The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-05-27 00:00:00

DISTRESS iu the MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS.

The Committee sitting in the Court Hall of Calton, to receive
the names of those persons craving relief from the general fund,
have not yet got through their painfel and arduous duty. The ap-
plicant, continuing to pour in upon them. Many of the cases are
very distressing. barge families have had their sources of income
dried up, from the stoppages of the cotton and weaving factories,
and the Jerre ute of every kind of employment. As a specimen,
one states he is working a IG" hord at 3d. an ell, and can-
not earn more than Is. 0.1. a week, to maintain a wife and three
children. Another w . with six children, could only earn od.
a day, from which loom and house rent was to be deducted. A
weaver was working an 11" jaconet at 2d. an ell, and could only
work tour ells a day, to maintain a wife and child. Another weaver
I could onl break one yard and a half of stones a-week to support
five of • family. Most of the females who supported themselves
by winding yens in cotton factories, having been dismissed, are
now in a starving condition. One female of this class writes as
follows:—" You may judge that my et:tiering, have been severe,
when you consider that along with my tee sisters, who are also
out of employment, have been so for some month.' and with no
other means of support than what we could procure by the sale of
our clothes; and we are in some danger of being turned out of
our lodgings, as it iv no longer in our power to pay them." There
have been shout 200 applicants for relief in Bridgetown district up
to yesterday evening. The great proportion of applicants are na.
fives of Ireland, and very few of them are householders. Oatmeal
was distributed on Saturday and yesterday.
The Committee have hitherto been enabled to employ all the dis-
tressed workmen who have applied at breaking stones. Although
• few individuals work with reluctance, and are sometimes inclined
to assemble their neighbours round them, and waste their time in
idle discussion, yet by far the greater number are going on with
proper spirit and industry. Not a few of them are reconciled to
their work, and are beginning to feel themselves as well as they
were when at their looms. A number of their wives occasionally
visit them, and carry from the breast of the rock stones of such a
size as may be broken with least labour. The gentlemen of the
Committee deserve great praise for their benevolent exertions.
Every lawful morning, at six o'clock, several of them meet in the
quarry, along with Mr. Rankine, the overseer, to see the new ap.
pli cents set to work, and to adjust any other matters that may come
under their consideration. The Committee, observing how easily
the weavers' hands are hurt at first, very humanely allow them
Is. or Is. 3.1. per clay, according to circumstances, till they recover.
The workmen have behaved with the greatest propriety. There
are at present from 850 to 900 employed, and down to last night
only two solitary instances of insolence have occurred, in which
Mr. Rankine was under the disagreeable necessity of disbanding
the individuals.—Glasgrrat Chronicle.
A poor man was on Thursday observed to fall down in a faint-
ing state at the foot of Tobago creet. It being suspected it was
from want, a roll was given him, but he was too weak to masticate
it. Some beer was then placed to his lips, and he drank it greedily,
and being somewhat revived, he ate the roll in a voracious manner.
lie stated that he belonged to Belch, and came here in search of
employment, and had not tasted food for two days.—lbid.

SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR DISTRESSED
llf AN UFACTURERS.

The Exeter subscription fund for the relief of the Distressed
Manufacturers amounts to 48111., including a remittance from Ash.
button. _ _ _ _

for the purpose of raising subscriptions for the relief of
the distressed manufacturers have been held at Clifton and Bristol;
at the latter place, within ten minutes after the resolution of the
meet ng had been atzreed to, the sum of 500/. was subscribed.—
Bona COUlay ChreKide.
YEOVIL, MAY 23.
_ _ _

A partial meet,* of the inhabitants of this town and its neigh.
bourhood took place this dsy, to consider the propriety of subscrib-
ing to the relief of the distressed manufacturers in the North of
England ; but in consequence of the meeting being convened by
nobody knew whom, besides the parties immediately concerned in
its convention, it was but thinly attended ; under which circum.
stance, however, the subscriptions were quite as much as could have
been expected, amounting to about NI- which most probably would
have been doubled bad it not been for the opinion entertained of the
character of the meeting.
CAMBRIDGE, MAY 21.
The subscriptions in this University, in aid of the distressed
manufacturers, amount to upwards of one thousand guineas.
On Sunday evening last a very excellent and appropriate sermon
was preached at St. Benedict's church, in this town, by the Rev.
the Master of Corpus Christi College, in aid of the distress at pre.
sent existing in the manufacturing districts, and a collection after-
wards mode at the church doors, amounting to ?61. 4s. lid.
!I he subscriptions in this town for the distressed manufacturers
amount to MM., and we shall probably have to announce a conci.
derable addition In future papers.
The collection at the Church of St, Mary the Less, on Sunday
last, after a atxmon by the Rev. J . (i. Breay,in aid of the Benevolent
Society, amounted to IV. 45. 3/d.
We notice, with pleasure, the spirited and liberal manner in
which the subscription for the relief of unemployed workmen is car-
ried forward. The amount of subseriptio.:s which have now sp.
peered in our paper exceeds 7,700!., and we confidently hope
that when the lists sre completed, a sum will appear adequate to
afford relief to every deserving applicant. —Glasgow Chronicle.
It has been suggested that, as soon as the subscription now in
progress In aid of the industrious working classes is completed,
a printed list of the contributors, with the sums annexed, al-
phabetically arranged, be struck off and sent to evcry subscriber.
This num induce many to contribute, who can well afford it, and
who perhaps would not otherwise be inclined.
As a meeting of the county of Lanark takes place at Hamilton.
on the 29th inst., in aid of the unemployed working chases, a cor-
respondent stugests that the county of Ayr should also be con-
vened for the same benevolent purpose, as much distress exists in
that extensive and opulent
-commend this, es the corn-
rith and suburbs,