1797-J 
or felvages- "of the piece being faftened, 
the Jower rail is forced down by levers, 
or, if fome of a newer conftruétion, by 
a wheel and pinion, uillthe cloth is com- 
pletely ftretched, and fo left to dry. It 
is then laid upon a long table, accurate- 
ly ftuffed and covered, fo as to admit the 
curved edee of a huge pair of /reers, 
with which the croppers, with great. 
dexterity, pare off the {uperfluous nap 
which has been railed by the rooers.. In 
fine cloths, the operations of rooing, ten- 
tering, and cropping are feveral times 
repeated ; after which, if the cloths have 
been woven, white, and require to be 
lyed of any particular colour, this is the 
fiage for that operation: It is’ then 
burled, thatsis the lumps, &c. are picked 
out, by women, with {mall-pointed 
pincers; and if, any {mall holes or rents 
are obferved they are carefully drawz 3 
after which it is bru/bed, by a machine 
compofed. of > cylinders ccated with 
brufhes, and then goes to the pre/s-hox/e. 
Here it is carefully laid in folds, with 
Jarge fheets of very {mooth pafie-board 
between each fold; and plates of hot 
iron being put between each piece, the 
whole is ftrongly {crewed down, and left 
till the plates are coid. By this opera- 
tion it acquires that fine glofs which is 
feen upon new cloth. It is then mealured, 
and fealed with the firm of the honfe; 
the number of yards being marked upon 
the back of the leaden feal. By avery 
fimple inftrument, confifting of four 
iron pillars, with moveable bars, it is 
accurately folded; it is then wrapped in 
canvas, and, laftly, is packed in bales 
by the help of a ftrong fcrew-prefs. 
It was formerly confidered as one of 
the peculiar excellencies of the Yorkthire 
cloth-manufaéture, thatit was carried on 
“at their refpettive habitations by each 
feparate family ; the feveral members of 
which went through the various requifite 
operations, according to their refpective 
ages, and, by the utmoft induftry and 
frugality, brought their article to market 
at the cheapeft rate : performing, as has 
been efferted, the moft work for the leaft 
profit of any fet of manufacturers in the 
kingdom. Of late, this fyftem has been a 
good deal broken in upon by the intro- 
duétion of large factories ; which, how- 
ever they may affeét the general interetts 
of the trade, are, at leaft, very conveni- 
ent to the ftranger, who here fees the va- 
rious operations of cloth-making perform- 
ed all'together. The faétory of Mefirs. 
Nevins and Gag LirFe is particularly 
favourable for this purpofe, not only on 
account of its vicinity tothe town, but 
| Tour through the North of England, 
v 
175 
alfo on account of the open and communi- 
cative difpolition. of its direétor,. Mr.’ 
Nevins, a quaker, who poffeffes all the 
amiablé fimplicity, without any of the. 
hiff and rigid peculiarities, of his feét.» 
Here the wool is picked and cleared of 
knots arjd impurities, firft by-the;hand, 
and afterwards by being put into a-rolling 
cylinder, lined with long and fharp iron: 
teeth : by fome this is called:.a Jilly, 
I fuppofe from its doing what;ufed -for- 
merly to be done by boys*; by: others 2 
devil, perhaps from an idea that the wool 
is put into a fort of hell, and tormented 
in this prifon.. When it comes out! of 
this machine, it is carried to the /érb- 
bling-mill, which confifts of adyftem of 
cylinders coated with coarfe;cards (they. 
wire for forming which is now eut and 
bent by a machine) on the furfaces) of 
which the wool being regularly tran{- 
ferred, at laft comes out in one uniformly 
continued and coherent layer. :dn--this 
ftate it is carried to the caraing-engiue, 
which is only the faine machine compofed. 
of finer cards, except that to-the laft 
cylinder of cards a fluted wooden cylinder 
is adapted, which fcrapes off the wool in 
thin rolls, fit for being carried to the: 
Jlubbing- machine by little: children, whofe 
bufinefs it is to feed the various fpindles 
of which it confifts, and which, being 
turned by a wheel and bands, fpin it into 
coarfe threads; another machine,,on the 
fame conttruction, called a Fenny, fpins 
out thefe threads ftill finer, fo as)to be 
ready for weaving: in this operation 
there is nothing peculiar here.—The 
printing of kerfymeres for waiftcoats has 
become very general, efpecially fince the 
introduction of rollers.» Thefe are ap- 
phed two ways: either the pattern is 
engraved on one fide of a flat piece’ of 
copper, whichis applied to the piece by 
the preffure of rollers, juft as in common 
copper-plate printing; or the pattern is 
engraved upon the upper roller itfelf, 
and the colouring matter put ‘into a 
trough above it; one fide of which is 
furcifed with a brufh for laying on the 
colour, the other with a clofe-fitting 
knife of fleel, for feraping off the fuper- 
fluous colour before it touches the cloth. 
WAKEFIELD is a handfome town, 
beautifully fituated; near the bridge 
there is a good opportunity of feeing the 
enly operation upon the cloth not 
hitherto noticed : that of. fulling, which 
immediately iucceeds the loom. It con- 

—— 
* A diftinguifhed female correfpondent of 
your’s is faid to have accounted for the origin of 
many Englith terms upon this idea, 
Aaz fitts 
