COTTON Goods printed in the United States, Number of Factories, Yards, and Value, in 1842. IMPORTS into the United States of Cotton IMPORTS into the United States of Cotton Goods from British East Indies, from 1821 to 1841, inclusive. Goods from France on the Atlantic, from 1821 to 1844.* EXPORT of plain and printed calicoes from England during the years 1830 to 1844, inclusive, to the British West Indies, to Foreign West Indies and to the United States. The supply of coloured cottons from France, appears from the foregoing table not to be diminished-of white goods there is a partial reduction. *Mousselines de Laines: —“On the 1st of February, 1840, a new pattern of mousselines de laines arrived from France at New York, and was offered by the importer at fourteen cents per yard by the case. The agent of a Rhode Island calico-printing establishment forwarded a piece of the new style of goods to Providence the day after their arrival, and in sixteen days he had the same style of goods, and of equal fabric, in New York, selling at ten cents per yard. The manufacturer had but twelve days to engrave the new pattern on a copper cylinder, from which the engraving was raised on a steel cylinder, then hardened and made ready for impression; the compound of ingredients for colour discovered by chemical experiments; the cloth printed, dried, and cased for market."-Hunt's Magazine. TABLE showing the Value of Domestic Manufactures of Cotton Exported from the United States, from 1826 to 1844. STATEMENT exhibiting the Value of Manufactures of Cotton Imported into the United States from 1821 to 1844, inclusive. 1839. 1841. 1844.. All the statements of imports and exports for 1843 are for the nine months ending the 30th June. All previous statements are for the year ending 30th September. For subsequent years, according to Act of Congress, the statements are to be for the years ending 30th June. WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES. The manufactures of woollen cloths have certainly not succeeded so extensively, nor so advantageously as those of cotton. But if we take into account the common woollen cloths, generally in America called home spuns, these fabrics have been, and continue to be, of great importance in nearly all the agricultural districts, except in those of the southern slave states. The wool of all the sheep in the United States being spun, dyed, and woven, milled and worn in the country, is sufficient proof of the fact that it supersedes so much for wear of other fabrics. The high duties, however, increase the price to the weaver of all woollen fabrics, so long as there is not a surplus of domestic woollens over the general consumption of the country. The number of sheep in the United States, in 1831, was estimated at 20,000,000. In 1825, there were, in the state of New York, from actual returns, 3,499,549. The quantity of wool, taking an average of three years, was estimated by a committee, in 1831, at 50,000,000 lbs. per annum, and the quantity imported, to be spun and woven in factories and families, amounted, in 1831, to 5,622,962 lbs. Mr. Pitkin observes that, Although the returns in relation to the manufactures of the United States, made to the secretary of the treasury, in 1832, in pursuance of an order of the House of Representatives, were generally deficient; yet they show, that, in some of the states, the manufacture of wool, cotton, and iron had been carried to a great extent, in fixed establishments. In Massachusetts, the value of woollens, in these establishments, exceeded 6,500,000 dollars. In the county of Worcester alone, in that state, the manufacture of wool amounted to 2,499,500 dollars, and the value of agricultural products consumed by the labourers in the woollen establishments, in that county, according to returns of the manufacturers, was 1,776,000 dollars. “In estimating the value of woollens made in this country, it should be borne in mind, that, notwithstanding the numerous fixed establishments for the manufacture of this article lately erected, household, or family manufactures of wool, and mixtures of wool and cotton, are still carried on to a great extent. "In the year 1810, the whole number of fulling mills in the United States, as returned by the marshals, was 1682, and the carding machines 1630; and, in 1825, in the state of New York alone, the number of the former was 1222, and of the latter, 1580; and it will be remembered, that the number of looms in this country, in 1810, was 324,998, principally in families. In 1825, the number of yards of fulled cloth made in families, in the state of Making.. dollars. 2,918,233 693,600 3,611,833 The value of the same kinds of cloth, made in families in that state, at the present time (January, 1835) must be, at least, 4,500,000 dollars; and there can be little doubt, that the household manufactures of wool, in New England, must equal, if not exceed, those of New York. The agent appointed by the secretary of the treasury, to ascertain the manufactures in New Hampshire, states, in his return, that in 125 towns, whose population was 148,647, one-half of the clothing of the inhabitants was made in families; the value of the whole being estimated at 2,380,048 dollars. The greatest part of the cloth made in these towns must have been woollen. "The agent for New Hampshire, however, and those employed by him, attended to these subjects of inquiry, much more than the agents in the other states; and his answer will tend to elucidate the question now under consideration. He stated, in his return, that in the counties of Rockingham, Stafford, Grafton, and Coos, containing 125 towns, and 148,647 inhabitants, the expense of each individual, annually, for cloths of all descriptions for wearing apparel, is sixteen dollars, making the expense to the whole population, of 2,380,000 dollars. Allowing,' he adds, seven persons to a family, there would be 21,250 families, the average expense to each of which, for bedding, carpeting, table