The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-23 00:00:00

THE FIFE BURGHS.

Kirkcaldy, 19th January, 1811.
The following correspondence has trkcn place bctrvcen
Colonel Ferguson's end Dr. Bdwring's Committees :

TO COI7ONEL FFRGUSON'S ELECTION COMMITTEE.

The Committee appointed by the friends of Dr. Bow.
ring are anxious to remove any impression entertained in
any quarter, that, in calling on that gentleman to stand as
a candidate for the district, they have been actuated by
feelings of personal hostility or factious opposition. Their
motives can be expressed in very few words. Considering
that the constituency are entitled to have for their rep c-
sentative the man who, from his experience, talent, inte-
grity, and industry, was beet qualified to attend to their
interests in Parliament, they, after mature deliberation,
:cid on Dr. Bowring as the man on whom that honour
should, in their opinion, be conferred.
Such being their motives, they arc desirous that nothing
should occur to divide or injure the Liberal interest , and
they have a proposal to make, of such a nature as, that if
the friends of Colonel Ferguson decline to accept cf it,
they will bring on themselves the responsibility deny divi.
sion that may occur. Colonel Ferguson ttl3 said that he
is favourable to an extension of the franchise, end he has
distinctly pledged himself in favour of the Ballot. Dr.
Bowring's Cornni:ttee, acting on a suggest ion eloquently
expressed in the. Doctor's address of Saturday last, are
ready to refer the question of the representation to which-
ever of these tests Colonel Fcrzussn's Committee may
prefer. They will, therefore, either—
First—Agree that the question, whether Colonel Fer-
guson or Dr. Bowring shall be the representative of the
district, be referred to a general vote of the whole adult
male population, taken in such f rm as the two candidates
may amicably arrange; or,
Second—lf this proposal should be declined, Dr.
Boering'a Committee will agree to submit the question to
a Vote of the Electors taken by Ballot.
If Colonel Ferguson's Committee will agree to stand
by either of these proposals, on the understanding,that if the
Colonel is found to be in the minority be shall withdraw
from the field, Dr. Bewring's Committee pledge them-
selves to adopt the same alternative, and to insure his im-
mediately retiring if the majority in found against him.
The Committee is conclusion, take this opportunity of
strongly urging the propriety of one or other of these pro-
posals being adopted, as a means admirably suited for
saving such a constituency as this from the evils of a
contest ; and they have the satisfaction of reminding their
friends of the other party, that, on the occasion of a some-
what similar division in the neighbouring constituency of
Cupar, a reference to the Ballot, made by Mr. Ellice and
accepted of by the other party, was the means of obvia-
ting those evils.
By direction of the Committee,
(Signed) ALEX. REID, Chairman.

EXCERPT from the MINUTES of the Committee for con•
ducting the Election of Colonel FERGUSON, 19th Janu.

cry, 1841 :
Inter alia —A Communication from Dr. Reid, in the
name cf. Dr. Buwring'a Committee, addressed to this
Meeting, was read : and the Committee having maturely
and deliberately considered the same, the following Reso-
lution was unanimously adopted, viz. ;
" That this Committee decline any discussion of the
motives which have influenced Dr. Bowring's friends to
bring him forward for the purpose of opposing a Liberal
Candidate who has already been favourably received by
the electors. In the propositions now submitted to them,
this Committee can see only a scheme which might result
in still farther disuniting the Liberal interest in these
Burghs. They resolve, therefore, to reject all such pro-
positions; and they will rely, with perfect confidence,
upon the geed sense of the constituency to establish Co-
lonel Ferguson's claims to represent them in Parliament."
The Committee request the Cliairman to communicate
the above Resolution to Dr. Bowring's Committee.
(Signed) JAMES RUSSELL, Sec.

STATE OF TRADE AT NOTTING

HAM:

(From:the Nottingham Review of yesterday.)
The fancy bobbin-net trade, notwithstanding that spring
orders may be now contemplated, is still extremely dull,
except for first rate patterns, which are made ready for sale
without needlework. Some small excitement has arisen
respecting the renewed trial on Sneath's patent for spotting
on circular bolt machines, known in the Court of Common
Pleas as Fisher v. Dewick. The singularity of this con-
tinued litigation is evident; first, that the patent may bo
considered valueless, as most of the machines licensed from
the patentee, are either broken up, or are standing for want
of demand for the article. Second, The improvement
of Litchfield used by Dewick (though certainly a resem-
blance), is so decidedly superior, as to render the original
invention nearly abortive, both in speed and in fabric.
Doubts having arisen as to the cut-up hose trade, and
its effects upon the employment of the population of the
Midland Counties ; we herewith subjoin a statement, pub-
lis'ied by Mr. Felkin, in the Times London Newspaper
some time since, in the correctness cf which we agree,
w Inch will prove that it i 3 not steam power that has thrown
the population out or remunerative wages or employment,
but the mere operation of the scissors, the thread-carrier,
and treble slur-cock.

