young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE .

3&S

Total Exports of England to France in 1789,

hV

58,000,000

Ditto of Englifh manufactures in 1 787,

1788,

1789,

33,000,00027,000,00023,",'00,000

Hence it appears, that the two cuftom-houfes do not differ effentially in their ac-counts.

Before I offer any obfervations on thefe accounts, I fliall fnfert a few notes 1 made atfome confiderable towns of the intelligence I received perfonally..

r - 87. —Abbeville. —In difcourfe upon the effeCl of the new treaty of commerce-with England, they exprefTed great apprehenfions that it would prove extremely detri-mental to their manufactures. I urged their cheap labour and provifions, and the encou-ragement their government was always ready to give to manufactures : they faid, thatfor their government nothing was to be depended upon ; if their councils had under-flood the manufactures of the kingdom, they certainly would not have made the treatyupon fuch terms; that there were intelligent perfons in their town who had been in Eng-land, and who were clearly of opinion, that the fimilar Englilh fabrics were fome cheaperand others better, which, aided by fafhion in France , would give them a great advantage;that provifions were by no means cheap at Abbeville, and the workmen in feveral branch-es of their fabrics were paid nearly as much as in England, without doing the work equallywell, at lead this was the opinion of fome very good judges ; and laftly, that all Abbe-ville are of this opinion.

Amiens . —I had here fome converfation to the fame purport as at Abbeville; the-whole town I was affured had been alarmed from the firfl rumour of the terms onwhich the treaty of commerce had been concluded ; they are well convinced that theycannot in any one inllance, as they affert, fland the competition of Englifh goods. Onmy afking what reafon they had for fuch an idea, the perfon I converfed with went intoa warehoufe, and bringing a piece of fluff and another of flannel, they were, he faidEnglifh, and from the price at which they were gotten before the treaty, he drew theconclufion; he was alfo, he faid, well informed of the prices in England. In the cot-ton fabric, he faid, the fuperiority was yet greater; in a word, that Amiens would beruined, and that on this point there was but one opinion.

The manufacturers of all countries are full of thefe apprehenfions, which ufuallyprove extremely groundlefs. In all probability the effeCl would be as expeCled, if acounter flream of emulation and induflry did not work againft it. The introductionof Englifh fabrics may be hurtful for a time, but in the long run may be beneficial, byfpurring up the French manufacturers to greater exertions and to a keener induflry.

Bourdeadx. —The intercourfe between this port and England has been increafedagreat deal fince the treaty. Warehoufes of Englifh goods are opened. The articlewhich has hitherto fold the befl, and quickeft, is that of the Staffordfhire potteries; thequantities of thefe which have been fold is very great: but the hardware fent hitherhas been found fo dear, that it could not be fold in competition with French and Ger-man, except in a very few articles. Of fadlery there are feveral fliops opened that havefold largely. Beer has been tried, but would not do; the Dutch is flill preferredfor the Weft Indies as cheaper ; that of England has been fold at 90 livres the barique,of 250 French bottles, and fome of it arrived fo bad as not to be merchantable. Wine