The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-24 00:00:00

SOME EFFECTS OF THE MANU-
FACTURING SYSTEM.
(No. II.) •
TO THE EDITOR OF TILE SUN.
Manchester, August 18.
SIR,—In my former communication I mentioned some
of the moral effects of our manufacturing system as a set
off to those evils which your City Arcadians continually
ascribe to it. I shall now advert to an economical effect
which seems to me worthy of the attention of those who
presume to guide the nation.
Nothing.is more common than to hear of capitalein-
played in machinery displacing labour and throwing
men out of employment. In fact that is one of the stock
arguments of the Tories, with which they seek to hide the
enormous errors of their presumptuous legislation. If these
gentlemen knew what they were talking about, or even at-
tended to the meaning of terms, they would cease to a
different conclusion. Capital gains n oth ing except bysetting
labour in motion ; and it is absurd, therefore, to suppose
that any increase of capital can throw labour out or em-
ployment. There are sometimes changes in the direction
of labour. A loom moved by power, for example, is
substituted for a loom moved by the hand ; a self-acting
spinning mule is Made to supply the place of a mule
which requires the attendance of a spinner.' • Machinery
is continually made to do the work which was before
done by man's hand, but by capital employedin machinery
infallibly gives employment both to those vino make and
those who use it. rIo where in the woeld,l believe,
certainly no spot that ever I have seen, is t here so much
One by machinery, and by capital employed ;n machinery,
as in this town, and no town in the empire, with the ex-
ception, perhaps, of Glasgow, has increased so rapidly in
population, or supplied so much employmentibr labour.
This general result, in conjunction .with • the fait that
capital can only obtain a- profit by setting labour, the
source of all wealth, in motion, is I think a complete re-
futation of the general assertion that enspSoying capital
in machinery displaces labour, and throws men out of
employment. ,
But I must quote a particular instance to show how
the employment of capital in machinery. really affects
labour. 'is now about eleven 'years since the railway
was opened between Manchester and Liverpool. At that
time locomotive engines were first brought into use, and
they conic strictly under the description of capital em-
ployed in machinery. , What amount of labour have
they displaced? One effect of using these hats been. to'
promote travelling. A match greater number of persons
now pass daily bet Ween Liverpool and Manchester and
between Liverpool and London than passed before they
came into use.. A' great number of 'engines, conse-
quently, each requiring an engineer ant a stoker, giving
great quantity of employment to guards,porters,
men; ulerles, colliers, coke-burners, &c., is now employed
on railroads. The only persons deprived of work by this
employment of " capital in machinery, are a few post-
boys, coachmen, and stablekeepers, but they fall far be-
low the number to which this improved method of tra-
velling has given employment... A groat change has
taken place in employment, by which, undoubtedly, some
individuals have suffered, but on the. whole, employ-
merit of capital in machinery has increased the demand
for several different kinds of labourers.
To have a complete view, however, of the question, the
employment which making this machinery has given to
a multitude of persons must be taken into consideration.
I have visited one 'establishment which is chiefly devoted
to making locomotivesengines, that of Messrs. Sharp and
Roberts, in which 700 men are employed. There are
many other_ establishments where locomotive engines are
made, not only in Manchester, but in several other
places; and thuS this entirely new arta-for it had no ex-
istence before 1829—this 'employment of capital in
machinery, actually sets at work and provides with com-
fortable subsistence several thousand persons. To the
number actually engaged in manufacturing locomotive
engines in different places, must be added the number
employed in getting and smelting the iron used in
making theta, in obtaining the coal and forming the
coke consumed at the forges at which the locomotive
machines are manufactured ; and we must also add the
number employed in providing these workmen with food
and subsistence. Including all those concerned in any
way in making and in using locomotive engines, it must
be plain that this new art has provided employment and
subsistence for a great body of people.
But this one art is only a, specimen of the whole ma-
nufacturing system. There are several similar arts,
such as the making self-spinning mules,making the in-
struments w hich make the cards for cleaning cotton,
making lathes for turning and planes for planeing iron,
which have of late years. been called into existence.
It is a mistake to suppose that the thousand tall chimneys
which vomit forth their smoke in Manchester, are , all
devoted to cotton spinning, and that in Manchester only
children are employed in cotton factories. With the
cotton manufacture a great multitude of most ingenious
arts are connected, all of which are comparatively of mo-
dern origin, and are distinguished by much capital being
employed in machinery. The very chimneys, .though
masonry and bricklaying are not modern arts, are all
monuments of vast labour, to which employment has been
given by the use of machinery. Indeed, nothing strikes
a person more here than the immense masses of solid and
enduring brickwork, superior even to the brick-work of
old Rome, which—as factories carrying enormous weights,
and having floors as true as a water-level, as railway
viaducts and termini, and as chimneys taller and
straighter than any of the proud columns of antiquity—
