iJ 
i 
. 
| Statistics. goat’s hair, crystals, oP other eoménodities 
State at the 
In 1695. 
a patent was granted to Isaac Robelin, engineer, di- 
rector of the fortifications of Burgundy, for the exclu- 
sive privilege of settling a tin manufacture in different 
parts of the kin By an arret of 1703, it appears 
that the manufactures of bays, perpets, and serges, 
which had been a after the union between the 
crowns of France and Spain, had already attained such 
ection as to rival those of England. 
Holland received most of these articles, besides saffron, 
soap, wood, honey, &c. The revocation of the edict of 
7 felt cera ae Lesatulig; Goethe 
were gen > out 
ts, ariffiona; ead manufac- 
turers of that kingdom. Those who had most money 
retired into England and Holland; but the most indus- 
trious part of them settled in Brandenburg, where 
they eager serpent petinke megan . peat 
draggets , crapes, , stockings, also the 
dyeing of all sorts Stedlours. he goldsmiths, jewel- 
lers, watch-makers, and carvers, settled in lin. 
From this account, and from the additional fact that 
is indebted to the refugees for her silk manu- 
factures, and also for improvements in the manufacture 
, hats, glass, watches, cutlery ware, jacks, 
8, surgeon's Instruments, hardware, &c. we may 
* 
circumstance in the history of 
the manufactures of France, me ig | the 18th century, 
previously to the commencement of the Revolution, re- 
ig the establishment of the cotton manufacture. 
precise era is not accurately known ; but it was 
certainly carried on at Rouen in Normandy, a consider- 
able time before the middle of the 18th erg 2 and 
it is said to have been introduced by a Mr Holkar, 
probably an Englishman. Before the year 1747, the 
manufacture of cottons, or cotton-linens as they were 
then called, was established at Nantes in Brittany, 
where it was supposed it would succeed better than in 
Rouen, as cotton, wool, and indi, were cheaper. 
Such are the principal eras in the history of the manu- 
factures of France; we shall now to consider 
their state, before they were affected by the Revolu- 
Manufac- ‘IJ. It may be proper to premise, that they are con- 
tures at the sidered to have flourished most between the years 1650 
Revolution. and 1750 ; and that, subsequently to the last period, se- 
veral causes, but chiefly the rivalship of English manu- 
factures, acted unfavourably on them. The following 
are the principal manufactures which were carried on 
in France, before the Revolution, most of which still 
FRANCE. 
719 
exist, though several of them are now very much de- Statistics. 
ressed, —— 
1. The woollen manufacture. Cloths of different qua- Woollen. 
lities form the most important and extensive part of 
this manufacture ; and the finest cloths are those for 
which France has always been chiefly celebrated. 
The very superfine French cloths are made at Louvieres 
in Normandy ; those of Abbeville, in Picardy, though 
fine, are not to be compared with them in taalieh: The 
Londrines, made at Carcassone in Languedoc, which 
were formerly the most suecessful manufacture in 
France, so far as concerned the rivalry of England, and 
were manufactured expressly for the Turkish and Chi- 
nese markets, are also of fine quality. The cloths of 
Julienne, and the superfine fabrics of Sedan, as well in 
scarlet as in other bright colours, and in black, are fit 
only for the rich, Fine cloths are also manufactured 
at Rouen, Darental, Audelis, Montauban, and in va~ 
rious places in Languedoc and Champagne ; but these 
are of various “i. of fineness, and applicable to va« 
rious purposes. of Andelis in Normandy are fine 
mixed cloths, similar to such as are made at Abbeville. 
There are fabrics of a second sort of cloth at Elbeuf in 
Normandy, and at Sedan: those of Elbeuf are best 
suited for workmen and mechanics, Chateaurouge, be« 
fore the Revolution, furnished a great deal of live 
cloth. Romarantin, Issodoren, and Lodeve, furnis 
cloths for military clothing. There are still inferior 
coarser cloths, made for the wear of the paysans and 
country labourers. The fabrics at Rheims, before the 
Revolution, beside the sort called draps de Rheims, con« 
sisted of an imitation of Silesian drapery, called Silesies, 
imitations of our Wiltons, called wilions, and casimeres, 
which they called maroes. Ratteens were made at Roy=' 
bons, Crest, and Saillans; cloths and ratteens at Ro« 
mans; cloths for billiard tables at St Jean-en Royans. 
Cloths of different descriptions and qualities were also 
made at Grenoble, Valence, Troyes, St Leo, Bayeux, 
Amboise, Niort, Coutange, Lusignon, &c. In the rank 
of coarse cloths, may also be placed the woollen stuffs 
of Aix,.Apt, Tarascon, Oleron, Orthes, Bagneres, Pau, 
Auch, the valley of Aure ; the cloths of Cevennes, Som- 
mieres, Limoux, &c. The greater part of these cloths 
bear the names of the various places in which they are 
fabricated. Besides cloths, properly so called, camblets, 
callimancoes, baizes, kerseys, wool and hair plushes, are 
made at Amiens; ts, flannels, blankets, at 
Rheims ; blankets in the suburbs of Paris; flannels at 
Beauvais; serges at Aumale, Bicomt, &c.; camblets 
and plushes at Margny ; hosiery at Compeigne and 
Rheims. 
In endeavouring to ascertain the state of the woollen 
manufactures, previous] to the Revolution, other par 
ticulars regarding it will be noticed, as -well as other 
places pointed out, where the several branches were 
carried on with success. The above is only a general 
sketch of it. 
In the flourishing period of the manufactures of Pi- 
cardy, it was calculated, that, in the city of Amiens 
only, they made 129,800 ap of woollen stuff, be- 
sides 50,000 pieces brought from the adjacent parts, 
which for that reason were called etoffes foreignes. The 
value of the woollen manufacture at this place was 
computed to amount to nearly 1,600,000 livres annual- 
ly. e extent and value of the manufactures of Abbe- 
ville were little inferior to those of Amiens. At Beau- 
vais, 500 looms were employed in making the two sorts 
of cloth manufactured there, and 40 fulling-mills: 68,000 
pieces of cloth were manufactured of 745,000 pounds: 
1 
In Picardy. 
