The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-08-02 00:00:00

LEWES WOOL FAIR.

REPORT
V TIM. rAm. OF SHEFFIELD TO THE MEETING
AT I IWIS Wool. FAIR, ON THE 40111 JULY.

• The %Vont Fair, which was held at the Bear Inn,
'in Lewes, on Wednesday, the 26th ult, was name-
rowdy attended by the respectable wool-growers of
the comity, and also by I principal wool-
staplers and buyers from London, sod different
parrs of England. After dinner the healths of
•• The Row and Royal Family"—" The Lord
Lieutenant"—" The Earl of Chichester"--,, The
Members for the County and Borough of Lewes,"
• were ink/pissed by -the President, the Earl of Shelf-
. held.
Sir Q gotta F. SHIFTY ER returned thanks for him-
self and his colleague, and concluded with propos-
ing the health of the /Inn. Member fur Surrey,
"-Mr. lioline Sumner" (who bail honoured the
meeting with his company), which was recZired
will, much satisfactiort.

.lr. Sum NER them rose, and, in returning thanks,
eNpre...-t1 his readiness at all limes to advocate the
.tutiae, of the. agricultural interest. He lamented
the all success of the late exertions in Parliament
On their behalf, but expressed • hope that 1101111 e
good might arise from a calculation of the averages
heinglaken on the quantity, as well as on the price.
however, be said, on this point, depended on
themselves—on their seeing that the persons who
stele appointed to make the returns of the market,
niaile then) fairly and honestly. This might be prod uc-
lite of great advantage—and if their Petitions were
lepeal..l, he had no doubt that they would even-
tualty the iiii of Parliament, and the
r.G.f they prayed for would be granted.
The health of to The Founder of th Meeting,
the Lirl of Sheffield," was then drank with three
flours three, who ruse and made his annual Report,
•• _ _

Sins, I load the hooonr of last addressing you a most on
expects d bud ussreasonahle attempt, unsupported by any
thing like aigument, has been made by the usasufact u
to J. away the protection which the ruinous state of &gri-
t slime had at Introit obtained from Parliament, and to pro-
f ore the repeal even of the inadequate duty on the imports.
twu of foreign wool. &whinges the one bard to the •itua-
t ;en of the Hellish grower—on the *Owe to the stale of the
it ado in wool, the effect of the import duty un the otassufac-
tole, and the period of its commencement, it was with dif-
ficulty I mould per.asile myself that sock an attempt woold
hint. been Made. 'I bough the dilly bad not taken place until
t',e 10th of October, in respect to Enrope, and until the sth
.14nuary last, its respect to the rest of the world, and though
t':e ',turns of the importations were Holy made to the latter
41:te, and the duly bad existed bet fur • single quarter, 111111
ilia, only for Europe, whew ennyterseutly no opportunity of
a It ial had been given, and when it was impossible to ferns
soy tuitions with regard to the effect of the dirty, yet the
ot loops was made. It was made too when it was getserally
4:trpoised that three years' consumption of foreign wool was
the country, anti re large a quantity of British grows
wool on band, that the better sorts did wet bear half the
pi ;Cr :Ley bad dune but a few years past.
Notwithstanding the market at home was thus overstocked
with the' raw material of British growth, and the price is
(Otto quesice thus (beyond all precedes,* reduced, it was pre-
trnJed that any duty on the import of Sorely§ wool was
in-
expedient and ruinous ; and the depression of the woollen
manufacture was most falsely imputed to this cause. They
Cos, however, is mere woronnsled assertion, is obvious from
the depreptitos limier( existed previously to the imposition
of the dusty. It is also obvious, frum our experitoses of the
pail. hest the exportation of the otamsfacture is compare-
! vely little ihflueneed by the import of foreign wool. We
appeal from speculation to feels.
I).utug the ten first years of the last century, wires wool-
lens were considered as our great staple manufacture, sad
its a veil &wishing condition, the annual average import
of wool was 677,5251h5., and the trait:jai valne of woollens
exported, er.....d to nearly three millions sterling, or
2,563,5431.
On all average of the eight years previously to the
Freud) Revolution, the annual import of wool was
2.600,0001h5., and the official value of woollens exported was
3,564,7044
On an ge of ten years. 1808 to 1818, the average ha-
poi* of wool has been 12,163,13611 n. and the official value
of woollens exported only 5,832.9544
• Last year the importation of wool amounted to
• 16,190,3431b5., sad the official value of woollens exported
wily to 8,086,5014
This it appears that the export of woollens was propor-
Eunatety very little affected by the immense increase of
Yet the Petitioners for thi repeal of the duty assert,
that the export trade of sroollens depends entirely epos the
import of wool : which cannot be the case, for by far Ike
girater part of the woollens exported were sent le markets
within our own control, in the different parts of the British
empire, The increase was ;raciest, and considering 120
years are included, by no mewls great. Nor does it appear
hoe the returns of the chills milled in the West Ridiug of
Yorkshire, that the quantity of the manufacture has bees at
sit increased for the last 22 years, but with this immense
istcrease„in the importation of wool during the last six years,
1: Imo actually d d; and is, 1 am sorry to say, mit-
' withstanding the very low price of wool, and the great over-
flow in the market, still in a depressed state.
t.tn ati.average of ten years, ending 1808, the broad and
narrow cloths milled in the West Riding of Yorkshire was
15.000,000 yards.
WPM imported. lbs. Yds. milled.
• In 1814 15,712,517 15,017,840
1815., 14,980,294 15,384,439
1816 8,117,760........14,173,942
1817 14,715,793 14,510,441
1818 26,405,488 14,057,491
1819. 10,190,343 11,813,911
In defiance of these facts, the Petitioners go still farther,
"aid say their mauufacture vlll be ruined if the duly of Si).
per pound should prevent the importation of the coarse
wools of South America, Moradore, fec., yet none of these
coarse wools were imported in any quantities till the Iwo
last years, as will appear by the subjoined statement s.
'fhe price of these wools has been from 6d. in 80. per lb.;
the quality, however, so extremely bad, that it rather re-
sembled hair or wire than wool. It is oil this account to be

