I have now the pleasure to inform you that all appearance of mischievous organization in this Neighbourhood is completely dissipated, and that there seems to be a complete Conviction of the impropriety and utter incompetence of the working hand to attain their objects by violence.—There has indeed taken place if I am rightly informed a more close and intimate union of the several Classes of the Workmen with a view to assist each other in their several detached parts of the Manufactory of Lace and Hosiery in such differences between the master and the Artizan as may concern the whole class of the Workmen, and I have reason to believe in many instances Funds are raised by general contributions for that purpose. In the mean time the Funds of the General Body of Frameworkknitters have been happily and completely exhausted by the Parliamentary Campaign of the Workmen against the Hosiers and I have great hopes it will be very difficult for the mischievously disposed amongst the Artizans upon any future occasion to restore the general organization which was so formidable here, the Mass of the Workmen being much dissatisfied with the mode of applying the former funds, many of them approving the grounds of the Hosiers opposition to the Bill and the majority of them entertaining great suspicion of the rectitude of those who administered the Finances they lately possessed and being therefore averse in future to sustain any privation for the purpose of creating a Fund so easily dissipated.
You promised when I last saw you that you would transmit any application made by me from my friend Bullivant to the War Office or the Office of the Commander in Chief.—I have therefore ventured to write you a Letter confined to this subject which I enclose you and for your Attention to which I shall ever esteem myself much indebted to you.
I am [etc]
Geo Coldham
Nottingham
19th August 1812.
[To John Beckett]
This letter can be found at HO 42/126.
No comments:
Post a Comment