will completely have established their reputation, and fecure the confequent profit, by the time others fee the advantage.

The woollen trade never would have flourished in this country, had it not been in a moft fpecial manner encouraged and protected, and in particular by raifing and preventing the exportation of the raw material. By what fatality is it then, that in this enlightened age, we neglect to do, or are ignorant of what was done in the remote times of Edward III.? Let us cultivate in abundance the material, and encourage the manufacture and application of machinery, and there is no doubt but that the linen trade will become amongst one of the best in the kingdom.

Of all the manufactures that exift, none deferves encouragement fo much as the linen; the fimplicity of the apparatus, and the smallness of the stock, make it a branch capable of being carried on, either by the poor, who are at prefent a burden on the public, or by others at fpare times, when they would otherwise be idle; fo that the whole will almost be clear gain, not as labour turned from another char.nel, but as labour arifing from time that otherwife would not be occupied at all. If we confider with how few manufactures this is the case, we shall the more readily and the more highly appreciate that of linen. SILK. The manufacture of filk in England has fluctuated extremely, being dependent on fashion, and never supported in any great degree by the benefits of an export trade, fince the nations on the continent have rivalled and generally furpaffed us in this article; yet when filk was much ufed in drefs, especially among females, great numbers of British artists were fupported by fabricating it; they had long enjoyed great profits and confiderable reputation, when, in 1685, their art was greatly im proved by the refugees from France, who fought in this country an asylum against a most inhuman and injudicious perfecution. Of late, their trade has not been so flourishing, fashion having induced the female part of the community to adopt the fyftem of wearing vegetable in preference to animal clothing; a fyftem which to Dr. Johnson seemed so effential, as to make him, in a fit of sportive zeal, imagine himself the poffeffor of a Seraglio.

STOCKINGS. The introduction of ftockings into England was not of very ancient date. The art of manufacturing them with knitting needles was learnt from Spain; the filk ftockings faid to have been firft worn by Henry VIII. and Edward VI. were imported, but thofe prefented to Queen Elizabeth in 1561, were manufactured at home. In 1589, or according to fome in 1600, William Lee, A. M. of St. John's College in Cambridge, in vented an engine or steel loom, called the stocking frame, for knitting or weaving stockings. This was but twenty-eight years

3

years after we had first learned from Spain the method of knitting them by wires or needles. Mr. Lee's invention has proved a confiderable benefit to the ftocking manufacture, by enabling England, in after-times, to export vaft quantities of filk stockings to Italy, &c. where it seems, by Sir Jofiah Child's excellent Difcourfes on Trade, published in the year 1670, they had not then got the use of the ftocking frame, though little short of a century after its invention. The trade of making stockings of filk, cotton, thread and worsted, continues to engage a great portion of induftry, and to produce very large profits in many parts of the kingdom, and the frames are alfo employed in mak ing pieces for breeches, pantaloons, and fometimes waistcoats. As an article of exportation, stockings have long been in confiderable demand, and the trade ftill continues, although it is not confidered as increasing.

For prevention of frauds in the manufacture of stockings, by the act 6 Geo. III. all perfons found guilty of marking an untrue number of threads, were fubjected to the lofs of the goods falfely marked, with a penalty of five pounds for every piece. And for protection of the property of manufacturers in the hofiery branch, the retention or fraudulent fale of their frames by their journeymen, and the deftruction of them, or any mills or other machinery, or of any hofiery work in the frames, were, by the 28th Geo. III. c. 85. made punishable by fine, imprifonment, and tranfportation.

