Turkish or Smyrna carpets, now extensively irnported into the west of Europe, are in the best specimens generally designed with a flat border, or in other words without perspective, of flowers of the natural size, and with a centre of larger plant forrns conventionalized, often to such an extent ae to obscure tho forms. The colours are negative shades of a medium or half tint, tending rather to dark, and possessing little of contrast, the result being a sombre effect. Many of those exported to Europe and America are of a degraded kind, being manufactured to meet the foreign demand.
Indian carpets are made in large single pieces adapted for covering broad floors. They usually possess a great variety of colour, but so evenly distributed, and each artistically balanced by its complementary and harmonizing hue, that the effect produced is exceedingly agreeable. The forms generally oonsist of highly conventionalized flowers and plants geometrically arranged.
The above classes fairly represent the productions of this description of article that have been tho outcorne of Asiatic phases of civilization, and aflbrd a considerable contrast to those which may be deemed characteristic) of the West.
Tho carpet industry in this country is widely distributed. Its chief seat, however, is the town and district of Kidderminster, which has numerous and extensive manufactories where tapestry, Brussels, Wiltons, Axminsters and other carpets and rugs aro produced. Isolated establishments also exist in several of the southern counties, such ns at Crayford in Kent, and Crewkerne in Dorset. In Lancashire, Rochdale is the chief if not the only place making carpets. In Yorkshire, it is au extensive industry, Eleckmondwike, Halifax, Leeds and other places sending large supplies into the market. In the city of Durham, there is a eon,idcrable manufactory. In SCotland, the trade has been largely developed, Glasgow being a chief centre. Paisloy, Glenpatric, Lasswade, Stirling, Kilmarnock, Perth, Forfar and Aberdeen all possess establishments engaged in this manufacture. Aberdeen is distinguished for its " Scotch " carpets of great excellence. Dundee has obtained a reputation for jute labrics employed for the same purpose. In the various prisons of the country, matting,s for floor coverings made front coco-nut fibre (see p. 939) are extensively manufactured, which serve the purpose of carpets in many htunble households.
Statistics.—According to the Parliamentary return relating to the textile industries, and which has been quoted in previous articles, it will be found that in one form or another there are a large number of establishments engaged in the manufacture of wool. These are widely scattered over
the different parts of the Kingdom, though of course chiefly collected in several great centres in England and Scotland. These mills differ considerably in magnitude : thus of the 420 woollen spinning mills in England and Wales exactly half are located in the Principality, which, for statistical purposes relating to these matters, also includes Monnaouth. Against these, Yorkshire has 156, the remainder being scattered over the other parts of the Kingdom. But whilst Yorkshire employs in this department 7206 persons in its 156 mills, Wales in 210 mills only finds employment for 893 persons. It will properly bo inferred from this fact that many of these only spin the local production of wool, and satisfy a very circumscribed demand for the product in their respective districts. The yarn from this source is chiefly woven on domestic looms, or consumed in knitting hosiery goods.
A8 the return, the figures of which are umbialied in the above tables, was made to an address of the House of Commons of the 16th May, 1878, it follows that the information given therein was collected between that date and that when the report was presented to the House, namely 31st July of the year following. This it is well known was the severest period of the recent depression in commerce and industry from which the country is now happily emerging, and whieh consequently affected the returns to a corresponding extent. Also, as remarked in the return, some few manufacturers failed to supply the information required, though these were not many. Owing to improvement in trade and mill extensions sinco that date it will be a moderate estimate to say that the above figures will require an addition of fully 10 per cent. in every department to make them fairly represont the present (1882) produotive capaeity of the industry. The fact also should not be omitted to be made mention of that the return is only of establishments authorized to be inmpected under the Factories and Workshops Acts, which take no eog-nizance of places where men only are employed, though these are few ; nor of any portion of the domestic branches of these industries that yet survive in secluded localities. We have reason to believe that there is more of the latter thau is suspected, but it is difficult to make an estimate. If, however, we permitted ourselves to do so, we should add about 2'7, per cent. to the figures relating to the number of persons employed on the latter account. These would be found chiefly in Wales and Scotland.