linens, 123, tow linens, 494, bird eye, 123—total, 4016 yards. And about two hundred and forty yards of different kinds of goods now in the looms, the whole amounting to eleven thousand three hundred and sixty seven yards; and there has also been manufactured by the twisting mill, about one hundred and eighty five pounds of plain, coloured, and knitting thread; since the first of August, also, a hundred and ninety yards of cottons have been printed; and it may be observed, that the want of proper bleach-yards, and the difficulty of procuring persons well skilled in bleaching, contributed to prevent the quantity being printed which was intended. "The committee have now laid before you a statement of their proceedings, and might adduce many arguments to prove the propriety, and indeed the necessity, of giving every encouragemnent to establish this valuable branch of internal trade; but they apprehend that the motives which gave birth to the association have not lost their energy, either from the result of these experiments, or the prospect of future success, and they do not hesitate to add, that every view of the subject fully proves the peculiar importance of the cotton manufacture to this country, and the possibility (with proper exertions) of giving it a permanency, which, they doubt not, will prove a source both of private and public wealth. Impressed with these sentiments, and feeling sensibly our late dependence on foreign nations for many of the most useful articles of life, it is certain that, unless there are great exertions of virtue and industry, we must still remain in the same disadvantageous situation; whilst on the other hand, if we pursue the plan of establishing manufactures amongst ourselves, we thereby open an extensive field of employment for persons of almost every description.* SAMUEL WETHERILL, JR. * The views which led to the early encouragement of manufactures, are in part expressed in the following extract from Hamilton's Report. "The expediency of encouraging manufactures in the United States, which was not long since deemed very questionable, appears at this time to be pretty generally admitted. The embarrassments about the period of 1791, are very generally acknowledged. The obstructions of our external trade have led to serious reflections on the necessity of enlarging the sphere of our domestic commerce; the restrictive regulations, which in foreign markets abridge the vent of the increasing surplus of our agricultural produce, serve to beget an earnest desire that a more extensive demand for that surplus may be created at home; and the complete success which has rewarded manufacturing enterprise in some valuable branches, conspiring with the promising symptoms which attend some less mature essays in others, justify Notwithstanding the laudable and persevering efforts made by the people of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and soon after, of Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut, they entirely failed, and saw their hopes and prospects prostrate. In looking for the causes of such disasters, we find no deficiency of enterprise or exertion, none of funds, and none of men who were ready and willing to engage in the business, and no lack of patronage from the governments, they having learned from experience the privations during a hope, that the obstacles to the growth of this species of industry, are less formidable than they were apprehended to be; and that it is not difficult to find, in its further extension, a full indemnification for any external disadvantages which are or may be experienced, as well as an accession of resources, favourable to national independence and safety. "It ought readily to be conceded, that the cultivation of the earth-as the primary and most certain source of national supply; as the immediate and chief source of subsistence to man; as the principal source of those materials which constitute the nutriment of other kinds of labour; as including a state most favourable to the freedom and independence of the human mind; one, perhaps, most conducive to the multiplication of the human species-has intrinsically a strong claim to pre-eminence over every other kind of industry. But that it has a title to any thing like an exclusive predilection, in any country, ought to be admitted with great caution. That it is even more productive than every other branch of industry, requires more evidence than has yet been given in support of the position. That its real interests, precious and important as without the help of exaggeration they truly are, will be advanced rather than injured by the due encouragement of manufactures, may, it is believed, be satisfactorily demonstrated. And it is also believed, that the expediency of such encouragement, in a general view, may be shown to be recommended by the most cogent and persuasive motives of national policy." "The only thing that reconciled the British ministry to the peace of independence was the prospect of our becoming one of their best customers. The prejudices of Americans, who thought the country too young for manufacturing, and that the arts, by introducing luxury, would also introduce vice, and wean them from that simplicity of manners which was believed exclusively to belong to the agricultural life; the predilection which nearly half the community, especially the rich, had for the fabrics of the mother country, and the influence which the merchants have had in our councils, all continued to prevent the introduction of clothing manufactories into these states. Time, however, and experience, have demonstrated, that luxury and vice may find their way into a country where manufacturing is discouraged; that, by a spirit of traffic, foreign luxuries are introduced, and a restless migratory life robs a nation of its innocence and simplicity. Years have weaned many from European attachments, and the intelligent part of the merchants perceive that commerce would increase by multiplying and diversifying the objects of our industry."