HATS. The manufacture of hats is first noticed, as relating to England, in the fourteenth century, when the people of Flanders dealt largely in rabbit fkins from England, which they are fuppofed to have made into hats. In a century afterward, 1463, however, the English nation had made fuch proficiency in this fabric, that in a long lift of articles, the importation of which was forbidden, hats were included. Afterwards the trade was progreffively improved by the use of machinery, the skill of the French refugees, and the introduction of the beaver's inftead of the rabbit's fur. In confequence hats have long been an article of exportation to a large amount, and as all the materials with which they are made and coloured, and the hats themselves worn in England are taxed, they produce a confiderable fum to the revenue. By 17 Geo. III. c. 5o. the hatmakers were relieved from the hardships of an act of Elizabeth, and another of James I. whereby they were prohibited from employing any journeymen, who had not ferved feven years as apprentices. And by the 24 Geo. III. feff. z. c. 21. in order to encourage the manufacture of hats, the exportation of the kins or wool of hares and conies was prohibited, and the importation of Turkey goat's-hair was permitted free of any duty.

LEATHER

LEATHER. The manufacture of leather extends to numerous articles of drefs and ufe, and is in all its forms carried to a great extent, and a fource of ample profit to Great Britain. It were an ufelefs tafk to follow in detail all the commodities in which leather is employed, as fhoes, boots, gloves, breeches, book-binding, trunks, carriages, harnets, faddles, and many others. Whoever confiders them in the molt curfory manner, must be convinced of the vaft extent and importance of this branch of commerce. It is alfo highly beneficial to the revenue, the duties on leather being under the care of the commiffioners of excife, and numerous laws are pafle for the prevention of frauds in this moft ufeful material, of which a flight outline will be given.

By 39 and 40 Geo. III. c. 66. and 41 Geo. III. c. 33. after a repeal of fome reftraining claufes in former ftatutes, it was enacted, that the mayor, bailiff, or other head-officer of any city, town corporate, borough or market town; or in other places, two magiflrates, fhall appoint fome proper and convenient place for examining and inspecting all the raw hides and skins of cattle, fheep, horfes, and hogs, flaughtered or flayed within such place, or within certain diftances thereof, and fhall appoint convenient days and hours for the infpection of fuch hides or skins in fuch place; and caufe notice to be put up in legible characters in fome confpicuous place, annually, oroftenerif neceffary, to appoint fome perfon or perfons of competent kill to be infpector or infpectors of hides and skins within fuch districts; and alfo from time to time to supply such vacancies as may arise. The infpector takes an oath for the due execution of his office, and receives a fee for his trouble; that is, for the hide of every ox and other large animal infpected, a halfpenny; for every calf, hog, or pig fkin, a farthing; and for every fcore of theep or lamb fkins, three pence. And if any butcher or other perfon, or his fervant, fhall wilfully or negligently cut or gafh any hide or skin so as to make the fame lefs valuable; or fhall flay the hide of any ox, bull, cow, heifer, steer, ftirk, or calf, (more than two inches, 41 Geo. III. c. 53.) below the knee or gambrel, and fhall be convicted, before one juftice, upon the oath of any infpector of hides, or any other witnefs, he fhall forfeit, according to his offence, not more than five fhillings, nor less than one fhilling, or in cafes of lambs, &c. not more than fix pence, nor lefs than three pence. And the infpector is to provide two different ftamps or marks, the one with the letter S. to denote good hides, the other with the letter D. to denote damaged hides; with the first of which he shall stamp, on or near the tail, every raw hide that is not damaged in the flaying; and with the other he shall stamp, on one of the fore thanks,

every raw hide that is damaged in the flaying. And if any butcher or other perfon fhall wilfully neglect to bring any raw hides by this act required to be ftamped to the place appointed, within the hours prefcribed, or within ten days from the time of flaying the fame, or fhall remove or take away from fuch place, any fuch raw hide that has not been examined and marked by fome inspector, or fome perfon authorifed by him, and approved by a magiftrate of the district, he thall forfeit not exceeding 5. nor lefs than 40 s. for every fuch offence.

By 1 Jas. c. 22. No perfon fhall be a tanner, but who has ferved as an apprentice feven years, except the wife or fuch fon of a tanner as has ufed the trade for four years, or the fon or daughter of a tanner, or fuch perfon who fhall marry fuch wife or daughter, to whom he fhall leave a tan-house and fats; on pain of forfeiting all leather by him tanned, or of which he fhall receive any profit, or the value thereof. No tanner fhall be a butcher, on pain of 6 s. 8 d. a day. No tanner fhall be of any craft exercised in the cutting or working of leather; on pain of forfeiting the fame or the value thereof. No perfon fhall fell any oak trees, meet to be barked, where bark is worth 2 s. a cartload over and above the charges of barking and pilling (except timber for houfes, fhips, or mills) but between April 1 and June 30; on pain of forfeiting the fame or double the value thereof. And the whole procefs of tanning is minutely regulated.

