552 OF THE FIRTH OF CLYDE. 



at a time too when tin- j<nirn< on the 



Th ^ for their labour j cs. a c ! . 



tout ha\ r themldvo or fh Itcr for 



thiii wives. \Yh( v of tro< i f'ioin 



the 'i Kind coul lurir.ih 



cooprrs enough to anlwer the fptedy d< m.Mxl J.M 

 packages, though (laves abound 

 ligent and active men, who were- entniltrd with the 

 victualling of that body of ';"<>p , collected 

 from the mod diflant j J.ind. An 



mtnt then may be delayed or cv <id, amid 



the prcflures of war, by the paucity, or th<- combi- 

 nation of coopers, whi( h may be procured equally 

 by the incitement of our faction^, 01 by the monev 

 our foes. But, combinations can onl>. 

 bv augmenting the numbers of the defective claflrs. 

 The augmentation of numbers can alone be gained 

 by additional employments; and thus combinations 

 among tradefmen may be prevented, or beat down, 

 by raifing up many competitors among the extrava- 

 gant workmen, whofe fervices arc wanted the mofr, 

 both in peace and war. It is furely wiferto guard by 

 forefight againft public difappointment 3 than to fol. 

 our misfortunes by the downfall of a minifler, who 

 may have been merely unable, from the fcarcity, or 

 combination of coopers, carpenters, and failors, to 

 .i meafure without the reach of pofllbility." 

 The fame author, fpeaking of the great encourage- 

 men given by this country to {hip-building in 

 America, fays, f ' Of the 67 9 veflels, which were re- 

 quired to tranfport the great Weft India cargo of 

 1772 to Britain, much more than two thirds had 



n built in our colonies ; to fo great an extent had 

 we refigned the mod ufeful of all our manufactures 

 to our colonies, contrary to the remonftrances of 

 the wiled men of their time. We have been fuffi- 



itly folicitous about the manufactures of wool, 

 pf ! 1 of iron in the colonies; but we have 



, during the lad century, for the more im- 

 portant 



