Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-10 00:00:00

DRAPERS AND MILLINERS.

The following letter, which appeared in the
Manchester Examiner and Times of yesterday, is
not alone applicable to Manchester, for the evil
which the writer complains of exists to a fearful
-extent in our own town :

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—l am induced to addres you, on a system
of slavery now so generally and systematically
adopted by the drapers and milliners of this city,
that nothing but the adoption of the most stringent
laws will ever be able to abolish. I allude to the
shameful length of time the hands are employed in
the abovesradesday after day—and particularly
the fern-ales. I am well acquainted with a house,
standing very high in the scale of humanity in this
particular, that has had young females (and' some
in delicate health) working upwards of sixteen
hours a day, and this in a closely-packed
room, totally without ventilation, except of
the worst possible kind. I ask you, sir, in the
name of common justice to human nature, is this
right ? Ought such a system to be tolerated in a
city boasting its liberality and refinement, and
possessing as it does many a well-intentioned
philanthropist ? What chance has an assistant
draper or a young milliner to visit the " Art,
Treasures," or to enjoy the manifold blessings of
a bountiful Creator, groaning under such slavery ?
None whatever. Can you expect men thus em-
ployed day by day to be intelligent, good citizens,
or faithful servants? I answer--No Can you
expect the females to become ornaments of their
sex? Unquestionably not. Is it not a digraee to
cripple the intellects, and train up mothers of a
future generation without any qualification for that
holy, sacred trust ? The Legislature of this coun-
try has adopted laws for the carrying- out of the
Ten Hours Bill, between the mill hands and
their employers ; it has passed a wise and
humane law in relation to the employment
of sweeps ; it has also established laws in relation
to colliers and their underground work. And shall
voting milliners or drapers be worked to :leath,
because they are not mill hands? shall they be
suffocated by intense heat of workrooms and show
rooms because they are not chimney sweeps ? or
shall they be poisoned by inhaling bad gases,
because they are not colliers and work in coalpits ?
—many a showroom in this city being quite as un•
healthy and unfit for a human being, when lighted
with gas, as a coalpit. When a man hires an ass,
the laws for the prevention of cruelty to animals
prevents his ill using it. Is human nature, in the
shape of a milliner, of less importance ? Are not
they to be cared for? Have they no souls to care
for? Although I am disposed to rest all the blame
of long hours on the heads of the employers, I can-
not overlook the fact that a great deal of the work
to be done late, and many times on a Sunday
morning, is to be attributed to the procrastinating
disposition of our ladies,who postpone their orders
to the last moment. I would ask how many
mourning orders are given on the second day
before the funeral, and many—very many—the
day before. Funerals do not take place so suddenly
as not to allow twelve or twenty hours notice.
Marriages are not celebrated without the
bride knowing many days before the "blessed
day," yet, bridal bonnets and bridal dresses are all
driven to the last moment. Perhaps there is a
little excuse for bridal orders, as " there is many a
slip between the cup and the lip," but with mourn-
ing orders there is none—the dead must be in-
terred. The ordinary trade suffers also from this
hateful system of putting off from day to day. I
hope, therefore, something will be done, and
promptly, to ameliorate the labours of a class now
fearfully oppressed. Last year there
cry, but little wool," about aha was a " great
lf-holiday, which
ended in—
Work, work, work, from weary chime to chime
(And worse than), as prisoners work for crime.
Let me then implore your aid, for " the fearless pen
has more sway over men than the thundering.
cannon's roar.' • Pardon me for thus trespassing
on your valuable space to this length, but I am
inclined to think that some abler pen than mine
may take up the causs—l am, and hope ever to
ren,

A HATER OF SLAVERY, WalTs OR BLACK.
Huhue, June 6th, 1857.

ATTEMPTED S rTICIDE AT WESTMINSTER-BRIDGE PIER
Oa Monday, about half-past twelve, white the boat
was
landing passengers at the above pier, a middle-aged
woman precipitated herself into the river, and Was soon
carried away by the tide. A man, named Davis, pat off
in a boat, and after great difficulty succeeded in bringing
her ashore; she was taken by the policeman on duty,
in a cab, in a state of insensibility, to Lambeth work,
house.

