The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-13 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS,

stay athome. The opinion of aresident in New South
Wales or Australia is not indeed authoritative as
to the efficiency of emigration as a means of relief
from present and pressing distress. But the con-
trast of suffering in the North of England and
prosperity in the Colony is too strong not to excite
regret that more of our workers do not in a spirit
of foresight overcome the barriers, often imaginary,
which separate them and their families from a state
of high material welfare. The working man who
wrote home to a Lancashire friend that
letter from Queensland, so full of pride
and gratitude, which was read at the Sydney meet•
ing—who exulted in his sacks of flour and chests
of tea, his cow, his couple of horses, and eleven
hives of bees—can think of nothing but how the
friends he left at home are to get out and share his
happiness. " When I think of the state of Lan-
" cashire, I do feel for the dear old friends I have
" left behind. Ah, ye poor factory people of
" C—, if you could but see how comfortable
" your old friends are out here you would make
" haste to be with us. This I can tell you, that
" some of the persons who once worked at B---'s
" mill for a few shillings per week are now worth
" their hundreds of pounds. I know one who has
" got a thousand pounds in the bank, and in addi-
" tion to this he has his farm, and horses, and
" cattle. "

No doubt this good man would admit that he
had known some emigrant& who regretted leaving
England, men without the emigrant's constitution
and temperament, or disqualified by taste and
habit for a colonial life. But the spectacle of actual
comfort and competency realised all over the land
ought to have its influence when the privations of
this season have passed away. The colonies want
citizens, and English merchants and artisans also
have the deepest interest in seeing them dotted
with townships full of settlers who can write,
" Thank GOD, we are far away from want and
" poverty—from relieving officers and poorhouses.
" Our hearts are not, as it were, pierced through
" to the very core by the sight of misery and dis-
" tress on every hand. The great bulk of us live
" on our own farms or in our own houses, and I,
" in the seventh year of my colonial life, can lite-
" rally sit under my own vine and figtree with all
" the pride of an Englishman, and, I hope, with
" all the gratitude of a Christian. And, mind
gi you, it is within the reach of all who have a
" mind to be industrious and sober."

It is natural and kindly of the Australians to
wish that our destitute people were over there
just now in a laud of plenty, and we do trust 11
that, however insignificant the diminution of the
aggregate distress which can be hoped for by
means of emigration, the subject will be coma-
dered in no selfish or exclusive spirit by those on
whose co-operation the removal of their country-
men and countrywomen to more prosperous shores
depends. The opposition and discouragement
which have been recently offered to well-considered
proposals of emigration in the centre of the suffer-
ing districts appears very impolitic.
It is, however, with the contributions and not
the suggestions of the colonists that we have more
especially to do at this time. Their fraternal
liberality has increased the Relief Fund by the
munificent sum of 10,0001. It is a noble offering
nobly made.

Ix Lancashire there is a difficulty which
the women of England could deal with suc-
cessfully to a certainty, if they were fully
aware of what is wanted. The difficulty is about
the children's clothing. Their poor clothes are
dropping off them now, and the family chest is
empty, the coats and frocks being at the pawn-
broker's, or sold long ago. Even now the children
can hardly make a decent appearance, and as
winter comes on the case will be worse. We may
tell the women of England what we understand to
be in their power in this difficulty. There are
very many women in the upper and middle ranks
who have time to give away—spare hours or days.
Let thaw of them who understand shopping look
after the odds and ends of stock in the clothing
shops and warehouses of their neighbourhood. At
all times, and especially at the close of each
season, there are good sound materials of clothing
to be had cheap, remnants, old-fashioned articles
which the shopkeeper or warehouseman is glad
to sell off. Let the ladies help to clear off
these odds and ends, and they will get clothing
for children of all sizes at the very lowest cost.
The boys can be made tidy by blouses,
and blouses may be made of any stout
material, of cotton, linen or woollen. Small
pieces of cloth or stuff will make cape for boys.
As for the girls, remnants are to he found in every
draper's shop, short lengths which will make chil-
dren's frocks, or aprons and pinafores. While
about it, such pieces may as well be secured for
short gowns and aprons for the women. List
(once in such request by gardeners for their wall-
fruit trees) can be got for nothing in clothing
shops and private families ; and this is easily
made, we are told, into warm capes for winter
wear. These materials should be sent to the
sewing-rooms established in the Lancashire towns ;
and there they will be made up, and dispensed to
the best advantage. If the ladies would set about
this at once, racing the purchase-money among
their friends, and enlisting the good will of the
shopkeepers, there would be clothing provided, at
very small cost, for not only the boys and girls,
but their parents and elder sisters. There are no
bounds to the ingenuity and zeal of Englishwomen,
when they are once fairly interested in any benevo-
lent scheme ; and if our country women could but be
made aware of the vast good theme sewing-rooms
are doing, and the pressing want of clothing among
the workers and the children, they would presently
be sending parcels from every town and village in
the kingdom—putting into their packages any
half-worn clothing from their own families which
could be spared. Dresses and shawls that are
merely faded, and children's suits that are out-
, grown, would be a valuable addition to the gift.
We commend it to the women of England to see
that the Lancashire children are not kept from
school nor the young women from the sewing-
, rooms by deficiency of clothing.