AND ON THE CONTINENT.

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material has alone already banished this nuisance. In the pre-paration, also, the advances of skill have, since the time of Ure,made more complete utilisation of material possible, as well asreplacement of labour by the macliine to a large extent. Theregularity of the slivers, on which depends the quality a,s well asthe quantity of the yarn to be produced, is, for instance, hereaccomplished by mechanical means. Not only does the drawing-frame stop when a sliver breaks or the can from which it is takenis empty, but the relative drawing is also increased or diminishedwithout human aid in proportion as the disappearing sliver turnsout too thick or too thin.

Large, light, and well-ventilated rooms open to our view whenwe at length enter into the spinning departments. They havesuch a width that a spinning-frame with 1,250 spindles can standcomfortably therein. Two such frames are tended by the mule-spinner with his helpers, the two piecers.

At the finish we are led into the engine-house. The boiler is ofselected steel, standing a pressure of over 100 lb. to the squareinch, and capable of converting 8,000 lb. per hour of water intosteam. The piston travels 800 ft. per minute, compared with240 ft. in the “ thirties.”

There is no sight within the whole modern industrial systemwhich is more worthy of wonder, or so rich in teaching for thetendencies of our economical development. On the one hand thegiant steam engine; on the other, splendid machinery which pro-duces the most delicate results. By well-designed arrangementof shafting the gigantic power is transmitted, led, and suited tothe machinery. Scarcely anywhere does the human worker give alift, except in watching, correcting, and feeding with material. Incomparison with the era of hand-mules, the work has becomeeasier rather than harder. For this reason is the enormousincrease of production, compared with former times, to be lookedat as the work of the genius of the past, of the thousands ofthoughts, ideas, and experiments which are embodied in themachines.

Let us compare the instance we have just spoken about withan average one, which has been communicated to me by the