The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-21 00:00:00

G ;'l5 i.LON lit) .'i

so with regard to piece work, which all out-door
workers are engaged upon. Accordingly, the evil
has gone on from year to year, from generation to
generation ; for the years of a needleworker's life
are not to be measured by the ordinary standard,
without skill, science, or charity being able to find
a remedy. A new hope is, however, dawning in
the introduction of the sewing machine into general

use. At first, indeed, its advent was the signal for
a general outcry, and it was feared that it would

only servo to make the position of the sempstress
worse than before. There is no doubt, like all such
inventions, it has occasioned some temporary in-

convenience. Every mechanical contrivance which
substitutes artificial for human power is certain to
throw many out of work, and equally certain to call
forth a strong opposition from interested parties.
But it has invariably proved that machines instead
of injuring trade eventually improve it, by in•
creasing the amount of work done, and by calling
into action more hands than they have thrown out
of work. The sewing machines are likely to prove
no exception to this rule. It may be contended
that the work of their construction is not to be
counted (although their manufacture, together with
that of the silk, cotton, &c., used is an important
consideration), as they are made by men, while it is
women's work for which they are mainly substi-
tuted. Bat the increased wages are a substantial
advantage to the down•trodden needlewomen ; and
when we hear of shirt collar makers earning from
twelve to twenty shillings a week, and think of the
long hours of labour which would be needed to earn
a quarter of that amount by hand labour, we shall
be inclined to wish the hand machines at all events
to have a fair trial. As the wants of civilisation
increase and the population steadily augments,
there is not much probability of a lack of work to
be done. The question is how it can be
done with most satisfaction to the employer
and with most advantage to the worker. As
it is the intervening classes absorb the profit, and
the extravagant sums paid by the actual owner are
filtered through so many receptacles that, when
they reach the actual worker very little is left.
We have heard of a sempstress receiving seven-
pence halfpenny for making a mantle which was
sold at a guinea—the cost of the material being very
trifling. In the days of sewing machines, a day's
labour would be worth something more than seven•
pence halfpenny, even to an inexpert hand. The
'cute Americans have not been slow to recognise
the advantages of the invention, and one of their
principal factories produces a thousand machines in
a week. Four years ago the value of the sewing
done in America by machinery was estimated at
nearly sixty millions, and at the present time that
immense amount, if then correct, must be consider-
ably exceeded. In oar own country it has had
great difficulties to contend against in the obstacles
offered by the patent laws, in the opposition of the
trades' unions, in the lack of workers to use it. It
would be a good opening for charitable enterprise
to establish a school or class for the instruction of
young women who might be desirous to learn the
use of a sewing machine. At present, friendless or
penniless sempstresses would find it very difficult to
obtain the requisite instruction, and must be tanta-
lised by hearing of others working shorter hours,
earning as much in a day as their unremitting
labour does in a week. There are several associa-
tions whose express object it is to improve the con-
dition of women, more especially by introducing
them to now fields of labour. Cannot some of
these come forward to help the friendless needle-
woman over the barrier that separates her from the
means of obtaining a fair day's wages for a fair
day's work ? Doubts may be raised as to the actual
benefit of the sewing machine, and regrets may be
felt that acy change affecting women's principal
resource in necessity should have been introduced
while they are still so almost exclusively dependent
upon it as an industrial resource; but it is very
evident that the change has come, and that it is
worse than useless to oppose it. The progress of
invention and improvement is irresistible, and those
who will not swim with the advancing current, but
persist in obstinately striving against it, must suc-
cumb in the struggle. The great object now is to
enable those who really need it to avail themselves
of thechange, and to secure to the present generation
of workers as much as possible those benefits which
are usually only experienced after long years of
'ruit:ess effort and shortsighted opposition.

