Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-05-29

vents. The cloths o! Louviers I'm Old FranceNI {
or example, which were once sold for ONLY 90
rsncs the ell, now sell from SIS TO so re. from
Ii To IL doiiars) Thus says our author, the
q prohibitions and ,,ies far from in.
luring me manufacturers, imposes upon them |
new anu salutary movement, eScites DISPOSE
ton TO render their fabrics more perfect, which
secures their success, and gives stability to their
prosperity"
"Speaking of an establishment of muslins and
other hne cotton goods at St. Quimten he says it
had to struggle in its infancy with English ma
nutactures IN the highest perfection and which
were then I'm 1887 freely imported, paying We.
ry small duties. 1t also wanted proper support
OF capital Yet, says he, it has wonderfully sue
ceeded This unanswerab,e experiment, says
our author, so recent and well known, demon
strates that foreign competition can never be
dreaded by the manufacturers of France when
they are mot pampered or oppressed by bad laws. u
Again on the same topic, speaking of the
manufacture oehard soap at Marseles, he SAYS
1t rivals the best soap of any country in Europe
"The Soda, he adds, which is employed in it as
material, was formerly drawn altogether from
SPAN. but finally we succeeded in manufacturing
itin France of a better quality and cheaper. In
this persuasion we FASTENED to prohibit the i'm
portation of Spanish Soda, and this prohibition
at the best useless, since our Soda is cheaper and
- 6oo1t - SSiy t"PoHACs ny Tic OuU crUHpfe
wegive to the Spaniards, to whom we now sell
so many OF. the productions of our industry and
OF our soil" This we consider sound and cult.
vated sense.
Speaking of crockery ware and pottery, he is
st,ii more full and more convincing OH the i'm
policy OF too high or prohibitory duties to pro-
tect manufactures. He says, {" after the treaty
OF commerce of 17sx between England and
France, the English introduced great quantity
otcrockery ware, of which the fabric was then
unknown in France.
"The manufacturers of our pottery clarnoured
loudly. They said, that this introduction of ar
ticles so much lighter and more agreeable than
!, their own, would ruin them entirely. But soon
J, they began to vie with the English, and in few
years they succeeded in initiating and equalling
the English fabrics whose importation they had
dreaded, and which THEY NEVER would have i'm.
itated II their entry had been prohibited, or had
}, not been freely admitted by treaty.
In all cases Che adds) in order to support and
sustain the most powerful emulation of French
artists, 1T is wise to permit the MOST UNLIMITED
: concurrence or rivalship of foreign artizans or
manufacturers"
These are but few out oftbe MANY very cen.
sioie remarks which he makes on the subject of
encouraging the most perfect freedom in com,
merce He says that the manufacturers have al
mays been too powerful with the government, not
only Tor the interest of the nation, but for their
own eventual and permanent interests.
r he remarks with justice, that where the state
OF The country and its capital, are adapted to a.
ny particular species of industry, twill succeed
without any adventurous aid from government
and where they are not so adapted, no forced or
extraordinary efforts of government will give a.
ny thing more than short lived and feeble ex
lstence to such species of industry. These ideas
70 De sure, are not new to any person who has
read any OF the modern works on political econo-
my, but if we were to Judge of France by their
practice, we should say they were mem there. and
oy inc same rule we might add that something
IS yet to be learned on this head in our own conn,
try In ours, however, mistakes of this sort are
OF less moment, because every thing is change.
able, and our prohibitory laws, or severe duties.
II unequal are sure to be either rebealed or
eO6aed. II Friend to laIcs sphich zsiR be
Permanently and extensively useful