On this principle, a self-acting dam may be raised in any river or stream, up to high-water-mark, by which means a considerable reservoir will be obtained, whilst, during floods, the dam will fold down, and no new ground be overflowed.

In lawns or pleasure grounds, through which streams or rivulets flow, these sluices might be applied to advantage; for, by placing one on the bank of each pond, the water within would always be kept at the same height, whether the weather were wet or dry; and hence flowers or shrubs might be planted close to the water's edge, or in it, (as best suits their respective habits,) and their position with regard to water would always be the same.

Figure 6.

This is merely a different construction of the waster sluice fig. 5.

A, B, is the sluice which turns on pivots at the upper edge A.

C, D, a lever attached to that sluice.

E, a hollow can of cast iron, attached to the extremity of that lever at D, and into which small stones are put until it becomes heavy enough to shut the sluice against the of the water in front. pressure F, a pulley.

G, a hollow cylinder of copper (or tin-plate painted,) with a small aperture in its bottom.

D, F, G, a chain, one end of which is fixed to the lever at D, then, passing over the pulley F, has its other end fixed to the cylinder G.

A, H, a tube which communi

cates between the water in front of the sluice A, B, and cylinder G.

When, therefore, the water in front of the sluice is not so high as to flow along the tube A, H, the sluice A, B, remains shut; but when the water rises so as to flow along that tube, it fills the cylinder G which then descending, raises the lever C, D, and can E, and opens the sluice. Again, when the water falls so as not to flow along the tube A, H, the cylinder G is emptied by the small aperture in its bottom, and then the can E shuts the sluice. I erected a sluice of this construction in 1821, at Cartsburn-mill, Greenock. The sluice is four feet long, two and a half feet deep; the lever five feet long from B to D, the cylinder E, sixteen inches diameter, and eighteen inches deep, and filled with small stones till it weighs two hundred and sixty pounds.* The cylinder G, is eighteen inches deep, and the same diameter. This method, wherever it can be adopted, is preferable to that of fig. 5; being simpler and less expensive in the construction.

* The quantity of water pressing upon the sluice is twelve and a half cubic feet, or 781 lbs. The pressure at the upper edge of the sluice is to that at its under edge as 8 to 22 nearly; therefore the pivots of the sluice support 208 lbs., which leaves 573 to be supported by the can E; but there is a lever power of two to one, which reduces this weight one half, or to 286 lbs. The weight of the lever C, D, itself, is equal to about 30 lbs. more than the weight of the empty cylinder G; so that the whole weight of the can E, requires only to be 260 lbs.

that few animals, if unprovided with some defence, and if exposed naked

to its vicissitudes, would be long able to survive its effects. Nature has accordingly furnished them with some sort of covering; enveloping the quadruped in a thick fur, and the bird in a warm coating of feathers. Man, however, she has left to his own resources, having endowed him with powers capable of appreciating and providing for his own wants. Accordingly, he is so exposed to the changes in the atmosphere, that the necessity of possessing some artificial covering for his protection, would be among the first discoveries that he would make. Hence there is not a tribe, however rude and uncultivated, but what employs some sort of dress. Among the most barbarous, the skins of the animals which they have slain in the chase are employed for this purpose. It is not, however, until they make a nearer approach to civilization, that we can detect the first rude and imperfect attempts at the art of weaving; like the natives of the south sea islands, interlacing the fibrous portion of the bark of trees or of vegetables, displaying, even in their rude productions, the marks of patient industry, and of no common degree of ingenuity.

The Egyptians are universally regarded as the first people that made any progress in the arts of civilized life. Accordingly we find them noticed as being celebrated for the manufacture of fine linen. It was from them that the Jews derived it during their long period of bondage; it being mentioned in Scripture that they soon after made use of it in preparing the ornaments for the tabernacle. The art was also borrowed by the Greeks, as well as other neighbouring nations, who, if we trust the descriptions of their more ancient poets, succeeded in carrying it to a considerable degree of perfection. The Romans, again, were indebted to

the Greeks, deriving almost the whole of their acquaintance with the arts and sciences from this source; whilst they spread the knowledge of this, as well as the other useful arts, wherever they carried their victorious arms.

As the productions of the art, in these early periods of its history, were rude, so also were its implements and manipulation. It is pro→ bable that they carried it on in the same manner as is at present prac tised by the natives of India, and till within very lately in our own country. The thread was spun by means of the spindle and distaff, and the cloth woven by a slow and simple process. Yet, although the art was rude, still it was honourable, the weaving of cloth being the only occupation in which the daughters of kings and princes deigned to occupy themselves.

In this state it continued for many centuries, without undergoing any material improvement. As to our own country, it was introduced by the Romans-our ancestors, previous to their arrival, being partially covered with the skins of animals, and the parts exposed painted red, of various figures. They soon after established a woollen manufactory at Winchester, for clothing their army, and instructed the natives in the culture of flax, and in weaving. Little farther is known of the art till the reign of Edward III. who is distinguished as the first monarch in this island, who directed his attention to the promotion of the arts and manufactures. The particular branch that he encouraged was the woollen manufacture; introducing for this purpose, in the year 1331, a number of weavers and cloth-workers from the continent. They were followed by two Brabant linen weavers, who also received the patronage of the king, and settled at York. They were.

followed by numbers of their coun› trymen; so that, in 1351, foreign weavers are described as being nu merous in London. They after wards, during 1557 and 1558, re ceived an additional increase from the persecutions carried on against the Protestants in France, and by the Duke of Alva in the Netherlands. They were the means of introducing into this country the manufacture of crape, baize, serge, and other stuffs; thus adding to the future wealth and resources of the country which had yielded them protection.

