The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-28 00:00:00

life, and we heartily trust that it may meet the eye of
some rich collector of carious furniture, who, by purchasing
the first attempt, may furnish capital and encouragement
(or future and more educated efforts. Similar observations
splay to the sculptured and perforated arm-chair, carved in
Irish bog oak, and forming the joint contribution of three
poor working men in Lisburn, Antrim Co., Ireland. With
good designs these executive capabilities amongst our
peasantry might soon be bsunght to bear fruit of • high
order of excellence. The last-named article is exhibited by
Curran and Seas, Lisburn, Ireland. The ustieteted por-
celain tthle, noticed in Thursday's paper, is exhibited by
Wean. Gillen, and is the design and manufacture of W. T.
Copeland.

FLAX.
(emose notice•]
Bridport has certainly claims to take high rank among
those places that compete with her in the manufacture of
the stronger and coarser classes of goods which arc produced
from hemp and 84X. The arrangement displayed in the
cams containing these staple commodities is of itself
admirable, and does great credit to the local com-
mitter, amongst whom we observe the well-known
came• of Messrs. Edwards, Ewer's, Gundry, Ilounsell,
Kendall, Stephens, dec., several of whom enjoy an European
reputation in consequence of the long acknowledged ex-
tell,-nee of their manufactures. These comprise, as we
briefly stated on a previous occasion, the stoutest canvas
fitted for the storm-sails of a hue-of-battle ship, down to
the finer textures applicable only to the painter's straining
frame ; of fishing nets fur the capture of shrimps and white
bait, or with meshes sufficiently strong to retain the egglo-
nitrate el shoals of pilchard ur mackerel, or to re-
sist the struggles of the enraged or inveigled sal-
mon. Ilridport is celebrated, moreover, for the quality
of the lines and twines of all kinds produced there; fur the
webs of which the girths of saddles and the "rollers" fog
purse-cloths are subsequently formed ; for bagging, sacking,
tarpaulins, waggon tilts, and floor-cloth, as well as the
seaming twine by means of which the sacks, Ike., are sewn
togethe r. Messrs. Dixou and Longstaff, the well-known
manufacturers at Stockton-on-Tees, have transmitted a
goodly show of sail-cloths, made from Baltic long lax of
very high quality, all wove n in the hand-loom. Not far from
these Mr. Moore, of Crinkbournc, has a very fine sample
of sail-cloth, woven by steam-power from long Irish
ties, without startle, or, indeed, any description of
dressing. Thirty-nine yards of the warp here used weigh
just .1311 w, the total weight of the ticislied "bolt" being •
as neatly SA possible forty-six pounds. In order that the
uninitiated reader may form a due estimate of this state-
ment, it may not be out of place to mention that canvas for
sail-eloth is usually made 21 (though occasionally 36) inches
in width, in pieces eaflul "bolts," varying from 3G to 42
yards in length. A bolt of the best navy canvas is reckoned
at :1$ yards. To distinguish the different qualities for the
►manger or lighter sails, each bolt is numbered, and a bolt
21 inches wide and of the length above specified, ought to
weigh as follows :—No. 1, filbs.; No. 2,4111 w.; No. 3,
3811 n.; No. 4, lilbs.; No. 6, 321bs. ; No. G, 2911*. ; No. 7,
2411 e..; No. ft, 211b5.; No. 9, laths.; No. 10, Irilbs.
Consequently, if the length and width of a bolt of Mr.
Moores caievaa accords with these dimensions, the weight
of his adleluth is 21bs. more than that required ley govern-
ment. Ills canvas, we may *tat", is worked through a lni
score reed, containing WO double thread. One inch in
width of the warp, two feet long, will support a weight of
309ihs. One inch in width of the weft two feet long, has
been found to carry .118Ibs. without breaking. We question
much whether the same could be said of any sailcloth at
present in use in the service.
The importance of the subject render; it most desirable
that it should Ice duly investigated, and if it be found that'
a superior quality is procurable to that already in use, no
time should he lost in adoptiug the improvement. The is-
ere:4...ed security to life and property that would be attained,
by obviating many difficulties and dangers that now sie
frequently occur would far more than compensate for any
trifling additional outlay.
Without adverting briefly to details, few non-professional
readers would credit the enormous quantity of cloth annually
required for the use of the navy. We shall furnish some
data wherefrom they may draw their own dealuetiowe, by
specifying the, quantity required for a single suit (Asada for
one lirst-rate.

