128 Industrial Experiments in Colonial America. 



industry did not begin to flourish till the middle of the eight- 

 eenth century.^ Household utensils, especially pewter dishes, 

 were manufactured generally ; - and the hat trade was suffi- 

 ciently vigorous to call forth an act of Parliament for its sup- 

 pression.^ 



It is impossible, here, to enumerate all the industries which 

 sprang up in the colonies or to go into the details of the 

 progress of each branch. Probably the government heard very 

 little about many of the minor manufactures, but they were con- 

 tinually informed of the growing danger of the colonies run- 

 ning into the woolen manufacture. The spinning and weav- 

 ing of wool and flax were the objects of the special jealousy of 

 Parliament, which feared competition with the great national 

 industry, if the colonists should begin to export their own man- 

 ufactures. Even if they made merely enough for their own use, 

 the decrease in the exportation of English goods to the planta- 

 tions would be a serious misfortunte. Consequently, the act of 

 the Virginia Legislature, in 1684, to encourage textile manu- 

 facture was promptly annulled ; and in accordance with the 

 same policy, an act of Parliament was passed prohibiting the 

 export of wool from one plantation to another.* 



William Penn himself, in his " Proposals for the Benefit of 

 Trade,"^ wished to forbid the provinces to obstruct the passage 

 of ships carrying English goods from one plantation to another 

 by imposing customs ; " for it plainly incommodates and dis- 

 courages the king's subjects and puts them upon shifting for 

 themselves without the need of such goods, and so far prevents 

 the consumption of our English growth and manufactures, and 

 hurts, thereby, trade and navigation." 



The Board of Trade, at the outset, took the matter of the 

 woolen industry in America into consideration, along with the 

 proposals for importing naval stores. Almost without excep- 



^Weeden, p. 184. 



^Weeden, p. 308. 



^5 Geo. II, c. 22. 



^loand iiWilliam III, c. 10, Sect. 19. 



^B. T. New Eng., A: 60, I. 



