but the throwing, which is a necessary branch, was scarcely known until 1715, when Mr. Lombe, one of three brothers who were in business in London, proceeded to Italy in the hopes of obtaining such an acquaintance with the machinery, as might enable him to introduce it in perfection into England. Undeterred by the dangers and difficulties of his project, he succeeded in obtaining employment in a mean capacity; in one of the mills, in which, on account of his supposed destitute condition, he was allowed to sleep, and the night was employed in making drawings of the machinery, which he succeeded in bringing safe home. He returned in 1719, and began the first factory at Derby; it was not only the first factory in that branch, but the first factory in any, that ever was commenced; before that period, all articles were of a domestic description, made in the operator's own dwelling,

But the king of Sardinia, having prohibited the exportation of silk in the raw, great difficulty was experienced in procuring a supply from other quarters, so that the patent, which had been granted to Sir Thomas Lombe, for the sole making and using; the engines for fourteen years, did not prove so advantageous to him as he anticipated; and parliament granted him £14,000, on condition that the invention should be thrown open to the trade.

The mill erected on the River Derwent, at Derby, had 13,384 wheels worked day and night, and employed 300 persons. This famous machinery, I learn, has not been used for some years; silk throwing machinery has been farther improv ed, which now performs twice the work in less space.*

*

Such was the beginning of the Factory system. Has it worked well? Is it a system, take it as it now presents itself, such as the Christian, the philanthropist, and the philosopher, can sincerely approve of? If it is not, it should be speedily modified,

"Not e'en the high anointing hand of heaven
Can authorize oppression; give a law

For lawless pow'r; wed faith to violation,
On reason build misrule, or justly bind,
Allegiance to injustice." BROOKE.

There are but few who know anything about it, To those, I respectfully present the following beautiful description, true to the very letter, but alas! as afflicting as it is true, by a talented lady. It is highly calculated to arouse their thoughts, and cannot fail to make a deep impression on their sensibilities.

*This indefatigable gent. got knighted, but in 1783, a gentleman of the name of Hase, who married Lombe's female descendant, took the name, and was made a baronet; he now, in his shield, "rears the bloody hand.”

THE FACTORY CHILD.

"I hear the blithe voices of children at play,

And the sweet birds rejoicing on ev'ry green spray;
On all things the bright beans of summer have smil'd
But they smile not on mc-the poor Factory Child.

The gay sports of childhood, to me they deny,
And the fair paths of learning I never must try;
A companion of creatures, whom guilt has defil'd,
Oh! who does not pity the Factory Child.

Oh! who would not mourn for a victim like me?
A young heart-broken slave, in the land of the free;
Hardly tasked, and oft-beaten, oppress'd, and revil'd,
Such, such is the lot of the Factory Child.

In the dead of the night, when you take your sweet sleep,
Through the dark, dismal streets, to my labour I creep,
To the din of the loom, till my poor brain seems wild,
I return an unfortunate Factory Child.

The bright bloom of health has forsaken my cheek,
My spirits are gone, and my young limbs grow weak
Oh, ye rich, and ye mighty! let sympathy wild,
Appeal to your hearts for the Factory Child.

Oh, pity my sufferings e're yet the cold tomb!
Succeed my loath'd prison, its task, and its gloom,
And the clods of the valley, untimely are piled,
O'er the pale wasted form of the Factory Child."

AGNES STRICTLAND.

Such is the affecting appeal made by that talented poetess. But little attention has been paid to it. How different is this description to the following, of a group of children at play, as alluded to in the following lines:

"Meek gentle things-though joyous, meek,
With radiant eye, and downy cheek;
Cheek without a trace of tears

In the beauty of grave years;

In the sweet season of the rose

When things unknown are cares and woes,
In the bright days of the sunny glance,
When life is but a dazzling glance,
How soft your pictur'd semblance seems,
To win us to a world of dreams !"

Dr. Southey beautifully writes: "Of all sights which can soften and humanize the heart of man, there is none that ought so surely to reach it, as that of innocent children, enjoying the happiness which is their proper and natural portion."

Sir Thomas More, in his "Utopian Commonwealth," says,

"As he will have none idle, so will he have none labour over hard, to be toiled out like a horse: 'tis more than slavish infilicity; the life of most of our hired servants, and tradesmen, (excepting his Utopians,) but half the day alloted for work, and half for honest recreation, or whatever employment they shall think for themselves." No doubt, half a day unemployed, would be too much, would be certain to be abused, but there is a wide difference between half and none-particularly for children who want and ought to have both mind and body cultivated, as well as some lively sports; for, according to the old adage,

"All work and no alloy,
Makes Jack a dull boy."

