yarn made from half cotton, half Rheea, 

 the other from two-thirds cotton, one-third Rheea. The 

 Rheea was much heavier than cotton, we make the counts 

 Nos. 15 and 12J. 



"We remain, yours truly, 



"BIRLEY BROTHERS. 



" Mr. J. H. Dickson, 



" Commercial Hotel, Liverpool." 



The above-mentioned yarns I had woven in Yorkshire, 

 and cloth samples sent on to Sir C. Wood — {see letter from 

 the India Office, page 22)— I also sent cloth samples to 

 Mr. Gladstone, with a letter to show such cloth would absorb 



