to help sustain; a carpet and India-rubber manufactory, employing fifty travelling agents; three grist-mills, seven saw-mills, five shingle machines, six stores, three hotels, four blacksmith shops, and a number of other mechanical trades and professions.

"It is estimated that the state of New York inanufactures one-third of the whole quantity of leather tanned in the United States. There are about 450 tanneries, and the total value of leather annually is about 6,000,000 of dollars. The importation of sole leather into the United States has entirely ceased, and although there exists a protective duty of twenty-nine per cent, it is entirely unnecessary; indeed, were foreign markets thrown open to us, we hazard little in asserting that we could export sole leather to the European markets to advantage. English sheep (in the raw state chiefly), and French calf skins finished, are imported into the country in considerable quantities, and we believe profitably, but the value is trifling, compared with the great staple, sole leather.

"The hemlock tanneries are generally constructed of wood; all the tanning vats are under cover of the building, and are kept warm by means of stoves and heaters, in order that the operations may proceed as well during the cold, as warm seasons. The old plan, and the one pursued still in the oak tanning districts, is to lay away the leather and cover up the vats in the winter (thus being out of doors and exposed to the severity of the season), and open them again in the spring; in this way much time was lost, and the tanneries were unable to tan out but a single stock in the year. The size of the larger class of tanneries is from 150 to 400 feet in length, by thirty to fifty feet in width, containing from 100 to 300 vats-and two to eight large heaters, in which the bark is steamed or boiled, for the purpose of extracting the tanning; their capacities range from 3000 to 20,000 hides per annum. The Prattsville tannery is capable of tanning out within the year, 25,000 hides, or 50,000 sides of sole leather. They usually tan two stocks in the year; that is to say, the hides worked in' in the spring, are returned manufactured in the fall, and those worked in' in the fall, are returned in the spring. The tanneries are located always on some stream furnishing sufficient power to propel the machinery, and in the midst of the hemlock forests, where bark is of easy access and cheap. As the forests of hemlock become extinguished, the tanners retreat further into the interior. Among other causes which have contributed to place the state of New York in the high position she occupies as a tanning state, was the enactment of judicious inspection laws, which, while they served to guard the purchasers from imposition, also stimulated the tanners to put forth their best skill and exertions to excel. The states of Maryland and Massachusetts have both adopted, with slight modifications, the laws of the state of New York in that particular, and are now experiencing their beneficial effects.

"Within the past fifteen years, important improvements have been made in the art of tanning, and many erroneous notions exploded. The quality of sole leather has been improved in about the same ratio as the average gain in weight has been increased, which may safely be estimated on an average at twenty per cent; that is to say, hides under the old system of tanning, which yielded a gain of 130 lbs. of leather for every 100 lbs. of raw hide, will now, under the improved system, be made to yield 150 lbs. The idea that time is necessary to make the best leather, has been demonstrated to be true only to a limited extent; as good leather can be made, by the bestowment of active management and labour, in six or eight months as in six or eight years; indeed, as good hemlock sole leather as we ever saw was manufactured in eight months, and we understand that successful experiments have been recently made establishing the fact, that excellent leather can be manufactured in fifty days; and extensive arrangements are now being made to test the feasibility of the plan on a large scale."

I.—TABLE showing the Total Number of Sides of Sole Leather inspected in the City of New York, during the Years 1827 to 1843, inclusive.

II.—TABLE of Imports and Exports of Hides, Foreign and Domestic, at the Port of New York, from 1824 to 1843, inclusive, with the Consumption for the same period.

III.-COMPARATIVE Table of Foreign Hides, Imports and Exports, at Liverpool, and

New York imported during the above period, 1,407,166 hides more, and exported 1,080,905 less, and consumed 2,406,685 more than the city of Liverpool. London imports and consumes less than Liverpool; and we know of no other city, New York excepted, that imports so largely as these two cities.

IV.

GREEN Slaughter-Hides, inspected in New York, from 1832 to 1843, inclusive.

IMPORT of Hides at New York, during the Years 1840 to 1843 inclusive.

VALUE of Hides and Skins Imported into, and Exported from, the United States, during

the following Years.

520,251

653,431

VALUE of Leather and Manufactures thereof Imported into, and Exported from, the United States, during the following Years.

* Nine months, ending 30th June only.

Hats.-Mr. Pitkin says, "The American manufacturer has long since supplied the domestic market with hats, and a surplus for exportation. In 1831, the value of hats made in this country was estimated at 10,500,000 dollars, exclusive of caps of various sorts; and the number of men and boys employed directly in this branch of domestic industry was estimated at 15,000, and of females, 3000; and the amount paid for their labour was calculated to be 4,200,000 dollars.

"The manufacture of caps, of various kinds, is carried on also to a great extent; an establishment of this description in Albany has employed, in this business, from 600 to 700 persons, and has paid wages to the amount of 100,000 dollars a year. And we beg leave here to refer to a branch of domestic industry, carried on principally in Massachusetts, in making braid, or straw-bonnets, and palm-leaf hats. The value of these articles, made in 1832, as appears by the returns made to the secretary of the treasury, was from 800,000 dollars to 900,000 dollars."

For the value made in 1840, see tabular statements hereafter.

Sugar Refineries.-In 1831, the number of sugar refineries in the United States was thirty-eight. For the present number and products, see tabular

statements.

MANUFACTURES OF IRON AND OTHER METALS.

