verdicts against the starving parents and added riders that the Guardians and their officers acted in the best interests. of the community. The Commissioners also state that the cost of the out-door relief averaged £1 per head for 34 weeks or about one penny per day per person, and that the relief administered was Indian meal only, and the allowance per person was 1 lb. per day. For the years of 1847 and 1848 the cost of in-door relief was £525,848, and the outdoor reliefs for the same period, £526,381. In England and Wales for the same period the in-door reliefs amounted to £1,102,822, and the out-door reliefs to £3,853,297; so that wealthy England spent no less than seven times the amount on out-door reliefs for the years ending 1847 and 1848 than famine-stricken Ireland. The population of England and Wales was 18,000,000, and of Ireland over 8,000,000.

The Irish Poplin Industry.

Before describing the manufacturing process it may be well to say a few words about Irish poplin; what it is, and scme of its chief characteristics.

It is a woven fabric composed of pure silk and the finest description of wool. To the former is due its rich, lustrous appearance; to the latter its exquisitely soft "feel," and to the combination of both in the proper proportions is due its wonderful wearing qualities. It is made in a great variety of shades, from the most delicate to the deepest tints, and, being dyed by specialists, all colours are the fastest "dye” procurable, which combination of virtues has won for it the highest reputation in all circles where beauty and durability are appreciated.

Silk has been manufactured in Dublin for over 200 years, and owes its introduction to the Huguenots who fled from France in 1685, many of whom were skilled weavers and established themselves in Dublin as well as in several parts of England.

The raw silk used in the manufacture of poplin comes principally from China, though other varieties are occasionally used. As our readers are doubtless aware it is not raised in this country, although in the opinion of Count Dandalo, a celebrated Italian authority on the subject of sericulture (whose standard work on the subject may be consulted at the National Library) the climate of the south of Ireland is as well adapted for the purpose as that of France or Italy, in both of which countries thousands of the peasants' cottages have a corner set aside for the rearing of those wonderful little workers-the silkworms.

The work is usually carried on by the women of the family, as it requires patience and unremitting attention from the first hatching out of the worms until the time they are ready to spin the cocoons.

The wool is of the finest description procurable and is spun very carefully to ensure a perfectly round yarn or thread which is in turn passed through a gas flame in order to remove any projecting fibres.

The silk and wool are received in hanks or skeins, tied up. into bundles of nearly uniform weight and are carefully examined and sorted into the different grades suitable for various classes of work. Then, being weighed into lots as required for different warps, are handed over to the dyer, who first boils the silk for several hours in a solution of soap, which removes the hard outer covering of the thread and reduces the weight one fourth, leaving it a bright creamy shade and beautifully soft to the touch whereas before it had been harsh and wiry.. The wool is also scoured by a somewhat similar process.

DYEING.

The colour is now imparted by suspending the skeins in 'vats of boiling liquid until the required tint is obtained, after which they are dried by hot air and again tied up into neat bundles.

WINDING.

The silk is next wound on bobbins or spools by a machine which winds a large number of them at one time, it is attended by women each of whom can wind about 20 bobbins.

WARPING.

They must be very dexterous with their fingers as the silk is almost as fine as a cobweb and proportionately delicate. Being placed on the bobbins it has now to be made into a "warp❞—that is, a number of the threads (varying from 5,000 to 10,000 according to the class of work) have to be placed side by side for a given length usually from 100 to 150 yards. This is effected by placing a number of the spools on rods or pegs in an upright rame where they can revolve freely.

The threads from all are gathered together and then wound' spirally on an upright cylindrical drum of about five yards' circumference known as the "wa ping mill," layer after layer is added until the required number is reached. When the warp is taken from the mill it has the appearance of a thick rope, but without any twist and to unaccustomed eyes,. appears to be in an inextricable tangle.

However, a change is effected in its appearance by the next process in which it is led round a series of small rollers and spread out by being passed through a comb of brass wires and finally wound on a large roll under great tension. This roll is then placed in position at the back of the loom.

The loom is a frame in which is performed the process of weaving, i.e., the warp and weft are united in proper order to form the fabric.

And here it may be well to say that the threads which run lengthwise in any woven fabric are called "warp" and those which run from edge to edge are called “weft.

WEAVING.

Weaving is effected in the following way :-The warp unwinding from the back roll is carried round a corresponding roll at front of loom, passing through what are technically known as a "harness" and a "reed.'

The "harness" consists of horizontal laths placed above and below the warp and connected with each other by fine threads have a loop or eye at the centre through which a thread of warp passes.

The laths are connected to levers controlled by the weaver's feet. By this means portions of the warp may be raised or lowered at will

The "reed" is an extremely fine comb of flat steel wire having between 70 and 80 spaces or "dents" to the inch. It is carried in a swinging frame or beater immediately in front of the harness.

The weaver pushes back the "reed" with one hand and by a pressure of his foot on the levers controlling the "harness' raises half the warp and lowers the other half leaving a horizontal opening through which he throws the "shuttle" containing the weft on a small spool, from which it unwinds ia the passage across. The reed is then allowed to swing in and beats up the weft to its proper position.

In the succeeding motion the reverse half of the warp is raised and the corresponding half lowered and so on alternately.

As these movements must be repeated in so...e cases as many as 120 times to make one inch of cloth, the rate of progress is necessarily slow.

Great skill and care are necessary owing to the fact that each thread must be worked in its allotted position and in its proper order, otherwise the product would be imperfect.

Such is the manner in which all plain cord poplin is made. When figures are required the simple "harness" is replaced by a more complicated one, worked by a Jacquard Machine. The design is transferred to cards which by passing through the machine control the movement of the warp and so reproduce the pattern in the cloth.

From the foregoing it will be seen that labour forms a large proportion of the cost of Irish poplin, and as industries which give a lot of employment are a benefit to the country, we owe it as a patriotic duty to support such as we have.

The Irish poplin industry has had many vicissitudes, as up to comparatively recent times it was almost entirely dependent on the whims of fashion-the material being then used chiefly for ladies dresses-so that at one time there would be more work than the hands could accomplish, and at another period not nearly enough for all.

Of late years, however, there has been a change, and since Irish poplin has been recognised as such an ideal fabric for neckwear, the demand has greatly increased and has been steady instead of fluctuating, as the material has thus been brought within the reach of the masses whereas formerly it had been almost entirely dependent on the classes.

The clergy, too, in increasing numbers are beginning to see that from an economic as well as a patriotic standpoint they should encourage the use of Irish poplin for vestments and other church purposes, instead of the flimsy materials which are unfortunately still imported to a very great ex

tent.

The demand from this source is, however, on the increase, and there is little doubt that with the spread of Irish Ireland ideas, the clergy will use this means of increasing the national prosperity.

The most prominent fact in connection with the industry at present is the scarcity of weavers owing to the increased demand for Irish poplin, and a large number of apprentices are being taught the business in order to make up the deficiency.

T. ELLIOT.