England states, and some in this state. At first, these cloths sold for about seventy-five cents per yard; but at less, before the close of the war. At that time, they were met in those markets by large supplies from England, and they fell to below fifty cents. Orders were less frequent, or for diminished quantities, to England. The usual quantities continued to be made there, and accumulated. The market continued to be pressed with both descriptions of cloths. The price declined to forty, to thirty-five, and thirty cents. In 1823-4, an immense mass, probably the entire accumulated quantity in England, was sent out, and being still met by cloths made here, fell to twenty-five, twenty, and even seventeen cents. That operation broke down our manufacturers; they gave up the markets to the English, who, unless the tariff of last year shall prevent them, will again take the market at former prices. The cotton bagging manufacturers of Kentucky, I am informed, met a similar fate in the decline and fall of their establishments.

There are several setts of articles, particularly all those made from wool and cotton, which would be made here, to the extent of the home demand, if not for exportation. If assurances should be given that the present prices would be maintained, there is no want of capital; the requisite stock of artizans would soon appear. But adventurers in these pursuits are deterred, and dare not undertake them; partly from the apprehension, that the present protection, by way of duties, may be abated; but much more so, from a dread of the competition which they well know must ensue between themselves and the foreigners, who have hitherto supplied the country with these articles. The consequence to the farming and landed interest is, that the wool is grown in foreign countries, instead of this, to clothe about all the rich and fashionable part of the community, and even laborers and servants. The provisions and bread-stuffs required to feed the artizans, while converting these articles into manufactured and saleable goods, are also supplied by foreigners. The consequences to the country and treasury are, that we are thereby disenabled to pay for, and import, other articles which we want, and should, in that case import, to the full amount of all we could and should make of these. In this state, we have now more than five hundred thousand persons, clothed in the woollen and cotton goods made in foreign countries, and of foreign raw materials, except part of the raw cotton. The importations of woollen and cotton, exceed sixteen millions, and the consumption, fourteen millions'; and the proportion of our people who consume them are im

mense.

These partículars are stated, to illustrate the position, that manufacturing establishments, commensurate with the wants of the community, cannot for a long time be expected to rise in this country, unless they are shielded and protected in their infancy by government, and that they may, with that protection, some of them soon be expected to rise, without prejudice to the treasury, or the consumers of foreign goods, except perhaps, a temporary rise in their price at the commencement. By gradually taking up and protecting particular articles in succession, such as could probably be supplied in the country, the whole would be ultimately taken up, protected, and made at home. Wool, cotton, and hemp, may claim the preference at the present; afterwards, iron,steel, and other goods, from time to time, until the whole catalogue of foreign manufactured articles are included. The farming interest and receipts into the treasury, would. at every step, be found to be promoted and advanced. The farming interest would soon find a home consumption, and home markets for all their productions; and in these, irresistible inducements for further improvements in their modes of cultivation. The capacity of the country to pay for larger quantities of the foreign articles, still remaining to be imported, charged with the payment of duties, would fill the treasury to overflowing.

I am aware that I have given but a very inadequate view of the embarrassments and difficulties which attend the commencement of manufactures, in countries where the arts have been neglected. It is not so much from the want of hands, such as they are, or from the want of capital, that manufacturing is not commenced, as from the absence of the arts, and professions; or some one, or all of them, upon which a particular branch is dependent. The unskilfulness of workmen, and want of competition among them; and above all, the powerful, but inevitable competition, which the new beginner must meet with in the foreigner, who has before supplied the market. These difficulties and discour agements, in the commencement of manufactures, are altogether such, in regard to many of them, as the uniform experience of every country has found it impracticable to overcome, without the aid of the powerful shield of government to protect them against foreign competition, in their infancy.

My recollection may fail me in an attempt to suggest the numerous objections which have been urged, against granting the protection to manufactures required of government, or the different interests and professions, by whom they are made.

Among others, it is held, that the country is not capable of furnishing the necessary stock and variety of raw materials; and, in particular, that it cannot supply the wool for woollen manufactures.

That a certain loss of revenue, derived from imports, must be sustained, and direct taxation, to make good the deficiency, must be a consequence of this protection.

That we have not the hands to spare from the other more healthful and profitable employments-that Congress are not authorized to grant the required protection, by taxing the many, for the benefit of the few; nor to cherish and elevate one class, to the prejudice of others, and particularly the shipping interest, which is already established, and in successful operation-the danger of smuggling; the destruction of all regular commerce; the demoralizing influence of manufacturing establishments; the great and unnecessary injury to the farming interest, as it would be at their expense, more immediately, that the required protection must be granted that manufactures do not require further protection; they are doing well, and will increase as fast as the welfare of the country requires; and it is held by the cotton, sugar, and tobacco-growers, that it might excite the displeasure of England, and that, by way of retaliation, she may shut out their commodities from her markets. Many of these objections have been answered and refuted, satisfactorily to my mind, still it may not be improper, at this time, briefly to notice some of them.

