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among other means of redrefs, demanded a prohibition of the export of cotton, filk,wool, Leather , and, in genera’, of all raw materials. It was ftrenuoufly oppofed by a fewmen, better acquainted than the common mafs with political principles, but in vain ;anil orders were given to prepare the decree, which I am allured will pafs. As T havein various papers-in the “Annals of Agriculture” entered much at large into this ques-tion, I fliall only mention a few circumftances here, to convince France , if poffible, ofthe mifehievous and moll pernicious tendency of fuch a fyftem, which will be attendedwith events little thought of at prefent in that kingdom. As it is idle to have recourfeto reafoning when facts are at hand, it is only neceffary to deferibe the effeCt of a iimi-lar prohibition in the cafe of wool in England : -- 1 ft, The price is funk by it‘50 per cent,below that of all the countries around us, v hich, as is proved by documents unqueftion-able, amounts to a land-tax of between three and four mi'iiions fterling ; being fo muchtaken from laud and given to manufactures, cd, Not to make them flourifh ; for afecond curious fact is, that of all the great fabrics of England that of wool is lealt prof-perous, and has been regularly molt complaining, of which the proofs are before thepublic : the policy therefore has failed ; and becaufe it fails in England, it is going tobe adopted in France . The home monopoly of wool gives to the manufacturers fo greata profit, that they are not felicitous about any extenfion of their trade beyond the homeproduct; and to this it is owing that no foreign wool. Spanifh alone excepted, (which isnot produced here,) is imported into England. The lame t^ing will happen in France ;the home-price will fall; the landed iatereft will be robbed ; and the manufacturer, fad-ing the fweets of monopoly, will no longer import as before : the fabric at large will re-ceive no increafe ; and all the effect will be, to give the mafter manufacturer a greatprofit on a fmall trade : he will gain, but the nation will lofe. 3d, The molt flourish-ing manufacture of England is that of cotton, of w'hich the manufacturer is fo far fromhaving a monopoly, that Ev-ths of the material are imported under a duty, and our ownexportable duty free. The next (poflibiy the firft) is that of hardware ; Englifh iron isexported duty free, and the import of foreign pays 2I. 16s. 2d. a ton ; Fnglilh coals ex-ported in vaft quantities. Glafs exhibits the fame ipeCtacle ; Englifh kelp exportableduty free, and 16s. 6d. a ton on foreign ; raw filk pays 3s. a lb. on import; export ofBritifh hemp md flax undreffed is free, foreign pays a duty on import; Britifh rags, formaking paper, exportable duty free ; unwrought tin, lead, and copper all exportableeither free, or under a flight duty. The immenfe progrels made by thefe manufactures,particularly hardware, cotton, glafs, flax, and earthen-ware, another in which no mono-poly of material can exift, is known to all Europe ; they are among the greateft fabricsin the world, and have rifen rapidly ; but note (for it merits the attention of France )that wool has experienced no fuch rife *. Our policy in wool ftands on faCt, thereforeconviCted of rottennefs ; and this is precifely the policy which the new government ofFrance copies, and extends to eve"y raw material! 4th, The free trade in raw mate-rials is neceffary, like the free trade in corn, not to fend thofe materials abroad, but tofecure their production at home ; and lowering the price, by giving a monopoly to thebuyer, is not the way to encourage farmers to produce. 5th, France imports filk andwool to the amount of 50 or 60 millions a year, and exports none, or next to none ;why prohibit an export, which in fettled times does not take place ? At the prefent mo-ment, the export either takes place, or it does not take place ; if the latter, why prohibita trade which has no exiftence ? If it does not take place, it proves that the manufac-
v Exports 171 : 7 , 4>75 !? > c 9 l d- In t 7 6 7 > 4-377. 462. In r^ 77 , 3,74:^53/1- In i7 s 7, 3.6S7-795 1 -See this fubjeft fully examined, Annals of Agriculture, vol. x. p. 23 5 .
turers