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CLASS XIY.

REPORT on manufactures from flax and hemp.

[The figures after the Names (between parentheses) refer to the Exhibitors’ Numbers and to the Pages in theOfficial Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue.]

Jury.

Count Franz Ernst "\ an IIarracii, Chairman , Austria ; Chamberlain of His Imperial Majesty, Presi-dent of Bohemian Society of Arts and Manufactures, Prague .

Charles Tee, Deputy Chairman , Pindar Oak, Barnsley ; Manufacturer.

"William Charley, Joint Reporter, Seymour Jlill. Belfast ; Bleacher.

Grenier Lkfkviie, Joint Reporter, Belgium ; Member of Senate. President of Chamber of Commerce ,Ghent .

Legentil, France ; President of Chamber of Commerce , Paris , and of Central Jury, &c.

John McMastkr, Guilford, Banbridge, Ireland ; Manufacturer.

John Moir, Dundee; Manufacturer.

Carl Nodack, N. Germany ; German Commissioner.

Alexander Scherer, Russia ; of the Ministry of Finance.

John Wilkinson, J. P., Leeds ; Flax Spinner.

Before proceeding to describe the various llaxen pro-ducts brought under our notice, we wish to offer a fewobservations on the progress and position of this im-portant brauch of manufacture. We shall, however, con-fine our remarks to those portions of it which are in someway exemplified by the objects collected in the Exhibi-tion from the manufacturing countries of the world ; as, ina Report like the present, a great accumulation of statis-tical details would be out of place, even were we preparedto offer such.

In consequence of the great antiquity of the Egyptian nation, we shall first call attention to the specimens oflinen cloth sent from that country. These are in manyrespects much surpassed by the European manufacture.It may, however, be interesting to remark, that the firstmentionof linen in the ancient chronicles of the Jews cer-tainly alludes to the productions of Egypt or some adjoiningcountry. The Jewish priesthood were directed to use“ linen garments and clothes of service;” and linen hasbeen so generally looked upon as emblematic of purity,that it is still considered becoming in the costume ofministers, and in the sendees of the Christian churches.

From the Asiatic continent we have some specimens ofcloth made from “China grass ” This article is no doubt,in its essential qualities and uses, a species of fiax, andtherefore properly comes under our notice. It has beenproduced for many years by the industrious and ingeniouspeople of China . "We have remarked that in the coarsekinds of cloth made from it, the fibre appears to be splitinto lengths, and attached to each other at the smallerends. In this simple state the pieces are put togetherwith great dexterity. This is an interesting example ofthe position of this manufacture amongst one of the mostancient nations of the world.

Beside the coarser kinds of cloth, there are exhibitedsome beautiful handkerchiefs and other fine linens madefrom this material. At the present day “China grass”is occasionally used in making coloured fabrics, combinedwith other substances, such as silk and cotton; and fromthe peculiar brilliancy of the fibre it shows to much ad-vantage in this way. It has not as yet entered into ex-tensive use for plain goods; but some very meritoriousattempts to ascertain its utility for that purpose havebeen made, and are still in progress.—(See pp. 370, 371.)

Among the continental nations of Europe , the northernhave long been celebrated for the production of fiax andits manufactures; Flanders being especially distieguishedfor the beauty of its fine goods, and Russia and Germany for the strength and durability of their heavy and otherlinens.

It is a remarkable fact, that so long as hand-spinningwas the only known way of producing yarn, Great Britain and Ireland

were not much noted for the manufacture oflinens. The wonderful change, however, wrought by theinvention of the “ spinning jenny,” and its application tocotton machinery, speedily led to the development of thesame principle in making mill-spun yarn from flax andhemp.

The immense and cheap supply of coal possessed byGreat Britain , and the consequent facility in producingsteam-power, combined with the privilege of first apply-ing spinning by machinery to any great extent, has givenher considerable advantage in the production of manydescriptions of mill-spun yarns and manufactured goods.Lately this system is becoming more general on the Con-tinent, although there has been for a long time a strongprejudice in favour of hand-spun yam, especially inFlanders . This latter country (comprising portions ofBelgium and France ) has long been celebrated for theproduction of the finest kind of flax, and the superiortexture of its hand-spun yams. These latter requiremost careful and skilful manipulation, more particularlyin the exceedingly fine description used in making thebeautiful lawns and handkerchiefs of Cambray and Valen­ ciennes . Ireland is producing, very extensively, bothlawns and handkerchiefs, more distinguished, withoutdoubt, in the lower and middle-priced qualities for generalconsumption than iu the extremely fine goods. Thesame country has now for many years enjoyed a higliand merited reputation for its linen manufactures, and; supplies large quantities of the usual kinds to the dif-ferent markets of the world. Scotland is pre-eminent inlow-priced goods, of the qualities extensively used athome and abroad. The principle of weaving by power-loom appears to be coming into very general use in thatcountry, and also on the Continent, as will be found byinspecting our Report further on.

The Jacquard loom is now much used iu makingdamasks, and has tended to improve, in many respects,the manufacture of that article, both in the British do-minions and on the Continent.

England produces a large quantity of mill-spun yarnfrom fiax. Although her attention is more directed tothe manufacture of cotton, she has contributed heavylinens, which, for texture and durability, are deservedlycelebrated.

For the better elucidation of our decisions, we havedivided oiu* remarks on this Class into two principal de-partments, viz., 1st, The prepared fibre and spun or tuistedfabnes , such as yarn, threads, and cordage; and, Sndly,The woven fabrics of all kinds.

We have also divided these into minor sections, keep-ing, as near as possible, to the printed form of classifica-tion issued by the Roval Commissioners for the guidance

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