that of the many thousand establishments there are in England for the manufacture of silk, cotton, linen, and woollen goods, five could be found to answer the description of the one here given; such, however, I fear is not the case.
LETTER XIII
THE CONTRAST.
I am aware that it is not always advisable to make comparisons; there are, however, exceptions to most rules, and if any good is likely to result, I think we ought not to allow any trifling circumstance to check our endeavors. In laying before the reader the following contrast, I am actuated solely by a desire to show the tendency of insufficient remuneration for labor, and the evil resulting from long hours of labor to young people in factories.
In the winter of 1841-2 my business required me to travel through the county of Derbyshire, in England. In this journey I was detained by unfavorable weather at Matlock Baths, a place remarkable for its romantic beauty, mineral springs, and subterranean caverns. I employed a part of the leisure time thus afforded me, in examining these local curiosities; but particularly the caverns, which are so justly celebrated.
Having satisfied my curiosity with all that was interesting under ground, I turned my attention to what was going on among the inhabitants of the village.
In Matlock Baths and the neighboring village of Cromford, there are three cotton mills. These mills, at the
