The Sun.
London, England, 1832-09-27 00:00:00

MANUFACTURING TOWNS IN BELGIUM.

(Abridged from the Correspondence of the Morning

Herald.)
I promised in my last letter from Namur to give yott
some account of the actual commercial conflition Of this
erect district of manufacture, which is to the Low
Countries what Sheffield, Birmingham, and Manchester,
Are to England.

Belgium has been considered by many unit quiri:ng
persons in England as an almost entirely agricultural
country, and the Belgians themselves a very stupid set
of people. Both opinions are equally consistent with
truth, and are with as much justice predxable of the in-
uabitants of England. The inhabitants of Flinders have
surpassed any other similarly situated community in
Europe—they were your masters in England, and are
now, as your merchants well know, your rivals in the
foreign markets. They abound in mines of iron, lead,
zinc, and coal. Nor has an intelligent and industrious
ele allowed Nature to be so profuse in her gifts in vain.
Numerous great establishments have existed to render
hem available to the purposes of life, and innumerable ope-
'es of every class been engaged in their development.
And first of the coal mines. These, although found
in many parts of the line which we have traced, are most
thundant in the neighbourhood of Charleroi. The coal
has not only been used for all common domestic
purposes, but in working the other mines of the
district, in supplying fuel to the stram•engines, ha
various factories, but also, in the time of the Dutch,
was sent by water into all the northern provinces,
and into Holland itself. For this purpose the shallow
waters of the Sambre, upon which Charleroi stands, in
the province of Hainault, were swel'ed into a perfect canal
by the massive dam of masonry which, as I have already
mentioned, is thrown across it just before its junction with
the Meuse at Namur. On the latter river it performed
the remainder of its profitable voyage. At the verge of
the town of Lege itself there is a most productive mine,
with works of the most scien'ific construction. In the
depot attached to it the vast square masses; of the extracted
coal are built up into piles of amazing dimensions, waiting
for better times. There is no present sale for them. The
people in general here consume the coal dust, which they
have mixed up like mortar, with a species of yellow clay,
and then formed in shapes like bricks, and put up to dry
in stoves. They then ate an excellent substitute for the
larger coal, and burn with a slow, but intense, heat.

ratio•

Neat to the coal are the iron mines, whose present colt.
lition is in an almost equally deplorable state. These are
very rich, and produce a good second-tate quality of metal.
['hey are chiefly about Charleroi ar,d Namur, and have
employed a great number of smelting-houses and forges.
The chief market, however, for the heavy iron works, was
in Holland and the colonies. Three are, for the present,
lost. One branch of trade, however, connected with the
iron mines is in full employment here—the tithrieation of
'ruts of every description. England had the opportunity
~f getting much of the supply of the Belgic army, hut,
thanks to the dishonesty of her manufacturers, who have
trrived at such admirable proficiency in making had articles
with a captivating exterior, she lost it. Liege is now all
one great armoury, and in truth, in plain work, she can make
4 better article for a lower price than your bona fide work-
men. Liege has at present orders from the Pacha of Egypt
alone, which would keep her in activity for at least many
months. The manufacture of saddlery is also a guide
here, and, for the same reason as that applicable to the
arms' trade, is in full activity. In this the Liegeois have
di° much foreign demand. In Brazil and Colombil th, y
find a constant consumption. Here again they come in
competition with our British work, but fur genuine
serviceable articles, not made up for the eye alone, they
btain a just preference. At Namur you find the most
celebrated cutlery workers on the Continent. They
use English steel, and can then undersell us. Their
knives are good, but they acknowledge that they cannot
toproach the English razors. They cannot get into
France under a duty of 25 per cent., but, even with such an
incubus, they can compete successfully with the worktnen
of that country. They have also a good trade with
Italy ; in the counting-house of M. Arnolt, the first in the
town, I saw several very large orders for that country.
At Verviers are the great cloth manufactories of Bel-
gium, for which the manufacturers get their wool in
Saxony. They have suffered very much from the revolu-
tion, as Holland consumed a great deal of their produce.
A. partner in a great house here assured Fne that in the
year 1829 he had sent 27,000 pieces into that part of the
United Countries. The trade is now, however, reviving,
after a long depression. The supply of the army is one
great source of occupation. Though other Continental
markets, to which the usual line of communication was
')y Antwerp, have again been entered by new routes, you
will perhaps be surprised to hear that Italy has long been
t Crest market for Belgian cloths. The merchants from
Venice and from Genoa, but especially from Piedmont,
nave been in the habit of coming here in person, and
making a selection of extensive stock, to have it home by
the Meuse and along sea. They have now been
obliged to take their purchases across France, of course
ander a very strict surveillance of Custom-house agents.
.1 great deal of Verviers' cloth is also consumed in Ger-
many, into which it went by Antwerp, and through Lim-
lurg. Our English merchants have in this branch of trade
Also been surpassed in second-rate fabrics, which are made
better and cheaper than they could get them up for.
France has altogether prohibited a competition with her
trtitans.

