OF THE COUNTY OF DOWN. 229 



ment held out by parliament, before this manufacture 

 arrived at its prefent ftate of perfection. But one re- 

 gulation I cannot pafs by, as it is fo glaring an inftance 

 of the manner, in which a body of uninformed men may 

 be led by defigning perfons, to take a part totally op- 

 pofite to their own interefts. Previous to the year 1760 

 all linen fold in the markets was meafured by the buy- 

 ers, before it was paid for ; the confequence of this 

 was lofs of time, conftant difputes between the draper 

 and the weaver, and often lofs on the part of the lat- 

 ter, who was not feldom obliged to fubmit to fraudu- 

 lent meafurement rather than take back his web, as the 

 buyer could better do without the linen than the feller 

 without his money. The iniquity, as well as the in- 

 convenience of this practice, was feen by a gentleman 

 in the bufmefs, eminent for his talents, and for under- 

 ftanding the true interefts of the trade. In confequence 

 an aft was obtained, appointing perfons called feal- 

 maflers to meafure and infpeft each web before it was 

 expofed to fale, fealing it, if properly made, with a feal 

 given by the Board, fetting on it at the fame time the 

 exaft length. Thefe feal-mafters gave fecurity for the 

 proper difcharge of their office, and were anfwerable 

 to the drapers for any fault in the webs; they were 

 paid by the weavers for their trouble. A certain day 

 was fixed for the operation of this aft, previous to 

 which a number of the lower buyers of linen had the 

 art to perfuade the weavers, that it was againft their 



imereft, 



