The Sun.
London, England, 1826-01-31 00:00:00

THE

Yesterday a Meeting of the Journeymen Broad

..ftilk.weavers took place at the Church of St. Matthew, Beth-
aabgreen, pursuant to public notice, for the purpose of may.
Mg the Report of a Committee appointed at a former Meeting
to prevent a Memorial to the Board of Trade, and to adopt
-such measures as might be deemed necessary under existing
circumstances.

The • sleeting was appointed to take place at one o'clock,
•And soon after that hour between lire and sax thousand persons
/lad assembled. '

Mr. JAMES 13AgEn was called to the Chair, and having
briefly stated the object of the meeting, requested that the per-
sons preient would receive the Report of their Committee with
ethat attention which their peculiar situation required.
Mr. WALLIS, one oldie deputation to the Board of Trade,
• weeded the platform, which had been erected for the purpose,
nod .addneseed the meeting to the following effect was
glad toes Bo numereus an assemblage, for it clearly skewed
the intelitet they felt in the cause which had called them Loge.
-thet. When he last addreteed them, they were assembled to
hear a memorial read, which was to be presented to the Board
of Trade. He wasone of those on whom the duty of present-
'Mg it had devolved. The memorial was presented, and last
Wednesday was appointed for a conference on the subject..
The Committee on that day met Mr. Huskisson, Mr. Grant,
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, anti their conference
lasted above two hours, during which time ninny argu.
.mints were adduced on both sides. The Ministers of
the Crown Contended, that the evil complained of did
tut arise from the contemplated measures, but from
other causes--namely, an overstocked market, and also a
:zeneral depression, which had affected other bodies besides
those engaged in the silk-trade. The committee, on the other
hand contended that the distress arose principally front the
Tepee/ of the prohibition laws ; and they gave several reasons
.for their opinion : Ist, because the depression in their trade
.had been progressively advancing, before it was felt withits
present severity ; 2d, all previous slacks in the trade were
partial, and in many cases only aiketed particular branches;
but now the depressant was general, and affected the whole,
and left them almost without hope. The Ministers then
urged, that the superiority of the English manufacture
'would command the market; and said, that our causes for
fear had, in a considerable degree, their origin from our.
-selves, as, by giving publicity to the alarms we felt, we at the
sane time gave a degree of confidence to the French manufac-
turer, who would naturally put a higher price on his goods,
arid bring them nearer to an equality with the English menu.
lecturer. To this the committee replied, that the English
dealer in silks, a* a man of business, If he could purchase th-
e:reign silks 5 or 10 per cent. cheaper then Englieh, would be in.
:.duced not only to recommend than to his customers itt prefer.
sence,but even to sell them asEnglish manufactured goods. tie had
never admitted that we were unable to meet them in the mar.
ken if we were placed on any thing like an equal ffioting
but that so long as the priced of foul and house.rent between
the two countries were so dieproportionate, that, together with
.other advantages they enjoyed over us, particularly the benelit
of a climate which enabled them to produce the raw material
on their own soil, these advantages were such as a protecting
ditty of 30 per cent. could not guard us against. Mr. Home-
wood, who accompanied the deputation, then pressed the Ml-
niaters for a more explicit- answer on the subject of the memo.
rial, but they replitd, '' that we had all the arguments on the
,flubject, and we knew our own, and that we were therefore
capable of forming an answer as well as any they could fur.
.shah" Mr. Wallis sat down, returning his thanks for the
Confidence which had been so often reposed in him.--(Great
applause.)
ale. Porrox, another of the deputation to the Board of
Trade, said be would not trespass at any length on the patience
of the meeting, nor go over the topics which had been so
clearly suited by Mr. ‘Vallis, but in the course ofit two hours'
interview with die Ministers, other topics had been argued
which Mr. had' not touched upon. Mr. Huskisson
declared that if he were convinced that the general benefit of
the country, and the prosperity' of the silk-trade, required it,
he was not so wedded to his opinions as to prevent his going
to the Bowe of Connnuns and deleting his opinion of the
error under which he had laboured for two years befbre. To
.this he (Mr. Porno) replied, that the silk-triele could never
be protected in this country without. prohibitory laws ; and in
support' of his assertion, he mentioned the authority of a
Committee or the House of Lords on the subject in the
year 1021. It was then declared by them that the laws
'cave us a monopoly in our own market, without which the
ailk.trade could not have fermerly existed ; and the only reason
which induced the Committee to think wt: were enabled to
compete with foreigners was, that nut had then a better supply
of row material from Our owu celoniele We however said,
tied although the article from our colonies had increased in
point of quality, it had also increased in price. The Lord&
Cemmittee then Stated also, that the difference between lien-
gel and the Indian silk was more than one.third, and was even
Now there is only la. in the pounthweight
-ference between them, anti every person prevent knew there
was more than that difference in the quality of the articles, Mr.
PoYton then adverted to the relative situation of France and
England with regard to the silk-trade sixty or seventy years
ago, and said, that notwithstanding that the prohibitory laws
were then repealed for a short time, and produced distress, Eng-
land was then better prepared to stand a competition, for at that
period bread was at high r price in France than it is now, and in
klogland it was at one.third only of its present veld°. Added to
that, a smaller number of hands were then engaged than are at
present, and the climate of France enables them to grow the
mulberry tree, which they were fermerly obliged to go to
Italy tor,—an advantage we can never expect to ob.
In answer to this, his Majesty's Ministers replied,
that every other trade also thought they ought to be exempted
from the general principle, on the ground of sonic peculiarity
to which they were subject, but which, when acted upon, was
found to 'be beneficial. The iron.trutle was instanced. We
anewered that there were peculiarities in our trade which did
not attach to others, for with us so much labour wits consumed
on the raw material. In conclusion, Mr. PoYton hoped the
committee had conscientiously discharged their duty. He was
ready to answer any queatiOna that persons present might be
disposed to tusk him.

