Essay on Sheep, 151 



dictate the continuance of this bounty for the 

 term of at least ten years, that every man who 

 has his flock still to change may have a pros- 

 pect of benefiting by the liberality of the Legis- 

 lature ; for within less than half that time the 

 competitors will be innumerable. In the mean 

 time the premium on cloth operates indirectly 

 as a bounty on wool ; for many families that raise 

 no wool, as the wives and daughters of mecha- 

 nics settled in the country, or in villages, will 

 find a pride and an interest in contending for 

 the prize, and will become purchasers of the 

 raw material at an advanced price: the most 

 skilful weavers and dressers will be carefully 

 sought out, and the celebrity they shall re- 

 spectively acquire by having their names re- 

 corded with the prize cloth, will excite emula- 

 tion among them, and afford full encourage- 

 ment to those whose skill and industry shall best 

 merit it. It may be a question how far it would 

 be well to give a bounty upon certain articles 

 made from the common wool of the country. 

 For my own part, I believe it unnecessary, be- 

 cause all wool of that kind is already worked 

 up in domestic manufactures, and is doubtless 

 employed in that way which is most useful; 

 if turned to a different use, perhaps neither the 

 public or the individual will be so well served 