of the fallen ones told the mother of mankind, if
she wouid partake of the fruit of a certain tree,
she would become as gods, to know good and evil.-
The woman, too much like many of her daughters
of our day, .aazious to become great, did as the
fallen one requested her to do. regardless of con-
sequences. Remember, the services of majors
never would have been required, if there had been
no pride. The moment the monster entered the
human heart, war commenced. If every drop of
human blood shed" in war,, from the blood of
- righteous- Abel- to -the last drop shed in the late
fearful Russian war, could be gathered together,
it would form a mighty ocean, and all this in con-
sequence of pride. lam disgusted with pride and
foolish distinctions of earth. The three millions
of o-tr poor dark brothers and sisters, who are still
subject to the tyrant's lash in the Far West, are as
precious in the sight of the Great Creator as any
who are seated on the thrones of Europe. Think you
did Ham, the father of the poor slave, suppose,
when tossed to and fro in the ark, when unnumbered
millions of the human family were at once swept
froth the state of action, that his children would
have been so treated and tormented, and that by
men boasting of their Christianity?
If it be true that a great day is looming in the
distance, proud tyrants of earth will be astonished
on that day. I am informed that the people of
England are beginning to see the folly of pride and
foolish distinctions. Noble lords and titled ladies
are seated, in some places of worship, side by side
with the poor. If this be true, it is a glorious
commencement of a heaven on earth.
Permit me now to say a few words respecting
the police•foree 'of Liverpool. I am at a loss to
know how it is that nine hundred armed men are
required to keep the people in order. I ask you,
in sober seriousness, how is this ? The preached
gospel is-in its purity in Liverpool ; nevertheless,
nine hundred men are required to keep the people
in order. Will you oblige me by requesting the
head-constable to teach his men to be civil to the
poor? Some police-officers are very civil to the
rich—the same men are not always so civil to the
poor. I object to this foolish distinction. It is
every man's birthright to have a civil answer to a
civil question, bo he rich or poor. Suffer me to
say, I often go out of my way to give information
to a poor Irish reaper, and am amply rewarded by
his gratitude. I do so because we are brothers,
children of the same parents, branches of the great
root of Paradise, and links in the mighty chain of
mankind. Remember, every link in the great chain
is made of the same. material. Is it-not, therefore,
unwise to make foolish distinctions between the
links ? In the name of all that is good, come out
of your shell, and protest against pride and foolish
distinctions of earth. All of us have been in our
shells long enough ;so have snails.--I am, sir,
your very obedient servant, A MAN.

LIVERPOOL, Tuesday Evening.
The demand for Cotton continues pretty good,
and to-day prices are generally 1-16 d per lb. higher
than on Friday last. The sales to-day were 8,000
bales, nearly one-half of which was for exportation.
But a limited business was transacted in the
Liverpool Share Market to-day, and prices are
hardly so good as at the close yesterday. The
following were the transactions-East Lancashire,
961 ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 1001; Lancaster
and Preston £lll shares, 61p; London and North
Western, 104, if, 4, 31 ; Ditto a shares, / d ; Man-
chester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 421, 3, .21, 31,
te 1; Midland, 831, ; North British, 221 ;
North Staffordshire, 415-16 d ; Dovers,:223, 1,1, a,e ;
North Eastern £l7 shares, 21,11-1.6 d ; Grand Trunk
Of Canada, 16 ; Great Western of Canada, New, 14p ;
North and South Wales Bank, 78 ; Liver-
pool and London Fire and Life, 83 p. The
following were the closing prices :-Blackburn,
8 13-16, 81; Chester and Birkenhead, 681, 69 ;
Caledonian,36l, 361; Chester and Holyhead, 18,181;
Eastern Counties, 111,111; East Lancashire, 961,961;
ditto 9/. shares, 11-16, a p ; Great Northern, 241, 242;
Great Western,64l,64l; Lancashire and Yorkshire,
Stock, .1001, 1001 ; ditto 9/. shares, 1, 1 1.16 p ;
Liverpdol,Crosby, and Southport, 191, 191 ; London
and North Western Stock, 1031 104 ; ditto K shares,
3-16, -4-- d ; Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire,
431, 43:; Midland Stock, 831, 831; North British,
10/, 101 ; North Staffordshire, 5, 41 d ; North
Eastern-Berwick, 221, 22f; York and North
Midland 341, 341 ; Leeds Capital Stock, 211, 221 ;
South Eastern and Dover, 22 3-16, 221; Scottish
North Eastern, 124, 13 ; Buffalo and Lake Huron,
le,l d ; Ditto New Shares, 1, 1 p; Dutch Rhenish,
18, 11 d ; Great Western of Canada, 231, 231;
Ditto New. Shares, 1 11-16, 1 13-16 p; Great
Luxembourg, 11i, llf d ; Grand Trunk of Canada,
15 15-16, 16 1-16.
In the Market for the Public Funds and Securi -
ties to-day there was a rather better feeling, and
they advanced per cent. closing firmer. Consols
for Money closed at 931 to 94, and for the Account
at 941 to 943. The same prices were current after
official hours. Exchequer Bills were done at 2 dis
to 3 pm, and the New Three per Cents closed at
921 to 921.
The London Share Market was rather firm
to day, with transactions to a moderate extent.
The following were the closing prices, viz. :-
Arnbergate, Nottingham, and East Junction, 5 7.16
5 9-16 ; Caledonian, 721, 721 ; Edinburgh and
Glasgow, 59, 61 ; Eastern Counties, 111, 111;
East Lancashire, 961, 971; Great Northern,
97 ; Ditto A, 88, 89 ; Great Western, 641,
641 ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 1001, 100 k ;
Leeds Northern, 431, 441; London and North
Western, 1041 ; London and South Western,
991, 100 ; Manchester, Sheffield. and Lincoln-
shire, 431, 431; Midland Stock, 831, 831 ; North
British, 421, 431 ; South Eastern and Dever,
731, 741 ; York, Newcastle, and Berwick, 891.
901 ; York and North Midland, 681, 691 ;
After official hours the business done was at the
following quotations :-Caledonian, 721, 721;
Eastern Counties, nit 111; East Lancashire,
971; Great Northern, 971 ; ditto A, 88, 89 ; Great
Western, 641, 641 ; Lancashire and Yorkshire,
1001 1001; London and North Western, 1041 ;
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, 431, 431 ;
Midland Stock, 831 831 ; South Eastern and
Dover, 731, 741; York, Newcastle, and Berwick, 893,
901; York and North Midland, 684, 691.
A considerable quantity of rain has fallen in
this locality since the close of the week, and in
most other directions the weather has been
showery, which will have a most beneficial effect
upon the spring crops, and that of Wheat is
generally reported as promising, though a con-
tinuance of much wet would be calculated to force
it too much into straw ; the appearance of the crops
on the European Continent is also well' reported'
of,iand notwithstanding that the universal reduc-
tion of stocks may prevent decline in the interval,
we trust the anticipation of a decidedly lower
range of prices consequent upon a favourable
realization of the next harvest, may be reasonably
indulged. The slight decline noticed in the Bri-
tish Grain Markets in the course of last week was
followed by somewhat more firmness at the close ;
the large Wheat arrivals, however, from Russia and
the Baltic, combined with fair supplies of home
growth and favourable prospects for the future
harvest, keep consuming buyers cautious and re--
served ; on the otherhand, as a repetition of accumu-
lated quantity from the sources alluded to is not ap-
prehended, and that from the east of Europe and
America will bd necessarily limited, whilst the
stock at our several outports, and throughout
Ireland are greatly diminished, importers have
yielded scarcely in any degree to a decline. The
trade here, since Friday, has ruled quiet, without
pressure and without further concession in prices.
The receipts into this port, coastwise and form
Ireland, are small, and must necessarily continue
so until harvest ; from various sources abroad,
however, the arrivals of most kinds of Grain pro-
duce during the week are moderately fair in
amount. The exports hence, within the
same period are, on the contrary, rather light,
except of Indian Corn, the shipments of which,
coastwise and to Ireland being 23,404 quarters,
At the various markets held to-day, rather higher
prices were demanded, and in some instances an
advance of ls. per quarter on Wheat was esta-
blished

