r 374 ]
CLASS XV.
REPORT OX MIXED FABRICS, INCLUDING SHAWLS, BUT EXCLUSIVE
OF WORSTED GOODS.
[The figures after the Names (between parentheses) refer to the Exhibitors’ Numbers and to the Pages in theOfficial Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue.]
Jury.
Charles Van IIof.gaerden, Chairman , Belgium ; Merchant, Member of Chamberof Commerce, Brussels .
John R,. Lavaxciiy, Deputy Chairman , 6 New Burlington Street; Silk Mercer.
W. Clabburn, Norwich ; Manufacturer.
Maxime Gacssex, France ; Member of the Central Jury.
David Kemp, Glasgow ; Shawl Merchaut.
N. Kingsbury, United States ; Manufacturer.
John Morgan, Grenlaw, Paisley; Manufacturer.
'William Prinsep, Reporter , 30 Gloucester Gardens.
Titus Salt , J. P., Bradford; Manufacturer.
Frederick Schwann, Huddersfield ; Merchant.
John H. Swift, United States ; Merchant.
Sir Gardner "Wilkinson, Turkey.
Associates.
F. Bernoville, France ; Spinner and Manufacturer. (Juror in Class XX.)George Hairs, 31 Milk Street, City; Shawl Manufacturer.
A.— Mixed "Woven Fabrics, of various Materials,
SHOT WITH EITHER COTTON, LlNEN, WOOL , SlLK,
The description given in the “Classification for the useof Juries” of the articles to come under the examinationof this Class is so very miscellaneous, namely, “ fordresses, damasks, aprons, shoe and boot cloths, linings,cravats, vestings, ponchos, pantaloon cloths, coatings,tweeds, quiltings, plaids, tabinets, poplins, paramattas,clialis, barbges, cashmeres, articles for furniture, shawls,”that some necessity was found for drawing a line moredefinitely between this and Class XII., where, under thehead of “ Woollen and Worsted,” many of the abovearticles would be better placed.
We have consequently confined our notice to the fol-lowing articles:—Vestings, coatings, tweeds, linings, pan-taloon stuffs, shoe and boot cloths, cravatings, plaids,tabinets, poplins, paramattas cashmerets, cassinets, clialis,barfeges, cashmeres, shawl cloths, and Utrecht velvets.
General Remarks.
It is difficult to give a correct idea of the origin ofmany of these fabrics. Varieties of them have been madein Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Norfolk , from timeimmemorial, and are of equally ancient date in manvparts of Europe . The introduction of spun silk with woolmay be dated from 1685, when the revocation of theEdict of Nantes brought over to Spitalfields and to Nor-wich especially nearly 30,000 artisans from Paris andLyons, who established these manufactures iu England.We find that the importations of silk into Ireland in thatyear were of 80,000/. value. Tabinets or poplins havebeen produced in Ireland ever since 1771. Novelties arebeing constantly introduced, both in style and texture,as well as in new combinations of materials, and manymost valuable experiments of this character have beenadopted, particularly within the last ten years. We maynotice two articles in particular, which have become ofgreat importance to this class of manufactures, viz., alpacaand mohair. The former is the -wool or hair of an animalof the llama tribe from the region of Peru ; the latter,that of a goat peculiar to Asia Minor ; and some idea ofthe rapid development of such novelties may be formedfrom the following returns of imports, viz.,—Of alpacawool, from 1836 to 1840, 7000 bales per annum; from1841 to 1845, 13,000 bales per annum; from 1846 to 1850,
20,000 bales per annum. Of mohair, in 1841, 5,621bales; in 1850, 12,884 bales.
We believe that to England must be accorded the chiefcredit of searching for and adopting most of the new andimportant materials which are every year being intro-duced into these manufactures, tending naturally to in-crease the value of the trade: she also takes the lead inthe quantity of production. France , ever ready to adoptand improve, produces very largely the same articles, andis peculiarly successful in the finer and richer descrip-j tions, where delicacy of design and colour is most favour-ably applied; and had she equal facility with Englandin sending her productions into foreign markets, thedevelopment of her medium classes of these goods wouldhave been more complete. Austria has made very greatprogress within the last ten years in these fabrics; hermaterials are excellent, and ably put together; and shepresents them at low price, for a large internal consump-tion. Bohemia , in particular, supplies tissues of a qualitythat bears the stamp of decided progress. Labour in thesecountries is extremely cheap, and the artisans are intelli-gent, and if the progress now apparent continues withincreased energy for the coming ten years, their pro-ductions may vie, particularly in price, with those of allEurope ; but we find no originality among them, whetherof design or manufacture. Prussia and the States of theZollverein have given valuable proofs of their powers ofcopying the productions of France and England. Theyrequire but the support of capital, and the encouragementof a natural taste for design, to become the producers ofthe best articles at low prices; for in many cases theyhave the raw material at hand, and they are not wantingin either energy or ingenuity to give the fullest develop-ment to such advantages. In Belgium we find proofs ofa very active commerce in these fabrics, and an increasingdesire to take advantage of the demand for exportationof middling and low-priced goods. The ancient excel-lence of the weavers of that country has not, apparently,prompted the manufacturers to keep the lead in textilefabrics, either in character or quality. Their produce isvery extensive, both for the home and foreign demand,and they appear to prefer leading purchasers to theirstores by cheapness and goodness of manufacture, ratherthan by the attraction of superior excellence or novelty.Portugal has exhibited some good copies of French andEnglish fabrics, which give fair promise of excellence.Egypt lias contributed some specimens of its early essays