ANCIENT LONDON.—The marvellous transforms-

lions that hare been effected by railways in London
during the past few years, render it of no small importance
to gather up every scrap of topographical lore while a few
sites remain that are dear to history and the Muses. It is
but the other day that we heard of the destruction of
Milton's residence in Barbican. Now we hear that Gold-
smith's residence in Green Arbour-court must share the
same fate. With such changes going on around us, it is
gratifying to learn that " Aleph," the gifted author of
" London Scenes and London People," has a companion
volume in the press, the title of which is " The Old City,

and its Highways and Byeways." We hear that the
forthcoming work will be rich in personal reminiscences of

historical sites and sketches of remarkable places and per

sonages, which more or less reflect upon us the light o
other days from the great Old City.
THE BURGLARY AND ROBBERY AT LORD ASLI,
BURNIIAM'S IN 1861.—N0 doubt the circumstances
of this robbery will be remembered by our readers, as it
created considerable interest in the neighbourhood of Battle.
The perpetrator, who it would appear had been in the ser-
vice of Lord Ashburnham about 18 years ago, obtained an
entrance by a window overlooking the churchyard and made
his way to the small drawing-room where were the articles
in question which he carried away, vie., two silver• gilt em-
bossed goblets, one silver-gilt embossed inkstand (containing
two ink-bottles), one silver-gilt embossed stand for pen-
wiper, and ono gilt circular match box. He got off safely
with the plunder, and was not discovered at the time, but
was shortly after arrested on another charge, and sentenced
to penal servitude at Bodmin, in Cornwall. Owing to the
indefatigable exertions of Superintendent Thompson, he
was traced to the convict prison at Portland (from which
he was released on Thursday last), and was immediately
arrested on this charge by Mr Thompson. Ile was brought
up at the Magistrates' clerk's office, in Battle, on Saturday
afternoon last. His names were said to be Richard Draaeon
alias Richard Draydon, alias Robert Davis, alias Drayton,
alias Drearden, After evidence had been heard, the pri-
soner on being called on for his defence, said, " I have
nothing to say." lie was fully committed for trial at the
next quarter sessions.—Surrey Standard.
A RUSSIAN INCENDIARY FIRE.—A great incen.

diary fire in Russia is reported by Mr Percy t
Ffroach, of Monivea Castle, county of Galway, who, in a
letter to the 1 imcs, extracts a description of the fire, writ-
ten by his father-in-law, from Simbirsk, where the disaster
occurred. The place was burning for three days, and on
the 21st of August the whole place was in ruins ; the cathe-
dral, the churches, the House of Assembly of the nobles,
with its magnificent library, the house of the governor, all
the courts of justice, with their archives, ice. In
fact, a great town, inhabited by thirty thousand people,
was entirely destroyed. No one, he says, can possibly
have an idea of the horror of the spectacle, On the 19th,
when the fire was burning its fiercest, his country house
about a mile and a half from the town, was besieged by burnt:
out families, weeping mothers and children,asking for shelter
and a bit ot bread. The ladies established themselves in the
apartments and the gentlemen formed themselves into a guard
tor the whole night, because the fire was not an accident, bu
the result ot a horrible plot. The cathedral, the House of
Assembly, and the govel nor's hotel had been undermined, and
the explosion was terrible. The exasperated people took
justice into their own hands, and they seized in the act the
Poles serving in the regiments stationed there. The troops
and the people were thus brought into opposition, two
officers and many soldier a were killed, and more serious
troubles were feared. The nobles, to whom the
best part of the town belonged, having been already im-
poverished by the recent reforms, have nothing with
which to rebuild their hDuses. Some families are entirely
ruined, The Princess X. has saved nothing but what she
had on; her wardrobe, lace diamonds, Bco., everything has
been burnt. The incendiaries had taken to the surrounding
villages, and had alree.dy fired some of them, so that he and
his peasants were keeping a careful watch. The day before
the letter was despaf ched passed off quietly, and the people
employed themselv es in gathering together the dead, of
which there were a good number,