Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1812-08-10

y kept above waterin expectation of re- !,
ncwal Of intercourse with your part of the
world.
The evidence of MIR. Atwood, Banker,
and High BailiT CT Birmingham, before the
House of Commons, shows that the popula- |
lion ns that town and neighboring manufac- |
turing districts, is Aoo, 600; $4,000 persons |
within fifteen miles in the irontrade; $4,000
persons alone are engaged in the nail trade.
Every branch his family is employed in
| the iron business, the steel business and the
nail business. Every branch of the iron
business is in a deplorable state. Great
numbers of workmen have been dismissed
| within the last twelve months; and work
men that could have obtained in the iron
wosks 2os. per week, cannot now get more
than tenIo twelve. Every manufacturers
overloaded with stock, aud if he sells iron,
he only sells it 1T loss. The export trade
OF Birmingham has been, of late, entirely
| confined to the United States it has been
subject to very great ADVERTISEMENTS and
ldistresses almost annhilating the profit att
| tending it, but still furnishing employment
to thousands of mechanics but for the last
| II months, there has been no export to A.
lmerica, and the manufac .urS rs are reduced
to State of gvievous Affections The a
mountof Birmingham goods shipped tofhei
Limited States, is from SOC, 900 to- / ,O00s6oOI.
sterling: the population of the town is eigh-
~ thousandp persons, of which 10000 persons
are paupers. There is great reluctance on
the part of the manufacturers to discharge
| their workmen /; they haye been accumula-
ting, for the last twelve months, almost the.
whole produce Of theiraaanufactory.- They
have exhausted the Whole of their capital
in the payment Of their workmen, partly
from motives of interest, locking forward
Tor. sdlfierent openings to their trade, but
! principally from motives of honorable hu-
mainly. He knows that 10000 families are
employed in the nail trade, they exist in that
trade; they can hardly be said to live, for
ne has noticed that they work from four in
the morning until ten at night. and by their
utmost exertions, upon the average, cannot
earn more than los. to Upper week, for la
bouring men; huscQmPelled to work more
than human nature can bear, to earn bare
subsistence. He does nor believe that the
exports of hardware from Birmingham to
the West Indies, amount 10 10000 year.
A complete set of iron-works cannot be
erected for less than 50,00ol. sterling; and in
the neighborhood of Birmingham, there are
at least ten sets, that have cost this sum,
besides many others of less value r.
In two blast furnaces, the consumption of
coal per week, is six to eight hundred tons,
that is, 19 millions to 25 millions of Bushels.
In large iron work, it must be 1900 tons
per week.
James Ray, Esq. of Bury, examined be-
tore the House of Commons, says, he EN-
pioys $500 to 5000 persons in woollen and
cotton manufactures. His stock of goods on
hand is now 5o,o00l sterling, and daily in
| creasDg-one half his gods is sold to the
American market. In May, 1905, for the
quality of goods called Blackburn supers, he
| gave for weaving 6s. in May, 1906, the
same; in May, 1907, the same in Nov
1907. we dropped to SIS. Cd; in Dec. 1907,
to SIS. in January, 1903, to Is. Cd. and in
May, 1908, to As In May, 1909, we gave
4s.; in March, 1910, IS; in April IS. and
in May, the same. In May, 1871, we a.
gain gave as. and at the present time we
give d. Cd. To what is owing the last
rise! On account of the disposition of the
people to riot. In 1906, which was year
OF scarcity, the distress of the working peo-
| pie was nothing to what it is now. AS soon
as the decision of the House is known on the
| Orders in Council, if against their repeal.
we must then dismiss at least one half of our
workmen, from 1900 to 1900 persons
VIM. Thompson (resides at Leeds) en-
| ploys-650 hands, made 5000 pieces of cloth
| IN 1910; has now dismissed about two hum
dred hands, and is not making above 1000
pieces in year; his workmen used to earn
los. to 30s. per week do not now earn
moret than one-third the sum His stock of
! goods on hand is usually 100000. but is now
| 10000. The distress among the workmen
is very great.
The quantity of goods prepared for the
| Y. States is immense--it now appears, that
| the trade with you is the last hope of the
manufacturers-if that should fail, RUIN in
evitably follows.
There have been few murders or robbie
RES here since the winter; but IL is most
profigate place.
The only article you buy here on mode
rate terms is clothes; in every other ex-
penditure, we all agree, that pound goes
about as far as a dollar in the u. States''