WOOL-COMBINING

WOOL-COMBINING, a well known operation, which, when performed by the hand, is laborious, tedious, and expensive. The expense of it through all England has been calculated at no less a sum than £800,000; and to lessen this expense, the Rev. Edmund Cartwright of Doncaster in Yorkshire bethought himself, some years ago, of carding wool by machinery. After repeated attempts and improvements, for which he took out three patents, he found that wool can be combed in perfection by machinery, of which he gives the following description:

Fig. 1. Is the crank lasher. A is a tube through which the material, being formed into a sliver, and slightly twirled, is drawn forward by the delivering rollers. B, a wheel fast upon the cross-bar of the crank. C, a wheel, on the opposite end of whose axis is a pinion working in a wheel upon the axis of one of the delivering rollers.

Note, When two or more slivers are required, the cans or baskets, in which they are contained, are placed upon a table under the lasher (as represented at D), which, by having a slow motion, twists them together as they go up.

Fig. 2. Is the circular clearing comb, for giving work in the head, carried in a frame by two cranks. Fig. 3. The comb-table, having the teeth pointing towards the centre, moved by cogs upon the rim, and carried round upon trucks, like the head of a windmill. a, b, the drawing rollers. c, d, callender, or conducting rollers.

Note, Underneath the table is another pair of rollers, for drawing out the backings.

In the above specification, we have omitted the frame in which the machine stands, the wheels, shafts, &c. Had these been introduced, the drawing would have been crowded and confused; besides, as matters of information, they would have been unnecessary, every mechanic, when he knows the principles of a machine, being competent to apply the movements to it.

The wool, if for particular nice work, goes through three operations, otherwise two are sufficient: the first operation

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Wool-combing operation opens the wool, and makes it connect together into a rough sliver, but does not clear it. The clearing is performed by the second, and, if necessary, a third operation. A set of machinery, consisting of three machines, will require the attendance of an overlooker and ten children, and will comb a pack, or 240 lb. in twelve hours. As neither fire nor oil is necessary for machine-combing, the saving of those articles, even the

fire alone, will, in general, pay the wages of the overlooker and children; so that the actual saving to the manufacturer is the whole of what the combing costs, by the old imperfect mode of hand-combing. Machine-combed wool is better, especially for machine-spinning, by at least 12 per cent. being all equally mixed, and the slivers uniform, and of any required length.

Zaminy, Zemindars. ZAMINY, in the language of Bengal, security. ZEMINDARS, the great landholders of Bengal. This is the original sense of the word; but it is now more strictly applicable to those who have their title constituted or confirmed by a patent or charter from government, by which they hold their lands or Zemindaries upon certain conditions. As far as can be ascertained from the narrations of history, it appears that, in times prior to the irruptions of the Mahomedans, the rajahs who held their residence at Delhi, and possessed the sovereignty of Hindostan, deputed officers to collect their revenues (Kheraj), who were called in the Indian language Chowldaries. The word Zemindar is Persian, and that language can have had no currency in the countries of India, until it was introduced by the people of Persia. When the Emperor Shchab ul Dien Ghory conquered the empire of Hindostan (A), he left Sultan Cutub ul Dien to be his viceroy at Delhi, and administer the government of Hindostan. From that time the customs and practices of the Mahomedans began gradually to be established in India: their armies were sent into the countries of the reduced Rajahs, under the command of Omrah, in order to preserve the conquest; and lands were allotted to them to defray the expence. From hence arose the system of Jaghire-darry in Hindostan. But when these Omrah Jaghire-dars had established their own strength, several of them rebelled against the imperial authority, and aspired at the crown. Thus circumstanced, the emperors, in order to obviate these mischiefs, thought it would be more politic to commit the management of the country to the native Hindoos, who had most distinguished themselves by the readiness and constancy of their obedience to the sovereign power.

In pursuance of this plan, districts were allotted to numbers of them under a reasonable revenue (Jumma Monshib), which they were required to pay in money to the governors of the provinces, deputed from the Emperor. And in case any one of the Omrah or provincial governors should swerve from his allegiance, the Zemindars of that country were to exert themselves in such a manner as should check rebellion, and restore good government. For this purpose, grants of Zemindary were severally conferred upon such of the Hindoos as were obedient; describing their apportionment of the country; and every person who had received a

grant under the authority of the crown was thereby Zemindars, fully invested with the functions of Zemindar.

The functions of a Zemindar are, 1st, The preservation and defence of their respective boundaries from traitors and insurgents; 2dly, The tranquillity of the subjects, the abundance of cultivators, and increase of his revenue. 3dly, The punishment of thieves and robbers, the prevention of crimes, and the destruction of highwaymen. The accomplishment of these objects is considered in the royal grant as the discharge of office to the sovereign; and on that account the word office (Khidmut) is employed in the Dewanny Sunnud for a Zemindary.

It was a rule in the times of the ancient emperors, that when any of the Zemindars died, their effects and property were sequestrated by the government. After which, in consideration of the rights of long service, which is incumbent on sovereigns, and elevates the dignity of the employer, Sunnuds for the office of Zemindary were granted to the children of the deceased Zemindar; and no other person was accepted, because the inhabitants could never feel for any stranger the attachment and affection which they naturally entertain for the family of their Zemindar, and would have been afflicted if any other had been put over them. For this reason, the emperors, considering it as a means of conciliating the minds of the people, graciously fixed and confirmed the children of the deceased Zemindar in the office of their fathers and grandfathers, by issuing new sunnuds to transfer the possession to them. By degrees Zemindaries became truly heritable property, which, however, could be transferred by gift or sale from one family to another. They could likewise be forfeited to the sovereign, by the Zemindar's deviating from his allegiance, neglecting to pay his tribute, or to discharge the duties of his station.

It is universally known, says Sir Charles Rouse Boughton, that, when the three provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa, were ceded to the British East India Company, the country was distributed among the Zemindars and TALOORDARS (see that article in this Vol.), who paid a stipulated revenue, by twelve instalments, to the sovereign power or its delegates. They assembled at the capital in the beginning of every Bengal year (commencing in April), in order to complete their final payments, and make up their annual accounts; to settle

Zemindars settle the discount to be charged upon their several remittances in various coins for the purpose of reducing them to one standard, or adjust their concerns with their bankers; to petition for remissions on account of storms, drought, inundation, disturbances, and such like; to make their representations of the state, and occurrences of their districts; after all which they entered upon the collections of the new year; of which, however, they were not permitted to begin receiving the rents from their own farmers, till they had completely closed the accounts of the preceding year, so that they might not encroach upon the new rents, to make up the deficiency of the past. Our author proves, we think completely, the right of the Zemindars to transfer their possessions, either by inheritance to their children, or, with the consent of the sovereign, to other families; and he argues strenuously and successfully against the bad policy, as well as injustice, of interfering with those rights, as long as the Zemindars discharge the duties of their several stations.

Edinburgh: