The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-08-27
Prom Bicknsll,, Rsponrr.
Tho GREAT exhibition Of isol-The Cotton Feature

x.xx ala
One of the most important departments OF the Great
Exhjbion is that which is devoted TO cotton II is
attractive 10 the hasy observer and is passed
with ind ference by many. But not the careful in
quer. The statesman. the manufacturer and the potl
cal economist. Millions OF human beings both sides
of the Atlantic dependent directly or indirectly upon
The growth and manufacture OF cotton and an amount
at capital truly enormous invested IN this business, IN
all ils various ramhcallons The following account OF
the British mpor,atons and expectations, connected with
the cotton manufacture in the year 1850, is taken from
official sources, and will convey adequate idea oil the
vast magnitude of this branch Of industry:
lmports-Raw cotton. 934.793 cwt. cotton yarn
905. 966 lbs, of the declared value OF f9756l cotton
not made upEas India piece goods l76.'
0l0 pieces OF the value OF ,933 other articles to me
value of f297 cotton wholly or IN part
made up to the value OIL E4.3l3 Exports-Foregn and
colonial manutaclures-cotton manufactures not made
up-East India piece goods, s95 pieces OF the value
of f5s. l93 other articles TO the value OF t93,ooo OF
cotton manufactures wholly or in part made up, 10 the
value OF f23667 cotton yarn 957 lbs TO the value
of ESl 0i4; British cotton manufactures, texclusve oil
lace patent net, sewing thread and s,Ockingso l3oS
23s s37 yards the value OF G2O 1906 other desct-
tons. the value of f236.o5s; cotton yarn los
lbs valued al Eo y4S.
| The quantity OF raw cotton consumed in the cotton
aclure OF Great Britain in the year 1850 was 5s4
| 200 900 lbs.
The total number of cotton factories in Gain 1872,
containing 977 OFT spndles and 249 627 power looms
The moving power these factories IS supplied by steam,
power The total number OF persons employed in these
factories TO 33O.92i II TO these we add the per-
sons employed in iactoes-such as hand-loom weav.
ers, calcopn,ers and dyers makers and IeiaiIeIs oil
The total value of the cotton goods and yarn exported
in 1850 was f2s 252, s7s; in ls49 fa6,775Ia 5. The
capital employed in the cotton manufacture OF Great Brit
| ain is estimated at not less than E45, 100000.
The London Dispatch noticing the Exhibition and the
display OF cotton goods says: 1.-The yarns, exhibited as
the basis OF other products show to what extent the
ingenuity Of man can be carried, when employed IN a
given direction. There have specimens OF yarn spun
by machinery, which is oil delicate character that the
fbes of cotton can only be discovered ~ the fabric by
the aid of the microscope and SO Intangible is that II
ture is exhibited by Me-srs Thomas Houdswonh Il Co..
OF Manchester and the result OF the energy and enter
prise OF Henry Hoaldswor'h, esq OF that hrm In me
yarn ranging from No 100 10 No 700 10 single yarn,
and No. 100 No. $40 in double yarn or lace thread
| These figures express the number OF hanks 10
a pound weight each hank being $50 English yards
and the last named number Of 100 in single and $40
double yarn the triumph OF cotton spinning for all
practical purposes, since we lind that pound weight OF
cotton is elongated in the FIRST instance, length Of
33s miles, and in the other double thread 324 miles.
at cost Of f2s the price of single pound weight.
The remarkable example, however is The specimen
shown No 9OO botn OF yarn and thread as a curl
os,ty by which single pound OF cotton is extended to
43U miles This is useless Tor all manufacturing pur-
poses being too fine be srrvcrabe even capable
of h-nx handled Still, il is all il processes to he The
fneI ess of the cotton yarn used for acemakng has al
ways been great desiieratum; and The firm has had a
world wide reputation for spinning finest numbers So
late as Is40 $50 finest yarn at enptrd In l34l
Messr. Houdswoh spun $50. which was considered a-
the limit until the Greal Exiibllon stimulated further
tria and the result is before the public as papa
BILE fact the building in which II is exhibited
Another still more astounding specimen exhibited BY the
Messrs HouId, worth that OF No also arm. which
may fairly presume that they have reached the limit
which the fibre will at all conere. single pound Of this
would yield the extraordinary length OF O26 miles
Il IL needless say hat yarn OF this character useless
for ali practical purposes, though highly significant as
illustrative OF human skill"