400

HISTORY OF LACE.

the war broke out, and he was detained. Napoleon proposedthat he should set up a machine in France ; but he preferredcontinuing his illicit trade, which lie carried on with great successuntil 1809, when his own agent informed against him, his goodswere seized and burned, and having in one seizure lost 60,000/.(1,500,000 fr.), he was completely ruined and fled to England. 16

The French manufacturers took out various patents for the im-provement of their “ Mechlin ” machines, and one was taken, in1809, for making a crossed net called “ fond de glace ;" but thesame year Ileathcoat producing the bobbin-net machine, theinventors could not sustain the competition.

Every attempt was made to get over bobbin-net machines; butthe export of English machinery was punished by transportation,and the Nottingham manufacturers established at their ownexpense a line of surveillance to prevent the bobbin-net machinesfrom going out. In spite of all these precautions, Cutts, an oldworkman of Heathcoat’s, contrived to elude their vigilance, and,in 1815, to import a machine to Valenciennes, whence he removedit to Douay, where he entered into partnership with M. Thomassin.In 1816 they produced the first bobbin-net dress made in France.It was embroidered by hand by a workwoman of Douay, and pre-sented by the makers to the Duchesse d’Angouleme. About theend of the year 1816, James Clark introduced a machine intoCalais, which he passed in pieces by means of some French sailors.These two were the first bobbin-net machines set up in France.

It is not within our limits to follow the Calais luce manu-facturers through their progress; suffice it to say that it was in1817 that the first bobbin-net machine worked, concealed from alleyes, at Saint-Pierre-lez-Calais, now', if not the rival of Notting-ham, at least the great centre of the bobbin-net and machinerylace manufactures in France. 17

10 In 1801, George Armitage took a“point net” machine to Antwerp, andmade several after the same model, thusintroducing the manufacture into Bel-gium. He next went to Paris, but thewholesale contraband trado of Hayneleft him no hope of success. He after-wards went to Prussia to set up net andstocking machines. At the age of 82 hestarted for Australia, where he died, in1857,' aged 89.

17 The great difficulty encountered by

the French manufacturers consisted inthe cotton. France did not furnish cottonhigher than No. 70 ; the English rangesfrom 100 to 200. The prohibition ofEnglish cotton obliged them to obtain itby smuggling, until 1834, when it wasadmitted on paying a duty. Now theymake their own, and are able to rivalNottingham in the prices of tl.eir pro-ductions : a great number of Nottinghamlace-makers have emigrated to Calais.