The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1807-06-06
Asni6eeHanp.
hoME mAntrAcruRrs.


The following letter ON rhe fSbiea of Msuulac-
turrs, was pretended to Congyeis, at the Ian iei
iion.
GnrTLsMrN,
As the amendment of the patent law is now I'M
der your confederation beg leave to fhew from fome
examples the great importance of that fubea in ma
tioual pop. of view /; from which may infer the
policy as well the iuiee, OF encouraging the Efforts
Of genius, by f.curing the property which they may
originate.
The Engh nation has been universally admired,
not only for its indury, but for the improvements
and wealth it has derived from the ueful arts. YET
the cauf which has led that nation excel all others
in tHcfe particulars is not generally underood. The
following ta,ement will plainly thew that this pre-e-
nnence has arien, in great nieaiure, from the pa
ten, law ofths. country which induces men OF ia
Tents perlevere in competing and bringing into uie
labor faving machines, would rather iay labor
multiplying machines, fuch as VIII enable one perion
to 10 as much as ufuay had been done by 30 or so.
Out of a grea, number of in0ances which might be
cited, I will Gate only two 70 prove this iaet
In the year 1870, the whole value OF manufactured
cotton in England was equal ton 100000 dolls. per
annum' This was principally corduroys, quilting
And coarfe articles. Abouttfias time Richard Ark
wright a man in whom nature had created genius,
but penury made him batter, conceived the poili-
bGty of fpinnug cotton by pachinary. After fome
years of experiment, and under every disadvantage
OF Indulgence and farealin, he fuceeeded in making
what is called the waser frame, to which he added
the cardicg and rowing engines by which one per-
Ion might produce much yaru & OF as good qua
lily, as twenty were aceu(tomed to ipin by hand in
the fame time. His iucces foon bettered his fortune,
created envy, and RATED sp hon of preteuders to
his invention; which but a few years before was
viewed as the futile proisa of a difordsred mind. OPP
potion arofe to his erecting cotton mills lef the
hand fpinners oud be deprived of labor and bread.
But the wiidom of government protected him /; the
good fenfe CT the few overcame the prejudice of the
many; the engines progrefivey improved, the cheap
nefs of yarn increaled the trade, fpnners
. employed in the new, than in the old practice of
ipinning BY hand-wheels, old and women and
children of threeyears OF age, found employment in
the mills by which they gained fubhGence for them
ielves aud RATED wealth to the nation. Thus by the
genius and the indutry of poor and obfcure ind
vdpal, the value of manufactured cotton in England
within the la &c years has been railed from 100000
to 81 100000 dolls. per annum. Four OF five years
ago the EngEh nianufa Cured about 81 millions
pounds weight of raw cotton which on an average
OF IS ID. leave profit the nation Of ? mil
lions of dolls. year. This invention which took
place in England, ard the conequent demand for cot
ton, has cauied vaa cultivation of that article in A
merca, which means was-not thought Of 20 wears
go and which could not EXIT had it sot been
for the invention of the mills So that there
are planters ir america acquiring many tloufands of
dolls year, who mutt have lived i'll mediocriry, or
perhaps poverty all their lives, had not the patent
law drawn forth the genius of fuch man as Ark
wright. Thus il is that the uieful arts and improve
ments benefit mankind in general though it is iedom
that their coed eonfequenees be forefsen Oh cal
culated.