The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-07-02

1
York, and at the hu6fc exhence, protested
ly, las Will be seen from the subjoned re
solution OF the two houses,) upon the ground
oi Pubic utility this circumstance alone
Is quite conclusive as to the fact, that the
increase OF sheep and of the manufacture of
wool. are become objects of great public IN
terest in America; objects in the accom-.
Piishment OF which lhey will have been
powerfully assisted by the measures adop-
tea against their commerce by the govern
ments of England and France, who. very
iikeiy, were wholly unconscious, that they
were in this case. acting under the guidance
OF the genius of freedom.
It is, think. anifest, from the folio wing
pages, that. in three or four years, at the
most, America will be able to supply herself
WIN wool, and also with wooLLEN CLOTH;
and that even NOW. if it should become ne
cessary, she could do very well without ira
porting any wool or woo,lens from any
part Ut the world. This is great event
1t - great change in the affairs of nations
The amer. Cans. who, until now have Seen
obliged to lool, to swGLAHD chiefly for
coats. made of wool that came from SPAIN;
ten millions OF people VINO got the princi.
pal articles OF their wearing apparel in
this roundabout way. will now grow those
articles upon their own lands, aud will keep
At home. for the feeding of cloth makers.
those articles of food, which they used to
raise in order to pay England and Spain for
manufacturing and tor wool. The intelli.
gent reader will be at no loss to perceive how
great must be the advantages of this Change
to the American states, g change which
that Country owes to the folly and tyranny
of governments.
But this change, favorable as I hone il
may prove, to the interests of mankind in
general, could not have been so rapidly pro
duced, had II not been for the actual inya
sion OF Spain by the Emperor Napoleon.
who. without intending it, perhaps. has by
this invasion scattered the inesiimabie flocks
OF Spain over the face of the earth. Not
the Spanish monarchy only, but the Spa
nish nation has he broken IN, dispensing
it's goods and chattels to all who were In a
condition TO take them away. Is pictures
and It's plate and its jewels, all its valuable
moveables. are. long ago. divided amongst
It's invaders (; ITS f1ocks have been driven
out, shipped off, or devoured its houses.
after having been pillaged, have, in no snail
proportion, been levelled With the ground
and the ground itself is all that seems to
have any security of remaining: Yet. a
midst all this ruin, amidst his eeneral
wreck OF society, il is much to be Question
ed, whether the great mass of the peoDle in
Spain are not as well, and even better off.
had THEY in the fiockS which composed the
riches # their couatry! What knew they
OF those flocks, but an as much as they were
scourge to themselves The exclusive
property of the privileged orders, hot only
was It impossioe tor the cultiyator of the
land to obtain any share in the 6eNef t znr;
sing from these hccks but he was coD,tek..
fea7to assist without payment in heir SUP,
FORT, by throwing open his fields and his
garden 70 be devoured by them in their pc
riodicai journeys from one part OF the conn
try TO the other ~ With this fact before
him, what man, who is not either a ,yrant
or willing slave, can regret that these ilocks
have been dispersed And 1 think, /, mus,
be peculiarly gratifying to the American
farmer, to see raised ia his own fields and
fashioned under his own happy roof, that
coat, 10y his former mode OF Obtaining which
he used TO enrich and abet the owner #
those flocks whose ravages insured hunger
as well as nakedness 70 the miserable pea
SAINT of Spain.
! am aware, that there are many d r
sons who viii learn with sorrow, that Ame
RIGA is becoming i not actually become in.
dependent of England. Such is not the
feelings with which ] have learnt the fact.
beng o! opinion, thae what has generally
been called commercial greatness may be
fairly numbered amongst the most 81 ievous
of our country's caiamities. And, indeed,
it does appear to me TO require a pretty
complete perversion OF intellect, to make
meE regard such a traffic as thai which
has existed between America and England
as conducive 20 the happiness of their PEG
Pile Is there rot, upon the face of IT, some
thing offensive to reason in the proposition
that the mutual haftlincSS of two nations
is promoted by the clothing of the one be-
ing made by the other in return for food
supplied TO the latter BY the former; and
that this interchange takes place across a
sea OF 5000 miles broad--wbile at the same
time, each nation has the means of making
the whole of its own clothing. and raising
the whole OF its own food within its own
territory What we receive from Amrri-
ca, in payment of our cloth is the produce
of her Iapds. We sell our wool and the
labsr of our mannf actuTerS for the produce
of American lands. Now, why not employ
this iabour upon our o7on lands, and produce
thereby Gas we can as far as her commodi-
ties are use/ufto us) those articles wei now
receive from the American lands And
why shoud not she keep her food NJ home.
for the use OF those persons who might be
employed in making her the articles she
now gets from us! This is the true view of
it, Men may load the subject as much ar
they please with fine sounding terms and e.
pithets but, at last, to this it comes tia,
we employ clothIers TO make coats for the
American farmers, aud America en,oiooo