\lr. Felkin states that 10,500 frames produce yearly,
fult fashioned cotton hose, 420,000 dozens; 6,600 frames
produce yearly, cotton cut-up stockings,Ac., 1,950,000
duz. ; total dozens, 2,400,000.
If the 17,100 frames were all making full fashioned hese,
by the same ratio, thoy would produce yearly, 684,000
; leaving a deficiency in the supply of 1,716,000 doz.
_wl-tich would require an additional 45,400 frames to be
built, to make the same number of hose.

Cut-up hose were not made previous to 1809; the sys-
tem began by making cut. up gloves. A Bill was intro-
duced into Parliament in 1812 to prevent the practice.
The Framework-knitters Company was incorporated in
1664, to prevent the making of fraudulent hosiery.
The making of warp tattings is not by zny means im-
proved. The serious reduction in wages seems to have
paralyzed this once important body of workmen. The
sann.! may he said of the warp blond workmen. The last
abatement has had an effect the manufacturers did not ex-
pect ; many of the workmen have left the business, as un-
p rortilklo and have taken drawer and cut-up frames. This,
a few years since, would have been ranked amongst the
impossibilities, no one then supposing that these high-
minded -.,.orkrrien would have submitted to work at what
has been considered a miner branch of the trade.)
The imitations of the French jacquard laces, we are
a'raid, preceed very slowly ; indeed, the warp trade is
exces,:lvely flat. The silk netted workmen in this town are,
nrriny of them, unemployed. Great complaints are heard
of tile order= going to Alansfleld; it is asserted that this
is owing to the rmsters at that place giving the hosiers
long credit, which they are enabled to do by giving goods
in lieu of waves. si;k ;love have great hopes
held out to diem by many of the hosiers, that their sprang
orders n ill come rattling in shortly.

LETTERS ILLUSTRATIVE OF TILE COURT
AND TIMES OF WILL:NM 111., BY JAMES VERNON, ESQ.
EDITED BY G. P. R. JAMES, ESQ —We do not know that,
upon the whole, there has been published at one time, from
the pen of one man, a mere interesting and important c,;l-
- of letters than those now before us. When it is
recollected that the leading spirits of this day, included
among them Godolphin, Harvey, 'Marlborough, Sunder-
land, I3Lth, Monmouth, Wharton, and a host
of others of
the two still bitterly opposing parties of William and
James, and that Vernon, from his peculiar pthition,
c,-,me more or less into contact with them all, and that the
lett( rs in which he records the ficts that came to his know-
ledi4e are addressed—the who,lO of thena—to his patron and
fricnd, the Duke of Shrevrisbury, himself intimately con-
nce!el vvi;ll the events of,,fhe preceding years, and having
y plaed a cent:picuous p.t connection with them, we
need not seek to aggrindiso interest and wino
of the publication. / We cannot better close our
notice of this ighly interesting and important
work than in t word 3 of its ;Ail:a editor, Mr.
James, the popular novtliA and hi-tor:an :—" These
letters sic a treasury of facts, some trivial, some remark.
able ; but 23 a whole, displaying the mannt-rs of the age._
the pasiiens, the faults, the the wiscurn, the power,
the map,nanimity of those we have been accustomed to look
up to—the tortuous path of political intrigue—the secret
motives of grand actions—the small springy of great events
—and the -foundation, development, and completion of in-
stitutions which affect our liberty and floppiness even in
the present day."—lVaval and Military Gaz;lte.
Two MORE CHILDREN BURNT TO DEATH.
—Oa Thursday two inquests were held before Mr. Payne,
the City Coroner, at St. Thomas's Hospital, on the bodies
of Charles Farrel!, aged seven years, and Henry Watling,
four years and a ha'f, who were burnt to death. It is not
hag 3ince Mr. Farrell, the father of one of the deceased
childrt 11, died in this hospital, in consequence of the effects
of iiiikuica received on the Croydon Railway.

P