Star.
London, England, 1818-02-13 00:00:00

COTTON FACTORIES.'

The following is a copy of the Petition presented
to the House of Commons, by Sir ROBERT PEEL,
Bart. on Tuesday, the 10th instant, in behalf of the
Working Cotton Spinners:

" TO sulnonouariate sum commis or tax mum) mows.
OW OSSA? =MIN ANSI 1111:LUID, a 2111 LbtrILIAL TiaLL-
BOINT ASIZKILZD.
" The humble Petition of the undersigned Persons, being
Lsbourers, above Sixteen Tears of Age, employed in
Cotton Spinning Manufactories, established in Man-

chewer, and the immediate Neighbourhood.
" Skeweth—That your Petitioners, and others of their de-
scription are, agreeably to the prevailing custom of Cotton Fac-
tories, generally engaged in work, at the mills of their employers,
front fourteen to fifteen hours (including the time allowed for
dinner) every day in the week, except Saturday, when the work-
ing hours are somewhat reduced.

11 That this extended labour, performed as it usually is, in
rooms ill ventilated, often overheated, and greatly incommoded
by dust and cotton flyings, is attended with the most injurious
consequences to the general health of the labourers, as a large
portion of them, from their own lamentable experience, can
abundantly prove.
" That if, in such a state of long and pernicious confinement,
those who are subject to it live to an age when the services of
other working classes become most efficient and valuable, they
are generally too much enfeebled to continue with effect their
employment during the requisite hours : a misfortune not unfre-
quently succeeded by another of a still more direct and calami-
tous nature; the Masters, in the present circumstances of the
trade, feeling it an object to obtain the greatest quantity of work
from the same number of operative individuals in the shortest pe-
riod, and abler hands are thus exclusively and generally preferred.
" That your Petitioners, in representing their unfortunate si-
tuation, beg leave to observe, that they also feel the unhappy
condition of young children working in Factories, who, in many
instances, are connected by the dearest ties of relationsisip, with
your Petitioners, and from the length and unwholesome charac—
ter of such employment, manifest early appearances of defor-
mity its their limbs, and all the other evils of sickly and im-
paired constitutions.

" That your Petitioners entertain no hope of redress whatever
except from the humane interposition of Parliament; because
some Masters will always be found desirous of keeping their
hands at work as long as possible, and others, better disposed,
are unavoidably led to the adoption of this destructive example,
that their Yarns may not be brought to the market upon more
unfavourable terms :

" That your Petitioners, who have for the last two years che-
rished the expectation of relief from the Legislature, cannot ade-
quately express the concern they felt, in learning, upon the con-
clusion of the Last Sessions, that no provisions bad then been
made for this purpose ; and they now, therefore, deem it expe-
dient to submit the peculiar hardships of their case to the pro-
tecting wisdom of this Honourable House.
" Your Petitioners, therefore, humbly pray, that a law may
be passed to restrict the time of actual labour in Cotton Factories
to ten hours and a half each day; so as to allow, within the ordi-
nary space of twelve hours, half an hour for breakfast, and an
hour for dinner—a regulation which was originally embraced in
Sir ROIZIL7 Pam's Bill, and is of general observance in other
employments much he. prejudicial to health than those of your
Petitioners."

By ancient custom the MASTER of the ROLLS is en-
titled to Two Pipes of Wine, to be chosen by the
King's Butler ; therefore, whether his Honour begins
the duties of his office with good or bad spirits must
depend on the taste of another man. A reform here
is exj)ected, on the model of the present arrangement,
by Fortune's Butler, BISH, which enables the Hol-
ders themselves (of Three Blanks) to choose 12 Pipes
of the finest Port Wine in the Kingdom, and in pro-
portion for Shares, besides the Three Prizes of 20,0001.
the 97 other Capitals, &c. &c. in this Lottery, which
begins the 4th of MARCH.