linen, &c., is nineteen dollars, equal to 403,712 dollars; so that 2,783,860 dollars are yearly expended for cloths, for wearing apparel, bedding, carpeting, &c. Something more than one-half of these cloths are manufactured in families.' The expense of clothing each individual in the counties of New Hampshire, above referred to, was sixteen dollars; and as this clothing must have consisted principally of woollens and cottons, we think the sum of ten dollars for each person in the United States, for this kind of clothing, cannot be deemed an overestimate. "The manufacture of carpets has lately increased in this country very rapidly. In December, 1834, there were in operation, in the United States, at least, 511 carpet looms, in from eighteen to twenty factories; of which eighteen were for Brussels, twenty-one for what are called treble ingrained, 424 for other ingrained, forty-four for Venetian, and four for damask Venetian; and that the number of yards of carpeting, produced yearly from these looms, was as follows:: Brussels.... Other ingrained Damask Venetian. Making.... The average value of carpeting may be estimated at one dollar per yard.” yards. 21,600 31,500 954,000 132,000 8,400 1,147,500 Such, according to Mr. Pitkin, was the state of the woollen manufactures in the year 1834; and he states that there were in other states a great quantity of common carpeting made in the houses of families. In 1840, the number of sheep in the United States, are given in the marshal's returns (see Table of Live Stock)—at 19,311,374. The annual quantity of wool at 35,802,114 lbs. If these returns be true, the estimate given in the report for 1831 (viz., 20,000,000 sheep), must have been either greatly exaggerated or there has been but little increase since that period; which is not likely, unless the increased demand for mutton for food has been equal to the annual increase of the number of sheep. The estimate of the quantity of wool, in 1831 (viz., 50,000,000 lbs.), must have also been greatly overrated. Other statements estimate the number of sheep in the United States as much greater than the official returns. Some authorities as high as 35,000,000. "Hosiery," says Mr. Ellsworth, " is now made in the United States with astonishing rapidity, by the aid of the power weaving loom, an American invention, which has not yet been introduced into England. While, there, it is a full day's work to knit by hand two pairs of drawers, a girl, here, at two dollars fifty cents per week, will make, by the power-loom, twenty pairs in the same time. A piece, twenty-eight inches in width, and one inch long, can be knit in one minute, thus reducing the expense of manufacturing this article one-tenth of the former method by the hand-looms. The importance of this improvement may be estimated from the fact, that the quantity of hosiery used in the United States is valued at 2,500,000 dollars; and the stockings, woven shirts, and drawers, made in this country, at 500,000 dollars."-Report for 1843 The exports of woollen manufactures from the United States are not of sufficient importance to be enumerated. For the number of woollen factories, fulling mills, persons employed, value of fabrics, and capital invested, see tabular statements hereafter. STATEMENT exhibiting the Value of all Manufactures of Wool Imported into the United States annually, from 1821 to 1843. The only information that we possess, on which we place any dependence, on the subject of silk manufactures in the United States, are Mr. Ellsworth's reports. He observes : "That the manufacture of silk has been carried to great perfection. A large establishment in Baltimore manufactures immense quantities of silk and worsted vestings, employing some fifteen or twenty Jacquard looms, and working up large quantities of domestic silk; and yet they dare not let it be known that their goods are manufactured in this country. But there are other manufactories in various parts of the country, which furnish sewing silk, fringe tassels, gimp, satin, velvet, and other silks. The uniform testimony of those employed in these establishments (some of whom have followed the business for twenty or twenty-five years in England), is, that they never saw finer, or as fine silk, as the American, when carefully prepared. It is said to give a stronger thread than foreign silk, and, by many manufacturers, is altogether preferred. The experiment of making paper from mulberry leaves, which is said to have been successful in France, is to be fully tried in this country the present year. It is said that a discovery has been made, that pongee silk is produced from the fibrous bark of the mulberry, and that it has never passed through the silkworm. It is also said, on the same authority, that there is nearly 100 per cent difference in the use of foliage in raising cocoons. That to produce one cwt. of cocoons, from twenty to twenty-two cwt. of foliage of grafted trees, propagated by grafting buds, cuttings, or layers, is necessary; while from twelve to thirteen cwt. of leaves from seedlings will accomplish the same result.' "The profit and feasibleness of the raising and manufacture of silk are also fully established. One person, who produced raw silk, says, that his net profit was equal to sixty dollars per acre. At a large establishment in Massachusetts, the profits are estimated at thirty-seven and a half per cent. To show the kind of manufacture, and the amount of capital invested, and nature of expenses, we insert the following account with reference to a fine manufactory in Ohio :— My factory is in full and successful operation, producing more goods than at any time previous. Our operations, as per factory books, and account stock, taken August 8th, for the past sixteen months, are as follows, in a condensed form, viz. : Cash value of factory buildings... Ditto, ditto, machinery, engine, and permanent fixtures 280 lbs. reeled silk purchased Carried forward dollars. 1,340 4,060 3,600 1,400 10,400 |