Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-03-12
For the Phenix Gazette.


GEsrLEMEN: To those Of you, not accus'om-
ed to the minute investigation Of statistical de-
tails, i, will be matter Of very great astonlsh-
men, 20 learn the actsal demands OF the COM
munity in which you live. BY The census OF
1920, the state of Virginia, i, appears, contain
ed 6o2,s74 white inhabitants, 425,l5S slaves,
anC s7,2se free people Of color, making her
gross population 1,o65,S66. | propose TO en-
ou;re very briefly into the demands Of such a
population for cloarhing for the raw materials
OF which i, is made, and for the labor requisite
10 convert them into cloth.
am enabled, by actual experiment, to state,
tn slave population of 100 individuals, oil
both sexes and all ages, requires Tor comforts
able outside clothing, both winter and summer,
1000 wards Of ciol h; one half made of wool and
cotton mixed, and the other half OF cotton a.
lone. These, together with the necessary stock
ings, will consume 500 lbs. Of wool and 500 ot
cotton; and may be worked up by FIVE spinne's
and one weaver, with the old fashioned wheels
ana loom, at expense, exclusive oil the ma
,erials, Of S27o, or S45 10 each operative
Now if we suppose our whole colored, and
one fourth (being the poorest part vi our
white population, to be clad at the same rate,
we shall, have 6lSl55 individuals, requiring
619Is5o wards Of woollen and cottch cloth,
consuming, together with the necessary stocks
ines. s,o65,675 lbs Of wool, and the same guam
,i,y of cotton; to be worked up by SO 7ss SPIN
ners and wQavers, a, an expense OF 81 400
twill be fair 10 presume, that the remaining
popula,iou, 452 ,22I, Consisting OF lndependeal
e tsitizens,J VIII be clad in better style, and re-
ouirr an Infinitely greater amount of clo,h tnan
the frs, class. Perhaps il we include no: only
their clothes, but the woullep and cotton mate
rails Of their household furniture also, we NAV
safely estimate their individual consumption
AZ four times tina, OF the negroes and poorest
class Of white people. This part OF our popu-
la,ion, therefore, will require without amy re-
ference to the superior hneness and costi,nrss
of the matters al Or the fabric) lS,oS9, 24o yards
of cloth, e,o4462o lbs. OF wool, the same quan.
,i,y Of cotton, and loS SIS manufacturers, at
an expense Of S4,ss4,O75.
The demand, of our whole population will
accordingly br for 24,2is,59o yards Of cloth
Js.loo 2e5 lbs Of wool, the same quantity Of
cotton. and I45,323 manufacturers, at an eX'
nense of S5.537.535. And the demand Of the
whole population Of the United States, viii, or
IN. same inciples, amount to 2l7,e67,3lC
wards of clo,h, os,9sS,655 lbs. Of wool gun
washtd,l tie same quantity oil cotton, and l.,
So7. oo7 manufac turers, at cost tor their lanoi
alone OF SAG ,SS7,si5. In this estimate, il mus
he observed that, as on the one hand, there II
no account taken Of The superin,endents, dyers
nrin,ers, SC. SC. employed in he production
Of the more valuable cloths, So on the other
mn allowance is made for the substitution q
machinery, and water aud steam power, in lie'
of,he common loom and wheel.
Bv the same process of calculation, applie
TO spirits, iroR, fax, hemp, &c. sc. we shou
be able to ascertain, with tolerable accuracy
the whole demand, either Of Virginia or OF tn
Union, for every article, the production G
which a, home is no, forbidden by The sharac
Ter II our climate, our soil, or our resources
II must no, be imagined, however, that Tor al
or any Of these articles, we are entirely Deepen
dert on foreign na,,ons. For large proper
ton, on the contrary, Of all that she Consume
even Virginia is already indebted TO her ow
industry. But that tina, proportion is not
great as her interes, requires that il should D
is clearly attested by the fact already state'
viz. tina, while her principal staples are at
priee that will not deiray the cost Of guilty alto
she is annually consuming S3,ooo,ooo NOR
fnrarly Ss per head) Of forrign production
than her own exports will pay for
Tome il would seem, that the first and mo
importan, step towards remtdying this STATE
things-a step indeed withou, Which no RENE
DIV can be appli,d--is SO 'ts regulate" our Il
reign commerce, as to exclude from our ma
krt NJ, such sr,,cles (,he production OF natio