are seen in every part of this industrious busy town.
They are all the result and accompaniments of the new
arts which, like that of making locomotive engines, have
latterly been called into existence. By their means
thousands, and even millions of persons have found em-
ployment and ,food ; and those arts have carried Man-
chester to its present size, and the empire to its present
greatness.
In truth, what has occurred at Manchester has also'
occurred in all the manufacturing districts ; and the
creation of new arts, and the increase of employment,
are the necessary consequences of the man:ll:sculling
system. We see its effects, too, not only in the spot
whsre the manufacture is established, but throughout
the agricultural districts, to which it has given prbsperity
unknown before. No Corn-law could keep up the price -
of corn, or atimulate its production, were there no' con-
sumers, and no new .wealth wherewith to purchase it.
Every other stimulus to agriculture is as dust in the ba-
lance compared to the increase of customers. It is ELOPEMENT IN HIGH LIFE.—A considerable
the new arts which have sprung up in the manufactur- sensation was recently excited in Brussels, in conse-
ing districts, and constituting the manufacturing system, quenee of the sudden elopement of the daughter of one
which, providing employment and wages for a vast po- •of the members of the Chamber of Peers and of the
pulation, have ,caused the prosperity of the landowners, Belgian Government with a Belgian of high family and
and have swollen rent tenfold. They. have been the agreeable manners. The young lady, who is described
cause of that great extension of cultivation since the as being exceedingly beautiful and accomplished, is in
peace which fools have ascribed to a wicked and cruel her 19th year, and one of the richest heiresses in
law, and which they have most ignorantly attempted to• Belgium, it being reported that upon her arriving at age
check by destroying the farmers' customers. . she would become possessed of no less a sum than 32,0001.
It is impossible for any person to 'ascertain the number per annum (English money). The young lady became
of beings whom theSe new arts have added to our popu- acquainted with her abductor through the medium of her
lation, and to whom they have given a comfortable sub- maid, and secret correspondence had been carried on for
sistence. To them, probably, is due the existence of at months prior fb the elopement, which took place about a
least half of our present- people and half of our present month since, the parties coming to Englaud direct by an
wealth.- But for them, there must have been fewer Antwerp steam-ship. The father of the young lady soon
`people and 'greater poverty. Not only as they have come discovered his daughter's flight, and, learning the route
into existence have they stimulated agriculture; but sue- taken, he proceeded direct to England ; being most in-
cessive inventions and successive applications of capital timately acquainted with M. Van de 'Weyer, the Belgian
to machinerY have staved off; from day to day, and year Minister, he lost no time in applying to him for assistance.
to year, that dreadful pressure of population on subsist- that functionary immediately dispatched his attache to
ence to which some, philosophers have ascribed all the the Police Commissioners'; office to request their
evils, 'miseries, and
.crimes of society. Had they not assistance, and next morning obtained the consent of the
been called into existence, draining off the surplus hands Home Secretary to allow of the service of the Metro-
which improvements in agriculture, and economy of politan Police being made use of in discovering the
labour in the rural districts, threw out of employment, retreat of the lovers. Two of the Inspectors of the
without there finding them other occupation, our popula• A division, Messrs. Hughes and Partridge, were em-
tion would have 'been degraded below the level. of the ployed in the affair ; and, after a great deal of trouble
Hindoos' or the 'Chinese. They would have eaten one and exertion, Inspector Hughes succeeded in tracing the
another. Our circumscribed. island, wanting the menu- fugitives to the Saracen's Head, Snow-hill, the first inn
facturing system, and wanting the commerce connected they had stopped at on their arrival in London. From
with it, would have been like a ship at sea, destitute of, thence they were traced to different hotels and lodging •
provisions, and-• hunger would have reduced our now houses in the West-end, and at some of which apartments
moral and people, to the terrible con- had only been nominally taken with the intention of
dition of distress, -degradation. and criminality 7ahich blinding those in pursuit of them.
•At last the party
we know,, from the late. case of the crew of the William was found located at a lodging-house in Albany-street,
Brown, Brown, to be 40. full of horror. Regent's-park. The Inspector, in the course of his
I must now call your attention to two circumstances quiries, ascertained that the banns had been put up in
connected with this rise of new arts and new commu- 'no less than six churches, and on the day subsequent to
nities, and with the changes which take place in occu- the lady's capture she would have been married at a
pations, :which seem to me full of instruction. I have Lutheran chapel in the neighbourhood of Bedford-
adverted to the immense benefits those near arts have square, of which a Belgian is the clergyman. Inspector
-conferred on the empire, but I have now to 'notice Hughes,, having discovered the retreat of the lady, lost
that the LegiSlature neithercherish them nor provide for no time in communicating with her parent, who accom-
the government .ef :these new communities. It cannot panied him to a public-house opposite, from the windows
indeed cherish them, for it knows nothing of 'them, and
