The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-09 00:00:00

STATE OF THE HOSIERY AND LACE TRADES

The Nottingham trade is in a very depressed and gloomy state.
The wrought cotton hose branch is not at this moment worse
than it has been in for months past, and the cutup cotton hose
branch, which has been stagnant for months, has,revixed a
shade. The drawer and pantaloon branch is very dull, and
employment scarce. The silk glove branch, after having passed
through a sort of fever, has rather suddenly fallen back into its
former state, which causes considerable privation amongst
the workmen. In Helper and the vicinity the hosiers
are attacking the rate of wages ; but the hands, long inured to
suffering, seemed determined to resist.—The plain silk hose
branch, after being a shade improved, has also retrograded to
its old position, if not to a worse. The fancy bobbin-net trade
that is, the Lever's fancy trade, continues extremely de.
pressed, and many machines and hands are standing, though
we have heard it asserted that two of the principal firms
have had some large orders, but this we fear is exaggerated.
The stint of hours was ,pretty well abided by for a few days,
but some of the manufacturers finding they could sell
some of their patterns, continued to work long hours this
caused the measure to be abandoned, in which attempts are
made to induce Parliament to interfere. A meeting was
called on Monday evening, at the Town•ball, of the twist and
warp hands, at which it was resolved to petition Parliament to
limit the working hours of lace machines to aixteen per day.
But as Parliament w ill be prorogued, it is said, on the 9th
instant, nothing can be done this session.—The warp lace trade
is also very dull, especially the cotton trade. The silk branches
have not felt it to the same extent, though the warp lace hands
have almost taken the lead as to the restriction of hours ;
most of the frames are worked single-handed ; the long
hours are confined in general to the rotary machines at
times, and to those now making cloth. The Bill for corepelling
the hosiers and masters to give tickets with their work, as
amended and made applicable to the Nottingham and Derby
trade, passed the House of Lords on the 30th ult„ and has re-
ceived the royal assent. It comes into operation on the Ist of
January next. This lavk will cause a new era in the hosiery trade
as the system of underworking by giving secret prices, and by
private docking from the regular list of prices is now at an
end. It will cause an equalisation of price, to be given
throughout the trade. The Bill now extends to bagmen,
and all putters-out of hosiery, who will be compelled to give
tickets to their journeymen, and even to their apprentices.
It will provide employment for printers to prepare forms of
the necessary • schedules, which in some descriptions of work
will require to have more than twenty entries. The large
warehouses will be compelled to have extra clerks, as with
every different description of work a distinct schedule or
ticket must be given. It does not appear that the hosiers
made any opposition to this law, though in 1823, when a
similar measure was proposed by Mr. Peter Moore, M.P. for
Coventry, they almost unanimously petitioned against it.—
Nottingham Review.
DEATH WHILST BATHING IN THE SERPENTINE.—

Last evening Mr. Gill held an inquest at the Brown Bear,
Knightsbridge, on the body of William Powell, aged nineteen,
who was drowned whilst bathing in the Serpentine. The
deceased was an apprentice to Mr. Lack, harness-maker, of
Stockbridge-terrace, Pimlico, and on Tuesday last, be-
tween eight and nine o'clock in the evening, be, with a
fellow apprentice. named Hayley, went to the Serpentine to
bathe. Powell went into the water first, and having got
. .

about eight or nine yards in the river from the shore,. he
was observed by his companion to be struggling in the water,
and tried to call for assistance, but was unable. He sunk,

and an alarm having been given, the boats belonging to the
Royal Humane -Society came to the spot, and in about tin
minutes the body was recovered, and conveyed to the receiv-
leg-house, where every means were resorted to to restore
animation, but without effect. Verdict, "Accidental death."
A gentleman present wished to know if the Royal Humane
Society thought three men sufficient to watch the numerous
bathers? Mr. Charlier, the secretary, said that they would
like to have double the number, if they had sufficient funds;
the present was the only accident of a fatal character tha, had
occurred this season, although the number of bathers bad
considerably increaaed.
New oats were cut last Monday at Cromwell, but
generally speaking, that (as well as other grain) is remarkably
late, and the rainy weather very much militates against its
ripening. Nottingham Journal.
A MAN KILLED By A BULL.--On the arrival of
the down train at Selby, on Tuesday morning, the body of a
man of the name of Isaac Woodcock, was discovered lying at
the bottom of one of- the caravans, which contained a bull, be-.
longing to Earl Fitzwilliam, whilst proceeding to the exhibi.;
tinn of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society at Beverly. When
the discovery was made, it was also ascertained that the bull
had his fore feet placed on the shoulder of the unfortunate suf-
ferer; and that the unfuriated animal had also struck him with
his horns very severely at the back part of the head. Life was
quite extinct.—Doncaster Gazette.
TESTING THE SECURITY OF RAlLROADS.—Yester-
day, on account of the long continued heavy rains, the Direc-
tors of the Great Western and of the London and Birmingham
Railroads caused an experimental trial to be made on those
railroads, for the purpose of ascertaining the solidity of the
roads and blocks on which the iron work is affixed, also to in-
vestigate the state of the embankments. The examination was
very satisfactory, the roads being found perfectly secure, •
—"A tobacconist, who recently entered the happy
state of wedlock at the church of one of the principal parishes
of South-West Essex, in the fulness of his jov at the consum-
mation of his wishes, presented 'the. ,officiating minister and
clerk with packets of gel:taloa. Havaaaah.cigars. Essex paper.