In regard to the capacity of the country to furnish the necessary quantity of wool.

It is said that wool cannot be grown in this country, in sufficient quantities to clothe its inhabitants. This is evidently erroneous. The only reason why wool has not heretofore been grown to any considerable amount is, that there has been no steady or efficient demand for it. The demand during our late war was great. Before that time, it was next to nothing, compared with other kinds of agricultural produce. During the war, and embargo, the quantity of wool raised, was very much increased; and if the growers and manufacturers of that article then, in this country, could have been defended from the interference of foreigners, and foreign wool, in the shape of woollen cloths, had continued to be excluded; before this time, the quantity of wool raised, would not only have been equal to clothing the entire population of this country, but by necessary competition, the quality would have been improved, and its price reduced to the proper level, or below it. At the close of the war, however, the country was again inundated with foreign wool, in

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the shape of woollen manufactures; which had the preference to cloths made here, by our half-learned artists. sequence was, that our new beginners in the manufacture of wool, were broken down and ruined. Wool could not be sold at hardly any price. Sheep became useless to the farmer; and the flocks of sheep were killed off by thousands, and their carcasses thrown to the hogs. The flocks of sheep were destroyed in this summary way, or by peddling them about in our markets, at from fifty, to seventy-five cents per head, until the number was reduced to the demands of a part of our farmers, for the coarse fabrics made in their families, for their use. The farmers have, however, lately, again slowly, and cautiously increased their flocks, apprehending in the mean time, another defeat, by some caprice of government, or change of times. The small addition to the tariff of last year, has increased that confidence. The flocks are now again more carefully attended to, but the price of wool may soon again decline, unless the duties on imports are further augmented, so as to draw into the country, or grow up in it, a sufficient stock of artizans, to make and supply all the woollen goods required in the consumption of the country; and unless this stock of artizans shall be enlarged, and manufactories of the article established, commensurate with the demand of the country, another slaughter and destruction of sheep may be expected.

It is maintained, that no further protection ought to be provided for manufacturers, because the revenue derived to government from duties payable on importations, will thereby be diminished, and direct taxation resorted to, as a necessary consequence of this protection.

It may

If the reverse of this anticipation is not evident at first view, it is, nevertheless, beyond all question true. be taken as a general rule, that every nation imports commodities from abroad, of some sort, to about the amount which it is convenient for it to pay for, and beyond its ability to pay, it cannot for any length of time continue to import.

In England, all, or nearly every manufactured article, together with bread-stuffs and provisions, are directly, or virtually prohibited. There still remains, however, even to England, a vast amount to be imported. All the articles whose growth requires a warmer or tropical climate, or which cannot be conveniently raised, or the value of which may be further augmented by the labor of her artizans.The raw silks, oils and fruits of Italy; the cotton of our southern states; the sugars, spirits, dye-stuffs, and fruits of the West Indies; the wines and fruits of Spain, Portugal, and

other wine-raising countries; the teas of China; the hemp, flax, iron, and furs of Russia and Sweden; the timber and peltries of Canada and Norway, and a multitude of other articles. Her importations of some sort, taken in the aggregate from all the countries from which she imports, must, in the long run, equal, or thereabouts, her exportations; or she would no longer derive any benefit from her exportations; other nations having nothing which she wanted, or would take in exchange. The question is; is she, by manufacturing, thereby enabled to import more; the duties payable upon which, shall be productive in like proportion, to the smaller quantity, to which, without manufacturing, she must of necessity have been limited?

It is contended that she is thereby enabled to import more ; and to illustrate this position, the trade of England is referred to; when that nation did not manufacture more than this now does, when she sent her wool, raw materials, &c. to Flanders, and other countries, and received cloths, and other manufactured articles in return; a practice which she continued for many centuries; in either of which, or even in half a century, by adopting her present policy, she might have greatly enlarged her number of people; ten folded her revenue from duties, and raised the nation to a state of the most enviable prosperity.

By reviewing the history of the manufacture and trade of England, it will be found that,at the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, her revenue derived from customs, or duties, on all the imported articles, amounted to but £14,000 yearly. The measures adopted by that Queen, and her excellent minister, Cecil, in protection of the manufactures and trade of her people, raised the revenue from this source, in her time, to more than £50,000, and from these plain reasons, that her nobles, prelates, and gentry, consumed larger quantities of home-made, instead of foreign articles; and her people were thereby enabled to earn more money by making them, and to import and pay for a greatly increased quantity of foreign articles, still remaining to be imported. For these facts and results, Anderson's History of Commerce, for the reign of that Queen, is referred to.

Although much was done during the reign of that monarch, the trade and manufacture of England in the succeeding, as in the former arbitrary reigns, to the revolution, underwent many fluctuations. From that time, the laws and regulations relating to manufactures and trade, could be no longer altered or changed for political or monied considerations, by the arbitrary proclamations of the King. Monopolies were put down, further prohibitions of manufactured articles were