Our Author very judicioufly afks, How many inhabitants the lefs does this country poffefs on account of our prefent machines, our filk-mills, ftocking-frames, water-mills, wind-mills, iron and copper works?' And then makes the following juft obfervation Foreigners are in poffeffion of a branch of exportation, wrought by induftrious hands, out of which we want to beat them: In what manner fhall we form the endeavour? By the expenfive round of labour, or by a machine? It is odds if the first answers; the invention of the latter infures fuccefs.

We are furprized to obferve in this Effay that an Author who, in general, thinks fo juftly about manufactures, and the means of encouraging them, fhould recommend the inftitution of inSpectors as a means fubfervient to this end! If he confiders but for a moment the extreme difficulty of this measure in curious and complex manufactures, this alone will exclude a multitude of other reasons against such a measure: and we are perfuaded, except what laws may do with refpect to falfe lengths and breadths, and other equally obvious inftances of deceit, that it is neither practicable nor advisable, in moft cafes, to limit the quality of manufactures by any authority whatsoever.

We cannot take leave of this effay without laying before our Readers the Author's very important and judicious obfervations on the fituation of manufactories as a means of rendering their productions cheap and faleable.

As it appears fo ftrongly, that felling manufactures cheap is the only way to have them flourishing, no methods of attaining that end fhould be overlooked. I have already endeavoured to prove, that on this account there fhould be a balance between the price of labour and that of provifions, that foreigners may not be able to underfell us; for this reafon likewife, the fituation of manufactories fhould be attended to with great care at their establishment. There is always a difference between the prices of provifions, &c. in great cities and in the country; fo that they may rife in the former too high for the profperity of manufactures, which therefore should ever be eftablished in diftant provinces.

I know it may be urged, that the prices of provifions are frequently too low for the profperity of manufactures (indeed oftener than too high, while there remains no exact balance) and in that cafe, the rife occafioned by a great city will be advantageous, which is fo far very juft; but this leads me to remark, that the luxury and debauchery of them will, at all times, occafion more mischief than to balance this benefit.

• Provifions certainly may rife to fuch a height all over the kingdom, that the labouring poor muft work fix days in the week to be able to live, and even good hours every day. That is precifely the proper height of prices; but then, an additional price will have evil confequences; matters must raife their wages, and that mull be attended with a greater price of the manufactures; the competition

of

of foreigners then takes effect, and the whole fabric goes to ruin. This height of prices exifts in London, for instance, when the country ejoys the exact medium.--By the height of prices, the reader will doubtlefs understand, houfe-rent, and all neceffaries of life as well as food.

Thefe facts fufficiently fhew, that the fituation of manufactories is an article of great importance; and confequently one way of pro moting their profperity is, by eftablishing them in the country inflead of great cities, and removing thofe into the country which are already in London; a business which may by fome be thought a difficulty, but an earneft endeavour, I am perfuaded, might effect it.'

It is to be wifhed this Author had pointed out fome practicable way of removing moft of the manufactories into the country that are now eftablifhed in London, if any probable plan had occurred to his mind; for the inconvenience and bad policy of crowding this city with manufactories is obvious enough, and calls loudly for an effectual and difcreet remedy. It is a delicate fubject, and will admit of no violent measures; and, indeed, we muft own, it has long been a matter of furprize to us that the conveniences of a country fituation have not induced many of the London manufacturers voluntarily to take the advantage of it! The contrary cuftom is deftructive both of population and commerce; as great towns deftroy men very rapidly by debauchery and bad air, and render the price of labour extremely high, by the high price of many effential articles of life, and especially by a luxurious and expenfive way of living, which the mechanics in great towns are very apt to fall into.

