Such was the evidence given respecting all the va rious branches of manufacture in which wool was em ployed; with regard to the woollen manufactures of the West of Yorkshire, which at all times have been the most important and extensive in the kingdom, it was given in evidence, that there were employed in it 72.734 packs of wool, at that time worth 111. a pack, and consequently, on the whole, worth 800,074/.; and that from this quantity of wool, there was manufactured 272,755 pieces of broad cloth, which, at about 131. 18s. the piece, were of the value of 3,795.1571. It was fur ther stated, that there were 30,028 packs used in the woollen manufacture of the West Riding of Yorkshire, of the average value of 14/. per pack, which were ma nufactured into 180,168 pieces of narrow cloth, the average value of which was 61. a piece, and conse quently the total value of this species of cloth was 1,081,0081. making the total value of broad and narrow cloths to be 4,876,165/. The value of the kerseymeres, blankets, arid other goods, was rated at 1.600 and the value of the stun's, or worsted goods, at I.40u,000/.; the whole woollen goods manufactured in the West Ri ding being thus estimated at 7,876,165 ; or about of the value of the woollen goods manufactured in the whole kingdom.
Now, with respect to this evidence, so far as it re lates to the woollen manufacture of England and Wales generally, we are afraid that it is erroneous on two of its principal and leading points. In the first place, it appears to us, that the number of sheep is over-rated, and consequently the quantity of wool. On this mis take we need not enlarge, since we have already en deavoured to prove, by enquiring into the number of sheep, and the produce of their wool in each separate county in England and Wales, that the number of the former is rather more than 26 000 000, and the quan tity of the hatter rather more than 393,000 packs. In the second place, it appears to us that the number of people stated to be employed in the woollen manufac tore of the whole kingdom is also greatly overrated. \Ve have seen that the value of the woollen goods manu factured in the West Riding of Yorkshire was about of the value of the woollen goods manufactured in the whole kingdom ; now, if we suppose that the number of hands employed in the West Riding at that time bore the same proportion to the hands employed in the whole woollen manufacture, that the value of the goods did, there must have been upwards of 1,100,000 people em ployed in this part of Yorkshire, that is nearly twice the number of inhabitants which it then contained. But let us try this point another way : the value of the whole raw material was estimated at 6,600.0001.: the value of the whole manufactured goods, at 19,800,000/., leaving 13,200,0001. for interest of capital, manufacturing pro fit, and the wages of labour. \Ve cannot estimate these at less than 20 per cent. on the sum thus reduced, which will make them amount to the sum of 2.640,000/. ; leav ing the sum of 10,560,000/. for manufacturing wages, which, if there were 3,000,000 of people among whom it were to be divided, would give, as the wages of each individual, little more than 3/. per annum; but as we cannot average the wages of men, women, boys and girls, at less than 6s. 8d. a week, or about 17/. per an num, we must suppose that the number of people em ployed did not amount to more than 550,000, a number much more- probable than the former. It may also be remarked, that the calculation is made at too high a price of wool ; the average price for three or four years preceding 1800, being•not more than from ten pounds to ten guineas. For these reasons, some authors who notice the result of this evidence, not only reduce the quantity of wool from 600,000 packs to 500,000, (a quan tity which we have shown to be still too great,) but also from the calculation of the value of the wool ma nufactured in 1800, at 10/. 10s. per pack, making the
total value 5,250,000/. But if the manufacturers exa mined on this occasion erred in estimating the quantity and value of English wool too highly, they also erred on the other hand, in not taking into their account the value of Spanish wool imported, which at least amount ed to 500,000/4 this, added to the former sum, will make the total value of the raw material 5,750,000/,; and sup posing the manufactured value to he threefold, the total value of woollen goods will be 17,250,000/.
We should not have thought of dwelling longer on the state and extent of the woollen manufacture at this period, had we not observed, that the late Mr Grellier, who was deservedly celebrated for the attention he paid to statistical enquiries, differs from us in various points respecting it. This circumstance, joined to the consi deration, that if we can determine the state of the wool len manufacture in 1800, we shall be the better able to ascertain its state at present, or at least to form a com parison between its state at the two periods, induces us to add a few observations, which, in our opinion, will point out the instances in which Mr Grellier is Mista ken. In the first place, he gives it as his opinion, that the real value of the woollen goods exported is only about 38 per cent. above tile official value; but this is certainly a mistake, and we observe in the report on the state of the woollen manufacture, in 1806, that the com mittee, mentioning the very great national importance of this manufacture, state the official value of tAt. ex ports to be 6,000,0001.; and expressly add, or 9,000 OW/. actual value. In the next place, Mr Grellier deducts from the gross amount of the value of the manufactured goods only 10 per cent. for the profits of the manufac turer, including the interest of his capital; but a little reflection must serve to convince us, that 10 per cent. on the gross value, is too small a sum; and that 20 per cent.. on the sum which remains, after subtracting the price of the raw material from the gross value of the manufactured articles, is nearer the truth. In the last place, Mr Grellier, taking all classes of work people, in the woollen manufactures, together, estimates their wages at Ss. per week; and by this high rate of wages, and a reduction in the value of the whole manufactured goods, notwithstanding he allows less to the master ma nufacturer himself, he reckons the whole number of persons employed only at 440,330. But when we reflect on the large proportion of women, boys, and girls, that are employed in this manufacture, and the lowness of the wages, especially of the two last, we shall be dis posed to consider his average rate as too high, at least for the year 1800; and moreover, when we consider, that in many of the manufacturing parishes in the West Riding of Yorkshire, one half or two-thirds of the people are employed in the woollen trade; that the population of the whole Riding, in 1800, was upwards or 560,000; and that the amount of the value of the woollen goods manufactured there was only sof the whole goods ma nufactured in the kingdom, we shall be disposed to es timate the number of people employed in this manufac ture at considerably more than 440,330. At the same time it must be admitted, that on this as well as on many other points of statistical enquiry, the data are too few, or too questionable, on which to ground accurate and perfectly satisfactory results.