The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1808-07-08
(coNCLuDED)
,Iohn Orlen.


all, no orders whatever.
When did the news Of the embargo reach
your part of the country IL January.
Late in January? Yes.
Then your manufactory has been very
much 3Giected by some events happening
early in November? Certainly.
Have you dismissed the hands in Your en-
ployment since that time? A great number
Of them have but should wish to be un-
dcrstocd that am not n manufacturer, [
only speak as Z merchant.
Do you understand that the manufactu-
rers you employ have dismissed their labo-
rcrs? A great number of my neighbours
have.
Though not a manufacturer Yourself, you
are employed upon those cloths? In the fin
ishing and dressing part.
Have you dismissed the workmen en-
ployed in that? A great many of them.
In what proportion have you and your
neighbors, or those manufacturers whom
you employ, dismissed their hands9 For the
American market, at the most moderate
computation, houses which have employed
fifty or sixty men, do not employ more than
six or eight
That YOU conceive to be general in the
west riding of Yorkshire do.
Notwithstanding the diminution of the
number of hands, does the stock of manu-
features invour hands and your neghbors di-
minish or accumulate? In the manafacto-
ries it accumulates.
Notwithstanding the dismissal of those
hands, In consequence of receiving orders,
it has generally been the custom of the peo-
pie in my situation to prepare goods for
the spring and the fall; but they have not
this year done it, not having received any
orders or any encouragement Tor it.
Do you happen TO know whether the man
ufacturers Of whom you speak, have not
witistandiig the diTriiuutior Of their la
bourers, stock in hand accommodating ?Very
considerably
DO you happen to konw, from your know
ledge of the west riding of Yorkshire, how
many hands were supposed to be employed
In the manufactures there? Icannot speak
correctly &c that question.
Then | am to understand you, that since
the beginning of the month of November
last, and at any rate before the end of Jan
uarv before the knowledge of the American
embargo, the mandatory in the district Of
Yorkshire was entirely or almost entirely
a. an end No, not entirely so there is =
certain description who viii manufacture
whether there is 2 prospect OF sale or not;
as long rs they can get credit from the
deal, r. in the staple, they will keep their
hanGs employed two days out Of six.
And those persons, with that diminished
number ofhands, have an accommodating stock:
Certainly ; because there is Mosaic.
DO you remember a similar emoarTass-
rncnt? Neverin my life time.
Nor heard of such' No: have heard
people twice my age remark, that they ne
YER experienced a similar stagnation.
Do Won think that i the intercourse be-
tween this country and America remained
uninterrupted, it would give a sufficient en-
enlargement TO the manufactures OF that
country, even if our intercourse with the con-
tinent of Europe was totally stopped have
no doubt of it, because America is different
from any part Of the continent; it takes
from the coarse5t article prod8ced from the
sleeps back, to the finest, which no other
country does.
1t takes every species and variety of the
woollen manufa ctures? 1t does.
You conceive that those manufactures
which employed fifty hands, have now rodu-
ced them throughout the west riding, to si,;
or eight ?Yes, believe, could go still fur
tier, that | know some houses, which used
to employ forty or fifty hands, which are not
employing any at all.
What proportion do you conceive the e1,-
port Of woollcns to America, to bear to the
whole manufactured in the west riding OF
Yorkshire have understood, but cannot
speak from my own knowledge, nearly one
half
Then supposing It to be even one-half. to
what cause do you attribute the diminution
in the number Of men from fifty, to six or
eight; what other causes have contributed
10 that stagnation! The Russian war, the
loss of Portugal, and the being shut entirely
out of the continent.
Jcme8 PoiDier.
in what line OF business arc YOU engaged!
a manufacturer of hosiery.
To whom Go you chiefly sell the hosiery
you manufacture; Ihree-fourths for e5tpor-
ration to America.
Threc-iouf5hs Of the extensive manufac-
tory in which YOU IRE engaged, is for the
American market? Yes.
Have you any objection to state how ma
ny persons Won rsually employ in your man
ufacto,y? Three hundred.
How many &oyou employ now One fourth
of that.
When did you cease to employ your usu-
al number ofhands! in November last.
Was this in consequence Of any diminu-
tion in the demand Tor the article? Yes.
Which commenced in November. Yes.
a what time do ycu receive your orders
FOR the American markets? Usually in De-
cember and January.
For the spring ,hipmcnty Yes.
Therefore last year you ought to have re-