t 153 1 



it was concluded, thatfo long as that climate (l\ould 

 remain unchanged, and thefe paftures continue un- 

 deterioratcd, our wool, without farther care, would 

 continue to poflcfs its wonted fuperiority. This 

 idea was To warmly cherifhed as to influence, at 

 leitgth, the legiflature itfelf. Meafures were adopted 

 that turned the attention of the farmer from the im- 

 provement of his wool. The confequence has been 

 that, by flow degrees, and imperceptible changes, 

 the quality of our wool has been greatly debafed, 

 and, from being the very/r/? in Europe, it is now 

 confefl^edly allowed to hold, at befl:, no more than 

 the fecond place -, as all our manufa6lurers concur in 

 admitting that not a yard of fuperfine cloth can be 

 made of any thing elfe than Spanifli wool. It fol- 

 lows of courfe, that we muft: now depend upon a 

 foreign country for the raw materials of the fincft 

 branch of our favourite fl:aple manufacture. Thus 

 have we unneceflTarily fubjeded ourfelves to all the 

 inconveniences that mufl: ever refult from a depen- 

 dant fituation. 



On the other hand, France, which, ever fince the 

 beginning of the adminift:ration of Mr. Colbert, 

 hath made the mod vigorous efforts to rival us in 

 this important branch of manufadbure, being now 

 on an ^^«^/ footing at lead with ourfelves in refpeft 

 to the trade in Spanifli wool, has fo far fucceeded 



as 



