The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-31 00:00:00

StATJ OF TRADE.

The cotton hosiery, in all its Varlotig brUnches, is ex-
tremely dull, which at this time of the year is truly
alarming, From all the information -we can obtain, this
manufacture i;Oille in a torpid state in every country in
which it is carried on ; it is best in France. The Spa-
nish silk7stockingers make the best goods in Europe, but
they are very slow ; they are utterly unable to compete
with the English an French silk-stockingers, especially
at Nismes, where very low-priced silk hosiery is made.
- From a stockinger who has latterly travelled in the
United States, we are enabled to obtain some informa-
tion as to the state of the hosiery manufactures in that
Republic. There are between twenty and thirty coarse
frames in Philadelphia. At George Town, about eight
miles from that city, there is a large three-storied fac-
tory, which contains 80 coarse frames, from 18 to 24
guage, 'some of them are about 22 inches wide, these
are the property of Messrs. Fisher, Burton, and Smith
employ about 15 or 20 frames in . German Town ; the
winA number is from 130 to 140. Stanley is endeavouring
to keep a shop of silk-glove frames at wink, not
with much success. The factory stockinTers receive
their wages only once in three months,--eal workman
has a reckoning book, signed by the foreman. Upon
showing this book a stockinger can get credit at the
storekeepers in the vicinity, who, at the end of three
months, send ii . their bilis, and the wages are stopped by
the foreman, who is allowed, it is believed, 10 per cent.
by the storekeepers, who learn from him whether the
stockinger is over-running his earnings, or is taking up
more goods than his wages amount to. As a matter of
course, the workman-is grievously overcharged. He
found two frames at Wilmington, three at Newcastle on
the Delaware, one at Mannihunk, two at Essenteken,
and at New York four or five shops, containing from 40
to 50 frames. In Long Island he saw four frames, and
was informed that Brookland andWilliamsburgh contained
five frames each. He was unable to obtain employment at
any of the places mentioned. After trevelling several hun-
dred miles in the Northern States, making the most diligent
inquiries, he is decidedly of opinion that there are
not more than 400 frames at work in the United
States. In 1775 they were computed at about 250
frames. Our informant maintained himself by travel-
ling with hosiery and lace which he took with him from
England ; and from his account coarse hosiery sells at
double the price for which it may be obtained in Eng-
land. He saw some Germans selling Saxon-made
marble-tie half hose, but they had great difficulty in dis-
posing of them, even by barter. English hose he could

sell for ready money.
The fancy bobbin net trade is yet extremely dull, nei-
ther is there that intense demand for plat nets which ex-
isted some months since. Yet we have heard of sonic
new lever-frames being upon the stocks, notwithstanding
which the frame and machine smith ti ado is in a de-
plorable state for the went of employment. The bobbin
making trade is brisk. Carriage, batt, and comb-makers
have employment generally ; but the needle and sinker
makers have scarcely half employment, especially the
I:atm—Nottingham lieview.