NAPA INTELLIGEIvCA
MAILS THIS DAY 4
AIM DV/. A Li.
bublin 0 reoo 0 0
Waterford Malts 13 0
Guernsey and Jersey 0 Fiance 0 0
Holland 1 0 Hamburgh 2 1
uG ttenburg 0 Flanders 1 0
FALMOUTH, FEBRUARY
Wind E. S. E.—..A vessel made her appearance off
here last night, just before dark, about three leagues
to the Southward of the Manacles, supposed to be a
skip with her fore and mien-masts gone,—The brig
Aurora, which arrived hare last night, from London,
with a general cargo for this place and neighbour.
hood, strained lo much in lying on the ground, as to
cause her to make fire feet water in the course of the
night, and fears are entertained that the ground tier
of her cargo is damaged, Arrived the Alert, CLA ait e,
in 22 days from Bcurdeauz ; on the 24th ult. in t}-e
Bay) carried away her top-masts and bowsprit in a
gale, and was obliged to heave sixty casks of apples
overboard.

PORTSMOUTH, PILERUARy 12.
Wind S. E.--Arrived tire Elizabeth, Qunrrtw,
from Cork to Hull, with provisions. Sailed his Ma,
jesty's ship CADMUS, for Sheerness ; and the Boston
packet (transport), for Guernsey.

the North Channel.
DOVER, FEBRUARY 10.
Sailed last evening the Lord Duncan packet, Cap,
tain PAscoe, with a Mail and Passengers, for Ostend.
Arrived last night the Lord Duncan packet, Captain
HAMILTON ; and a French packet, from Calais, with
Passengers. Arrived this morning the Princess Char-
lotte packet, Captain HALLANDS, from Ostend, with
a Mail and Passengers ; also the Flora, Capt. WAT.
lON, from Calais, with passengers.

HARWICH, FEBRUARY Ist
Arrived the Lord Nelson with Mails and pown-
gers from Helvoetslays ; and Earl of Leicester with
ditto, from Cuxhaven.--Sailed the Prince of °ratite,
with Mails, &c. for Helvoetsluys ; and Bizaufoy, with
ditto, for Cuxhaven.

MILFORD HAVEN, FEBRUARY in.
Yesterday arrived at the Quarantine Station hers
the schooner Clara, of Dartmouth, GILLARD, from
Palermo and Alia' with fruit, for Bristol ; left at the
latter place the Christopher loading for London ; on
the sth instant, about 40 miles to the westward of
Scilly, spoke the Transit, of and from Bristol, for
Smyrna; Dolphin, SANDERSON, from Memel, for
Haverfordwest. Sailed his Majesty's sloop Bitrro-
MART, on a cruize ; and Mary, MORGAN, from Liver-
pool, for Trieste.

LONDONDERRY, FEBRUARY 3.
We are sorry to announce the loss of a sloop on the Tons,
near the entrance of our river, in the gale of Friday laz-t.
mast and some of the rigging drifted on shore, bur all on bo:.:1
perished, and nothing has yet been ascertained of the name of
the vessel, but she is supposed to have been from Scotland, as
there were herrings on ►bard.

GRAVESEND` FEBRUARY 12.
LaArrived the PHnoa Cebenrg, Godhuy, from St. Maims. San-
die Java, Thomsen, fer Batavia; Royst Bark; Gibbs, and
Pheasant, Barnes, for Lisbon; Hare of the Nile, Wrangles, for
Demerara ; Liberty, Mathews, for Cork ; Sally, Markham, and
Hoop, Smith, for Ostend ; Racier, IA Doe, for Bourdeanx ;
Eugene, Aubert, for St. Valery ; Hero% for Calais ; Ant,
—, for Hamburgh; Union, --, and Endeavour, Samuels,
for Rotterdam.

-CUSTOM-HOUSE, FEBRUARY le.
Suvs 1213121/1 Isnraitze--Tise Duke of Bronte, Ripley, and
Waterloo, Gritting, from Leghorn ; Lady Hamilton, Pritchard,
from Rotterdam ; Nelly, Gibb, from Hamburgh ; Pallas, Cle-
ment, from Naples; Zorgruldegeyd, De &reser, and Collette
and Charlotte Clayes, from Antwerp; Diligent, Atkineon, and
Neptanus, Harmens, from Harlingen ; the Mini, Wren, from
Ostend ; Union, Webb, from Cork ; George, White, from Affront.
Ontwoan--The Earnest, Beatson, for St. Mary's and Serra
Leone; Elizabeth Ann,/ Ridley, for Rotterdam; Glory, Grant,
for Mositserrat ; Friendship, Roberts, for Amsterdam and Rot..
terdam ; Liberty, Evans, for Rotterdam ; and the Neptune,
Stranaek, for Ostend.

