The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-18 00:00:00

THE HOSIERY AND LACE TRADES.

(From the Nottingham Journal.)
A very singular circumstance has occurred, which, at the
present momentous period, ought to act as a warning to the
official subs, the advisers of Ministers, who are leading them
upon the wrong scent. A piece of ornamental bobbin net
has been sent to our office from France by way of challenge, to
prove that they excel. or at least are upon a par with the work-
men of England. The article is a breadth of lace, taped and
pearl-edged, 40 holes wide, having a pattern 5'5 holes long
and 29 holes in breadth. It is made of traversed net, hav-
ing a linen edge and ornament : this linen work causes the
merit of the article; it is most decidedly superior to any-
thing produced in England, by Draper, by Wright. or by
Maltby, from a net that is traversed, but not superior to
those made upon the plait principle ; still it is perfect, and
does not draw the net out of form where the linen joins the
net, which is the great defect of the traversed linen orna-
mental nets heretofore made in England. To the naked eye
the linen work has something of the appearance about three
times the fineness of the ground ; but under the microscope
this disappears, and it has somewhat the resemblance of a
sort of wire ground, the bobbin threads traversing at every
passing of the carriages. A piece of Draper's linen, made
from the strait bolt machine, lies before us, and it is evi-
dently the same, the great merit being that the workman has
prevented the strait tension of the linen work threads, the
great defect of Draper's and Wright's nets. The open works
are wretched indeed, being a bad blond ground, an ill-formed
thick Grecian hole, a mixture of blond and Grecian irregu-
larly formed; whilst in another part of the ornament is a
series of three and four-hole bullet-hole, which upon close
inspection by a workman, is wretched indeed, looking raw,
but in the tout ensemble has an imposing relief, and gives
some little life to the pattern, which is of the rambling kind,
showing little taste. Were the open-works better, it would
have the appearance of Buckinghamshire lace. It is gimped,
having the thick threads wrought in with the sewing needle.
We know not where it is made, but we think it is produced
from a double machine.

Whatever importance our rivals may attach to this speci-
men, which is certainly an advance in the march of improve-
ment, and shows we have every thing to fear from the mad-
ness of our "liberals ;" still, as we mentioned last week, we
had put into our hands a specimen of ornamented lace far
exceeding it in appearance. The singularity of this beautiful
manufacture is, that while it has all the appearance to the
eye of traversed net, and almost to the microscope, yet we
are assured, and believe, that it is merely a strait down net.
This net is ornamented in the most tasteful manner with
linenwork of the neatest description, having a neat appear.
ance ; under the microscope it appears crossed in the same
manner as Draper's net, with this remarkable difference,
that in that linenwork it is flat, and like fine net: but in the
sample in question the cord of the warp appears twisted,
which in our opinion adds at once to its beauty, and the
boldness of the figure, making a greater contrast between the
net and linenwork.

Such is the perfection of the laces made upon this new
principle, that, as in the plat nets, they require no gimping
or running ; they are perfectly ornamented when got off the
machine. We were denied the opportunity of that great
trier of aets, the wash tub, but we are assured that it will
stand that ordeal. We do not think that it will supersede
the plat nets, but it will most certainly prove a most formi-
dable rival, as the material, the net being made of two in-
stead of three or four threads to the pillar, costs scarcely half
the money ; the pieces can be made of the usual length, and
at more than one-half more speed than that of plat nets. We
are not aware whether any, or what open works, can be made
on the new principle ; the plat nets, however, will always, in
our opinion, maintain their ground in the market, the only
drawback on their beauty being a thickness of appearance,
which causes them to look cloudy ; but this is the case with
several foreign grounds, especially Mechlin, which has been
mistaken by the eye for double press cotton point net. The
beauty of some late production of plat net is not to be ex-
ceeded by cushion nets ; the open works which we have seen
are exquisite, both in elegance of effect and in technical
workmanship. Thus a new era has arisen in the lace trade,
which, under a vigilant executive of national trades, mightin
some measure reinstate our affairs, and increase the comfort
and wealth of the inhabitants ; but this free trade on only
one side of the water destroys all hope, and leaves us an un-
guarded, unprotected prey, to foreigners of every civilized
state, and brings nothing but poverty and want of employ-
ment.

