Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-06-03

| 10 the difference between the exports and
| imports for that period difference,
which he would venture 10 say, Instead
| of being N the proportion of 5000 vessels.
would he found 10 constitute Il defaicat-
on vastly greater in amount. He was
well aware that many millions of goods
had been sent abroad, for which, no re-
turns bad been received, and which, IN
fact, would never produce a sixpence.--
The returns upon their table wouid give
them no information upon thal point
they would not show what proportion Of
those goods had already found a market,
what proportion of them were vel likely,
to Ind market, or what proportion of
those imported into this country lad found
one. They had known times of great ma
tional distress In former periods, but no
Thing that could compare to the present
IN It's general amount In 1910 there Was
a great scarcity, greater Than was now
len, but no distress ensued beyond what
the reach OF time could remedy, for, tho
provisions we're dear, workmen were in
fuii work, and thus enabled, in some de
gree, TO sustain the evil. In 1912 there
was distress, accompanied indeed by a
sllgllter pressure of deartf than in 1900,
but by a considerable diminutioD in the
rate OF wages. Wretcied, however, as
the CIRCUMSTANCES were in which the ma
huiacturInS population of the country
was lien placed-yet, when compared
will the present misery, it actually rose
INTO apeuod ofprosperity. 1t would be
necessary for him, and he hoped The
house would grant him their indulgence
ShearD to go shortly into a few particu-
lars respecting the great staple manufac-
lures OF the country, and ,hey would then
sec now general and UNMARRIED the dis
iress was which now prevailed lie
would frst take the clotliiers, which
branch OF trade, however, from acciden-
raj circumstances, was not so decreased
as others of our great staples. One raa-
son was, that some of the foreign mar
kels did not happen to be over-stocked
WIN that manufacture. He held i'm his
hand The result of statements which he
hah received from several0f the PRINCIPAL
clothing districts in Yorkshire he aIhi-
ded 10 Leeds, Huddersfeld. Wakefield
and Halifax. He had taken The number
OF men, employed in those branches
"sici' suffered The most, at 23,600 in Au-
gust iast OF that number one-third we're
ROW wholly out ofemploy, and of the re-
naming two-tbirds, only one-thnd had
iun worn IN other words, only two men
III nihe, az the present moment, had full
WORK. HE dlSlresses i'm other parts ofthaf
country were not so considerable bur
In the clothing districts ofthe West of
England they were greater than any
thing that could be conceived. In nssS
ing TO the iron trade, as carried on at
birmingham, and in the neiqbbonrin@
counties, much more gloomy picture
was presented and Birmingham rni,bt
be considered as a fair synDiom of tbe
state or Tie neIghbouriDg counties, CON
nected as they we're with il, IN all the
branches OF Their internal trade. Upon a
population OF $4,000, contained i'm that
Town, IL was calculated that q, 500. or a.
pout ohe-third OF the whole, were at this
moment parish paupers. OF the work.
men, one-third were wholly out of en-
pioy, and the poors' rates there had risen
to between so and 10000. vear-a sum
exceeding, as he understood. what was
formerly paid by that town under the
properly tax. In 1872, a period of great
distress, instead OF one-ihird RECEIVING
parish relief, and only 81 ,OOoE. a wear was
paid tor poors rates instead of pes,lv 10
OO0t; yet that period was then thonobf
TO be one @f unparalleled difficulty. Tie
population of Birmingham might be divi-
deu mo FOUR classes, in the view of their
wages ana iabour. The first were The
miners, employed in obtaining the raw
material the second, those who were
eihpioyed In the manufacture of arms:
TIE lhird, majors; and the fourth, the
common afHiicers. With respect to the
first, who formerly received Iss. or en-
nea week, they could now get ONLY Sc.
or los. Those who were engaged in the
manufacture OF arms, and who used to
fecsVe sometimes as much as three gui-
meas week, Ohough he admitted that
was an exorDl'ant rate Of wages, arising
from particular circumstances ! now re-
ceiVed, when they obtain employ ment.
no more than as. cd. The majors. who
commonly earned about twelve or fifteen
shliIings a week, were rather better OFF in
comparison with the others. but their We
ges were now down as low as nine sill
iDSs while the common arfifcers were
absolutely working at one shilling n dsv.
But the most remarkable proof of the
degree to Which the distress actually exis-
ted, was TO be fouDd in thcfacf. tIiat Tie
wives and children Of fbe men who ,iscd
to be employed, and whose WAGES don
bled the earnings of the family, were now
wholly unemployed. n did not wish 10
mngle any thing ofa political nature with
ms description Of these disfresses. but he
tell " due to the character Of those I'M
nappy persons to state, land he did so
nom me most accurate information, COM
munieated by individuals who did rot
coincide with lIu in political sentimen;sI
that more peaceable loyal and trannu;I
set OF men was not TO he found in The
whole OF his majesty's doniniOua. (bear.
hear, hear , TWAS painful 10 saw, fItaf
great and severe as the distress was IN
birmingham and its vicinity, the picture
became infinitely more m iaucholV when
they looked at that great ancient sfaple
OF orr country. (9uc emf IN rcn4poriecr