32
ONCE A WEEK.
eedles. "Tommy gimp," as the hands designate lis, from the stick called a "Tommy" to which ie gimp is fastened, is much disliked by all orkers. leting Owingorders, to the as well necessity as forofeconomical immediately reasons, com3 much material as possible is made on the pre sses of all firms. The manufacture of gimp nploys a large number of boys ; and here, if we lease, we may see them walking up and down, t their monotonous tasks. Gimp consists of
- rands of cotton, covered with a thin coating of
lk. The moulds for buttons, tassels, &c, are cut l the house, or by men who live close by ; and a ood stock of all kinds of material is kept on and, ready for any emergency. The necessity lr a good supply is shown by the fact, that for
- veral weeks the crocheters at Pettitoes' were out
f work through the non-arrival of rings from Birmingham ; and when at length they did make aeir appearance, the orders were too late. So, Iso, if delay occur in the sailing of ships from 'enice and Germany ; for, still faithful to her ncient far-famed industry, the Pride of the Sea applies the Island Queen with flashing bugles ; 'hilst from the Fatherland she receives her eads. And woe be to the hands of those firms 'ho are out of stock when ships are due, for then ll the refuse bugles are given out to be worked p ; and the workers growl, and rage, and grumble -ithout ceasing, as it is impossible to make good 'ork with bad materials, and the smallness and iggedness of the refuse bugles causes them a srious loss of time, besides severe lectures from be master and forewoman on account of rough fork. Indeed, it is a difficult question to deterline who exhibits the most temper on " taking-in ays,"—the employer, or employed. Bugles and beads remind us of bugled and eaded head-dresses, and so on, through the net ategory, from the humble cotton one, price twoenee three-farthings (into which the little slave f all-work, who waits on small genteel families lr eighteen-pence a-week, thrusts her unkempt lcks), up to the gorgeous gold-thread and shining earl net which adorns, it may bo, the fair head f some noble maid of honour ; the cost, according o the terms the conscience of her ladyship's ulliner allows her to take. The net warehouses employ quite a distinct class f hands to those of which we have written. Here here is no abject poverty, except in a very few ases. Young ladies, who wish to increase their tore of pocket-money ; others whose parents have ather littlestraitened at homeincomes, to goingandout whointo prefer the helping "cold rorld." All ladies whom time or sickness has deprived f their own natural head-dresses, may obtain rtilicial ouses ; ones and of all every knitted, description netted, atand thesecrochet wareroollen goods are to be found here in endless ariety. The net manufacture has been very .risk the last season or two. So, also, the braiding •ranvh has been peculiarly active ; rifles doing or the one, what hats did for the other. But rochet and other trimmings are worse than dull ; 'rench goods completely flooding the market, to
[Marcs 2, 1861.
the exclusion of, it must be admitted, our less tasteful manufacturers. But fashion assists to depress the trade. Gilt, glass, and mother-of-pearl buttons have taken the place of "fancy" silk-embroidered ones ; and tas sels have bowed their heads to ribbons. In 18o—, the following prices were, on the average, paid to the out-door hands :—Plain crape hands, from 10s. to 15a. a-week; crocheters, Ss. to 13s. ; buttoners, 5s. to 8s. or 9s. ; crape buglers, from 4s, to 6». ; ditto lace, 3s. to 5s. ; and nets, 4*. to 6s. a-week, according to ability and good orders. Of the in-door, the boys who attend to the ma chinery earn about 4*. a-week. Of the others we cannot speak with precise accuracy : but, judging from their appearance, and the preference they show to an in-door life, we infer that they either earn more than the above rates, or that the longer continuance of their work is the attraction to which they cling. And now farewell—a long farewell—to fancy trimmings. But never do we see a crochet-hook or fancy button without a saddening thought of the good old times of trimming glory. Isabella Kent18h. "THE MAGNOLIA, FOR LONDON, WITH COTTON." " My dear Charley, you can, and must—there's only you and your mother left ; so spin your yarn at once, and set her a good example." " Silence, for Charles Fuller, Esq." "Well, as you asked me to tell you a story, I may as well tell you one about last voyage. " You must know, then, that I was in New Orleans, about the end of September, with a ship mate I'd sailed two or three voyages with. I dare say you wonder that sailors don't stick to each other more than they do—go more voyages in company; but the fact is that, when you've a long voyage, you quarrel, for the sake of excite ment ; and then it must be a good fellow indeed who sticks to you. However, this Ned Saunders and I were fast friends enough, and we agreed not to sail one without the other : it's a sort of pro tection in a gang of such chaps as one sometimes meets with in a fo'castle, to be two together, standing up for each other, giving an eye to each other's chests, and so on—to say nothing of the comfort of having a chap to talk to about things you can't talk about to the common run of people. " We'd been in the city about three weeks. Trade was rather slack, as it was a bit too early for the fall trade just then ; so we hadn't got a ship, and were staying up at a boarding-house, on the Levee, just below Canal Street. " One evening, about eight, a man who kept a shipping office came in and asked if we'd ' liquor.' Ned and I were playing dominoes at one of the tables in front of the bar. So we had something. Ned had a brandy smash, I had a gin sling ; and he came and sat down at the table. "'I'll tell you what I want, boys,' said he, when we'd emptied the glasses. ' You know the Magnolia ? ' " ' Went down night before last—Cotton—
London.'