of which they could watch the motions of the inmates.
they gcow• into existence and 'into power befi )re it be- In a short time the lady's maid showed herself at the
comes alarthed at their greatness, and seeks • only to window, and she
was instantly recognised by the young
.repress or to tax', them Till the Municipal Act was I lady's father. . After waiting a considerable time longer
passed by the Whigs, Manchester was without any I the gentleman who had eloped with the lady left the
means of providing for the commonest public wants, ex- I house, and immediately that he was out of sight the
cept some private Acts of Parliament obtained from' the father made his appearance before his astonished
Tory Legislature at a great expense. Great, and' even daughter, whom he took
_with all possible speed to the
wonderful, as has been the prosperityef ourmantlfactaning residence of the Belgian Minister. On the same even-
towns, surpassing even that of towns in the United ing (Saturday last) npost-chaise was ordered, and the
States, it has owed nothing whatever to' the care of the father, daughter,. maid,, and the Inspector proceeded to
lawgiver. On the contrary its, enactments have ins- Dover, Which place tne latter person did not leave till
peeled its growth, and on the pretence. of pr,)tecting Sunday afternoon, having seen the young lady and her
agriculture have deprived it of customers.
"lei' safe on board a Calais packet. The names of the
The change of occupations, noticed, does continually parties figuring in the above have been kept a profound
subject some individuals to hardship and loss. Railroads, secret. It is said the gentleman who brought the lady
have injured' innkeepers and post-masters, a 5 'power- from Brussels recently held a situation of some eminence
'looms have' lowered the ' wages of hand-loom weavers. in the Belgian Government.—Correspondent of a Sun-
These changes are Still in progress, power-:mules are day Paper.
•
coming into use which dispense altogether with spin- According to our advises from
Beyrout, which
nners. Several other inventions are in progiess which are dated ,the 14th ult., says the Temps—" The Porte
will dispense with the labour of the present race of was disposed to grant the people of the Libanus the pri-
skilled smiths, and compel them to' learn new trr des . The
immense benefits of the new inventions which are non com- ' vileges they claim, and reduce their tribute to 3,000
purses (375,0000, vz , 1700 as a tribute to the Sultan,
ing forward; may be infered from the benefit of the older and 1,300 for the exlenses of the Emir and the Govern-
inventions I have referred to, and a Legislature ass fire of
these circumstances ought, I think, to prevent, if t can, ship of war had arrived a few days before at Beyrout,
meat. The mountaineers were then quiet. An Austrian
the
a nd
indivi g
duals.eneral beneficial 'change
ome fromclasses being injurws 11i
not to
income's, by such a change of circumst nnces, bringing to Selim Pacha a sabre, richly ornamented,* as
allow their , ,
a present from the Archduke Frederick, who was his
companion in arms at the capture of Saida. The Ails-
to be lessened, and intesfering for their protect ion, it
is bound in justice also to interfere for the protec :ion of trian Consul received by the same conveyance a medal,
the hand-loom weaver, the spinner, and the postm asters,
add the insignia of an order, which were deliverd to him
Either it must give up, to be consistent, . proteetir ig thewent to Lebanon with the Consul's dra-
holder whoSe labours are no longer of use, "or i t must when on his death-bed. The Captain of the Austrian
landlords, and bestowing compensation on every office-
ship afterwards we
d delivered to the Pacha from the Archduke
which is to be applied in repairing the
extend its protection to the classes whom sue massive gloo°lll,oanoo'fal,nhalf of
churches, and the other distributed among such inhabit-
general improvements subject to poverty and d istress, ants as have most suffered from the late war.
As it would shrink from the latter as too gip! die an
A letter from Geneva states,—On the 31st ult.
undertaking, there is ho alternative but to abolish the • Communes of Soleure held a grand festival, in
system of protection; and as it cannot regulate the whole I
the I3ernese Constitution. The provisions for the feast severalenioration of the anniversary of the adoption of
vast system of; the production and distribution of wealth, comm
it should cease its attempts to regulate any part of ' it.
I shall only further observe, that it is imposs Ible to lere taken to the summit of a mountain. An immense
were
was made in the eveningewhich, however, occa-
enter any of the large factories here, and see the facili- I sioned a lamentable accident. As the names began to
ties for production which 'arise out of an extenk. :ve de- subside, a blacksmith, named Girard, remarked for his
grand, without being at once convinced, that it is a- Isential I violent Radicalism, raised on© of the brands which had
to success. An engineer could not erect costly fat es and fallen from the heap and kicked it with his foot into the
planes had hesanlynne ortwe screws to cut ,
, , ororn4 'or two fire, exclaiming "So would I have every aristocrat
engine valves to make smooth and true. The use of
served !" In doing this, his foot slipped, and he fell
costly machinery implies much to do. Both the cheapness
and the goodness, therefore,' of amanufacture, be it what it back over a precipice 300 feet deep. He was killed on
'
may, depends ,op the extent of the demand.' In pre portion the spot—leaving a widow with three children, and a
fourth in expectancy, whom the aristocrats he reviled
as that increases, the manufacture approaches per fec don.
To arrest the progress of a. will have to maintain."
manuftiottow or an art by in- L