-Mease. revolutionary war. All must be attributed to the fact, that, during all the incipient struggles, Great Britain had in operation a series of superior machinery, which Massachusetts and Rhode Island had endeavoured to obtain in vain. The present state of the American manufactures shows what has grown out of such disastrous beginnings, and furnishes one among the many evidences which may be found, not to despair in the day of adversity. The following is the account, furnished by Wm. Anthony, of the commencement of Cotton Spinning in Rhode Island: "About the year 1788, Daniel Anthony, Andrew Dexter, and Lewis Peck, all of Providence, entered into an agreement to make what was then called "home-spun cloth." The idea at first was to spin by hand, and make jeans with linen warp and cotton filling, but hearing that Mr. Orr, of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, had imported some model of machinery from England, for the purpose of spinning cotton, it was agreed that Daniel Anthony should go to Bridgewater and get a draught of the model of said machine; he, in company with John Reynolds, of East Greenwich, who had been doing something in the manufacturing of wool, went to Bridgewater, and found the model of the machine spoken of, in possession of Mr. Orr, but not in operation. It was not the intention of Mr. Orr* to operate it, but he only kept it for the inspection of those who might have an inclination to take draughts. The model of the machine was very imperfect, and was said to be taken from one of the first built in England. A draught of this machine was accordingly taken, and laid aside for a while. They then proceeded to build a machine of a different construction called a jenny; I understood that a model of this machine was brought from England, into Beverly, Massachusetts, by a man of the name of Summers. This jenny had twenty-eight spindles; the wood work was built by Richard Anthony, the spindles and brass were made by Daniel Jackson, an ingenious coppersmith of Providence. This jenny was finished in 1787. It was first set up in a private house and afterwards removed to the market house chamber in Providence, and operated there. "Joshua Lindly of Providence was then engaged to build a carding machine, for carding the cotton agreeably to the draught presented, also obtained from Beverly. This machine was something similar to the one now used for carding wool, the cotton being taken off the machine in rolls, and roped by hand; after some * Mr. Orr received a compensation from government for presenting it for inspection. It was therefore called the State's Model. delay this machine was finished. They then proceeded to build a spinning frame after the draught obtained at Bridgewater. This machine was something similar to the water-frame now in use, but very imperfect; it consisted of eight heads of four spindles each, being thirty-two spindles in all, and was operated by a crank turned by hand. The first head was made by John Baily, an ingenious clock-maker of Pembroke, Massachusetts, the other seven heads, together with the brass work and spindles, were made by Daniel Jackson of Providence, the wood work was made by Joshua Lindly of said Providence. In 1788, Joseph Alexander and James M'Kerris, natives of Scotland, arrived in Providence, both being weavers, and understanding the use of the fly-shuttle; they were engaged to weave corduroy. Mr. Alexander to weave a piece in Providence, and Mr. M'Kerris went to East Greenwich to work there. A loom was accordingly built after the directions of Mr. Alexander, and put in operation in the market house chamber; this was the first fly-shuttle ever used in Rhode Island. A piece of corduroy was there woven, the warp being linen and the filling cotton, but as there was no person to be found who could cut the corduroy, and raise the pile which makes the ribs on the face of the cloth, and give it the finish, it was thought best to abandon that kind of cloth. Mr. Alexander left Providence, and went to Philadelphia; Mr. M'Kerris continued to work in Greenwich for some years. This appears to be the beginning of the jenny spinning in Rhode Island, and undoubtedly originated with the above company. "The spinning frame (the one attempted from the state's model), after being tried for some time in Providence, was carried to Pawtucket and attached to a wheel propelled by water-the work of turning the machine was too laborious to be done by hand, and the machine was too imperfect to be turned by water. Soon after this, the machine was sold to Mr. Moses Brown of Providence, but as all the carding and roping was done by hand it was very imperfect, and but little could be done. This was the situation of cotton manufacturing in Rhode Island, when Mr. Samuel Slater arrived in this country; then all this imperfect machinery was thrown aside, and machinery more perfect built under his direction. About the time the above machinery was being made, John Fullem, a native of Ireland, a stocking weaver by trade, settled in East Greenwich. He had a stocking loom, and his object was to weave stockings for the inhabitants generally; but not succeeding there to his wishes, he went to Providence, and sold his loom to Moses and Smith Brown, and still continued to operate it under the superintendence of Smith Brown; but the business was found unprofitable, and was abandoned. "About the time the above machinery was put into operation, Herman Vandausen, a native of Germany, came to East Greenwich, and undertook the business of calico printing, being a calico printer by trade; he went to work, cut his types on wood, and began to print; his object was to print for the people generally, and many people wove coarse cotton cloth in their families, and had it printed. The calico looked much like that imported from India in that day, and was not much, if any, inferior to that cloth. Some samples of the cloth printed by Mr. Vandausen was shown (by a gentleman that now lives in Providence) to Mr. John Brown, who was then about trading to India. Mr. Brown gave some encouragement of assistance, but as it was found cheaper to import than to make them here, the business was given up." In addition to the communication of Wm. Anthony, in conversation with Joseph Anthony, of Providence, R. I., the oldest son of Daniel Anthony, he fully concurred in the above statement. He stated that his brother Richard Anthony made the first jenny in Rhode Island, probably under the direction of his father, who it is thought spun the first yarn from jennies, by the assistance of his sons. There were thirty spindles on the jenny. The carding machine produced a roll eighteen inches long. It was then taken by a woman, and roped on a hand wheel. The same Daniel Anthony made hand-cards during the revolutionary war; but no machinery was obtained till after the independence of the states. David Buffum bought a jenny, and Joseph Anthony spun on it at Newport two years, and obtained warp at Slater's mill, but they failed in their attempt. These were the machines purchased by Moses Brown, and referred to in the following letter to Mr. Slater. Extract of a letter to Samuel Slater from Moses Brown. PROVIDENCE, 10th of 12th month, 1789. We have two machines of this kind, one of thirty-two spindles, the other of twenty-four. They have been worked, and spun about one hundred and fifty skeins of cotton yarn, from five to eight skeins of fifteen lays round a reel of two yards to the pound; but the person whom we let the mill to, being unacquainted with the business, and the mills probably not perfected, he could not make wages in attending them, and therefore they are at present still. We then wrought hand roping and the carding machine was not in order. We have since got a jenny, and are putting on fine cards to the machine: these with an eighty-four and a sixty spinning jenny, and a doubling and twisting jenny, compose the principal machinery about our manufactory. We have from Ireland a man and his wife, who are spinners |