The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-04-20 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD

PROTECTION TO THE CURRENCY

Glasgow, 17th April, 1847

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT

GENTLEMEN.—The most headstrong Free-trader must
now feel, and begin to see, that the untaxed import of fo-
reign labour is detrimental, not only to the agricultural
body in England and the colonists (and, indirectly through
them, to all other classes), but also directly to every inte-
rest f the empire, through causing a vast diminution of
the currency by the removal to other countries of our pre-

cious metals.
It is true that famine in Ireland is the ostensible cause
of part of the evils this country now labours under, but it is
equally true that to our (under Sir Robert Peel) having
taken the suicidal course of deni-essinv home pmninvment.

and encour

fidence whici

.ng foreign, is the cause of that want of con-
will prevent England rising superior to the
.ss without a most serious interference with

urrency

is better situated to

tTw='

A RUN THROUGH THE COTTON MANUFAC.
TURING DISTRICTS. -
It is seldom that a visitor entering Manchester, or" any
of the Cotton Manufacturing towns and villages in the
district, feels inclined to complain of the absence of the
dense mantle of smoke, which ordinarily envelopes them.
Yet such is the feeling now created by the sight of tall
chimneys, from which no smoke issues, and of the many-
windowefffactories, within which there is no sound of the
shuttle and the spinning frame. Sad tales they suggest
to the mind of the poverty and suffering, which this sus-
pension of the operations of industry is causing—of the
cottages once the abode of decent competence, which are
now being denuded of their scanty furniture, the saving
of years—of the blanket, or the Sunday coat stripped off

and transmuted into bread for the mother's or the child-
aecessities. The very stillness of the streets as you
along them is depressing. No crush—no crowd
thronging from the factory gate to their meals or their rest.
Here and there, only you meet some half-famished opera-
tive, or a group of them, with want staring out of their
nd cheeks, creeping feebly to the soup kit-
:hub rooms, from which the bulk of the once
busy population draw the trifle upon which they contrive
to keep body and soul together, the few hands that are
working—many of them on short time—contributing to

sunken eye-

the support of those totally stopped. In Manchester
itself, the central magazine for the industry of the entire
district, you cannot fail to be struck with the'almost total
want of that bustling activity—the jostling of printers".
and bleachers' carts in its streets—the throng of vans
loading and unloading—which used to pervade its market
days, and indeed its other days. The manufacturers and
spinners who frequent its exchange wear anxiety in their
very faces ' • and well they may, for upon their mingled
feeling and prudence in the present crisis hang the for-
tunes and the very existence of thousands.
From what we have been enabled to learn in the course
of a somewhat hurried run through the district, last
week, we do not find any strong grounds for hope, that an
early return to active operations can be looked for. The
state of the Market for the raw material, the prospect of

high prices and short supply, confirmed by the accounts
by the last mail steamer, together with the absence of
foreign demand, and the inability of the manufacturing
population themselves to consume threatens, indeed, to
make the working of short time more extensively resorted
to, and to bring about in many cases a total stoppage, as
more profitable to the manufacturer than partial working.
Already many establishments are contemplating the
adoption of such a course ; and are only prevented by
the consciousness of the sufferings which it must involve
to the working classes, and the danger to the public peace
and to property, which must arise from additional thou-

sands being thrown altogether out of employment
Stockport, where since October last the working has

two days a week, a meeting of the Masters was held on
Friday, at which the question was discussed whether the
time should be further reduced to three days a week, or
the mills should stop altogether for a month. No conclu-
sion however was come to, an adjournment to Wednesday
next, (to-morrow,) being carried, in order to allow the

hands time to choose between the two evils. The condi-
tion of 16,000 workers is involved in that town alone ;
and, whatever be the result, increased suffering is inevi-
table. In Ashton and Staleybridge a further suspension
is in prospect ; and here the working classes are already
sunk to the lowest State of want and weakness. many of

them scarcely having strength sufficient to get through
their reduced weekly labour, and to crawl at the close of
the day to their miserable homes. Bolton, Blackburn,
Preston, and other towns, are in like case, both employers

on theirconcerns at a loss of capital, and the latter w;rk--
ing for wages barely sufficient to pay the rent of their
cottages and get half bread. It is needless to say that there-
tail tradesman shares largely in the suffering thus created.
In those districts (principally the manufacturing vil-
lages and isolated works) where the practice too much

tenant of a cottage owned by his employer, the wages
received in many cases barely cover the rent, which is
deducted from his earnings. Complaints of the stern
exaction of rent in these localities are too common. As
an additional tax, the operative, although working only
half time, and deprived of the food requisite to enable
him to support nature, is expected to contribute, and
does contribute, a portion of his earnings towards the

of the latter may be judged of w

Lien we state tha

and sixpence a week is the extent 0.
each family from this source.

