More flax is spun in Leeds than in any other town ; but the weaving Is carried on elsewhere. In and around Barnsley are woven linen, duck, check, drabbet, tick, huckabock, diaper, drill, towelling, and other kiuds of flat goods. Dundee is famous for sailcloth, dowlas, sheeting, and other strong textile goods ; and Aberdeen is taking up a position in the same department. Dunfermline and its vicinity produce finer fabrics, such as shirting', damasks, and table-clothe. Belfast is the great centre for good linen, and for the finer kinds of textile goods. Of these, duck is made in widths from three to five quarters of a yard ; drill is a twilled linen, white or coloured, mostly used for summer trowsera; sheeting's are known in the trade by the names of Irish, Russia, Imita tion Reads, Lancashire, Yorkehire, Union Irish, and Union Lancashire, (the union cloth having a mixture of cotton with the flax); some of the sheeting" are mostly or partly of hemp ; damask is noticed under DAMASK; diaper Is • figured fabric of lower quality ; huckaback is a durable and economical kind of towelling. The best cambric: is imported from France. Silesia is a sort of fine holland, used for window blinds. ft may be stated here that many of the above-named fabrics are made either of flax or of hemp, according to the prices at which they are to be sold. The broad and well-made fabric for sail cloth is dressed with starch or flour before weaving, by the machine shown in the annexed cut ; indeed most kinds of flaxen and hempen fabrics require some such dressing. The wet yarn, by passing over and under two steam-heated metal boxes, becomes very quickly dried.
The statistics of this trade divide themselves into three parts, relating to the seed, the fibre, and the woven goods. About 4,000,000 bushels of linseed are imported annually • one-fifth for sowing into a fax-crop, and four-fifths for pressing linseed-oiL Three-fourths of the whole supply is from Russia; the sowiug-seed is very carefully pre pared, and is imported in casks officially branded ; but the crushing-seed u coarser, and is Imported either in bulk or in mat-bags. The flax imported in 1844 was about 1,600,000 cwt"., in 1850 about 1,800,000
meta, and in 1858 about 1,300,000 cwts.; the quantity varying considerably in different years. The price has varied still more widely, depending chiefly an the Russian crops. The computed value of the seed and fibre imported in 1858 was 2,700,0001. Tho woven linen goods, taking that term in its widest acceptation in reference to kind and quality, varied from 14d. to 21d. per yard on an average in the years for 1835 to 1853 ; in later years it has generally been near the lower of these two limits. In respect to woven goods, the bounties allowed on the shipment of Ennui were graduated according to their quality and value, and ranged from a halfpenny to a penny halfpenny per yard. In 1825 the rates were dinuniahed one-tenth by an act then passed, and an equal propor tion was to have been taken off in each subseqnent year, so that the whole would have ceased in 1834; but by the act of 1828, when one-half the bounties had been removed, this course was modi fied by continuing for three year" the rates of allowance payable iu 1829, and thereafter repealing the bounty altogether ; so that the pay ments ceased in 1832. Since then the export trade has rested on its own resources. In 1829 the declared value of the exports of these goods was 2,100,0001.; In 1837 it wae 2,500,000/. In 1844 the exports (white or pisln noon, printed and dyed flaxen goods, sailcloth, thread, and yarn) reached a value of 4,000,0001.; in 1850, 4,800,0001.; and in 1858, 5,1000,000/. The quantities In the last-named year were, 120,000,000 yards of piece goods, and 35,000,000 lbs. of thread and yarn. The Import of woven flaxen goods is very small. The export to France steadily increased until 1842, In which year the French government, Influenced by a demand for protection, raised the Import duty considerably ; and the English trade in this commodity has suffered ever since. The flax and linen manufacturers of England are hoping for an extension of their dealings with Franco, consequent on the new treaty of commerce (1860). The number of mills and opera tives engaged in this trade, In the United Kingdom, is noticed under 'acme's:a.