of Leeds where there are three halls for the exposure and sale of their cloths: and there are other similar halls where the same system of selling in public market prevails; at Bradford, Halifax, and Huddersfield. The greater merchants have their workingroom or shop in which their workmen, called croppers, all work together. Here the goods which have been bought at the halls in an undressed state undergo various processes, till being completely finished, they are sent away for consumption in the home or foreign market. The committee bear full testimony to the merits of the domestic system of manufacture; to the facilities it affords to men of steadiness and industry to establish themselves as little mastermanufacturers, and maintain their families in comfort by their own industry and frugality; to its encouragement of domestic habits and virtues; to its favorable influence on the health and morals of a large and important class of the community. The quantity of cloth manufactured by the domestic system has increased immensely of late years, not only in itself, but also as compared with the quantity made in factories. The two systems, factory and domestic, mutually aid each other; each supplying the other's defect, and promoting the other's prosperity. The owner of a factory being commonly possessed of a large capital and employing all his workmen under his own immediate superintendance, often makes experiments, hazards, speculations, invents shorter and better modes of performing old processes, introduces new articles, improves and perfects old ones; and giving a range to taste and fancy, is enabled to stand the competition of commercial rivals in other countries. His discoveries also benefit the domestic manufacturer to whom the improvement travels in due course of time.

The 5th Elizabeth, c. 4. prohibits the engaging or working in the woollen manufacture to all who have

not served a regular apprenticeship to the business for seven years. But the woollen manufactures have for some time been improving in quality and increasing in amount while the system of apprenticeship has gradually declined. The committee therefore, although not wishing to prohibit apprenticeships, recommend the repeal of those clauses of 5. Eliz, c-4. which render apprenticeship compulsory. The committee also recommends the repeal of the Stamping Laws, 11. Geo. 2d, and 5-6. Geo. 3rd, for the west of England; leaving the question undecided as to the North. The report closes with an account of the number of pieces of broad cloth milled at the several fulling mills in the westriding of the county of York from June 24th, 1725, the commencement of the Act, to 12th March 1726, and thence annually; and of the narrow cloths from 1st of August 1737, the commencement of the Act, to 20th Jan. 1783; and thence annually. In the year 1805, the money-value of the cloth milled at these fulling-mills was, for 10,079,256 yards of broad, and 6,139,317 yards of narrow cloth,

66

L.10,000,000.

The quality of British woollens may be known by the following facts, taken from the " Literary Panorama," Vol. 6, pp. 1,153-1,156. Brissot de Warville, in his "Considérations sur la situation relative de la France et les Etats-Unis de l'Amerique," Paris, 1788, bears unequivocal testimony to the excellence of the British woollen fabric; which is illustrated by the following facts, related on the authority of the writer of the article in the Literary Panorama:-In the manufacturies of France, before the Revolution, and in those of Louviers in particular, the very finest French cloth had some advantage over the British; but they were more than counterbalanced by their greater price, amounting to at least one third more. Louis the Sixteenth had a mortifying proof of this,

in a piece of blue cloth, made expressly, at an unlimited price, for the King of Sardinia. Louis had a coat for himself cut off from the piece, and forwarded the remainder to Turin. The King of Sardinia showed it to a nobleman who had been his am bassador in England; and was told, that a piece of equal fineness could be procured from London at two-thirds of the price, from the ordinary supply of the market, without any previous commission. This was accordingly done, to the astonishment of the Sar dinian monarch, and the mortification of the French ambassador at Turin.

As to the supply of ordinary cloth, it need only be stated, that amidst the bitterest animosity of the A merican war, when the agents of the United States received £.300,000 from France, to clothe the American army, it was laid out in the purchase of British cloths in the ports of Holland. The French ministry, vexed at being duped, complained to Congress, whose agent answered, that by buying British cloths, he had saved one-third in the cost, and had procured a superior commodity.

In the month of June, 1808, the Highland Society of Scotland gave premiums to some mechanics, who had introduced machinery, and manufactured fine woollen cloth in the Highlands of Scotland.

To the flourishing state of the British woollen manufacture, may be contrasted the declining condition of the Dutch fabrics, as described in " A Report from the Minister for the Interior to the King of Holland,' &c. dated at Utrecht, June 28, 1808; wherein the minister expresses some faint hopes of eradicating, in time, the prejudices against Dutch wool, by improving its staple with a cross of the Merino and Dutch breeds of sheep.

The Spanish and British wools are worked up together in the manufacture of fine cloths. It is a common question, in the cloth-halls of Yorkshire in Eng

land, to ask-How much Spanish wool is there in this piece?-and the answer generally is-half and half;—that is, half Spanish and half English wool. Fine broad cloth, up to the price of 15s. or 16s. a yard, is made entirely of English wool; cloth from 15s. to 20s. a yard, is made of Spanish and English wool, mixed; and superfine cloths, from 20s. to 30s. a yard and upwards, is made altogether of Spanish wool. These prices relate to cloth in its undressed state: when it comes into the hands of the consumer, of course the cost is considerably enhanced. In the year 1809, the price of woollen cloths in the West of England, and in Yorkshire, was considerably lowered, owing to the manufacturers using British wool instead of that imported from Spain; and, except in the superfine cloth, it answers completely, especially that from the Anglo-Merino breed of sheep. At the wool-fair at Lewes, in Sussex, (England) on the 27th July, 1809, Lord Sheffield said that his tailor, who was also his woollen-draper, and whose interest it was not to over-rate the quality, had valued the cloth of the coat he then wore, made entirely of British wool, at twenty-eight shillings per yard. The manufacture of the cloth amounted to 6s. d. per yard; the wool, at 3s. per pound, in the fleece, 7s.—dying, if drab, at 3 d. per pound, 1s. 1ąd.;-making a yard of drab cloth equal to 14s. 34d. If woaded to dark blue, at 2s. per pound, 2s. 9d.-manufacturing and wool, 13s. 14d.-a yard of blue cloth being equal to 15s. 10d. leaving, at 28s. per yard, a sufficient living profit to the manufacturer, draper, &c.

In the "Communications to the Board of Agriculture," on matters of husbandry and the internal improvement of the country, Vol. 5th, pp. 350-510. London, 1807; we are informed, in a communication from Dr. Parry of Bath, that the importation of wool into Britain for the years 1802, 1803, 1804, was,

Of this quantity 15,307,718 pounds were imported in foreign, and the remaining 3, 160,000 pounds, in Eritish vessels. Of the Spanish wool 15,141,000 pounds were sheeps', and 165,778 pounds were lambs' wool: of R. (Refina), the finest Spanish sheeps' wool, 12,000,000 pounds; of F. (Fina), the second sort, 2,000,000 pounds; of T. (Tercera), the third sort, 1,127,000 pounds; of K. the coarsest sort, 14,920 pounds; were imported. The average prices of these wools was,

R. sheeps' wool, 12,000,000 lb. at 6s. p. lb. £3,600,000

In addition to these quantities there were imported in British vessels 3,160,000lbs. of Spanish wool in the following proportions:

R. Sheep's wool 2,477,182lbs. at 6s. per lb. £743,154

F.

do.

412,364

T.

do.