New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-25
INDUSTRIAL ENGLAND.
BY ROBERT P. PORTER, MEMBER OF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION.
HISTORY OF THE MANCHESTER COTTON
TRADE.


land exceeding in 1881, both Yorkshire and Mld-
dlesex, and numbering 3,454,225 persons. IL con-
tains two of England's great centres or lndustrai
energy, Liverpool and Manchester, and besides lts
commercial importance it is the centre OF England
greatest industry, which employs nearly half
million of men, women and children, and wnlch al
one time almost supplied the world with coton
goods. 1t is not with the entire county that TINS
letter purposes to DEAL but with what may be called
the northeast and southeast divisions, which con-
tain about two millions Of tho three and half
millions Of population, and the towns i'll whlch dls-
trcts are almost wholly given over to the manufac-
ture Of cotton goods The cotton region IS concen-
trated within the narrow area Of twenty by thirty
miles, and connected by perfect network OF rail-
roads
The centre of this remarkable district, from an IN
dustral standpoint, is Manchester, though geo
graphically Bolton is the centre. Combined with
salford which is really part of the cotton metropo-
lis the population of Manchester is about 100000,
though. with the Immediately surrounding places,
local authorities put il at 100000. The growth Oh
Manchester has been almost entirely within the
present century, though it was considered an i'm
portant village centuries ago. Leland, who visited
the town in Henry Wills time described it as the
fairest, best builded, quickest and most populous
town Of all Lancashire" which did
not then speak much for its size.
Camden in his Britannia" only devotes twelve
lines to the Manchester of his day, though what he
did say was decidedly complimentary: This sur
passes the neighborng towns in elegance, populous-
ness a woollen mandatory, market church and
college, The town was even then famous for tho
manufacture of stus though il is evident that the
Manchester cottons Of those days were made OF
WOOL Ir 1850 traveller visiting Manchester
compared il with the most industrious towns OF
Holland; "the smallest children being all
employed and earning their bread. Besides
tho cotton manufactures they deal in but
tons, filletings checks, and all kinds OF
small wares, as they are called, vast quantities
of which they export abroad, to tho West Indies
particularly"
Such was Manchester over 100 years ago. 1t YVES
called the largest village in England, and was
governed by Constable. Fifty years later, at the
close of the last century, Manchester mad greatly
advanced The Duke of Brdgewater, aided by the
famous Brindley. had built his canal and given Man
chester with her so 900 inhabitants cheap coal aud
transportation. The ingenious Arkwrght had bullta
mil which the local historian OF the time de-
scribes as "w orked by a steam engine and having
one room $50 feet long and IL yards wide" In
commenting on the canal enterprise, Aiken, the
historian or h1uCDtStoI Nl1'oIs nays ~N'"S
but highly nourshing manufactures can repay the
vast expense of these designs" When finished nc
thinks Manchester will probably enjoy more va
rious water communications than the most com
mercial town OF the Low Countries has ever DONE
The principal cause Of this sudden increase TO
the mower of cheap carriage possessed by
Manchester,-a power greater than that
which made the prosperity of Client ana
Bruges,-was that within the period | have
mentioned it had become the metropolis oil
cotton-the centre of that manufacture which from
small beginnings had assumed what In those days
were considered gigantic proportions. The popuia
ton busy when Defoe visited Manchester with
"small things called Manchester wares" had passed
away and the foundation of great industry had
been laid A centGry ago. of all British industries
the cotton was probably the least conspicuous Cot
ton did not enter into the common dress OF the peo
pe IL WAS too dear for general use until tho genius
and ingenuity of such mochanicians as LOWS faui
Lawrence Earnshaw, llargreayes, Arkwrght'
Cromuton. KAY, and Peel gave the spinning jenny
the carding machine. the water-irame and the
muls. and a score Of other Improvements, and in
stead OF domestic production cotton goode became
almost wholly the product of machinery. To them
il ia y saws Levi THAT We owe the factory system
with it's attendant advantages-economy of power
diyi,ion of labor, and concentration OF skill and
snperintendence; and 20 them. too we are beholden
for that extraordinary change in the fortunes Of
Lancashire which hencefOrth threw aside
her agricultural garb and almost pastoral 1impcity
to assume the more active and stirring occupations
of industry and manufacturer
Ii not necessary for me IN this briet review OF
the early days Uf the cotton industry to touch on
the endless difficulties not 20 say hardship that
the pioneers in this great industrial revolution had
to encounter; OF the jealousy which was excited
nv the innovations how the house OF Kay was
entered into and every machine 1t con-
tanned knocked to pieces; how the
Blackburn splnnoB were not content tui
they destroyed the jenny, and drove Ilargreayes
himself from his home. Arkwright was Obliged TO
resort 10 all manner of stratagcms TO evade pursuit
and poor CromDton moro than once was compelled
10 take his mule to pieces and hide it's various
parts IN garrett. These arc all matters of history
fu of the intenses interest after one has visited the
factories OF this district and become familiar with
the great mechanical principles each one of those
men evolved. and sees them all at work with the
improvements OF q century added.
The trade Of Manchester before the days of railroads
NAV be divided into four periods. The first is that
when the manufacturers worked hard merely for q
livelihood without having accumulated any capt.
tal the second when they had begun to acquire
little fortunes, but worked as hard and lived IN
~ plain manner as before; the third when luxury
began 10 appear and trade was pushed by sending
ont riders" for orders TO every market town in
the Kingdom; and the fourth the period in which
expense and luxury had made, great progress,
and were supported by trade extended
bv means OF "riders" and factors" through
every part of Europe. When the Manchester trade
began to expand the chapmen" used to keep
gangs of pack-horses, and accompany them to the
principal towns with goods in packs, which they
opened and sold to shopkeepers, lodging what was
unsold III small stores at the inns On the improve
ment of the turnpikes wagons were set up for this
trade and pack horses discontinued, and the chap
~, roda ont for ordara carrviuO with