1799.) «° Monthly Commercial Report. 963 
exhaufted, : as it was no longer fupported by the requifite fupply. The confequence wasy 
that when the rebellion fublided there was a great fcarcity of linens; indeed it may almost 
be faid there were none to anfwer the accuftomed orders; the price rofe of courfe, and 
though fince that period the province of Uliter has returned apparently with fincerity to the 
purfuits of induftry, there has not yet been produced fuch a quantity of goods as fully to 
anfwer the demand, fo that at prefent there is fcarcely one unbought piece of .goods in the 
~ north of Ireland ; the webs are frequently bought while in the Toom; and the price or 
linens, particularly: of. thofe which ufually fell for two fhillings and under, remains at 
neatly double what it was eighteen or twenty months fince. * The linens of a finer kind 
have alfo greatly rifen in price, but in confequence of the demand for them not being fo 
great as for the cheaper eiads, have not rifen in an equal proportion; linens of all defcript- 
ions are however uncommonly high, and it will probably be fome months before this great 
article of Irifh commerce falls to its proper level. 
We ftated in our laft report, that the Birmincuam trade began to aflume rathera 
more favourable appearance, and if it does not continue fo, it certainly will not be from 
the want of a fufficiently enterprizing fpirit in that place, for no fooner had the expedi-~ 
tion which lately failed made good its Jandihg in Holland, than we underftand fome Dutch 
orders were immediatly given out, and the merchants are di ligently preparing to invade 
that country, both for the purpofe of colle€ting old debts, and with the view of contracting 
new ones. But few orders have been received trom the laft Brunfwick, fair, and we under= 
ftand from Germany, that the dearnefs of provifions is fo great as to affect materially the 
ftate of commerce, fo that the expectations from the Francfort and Leipfic fairs, now about 
to be held, are not very great, particularly as the fecurity of the former place is necefia- 
tily held upon an uncertain tenure fo long as the French remainit its vicinity. The next 
conyoy for the Mediterranean, which is expected to fail fhortly, will take fome confiderable 
quantities of Birmingham articles for the Italian markets. The demand for freland has 
lately been very confiderable, as but few goods had been fent there during the late troubles, 
fo that the fhop-keepers and merchants have now to lay in almoft entire new ftocks, which 
they feem to be doing with confiderable fpirit, but the prefent high courfe of exchange 
occafions fome difficulty in obtaining remittances from Ireland, and there feems little proba- 
bility of its being much lower for fome time to come. + 
It was apprehended a fhort time ago, that the trade of Birmingham would fuffér confider- 
ably from the introduction of a praétice almoft as nefarious as that of making counterfeit” 
money ; this was, marking of buttons gi/t, which in fact had no gilt whatever upon them. 
Thefe buttons, in the firft inftance, were made principally for the German trade; but fo 
rapidly did the prattice encreafe, and fo much were the confequences to be apprehended 
from it on the general trade of the town to be dreaded, that an aét of parliament was. 
thought neceflary to ftop its progrefs, which was of courfe obtained. This act expreflés the 
quantity of gold to be put upon a button of a certain dimenfior, when marked gilt, double 
gilt, or treble gilt, and impofes a fine of 20s. per grofs} upon the perfon manufaCturing or 
vending them with a lefs quantity of gold thereon than is fpecified ; one half of the money 
to go to the informes, upon conviction. A number of refpectable eniene have formed 
themfelves into a committee to attend to the execution of the aét, and by means of their 
affiduity, feveral perfons have been convicted of the offence and obliged to pay the fine, 
fo that we hope foon to fee this ftain upoff our manufacturers entirely done away. It is to 
be regretted that the act itfelf is worded fo loofely as to be difficult to be under{tood by the 
manufacturer, and on the other hand is not fufficiently clear, to regulate thofe who with td 
check a praCtice as ruinous as it is difgraceful to thg trade. The neceffity of legiflative in- 
terference in this and fimilar cafes is greatly to be lamented, for however well it may accom 
plifh the end propofed, it is much to be regretted that ane poorer clafs of people fhould be 
tempted to become informers againft their employers. 
The strx manufattory upon the whole continues ina very fav ourable fituation, few per- 
fons engaged therein having any reafon to complain of want of employ, and the demand 
being fuch ws enables the manufaéturer to meet the advancing price of Thrown filk, which 
otherwife would prove a ferious difadyantage. The.reviyal “of the article of Velen, or at 
leaft a great increafe in'the confumption: thereof, particularly for collars and other parts of 
military uniforms, has been of late very favourable to the workmen in this manufa@tory, 
* as this branch, though one of the molt profitable to them, being of flower progrefs than, 
moft others, occafions employ for a greater number of hands, and the whole number of 
workmen being lefs than it was a few years ago, from many having gone into the army and 
Navy at the commencement of the war, good workmen have of late been fure of conftant 
employ. Italian raw filks are cheap in comparifon with Thrown, which at prefent are ex- 
Orbitantly dear. ‘The India company’s filk fale which commences the 29th O&taber, con- ~ 
fifts of 300 lots of China, iroo Bengal, 1o Privilege ditto, 7 Madrafs filk, and 100 Bengal 
ors sanzine, 
MONTHLY 