If our Spitalfields manufacturers, for inftance, complain that the French underfell them, even here, notwithstanding the expence and rifque of fmuggling, let them attend to the true caufes of this evil, and refolve to remove them by a rational, spirited behaviour, and not by unavailing complaints. On examination they will probably find a remedy injudiciously applied, not many years ago, to be one confiderable caufe of this evil; we mean the total prohibition of French filks, &c. as this prohibition is the occafion of their being fmuggled in upon us without paying any duty at all, and confequently of coming much cheaper to the wearer than if they had been admitted to entry upon fuch a duty as would have brought them in confiderally dearer than our English manufactures; as would have taken away the temptation to fmuggling, and have brought fomething to the revenue.

Another and a chief caufe of this evil muft evidently arife from the very expenfive fituation of the manufactory in a luxurious capital city, where houfe-rent is more than double, and the price of coals three times as much as in many parts of the country. This caufe of the dearness of our manufactures can only be removed by the removal of the manufactory itfelf; in which it

is to be wifhed fome fpirited young manufacturer, not yet efta blished to his mind, would fet an example by fixing himfelf in Lancashire, where he muft foon find fuch advantages as will give him a fuperiority over those who remain in their prefent deftructive fituation, and induce them to go and do likewife. And we cannot but think this ftep fo effential to the preservation of our valuable filk manufactories in Spitalfields, and many others unfortunately and impoliticly established in the city, that we fhould hope, upon a proper application and reprefentation of the cafe, fome men of property and independant fortunes might be found to give effential support and encouragement to perfons duly qualified and willing to make trial of better fituations.

But there is one other deficiency in many of our manufactures that depend upon tafle, which purchasers seem to be more fenfible of than manufacturers; and which is of fo much confequence, that neither good workmanship, nor even cheapness, can counterbalance; and that is a want of defign in patterns and forms. And this deficiency cannot be removed unless the manufacturers will themselves ftudy the principles of tafle, and spare no expence in procuring the best defigns, on which the character and fale of their goods will depend more than upon any other circumftance attending the manufactory.

We have been informed, from undoubted authority, that his Majefty himself has been pleafed to obferve, "That no manufacturers in Europe are equal to those of this country in all the effential parts of workmanship; that his people only stood in need of fome little improvement in the article of DESIGN; and that it was chiefly with a view of raising up numbers of artists for the benefit of our manufactures, and procuring the manufacturers the only affiftance they feemed to want, that he established the Royal Academy"—A noble defign! the effects of which are already visible in many of our manufactures.

For fome other means of promoting the British manufactures mentioned by our Author, we muft refer to the book itfelf; and proceed, in the moderate space that we can dedicate to the remainder of this work, to turn the Reader's attention to our Author's Effays on the Colonies, and on Commerce.In the former of thefe Effays we believe the Author has fulfilled his own intention of giving a more comprehenfive view of the British colonies, in a small compafs, than is to be met with in any of the numerous volumes written on the subject:' and in both the Reader will meet with many important and interesting views and confiderations.

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Our Author confiders the prefent State of the BRITISH COLONIES under the following heads:

I. Prefent

I. Prefent fate in respect of fituation, population, agriculture, manufactures, and labour.

• II. Staple commodities.

III. Benefits refulting to Britain from her fettlements.

IV. Defects in their establishment, and the means of remedying them. V. Security of their remaining under the dominion of Britain. VI. Comparison between them and the colonies of other nations. • VII. Of forming new fettlements.'

In the first fection of this Effay we have a pretty extensive view of the fituation, climate, extent, number of people, increafe, agriculture, commerce, filheries, manufactures, and labour of the colonies; and from this general view the Author comes to the following conclufions:

I. That the number of their people are about two millions and an half.

II. That the northern colonies (thofe north of Maryland) in refpect of climate, foil, agriculture and manufactures, poffefs moft of the requifites of an independent people; differing very little in the effects of thofe circumftances from Britain.

• III. That the middle colonies (Maryland and Virginia) in re fpect of agriculture, resemble of late years the northern in refpect of manufactures they poffefs a few, but those of no great amount; in respect of climate and foil they are excellent, as admitting a culture different from that of Britain.