Before steam engines were applied to manufactories, there were occasional delays. Watermills, during droughts often rested for want of water, and in floods from having two much. Windmills were also subject to delays, from too much or too little of that element. But steam admits of no cessation, nor is it ever tired, consequently those whose avocation lie in works connected with these machines, are worked worse than animals; there is no opportunity for recreation, whether of mind or body. If this system is to continue as it now is, the labourer will become the most degraded of all beings, completely brutified and stupid; consequently, crime and immorality, must be the result.

There will be but two classes, the very rich, and the very poor. Solomon, has long since said, "the rich ruleth the poor,' so will that become the case universally under this terrible system. If the rule was that of the Christian, full of benevolence and charity, all might be well enough; or if it was even approaching to the foolish, fond kindness shown to the favourite dog or cat, it would be better than it now is, which is positively of the most cruel, overbearing, unreflecting, unfeeling description; consequently, the English artisan is not near so well off, as the African negro; for in many cases,

"Death, like a lazy master, stands aloof,

66

And leaves his work to the slow hand of famine." DRYDEN,

195

ANDREW MARVEL, M. P.

"It much repaireth mee

To talk of these good fathers." SHAKSPEARE.

But they are" Like angel's visits, few and far between."

I HAVE Scrupulously abstained from entering into the politics of these reigns, or of the men who flourished as politicians, but I cannot resist giving the reader the following account of the ever to be remembered Andrew Marvel, who died, August 16th, 1678: "A man who dared to be honest in the worst of times;" he was the son of a clergyman at Hull, in Yorkshire, where he was born, in 1620. In 1633, he was sent to Trinity college, Cambridge; in 1657, he became assistant to Milton, in his office of Latin Secretary to Cromwell; and at the restoration he was chosen to represent his native town in the house of commons.

His conduct was marked by inflexible adherence to the principles of liberty, and his wit, as a writer, was levelled at the corruptions of the court; yet Charles II. courted his society for the pleasure of his conversation. He lived in a mean lodging in the Strand,

"There lived he jocund, and his thoughts
Were roses all."

here he was visited by Lord Danby, at the desire of the king,
with his majesty's request to know in what way he could serve
him; Lord Danby, in the course of his conversation, assured
him of any place he might choose. Marvel nobly replied,
"he could not accept the offer without being unjust to his country
by betraying its interests, or ungrateful to the king by voting
against him."
"His heart was not buried in the rubbish of
the world." Before Lord Danby took leave, he told him his
majesty had sent him £1000, as a mark of his private esteem.
Marvel did not need the assurance, but he refused the money;
and, after his noble visitor departed, borrrowed a guinea which
he wanted, of a friend. Charles might intend it a high compli-
ment to send his message by a peer, but we may judge by the
following couplet, by Marvel, of what he thought of the king's
friends and counsellors:

"To make a white staff maker, a beggar, a lord,

And scarce a wise man at a long council board!"

This great man, after having served his constituents for twenty successive years in parliament, was buried at their expence in the church of St. Giles, in the Fields." Hone.

He felt the full force of a maxim which has been well expressed by D'Alembert, "The highest offices of church and state, are like the top of a pyramid, accessible only to eagles and reptiles," so he chose to do his duty below.

ELECTIONS.-I Could also furnish many pages of electioneering anecdotes. At that period the people did not seem to take much concern in such matters, and in some places the sufferage was very limited. The following account of the election of a member for the city of Bath, 1645, will show a very different feeling to what is now exhibited: The person chosen to represent them in parliament, was generally allowed a gratuity in consideration of the trouble.

Copy of a letter "To our muche honoured and worthie friend, John Harrington, Esq., at his house at Kelstone, near Bathe. Worthie Sir,

Out of the long experience we have had of your approved worth and sincerity, our citie of Bathe have determined and settled their resolutions to elect you for a burgess for the house of commons in this present parliament, for our said citie, and do hope you will accept the trouble thereof; which if you do, our desire is you will not fail to be with us at Bathe on Monday next, the eighth of this instant, by eight of the morning at farthest, for then we proceed to our election; and of your determination we entreat you to certify us by a word or two in writing, and send it by the bearer to

Bathe, 6th Dec., 1645.

Your assured loving friends,
JOHN BIGG, the maior,
WILLIAM CHAPMAN.

Sir John's account of the proceedings, "A note of my Bathe business about the parliament."

"Saturday, 26th Dec., 1645, went to Bathe and dined with the maior and citizens; conferred about my election to serve in parliament, as my father was helpless and ill able to go any more; went to the George Inn at night, met the bailiffs, and desired to be dismissed from serving; drank strong beer and metheglin, expended about 3s., went home late, but could not get excused, as they entertained a good opinion of my father.

Monday, 28th Dec., went to Bathe, met Sir John Horner; we were chosen by the citizens to serve for the city. The inaior and citizens conferred about parliament business. The maior promised Sir John Horner and myself a horse a piece, when we went to London to the parliament, which we accepted of; and we talked about the synod and the ecclesiastical dismissions. I am to go again on Thursday and meet the citizens about all matters, and take advice thereon.