judicious legislation, is not only to put a stop to the in-
crease of wealth ;it :bars out invention—it checks im-
provement ,ix skll, and it prevents that perfection ir;
work
.whieh,.. is at once equally useful and delightful to
conteMplate.' Such, however, is the effect of all laws
-which impede the growth.of the manufacturing system..
They prevent commodities froth being made at a cheap
sate,. and 'they prevent theth being made well.
The length of this ktter compels me now to stop, but
I,,hope in. another communication to point out some of
the causes why the manufacturing system has been un-
justly and ignorantly decried. '
an), Sir, your obedient servant,
AN OLD, TRAVELLER.

WEEKLYSTAtEjIiNT OF LON-
DON LETTERS, AUG. 23, 1841.
THROUGH THE GENERAL POST.
Four week:, ending. Aug. 21, 1841
Corresponding period of 1840— 3,989,704
Ditto as nearly as can be giveh of 1839
, Increase since 1840 on the four weeks' letters 1,499,738
Ditto • 1839 ditto - 3,869,029
THROUGH THE DISTRICT POST.
Four weeks ending Aug. 21,'1841
Corresponding period of 1840
Ditto as nearly as can be given of 1839 ....
Increase since 1840 on the four weeks' letters 138,924
Ditto 1839 ditto 574,278

RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF
THE NAVAL POWER OF GREAT BRITAIN
AND THE UNITED STATES. .
' . (From the New York Morning Herald, Aug. 7.)
An article has been going the rounds•of the papers on
the above subject, which is extremely incorrect, and
calculated to lull the people. of 'this country into a false
security as to the real strength of the navies of the two
countries. And on this account, and for the purpose of
exhibiting a correct statement of the amount of ships
and men belonging to each. Government, we. have, at
some :trouble, compiled the.following from what we be-
lieve to be the best and most authentic sources :
ENGLISH. AMERICAN.
Ships of the Line lo4lShips of the Line ll
Frigates .
86 Frigates . . 16
Cruizers ' • 200 Sloops
Steamers 5l Brigs 4
Schooners 9
Steamers 4
Store-ship

Total 441
IN ACT iTAL COMMISSION.
Ships of the line 29
Frigates 291
Sloops 35
Steamers 46
Smaller vessels lOOl

Total 66
IN ACTUAL COMMISSION.
Ships of the line *4
Frigates
Stoops l3
Brigs . 3
Schooners 8
Steamers
Store-ship 1

Total 239

Manned by seamen 21,000
Marines 9,000
Boys 4,000

Total 36
Manned by (men and
boys) 9,125

Total 34,0001
* Three being receiving ships which never quit their
moorings. _

Some of the above ships are unseaworthy, and many
of the others require extensive repairs. Under these
circumstances, we think it high time that something was
dohe towards permanently strengthening and increasing
our navy.

1 ON THE ARMAMENTS IN THE
FRENCH NAVAL ARSENALS OF TOULON
AND BREST.
The time occupied in the armament of a fleet varies ac-
cording to whether the vessels are fitted out at Toulon
or at Brest; the latter port is generally the most expe-
ditious, but the armaments at the former are more in
accordance with the progress of the navy.
Brest possesses better stored magazines ; the workmen
who are under better subjection, and are more laborious,
are there under a most constant and unremitting sur-
veillance in their superiors; and we may add that Brest
possesses, in the way of boats and lighters, means of
progress, deplorably deficient at Toulon. It will, there-
fore, be a point of the highest necessity for the French
executive to give to Toulon all the facilities which are
enjoyed by Brest. There is, on the other hand, a great.
difference in the manner of fitting out vessels in the two
ports. Vessels who come to Toulon from other ports
recommence their fitting out, which, although not, per-
haps, absolutely a matter of necessity, is caused by the
captains of the ships feeling a kind of jealousy at find-
ing other ships in the Meiterranean which have been
fitted out at Toulon in better trim than themselves, and
therefore, on arriving there from Brest, or other port,
apply to have those modifications made which are pecu-
liar to that port. This is the circumstance which should
be altered, and a uniform manner of fitting out adopted
in all the yards, whereby considerable delay-land expense
may be saved.
11 the armaments at Toulon are more complete than
elsewhere, they arc, on the other hand, much less expe-
' ditious. And she reason of this may be thus stated :
The workman in the arsenal is very intelligent, and
does his work well, but he gets on . very slowly, because
he is not properly looked after. The engineer, who
superintends the fitting out du,. vessel, is at the same time
occupied in looking after several other vessels in the port
or in the roads ; he is compelled to be' present at the
daily conferences' .and to be present at his office to sign-
di&rent billets which require his vise. He is therefore
prevented from giving suore,than an hour a day to the
surveillance of the diß‘rent fittings out in the course of
progress, and hence arises the delay complained of. The
officers of the ships, having no control over the work-
men,
arc obliged to stand passive spectators of this waste
of ; even in 1840, when the imminence of war was
so apparent, and the loss of time might have been of such
immense consequence, this was the case. These are evils
which require immediate and prompt remedy, and it can
only be obtained by an increase of the number of persons
charged with the surveillance of the workmen, and a mo-
dification in the tariff; whereby the workman would re-
ceive a price better proportioned to his work.