GREENOCK, FEBRUARY 10.
Arrived at Port Glasgow, on Saturday, the ship Belk-Isle,
Todd, from Berbice—sailed thence 2d January; on the sth, in
lat. 12. 52. long. 30. 20. spoke the Jane, Stewart, of St. John's,
from Barbadoes to Berbice; and, on the 6th inst. off Holyhead,
spoke the brig Mount's Bay, Winder, from New Brunswick to
Liverpool, all well. The Glenbervie, Evans, from Port Glas-
gow, had arrived 14 days previous to the sailing of the Belleiale.
The sloops Diamond, Turner, and Isabella, Brown, from Lime-
rick ; and Godfrey, Fitzgerald, from Dungarvon, with oats, were
driven on shore near Brodick Castle, Arran, during a snow storm,
on Wednesday night and Thursday morning last.
The following most distressingsaseh extracted from a letter
written to a person in this town &

" Quebec, October 20, 1217.
" Since our arrival in Montreal, in the ship Montreal, Richard
M'Fie and I, thinking to better ourselves, left the vessel, and,
getting a small boat, departed from Montreal to seek better for-
tune. We were three days and three nights before we reached
Quebec ; there we were six days before we found employment ;
we engaged with one Captain Maxwell, in a schooner bound to
the Labrador shore. We made a very good voyage, and were
going off for the Mediterranean, to make our market along with
the same Captain, who had now taken a liking to us both. But,
alas ! on our passage through the Straits of Belleisle, we encoun-
tered a hard gale,- lying to under bare poles for three days and
three nights ; the vessel strained herself so much that she sprung
a leak; we were obliged to bear up all that night, and were
drove on a lee-shore, the man looking out being unable to see
the land till we came close upon it, the mewing and drifting
being tremendous. The look-out man now jumped to the fore.
scuttle, saying,' Bear a hand up, men, for we are close to land.'
Before I had time to get out of bed, she struck on a rock, and
we (the watch below), before I had time to get on my boots,
were up to our knees in water on the forecastle. We had just
time to cut the boat loose and get into it before the vessel went
down. We got safely ashore; bat from theintensity of the
cold (it being the 23d November), four of the crew perished co
the island. The third day after, the Captain and the rest of us
took the boat, and pulled across to the main land ; by my hold-
ing fast the oar, I could not bring my hands to any feeling.—.
The Captain soon after prished on the beach. After this we vet
off (Richard, myself, and the cook), over the saow drifts, and
without any provisions, except what berries we could pick up
here and there, for thirteen days, when we arrived at a place
called Cape Carpoon, at an old fisherman's hut, an hundred and
fifty miles from the wreck. This old man put our hands and
feet into cold water to thaw them—but this had no effect ; in
cutting off boots, and trying to get off the stockings, the skin
came off both Richard and myself. During this time the cook
c-It off to save our lives--whith was performed
died, and there was no relief for us two, but that our arms and
Christmas-day last, by a man who, with his knife, acted the
doctor:4r
amputating both our legs and arms ;
legs should
as
w be n
as
he
eeeid,e
bet poor Richard, in about twenty days after, also gave up the
I ghost, lamenting his hard fate, but saying he would die content-
ed if one person survived to inforin our frierds at home of our
sad disasters. Our legs were cut off about an inch above the
ancle,:and our arms at the wrist. 'lb,nks to Paovmaaca, I re-
main at present in very good health and in a comfortable situa-
tion, and may stay here, at the General Marital in Qinttec,
as long as I live. " tau. emcee.'

DEAL. ritBRUARt 14.
Wind S. E.—Arrived the Ocean, ARROWIWITH,
from Newcastle, for •Honduras. Catae down from
the River, the Prima. Silvans, for Jamaica; Race-
wal, Bartiajois PISASUAItip
for St. Vticent's ; Emily, GARDNER, for Baltimore ;
and remain in the Downs with the ships as per last.--
P. S. The Castle Huntley Indianian is at anchor in