104 



WOOLLENS WOOLLETT. 



absolute decline of the manufacture, no doubt con- 

 tributed powerfully to check its progress. In 1802, 

 the oflicial value of the exports rose to 7,32 1 ,0 1 '2, 

 being the largest amount they have ever reached. 

 In 1812, they sunk to 4,376,479. During the 

 three years ending with 1830, the official and the 

 declared or real values of the woollen manufac- 

 tures exported from the United Kingdom were as 

 follows : 



18i8. UpB. 1830. 



Official YAlue of woollen 



manufacture* exported. 3.728,969 5,372,490 5.558,709 

 Declared or real value of 



ditto, .... 5,125,' 84 4,661,259 4,860,884 



In 1836, the declared value (as may be seen from 

 a previous table) was 7,639,363. 



/ 'nlue of the Manufacture. Numbet of Persons 

 employed. The most discordant estimates have 

 been given as to both these points. For the most 

 part, however, they have been grossly exaggerated. 

 Mr Stevenson, who is one of the writers on British 

 statistics on whose statements the most reliance is 

 to be placed, after a careful examination into the 

 subject, has given the following estimate of the 

 value of the woollen manufactured goods annually 

 produced in England and Wales, and of the interest, 

 &c., of the capital, and the number of persons em- 

 ployed in the manufacture : 



Total value of manufactured 

 articles, .... 18,000,000 



Value of raw material, . 6,000,000 



Interest on capital, sum tore- 

 place its wear and tear, and 

 manufacturers' profits, 2,400,000 



Wages of workmen, . 9,600,000 



18,000,000 



Number of people employed, 480,000, or perhaps 500 000. 



We believe, however, taking Scotland into ac- 

 count, and looking at the probable annual expendi- 

 ture of each individual on woollens, that the total 

 value of the manufactured articles annually produc- 

 ed in Great Britain may, at present, be moderately 

 calculated at 20,000,000, or 22,000,000. But, 

 on the other hand, Mr Stevenson has materially 

 underrated the proportion of the entire value ol 

 the manufacture falling to the share of the capital- 

 ists, and required to indemnify them for their vari- 

 ous outgoings, and to yield them ordinary profits. 

 In estimating the wages of the persons employed at 

 about eight shillings a week, or twenty pounds a 

 year, he is below the mark ; and ten shillings a 

 week, or twenty-six pounds a year, would be a 

 more correct average. The number of persons em- 

 ployed in the manufacture does not probably much 

 exceed, if it does not fall short of 400,000. 



The low condition of the woollen manufactures 

 in the United States ot America at the commence- 

 ment of the last war with Great Britain, was shown 

 by the request of the secretary of war to congress, 

 that the existing laws might be so far repealed as 

 to allow the importation of six thousand blankets 

 for the Indian department. The law, however 

 was not repealed, and the want of woollens, during 

 that contest, caused the establishment of some 

 woollen factories, and an extension of the business 

 of those which had previously existed ; but they 

 could supply only a small part of the demand, am 

 an illicit trade was, in fact, kept up with the ene 

 my. The growth of sheep, and the manufacture 

 of their wool, was of considerable value soon afte 

 the close of the war; and many millions of dollar 

 were invested in the?e branches of business, fine 

 woolled sheep having been purchased at most ex 



ravagant prices, because fine wool had been sold 

 "or from three to four dollars per pound. But the 

 igh duties imposed during the war were reduced 

 after its termination, and vast quantities of British 

 and other woollen goods were introduced and sa- 

 crificed to break up the American establishments. 

 The manufacturers were ruined, and the sheep 

 were, to a great extent, slaughtered. Soon after 

 he British cloths greatly advanced in price, and 

 he American establishments began partially to re- 

 vive, and maintained themselves, though the. busi- 

 ness was not profitable till the passage of the tariff 

 aw of 1824, by which the existing duty of fifteen 

 >er cent, on cloths and cassimeres, was immediate- 

 y raised to thirty per cent., and was to be made 

 thirty-three and a half per cent, after June 30, 

 1823. An ad valorem duty of twenty per cent., 

 instead of the existing duty of fifteen per cent., 

 was also imposed on imported wool, to advance to 

 thirty per cent, after June 1, 1826, on all wool 

 costing more than ten cents per pound. Contem- 

 poraneously with the changes in the American ta- 

 riff, a revision of the English tariff was made, 

 avowedly with the object of enabling the British 

 manufacturers to command the foreign, and espe- 

 cially the American market of low-priced cloths. 

 The duty imposed in 1824, proved inadequate for 

 the protection of the American woollen manufac- 

 tures ; and their languishing state indicated the ruin 

 of those engaged in them, unless further legislative 

 encouragement was afforded. A bill to this effect 

 received the sanction of the house, but was laid on 

 the table in the senate by the casting vote of the 

 vice-president. Steps were immediately taken to 

 bring the subject again before congress; and a con- 

 vention of delegates from the states interested was 

 held at Harrisburg, in August, 1827. This con- 

 vention prepared a memorial, recommending an ad 

 valorem duty of forty per cent, on woollen manu- 

 factures, with an annual increase of five per cent, 

 until it amounted to fifty per cent. In the debates 

 on this subject in the next session of congress, Mr 

 Mallary estimated the consumption of woollens in 

 the United States at 72,000,000 dollars per an- 

 num; of which 10,000,000 dollars were imported, 

 22,000,000 dollars the productions of American 

 manufactures, and 40,000,000 dollars the result of 

 household industry. The tariff adopted during 

 that session much increased the existing duties both 

 on manufactured and unmanufactured wool. Some 

 changes in these particulars were made by the tariff 

 of 1832. In the report on wool and woollens, made 

 to the " friends of domestic industry," assembled 

 in New York in the autumn of 1831, the gross 

 annual product of wool and its manufactures in the 

 United States was estimated at 40,000,000 dollars. 

 The fixed and floating capital vested in the wool- 

 len manufactories in the United States, such as 

 lands, water-rights, buildings, machinery, stock on 

 hand, and cash employed, was estimated at an equal 

 amount. The proportion between the amount of 

 wool used in the factories and that worked up by 

 household industry, was estimated to be as three to 

 two. 



WOOLLETT, WILLIAM, an eminent engraver, 

 was born at Maidstone, in Kent, August 27, 1735. 

 He was the son of a thread-maker, and early at- 

 tracted the notice of his school-master by his dis- 

 play of talent for drawing. Having attempted 

 some engravings in copper, which were seen by Mr 

 Tinney, an engraver, the latter took him as an 

 apprentice. When out of his time his rise in his 