As a natural result of the severe deprivation to be found
in the manufacturing districts, fever is becoming rife
amongst the working population. In Manchester it has
been found necessary to hire a factory in Long Millgate,
formerly worked by Messrs. Clegg and Norris, for the

reception or patients. 'A more unrorrum
to locality could scarcely have been mad

IRISH IMMIGRATION INTO LIVERPOOL AND

EMIGRATION FROM OUR PORT,

As the immigration into Liverpool of the population of
Ireland is becoming increasingly interesting to those rate-
payers who are burthened with their support, and to the
country at large, whose charity is taxed with their habits
of mendicity, we have considered it our duty to endeavour
to arrive at as correct statistical details as is possible of
the number which have reached our shores during the pre-
sent year, and the proportion, of which we have been re-
lieved by their subsequent emigration to the United States
and Canada. By the kind assistance of the head consta-
ble of Liverpool, Mr. Dowling, by whom a correct return
has been kept since the 13th of January last, when the
evil became pressingly apparent, we are enabled to give
the following statement ;

Arrivals. Total.
From 13th to end of January 16,686
Estimate from commencement to 13th Jan. 8,000
February _ _

March
April 1

Women. Children
14,517 8,783

868 423 2,313
841 638 2,797
485 361 • 1,858
449 . 338 1,787
_

50,102
1,088
2,070
860
3,804
620
2,220
1,484
1,671
2,155
2,720

2,062 1,088
1,622
1,418
1,012
1,000
_9(IQ

554 3;704

Grand total, from January 15t..... 138,528
The emigration duting the same period has been as follows, viz

29,201 peisous,

Total since commencement of year 43,149 ,
of which we may set down 40,400 as natives of Ireland,
leaving 3149 as the emigration from this country and
Scotland, and 98,528 persons as the number remaining
in Liverpool in a state of pauperism or mendicancy, wait-
ing for vessels to emigrate, or gone into the interior of
the country.

Undoubtedly a large portion of the last quoted number
(98,528) are intending to emigrate, and are only kept
here by the scarcity shipping. As a large number of

emigrant vessels went out On Tuesday and the following
days, up to yesterday, and nearly the whole of those load-

that the naniiber thus waiting is about equal to the arrivars
since the 11th, or 17,500 persons, This will still leave
the large number f 80,000 persons to be otherwise ac-
counted for.

It is remarked that the class of persons recently arriv-
ing have been principally composed of the middle and

substantial farmer class ; 'and we have quoted the propor-
tion of the sexes and of children for the last seven days, to
shew the valuable sort of population which we are losing, and
America and Canada gaining. Thus the men arrived
from the 11th to the 18th were 9326 ; the women, 5171;
and the children, 3003—the first outnumbering the two
latter. Such emigrants must be generally the young and
the able, not the mere outscourings of a famishing
country.
It would be an interesting object of inquiry, if it could

amount of bullion is withdrawn from
the country by such parties. Of course, we can only be
allowed a guess ; and we shall, perhaps, not be far wrong
if we set down as the lowest average sum for each male
emigrant at £lO. In many cases it must be much higher.
Taking five-eighths of the whole number gone to be
males, we have thus £250,000 in gold to be added to the
exports, which constitute the Bank of England's ascer-

tathed deficiency. How much more is hoarded by the
wealthy mendicants who swarm in our streets, it would
be hard to say.

POSITION OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND

We have already called attention to an admission by a very
eminent authority on Free Trade—the London Times—that

United States are lik

.ly to be paid for in

manufactures. There was little need, however, for such an
admission, with the fact staring us in the face that specie is
rapidly leaving the country; that the coffers of the Bank of
England are rapidly being drained'of bullion, notwithstanding
the efforts made to repress speculation by the rise of the rate
of interest to five per cent., and the caution—even at that
price—with which the Bank is dealing with the commercial
world in its selection of paper for discount.
The Times of yesterday, remarking upon the position of that

establishment, says;

" Although an unfavourable statement was expected, the re-
turns of the Bank of England published to-day took most
parties by surprise, in the fact of the notes and bullion now

held in the banking department having diminished to £3,463,628
(being a reduction during the week of .t 927,842), while their
liabilities in the shape of deposits have increased --6738,081,
making the total deposits £16,242,119. This is to be at-
tributed to large advances made by the bank upon deficiency
bills at ihe very moment when a contraction of its

became imperative, and hence the effect of the sudden
with-
holding of accommodation from the public has been far more
than counteracted by advances to the Government."

The question, however, with us is not whether the Bank of
England has acted prudently, but whether that establishment,
under the existing state of affairs, possesses any power to pro-
tect either its own shareholders or the public. Our imports
must be paid for in something valuable—in fact, in the precious
metals. There is no alternative between that course and an
action upon the currency, which some parties will regard as
almost equvalent to a declaration of insolvency. We know not
110 w loin; the drain upon us for bullion may continue; but we
know well the small amount of our power to meet that drain.
And it will be wise in Government, the bank, and the com-
mercial world at once to look their difficulties fairly in the face.
We beg to direct attention to a letter from an esteemed and
well-informed correspondent, Mr. Isaac Buchanan, the late
Vice-president of the Board of Trade, in Canada, in which some
most valuable hints will be found. Mr. Buchanan, we may re-

be remembered that, in our own paper and in other public&
tions, he pointed distinctly, when the Free-trade measures o:

we are now

labouring