We are sorry we cannot report that there is any material
amendment in the hosiery trade in any branch--every thing
being in much the same lingering, uncertain state, as it has
been in since the month of July last : still we do not think,
aking the whole together, there has been any retrograde
movement. The plain silk hose and the drawer branches
seem to be the worst, only affording partial employment to
the hands, and that upon hard terms as to the charges made
to the workmen, which are exorbitant. These remarks ex-
tend equally to the villages engaged in the manufacture of
cotton hosiery, where, in most instances, employment is but
scanty. Were it not for the making of Cashmere gloves, the
two needle glove trade would be in a deplorable state indeed:
as it is, nearly one-third of the frames are standing for want
of employment. But it ought to be remarked, that antece-
dent to 1835 not more than 500 frames were employed upon
silk gloves; but in that and the succeeding years they in-
creased to near 1100, having full employment. Had not the
bobbin-net trade received such heavy blows from the French
at that period, the Nottingham trade would have been ex-
ceedingly brisk, our " free trade" propensities having lost us
employment for 6009 hands, and above 100,000 females and
children ; which has been given to France and Germany,
without the slightest advantage or concession in return.
It is equally painful to state that there is no improvement
in either of those great branches of manufacture, the cotton,
warp, and silk blond nets. Some new of the former, upon
some new and fancy work, are getting moderate wages ; but
they are very few. The loss of the Belgian, arid Lower Ger-
many and Lombardy markets has been severely felt, they
being partially supplied with twist nets.

Theemigration of the stockingers and others has proved
a dead failure, some of the parties having returned, whilst
others, who are self-expatriated, are looking with a longing
eye to England, " with all its faults ;" but they are unable
to find means to pay their'passage home.

THE BRISTOL CONSPIRACY CASE.—Miss Bryers and
Mary Ann Morgan, the parties by whom the Bristol timber
merchant was lately fooled into a marriage, were brought up
at Union Hall on Wednesday last, when it was stated that
Mr. Woolley declined to prosecute them, and they were
accordingly discharged from custody. It was stated. how-
ever, that proceedings had been commenced in the Ecclesi-
astical Courts to have the marriage annulled.

CHINA.—The Univers, Paris paper, of Saturday, has the
following :—" We have received from Macao the following
news, dated 19th April :—The English are marching upon
Pekin. They are at this time at Nankin. The expedition
oonsists of 18,000 troops, 40 ships of war, 70 transports,
and 20 steamboats. Messis. Daguin and Privas, the French
Missionaries, have entered the interior of China. They ar-
rived on the coast in the government faigate L'Erigone."
THE AFFOHAN WAR.—The instructions given to Lord
Ellenborough by the Home Government were to retire from
Affghanistan as soon as possible, provided he could obtain a
mere exchange of prisoners ; leaving the contending chiefs,
like the Kilkenny cats, to quarrel with and destroy each
other. This sort of arrangement will be palatable to such of
her Majesty's liege subjects as are represented by the Morn-
ing Herald.—United Service Journal.
CONVICTIONS UNDER THE NEW CORN LAW BILL.—
CAUTION TO CORN MERCH ANTS AND OTHERS.—At South-
ampton, on Tuesday,
before the bench of magistrates, Mr.
Le Jeunne, corn-merchant, and Mr. Sheppard, were fined in
the mitigated penalty of 15s. and costs, for having neglected
making the declaration required by the act; the penalty is
£2O for every month.

NEW APPOINTMENTS IN BANKRUPTCY.—There is not
the slightest foundation for the report inserted in most of
the newspapers last week, that Mr. Twiss has accepted, or
is about to accept, any of these offices. The following gen-
tlemen have been appointed, and the list will be found to
differ materially from that which, without the slightest
authority, has gone the round of the papers :—Mr. John
BalgUy, Queen's counsel; Mr. Walker Skirrow, Queen's
counsel ; Mr. Scrjeant Ludlow, Mr. Serjeant Stephen, Mr.
Serjeant Goulburn, Mr. Nathaniel Ellison, Mr. Martin
West, Mr. Edward Daniell, Mr. W. T. JeminPtt, Mr. C.
Phillips, Mr. Montagu Bere, and Mr. Richard Stevenson..
ARREST OF A FUGITIVE.—Early in August last the chief
clerk or cashier of the establishment of a great Manchester
house at Montevideo absconded from South America with
cash and bills to the amount, it is said, of X 12,000. It
being considered probable he would come to France, the
British Ambassador communicated a description of the de-
linquent, with a request to the French Government that he
might be arrested if he entered this country. The Prefect of
Police issued orders accordingly, and the fugitive has been
recently secured at Bordeaux, being recognised by the de-
scription of the Custom-house within a few minutes after his
landing. He was in possession of nearly the whole of the
property, which was deposited in the bands of the English
Consul.—Galignani's Messenger.