The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-08-18 00:00:00

other country, coed possess any of those advantages, even
those which cannot be considercd as peculiar only to
such as canals and rail-roads."

Supposing, indeed, that. the same machinery which is
used in England could be obtained on the Continent, it is
the opinion of some of the most intelligent of the wit-
' news that the want of arrangement in foreign mantafec-
tonics, of division of labour in their work, of skill and per-,
sevefance in their workmen, and of enterprise iii the rms.
tern, together with the comparatively low estimation in 1
which the master manufacturers are held on the Conti-
nent, and with the comparative want of Capital, anti of
many other advantageous circumstances detailed in the
evidence, would prevent foreigners from interfering In any
great degree by competition with our principal trianufac-
I tuners ; on which subject the Committee submit the fed-
' lowing evidence as worthy the attention of the Neese :
" I would ask whether, upon the whole, you consider say dan-
ger likely to arise to our manufactures from competition, even it
the French were supplied with machinery equally good and cheap
as ear own ?—They will always be bellind ua until their general
labia approximate to ours; and they Mutt be behind us for
asanylessons that I have before given.
" Why must they be behind us P—One other reason is, that a
cotton manufacturer who left Blanchester seven years ago, would I
be driven out of the market by the men who are now living in it, j
provided his knowledge had not kept pace with that who heyel
been during that time constantly profiting by the progressive im. j
movements that have taken place in that period; this progressive
knowledge and experience is our great power and advantage."
It should also be observed, that the constant, nay al-1
daily improvements which take place in our machi- 1
..): itself, as well as in the mode of its application, re-!
quite that all those means and advantages alluded to
above should be in constant operation; and that, in the
opinion of several of the witnesses, although Europe were
possessed of every tool now used int he United Kingdom,
along with the assistance of Iffinglish artisans, which she
' haves any number, t from the tonna' and tie-,
nal atinnatagee lay .tbis country, the manufac-
of the United ingdom would for ages continue to
the supetiarity they. now-enjoy. It is indeed the
yr je
opinion et essay, that if the - exportation of machinery
pores stead, the exportation would often consist of
tools and machines which, although already super-''
--tied by.aew innientions, still continue to be employed
from warn of opportunity to get rid of them, to the detri-
ment, in many instances, of the trade anti manufactures of
the country ; and it is matter wortl.y of consideration, and
fully borne oat by the evidence, that by such increased
foreign demand for machinery, the ingenuity and skill of
our workmen would have greater st me, and that, import-
ant u the improvements in machinery have lately been,
they might, under such circumstances, be fairly expected
to increase to a degree beyond all precedent.
The uniform policy of the Legislature of this country
has been to give, as they conceived it, every kind of en-
couragement to British manufactures, and by prohibiting
the importation of foreign manufactures, and by giving
premiums, bounties and drawbacks on the exportation of
British manufactures; but the great and important manu-
facture of machinery, tools and utensils, has been made an
exception to this system of legislation, by restricting its
exportation, although it is a manufacture peculiarly adapted
to the circumstances of this country, and one that affords
as many advantages in the way of giving employment to
the people, and yielding profit to the master manufac-
turers, as any other manufacture.
The many important facilities for the construction of
machines, and the manufacturing of commodities which
we possess, are enjoyed by no other country, nor is it likely
that any other country can enjoy them to an equal extent
for an indefinite period. It is admitted by every one that
our skill is unrivalled ; the industry and power of our
people unequalled ; their ingenuity, as displayed in the
continual improvement of machinery and production of
commodities, without parallel, and apparently without
limit. The freedom which, under our government, every
man has to use his capital, his labour and his talents, in
the manner most conducive to his interests, are inestimable
advantages ; canals are cut, and rail-roads constructed, by
the voluntary association of persons whose local knowledge
enables them to place them in the most desirable situa-
tions; and these great advantages cannot exist under less
free governments. These circumstances, when taken to-
gether, give such a decided superiority to our people, that
no injurious rivalry either in the construction of machinery
or the manufacture of commodities can reasonably be anti-
cipated.
Your Committee, before they conclude, think it proper
to remark, that by the Act of last Session, permitting arti-
sans to emigrate and reside abroad, the country, as regards
machine-making, is placed in a different situation from that
in which it formerly was ; and from the evidence taken be-
fore the Committee, both in the last and present session, in
regard to the ease with which all plans, models, and draw-
ings of new inventions in machinery arc conveyed to the
Continent, and the facility with some engineers assert
that good workmen can construct machinery from them, it
is probable, that if the present prohibitory policy is per-
sisted in, foreign nations will be obliged to establish manu-
factories (as has been already partly done in France, the
United States, &c.) for those artides with which we re-,
fuse to furnish them, and which a libcial course of policy
would entirely prevent.
The Committee deem it proper to submit an extract on
this subject from the evidence of Mr. Henry Maudslay,
au eminent engineer, as deserving the particular attention
of the House:—

