AUVERGNE AND VELAY.

L'13

'luring the eighteenth century. In 1707 the manufacturersdemand a remission of the import duties of 1064 as unfair, 6 and" ith success. Scarce ten years afterwards, 7 notwithstanding theprivilege accorded, we again find them in trouble: whether theirpatterns did not advance with the fashions of the day, or themanufacturers deteriorated the quality of the thread too oftenthe effect of commercial prosperity—the magazines were filled"ith lace, “ propres, les unes pour 1’Italie, d’autres pour les meisdu sud,” which the merchants refused to buy. To remedy thisbud state of affairs, the commissioners assembled at Montpeliercoolly decided that the diocese should borrow 60,000 livres topurchase the dead stock, and so clear the market. After someurguments the lace was bought by the Sieur Jerphanion, syndic°f the diocese.

Prosperity, however, was not restored, for in 1755 we againhear of a grant of 1000 livres, payable in ten years by the states°f Velay, for the relief of the distressed lace-makers, and again afresh demand for exemption of the export duty. 8 Ihis is de-clared in a memorial of 1761 to be the chief cause of the distress,which memorial also states that, to employ the people in a morelucrative way, a manufacture of blondes and silk laces had beenintroduced.

Peucllet, with his predecessor, Savary, and other writers onstatistics, describe the manufacture of Le Puy as the most flouris*ug in France. “Her lace,” writes Peuchet, “resembles greatlythat of Flanders; much is consumed in the French dominions, anu considerable quantity exported to Spain, Portugal, L ei many,italy, and England. Much thread lace is also expedited by way°f Cadiz to Peru and Mexico. The ladies of these countnes trimtheir petticoats and other parts of their dress nit sue , aProlusion of lace as to render the consumption pro lgieuse.

Pcs Anglois en donnent des commissions en contreban e pour1'Isthmus de Panama. Les Hollaudois en demandent aussi et

“ They represent to the king that thelaces of tho “diocese du Buy, du Ve'layet de 1’Auvergne, dont il se faisait uncommerce tres-cunside'rable dans les paysetrangeis, par les ports de Bordeaux, DaRochelle et Nantes,’’ ought not to paythe import duties held by the “ cim[grosses formes.’’— Arrest du Consetl

tat du Boy, O’ August 1707. Arch.Coll. Rond. They ended by ob-ug a duty of five sous per lb.,ad of the 50 livres paid by FlandersEuglaud, or the 10 livres paid bylaces of Comte', Liege, and Lorraine.1715 and 1710.

See p. 51.