streets, with their two-storey houses, uniform as a district in the
east of London, are inhabited by weavers. In each house there is one
loom at least, in most two or three, and in some as many as six. The
manufacture of woollen and cotton goods of finer qualities than can
be produced by the power-loom is carried on extensively. I saw one man
working at a piece of plaid of six colours, a colour on every shuttle,
With the help of his wife, who assisted in winding, he was able to
earn only 8 s. a week by very diligent work from early morning till
night. There is a general complaint of the depression of trade at
present. Agents, chiefly from Glasgow houses, living in the town,
supply the yarn and pay the wages. I was struck with the number of
public-houses in all the leading streets. How far they are supported
by the weavers I cannot say, but whether or not they can dispense
with the glass, they must have their tobacco, and when this luxury
is deducted, and a shilling a week for the rent of the cottage, it is
hard to understand how a family of six or eight can be supported on
the weekly wages. The trade of muslin embroidery once flourished here,
and in the pretty little neighbouring town of Comber; but it has so
fallen off that now the best hands, plying the needle unceasingly
during the long, long day, can earn only three or four shillings
a week. Before the invention of machinery for flax-spinning, the
manufacture of fine thread by hand-labour was a most profitable
employment. Wonders were wrought in this way by female fingers. The
author of 'Our Staple Manufactures' states that in 1799, out of a
pound and a half of flax, costing 10 s., a woman produced yarn of the
value of 5 l. 2 s. 6 d. Miss M'Quillan, of Comber, spun 94 hanks out
of one pound of flax, splitting the fibre with her needles to give
this degree of fineness.

But alas! what a change to the cottage hearth!