Such appear to us. to be the principal causes of the superior quality, the cheaper rate, and the wonderful \ariety, extent, and prosperity of our manufactures. Other causes may, and do undoubtedly exist and ope rate, but they are either partial, and confined to some particular branches of manufactures, or they may be traced up to those which we have just enumerated and explained.
premised these remarks, we shall now enter on our view of the manufactures themselves, beginning with the woollen manufacture, as the most ancient, and probably even yet, notwithstanding the rivalship of the cotton manufacture, the most extensive and valuable.
The introduction of the fabrication of woollens was undoubtedly owing to the Romans, who persuaded the rude and savage inhabitants of this island, not only to the skins in which they had hitherto been othed for the more comfortable attire of their con querors, but also to turn their attention to the art of weaving. A manufacture was established at Winches ter of sufficient magnitude to supply the Roman army ; and there is reason to believe, that, while the Romans remained in possession of this island, this manufacture was continued. From the period of their quitting it till the commencement of the tenth century, there are not any evidences, either direct or indirect, by means of which we can judge of the state of the woollen manu facture ; but at the latter period, from the prices of wool which are mentioned as the current rate of the fleece, there is reason to suppose that the article was cultivated with considerable attention. About the year 925, a fleece was valued at two-fifths of the whole sheep; a proportion much greater than that which it bears at present, and which proves, either that the demand for the carcass was much smaller, or that for the fleece much greater than it is in our own times. The value of the sheep continued nearly the same for some hun dred years, while wool at the same time advanced in price, and continued to do so through the space of two centuries. The difference in value between them was very striking in the year 1135, at which time the price of sheep had declined 50 per cent. and the price of wool had advanced nearly as much. The demand for fine cloth, which seems to have been pretty general among the nobility in Henry II. time, led to the introduction of Spanish wool ; but this was soon prohibited by a statute, which was framed for the encouragement of the British farmer, and the improvement of his wool. About the year 1240, the importation of fine cloth began to be encouraged, the consequence of which was, that English wool, being in some measure deprived of the home market, was sent abroad to Flanders, where it was manufactured. This kind of traffic subsisted about 100 years without interruption ; till about the year 1330, the English began seriously to encourage the manufacture of woollens among themselves ; and the mode which they adopted for that purpose displays a liberal and sound policy, very creditable to the times. Sensible of the superior expertness of the Flemings, they tempted them to come over and settle iu this country ; their success and the improvement of the English was so great, that the legislature very soon began to imagine that the English fabrics were extensive enough to con sume all the wool in the kingdom, and a law was ac cordingly passed totally prohibiting its exportation. The consequence was such as might have been anticipated and expected. Our fleece, which the regular demand from the Netherlands had increased in quantity, and greatly improved in quality, suffered in both respects. The surplus of wool appears from the time of Henry II. to that of Edward Ill. to have constantly increased, and the exportation as regularly took it from the hands of the grower, who, finding that he obtained a higher price in proportion to the goodness of the quality, turn ed his attention to the improvement of his fleece. After wards, when the woollen manufacture was established at home, it also exerted its natural influence on the quantity and quality of our wool ; for the flocks in the southern part of the island, where the manufacture was most attended to, were in the best condition, and the quality of the staple most desirable.
Having thus briefly traced the woollen manufacture of England to the time of Edward III. when it may be said to have gained a firm footing in this country, we shall now content ourselves with giving some few de tached historical notices concerning it, previously to entering on an account of its present state. It does not appear that the original seat of this manufacture was either in the west of England, or in Yorkshire ; by some, Kendal is supposed to have been the first town where it was established ; but the more probable opinion is, that the Flemings, brought over by Edward III. were fixed at Cranbrook, in Kent. In the beginning of the 16th century, however, the north of England was dis tinguished for this manufacture ; for in 1520, it is re corded, that there were three famous clothiers living in the north country, viz. Cuthbert of Kendal, Hodgskins of Halifax, and Martin Brian of Manchester, each of whom kept a great number of servants at work, spin ners, carders, weavers, fullers, dyers, Sr.c. Towards the middle of this century, Manchester, Lancashire, and Cheshire, are mentioned in an act of Edward VI. as fa mous for their cotton goods, which were, at that time, a species of woollen cloths. We have only a tradition ary account of the place from which the woollen manu facture was introduced into that part of Yorkshire where it now flourishes ; and this tradition reports, that it was brought thither out of Devonshire, where it had been settled by some workmen from Flanders. Ripporrseems to have been one of the towns in Yorkshire, into which it was first introduced ; but, according to Wright, in his History of Halifax, it was removed to the latter place for the sake of the advantage of the coals and water. During the infancy of this manufacture, the legislature interfered in it, not only by prohibiting the exportation of the raw material, but also by limiting and expressly naming the particular towns, both in tha north and west of England, in which it was to be carried on. In 1534, the woollen manufacture in Worcestershire was con fined to five towns. In 1551, if we may credit the accounts, the Hanse merchants exported from this country 44,000 pieces of cloth, and the English manufac . turers 1400 pieces; and a very few years afterwards, above 200,000 pieces were sent to the Netherlands. In 1614, a great improvement took place in the woollen manufacture of the west of England, by the invention of what is called medley or mixed cloth, for which G•ou cestershire is still famous. At the end of this century, the total annual manufacture of woollens was estimated at 8,000,0001. In 1739, the author of Considerations on the running of wool, gives an estimate of me number of people employed in the woollen manufacture, rating them as high as 1,500,000, and, if these earn, (he adds,) one with another per day, for 313 working days in the year, their wages will amount to 11,737,5001." This author, however, must have greatly overrated the num ber of people employed, since the wages of labour in this manufacture, at present, when the price of labour is at least four times as high as he takes it at, will not reach that sum. In the year 1770, it was proved, by do cuments laid before Parliament, that the official value of the woollen goods exported, amounted to more than 4,000,000/. From 1772 to 1776, the exportation seems not to have increased, as it appears from an account of the value, as rated in the inspectors books, of all the woollen goods of all sorts, viz. baize, cloths, cottons (coating), flannels, serges, says, stuffs, stuffs mixed, car pets, and worsted stockings, that the amount of the whole of these articles exported from England, in 1772, was 4,436,783/. ; in the year 1773, 3,875,9291. ; in the year 1774, 4,333,583/.; in the year 1775, 4,220,1731.; and in the year 1776, 3,868,0531. At this time, as is the case at present, a much greater value of woollen manu factures was shipped from London than from all the out ports of England. In the year 1775, when the excess of London was much less than in some other years, the value of woollens shipped from London was 2,247,5701. ; and from the outposts, only 1,972,6021.