The Sun.
London, England, 1825-10-18 00:00:00

NOTTINGHAM LACE-TRADE IN FRANCE.

The following information is derived from an
English merchant, who has been carrying on
business in France for the last ten years, who
only left Calais on Tuesday last, and who, from
his knowledge and experience, is well acquainted
with this branch of trade.

In Calais, Boulogne, Havre-de-Grace, Caen, Lisle, and
other places in France, the Nottingham lace manufacture has
been introduced by natives of England; and carried on with a
degree of spirit and success, considering the narrow, or, per-
haps, no capital, of the adventurers, beyond their mechanical
knowledge, that is truly astonishing.
It is only four years ago since this branch of English inge-
nuity was introduced into France by some needy though enter-
prising lacemen from Nottingham. They built their looms,
after smuggling the principal and Most intricate parts of the
machinery out of England, in Calais, and'commenced with the
aid of Nottingham lacemen to manufacture on a very limited
scale. The demand was great, and the prices exceeded their
utmost expectations ; so much so, that they added from time
to time, as their means would permit, additional looms and
lacemen ; but the demand for the article increased in a ratio
far beyond their means of supply, and notwithstanding that
there,are now in all the towns above-mentioned small establish.
ments of Nottingham lace-manufacturers, they are totally
unable to meet the demand for their productions by their ut-
most exertions.

What, however, the original projectors have been unable to
do collectively, by manufacturing Nottingham lace in France,
they have for some time accomplished by smuggling into
France the lace manufactured in Nottingham, and disposing
thereof most readily as their own French manufactured Not-
tingham lace. .
Some idea may be formed as to the extent to which the Not-
tingham lace trade is introduced into France. in an indirect
manner. from England, under the idea that the whole is manu-
factured there by our ingenious countrymen, when•we.state,
upon the authority already mentioned, that not late- than iast
Monday night, a Dover lugger was seized by the French reve-
nue officers in Calais harbour, having between 1,6001. and
2,C001. worth of Nottingham lace on board, conaigned to the
Nottingham lace-manufacturers in Calais.

A rthe present time there is a strong difference existing be-
tween the Diglish lacemen employed in France in the menu-
facLureof Nottingham lace, and their employers, the latter
having come to-the detemination of reducing their wages 33
per cent., or from six to four sous a quarter, and, from six to
four sous per dozen for breadths. To this arangement the ope-
ratives refuse to accede, and their employer& threaten them
with getting workmen from Nottingham to supplant them at
the proposed reduced prices. The wages of the lazemen are
certainly very high at present in Calais, and the other places,
a couple of good workmen earning about 101. per week between
them.
__

It was believed at Calais, when our informant left it, that it
.was by private information, obtained from the inemen who
have been threatened with so great a reduction of wages, Mai,
the revenue officets seized the DoVer lugger, with the Notting-
ham lace, in Calais harbour.
We shall conclude this information with a simple fact or
two,• corroborative of the above statement, from the same
source. • •

So great is the demand for lace-loon in France, that one
loofor. 12%/. 01f2 a s.
very per
interior week
construction.:
str u
which may be had here for 2701. will fetch there from 5501. to
6001.; and our informant knew a few days before he left Calais,
bcetro n re.
fui
us
de cel e
dasi
gtohoed
rmelaltdolifne3ri;
appears to be their greatest want.