UNITED STATES. CH AP. XXVI. 



and the colonies still left to Europeans in the 

 western world. The jewellery and plate in 

 those countries were commonly supplied from 

 Europe, and France and England had the largest 

 share of the trade. Of late years, in the United 

 States, there has been a considerable progress made 

 in even the more delicate kinds of manufacture. 

 Since the enactment of the new tariff, which 

 imposed a heavy tax on the importation of jewellery, 

 the manufacture of it has much increased. During 

 the inquiry among the jewellers in London and 

 Birmingham, it was ascertained that many of the 

 workmen in the several branches had been induced, 

 by offers of high wages, with security for the 

 continuance of them, to emigrate to New York, 

 Philadelphia, and Boston. From the great number 

 of families in that country, who are in easy cir- 

 cumstances, and who have a taste for the comforts and 

 conveniences of life, we should estimate the demand 

 for gold and silver at a higher rate, according to 

 the free population, than that assumed as the con- 

 sumption of Europe ; but on the other hand it is 

 to be considered that during a part of the period 

 in question the greater portion of the demand 

 was satisfied from the workshops of the several 

 European states. Under these circumstances we 

 may venture to estimate the quantity of the pre- 

 cious metals used in the United States at about 

 one-twentieth of that consumed in Europe. What 

 is consumed in Canada, Nova Scotia, and the Bri- 



