domestic than the factory-system, and that it of course prevails more in the North than in the West of England ; and the Yorkshire manufacturers candidly allow that they wish to retain this law on account of its tending to embarrass the factory-system, and thereby to counteract its growth. The Committee, however, considering that the manufacturers of that part where apprenticeships most prevail, have not been uniformly steady in their conduct in this particular, but have admitted of many relaxations, and remarking that the manufactures in other parts are executed with no less skill, though many persons are employed in them who have not served regular apprenticeships; and, adverting to the various considerations laid before them, would by no means wish absolutely to prohibit apprenticeships, or, by rendering them illegal, to prevent their being entered into, where any persons, whether in a commercial or a moral view, find them suited to their circumstances, or agreeable to their inclinations; they yet feel it their duty, so far as regards the Woollen Manufacture, to recommend the repeal of those clauses of the 5 Eliz. ch. 4, which renders apprenticeships compulsory.

The Committee considered the Stamping Laws, as they are called, intended chiefly for securing the just measure of cloth; and these laws are various for different districts. They had not, however, been able to obtain sufficient information to enable them to form a satisfactory judgment on this point; in which the opinion even of intelligent and experienced men appear in some degree to differ. They think that the different circumstances of the North and the West of England may require a correspnoding difference in the legal regulations to be enforced in them respectively. In the North of England, where by far the larger part of the manufac

ture

ture is sold in a crowded market, and in an unfinished state, sound policy may perhaps be thought to prescribe some regulations of this sort. But in the West of England, where the circumstances are different, the same reasonings do not apply, and therefore, so far as the West of England is concerned, the Committee recommend their repeat.

They would have here closed their report, but in the progress of their inquiries some circumstances came to the knowledge of the Committee, which, whether regarded in their relation to the well-being of Woollen Mas nufactures, or that of the country at large, appeared to be of a highly-interesting nature. They then give an account of the existence in the clothing district of Yorkshire, of an institution or society consisting chiefly of clothworkers or shearmen; and though it was alledged that the object of the institution, and of the payments made to it, was to effect and conduct the application made to Parliament for preventing the repeal of laws which the parties conceived to be necessary to the pros perity of the manufacture, yet various circumstances concurred to render this explanation far from satisfactory, and strongly to suggest the idea of a connection with some other transaction which had taken place not long before in the manufacturing district. An account is then subjoined of various illegal and incendiary combinations, and an anonymous letter is inserted, directed to one of the fire-offices in London, desiring them not to insure any factories where machines were employed, for they would neritably be destroyed; and an allusion was made to a particular factory, which had been destroyed by fire but a short time before. This letter was attended with the singular circumstance of being dated the same day on which a general secret meeting of the institution of cloth

workers

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workers was held at Leeds. The Committee remark how liable such institutions are to be abused, when originally formed for an innocent, and even a meritorious purpose,. and adduce the history of this very institution as an example; the funds of which were originally applied to the relief of the sick, though they were afterwards diverted to very different purposes. "It must be obvious," say they, "to any considerate and experienced mind, how naturally in societies of this sort designing and bad men, men of daring spirits and discontented tempers, naturally acquire the ascendency; how surely also they extend influence till by degrees they obtain the direction of the whole body. The least of the evils to be apprehended (though an evil of itself abundanly sufficient to accomplish the ruin, not only of any particular branch of trade, but even of the whole commercial greatness of our country) is, the progressive rise of wages, which among all classes of workmen must be the inevitable, though gradual, result of such a society's operations.'

The Committee next proceed to remark, that such institutions are, in their ultimate tendencies, still more alarming in a political than in a commercial point of view. They conceive it would be departing from their proper province, if they were to suggest an opinion as to the expediency of any alteration in the existing laws against illegal combinations; but as the summary view. here exhibited discloses the existence of a systematic and organized plan, they conceive they would have been wanting in their public duty if they had closed this report without laying before the House the general outline of the information they had obtained on the subject. It deserves, in their judgement, the most deliberate and serious consideration of Parliament.

List

(80)

List of Patents for Inventions, &c.

(Continued from Vol. X. Page 464.)

LUDOLPHE CABANEL, of Lambethi, Surrey, Engineer; for improvements in the construction of wheels and axletrees, by which will be obtained the following and other advantages: the carriage will be less liable to overturn; and, in consequence of the friction being almost wholly done away, will move with much less power or labour of the horses; the necessary oil or grease being supplied without separating the wheel from the axle, are so securely attached as to obviate the frequent accident of the wheels coming off, and should they be injured, any other wheel, whether cart, coach, or waggon, may be substituted as a temporary resource, and a wheel or wheels may be shifted at pleasure. Dated May 5, 1807.

JAMES WOODS, of Ormskirk, Lancashire, Chair-maker; for a machine for churning milk and cream, and which may be used as a pump. Dated May 9, 1807.

WILLIAM CUBITT, of Walsham, Norfolk, Engineer; for a method of equalizing the motion of the sails of windmills. Dated May 9, 1807.

FRANCIS FROME, of Spring-Gardens, Westminster, Middlesex, Gentleman; for an improved portable bootjack, with a guard to prevent the possibility of any accident to the legs or ankles in pulling off the boots. Dated May 11, 1807.

WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE, of Holborn, London, Musical Instrument-maker; for improvements on the flageolet or English flute. Dated May 14, 1807.

JOHN ROEBUCK, of Warren-street, St. Pancras, Middlesex, Civil Engineer; for improvements in a machine called The Caledonian Balance. Dated May 14, 1807.

CHESTER GOULD, of Walworth, Surrey, Gent.; for improvements on a machine for mangling linen and other articles required to be mangled. Dated May 26, 1807.

Specification of the Patent granted to WILLIAM CUBITT, of Bacton Wood Mills, North Walsham, in the County of Norfolk, Engineer; for a Method of equalizing the Motion of the Sails of Windmills. Dated May 9, 1807. With a Plate.

To all to whom these presents shall eoine, &c.

Now KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I the said William Cubitt do hereby describe my new method of equalizing the motion of windmill sails in manner following; that is to say: My invention consists in applying to windmills an apparatus or contrivance which shall cause the vanes, constructed or formed in a new and peculiar manner, to regulate themselves, so as to preserve an uniform velocity under those circum stances in which the wind would otherwise irregularly impel them, as is the case with the sails or vanes of mills of the present construction. I accomplish this object by forming the vanes (for the sake of lightness) with fewer VOL. XI-SECOND SERIES.

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