The southern press., 1851-08-28

adVtARd. *fN s'i tf
From the BiekaeHs Reporter
Tha Great ExAjbit1sn Of f83l--The Cstten
.,sa.s a3g A Feature. e H4t
One Of the most important departmer of the
Great Exhibition Is that which 10 devoted 70
cotton. II is not particularly attractive to the
hasty obaerysr, and is passed with indifference
by many. Rut not 30 by the careful inquirer, the
stafesmap, the manufacturer, and the pc litcal
aconomjat Millions of human beings on both
aides Of the Atlantic are dependent, directly or
indirectly, upon the growth and manufacture OF
cotton, md an amount of capital truly enormous
il invested in this business, in all its various
manifestations. The following account OF the
British importaiions and exportation, con 'ccted
with the cotton manufacture in the year 1850, 10
taken from official sources, and will convey an
adequate idea Of the vast magtude OF his branch
OF i0daa&sy:
( Ifnport--Raw cotton, 5,934,793 cwt cotton
yarn, 9O5 1865 lbs,, of the declared value OF I97,
56I; cotton manufactures not made up-East
india piece goods, l76,Ol3 pieces, of the value
Of f68, ,933 other articles to the value of E297,-
l76; Gotten manufactures wholly or in part
made up, To the value Of E44,3l5. Exports
Foreign and colonial manufactures--cotton
manufaeturps not made up--East India piece
goods, l45.895 pieces, of the value of E58,493 J;
other articles to the value Of E93 sos; Of cotton
manufactures wholly or in part made up, to the
value of f23, ,667; cotton yarn, 777a57 lbs, to
the value of f8l,0i4; British cotton manutac-
lures, exclusive Of lace, patent net. sewing
thred, and stockingA) 1855, ,238837 yards, to the
value Of EGO 1928 loo; other descriptions, to the
value of f236.058; cotton yarn, l3l l,433, i 68
lbs., valued at E6,380,948. M ss..
The quantity of raw cotton consumed in the
cotton manufacture of Great Britain in the year
1850 was 584,2O0,OOO lbs. The total num-
Der Of cotton factories in Britain is 1882,
containing 2O,977,Ol7 spndles, and 249,627
power-looms. The moving power in these facto-
RES ia supplied by steam, representing 7l,005
horsepower, and water ii, $50 horse over
The total numbe: of persons employed in these
factories amounts to 330,924. II to these we
add the persons not employed in factories-sucn
AS hand-loom ,weayers, calico-printers and dyers,
makers and reparers of machinery, &c.--a total
of 100000 would be obtained. a1itN \
The total value of the cotton goods and yarn
exported in 1850 was E28,252e78; in 1849
-E26,775,l35. The capital employed in the cot
ton manufacture Of Great Britain is estimated at
mot less than E450O0, 900.
The London Dispatch, noticing the Exhibition
and the display of cotton goods, says: 'The
yarns, exhibited as the basis of other products,
SLOW to what an extent the ingenuity of man
can be carried, when employed in a given direc.
ton. There we have specimens of yarn spun
by machinery, which is of so delicate character
that the ftres of cotton can only be discovered
in the fabric by the aid of the microscope; and
80 intangible is it that it falls to pieces by
handling. This curiosity of manufacture is ex-
hibited by Messrs. Thomas Houldsworth &
Co, of Manchester, and is the result of the en-
ergy and enterprise of Henry Houldsworth, esq
of that firm. In the contributions of this house,
we find specimens Of cotton yarn ranging from
No. 100 to No. 700 In single yarn, and No. 100
TO No. $40 in double yarn or lace thread. These
figures express the number Of hanks to pound
weight, each hank being $50 English yards and
the last named number Of TOO in single and 67o
in double yarn is the triumph of cotton spinning
for all practical purposes, since we find that q
pound weight of cotton is elongated, in the first
instance, to length Of 338 miles, and in the
other to double thread 323 miles, at cost of
cas- as the price of single pound weight The
most remarkable example, however, ia the speci-
men shown as No. 900, both of yarn and thread,
as curiosity, by which a single pound of cot
ton il extended to 430 miles This Is useless
for all manufacturing purposes, being too fine TO
be serviceabIe or even capable of being handled.
Stlll, it il all it processes to be. The fineness
Of the cotton yarn used for lace-making has al
ways been great desideratum and the firm has
had world wide reputation for spinning finest
numbers. So late ~ 1910, $50 was the finest
yarn attempted. la 1871, Messrs. Houldsworth
spun 45O, which was considered as the limit,
until the Great Exhibition stimulated a further
trial and the result is now before the public
as palpabe fact as the building in which it is
exhibited. Another still more astonishing spcci-
men exhibited by the Messrs. Houldsworth is
that Of No. 2,l50 yarn, in which we may fairly
presume that they have reached the limit at
which the fibre will at all cohere. A single
pound Of this yarn would yield the extraordinary
length Of I ,O26 miles It's needless to say that
yarn Of this character is useless for all practical
purposes, though highly significant as llustra-
tive Of human skill t fa6.
A Nav F.Rs-ANNrHnAron.--An experiment
was recently tride in Newark, by Mr.. G. Dowden,
with very marvellous kind OF paper, which, il
appears, il not only incombusibIe itsef, but has
the property, when heated by hre, Of discharging
a gaseous body which puts the FIRE out. Accord
ing U repoet Of ;he experiment, which appears
ia the Newark Daily .1drsriiser, Mr.. D. sailed q
barrel, open al both ends, to about one half its
capacity, with tar. dry shavinsr, and other com
l.sssib4e materials. and when ignited, and in full
blaze, FEW sheets cf common wrapping paper
saturated with the guseous preparation, was pu'
under the barrel and the fame was extinguishsd
in few seconds, leaving nothing but smoke
produced by the gas. mixed with small portion
nf smoke Of The 6rA. To those standing in close
proximity il was found innoxious. This expert
snent was several times repeated with like results
The barrel was then removed, leaving the com
bastibles in herp upon the ground. which were
fred, and when fully ig~itsd and in blnze. Mr.
ID. applied the gaseous paper. and il was instantly
extinxuished. leaving nothing hut the smoke
relsrred 70 above. The philosophy OF the thing,
aaeosdinr 10 Mr.. Dowden. il this: The Eaa used
i intunbustibIe, and flames cannot exist in il. ~
svsn where there j. sny considerable postion 81
it." Allthia IL very we'll for the philosophy but
wha4 il rho xsai and how many shtsts Of parer.
or rsama, doss Mr. Dowden suppose i will tsse
"a put ON house on fire.