were apprehensive of an infurrection, to Nimeguen. At four in the morning fhe did not infift on it, in order to prove the fincerity of the affurances which she had given them. She had also thought of turning back to Leerdam, but the difficulty of getting horfes made her determine for Schoonhoven, whither two of the Commiffioners accompanied her with an efcort of horfe. It was about midnight when we arrived there. Her Royal Highness wrote immediately to the Grand Penfioner and the Secretary, and having in vain waited all the 29th for an anfwer from the States of Holland, not only to her letters, but also to the exprefs from the Commiffioners, the thought it was most adviseable to return the quitted Schoonhoven, after having quietly pafied thirty-fix hours there without attempting to furmount the obftacles raised to her departure; because, as her intentions were laudable, fhe had nothing to reproach herself with, and feared nothing, but was perfectly refigned to all that could hap pen to her. Her Highness received at laft from the States the answer so long expected, at the moment we were about to cross the Leck; and you know, Sir, that the contents of thefe letters were not fuch as to induce her Royal Highnefs to ftay any longer in the territory of Holland. I have the honour, &c. Letter to the People of Great Britain, on the Cultivation of their National History *. TH HE period of our hiftory which has been leaft illuftrated, ftrikes at once, as being that preceding the Norman conquest. It is, indeed, a mortifying reflection, that Englishmen fhould think the hiftory of their own ancestors of no moment, in comparifon with that of the Norman Princes and their followers, who fettled in this Country; should seem to think England of no account till it became a prey to Norman ravages! Perhaps it may be faid, that the want of materials for our hiftory, preceding the conqueft, is a fufficient excufe for our neglect of that period. Certain it is, that these materials are not large, being almoft confined to the Saxon Chronicles; while, after the Norman fettlement, our numerous hiftorians, chiefly of Norman race, or under Norman patronage, throw a blaze of light around them, which renders even mi nute parts of our hiftory confpicuous. But the attachment of thefe writers to the Normans made them pafs the more ancient history of England with invi dious parfimony, while they regale us with every incident of Norman "times in full difplay. This partiality of our original writers has affected our antiquaries and hiftoriographers; who, instead of running counter, as they ought, to this difpofition, have been drawn into its vortex. Yet it is certainly a matter of the easiest conception, and moft palpable truth, that the moft obfcure period of our history was exactly that which required the most illuftration. So that our antiquaries, who have confined what little researches they have made to the Norman and later periods of our history, have acted in diametrical oppofition to their duty, both as patriots and as antiquaries. Another reafon for neglecting the earlier parts of our hiftory is, the dif ficulty arifing from the heptarchic divifion. It is certainly a matter of fome difficulty to give a clear history of fix or feven fmall kingdoms; but, as the Greek proverb bears, all excellent things are difficult; and the greater the diff culty, there is the more merit in good * Gent. Mag. execution. and care. hiftory that we find that picture of hu man fociety which most interests the philofopher. execution. All modern kingdoms prefent the fame difficulty, in their early hiftory, and generally to a far later period than England; but their antiqua- It is fufpected that a third reafon ries have only been excited, by this why the period preceding the Condifficulty, to exert the greater accuracy queft, by far the most important of our Our heptarchic hiftory is hiftory, is neglected, originates from not only totally neglected; but our the writings of an English philofopher, writers think proper to apologize for Lord Bolingbroke. In his Letters on their own indolence, by informing us Hiftory, this writer confiders the earthat it is not worth writing. Mr Hume, ly hiftory of any country as quite usefenfible of the great careleffnefs with lefs, and regards the modern part, bewhich he had sketched this part of Eng- ginning at the Emperor Charles V. as lifh hiftory, quotes Milton, as faying, alone worth ftudy. This fuperficial othat the wars of the heptarchic itates pinion, of a once-fashionable author, are not more important than those of had perhaps great weight with those crows and kites. But this is like the who knew not that it is impoffible to reft of Mr Hume's quotations; for have any real knowledge of the moMilton, in that paffage, fpeaks not of dern hiftory of any country without heptarchic wars, but of a paltry fquab- beginning the ftudy at its fountains, ble between two noblemen of that time. in ancient events and manners. One Take his own words, p. 183, edition might as well think of building a house 1771, 4to, of his Hiftory of England: by beginning at the garrets. Nay The fame day Ethelmund at Kin- more, the foundation is only to be ber neresford, paffing over with the Wor- gun at the proper place; but, as every cestershire men, was met by Weolftan, part of the fuperftructure ultimately another nobleman, with those of Wilt- refts upon the foundation, this radical fhire, between whom happened a great part must be examined with far more fray, wherein the Wiltshire men over- care and attention than any of the rest. came, but both dukes were flain, no Mr Hume began his hiftory with the reafon of thir quarrel writ'n; fuch