360 



the working weavers ? Abfurd ! We muft look for them among the in- 

 telligent manufadurers. — Go to the weavers in Spifal Fields, and fee 

 them, mere machines, directed by their employers, the mercers, fince 

 it is their capital, that fet the loom at work, their tafte and judgment 

 that direft and regulate its produftions. — What would be the effecl, 

 were the mercers of London to be rivalled by public money ? 1 he ruin 

 of the filk manufacture. — What induces men to embark large capitals ? 

 — Profit. The greater the profit of a manufacture, the greater will be 

 the capital employed in it ; and the greater the capital, the greater 

 quantity of induftry will be fet in motion. Thus, the direft tendency, 

 of meafures, fuch as I have dated, is to diminifli the quantity of that 

 induftry, which it feeks to augment.,. 



Another effeift of eftablifliments of 'this "^nature, is to raife jealoufies 

 among the different tradefmin, concerned in- the manufafture, wherein 

 they are employed. The drapers and mercers, (in Dublin for inftance) 

 are not pleafed with the manufafturers, who work for -the Society's 

 warehoufes. Jealoufies of this nature mull be detrimental to the ma- 

 nufadturing interefts of the kingdom at large. Fortunately for the kit^g- 

 dom (as Toung obferves) the ready money trade is, by no means, 

 equal to that on credit. The drapers and mercers fupport their trade, 

 in fpite of this formidable rival, backed with a premium of 2500/.' a 

 year appropriated to their ruin ; and this in order to encourage the 

 mannufaftures of the country ! Such has been the effeft, of the bell 

 intentions imaginable, injudicioufly directed. In truth, aggregate meet- 

 ings are not well calculated to prefide over, or encourage induftry. 

 And this leads me to the next fedion. 



Sect. 