About this time also, silk weaving became common in this country. It was first practised in the East, and afterwards introduced among the Greeks towards the decline of the Roman empire. From thence it was brought into Italy by the Venetians, and afterwards passed into England, being carried on by women in the year 1455.

In 1685, nearly seventy thousand operative manufacturers of various descriptions came to England for refuge, being driven from France by the revocation of the Edict of Nantz. They brought with them a knowledge of many branches of the arts still unknown, and introduced many improvements on those with which they were previously acquainted. From this era, we may date the rise of the linen manufacture in this kingdom.

As yet we have said nothing of weaving, so far as the cotton manufacture is concerned. To its history, therefore, we will now turn, as it is intended to constitute the principal object of this article. It is well known to have had its origin in the East, the country where the cotton plant is indigenous. Its light and absorbent fabric must have early recommended it as a clothing suitable to the warmth of the climate. Hence, from the ear

liest ages, India has been celebrated for this kind of cloth, large quan tities of it being annually imported into Europe. Notwithstanding this, however, and although they stand unrivalled, even by British manufactures, their implements are rude and simple; being evidently the invention of an early era. This absence of improvement is to be accounted for, by the undeviating adherence to established use and practice; the son invariably following the occupation of the father, precluding all precluding all developement of talent, and reducing man to a mere machine.

The fitting out of an Indian weaver is certainly of no great expense; all his implements, necessary from the cleaning of the wool to the converting of it into the finest muslin, not exceeding in value a few shillings. Their yarn is spun upon the distaff; being, notwithstanding all our improvements in machinery, superior in fineness and quality, and retaining its appearance longer, than any that we can produce. This is not owing to the material being of a better quality, since no cotton that India can produce is equal in quality to the best Sea Island: it is to be ascribed to the skilful tact of the workmen, the well managed finger of the Indian spinner, carefully and patiently applied to the formation of the thread, and the moisture at the same time communicated to it, having the effect of incorporating the fibres of the cotton more perfectly than can be accomplished by our machines.

The loom upon which the cloth is woven, is composed of a few sticks or reeds, which the weaver carries about with him, erecting it in the field, under the shade of a tree, digging a hole large enough to contain his legs and the lower part of the " geer; the balances of which he fastens to some conve

Two

ient branch over his head. loops underneath the geer, in which he inserts his toes, serve as treddles; and the shuttle, formed like a large netting-needle, but of a length somewhat exceeding the web in breadth, he employs also as a "batton," using it alternately to draw through the weft, and strike it up. There is no beam to the loom; but the cloth is laid out on ground, the whole length of the piece. It is on this account that weavers are obliged to carry on their work out of doors, and to live in villages; building their houses beneath the shade of the tamarind, and the mango tree. The reed is the only part of the apparatus, that approaches in perfection the instruments we use. It is with this rude, and ill constructed loom, that the Indian produces those muslins, which have long been such objects of curiosity, from the exquisite beauty and fineness of their texture, so as when spread on the grass to resemble the web of the gossamer. It is not every one, however, who is capable of producing these fabrics; such a dexterity and slight of hand being required, which few out of the multitude are capable of acquiring.

Notwithstanding the superiority of the people of India in this art, it has had no effect in improving the condition of the people. It does not even afford the capital necessary to its own existence, the funds which keep this branch of industry in motion being supplied not by the master manufacturer, but by the East India Company, the purchaser of the goods.

Common muslins are made in every village of the Peninsula. It is at Dacca that those fabrics are produced of such exquisite fineness as to realize the idea of the poet of webs of woven wind." The long

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cloths and fine pullicates are made chiefly within the presidency of Madras; the coarse piece goods and pullicates at Surat; the finest calicoes at Masulipatam, and tablecloths at Patna.

Before concluding this account of the Indian cotton manufacture, it may be mentioned that of late a revolution has taken place in our trade with that country. The introduction of machinery has enabled us to reduce the price of our manufactures so much that we are enabled successfully to compete with India goods in those markets which formerly it exclusively supplied, and even export them to India itself. At the commencement of our intercourse with that country, our home investments were principally manufactured produce. Now, however, it is made up of the produce of the soil, such as indigo, cotton, raw silk, &c. We can easily imagine how materially such a change must operate on a crowded population, which has ever been a great manufacturing and exporting community.

As to the cotton manufacture of China, the only goods of that description exported by the East India Company are nankeens and a few chintzes. The tint which the former of these has, naturally belongs to the cotton of which it is made, and is not given by artificial means. As for the Chinese themselves, about 9-10ths of their immense population are clothed in cotton. It is usually worn coloured, white being the dress worn during seasons of mourning, and on no other occasion.

In our next essay we shall bring down the history of the cotton manufacture from its introduction into Europe, to our own times, noticing as we go along each invention and improvement.