bic- Stuarts, and fo wrote backwards. The kerings to recount, met oft'n in thefe confequence is, that he has quite mif our writers, what more worth is it than taken the most glaring features of our to chronicle the wars of kites or crows, conftitution, and carried the defpotifm flocking and fighting in the air?" The of the Stuarts along with him through fact is, that the fmalleft of the heptar- all our hiftory. Nor can any problem chic kingdoms was fuperior in fize and in mathematics be more certain, than power to any one of the heroic king- it is impoffible either to write or read doms of Greece, whofe hiftory we read hiftory properly by retrogreffion. The with fo much attention; and the whole knowledge of the ancient part is not Grecian ftory, till the period of Alex- only neceffary in itself, but neceffary ander, is not in itself more important to understand the modern. To a phior interesting than our heptarchic. The lofopher the ancient part is the most genius of the authors makes all the dif- interefting, from the ftrong and unference; and this genius, it is hoped, common views of human nature to be will not always be wanting in ours. found in it. Nay, to a common readThofe, who think hiftory becomes im- er it must be the moft interefting, portant in proportion to the fize of from the greatnefs and fingularity of the country concerned, fhould confine its events. In early hiftory alone are themselves to study the Afiatic em- found thofe great incidents, and total pires, and leave real hiftory to thofe revolutions which elevate and furprize. who know its nature. It is in minute The modern hiftory of England con 3 G 2 Lifts fifts merely of wars which end in nothing, and in the filthy chicane of politics, fo difgufting to every ingenuous mind. Since the eleventh century, the feveral kingdoms and states of Europe remain almost the fame; and any radical revolutions which have happened might be comprized in a few pages. The period of great events begins at the fall of the Roman empire, and lafts till the eleventh century. The Hiftory of England, excluding that of the Romans in Britain, falls into two periods; from the arrival of the Saxons to the Conqueft; and from the Conqueft till now. Each period contains about feven centuries. In Greek or Roman history, either period would occupy much about the fame room. But the proportion in ours is, that the former part fills half a volumes the latter, feven volumes and a half! In Mezeray, the part of French hiftory preceding the year 1066 fills two volumes and a half; that fuceeding, four volumes and a half. This latter proportion is fuperior to ours; and we might at leaft allot two volumes out of eight for the period preceding the Conqueft. As it is, every one may judge that the former period of our hiftory muft be miferably abridged indeed; and it is much to be wished that fome able writer would give us ag hiftory of England preceding the Conqueft at due length. Materials he will find not wanting, if he brings industry to discover and to use them. PHILISTOR. Extracts from Papers circulated on the part of the British Manufacturers in Cotton, relative to the prefent Competition between the Callico and Muftin Manufactures of Great Britain, and the fame Species of Goods imported from the East Indies: dated London, April, 1788. TH HE facilities which the manufacturers of Great Britain have fuddenly acquired, and the immenfe capitals which they have as fuddenly laid out in expenfive machinery, and great and heavy establishments, for carrying on the cotton, trade, are unparalleled in the annals of the world. Above one million of money is at this moment funk in mills, hand-engines, and other machines, including the grounds, and neceffary buildings. A power is created capable of working nearly two millions of fpindles *; and men, women, and children, are trained and training to this bufinefs, capable of carrying the cotton manufacture almoft to any extent. British callicoes were firft made in Lancashire about the year 1772, but the progrefs was flow till within the last ten years; the quantity manufac tured has fince extended from about fifty thousand to ane million of pieces now made in the course of one fingle year t. British muflins were not fuccefsfully introduced until the year 1781, and were carried to no great extent until 1785, fince which period the progrefs has been rapid beyond all example, The acquifition of cotton wool of a fuperior quality, from Demerary and the Brazils, and the improvements made in fpinning fine yarns upon the mule jennies, have given a fpring to this branch of the cotton manufactory, which has extended it beyond what it • The power of spindles now capable of being worked is estimated thus ; was 286,000 1,665,100 1,951,100 fpindles. The value of callicoes is fuppofed to be nearly one million and an half ferling. was poffible to conceive. Above half a million pieces of muflins of different kinds, including fhawls and bandkerchiefs, are now fuppofed to be made in Great Britain, and the quantity not only increases daily with the new acceffion of powers that are bursting forth upon the country, but the quality is exceedingly improved; and fince about 300 bales of fine Eaft-India cotton have lately been obtained by the way of Oftend, yarns have been fpun, and muflins have been wove, equal to any from India, and nothing but a fine raw material is wanted to enable the British manufacturerto carry this branch to the greateft extent: and of all others, it is that fpecies of cotton goods which deferves moit to be encouraged, becaufe of the immenfe return it makes for labour more than any other branch of the cotton manufactory. Eaft-India cotton wool has been spun into one pound of yarn, worth five guineas, and when wove into muflin, and afterwards ornamented by children in the tambour, has extended to the enormous value of fifteen pounds, yielding a return of five thousand nine hundred per cent. on the raw material. Such is the state of the British cotton manufacture at prefent.