ENGLAND. 



747 



RcMilt of 

 evidence 

 before Par- 

 liament. 



Rttftfting 

 the Wot 

 Hidin* 



nufacturing and commercial state of the kingdom, from 

 evidence given before Parliament, than from any other 

 source, or by any other means; since no otherwise can 

 be had to the information, experience, and opi- 

 nions of so many persons, who must necessarily be so 

 extensively, accurately, and minutely informed, on the 

 subjects on which they give their evidence. 



The first point to which the evidence of the manu- 

 facturers examined before the committee of the House 

 of Commons relates, is the number of sheep kept in 

 England and Wales: these they estimated at 28,0^0,000; 

 and the produce of the rieece from these sheep, they 

 rated at 600,000 packs, of SiOlbs. each pack. Some 

 of the witnesses, however, were of opinion, that the 

 number of sheep, and consequently the produce of 

 wool, had diminished between the year 1784 and the 

 period of their examination. On the supposition that 

 the number of packs was 600,000, they rated the total 

 value of the wool in the kingdom at L.6,600,000, be- 

 ing at the average price of L. 1 1 per pack. The next 

 point to be ascertained respected the increase of the va- 

 lue of the raw material, after it was manufactured. This 

 increa-e evidently varied very much; in some kinds 

 of goods it was double only, while in other species of 

 goods, the increase was ninefold. As the quantity of 

 goods, in which the former rate of increase took place, 

 consumed a much greater proportion of the raw mate- 

 rial than the latter, the increase was supposed, on an 

 average, to be threefold. According to this supposi- 

 tion, the total value of woollen goods manufactured in 

 the kingdom amounted to L.I 9,800,000. Having thus 

 lined these points, or at least gained the opinion 

 of intelligent and experienced manufacturers respect- 

 ing them, it next became a question of considerable 

 importance to determine the number of people engaged 

 in this extensive manufacture. On this head, the evi- 

 dence is not so distinct and satisfactory ; we are merely 

 inf-irmed, without any detail being entered into, or any 

 satisfactory calculations given, that the woollen manu- 

 facture was supposed to give employment to three mil- 

 lions of men, women, boys, and girls : this astonishing 

 number was given in evidence, as being actually em- 



C loved, though at the same time, it was admitted, that, 

 y the use of the machinery in the various processes 

 previous to the weaving, 35 persons were enabled to 

 do the work, which about the year 1785, when ma- 

 chinery had not been introduced into the woollen ma- 

 nufacture, required the labour of 16S+ persons. It is 

 evident, tliat though, by the introduction of this ma- 

 chinery, the quantity of human labour necessary to ma- 

 nufacture the woollen goods was diminished, yet the 

 capital requisite to carry on the manufacture must 

 have been considerably increased ; and it was given in 

 evidence, that the capital vested in machinery and 

 buildings appropriated to the woollen manufacture, 

 was, in the opinion of the witnesses, supposed to be 

 nearly equal to the value of the raw material, or 

 L.6,000,000. 



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 Riding of Yorkshire, which at all times have 

 been the most important and extensive in the king- 

 dom, it was given in evidence, that there were employ- 

 ed in it 72,734 packs of wool, at that time worth 

 L. 1 1 a pack, and consequently, on the whole, worth 

 L.800,074 ; and that from this quantity of wool, there 

 was manufactured 272,755 pieces of broad cloth, which, 

 at about L.13, 18s. the piece, were of the value of 



L.3,795,157. It was further stated, that there were s 'ati.- 

 30,028 packs used in the woollen manufacture of the ^ 

 West Riding of Yorkshire, of the average value of L.I 4 

 per pack, which were manufactured into 1 80, 1 6'8 pieces 

 of narrow cloth, the average value of which was L.6 

 a piece, and consequently the total value of this species 

 of cloth was L. 1,08 1, 008, making the total value of 

 broad and narrow cloths to be L.4,876,l6o. The va- 

 lue of the kerseymeres, blankets, and other goods, was 

 rated at L.I, 600,000; and the value of the stuffs, or 

 worsted goods, at L.I, 400,000; the whole woollen goods 

 manufactured in the West Riding being thus estimated 

 at L.7,876.l65; 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- Errors 

 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 latter rather more than 393,000 packs. In 

 the second place, it appears to us that the number o'f 

 people stated to be employed in the woollen manufac- 

 ture of the whole kingdom, is also greatly over-rated. 

 We have seen that the value of the woollen goods manu- 

 factured in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was about VV 

 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 L.6,600,000: the value of the 

 whole manufactured goods, at L.I .9.800,000, leaving 

 L. 13,200,000 for interest of capital, manufacturing pro- 

 fit, and the wages of labour. We cannot estimate these 

 at less than 20 per cent, on the sum thus reduced, which 

 will make them amount to the sum of L. 2,6-10,000; 

 leaving the sum of L.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 w;:ges 

 of each individual, little more than L.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 

 L.I 7 per annum, we must suppose that the number of 

 people employed 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 quantity which we have shewn to be still 

 too great, ) but also form the calculation of the value of 

 the wool manufactured in 1800 at L.10, 10s. per pack, 

 making the total value L 5,250,000. But, if the ma- 

 nufacturers examined on this occasion, erred in estima- 

 ting 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 , 

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