Trade, in the manufacturing districts, is some-
what more active, now that the Whitsuntide holi-
days are over. The news from India has had the
effect of invieorating the Manchester market,
.for
an advance took place there to-day.
From the circular of Messrs. Wilson and Co.,
of Sydney, New South Wales, dated the 10th of
April, we find that the total exports of the four
staple articles from the Ist January up to the 10th
April were--27,594 bales Wool, 15,375 Hides, 1,702
Sheepskins, and 187 casks Tallow. From the cir-
cular alluded to we make the following extract :
We have to notice the continued steadiness of the Wool
market; although prices have been maintained there has
been less eagerness on the part of purchasers. On Comb-
ing Wool an advance of fully 14d. per lb. has been ob-
tained, and on Grease Wool td. per lb. A small lot (four
bales) superior Scoured brought 2J. 6d. per lb. The
satisfactory advices brought per Columbian have tended
to give our market for Hides a very firm tone. At the
present high prices heavy and well cured are readily taken
for shipment. The quantity of Sheepskins brought to
market continues small. No alteration in prices. Of the
boiling down of Tallow this year little has come to mar-
ket. The first of the season realised £47 2s. 61. to £47
10s. mixed qualities £43 to £46. Prices may be con-
sidered firm at our quotations.
The bar shyer brought by the steamer Parana,
from.the West Indies and Mexico, was sold yes-
terday for the East at 5s lid per oz. standard ; al-
though not expected to be delivered before to-mor-
row. This price shows an advance of 8 i compared
with that realiSed for the supply by the packet
which arrived from the West Indies in the middle
of last month ; but in the interval occasional trans-
actions took place at a decided advance. The
large amount of Mexican dollers, by the Paremi,
have not yet been sold. Tee Chilian dollars
realised 4s 111t1 per oz.
A telegraphic message from St. Petersburg re-
ports transactions in Tallew -to the extent of
1,000 casks at 17;i ro. with 10 re. down, for August
delivery.
Rumours are current ie Paris, with what foun,
datien remains to be seen, that the Northern of
France lisilwav Compeny has come to an under
standing with the government for the (me-
Cession and comsteuetiree of the proposed railway
from Amiens to Reuen. In t.l6e undertaking the
Wesiern of Frane.e. Company will also, it is alleged,
heee sonic interest

The ropo tR current at Pin io tli effect that
the-bunion of th Bank c. f 'ranee shows an increase
of no less than Iwo millions turd a quarter sterling
since the last rotmil,
The transfet-b'bolis of Consols and India -Stock:
closed this afternoon, and those of the other
government seenrities, on which the dividends fall
duo next month, will close to-morrow.
The Kent has arrived in the Downs from Mel-
bourne, wilh 62.221 oz. of gold on freight, worth
about 248M501. The advices brought by this