THE WEALTH OK NATIONS.

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lower. The price of cow hides, as stated in the aboveaccount, is nearly in the common proportion to that of oxhides. That of sheep skins is a good deal above it. Theyhad probably been sold with the wool. That of calves skins,on the contrary, is greatly below it. In countries where theprice of cattle is very low, the calves, which arc not in-tended to be reared in order to keep up the stock, are gene-rally killed very young; as was the case in Scotland twentyor thirty years ago. It saves the milk, which their pricewould not pay for. Their skins, therefore, arc commonlygood for little.

The price of raw hides is a good deal lower at present thanit was a few years ago; owing probably to the taking off theduty upon seal skins, and to the allowing, for a limited time,the importation of rawhides from Ireland and from the plan-tations dutyfree, which was done in 1709. Take the wholeof the present century at an average, their real price has pro-bably been somewhat higher than it was in those ancienttimes. The nature of the commodity renders it not quite soproper for being transported to distant markets as wool. Itsuffers more by keeping. A salted hide is reckoned inferiorto a fresh one, and sells for a lower price. This circumstancemust necessarily have some tendency to sink the price of rawhides produced in a country which does not manufacture them,but is obliged to export them; and comparatively to raisethat of those produced in a country which does manufacturethem. It must have some tendency to sink their price in abarbarous, and to raise it in an improved and manufacturingcountry. It must have had some tendency, therefore, to sinkit in ancient and to raise it in modern times. Our tannersbesides have not been quite so successful as our clothiers, inconvincing the wisdom of the nation, that the safety of thecommonwealth depends upon the prosperity of their particularmanufacture. They have accordingly been much less fa-voured. The exportation of raw hides has, indeed, been pro-hibited, and declared a nuisance ; but their importation fromforeign countries has been subjected to a duty ; and thoughthis duty has been taken off’from those of Ireland and the plan-tations (lor the limited time of five years only), yet Ireland has not been confined to the market of Great Britain for thesale of its surplus hides, or of those which are not manufac-tured at home. The hides of common cattle have but withinthese few years been put among the enumerated commodities