— 
2804.] 
France, into the fineft broad cloths of Europe. 
A fumptuary law of the late Ruffian Em- 
peror Paul, which prohibited ftriped ftufts, 
has abolifhedamong theTartars the ufe of Nor- 
wich calamanco fafhes.- Surely it weuld be 
poflible, if the proper hint was given to an 
‘ambaflador or fecretary of ftate, to get fo ca- 
pricious a law refcinded, without awaiting the 
formal epocha of a new treaty of cammerce, 
Lord Hawkefbury’s father was not inattentive 
to fuch things; but now-a-days minifters afpire 
to no higher praife than that of the owls in 
the eaftern apologue, who glorify their fultan 
for ftocking his country with ruined villages, 
In the whole north of Europe a number of 
camblet peliices are made up every winter, 
The French camblets, although dearer than 
our-own, are commonly preferred; becaufe 
they are fofter to the touch, and lefs apt to 
chafe afunder at the folds and feams. Thefe 
flexible and durable French camblets are dyed 
in the piece, not in the yarns and are made 
not of the Jong woel of the Lincolnthire breed 
of fheep, but of the fhort wool of a breed re- 
fembling the South Down, Ferrets, bindings, 
worftead-ribbands and livery-lace were for- 
merly made here,to confiderable extent. 
The trade is well adapted to confume wafte 
and refufe yarns: it has been ufurped by Man- 
chefter; chiefly, it may be fulpeR&ed, becaufe 
thofe who fend travellers over the home-mar- 
ket have not thought it an obje& to accom: 
pany their other patterns with famples of 
fuch petty wares as haherdafhery and tailor’s 
trimmings. Ofthe ftaple-articles of this city 
it is ufelefs to fpeak.. No endeavour has been 
wanting in the makers to provide them well, in 
the merchants to explore the furthef% markets, 
or in the government to protect and extend 
their diftribution. If bombycines and bed- 
fatins have ceafed to pleafe, it is not to the 
negligence of man but to the caprice of wo- 
man, not ‘to the deficiences of art but to the 
laws of nature, that the-calamity muf be 
afcribed ; and we ought.to recolle& that the 
fame hand which wounds, atones, and that to 
the.tatte of the fair fex we are principally in- 
debted for the increafing barter of broad 
whites for tea. Our manufaétures, as Dr. 
johnfon obferves, have always been limited 
not by the poffibility of make but by the pof- 
fibility of fale. To the patriot it is no objeét, 
but it is fome to the citizen, to transfer hi- 
ther any branch of manufa@ture which is al- 
ready carried on fuccefsfully elfewhere. 
Pluthes and carpets might no doubt be made 
here to fome extent: fo might fome other 
fufts analogous to ourown. But manufac- 
tures tend to fettle in the coal-counties, 
in the dying and dreffing of all forts of goods 
much fire is ufed: in the movement of thofe 
Machineries which eventually undertake all 
the Gmpler operations of labor, fire is the 
prime agent: it is not likely, therefore, that 
any manufactures already dometticated in coal- 
counties fhould remove hither fo ag to thrive 
| Norfolk. 
‘s 
593 
remarkably, . The cotton-manufafory feems 
to form anexception. . Thofe f{triped cottons, 
of which failors fhirts and trowfers are. made, 
thofe bed and apron checks, thofe twifted cot 
tons, which ferve for land{men’s fhirts, many 
hucker-back napkins and table-cloths, fore 
calicoes, a few counterpanee are regularly made 
and fold bythe cotton-manufaGurers of Nor- 
wich. Indeed the demand for thefe commodi- 
ties is fo unlithited, and the wages of labour 
are fo often lower here than at Manchefter, 
where they flu€tuate greatly ,that itis probable 
a confiderable branch of the cotton-trade may 
eventually take root here; although thetrans- 
planters hitherto have rather acquired a title 
to the gratitude than to the gratulation of 
their fellow-citizens;s Another new branch 
of manufacture has lately fhot forth in this 
town which promifes to become durably im- 
portant—-the make of empen cloth; Under 
this defignation are comprehended as well the 
courfer fotts ufed for facking and packing as 
the finer forts ufed for fhirting’ and fheet- 
ing, and alfo many lineng in which flax is” 
mixed or even exclufively ufed. The linen 
trade of Norwich is at prefent favoured by 
the unfettled ftate of Ireland, by the increafed 
expence of importation from the Baltic, by 
the decay of manufa€tures in Flanders and 
near the feat of war, aided by a demand really 
progrefive both in this country and North 
America. The courfe of this manufa€tory 
hither may be inferred from the denomination 
Suffolk bempen cloth being Kill applied te the 
moft ufual quality. Qne reads on many boards 
*¢ Suffolk Hempen Cloth made here;” but 
the manufa&ture arrived at Norwich in a com- 
paratively rude ftate of its progrefs; and has 
here derived from the recent adoption of vari- 
ous proceffes, efpecially of fuch as the cotton- 
weavers had introduced, a marked acceleration 
and improvement of its creative powers. It 
is, however, ftill capable of further refinement 
and extenfion, - lt might probably embrace 
the make of damaik table-cloths, fuch as are 
now imported from Silefia. The art of mount- 
ing is well underitood here: the tying up of 
that ftring-work or flaxen machinery, by 
‘ means of which the tire-drawers produce flow- 
s 
erage and figures in apparent bafso-relieyo on 
the white furface, is already ufed inthe make 
of the worttead fatins : it can be transferred, 
without difficulty to the threads of flax. With 
cotton fhoots fuch table cloths would furely 
be cheaper, and certainly more beautiful, be- 
caufe more diftin& in their defign, than thofe 
of Germany. The fabrication of Cambricks 
is itfelf not impoflible here: but this general 
objeCtion lies againit attempting articles of a 
refined luxury—-that the demand is always 
fmall, and therefore comparatively infignifi- 
cant to the public profperity, and that in pe- 
riods of public diftrefs, and confequently of 
general economy, it always fails, But thefe 
are precifely the times when employment 
can leaft be difpenfed-with, The linen trade 
x would 
