The Sun.
London, England, 1806-10-18 00:00:00

considerable part of the property belonging to the
deceased. „ ,

Mr. ALLEY attended, as Counsel, in support of
the prosecution ; and Mr. COST for the Defendant.
It appeared- that the deceased', til r. S. Morris, had
resided at Hendon, :here he left a conside-rable prO-
perty, which, by his last will, he direCted should be
disposed of by public auCtion, and the proceeds
thereof divided.equally among his children, leaving
a Mr. Charlton, with others, his executors. By
order of the executors, the property was accordingly
Sold, as directed, and the Detendant, Mr. Samuel
Morris, purchased a considerable part of it, and gave
a deposit of five guineas; and afterWardi tendered- six
more,

A Mr. Hoare, • a neighbour, was left in the. care
of the v:ro?erty, with instrUdions not to deliver any
thing cut of the premises, unless paid for, or on re
ceiving an order from the executors to that clfed-
Mr. M'mis, the Defendant, resorted to the place,
with art cr d2r to take away the goOds, upon payment
of the value.
This order, by some accident, was destroyed,.and
Htiare refused 'to deliver the gobds without pay-
ment ; but Mr, Morris conceiving he had a right;
,as a co-executor and legatee, to carry them aWay,
prOeureda cart, arid in Opposition to Hoare, 'rather
thrcib!y possessed himself of them. Upon these
:grounds the 'charge of felony was' preferred ; and
Mr. 'ALLEY, in support of the charge, in *a -Very
'able manne." r, Contended, -that'*the Defendant, altho'
a co-executor and Jegatee;liad no right to exercise
aer§ of ownership over this property, to the injury
of the other legatees. And from the whole of the
circumstances, he- submitted that the-Charge of le-*
lour was sufficiently made, out. . • •
Mr. CON ST, on the other hand, insisted these was
no proof whatever of this property being takeh with
felohions intent. Mr. Morris Was, ready to. pay-
the money ;* he might haVe acted under Miscoiicep7'
tion, or
,mistake, but there was 'no groands—What-
ever to suppOrt the charge of felony. •
The'presiding Magistrates were unanimous in this
opinion, and dismissed•the' charge accordingly. •

CALICO PRINTERS.

REPORT FflOM THE COMMITTEE- ON THE MINUTES

or EVIDENCE R3ESPECTING THE CALICO PRINTERS j
• PRINTED 4TH JULY, 1804; '
The Committee to whorii it was referred to examine
into the matter of the Minutes of the Evidence-
taken before the Committee to whom the Petition
of the several Journeymen Calico Printers, and
others working in that Trade, in the CountieS of
Lancaster, Derby, Chester, and Stafford; in Eng-!
land ; and
.in the Counties of Lanark, Renfrew;
Dumbarton, Stirling,. and Perth, in Scotland;
(which was presented to the House upon the
-22 d day -of February; 1804) was referred ; and
to' report the same, together with their observa-
tions and opinion .thereupon,,to the Bouse":—
Have, pursuant to the order' Of the House, prO-,
ceeded to the consideration of this subjeEt, with a
full impression of the importance of
.the, 'Manufac-
ture to which it referred ; and with a .decided
vi6tion that the interest of this or any:ether rnanu-
laaure is' best consulted by yedressing the griev-
ances, by promoting the. comforts, by' -securing just
treatment and adequate reward to ,all those upon
whose industry and skill the success of •such
faaure depends.
That considerable disbontentillaVe Prevailed, and
still exist, amongst the Calico Printers ; that the-
complaints of the Journey Men are loud and unre-
mitting, has long been a matter Of notoriety, and
frequently mentioned in Parliament. In prosecuting
the objea of their enquiries,' your Committee haVe
,naturally endeavoured to ascertain the cause of those
discontents, and as far.as they, have been able to
eolled froth the "Minutes:of Evidence referred to
them, they find that it has 'arisen principally from
the multiplication of apprentices. That this has
gone to an extent; and that the disproportion of ap-
prentices to journeymen exists to a degree far be-
yond that understood tor-prevail in any-other me-
chanical profession whatever, appears to your com-
mittee in several instances. -In one 'instance, that
of the, shop Of Berry and Co. Lancashire, they find,
that 50 apprentices were employed, and only two
journeymen ; in another, that of the shop of Tod
and Co. of Dumbarton, there were 60 apprenties,
asnq only two journeymen. Such a 'disproportion,
your Committee conceive, must strike, as extraordi-
nary, any :One in the: least degree acquainted , with
theAustem of trade,

The ,praetice of introducing •such ari increased
number of apprentices, which commenced about the
year t Too, does not appear fromthe minutes of the
evidence to have proceeded from any scarcity of
hands to supply the demand of the masters, or
make up the work required ; on the contrary ; :it
,appears, that, in the course of the period when
this excessive pultiplication of apprentiCes 'went on,
a number of journeymen were- seeking in vain for.,
employment.. •.
•
Independently of any consideration as to the pe-
culiar interest of the Petitioners, cause of complaint,:
upon public g`roUncls; and well deserving the atten-
lion of the Honse,arises out of the manner in which
'the business of apprenticeships is sometimes Marrag- •
ed in 'this trade. The masters decline entering -into
'any indenture, but merely take the bby upon' a' ver-
,:bal agreement to serve
:seven years; to enforce the
performance 'of which agreement; :he take a bond
from the boy's parent for' 501. and, also withholds a
• certain proportion of theiboy's earnings in his handS,.
'generally about 101. until the period of- servitude
agreed upon shall expire ; and thus' a fraud is com-
mitted upon the Revenue by evading' the stamp-tax:
upon indentures. :
•
Your Committee feel, themselves ,particularly.
bound to call theattention of the House to this prac-
tice, as it involves a violation of the principles of
common equity ; the master taking care. to subjea
. himself to no legal obligation :towards: the appren-
tice, can dismiss him at pleasure, and such dismis7
sals actually take place; on the other hand,appren-
- tices sometimes serve no less than eight or ten years
instead- of seven; for if the master, wants employ-
ment for the apprentice at any time, be obliges, such
apprentice to, serve over again; that time during
which he may' have been unemployed,
,not from
any disinclination ~on his part . to work,. but from