The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-14 00:00:00

bitory. There was at the same time a large bounty
on silks exported, whereby- an exportation was
forced, the amount of MI MI must be deducted from
the importations of raw and throwu silk, in forming
an estimate of the consumption at home. The im-
portations of 1817 luid 1818 average that of 1819.
During those three years the trade appears to have
been stationary. For some time prior to 1817, the
trade had been suffering under one of its occasional
visitations of distress; and any further retrospect
carries us back, either into the time of the war, or

to that of the immediate termination of it,--Cioth
periods unfavourable for any just comparison. Long
before 1824, a silk trade was rising up in our pro-
vincial towns, the effects of which were beginning
to be severely felt in Spitalfields; and were the
consumption to be now contracted in the degree
which would result from a renewal of the former
system, it cannot be supposed that the looms of the
metropolis could be kept at work, in opposition to
the numerous fresh establishments which are now at
work in the country. " The operatives of Spital-
fields, mistaking their own interests, had obtained
the sanction of the Legislature to a " book" of
fixed prices of their labours. Parliament, how-
ever, could not fix their employers to the spot,
but a timely repeal of " the book" prevented
a rapid transference of their work to places which
were not within the reach of its dictation. It has been
said that ocusional stagnation in the trade did not
formerly produce in Spitalfields so much distress
as has at present been felt, because the work-
people, having been previously in the receipt of high
wages, were in possession of some savings which
assisted to support them until full employment could
be again obtained. This may be true in some de-
gree; but it is far more true that the stagnation was
caused by the high wages, in co-operation with
duties and other high charges, by which the con-
sumption of si.ks was nearly confined to those classes
amongst whom the caprices of fashion have most
sway. Perhaps to change in fashion, more than to
over-production, the former seasons of distress may
be attributed; and it is clear that to Spitalfields
those seasons would become more and more dis-
astrous, in proportion as competition with the opera-
tives of the country was extended. In those times

it was not possible to force a trade by low prices;
cheapness was not a material object with the regular
consumers, and the degree of cheapness which could
then be possibly attained was not sufficient suddenly
to bring in a new class of customers. The state of
the throwing trade, under the former system, is pecu-
liarly worthy of remark. With a duty of 9s. 2d.
(the difference between the duties on raw and thrown
silk) in favour of the British throwster, he was un-
able to keep out the foreign thrown silk; and it is
seen that the importations of thrown silk in the
former period were as great as in the later, for
something must be allowed for smuggling under the
temptation of a duty of Bd. per lb. But, viewed
relatively to the quantities of raw silk' in the two
different terms, the thrown silk imported in the for-
mer term in the face of so high a prohibitory duty,
far exceeded that imported in the later term, and
under a comparatively low duty. This importation,
however, of thrown silk, under all diversities of the

trade in other respects, is not confined to a compa-
rison of one term of five years with another such
term. It is to be seen on comparing each year
of the joint term with the year preceding it, even
although the difference in raw silk may be con-
siderable : and the fact does, certainly, go far to
establish the position, that the foreign thrown silks
are alone fit for the making of fine goods, and
that the consumption of such goods made in
this country was, and still is, actually limited
by the high price of material on the one hand, and
by smuggling on the other. Still, notwithstanding
the importations and smuggling of thrown silk, the
English throwsters carried on their business, under
the old system, with large profits, and paying high
wages to their work-people; and this they attribute
to the operation of that system. Some other
cause must, however, be assigned; for, by every
inference to be deduced from facts, the very oppo-
site effect was to be expected. Under the old
system, the foreign throwster had about a fifth of
the work : he now has about only a ninth, and the
total quantity of the work is nearly doubled. In
truth, their former profits are attributable solely to
the limited number of throwing establishments.
The change in the silk trade made by the act of
April, 1824, is represented to be such as must
lead to its destruction, and they who hold that lan-
guage declare that every man of discernment fore-
saw that consequence from the moment of its an-
nouncement. It is then remarkable, if the above
opinion had any foundation, that the persons en-
gaged in the trade should have acted with the
greatest imprudence; for, instead of contracting
their operations, they instantly extended them.
They asserted that the French manufacturer would
undersell the English : the state of things, there-
fore, to be expected was, that the English would
be doing little business, and with little profit, while
the French would be doing much, and reaping
large profits. Most certainly if the loss of profit
to the English manufacturer arise from his being
undersold by the French, the situation of the
latter ought to be very flourishing. But the
reverse is the fact; the distress of the silk-trade in
France is as great as it is here, and the French manu-
facturers, convinced by the fatal experience of their
losses, that they cannot so easily undersell the British,
have thrown many thousands of looms out of work.
The measures adopted at the earnest entreaties of the
trade, for bringing the change gradually into opera-
tion, produced evil instead of good. The Act
passed on the 12th of April, 1824, tvid although the
reduction of duty on raw and thrown silk com-
menced immediately, the prohibition on raw and
manufactured goods was to continue until the sth
of July, )826. It was urged that the intervals
would be employed in preparing goods fit to with-
stand the competition which was in view. But this
was an interval to the French also, which they em-
ployed in preparing for their new market ;"for they
had believed the declaration of the British manufac-
turers as to their power to undersell him at his own
door. The expectation of Government naturally
was, that the English manufacturer would apply
himself to the improvement of his machinery, and of
the quality of his goods, because the superiority of
the Stier French goods was universally acknowledged.
It was expressly upon this understanding that the
time was conceded, and certainly instant extension
of quantity was the last thing expected. But in-
stant extension did take place, and although the Act
did not pass till the 12th of April, 1824, the quan-
tity of taw and thrown silk, taken by the trade in
that year, was upwards of 1,500,0001 h. more than
in the preceding year. The quantity in 18.25 was
also very great, when compared with any year pre-
vious to 1824; but towards the close of 182.5, and
in the beginning of 1826, some timidity came over
the manufacturers us to the effect to be apprehended
from the opening of the foreign trade, which was to
take place at Midsummer of that year. It was as-
certained that the French had got up a large stock
of goods, and it was then seen how much better it
would have been to have taken them by surprise,
with a sudden opening of the trade, than to have
given them upwards of two years of preparation.
Besides, the English had seen into the error of ex-
tension of quantity, instead of improvement of
quality,. and they saw that two large stocks would
be coming at once into the same market. Some
prudent men in the trade were early aware of the
error which had been committed, and counselled
the shortening of the time for the continuance of the
prohibition ; but their opinion was overruled. A
table of duties vas introduced into a Bill, daring
the' progress of which a variety of projects was
brought forward by the manufacturers, with a view
to embarrass the foreign trade. Amongst others,
was one, the object of which was to disqualify all
the ready-made goods of France for our market.
This was, by declaring, that silks only of certain
lengths should be itiaported; and, as the pre-
scribed lengths were such as were never,
up to that period, made in France, this new
condition excluded the whole of the foreign stock.
But even this mumuvre produced evil, instead of