The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-11-03

Romney Marsh and South Down and know
several instances in this county, and out of it,
where IS for South Down have been refused. I
have not SO detailed an account OF Mr.. Tollett's
wool, as usual, but learn from him that he has
sold to the same persons who have bought his
~ools'for several years, SlS feeces, Of which 100
were Merino, and the remainder mixed Merino,
for 1871. los which is COS. 81. per fleece. Not.
outstanding the decline in the price of the Span
nish wool, the best quality has been sold within
short time at 15s. but I understand that the
manufactures in the west of England have good
Spanish wool, from IS. to los. per pound.
have exerted the fullest enquiry to obtain
correct opinion of the value Of wool this year, l.
after due examination Of very extensive cor
respondence, the opinion collect from il is, that
it appears to be a fair price for our finest wool,
and so proportionable for woods of inferior qua
lty; and think it sufficient, because it il fully
equal to As. when washed and brought to the
state of Spanish. We should not appreciate our
woods by the very contracted extent Of the sup
ply this year., but rather restrict ourselves to its
intrinsic value. That value do not hesitate to
say, the grower of fine wool has scarcely ever
yet obtained Hitherto it has been deprecated
commodity it has seldom found an open mar
ket, and the woolstapiers have never cvinced
proper degree of DISCRIMINATION, in respect to
quality But an advanced price has promoted,
and always will secure greater degree of care
and attention to the quality of the fleece, rather
than to the quantity; and unless we can obtain
better price than heretofore, the weight of the
fleece will be the principal object Of the grower.
This is crisis in the wool trade of Britain 4
by not exac,ing exorbitant prices. the manufac-
turers will be induced To Use British fine woods
in the place of Spanish. If the present extrava-
giant price of Spanish wool should induce the ma.
nufacturers to encourage by advanced prices, the
growth and manufacture OF British fine woods,
the prejudces of the country III favor of Span
ish would be soon done away, and we should be-
/
terials OF oar staple manufactures, andsa near
ly three millions sterling to the country for no
thing is mere clearly demonstrated than that the
wool may be raised in England, equal in quality
to any that IS imported.
/. The candOr of this statement saemed to be &C.
kno wledged from all parts of the room never
1, theless, some of the buyers repeated the usual
comwos place observations on the III culuies I'M
der which the trade laboured and which were
greatly exaggerated, even It applied TO the state
| OF many months ago, but by no means correspon-
ded with the present state OF the trade. Indeed,
they applied so little TO tn statement which had
been made, that Lord Sh, field offered, in an
swer, to read the report again but some of them
continued their vague assertions, that, all the
| ware houses in the kingdom were full of goods,
that there was no demand II market for our ma
(nuiaciures, and that it was ridiculous to suppose
| that an, man would pay such an extravagant
price as s. per lib. Lord Sheffield replied, that
| the statement ne had made was supported by as
! thentic documents, custom house returns, and
letters from he most respectable persons in all
| arts Of the kingdom, where the necessary and
best Indignation could be had, that expectation
being very high in respect to price, he had men.
toned IS. which he knew had been refused by
several, as a maximum for the finest wool, and
that he kne W that price had been 6 wen in seve-
raj parts of England for inferior wool; and that
lie by no means meant to guide the opinion in res
pect TO wool Of inferior quality. Yesterday, how.
ever, towards night, the buyers and sellers had
much conversation together: the owners of the
best woods insisted on 81 per tod of 80 lbs. IS
l 3D. per Id. and there is little doubt of their OBJ
tanning SIS per Id A considerable quantity of
the inferior wool was sold at IS Cd. per h.
Lord Sheffield mentioned that his tailor, who
is also his wooden draper, and whose interest it
was, not to overrate the quality, had valued the
cloth ofthe coat he then wore, as worth 28s. per
yard.
The manufacture Of the cloth, even at
the present price, amounted, per s. D.
| yard, to 611.2
The wool at 3s. per lb. 70
| q