WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE. 



his general produce, and new aflbciates to fliare with him 

 the burden of taxation. 



The prices of heavy combing-wool in Lincolnfhire, 

 Nottinghamfhire, or Leicefterfhire, may be taken as the 

 average price of this kind of wool over the whole kingdom, 

 there being little variation in the value of this wool from 

 different diftncls. The following table will Ihew what have 

 been the price? for a great part of the lail century : 



Price per Tod of Lincolnftiire Fleeces, the Tod weigh- 

 ing 28 lbs. 



1706 

 1707 

 1711 



1713 

 1714 

 1715 

 1716 

 1717 

 1718 

 1719 

 1720 

 1721 

 1722 

 1723 

 1724 

 1725 

 1726 

 1727 

 1728 

 1729 

 1730 

 1731 

 1732 

 1733 

 1734 

 1735 

 1736 



1737 

 1738 



1739 



1740 

 1 741 

 1742 

 1743 

 1744 



From the year 1744 to the year 1777, the prices, though 

 occafionally fluftuating, continued much the fame as in the 

 preceding years, but we have not the means of afcertaining 

 precifely what they were in each year. The following- 

 table will fhew the prices of Nottinghamfhire and Leicefter- 

 fhire heavy combing-wool, taken from the moll authentic 

 fource. We confider the value of this wool to have been 

 fully equal to that of Lincolnfhire on each year. 



Price /^r Tod of 28 lbs. of Nottinghamfhire and Leicefter- 

 fhire heavy Combing-Wools. 



£ 



1777 ... o 



1778 ... .0 



1779 ... - o 



1780 ... .0 



1781 ... .0 



1782 ... .0 



1783 - - - . o 



The above were the average prices of the beft lots ; the 

 inferior ones might range from one to two fhiUings per tod 

 under the prices here given. It may be obferved, that the 

 price of this kind of wool was lower towards the clofe of 

 the American war, or about the year 1781 and 1782, than 

 in any former or fubfequent period of our hiftory, if we 

 take into confideration the relative value of money. At 

 that time, the quantity of wool unfold in the hands of the 

 farmer was nearly equal to three years annual growth ; a 

 quantity too large to have been confumed by our manu- 

 fafturers, had not the introduftion of machinery enabled 

 them to work it up with much greater facility than formerly. 

 The average weight of thefe fleeces may be flated at four or 

 feven pounds each fleece to the tod of 28 pounds. Since the 

 commencement of the prefent century, the price of this kind 

 of wool, it will be feen from the above table, has been amply 

 fufficient to remunerate the wool-growers ; and we confefs we 

 are utterly at a lofs to difcover on wliat grounds of found 

 pohcy or intereft they would wifh to make any change in the 

 laws refpefting the export of wool. Withrefpeft to fhort or 

 clothing wools, any change in the exifting laws would make 

 no alteration whatever in the price ; for it is the extreme of 

 prejudice to affert, that our native clothing fleeces are 

 necefTary to the foreign manufafturer, either to f'upply his 

 demand or improve the quality of his own wool. We 

 might with equal juftnefs revive the abfurd opinion, fo con- 

 fidently maintained a few years fince, that the beft Spanifh 

 wool would not make cloth without an admixture with that 

 of England. 



4O 2 