-With establishments and mechanical powers capable of bringing forward immenfe quantities of goods into the confumption, this manufacture is checked as it were in a moment, by a great and fudden reduction of the prices of EaftIndia goods, of the fame fpecies which have been recently fold above zo per cent. on an average, under the lowest prices at which the British manufac turer can afford to fell without lofs. The confequence of which has been, that an univerfal ftagnation has taken place; the stocks on hand daily accumulate; the poor fpinners who work upon the hand-mills are in the greatest diftrefs; and a great and valuable fyftem is in danger of being broke down in a moment, if fome remedy cannot be applied; for unless the Britifh market can be opened for the home manufacturer, it is impoffible to go on: men and women trained to the bufinefs, at a great expence, will be fet a-drift, and the numerous children fent back to the hofpitals and parishes from whence they came. The cotton manufactory has burst forth, as it were, upon the country, in a moment; giving a fpring to the induftry of the people, unexampled in the annals of the world §. It is not above twenty years fince the whole cotton trade of Great Britain did not return 200,000l. to the country for the raw materials, combined with the labour of the people; and at that period, before the water machines and hand-engines were fuccefsfully introduced **, the power of the * The muflins will now extend to above one million of money in value. In order to affift the mind in forming a conception of the fineness of this yarn, it may not be improper to state, that a fingle pound of it, if stretched out, would extend to the enormous length of about 100 miles. Many of the poor fpinners at Stockport are at prefent quite idle. It is the fame cafe with thofe in the towns and villages in Lancashire. An eminent manufacturer of muflins in England, who gave employment to 700 weavers in this branch, has not now 300 employed. The reduction is general all over the country. The cotton machinery in full work, is now fuppofed to produce as much yarn as would equal the labour of one million of perfons, according to the old fyftem of spinning upon the single wheels. **It is perhaps not generally known, that the yarns fpun upon the water mills are hard twifted, and therefore only fit for one part of the manufacture, namely, the warps. The weft, or fhute-yarns, are for the moft part fpun upon the hand machines, or jennies; and it is worthy of remark, that about the fame period, and coeval to the invention of water mills, the difcovery was made of multiplying the powers of the common hand wheels, fo as to spin at first from five to ten, and from that the fingle wheel could not exceed fifty thousand fpindles employed in fpinning the cotton wool into yarns. At the prefent moment, this power of fpindles, capable of being applied to the fame purpose, amounts nearly to two millions, in all Great Britain; and the grofs return for the raw materials and labour exceeds feven milLions fierling. About 1784, the expiration of Sir Richard Arkwright's patent diffeminated the knowledge of fpinning by water machines. Mills were erected in every part of the country, for fpinning the warps; and the band engines, or jennies, for the wefts, increased in proportion, infomuch, that at present there appears to be 143 water mills, and above twenty thousand hand engines in Great Britain. This immenfe power of machinery, (which with the neceffary buildings and other appendages, has not coft lefs than one million fterling *) is capable of fpinning into yarns above twenty millions of pounds of cotton yearly, equal in value to upwards of one million and one half sterling, for the raw material; which, when fo fpun into the various qualities for the manufacture, will be raised in value to four millions of mo ney for the yarns alone. Thefe eftablishments, when in full work, are estimated to give employment, in fpinning alone, to about twenty-fix thousand men, thirty-one thousand women, and fifty-three thoufand children; and in the fubfequent ftages of the manufacture, until it ar rives at maturity, the number of per fons employed are alfo eftimated to amount that number to eighty threads (now the power of a fingle jenny) which being wrought by one man, with the affiftance of a woman to prepare the cotton, and a boy or girl to tie the broken threads, gives a facility to human labour in this manufacture, which is fearce conceivable. 143 Water mills, fuppofed originally to cost 600ol. on an average; but here only averaged at 5000l. L. 715,000 550 Mule jennies, or machines, partaking of the nature both of the water mill and common jennies, confifting of 90 fpindles each, 20,070 Hand jennies of 80 fpindles each, with all appendages, Reels, wheels, carding machines, and buildings for the whole hand machines, 19,250 140,490 125,269 L. 1,000,000 N. B. This estimate does not include the value of the looms employed, which have coft an immenfe fum. Thefe 143 water mills are usefully diffeminated all over the country, extending the benefits of profitable labour to every corner of the nation, as appears from the following statement, viz. Total in England Mills in Lanerkshire 123 Isle of Man, one mill I Idem in Mid Lothian Idem in Ayrshire Idem in Galloway |