MELANCHOLY AND DISTRESSING ACCI-
nENT.—On Thursday evening last, the following melan-
choly occurrence took place at Barley Dean Gilhery,
parish of Carrington, the property of the Earl of ROSE •
BERRY, and held on lease by Mr. FORESTER : —Among
he workmen employed at that place is a man of the name
of PENMAN, and his five sons. The father and two of
she sons had ascended from the pit, and the three others
mere in the act of ascending, and had nearly reached the
nouth of the pit, when, awful to relate, the ring by which
the bucket was suspended broke, and the unfortunate inn
sere precipitated to the bottom of the pit, a depth of 33
fathoms. One of the brothers immediatdy descended, and
'he bodies were shortly afterwards got up in a shockingly
,nutilated state, and conveyed in a cart to the residence of
,heir father.—Caledonian Mercury.

A most excellent system is acted upon at
„St.e.pir
daagttchwhe
sellers,refts, inhabitant!et. tofr
ilviniaegntrhaaenr
pet vagrants,
stationed
oi which has
thraadsvaeilcompletely
ga t betgie.
different entrances to the town, who stop all vagrants, and
inquire what road they wish to go. If in the day-time,
the man who stops the vagrants conducts them through the
tJorn to the outlet which leads to the road which they aiy
tiey are to travel, and the person stationed there sees
them off. If in the evening, he taken them to the vag-
rant house, where they are fed and lodged for the night,
sod seen off in the morning. Since this plan has been
,dopted, not a single travelling beggar has been seen in
Spalding, except quietly passing through the town in com-
pany with their guide.—Boston Herald.

For the last three or four days the neighbour-
'rood of Pownall-terrace, Kennington.road, Lambeth, was
in some suspense, in consequence of the sudden disappear-
trice of an old gentleman, named KIRBY, who lived by
,imself, in No. 4, Pownall-terrace. He was last seen on
Sunday morning, about 11 o'clock. On Monday he did
not make his appearance, and several persons, on calling,
found the house shut up. On Tuesday, the landlord, Mr.
FOSTER, directed two policemen to break open the doors,
.nd in the bedroom they found Mr. KIRBY lying dead.--
lis body was in a very advanced state of decomposition,
.nd on a surgeon being called in, he was of opinion that
'he deceased bad died of a sudden attack of apoplexy. An
:request WrlB held yesterday, at the Feathers, in Lambeth-
walk, and a verdict to that effect returned.

In one of the villages in the department of
the Meuse, where there exists a strung keliug that the
yie of the pipe is a preservative against cholera, four indi-
vidual+, in carrying adeati mrn to the church-)ard, durin
the whole way, and while in the church, kept smoking.
\ man ill of the cholera, whun told of this, 'rugby,' St)
,artily at it tho he but better, and is now wej....
Cattinet de Actium