The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-02-24

transported te J. london, OF Liverpool or Bristol /;
1t pays a dntyef 2 per cent. on transportation to n
mcrica, Enough not freight, irsu-
race, must be charged, and commission paid by
our nerchanttto his London correspondent of 5
per cent. When it enters our port it pays 10
per cent. to the government. Twelve per cent.
Is the smallest profit our merchants Charge. All
these articles taken together, will add one l;un.
dred per cent. to the price of 4 pound of fine
wool, manufactured into cloth, before it comes
into the hands ofone OF our sliup-keepers and
yetthis rs but q small proportion ofthe charge, for
the commissions, duty, freight, &c. are not mere
ly paid up~, the original price OF the wool, but
upon every previous duty and charge, and upon
every expense that attends the manufacturing Of
1T. Thus . pound OF hIe wool, worked into SUI
perFne cloth, is worth, as it comes out of the
loom, IS. The commission thus is upon the 6S
and not upon one, the original price of the wool.
Htten we pay one hundred per cent on the price
o. the wool, before il reaches us-we pay i'm mere
chai ses, independent OF the price Of labor, up-
wards OF 600 per cent. beyond the price of labor
fupon the vsluc of the raw material But the
price of labor leredoes not double that of Enp-
land ofcourse, then, 1T is notthe price ofIabor,
but the want of fine wool that has hitherto pre-.
vented ost manufacturing and this every far
mcr knows, for all manufacture their wool ra-
ti'er thar sell it, though they might buy coarse
cioiks relatively cheaper from the British mer-
chant than line ones, because the native wool OF
N"o""iN "h'Su SCTNSS 10 pnke SUCH ClOtnS,
comes IS per cent. cheaper to the manufacturer
Than the Spanish wool and wool OF the descrip.
ton which answers for such cloths, is SO per cent.
cheaper IN England than in America vet, even
such cloth, we find a profit in manufacturing for
ourselves. How much greater then would the
proht be, upon the working o. fine wool, where
the labor would be but little advanced. and the
value more than double Let any man make
TINS simple experiment let him sort his wool
with attention, and pick out that oply which will
make the, finest cloth to he made from cur wool ::
let itbe carded, spun and wove by the same Der-
sons, and 1T the same raj e that his coarse wool is
fabricated he will find, that one will give him
cloth worth about los. our money, or COS. ifit was
the breadth of English cloth while the other
will give kun cloth only of es. and sd. at the same
expense, and demand more wool. If then, cloth
st 6s. & Cd. per yard, pays him IS. and Cd. FOR his
Wool, cloth of les. must pay him rs. and Sd but
u. instead OF the wool OF orr sheep, he has Span
~ sheep, not the sorted only, but the whole
fleece will be so much finer thar even his sorted
wool from a common flock, that with exactly the
same labor that he has expended upon his cloth
OF os. and Oh. the yard yard wide cloth he will
nave cloth worth at least 15s that is, he will sell
the whole OF his wool (supposing, which is the
case, a pound OF wool would make . yard ofcioth,
and the expense of spinning, wearing. &c. to be
$50 at lis per pound suppose, in this case,
INC wool TO be all spun equally coarse, yet the
Inference IN the %sottness and suppleness, and i'm
the wear, tor the softest cloths not only wear lon
gesi, but are much warmer than those which are
hars'I, would make the difference / have stated
IN the price. L again then repeat, that it is not
the mig wages, but>the want of good wool that
mas stopped the progress of our manufactory of
cloth IL IS true, THAI we have not as vet the
Quantity OF wool that is necessary to supply our
wants but how long should we find this defci-
cncy, If, without any diminution in the quantity,
or without any additional expense, the price Of
Eyr uVnnl VIC .'n.thtAI , ANEa
introduction of Spanish sheep. / have become so
sar5uine rs to look forward to a period, s. that
TOO, at no great distance, when this, and the E.as-
terra States viii not only manufacture cloths in
sufficient quantity for their own consumption but
Tor that OF t!iciA eighbors. II is certain that no
country IN Europe us better calculated for fine
wooded sheep than this & the neighboving states.
The price OF land is comparatively low our
grounds are high, and well watercd, and orr pas.
lures goon our common grass is of the best &
richest kind the poa pratensis, and pos tripialis
(which we call spear grass, and blue grass are
the most common, and most nutritious of all
grasses. White and red clover abound, since
the introduction of: gypsum, in fields that were
burned formerly during the summer these NAV
be made into hay for winter provender, at half
the price that it would cost in the moist climate of
Britain. Add to this, that our fields are enclo-
sed, which saves the expense incurred by tile
constant attendance OF shepherds. Our sheep
n"'S ~" h"idpiC tiianJ Iii2L are common III
htlrcPe are unknown here. There the rot sweeps
OH whole. locks. never saw or heard of the
rot in this state. Indeed. know of but one dis
order that is common among our sheep, the scab.
This seldom is seen where the sheep are well
kept, and is easily checked by removing the in
iectcd sheep as soon as it is visible. / have found
1t useful, when the snow lays long Oil the ground,
to carry pine or cedar bougj,s into the fold, which
they eat readily. When these cannot be conye.
nlentiy procured, tar, spread thinly over a board.
and strewed with salt is a good substitute.
The Spanish shepherds, when they perceive,
by the woods rising, the commencement of the
scab, they pull out the lock, and, taking salt in
their mouth, drop the Spite on the bare spot,
which, they say, will stop its progress. The
best method, however, when It is only partial, is
to wash the part with soap, and to anointit with
an ointment OF grease and turpentinc. Mercuri-
al snsTDent,ruboed on thcisore, or on the hams of
the sheep, is a certain remedy. The sheen
should, in this case, be kept dry for some DAYS.
This has also the advantage of frceing them from
lice or ticks. When the sheep are SHARED, a
good washing with soap suds, and a weak decoc-
ton of tobacco, will free them from the seeds of
the scab. 1t is thought essential not only to the
health oEthe sheep in Spain, but to the beauty
OF the wool, that they should have a full supply
OF salt. While / an speaking Of the maladies of
sleep, let me meation one that occasions more
destruction among them than all the others put
t0gether-the bite ofdogs. This animals an alb
so.ite nuisance in the old settled countries, how
ever useful nc may be in the new ones. Moth
ing can be more yaxatious, than, after a man has