The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-05-22
PROFIT.
IL

With two brothers am intrusted in the ma
nufacture Of cut nails. We have an establish
ment at Maiden miles from Boston, where we
have IN operation, twenty two patent machines
upon Reeds plan of cutting and headline, with
the same operation. We are also interested in
two establishments upon the same plan i'm the vi
cinity of Philadelphia. One situated on Chester
creek, where we have ten machines the other
situated on French creek, where we arepreparinr
to erect tw ent, machines. The three manuf.c
tories with the mill streams, buildings and ma !
chinery, necessary Cor that purpose, when I'm.
french creek establishment is completed. with
two rolling and Sitting mills already buiI,. will
cost 10000 dollars. The active cap,al em,,,,v.
ed, seventy five thousand dollars With the if.
ty two machines, sixty men and boys are render
ed capable or manufacturing from the nail plates,
fifteen hundred tons of nails per wear. and bv
multiplying the humber of machines, a QUANTITY
could be manufactured, more than atIeuuate
To the consumption of the United States. more
especially If congress duly estimating the ben
ehts to be derived from this important branch
OF ludustry, should see ft to grant drawback
on expectation somewhat proportionste to the
duty paid on foreign iron. 1t would be very de-
srabie and encouraging to manufactures if per.
manent regulations could be consistently adopt
ed that would tend tn render cheap and plenty
the raw materlai, and that would discourage fo
reign Importation Such a measure would great.
iy facilitate domestic manufactures it wov,Ll di
vert the energy and enterprise of wealthy men.
rom ordinary pursuits be productive of The
weharc and interest ct our country, whereas on.
lytemporary regulations tend to intimidate -
ne encouragemeDts offered by government,
whether pro.iibitory or remunerative should az
least be co-extensive with the time necessariI,,
required for the erection of extensive works. Car
iaoorers to be instructed, and for the manufac.
tured articles to find market, that the maaufac-
turer may without distress, be enabled to mept
ms current eyDencee and IN enIe n,s
from the return ct sales, otherwise the wealth
ana influence OF foreign competition, would by
long credits and by purposely furnishing sur.
plus OF cheap inferior articles at low price. 70.
only retard but impoverish the very existence Of
any infant Hanutactory in country Ifthe
foreign manufacturer can find ready sale for his
goods in the United States at cost and ch.rr.,
his Objects gained, the manufacturing profit is
secured and not unfrequentiy both to The nju
~ OF the consumer ard of the Americau maau
lecturer; to the cOnsuner because The. ci,eaoest
goods are commonly the most deceptive. and tn
!hs American Manufacturer, by an unexpected
innux OF foreign goods IN bis line, he nav be de
ieated IN ms calculations, be supplanted in ms
sales and compelled to ware. house heavy STOCK
OF hnished goods until tie season is Dag, for
procuring to advantage, the raw material nlis.
pensabiy necessary TO his business Beng thus
situated, he must eith-r abandon his employment
or resort to the painful alternative of s.cr ficinp
''S i'F less IMAM tneIr cost. Dor.
rowing money upon ti;uty, 10 repienish his stock
ut AZ advanced price, either OF which to a mo-
derate capitalist, Il pers listed III, is inevitable ru
IN. English aails, the fine drawn excepted, are
usually made OF inferior IRON, and arc sometimes
transported to tins country in lieu OF bail asst al
most freight free, and sold tor cost & ch.raes Z,
their hoops, rods and nail plates, are IN Nde from
kInd OF unwrouSht IRON, by process recently
invented; and when the latter are cut into nails
they are tender and brittle, hence arises a prei,,
dice against all cut nalis, tho consumer beng
ignorant OF the cause but cut mails made. o !
Russia. Swedish or American iron are good SUD
stitutcs for hammered nails, and in fact have the
preference with most people. for the following
reasons, VIZ on account ofthe sharp corners anu
true taper with which cut nails are formed it
may be driven into harder wood without bending
or breaking or hazard OF splitting the wood, by
which the labor oil boring is saved, the nail ono.
way being of the same breadth or thickness from
head to point. A moments recurrence to the
origin of this art 4. and to its rapid progress with
IN lew years in this state, may not be amiss at
this time. BY the effect of necessity in the time
oil the revolution, cut nails were first made out of
the rusty hoops OF old casks, and were as worth
less as the materials of which they are made, bu,
after the introduction OF rolling and sitting mills
into the state, nail plates of new iron were SUBJ
stitutsd instead OF rusty hoops, yet nails were for
some time manufactured in very imperfect
dt pfcoeut IL IS OtnerWlSe. There are
now IN tins vicinity extensive nail manufactures
with useful machinery tor The saving of labor and
the business is better understood and Conducted
and the quality of cut uaiIs is so much improved
that little 10 be wanted IN order [, success
but tina protection and patronage of government
BY the best INFORM alton l Can obtain find On NH
average Of the last three years, the quantity of
nails and brads manufactured within the state
may be computed at no less than thousand tons
per year, of which about seventeen hundred
aud fifty tons have been cut, the residue hammer.
ed.
The foreign relations of our country for som p
ye2Fs past have been Contingent, that tie price
OF iron has been fluctusting between IS and 40
dollars per ton, whist the Consumption of nails
has been diminished and ofcoufse the demand
for them and notwithstanding foreign nails
have been prohibited, yet the quantity on hand
when the prohibition commenced, added to the
quantity since manufactured in the u States with
a great dimunitIon OF exports, has left no chance
for them TO rise in proportion to the rise of tie
raw material The manufacturers profit is.
therefore, less tran it was prisr to the rise OF,
iron. During the present contest with Great
Britain, both TIC French and Spanish, colonies
in America and the West Indies, have received
considerable supplies Of nails from the United
States and particularly cut nails, which they
preferred for many purposes. Reference
to The custom house books wiI probably show
the difference between the imports and exports
aud tie result, The sxpedency or ,uexue,iienc,