Of hats, an article which in France is made more durable, but much less light and pleasant than in England, the manufactures, formerly concentrated at Lyons and Marseilles, are now diffused throughout several towns; the value annually made is about L.1,000,000 Sterling. Perfumery is made exten sively in the south, where, from the mildness of the climate, aromatic plants are abundant. Paper being exempt from the heavy duties of England, is sold in France on very reasonable terms, while in quality it is equal to our own. The value annually used in printing, in writing, and in the hanging of rooms, is computed at fully L.1,000,000 Sterling. Of glass, the manufacture has been much improved and ex tended during the present age. Whether for mir. rocs, for windows, or for bottles, this article in France is good and of a moderate price. The number of glass-houses in 1818 was 185; the value of their manufacture L. 900,000. As to earthen ware, it is only since 1790 that English pottery has been successfully imitated in France. It is now made to the value of L.200,000 or L.300,000, while the coarse earthenware, fabricated in almost every province of the kingdom, is computed at L. 600,000.
Saltpetre, till lately a monopolized manufacture, is now unrestricted, and is made to the value of somewhat more than L.100,000 annually. Sul phuric acid has, since the beginning of the present century, been greatly lowered in price and increas ed in quantity; its annual manufacture represents a value of nearly L. 300,000. Muriatic acid is used in whitening linen and cotton, and is made to an annual value of L.100,000. Soda is manufac tured in France to the value of L.100,000; cop peras L. 100,000; alum L. 250,000.
Labour in Paris is as mu& dearer relatively to the provincial towns of France, as labour in Lon. don relatively to those of England. It still remains for us to remove from our capital some manufac tures, which have been most injudiciously establish ed there; but the French have carried this false calculation much farther, Paris being the centre not only of ornamental fabrics, such as jewellery, bronze, sculpture, cabinet making, but of a number of coar ser employments, which a very slight change of plan might transfer to a cheaper quarter. There are at Paris periodical exhibitions of French manufacture held once in three or four years ; the last (in August 1819) was very brilliant, and honoured by the pre sence of the king, the princes, the nobility, and all eminent men of science. There is also in that capi tal a Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, a collection, on a large scale, of models of all instruments or ma chines that relate to arts and manufactures.
To make regulations for the mode of manufacture was formerly a favourite course with government in England as in France ; but the existence of a repre sentative body, and, above all, the revolution of 1688, caused many of these enactments to fall into disuse among us, at the time when they were main ' tained among our neighbours with inflexible rigour.
From the time of Colbert (1660) the French ordon nances peremptorily the length and breadth of serges, of druggets, in short, of every kind of cloth calculated for export, under the plausible idea, that all these precautions were necessary to establish a reputation for quality. It is a curious fact, that these rules were desired by the manufacturers themselves, and were long considered the safeguard of French industry. A change introduced in 1779, and which gave leave to every manufacturer to follow his own method, provided he distinguished the goods thus made from those that were in conformity with the regulations, was of very short duration. The power of habit and prejudice prevailed. New ordonnances, issued the succeeding year, revived the former limi tations, and the manufactures of France were not put on an unrestricted footing till the revolution. Much inconvenience had also been sustained from the absurd law which prevented a workman from set tling in business in any town, except that in which he had served an apprenticeship. This law was abro gated in 1767.
The manufacturing industry of France is confined, far more than ours, to the home market, whether we look to the supply of the raw material, or to the export of the finished articles. Her imports are large only in cotton and silk ; in wool and iron they are not considerable ; while in flax, hemp, and lea ther they may be termed insignificant. In exports the limitation is still more striking; her hardware, her linen, her woollens, her cotton, her leather, and, in a great measure, her silk, being confined to the home market,--it restriction owing partly to our ma. nufacturing superiority, more to the capital of our merchants, and their ability to give long credit. The productive industry of France is consequently much less subject than ours to sudden fluctuation. It follows nearly the same routine year after year. On the occurrence of a war, or other political change, the commerce and manufactures of our neighbours, to borrow a phrase of Talleyrand (Letter to Mr Fox, 1st April 1806), se replient sur eux-nte mes. Need more be added, to show the error of those who maintain that, half a century ago, her ma nufactures were of great amount, that they were al most entirely suspended by the Revolution, and in debted for their subsequent revival to the exertions of the government. The", fluctuations,'at no time of great amount, have related chiefly to the export trade, and owed their origin to the general hostilities of 1793.