eisbed, that the admission of such wool should be prevented
by prohibitory duty, as it would undoubtedly greatly de-
b Ise the character of our manufacture, especially as we have
a sufficient supply of British growth, sad one y have a still
'souse abundant one if not discouraged; at the same time

their very low price would greatly piejodice the growth of
our long wools, which have been so much improved, are
g•eatly superior to those of other countries, ■nd may be
&ways supplied ■t moderate price.. It is unnecessary
to prove, that the manufactures would not be injured
.by the non•admiasion of these low-priced foreign wools.
"They are, indeed, not at all requisite. They have only
Leon imported, as I have before stated, in any qua.-
lilies during the last two years; and by a reference to
the state of the manufactures, before and since that period,
it is impossible to discover any benefit prodoced by them.

• Withi■ a few years little wool was imported except from
Spain; a considerable quantity has of late been brought
from Germany, and within a very few years coarse wools
bare been imported from Smith America and the Leramt,
diked the quantity is atom rapidly iscreasiag.
Coarse wool front Tarhey,
Come ~I from South Malta, Italy, Ise. comprised
America : molar the brad " Moisdere."
' MIN 40,176 lbs.
INN •11911,149
- 3111111.... ' 1,110, St

• lAN bap of dilfsreat sizes bars beim swiss! from
Now Math WaMa, oldie IM lass 'grilse isootba, olio* wool
is imported duly fres, as (wean from a British colony. The
nap is 'slimmed al 2s. N. per pealed.

• The following statement ought to alarm the friends of
Ireland: It exposes the great iscresse of the import of the
article of worsted yarn, which !bey used to manufacture
themselves, as well as the greet diminution in the export of
that article, and also the great increase iu the export of,
wool, which they used also to manufacture.
O. the average of eight years, commencing 1783, the
wonted yarn imported was 1,4791b5.
On the average of eight years, coding 1818, the worshed
yarn imported was 879,6641 be.
On an average of eight years, from 1783, the wool expel.
ed was 1,549 stone.
-Os ditto ditto, ending 1808, was 17,458 stone.
Worsted yarn exported on as average of eight years, rem
1783,58,145 stone of lfilbs.
Ditto, eight years,from 1810, 2,044 stone.
At the same time it should he observed, that the import of
wool on se average of eight years, from 1783, was 610 cwt.
Ditto, on an average of ditto, from 1810, was 6,783 cwt.
The tech of capital is the great bane of Ireland, not merely
in respect to the establishing such machinery as would ena-
ble be to enter into competition with other countries, bet
above all would promote a doe culture of the soil, sad more
profitable management on the pot of the farmer. Consi-
de►ing the enterprising spirit of some of our capitalists, it
is surprising they do sot employ some part of their mosey
on the infinitely better security of Ireland, with large in-
tern., via. 6 per rest. rather than on the very precarious se-
curity of the French funds.

t It also gives the mode of curing and preventing the
foot-rot. the great bane of the Merino sheep transported into
these islands.
(To be continued )