" Can you state whether the manufactories for machinery am In-
creasing on the Continent ?--Very greatly ; I have seen a number
of them.

" Of what manufacture ?—Of the manufactory of steam-engines,
and other machinery.
" What would be the effect of exporting machinery upon the
extension or diminution of the manufactories on the Continent ?_-
They would diminish them, there is no doubt; they would never
set to work to furnish the French manufacturers with French-
English machinery if they could get them from England.
Do you consider the superiority of the English machinery such
as to secure a demand in the foreign markets, if the laws permitted
you to supply them 2—There is no doubt about it.
" Is it within your knowledge that the French are in possession
of drawings and plans of almost every patent as soon as they are
published in England ?—Yes, I know from circumstances that
have conic to my own knowledge. On the first of every month,
books are packed off to Ilannburgh, and sent through Holland and
all parts of the Continent ; and a friend of mine has written to me
within a week of their publication, saying I understand you have
obtained a patent for so and so, and I hope It will turn out to your
advantage, and so on. This is a copy of the French Repertory of
Arts [alluding to a book produced by the witness'', and this Is
a drawing of a machine, and is as good a plan u a man need to
work from, and I know this machine was not at work in out SI int
when this book was published in France. I believe they (Messrs.
Bolton and Watt), had one in their manufactory; but this shows
the facility of getting these things in France.
" Can a machine-maker work from that drawing 2—Perfectly
well,_

It" You mean to Ray, that any man that is able to make that ma.
chine can make it from that dra wing ?—Yes.
" Have you any other example of the same thing P—Here is a
blowing machine, to smelt ore, and that is as good a blowing ma.
chine as any man need make; some of our first mills have that
machine.
" Whose Invention is that originally P—lt is the invention of
Bolton and Watt, or some of the large iron-masters.
•' Does your observation as to the facility of working from draw.
ings, apply to all sorts of machinery ?—Yes; there is a set of draw-
ings in the best encyclopedias which will enable you to make a
cotton machine.

" Is the drawing of that loco-motivs machine [alluding to an en-
graving in the book produced.' such as will enable a workman to
make a similar machine ?—Certainly ; they make a great many
thousand machines from much worse drawings, no doubt. '
Although your Committee arc impressed with the opi-
nion, that tools and machinery should be regulated on the
same principles as other articles of manufacture, yet, inns-
, much as there exist objections in the mind of many of our
manufacturers on this subject, which deserve the attention
of the Legislature ; and as it is possible that circumstances
may exist which may render a prohibition to export certain
tools and machines used in some particular manufacture
expedient, your Committee beg to recommend that, until
lan alteration can be made in the laws on this subject,'''
his Majesty's Privy Council should continue to exercise'
their discretion in permitting the exportation of all such
tools and machines now prohibited, as may appear to them
nut likely to he prejudicial to the trade or manufactures of
the United Kingdom.
30th Junc, 1023.

Tut BOROVOII or PENRYN.—There is likely to be a
very severe contest for this borough whenever a dissolution
of Parliament takes place, and already there has been an
active canvass by no less than four candidates. It is un-
derstood that Mr. Stanton will retire. Mr. Grenfell again
offers himself ; and Mr. C. Barclay, who once represented
the borough of Southwark, Mr. Wading,
Perci-
val, son of the Earl of Egmont, are new candidates. The
Corporation and Sir Christopher Hawkins arc opposed to,
each other. and Lora