Under the head of "Metals of the United States," we have given details of the iron manufactures; and we are enabled to add some further information from various sources. It is remarkable that iron and iron wares were made in the United States, at a period when but little iron was made, except in Sussex, in England. Douglas, in his "Summary of the British Settlements," Vol. I., page 540, says: "Iron is a considerable article in our (New England) manufacture. It consists of three branches: 1, smelting-furnaces, reducing the ore into pigs, having coal (charcoal) enough, and appearances of rock ore. In Attleborough were erected, at a great charge, three furnaces, but the ore proving bad and scarce, this projection miscarried as to pigs, but were of use in casting of small cannon for ships and letters of marque, and in casting cannon-balls and bombs for the (final) reduction of Louisburg" in 1745 (100 years ago). 2. Refineries, which manufactured pigs imported from New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland furnaces, into bar-iron. 3. Bloomeries, which, from bog or swamp ore, without any furnace, only by a forge hearth, reduce it into a bloom, or semiliquified lump, to be beat into bars, but much inferior to those from pigs or refineries. 4. Swamp-ore furnaces; from ore smelted, they cast hollow ware, which we can afford cheaper than from England or from Holland." Speaking of Pennsylvania, he says they export considerable quantity of their

iron in pigs, bars, and pots; and at Virginia and Maryland, "towards the mountain, there are furnaces for running of iron ore into pigs and Holland cast ware, and forges to refine pig-iron into bars."

IRON and Steel, Imported into the United States annually, from 1821 to 1842.

The extraordinary progress of the iron works of England and Scotland, during the present century, has created such abundance and cheapness, that high duties have been resorted to in the United States for protecting domestic iron works. This evil policy we will refer to hereafter. Except common articles of hardware, all others are produced at high prices. Among the various metallic fabrics, according to the reports of the Commissioners of Patents, we may

enumerate

Jewellery." In 1820, it might be said with almost literal truth, that nothing of the kind was manufactured in the United States. But now, But now, much the larger part of all the more rich and solid articles are made in this country. There are very good and extensive assortments in the stores, where not a single specimen of foreign jewellery is to be found. Articles of English manufacture are entirely superseded by the superior skill and taste of our workmen; but there are some sorts of work done by the French jewellers which cannot be equalled here.”

"Pins.-The progress made in the United States, in the manufacture of this article of universal use, within a few years, is truly astonishing. A manufactory, near Derby, Connecticut, has a contrivance for sticking pins in paper, which is quite marvellous. It takes, in England, sixty females to stick in one day, by sunlight, ninety packs, consisting of 302,460 pins. The same operation is performed here, in the same time, by one woman. Her sole occupation is to pour them, a gallon at a time, into a hopper, from whence they come out all neatly arranged upon their several papers. The mechanism, by which the labour of

fifty-nine persons is daily saved, yet remains a mystery to all but the inventor; and no person, but the single woman who attends to it, is, upon any pretext whatever, allowed to enter the room where it operates."

Nails were first made in the United States by machinery, which slit the rods, cut, and head them with astonishing rapidity. They are more brittle than wrought nails; but machine-made spikes are said to be equal, if not superior, to others. Screws, door-hinges, horse-shoes, all kinds of tools, locks, and fastenings for doors, lead pipes, and various metallic articles, cotton and wool cards, are made of the best quality. (See tabular statement hereafter.) Steam-engines and boilers, mainbrace, and other instruments, and anchors, and chain cables; articles of cast iron; agricultural instruments; and all the articles of metal made in England and France, are now made in the United States; but many of them at much higher prices to the inhabitants than they could be imported from Europe.

Hooks and eyes form another illustration of the progress of inventive industry. Thirty years ago, the price was one dollar fifty cents per gross; now, the same quantity may be purchased, from fifteen to twenty cents. "At one establishment in New Britain, Connecticut, 80,000 to 100,000 pairs per day are made and plated by a galvanic battery, on the cold silver process. The value of this article, consumed annually in the United States, is estimated at 750,000 dollars."

Horse-shoes furnish a similar proof of the bearing of the progress of inventions. An improved kind of horse-shoes, made at Troy, New York, for some time past, is now sold at the price of only five cents per pound, ready prepared, to be used in shoeing the animal. At a factory, recently erected, fifty tons of these are now turned out per day; and, it is believed, they can be made and sent to Europe, at as good a profit as is derived from American clocks, which have handsomely remunerated the exporter.

Brass, copper, tin, pewter and Britannia ware.-In 1833, the manu-
factures of copper imported (exclusive of copper bottoms), was..
Of brass (exclusive of sheet and rolled brass)........

dollars.

33,244

370,764

Of tin.......

11,887

Of pewter.....

11,945

Total..........

427,840

In 1832, the value of the manufactures of copper, brass, tin, Britannia ware, including clasps made in Connecticut, was 430,050 dollars.

Buttons. The value of domestic buttons, made in 1832, was estimated at 800,000 dollars; the value of those that were gilt, being 300,000 dollars, and others, 500,000 dollars. These were made in Waterbury and Meriden, in Connecticut, and in several towns in Massachusetts.

Combs, of ivory, horn, shell, and wood, were made in different parts of the United States, the same year, to the value, at least, of from 700,000 dollars to 800,000 dollars. In Massachusetts alone, in 1832, the value of combs of all kinds was about 450,000 dollars.

These articles, not only supply the home market, but constitute a part of