„,
iieveral (locations were then proposed to Mr. Poyton, In an-
*cep to which he replied, that in the year 1014 the cotton
trade exported 10,690,365 pieces of cotton, for which they ob-
tained 17,203,7001, ; but in 1024 they exported 27,170,107
pieces, and obtained no more than 15,240,0001.; so that in the
year 11124 they exported nearly eleven millions of pieces for
+damn two millions sterling less than they had done in 1814.
in answer to a question as IA whether the Committee had any
conversation with the Ministers respecting the smuggling of
French silk. Mr. Poyton said they had, and contended that
duty of 30 percent. would only act as a bounty on smuggling ;
:for after the goods once gained admittance into the country, de-
tection would he impossible.
Mr. WADDEN' a manufacturer, a gentleman who spoke
with a strong Irish accent, said, this was the first time he had
the honour of addressing an English assembly. The interests
of the masters and their men were inseparably united. 11 e had
been 16,yeers a manufacturer. Mr. Wadden then prodUced
several patterns of silk which came from Lyons' under the de-
nondoation of Gra,. de Nopler. It could be purchased at
Lyons at the rate of 4s..per ell, end 24 inches wide ; including
•duty anti all expences, it might be imported at 4s. 5d., or, in
other words, =kit% allowance for the difference of measures,
_a mercer in London might have it on his counter at 3a. 7d. per
Etglish yard ; but he would ask what could an English ma-
nufacturer make it Inc ? Ilia journeymen might work
sixteen hours a day for 14s. a week. Ile could not go to
the India-huuse with money in his pocket and purchase the
raw material for lea, than 3s, BV., therefore the mercer might
have the manufactured articles fur sale a penny lest than the
price of the raw material. lie thought the Hata litclia Cunt_
pany would, in' time, nic.,:opolize the whole trade, for they
had it in their power to but such a price on the raw material
as would protect the. sale of the manufactured article intro-
&teed by them. (Mr. Wailden'a address waa received with
went applause by the meeting.)
Alessra. NuCtllgri DAVIS, FOX, and WHITE addressed
the meeting at com.iderablo tolgth to the same purport.
Several resolutions were then moved.
J. That the Meeting regretted the result of their memorial to
the Board of Trade.
`L. That the distress of their trade is, attributable to the repeal
of the prohibition laws.
3. That, in the opinion of the Meeting, if the new regula-
thins be acted, on, the silk trade of Great Britain and Ireland
will be nearly Annihilated, and half a million of indus-
trious individuals minced to a state of degradation, starvation,
and pauperism, which will increinte the already heavy burden
upon the landed interest of the nation.
4. That they aught, by every legal means, to endeavour to
remove the evil which has already oome upon them, and
is daily Increasing.
A, That a committee of Nix be appointed with full powers to
call in finch assistance Si they deem necessary, to obtain, if pos.
slide, a repeal a mail parts of the Silk-trade Bill of 1814, as
rage' ta the importation of foreign wrought silk into this
country. •
The resolutiOne ►sere all adopted unanimously.
were afterwards voted to the late
The thanlssfof the Meeting
Committee, to the minister and churchwardens for the use of
,The (thumb on the present occasion, and to the chairman.
The Meeting was then adjourned.