IV. That the fouthern colonies (the reft of the continental ones, and the Weft India iflands) in refpect of all the above-named particulars, are abfolutely in a different walk from Britain, being entirely employed in raifing grofs commodities for her; Florida excepted, which is yet unknown.'

And here this Gentleman has established an important diftinction, which he continually keeps up, and places in a very ftriking light, between the northern and fouthern continentál colonies, fhewing that the former are dangerous rivals of the mother country; and the latter the only proper and beneficial colonies to Britain. The proofs he gives, in various parts of his work, of the truth of this diftinétion, are fuch as ought to have great weight with those who are concerned in the politi cal administration of the colonies, and ought to be attended to in all future attempts to extend the utility of thefe colonies, as well as in the establishment of new ones.

In the fecond fection of this Effay, the Writer gives a particular view of the ftaple commodities of the West Indies, and continental colonies, with calculations of their amount; and hints and excitements for the further improvement and cultivation of thofe that are moft deferving of encouragement; and, in our opinion, he lays a good foundation for the following conclufion :

It appears upon the whole, that the ftaple productions of our coJonies decrease in value in proportion to their distance from the fun.

In the West Indies, which are the hottest of all, they make to the amount of 81. 12 s. 1 d. per head. In the fouthern continental ones, to the amount of 5 1. 10 s. In the central ones, to the amount of 9 s. 6 d. In the northern fettlements, to that of 2s. 6d. This scale furely fuggefts a moft important leffon-to avoid colonizing in northern latitudes! Eighteen pounds, the export of Nova Scotia, after feveral years fettlement, after the utmost attention from the government, after a million fterling of the publick money being expended upon it, is an example one would think fufficient to deter the boldest projector! But if our colonies to the north produce fuch trifling ftaples, thofe to the fouth, on the contrary, are immenfely valuable-indeed of fuch infinite importance to this nation, that general expreffions of the benefit of our fettlements fhould never be indulged.'

And, a little after, the Author obferves,

The inhabitants of the West India islands and the fouthern continental colonies wear not a rag of their own manufacturing; drive not a nail of their own forging; eat not out of a platter or a cup of their own making; nay, the former produce not even bread to eat; and if that was the cafe with all the reft, provided Britain could regularly fupply their deficiency (which under a certain fyftem of policy fhe undoubtedly might) it would be fo much the better for her-fo entirely do thefe colonies depend upon the mother-country for all manufactures! and all from poffeffing beneficial ftaples. Of fuch vaft confequence is it to the country, to plant new colonies or extend our old ones, only in climates which will allow of fuch capital advantages!'

Our Author, in his third fection, treating of the navigation of the colonies, fhews that the feamen they employ amount to 30,000; and fays,

It may poffibly be expected, that I fhould enlarge upon the vast confequences of fuch a number of feamen to a maritime power; and efpecially after what one of the best of the North American writers has obferved with a degree of rapture: "In another century, the greatest number of Englishmen will be on this fide the water. What an acceffion of power to the British empire by fea as well as by land! What increafe of trade and navigation! What numbers of fhips and feamen! We have been here but little more than 100 years, and yet the force of our privateers in the late war (1750) united, was greater, both in men and guns, than that of the whole British navy in Queen Elizabeth's time." What therefore must they have been in the laft war!---But notwithstanding all this I am very far from placing to the account of Britain, one jot of all thefe fine doings. And very clear I am, that the employment of the 12,000 feamen first mentioned is of twenty times the confequence to this country of all the 30,000 kept by the colonies themfelves.

The more this fubje&t is inquired into, the more evidently and clearly will it appear, that the production of flaple commodities is the only business proper for colonies, whatever elfe they go upon, it is abfolutely impoffible that they thould by any employment whatever make up for the want of the one really neceffary. For want of this capital foundation of a colony, our northern fettlements we