274 Public Establishment for 



the beginning, it afterwards richly repaid these advan- 

 tages, as will be seen in the sequel of this account. 



As the clothing of the army was the market upon 

 which I principally depended in disposing of the 

 manufactures which should be made in the house, the 

 woollen manufactory was an object most necessary to 

 be attended to, and from which I expected to derive 

 most advantage to the establishment ; but still it was 

 necessary to begin with the manufacture of hemp and 

 flax, not only because those articles are less valuable 

 than wool, and the loss arising from their being spoiled 

 by the awkwardness of beginners is of less conse- 

 quence, but also for another reason, which appears to 

 me to be of so much importance as to require a par- 

 ticular explanation. 



It was hinted above that it was found necessary, in 

 order to encourage beginners in these industrious pur- 

 suits, to pay them at a very high rate for the little 

 work they were able to perform ; but everybody knows 

 that no manufacture can possibly subsist long where 

 exorbitant prices are paid for labour, and it is easy to 

 conceive what discontent and disgust would be occa- 

 sioned among the workmen upon lowering the prices 

 which had for a length of time been given for labour. 

 By employing the poor people in question at first in 

 the manufactures of hemp and flax, manufactures 

 which were not intended to be carried on to any ex- 

 tent, it was easy afterwards, when they had acquired 

 a certain degree of address in their work, to take them 

 from these manufactures, and put them to spinning of 

 wool, worsted, or cotton, care having been taken to fix 

 the price of labour in these last-mentioned manufac- 

 tures at a reasonable rate. 



