The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1848-08-26
Correspondence Of The Cecil Wing.
No. VIII NOT ELS
Valley Of the Connecticut.
FROM THE

The immense fortunes that have been
made in former and more palmy days,
by manufactures have infected the good
people of Massachusetts,, and indeed of
all New England with mania hardly
less universal than that which few
years ago prevailed with regard to the
Rorus Multicaulus. A a consequence
every mountain stream is checked in its
headlong career by dozen dams, and
Compelled to run the gauntlet Of dozen
mill wheels before its waters are permit
ted to take up their peaceful course to
the Ocean. In every valley and
at every mountain gorge the Fac
tory rears its huge mass of brick,
surrounded by the neat white cottages of
the operatives, and the !ordly mansion Of
the proprietor. Around Northampton
Tor many Mules, on the Connect cut and
its tributaries, the manufacturing estab-
iishments of almost every kind, are par
ticularly numerous. Several of the more
prominent OF these, through the kind in
huence of a friend, l was permitted to
visit and examine to my hearts content.
The first was the Button and Col! Pen
mandatory OF the Messrs Hayden, at
Havdenville about seven miles from
Northampton. The Pen establishment
occupies but small! part of the whole
works, though Immense quantities ofthis
Tow almost indispensable necessary are
wade there every year, commanding the
highest price in he market and insuring
10 the gent!emany proprietors an ample
fortune. The Button Factory is large
establishment employing about $50 opc-
rativcs, principally females. Here are
made the buttuns for coats, vests &c
barring the name of S. Winston. with
which | presume all the tpilors and
merchants in the Union are familiar
The wooden mouldS. the iron plates,
the canvass shank, the muslin and sill
ken coverings are all stamped by ma
chlnery, and each separate piece is en-
trusted to different hand, to be put in
lis proper place in the button, and after
passing through some fifteen different
hands IN all, in an incredibly short space
oftnne, the button is ready for the tai
lor's use. And thus by judiclous dis
trbution of machinery and human labor.
what would require single hand many
minutes to perform, is done in fraction
of a second ] he operatives in this e.
Enlistment attracted my attention by
their neat and cheerful appearance, and
the absence ofthat pale gauniness arising
rom close confinement and hard labor,
which we are apt to associate with a
mandatory. The daughters mainly Of
the independent yeomanrv around, this
kind OF labor is with them matter OF
choice rather than necessity, and thew
bear up on their open frank faces the con-
seriousness that though poor, they are
yet honest, and in the honorable pursuit
of the means Of independence, should old
age overtake them in the cherries Wales
Of single blessedness. And in this vale
it surely must find many olthem, for the
market here is wofully destitute of the
material for husbands: In England the
employment of females in the Factories
drives the male sex to domestic duties
and transforms them into cooks and nur-
SEES, but IN New England 1t drives them
to Western lands, or to our cities where
their labors will be better appreciated
and rewarded. In close proximity 10
The Button Factory, is a new Cotton mill,
OF magnificent size and power, belonging
TO the same Projectors, just erected, and
designed to employ some 200 operatives.
But its wheels at present are still, wait
ing until some favorable change in the
market, shall render it an object to pro-
coed.
The next mill visited, was a Cotton
mill about four miles distant, belonging
to Boston Company. This we found
in full operation, turning off its thou
sands of yards Of muslin per week, and
giving employment to about 200 girls
and 100 boys and men, in all its various
branches Here as in the button estab-
hshment, all was neatness and order in