In consequence of the civil wars between Charles and his parliament, this manufacture languished, and had al most been annihilated. when the Duke of Ormond gave it his patronage, and took measures lur its re-establishment. His measures were successful ; and, as he sent persons into the Netherlands to learn the best mode of raising flax, and procured manufacturers from Brabant, France, and Jersey, it was soon placed on a better and firmer foot ing than it had ever been. The places where the manu facture was first carried on in the Duke of Ormond's time were near Dublin, where cordage, sail cloth, ticking, and linen of Irish yarn, were manufactured, of excellent quality ; and at Carrick. Before he quitted the govern ment of Ireland in the year 1669, the linen trade was fully established, and in a promising condition. In the begin ning of the next century, parliament took it under its pro tection ; considerable sums of money were voted for its support ; a boat d of trustees was established ; and boun ties were granted on the exportation of Irish linen. In 1737. the board exerted themselves in the introduction from France, and establishment in Ireland, of the cambric manufacture.
The raw material for the linen manufacture is almost entirely grown in Ireland. The following Table shews the number of acres sown with flax in the year t810. It dues not include pieces of land less than an acre sown with flax. Hence it may fairly be calculated, that the total number of acres under this plant, in the year 1810, was about 100,000, which, allowing the average produce to he 30 stone per acre, at 10s. and 6 1. per stone, the average price, for the seven years befory 1810. will give an annual produce of the paw material worth 1 5.)0,000.
Till the beginning of the present century, the flax was entirely spun by the hand. Spinning by machinery was first introduced in the county of Down, and afterwards spread into other counties ; but it is by no means general. This has arisen principally from the very low price of la bour in every part of the land. Yarn spun by women is sold in this couretry much cheaper than the same article manufactured by machinery in England. The earnings of the poorer females are frequently not more than two pence a day, working diligently from morning to night. There is also another reason why machinery has not been more generally established. It cannot with any material, however flee, exceed the fineness of three hanks in the pound ; whereas women, when the flax is good, can spin it from twelve to twenty hanks. To sum up the ts hole," observes Sir Charles Goole in his Survey of ilonaghan, rr the quantity of yarn spun by machinery, the greater price given for it, and the better means of obtaining a market, arc in favour of that mode with respect to coarse yarn. On the other hand, the low price of labour, the superior fine ness of the wrought material, and the expellee of machi nery, with its wear and tear, arc very great drawbacks ; yet it may he Lsoimated, that the balance is in favour of the lorincr, to the amoul t, it is supposed, of one half-penny per hank." The Ilish women long been celebrated for thenr skill in spin ding yarn. T us is supposed to arise front their labouring little with their hands, and hence !las ing their huge' s et t v supple and In many plats of Ireland. the manufacture is confined to spinning yarn, which is sold to the weavers at established markets ; Litt, in seed rat instances, the flax is grow pre pared, spun into varn, and manufictured into linen, by the same person and his family. lf, however, we look to the
country in general, those who grow flax arc much more numerous than the spinners. Tills appears by the expor tation of unspun yarn ; and the spinners are more nume rous than the weavers, as appears from the exportation of linen yarn.
The earnings of the weaver depend partly on his skill and industry, and partly on the fineness of the linen which lie weaves. The looms they employ cost from four to five guineas each ; many houses have three looms; one third of a pound of tallow is required to dress a web. Children are hired to attend a loom, at front 13s. to 17s. the half year, with diet, washing, and lodging : in sonic cases journeymen are employed, at eight guineas per annum, with board and lodging. The weavers estimate thus ; when working themselves, they gain 10s. a web, and if they worked every day could weave a web in a week ; this, however, must depend on the fineness of the linen. The average earnings of a linen weaver may, perhaps, be esti mated at 7s. a week.
The linen manufacture flourishes most in Ulster; but it is established also in Galway, Mayo, and Sligo, and towards the south, in the whole neighbour hood of Drog heda; it exists also in some places in the King's County, Kerry, and along the coast of Carlow ; in fact, with the exception of Wexford and Wicklow, where it is unknown, it prevails, more or less, over all the other parts of Ire land. Linen is woven of different widths, from 10 inch bundle linen, made at Kerry, to 5.4th sheetings, manufac tured near Cootehill ; and of different qualities, from coarse, thin, 3 4ths wide, manufactured in Antrim, which sell fur 61. per yard, to camblics, worth one guinea per yard. The manufacturing of linens of certain widths seems confined to certain districts. Nat row linens, not exceed ing, when bleached, 32 inches, are manufactured in Done gal, Londonderry, Tyrone, and Antrim ; in this last county also are made all the 3.4th wide linens. The fine yard wide, or cambrics, lawns, and diapers, are made near Bel fast, Lisburn, and Langan ; in Armagh, coarser yard wicks. In Cavan are manufactoties lot thin linen, for the most part 7-8ths wide. Fermanagh and Sligo manufacture 7-Sths. A strong kind of 7-8th dowlas, some 9.81h and 5.4th shectings, are made in the counties of Louth, Meath, and Dublin. A coarse cloth, like the Scotch Osnaburghs, is manufactured in Kerry and Cork ; it is exported for negro clothing. There is a damask manufactory at Lis burn; and a manufacture of sailcloth in the neighbout hood of Cork. Most of the bleach-greens, which finish for sale those linens that are sent in a bleached state to England, are in the counties of Fermanagh and Sligo. The bleachers are distinct persons from the manufacturers ; the latter carry their webs to market, where they are purchased by i the former. It is calculated that every bleacher in the county of Londonderry furnishes, on an average, 5000 pieces annually ; so that, on the supposition that there are 50 bleachers, the pieces bleached in this county will amount to 250,000 ; and at 21. 5s. 8d. the piece, the total value will be 5 62,500/. Stet-ling. On the Bann, which is the principal river in the county of Down, there arc 20 bleach-greens, which bleach on an average 8000 pieces an nually, or 160,030 pieces ; the value of which is estimated at upwards of half a million.