_"London, Feb. 20, 1768._
"DEAR FRIEND.--I wrote to you a few lines by Capt. Falconer, and
I sent you Dr. Watson's new piece, of experiments in inoculation,
which I hope will be agreeable to you.
"The Boston people pretending to interfere with the manufactures
of this country, make a great clamour here against America in
general. I have endeavoured, therefore, to palliate matters a
little in several public papers. It would, as you justly observe,
give less umbrage if we meddled only with such manufactures as
England does not attend to. That of linen might be carried on
more or less in every family, (perhaps it can only do in a family
way) and silk I think in most of the colonies. But there are many
manufactures that we cannot carry on to advantage, though we
were at entire liberty. And after all, this country is fond of
manufactures beyond their real value: _for the true source of riches
is husbandry_. Agriculture is truly _productive of new wealth_;
manufacturers only change forms; and whatever value they give to
the materials they work upon, they in the meantime consume an
equal value in provisions, &c.; so that riches are not _increased_
by manufacturing; the only advantage is, that provisions in the
shape of manufactures, are more easily carried for sale to foreign
markets, and where the provisions cannot be easily carried to
market, 'tis well so to transform them for our own use as well as
foreign sale. In families also, where the children and servants
of farmers have some spare time, 'tis well to employ it in making
something; and in spinning, or knitting, &c. to _gather up the
fragments_ of time, _that nothing be lost_; for these fragments
though small in themselves, amount to something great in the year,
and the family must eat whether they work or are idle. But this
nation seems to have increased the number of its manufactures beyond
reasonable bounds, (for there are bounds to every thing,) whereby
provisions are now risen to an exorbitant price by the demand for
supplying home mouths; so that there must be an importation from
foreign countries: but the expense of bringing provisions from
abroad to feed manufacturers here, will so enhance the price of the
manufactures, that they may be made cheaper where the provisions
grow, and the mouths will go to the meat.
"With many thanks for your good wishes, I am, dear friend,
affectionately yours,