Cotton spinning

economy in the use of the materials, and to detect and rectify any fault that may occur, as only by these qualifications and this procedure can the best results, from a productive point of view, be finally assured. It should be the aim of all practical men having charge of mills to do this, and their pride to accomplish it. A good article in yarns can always be sold; indeed, it has almost become a proverb that it "will sell itself, and at a profit." The more thoroughly this practical knowledge is also possessed by managers, foremen, and operatives, and is carefully and conscientiously applied by each in the performance of their duties for the benefit of the establishment, the greater will be the certainty of success. The recognition of these truths in connection with cotton spinning, and of corresponding truths in other industries, lies at the basis of the public anxiety for the inauguration of a general and sound system of technical instruction, and the favour with which all efforts to provide one have been regarded.

In undertaking the task of preparing the following essay, it became necessary to recognize the fact that it might be called into requisition by various classes of students and readers, and that as its prescribed limits would prevent an exhaustive treatment of each portion of the subject, the best plan to pursue would be that of dealing most fully with the phases of the question that had been least touched upon by previous writers, or those on which former notices had become obsolete. Dr. Ure's wellknown work on the cotton trade is by far the most detailed exposition of the industry that has been published in this country; the author, however, was not practically acquainted with his subject, and evidences of this frequently present themselves to the technical reader. At the time it was published, however, it was a remarkably valuable exposition of the rising industry, and may be studied with advantage even now. It will be obvious, however, that for most practical purposes the progress of mechanical invention, and improvement in processes, have long ago

rendered it quite obsolete. The same remarks will apply to the treatise of Mr. James Montgomery, only in a less degree, as his intimate practical acquaintance with the cotton trade as then conducted, has rendered his observations permanently valuable, and the student may read his book with benefit to-day. Since his work appeared, many others have been published by various writers, but nearly all have been bald compilations of rules and examples of calculations generally employed in making changes in the various processes. As these are easily accessible to every one, it has not been thought necessary thus to occupy space in the following pages that might be usefully devoted to the more neglected aspects of the industry. In mentioning the above works, it would be invidious not to refer to the more recent and valuable treatise of the late Mr. Evan Leigh, in which much useful information of a practical character is embodied. Its high price, however, places it quite beyond the reach of many of those to whom it might prove useful.

In the following pages the writer has endeavoured to give the reader a concise view of the origin and present extent of this great trade; the material it deals with; the general principles that contribute to its successful conduct; the proper location and construction of a mill, and arrangement of the machinery; and the various processes of mixing, opening, carding, combing, drawing, roving, spinning, and, finally, doubling. In connection with these it has been attempted to trace the development, describe the function of the leading parts, and show the working of the various machines employed in the trade. The least consideration will show that some such course as this was absolutely necessary, as the machines are so numerous and so exceedingly complex in their structure, that to begin their study without a clear and well-defined plan would be to involve the pupil in a state of confusion from which selfextrication would be almost impossible. It is hoped that the course adopted possesses these merits, and that the

reader, after perusal of the subsequent pages, will have obtained an approximately exact and succinct view of the development, leading principles, and present state of England's greatest mechanical industry.

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