By the fame ftatute, no currier fhall be a tanner, fhoemaker, butcher or other artificet, ufing or cutting of leather; on pain of forfeiting 65. 8 d. for every hide he thall curry during the time he fhall occupy any of the fajd myfteries. And curriers are obliged to curry the leather brought to them for that purpose. within a reasonable time, under a penalty not exceeding 5 1.

By the fame act the Lord Mayor, and aldermen of London (on pain of 401. for every year they make default, half to the king and half to him that fhall fue) fhall yearly appoint eight freemen of fome of the companies of cordwainers, curriers, fadlers, or girdlers (whereof one fhall be a fealer and keep a feal for the fealing of leather;) who fhall be fworn before them to do their office truly and they shall search and view all tanned leather brought to market, whether it is thoroughly tanned and dried; and if it is, fhall feal the fame. And four of the faid fearchers fhall be removed at the end of the year, and four new ones chofen; and no one fhall continue in the office above two years together, nor fhall be employed again till after the end of three years, on pain of 10. a month. In other places, the number of thefe officers is two, three or more, and they are appointed by mayors, lords of liberties, fairs and markets, &c.. VOL. III.

And

And they may fearch as often as they think good, or need fhalf be, and feal what they find fufficient; and if they find any lea ther offered to be fold, or brought to be fealed, which fhall be infufficiently tanned or curried, or any boots, fhoes, bridles, or other things made of tanned or curried leather, infufficiently tanned, curried or wrought, they may feize and keep the fame, till they be tried by the triers.

The Lord Mayor of London (on pain of 51. half to the king, and half to him that fhall fue) fhall, within fix days after notice given to him of any feizure of any leather, red and unwrought, appoint fix triers, two of the cordwainers company, two of the curriers, and two of the tanners ufing Leadenhall market, who, upon their oaths to be taken before him, fhall, on the fecond or third market day for leather, to be holden on Tuesday, in the afternoon try whether the fame be fufficient or not. Every other mayor, or lord of liberty, out of the compass of three miles from London, within whofe precincts any feizure of any tanned leather, red or curried, or of any fhoes, boots, or other wares made of tanned eather, fhall be, fhall (on like pain) with all convenient fpeed, after notice given to him of fuch feizure, appoint fix honeft and expert men, to try whether the fame be fufficient or not; the fame trial to be openly on fome market day, and within fifteen days at the fartheft from the time of the feizure, upon the oaths of the faid triers. Triers not doing duty forfeit 3.

No perfon is allowed to put to fale any tanned leather red and unwrought, but in open fair or market, unless the fame has been first fearched and fealed; nor fhall offer to fale any ranted leather red and unwrought before it be fearched and fealed; on pain of forfeiting the fame, or the value thereof, and alfo for every hide or piece 65. 8d. and for every dozen of elves fkins 35. 4d. All red tanned leather fhall be bought only in the open fair or market, and not in any houfe, yard, fhop, or other place; on pain of forfeiting the fame or the value thereof, and the contract tobe void. And all fuch leather shall be searched and fealed before fale, and on fale fhall be registered and an entry made both by the buyer and feller, both being prefent, and their names and dwellings entered into the book of the register; on pain that every fuch buyer or feller who fhall make default, fhail forfeit the fame or the value thereof. Searchers and fealers fhall keep a regifter, wherein they fhall enter all bargains made for leather, hides or fkins, during the fair or market, being thereunto required by the buyer or feller, with the prices taken for fearching, fealing, and registering of every ten hides, backs or butts of the feller, 2d. and fo after the fame rate. All red tanned icather which fhall be brought into

London