208 



to them for fubfiftence ; the charader of the workman is influenced 

 by the nature of his manufafture. 



The great and unexpected gains attending fuch fabricks, in their 

 profperity, often intoxicate and miflead the mind of the manufadurer. 

 He flatters himfdf, that thus it will always be. He difpofes himfelf 

 to expence and luxury, beyond his fituation and means ; and adapted 

 to the large gains of the prefent hour ; not to the average of his 

 probable regular earnings. All this produces in him, an encreafe of 

 artificial wants, and creates a number of falfe appetites, that render his 

 ftate more completely wretched, when his evil hour comes, when the 

 manufafture languiflies, and the ftagnation of demand reduces him to 

 poverty. 



The manufacturer feeing thcfe flu£hiations of the trade, refiefts, on 

 the viciffitude of human things, and determines to make the mod of 

 the prefent moment. He fees the extravagant profits, which his em- 

 ployer and the retailers again, who are fupplied by his employer, ex- 

 tort from their cuflomers. He determines to have his fliare of the con- 

 tribution, which is levied on folly and fafliion. He demands exorbi- 

 tant encreafe of wages ; if his employer refufes to comply, combina- 

 tion to raife the price of labour, riots, and outrage of every kind fuc- 

 ceed. 



Anderfon has a fenfible obfervation, applicable to the comparifon of 

 manufaftures with each other. " The moft neceffary fludy (fays he*) 

 " for thofe who wifli to promote manufaftures, is to difcover what 

 " kinds of them can mofl eafily and readily be eftablifhed, among the 

 " people." To thofe, which pofTefs this qualification, the attention of 

 the legiflature ought to be particularly direfted. Some of the foregoing 

 obfervations will be found ufeful, in the folution of this problem. We 

 may fay, in general, that thofe manufaftures may be the mofl; eafily 

 eftabliflied in any country, which minilter mofl immediately to the na- 

 tural 



• 



* Letters on Scotland. 