The number of yards in her main-course is 904 ; in her
jib, 426; fore-eourse, 683 ; fore-topsail, SO6 ; top-gallant-
sail, 21$; main-topsail, 1,007 ; maintopgallant-tertil, 200;
siren-topsail, 463 ; mizen-tupgallant sail, 139 ; driver, 552.
The remainder, including mivare-sails, stay-sails, studding-
sails, amount in all to 7,029 yards, being a total of more
than twelve thousand live hundred yards, and weighing
seven tons ; while the spare-mils consume in their construc-
tion about seven thousand sir hundred yards of cloth, and
weigh four tons and a tmarte r additional.
Specimens of navy canvas may be BMA ranged along the
north wall (mar the flax machinery, inClass 5), from the
manufactories of Mears. llenny and Sons, and Mr. D.
Fraser, of Arbroath. The latter shows samples both
bleached and boiled, together with his improved brown
canvas with flat warp.. Mr. W. Salmond, of Arbroath,l
exhibits in this departmixt :the bleached unstarched sail-
cloth of a high quality, until:ached tarpaulins, best tow'
" nitric," best brown tow double canvas, &e. Messrs.
ltantsay and Smart, of Arbroath, have sent brown canvases
of different qualitie► for nations purposes. Messrs. Ander-
son, %ieul, and Co., Curr and Co., of the same place, ex-
hibit nspectively, along the northern wall, imperial and
Russia ducks, ticklenburglet, Mania sheeting, hemp tarpau-
lins. tart llings,Osnaburgs, mined hemp sacking, flour-sacks,
toffee-hags, brown flax sheeting, loom elowlas, loom sheet-
ing, &c.

Messrs Rernall and Co., of Little Chelsea, contribute I, i
several varieties of mats mid matting, as does Mr. Ilenry ,
Trate.. of Abingdon. Some of these latter are of a novel
style and quality well adapted fur halls and galleries, being at I
the same time cool to the eye and strong and durable in ar
pomace. They resemble in some respects India matting,li
bat, we should think, would greatly surpass it in wear.
Mr. Eilirington, of llotolph-lane, amongst other thing., I
has sent in speeimens of his composition cloth, made from
the best long Ibis, and perfectly waterproof. It is in-
tended for railway luggage, truck covers, waggon tilts, and,
we presume, for temporary roofing of any description.
Mr. G. Raeford, of Ositeshead, is the inventor of an es-1,
eeedingly strong quality of sailcloth. The patented Mr 1,
youvemeut here consists in the introduction of what are
termed, " strap.," containing an extra proportion of warp, !
giving, in fact, to the fabric the strength of additional ,
seams. To prevent the excess of length of the strapped
over the plain parts, to obviate the possibility of chafing,
as well r. inconvenient stiffness, fie., the "strap" is woven
with a double twill. ley this means a real and important
proteetion is secured to plain cloth, together with • very
great degree of flexibility. A piece of this cloth, one inch
wide, double twilled, in the manner above described, will
bear a strain of five hundred and eighty pounds, the navy
proof required for ordinary canvas of the stoutest quality
and strongest make loin,: only three hundred and
twenty pouuds. The adoption of such a safeguard as the
use of this patent canvas would prove must be of the
greatest value, nut only to the navy. hut to the mercantile
marine. So many difikulties and impeilinter.ts are, how-
ever, usually thrown in the way of inventors, even after the
iniimrtance of their labours has been tested and admitted.
that w. can scarcely hope fur many years to congratulate
that service over which the Admiralty presides upon the
substitution of Meson. Milvain and llarford's canvas in
lien of the inferior sailcloth now in vogue. Several men
east vessels have already proved the immense superiority
of sails from the above manufactory over those in common
use, and we understand that the storm sail. of more than
one gut Blass yacht base been similarly constructed.
trowels"..• has contributed largely and satisfactorily to the
Great Exhibition. Foremost among the contributors from
that noble city we find Messrs. Sails:ton and Son, Cox,
Lawson, Leadbetter. Don, Bell, Mori, Eaason, de. Their
productions in au and hemp consist of military duck and
sheeting. dowlas, huckaback, common bleached and power-
loom canvas, tailor's padding canvas, coal and corn sacking,
hop-pocketing, bed-ticking, twilled sheeting, fancy linens,
end • very peculiar article manufactured fur the Russian
market, denominated 40-inch cream coloured fancy cheek
sheeting.
Mr. J. Smith, of East Greenwich, has a well assorted
case, containing tarred bolt-rope, tarred and white
rope of every different quality, from 10-inch cables, and the
largest sued shrouds to the smallest twines, manufactured
by machinery from Russian, Manilla, and Italian hemp, as
well as from Irish, Baltic, and Egyptian flax and tow. Mr.
It. S. Soper, of Norton Folgate, sends various sizes of patent
soh lines, fancy skipping ropes, die. Sir John !Sudden
and Co., of Liniehouae, in addition to the usual varieties of
tarred and untamed cordage, have deposited specimens of
their power-loom woven 'oilcloths, which are celebrated for
their durability and strength.
From Kirkaldy the Messrs. Lockhart have sent up fine
featherbed ticking, composed entirely of liar bleached
diaper bedroom towels, double huckaback, bags for holding