The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-10-17
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE
From our regular correspondent
NEW YoRE. Oct. Is

ne ureat britain IL al last IN win her news,
which, no doubt is ere this before you. She lost her
mainmast in gale She spoke the Great Western
on the LIST October in longitude l6o and latitude
about $40; also exchanged signals with steamer
supposed to be the Britannia The most important
news she brings is that Of the more extensive fail
ure Of the potato crop and harvest than antici
peted Genesee -four sold to-day at IS IS. The
advance since her news has been equal to 37i cents
per barrel, and may go up to so cents per barrel
With -four, rice must also go higher
Cotton is dull to-day; the article had just held its
own IN Liverpool, and no more.
The Boston people managed TO get the news
from the Great Britain before she reached New
York; and sent expresses off west to buy up -four
and wheat before the people could hear Of the rise
in the interior.
from premonitory symptoms of pulmonary disease,
| to escape the dangers of an American winter, and
fly to the mild climate on the shores of the Medter-
ranean, by taking passage in one Of the new and
splendid New York and Marseilles packet-ships.
DR.. Morton, of Philadelphia, who has published
a very learned and able work pulmonary con-
sumption, has given it as his opinion, that sea
voyage is of the best curative held out 70
the sufferer. He thinks, where it has not gone too
far, it may be relied the certain means Of res
toration.
| | know of no voyage more desirable, or more
likely to prove beneficial to persons afflicted with
symptoms of diseased throat or lungs, than win
ter's voyage to the Mediterranean In the Prince de
Jonville, Nebraska, or Arcoe, they would find all
the comforts Of the most splendid packet lines.
They could land at Gibraltar, from whence they
could spend the winter in visiting Egypt, Smyrna,
Jerusalem, and Constantinople, with the classic
shores of Greece, or climb the sides Of Mount Etna
in Sicily, or of Vesuvius in Italy, rambe over the
south OF France, and return in the spring renovated
in health, and instructed and improved in mind. To
the lover Of classic lore, should think trip
could prove more agreeable and interesting. The
passage hence to Gibraltar will traverse portion Of
the Atlantic less stormy in winter than the direct
route 10 Liverpool or Havre.
Among the most interesting and important exhi-
btons of machinery at the fair of the American In
stitute, are the two machines invented by Mr. Bill
lings, of ST. Louis-the first, for breaking flax and
hemp; and the second, for cleaning it, or freeing il
from herds or sleeves. These two machines sup
ply important desiderata in machinery.
! France is well adapted to the growth Of fax,
which, article for the supply cloth, is said
Bonaparte was anxious 70 encourage in its growth
and in its manufacture He offered large premiums
for machines for breaking and cleaning it. If Mr..
| Billings had been before the emperor with his ma
chinery, he would no doubt have been literally re-
warded.
| Soon after the introduction Of machinery for the
spinning Of cottonwood, attempts began 10 be made
to spin fax thread by machinery, which had always
been done by women with the od-fashoned fax
first attempts made to spin fax by throste frames,
like those used with spindes for cotton, many diff
| icutes were encountered. The machinery had 10
be greatly modified, TO overcome the pecuarites of
the material. As England took the lead in cot
ton spinning, SO she took the lead in spinning flax
| by machinery.
| Improvement succeeded improvement, till the rev.
olution in the spinning weaving. and bleaching of
linen has been 40 remarkable, if not more 30, than
that Witnessed in the manufacture of cotton. The
most successful Aax-machine builders, for the spin
| ming and weaving of flax, are found at Leeds, in
England; among whom are Jackson q Co., with
| others, whose machine. shops have visited. The
largest spinners of fax thread in the world
Marshall q Co., of Leeds, in England. The elder
Marshall the pioneer in the business at Leeds it is
said, retired with fortune of f800O,000 sterling
or with sum Of about S35,000,00Ol His son now
manages the business on an enlarged and improved
scale. On visiting Leeds, carried with me letter
from Joseph Hume, esq, M. p, which gave
me free admission into Mr.. Marshall's extensive
Enlistment, which he had just put up on a lew and
grand scale. Instead Of building his house three
stories high Gas is usual with actores) and placing
machinery each floor, he dug out large cellar
to receive the steam-engine and house warming APP
paratus. This cellar was as large as the building.
too acres Of ground! The steam-engine placed
near the centre Standing near the middle Of the
house, you seemed to look over an ocean of bright,
fnc and newly polished machinery. On the top Of the
house, which had fiat roof, was q fine and we'll
| cultivated garden.
| To such perfection had the fax machinery been
brought, for the use of this establishment, that Mr.
Marshall informed me that he spun numbers Of fine
thread as high as from No. 200 to No. 400, suf-
fciently fine for thread lace.
Marshall's fine-spun linen thread, of course, soon
supplanted all the old Aax-whees in Christendom
The French, Germans, Belgians, and Irish, all be-
/ came Mr. Marshall's customers. In Ireland, they
bought his thread for handoom weavers, to make
! into Irish linen. In France and Belgium, they
wanted his fine thread TO work into thread lace fine
/ Be- Lea a, IL xuith othar all
Barnsley, in England, weave large quantities of Mr..
Marshals thread, by steam power looms, into the
most beautiful patterns Of plain, figured, printed,
| and colorcd linen cloth.
Till recently, England had law in force prohib-
iting the expectation of machinery, such as this
raised, on which sat Sir Robert Peel, Lord San
don, &c, to inquire into the expcdiency of abo-
! ishing this absurd law. Before this committee,
Mr.. Marshall, with Leeds, Nottingham, and Man
chester machine-buders and manufacturers, were
summoned TO give evidence. Some were for repeal
| ing the law others were for holding on to it. II
| might have been supposed that Mr.. Marshall, jr,
would have been opposed to repeal, his machine
| ry, or similar machinery, might be carried to the
continent or to America, and set TO work in compe
tition with himself especially nearly all the fax
he consumed was imported from the continent But
not so. Mr.. Marshall was staunch free-trade
man. He gave the whole weight of his evidence
and powerful influence in favor Of free trade in eve
| rything. He thought It was more wise for Eng
land to rely upon the manufacturing advantages Ma
ture had given her. than attempt to bolster up that
| interest by unwise and foolish legislation.
Sir Robert Peel had the restriction abolished. Mr.
Marshall stated before the committee that his sales
| of linen thread amounted to 100000 per annum
or near 500,0 600 dollars.
The elder Marshall, we believe, first commenced
business at Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, and went
from thence to Leeds.
On account Of the difficulties Of rotting break
ing and cleaning fax, the article sells 30 high as to
enhance the price OF linen goods
Mr.. Billings has now done for fax and hemp,
what Whitney did for cotton. His machinery OPP
crates beautifully by steampower. is capable OF
breaking and cleaning many tons OF fax or hemp
in twenty-four hours His breaker consists of iron
knives, or breakers, somewhat similar in form to
the wooden blades in the under part of common
fax-break. They are secured in cylindrical form,
in circular end-pieces, through which shaft passes
The sharp edges of the blades stand towards the
outer circle The blades are two or three inches